SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 695 Title : The Buik o Ruth: 08 - Sermon at the Lallans Society Conference 1973 Author(s): A S Borrowman Copyright holder(s): Mrs Lorna F Borrowman Text University of Stirling, June, 1973. Guid fowk, we are conveent here neist the auld brugh o Stirling whilk the auld makar Lindsay, in his "Papyngo" has screevit aboot. "Adew, fair Snawdoun wi thy towris hie, Thy Chapell Royal, park, and tabyll rounde. May, June and July wald I dwall in thee War I ane man to hear the birdis sounde Quhilk doith againe thy royall roche resounde" Ay, it's an auld brugh, steeve and sterk. Gang out o this biggin and heeze up yer een. Ye get a visie o its kirks and steeples and towris and ayont them aa the abidan bens. Lat us gang this day in our thochts tae the reign o Jamie Fowrt, till his court assemblit in the keep o Stirling. The year is 1506. Wha's yon airtin ben til the king? Wha als, think ye? John Damian, the Freir o Tongland in the Stewartry. Some fowk jalouse he cam frae Italie, frae the pairt caad Lombardie; ithers jalouse he came frae France, a leech wha has begowkit the king, deavin him wi wanchancie ferlies anent makin lede intil gowd. Whatna ploy noo? He ettles tae flee frae Stirling intil France? Flee! Fegs, he isna blate, yon Faither Damian! Ma certes, isna he sclimin up the parpane! Whatna unco sicht! He has strappit on a feddreme o fedders alow the oxters and owre the shouthers! Wow, he has loupit frae the waa. He hasna gaen up in the lift! Doon, doon, doon, - wheech - he's coupit, tapsalteerie in the glaur! Lippen tae yon auld deil, Dunbar. "He schewre his feddreme that was schene And slippit out of it full clene And in the myre up to the een Amang the glar did glyd" Puir Damian! Sair forfochen Freir! He socht the lift and the starns, and endit in the glaur. Twa thochts, guid fowk, anent Faither Damian. Ane: Gin we tak tent tae the story o Damian we ken it's a parable we can tak til oursels. Aften we rax for the starns and feenish in the sheuch up til the een in glaur, our guid thochts, our guid wark, our heigh ambitions aa cuisten doon and we staucher frae the myre brizit and dang doon wi aa the ills o life. Aiblins we hae tint our Faith and life maun be fushionless and toom. Twa: Aften when we are hunkert doon in the muck we hae a glisk o the licht abune us. Some, wha hae tholit the ill straiks o life hae seen in the daurk, a Licht glintin throwe the mirk. Whatna Licht? Shairly the Licht o God in Jesus Christ. Lippen til John wha screevit: "The Licht glintit throwe the mirk, but the mirk cudna tak haud o it. The Licht is beamin for ilka man wha comes intae the warld" Heeze up yer een tae the Licht. Yon's the gait frae glaur tae glore. PSAUM 84 HARINGTON Hou loesome is yer bidin place O Lord o Oists til me. The haly chaumers o yer grace Hou douce and bien they be. My drouthy saul langs hailumly Aye, dwaums yer yairds tae see. My harns and hert and flesh out caa O leevin God for ye. Behaud, the speug a bield has socht A hoose wharin tae rest: The witch-hag for hersel alsweel Has coft a bonnie nest. Als yer ain altars whaur she sauff Her younklins furth may bring, O ye maist michty Lord o Oists Wha are my God and King. Blithe are they in yer hoose wha bide They aye sall roose in sang: Blithe is the man whas virr ye are Whas hert yer law hauds strang. I THESSALONIANS V 14-28. Ye maun dwall in saucht amang yersels. And we beseek ye, breithir, tae compesce the feckless fowk, comfort the dowffie, uphaud the dozent, and thole lang wi aa. Tak tent naebodie niffers wrang for wrang, but ettle aye tae dae yer best devoirs for ilkane and for aa fowk. Aye be blythe. Nae ho til yer incawin. In aa things gie thanks for yon's what God in Christ ettles for ye. Dinna smoor ingine, and geckna at prophetic speak, but pree them aa, haud the guid o them, and evite the mishent o ilka sort. Lat God himsel, the God o Saucht, mak ye halie in ilka pairt, and keep ye steive in speerit, saul and corpus, withooten faut, whan oor Lord Jesus Christ comes. He wha caas ye is leal; he sall dae it. Breithir, tae the incawin als for us. Gie the kiss o saucht tae aa oor breithir. Certes I speir at ye in the Lord tae hae thae nouvelles read tae aa the breithir. The grace o oor Lord Jesus Christ bide wi ye aa. This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document. Information about document and author: Text Text audience Adults (18+): General public: Informed lay people: Males: Females: Audience size: 100+ Text details Method of composition: Typed Year of composition: 1973 Word count: 800 Text medium Book: Other: Sermon originally delivered orally to delegates at a conference Text publication details Published: Publisher: Gordon Wright Publication year: 1979 Place of publication: Edinburgh ISBN/ISSN: SBN 903065 30 4 Edition: 1st Part of larger text: Contained in: The Buik o Ruth and ither wark in Lallans Editor: Author: Alex S. Borrowman Page numbers: 25-27 Text setting Religious/ceremonial: Text type Prepared text (e.g. lecture/talk, sermon, public address/speech): Author Author details Author id: 755 Forenames: A Initials: S Surname: Borrowman Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1910 Educational attainment: University Age left school: 17 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Parish Minister Place of birth: Stirling Region of birth: Stirling Birthplace CSD dialect area: Stlg Country of birth: Scotland Father's occupation: Shop assistant Father's place of birth: Stirling Father's region of birth: Stirling Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Stlg Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Dress maker Mother's place of birth: Dunblane Mother's region of birth: E & SE Perthshire Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Per Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: all circumstances Language: French Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: German Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: for literary purposes