From the Royal Cornwall Gazette, Friday 22nd January 1864, page 7.
About seven miles from Truro on the St. Columb Road, is the parish Church of Ladock. It stands upon the brow of a beautifully wooded hill, at whose feet nestles the quiet little hamlet of Bissick, and is with its finely proportioned perpendicular tower and pictureseque situation, one of the most interesting and pleasing objects in the landscape. The foundation is of great antiquity, the church being dedicated to St. Ladock, or Ladoca, an Irish Saint, who is supposed to have come over to Cornwall with St. Breage. The present edifice, however, is comparatively modern, being in the perpendicular style, but there is a fine old Norman font, which has been carefully restored, and some remains of ancient work.
The church having fallen into a state of decay, the Rev. Richard Farquhar Wise, the rector, undertook, at his own expense, its restoration; and in order that the work might be done in accordance with the enlightened and liberal spirit which now prevails, he placed it in the hands of Mr Street, the architect, leaving the work entirely to his taste and skill, regardless of expense. The work was commenced in April last, and was carried on with such zeal and industry by Messrs Bone, of Liskeard, that the church was ready for opening on Sunday. During this time Mr Wise has expended £2,000 upon the building. The architect, while compelled to rebuild most of the walls, take down a gallery, reseat, and partly reroof the church has contrived to perform the work so judiciously as to preserve the aspect of the old village church. Ornamentation is chiefly confined to the chancel, where the decorated style has been adopted, as it has been in all the new windows.
The church has been reseated with low open seats of stained deal, with carved ends, and the sittings covered throughout with scarlet pile carpeting, which gives the interior a warm and comfortable appearance. There is a handsome pulpit of open stone wood-work, consisting of pitch pine, with ebony shafts and stone base, by Clarke, of Bath. A massive low oak screen, richly carved, divides the nave from the chancel. In the chancel has been inserted a three light decorated east window, supported by shafts of polished serpentine and filled with stained glass of singularly unique and beautiful design, by Morris and Faulkner, of London, representing the different Marys mentioned in the New Testament, the centre light, representing Mary the sister of Lazarus at the house of Simon the leper, wiping our Saviour’s feet with her hair. It bears the inscription, “In memoriam M.A. Wise, inter matres carissimæ, blandissimæque, die Passionis Domini obiit, 1862.” The flooring of the aisles is tastefully laid with squares of Portland stone, diagonally placed with black and red tiles, and that of the chancel with encaustic tiles of different colours, alternating with Portland stone. The reredos is very beautiful, consisting of dark encaustic tiles on the two sides, with carved alabaster in the centre and a super altar of polished serpentine. In the centre of the alabaster reredos, a large cross of Irish marble is inlaid. Decorated windows have also been inserted in the east and west end of the aisle. The mullions and dressings of the windows are of Ham Hill stone, of a yellowish tint, which is very effective. A new open timbered roof has been built over the chancel; the altar is covered with rich cloth, and, indeed, the arrangements are most complete, reflecting much credit upon the architect under whose skilful directions they were effected. The church of St. Ladock will now take a high place amongst those sacred edifices which the awakened zeal of our day for the beauty of God’s house has caused to be embellished and restored; and it will be an enduring monument of the christian love and unbounded liberality of the good vicar, who has been so prodigal of his substance in the service of God, and has conferred such an inestimable benefit upon his parisioners, and, indeed, upon the Church which participates in all that affects the well being of her children. There is but one defect remaining to be remedied in the restored fabric so as to make it a harmonious whole; and that we feel a reluctance to mention, lest it might be supposed that having obtained much we are greedy for more. But it is a matter which affects the credit of the parishioners, and we doubt not they will thank us for the hint, and lose no time in remedying the evil. They have obtained a commodious, comfortable, and beautiful church as a gift from their excellent pastor; but all those whom we saw hastening with such evident delight to the re-opening of their parish church, on Sunday morning, must have been painfully conscious of the miserably, inefficient, and unmusical peal of bells, which struggled to emit a joyful song upon the occasion. What would be a more fitting and graceful tribute from the parish than the erection of a complete peal of bells, of which they might be as proud as they must now be of their church. It would mark their appreciation of their good pastor’s work in a manner which would be sure to give him pleasure, at the same time that they themselves would derive untold satisfaction from having a share in the pious work.
