‘V I ’L L I A N I GE D D E S D U G U D ,

P R I N CI P A L o r U N I V E R S I T Y

A BE R D E E N

E P R F A C E .

E R i Kidd EV s nce I wrote the life of Dr. it has

th e been my cherished desire , by an appeal to

records of the past , to show to the people of this

part of Scotland , where I have spent almost

h ow the whole of my public life , much they

owe to that Evangel , which has been here for

more than a thousand years , and still lies at the heart of the ministrations of all true churches

of Christ . The hours of leisure which the cares of my pastorate allowed I have spent in trying to master this large subj ect in its successive historical enshrinements and various denomina

tional phases , that the central and vital element

eS eci in our common Christianity may be seen , p

- c ally by the young , to be to lay what it has ever — been the rock and bulwark of all that is most

precious in our life . The method pursued has been to use biography as subservient to history to seize the essential facts and salient features of — the successive periods of the Church Celtic , E P RE FA C . viii . — Roman , and Protestant and to group them arou n d local figures of p ro- eminent brilliancy w and usefulness . There is no book that I kno of which sets forth w hat is here attempted ; but is it not well that some one should u nder take the task ?

th e The field is so wide , and details , with their local colouring, so multiplied that it will be strange if no errors h ave crept in ; but I h ave d one my best to insure accuracy , and , above all , to maintain fairness and catholicity . In the course of the narrative I acknow ledge my indebtedness to various authors ; it would be too lon g a list to print were I to

th e name all books I have consulted , and the many tracts and pamphlets which have y ielded me fugitive gleanings .

One of the main advantages of a book such as this is that the information which is scattered and locked up in a literature that is miscel lan eou s and often not very accessible , is here knit together and presented as an organic and continuous whole . Among the many friends who have been of

n great service to me in my work , I ca not refrain PRE FACE .

a from mentioning the n mes of George Walker, B d . . . LL Aber een ; P . J Anderson , M A , , of the

MacDona ld University Library ; and James , F S . A . . t . Sco , The Farm , Huntly Through the kind permission of the Senatus of Aberdeen University and the Fine Art Insti

as tute of Gl gow , we have been able to repro duce in photogravure the portrait of Bishop

’ Elphinstone which is in King s College .

' BE R D E E N A r mb r 1 o e e 896 . A , ,

N T E N T C O S .

CHA PTER.

o u m a—52 1 - 9 I . C l b 7

B os a u I I . r t

M a c ha r a nd T e rnan

m h h m a IV . Fro t e Ce ltic to t e Ro n Ch u rc h

1069 -93

c ea con a ou —1 3169 5 V . Ar hd B rb r

s o ns one — l 43 l - 1 5 14 V I . Bi h p Elphi t

Th e Re ligiou s Life o f P ie -Re forma ti on Tim es — J Th e o m a on 1 560 “D e R f r ti ( \

J o n a —1 5 12 1 600 103 I X . h Cr ig — Bi shop Pa tri c k Forbes 15644 635 1 15

a m u u e o in e ee n —1 - 38 13” X I . S e l R th rf rd Ab rd 636

Th e C ove na nting Stru ggle in Abe rd ee n

1638 — A n drew Ca nt 15844 663 — Th e Q u a ke rs in Abe rd ee n 1 662

Ale xa nder Ja ffray of Kings wells - l Gl 4 - 73

Chu rch Life in th e Seve nteenth Cent u ry — Th e Se c ede rs l 733

Th e M od e ra te s CONTENTS .

CH A PTE R.

I P nc a a m e —1 19 96 X X . ri ip l C pb ll 7

' — ‘ - John Ski n ne r of Linsh a rt l i Z l I SOT

X XI Th e M e o s s —1 4 . th di t 7 7

f u n — 4 - 1 8 XXI I . G e orge C ow i e o H tly l 7 9 06

X Th e n n n s — 1 X III . I d e pe d e t 797

I V K — 1 934 834 XX . Dr. idd 7

V a son o a am— l - 186 X X . P tri c k Robert f Cr igd 777 7

V I Th e s u on of 1843 XX . Di r pti

- V II . Th a l i XX e Reviv n Ab erdeen of 1858 60 .

—Th n f n - XXV III . e Christi a ity o th e Prese t Day 4 89 6

A P P E ND IX

I N DE X L /i s o N ari/z 7 726 ag t f .

P E C H A T R I .

— - 59 1 97 .

T is a far cry from Aberdeen to Iona , but there is ground for the belief that our northern county owes its possession of the most precious and sacred things in life to the direct instru mentality of him whose name has invested the little green isle of the Western sea with an m imperishable fa e . Besides participating in the general indebtedness of the greater part of Scotland for the truly apostolic labours of the Irish missionary of soldier - like spirit there is

w h is d l evidence that Columba , along ith iscip e B n rostau , la ded on the shores of this district

- and traversed the north eastern part of it , in n the course of a pio eering tour . The first distinct and documentary account

or we have of the evangelisation of Pictland , that stretch of country which lay to the north east of the Roman wall that w a s built between B 2 THE L I GH TS or THE NORTH .

the Forth and the Clyde , is in the pages of the

Ad am n an w h o life of Columba written by , was born twenty - seven years after the Christian hero ' of passed away , and was one his successors in f o fice . There were probably some fugitive glim merings of the Christian light seen in the fa r north before that date . Tertullian , with the triumphant tone o f a Christian apologist who sees the truth prevailing , maintained that the Cross h a d trophies in remote parts of Caledon ia b which were inaccessi le to the Roman arms . While it would not be safe to attach much weight to that vague assertion , which may have been only a rhetorical flourish , yet it is not unlikely that some bold and enthusiastic con verts to the Christian faith ventured into the unknown region of mountain , swamp , and forest , which lay like an island outside the boundaries

w or ld ~ e m ir e of the p , and preached the Gospel to its wild and hardy inhabitants , who might be conquered by the drilled legions of Rome , but were never subdued . There are numerous traces still discernible of the encampments and marches of the Imperial army north of the Forth , and it is not too much to assume that there were some Christian soldiers in its ranks who dropped the

wa seed of the Kingdom by the y , more especially after the Emperor Constantine ’s conversion early i in the fourth century , which brought the relig on that h ad been persecuted with a Satanic fury O C LUMBA . 3 among the things that now basked in the sun shine of popular favour. If Paul could speak in ’ a his day of saints in C esar s household , there were surely some Christian military men from Rome who did not put their light under a bushel when marching through benighted Caledonia .

m a i But, speaking generally , it y be aff rmed that while Romanised Britain , to the south of

w as the great wall , more or less superficially familiar with the creed of Christianity by the N fifth century , through the labours of inian in

Galloway , along with other workers whose record

is in heaven , all beyond the line of Roman con of two quest, with the exception one or favoured

spots, such , perhaps , as Abernethy, in Perthshire , was an unbroken extent of unre lieved heathen n ism . To Columba belo gs the honour of making it h is special endeavour to bring th a t part of the

world under the sway of Christ . Columba was in every way eminently en dowed and fitted for the herculean task to which

he felt himself called , and to which he gave the whole - hearted devotion of the best part of a

lifetime . He had a splendid capital of natural

resource and social consequence at his command .

He was of Royal descent, and was widely con n e ed ct with the ruling families in Ireland . He

himself was a born leader of men , the outward frame of uncommon height and strength corre spe nding with his inward force of character and 4 THE L I GH TS or THE NORTH .

h ad ardour of spirit . He a voice , too , of such penetrating power that , while in a building it did not impress the b earer as being much louder than that of others , yet , it is said , could be

th e heard on other side of the Sound of Mull , about a mile distant from Iona . He had much of that kind of greatness which could not but make itself felt among the savages whom he sought to tame in the name of Christ. He was by n o means a saint of the orthodox monastic — n ff . patter meek , mild , and ino ensive He had

“ ” a great deal of the old man in him , which “ to the end ru bbed shoulders with the n ew ” l - a man , and occasiona ly over m stered him ; it is reported , for example , that he chased a wrong doer into the sea till h e was up to the knees in

water, cursing him all the time .

But he had rough work to do , and sometimes his patience was sorely tried and his su p erab u n

dant energy taxed . He addressed himself with

n th e a quenchless valour agai st the polygamy ,

th e slavery , brutal cruelty to women which then d f prevaile , for , as Pro essor Mackinnon tells us , in the regions where Columba laboured the female slave was the standard of value in fixing

the price of an article , and women fought along i side men n battle . Columba ’s occasional explosiveness was no more than his strong sense of justice out raged ; it was the righteousness within h im 5 CO LUMBA .

in an active and perhaps turbulent state . He

“ had much of what is called a n impassioned

uprightness . He was a Celt of the Celts , easily

- roused , but withal warm hearted and generous ; as or, an old composition written in praise of a him s ys He was a harp without a base chord , a physician of the heart , a consolation to the poor, beloved of all He had the heart of a m poet, and was alive to the finer senti ents which give tenderness and beauty to life . In h is proof of love of his native land , from which he had exiled himself, there is an old tradition that on coming to this country he landed first Oronsa on the island of y , but because he could see Ireland from the hill , he must needs press still further north . In fitting him for his work as the founder of the Celtic Church in what is now called Scot t land , he had all the cul ure which Ireland , the principal seat of l earning at the time in

Europe , could give him . It is noticeable that the men whose personality is conspicuously marked in the great epochs of the world ’s history were usually well - equipped with all that the schools could furnish them at the time in which they lived . Moses , the Hebrew legislator , had the full bene fit of the best education Egypt could afford ; Paul sat at the feet of Gamaliel and had his mind stored with all the lore of his nation ; Luther and Knox were well schooled 6 O THE LIGHTS OF THE N RTH . in various ways before they began their career as Reformers ; Columba w as the flower of the

“ ” th e culture and piety of Isle of Saints , and had founded many monasteries and churches in

th e - Ireland before , at age of forty two , he began the great Gospel enterprise of which Ion a was

to be the centre .

It is interesting to notice , as showing the strange changes and startling contrasts which

time brings round , that more than fourteen hundred years ago Ireland was in many respects

in advance of all other countries in Europe . Learning flourished and piety rooted itself in that island when the Continent was in th e throes

of a great transition state . It was a refuge to the scholar and a quiet sanctuary to the devout seeker after God amidst the commotion and upheaval caused by th e breaking up of the new empire , and the establishment of a political

order . Ireland , the original land of the Scots , did more for religion and general culture in

those days than any other country in the world .

What, too , is more remarkable still , no country was then so independent of the hierarchy in d Rome , and , indee , seems to have had little

communication with it . In leaving Ireland for missionary work in n h this land , Columba was doi g no more t an

- many of the best of his fellow countrymen did ,

who , like Paul , felt they were debtors to the

8 THE L i onr s O F THE NORTH .

th e Dalriad region to which his compatriots ,

Scots , had migrated . The place was admirably chosen for the purpose he had in view , which was not only to provide for the ready dissemination of the truth , but also to secure a strong and

compact centre of religious life . He wanted to establish a little Christian community that would be isolated from the contamination and strife of

surrounding heathenism , and yet have ready access to it , with the remedial agencies of the

ow n d a gospel , j ust as in our y the principal station for the evangelisation of one part of

New Guinea was at fi rst an adj oining islet . He wanted to show what could be done for a little bit of this world , when all its inhabitants were

la w more or less obedient to the of Christ , and to give an effective obj ect - lesson to every b e n holder of the order , peace , and i dustry of which the whole country migh t become the scene . He wa nted also to make this spot a rallying point a kind of ecclesiastical metropolis — for the Christendom that was to be in these northern

- . O isles That little rock bound islet , ften swept fi ttin l with tempests , which g y pourtrayed the unrest and strife that raged among the sur rounding heathen , was to be a world in itself, a kingdom of heaven that was coming , if not come . Has not his own glowing prediction , f u lfi lled uttered before his death , been Small and mean though this place is , it shall yet be COLUMBA . 9

held in great and unusual honour , not only by

Scotic kings and peoples , but also by the rulers of foreign and barbarous nations and by their subj ects ; the sa ints also even of other Churches shall regard it with no common reverence . As now Dr. Johnson put it , in a passage that has become clas sic We were n ow treading that illustrious island which was once the luminary of the Caledonian regions , where savage clans or roving barbarians derived the benefits of knowledge and the blessings of religion .

Far from me , and from my friends , be such frigid philosophy as may conduct us indifferent and unmoved over any ground which has been dignified by wisdom , bravery , or virtue . That man is little to be envied whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plain of Mara thon , or whose piety would not grow warmer ” among the ruins of Iona . From hints dropped by Ad am na n in his biography , it would appear that Columba had skill in teaching men h ow to make the best of this world as well as the next . Whatever else was Iona , it must have been the model farm of the day. Never were stinted natural resources more thoroughly developed than th ey were on that island under the direction and inspiration of this man of big brain and heart, as well as big

- body. The little patches of corn land and pas ture , notwithstanding tearful skies and fierce 1 S 0 THE LIGHT OF THE NORTH .

b u n winds , yielded as much as maintained a dred and fifty persons , besides a ceaseless n stream of visitors . Those saints of a cient n days , i cluding Columba himself, put their hand to any kind of work that had to be done , not excepting what is usually reserved

for the other sex . It is sometimes stated that celibacy was not enforced , even in the early days of the Celtic Ch u rch no , but there is evidence of its clergy being married when Columba was alive , or for

“ many years afterwards . The Island of the ” Women , which is near Iona , was probably the place where female members of pilgrimage parties were detained . Like the inmates of the other monasteries of those days , before they became luxurious and corrupt , the members of that commonwealth became adepts at all kinds of handicraft, and their homestead was a very hive of industry .

The Celtic genius , minute and patient , ex

in a celled finish of rtistic workmanship , and

there are illuminated manuscripts still extant,

the admiration of all beholders , which are said

to be the product of that place . The county of Aberdeen has the distinction of possessing what is supposed to be the most ancient symbol of the veneration in which

Columba was held by our ancestors . One of the treasures of Monymusk House is the famous O 1 C LUMBA . 1

“ Brecb annoch h a d , a small casket which pro bably at one time contained some fragments of

Brecb a n no h the bones of the saint . If it be the c mentioned in authentic charters , in looking upon it we see what was carried as a holy shrine round Bruce ’s army before Bannockburn was fou gh t f There is a romance in the picture which Adamnan , by the incidental allusions he makes , permits our imagination to draw of the high souled life that w as lived there in the days of — Columba . It is like a realised Utopia one of — the isles of th e blest even when we omit the miracles and the fabulous exaggerations of the

r credulous and fanciful narrato . It was in some respects a departure from the normal order of things , and , therefore , contained within itself the elements of its own coming dissolution but

- there was Christ like purpose in it, and it sur vived for centuries and for part of that time proved itself indeed to be an enterprise of heaven . What an ideal alte rnation of th e manual and the intellectual , the secular and the spiritual , in the daily routine of those Celtic

! w as worthies The island a farm , a school of learning , a church , a missionary society . Columba and his coadj utors passed from the plough and th e spade , the grinding of corn and the baking

” u c a nd P o of M on m u s 3 4 5 Ch r h ri ry y k , PP a , J r See Appendix . 1 2 THE LIGHTS or THE NORTH .

n of bread , to the transcription and illumi ation of copies of th e Scriptures ; th ey went from private devotion and public worship to the entertainment of strangers and th e teaching of those who came

a b e from far to instructed , or launching one of their fleet of boats for a missionary expedition th e C ru cifi ed to a distant part of the coast , where

One had not as yet been lifted up .

One man under God was the moving , mould m n ing spirit of th e w hole . What an al ost u exampled position of trust and responsibility was that which Columba erected for himself in Iona . ’ N O king that ever sat on Scotland s throne wielded such power . There has been much controversy about the ecclesiastical order which prevailed in Iona and in the Celtic Church to which the society there gave birth ; but practi cally the polity was summed up in one word

Columba . He was a Presbyter abbot, like the h e head of similar institutions in Ireland , but wa s above all things himself under authority to n Christ, and such a strong and oble personality could not fail to give effect to itself while it was a living presence . Part of the secret of the spell which b e exerted upon others lay in the personal applica H im tion of the example of who , though the

. h e et t . greatest of all , was y servant of all Columba said to his followers “ Come ” rather “ ” than Go . Where high and perilous service 1 COLUM BA . 3

A a mnan was needed he was at hand . d says he could not spend the space of even one hour Without study or prayer or writing or some other holy occupation . There can be no doubt he was a m an of prodigious industry as well as colossal

force . There is a tradition that in every church b e planted (and he planted hundreds) he d o posited a copy of the Gospels which he had copied with his own hand . He was original on the active rather than the reflective side of his nature ; the hero , not the thinker ; the herald rather than the theo l i n h ow og a . Yet he knew to feed the flame of

piety by prayer and m editation . Like Bernard b e preserved a due balance of force between the

“ inward and outward in his life . The three

fifties , as he called the Book of Psalms , and the other parts of Scripture committed to memory ’ r ecited k e t and frequently , p alive in his character those elements which were th e sure basis of h is

n sainthood and soldiership . Spi ritual so g , with

n m some sort of accompa i ent, was also extensively n used in quickeni g the inward life . But we must n ow hasten to deal with ’ w Columba s work in our own part of the orld .

Ad a mn an makes no mention of it , though he names several of the churches and monasteries which th e Abbot of Iona h a d founded in other

th o parts of e land . He tells us also th at tw o r three years after the great missionary crusade 1 4 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

th e was begun , Columba crossed the border of

Pictish kingdom , travelling through Breadalbane ,

Atholl , and the Grampians until he reached the e Ness , beside which , and not far from the sit of

Inverness , was the fortress and palace of King

Br nde m , son of Malcol , where a good stroke of work was done for the cause which was so much Ad am na n at heart . Although the pages of are silent concerning any visit paid to the north - east h coast , there ave been persistent traditions cling ing to certain localities in that region which

point to close association with Columba . Among h these, Aberdour , near whic there are traces of a considerable population belonging to pre

historic times , and Old Deer have conspicuously

made their mark on the popular memory, which is shown in the names given to wells and other places associated with the saint ; and

“ ” in th e discovery of the Book of Deer in 1 860 m Cambridge University in , a re arkable

witness has risen up in confirmation of tradition . This manuscript consists of the Gospel of John and parts of the other three Evangelists in ’ Latin , along with the Apostles Creed and a fragment of an office for the visitation of the

sick . The name of the writer is not given , but

he asks for the prayers of the reader. Dr. Stuart gives us some interesting information 1 7 “ regarding this MS . In 69 the Book of Deer

formed part of the collection of MSS . of John

1 6 THE LIGH TS OF THE NORTH . and c Columcille e to health ame to him . Then gav D rostan c a and ss and as h is that ath ir, ble ed it, left ‘ wo — VV h osoever s c s him rd hould ome again t it, let ’ ’ not y - a d or c u s Drostan s a s be man ye re ! ] vi torio . te r olu m ill S olu m ille came on parti ng with C c e . aid C c ’ t n m - nc f w L et Deer be i s a e he e or ard . There have been many shiftings since Col ’ u mb a s time , and Iona is no longer a centre and focus of missionary activity , but just as Nature , which still keeps Iona ’s grass green and flows in th e tides which wash her rocky shores every day, is as fresh and vigorous as ever, so the truth , of which the island in its history is a ’ witness and a symbol , is Scotland s glory and

- h security to day. There is not a visible t ing ’ bearing the trace of man s hand in Iona now that can with certainty be identified with m Col u mba . Six ti es did the marauding Norse men reduce the monastery to ashes . There is not , of course , the slightest vestige of the turf walled or wattled structures in which the monks lived and worshipped ; the stone edifices reared in n ow a much later age are in ruins . The

Celtic Church , which sprang from his labours , was merged in the Roman Church six centuries ago ; th at again was discarded by the nation at

the time of the Reformation . Yet Columba lives in the hearts of all Scotsmen who know Christ for that stalwart figure of far away times can never be effaced from the m emory as long as w e COLUMBA . 1 7 appreciate the labours of those who did most to brin g the races from which we sprang into the possessio n of the unfading glories and undying hopes which cluster around the Cross . C H A P T E R I I .

OSTAN D R .

ET us , by the use of available sources of

information , obtain as vivid an idea as possible of the state of this part of the country ’ at the time of Columba s arrival . The Romans h a d long ago taken their departure from the other side of the rampart between the Forth and the Clyde which had with difficulty held th e I m back the untamed races of north . The perial people , who for so many centuries had been invaders , were in turn invaded , and to concentrate their forces at home , where they

eu were urgently needed , had to withdraw

tir el 41 0 A D . y from Britain in . , shortly after — N inian had built h is stone church Candida — Casa on the Solway Firth . The inglorious fall which came at last after such a splendid career, which has been written in ineffaceable characters in the history of the world , brought unsettlement

e and confusion to the great r part of Europe .

