ngdom are first the oonbelief o' believers, an'
syne the w'y 'at they lay doon the law. 'Afore they hae learnt the
rudimen's o' the trowth themsel's, they begin to lay the grievous
burden o' their dullness an' ill-conceived notions o' holy things upo'
the min's an' consciences o' their neebours, fain, ye wad think, to
haud them frae growin' ony mair nor themsel's. Eh, man, but the Lord
's won'erfu'! Ye may daur an' daur, an' no come i' sicht o' 'im!"

The church stood a little way out of the town, in a churchyard
overgrown with grass, which the wind blew like a field of corn. Many of
the stones were out of sight in it. The church, a relic of old
catholic days, rose out of it like one that had taken to growing and so
got the better of his ills. They walked into the musty, dingy,
brown-atmosphered house. The cobbler led the way to a humble place
behind a pillar; there Doory was seated waiting them. The service was
not so dreary to Donal as usual; the sermon had some thought in it; and
his heart was drawn to a man who would say he did not understand.

"Yon was a fine discoorse," remarked the cobbler as they went homeward.

Donal saw nothing fine in it, but his experience was not so wide as the
cobbler's: to him the discourse had hinted many things which had not
occurred to Donal.

Some people demand from the householder none but new things, others
none but old; whereas we need in truth of all the sorts in his treasury.

"I haena a doobt it was a' richt an' as ye say, Anerew," said his wife;
"but for mysel' I could mak naither heid nor tail o' 't."

"I saidna, Doory, it was a' richt," returned her husband; "that would
be to say a heap for onything human! but it was a guid honest sermon."

"What was yon 'at he said aboot the mirracles no bein' teeps?" asked
his wife.

"It was God's trowth 'at," he said.

"Gie me a share o' the same I beg o' ye, Anerew Comin."

"What the man said was this--'at the sea 'at Peter gaed oot upo' wasna
first an' foremost to be luikit upon as a teep o' the inward an'
spiritual troubles o' the believer, still less o' the troubles o' the
church o' Christ. The Lord deals wi' fac's nane the less 'at they
canna help bein' teeps. Here was terrible fac's to Peter. Here was
angry watter an' roarin' win'; here was danger an' fear: the man had to
trust or gang doon. Gien the hoose be on fire we maun trust; gien the
watter gang ower oor heids we maun trust; gien the horse rin awa', we
maun