xy appeared in _The Ordination_, a piece
written to comfort the Kilmarnock liberals when an Auld Licht minister
was selected for the second charge there. The tone is again one of
ironical congratulation, and Burns describes the rejoicings of the
elect with infinite zest. Two stanzas on the church music will
illustrate his method.

Mak haste an' turn King David owre, [open the Psalms]
An' lilt wi' holy clangor; [sing]
O' double verse come gie us four [give]
An' skirl up the _Bangor_: [shriek, a Psalm-tune]
This day the Kirk kicks up a stoure, [dust]
Nae mair the knaves shall wrang her, [No more]
For Heresy is in her pow'r,
And gloriously she'll whang her [thrash]
Wi' pith this day.

* * * * *

Nae mair by Babel streams we'll weep,
To think upon our Zion;
And hing our fiddles up to sleep, [hang]
Like baby-clouts a-dryin';
Come, screw the pegs wi' tunefu' cheep, [chirp]
And o'er the thairms be tryin'; [strings]
O, rare! to see our elbucks wheep, [elbows jerk]
And a' like lamb-tails flyin'
Fu' fast this day!

In the same ironical fashion he digresses in his _Dedication to Gavin
Hamilton_ to satirize the "high-fliers'" contempt for "cold morality"
and for their faith in the power of orthodox belief to cover lapses in
conduct.

Morality, thou deadly bane,
Thy tens o' thousands thou hast slain!
Vain is his hope, whose stay and trust is
In moral mercy, truth and justice!

No--stretch a point to catch a plack; [small coin]
Abuse a brother to his back;
Steal thro' the winnock frae a whore, [window from]
But point the rake that takes the door:

* * * * *

Be to the poor like ony whunstane, [any whinstone]
And haud their noses to the grunstane; [hold, grindstone]
Ply ev'ry art o' legal thieving;
No matter--stick to sound believing.

Learn three-mile pray'rs, an' half-mile graces,
Wi' weel-spread looves, an' lang, wry faces; [palms]
Grunt up a solemn