The hardy Picts of the North , scarcely touched by the refining but enfeebling civi lisa Of tion Rome , which held possession of the greater part of Britain for nearly five hundred D ROSTA N. 1 9

now years , made short work of the wall , and were a source of terror to their neighbours on

f e the other side . The nearness of a common e w so po erful as Rome , whom they had resisted to the death , had doubtless tended to the con solidation of the various independent tribes that peopled the northern part of the land . By the time that Columba paid his first visit to Buchan with D rostan and founded the Monastery at

n o w Deer, what bears the name of Scotland — was divided into four parts Northumbria and

- - Strathclyde on the south east and south west , Pictland and Scotia on the north - east and north

was a n west. The latter part inhabited by Irish

Dalr ia ds colony , the or Scots , who had migrated from the mother - country to Argyle and adj acent t par s in the fifth or sixth century , and who by their aggressive energy succeeded eventually in mastering and giving their name to the whole ” land , Scotland by the eleventh century no longer being the sister isle , but our own native

Caledonia . a The native Picts , to large extent mixed with other races , Celtic, Saxon , and Norse, were the ancestors of the inhabitants of this part of the country . Before Christianity was introduced the civilisation of our ancestors was not greater than that of many heathen districts in Africa as they may be seen in the present day. The numerous spear - heads and battle - axes of stone 20 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH . and the arrow - heads of flint which the plough and the spade have unearthed in our fields te ll own their tale of the time . The chief occupation of those Picts when not fighting with each other

wa s or their neighbours hunting and fishing , by which they obtained most of their food supplies . To a large extent the land was a Wilderness of forest and swamp , where the deer, the wolf, and b e ar the abounded , the patches of ground that were cultivated being generally on the l p es of

a the hills . Our sav ge ancestors navigated lake

r and sea in canoes made out of hollow t ees , such as are still occasionally dug up out of the

- morasses , or in boats made of wicker work covered with skins of animals. While we are left to a great extent to speen lation and guess - work in trying to ascertain the origin and use of such vitrified forts as Duni ’ deer and Tap o Noth , which stands sentinel over the upper waters of the Bogie , yet the highest authorities lean to the conclusion that they were strongholds in which the people of the district we are describing could shelter them selves when hard pressed by dangerous neigh h ou rs d , or, at a later period , by the more readed invading and marauding Norsemen , as the beacon

fires were kindled . How much do those remains

h ow d o suggest , and yet much they veil , of the period to which they belong . There is a path etic vagueness in the utterance of their testimony O TAN 21 DR S . which reminds us that oblivion claims so much more than history of the movements o f th e suc d cee ing races of mankind .

The religion of the ancient Picts , it would

— a appear, was little better than fetichism vague d eifi ca tion of the obj ects and forces of Nature ; in the absence of light from above , it was an unconscious projection of their own wayward ideas and fierce passions into space , so that which they really worshipped was a reflection of themselves . There has been endless contro vers d w h o y about the Drui s , have been described as the high priests of the native religion , a learned and sacred caste somewhat li ke the

Magi of Persia , but our identification of them with the religion of this part of the world may be attribute d to reasonable conjecture rather sarcasti than to actual knowledge . I t has been cally ’ said by agnostic historians that Druid is a word that has been invented to conceal our d ignorance . I t is certainly ifficult for the human mind to recon cile itself to a state of

a nd avowed vacancy , when knowledge fails we a re frequently not unwilling to a llow fancy to n take its place . For a lo g time we connected what Julius Caesar said of the D ruids as he saw them in Gaul with the ancient monoliths and

“ stone circles , popularly called Temples , more or less complete , which are found in this as in

t . other par s of the country As the result , how 22 TH E G r LI HTS o THE NORTH .

ever , of deepening research , we have learned to be more cautious , and are beginning to admit that we really have no evidence for any very definite conclusion as to the use to which the enclosure within those huge weather - beaten

stones was put . So far as we know there is no mention made of thos e stone circles by Roman

writers , and , as they were very particular in the information they gave of our country as ob

served by them , we may fairly assume that those huge stones were not put up till after the Roman

period . Human remains have been found beside those

rude survivals of a remote past , but that proves

little , as it was not uncommon in ancient times to bury the dead beside any remarkable or

O i i historic place . The general consensus of p n on amongst those who by special study are entitled to be heard is that those circles were places of

assembly and of j ustice , and probably also of

“ worship and interment . They were the high ” th e places , forum , of the tribes , and when the

people themselves lived in caves , in mud or

wattled houses , there would be , in their eyes ,

something exalted in the circles , taking in old heathen times the place that the cathedrals did

at a later and Christian period . As has been

well said , the church , market, court , and sepulchre represent ideas and facts which ever tend to group themselves among all nations ,

24 S or O TH E LIGHT THE N RTH . within certain pages before the charm could work 7 What may be regarded as the last utterance of Celtic heathenism known to us is found in the

Book of the Dean of Lismore , where the bard ’ — perhaps of Ossian s time is represented as addressing on e of the Christian missionaries wh o was regarded as bei n g oblivious in h is saintliness of Nature ’s charm Patrick of the solemn h ow psalms , great your love must be since you do not close your book and listen to the voice of the blackbird . Sweet blackbird , high on yon bend ! ing bough , how soothing is your song Although t h ow you never heard mass said by pries s , delightfully you whistle I It is so diffi cult for men to realise that there is n oth m g I ncompatible between th e psalms and the song of the blackbird 1 ”

w e Before closing this chapter, must dwell for a little upon the life and work of one who

— D rostan has left his mark upon our country , the nephew of Columba . The little information

a ll we have about him is almost legendary , but , as we have seen , his name is mentioned in the “ ” Book of Deer as having accompanied Columba when he came to Aberdour and passed over to what is now called Old Deer. Like many more of ’ Columba s distinguished associates and followers ,

Brostau is said to have been of Royal descent. There is evidence that just as in the early days 2 D ROSTAN . 5 of the Reformed Church in Scotland men of high social position devoted themselves to th e work

- of the ministry , so in the spring time of the Celtic Church many of noble birth abandoned the pursuits of war and became soldiers of the

Prince of Peace . That may partly account for the eas y access the missionaries of those days had to C ff hieftains and kings , and for the successful e orts they made to bring such into the Christian fold .

When the religion of the Cross was first planted , her adherents were chiefly the poor and the ob scure . Christianity , as it came to be increasingly a force in society , gradually rose socially till the

Emperor himself , Constantine , identified himself with it. But in the sixth century we find that the order was reversed by the Irish evangelists , and their first aim was to win over the head of a tribe , and all the members of it gradually , at

a le st in name , followed his example . That made the work of the time very superficial , more rapid than thorough , and accounted for Paganism lingering in our land as a feeli n g and factor lon g t af er Christianity , by general profession , held the t field . In proof of this it may be mentioned tha When pestilence or other appalling calamity ca me it was attributed , sometimes , to the change in reli gion which had taken place , and a bad harvest often drove the people to seek help from their idols . The legend tells us that when Columba left Dros tan in charge of the Deer Monastery , tears H G F H O 26 T E LI HTS O T E N RTH . came into th e eyes of the pupil at parting with

“ his beloved master . So Columba said , Let Deer (from the Gaelic word meaning tears be

a r its n me henceforward . Celtic schola s , perhaps , are nearer the m ark m suggesting that the real l i r ( a . derivation of Deer is from , an oak The in country then abounded oaks , as is shown by

th e their remains in mosses , and names of such places in the neighbourhood as Aikie - hill and

Aiki - e brae . After doing service for a considerable number of years at Deer, we are told that when age came D r osta n Glen esk upon him , retired to , where he lived as a hermit and fou nded a church by the h l Loc e e . side of , where his name still lingers The church in Insch also was dedicated to B “ ” rostau . There is a Dustan fair held at

Deer and at Insch , and one also near Wick . Thus the name has travelled down all the centuries and is still with us to testify to the deep and enduring impression the man who bore

it has produced upon this part of Scotland . Tra dition says he was buried at his own request th e 1 5th at Aberdour. His day in calendar is

December . As a matter of policy as well as of senti

ment, Christian pioneers in our own land did in not obliterate , but Christianised heathen

i i r st tu t ons and associations . There is a cu iously wrought stone with a cross upon it within the D ROSTAN 27 .

domains of Aboyne Ca stle that was originally " set up on the site of the ancient A l at Kin n ord . There are few things more interesting in human history th a n the ten a city with which tradition and custom cling to certai n spots made

sac red and familiar long ago by worship . A

hermit sets up a cell or oratory , a missionary u rears his h mble chapel of reeds , a creel house , often in a place where heathen religion had held its f for festivals and of ered its sacrifices , and ever afterwards there is a difference between it and

other parts . It is a centre , a rallying point , a

place of concourse ; building displaces building , in

the course of ages , each in its structure and style parta king in the advancement that comes with the years ; it may be long after every vestige ’ m on e of an s hand is gone , not stone being

a left upon another , and the place has ce sed to be a chapel for the worshipper or a shrine for the

pious pilgrim , yet the name remains of the saint who by his devotion to duty had hallowed th e

spot . Men still unconsciously do homage to his memory by meeting periodically for business at a fair or market on the spot to which sacred

tradition and custom cling , like the rowan tree or

stunted rosebush we see in a Highland glen , which tells us of clearances and dismantled n o w human abodes , and of field and garden

merged in the wide wilderness .

“ ’ M c s “ H 4 . e s o of oc Kinnord . 3 i hi i t ry L h , p 28 o r THE LIGHTS THE NORTH .

Those Celtic evangelists h ad a strange blend ing in their lives of roving enterprise and as cetic t soli ariness . They were Christian explorers , pioneers , missionaries , and they were recluses . They isolated themselves from the heathenism that was around them , and yet they daringly invaded and penetrated it with their aggressive to evangelism . They had the retreats belonging the community of which they were members ’ — the f rmn ilea where they devoted themselves to

u prayer and industrial purs its , and yet , unlike s most of the monks of Roman Catholic time , they had their periodic incursions into the world with a view to its subj ugation . There is evi dence that the Orkneys , the Faroe Isles , Iceland , and other parts of the far north were visited and so far reclaimed by those daring Columban

a r vangelista. There e d istinct traces of them in

France , Germany , Italy , and Austria . Colum

- banus , twenty seven years after Columba landed in Iona , crossed over to the Continent , and his

n e w companions and followers founded houses , and carried with them light and enthusiasm wherever they went. The books which those Scotic missionaries used were written in their ow n hand in Latin and freely glossed in Gaelic . Some of them are still preserved in the librari es of St. Gall , Milan , Turin , and other towns in

Europe . The intensi ty of their Celtic nature made D ROSTAN . 29 them equally at home in the oratory and the m coracle . We read of Cor ac sailing out in the North Sea for fourteen days in one of those frail and tiny vess els which placed nothing between th e voyager and the great deep but a framework of wood with hides stretched upon it . On lonely islets and in other solitary places in the West ’ a l Highlands, where Nature s Sabbatic quiet is most a s much undisturbed to - day as it was in

- off those far times , we see the remains of rude structures of uncemented stone where they medi tated and worshipped ; and in the names still clinging to parishes where men have dwelt since the dawn of history we see evidence of their

was practical activity , which as pronounced as th eir love of seclusion . A place of retreat for ” was prayer and meditation called a desert , and the name Dysart, in Fife , is traceable to that cir m tan e cu s c . Let us try to picture to ourselves their manner of life . Each monastery , such as Mort lach , Monymusk , or Deer , which was a kind of military base of operations agai n st the powers ” r of heathenism , following the Apostolic t adition , had its college of twelve monks , with the prior as their head . Each monk had his separate cell , or hut of wattles thatched with reeds . The inner court or citadel of the community was the church , which was often of hewn oak , there being no trace

r of stone buildings till about the eighth centu y . H S or O 30 THE LIG T TIIE N RTH .

Truly the noblest period of many institutions is often the meanest to the eye . Around the wh ole

f r was a turf embankment o protection . The dress of the clergy was severely plain , consisting of a

“ a tunic . over which was a cloak with hood of rough texture made of wool of the natural nu ” d . yed colour, and shoes of hide While in resi dence they were called to united prayer three times during the day and three times during the night . From their beds of straw they could soon rise and respond to the midnight bell , as they slept in their ordinary clothes .

In going forth as evangelistic pilgrims , like

two two the Seventy , they went and , each carry

- ing a long walking stick and a leathern wallet. They would spend weeks or months in preaching in the open air to the heathen tribes, exposed to privation and danger, and then return to the monastic house to be recruited in body and r e freshed in spirit by fellowship with the other

members of the fraternity .

TH E S OF TH E 32 LIGHT NORTH . to go ; but the suggestion is not one to be dis missed without respectful consideration , that the Lives of the Saints ” are to a large extent ideal biographies , the facts , handed down by tradition , being viewed through the colouring medium of a vivid imagination and fervid admiration . In order to stimulate faith and spur to emulation b by the loftiest possi le examples , the men whose characters they depict went through a trans

fi u rin g g process in their minds as they wrote , and we know from patent evidence that the supernatural was brought in lavishly as an auxiliary to invest them in the eyes of a super s i iou s t t age with an added importance . ff wa How di erent , we may say by the y , from the accounts of men the Scriptures bring before “ our notice . There are no faultless monsters in the pages of the Bible . Men of our own flesh

infi rmities and blood , subject to our numerous , come before us as they really were and lived w . h ow good men , but not angels It is onderful at once sublime and sober is the narrative of the Acts of the Apostles compared with the pious tales of the early and middle ages . In the N ew

Testament you have the supernatural coming in , but not in a way that is gratuitous and ob tru sive . There is much of the wonderful , little of l the marve lous , nothing of the childish . But the ” Lives of the Saints , in their exuberance of an unpruned fancy , and the trivial use which they MACH AR AND TERNAN . 33

make of the miraculous , remind the reader more of the apocryphal gospels . ow n All that we know of our Machar , who has indelibly stamped his name upon this part of the country , is that he was said to be the son w a s of an Irish Prince , that he a disciple of

Columba , and that he founded a church where

Oldma ch ar Cathedral stands . There is a beauti ful legend that he was instructed to choose as a site for a church in this neighbourhood a part near the bank of a river, where in its winding it made a figure not unlike that of a pastoral staff . Anyone who stands on the north side of the D Cathedral , and looks down upon the on in the valley , cannot fail to see what , to some extent , d answers to that escription . The church that Machar founded on or near the spot where the Cathedral now stands was certainly very different from that solid granite edifice , impressive by its very simplicity . The original church would be a wooden or wattled erection , and more than one structure probably occ upied the place before Bishop Elphinstone and others who preceded h im built Old machar Church , which gave Aberdeen its most imposing feature . Spots chosen for worship , as we have already remarked , were generally for ever afterwards held sacred for that purpose . m Men ight come and go , buildings might be burned or crumble into dust and be replaced by D 4 S or 3 THE LIGHT THE N O RTH .

was others , but the same part of mother earth clung to in congregating for religious ob serv a nces w e and can , therefore , without any great stretch of imagination , picture to ourselves our forefathers for more than a thousand years meet ing under some roof or other on the same part of

the bank above the winding Don . There are two ’ parishes that bear Machar e name in Aberdeen

“ M ach ars shire , and in Kildrummy there is a h haug . ll k St . W o o is associated with the parish of “ ” " two Glass , where there are baths or pools

D e ver on in the bearing his name , which were long ago supposed to have healing virtue in

them to bathers , and the scanty ruins of a

church . St . Devenick , said to be contemporary two — with St . Machar , has churches Nether

a n d — Banchory Methlick dedicated to him . St .

Ternan and St . Fergus , too , are among the men whose hallowed memories are embalmed in the names which cling to localities in our neighbour

hood .

Ternan , sometimes called Archbishop of the

Picts , is said to have had the book of the

Gospels in four volumes , cased in covers wrought to wi th silver and gold , and which up the time of the Reformation were in the Church of A Banchory . church and well in Findon ,

- Banchory Devenick , have the name of Ternan .

’

n o e s 99 . . o e so s Sc s . Dr R b rt tti h A bb y , p A MACHAR N D TERNAN . 3 5

One of many wonders related of this saint w a s that a friend sent to beg some seed corn from him , and Ternan having given it all away in . charity, filled the sacks with sand . His friend ,

in having unlimited faith the power of the saint , sowed the sand , which produced an admirable crop of corn I Those saints ’ names which we unthinkingly repeat in our ordinary i n tercourse as mere local m landmarks have noble histories behind the , better known to heaven than to earth . Even in th e most thoughtful moods such names stir our fancy more than they enrich our intelligence , but there is nothing in our local nomenclature more worthy of respect . Tradition has handed down to us t hose names as almost the only memorials we have of men w h o by their self denying lives and patient labours turned the horrible heathenis m of the dista nt past into a Christianity that grew in depth and breadth

e with the ages . Th ir cells or monastic settle ments dotted over the land w ere fortresses in h which they stormed heaven wit their prayers , and from which they sallied , not with hostile

e rn issa ries intent , but as of the Prince of Peace , and preachers of glad tidings . It is to be noted that the good men of the early Christian ages whose apostolic labours have give n a hallowed savour to names which

s ta n ces still cling to chapels , parishes , and market T H E S F 36 LIGHT O TH E NORTH .

were strangers to this country . They were of

Irish birth , and it is remarkable that the piety of intervening ages did not bring to the surface and keep there some names with similar associa

tions to be added to the popular calendar . It is quite to be understood h ow the first missionaries should have impressed the popular imagination

more than their successors , who were merely building upon other men ’s foundations but it is inexplicable that there should have been such a

“ d ear th of saints during all the centuries that followed - unless we make the unflattering

assumption , as some do , that saintliness in those

r days in our land was to a large extent impo ted ,

and that the altar fire , though not allowed to low few go out , yet burned , soon after the first generations of zealots of Irish extraction passed

away . There can be no doubt that the type and form of Christianity set up in our own land were largely determined by what prevailed in

Ireland . In other parts of Europe Christianity, gradually following in the line of the Roman l conquests , was to a arge extent modelled on n the co stitution of the Empire . Diocesan Epis

C O ac p y , which led up to the acknowledgment wa s of the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome , the evident reflection of the vast system of civil government which crumbled to pieces as Christi anity rose to power ; and thus the Roman 3 MACHAR A ND TERNAN . 7

Church has been well called the ghost of th e

Roman Empire . But Ireland was never occupied by Ancient Rome , and the Christianity which found its way to that island organized itself on

as . the tribal b is The larger part of Scotland ,

u nin flu ence d e also , being completely by Rom , and being mainly indebted to Ireland through Columba and others for th e introduction of the i th e relig on of Jesus , naturally took form of church government which was favoured in the

si s te r isle .

