The Kirk Above Dee Water VII.
James Dodson
The Twelfth Paraphrase. 81
VII.
THE TWELFTH PARAPHRASE.
THE long and sedate ministry of William M‘Kie was followed by three short ones. Thrice within the little space of about one generation, that is from 1764 to 1803, the parish became vacant, but on none of these occasions save the first was the vacancy made by death. David Blenchell died here, in the new manse which had been built for him at his coming. The eastern proverb came once more startlingly true—“When man builds a house, then Death steps in.”
In 1769, Samuel Martin began in Balmaghie a ministry which was destined to last altogether about sixty-two years. The astonishing record of his predecessors, Macmillan and M‘Kie, was thus broken. Macmillan served his great Master for 52 years, and M‘Kie for about the same long period; but Samuel Martin was favoured in being permitted to preach and minister first in Balmaghie, and then in Monimail, for the space mentioned, being 10 years more. The combined pastorates of these three notable men covered the period between 1700 and 1829, or a space of 129 years.
Of Samuel Martin, there is little more to record than in the case of M‘Kie. His ministry in Balmaghie ended in
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1776, and in these eight years he managed to bring the parochial affairs into some degree of order. The old Session Records, written in his own quaint hand, show that he was a man of accurate and painstaking character, a lover of decency and order in the House of God, and of no mean business talents. At the close of this notice will be found some illustrative extracts which bear out this remark. It is, however, interesting here to note the confusions which attended a parish vacancy in those days. When Macmillan came to his parish, he found that the sacred utensils were comprised in “two coupes, two tables, and boxes for collecting ye poor’s money,” while, in other respects, there was much to set straight. When Martin in his turn arrived, he had to face an even greater scarcity of utensils, since it is minuted that there was no “Bason for Baptism,” that the tokens had been lost, and that there was only one old tablecloth for the Communion. The two old cups were still in use, and remained so until 1795. When finally discarded for our present cups, they had been in use for nearly 200 years. Martin set himself to provide proper furnishings for the homely Communion service, and for the Sacrament of Baptism, which was then dispensed, as it ought to be in all convenient cases, in church on the Lord’s Day, and in face of the assembled congregation.
Proof also will be found in these old records, that the new minister was possessed of singular sagacity, as well as business aptitude. More than once in his short time, he had most perplexing cases to decide. Not once did his judgment err. He was apparently a man of deliberate ways, taking plenty of time to inquire and hear all sides;
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but his opinion once formed was steadily adhered to. Studying the scanty memorials of his Balmaghie ministry, one at last comes to think of him as a type of the old “moderate” parish minister of the best school. No doubt, the name of “moderate” has gathered some unfavourable associations in certain circles. But for us, the “moderate” is the faithful but rational Christian pastor, tied to no war-chariot of party, either in Church or State; the high-bred yet homely Christian gentleman, who would scorn either an acted or a spoken lie, who is everybody’s equal and everybody’s friend, but no one’s creature or crony. He is the servant of Christ and minister of God, yet about his bearing there is no element of mock sanctity or fawning cant; but he carries the sacred standard of religion with a soldier’s true steadiness and dignity. We need not ask his help in advocating any mere crotchet, still less in upholding violent policies in the parish or in the nation. He fulfils an office and function distinctly marked out for himself alone; that of being God’s advocate in every parochial question, but no man’s and no section’s agent. It has often seemed to me, that this was a frequent type in Galloway a hundred years ago, when as yet Scotland had practically but one religion and one national church. The inrolling waves of dissent and sectarian bitterness have perhaps overwhelmed most traces of such placid yet powerful ministries, although still, here and there, one finds a happy parish where the people are gently led on amid green pastures by a well-balanced and rational mind. Such occasional instances make us cast a regretful look backward on the old maligned “moderate” days, ere we return again to our own fevered religious life, broken and
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disturbed as it is by so many new social, theological, and political currents.
Martin’s quiet labours in the old manse and kirk, and amid the pastoral population scattered over these hills and dales, were too soon terminated by an event which has rarely happened in Balmaghie. He received a fresh call, being presented in 1776 to the parish of Monimail in Fifeshire by the patron, the Earl of Leven and Melville. There are striking similarities between the people of Fifeshire and Kirkcudbrightshire which must have greatly helped him in his new sphere. The people of Balmaghie made no demonstration on his departure, and there is nothing in the church or churchyard to preserve the memory of his connection with the parish. It might be a fitting and grateful duty, some day, for some one to erect a modest tablet recording the fact that Samuel Martin, for a brief space of eight years, “ran there his godly race.” Before the use of leaden “tokens” at the Holy Communion passed away, along with other old Scottish religious customs, the people were, once at least every year, reminded of the fact. For each “token” bore his honoured initials, S. M., and the date 1770. This slight memorial, however, ceased after about 100 years, when printed cards came into use.
