SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 696 Title : The Buik o Ruth: 09 - Sermon at the Lallans Society Conference 1974 Author(s): A S Borrowman Copyright holder(s): Mrs Lorna F Borrowman Text University of Stirling, June, 1974. Gin ye sclim the brae tae the Castle o Stirling ye hae a visie o the biggins o the auld brugh; the hoosen and ludgins o the gentrice in parteeclar, Argyll's Ludgin and Mar's Wark, a laroch noo, wi thrie dictons howkit in the stanes o the waa. 'The mair I stand on open hicht The mair I subject am tae sicht' 'Speak furth and spair nocht Consider weel, I care nocht' 'I pray all luikers on this ludgin Wi gentle ee tae mak their judgin.' Douce words when ye mind Mar's Wark was biggit wi stanes pykit frae the abbacy o Cambuskenneth! There's Darley's Hoose, and mony mair, forby the Tolbuith, wi a wheen hoosen o the poverail, the lans, and the luckenbuiths. Raisit abune the ludgins and hoosen stauns the Auld Kirk o Stirling, the Kirk o the Halie Rude, biggit fyve orlang hunder sinsyne. In yon kirk the Roy, Jamie the Saxt was crount, and John Knox spak, aye, and spak in guid braid Lallans. It's a braw biggin wi its michty quire and its muckle tour, pock freitten by the muskets o the sodgers at the Castle, fechtan agayne Cromwell. Whan Ah was a callant in the brugh, ... owre lang syne ... the auld kirk was sepharit intae twa kirks. Fowk biggit a middle waa or hallan atween the quire and the nave. Ilka sabbath fowk cam tae the preachin; aa gaed in by the ae dure; gin ye were Auld Kirk ye gaed tae the quire; gin ye were Free Kirk ye gaed tae the nave! It gars ye lauch tae think ont. A mair perfyte ensample o the yowes and the gaits ye dochna fin! Threttie towmond sinsyne the fowk o the twa kirks conveent; the hallan was taen awa, the trance rebiggit, the twa kirk fowk sesit as ane, and saught rang in the auld Kirk, and aiblins in the auld brugh. The hallan was taen awa. Guid fowk, Ah jalouse ye didna come here the day tae the preachin tae lair the historicals o Stirling's Kirk o the Halie Rude. Na, na. Ah'm blithe tae mind the historicals, but in sooth Ah eese thae historicals as a found on whilk Ah sall bigg the eeries and orries o ma speak. We leeve in a sair disjaskit warld, wi fowk discomfist by aa the ills o this birlin planait, wi fowk bamboozlt and dumfounert and forfochen wi plouterin in the soss. Forby, men hae biggit a middle waa, a hallan, tae pairt them frae ither men. We hae kintra agayne kintra, thede agayne thede, ure agayne ure, the bleck agayne the blanchart, and baith agayne the broun; in ilka kintra we hae fowk warstlin ane wi tither the rike and sillery agayne the poverail. We hae soorin, scunner, wanhap and wanhope. We dinna hae saught, for we hae biggit ane ugsome waa agayne oor brithers. Wha, we speir, sall ding doon the hallan atween us? Ay, wha? Guid fowk, the potestatur o Christifay liggsna in argle-bargle anent the ferlies o the Fay, anent the remarkables o Jesus or siclike. The potestatur liggs shairly in the thocht o God as Faither, and men as brithers, a thocht deponit by the life and daith o Jesus hecht the Christ. Siccan thocht gies men the virr tae ding doun the hallan atween them. A warld o saught, a warld o justice for aa men in ilka thede. It's the auld dreme o men. Isna yon yere dreme alsweel? Ah sall nailt wi Scripture, ... and it's nae whid ... frae Ephesians Twa and Fower-teen: 'He is oor saught, wha gart baith, ane, and brak the hallan atween us.' And frae Galatians Thrie and Aucht and Twinty; 'There isna Jew nar Gregian, there isna thrall nar free; ye are aa ane in Christ Jesus.' DING DOON THE MIDDLE WAA. IT'S SKAITH OR SAUGHT IT'S FAE OR FRIEND IT'S DAITH OR GLORE. PSAUM 121 FRENCH Ah tae the bens will heeze ma een. Wha als can gie me saught? Ma saught is frae the Lord alane Wha yirth and lift hae wrocht. He aye will haud yer slippan fit He'll dover no, nor dwine; Forbye the Lord wha maks aa things Will nevir pairt nor twine. The Lord's yer waird, the Lord's yer sconce On left haun or on richt The bleezin sun sall dae nae skaith Nar als the mune by nicht. The Lord sall be yer waird; He sall Waird ye frae ilka ill. Yer gaens in and gaens out God waird for evir will. MATTHA 4. 