The opening services were crowded by parishioners, and there were many persons present from the surrounding district. In the morning, the prayers and epistles were read by the Rev. R.F. Wise; the lessons and gospel by the Rev. W.C. Raffles Flint, incumbent of Sunningdale, Berks; and the litany by the curate, the Rev. Mr Hore. Miss O. Chilcott presided at the organ, and ably conducted the musical part of the service. She was assisted by the school choir; and the congregation heartily joined in singing the Morning hymn and the Hundredth Psalm.
The sermon was preached by the Rev. W.C. Raffles Flint, who selected for his text Psalm ⅹⅹⅸ., v. 1, 2, “Bring unto the Lord, O ye mighty, bring young rams unto the Lord: ascribe unto the Lord worship and strength. Give the Lord the honour due unto His Name: worship the Lord with holy worship;” from which he evolved an eloquent and very appropriate discourse. We give an abstract of the sermon, reporting, however, in full, those passages which have reference to the gratifying subject of the day’s service:—
We meet here this day, my brethren, to worship God once more in your old village church. We are here to re-open it after its complete restoration, beautified and adorned, and so far as any earthly house can be, made worthy of Him who is pleased to allow His servants to approach Him in prayer and praise and thanksgiving. Did we but know it, there is not a parish, not a village in England but has its own little history, full of deep and touching interest to those whom it concerns; and that little history will be found oftentimes to gather around the Village Church. Has not this hallowed spot been the centre of the spiritual life of many amongst you? Here is was that, as an helpless infant, you were brought by your parents and sponsors to be made a member of Christ, a child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven by the regenerating grace of the Holy Spirit in baptism. Here you were taught, so soon as you were able to learn, what a solemn promise and profession was made here by you, and to join with the congregation in the worship of God. Here you were instructed in your faith and duty, and in due time brought to the Bishop to be confirmed by the laying on of hands, in those gifts and graces of the Spirit which should enable you to carry on your warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Here you were admitted to the highest privilege which the Church has in store for her members, your first communion, in which He strengthens His faithful people with the rich banquet of His flesh and blood. Here it may have pleased God to speak to your soul, reveal to you the plague of your own heart, recall you from folly and wickedness, and lead you by true repentance and faith in the atoning blood of Jesus, to the fountain open for sin and uncleanness, and renew you by His Spirit in righteousness and true holiness. Here, in later years, it may be, you have made your vows to the partner of your life in the holy estate of matrimony; and here you have again and again followed to their resting place, in sure and certain hope of the general resurrection at the last day, those you have loved, father and mother, brother and sister, child and friend, and hither you yourself will be borne in God’s appointed time, that your dust may mingle with theirs. Ah, were I, a stranger amongst you, to take my stand on one of the gravestones which lie around us, how could some of you, who have seen their three score years and ten, recount the past, and relate to me amid tears and smiles many a well-remembered scene within and without these walls, but all more or less connected with this your village church! And from this day, will not a fresh interest be imparted to it? You see it the same and not the same; time and decay had rendered it needful that the same pious care and expenditure should be laid out upon it, as when your forefathers first reared this House of God amongst you. Without cost to yourselves, and with no sparing hand, has this work been accomplished. May God “accept the work of His hands, into whose heart He put it, and remember him concerning this, and wipe not out this kindness that he has showed for the House of his God, and the offices thereof.” The rev. gentleman then went on at considerable length to consider the motives which different persons had in coming to the house of God, and to define the real objects which should influence us. We should