CHAPTER XIII. SERVICES. CHAPTER XIII. SERVICES. Stundist meetings are not held in structures exclusively set apart for the purpose ; nor, as often as not, are there any of the fixtures or furniture to be seen which we are accustomed to associate with the celebration of divine service. Poverty, simplicity, austerity are the characteristics of a Stundist meeting-place. There is a whitewashed room, scrupulously clean ; on the walls are perhaps two or three Scripture texts on cardboard; at one end of the room are a little table and a stool for the preacher—the table covered with a white cloth ; a few rough benches and stools are placed for the congregation ; the floor is earthen ; the roof is held up with wattles and rude rafters. It is a room in a peasant's hut which has been cleared of its bedding, or dairy utensils or sacks of grain, lent every Sunday morning to the brethren for their worship. Lying on the table are a New Testament and hymn-book. The hymn-book is one of three collections—" The Voice of Faith," " The Joyful Songs of Zion," or " Spiritual Songs." From what we have already stated about the theology of the Stundists our readers will expect that the reading and study of the New Testament form the principal part of the ordinary service. It is seldom that a chapter is read unaccompanied by a running commentary of considerable exegetical merit. But although the reading and explanation of Scripture is an important part of the service, the singing of their peculiar hymns can hardly be said to occupy a subordinate place. The Little Russians, among whom the New Protestantism has found its chief adherents, are inordinately fond of music, most of them being gifted with an excellent voice and a keen sense of harmony. Hymn after hymn will be given out, and outsiders who have been present at the Stundist services of song are united in their praise of their effectiveness, and of the simple and beautiful manner in which most of the hymns are rendered. A good many of the "Joyful Songs," and other hymns in use at Stundist gatherings, are more or less rough translations from German and English originals, from Mr. Sankey's collection in an especial degree. Those that are of Russian origin are in their way most peculiar productions, and deserve more attention than has been yet bestowed on them. One in particular, a hymn to the Holy Spirit, we must find space for. It is rough, too ecstatic probably for cold Western natures, the work, doubtless, of some unlettered peasant. O Holy Ghost, my light! May Thy beams illumine my soul, Thou art the promised of Christ. I shall be eternally with Thee. O Holy Ghost, my God! Strengthen me with Thy might, Remove my hidden sins, and give me gladness. Thou art mine to-day. O Holy Ghost, my joy! Shield me by Thy strength. Shield me from my own works. Thou art mine eternally. O Holy Ghost, my love! Abide with me to-night, Conquer within me the Prince of this world, For the sake of Thy love. Amen. The Stundists pray kneeling. Their prayers are long, often full of repetitions, and seldom unaccompanied by tears. Their attitude in prayer is one of the most abject humility before God, and of unsparing self-examination and self-depreciation. It would seem as though they held that mourning for sin should be the chief subject of prayer. Seldom such a note is heard in their public devotions as thankful acknowledgment of God's mercies. All the joy of their Christian experience, its fervour, its ecstasy, is voiced in their hymns ; their humility, their deep dejection in their prayers. M. Komarov, a well-known writer on the Stundists, thus describes a meeting at which he was present. It is a fairly just account, and may be taken as descriptive of an ordinary meeting. "When the sectaries assembled they saluted one another with, 'How are you, brother, or sister?' giving their hand, the men kissing the men, and the women the women. If a Baptist is present he only gives his hand. After mutual greetings they seat themselves, the men on one side, the women on the other. . . . The presbyter then takes his place at the table, and turning to the congregation, says : 'We shall open the meeting in the name of Jesus Christ by singing hymn, number———.' The presbyter commences the tune. When the singing ends the presbyter takes the New Testament, and selecting a chapter, reads and explains it. A passage is usually selected more or less bearing on the hymn they have just been singing. As soon as the presbyter has finished his comments he asks those present if they have anything to add to his remarks. Those who wish take this opportunity of expressing their views. Women are not permitted to explain the Scriptures in public meetings. After more prayers and hymn-singing, the meeting is closed by the presbyter repeating the Lord's Prayer." It is customary with the Stundists to remain together for an hour or so after the service. It is a sort of social gathering, where they talk over their farm affairs, and any other matters of interest. News is passed from one to another, and any one in possession of a newspaper, or of a letter from some brother in prison or exile, reads it aloud. With reference to baptism and the Lord's Supper, there is nothing in Stundist methods of celebrating them that calls for any special remarks, the Russian Protestants having adopted the simple ritual of Western Evangelical churches. A Stundist marriage service, however, is in its way a unique affair, and is entitled to a word of description. On the appointed day, the parents of the bridegroom invite the presbyter and their relatives and friends to their house. When all the guests are assembled, the young people are led by their parents to the presbyter, who is informed that the youth and maiden now before him desire to be joined in marriage. The presbyter then takes his place at a table, and requests the bride and bridegroom to stand before him. He turns first to the bride. "Thou, girl, is it of thine own free will that thou art joined in marriage to this youth, or is it that some one is forcing thee, thy parents or some relative?" The girl replies: "It is of mine own free wish." "And dost thou love the youth?" "I love him." "And wilt thou love him and care for him when he is old and sick?" "I will," she replies. The presbyter then turns to the bridegroom with the same questions, and when these are satisfactorily answered he reads hymn No. 84 in the "Spiritual Songs." The hymn, really a prayer, is much in these words: "Thou, O Lord, hast created the visible world in six days. Thou hast made man, and saw that it was not good for him to be alone. For him thou made woman, and hast blest their union of love, and hast directed them to be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And now these two here before Thee desire Thy blessing on their union. Bless them, O Lord; bless their married life. Make them happy and holy as our first parents were in Paradise." The bride and bridegroom are then commanded to kiss one another, and to join hands. The ceremony is ended.[7] A Stundist burial is usually a very impressive service. When the body has been placed in the coffin the friends of the dead stand near, and the presbyter reads the magnificent verses from 1 Cor. xv., beginning, "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." The coffin is then carried out of the house, and at the door a pause is made while a verse or two of a suitable hymn is sung. On the way to the grave the presbyter walks immediately behind the coffin, carrying an open Testament in his hands. Behind him are the men, and following them the women. The men walk with uncovered heads, no matter what the state of the weather may be. At the grave side the presbyter slowly recites, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit. He that loveth his life loseth it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." A short address follows, and the body is lowered into the grave. No crosses or tombstones mark the graves of Stundists, and latterly they have not been permitted to bury their dead in consecrated ground.