. The ravages of plunderi ng hordes of Norse men and th e disturbances of th e Reformation period a re responsible for the loss of records that would have shed light upon many points that

now a are wrapt in tot l darkness , which is relieved only by the questionable lights of con u r W e j ect e or speculation . have no original document in Scotland that goes farther back

th e than eight hundred years . From period of

Adam n an f to , who wrote the li e of Columba ,

e .of the r ign Margaret , of saintly memory , with Malcolm Canmore for nearly five hundred — years the histo ry of the Church in Scotland is almost a total blank . It is remarkable that we should know less of our own country as it was a thousand years ago than we do of Egypt as it

was more than four times farther back . From the side glances which the more abundant records

- m ff of the less disturbed onasteries of Ireland a ord , 3 S 8 TH E LI GHT or T H E N O RTH . we can realise how Christianity in our land at that period was like a stream which flows from the open and the sunlight into a subterraneous

— - a b . p ssage , from which y and bye it emerges

“ The sculptured stones , of which we have

- a large number in north eastern Scotland , and which are supposed to belong to the p eriod m a referred to , do not help us uch , except th t the cross which is often to be seen on one side o f many of them tells where th e faith of the men

a of that d y lay. There is a touching helplessness — about most of those ancient monuments such as w ‘ the Ne ton Stone or the Maiden Stone , near — Pitcaple which were quarried , polished , and decorated to tell us of the past , but which are so very old as to speak in a language that we f . a have a di ficulty in making out Imagin tion , cunning workmanship that delighted in its " exercise , are lavished upon some of those moss encrusted memorials of a bygone age , but it is only scholars and specialists who can i d eciph er

‘ what is chiselled ; and even they are puzzled , or are far from agreeing in the interpretation . of many of the symbols used , such as the comb . and the mirror , which some think were old heathen n e w emblems taken over by the religion , but it is mo re probable they are representations of ornaments that indicated the rank and dignity of the deceased who is commemorated . It is interesting to find that many of t hose

40 G S or O H TIIE LI HT TH E N RT . doctrine and belief were more in agreement with N ew Testament purity than what was to be found generally in those ages on the Continent ’ Adam nan s of Europe . For example , in life of Columba there is no mention of worship of the V irgin , of invocation of saints , nor of purga tory . Columba and his followers made so much of the Scriptures that they may be presu med to have been more evangelical than the Church generally on the Continent , into which many of the corrup tions of sacerdotalism had by this time crept . Some of the ways in which the Celtic Church claimed the right to exercise its liberty , such as in the choice of the correct shape of the tonsure ( it being not a circ u lar shaven area on the crown

- of the head , but a crescent like stripe from ear to ear) , or the proper time for the observance of

s Ea ter , may appear to us to be trivial , but they ff were su icient to exhibit its individuality , and to make clear th e fact that the perfect uniformity crowned by Rome was the creation , or rather the dream , of a later age . In the main , the methods of the Celtic Chur ch in its purest days were those of the earliest times which followed Pen-te cost , the preaching of the Word , the chanting t or singing of psalms , the inculcation by precep a n d example of the Christian virtues , and self denying devotion to the interests of the people round about them . In celebrating the rites of M 41 ACHAR AND TERNAN .

the Church the native Gaelic was used , and not

Latin , which was the language of the Church generally at that time . Muc h controversy that has generally radiated more heat than light , has arisen in connection h with the constitution of the early Celtic Churc . The modern denominationalist wh o tries to father the church polity he favours upon the arrange ment which prevailed in the Columban Church un dertakes a fruitless task . It must be owned by the enlightened and unbiased student that the connection and resemblance are more ea sily traced by fervid imagination than by historical resear ch . Whether th e inquirer has the bias of

Episcopalian , Presbyterian , or Congregationalist ,

are he must candidly own , if facts and not zeal to enthral him , that the organisation of the pri mitive Church of Scotland was greatly different from anything of the kind now existing in the land . Available records give no evidence of diocesan

Episcopacy , and while there are allusions to some

a thing approaching Presbyterian parity , kind of missionary monasticism would more fi tly describe n ew the form which the Church took , each estab lish ment being modelled after Iona, and belonging “ to ff the family of Iona. Yet it was di erent from the monasticism Rome favoured . It was freer, less secluded , more active , less hampered by artificial rules and imposed vows . Indeed , the 42 r H THE LIGHTS o THE NO RT .

Columban Church in its palmy days was emi n en tl y practical , and ever subordinated means to ends , outward equipment to the functions which

had to be discharged . As an ecclesiastical type , it lay somewhere between the purity of the Apostolic Church and the full - blown Romanism

which came in course of years . There was in it not a little of the naked directness of aim which

characterised the first century , and yet it had in it elements of error and superstition , and depart ures from original and authorised standards ,

o n Th e which brought their w developments . one thing of which we can speak with certainty is the fact that the Columban Church w as not in

S e c subj ection to the of Rome . Like the Irish

re Church from which it originally sprang , it mained for centuries in a state of comparative

th e h isolation from rest of Europe , w ere by the sixth or seventh century something like a con sistent and sy mmetrical system of church organi

t . sation was es ablished , headed by Rome The identification of the Columban or Celtic Church with the Culdees in Scotland is an error

that recent research has slain , but it would be going beyond the facts to a flirm that we know

clearly and definitely who the Culdees w ere . There is no term in th e whole range of ecclesias tical nomenclature more elusive and tantalising ’ s - o - than that of the Culdee . It is the will the

o t ae wisp of Sc t ish arch ology , and the energy A A x 43 M CHAR N D TERNA .

which many have eagerly expended upon the

fa r chas e of it has been but ill rewarded . So as available sources of information afford any basis h a s of judgment , the last word on the subj ect

D . probably been spoken by r . Reeves H is faculty of worming himself into the heart of things as

a o n they were long g , and pieci g together scat te red fragments so as to make the m bear the weight of wh at may be accepted as a reasonable

h im e explanation , has made the b nefactor of

a n weary antiquari s , who are glad at last to have some solid result to point to which releases them from further obligation to pursue th e inter

minable subj ect . I t appears from the scanty evidence that the first mention of the Culdees in Scotland w a s con temporaneo u s with the attempt w hich N ec tan made about 7 1 0 to induce the old Columban

clergy in Pictland to submit to Rome . I t is

w a s in e evident that the term used a loose , p pu lar sense to designate those Celtic m on ks who

adhered to the old order , and were therefore regarded by the representatives of Catholicity t as obsolete schismatics , or at leas as men who could not be classified accord i n g to the pre scribed rules of general Christendom they

“ ” Keled ei s were , Culdee , irregular worshippers it or servants of God . Skene , must be men tion ed th e , however , thinks that Culdees were

t t th e e an order wi hin the Cel ic Church , t rm 44 L I GH TS or THE TH E N O RTH . being gen erally confined to men wh o adopted the severer order of asceticism and lived in solitude . We cannot do better than sum up all that is known of the Culdees in the language of Dr .

“ : m Reeves In fact , during the range of ti e in d which the term is on recor , we discover the greatest diversity in its application— sometimes borne by hermit , sometimes by conventuals ; in n a one situation implying the conditio of celib cy , in another understood of married men ; here denoting regulars , there seculars ; some of the name bound by obligations of poverty , others free to accumulate property ; at one period high in honour as implying self - denial; at another regarded with contempt as the designation. of the loose and worldly - minded When at

‘ ’ C éle last De does become a distinctive term , it is only so as contrasting those who clung to the old conventual Observances of the country with those who adopted the better organised and more systematic institutions of medi aeval introduction ;

- in fact , as denoting an old fashioned Scotic monk . The generality of monasteries both in Scotland and Ireland were in a state of d ecr epi a nd tude at the beginning of the twelfth century , those which survived for any length of time owed the continuation of their existence either to the super - addition of a bishop and chapter or their

recon struction on a n e w model . Most of the old MACHAR AND TERNAN . 45

‘ ’ religious communities were Kelede i (or Culdees) l til the changes last mentioned took place , and then the name became limited for their brief future to those institutions which adhered to the original discipline as contra - distinguished from those which were rc - modelled or erected in the 1 ? new . V C H A P T E R I .

FRO M TH E CELTIC TO TH E ROMAN — 1 69 CHURCH 0 9 3 .

HE transition from t h e Celtic to the Roman

Church was hastened , if not completed , under the long reign of Malcolm Canmore . A variety of circumstances known to history, in

- which the big , bold warrior king had little direct personal part , contributed to that result .

th e fi In rst place , by that time the glory of the Columban Church had passed away as a witnessing body for Christ , consecrated with a martyr - like steadfastn ess to the promulgation of saving truth ; the fire of devotion had almost expired , leaving little but ashes and the altar on which it had burned . The traditions and tenets to wh ich the successors of Columba still clung w ere simpler , and in some respects more in accord ance with the teaching of the N e w Testament than the doctrine , the elaborate organisation and ceremonial of proud , aggressive Rome , but by the time of which we are writing they were almost emptied of life and power . Iona was a name and

m e a memory , a hallowed place where great n

S or 48 THE LIGHT THE NORTH .

biographer, Turgot , tells us that while Malcolm could not read his wife ’s missals and books of devotion , he kissed them in token of reverence , and caused them to be richly bound and orna m ented with gold and j ewels . m Co ing from England , where , in common with the most of Europe , the spiritual supremacy id enti of Rome was acknowledged , she naturally fi ed the Church of Christ with Roman Cath oli cism , and regarded the old Scotic functionaries , ' with their rude symbols of worship and efl ete institutions , as schismatics and mongrel priests , who could do nothing better for their country new than give place to the order of things , which would bring Scotland into accredited union and l fe lowship with the rest of Christendom. Remembering what an influence Mary Stuart at a later period wielded by the fascination of her person and manners , even when her character was held in doubt and her policy was not gene h ow rally approved , we can q uite understand

Margaret , who had everything in her favour , should have been a sig nal power at this crisis in the internal development of the Scottish nation . Although what is rooted in the past and sanc tioned by long usage has always many stalwart champions , yet the poor Celtic ministers , who exhibited at the time stubborn tenacity in their attitude rather than lofty enthusiasm , must have felt that they were more than matched when they TO U FROM CELTIC ROMAN CH RCH . 49 h ad th e the Queen , Pope , and , above all , the m forces and tendencies of the times against the .

Still , the old Celtic Church was not so much extruded as absorbed . We cannot forget that almost all we know of the Celtic Churchmen is drawn from the records of their Roman opponents and successors , and w e r should , therefo e , in j ustice to those whose case is not stated by themselves , be prepared to receive with caution the indictment that is made .

Still , all the evidence available points to the con elusion that the Church in Scotland as Margaret w as found it dead and worldly , if not as corrupt as it became three centuries afterwards . The te Church lands were to a large ex nt secularised , celibacy w as held as an ideal but often departed from , the priesthood had become very much a ’ hereditary caste , the Lord s Supper was seldom observed , the Sabbath was neglected and had be come very much as other days . There can be no doubt that the ardent and energetic Queen the most imposing historical figure in Scotland — since the death of Columba h ad ample material ’ for discussion for the three - d ays conference she had with the representatives of the old order. She may have been somewhat demonstrative in her piety, but her enthusiasm sprang from the heart and ever kept the life and practice in keep w ing ith itself, and in what she did for Scotland d on she has , through residence , reflecte a lustre E 50 S or THE LIGHT THE NORTH .

Dunfermline second only to that which be longs

to Iona . One of the most convincing proofs that could be adduced of the genuineness of the revi val of religion and manners inaugurated by Queen Margaret and her three sons who succeeded h er wa s th e readiness evinced generally to part with money and lands for the maintenance of the ministers and institutions of the Church . ’

I . b James , standing by King David s tom in

Dunfermline, is reported to have complained that

“ ” w as th e he ane sair sanct for Croon , but if

- sacr ifi cin the intelligence , the enterprise , the self g devotion to the higher interests of the people and the glory of God of Queen Margaret and her co a dj u tors and successors in the twelfth century had been carried into the fifteenth , the complaint

would probably never have been made , or would

have had no sting to keep it in remembrance . That was a glorious ou tburst of energy and con

secration to high ends , of which many of our n ow cathedrals and abbeys , in ruins , with their magnificence of design and unapproached finish of workmanship are the standing witnesses and

o n w rthy memorials . A Protestantism that is e lightened and broad is guilty of no disloyalty to its own cherished principles when it goes out in

unstinted admiration to men and women who , according to the light they had and the ideas of e their age , honoured their God and served th ir FROM CELTIC TO ROMAN CHURCH . 5 1

d ay and generation with a lavish expenditu re

of time and thought . The sloth , ignorance , and deba uchery of later days in the Roman Church cannot hide from us the splendour of the twelfth r and thi teenth centuries , that was able to con

c eive to and execute such great undertakings , the

remains of which are still with us . Better far a

faith that is alive and operative , though it should

have mixed with it much error and superstition , than one that is correct but cold as an icicle and

s of as de titute ' inspiration and power as a string of propositions that are divorced from life . Error is not to be condoned nor truth despised , but if ’ the little truth that is in a man s creed is alive , it will do more for him than a confession of faith as true as Scriptu re itself if the intellect is the only part of him by which it is held . The Churchmen of that distant epoch had a faith m that is not ours in many i portant particulars , but such as it was it gave birth to visions of sublime aspiration which they tried to embody in those Gothic structures that bear witness to the fact that the genius , and art , and handicraft of the age , found their highest employment in the ser vice of God . n It is a little thi g , but it means much as showing what spirit the builders of those a h ow Cathedr ls were of , and the glory of God , and not their own glory , was the object they had — in view there is no name on those magnificent 52 S or THE LIGHT TH E NORTH .

structures . Mr . Gladstone says : It has been observed as a circumstance full of meaning that no man knows the name of th e architects of our cathedrals . They left no record of themselves upon the fabrics , as if they would have nothing there that could suggest any other idea than the glory of that God to whom the edifices were devoted for perpetual and solemn worship . The Scottish Church was now to a large extent remodelled and fired with an inspiration such as it had not felt for centuries . The old ff simplicity , which had degenerated into sti ened

and uncouth baldness , was displaced by a system — that was elaborate , many sided , and palpitating

adminis w ith new life . The Celtic Church in its

tration , as we have seen , was not parochial but

monastic . A monastery was planted in a district ,

which became the headquarters of religion , and besides being the point of departure for fresh

pioneering incursions , was in many instances responsible for the maintenance of religious ordinances in churches or stations grouped at

v arying distances around it . Saxon Margaret and her sons introduced the

o par chial system . The country was divided into

parishes , tithes being taken from the land for the

support of the church that was built in it, and which became the principal feature within its

fi th e bounds . At rst the manor was frequently h paris , and if it was large it was eventually sub M FROM CELTIC TO RO AN CHURCH . 53

n divided, each part bei g in course of time raised to the status of an ecclesiastical centre , with full parochial rights . a Diocesan Episcopacy , such as prev iled in the rest of Christendom , was also introduced into

Scotland . The Abbot now gave place to the

Bishop . The Bishopric of Aberdeen extended from the Dee to the Spey , rivers and other divid ing lines of nature being often used in defining the boundaries of a diocese . The old Columban monasteries of the district, Mortlach and others , d furnished part of its endowment . The cathe ral constitutions were borrowed from the more a d vanced country on the other side of the border ,

Lincoln being the model for Aberdeen . Owing

mainly to the jealousy of England , and its desire

to keep Scotland in a position of inferiority , no metropolitan or primate was appointed for a

considerable time . At length , after much con

tention , the Scotch Church was authoritatively

declared to be independent of English control , a n d someti me later the Pope erected St . Andrews

into an archbishopric , with the other twelve ’ ff bis hops as the primate s su ragans .

Old The Celtic monasteries , too , had to give

way to the Roman orders , with their more strict — rule and fuller, fresher life the Cistercians and

the canons of St . Augustine numerous and power

d . ful , establishing themselves all over the lan The monastic orders in our town have left their 4 S O F 5 THE LIGHT THE NORTH .

r m r mark in our st eet no enclatu e . The Carmel u s ites and friars , black and grey , are still with in the names which they have imprinted upon localities that are as familiar to us as household r words . William the Lion , who favou ed Aber h is deen as a place of residence , gifted palace and garden to Trinity Friars . Alexander II his t son , had a house on the nor h side of the School hill , on what are now the grounds of Robert ’ Gordon s College , which became the abode of the Black Friars . When a foundation was dug on w for the Art Gallery , a great many b es ere found , which were supposed to be those of the

re - u old monks , and they were deposited in a va lt prepared for them . We are not to j udge of thos e monasteries by the corrupt condition in which they were found at the time of the Reformation and long before that date . They were to a large extent founded n on wro g principles , and sooner or later were b u t at bound to breed what is not wholesome, first they were in many cases the embodiment of pure and lofty aspiration . They were also in many ways useful to the society of the time . n They were schools of lear ing , centres of varied u industry , sanctuaries in time of conf sion and as peril , places where men were of account O creatures of God , the ppressed being cham

s e . pioned , the poor fed , the ignorant in truct d Little record of the good they did has come down

r 56 THE LIGHTS o THE NORTH .

a c pital , or even a first place among the four was burghs of Scotland , while Glasgow yet an insignificant dependency on its bishop , Aberdeen had taken its place as a great and independent royal burgh , and a port of extensive foreign trade . C H A P T E R V .

— - ARCHDEACON BARBOUR 1316 95 .

ARBOUR ’S name is the only one among the local ecclesiastics of the fourteenth century that rises up claiming special notice , but it is one that Aberdeen cannot allow to die . It is no small distinction belonging to our city to have been the home and sphere , and probably the birthplace of one who , besides ministering in holy things amongst us , was our Scottish “ f Chaucer , the ather of Scottish poetry . In perusing annals such as these we cannot be too often reminded that the work of true ’ ministers of Christ s Church is generally of such a nature that it is not likely to be recorded in any book on earth and men may have rendered service of the very highest order to their fellows that has no place in accessible chronicles . Statis tics cannot be furnished , and it is beyond the power of literature to give any exhaustive accoun t of the spiritual effect of prayer in secret , the word spoken in season in the privacy u n of home , or the faithful , though otherwise t remarkable , discourse hat has gone into a con gregation as light into a flower or a shower upon the mown grass . 58 S O F O THE LIGHT THE N RTH .

We may be assured that Aberdeen in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries , during which the impulse given by Queen Margaret would still be felt throughout the land , had many earnest hearted ministers who served their day and

all generation with fidelity , though , like the o minor mountains of a range , their name is l st to posterity in such a n outstanding one as that of John Barbour. But the memory even of Barbour has been preserved not on account of anything he did in the line of what strictly belonged to his o wn

high calling , but owing to his distinction in the

field of literature . If it had not been for his

Brus , he would in all probability have had men no place in the recollection of , and this part of the earth that knew him once would h im have known no longer ; but, as the poet of

the struggle for national independence , which

really made Scotland what it is , he is not likely

ever to be forgot ten . Because of th e name he has made for him

self and the service he has rendered to letters , m to history , and to patriotis , diligent search has itive s been made in the n records of the pa t , by e no one more than by our own Dr. Joseph Rob rt t son , with the view of ascertaining as many fac s

as can be ferreted out regarding him . We have no known offi cial record as an authority for

w as saying he born in Aberdeen , but as we know ARCH DEACON BARBOU R . 59

that he was Archdeacon of the church here as 1 357 and f early at least as , held that o fice till

his death , and as also there are contemporaneous

notices of families of that name in the town , we i may fairly assume , until someth ng is brought out that proves the contrary , that Aberdeen was

his birthplace . The scanty and scattered notices of him that h ave been unearthed reveal that in his ow n age h e w as esteemed to be a man of n learni g and worth . When his ca reer does rise to the surface of history it is always a s a person of weight who w as trusted and honoured . There is reason to believe that he studied at Oxford and Paris . Oxford was then the centre and rallyi ng point of the new world of letters in Britain ; and we are informed that in 1 357 and 1 364 he travelled into England , accompanied by scholars, for the purpose of studying at that seat

1 a of learning. In 365 he obtained a p ssport to travel through England with six companions on horseback towards St. Denis and other sacred places. In 1 368 he again received permission to travel through England with two servan ts and two horses on his way for scholarly pur o in p ses France . It is abundantly evident that he was one of those Churchmen who saw much that lay beyond the narrow round of the sanctimonious ob ser vances of the priests of that day . His numerous offices show him perhaps too much on the secular 60 S THE LIGHT OF THE NO RTH .

a re side of life . He was a travelled Scot who pp c iated the advantages of the highest culture of the time and fellowship with kindred spirits who had received it into their minds . The scholars who accompanied h im in those j ourneys were probably the sons of the nobility in the north . The higher clergy of that d ay received an education such as was not desired generally by b efi tted the nobles , who thought the sword men of their rank more than the pen ; and they had often to be the lawyers and statesmen of the time as well as its religious functionaries . So we fi nd that in 1 373 Barbour was Clerk of Audit of f O . the household King Robert II , and one of the

e in auditors of Exch quer. It appears that the discharge of his duties he gave great satisfaction 1 377 to his royal master , for we learn that in he had a gratuity of ten pounds from King Robert,

h e and , in the following year , received from the same prince the high compliment of a perpetual annuity of twenty shillings . It throws some C as light upon the haracter and sincere piety, it then expressed itself, of the Archdeacon , that he beq ueathed this annuity to the dean and chapter of Aberdeen upon the condition that they should sing a yearly mass for the rest of his soul . But Barbour ’s great clai m to the appreciation of posterity lies in his We are all the

Th f t a n l u Cosm e Bru s . Edited or h e Sp ldi g C b by o nn I e s . HA BO U ARCH DEACON R R . 6 1 more disposed to make the most of h im as an author as Scotland compares most unfavourably with England in the literature of that early period . Owing to the unsettled state of affairs in ou r country for many years , and the want of facilities for the cultivation of learning , such as libraries and a schol rly fellowship , most of the intellectual life of Scotland went to England or to the Continent ,

John Duns Scot , or Scotus , being an eminent example of that class . By the frequent and ex h au stin g wars with England , and the consequent

distraction and unrest, Scotland could have had

little attraction then for the quiet student . He may be able to cultivate literature on a little oat

meal , but if he is not sure where even that is to

come from , or if it may be stolen by the marauder

a from his barn , it is not unlikely th t he may con sider the advantages of an abode in another land .

