Edzell, Forfarshire, 18th May, 1875.
My Dear Friend, — I do not know that it is my turn to write, but I do not deal with a covenant of works in that matter, and I suppose you do not either.
I just write to say that my address will be as above for the next few days, having come to take part in the communion services here. I am pretty well at present, and have been working at the proof-sheets of my book—pleasant enough work if only the printed matter did anything like justice to the theme.
I enjoy this place. The pure air straight from the hills is delightful, and I had a walk this forenoon by a stream overhung with trees beaming in the beauteous childhood of their fresh green leaves. I do like the spring, and was thinking to-day how I would fain realize in my soul the gospel declaration “For lo! the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, &c. (Song ii. 11-13). I preach to-morrow on the leper’s prayer, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean,” and hope to get some good of it myself, having some sense of need of His cleansing me from all sin—sins of heart, of life, and of service. It will be 32 years to-morrow since I was licensed to preach the gospel of the grace of God. Most glorious privilege! notwithstanding all my sin and short-coming.
I do not expect to write you again until (D.V.) after the Assembly, to which I am not looking forward with feelings of pleasure, but rather with forebodings, for there is little seeking of the all-glorifying presence of the Holy Spirit who alone can take of the things of Christ and show them to His servants. Also many of those fathers and brethren to whom the reproaches of Zion were a burden are like “the flowers of the forest, a’ wede away.” I trust it may not be necessary for me to speak at all, for the question of our ecclesiastical relationships in Scotland is very far from being ripe for any decision on the subject. The foundations of the old National Church are eminently well worth contending for, her rights and privileges well worth fighting for; but the present occupants of the Establishment exhibit so little spiritual power that one is placed in an excruciating predicament in appearing to defend them when defending the constitution of the ancient Church of Scotland. Of course, it is absurd to say that patronage is not abolished, while it is perhaps equally absurd to say that its abolition had redressed the grounds of our Protest in 1843, and yet the Free Church seems quite indisposed to demand such redress, or to desire to be reinstated in the rights and privileges acknowledged to belong to the Church of Scotland by the statutes of 1592, &c. Indeed, some of our leaders are beginning to pooh-pooh the principle of State recognition and aid. But to say that the State is at present under no obligation to maintain a free, faithful, established church, I would require a fresh revelation from heaven to enable me to believe. Therefore, as I have said, the matter is at such a stage just now as that public discussion can do little good, perhaps harm, and if the Assembly would rather devote a day to discussing how best to promote in our pulpits the maintenance of the doctrines of grace, which are going down in Scotland every day, it would “set them better.” I read quite lately a sermon preached a few weeks ago by — of — which was simply horrible. The ground of salvation is wholly cut away. The atonement is nothing but self-sacrificing love, no satisfaction to divine justice, no exhausting of the curse, no removal of guilt, nothing to enable a guilty sinner to approach Jehovah, nothing to pacify conscience, nothing to bring either glory to God or peace on earth, nothing but a senseless drivelling parody of goodwill to men. I don’t see how I for one can hold my tongue as to this sort of thing. We must speak out. Churches that can put up with such doctrine may go to the wall to-morrow for me. Hoping to hear from you before I return to Edinburgh. — Yours, &c.,
Hugh Martin.