"'Jc".vldi>ji/l':iiuir jiliTf a;/i\MlRJg MMi^m.AM. II'. M'lJflSTKK UF S?; 'GEOMGE'.S rflPKCH, BSBraJBl'JRGB. l'i>/'imt»^inJS'er,li- Boytl. 18:iS. DISCOURSES BY THE liATE REV. JAMES MARTIN, A.M., MINISTER OF ST GEORGE S CHURCH, EDINBURGH ', AND PART OF AN INTENDED SERIES OF LETTERS ON PRAYEH, WRITTEN BY HIM WHILE AT NICE. TO WHICH IS PREFIXED, A MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. SECOND EDITION. EDINBURGH: OLIVER & BOYD, TWEEDDALE COURT; AND SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO., LONDON. 1836. Printed by OtivKR & Boyd, Tvveeddale Court, High Street, Edinburgh. ^^^^^v »->-•-•""' Cf^^^ ,;/ PEIITCJSTCIT \. PREFACE. By the publication of a selection from the manu- scripts of the late Mr Martin, and of a short sketch of his life and character, nothing more is aimed at or desired by those who have undertaken it, than to preserve some memorial of a man of a very pure and elevated mind, prematurely cut off from a sphere of extensive usefulness, and a circle of friends by whom he was greatly esteemed and beloved ; which may at once be gratifying to them, and en- couraging to those who are engaged in the same sacred vocation to which he so faithfully devoted his short but honourable life. It may, perhaps, be naturally asked, how a Me- moir comes to be published, of one whose course was so brief, and who was comparatively little known beyond the congregations to whom he mi- nistered, whilst we have no biography of others, — some of them old and venerable men, — who, for a • 6 PREFACE. long period, occupied a large space in the ecclesias- tical history of Scotland, and whose names are in- corporated with the most important transactions which, in the concerns of religion, or in Church af- fairs, took place during the period in which they lived ? The answer to this is not difficult. To give a full and accurate detail of the whole circumstances and events of the public life of such men, and to delineate with that fidelity which would be necessary, the character which was unfolded in the various situations in which they were placed, and in those interesting scenes in which they distinguished them- selves, were a matter of no easy accomplishment ; and for this reason we judge that it has, in compa- ratively few cases, been hitherto attempted. It might not be a task of very great difficulty or delicacy, to give a superficial sketch of the leading occurrences in the life of a public man, and to de- scribe what he appeared to be in the eye of the world, and the effects which he produced on the popular mind. But this is not all which belongs to the biography of such an individual ; and it is quite another thing to develope his true character, to ex- hibit the real views and principles by which he was governed during a long course of active service in the open places of society, and amidst the agitations and contentions of public life ; and to do justice, in PREFACE. 7 the face of a flippant and querulous world, to his memory and his name. But in giving a sketch of the character and of the leading incidents in the history of such a man as Mr Martin, the service required is not at all of this kind. It is far less formidable, and may therefore, perhaps without great presumption, be attempted. For although, in the few last years of his life, he was called to fill ostensible and prominent situations in the pulpits of our Church, yet his course was uniformly that of a quiet pastor and domestic mi- nister of the Gospel, — the sphere of whose duties, to the time when his physical constitution gave way, called him but little into public life, or into the high fields of controversy, or of general discussion ; but whose labours and services, within the limits to which they were confined, can never be but infi- nitely valuable in the recollection of those who en- joyed the privilege of his public ministry, or the satisfaction and advantage of his private friendship. Let it be added, that, in giving expression, in the following Memoir, to any of those reflections which irresistibly arise in the retrospect of the life of one who was greatly endeared by an intimate and con- stant intercourse, though only for a few years, the strongest desire has been felt to avoid every thing like excess or exaggeration. To indulge in these would be an act of great mockery towards him, 8 PREFACE. whose own language was always so genuine and sincere. And there is no occasion here to exagge- rate ; for, if his character could be delineated in harmony and keeping with its own truthfulness, it were enough. From the great number of manuscripts which Mr Martin left behind him, — all of them without the remotest view of ever being printed,— -it has been found rather an anxious and difficult undertaking to make a selection, and to prepare it for the press. At one time, it was thought preferable to confine it within the range of his very excellent course of lec- tures on the Gospel of Luke ; and at another, to give only the series of sermons on the successive verses of the fifth chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, to both of which allusion is made in the succeeding Memoir. But after full consi- deration, it has been judged most suitable to com- prise within this volume a variety of insulated discourses, preached at different times during Mr Martin's ministry in Edinburgh, which appear to present the fairest specimens of his general style of preaching, and are, at the same time, known to have been highly acceptable and useful to those who, with the greatest regularity, waited upon his ministry. The Letters on Prayer which follow the Discourses, and the occasion of which is also referred to in the PREFACE. 9 Memoir, must be considered, not as a complete treatise on the subject, but as a fragment ; yet, in this view, and as forming the very last service that Mr Martin was permitted to render to his congre- gation and to the Church, they possess an interest which seemed to forbid that they should be with- held. EmsBVRQH, I5th Aprill835. CONTENTS. Memoir, Page 17 DISCOURSES. DISCOURSE FIRST. 2 Kings, iv, 13. — Wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the cap- tain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.. 69 DISCOURSE SECOND. Psalm Ixxviii. 34. — When he slew them, then they sought him ; and they returned and inquired early after God 85 DISCOURSE THIRD. Isaiah, xl. 6, 7, 8. — The voice said, Cry. And he said. What shall I cry ? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field : The grass withereth, the flower fadeth ; because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it : surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth : but the word of our God shall stand for ever 100 DISCOURSE FOURTH. Luke, ii. 14. — Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men 114 12 CONTENTS. DISCOURSE FIFTH. 2 Corinthians, iii. 18. — We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord Page 131 DISCOURSE SIXTH. John, iii. 14, 15. — And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up ; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life 145 DISCOURSE SEVENTH. Psalm Ixxvii. 19. — Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. Psalm Ixxxix. 14.— Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne : mercy and truth shall go before tliy face 164 DISCOURSE EIGHTH. John, iv. 42 Now we believe, not because of thy saying ; for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world 180 DISCOURSE NINTH. 1 Corinthians, v. 7- — Christ our passover is sacrificed for us 195 The Fencing of the Communion-table 212 The Address after the Communion 218 DISCOURSE TENTH. 1 John, ii. 1. — These things write I unto you^ that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous 224 DISCOURSE ELEVENTH. Proverbs, iii: C. — In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths 239 CONTENTS. 13 DISCOURSE TWELFTH. Luke, iv, 18, 19. — The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor ; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord Page 253 DISCOURSE THIRTEENTH. liUKE, xxii. 19, 20 — And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you : this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, say- ing, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.. .271 DISCOURSE FOURTEENTH, liUKE, xxiv. 50, 51, 52, 53. — And he led them out as far as to Bethany ; and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy ; and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen... 285 DISCOURSE FIFTEENTH. Hebrews, vii. 24. — But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an un- changeable priesthood 30 1 DISCOURSE SIXTEENTH. 2 Corinthians, v. 1 — For we know, that, if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens 319 DISCOURSE SEVENTEENTH. 2 Corinthians, v. 4.— We that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened 332 DISCOURSE EIGHTEENTH. 