Tenandry Church - Burns (1840)
“ Wednesday, September 9th. — I rode up in the forenoon to B., the property of Mr S. of S., Perth, where he and his family at present are; with the view of preaching at Tenandry church near which they are. The scene is the most sublime that I have almost ever seen, including the pass of Killiecrankie, &c. &c.; but I have no time, even had I the power, to describe the grandeur of the Lord’s works in nature. I felt the temptation to be unfaithful to the ‘rich man’ with whom I was called to live, and through this compliance unfaithful also to the poorer classes around. If we are unfaithful to the rich and great all our faithfulness to others must be more or less hypocritical. This I felt and being made to cry to the Lord for help, I got so completely over it that when preaching in the evening at Tenandry, with the S.’s, Mrs H. of S., the builder of the church, 1 &c., present. I spoke boldly and openly of many things that the rich alone could understand, and which they would find it hard to bear unless they would unreservedly submit to Christ and his cross. We met at five o’clock; I spoke from Hebrews iv. 7. At first, I had assistance enough to expound, but not enough to reach the conscience with keen exhortation and reproof. However, after praying, I got this for a considerable time, and the people were so much affected that all were riveted in their looks, and some were weeping audibly. The plan followed was this: — I considered the meaning of, ist. Hearing God’s voice. 2d. Hardening the heart. 3d. The arguments against this sin. ( a ) Our losing the promised rest ; (b) Our having been long called already — 4 after so long a time;’ (c) Our being called ‘today.’ After I had prayed I sought to improve these truths by selecting a few passages of God’s word, such as ‘Ye must be born again,’ &c.; ‘ Come now and let us reason together;’ and pressed the people by the arguments of the text to hear and obey these immediately as the voice of God. It was this part that seemed to come chiefly home. We had an after-meeting with the anxious, who seemed to be numerous. 1 . . .
'Memoir of the Rev W C Burns', by Islay Burns, page 134-5.