come to church, he said, to worship God. “The worth of God is far beyond estimation; but we do what in us lies to show our estimate for its greatness by paying Him worthship, or as we commonly spell it worship.” Earthly sovereigns are surrounded in their palaces with pomp and magnificence, and their subjects come from time to time to show them respect and honour. He who is the King of kings, dwelleth in the heavens, surrounded by angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, and all the heavenly host, and we, His subjects, are permitted to do Him honour in such buildings as these, where He has promised to meet the two or three even that are gathered together in His name. Other objects may claim our attention here, but they must all be in subjection to this, our chief end, and you will find that it is so set forth in the exhortation with which our daily service begins. There we are plainly reminded why we “assemble and meet together” in the house of God. It is “to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at His hands, to set forth His most worthy praise, to hear His most holy word, and to ask those things which are requisite and necessary.” God’s glory stands first; then His word; then our wants. This is the due order which you will find on careful study runs through the whole of our Prayer-book, from the “Open Thou our lips, and our mouth shall show forth Thy praise,” to the hymn, “Glory to God in the Highest,” the Angels’ Song, with which we close our Communion Service. We do well, then, to tune our hearts and minds for such blessed work, for “Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house, they will always be praising Thee.” So thought the Psalmist when under the inspiration of God; and his words supply us both with our chiefest expressions of praise, and with encouragement how to praise aright. Then the 103rd Psalm, “Praise the Lord, O my soul; yea, all that is within me, praise His holy name;” and the words of the verse, “Give the Lord the honour due unto His name; worship the Lord with holy worship,” or, as it is expressed in Psalm ⅹⅽⅵ. and elsewhere, “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness,” implying, no doubt, that we should endeavour to make our worship as beautiful as our means will allow, by rendering the house of God comely, and our prayers and praises the reverent and devout out-pouring of heart and voice, in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with all the aid of religious music; fearing, with David, to “offer unto the Lord of that which doth cost us nothing.” Here, then, we have a great rule to guide us. We come to church to worship God. We come here to meet our God and King, and to worship Him is the chief work of those who enter his courts. The Rev. gentleman next proceeded to apply the foregoing principles, and to draw lessons therefrom for our guidance. We should first learn to worship with all reverence of heart. We should be filled with holy awe when we come before God in His house. We should try and realize His Presence here; that His eye seeth us, His ear listeneth to us; that His hand is ever ready to help us; that His heart is touched with the least trouble or sorrow which touches us. We should feel that we are entering into the court of our great King, to whom the slightest disrespect or irreverence must be highly displeasing. We should kneel humbly and stand devoutly; we should check both the wandering eye, and the idle imagination, and endeavour to lift up our voice with the words of praise and thanksgiving, or at least “make melody in our hearts to the Lord.” And above all, we should seek His blessing and strength in that highest act of worship which the Church can offer—the Holy Communion of the body and blood of Christ, in which we on earth plead the great and precious sacrifice which Christ Himself is ever pleading for us in heaven. Further, we should do all we can to make the service and worship of God minister to His glory, and arouse our devotion. For this purpose, we should see that everything relating to the house and service of God is made as beautiful and suitable as possible. Doubtless, were the great object of our gathering together to hear a sermon, any building which could hold the congregation would be sufficient; and so long as men think that such is the chief end in view, they will be careless of the honour due to the Sanctuary. Men who have the means to bestow largely upon