He would suffer none to lay unconsecrated hands
upon the sacraments; and in personal temperament, I think he was as
ascetic as any monk."
"Do you think, then, that if he had lived before the Reformation he
might have founded an order of extreme rigor, say, like La Trappe?"
"No, indeed, sir! He might have founded an order, and it would,
doubtless, have been a rigorous one; but it would not have been one
shut up behind walls. It would have been a preaching order, severely
disciplined, perhaps, but burning with all the zeal of the
Redemptionist Fathers on a mission."
The squire patted the little hand, which was upon his knee, and proudly
asked,
"Now, then, parson, what does ta say to that?"
"I say it would be a very good description of 'the people called
Methodists' when they began their crusade in England."
"It is always a good description of them when they have missionary
work to do. We have had brave soldiers among the Fontaines, and wise
statesmen, also; but braver than all, wiser than all, was my
grandfather Fontaine, who went into the wilderness of Tennessee an
apostle of Methodism, with the Bible in his heart and his life in his
hand. If I was a man, I would do as Richard always does, lift my hat
whenever his name is mentioned."
"Such ministers are, indeed, spiritual heroes, Miss Fontaine; men,
of whom the world is not worthy.
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