ften--mak use o' the strong han'! But it's
clear he maunna do 't in rage--that's ower near hate--an' hate 's the
deevil's ain. A man may, gien he live varra near the Lord, be whiles
angry ohn sinned: but the wrath o' man worketh not the richteousness o'
God; an' the wrath that rises i' the mids o' encoonter, is no like to
be o' the natur o' divine wrath. To win at it, gien 't be possible,
lat's consider the Lord--hoo he did. There's no word o' him ever
liftin' han' to protec' himsel'. The only thing like it was for
ithers. To gar them lat his disciples alane--maybe till they war like
eneuch til himsel' no to rin, he pat oot mair nor his han' upo' them
'at cam to tak him: he strak them sair wi' the pooer itsel' 'at muvs a'
airms. But no varra sair naither--he but knockit them doon!--jist to
lat them ken they war to du as he bade them, an' lat his fowk be;--an'
maybe to lat them ken 'at gien he loot them tak him, it was no 'at he
couldna hin'er them gien he likit. I canna help thinkin' we may stan'
up for ither fowk. An' I'm no sayin' 'at we arena to defen' oorsels
frae a set attack wi' design.--But there's something o' mair importance
yet nor kennin' the richt o' ony queston."

"What can that be? What can be o' mair importance nor doin' richt i'
the sicht o' God?" said Donal.

"Bein' richt wi' the varra thoucht o' God, sae 'at we canna mistak, but
maun ken jist what he wad hae dune. That's the big Richt, the mother
o' a' the lave o' the richts. That's to be as the maister was.
Onygait, whatever we du, it maun be sic as to be dune, an' it maun be
dune i' the name o' God; whan we du naething we maun du that naething
i' the name o' God. A body may weel say, 'O Lord, thoo hasna latten me
see what I oucht to du, sae I'll du naething!' Gien a man ought to
defen' himsel', but disna du 't, 'cause he thinks God wadna hae him du
't, wull God lea' him oondefent for that? Or gien a body stan's up i'
the name o' God, an' fronts an airmy o' enemies, div ye think God 'ill
forsake him 'cause he 's made a mistak? Whatever's dune wantin' faith
maun be sin--it canna help it; whatever's dune in faith canna be sin,
though it may be a mistak. Only latna a man tak presumption for faith!
that's a fearsome mistak, for it's jist the opposite."

"I thank ye," said Donal. "I'll consider wi' my best endeevour what ye
hae said."

"But o' a' things," resumed the cobbler, "luik 'at ye lo'e fairplay.
Fairplay 's a won'erfu' word--a gra