But standeth ever still.
“As round about Jerusalem
The mountains stand alway,
The Lord his folk doth compass so,
From henceforth and for aye.”
GRAVE, SWEET MELODY.
All the services were impressive, but I will not attempt to detail them. The text was, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.” The sermon was, in the opinion of all, the best sermon they had ever heard from him. George Brown was delighted with it—characterized it as “a feast of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined;” and all the more so that Mr. Barrie’s practice had hitherto been to have his carefully prepared manuscript before him when preaching, and to use it occasionally, while on this occasion all that he had was the open Priesthill Bible. The only objection that George ever had to Mr. Barrie was that he used “the paper;” read sermons were, according to George, neither good for minister nor people. To-day there was nothing to mar George’s enjoyment of the worship. The concluding paraphrase was sung with even more enthusiasm. It was the 48th Paraphrase, verses 6–9; the tune was “Montrose,” sometimes called “the burghers’ rant.” I give it in full, as I did the one sung in the manse, and my readers can imagine the vigour with which such words were sung in such a meeting at such a crisis:—
“Who then can e’er divide us more
From Jesus and his love,
Or break the sacred chain that binds