Litchfield enquirer., 1851-03-06

the reading desk, and the services began. You know that nay mother was, until her marriage, in the communion of the Episcopal Church; this thought hardly left me, while sat, grateful for the priv. ilcge of worshippipg God through ser vice that had expressed 90 often her de- votions. 1 cannot tell you how much 1 was affected. I had never had such q trance of worship. and shall never have such another view until gain the gate.
 Tam so ignorant of the church service that l eannot tell the various parts by their right names but the portions which most affected me were the prayers and responses which the choir sang. had ncyersheard any part of supplication-- a direct prayer sung by choir, and it seemed as thought I heard not with my ear, but with my soul. was dissolved my whole being seemed to me like an incense waited gratefully toward God. My souL then thou didst magnify the Lord, and rejoice in the God of thy sal- vation! And tLen came to my mind the many exultations of the Psalms of David. and never before were the expressions and figures so noble and so necessary to express what felt I had risen, it seem> cd to me. so high that I was where David was when his soul conceived the things which he wrote. Throughout the service, and it was an hour and quarter long, whenever an "amen" " occurred, it was given by the choir, accompanied by the organ and congregation. Oh. that swell and solemn cadence rings in my ear yet Not once, not a single time did it occur in that service from beginning to end. without bringing tears from my eyes. I stood like shrub in a spring morning every leaf covered with dew, and every breeze shook down some drops. I trem- bled so much at times that was obliged to sit down. Oh, when in the prayers breathed forth ia strains of sweet, simple, solemn music, the love of Christ was re- cognized. how longed then to give ut terence to what that love seemed to me There was moment in which the heavens seemed opened to Ele, and saw the glo-, ry of God ! All earth seemed to me store>house of images, made to set forth the Redeemer, and I could scarely be still from crying out. I never knew, never dreamed before, of what heart there was
 in that word. Amen. Every time it swell. ed forth and died away solemnly, not my lips, not my mind. but my whole being said, Saviour, so let it be. -.
 The sermon was preparatory to the Communion, which I then first learned was to be celebrated. It was plain and good; and although the Rector had done many things in a way that led me to sup pose that he sympathized with over
 much ceremony. yet in his sermon he seemed evangelical, and gave right view
 of tho Lords Supper. For the frat time in my life, Iwent forward to commune in an Episcopal Church. Without any in tent of my own, but because from my seat it was nearest. I knslt down at the altar with the dust of Shakespeare beneath my feet. I thought of it. as thought of ten thousand things. without the least disturbance. It seemed as if I stood up. on place so high. that. like one looking over a wide valley. all obicc 2 conspired
 to make but one view. 1 thought, too.
 of the General Assembly and Church of
 the First Born, of my mother and broth-
 CT and children in heavon, of my living
 family on earth. of you, of the whole
 church entrusted to my hands they afar
 of-I upon the banks of tho Avon.
  In the afternoon walked over to Slat>
 terry, to attend worship there. but found
 that had been misinformed. and that there was no church there. I soon found the cottage where Shakspeare's wife, Anne Hathaway, was born. but stayed only for little time. meaning to visit it more at my leisure on Monday. I has, tened back. hoping to reach the village church in Stratford in time for part of the service. but arrived just in time to meet the congregation coming out. I
 turned aside to the churchyard, which
 surrounded the church on every side. As
 stood behind the chancel, on tho brink f the Avon, which is here walled to the
 height of some eight feet, looking now at
 the broad green meadows beyond, and at
 ! clump of "for-gct,me-nots.' growing
 wild down at the water's edge. and won- dering how I should get them to carry back to my friends, was accosteI by a venerable old man, whose nane after wards found to be -. He was not indisposed to talk. and l learned that he was eighty one years of age: had lost his father in America during our reyolu- tionary war, where he had been a sol. dier; he remembered the sad tidings; being then eleven years of age; he had resided at Stratford for thirty years, his trade being that of turner and carver he had lately buried his wife. and had come after service to visit her grave.
 We walked together along the banks of
 the Avon. he repeating some lines of po-
 etry which you know well. if I could only remember enough to let you know what they were. He gsre nc various r II ..e. .As. R | 4st ss