2 Corinthians, v. 7- — We walk by faith, not by sight 345 14 CONTENTS. LETTERS ON PRAYErv. LETTER I. In troductory Page 303 LETTER II. Simplicity in Prayer 366 LETTER IIL The Structure of Prayer 371 LETTER IV. Forms of Prayer 377 LETTER V. The Answer of Prayer 382 LETTER VI. Perseverance in Prayer 89 LETTER VIL Intercessory Prayer {commenced) ....395 MEMOIR. PEXnCSTOIT ^\ MEMOIR THE REV. JAMES MARTIN. The subject of this Memoir was born at Brechin on the 30th July 1800. His respectable and excellent parents ful- filled their duty to him in a manner not less judicious than it was affectionate, and reaped their richest reward in the future character of their son. From his earliest days he was a boy of great spirit and remarkable quickness ; fond of play, but when brought to apply his mind to the business of the school, or to any of his prescribed exercises, possessing an intellectual power by which he was enabled to surmount all their difficulties, and generally in half the time which was required by others. Among his companions he was distinguished by an air of re- finement, great ingenuousness, manliness, and activfty, — in- somuch, that some of those who remember him as a boy, when trying to recall the scenes of that period, have a dis- tinct impression of his figure and manner, although they can scarcely recollect a circumstance respecting those who were his companions ; whom he almost uniformly outstripped. 18 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. both ill the employments of the school, and in all their pri- vate competitions and rural games. Of the season and scenes of his boyhood he preserved a very vivid remembrance, and often alluded to them. The watchful kindness and care of his mother were especially imprinted on his heart ; and when, in the spring of 1833, and a few months before the state of his health obliged him to leave his native country, he made an excursion for a short time to Rothsay, attended by the affectionate sister who is now the only remaining member of his father"'s family, his mind was constantly dwelling on the early period of their lives, and by his conversation he seemed to find a peculiar pleasure in living, as it were, all their young days over again. It has sometimes been quaintly said, that the boy is father to the man ; and the saying was verified in the case of Mr Martin. For the very same cast of character which dis- tinguished him in his earhest years, was strongly perceptible during the whole of his future course. The instincts of his childhood became the dispositions of his youth, and were gra- dually ripened into the principles of his manhood. The same quickness and aptness of perception, — the same courage and independence of mind, — the same fixedness of pur- pose and power of application, — the same ambition and determination to excel in every thing in which he engaged, ■ — and the same steadiness of attachment and warmth of heart which were visible in his youth, characterized his ad- vanced years ; and he often remarked to those whom he admitted to his private thoughts and experience, that there appeared to be a spirit astir within him, as if it were a separate part of his moral constitution, which was inces- santly urging him onwards and upwards, and would never allow him to be at rest, or to remain satisfied with any de- MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 19 gree of attainments or of usefulness which lie had as yet reached. At the early age of twelve he entered Marischal College, in the University of Aberdeen, and was a competitor for one of the bursaries. Upon this occasion his mother, who well knew his ardent temperament, would not allow him to compete for this privilege, until he had given her his solemn assurance that, should he prove unsuccessful, he would not be discom- posed by the disappointment, — a promise which he faithfully fulfilled ; for, keen and aspiring as he naturally was, his ardour was always vmder the control of that regard which he felt for the wishes of his parents, towards whom he was never conscious of having done any thing by which he thovight they would be grieved or offended. His course at College was one of vigorous application and unwearied study. His natural quickness, together with the habit of perseverance which he acquired, rendered him an accurate hnguist ; whilst the more advanced stages of his academical course, in the departments of mathematics and philosophy, afforded, as was natural to a mind of such a constitution as his, the highest gratification and enjoyment, in the enlargement of his knowledge, the strengthening of his reasoning powers, and the cultivation of an originally fine taste in every thing connected either with science or morals. To judge by one of the note-books which he kept during his course at the University, he seems to have found much gratification from the intercourse which he maintained with his fellow-students ; where, though there is but little recorded of his own performances, he has copied out several of what he appears to have considered the best of those essays and exercises which were prepared and given in by his companions, either at the Moral Philosophy Class or the Literary Society of Marischal College. 20 MEMOIR OF TIIK AUTHOR. Soon after entering the University, Mr Martin appears to have formed his rcsohition as to the profession to which he would devote his Hfe ; but, with that diffidence and caution which always characterized him, he never mentioned the circumstance until he had made trial of the steadiness of his own purpose, and found that it was practicable to carry it into effect. When at last he disclosed his long-kept secret, and his plans for life were settled, he entered upon the study of theology and its kindred branches with re- doubled energy ; and the natural qualities of his mind found in these pursuits a most engaging and appropriate exercise. Resolved not to be satisfied with the mere formal discharge of routine duties, or with the attainment of such a degree of proficiency as might be barely sufficient to admit him to the sacred calling which he had chosen, he set himself in good earnest to become at once a thorough scholar and a sound theologian. To the close of his life, indeed, he had, both with respect to himself and others, an almost impatient jealousy of every thing that was superficial, — a high-minded contempt for all mere sciolists and smatterers, and for the indulgence of that feeling which could permit an individual to sit down in a state of indolent contentment with any thing like inferiority, or even mediocrity, in those useful attainments which were within his reach ; and he accord- ingly felt the deepest impression of the necessity of solidity and depth, — of real, as well as apparent learning, in every one who professed to be either a scholar or a divine. In February 1818, he records, in a memorandum in his note-book, that the previous eighteen months had been ex- clusively devoted to his graver studies. At that period, however, he had been led to read a popular poem just then published, and upon this circumstance he adds the following reflection : — " I have seldom found such an interruption ! MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 21 It recalled to my mind much of that amusement which I formerly derived from works of imagination ; and I still found that, though my feelings had long been re- strained, they were by no means blunted. I know not how, but I feel, after reading such a work, all my love for severer study rekindled, and that every amusement in which I mix, and which has nothing in it vicious or sin- ful, only leads me to be more impressed with religious sen- timents." One may easily perceive from such an observation as this, that the assiduity of college-studies had considerably tem- pered the playful dispositions of his earlier days. And yet, on returning home during the vacation, while he inflexibly maintained his studious habits, he entered with the greatest spirit into the sports of his companions at Brechin, and was foremost in all their schemes for exercise and recrea- tion. But he had then evidently reached that period in his mental history, though sooner than is generally the case, even with men of a kindred character, when a contest takes place between the different elements that enter into the framework of an ardent and highly-tempered mind, — that experimental collision between the opposite forces in its ori- ginal constitution which is rendered unavoidable, when the art of self-inspection has in som.e degree been acquired, and the habits of reflection are gradually displacing the headlong tendencies of youth, — when the judgment of a person of strong intellect and sense gets fairly into play with the keen impulses of his nature, and the true character comes to be adjusted. It is an eventful period in the history of every such man, and resembles the junction of two rivers, — the original characteristics of which may have been dissimilar, but which, in their blended course, — when the impetuosity of the one has in some measure been controlled by the depth ^ MEMOIK Ol'" THE AUTHOK. of the otherj— form, both in volume and velocity, one noble and majestic stream. In accordance with these observations it may be noticed, that at the close of the University Session of 1818, Mr Martin, in a short memorandum, thus gives expression to his feelings : — " The session, now nearly completed, has flown swiftly, swiftly away. I hope, however, by the bless- ing of God, it has not been spent trivially or unprofitably. My studies have been pretty regular and constant. They have been on the three great heads of revealed rehgion, — the Trinity, the Decrees of God, and Original Sin. They have also included a considerable share of Church-history. My spirit has, in general, and particularly