Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-06-28

A Scottish Pastor" Uncle EbenezefN
Perhaps we could find nowhere more
quiet and graceful picture, without any ex-
aggeration or straining for effect, than the
touching and beautiful character Of "Uncl'
4 Ebenezer," the well-knoWn pastor Of In.
verkeithing. II is little to say that sucf
things as this give truer insight into The
life and nature Of certain class Of Scotch
divines than any amount OLIVES and church
histories:
Uncle Ebenezer flowed per saltua he
was always good and sanity, but he was
great once O week. Six days he brooded
over his message, was silent, withdrawn,
self-inyolved. On the Sabbath that down
cast, almost timid man, who summed men,
the instant he was in the pulpit stood up a
son Of thunder. Such voice such a
piercing eye such an inevitable forehnger,
held out trembling with the terrors of the
Lord such power Of asking questions,
and letting them fall deep into the hearts
of his hearers, and then answersng them
himself with an "Ah, sirs !" that thrilled
and auivered from him to them. &
Nothing was more beautiful than my fa-
theirs admiration and emotion when listen
ing to his uncle's rapt passages, OF than
his childlike faith in my fathers exegetical
prowess. He used to have list of difficult
passages ready for "my nephew u and the
moment the oracle gave decision, the cid
man asked him TO repeat it, and then took
o permanent note of it, and would assuredly
preach it some day with his own proper
JUNCTION and power. One story l must
give. \ Uncle Ebenezer, with all his
mildness and complaisance, was, like most
Of the Browns tendx propositi, firm to OBJ
stinacy. He had established weekday
sermon at the North Ferry, about two miles
from his own town, Inverkeithing. 1t was,
| think, on the Tuesdays. 1t was winter,
and a wild, drifting and dangerous day {;
his daughters-his wife was dead-besought
him not to 60; he smiled vaguely, but con-
tinued getting into his big coat. Nothing
would stay him, and away he and the pony
stumbled through the dumb and binding
snow.
He was halfway on his journey, and had
got out the sermon he was going to preach,
and was utterly insensible to the outward
storm; his pony getting its feet balled, stag
| gered about, and at last upset his master
| and himself into the ditch at the roadside.
The feeble, needless, rapt old man might
| have perished there had not some carriers
| bringing up whisky-casks from the ferry
seen the catastrophe and rushed up. Rails
! ing him and dichting him with much com.
misseration and blunt speech; "Puir auld
man, what brocht ye here in sic day ?
There they were, a rough crew, surrounding
the sanity man, some putting on his hat
sorting and cheering him, and others knock
ing the balls off the pony's feet and stutfinl
them with grease.
He was most polite and grateful; ant
one of these cordial ruffians having pierced
a cask, brought him horn of whisky, anC
said: "Tak that-it'l hearten ye;' HI
took the horn, and, bowing to them, said
Sirs, let us give thanks J" and there, by
the roadside, in the drift and snow, will
these wild fellows, he asked blessing OIL
it, and for his kind deliverers and took {
tasting of the horn. The men cried like
children. They lifted him on his pony, ont
going with him; and when the rest arrived
in Inverkeithing they repeated the story tC
| everybody and broke down in tears when
! ever they came TO the blessing. "And t
think O askin blessin on taste 0
whisky
Next presbytery day, after the ordinary
business was over, he rose up-he seldom
| spoke-and said, '' Moderator, have some.
thing personal TO myself to-day. l have
often said that real kindness belongs only
| to true Christians, but and then he told
the story of these men-"but more trut
| kindness l never experienced than from
these lads. They may have had the grac,
of God, don't know; but never NEAR
again to be so positive in speaking of this
| matter