by Mr. A. Docter, Holland
Delft, Oct. 1952
My dear friend, ..
I am ashamed for having left your most welcome letter of August unanswered. Don’t think it is owing to indifference or unthankfulness.
The rest in England did me a lot of good but I should have liked to be at a communion. Stratherrick appealed to me strongly, especially when Miss McG. wrote to say that Rev. Macfarlane was expected to preach there. I am such a fool always expecting to find it from man. I remember having read about a lady who got a blessing at a communion when Ebenezer Erskine was preaching. She did not know him and enquired who this messenger of God was. The next week she travelled to his place to hear him preach again, but she did not feel what she experienced before. When calling at the manse, she asked Mr. Erskine to explain this, and his answer was “Last week you came to hear Jesus, but now you have come to hear poor Ebenezer Erskine.” I had a desire to meet Mr. S. again and by Providence he was in the south when I was in London and I heard him preach from Gen. 28 v. 19 “And he called the name of that place Bethel.” It was a real feast to me. “I am with thee,” seemed to open an ocean of love for him.
I wonder if you have ever heard of Mr. J. Hunter, minister of an associate congregation. He was a contemporary of the Erskines and wrote beautiful sermons on “The bush burning yet not consumed.” Most wonderful! He wrote “How safe is the Church of Christ, blocked up, as it were, in the attributes of God, as in a safe enclosure.” How blind we are as compared with those godly ministers. I wish the scales of ignorance fell from my eyes. It always touched me when at the close of your communion seasons these words from Ps. 72 were sung:
And blessed be His glorious name,
To all eternity
The whole earth let His glory fill,
Amen, so let it be.
Rev. Beaton, Gairloch, is a humble man and I did enjoy his company last year.
I must stop now. Remember me to the friends. Mrs. Docter sends her kindest regards.
Your friend,
A. Docter.