We are , therefore , all the more thankful for

Barbour, who has redeemed his country from the reproach of being without a literature in the

t h e fourteenth century , and has turned ample mate rials at his hand connected with a national all in crisis and hero into an epic which , take it

o . all , is worthy of b th That voice which sounds out clear and bo ld over the centuries may have an old - world accent

that is strange to our ears , yet there is something w ithin us which leads us to recognise and hail him as a true Scot as he exclaims in the famous 62 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH . — lines generally acknowledged to be one of the r e best , if not , indeed , the finest , apost ophe of fre d om ever uttered z

“ A ! fred om e is a nobill thi ng ! ' Fred om e m a ys e m a n t o h aifi liki ng ! Fre dom e a ll sola ce t o m an giffi s H e le vys at e ss tha t frely le vys ’ no e a m a h a ifi nane ess A bl h rt y , N a e s n oc a m a h im less lly ht th t y p , Gyff fred ome fa ilyth e : for fre liki n g i I s yearn t ou r a ll oth r thi ng. N a h e tha t a y hase levyt fre

M a noc now we th e re r te y ht k ill p py , Th e a n na th e w rech t om e gyr , y d ,

Tha t is c owplyt to fou le thyrld ome . ' Bot fl h e h ad a ssa it gy y it , a n a ll e r u e r h e su w t Th p q ld it y , A n d s u ld thi nk fred ome ma r to p ryss ” l in arld a s Tha n a ll th e go d w th t i . If Barbour while keeping by a basis of fact

“ o in his Brus , which historians of the peri d , “ such as Tytler , follow , being nought bot suth

a fast thing , yet allowed im gination to shape his ff material , so as to make it e ective to the reader , h e certainly takes still greater latitude in his

“ other two works . His Brute , which is a genealogical history of the kings of Scotland , and his book of the legends of the saints, where he gives us

“ Stor ss of se e a m en y r h ly , a t o ess God vs m a ene Th t pl y k , d eal with things farther removed than the days

64 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

Ford ou n h John of , supposed to ave been so h e Fordou n called because was born at , in Kin ca rdin esh ire was , a contemporary of Barbour and

“ h is a canon of the Cathedral . He , in Scoti ” chronicon , has given us a prose narrative of the course of events in Scotland down to . the twelfth century , which has been an invaluable quarry to all the historians who succeeded him . He seems to have had a passion and a conscious call to put in writing all that by painstaking research could be learned regarding the past of fe e t his country , for he travelled on over Scot land and Ireland , gleaning information at the various churches and monasteries he visited .

Like many other authors with large designs , he died before his work was finished . He brought 1 1 53 the chronicle down to , leaving material which w as used by others for the story of the I S next two centuries . it not remarkable that the principal historians of Scotland , both of ancient and modern times , had a more or less close connection with Aberdeen C H A P T E R V I .

—~ - 4 BI S HO P E L P H I NSTON E l 43 1 1 5 1 .

] T is a leap from th e period of which we have been writing to the fifteenth century ; but

William Elphinstone , who was born in Glasgow 1 43 1 1 484 in , and became Bishop of Aberdeen in , was really in many respects more a man of the h former than of t e latter date . In consideration

- of his unsullied character, many sided activity , public spirit , and unstinted devotion to all that tended to the advantage of the people belonging to his diocese , he may be regarded as one of the best examples of the best period of the Scottish

Catholic Church . He certainly cannot be taken as a r epresentative Churchman of the age in which he lived . Amidst general degeneracy and

“ corruption , as Cosmo Innes testifies , with man ners and temperance in his own person befitting the primitive ages of Christianity , he threw aroun d his cathedral and palace the taste and ”

. as splendour that may adorn religion Or, another writer puts it , his morals were a pattern ” and a reproach to his country and order . He had something to contend with from the

r w as ve y day of his birth , for his father one F 66 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

l bound by so emn vows to celibacy , being rector d T vio l of Kirkmichael and arch eacon of e tda e . He was educated at the school and University

- of Glasgow , took his degree when twenty four years of age , studied canon law and practised as r an advocate at the Church cou ts ; in short , his natural gifts , which were far above the average , th e h e were cultivated to very utmost , and acquired all the various branches of l earn ing which h is country could give to fit him for the m any spheres of public duty he was destined

to fill .

In addition to all that , he was sent abroad at ’ an uncle s expense , and in France and other parts came into contact with the choice Spirits and

cultured intellects of the day , acquiring that urbanity and polish which added grace to his strength , and enabled him to take his place and

act his part in Court or Cabinet, with scholars and

men of the world as well as with ecclesiastics .

When appointed to the See of Aberdeen , his refined taste and love of learning drew around him men who had something else to live for than the pleasu re of the moment ; and the literary reputation which Archdeacon Barbour and For d oun had w on for Aberdeen was enhanced by h im Elphinstone and those associated with . One of the ways in which human greatness shews itself is in th e quick discovery and frank acknow

o l ledgment f whatever exce lence may be at hand . P S BISHOP EL H IN TONE . 67

M l oreover, there is general y a desire on the part of persons like Elphinstone to bring able men from afar if they should not be near . The highest peak has usually other elevations around it , and a man of power can attract and turn to ad va n tage ability of various kinds . To remind the clerics of his diocese and the whole nation of better days in the Church , and teach them by nobler examples than what could easily be found w at the time , he rote a series of sketches of the lives of the Scottish saints . He also gave of his Oldm ach ar means to finish Cathedral , the great w now e ne central to er , g , which was seen far out n at sea, havi g been completed at his expense . He r fu nished it with fourteen bells , and had pro ceed ed with the choir , but there was only a small part of the work done when he died . Amongst the good deeds of Bishop Elphin it stone , cannot be forgotten , whatever else u relating to him sho ld lapse from the memory , ’ was that he the founder of King s College , which b e framed after the model of Paris University , where he had studied and also taught . The requisition that was sent to the Pope , stating reasons why such an undertaking as the erection of a University in Aberdeen should have the

a . Papal s nction , is an interesting document A most doleful account is given of the country , as “ intersected with mountains and arms of the

” “ ” “ sea, the roads so dangerous , youth had not 68 THE LIGHTS or THE NORTH .

access to the benefits of education . Yet the advantages of the situation were also pointe d out ” “ excellent temperature of air, conveniency of ” habitation , etc .

In j ustice to the old Roman Church , it should ever be remembered to her credit that chiefly to her devoted sons is due the honour of conceiving and giving effect to one of the grandest and most fruitful ideas since the introduction of Chris tianit — y the establishment of the University, where knowledge was to be propagated , and the utmost reaches of intellectual attainment made possible to anyone , whatever his birth or rank , who hated darkness and loved the light . It may be said that the existence of those seminaries of learning on an extensive scale w as mainly owing to the pressure of the intellectual

forces of the times, which scholars generated

more than Churchmen . The revival of learning , l an outburst of fresh interest in c assical studies , and a growing desire for the emancipation of the intellect from the thraldom of dry and barren

scholasticism , had perhaps more to do with the erection of those venerable piles sacred to the pursuits of the mind than any deep anxiety on the part of the College of Cardinals at Rome for the furtherance of the enligh tenment of the

world . That may be true , but it is also true that , was from whatever source the idea came , it cordially taken up by the leading Churchmen 6 BIS HOP ELPH IN STONE . 9

of the land , and by none more so than by Bishop h ow Elphinstone . Little did they know , in some Universities , if not in the Aberdeen one , influences were to radiate that should favour the grea t Protestant movement which was to over turn the ecclesiastical system they had most at heart ; but to found those institutions came to them as the duty of the hour, and they did it . It cannot be denied that those ancient insti tu tions , which were never more prized than they to - are day, sprang from the Church and were rooted in religion . Dr. Walter C . Smith , in singing of the old University town between the

Don and the Dee , puts it thus

’ O er th e College Cha pel a grey s tone crown some soa s a o e ee an d own Light ly r b v tr t , som e on s th e m ns e owe s Light ly fr t i t r t r , som e c mes ou t th e ass n ou s Light ly hi p i g h r , To th e solem n k n ell Of their dee p - t on ed b ell Kir k a nd Colle e kee in time g p g ,

F a ith n d in i i a L ea rn g, ch me f or ch me.

Theology at first overshadowed all other branches of learning . Those schools of learning represented the Catholic Church on its intellectual side , and had much of its cath olicity ~ un iversality of scope

in their constitution and aim . It is interesting to notice h ow the Parisian University has stamped itself legibly unto this day upon our school of

” ele ons P l m S c om th e oems of W a te C . S 86 . ti fr r ith , p, 70 G S O F THE LI HT THE NORTH .

letters , as is shown in such terms still in use as

Be ea n j t. King ’s College was very much an expansion of smaller educational institutions in our city. o L ng before the Reformation , Aberdeen , like some of the other towns in Scotland , had its Grammar

School . John Vaus is named as rector of the school , and commended by Hector Boece , the learned Principal of the University , for his know f ledge o the Latin tongue . But Elphinstone had an eye to progress in things that are usually considered to be beyond n was the ken and i terest of Churchmen . He

was eminently practical , and willing to spend his time and money on material proj ects that were needed for the convenience of the people and the a menity of the district . He began to build the Bridge of Dee , and , when he died , left a sum of money for its completion . h The Bis op was a born ruler of men , and an ardent lover of order and right . While bene w a s volent and considerate , he yet a severe j udge , keeping in his mind , we are told , the

“ — H th e adage e hurts the good who spares bad . His firmness and sagacity were O ften brought ff into requisition in a airs of State , in the Privy

Council at home , and on embassies in France . It is said that he was against the war which led to Flodden ; but he went with his King and countrymen to the fatal field , and after returning

7 2 T HE S O F O LIG HT THE N RTH .

ffi brief tenure of o ce , signalised his occupancy of it in a way so different from that which is ex p ecte d of a bishop that the Roman Church may i well disown h m . In this connection we must also take notice ’ of the first Principal of King s College , Hector

Boece , whom the Bishop succeeded in securing as

n ew the head of the College , and who held the office for more than thirty years , having proved himself to be eminently qualified for its duties . in 1 405 He was born Dundee in , educated in

Paris , and the intimate friend of some of the most learned men of his age , such as Erasmus . The general use of the Latin language and the love of learning gave a cosmopolitan feeling to d as h as men of high e ucation at that time , such never to the same degree been seen since . The obj ects that were of weight to men like Boece

o de e d th e Hol Bod of C s to b e b ou h to h im w ch h e ec e e d r r y y hri t r g t , hi r iv os a e on th e ou nd w e e s s e am n w e a s and and s ou t pr tr t gr , ith y tr i g ith t r h o en h h a fi s e h s ac c u s ome a e e o e stretch ed t h eaven . Wh e d ni h d i t d pr y r b f r th e ma e of th e c ru c fi e d Sa ou h e was l ed to h is b e dc amb e w e e i g i vi r, h r, h r h e lay down and sl e pt a brief sp ac e in h op es th at sl e e p might give a re s I n h e e n u w m f h e n pite from p a i n . t ve i ng h e s pp e d ith so e o t obility wh o h ad c ome o com o h im t f rt . I n th e m o n n ee n a c ok n se nsa on om th e accu mu a on r i g, f li g h i g ti fr l ti of e m in h is oa h e c a s f or h is c amb e a n w su ch s e n h phl g thr t, ll h rl i ith tr gt of o c e s h e sesse H is d a d a os s. en s s en t o h is s e and fi nd e v i p fri h t i , th y a ca e d h d ea - m we me a e e h im re to is b ed . So e e so o s o ll th p , pr y, th r xh rt to b e of ood cou a e and not o e u nwo of mse f for soon h e g r g pr v rthy hi l , w b e as d an e T en h e for a br e c e s n d t . s a a h is e e s and ill p g r h , i f p , r i i g y li az n on h is wee n e nd s sa d I ou ou wou d a e e n g i g pi g fri , i th ght y l h v giv m e b e e d I o H tt r a vi c e : th e h ealth h pe for is etern al . enceforth th e c a es of s ansi o e a n a Be ou o h e r thi tr t ry lif sh ll ot ffec t me . it y rs each t lp n h is eighbou r. B IS HOP ELPHINSTONE . 73 and Erasmus were such as the cultured of all parts of Europe had in common ; and the attrae

f e w tions of the guild of knowledge , in not a instances , became more than the ties of nation and kindred . o We are t ld , and are not surprised , that it was not without some hesitation that Boece consented to quit the cultured society of Paris for what must have appeared to him to be a barbarous h is region . Money was not the attraction , for 4 d 6 . I n erk s £2 8 . salary was forty , or about

f a nd sterling . H e became canon O Aberdeen rector of Tyrie , and , in addition to the multi far iou s duties connected with his position , clerical and academic , he found time to write the lives of the Bishops of Aberdeen and the t his ory of Scotland , in which works he showed more learning and imagination than j udgment . Soon after the publication of h is History he got

D D . his degree of . , when the magistrates , accord ing to an entry in Town Council Records of 1 528 Aberdeen , under date , voted him a present of a tun Of n ew wine when the n e w wines S hould new arrive , or a sum of money to purchase a bonnet ! Not any of the bish ops of the Roman Church who succeeded Elphinstone need be mentioned

here except Dunbar, who was a real benefactor

to the diocese , and a man who, by his private

virtues and public spirit, deserves to be held in 74 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

honourable remembrance . He made it his great endeavour to carry on and complete what ’ El phinstone and others had undertaken . King s College buildings were extended and the Bridge of D e c finished under his direction and as the r m u nifi en e esult of his c e . He also did much in carrying out the designs of his predecessor for

ldm a h ar the Cathedral of O c . V C H A P T E R I I .

TH E RELIGIOUS LIFE O F P RE - REFO RMATION

TIMES .

” ! RATE pro anima Ra d u lfi S a cerdotis Pray for the soul of Ra du lf the priest —is the meek appeal inscribed on one of the

most ancient gravestones in Scotland , standing against the gable wall of the old church in

w u Insch . Among t o tho sand inscriptions that have been collected from the graveyards of the

- d north eastern districts of Scotlan , it is believed Jer vise by experts, such as , to be the oldest , and is assigned to the twelfth century . As the eccles iastical revenues of the parish of Insch had been L gifted to the Abbey of indores , on the south side of the Tay , it is probable that this priest was the stipendiary vicar of that powerful and

flourishing monastery , which had no fewer than

- twenty two parish churches belonging to it. It is not unlikely that a desire by others for d the same kind of evout remembrance , as was ’ Ra d u lf s expressed on tombstone , had something to do with his lot , as a priest, being cast in that part . Sometimes , in passing from this world , local magnates felt that they had much need of prayer to put them in a better position before 7 6 THE LIG HTS O F THE N O RTH . their Maker than the one that their past deeds m would entitle the to , and having a superstitious veneration for the e flicacy of the prayers of

- monks , upon their death bed , if not before , they granted property in lands and teinds to favourite monasteries on condition that prayers should be made regularly on their behalf. The consequence was that O ften the greater part of the te mporal provision which had been made for the main ten anc e of religious ordinances in a parish went to increase the bloated revenues of a “ h ouse ” that was on the road to moral ruin through over ff flowing co ers and abounding luxury , and a pittance was given to some poor priest who went his round of duties as their vicar or substitute . It is calculated that for many years before the Reformation , by far the greater part of the wealth which had been accumulated and held in trust for the religious welfare of the land was alienated from the various parishes and con c en trated f e w in a priories and abbeys , the heads ’ of which had the lion s share of the spoil . There ’ was , indeed , ground for Dunbar s complaint

I naw noc h ow th e K is d it k ht irk gy , Bot b enefi c es a re n oc ht le il d evyd it S u m m en h e s s e en a nd I n oc ane v , ht , u to onsid d r i a n n Q ilk c e s e pa e.

In that excellent work , Monymusk Its ” Church and Priory , we glean local information , much of which is taken from original documents —RE FORM A’I‘ I ON S PRE TIME . 7 7

bearing on this point . In it the author sa ys We learn that afte r the Reformation one minis ter living at Keig had actually under his charge 8 m all the four parishes whose teinds , , had been to — and payable our priory Keig, Alford , Leochel , far distant Braemar ; and in this rent roll that tells h ow Lord Forbes had appropriated its lands

as well as its teinds , he himself using the first ’— Off x 1 . person hes it me for j Lib . hands down what was the magnificent allowance for which he farmed out the Vicarage or lesser teinds to the poor minister. One wonders that the minister was able to travel even once a quarter to Brae we h ow mar, and are able to judge dependent the ’ parishes were upon Readers . h ow From all the evidence that is before us , it ever, would appear that most of the priests got as much as they were worth . The parish priests , or secular clergy , as they were called , lost their

good name even before the monks . Their energies

were certainly not overtaxed in preaching . In the General Provincial Council summoned by Arch bishop Hamilton at Edinburgh in 1 559 to arrest the Reformation movement by bringing about d a reform from within , a frien ly remonstrance

was presented , in which , among other things , it w as requested that they provide for preachings ’ and d eclarings of God s Word sincerely and truly to be made in every parish kirk of our realm

” u n P f M n m u s c a d o o o . 205 . Ch r h ri ry y k , p 78 H S THE LIG T OF THE NORTH .

upon all Sundays and other holidays, at the least on Yule , Pasche , Whitsunday , and every third or ” m fourth Sunday . It co es out incidentally that what had been previously enjoined was a sermon only four times a year ! There is no evidence that in Scotland pre - Reformation preaching w as of much account at any time . Sir David Lind say of the Mount O ften flou ted the higher clergy for their unwillingness or inability to preach

G e a e a su e w e e to ea one s o ea c r t pl r r h r bi h p pr h , One e an or oc o in n d d t r divi ity, On e a o wh o c ou we h is c on en eac bb t ld ll v t t h , O n e pe rson flow i ng in philosophy n n I ty e my tim e t o wi sh wha t w ill ot b e .

Knox , in his history, gives us a specimen of the kind of discourse the people were accustomed to in church . He represents a priest as saying Ane has ty n t a spu rtill ; there is ane fl aill stolen from them b ey ou n d the burn ; the goodwife of the other side of the gait has ty n t a horn spoon God ’s malison and mine I give to them that knows ” of this gear and restores it not . Let us try to have a full and clear View of the religious institutions in Aberdeen before the h . . h is Reformation Dr Josep Robertson , in “ ” History of the Reformation in Aberdeen , gives us interesting particulars

The extent of the ecclesiastical establishment in this q uarter at the era of th e Reformation is

“ ” A sc ou s e on th e S c o s e o m a on s o Di r tti h R f r ti , by Bi h p

o d w r h . 58 lV r s o t . , p

8 0 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH . will thus be seen that within the city there were

n ac s w s and w thirtee pl e of or hip, a body of endo ed c of one or c sses n m n lergy, other of the la , u beri g

a n not ss a on e n e a nd cert i ly le th n hu dr d ten, and pro ” ] a ac n n a one n bab y ppro hi g e rer to hu dred and fifty. At death even the weighty and oppressive “ hand of the Church was felt . The corpse ’ L r esen t p fi was exacted , though not due by any

w as law or canon of the Church in Scotland . It something over and above what was required by the priest in connection with the interment of the body and the deliverance of the soul from purgatory . The perquisite consisted of the best ” - resan t k ow cow of the deceased , the cors p , the uppermost cloth or covering of his bed , or the

h is uppermost of body clothes . Sir David Lind say , the poet , alludes to this exaction

“ A nd als th e vic ar a s I trow H e w ill n ocht fa il t o ta k a ne kow ” A n d u p in ais t c la ith . When the Papal establishment was abolished this went with many other abuses . It was decreed , as the First Book of Discipline informs us, that

“ - the uppermost claith , corps present , etc . , etc . , can neither be required nor received of good ” conscience .

’ o e son s H s o of th e e o m a on in e Dr . R b rt i t ry R f r ti Ab r

een . 5 6 7 . d , pp , ,

J ‘ ’ “ 6 M C rie s e of K n o . 38 . r Lif x , p - M S PRE REFORMATION TI E . 8 1

There is evidence from the burgh records and incidental allusions in the writings of the time that the Sabbath , which is one of the main

wa s bulwarks of the religious life , observed very much as it is n ow in Roman Catholic cou n tries ff on the Continent of Europe , with this di erence that attendance at public worship w a s then much more general . But after being at church , the people betook themselves to sport and pleasure , to archery and other forms of amusement . About the middle of the fifteenth century, butts were ordered to be erected at every parish church by

a Act of Parli ment , that the young men , at this m place of concourse , might exercise the selves in archery , with the View of insuring their pro

fi ciency in ti me of war .