themselves, grudge themselves oftentimes no amount of luxury and magnificence in the adornment of their own houses—silver and gold, costly furniture and sumptuous fare, all that can minister to taste and comfort, is freely procured. But when the House of God is concerned, anything is felt to be good enough for the purpose. Not so was it with King David. He felt ashamed to “dwell in an house of cedar, while the ark of God dwelt within curtains.” This was the true principle for which we are contending, and on this we should act ourselves. We should so order and beautify our churches that they should remind us at once, on entering, of the purpose for which they were built. All should speak to us of God and of heaven, and draw off our minds from earthly scenes. We should feel that we are in Church, and all about it should be in such true harmony with our feelings of devotion as to make us fall down on our knees as we enter, and keep silence as we move along. All that is done, both by ministers and people, should be done with care and with awe; all should be of the best, according to the means of the congregation—the holy vessels, the ornaments, the music, the singing—there should be no grudging spirit displayed in any portion of whatever we render to our God when we come “to praise Him with the best member that we have.” No doubt there will be found here and there amongst us, as at the feast in the house of Simon at Bethany, those who are ready to cry out, “To what purpose is this waste?” “The ointment,” which the hand of love and reverence so freely poured out upon the head of Jesus, might certainly have been sold for much and given to the poor. So said Judas. But the true friend to the poor was not the thief Judas, but He, who poor Himself, knew well the wants of the poor, who made Himself poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich; and His judgment on the pious act of Mary was that “she had done what she could,” and that “wheresoever this Gospel should be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.” This example of loving, simple, uncalculating devotion of the humble sister of Lazarus, should put to silence any selfish and cold thoughts that may arise in our hearts. Be well assured, that that which is most for God’s honour and glory, will in the end prove more to your advantage, than by coming chiefly for what you may gain for yourself, and the exhortation you may hear; for then you will not be tempted, as we know so many are, when they are dissatisfied with their appointed teacher, to seek for themselves other teachers who have not been sent, and thus forsake the Church of their fathers, and make divisions in the one household of God. And lastly, when you come before God, come with an offering. “If thou hast much, give plenteously; if thou hast little, do thy diligence gladly, and give of that little.” This again is for the honour of God; yet, “so” also gatherest thou thyself a good reward in the day of necessity.” When the wise men came, as at this Epiphany season, from the far East, to worship Him that was born King of the Jews, they brought gifts in their hands—gifts, indeed, most unsuitable, as we should say, to be presented to an infant—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But they brought the best their land afforded. Let us do likewise. The whole thought of our hearts, when we come to worship God, should be to make Him an offering of our best. The Altar is the chief place in the church—that wherein we commemorate the one great sacrifice of the Eternal Son for us; and there we come to worship God by offering to Him our gifts—first, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice acceptable to God through the Sacrifice of the Cross; then our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, of prayer and intercession, and also our substance, our alms and oblations, that being sanctified in the presence of our Great High Priest, they may arise before the Throne of God a sweet-smelling saviour.”
The afternoon service commenced at three o’clock. The congregation was even larger than in the morning, a great number of persons having to stand during the service. The Rev. Mr Hore read the prayer, the Rev. R.F. Wise the 1st lesson, and the Rev. W.C. Raffles Flint, the second. Miss O. Chilcott again presided at the organ. There was no unusual musical display at the services, because the rector wished to commence only as he meant to proceed hereafter.
