On the Rim of the Action
ON THE RIM OF THE ACTION
at was something new. True, the vicar's sermon was not as interesting as one preached by her father. Still, she had enjoyed the service.
After a final stroke with her comb, Susanna went down to the dining room. Altogether, Dr. Annesley had had twenty-five children. Samuel, his first wife's only child, was in India. Many of the two dozen by his second wife had either died or moved away. Those who remained stood around the table and joined hands while Dr. Annesley prayed, ''We thank Thee, God, for the food of which we are about to partake."'
Following Puritan ideals, the Annesleys did as little work as possible on Sunday. Most of the food had been prepared the day before. Sunday was a day to worship, meditate, and rest. Family devotions were required. Each member of the family was to spend as much time reading the Bible as was spent in recreation.
The news around the crowded table that day concerned Elizabeth and John Dunton's plans to marry that summer.
But then the topic of conversation shifted. "'I've heard that King Louis XIV has been tampering with the Edict of Nantes,' announced one of the girls.
that's something we should pray about!'' said Annesley, shaking his head.
""Why? What does that mean?'' asked several.
'"The Edict of Nantes is an agreement that was signed by Louis XIV's grandfather, Henry IV, with the Huguenots. They were French Christians who lived a hundred years ago. In England we call them
Protestants. It allowed them freedom of worship in certain French cities. Please remember that John
Calvin was French, and that there have been many Huguenots.'' He sighed. ''I'm afraid we're facing
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troubled times. As you know, Louis XIV and Charles II are cousins!''
''And what does that mean?'' asked Susanna.
Annesley shrugged. ''It could mean trouble. Just last week a minister friend of mine right here in London was fined 850 pounds for merely conducting a public meeting. I hope he can raise the money. If he can't, he may have to go to the Tower!'
After several minutes of conversation about how Christians had persecuted one another, Susanna noticed Elizabeth. ''Why are you just picking at your food?'' she asked. ''Are you ill?''
'"'T'm not ill,'' replied Elizabeth in a low voice. "'But I thought that at least one person would be interested in my wedding! Instead, all I hear is Henry IV, Louis
XIV, Charles II, and Bloody Queen Mary!''
'I'm extremely interested in your wedding,' returned Susanna. ''True, John is a bit eccentric. But I admire his religious convictions and his obsession with books and publishing. Also, I like his beard. It's most becoming. I—''
Susanna's sentence was cut short by a voice from the end of the table. ''When are we going to be prosperous enough to have tea?"'
'"Tea costs too much!"' replied Annesley. ''Fifteen shillings for a pound of tea is more than we can afford.
I worked it out last week. If we were to get the tea habit, we would use about forty pounds of it a year— and that would be more than our annual rent!'
''Maybe someone could persuade our brother Sam to send us some. He's making a lot of money in India and could afford it,'' put in Elizabeth.
water is much better,'' said Annesley. "'And besides, it's cheaper!'
Turning to Elizabeth, Susanna asked, ''When is your wedding?"'
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'"'August 3. It will be at Allhallows the Wall. Father will preach the sermon. And do you know who else will be there?''
'"Who?"'
"A special friend of John Dunton,'' Elizabeth's voice teased.
'"What's his name?"'
'"'Oh, he's a very handsome young man.'
''T'm sure of that. Dunton likes quality. But what's his name?"'
] ""He's a most remarkable young man,"' Elizabeth went on. ''He's brilliant, dedicated, well-educated, ambitious, strong."'
assume all of that,'' said Susanna. ''But, please, can't you tell me his name?''
'"'His name is Samuel Wesley!''
I've met him.'' Susanna nodded. ''He comes from a long line of Dissenters, but now he goes to the Church of England.''
''And he's interested in everything that's obscure,"' threw in Dr. Annesley. ''I once discussed with him the problems the fourth-century church had in dating
Easter. To my amazement, he knew all about the Council of Nicaea. He talked about Arius, Eusebius of Caesarea, and Athanasius as if he knew them personally. I wouldn't be surprised but what he could rattle off the names of all the bishops who attended.
He should write a dictionary. J think he's a genius."'
'"'But he's stubborn!'' said Elizabeth, focusing her words in the general direction of Susanna. ''He and John were having coffee in Smith's Coffeehouse in George Yard when a fat colonel sitting by the fireplace began to swear. He took the Lord's name in vain again and again and soiled the air with dirty oaths.
was too much for Sam Wesley. After filling a large cup with water, he summoned a waiter. Then
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raising his voice so that everyone in the room could hear, he said, "Take this water to the gentleman in the red coat, and ask him to wash out his mouth.'
'"The colonel almost exploded. He jumped to his feet, yanked out his sword, and strode forward. If it had not been for the soldiers who were sitting with the colonel, there would have been a fight. John said it was one of the funniest sights he had ever seen."'
''Good for Sam!'' cheered Annesley. "*I admire men of courage. But now that we ve finished eating, let us pray.''
Obediently, the entire family pushed their chairs back from the table. Each knelt by a chair; and each, from the oldest to Susanna, prayed. Mixed in with each prayer were words of praise, thanksgiving, and petitions. Not one sounded formal or memorized, as it would have if it had originated in the Book ef Common
Prayer.