In his new sphere, Martin quietly continued the customs of his pastoral life, formed in Balmaghie; but his solid and amiable qualities soon won him high honours. Several times he filled the distinguished office of Chaplain to the Lord High Commissioner, and sat at his left hand in the Royal Gallery of the General Assembly. Between the Leven family and Martin a warm
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friendship grew up. The homely yet dignified parish minister was the welcome guest of his noble patron, as he was of the humblest cottar in Monimail. A curious proof of his popularity among the poor of that parish is the preservation of his portrait* in a poor family for nigh a hundred years. We may surely believe that the features, so kindly cherished on paper, had also first been fondly imprinted on humble, grateful hearts. They were features fit to grace any assembly, but having a peculiar gentleness and kindly benevolence such as poor folk, especially, love to see in any religious teacher.
The one outstanding and surviving fact about Dr Martin (for he ultimately received the honour of a doctor’s degree) is his authorship of one short paraphrase out of the 67 forming our collection. These paraphrases were prepared, like the Scottish Hymnal of our day, by a Committee of the General Assembly, chosen largely, no doubt, from among such of its members as were known to have a literary and poetical gift. While it cannot be said that this 12th paraphrase shows high poetical attainments, yet we may in a modest sense distinguish Dr Martin as the POET among our departed ministers, while perhaps we might style his predecessors, Macmillan† and M‘Kie, respectively the PREACHER and the PASTOR. It is hard to believe that Dr Martin’s efforts in rhyme began and ended with a single paraphrase; and we may therefore conjecture, that he had in his receptacles many other and even more ambitious compositions. Galloway is a land of poets.
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* See page 94.
† Macmillan, however, was also a maker of verses. See his epitaph on his second wife; also elegy on her death.
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The very shepherds and ploughmen blossom naturally out in poetry. Every heart here is readily moved by touching and beautiful verses. The quiet kirkyard contains no less than eleven poetical pieces, some of which may have come from Martin’s own pen. In my opinion, they are nearly all above the average of churchyard verses, and deserving of permanent record apart from the fading stones. Dr Martin lived and laboured among an intensely emotional people, and the undercurrent of his life, like theirs, was highly coloured by imagination. Judging him by his sole surviving verses, the 12th paraphrase, we might indeed form a less favourable opinion, since his theme, the need of diligence and watchfulness, did not permit very imaginative treatment. But it is, at all events, pleasant to picture this kindly old Scottish minister polishing his homely lines, and quietly pacing the narrow walks of his garden on long summer evenings, while he conned over some phrase, or turned a new rhyme in his mind. This element of poetry in his massive character did not in the least detract from his methodical and faithful discharge of sacred duties. On the contrary, we can fancy that it made him all the more sympathetic and comforting at sick beds and in sorrowing homes. The clerical calling is a prosaic and dull one, apart from a poet’s seeing eye and imaginative feeling. With these, the most sad and sordid incidents become instinct with human emotion; the narrow range of the parish expands into a whole world of typical joys and sorrows.
The teaching of Dr Martin’s paraphrase is perhaps commonplace enough, but all the chief thoughts and lessons of practical life are so. There is nothing new
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or original in the maxim that care and industry bring comfort, while idleness and recklessness invite the assault of want. Hogarth’s cartoons show us the same eternal truth in life-like scenes, as we follow the Idle and the Industrious Apprentice through their respective careers. Dr Martin is in his way a humble Scottish Hogarth. In his old-fashioned rhymes, we see the busy ant hurrying on her provident task, laden with “incessant cares” all through summer days; we see, also, the sluggard reclining on flowery banks of indolence, with drowsy eye and folded hands; and behind him stands the menacing form of hunger ready to crush his “hoary head” in age. Any ingenious school-boy of our day, who can sketch, could quickly construct an emblematic picture from the old paraphrase.
What we to-day may well note and admire, is the sturdy, old-fashioned morality of the verses. Work hard, and it shall be well; idle and put off, sleep out life’s bright, brief day, and a hungry old age must ensue. Copybook morality, some one may say, fresh from reading the up-to-date literature of our bookstalls and drawing-room tables. But some of the best things in character and morals are enshrined in our children’s copybooks; and surely it is one more link to eternal righteousness, that our little ones should be set to copy out such homely, heart-reaching sentences as the familiar—“Waste not, want not,” or “Industry brings Success;” or even, “Procrastination is the Thief of Time.” It is just these worn paths of commonplace morality, which youthful feet are most likely to disdain, while straying to flowery byways of pleasure or idleness. And it is just to these
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that our tired limbs struggle back, late or soon in life, when we have found that the flowers fade all too quickly, and that the green inviting turf too often hides a quagmire. Verses like the 12th paraphrase have been the spiritual food of thousands of Scottish boys and girls, nourishing in them the strong desire to work, and be honest and independent. May no day dawn in Scotland, when commonplace honesty, and commonplace diligence, and monotonous ways of righteousness, shall be laughed out of fashion among our people!