Religion was intimately associated , after a s th e fa hion , with the festivities , processions , and the social life generally of the people . Each guild of craftsmen had its patron saint , its in chapel , and altar , and the pageants of the time pride in the craft and zeal for the Church 1 1 t n . 53 were s ra gely blended In , the Town Council of our city enacted : According to the lovable custom and rite of this burgh and of the E noble burgh of dinburgh , of which rite and custom the Provost has gotten a copy ; that is to and say , that , in the name of God the blessed V irgin Mary , the craftsmen of this burgh , in

a s their best rray , keep and decorate the proces ion G 2 S 8 THE LIGHT OF THE NORTH .

as as on Corpus Christi day and Candlem day, as honourable as they can , every craft with their ow n e banner , with the arms of their craft ther on , S two and they hall pass, each craft by themselves, — flesh ers and two , in this order First , the , and next the barbers ; next the skinners and furr iers together ; next th e shoemakers ; next the tailors ; after them weavers and listers together ; next them the bakers ; and , last of all , nearest to the — Sacrament , passes all the hammermen namely, w smiths , rights , masons , coopers , slaters , gold smiths , and armourers . And every one of the said crafts in the Candlemas procession shall fur nish their pageants according to the old statute of the year of God It would appear that on those high occasions ’ at Candlemas , or when their patron saint s day ,

St . Nicholas, came round , attendance was com “ u lsor p y , for John Mackintosh , in his History of ” Civilisation in Scotland , points out that a man

named John Pitt , a tailor in Aberdeen , was

punished for refusing to take his proper place ,

with the signs of his craft , in the procession . He

“ had to appear the next Sunday bare - headed

- th e and bare footed i n church , in the time of

a d High M ss , with a wax can le in his hand to

ff . o er it to their patron saint , St Nicholas . He was also bound to have the usual token of his — craft on his breast that is , a pair of shears ; and

S ee o na e ac om th e u ec o s in n rigi l xtr t fr B rgh R rd Appe dix . ’ ‘ - RE FORMA I I ON PRE TIMES . 83

then to go down humbly on his knees and beseech the Provost to remit his fault.

a re Religion , also , had its pl ce in dramatic presentation in those days . Aberdeen had its

” “ E on - Abbot and Prior of Accord , two young z citi ens , probably sons or connections of the

” “ ” magistrates , as Kennedy in his Annals con e ctu r es j , who had charge of those exhibitions , which were supposed to be for the e difi ca tion as

a s well amusement of the people . Those

“ ” “ ” mysteries , or miracle plays, with which a every reader of medi eval history is familiar , that were at first intended to popularise spi ritual things , degenerated , as they could not well fail

‘ \ f to do , into scenes of profanity and buf oonery .

In that respect , Aberdeen was no exception , for it is recorded that they were afterwards restricted to certain days of the year . 1 1 51 . In , Margaret , Queen of James IV , paid a visit to Aberdeen , and , after the pageant con s u eted with that visit , Dunbar , the national poet , sang thus

t A b e rd ene ow b e riall of a ll t ou n is Bly h , th , Th e am of b e wtie ou n a nd b l t h ne ss l p , b ty , y , U nto th e he a v en (as c en d it) th y re n own is

Of ve rtew w isd om e a n d of w o nes s . , , rthi

There were festivities in the month of May, in “ ” the greenwood , to welcome the advent of summer, that were accompanied with such d licentiousness that they had to be represse . G S or 84 THE LI HT THE NORTH .

Again and again we come across entries in burgh records S howing what difficulty magistrates and ministers of religion had in suppressing those d celebrations that were so emoralising . Besides setting up the Maypole on the first Sunday of

May , garlanded with flowers , round which they ’ Fith alk s danced , many went on that day to St .

Well , on the south side of the Bay of Nigg, and in drinki n g of its water invoked the prote ction of its saint , always , before leaving, putting a bit of clothing on some bush near the spot . The life of those days had many picturesque touches . However much some parts of human nature were neglected , certainly the imagination

had its due . Every Monday prayers were made

' of for the souls the dead , and a priest went through the streets of Aberdeen announcing the th e service by ringing of a bell , one of the bells of the church being also rung at noon and at six

’ “ ” o clock for all Christian souls . One can quite understand what pride th e

people took in their church . What a place must a noble Gothic stone edifice have been in the eyes of those who lived in houses that were little better than huts or wooden sheds ! To cross its threshold must have been to pass into what was

the nearest approach upon the earth to heaven , so far as it can be figured by material things .

. N When the choir of St icholas , their parish

n church , was needi g repair , the people not able ' ‘ - RE FOR M A I I O N S PRE TIME . 8 5

to give money bound themselves to pay so much

“ in kind . Alexander Reid , Alderman , and Alex ” ander Chalmers each gave a barrel of salmon , t others gave barrels of grilse , a quar er hundred

“ - w lamb skins , etc . Andre Litster gave ane ” cow .

was th e . Money scarce , as above account shows Yet “ games of chance found a place at that date among the amusements of the people . But , ff seeing the pernicious e ect of gambling , the Magistrates made sever a l bold attempts to repress

“ 1 444 a w a s . W it In the year , illi m White , sutor , b tried before the aillies , and convicted by a j ury composed of fifteen citizens , for permitting players of cards and dice and other unlawful games to ” frequent his house . What the people requi red at this time was a fresh spiritual impulse . They needed something

n done for them from withi . They for the most part reverenced divine things , and took part in religious performances w ith decency an d devoted

w as ness . What wanted to a much greater extent than existed at that time was a N e w

Testament faith , a personal acquaintance with

a s . God , such Luther struggled for and attained The ministers of those days were to a great extent ecclesiastical and moral police rather than spiritual guides . The best of them went little further than the presentation of the intellectual and moral side of religion . They were patrons 8 6 THE LIGHTS OF THE N O RTH .

l of earning and lovers of virtue , and did a service as heralds of the coming Reform tion , which , as we learn from the history of Martin

Luther, had inward personal renovation at root .

8 8 S THE LIGHT OF THE NORTH .

w accompanied i ts large orldly estate , was a force not to be despised . a s The Church , being exceptionally strong a

r ff thing of the ea th , o ered powerful inducements to the younger sons of nobles and others to enter its service , who had no piety in their hearts and

th e often not even decency in their lives . Thus

Church sank lower and lower , until it became

b - a y word and a reproach . There were honest and pious men in it , such as Bishop Elphin stone , who , amidst incenti ves to the opposite , lived an irreproachable life , and proved himself to be a far - seeing and large - minded lover of his country . There were also men of simple faith and , for the time , wonderfully sound evangelical Of sentiments , such as Bishop Brown , Dunkeld ,

“ who, in dying , threw himself entirely on the m erc y rather than on the j ustice of God , and expressed a firm trust in his salvation , not

for his own merits , but through the passion of ” Christ ; but the great majority O f the ecclesias tics O f that age were so diff e rent from what their vocation required them to be as to be a scandal

to their contemporaries . William Dunbar , Sir

David Lindsay of the Mount , and other writers

of the day , did not spare the priests , who , by

their cynical disregard of even appearances , laid O h e themselves pen to t most biting satire . W inz et Ninian Wingate , or , a priest and as w schoolm ter of Linlithgo , and a strong THE REFORMATI O N . 89

opponent of John Knox , may be accepted as an unprejudiced witness in speaking of the Romish

Church at the time of the Reformation . H ere is

his testimony , which came out in a tractate

“ ” addressed to the Queen , pastors , and nobility

“ Y ou r dumb doctri ne in exalting ceremonie s

in s nc w o Of God only, keeping ile e the true rd ’ c ssa m s sa a t on a nd not s s n ne e ry to all en lv i , re i ti g ' w k n wn W a a m s o s to is o . anife t err r , the orld h t p rt of th e true religion by you r slothfu l dominion a nd princely estate is not corrupted or obscured Have m n o a c O f e ac m n in mad not a y, thr ugh l k t h e t, ignorance mi sknown th e d u ty which w e all owe to

ou r Lo d a nd so in f c f a r God , their per e t belie h ve sorely stammered ? W ere not th e Sac ra men ts O f Christ Jesu s pr ofa ned b y ignoran ts a nd wi cke d persons neither able to persu ade to godli ness by lea rning nor by livi ng ? Of th e whi ch number we confess the most part of u s of the ecclesia stica l s ta te a n in ou r n o a n a nd ne ou to h ve bee , ig r t i xpert y th , u nworthily by you admitted to the minis tration r e mm n in a n o b th thereof . “ re ye co a ded v i Of G d y e mouth s of H is proph e ts a nd apos tles to wa tc h a ttently a nd co ntinually upon your flock a nd know “ diligently the sa me by face 2 Or gave th e pri nces of th e ea rth yea rly rents (a s the disciples in the begi n ning sold th eir lands and gave the prices thereof u nto the apostles) to th e end that every one of y ou migh t spend th e same upon h is dam e Dalila and ba s ta rd brows A nd albeit it ch ance oft to the i nfirmity of

man a h e a s w en s o most wa th t f ll a leep h he h uld ke, 0 S 9 THE LIGHT OF THE NORTH . a nd be give n to pastime when he should most

n o — m c u God ! w a dilige tly lab ur but yet, oh , er if l h t

a s is s h a h as O ss a so de dly leep thi t t ppre ed you, th t in

at u o um a nd t c m gre pr ar, t ult, errible la our, ye wake o t of a ? w ! w ! we sa not f r h your dre m A ake a ake y, ’ ” u t to o a n s and p y u r h d toutly to save Peter s ship .

Th e condition O f the Church in Aberdeen may be inferred from an extract which we give m fro an address to William Gordon , the last

Bishop of Aberdeen , by the Dean and Chapter, 5th 1 558 dated January ,

m s L s c s I primi , that my ord Bi hop au e the kirk m en within his diocie to reform themselves in all s nd u s a nn of n and their la ero m er livi g, to remove

n c c n s as a a s s . their ope on ubi e , well gre t mall

S cu n a h is L o s w so a s sh w e do, th t rd hip ill be good to o — edifi cative example in special in removing and d is charging himself Oi the company of the gentlewoman

o is a s an w c by wh m he gre tly l dered, without the hi h on s a n s sa cann be d e, diver e th t are part er y they ot a cc ept counsel and correction of h im which will not ” co c m s rre t hi elf. Scotland was the scene of religious awaken ings before the time of the Reformation . The “ ” ff Lollards , or wandering disciples of Wickli e , by their secret meetings for breaking the word and for prayer for some years before the Befor mation , were as evanescent flashes of light in the darkness , not prolonged nor widespread enough to have any perceptible or immediate effect in its

9 2 THE LI GHTS or TH E N ORTH . testimony which w a s put to the proof at th e stake , silently and in a way unknown to ecclesias

wa s tics and statesmen , taking root and gradually l supp anting the Old discredited system . Nor were suitable leaders lacking for the w movement in Scotland . The special service hich John Knox and his coadjutors rendered to Scot land lay in their unselfish and unfaltering adherence to th e truth which was essential to the high er life of the nation . Like an old — Hebrew prophet -a Scottish Elij ah h e stood there , firm as a rock , with no other message h than Thus saith t e Lord . Doubtless he was rough , but he had rough work to do . You can not fell a tree with a lance , but with the sturdy ’ blows of an axe . Remember Carlyle s sentence It was not a smooth business ; but it was w el come surely , and cheap at that price , had it been far rougher. Knox was not a courtier of the

n in fle x i most approved patter . He had a rigid b ilit w a nd y hich Courts are not accustomed to , which was highly inconvenient to a Queen who

b lan dislnn en ts hoped , by her and tact , to win the nation back to Rome . He of all men of the saw day , with his piercing penetration , , and was steadily fighting a gaiii st the policy of the

Palace . We know we are approaching dangerous ground when we even hint at an impeachment of Queen Mary . Her personal beauty , romantic O O THE REF RMATI N . 93 ca reer, and tragic end have thrown a spell over many writers , and made them incapable of deal ing with facts relating to her in a r ational and sober way . Feeling and imagination come in f with their colouring and idealising ef ects , and ,

“ ra say what you may , Eph im is joined to his ” idols . But men who revere truth more than Mary in feel bound to admit that , among the many ter ests which conflicting parties kept well in

th e View , to John Knox above all others belongs

n signal honour of urging his cou trymen , in season

and out of season , to seek first the Kingdom of

God and His righteousness . The most Of the nobles were deaf to all considerations but the

n aggrandisement of their patrimo ial estates , bearing out what John Knox , with more point

“ than refinement , said The belly has no ears ; the Court was playing its part for a time with

n on consummate address , weari g the silken glove the iron hand ; the Church had its scholarly

th e champions , who were ready to enter lists

n e w against the doctrines , and , when they had

the power , were eager to burn those who pro

pounded them . Against all those , John Knox ,

S with the implicity and courage of true faith , put

his confidence in the Word of God . In th e echoes of that critical and exciting

O period which have come down to us , we ften W hear mention of the Scriptures . hen Thomas 94 S THE LIGHT OF TH E NORTH .

Forret pulled from his sleeve his N ew Testament that he might cite a passage in his defence, his it accuser exclaimed , as he looked upon This is the book that makes all the din and pley in ” the kirk . He gauged the situation exactly . The neglect of the teaching of that book had led

w as to the declension of religion , and revival due to the prayerful study of its contents . The invention of printing , which had not been turned to much account for the dissemination of sacred knowledge by the Romish Church , was one of the most serviceable auxiliaries of the Reforma ’ Of T nd ale s tion . Copies y translation of the N ew Testament were brought over from the Low

Countries by the Scottish traders, and were dis

- tributed on the north east coast , some of them reaching Aberdeen . Some of the bishops of

assm the day , in p g sentence upon men whose only crime w a s that they circulated the Scrip r tures and preached f om them , boasted that they O f knew nothing them . The fundamental principle of the Reformation was the paramount authority of Scripture . As

“ l a has been wel s id , At one bound the Church leaped over ten centuries , and came back to the

Scriptures . In the first Confession of Faith drawn up by the Reformers , their reverent regard for the Scriptures is strikingly shown in the followi n g extract from the preface We conj ure you if any man will note in this our

96 S THE LIGHT OF THE NORTH . chiefly of the interests of th eir own order and family , the ministers of those days , with the narrowest possible margin of worldly means a which , as compared with the bloated est tes of their ecclesiastical predecessors , were as the ’ crumbs which fell from th e rich man s table fought the battle of the people . They have their ’ r n ow rewa d , for Scotland s greatest men , honoured and cherished in the hearts of the

l f e w peop e , include in thei r ranks not a whose distinction it is that they gained and maintained an influence such as h as been wielded in very few parts of the world by the simple preaching of the Word . Buckle says When the Scotch

Kirk was at the height of its power, we may search history in vain for any institution which can compete w ith it except the Spanish Inquisi tion . By such a sentence as that Buckle does h h arm only to imself, by failing to distinguish between the power that is in the hands of the agents of a huge system of hierarchal despotism and the moral weight of men who have nothing behind them but th e Word of God and the religious sentiment of a free people . The exiles , confessors , and martyrs of the Reformation

th e r period , whose blood was the seed of Chu ch , were for the most part ministers of religion , many of them men Of good birth as well as of t high educa ion . Among the more distinguished O ld d of those priests of the or er, who were the THE REFORMATION . 97 s - sacrifi cin n ew elf g heralds of the , was Patrick

The spectacle of that man of gentle blood and t still gentler spiri , Patrick Hamilton , passing away from this world amidst piles of slowly

- ff burning faggots near the sea cli s of St . Andrews is indelibly imprinted upon the national heart . The wood for the sacrifice was green , unskilful hands tended the fire , a tempestuous w as east wind like to blow it out , and for six hours did he endure the agonies Of consciousness

roasted at last rather than burnt, as a spectator remarked . One of the articles for which he w a s condemned to this death was his belief that a man is not j ustified by works but by faith ; that faith , hope , and charity are so linked together that he who hath one of them hath all , and he that lacketh one lacketh all ; and that good works make not a good man , but ” a good man doeth good works . As he was patiently enduring the tortures which cruel men were inflicting upon him in the name of Christ , a solitary voice out of the a w e - struck crowd as ked him to give a S ign of his steadfastness to the faith . Whereupon three fingers of his

- scorched , half consumed hand were held up .

Soon after that , and before expiring, he said H ow long shall darkness overwhel m this realm H ow long wilt Thou suffer the tyranny Of men ” Lord Jesus , receive my spirit . H 98 TH E S OF TH E LIGHT NORTH .

It came to be a common saying in Scotland that “ the reek of Patrick Hamilton infected all ” w as on whom it blew . How suicidal the policy of the ecclesiastics of the d ay I The only effect of

. their diabolical rage wa s to convince the nation of the reality and power of a cause that could enable men so to live and die . George Wishart ’ also , who was educated at King s College , Aber deen , by his life , and still more by his death , hastened on the work of the Reformation . An

Angus man , he frequented Dundee , and his Gospel ministrations met with such success in that town ” that it gained the name of the Scottish Geneva, being at that tim e the chief centre of light in b allates Scotland ; its gude and godly , changed out of p roph ain e sanges for a voyding of sinne and ” h arlotrie , by the brothers Wedderburn , rendered great service to the whole country . It is quite true there were multitudes in Scot land then with little spiritual sympathy who in went strongly for the Reformation . There were many who had no mind for di vine doctrine , and no experience of its power in their heart and life , who were quite able and willing to j oin the crusade against an oppressive and licentious priesthood . Criticism and assault are always easier and more popular than moral r econstr u c

tion , and the ranks of the Reforming party wh o were therefore thronged with men , to a large extent , were strangers to divine grace , but

1 00 THE LIGHTS OF TH E NORTH . wisdom and selfish aggrandisement played a more important part in their public action than the disinterested love of truth . It is always so in all noble movements there are ignoble ele

ments there are those who are not of the truth , but who see in the general overturning an u own opport nity of serving their ends . When the advancing tide comes up against heaps of

rubbish upon the shore , it is inevitable that its waters should be d efi led and should for a time carry on their bosom w hat they have

touched .

The power, however, which carried the move ment forward and gave it a place in history came

a from higher sources . The Reformation h d the

soul for its starting point . In i ts real inception it was not a mere thing of criticism and Of ecclesiastical reform , but spiritual experience .

It was inward life, throbbing , expanding, and demanding that first right of all life— freedom to

be . I t was life as before God , seeking that the environment which was to minister to its well being and growth should correspond with its own

innermost principles and distinctive aims . There was the work of receiving th e divine gift and n l nourishing the divi e ife in secret , which led to the public repudiation Of the artificial trammels that would suppress or cramp its outgoing

O energies . N was said to the Pope , because Yes ’ had been previously said to the soul s true Lord . O I TH E REF RMAT ON . 1 0 1

in The negation and destruction were order to , f or rather in consequence of , sublime af irmations . That is a sufficient answer to Roman Catholic

‘ writers who j eer at the term Protestant as if it were the mere Offspring Of irresponsible criticism

without anything more valid behind . The Protestantism was only the resisting power of

Evangelicalism . The essence of what goes under the name Of Protestantism was n ot mere dis satisfaction with the imposition of the Papa l n hierarchy . It went far deeper down . It spra g from satisfaction with Christ and consequent submission to his authority . It was in no fit of scornful scepticism that Knox , when a galley to slave , asked to do reverence an image of the V irgin Mary , flung it into the water as so much ” b redd f painted , that was itter to swim than to be worshipped . It was reverence for God which made it impossible he could d o honour to a piece

“ of painted wood as the Mother of God . Luther was not so much setting himself aga inst the representatives of Christendom as putti ng

God himself into rightful subjection to , when in the Diet O f Worms he wound up his declara tion with the memorable words Here I am . I

n cannot do otherwise . God help me . Ame . The protesting part of the Reformation was no O f w h o more than the work men , in preparing an d for a launch , strike away the wedges bolts which detain the vessel from its native element . 1 02 S THE LIGHT OF THE NORTH .

