46 Transactions. 



The use of the gown was long ohjected to by the people 

 as being a " remnant of Popery," as well as the bands, called 

 the " hih,'' and in some parishes at the present day the hostile 

 feeling is not extinguished. The first time the minister of 

 Kirkmahoe ajipeared in this vestment, which had been pre- 

 sented to him by Mrs Hannah of Carnsalloch, many of the 

 congregation demuiTed, fretted, and threatened to leave the 

 Church. The Precentor was not forthcoming from that day 

 afterwards, without giving any reason or intimation of his 

 absence ; and it was only after a year had elapsed that a 

 pencil-writing was found in the inside of the precentor's book 

 declaring he would no longer precent to a minister that wore 

 a black gown. In some of the Dissenting churches this 

 " remnant of Popery " has never yet been allowed. 



The psalm sung at the commencement of public worship 

 was called the " inganging" or the " gathering " psalm, from 

 its being sung at the gathering or assembling of the woi'ship- 

 pers. It was always prefaced or explained for about 15 or 

 20 minutes, the occasion of its composition, the feelings and 

 aspirations of the author being fully dwelt upon, and a suita- 

 ble application made of the whole to the circumstances and 

 condition of the present audience. This was peculiarly 

 favourable to devotional sentiment, and a good preparation 

 for the portion of the service which was to follow. But it 

 was apt to degenerate into mere religious disquisition in order 

 to fill up a certain amount of time, as all psalms were not 

 equally pregnant with spiritual thought ; and as some of 

 them came to be given out again at no great intervals of 

 time, the exposition, if textual, would begin to appear mono- 

 tonous from repetition. On the whole, however, the practice 

 was a good one, and ought not to have fallen into desuetude, 

 leaving the people to make their own application of the 

 psalm, if they make any at all. 



From the want of psalm-books in the congregation, each 

 line of the psalm was read out by the precentor immediately 

 previous to its being sung. This was called " reading the 

 line," and it enabled those who had no book, or whose eye- 