when alone, been inclined to the sombre. I have mixed but little in society, yet I am surely inclined to it. My heart participates in the happiness of my fellow-creatures, and pants to increase it to the utmost, — I love to see them happy. " Yet I have often thought that I could see through the veil that envelopes my present state, and that God was dealing with me in love, — that he was showing me the va- nity of the world, — weaning me from its enjoyments, and teaching me to lay up for myself treasures in heaven. I have often found comfort, — might I say instruction ? in the idea, that one day on earth I shall be a child of God, and that I shall see the value of his present dealings, as prepara- tory steps for an important change." At this period, whilst his character preserved much of its natural buoyancy and elasticity, and whilst he lost none of the relish which he always had for the objects of external nature, the enjoyments of friendship and domestic society, and the simple pleasures of life, his mind became evidently pervaded by a deeper seriousness, and, with his characteris- tic fixedness of purpose, he redoubled his application to all IMKMOnt OF THE AL'THOU. 23 those branches of study by which he might become quahfied for attaining eminence in the profession which he had chosen. The sketch of the course of private study to be pursued during the summer months of 1818, which he then drew up, and scrupulously followed out, exhibits a striking example of unrelaxing industry. Every thing is arranged in the most exact order ; every hour of the day appropriated to some useful purpose ; and the impression is irresistible, that, his views for life being now finally settled, he entered in the most solemn manner upon the work of a vigorous and thorough preparation for it, by the acquisition of that com- plete scholarship and enlarged information, as well as com- prehensive theology, without which, no one knew better than he did, that a clergyman can neither be useful nor re- spectable ; and, above all, by the cultivation of that personal devotedness to God which was still more, in his estimation, the great and essential feature in the character of a minister of the Gospel. Towards the close of this year he became tutor in the fa- mily of Mr Ogilvy of Tannadice, within a few miles of his native place ; and in this situation he continued for several years, proving himself a most conscientious preceptor to those who were intrusted to his care ; while, by his habits of arrangement^ and the secret with which he was well ac- quainted of economizing and improving his time, he steadily advanced in his own preparation for the ministry. On the 15th August 1821, he received a hcense to preach the Gospel from the Presbytery of Forfar, by the hands of a most respectable and venerable minister of the Church, the Rev. Dr Lyon of Glammis, whose son, the late Rev. Wil- liam Lyon, of Union Chapel, Aberdeen, a young man of great worth and high promise, — and who, too, was cut off in the very beginning of his labours, — had been one of jNIr 24 MEMOin OF THE AUTHOK. Martin's most intimate companions at College ; and towards both of these individuals he always cherished the greatest af- fection and esteem. His first sermon was preached at Oath- law, from the words, " God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ ;"" and, in recording this circumstance in a single sentence in his note-book, he adds the following reflection : — " I have to lament much imperfection ; but I hope I have also some right wishes, and that I sincerely lament my own sinfulness, and sincerely con- fess my need of God's grace." During the remainder of this and the following year, he preached, as occasions offered, in the pulpits of the clergy in the neighbourhood of Tannadice, where he resided, and was uniformly considered a young man of superior attain- ments and high promise. The love which he had for the work to which he had devoted himself, and his kind and dis- interested disposition, led him also, for upwards of a year, to give his services in the church of Cortachy, by officiating once a-month for the individual who was assistant to the mi- nister of that parish ; and this he did without in any de- gree infringing upon the week-day duties which he owed to his pupils. With Mr Ogilvy*'s family he afterwards removed to Edin- burgh, where he passed the winter of 1821-1822. About this period he- formed the desire of undertaking a minute investigation of the writings of the Greek fathers, and of employing the results of his research in clearing up certain intricate and interesting topics of discussion, and determin- ing some living controversies, which had awakened his cu- riosity and engaged his mind, either in the course of his reading or of his conversation with others. Had this pur- pose been prosecuted, it might have given a new direction to his history, and, peradvcnture, turned his course of use- MEMOIR OF THE AUTIIOU. 25 fulness into a different channel from that in which, perhaps more appropriately, it came afterwards to flow. For there can be no doubt that, from the acquaintance with the an- cient languages which he possessed, his fondness for criti- cal study, and his inflexible perseverance, he might have made a considerable figure in such a department of lite- rature ; and by means of the opportunities which some such privilege as a fellowship at Oxford or Cambridge would have afforded, with all its pleasant appliances of leisure, and libraries, and learned men, it is impossible to say what his talents and ardour might have accom- plished. But the winter which he passed in Edinburgh appears to have fixed him in the purpose of consecrating himself entirely to the work of preaching the Gospel. Besides ob- taining those benefits which, by its society and institu- tions, the metropolis must always afJ'ord to a young man of a cultivated and inquiring mind for advancing his ge- neral improvement, Mr Martin at this time enjoyed an advantage which he highly valued, and to which he uni- formly looked back with the greatest gratitude and satis- faction. This was the opportunity which he had of at- tending the ministry of the llev. Dr Gordon, then minister of St Cuthbert's Chapel ; whose character and example, no less than his public ministrations, appear to have given greater depth to all his religious sentiments, to have filled his mind with a stronger sense of the high and honourable nature, as well as the solemn responsibility, of the ministerial office, and to have set him forward in his course, more intensely alive to the importance which attaches to the spiritual in- terests of immortal beings, and more deeply impressed with the magnitude of his own duties. At any rate, he certainly did ascribe much that he had acquired in the seasoning of 26 MEMOlll OF THE AUTHOR. his mind, both with Divine truth and devout feehng, to his residence in Edinbui-gh at this period. On the 8th April 1823, INIr Martin received a presenta- tion to the church of Glenisla, in the Presbytery of Meigle, and was ordained on the 18th September following. The parish of Glenisla is a remote and sequestered district, penetrating far into the Grampians, and in its scenery par- taking of all the characteristics of a mountainous country. The great proportion of its inhabitants, like the family of Jacob, have ever been shepherds, both they and their fa- thers ; and when Mr Martin was settled among them, he found them possessed of all that primitive simplicity and kindheartedness, which are generally exhibited by a pastoral people. They cherished the greatest respect for the clerical office and character, and evinced the strongest wish to live on the most intimate and cordial terms with their new mi- nister. At the same time, being attached to many old no- tions and natural prepossessions, it could not be concealed that his delicate form and youthful appearance, his gentle though not familiar manners, and the first impression of his character, led several of them to fear that he was not alto- gether suited for the situation to which he had been ap- pointed ; and that he was of too slender a frame, and too ethereal a mind, to enter into such a state of society as existed among them, — to sympathize with their habits, or fall in with their homely mode of Hfe. Among other things, upon his first entrance into the parish, and in the prospect of commencing his ministry on the following Sab- bath, he was warned that the parishioners would hope to see him on that occasion " with nothing before him in the pulpit except the Bible.''' In this wish, — founded on an opi- nion very general in Scotland, and by some persons called a prejudice, but having a deeper foundation in our mental con- MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 27 stitution, and in the reason of things, than is always per- ceived,— the young minister of Glenisla did not disappoint his congregation. In the course of a short period, every apprehension on the part of the people was dispelled, and Mr Martin steadily advanced to the attainment of their entire confidence and affection. They were unsophisticated, and he was sincere, faithful, and judicious ; and without compromising one prin- ciple, far less winking at any sinful practice, he commended himself to their respect and esteem, as one who had their real