136 THE JOURNEYMAN. 



that the discourse he that day delivered was one of the 

 best I ever heard that my partiality blinded me to its 

 defects. This was not the case ; for, though partial to 

 the doctor, it was his superior talents that made me so, 

 and had his discourse been of that dull, commonplace 

 kind which I have often heard in a church that shall be 

 nameless, my disappointment would have been great in 

 proportion to my expectation, I need not tell you that, 

 as an historian, Dr McCrie ranks very high. At a time 

 when every witling thought himself licensed to ridicule 

 the firmness or denounce the boldness of the Reformers 

 of our religion, the doctor stood forth in their defence ; 

 and, endowed with powders equal to the task, dispersed 

 the dark cloud of obloquy in which partial or designing 

 men had enveloped their names. If we consider him as 

 a preacher, he will appear in a light as favourable. His 

 manner is calm yet impressive, and his sentiments (al- 

 ways beautiful and ofttimes highly original) are conveyed 

 in language strong and nervous, yet at the same time 

 plain and simple. In short, Dean Swift's definition of a 

 good style/' proper words in their proper places// can be 

 very well exemplified in his. I have now heard him 

 several times. One Sunday his voice, which is not 

 naturally strong, was nearly drowned by loud and con- 

 tinued coughing, which arose from every corner of the 

 church. For some time he went on without any seem- 

 ing embarrassment, but just when in the middle of an 

 important argument, made a full stop. In a moment 

 every eye was fixed upon the doctor, and such was the 

 silence caused by this attention that for the space of a 

 minute you might have heard a pin fall. " I see, my 

 brethren, you can all be quiet enough when I am quiet," 

 was his mild and somewhat humorous reproof, and 

 such was its effect that, for the remainder of the day, he 