Immediately after family worship, Dr. Annesley motioned for Susanna to follow him. In the study, he picked up a slender volume. ''Found it last week,"' he said. ''It was written by your grandfather, John
White, during the Cromwell War. And since we' ve been discussing recent history of the church, I thought you'd be interested."'
''Looks interesting,'' murmured Susanna, backing out the door.
''I'll give you a report when I'm finished.'"'
Reading the book was like examining a sewer. Each of the one hundred Church of England priests seemed more vile than the previous one. None had morals.
Many were drunkards. The majority were more interested in chasing the hounds than working in the parish. Some collected money from several parishes but left all of the work up to their assistants. Few
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seldom, if ever, preached the gospel.
A number were gamblers.
After Susanna finished the book, she went outside for fresh air. A thin layer of snow covered the ground, but the air had a tang to it. Twice as she wandered in a southerly direction she was almost drenched when pails of slop were dumped from upstairs windows.
On the banks of the Thames, she was attracted by an overpowering stench. Following the smell, she came to a large slave ship that was being repaired.
From the vantage point of a stack of brick, she had an excellent view of the deck. While she observed, several dozen blacks were led from a hold by a man waving a cat-o-nine tails. Each slave was shackled to another by a chain attached to an ankle.
As Susanna's eyes widened, a youth began to beat a drum, and the man with the whip made the slaves jump up and down to the rhythm of the beat. Noticing a ship's officer with silver buckles arching his shoes, Susanna asked, '"'Sir, what are they doing?'"'
''Mornin' exercises."'
"But why that dreadful whip?''
'"Because some of 'em don't want to exercise.'
"Why not?"'
He shrugged. "'"They'd rather be dead than be b) slaves."'
A fresh breeze rippled the British flag on the bow and increased the stench.
''Ugh! The smell is terrible.''
The man lifted his hands in a gesture of despair.
'For a girl you sure have a lot to say. The smell ain't half as bad as it was. I've smelled slavers five miles away! Reason is we don't have proper sanitary facilities. When we loaded at Benin we had six hundred slaves. There was only one bucket for every twenty. On the way about a third of 'em died and we
EVAN : y 4 zy eee Spe Ss = = y— -— — — =
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had to toss 'em overboard. Now there's a bucket for every fifteen or so. Things will improve by the time we get to Jamaica, for at least a third of these will die on the way over."'
Susanna shuddered.
''What you say turns my stomach. How can England call itself a Christian nation and engage in the slave trade?"'
'That ain't no problem! Look at it this way, Miss.
Those who get to Jamaica will become civilized. Some of em may even become Christians. 'That's why this ship's called John the Baptist. I own ten percent of her."'
Losing control, Susanna snapped, '"'Are you a Christian?"'
''Certainly. I was baptised when I was an infant just like everyone else in England. I've even been to church twice, and I've taken communion."'
Susanna returned home and climbed the steps to her father's study. ''Sir, were things really as bad during the civil war period as Grandfather White described them in his book?'' she asked.
Annesley smiled. ''First you must remember that your grandfather was a very outspoken man. I['ll never forget how terrified I was to ask him for your mother's hand. He was a graduate of Oxford, a Puritan lawyer, a member of Parliament—and he was a dramatic man. His pen was like a sword."'
sir, were the vicars he wrote about really that corrupt?"
""They were. During that period eight thousand clergymen lost their churches because of their corruption.'' He shook his head and rubbed his chin. "'I knew many of them. One was often found drunk in the vestibule of his church. Another got his appointment by bribing the king. Then he collected commissions from the preachers to whom he assigned parishes."'
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Susanna bit her lip. ''Does this mean that the resurrected Christ has no power?''
'"Certainly not! Jesus said, 'All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.'
''Does that mean all—all—power?"' iltidées:} 'Then, sir, why have professed Christians done such horrible things? I've read about the Crusades, the religious wars, the persecutions, the intolerance.
And I've seen with my own eyes where Bloody Queen Mary burned so many!'
'"They've done those terrible things because they have neglected the more important things: the resurrection of Jesus, His death on the cross, prayer, His
Second Coming. Instead, they've concentrated on trivia. The Puritans fussed because members of the Church of England kneel when they take communion."'
''And what's wrong with kneeling?"'
when Jesus served the first communion in the Upper Room the apostles obviously did not kneel. Instead, they sat at the table."'
"Or reclined on couches like the Romans,"'' put in Susanna.
Annesley laughed. ''Next Sunday I'm going to preach on this subject. My text will be Matthew 23:23:
'Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ye ought to have done, and not to leave the other undone.'
He stood and paced the room. ''What we need, Sukey, is for someone—just anyone—to light a candle in our present darkness and to lift it high enough for everyone to see the way. Such a person could change England, and changing England could change
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the world.'' He sighed and placed a hand on each of Susanna's shoulders. ''Lighting such a candle and holding it high will be no easy task. It would be like keeping a candle burning in the midst of a hurricane."'
'"But would that be possible?'' asked Susanna.
'"With people, by themselves, it would be impossible. But with God, all things are possible!''