interests deeply at heart, and the primary object of whose life and labours was to do them good. Suiting his ministrations and intercourse to their real character and cir- cumstances, with that tact, discrimination, and kindness of nature, which he so eminently possessed ; being regular and dihgent in his course of visiting and catechizing, in the superintendence of Sabbath-schools, in his attention to the sick, and in waiting by the bedside of the dying ; and par- ticularly affectionate and encouraging in his admonitions to the young to seek after God, — every one of his flock, who was not utterly reprobate, came experimentally to know the value of possessing such a pastor, — a course of conduct, which uniformly operates with the same effect upon a sim- ple-hearted people, and gains the homage even of those who may not be permanently benefited by it in their most im- portant interests. There were two practices prevalent in the parish of Glenisla at the time when he became connect- ed with it, which he felt had a most demoralizing effect on the minds and habits of the people, as they ever must have. The one was the encouragement given to illicit distillation ; and the other, the mode in which funerals were conducted, involving a great waste of time and substance, and tend- ing to induce or to confirm habits of dissipation. Con- 28 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOU. vinced that the moral influence of truth, tlie enlightening and quickening of the conscience, and the solemn consider- ations which religion alone presents, when brought to bear upon a community, through the agency of a minister whose motives are properly understood and appreciated, are far more effectual than any prohibitory denunciations or sump- tuary laws, he set himself with vigour to the removal of these evils. A complete extinction of them could not indeed be expected to be the immediate result of his anxiety and ef- forts ; yet in this his wisdom and decision were far from being fruitless. And, before his connexion with the parish was dissolved, he had the satisfaction of knowing, that not only the habits of many had undergone a perceptible im- provement, and the duty of family-worship was more regu- larly observed, but that some were brought in good earnest under the power of godliness ; while the occasional opposi- tion and resistance that he experienced from the enemies of all religion, only served, as it will ever do with minds of a similar mould, to stimulate him to redoubled zeal in his own appropriate work. It was only, however, when the tie which united Mr Mar- tin to his first flock came to be broken, that the aff"ection of his people towards him, and the strength of the correspond- ing interest with which they were regarded on his part, were properly felt. Attached to their minister as were both the congregations among whom he was afterwards settled, they could not be more so than were the people of Glenisla. It is no exaggeration to say, that many of them mourned over the separation, as if it had been that of a beloved relation ; and the strongest reverence for his name and his usefulness is felt throughout the parish to the present day. On the other hand, his attachment to the first flock of his care was no less sincere and abiding. As the MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 29 period of his removal from them approached, his spirits be- came much depressed ; and when, after dehvering his last sermon, he paid a short visit to his intimate friend and neigh- bour, Mr Loudon, then minister at Lintrathan, his mind was in a state of great agitation and perplexity. Often, after he had been settled in Edinburgh, did he revert to the quiet and tranquil scene of his labours at Glenisla, to the kindness and honest-heartedness of its people, and to its rural scenery, in which he had found so much enjoy- ment. And when he again came in contact with any of his former parishioners, no one could witness their meet- ing without having a strong impression of the peculiar na- ture of that tie and that intercourse which had subsisted between them. On their part, there was exhibited a re- spectful but irrepressible joy at again seeing one who had been so strongly endeared to them ; and on his, all that be- nignity and tenderness, which told how much he still had them on his heart. Although, in many respects, nothing could be more dis- similar than the spheres of his first and of his after services in the Church, yet the few years which Mr Martin spent in the seclusion of the country formed an invaluable pre- paration for the labours of the city. In its quiet retreat he had enjoyed the opportunity of having his talents ma- tured, his knowledge of himself and of the human heart enlarged, his resources as a theologian augmented, and his whole character as an industrious and assiduous clergyman fixed and established. This must ever be an incalculable advantage to any man who is afterwards called to labour amidst the incessant distractions of a crowded community ; and hence, when Mr Martin came to Edinburgh, young as he then was, and humble and diffident as he always was, he commended himself to those who had proper access to ob- 30 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. serve him as no raw or unfurnished youth who had obtained a premature advancement, but as a man, the solidity and steadiness of whose character, and the extent of whose qua- lifications, were very rarely to be found at his time of life. The circumstances connected with his translation to Edin- burgh are not without interest, and may shortly be stated. In 1827, the prospect of a vacancy having occurred in St Cuthbert's Chapel at Stockbridge, the Kirk-session very soon thereafter unanimously resolved to invite Mr Martin to un- dertake the pastoral care of this congregation. To him their attention had been directed on a former occasion, when a va- cancy had occurred in Hope Park Chapel, by the removal of Dr Gordon to the New North Church, and when they had been disappointed in securing the services of the Rev. John Bruce of Guthrie. In declining the nomination, he, however, strongly lU'ged upon their notice the high quahfications of Mr Martin, who had been mentioned to them from other quarters, as an in- dividual altogetherworthy of their choice ; and founded his re- commendation on a long course of the most intimate friendship and intercourse. Some of those members of the Session of St Cuthbert"'s, who were in consequence induced to take an op- portunity of hearing Mr Martin in his little church among the mountains, will not soon forget the Communion- Sab- bath which they spent at Glenisla, or the fervour with which he addressed to his pastoral people the words of eternal life from a passage in the eighty-fourth Psalm. Circumstances, however, led at that time to the selection of the Rev. John Forbes, now of Glasgow ; but on the opening occurring at Stockbridge, in the following year, the Session, after being again disappointed in the hope of inducing Mr Bruce to accept of it, at once fixed on Mr Martin, — a choice which was immediately and cordially responded to by the congregation, among whom he was settled on the 16th May MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 31 1828, and commenced his labours on the following Sabbath, with a short but energetic discourse from the Apostle's words, — " I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling." It is not a very easy task to describe or to characterize the labours of IVIr Martin during the three years and a half of his ministry at Stockbridge. It seems almost as if the re- cord of them might be more appropriately looked for and read in the tablet of many a heart, than in the pages of a book, — so deep was the impression which they made, and so little the noise. And yet it is not only due to his memory, to give testimony to his fidelity and unwearied ardour in this sphere of his usefulness, but may tend to refresh and re-in- vigorate the minds of some who were then the objects of his pastoral care, and for whose spiritual benefit he spent his strength. He was not long settled at Stockbridge, until the mode of his preaching and his whole character laid a powerful arrest on the minds of his congregation. At first he showed a con- siderable degree of reserve, arising from the natural unob- trusiveness of his disposition, — that delicacy, which made him instinctively retreat from every degree of observation which was not required by his real duties, — and from his antipathy to every thing like display, or to be made the object of a merely ceremonious deference, or of that bustling attention which is so often paid to those who are invested with the clerical office. But after the lapse of a short time, by his uniformly calm and dignified demeanour, he commanded the respect of every one who had occasion to observe him, and was regarded as a man of lofty integrity and independence of mind, as well as truly a man of God. There was a quick- ness and discernment, as well as a solemnity and impressive- ness, accompanying all his intercourse with his people, which 32 ME]\IOIR OF THE AUTIIOB. went beforehand, as it were, to gain an entrance to the mind for every thing he said ; whilst his pulpit-discourses ere long discovered to those who attended to them distinct traces of much thought