Joe.—If thooase sud miss ther passage heeame,
A careless priesthood they may bleeame.
Blinnd guides they are, an’ t’Kirk’s ther moother,
An’ they wean’t gang te hear neea other.
We Christians run a diff’rent race,
Te what we call the Steeple Chase.
Besaads we finnd i’ Holy writ,
Ther’s neean cums theer ’at are nut fit.
Jim.—Thoo meeans te proove by argument,
Thooase ’at cums theer mun first repent,
An’ be throo Jesus Christ forgiven,
Afoore they’re i’ the rooad te heaven.
Neea carnal plissure they mun share,
Bud live a life ov faith an’ prayer.
If thooase alone hev saving grace,
Doon gangs at yance the Steeple Chase.
Joe.—Seea legions fell fra’ leeght te dark,
Seea Dagon fell afoore the ark,
Seea God prood Pharaoh owerthrew,
Wi’ Sisera, an’ Goliath too.
Seea fell the lords i’ sad supprise,
Wheas hands hed put out Samson’s eyes.
Thooase mighty men wur turn’d te dust,
An’ seean the Steeple Chasers must.
Jim.—Whah, Joe, it caps me fair te ken,
Hoo thooase heeigh flying gentlemen,
Can fra’ ther chasing gang te t’ kirk,
An’ join i’t’ blessed Sunday’s wooark,
Singing wi’ all ther might an’ main,
This heaven inspir’d, this holy strain,
“Let all thy converse be sincere,
“Thy conscience as the noon-day clear,
“For God’s all seeing eye surveys
“Thy secret thoughts, thy works and ways;”—
An’ then fra’ t’ kirk te t’ Steeple Chase,
An’ set at nowght God’s luv an’ grace,
Call t’dissenters, an’ shoot thruff t’nation,
For “Apostolical succession!”
Joe.—Te bring oor converse te a close,
Oor only aim is te expose,
The thing Almighty God doth hate,—
Nut te provoke unkind debate.
The day’s nut far ’at will reveal
The truth, an’ fix the final seal.
| Sum may when its teea late te rue, | } |
| Finnd what they hoped wur false—is true | |
| Consarning everlasting woe! |
FOOTNOTES:
[A] It was a saying of one of the Riders, that he carried two or three loose necks in his pocket, in case anything happened to his own.