t the gospel according to the Apostle Paul; and if I thought the
sentiments expressed were his own, if I had not thought he has taken his
thoughts from commentators without carefully considering them, I would
think it my duty to him and to the church to make him no longer a
student of divinity here." He was often unconsciously severe, from his
saying exactly what he felt. On a student's ending his discourse, his
only criticism was, "The strongest characteristic of this discourse is
weakness," and feeling that this was really all he had to say, he ended.
A young gentleman on very good terms with himself, stood up to pray with
his hands in his pockets, and among other things he put up a petition he
might "be delivered from the fear of man, which bringeth a snare;" my
father's only remark was that there was part of his prayer which seemed
to be granted before it was asked. But he was always unwilling to
criticize prayer, feeling it to be too sacred, and, as it were, beyond
his province, except to deliver the true principles of all prayer, which
he used to say were admirably given in the _Shorter Catechism_--"Prayer
is an offering up of the desires of the heart to God, for things
agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ; with confession of our
sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies."

For the "heroic" old man of Haddington my father had a peculiar
reverence, as indeed we all have--as well we may. He was our king, the
founder of our dynasty: we dated from him, and he was "hedged"
accordingly by a certain sacredness or "divinity." I well remember with
what surprise and pride I found myself asked by a blacksmith's wife in
a remote hamlet among the hop-gardens of Kent, if I was "the son of the
Self-interpreting Bible." I possess, as an heirloom, the New Testament
which my father fondly regarded as the one his grandfather, when a herd
laddie, got from the Professor who heard him ask for it, and promised
him it if he could read a verse; and he has in his beautiful small hand
written in it what follows: "He (John Brown of Haddington) had now
acquired so much of Greek as encouraged him to hope that he might at
length be prepared to reap the richest of all rewards which classical
learning could confer on him, the capacity of reading in the original
tongue the blessed New Testament of our Lord and Saviour. Full of this
hope, he became anxious to possess a copy of the invaluable volume. One
night, having committed the cha