and scriptural study, and were de- livered with so much sincerity and simplicity, as made almost every one feel how much he ought to be interested in the truths to which he listened, seeing that the preacher was himself so earnest in inculcating them. During the first year of his ministry, he delivered a short series of discourses on the character of Elijah, another on that of John the Baptist, and a third on the history of the Apostle Paul, which were peculiarly instructive, and greatly esteemed by many in his congregation. These, as well as not a few others, were especially interesting to a large number of young persons, who became strongly at- tached to his ministry, and waited on it with the greatest advantage and delight ; feeling almost impatient during the week for the coming Sabbath, when the subject was to be resumed, and returning to the exercise with that feeling of appetite and relish which is so favourable a symptom in those who are privileged to hear the Gospel faithfully and affec- tionately preached. In the following year he commenced a course of lectures on the Gospel of Luke, which were the result of much anxious study. These were uninterrupt- edly continued during the whole period of his ministry at Stockbridge, — the one on our Lord's Ascension, founded on the closing words of the Evangelist's narrative, being the last which he delivered in the chapel, when he took leave of his congregation on the 11th September 1831. Those who had the advantage of statedly hearing this course of lectures, and who attentively followed Mr Martin through his delineation of our Lord's life and character, may possibly recall that period with the deepest gratitude for the MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 33 blessing communicated in such instruction. They cannot have forgotten the illustration of the separate petitions con- tained in the Lord's Prayer, whicli was remarkably im- pressive ; or the deep insight into the Redeemer's character, which was discovered during the exposition of the leading events of his life, and more particularly of the closing scenes of his history. In the contemplation of One, as he himself expressed it, who was " almost too holy to look upon/' his spirit seemed bowed down in the lowliest abasement, whilst it was also elevated and filled with the most ardent desire of showing forth to others his blessed Master in all that majesty and glory in which he himself beheld him, and of unceas- ingly urging upon all hearts his claim to that love, and reve- rence, and obedience, which his own truly rendered. It has already been observed, that the time which Mr Martin spent in the comparative retirement of a country-pa- rish had tended greatly to enrich and mature his mind, and formed, therefore, a most valuable preparation for the very different sphere in which he was afterwards called to labour. Yet, from his pulpit at Stockbridge, he delivered but few of the sermons which he had prepared at Glenisla, and scarcely any of them without writing them anew. This circum- stance not only indicates the judgment and fidelity with which he discharged the duties of his new situation, but serves also to mark the progress of his own mind, and his rapid advancement in all that constitutes the highly-furnish- ed and accomplished spiritual instructor. No one who at- tentively followed the course of his public services could avoid observing the successive steps of his improvement in the true art of preaching. He gradually threw off every thing that was juvenile, either in matter or manner, — he cast away all inflated expressions, all mere ornament in the illustration of his subjects ; he dealt but sparingly in ima- c 34 MEMOIII OF THE AUTHOR. ginative description, and not at all in mere generalizing or empty declamation. Textuality, he often said, appeared to him to be one of the chief excellences of a sermon, — the bringing out by deep, and patient, and prayerful research, what was the mind of the Divine Spirit in the Word, — and, after having exhibited it in all its meaning and force, pressing it home on the understandings and consciences of men. He was always afraid of being guilty, and of being thought even capable, of giving fanciful interpretations or adaptations of Scripture. If, in the course of his illustration, he met with any striking truth, any important principle, or ascertained fact, in verification of which he could appeal to something which was obvious and undeniable in the experience or con- sciousness of his hearers, upon this he seized, and, as if anxi- ous to render it the prominent point on which their minds should rest, and that it should become a permanent element in their reflections, or interweave itself, as it were, with the hidden workings of each individual bosom, he recalled it again and again in the course of the application of his subject. This it was, and nothing merely adventitious or ex- ternal, which formed the chief ingredient in his mode of preaching, and rendered it so interesting to those in whose hearts he succeeded in touching those chords that were in unison with the feelings of his own ; which, indeed, is the true secret of the success of any public speaker. Found- ing his arguments upon ascertained facts or acknowledged truths, and referring to something in his hearers with which these correspond, and of which they themselves are intimately conscious, he finds access at once to the seat of conviction and the springs of conduct. By telling aloud all that is in their hearts, he makes them feel as if he not only had been privy to their thoughts, but had been the witness of certain processes in their minds of which they themselves MEMOIE OF THE AUTHOR. 35 had hardly been aware, but which are now vividly recalled : they wonder, perhaps, how this man comes to know so much of their secret character, or how, at least, they had never heard these things brought home to them before. And hence, in cases where there is guilelessness and honesty, the preacher comes insensibly to be intrenched in their affec- tions as if he were a bosom-friend. If any one, therefore, is desirous of knowing what it was that rendered Mr Mar- tin's preaching so interesting to those who regularly waited on his ministry, and to whom it was blessed to be so useful, it may be said that, along with the humble and depend- ent spirit in which the whole was done, and which gave to all his studies and discourses their appropriate character, it consisted in nothing more than this, — after drawing forth what is in the Word of God, and then what is to be found in the depths of the human heart, making the one of these, in some penetrating, instructive, or consolatory way, as the case might require, to bear upon the other. With this re- mark, however, it is necessary prominently to conjoin an- other,— that one of the uniform characteristics of his preach- ing was to be found in the strictly evangelical strain by which it was pervaded. His own mind being conclusively arrested by the great doctrines of the Cross, and his heart moving invariably under the influence of an overflowing sense of redeeming love, he was constrained, by the moral impulse of the new nature which was strengthening and maturing within him, habitually to present and to enforce vipon others, that which was both the food and the cordial of his own spiritual being. And this being done in perfect keeping with good taste and propriety, and with the classi- cal and academic style of his whole mind and character, the manner and outward form of it at least could give no offence to the most refined or cultivated hearer. 36 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. There was one circumstance, with regard to his ser- mons, which sometimes pressed upon his mind, — the so- lemn apprehension which he felt, of speaking in certain cases above the range of his own experience. He often remarked, that surely this thought must be harassing to every good man ; and that it seemed a very awful thing for a servant of God to be proclaiming truths in which he himself did not fully and perfectly sympathize, or represent- ing the various features in the character of true believers, the spiritual nature of Christ's kingdom, and the deep exer- cises which occur in the hearts of Christians, far beyond what he has ever found to be true in his own case. In like manner, after having been called into some scene of heavy affliction, he frequently observed, that he was afraid he was unfit to be a minister of comfort, seeing he himself had never known the depth of any such sorrow. Whilst there is something both very quickening and affecting in these thoughts, they must be considered as affording no equi- vocal proof of the tenderness and humility of the mind in which they dwelt ; and it is nevertheless most true, that one reason why Mr Martin's discourses in public, as well as his exhortations in private, were so impressive to those who heard them, is to be found in the fact, that they came to their hearts as being evidently the result of his own practical knowledge, and the real transcript of his own feelings. Take, as an example, the first sermon in this volume, which has been selected as affording a fair specimen of the author's doctrine, and of his ordinary manner of preach- ing on a practical subject, but which seems also peculiarly illustrative