What tended to confirm t h e leading Reformers of Scotland in their Protestantism was the horrible outrage perpetrated in France on St. ’ Barthol omew s day twelve years after Popery had been formally unseated by our Parliament . Such was the effect of the massacre of the Huguenots upon the mind of Europe that the principal perpetrators of that foul deed were not n lo g in discovering that, besides being guilty of an atrocious crime , they had allowed passion to hurry them into a stupid blunder. What was the Reforming party in Scotland to think of the

Church , the responsible heads of which ordered a medal to be struck to perpetuate the memory of the butchery of Protestants . Roman Catholic writers have denied the existence of such a medal , but in the museum bequeathed by Mr.

Thomson of Banchory to the Free Church College ,

Aberdeen , this witness against the Roman Church can be seen any day, with the image of Pope

an d Gregory X I I I . on the one side , on the other a soldier with a sword in the act of kil ling

Huguenots .

1 04 THE LIGHTS or THE NORTH . ritual might probably have been allowed to sleep for centuries . But it has to be remembered , on the other hand , that the corruptions which scandalised the nation O ften sprang from what was in the system itself, such as the enforced celibacy of the clergy .

The church perished by its own hand , as that institution is doomed whose responsible guardians are grossly indifferent to its fundamental p rinci ” ples and aims ; and for holy Mother Church to have passed away in such circumstances was not to die , but to be murdered . The indictment which history brings against the churchmen of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries is that , with f ew a noble exceptions , they were guilty of spiritual matricide . Alert enough to pounce upon heresy or anything that te nded to subvert their own order , the Kingdom of God , which is not meat and drink , but righteousness , peace , and j oy in the Holy Ghost , was not only neglected by most of the men entrusted with its interests , but was trampled upon and profaned . So that the typical man of the period was not Bishop

Elphinstone , but that masterpiece and mirror of a his age , that brilliant embodiment of its ide s and aspirations , that consummate piece of strenuous — and polished worldliness Cardinal Beaton . Dr. “ Forbes Leith , who wrote the Narratives of ” Scottish Catholics , in lamenting the death of d h im “ ” the Car inal , calls the mainstay of religion JOHN CRAIG . 1 05

o . in Sc tland In view of his private life , the facts of which are notorious and matter of public

record , one is inclined to ask what kind of religion was that of which Cardinal Beaton was

“ ” the mainstay . Was it the religion of Christ in and the Apostles , the religion that was au u ra ted g by the Sermon on the Mount , and of which lowliness and chastity were among the common characteristics - Were his example and influence the “ mainstay ” of such a religion ? ! Ah it is only when a mere ecclesiastical system , shaped after the ideas of a lapsed world , is subs titute d for the Kingdom of God and His r t igh eousness , and the Christian name and its symbols of worship are prostituted for the furtherance of objects as far away from the mind of Christ and the examples of the Apostolic Church as Ancient Rome of the first century w as from the little company who waited in an upper — room for the outpouring of the Divine Spirit it is only when the Church has become a mere

- thing of the earth , the creature of priest craft m and the tool of a bition , that such a man as

“ ” Cardinal Beaton can be called its mainstay .

In addition to greed , j ealousy was also at w ork in the breasts of the nobles , constraining them to identify themselves with the policy of destruction , though most of them were sufficiently backward when reconstruction was begun . They were envious of the political influence that w as 1 06 THE LI GHTS OF THE N O RTH . wielded by the dignified clergy who held the ff chief o ices of State , as being the best scholars , ae the most capable statesmen , the most com lish ed p diplomatists , and the profoundest and acutest lawyers . In enumerating th e forces which Operated in

favour of the Reformation , mention must also be made of the spirit of inquiry and criticism that

began to manifest itself in the fifteenth century . It is possible to make too much Of the revival ” of letters , in which Erasmus and others before

him took a conspicuous part , as an auxiliary in

the regeneration of the Church . For countries much nearer the centre of this revived interest

in literature , such as Austria and Spain , were

S content to remain in the hackles of Rome , not withstanding the light that came streaming around them from the reopened classics of Greece

and Rome .

Still , it cannot be doubted that it was , in a

general way , a great gain to the cause of truth

and progress to have the dull , dead monotony of a the Middle Ages broken , and st gnant thought stirred by questions other than the stale scholastic ones which had occupied rather than exercised

the mind for so many years . The budding litera

ture of Scotland , of which William Dunbar and Sir David Lindsay of the Mount were the chief

ornaments , took its share in this work of opening ’ men s minds to the facts which were around them .

F 1 08 TH E LIGHTS O TH E NORTH .

wh o - - neighbourhood , were thick and thin sup of porters the old order , overawed the burgesses , and made the native caution doubly strong . It was true then that “ the Gordons hae the guiding ’ ’ ” o t. It is very much owing to the same cause that there are considerable belts of land in the Glen airn north . such as Glenlivet and g , which are still largely inhabited by Roman Catholics . The feudal heads of the people of those districts did not sever their connection with the Roman

Church at the time of the Reformation , and that had its effects upon their retainers . Some of the leading proprietors in those regions did e ventu ally pass over to the Protestant side ; but , there being no general movement at the time , many of the people continued to adhere to the ancient faith . was It left to John Marshall , rector of the

th e Grammar School , to take Protestant position and vindicate freedom of thought in religious

w a s matters . He brought before the Magistrates

h e on a charge of heresy , and , whilst valiantly two stood out for years , at last confessed his error and made peace with the powers that b e . What a pity John Marshall did not hold out to to the bitter end , if for no other reason than redeem Aberdeen from the reproach of never having had a martyr within its borders ! The ’ martyr s pile was never kindled in our norther n

b - - region , though , as we shall learn y and bye , its JOHN CRAIG . 1 09 canny inhabitants had th eir share of suffering arising from the religious controversies of the period . But the excitement that w as s ee thing in the southern part of Scotland made itself felt at last

n in the north . A band of men full of reformi g zeal , which too frequently assumed the form of destructive violence , came to our city and defaced th e and spoiled some of religious houses , and would have done serious damage to buildings which are the pride of Aberdonians , had they not been restrained . Aberdeen , without seeking

m . the Refor ation , had to accept it It had to take its pl ac e as part of a nation that had h . t e abjured the Romish Church Adam Heriot , m first Protestant inister , is supposed to have sprung from a branch of the family to which

w h o belonged the celebrated George Heriot , was j eweller to Kin g James VI and founder of th e i hospital in Edinburgh bearing h s name . On a a A small t blet erected to the wife of dam Heriot , there is an inscription in La tin in which he is designate d Preacher of the merits of J e sus ” Christ at Aberdeen The oflicial entry of his death in the town records is Maister Adam

O f God Heriot , fyrst minister the trew word of , 4 ” d e artitt 28th d a 1 57 . p the y of August , years It is not surprising that he became prematu rely

Old , and died when he was sixty years of age ,

for, with the University professors and most of 1 1 0 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

the gentry hostile , and the people generally u to l kewarm , he must have had a hard battle fight The next foremost figure associated with that ’ period in this locality was John Craig , Heriot s successor . The life of this man , so full of

- rapidly shifting scenes , hairbreadth escapes , and

flin ch ed courageous endeavour , which never from its lofty obj ect, whether fortune smiled or r v frowned , eads like a romance . Pro idence had done much to fit him for high place and distinguished service in the Church of Christ. He was born in 1 51 2 of honest and substa ntial parents , known as the Craigs of Craig Fintray ,

Crai ston now g , of the county of Aberdeen . A year after his birth , his father was killed at

Flodden , which reduced the family to great straits . For some reason that is unknown , he ’ studied , not at his native University, King s

College , which was at that time famous and attracting students from all parts, but at St .

Andrews , where he graduated with approbation . After serving for two years as tutor to the sons of

Lord Dacres , he returned to St . Andrews , entered the Church , and became a monk of the order of

St . Dominic Being of an inquiring turn of m ind , and not afraid to avow his convictions , he was suspected of heresy , and had to leave the h im d country . We find as a fugitive in Englan ,

France , and latterly in Rome , where he made the

1 1 2 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

From Vienna he eventually found h is way to Scotland , where his return was hailed with “ ” delight in the morning of the Reformation , the cause that Knox fought for having j ust received legal recognition and establishment . On his return to Edinburgh he preached for some time

“ to the learned in Latine in Magdalen Chapel . When he recovered the use of his native tongue which , by long absence from Scotland , he had — almost lost h e preached for some time at Holy w a s rood House , and shortly after appointed colleague to John Knox as minister of St . ’ Giles Church . For ten years he did valiant service in that capacity, and proved himself to be a most valuable coadjutor to the man who was practically the ruler as well as bishop of

Scotland . 1 572 In he was translated to Montrose . In about tw o years after that date he was sent further north “ to illuminate those dark places in

Mar , Buchan , and Aberdeen , and to teach the ” e youth of the college there . He cam to Aber deen to relieve , and afterwards to succeed , worthy

- Adam Heriot , just as James Lawson , sub principal U f of our niversity , had shortly be ore been called to be Knox ’s colleague and successor in Edin ’ burgh . Craig s income was , as records show ,

4d . th e £1 6 1 3s . . for at least one year Such was pittance that was allowed for the man who was

“ w - doing the work hich a bishop , a fully equipped JOHN CRAIG . 1 1 3

i cathedral , and a noble par sh church filled with — ” well paid priests had done . “ ” The leading men of the Congregation in a Edinburgh , as the Protest nt party were called , knew what they were about when they sent a man of such ample resources and versatile tale n t to a ff Aberdeen , where Protest ntism had a sti er battle to fight than in any other part of the kingdom . The scholarship , the landed interest , o the s cial influence generally , of Aberdeen were w ith the old order , and the common people were not bur ning with desire to be emancipated from the Ro man fetters .

During his stay in Aberdeen , Craig took an active part in the preparation of the Secon d Book of Discipline and the Catechism , of which he says “ to the professores of Christ ’ s Evangel in Newe Ab e rd ene : that it was for their sakes chiefly that he took paines first to gather this b r ieff ” summe . He was Moderator , also , of the General 24 Assembly for the second time on October , 1 576 h , and served the Churc over an extensive district beyond Aberdeen as commissioner or superintendent . Having laboured in Aberdeen for about six 1 4th 1 57 9 years, he left it on September, , to be chaplain to James VI . I t surely must have been m an ene y, or a friend embittered by the enforced On separation , who leaves it on record the 1 8 t 1 579 th day of Sep , the year of God , Maister 1 1 4 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

som et m e A b erdene John Craig , y minister of , departed with his wyfe and bairns and h aill h ou siel floick out of ye said burght, and left his u nprovidit of ane minister : To be preacher to ’ ll i ” the King s grace : As he a eg t. 1 2th 1 600 He died on December , , leaving no portrait of himself except what can be found in his noble record of work and his unfaltering steadfastness as a champion of the truth A cultured and travelled Scot , his chequered ex

erience p abroad , added to the excellent training he got in his own country , fitted him for the suc cession of difficult positions he had to oc cupy in the later years of his life .

1 1 6 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

Presbyterianism was not only established by la w : it was in course of years nationalised in the deeper sense of being identified with the religious life of the people . But the Court and all under its influence did not like it, and were determined that th e form of Church polity wh ich

ffi Engla nd favoured should su ce for Scotland . So the battle between the Crown and the people went on for more than a hundred years , neither side showing any disposition to give way , even when the fortunes of war went against it . In 1 61 0 Episcopacy came in , as King James would have it so . It has often been a matter of surprise to some i students of Scottish history , more impress onable than profound , that there should have been such strenuous feeling imported into the controversy between the advocates of the rival systems of

Episcopacy and Presbyterianism . Why make so much ado about a question of government ? The diff erence between the two polities and for ms of

worship was much less then than now . This is h ow the difference is minimised by an Episco

“ palian of the period . In The Case of the Present Afflicted Clergy in Scotland Truly Re ” 1 690 we presented , published in , find the follow ing comparison between the worship of both Churches made z

’ A s th e sh it S c s m o in to wor ip, exa tly the a e b th th e Church and Conventicle in th e Church there are S S BI HOP PATRICK FORBE . 1 1 7

no c m s all in o ned a s n s ere onie at j y or pr cti ed , o ly ome

e s ns m nt n fi t to nco e e p r o ore revere , thi k be u v r d , which ou r Presbyteria ns d o b u t by ha lves even in the time of prayer ; we have no liturgy nor form of

a not in Ca r a s n ff nc pr yer, no the thed l , the o ly di ere e

s n is ou r c a re not so o o nor in thi poi t , lergy verb ld fulsome in their extempora ry expressions as the

s u se so m n ons a nd we other are, nor any vai repetiti , generally conclude one of our prayers with th a t

c S a and command w c th e whi h our aviour t ught ed, hi h c a s s s t o s a nd f m a m n other party de ry uper ti i u or l A e , s Off c ou c too, give great en e, th gh neither the lerk nor

u se n th e m n s som m s s u s people it, o ly i i ter eti e h t up h is a sac m n s are m n s pr yer with it . The ra e t ad i i tered after th e sam e way and manner by both ne ither so m c as n n a s n e c u h k eeli g at the pr yer , or whe th y re eive ’ th e e m s th e Lo s S b u t all s n le ent at rd upper , itti g

n a in o of c together at a lo g t ble, the b dy the chur h m a t u s ss c nc . I n s e c or ha el bapti neither p r y the ro , nor a s o s are any godf ther or godm ther required , the father only promi sing for h is child The only

f c in h s s c am n is th e s b ans dif eren e t i a r e t , Pre yteri make the father swea r to breed up h is child in the f t and ef of C nan So mn L a u ai h beli the ove t or le e g e , whereas the Orthodox cause the father repea t the ’ os s C and om s to c in Ap tle reed, pr i e breed up the hild “ s that faith which him self then possesse .

‘ M Crie e cclesi also , who represents the other

“ astica l S t ide , in his Sketches of Scot ish Church

Th e Cas e of th e Prese nt Affl ic ted Cle rgy in Scotla nd ” u l e esen e . 3 of P e ace . Tr y R pr t d , p r f 1 1 8 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

History , writes thus of the period immediately preceding the Revolution of 1 688

I t is a cu rious fact that during all this time no attempt was made to introduce the cerem onies of the En s c s f m s ff gli h chur he . The or of wor hip di ered very

a s Our little from th t practised by th e Presbyterian . c c h ad no u no c mo s prelati lergy lit rgy, ere nie , no W a is s c a s ss n in sm . urpli e, no ltar , no cro i g bapti h t o ma a h ad C ss of m re re rk ble, they no onfe ion Faith , no s an o or sc n u e t dard of d ctrine di ipli e, no rule to g id c c c th e s s c their pra ti e, ex ept the will of bi hop , whi h, ” was a of n . again, regul ted by the will the ki g

If, then , Presbyterianism had the repetition ’ m d s of the Lord s Prayer , the Ten Com an ment , and the Doxology as part of the Church service on Sabbath up to the times of the Covenant , and Episcopacy had no liturgy as late as the middle of the eighteenth century , why create so much disturbance and involve the nation in the horrors of civil war about the comparatively trivial difference as to whether Presbyters or Bishops should rule the Church

In reply to this , it has to be called to remem was brance , in the first place , that Episcopacy imposed . That form of Church life was not the free choice of the people . In the circumstances of the country at the time the acceptance of Episcopacy meant the undue enlargement of the

‘ ’ ” M Crie s S e c es of Sc o s u H s o V ol. k t h tti h Ch rch i t ry ,

I I . . 236 . , p

1 20 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH . anxiety to secure an unoccupied place between the soul and God , the Scottish people turned away from that system which in their eyes , rightly or wrongly , had a proclivity for those things which impaired the freedom of the

r individual Christian , and mar ed the simplicity of the Gospel . That untold multitudes of pious souls have been “nourished within the communion of the

Episcopal Church , and that character noble and strong has been formed by its ministrations , it would be downright folly as well as sheer bigotry to deny ; but a prej udice has been excited against it in Scotland because many of its sons attach an importance to distinctive ecclesiastical order which it is found diffi cult to reconcile with the mandate of Scripture and also with the condi tions of a true and enlightened catholicity. The adherents of almost all other forms of Church government and worship can hold their respective convictions as to what the outward structure of

the Church ought to be , and yet feel that they stand equally on the common ground of an u n

impaired and catholic Christianity ; but some ,

and these the most pronounced Episcopalians , bring in things of which they as such claim to

have a monopoly , which tend to subordinate

the spiritual to the ecclesiastical , and make catholicity a much narrower thin g than did

Christ and the Apostles . S S BI HOP PATRIC K FORBE . 1 21

What helped also to draw the great majority of the Scottish people from an Episcop a cy which readily identified itself with sacerdotalism was the fact that the men who took a leading part in opening the eyes of the nation to the gr and verities of Gospel salvation put the chief stress and weight of their thought upon spi ri tual doctrine rather than upon ecclesiastical ritual . The religious awakening of Scotland could be

a traced to evangelic l teaching , not to sacramental acts— to the exaltation of Christ before individual fi souls , not to the enthronement of any of cials of the Church as d epositaries of heavenly grace . W t The Reformers such as ishar , Knox , and

Patrick Hamilton , like Luther , brought the people face to face with their Saviour ; and

While they believed in the Church , it was only as a fellowship and means of edifi cation for men who had met Christ for themselves . In short , the ecclesias tical was viewed by th e men w h o by God ’s help have made Scotland what it is as nothing unless it w as preceded by the spiritual ’ and the experimental in the soul s own dealings N w with God . o doubt there ere fanatical Presbyterians who thought their system should be set up over the whole world , but the recognised leaders and exponents of Scottish religious life introduced Presbyterianism not th e because it was only channel of grace for men , a but bec use they thought it was Scriptural , 1 22 THE LI GHTS O F THE NORTH . and it was the form of government which the

Reformers on the Continent , such as Calvin , with whom they had close communication , favoured .

But there were Episcopalians then , as there now are , whose Episcopacy was little more to their Evangelicalism than the accident is to the — essence than the porch is to the palace . They

th e accepted Christ as only Saviour of men , and faith in him as the only condition of salvation .

Such was Archbishop Leighton , that saintly and seraphic man , whose sermons lift you far above all consideration of ritual or Church order into the holy of holies of a pure spirituality and heavenly serenity , and make you feel indeed that

the pure in heart shall see God , not only in some future and far - off scene but wherever they u nmis turn their eyes . Leighton s piety , so tak ab l y sincere , as far redeemed from self and the world as is possible on this side of the grave ; his penetrating insight into the meaning of Scripture ; the spontaneous fl ow of h is original

n thought, like the welli g forth of a perennial spring ; the rare glow and sparkle of an imagina tion that was at home amongst the things of — God ; the chaste beauty of his diction all make E you think , not of the piscopalian , but of the Christian who has learned to look upon ques

tions of Church order as little more than garments ,

Off . to be put or on according as they fit Such , Scou al on a smaller scale , was g , of Aberdeen ,

1 4 2 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

o the wall of the byre , he took it down and sh ok c ow it over the , saying, in a loud voice Gin ye l ive . ye live , and gin ye dee , ye dee To the ’ old woman s great delight the cow recovered .

Some time after Mr . Forbes became very ill t wi h quinsy , and was not expected to recover . When he was at his worst the woman came to the door and demanded to see him . The ser r a vant would not listen to her equest, and s id

“ Mr . Forbes was j uist but she would

“ ’ s n m e take no refusal . Th ere the mair eed for wa to win in , than said she , and forcing her y

i into the room W th the aforesaid riddle , she shook it over the laird ’s head with the words Gin ye ! ” live , ye live , and gin ye dee , ye dee which caused him to burst into a fit of laughter, with the result that the quinsy broke and he was relieved !