There is, however, a risk. Crude notions of social equality are abroad. Working people are learning (from idlers who talk and do not work) to rail at hard labour as an injustice, to demand a State thrift and a State support, to excuse any and every assault on property on the ground that they themselves have none. Just last week one such unsettled labourer gave me as a final ground for an attack on religious endowments the startling reason—“I have nothing to conserve!” Nothing to conserve! Has not the poorest and hardest-wrought Scotsman his character, as an honest man, to conserve? Has he not his manhood and independence to conserve? Has he not his religious faith in God to conserve? Has he not his little store of religious property, his own church and ordinances, to conserve? Such talk is not natural to a true-bred Scotsman. Its source is foreign and non-national. It is the unmanly whine of the paid agitator and self-interested demagogue. The true ring of Scottish faith and independence sounds from verses like Dr Martin’s. Work, be honest, be temperate, be provident; and old age will find you, as it found him, hale and calm and happy;
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ready to lie down without a murmur in the toiler’s last couch, and to be mingled with the beloved soil, which has reared so many of our forefathers in a grand and dignified Scottish manhood.
I now give some extracts from Dr Martin’s Session Records, 1769 to 1776. He began his ministry, like the famous Macmillan, by taking stock of the parish affairs. The elders were “Martin M‘Clure, William Clacherie, John Ewart, and Andrew Livingston.” Mr Martin was asked to act as clerk. It was reported that the Records could not be found, except scattered minutes from 1730 to 1760. Mr Martin was requested to make “all dilligent Enquiry” for the missing documents; but he must have failed to secure them, as none such are now in my keeping—not even those then reported to be in existence.
As to “Utensils belonging to the Church,” it is minuted that “there is no Bason for Baptism, only two Sacramental Cups, an old Tablecloth, all in the possession of Mr Nathaniel M‘Kie: the Tokens were lost some time ago.” The Nathaniel M‘Kie referred to was the eccentric but faithful minister of Crossmichael from 1739 to 1781, and a son of William M‘Kie, minister of Balmaghie from 1710 to 1763. There is still no “Bason for Baptism,” but we have a complete communion service of plate and pewter (which is now worth its own weight in pure silver); and the tokens were renewed by Mr Martin in 1770. They show his initials 1770 S M on one side, and the letters BMG KK on the other.
An additional elder not then present was William M‘George; and William Dennistoun is added as being an elder elsewhere ordained, but now living in the parish.
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The Session had in hand as Poor’s Money upwards of £36. The Poor’s Box was in the keeping of Mr M‘George, and we shall see that a notable scandal soon arose in reference to it.
It was ordered that Registers of Baptisms, Marriages, and Funerals, be procured and kept.
The “Dues of the Session Clerk are, viz.:—For Baptism, Sixpence; for Proclamation, One Shilling and Sixpence when Both parties Reside in the parish, and Two Shillings when one of them is of another parish. The Beadle intitled to fourpence at Marrages and the same at Baptism; his Annual Sallary is Ten Shillings.”
At the next meeting, December 4, 1768, Mr Claharty was appointed “Presbytery Elder.”
On February 24, 1769, the Session met at “Camduziel” (Campdouglas), and Mr Hamilton was appointed Session Clerk at a salary of 10S per annum. “A Tent for the Convenience of Preaching during the Sacrament is ordered to be made.”
At the next meeting, June 10, 1769, a formidable scandal came up. Mr Martin M‘Clure, an elder, “Represented that he understood that an idle storie had been propogated concerning him in the exercise of his office, and that William Gordon in Tormorack* is traced back as the author of it.” He demanded that the slanderer should be summoned, and it was resolved to “summonds” him to attend next meeting.
Accordingly, on June 27, Gordon of Tormorack appeared, and “Declared that he had observed that
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* Now Hensol.
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more than once, when Mr M‘Clure was collecting, that he in time of pronouncing the blessing put his hand into the Box wherein the money is collected and afterwards put his hand in his Pocket, but is not certain what was in his hand, but that once Mr M‘Clure himself told him there was both silver and brass in it, and that he believes many others saw and spoke of these things as well as himself.”