of his own habit of mind. The view which it contains of the Shunammite is a fine deUneation of her cha- racter, but is also, in the points to which it relates, very much a portrait of his own. The same remark is appHcable to his MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 3'] sermon on the words, " Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me ; nevertheless, not my will but thine be done," which some individuals may recollect, though they have not here the opportunity of reading it. It contained an impressive representation of the mind that was in the Divine Redeemer, under circumstances of the most intense suffering to which he was subjected for the sinner's sake, as if it had been the picture of that spirit of submission and of humble acquiescence in the Divine will, which, dwelling in the master, was in the course of being transfused into the disciple's heart. Again, if any one who regularly heard them, recalls to his memory the discourses he delivered in St George's during the summer of the year 1833, on the consecutive verses of the fifth chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, he cannot but recollect that they seemed to embody the sentiments of a man who had the strongest sense of the reality of eternal things, and of their nearness and immediateness to himself, and were delivered with an intense feeling of the infinite importance of the truths they contained. The method which has now been alluded to, of incorpo- rating with his pulpit-addresses the suggestions of his own experience, and of identifying himself with his people, was very consistent with another circumstance which may here be noticed. In the selection of his subjects, and his manner of preparing his sermons, Mr Martin generally adopted a mode which, in as far as others may judge, was well fitted to secure the primary ends of his ministry. The intercourse which he had with his people most frequently suggested the topics on which it seemed profitable that he should address them ; and having fixed upon his subject, it became the matter of his own meditations for a few days : it was then pondered in his 38 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. Study in connexion with the light which all Scripture brought to bear upon it, and when his mind had become fully charged with the results of his own reflection and investigation, he proceeded to commit them to writing, which he generally did with a degree of rapidity that seemed to render this last the least part of his labour. Rapt in the truth and im- portance of what he was desirous of communicating, he hurried on to the expression of it, comparatively regardless as to the precise form in which it was conveyed, provided the substance was preserved. This circumstance will account for any carelessness of composition which may be observable ; and if any one considers that his discourses were written solely for the ear of his people, and that each of them was entirely a new preparation, — never made up of extracts even from his own writings, — and reflects, moreover, on the number which he wrote, — being, with great regularity, a lecture and a sermon in each week, — it will not appear wonderful that he could attend but comparatively little to the rules of polished composition. Notwithstanding this, however, every attentive listener generally felt that he was addressed in the natural language of true feeling. With regard to the manner in which he conducted the public prayers of his congregation, Mr Martin was a great example. His addresses at the footstool of mercy were the true cardlpJionia, — the genuine utterance of a heart warmed with devout feeling, and weighed down with a sense of his own and of his people's wants, — the outpourings of a soul which felt itself very near to the Divine presence, and was re- plenished with the knowledge of the varied forms of Christian experience, and of all the promises of Scripture which were suitable to be pleaded in behalf of each individual of the flock. And there cannot surely be one who suitably entered MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 39 into the supplications which he publicly offered up, who will not respond to this representation. In the performance of the more private, or domestic duties of a clergyman, he was not less exemplary. The visit- ing of his congregation, and especially the families of the poor, was performed with the most untiring constancy, and nothing was allowed to interfere with the discharge of this part of his work. It was seldom possible to prevail on him to enjoy a single day's relaxation, let the occasion be ever so inviting ; and that never, if the case of any one of his people was at all pressing on his mind, to whom his visits might prove of the smallest comfort or advantage. In dealing with those in the lower ranks of life, his kind yet dignified manner immediately gained their confidence and respect. They never could recognise ought in him but the clergy- man, and the clergyman in no other hght than that of their real friend. His remarkable tact in this department of duty, exemplified how possible it is for a wise and good man to win his way to the affections even of the most in- sensible and vulgar, when he comes to them with a single- minded concern for their spiritual interests ; for there is in the very roughest form of human nature something which commends a sustained course of kind and judicious deal- ing, first to the attention, and gradually to the heart. Al- though there was occasionally a boldness in his reproofs and a fidelity in his exhortations, amounting almost to stern- ness, yet there was not an individual among the many for whose good he thus privately watched and laboured, who did not feel the strongest reverence for his character, and very few who did not entertain towards him a kindlier sentiment. In addition to his course of domestic visitation at Stock- bridge, he established a Home-mission in the district, with two agents to conduct it ; the fund for maintaining which 40 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOU. was, to a large extent, supplied by himself, and he frequently preached in the stations during the week. He had also meetings throughout the year for the different classes of the young persons of his congregation, and for those who sought admission, or who had been admitted, to the Lord's Table. These occasions were very solemn and impressive ; to them, there is reason to think, that not a few can look back with peculiar interest as the period of their first deep impressions of religion ; and among the most valued articles in the repositories of some of these individuals, there may perhaps be found the notes of the instructions which then, as well as in public, they received from the lips of their faithful guide and humble-minded pastor. From the abundant labours in which Mr Martin was thus engaged, it may naturally be supposed that he could have but very little time for any other employments. Yet, whilst he remained at Stockbridge, he went through a course of morning exercises along with a friend and former fellow-stu- dent, to keep up his familiarity with the Hebrew language, and contrived also to enlarge his knowledge of general litera- ture, and to become acquainted with the best works of the day. To enable him to accomplish all this, he went but sparingly into general society, and was never to be seen in any place of public resort. Even in the ecclesiastical courts, which his situation as the minister of a chapel did not require him to attend, but in the proceedings of which he could not but be interested, he was very seldom to be found. And he scrupulously avoided interfering in the least degree with other people's affairs, or placing himself in circumstances where he could not carry with him the distinct characteristics of his office. No one could meet with him, even for the short- est time, without observing his consistency in this respect, which certainly formed one chief cause of the pure and un- MKMOIE OF THE AUTHOR. 