1859- VARIOUS ENGAGEMENTS. 335 



as much as of the Church called by His name, and to 

 ask the litterateurs what the tongues of men and of 

 angels will do for them if faith, hope, and charity, are 

 not in their hearts, and the greatest amongst the three 

 charity. 



" Send me the Recreation Essay. As a nation we are, 

 I suppose, the worst in the world at keeping holiday. We 

 take our pleasure sadly, and the sadly changes wofully fast 

 into sinfully. 



"The Total Abstinence Society here wanted me to speak 

 at a great Centenary Burns meeting, but I was glad that 

 I had a previous engagement. I wish the abstainers all 

 success, but their merits and those of Burns belong to very 

 different categories. I could not praise them together, and 

 to make a memorial celebration of Burns an occasion for 

 pointing morals from his sins, is, I think, a duty not asked 

 by God or man at our hands. I refer to this as an unfor- 

 tunate endeavour to turn a holiday into a fast-day. Let 

 holidays be holidays. I count on a copy of your paper. 



" The best of good wishes to May, and love the fondest, 

 best, and truest to A., till Valentine's Day come. Secu- 

 larities another time. I will allow my letter-conscience 

 a small siesta. Jessie sends a Christmas-box full of love." 



To Dr. Cairns he speaks of the time spent at Bridge of 

 Allan as " four delightful days of rest and recruitment of 

 body and soul, including, or rather included in, ' rest in the 

 Lord." ' Since returning, I have been greatly better, and I 

 am now workably well. A load of labour has saved you 

 the infliction of a letter hitherto. ... I was at a very 

 delightful devotional meeting of medical students in the 

 University on Friday night. They asked me to preside, 

 and after in vain trying to write a suitable address, I 