The Session, considering the “Singularity and Difficulty of this affair,” referred it to the meeting of Presbytery at Crossmichael on July 5 for their advice. Here is the Presbytery’s very sensible deliverance:—
“The Presbytery, after considering this matter, unanimously found no proof from the said declaration against Mr M‘Clure, and that he is to be regarded as intirely innocent of anything that may be thought insinuated in such declaration, and recomend to the Minister to lay before his Parrish the necessary caution in every Christian in emitting anything rashly that may be capable of being construed against characters, especially of those in publick offices and connected with the Church.”
Nothing, however, seems to have been done to the author of this cruel slander.
On July 30 the Session had an irregular marriage before them—two hasty persons having had themselves united by a Mr William Nixon in Dumfries, probably a dissenting preacher. As usual in such cases, the parties were rebuked, and made to declare their “acquiesence and adherence to one another as husband and wife.”
At a succeeding meeting it was resolved to celebrate the Lord’s Supper on 8th October “if the harvest was finished.”
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It had, however, to be “differed” till the 15th October, “upon the account of the badness of the weather,” which delayed the completion of harvest.
Another irregular marriage came up this year, performed by James Brown, who, says Mr Martin with fine irony, “calls himself a minister.” Parties were treated as before.
Next year the Lord’s Supper was dispensed on the second Sunday of July, which remained the fixed day for this parish up to 1883, when two celebrations, one in spring and the other in autumn, were adopted. The collection was £2, 6s 9d. Of this sum £1, 17s 9d was spent at once on procuring tokens, &c.
In 1771 a precentor was appointed at a salary of 15S a year. A collection was taken to repair the wall round the churchyard.
In 1772 an irregularly married couple were condemned to be publicly rebuked and to pay the “usual dues,” with a “consideration to the poor in lieu of the fine, not below five shillings.” In the same year the vigilant Session protested against certain “Vagrants” being allowed to settle in the parish.
The last minute is dated October 11, 1776, and states that Mr Martin’s translation to the parish of Monimail has been agreed to, and proceeds to give a full statement of the parish funds and utensils. There is a curious list of “Bills belonging to the Poor of Balmaghie,” including “Mr Martin’s Bill for £30 with 3½ y[ears’] interest—£34, 4s.” Mr M‘Clure held £5, 15s, and owed £4, 12s for interest. The total at the credit of the Poor’s Box was £52, 3s 10d.
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It is added—“N.B. The value of One Pound Sterg. was given to John M‘Millan, late in Bar-end, for which he granted a Bill dated 23rd Feby., 1773, but the Bill is not judged of much worth, he being in some Respects an Object of Charity, but Recovery to be attempted.”
The congregation appear to have helped themselves in those days, as it is recorded that £10, 8s 6d was laid out for the school, manse, and church. It is, however, significantly added, that the treasurer is to urge repayment of this sum by the heritors, as having been laid out “merely for the public service and as being more easily commanded than from the heritors, and paid too at the desire of one of the heritors, viz., Mr Mure of Livingstone.”
The “Church Utensils” at this date were “Two Silver Cups, two Cloths for the Sacramental Table and a small one for the Middle Table, Tokens; there is also a Tent for preaching at Communion occasions, with Forms, purchased originally by the Session. . .”
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NOTE TO CHAPTER VII.
The following communications have reached me regarding Dr Martin:—
I. “26th July, 1895. . . . . . I recollect distinctly having seen in the parlour of Drumnagair, in this parish, copy of the lithographed portrait to which you refer. The farm-house was occupied up to 1863 by a venerable gentleman and his lady, Mr and Mrs Kidd. The former came from the south country, and had a great reverence for the, or his, old pastor. Mr and Mrs Kidd died at the age of 93. Mr Morrison, minister of Tron Parish, Edinburgh, is a nephew of Mrs Kidd. . . I once visited Monimail, and saw the monument of the good old man. . .”
—Rev. J. C. M‘Clure, minister of Marykirk, near Montrose, since 1857.
II. “27th July, 1895. . . He (Samuel Martin) was tutor in the family of Thomas Shairp, yr. of Houstoun, who resided during his father’s lifetime at Bellfield, near Midcalder. Mr Shairp’s eldest son was born at Bellfield in 1751. His name was also Thomas, and he had Mr S. Martin’s son as tutor here to his sons (eldest born 1778). The younger Martin was clergyman in Fife—I think at Kirkcaldy. His son was minister of Bathgate. My mother well remembered seeing the three generations of Martins all here together on a visit. . . .”
—Letter from an officer in the army who desires to remain unknown.