18-25. The Caa o Andro, Peter, James and John. Jesus, danderin by the Loch o Galilee saw twa brithers, Simon hecht Peter and his brither Andro, cuistin a net intil the loch; for they were o the fisher folk. Quo Jesus til them, 'Come yer weys wi me and I'se mak ye fishers o men.' They leeft their nets incontinent and gaed wi him. He gaed on and saw an ither twa brithers, James son o Zebedee and his brither John; they were in the smack wi their faither Zebedee, sortin their nets. He caad them, and bideen they leeft the smack and their faither and yede awa wi him. He strampit aa Galilee learin them in their kirks, preachin the vangel o the kinrick healin aa fivvers and decline amang the fowk. The sough o him gaed owre aa Syria; and fowk wi aa sort o malice, trachlit wi pyne, wi deils indwallin, epileptic, paraleesit, aa were brocht til him and he healit them aa. An unco thrang gaed efter him, frae Galilee and the ten brughs, frae Jerusalem and Judaea, and frae Transjordan. LUKE XI. 46-54. Quo Jesus, 'Mishanter faa ye, Clerks, alsweel, for ye lade fowk wi birns gie ill tae thole and ye yersels willna heeze the birns wi ane o yer fingers. Mishanter faa ye! for ye bigg the meethe o the prophets, and yer forefowk crockit them. Certes ye are deponents that ye are thirlt tae the warks o yer forefowk; They crockit the prophets, and ye hae yirdit them. Quo the savendie o God, Ah sall gie them prophets and apostils and a wheen o them sall they crock and sairly bang, that the bluid o aa the prophets skailt frae the found o the warld sall be wantit frae the fowk o this generation; frae the bluid o Abel tae the bluid o Zacharias crockit atween the altar and the Temple: in sooth Ah tell ye it sall be socht o this generation. Mishanter faa ye, Clerks! ye hae sneckit the yett on savendie; ye dinna gang in yersels, and ye hae taiglt the fowk wha ettlt tae win throwe.' And whiles he spak wi them the Clerks and Pharisees yokit on him sairly, tae gar him speak o mony things, ettlin, stownlins tae slaiger him wi words oot o his mou, tae assize him. ECCLESIASTES 3. 1-8. Aabodie has his approven oor, and thar is a time for aa things alowe the lift: a time for jizzen and a time for daith; a time tae sheuch and a time tae upheeze; a time tae crock and a time tae sain, a time tae cuist doun and a time tae bigg; a time tae greet and a time tae lauch; a time tae murn and a time tae jig; a time tae skail and a time tae gaither; a time for cuddlin and a time tae hae by wi cuddlin; a time tae seek, and a time tae tine; a time tae haud and a time tae cuist awa; a time tae rype and a time tae shew; a time for quate and a time for speak; a time for loe and a time for hate; a time for weir and a time for saught. INCAWIN Faither o saucht and God o luve gie us yer saucht. Gie yer saucht til the hail warld. Tak frae the warld the fleg o weir. Lat the nations leeve in saucht ane wi tither. Jine them in the kinrick o whilk ye are Roy and in the faimily o whilk ye are Faither. Gie us virr and howp and mense tae bigg a warld wi nae deevision o politique, nae courthag o airn, nae hallan nar parpane atweesh bleck and white, a warld whaur aa fowk are ane in Jesus Christ. Gie oor hairts the saucht whilk liggs ayont oor thochts. Tak awa the uncos whilk trachle us and gie us a mair abidan traist. Tak awa aa alagust and fashery and gie us lealty tae sair ye whaur we are. Abune aa, gie us the saucht o a lown ingyne, forbye the saucht o fauts forgien. Aa this we speir throwe Jesus Christ oor Lord. Saebeit. 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: 1974 Word count: 1487 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: 28-31 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