That Patrick Forbes , a country gentleman , should have cultivated tastes and engaged in pursuits that are too Often in these days regarded n as the preserve of the professio al clergymen , was not at all a circumstance to be specially noted at that period . All classes then , especially — the gen try and s maller proprietors not as a r ule — the nobles in most parts Of Scotland made religion , if not indeed theology , one of the special A S interests of life . can be gathered from the extensive correspondence carried on by Ruther an ford , piety was honoured guest in the mansion S S BI HOP PATRIC K FORBE . 1 25 as well as in the cottage , there being a freshness of interest in the study of Scripture in th ose early days of the Reformation period , as of the opening up of the land of Beulah . With his well - furnished m ind and deep

b e spiritual earnestness , it was not to expected that Patrick Fo rbes should be allowed to remain long idle when there was such scarcity of Gosp e l

. n ministrations in the land He , soon after settli g

o down in the paternal estate , was pressed int service as a preacher in the neighbouri n g parish

. n n church In a simple , straightforward ma er ,

a V I he thus explains , in a letter to King J mes , h ow he was led to take up pub lic work of th e

d ff o f kind , though , owing to the i iculties the

n times , he did not see his way formally to e ter the ministry

n cas in s a s w w n Bei g t the e p rt here , ithi c nct Of two s e s a t as w n a nd the pre i Pre byteri , le t t e ty one c s la I m a n w ou r s a e w e e chur he y pl ted , hereby t t r

om h eath e nism e an in s a nd r a e little fr , I beg imple p iv t manners (necessity e nforci ng it on my c onscie n ce) t o

a f th e c m n catech ise my own family. There ter Chur h e of that provi nce dealing e a r nes tlie with m e to a ccept of som c c a in ministrie of t h e C u c e publi k h rge the h r h , w c o s s c u ] cons a on s cou hi h , up n diver re pe tf l ider ti , I ld

n ot as e n to n x w all ns a nce , th , yield , they e t ith i t

s a at e s for u of o e s reque ted th t l a t , the g de th r , I would be con t ent to tran sfer my domes tic pai nes t o

ane o c c now o n n to m o s wh airto v id hur h , j i i g y h u e ; 1 2 S 6 THE LIGHT OF THE NORTH .

a s ac co sc having for p e nde endit, they afterward, by c m ss s f m S c me thair o mi ioner ro thair ynod, dire ted to for ff c o a s that e e t, yet m re e rne tly entreated that I would still hold on that course which (as they judged) in f u had been some degree r itfu l . But a summary prohibition was put upon Glad tan s those preachings by Archbishop s e . It w as not denied that Forbes was eminently quali

fi ed for the work he undertook , and that good results were flowing from it , but the one fatal — Objection to it was its irregu larity h e was not

“ ” in orders . Rather than that a man should preach who had not had the hands of a bishop was placed upon him , though it clear he had every q ualification for it , the people must be allowed spiritually to starve .

At length , after considerable hesitation , he was induced to yield to the pressure of many l friends , and he forma ly entered the ministry . The circumstances under which he took this step were tragic and harrowing . John Chalmers , minister of the parish of Keith , having fallen into a morbid state of mind , laid violent hands upon himself by attempting to cut his throat . No sooner had he done the deed— which proved — ultimately, though not immediately , fatal than , struck with the deepest remorse and penitence , he bitterly repented of the criminal surrender to the melancholy which was brooding over his spirit . He sent for the laird of Corse, whose

1 28 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

— in John , of Alford , did their attitude of deter mined antagonism to the Church polity which was favoured by royalty and was by law estab lish ed . He was of a strongly conservative turn of mind , a stickler for legality and order , with a constitutional dislike to anything that savoured i . . h s of revolution and disloyalty Dr Grub, in ” Ecclesiastical History of Scotland , says of h im Retaining his strong attachment to the wa s Protestant doctrines , he disposed , like many other good men of that time , to acquiesce in the Sovereign ’ s claims to regulate the external polity ” of the Church . But it cannot be doubted by every unbiased student of history that Scotland would have been a very di fferent place to - day if ” that acquiescence had been general . It is not meant as any disparagement to his Christian character and S piritual earnestness when it is

- said that , from a failure in clear sightedness or courage , he cannot claim the credit of having strengthened the hands of those with whom at heart he had so much in common , and who, at great cost to themselves , were fighting for the n liberties we ow enj oy. But there can be as little doubt that as a bishop he was without reproach . His heart was S in piritual work , and he was no mere ecclesias tical magnate who delighted in pomp and show , v and who , instead of being the ser ant of servants , ’ lorded it over God s heritage . It was his great S K S 1 BI HOP PATRIC FORBE . 29

aim , and the burning desire of his heart , to secure efficiency and usefulness in his diocese . Without gi ving any notice he would go to a parish on a S turday evening, take a private lodging , and give the officiating minister next morning a sur prise by presenting himself as an unexpected b earer and spectator . But while he was watch i ful and resolute in keeping others to the r duty , he was quite as hard upon himself and often requested his brother ministers to poi nt out any fault or defect they saw in his character or his deportment as a public servant . Bishop Forbes exercised his authority with great discrimination in h is selection of men for ff i the principal o ices of the min stry in Aberdeen . r — He gathered about him a numbe of men Barron ,

“ ” — wh o Scroggie , Guild , and others the Doctors i by their learn ng and their dialectic skill , shed

. r lustre upon the city With Raban as printe , Aberdeen in Bishop Forbes ’s time became quite “ ” a literary centre . The Funerals of Bishop Forbe s are a curious contribution to the litera ture of their kind . They are a collection of the funeral sermons and other eff usions which were written on the lamented death of the h ow Bishop , and show much he was revered by

his conte mporaries . X C H A P T E R I .

S AMUEL RUTHERFORD IN ABERDEEN

AMUEL RUTHERFORD stands alongside the very greatest men of the stirrin g period n which we have ow reached . He was not so much at home in the management of public affairs as Alexander Henderson, and did not have his i calm , broad , tolerant, statesmanlike sp rit ; but for

S lu x u ri heer intellectual force , kindling power, ance of fancy, and that kind of originality we w as call genius , he more than the equal of the noble - hearted man who was to be the leader of the Presbyterian Church at a troublous and

th e critical time . Certainly, no one of all stalwar t heroes who fought for the liberty and spirituality of the Scottish Church has been more venerated and beloved by the godly of the land for the last two hundred years than Samuel

Rutherford . He brings a contrib u tidn of his own to the

religious life and literature of Scotland . He has supplied an element of fervid spiritual emotion — which is certainly not over abun dant in this

land . He is our Scottish seraph , and is to the other theologians of the land and the time what

John was to the rest of the twelve . Like John ,

1 H 32 THE LIG TS OF THE NORTH . son u to Edinburgh University, where he grad ated 1 21 in 6 . Soon after he was appointed Regent or

Offi Professor of Humanity , which ce , however, he d emitted after being in it for four years , and in 1 627 he became the minister of the parish of

Anwoth . In that lovely spot, near the Solway , he began a pastoral work , the story of which , so full of tender solicitude for the people committed to his care , and consuming devotion m to their highest interests , has made the na e h f Anwoth fragrant wit a holy ame , and made it also a scene of highest inspiration to ministers all over the land . was w It , ho ever, during his enforced retire ment in Aberdeen , banished for his nonconformity was by the High Commission Court, that he destined to do the most memorable and effective H ow work of his life . often he complained while he was a prisoner ” in the northern city that he was not allowed to open his m outh in public, and by preaching exercise the one gift which he valued above all others . Little did he know that by the letters which he was compelled r to w ite , as the only means of communication between him and his flock and other friends , he ’ ” h e was thereby, in the Lord s palace , as called an his lodging in Aberdeen , to address audience throughout Christendom such as no man could and l number, one which is not yet, nor is ikely to be , dismissed as long as the world stands . S 1 AMUEL RUTHERFORD IN ABERDEEN . 33

H ow often Providence so orders events that what appears to h e a grievou s hindrance to the onward movement of the good cause becomes a most valuable aid . Paul shut up in a Roman prison was not to human vision a very propitious circumstance for the infant churches which so much needed his fostering care ; but by the h ow epistles written during that confinement , much more did the apostle do by his pen than could have been done by his voice , and what an inexhaustible treasury of precious thought has h ‘ t e Ch u rch thereby acquired for all time . There can be no doubt that Milton ’s blindness and consequent retirement from public life after the n Restoration , had somethi g to do with the com

“ ” position of Paradise Lost . The immortal dreamer , Bunyan , would not probably have had

“ ’ time for his great allegory , the Pilgrim s ” r Prog ess , if he had not been forcibly detached a for season from pastoral responsibilities , and immured in Bedford , Gaol . As the most of “ Rutherford ’ s letters were composed while the writer was a banished minister in Aberdeen , we can easily j udge h ow much posterity owes to the banishment . H ow -fi tted ill , too , are the most earnest workers sometimes to form a correct j udgment of the respective value of the several parts of ” their work . Rutherford regarded Lex Rex

as the masterpiece of his mind , and , against the 1 4 3 THE LIGHTS or THE NORTH .

m advice of so e of his friends , persisted in publish i * “ ff ing t. The letters were e usions thrown off at a heat , as many as thirteen having been written in one day in Aberdeen , with no thought of publication and yet Lex Rex ” lies

f ew now in the back shelves of a libraries , and

“ ” the letters are on the table of the cottager,

- and are the spiritual aliment of to day. Any j udgment that is formed of the contents and style of those letters , to be fair and chari table , is bound to take into account the circum stances of their composition . It is not j ust to compare them with books of devotion that were carefully written , revised , and published ’ during the lifetime of the author . Rutherford s letters were the outpourings of a heart opening itself in the intimacies of Christian friendship , with no thought of their being cast further abroad into the world than the narrow circles to which they were immediately address ed . A great deal would have been done to mitigate adverse criticism if the letters had been pruned and abridged ; but the very love which men had for Rutherford and his writings on ex peri mental religion caused them greedily to seize

r and , against his will, put into p int all that came

“ I n and o e s m a u c a ons Go on th e it , th r i il r p bli ti , rd , sh ew b u t a e sna s a son of o em a sa s r d , r th r ppi h , p r R thi y , y h e sh ew es h is a en in e o nin new s nc ons ll to t l t y g di ti ti , i ” b r h e u nd ers tood fo t e most part .

1 36 S THE LIGHT OF THE NORTH . that David and Paul in certain exalted m oods must in their eyes be guilty of fanatical extrava gance , though they would not like to say it so freely of them as of Rutherford . Whom have

I in the heavens but Thee , and there is none upon the earth I desire besides Thee , or I count all things but loss for the excellency of the ” o knowledge of Christ Jesus , my L rd , are o sentences which , if found in any other bo k than the Bible , would doubtless be regarded by th ese critics as lacking in sobriety . Would they not also take Objeetion to such a sentence as this a O from Thomas Kempis my beloved Spouse , r Jesus Christ, most pure lover of all c eation , who will give me the wings of true liberty to fly and repose in Thee There are some men who can keep their religious intelligence apart from their feeling , n and their natures are like moder ships , with their watertight compartments , by which all communication can be shut Off from one another . Their religion is kept in the sphere of intellect or sentiment ; they do not admit it into the possession of the whole man , commanding and stirring the affections as well as linking itself to wh the thought . Such men o make religion a code of rules, a moral principle , or a sacramental ritual may be shocked by the ardour of Ruther ’ ford s love for Christ ; but when a man wh o is naturally of deep emotional susceptibility brings S M U 1N 1 3 7 A EL RUTHERFORD ABERDEEN .

it up to the contemplation of the adorable self sac rifi ce , the marvellous condescension , the matchless beauty and unfaltering faithfulness

h ow c an as of Christ, he do other than speak one wh o is inspired and occasionally lifted into rapture that has in it more of heaven than of earth Those letters are to be read as we would do hymns ; they are the poetry of religiou s ex ’ perie nce . Bernard s attitude of mind in singing of the glories of the heavenly Jerusalem is ess entially that of Rutherford in expatiating on — the loveliness of Christ h e has given himself

up to the contemplation of his theme , and is

lost in wonder, love , and praise ; as he muses , the

fire burns . All true poetry is seeking after the

ideal , and rejoicing in what it finds by the way .

Rutherford found his ideal in Christ , and he gives us his impressions produced in language that is poetry in everything but the art of ifi i n vers cat o . If the soul is to be kindled by the sublimity of nature and enthralled by its wh beauty, y should not the surpassing excellency ’ of Jesus Christ, as the brightness of God s glory

and the express image of His person , thrill the heart and attune the lips of the believer ? I s the altar fire to burn low when the fuel is supplied by the supernatural intervention of Christ ? I S there to be impassioned song about i the clouds and the sky and the hills , wh ch are 1 8 O F 3 THE LIGHTS THE NORTH .

d re ss wh o only so much vapour and , while He is the substance of which they are the shadows , the glorious reality up to wh ich they were in tended to lead , is to have no rapturous song , but

Of ? only the cold , dry assent the understanding N ay ; he that keeps company with the Divine

One as Rutherford did cannot be silent . If the clay has a sweet scent because it has been with the rose , no one can dwell in the presence of Of his Lord without being moved out his cold , measur ed devotion . — There are in all three hundred and sixty fi ve ’ two of Rutherford s letters published , hundred and twenty of these having been written during his soj ourn in Aberdeen , which dated from 1 1 636 638 . September , , till February , There are several allusions in his letters which cannot but n be interesting to those e w dwelling in the city . I t appears that a deputation of his congregation from Anwoth came with him as far as the place

“ w a s wh o to which he banished , all wept sore when parting with their beloved pastor. The change to the dry kindness ” which he received from the inhabitants of Aberdeen must have been felt acutely by such a susceptible nature .

He was reluctant to go north , though willing ’ ff h is enough to su er in Master s service . Writing

“ from Edinburgh on his way , he said Neither care I much to go from the south of Scotland to ’ the north , and to be Christ s prisoner amongst

1 40 H S THE LIG T OF THE NORT H . m ake Aberdeen my garden of delight. It seems that some of the good people were indignant because Rutherford w a s not allowed to preach ff Some people a ect me , for the which cause I hear the preachers purpose to have my confinement changed to another place ; SO cold is northern love ; but Christ and I will bear For myself I am here a prisoner confined to Aberdeen , threatened to be removed to Caithness because I desire to edify in this town ; and am O penly preached against in the pulpits in my hearing , and tempted with disputations by the doctors , ” “ especially by Dr . B . I am here assaulted ’ with the doctors guns ; but I bless the Father of lights that they draw not blood of truth ” : A f e w weeks later he says I am in no better neighbourhood with the ministers here than before ; they cannot endure that any speak Of me or to me . Thus I am in the meantime silent ,

which is my greatest grief. Dr. Barron hath O ften disputed with me , especially about

Arminian controversies , and for the ceremonies . Three yokings laid him by and I ha ve not been

h . ow troubled wit him since N , he hath appointed a dispute before witnesses ; I trust that Christ and truth will do for Not long after that he says I hope in God to leave some of my rust and su p erfl uities in

‘

e e c c . Letter lxix . 1 L tt r ix

x vn . TLe tter lxxxix . Lett er c S U I 1 41 AMUEL R THERFORD N ABERDEEN .

Aberdeen . I cannot get a house in this town ’ wherein to leave drink - silver in my Maste r s name save one only . There is no sale for Christ in th e north . He is like to lie long in my hand ” ere any accept Him .

But he had his joyous seasons in Aberdeen . 1 3th M 1 637 In a letter written arch , , he reports

“ ’ — I a m in Christ s tutoring here . He hath f made me content with a borrowed ireside , and it casteth as much heat as mine own . I want nothing but real possession of Christ , and He h hath given me a pawn of that also , w ich I hope to keep till He come Himself to loose the pawn .

I cannot get help to praise His high name . He hath made king over my losses , imprisonment , banishment ; and only my dumb Sabbaths stick ” H w . o in my throat touching are his longings , ! so frequently expressed , for liberty to preach “ Pray for me that the Lord would give me house - room again to hold a candle to this dark d ” “ worl : I am well every way , all praise to

Him , in whose books I must stand for ever as ' in h His debtor Only my silence p a et me . I had one joy out of heaven , next to Christ my

t wa s Lord , and hat to preach to this faithless generation and they have taken that from me . ’ It was to me as the poor man s one eye , and they have put out that My trials are heavy

r e e c c . Le tte c xix . I L tt r iii

e e c c . t Le tte r c xxxix . L tt r viii 1 42 S THE LIGHT OF THE NORTH .

because Of my sad Sabbaths ; but I know that

they are less than my high provocations . I seek no more than that Christ may be the gainer and

I the loser ; that He may be raised and heightened ,

and I cried down , and my worth made dust

. ! before His glory Oh that Scotland , all with

one shout , would cry up Christ , and that His ” E name were high in the land . With what a Spirit of pure and noble patriotis m he was animated O ’ Lord , cast not water on Scotland s smoking ” coal . 1 ’ During the latter part of Rutherford s d eten s tion in Aberdeen , stirring and decisive event r r we e occu ring in the Scottish metropolis , the tidings of which must have gladdened the soul of ” the prisoner , and made him feel that the time ’ of release was at hand . Jenny Geddes s stool and other S igns of the times were so reassuring that without any formal permission , he returned

l f to h S beloved Anwoth . A ew weeks after that he preached a characteristic “ Sermon to the

- u w as Times , in which his pent p energy as a

fl ood - stream when the gates are opened . In the — — famous Assembly of that year 1 638 h e was asked to return to Aberdeen and take the Chair of Divinity in the University of that city, which

he refused to do . Lest , however, our civic vanity

should be unduly wounded by such a refusal , it is well to mention that it was only by great

" . lx v Letter c clv 1 Le tter cc x u .

1 44 S THE LIGHT OF THE NORTH .

Provost f u rth u rform e declair it to the nich tb ors of toun that the Council of this burghe hade maide nomination and election of M r. Samuell Ruther faili in e . ford , and g of him , of Mr Robert Bailie , Da vid failiein . u and g of him , Mr Dick , for sup i l ein Of . p g the vacant roume Mr David Barron , last professor of divinitie within the new colledge Of tw se Aberdeen , and for preaching y ilk Sabbath day in the Colledge Kirk of the said burghe . The house in which Rutherford at first lodged in Aberdeen is said to have stood on the left - hand

44 r kirk U e ate . side of Burn Court, pp g E X C H A P T R I I .

I S G — 3 THE COVENANT NG TRUG LE IN ABERDEEN 1 6 8 .

BERDEEN received more than its prop e r GDQ tion a te share of attention from both of the contending parties of the period of the Covenant . in This was owing , not to superabundance of teres t in the struggle , but rather to lukewarm ness , if not positive hostility , to the popular side .

The members of this northern community , d i ominated by neighbouring terr torial magnates ,

“ ” conservative professors and doctors , would gladly have j ogged on as in former days , and allowed the controversy which was setting on fire the southern part of the land to exhaust

n itself . They had no irrepressible desire to i ter fere in any way , either in adding fuel to the flame or going out of their way to take part in its extinction . But unfortunately for their Gallio frame of mind , they were imperiously called upon to take sides . The equanimity of their neutral position ’ was ever being broken in upon . The King s party delighted to visit and utilise the resources of the loyal northern m e n . The Covenanters were just as anxious to come to Be n - Accord to 1 4 6 THE LIGHTS OF TH E NORTH .

s concuss, if they could not convert, the cautiou

- and sure going Aberdonians . Between the two rival parties , one coming not unfrequently as soon as the other had gone , the chronic unrest they created , and the heavy exactions they levied , Aberdeen soon became like the ground round a well on a country road , so trodden down by cattle from all parts that it w as anything but a delightful place to dwell in . So deep was their dej eetion at one point in the struggle , that they actually begged for permission to remove t themselves , their families , and proper y from their “ devoted No sooner were they S lapped on one cheek than the Aberdeen people had to turn the other also . Yea, the Marquis of

Montrose , who brought such military genius and dash to bear upon both sides of the controversy , gave hard knocks to the one cheek after the other. The very dogs of Aberdeen were made to

m . feel the brunt of the unhappy ti es Spalding , h is in garrulous , gossiping style , tells us that when the first army (Covenanting) came here, “ ilk captain and soldier had a blue ribbon about — his craig true blue P r esb ytan in despite and derision whereof , when they removed from Aber was deen , some women of Aberdeen (as alleged) ’ th e m essin s knit blue ribbons about craigs ,

’ Ki ng s Cove na nters in th e North is a book tha t all shou ld rea d wh o w a n t to ha ve pa rticu la r i nforma ti on rega rd in th e o e na n e s in e el on t s of h e l n g C v t r th ir r ati o thi pa rt t a d .

