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On
the
following
Sabbath
the
minister
’
s
text
was
,
"
When
the
light
within
you
is
darkness
,
how
great
is
that
darkness
!
"
This
time
there
was
no
faltering
in
the
application
.
The
congregation
,
men
and
women
,
were
arraigned
at
the
bar
as
sinners
by
deed
or
by
connivance
,
and
he
had
an
audience
hushed
not
in
the
ordinary
Sabbath
decorum
,
but
in
a
fearful
apprehension
.
Every
moment
he
seemed
to
be
about
to
name
the
sinner
,
and
if
he
did
not
single
out
persons
he
made
it
blindingly
clear
that
it
was
not
for
lack
of
knowledge
.
Never
had
he
preached
with
greater
freedom
,
never
had
passion
so
trembled
in
each
sentence
.
Words
seemed
to
be
given
him
,
stinging
,
unforgettable
words
that
must
flay
the
souls
of
the
guilty
.
"
Blinded
self
-
deceivers
,
"
he
cried
,
"
you
think
you
can
tamper
with
devilry
and
yet
keep
your
interest
in
Christ
.
You
are
set
up
with
covenants
,
public
and
private
,
but
I
tell
you
that
your
covenant
is
with
Death
and
Hell
.
The
man
who
believes
he
is
elected
into
salvation
,
and
thinks
that
thereby
he
has
liberty
to
transgress
and
that
his
transgressions
will
be
forgiven
him
,
has
sinned
against
the
Holy
Ghost
-
-
that
sin
for
which
there
is
no
forgiveness
.
"
He
declared
that
till
there
was
a
general
confession
and
repentance
there
would
be
no
Communion
in
the
parish
of
Woodilee
,
for
those
who
sat
down
at
the
Lord
’
s
Table
would
be
eating
and
drinking
damnation
to
themselves
.
.
.
.
But
at
the
end
he
broke
down
.
With
tears
in
his
eyes
and
a
sob
in
his
voice
he
besought
a
people
whom
he
loved
to
abase
themselves
before
the
Mercy
Seat
.
"
You
poor
folk
,
"
he
cried
,
"
with
your
little
dark
day
of
life
,
with
your
few
years
of
toil
and
cold
and
hunger
before
the
grave
,
what
have
you
if
you
have
not
Christ
?
"
He
was
moved
with
an
ecstasy
of
pity
,
and
told
them
,
like
the
Apostle
,
that
if
he
could
but
save
their
souls
,
he
was
willing
that
his
own
should
be
cast
away
.
Not
the
oldest
remembered
such
a
sermon
in
the
kirk
of
Woodilee
,
and
the
fame
of
it
was
soon
to
go
abroad
in
the
countryside
.
The
place
emptied
in
a
strange
silence
,
as
if
the
congregation
went
on
tiptoe
,
and
men
and
women
did
not
look
at
each
other
till
they
were
outside
the
kirkyard
gates
.
The
elders
did
not
await
the
minister
in
the
session
-
house
,
and
as
David
walked
the
hundred
yards
to
the
manse
he
saw
what
looked
like
the
back
of
Peter
Pennecuik
,
crouching
behind
a
turf
dyke
to
avoid
a
meeting
.
These
were
days
of
loneliness
and
misery
for
the
minister
of
Woodilee
.
He
saw
himself
solitary
among
enemies
,
for
even
those
whom
he
thought
his
friends
had
failed
him
.
It
was
clear
that
Amos
Ritchie
had
conspired
with
Isobel
to
imprison
him
in
his
study
on
the
eve
of
the
second
Beltane
,
and
though
their
motive
was
doubtless
affection
it
but
emphasized
the
hopelessness
of
his
task
.
He
had
to
bring
conviction
of
sin
into
a
parish
where
even
the
innocent
were
ready
to
cumber
his
arm
.
These
honest
creatures
feared
for
him
-
-
what
?
Anger
would
choke
him
at
the
thought
of
such
contempt
for
his
sacred
mission
,
and
then
awe
would
take
its
place
,
awe
at
the
immensity
of
the
evil
with
which
he
fought
.
"
Principalities
and
powers
,
"
Amos
had
said
-
-
yes
,
the
Powers
of
the
Air
and
the
Principalities
of
Darkness
.
He
had
no
doubt
that
the
Devil
and
his
myrmidons
were
present
in
the
Wood
in
bodily
form
,
mingling
with
the
worshippers
,
and
that
the
tongues
which
he
had
heard
were
in
very
truth
mutterings
of
the
lost
.
There
were
times
when
ordinary
human
fear
loosened
his
knees
,
and
he
longed
to
flee
from
the
parish
as
from
a
place
accursed
.