The sermon was preached by the Rev. R.F. Wise from the second epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, fifth chapter and part of first verse:—“There is a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” The rev. gentleman, who appeared to be much affected, said:—My dear brethren, and especially my beloved parishioners, it is, with no ordinary feelings, that I address you on the present occasion. We have for some months been shut out from our wonted place of worship, and we have again met, at least as far as this building is concerned, under somewhat altered circumstances. I need not say that our church had much fallen into decay, its walls had become tottering, its roof open, and its whole interior old, comfortless, and damp. Since we last met in this place I have sought to remedy all this. I have spared no expense in striving to make this house comfortable for use, and whilst doing so to adorn it and beautify it as to make it worthy of its purpose as a place dedicated to the service of our father who is in Heaven—the Father of life and light and glory. My dear fellow parishioners, I now make over this place, as far as may be, into your hands; to you and to yours, to you and to the long list of those who may come after you. May it prove to you and to them, under God’s blessing, an abundant means of grace; may it supply you with a bright and shining light to guide you through the dark valley which all must enter, and may it lead you from the contemplation of earthly happiness to the contemplation of eternal happiness above in the heavenly Jerusalem, where all is perfect, where the tabernacle is “a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” The rev. gentleman went on to explain the scriptural uses of the word house, one of which was in the meaning of Church or house of God, the word Church being derived from two Greek words, signifying the house of the Lord. It was also used in the sense of family; as it is said in the Acts of the Apostles “Cornelius appeared with his whole house.” In like manner the word Church not only meant a building set apart for the worship of God, but all God’s people—the church of God. The word house was also used in reference to our mortal bodies, which were spoken of as houses of clay; but a building dedicated to God is invariably spoken of in the Scriptures as God’s house, as a building belonging to God, as a place wherein especially God may be supposed spiritually to dwell. Now it was a mistake to suppose that a barn or any mean shabby building would suffice for the worship of God. God’s house should not be such as would have the effect of cramping and deadening our feelings, but such as would exalt them and lift them up. If we had anything good or valuable it behoved us to offer that to God, for if we gave to God the refuse of our possessions, and kept the rich and the choice for ourselves, did it not show that we loved ourselves more than God? Thus, if a nation was endowed with skill in building beautiful houses it was right that the most beautiful should be dedicated to God, and that everything about it should betoken its holy purpose. Man had recognised this principle in all ages. Thus our ancestors understood and felt, and thus they had left us those noble and enduring monuments of their generosity and piety, those beautiful edifices reared to the glory of God which we see to this day in every part of Christendom. Thus it was that in travelling through England wherever we look around us we see the tower and the spire rising about the houses of men. And if for a little while the good spirit of our ancestors in this respect seemed to have passed away from their children, and men seemed to be spendthrifts in everything else, but niggardly in respect to God’s house, it had been but for a little while; and now the rebuilding and restoring of our churches has become one great feature of our land. But they must not suppose when they had done this that they had done all required of them, for this was but restoring the outward church, while to save themselves from perishing everlastingly there must be built the building of God, the house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. Let them see if they could not from the restoration of this outward building learn something of the works required in the renewal and restoration of the temple which so much concerned themselves and every one else. They commenced, then, the work they had just completed by pulling down the roofs and dismantling the walls, and the stones had to be cleared of their old mortar before they could be used again. So must they do if they would restore the temple of God within them; the love of the world and the things of the world, the pride of life, worldly lusts, and evil habits have to be pulled down, and the mortar which would be found cleaving to them cleared away. Having pulled down, they had begun to rebuild upon the old foundation, and so, likewise, must the inner temple be built upon the old foundation, Christ Jesus, for, if not, it would crumble to the dust. Having Jesus for the foundation they would be able to raise layer upon layer, until God was pleased to call them away from an earthly to a heavenly temple. Again, in restoring this building, they had been obliged to seek new materials,—from one place stone, from another marble; and in building the spiritual temple they must have the new materials of faith, obedience, and love; and for this they must go up to the mountains—the mountains of God’s Word. And where would their restored church be that day if it had not been for help. Without the head to plan, the tongue to guide, and the hands to cut and lift they could have done nothing. So it was in their work of inward restoration; they must have assistance; they must have the help of God’s spirit and God’s grace to comfort, to support, and to strengthen them. In conclusion, the reverend gentleman said God’s temple had at length been restored; but in a little while everyone then assembled within its walls, he who was speaking, and they who were listening, would have passed away, but the church which they beautified for the service of God would remain till generation after generation had like themselves passed away; and then, in its turn, that building would again totter into decay, to be again rebuilt and restored if the world should last so long, or if the day of the Lord should come to be swallowed up in the general desolation and destruction, for after all it was but a building made with hands. But if from the restoration of this outward temple they would suffer themselves to be led to turn their attention in earnest to the restoration of the temple of God within their own souls, it would prove to have been indeed a blessing, for then they would have a building which could never perish—a building of God, eternal in the heavens.
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