41 blemished character which he attained, as well as freed him from many of those secular interruptions which might have consumed his time. Had he sought them, occasions were not wanting in which he might, with great effect, have mingled in some of those discussions and collisions, whether in spheres of a public or private nature, which are ever and anon arising to kindle the spirits and call forth the energies of ardent men. But, little practised as he was in the ways of the world, his natural sagacity and self-knowledge enabled him to perceive that, even though solicited and appealed to, it was better for him, in the situ- ation which he then occupied, to avoid becoming entangled with questions in which the performance of his own pe- culiar duties was not involved ; and to escape from every situation, by which, however pure his intentions, his cha- racter as a minister of the Gospel might even seem to be compromised, or his usefulness impaired. Having found that, in the fulfilment of his own charge, he had sufficient to engage him, he let every thing else alone. Hence he never got into situations of trouble or disquietude ; he never gave offence, and his life was placid and serene. And when, from scenes of contest, or from amidst the tossings and distractions of a bustling life, any of his friends broke in upon the arcanum of his retirement, it was at once soothing and instructive to witness the calmness and peace in which he seemed uniformly to be shrined. One has occasionally seen upon the shore in a tempestuous day, when the waves beat high and dashed over the rocks that withstood their force, some quiet little creek or bay, under the lee of a neighbouring reef, to which the wind did not reach, and where the face of the water was smooth and clear, while all was storm in the outer sea. So it ever seemed with Mr Martin, — the little bay of his own room, or of his own 42 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOB. heart, appeared always tranquil, though hurry and tumult might prevail without. It has been stated that he went but sparingly into company. Yet he was in the farthest degree removed from beins; of an unsocial disposition. On the contrary, he was suscep- tible of the highest enjoyment from friendship ; and, in those circles where he felt no restraint, he was always hap- py and cheerful, even playful, — full of conversation and anecdote, and the most delicate humour. It was cere- mony that he disliked, and he instinctively recoiled from all mere gossiping, or from having his opinions inquired into, only for the purpose of being quoted or repeated. Did any one, however, address him with the simple and trans- parent view of acquiring information, or obtaining counsel, in order to profit by, and act upon it, — he threw off all reserve, entered at once into his circumstances and feelings, and ingenuously communicated whatever he thought likely to satisfy or to guide him. Did any one express a senti- ment in which he could not coincide, or allow himself to be supposed as coinciding^ — he declined entering into any wordy discussion about it, but generally, in a sentence or two, and with perfect suavity of manner, but an aspect of great firm- ness and sincerity, said what was sufficient to make the in- dividual think at least that he might be in the wrong, — enough always to save himself from appearing to stand pledged to any thing of which he truly disapproved. If his equanimity was ever disturbed, it was in cases when he heard of, or had occasion to animadvert upon, some exhibition of great folly, ingratitude, or want of heart. And even then, his excited look and manner tended only to give a new form to his real character, and to show his innate love of truth, goodness, and sohd worth. In the autumn of each year, he generally spent a week or MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 43 two with his father and sister at Brechin. These were sea- sons of great refreshment to his mind ; and to this filial and fraternal visit, he once or twice added a short excursion into some part of the country which he had never before seen, in which, if he could get any intimate friend to join him, he enjoyed it all the more. Then it was that his mind pecu- liarly exhibited its natural elasticity, and the spring and vi- vacity of his spirit became almost like those of a boy dis- charged from school, though, in any thing that he said or did, he never appeared but in his own fixed and proper character. There are those who enjoyed his society on some of these occasions, who will recall, with the deepest interest, the memory of such pleasant days. Two circumstances, during the latter part of Mr Martin''s ministry at Stockbridge, were sources to him of much grati- fication and encouragement. The one was his beino- re- united in neighbourhood and constant intercourse with Mr Bruce, who was at length induced to exchange a country for a city sphere of usefulness, and removed from Guthrie to the New North Parish of Edinburgh. The other was the intimacy which he formed with Dr Chalmers, who, having become a member of his congregation at Stockbridge, and appreciating the high qualities of his mind and character, gave him his powerful friendship and assistance during the whole course of his future ministry. The immeasurable loss which the congregation and parish of St George, as well as the Church of Scotland at large, sus- tained by the death of Dr Thomson, occasioned, as it might well do, the deepest anxiety as to the selection of an individual to occupy the pulpit which had been long filled by so distin- guished a man. Those to whom it was committed executed their difficult and delicate task with exemplary conscientious- ness and disinterestedness ; and it is enough here to state, M MEMOIIl OF THE AUTHOK. that of those whose services it was possible to secure, Mr Martin was the person on whom, after the fullest inquiry and observation, their minds came finally to settle ; and, accordingly, a presentation was obtained from the patrons in his favour. During the progress of this affair, he could not be ignorant of what was going forward ; yet he never made it the sub- ject of a single remark. If others alluded to it, they only perceived, from any thing he said, that of his own accord, or by any instrument which he might employ, to seek for such promotion, was of all things the farthest removed from his mind, — that the bare contemplation of a change like this was formidable to him ; and that he was perfectly passive in the matter, committing the issue of it, as he did every thing in his lot, into the overruling hand of God. When, however, the point was decided, he experienced a se- vere struggle. For it will not be surprising to such as re- member what was formerly stated with regard to the elements of his original character, that all those principles were at work which urged him onwards in the path of professional distinction and usefulness ; whilst, at the same time, he was satisfied with the place which had been given him, and knew not what a change might produce. But having learned to keep every natural instinct, whether of ambition or of fearfulness, in subordination to higher incentives, — not from any dissatisfaction with the post which he then occu- pied, or with any of its accompaniments, — not from motives of worldly honour and advantage, — but after seeking direc- tion from Him whom in all his ways he sought to acknow- ledge, and fully considering those intimations as to the path of duty which arose out of the whole circumstances of the case, and which are, in general, the best exponents of the will of Providence, he judged it right to accept of the offer MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 45 of St George's. And in this he did no violence to his prin- ciples. For true humility does not consist in declining a situation to which, without any interference on our part, we are called, but rather in accepting it, doing our best to fulfil its duties, and feeling and acknowledging that it is through Divine grace alone that we can discharge them. To refuse an office on the plea that we are unfit for it, is just as fre- quently the offspring of pride as of humility. He was admitted minister of St George's on the 6th October 1831, and entered upon the arduous duties of his charge, with a mind at once modest and courageous, — diffident, yet resolved. This new sphere of activity was, in many respects, different from that which he had left ; but he brought to it the same firmness of mind, — the same de- votedness to the great objects of the Christian ministry,— and the same gentle and inoffensive disposition which he had uniformly exhibited. The spiritual advantage of his flock was that which above all things he sought, as well as to ap- prove himself faithful to the solemn obligations under which he had come. Had he been a man of vanity, he might have been elated by his advancement to the position which he now occupied, and by the proofs of interest and attachment which were gathering around him. But his principle was that which Jonathan Edwards expressed regarding himself, — " I desire not to seek for honour in any other way than by seeking to be good, and to do good." — " It humbles me," said Mr Martin, to a friend at Brechin, towards the close of his ministry at Stockbridge, where he was daily growing in acceptance and usefulness, " when I think of so many of the first people in Edinburgh, for respectability and religion, be- ing collected round me." And the same lowly and unassum- ing temper of mind pervaded all his conduct and intercourse during the short period of his connexion with the congregation 46 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. of St George's. Obtaining more than a ready access to the families of a great many in the higher classes of society, he never appeared among them but clothed in the independence which belonged to his office, and intent upon the primary ob- jects of a Christian pastor ; while his attention to the poor and to those in the humbler walks of life, was as unremitting as it had formerly been. For the benefit of a class of his pa- rishioners who resided in a plebeian district, many of whom could not, from their circumstances, obtain access to his church, he estabhshed and supported a parochial mission ; and, in the admirable school founded by Dr Thomson, he sought, by every exertion in his power, to keep up that effi- cient system of education, which, combining sound religious knowledge with the best methods of communicating every other branch of instruction, it had been the great aim of his predecessor to introduce and to