But
his
courage
would
return
,
and
his
faith
,
for
he
knew
that
the
armies
of
Heaven
were
on
his
side
,
and
wrath
would
cast
out
fear
,
wrath
and
horror
at
the
seducers
of
his
flock
.
Nevertheless
in
these
days
his
nerves
were
frayed
,
he
lay
awake
of
nights
listening
anxiously
for
noises
without
,
and
he
would
awake
suddenly
in
the
sweat
of
a
nameless
terror
.
But
his
chief
burden
was
that
he
did
not
know
how
to
shape
his
course
.
The
pulpit
rang
with
his
denunciations
,
but
there
was
no
response
;
no
stricken
Nicodemus
came
to
him
by
night
.
On
the
roads
and
at
the
house
-
doors
people
avoided
his
eyes
.
There
were
no
more
stones
from
Daft
Gibbie
-
-
indeed
Gibbie
had
resumed
his
fawning
friendliness
-
-
but
none
waited
to
speak
a
word
with
him
.
Isobel
had
recovered
her
cheerfulness
,
and
sought
to
atone
for
past
misconduct
by
an
assiduous
attention
to
his
comforts
,
but
Amos
Ritchie
shunned
him
.
And
the
children
,
too
,
who
had
been
his
chief
allies
.
Perhaps
their
parents
had
warned
them
,
for
a
group
would
scatter
when
he
came
near
,
and
once
when
,
coming
up
behind
him
,
he
laid
a
kindly
hand
on
a
boy
’
s
head
,
the
child
burst
into
tears
and
fled
.
What
was
the
fama
of
the
minister
which
had
been
put
about
in
Woodilee
?
The
worst
of
it
was
that
he
could
contrive
no
plan
of
campaign
.
Evidence
which
was
overwhelming
to
his
own
mind
would
not
convince
the
Presbytery
or
the
Sheriff
.
He
could
not
bring
a
reasoned
charge
against
any
man
or
woman
in
the
parish
.
As
the
days
passed
he
began
to
sort
out
his
flock
in
his
mind
as
the
guilty
and
the
abettors
.
Some
were
innocent
enough
,
save
for
the
sin
of
apathy
;
but
others
he
could
believe
to
have
shared
in
the
midnight
debauches
-
-
heavy
-
browed
,
sensual
youths
,
women
with
shifty
eyes
,
girls
high
-
coloured
and
over
-
blown
,
whose
sidelong
glances
seemed
to
hint
at
secrets
,
old
wives
,
too
,
whose
wild
laughter
he
heard
at
cottage
doors
.
But
of
one
,
his
first
certainty
was
giving
way
to
doubt
.
Ephraim
Caird
’
s
white
face
had
got
a
wholesome
tan
from
the
summer
sun
,
and
he
alone
in
the
parish
seemed
to
seek
out
the
minister
.
He
gave
him
a
cheerful
greeting
when
they
met
,
spoke
wisely
of
parish
matters
,
had
a
word
of
humble
commendation
for
the
Sabbath
discourses
.
"
It
’
s
gaun
to
be
a
braw
year
for
the
aits
,
"
he
said
,
"
gin
the
weather
hauds
,
and
the
lambs
are
the
best
I
’
ve
yet
seen
on
Chasehope
hill
.
Let
us
hope
,
sir
,
that
the
guid
seed
ye
’
ve
sown
will
come
to
as
bountiful
a
hairst
.
"
The
words
were
so
simply
spoken
that
they
seemed
no
hypocrisy
.
A
plan
of
campaign
!
On
that
David
could
get
no
clearness
,
and
the
anxiety
was
with
him
at
bed
and
board
.
He
shrank
from
confessing
himself
to
his
brother
-
ministers
,
for
what
could
they
do
to
help
him
?
Kirk
Aller
would
pooh
-
pooh
the
whole
thing
,
since
Woodilee
had
been
so
forward
in
signing
the
Covenant
.
Bold
would
no
doubt
believe
,
but
his
remedy
would
be
only
a
stiffer
draught
of
doctrine
.
Even
Mr
.
Fordyce
at
Cauldshaw
seemed
a
broken
reed
,
for
Mr
.
Fordyce
was
an
ailing
saint
,
and
this
task
was
for
the
church
militant
.
No
,
he
must
fight
his
battles
alone
,
and
trust
to
God
to
send
him
allies
.
He
wanted
men
of
violence
,
who
would
fight
not
with
words
but
with
deeds
,
Israelitish
prophets
who
with
their
own
hands
cut
down
groves
and
uprooted
altars
and
hewed
Agag
in
pieces
.
And
where
would
he
find
them
in
a
countryside
where
the
good
were
timid
as
sheep
and
their
pastors
like
loud
voices
in
a
fog
?
