National Apostasy Considered in a Sermon Preached in St. Mary's Church, Oxford Before His Majesty's Judges of Assize on Sunday July 14th 1833 — Reading Companion

A Sermon Framed by a Specific Crisis

The sermon's opening pages are dominated by the advertisement, which functions as a preface explaining the work's occasion. Keble writes that the legislature has "virtually usurped the commission" of those entrusted with spiritual authority, and he identifies the principle that the Apostolical Church is now "only to stand, in the eye of the State, as one sect among many." This is not abstract complaint; it is a pointed diagnosis of a constitutional shift. The questions that follow—how to continue communion without taint of Erastian principles, how to answer taunts from the Bishop of Rome, how to preserve doctrinal purity—are presented as urgent and practical. Keble explicitly states that precedents in English history cannot answer them, because the difficulty "might have been raised before" but is now acute. The sermon thus begins not with scripture but with a political and ecclesiastical crisis, grounding its argument in a specific moment of perceived betrayal.

Samuel as a Pattern for Collective Duty

Keble turns to the figure of Samuel, whose example he uses to outline two primary duties for the Church and its members: intercession and remonstrance. The first duty, intercession, is described as foundational: "That duty once well and cordially performed, all other duties, so to speak, are secured." Keble argues that constant prayer for the state, even for enemies, guards against misanthropy and keeps the Psalmist's reasoning present: "Fret not thyself because of the ungodly." The second duty, remonstrance, is defined as "calm, distinct, and persevering"—in public and private, by word, look, and demeanour. This is not a call to rebellion but to a disciplined, public witness. Keble's language is careful: he speaks of "guarded language" and warns against speaking evil of dignities, but insists that truth and fortitude must not be compromised. The sermon thus offers a practical, scripturally grounded strategy for resistance within the bounds of loyalty.

The Role of Laymen and the Legal Profession

Keble does not limit his address to clergy. He specifically calls upon laymen, particularly those whose profession involves the boundaries of rights and duties—a clear reference to lawyers and judges, who were his immediate audience at the assize. He notes that "the immediate machinery of change must always pass through their hands" and that they have "very great power in forming and modifying public opinion." The solemnity of the assize day, he suggests, should remind them of the "close amity" between equal justice and pure religion, an amity made sacred by historical recollections and precedents. This passage is notable for its direct engagement with the professional responsibilities of his hearers. Keble is not merely preaching to the choir; he is addressing those who might be complicit in the very changes he decries, urging them to consider their duty as Christians and as officers of the law.

The Structure of the Argument: From Crisis to Conduct

Keble's sermon follows a clear rhetorical arc: it begins with the crisis (the legislative usurpation), moves to the model (Samuel's example), and then applies that model to specific duties (intercession and remonstrance). The final portion, as seen in the excerpts, returns to the practical admonition afforded by Samuel's example, suggesting a cyclical structure that reinforces the central message. The language is consistently legal and ecclesiastical: words like "usurped," "commission," "Erastian Principles," and "Parliamentarian Church" create a tone of formal protest. Yet Keble also employs scriptural quotation and allusion, weaving together the political and the spiritual. The sermon's brevity—under 8,400 words—means that every paragraph carries weight; there is little digression. This tight structure makes the work effective as a piece of occasional rhetoric, designed to move its original hearers to a specific course of action.

Readers approaching National Apostasy for the first time should attend to its dual character: it is both a historical document, responding to a precise political event, and a theological argument about the nature of the Church and the duties of her members. Keble's use of Samuel as a model is not merely illustrative but prescriptive, offering a pattern for conduct that he believes is universally applicable. The sermon rewards careful reading of its scriptural references and its legal vocabulary, which together create a distinctive voice—learned, urgent, and measured. It stands as a key text for understanding the early Oxford Movement's concerns and methods.

Keble’s sermon left me pondering how often the most principled stances arise from quiet desperation, not triumph. That ache, the thin line between devotion and defiance, drifted into my thoughts of The Book of Gallant Vagabonds — A Closer Reading, whose wanderers carry a similar solitary fire, their dignity unmoored yet unbowed.