maintain. A class of duties devolved on him as a minister of Edin- burgh, to the discharge of which he had not been called at Stockbridge. Becoming again a member of the Church Courts, and having a superintendence of the affiiirs of some of the public institutions of the city, an additional demand was thus made upon his time, which, without great industry on his part, was likely to interfere with his parocliial and congregational ministrations. But the prospect of these did not oppress him. Short, no doubt, was the opportunity that was given for the development of his character in that wider field of activity on which he had now entered ; and soon did his strength fail, though from causes which there is too much reason to conclude would ere long have come into operation in any other sphere of exertion. Yet, a few months after he was settled in St George''s, and in the practical knowledge of all that was required of him, although his bodily frame had not advanced in robustness, his mind was in its meridian MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 4l^ vigour, and he seemed like a strong man who rejoices to run a race. Hence, upon being sohcited, and when considerable dif- ficulties had occurred in filling up the office, he accepted the appointment of one of the Secretaries of the Edinburgh Bi- ble Society. With the duties of this situation he associated the idea of much honourable usefulness, not only in promot- ing the primary object of disseminating the Word of God throughout the world, but in upholding thegreat cause of pure Bible circulation, which had been so intrepidly maintained by the eminent person whom, in this office, as well as in his church, he was called to succeed. The speech which he deli- vered at the annual meeting of the Society in 1832, and which is printed in its Report, exhibits the purity of principle and Christian judgment by which he was guided in this depart- ment of his labours ; and the resolution passed by the Di- rectors, when the state of his health obliged him to relinquish the office, is a testimony to the fidelity and zeal with which, though but for a short season, he fulfilled its duties. An occasion here presents itself for making one or two ob- servations, which will not be thought inconsistent with the views already given of Mr Martin by those who have at- tended to them, nor considered out of season. There is a gentleness of disposition, and a courteousness of manner, that are sometimes allied to a character which, on the whole, is spiritless and insipid. And there is a polish and a delicacy, both of inward feeling and of external bear- ing, which belong only to high-minded and noble natures, and enter into all our best conceptions of the heroic and sol- dierly character. It was in this latter combination that the milder features of Mr Martin's mind and manners ever pre- sented themselves to those who really knew him. He who ■was as a lamb in peace, would have been a lion in war ; — the 48 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. man who, in the tranquil and private paths of his profession, or in scenes of domestic Hfe, was so full of tenderness, and always so unobtrusive, would, when circumstances required it, and at the demand of duty, have snatched up his sword, plunged into the thickest and hottest of the fight, gathered fresh courage from every obstacle that opposed him, and been among the foremost to crown the citadel with the ensign of victory. And still more would he have displayed this gallant spirit when called to stand upon the defensive. There can be no doubt, from what he often said, that, in the wider and more public sphere into which he was called as a minister of Edin- burgh, had his life been spared and his bodily strength ad- mitted of it, he would have laid himself out for taking an active part in the general ecclesiastical proceedings of the times. And in the controversy that has been kindled on the subject of Civil Establishments of religion, and the fierce on- set that has been made against the Church of his Fathers, he would never have contented himself with the pusillanimous position of one who beholds the struggle from afar, but would, by this time, have flung himself on the battlements of the Zion which he loved, and been one of those brave spirits who shall yet successfully defend her against the hostile array that have encamped against her permanence and peace. In autumn 1832, Mr Martin spent a few weeks in the country, and paid his annual visit at Brechin. After a year of considerable exertion in his new charge, he seemed to feel peculiarly the bracing effects of this season of relaxation. But he had scarcely returned home when some very alarm- ing symptoms in the state of his health made their appear- ance ; and, on the 28th September, he was suddenly seized with a violent discharge of blood, apparently from his lungs. This occurrence, though, from the feelings which he had ex- MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 49 perienced for several days, did not appear very much to surprise him, yet awakened the greatest apprehensions as to its consequences. He was as cahn, however, and composed, as if nothing extraordinary had happened. Being placed in an upright posture, and required not to make the least exer- tion, or to speak, he presented the very picture of patience and submission. To one of his friends, who came to him soon after this attack, he beckoned with a smile of compla- cency for a slate which he had provided in order to commu- nicate with those around him, and, in allusion to his own cir- cumstances, and with reference to a passage on the subject of faith, in one of Traill's sermons, on which they had been some days before conversing, he wrote down these words, — "When the wearied traveller is unable to proceed a step farther, he can yet lie down when he is bidden, — this is faith.""* By the blessing of God on the means employed, there was no immediate return of those symptoms which had ex- cited so much concern in the minds of all his friends ; but it was impossible to suppress the fears which had been oc- casioned as to the future state of his health, and the prospect of his being able to sustain the laborious duties of his charge. In the course of a few weeks he recovered considerably from this attack, but was laid aside from much of the active duty which he would have wished to perform^ — the only circum- stance that seemed to disturb him during the whole of this trial. As far as it was possible, however, his clerical friends in the city and neighboiu'hood relieved his mind on this sub- * These are not the precise words, although they exactly express the meaning of the passage to which reference is made ; and which will be found in page 269 of the first volume of the ecUtion printed at Edin- burgh, in 1810, of the Works of the Rev. Robert Traill, — an inestima- ble book, and one most highly valued by Mr Martin. D 60 AIKMCIU OF THE AUTHOR. ject, rallying round him with the most brotherly kindness and affection, and engaging to supply his pulpit from day to day, and to undertake the duties of the communion-season which was then approaching, — in which he was able also himself to take some share. £. These services, as well as the deep sympathy of his con- gregation, tended much to tranquillize his mind under a dis- pensation that, to one so sensitive and conscientious, could not be but peculiarly severe. Still he had many anxious re- flections as to the path of duty which he ought to pursue. Perceiving that it was at least possible, if not highly pro- bable, that he should be unable permanently and adequately to meet the claims of so important a situation, he sometimes had almost resolved to demit the charge of St George's ; but he was urged by the members of his Session, and from many quarters, to relinquish this idea, and to devote the suc- ceeding months, as much as possible, to the employment of the means prescribed for the restoration of his health. He accordingly engaged an assistant to officiate for him occasion- ally on the Sabbath, whilst, as far as his strength permitted, and perhaps considerably beyond it, he continued to minister to the afflicted of his flock ; and after remaining through the winter without any aggravation of the symptoms of his dis- ease, he removed in the course of the spring for some time to Rothsay, whence he returned so much recruited as to be able to preside at the communion-service in the month of May » and regularly to preach afterwards once every Sabbath, Being prohibited, however, from making any other exer- tion, and recommended to reside in the country, he applied for the permission of the Presbytery of Edinburgh to do this ; having resolved that whilst he continued in the charge of a parish, he would on no account become a non-resident mini-. MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 51 ster without the sanction of his ecclesiastical superiors. This, from the nature of the circumstances, was cheerfully granted, and was accompanied with an universal expression of affec- tion and esteem. In the case of good men when approaching any season of severe trial, or when they are about to be removed altogether from the present f5tate of existence, it has been observed that there frequently occurs a certain ordering of outward circumstances and events,—