s eye, and
absorption in any detail apart from the consciousness of that
encompassing Presence had the nature of sin.

On the Saturday after her arrival, as she was walking by the Nen with
Kate Carrington, one of the two girls, she asked her about the crowd of
ministers she had seen in the streets that morning.

"They have been to the Prophesyings," said Kate. "My father says that
there is no exercise that sanctifies a godly young minister so quickly."

Kate went on to describe them further. The ministers assembled each
Saturday at nine o'clock, and one of their number gave a short
Bible-reading or lecture. Then all present were invited to join in the
discussion; the less instructed would ask questions, the more experienced
would answer, and debate would run high. Such a method Kate explained,
who herself was a zealous and well instructed Calvinist, was the surest
and swiftest road to truth, for every one held the open Scriptures in his
hand, and interpreted and checked the speakers by the aid of that
infallible guide.

"But if a man's judgment lead him wrong?" asked Isabel, who professedly
admitted authority to have some place in matters of faith.

"All must hold the Apostles' Creed first of all," said Kate, "and must
set his name to a paper declaring the Pope to be antichrist, with other
truths upon it."

Isabel was puzzled; for it seemed now as if Private Judgment were not
supreme among its professors; but she did not care to question further.
It began to dawn upon her presently, however, why the Queen was so fierce
against Prophesyings; for she saw that they exercised that spirit of
exclusiveness, the property of Papist and Puritan alike; which, since it
was the antithesis of the tolerant comprehensiveness of the Church of
England, was also the enemy of the theological peace that Elizabeth was
seeking to impose upon the country; and that it was for that reason that
Papist and Puritan, sundered so far in theology, were united in suffering
for conscience' sake.

On the Sunday morning Isabel went with Mrs. Carrington and the two girls
to the round Templars' Church of Saint Sepulchre, for the Morning Prayer
at eight o'clock, and then on to St. Peter's for the sermon. It was the
latter function that was important in Puritan eyes; for the word preached
was considered to have an almost sacramental force in the application of
truth and grace to the soul; and crowds of people, with downcast eyes and
in sombre dress,