4 H S H 1 8 THE LIG T OF T E NORTH . — Churchyard in 1 638 ; with this difference that the pivot Of the controversy had been shifted P from the e pe to King Charles the First . No doubt it would be an easy thing to prove that many of the Covenanters were illogical and inconsistent , and were sometimes ready to deny to others what they were claiming for themselves ; but the main drift and spirit of the movement was against interference with the rights of con science , and , notwithstanding the mixed motives

of some identified with it, was broadly favourable

to religious life and progress . The policy against which the Covenant ad dressed itself owed its existence ‘ partly to the

spirit of the times , but mainly to the high notions of the Stuart dynasty as to royal prerogative in

things religious as well as political . We cannot be unmindful of the fact that the Scottish Stuarts — an had a personal fascination of manner ease , a grace , and generosity which to some extent won

the hearts of the people . They were patrons of

literature and art , and had an eye and taste for the pleasures and elegancies O f life ; but their most undaunted apologists could not claim for them a plentiful possession of that intense spirituality of mind evinced in Malcolm Can ’ more s consort or in her son King David . It can be quite understood how the Stuarts and others of the same cast of mind should prefer a religion which did n ot make a direct appeal to the spiritual S UGG I 1 4 COVENANTING TR LE N ABERDEEN . 9

consciousness , but one that travelled to it by

n a n d e a cient and hallowed usage , gav more scope for the graceful enshrinement of unseen

things than Presbyterianism afforded . Is it doing an inj ustice to them to say that sentime n t and imagination h ad a larger place in their religion than robust moral conviction and lofty spiritual aspiration ? Nor were they ve ry far behind the ideas of the time which those in power favoured when they desired that what d they personally liked the people shoul adopt . But th e blinding fan aticism of the Stuarts wa s shown in this that a hundred years ’ chequered experien ce failed to w ork the conviction in their minds that the high ~ spirited and earnest

people from whom they sprung , and whom they

r ruled , while loyal , never could become subse vient . With what fond tenacity did the Scottish people di in rest trouble , and in the face of much ex s a peration from high places , cling to the principle of monarchy , and no race of kings would have been more honoured and loved than the Stuarts if only they had manifested more sympathy with that “ soul which Thomas Carlyle said w as given to the nation at the time of the

Reformation . Again st the attempt to enforce Episcopacy and the service - book upon th e Scottish nation a bond of union or agreement embodying the Con

fession Of . Faith , subscribed by James VI , was , 1 50 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

w e as have already stated , drawn up and signed 1 an by persons of all ranks in 638 . That Coven t became a sort of symbol of religious liberty , and the visible embodiment Of the protest Of a nation against the unhallowed encroachment of an a earthly potentate . It was hailed with gre t Of circu enthusiasm , and copies i t having been m lated over the country , it was signed by ulti tudes who could not be present on the eventful day when it was unfolded in Greyfriars Church yard . Along with several noblemen , Andrew

Cant , Alexander Henderson , minister of Leuchars , Of and David Dickson , Irvine , visited the towns of the north as commissioners of the Covenant , their business being to Obtain as many signatures to it as possible . The General Assembly knew what it w as about when it appointed Alexander Henderson r e as one of the commissione s to visit Ab rdeen , and try to bring its recalcitrant inhabitants into line with the people of Scotland generally on the great subject that was almost monopolising the public attention . He was just the man to r ein the impetuosity and temper the heat of Andrew ’ Cant . Henderson s was the weightiest and most commanding personality Of the period his action and bearing ever manifestly had a broad basis of calm j udgment and dignity , as well as immovable rectitude . He was staunch in his loyalty to con viction , and yet his moderation was known to all

1 52 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH . which the Marquis of Hamilton had manifested for the honour of the King he so worthily represented , and his intense desire that due re spect Should be paid to royal authority. Situated as they were , they could not do better than u nflinch imitate his excellent example , and be as ing in their loyalty to their King as Head of the Church as he was to h is and therefore he pro posed as moderator that they should proceed to the next business to which , in the discharge of

h ad . their duty , they to give their attention We cannot recount all his public acts and services , such as his attendance at the Westminster

Assembly of Divines, where his learning and geniality enabled him to take a leading part . Perhaps the best proof that he gave during his life , in which so many great occasions had a or titer in place , of his power to exemplify the f r e with the su a viter in m od e was in the cor r espondence he carried on with King Charles I . with respect to Church government . It says much indeed for Henderson that he should have been able to interchange views on such a subj ect w with such a person, with the result that , hile throughout he never swerved from his fidelity Of b e re to the principles Presbyterianism , yet tain ed the deep respect of the King for his

learning, piety, and solidity .

David Dickson , another of the commissioners who visited Aberdeen , and who became minister S UGG 1 COVENANTING TR LE IN ABERDEEN . 53

1 61 8 of Irvine in , was a man whose learning

was n him which very considerable , fitti g for eminent posts in the Universities in Glasgow and Edinburgh — was overshadowed by his deep spirituality and unction . He had much grace

in every sense and meaning of the word . In proof of the intellectual activity of the time , as well as of the man , it may be mentioned that he proposed to have a more elaborate commentary on the Scriptures than had ever before been attempted in Scotland , the work

being parcelled out to several competent men . But a rude interr uption w a s given to his various labours by an order comi n g to h im from headquarters to leave Irvine and go into exile in ff O f Turri , Aberdeenshire , because his noncon

formity to the fi ve articles of Perth , which enj oined practices that were deemed to savour of sacerdotalism . ff Turri , which had early been an ecclesiastical centre , like many places of the kind , when the form has supplanted the spirit , was one of the most backward parts of the county . Dickson complained that th e devils of Turriff were far worse than the devils Of Irvine ; and work that he could have done in the latter place in a fe w hours took him as many days in the spiritually apathetic , cold north . It was very characteristic that when the commissioners entered Aberdeen , and , according 1 4 G O F H 5 THE LI HTS THE NORT .

o ff to the cust m of the burgh , were o ered a treat Of wine for welcome , they rather unceremoniously declined the corporation banquet till they h ad some assurance that the magistrates would subscribe the Covenant . They evidently meant off business , and were not to be put with a Be n -Accord cup till it was ascertained that there was agreement of which the bond could bear ” “ V h erea t . V witness , says Spalding , the provost

off en ded and and baillies were somewhat , suddenly took their leave ; caused deal the wine in the beadhouse among the poor men , whilk they had so disdainfully refused , whereof the like was ’ ” never done to Aberdeen in no man s memory. Poor baillies ! it was rather hard treatment for men who wanted to be civil to all parties and —o r commit themselves to none , at least , not to the Covenanters . The commissioners were not allowed the use of any of the city churches on the following

Sabbath , and were obliged to address the people during the interva l of worship from the balcony ’ of Earl Marischal s mansion , on the north side of the Castlegate . Dickson , Henderson , and Cant , the very flower of the Covenanting ministry ,

a addressed them in succession , and ppealed for sympathy and help in bringing the great

religious struggle to a successful issue , Cant S being chosen to be the last peaker, as no one was better fitted to drive in the nail which

1 H 56 THE LIGHTS OF TH E NORT .

course of study . I t was his misfortune , as a man ff not of a airs but of study , to have fallen upon unquiet times , by which his favourite pursuits ff su ered considerable interruption . The chief of his works is I n stru ction es H istorico- Theologi 7 ) cae , which was used up to this century as a

- college text book in some parts of Europe . th e 3l st d a of Ju e 1640 I re eted th e same e on to God and I was y li , , p p titi c m o d o f rte . V on th e fi s o f Au u s 1640 I c om ea e d b e o e th e c omm ee of p r t g t , , p r f r itt th e Ge ne a A sse mb lie and be n u e s one d u on man h n s I ou nd r l , , i g q ti p y t i g , f ’ God s m erc iful ] pre senc e so evide ntly w ith m e as n ot withstanding of my sc u es c once n n th e C o enan and of m w rittin s et e we e r pl r i g v t y g , y th y r e a d w w all h e da e s of h e a I se me . N o t t Gene Assemb lie pl ith , y r l praye d every d ay w ith groans and tears u nto God to b e with me and give m e a c om o ab e ou t ett and to o e all m s ns and th e Lo d h ea d f rt l g , f rgiv y i r r m e pra i se d b e th e Lord . V on th e 5 d a of Au u s I was c a e d and I com ea ed b e o e th e p y g t , ll p r f r

Gene a A ssemb lie and th e mod e a o e eo M r . And o Ram sa sa d r l , r t r th r f, r y, i to me in nam e and in esenc e of th e w o e A ssemb lie a th e Ge ne a , pr h l , th t r l A ssemb lie h ad ou nd m e n e nu ou s and o t odo e and ne e P a s f i g r h x , ith r pi t no r A m n an and as for m d f e e n u a m e n conc e n n th e Co enan r i i , y if r t j g t r i g v t , w ” th ey sh ou ld i ntim ate th e ir ill u nto me th e next morning.

H e wa s e e n u a e ose a s h e e u se t o ac e th v t lly d p d , r f d t k e ” ”

i l f h u . . M e mor al s o t e es 44 Co e nan . v t Tr bl , p 7 C H A P T E R X I I I .

— ANDREW CANT 1584 1663 . 1T is unfortunate when a good man has a name with odious or ridiculous associations . Like a shabby coat or an ungainly manner it is a pt to create a prej udice against him . It I s hard to say h ow much the famous Scottish Covenanter

re r e of whom we are to write , as the local p sen tative r e - of established Presbyterianism , has suffered from the fact that he bears a name which has anything but an excellent savour . The transition is so easy from Cant the man

. O to cant the thing An pening , and almost a

are challenge , given to shafts of sarcastic wit from bows big and little . The grievous injustice has actually been done to this worthy man of assuming that the word cant ” can be traced to his character and man

ow e ner, j ust as macadamised roads their name to the genius of Macadam . Sir Richard Steele , in ” ’ the Spectator , says Cant is by some people derived from one Andrew Cant , who they say was a Presbyterian minister in some illiterate

wh o part of Scotland , by exercise and use had

a lia s t obtained the faculty , gift , of alking in the pulpit in such a dialect that it is said he w as 1 58 THE LIGHTS OF TH E NORTH .

ow n understood by none but his congregation , ’ and not by all O f them . Since Maste r Cant s time , it has been understood in a larger sense , and signifies all sudden exclamations , whinings , unreal tones , and , in fine , all praying and preach ” ing like the unlearned of the Presbyterians . The etymological supposition is not very ingenious , as and it is certainly far from accurate , it can ” be easily pro ved that the w ord cant was in use long before the Aberdeen Presbyterian of whom n we are writing was born . It is an explanatio which probably owes its existence to some of ’ ex ub er Cant s virulent opponents , who had more ance of fancy than love for truth and fair play . ” sanctimon The probable derivation of cant, or ff O ff ious a ectation , which ften gives e ect to itself

- in sing song and whining tones , is the Latin Ca n to word . It may be mentioned , by the way , that the great German philosopher Kant , who

was undoubtedly of Scottish descent , is said to have been of the same family as the man who

is the subj ect of this chapter . Very little is known of the parentage and

early life of Andrew Cant . He was born in Aberdeen in 1 584 ; attended the Grammar ’ School and King s College of that city , and 1 1 2 graduated in 6 . There are little circum stances which point to the fact that he was of an d lowly birth , , like many more of his fellow s countrymen , had a truggle to reach the goal of

1 60 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

w an . as ministry in that city That , however, arrangement which Charles the First did not saw f orm id approve , as he that Cant would be a able antagonist to the policy that was to be pursued , so the needed royal sanction was with held and Cant met with the great disappointment ’ of h i s life . Cant s antipathy to Episcopacy was something that almost amounted to a passion ; and it is diffi cult to account for it unless on the supposition that the opposition Of his u ncon genial ecclesiastical environment in early days fanned the flame Of conviction that w as in his bosom . In 1 629 he took service as tutor in Lord ’ 1 633 Forbes s family , and in was made minister

w as w as of Pitsligo . I t while he minister of that remote and quiet parish that the principal part of his public work as an ecclesiastic or politician was done ; for events were n ow hastenin g to a wh o crisis , compelling men had it in them to be leaders to take their stand . He was as ready to do that as the war horse is to enter th e battle

field . In the great and historic Assembly held at th e 1 638 E close of , when piscopacy was displaced by n Presby teria ism , we find Cant well to the front . Passages from a rousing and thorough - going sermon preached before the Commissioners at that gathering are still preserved , and they make

S O good reading yet , there is much virile force in AN DREW CANT . 1 6 1

. e them He must have been , as Principal Bailli

- a . c lled him , ane super excellent preacher I t is incidentally mentioned in on e of the Kirk records that an Act was publicly read in the

“ Assembly by Mr . Andrew Cant , he having a strong voice . He was , indeed , as is said on his ” tomb , a Boanerges , and the times made such a man eminently seasonable . He could not be hid .

- f His over lowing energy , his hot and forcible

n o f eloquence , his power of moving the feeli gs the common people , made him a marked man wherever honesty and courage and evangelical truth were appreciated . Andrew Cant was a later and abridged edition of John Knox . He had certainly much of the tempestuous v eh e

th e mence , the glowing intensity , absolute fear lessness , and occasional asperity of the great

Reformer . Andrew Cant was the very incarn a tion‘ of th e

S O spirit of the Covenant , with which he was — intimately and honourably associated resolute ,

- whole hearted , sturdy , and thoroughly sur rendered to the cause with which he was identified . When men are rising to meet the b weighty responsi ilities of a providential crisis ,

- fou nd a a God made epoch , and are laying the Of tions the future , they must be able to dis tin u ish ff n ot g things that di er , so that sand shall

. O f be mista ken for rock . It is needful to be sure your ground when much depends upon your M S T 1 62 THE LIGHT OF THE NOR H .

O f affirmations . He that f ers to prescribe for the body will not be listened to if he is in doubt whether it is poison or medicine he is adminis

tering. Is it of less importance that a man should know what h e is about in the higher region of life ? Men who have a high sense of the value t of truth , and valour of soul to s and by what

they believe to be such , cannot help pressing in all legitimate ways what they deem to be for the ’ world s good . Let us give a f ew extracts from a sermon Andrew Cant delivered i n Inverness as one of

the Covenanting Commissioners , showing the w — a po er of the man man for the times , and not

like Leighton , who , to a large extent, lived apart from the times

Long ago our gracious God was pleased to visi t s n n w t t of H is o o s s thi atio i h the ligh gl ri u go pel, by an n a a nd m n H is o se pl ti g a viney rd in, aki g gl ry to ari

t an w n h at so e o o Sco . G d up n, l d A o der , t gr at a should shine on SO base a soil ! Nature h as been a stepmother to u s in compa rison of those wh o live n o c ma a s in a s u der a h tter li te, a l nd like Go hen or a n E L oo s not as man garde like den . But the ord l k ; H is a c is os f O s H im gr e m t ree , whereby it ften plea eth to compense what is wanting in nature whe nce upon

S c a sc s n f m otl nd a dark, ob ure i la d, in erior to any th e L s a nd sc s ord did ari e , di overed the top of the ’ m u n a ns w t su c c t th in s o t i i h h a lear ligh at, God n H ow far raciou s s nsa n is i e o to o . g di pe tio , it f ri r n ne

1 64 THE L I GHTS or THE NORTH .

a n a s n s o m n w bre ki g ble sed covena t o s le ly s orn . s c c I h o e u Though thi north limate be old, p yo r — s are not at s e s ou c d . heart lea t, th y h ld not be ol The ’ is th e Lo d s and its fu n ss th e w earth r l e , orld and they that dwell therein ; the uttermost parts of the earth are given to Ch rist for a possession His dominion is

m sea sea and om th e n s of fro to , fr the river to e d the

m n nd ss th n n a . C t a e So c e rth o e, he , ki ou t it your a s h o to C is H is gre te t on ur honour hr t, and to lend n u s C m a nd th e falle tr th a lift. o e help to build old s s h a ca th e s wa te , t t ye may be lled repairer of the ac and en s l s c ou ss d bre h th hal all generation all y ble e . Then sh all God build up you r houses as He did to the

E a n m w s for gypti id ive , their fearing God, and for n their friendship to H is people I srael . Be ot like the no s o N m c m h ble of Tekoa, of wh m ehe iah o plained t at they would not p u t their necks to th e work of the L n a h . ot t e ord Be like Meroz, whom the ngel of Lord cu rsed bitterly for not comi ng t o the h elp of the

L a ns m N t s ord gai t the ighty. ei her be ye like tho e ’ mockers and scorners at th e renewing of the Lord s ’ c n in a s s s ove ant Hezeki h day , but rather like tho e s L and not whose heart the ord humbled moved . Be ’ t s n to n s s wh o s to like ho e i vited the ki g upper, refu ed c and s c s s a nd t e s u ome , had mi erable ex u e , h refore ho ld n as of W e h n s ot t te it . hope better t i g of you God hath reserved and advanced you for a better time and u se d w c s nc o ; but if ye ra ba k, keep ile e and hold y ur peace God sh all bring d eliverance and enlargement to H is Ch u rch another way but God save you from the sequ el Nothing is craved of you but wh at is for ’ ’ God and the ki ng ; for Christ s honou r and th e kirk s 1 6 ANDREW CANT . 3

' oo a nd k n d om s e ac : Go d to o u g d , the i g p e give v r

a s co a w s m and so on for God a nd he rt ur ge, i do , re luti ”

n and for C s and H is s m n . the ki g, hri t truth A e

n But that to gue , with the warm , honest heart w as behind it , which was his power, sometimes also his snare . At one of the General Assem

w a s blies , when an important written declaration

M r th e being discussed , . Cant was first to rise and say I t is so full of gross absurdities that I think the hanging of the author should preve n t ” s n all other censure . Such a explosive speech met with th e quie t rebuke of the moderator

“ That punishment is not in the hands of ki r k ” men . H is hot and unrestrained violence of utterance showed to the leaders of the Coven anting struggl e that Cant w a s more useful in supplying needed motive power than in piloting the party through m a tters of i n tricate and deli cate ecclesiastical statesmanship . They were anxious to have th e benefit of his popular gifts and robust championship of their cause nearer the metropolis ; so they got him translated N w n n to e battle , but his hasty and forceful ma er

e n made enemies for him there , and ve estranged

fe w n a a a of his frie ds , so , after cting as ch plain to the Covenanting army for some time , he availed himself of the opportunity of return in ing to Aberdeen and filling a v acancy St .

“ th e tonn e n Nicholas Church . Bot of Aberdee

n — a at the cummi g of this Cant , Spalding r ther 1 66 o THE LIGHTS r THE NORTH . — Spitefully says w es not fully gla id h e was not veray welcome to all . That is perfectly true , Spalding . Andrew Cant would have been more acceptable to Aberdeen had he been more accommodating , just as Savonarola would have been more popular in Florence if his ideal for its inhabitants had not been quite so high . For twenty years he laboured with u nfi agging zeal in his native town , concentrating his atten tion as life went on more upon pas toral duty and spiritual work . Those years were filled with incessant toil and battling for the truth . An evangelical ministry was almost a new thing to that generation in Aberdeen , and he had much to contend with and few to sympathise with him as he tried to shape things in the Church according

r to the mind of Christ . In pu ging away the old leaven , which had not been seriously touched for centuries , he needed all his noble audacity . He denounced and tried to clear away superstitious

customs and Popish practices . He instituted

lectures on Mondays , Wednesdays , Fridays, and

“ ” Saturdays , and from the night abouts , as they

“ r u were called , no honest pe sons d rst be absent , but were rebuked and cried out against ; nor durst any merchant ’s or craftsman ’s booth be opened , in order that the kirk might be better ” kept . Not content with preaching to the people who we came to the church to meet him , as read in

1 8 6 THE L ioH Ts or THE N ORTH . to receive the thrusts of any who will venture to give them for the truth and by his very bold ness put them to shame . But a contest into which he entered with his own congregation proved to be more formidable . He was grieved and burdened on account of the spiritual deadness and flagrant inconsistency of the lives of many under his pastoral charge , and so determined was he not to be a party to shame less formalism that he refused to administer the

Communion . This denial of the privileges of the ” r Church set all the worldly professo s , of whom there were many , against him . He was out of favour , too , with the Independents , as he was a strenuous upholder of the monarchy, though im li ready to rebuke the monarch , as he by p

I . cation did when preaching before Charles , and insisting on the reservation of the rights of

King Jesus . But the worst opposition he met with came from those to whom the world , the

flesh , and the devil were more than Christ and

His cause . It sounds strange to read of a man being deposed from the ministry in his old age and

after long and faithful service , he having done more for the religious aw akening and moral reformation of the north than any other man — but so it was : he was thrust out at the time

of the Restoration . Three years later he died , saying on his deathbed My conscience bears W ANDRE CA NT . 1 69 me witness that I never gave a w rong to uch to the ark of God in all my days . Th us

s - h e re pa sed away this truly Gideon like , one

- - of those whole hearted , single eyed men who in the hour of battle see nothing but the cause

a t they have espoused , and which they have e heart more than lucre , or glory , or even the lov of life .

In St . Nicholas Churchyard , at the west side , ’ not far from the church , Andrew Cant s dust lies . All that marks the spot is a flat stone sunk into w the ground , the lettering on hich is much worn with exposure . C H A P T E R X I V

K — 2 TH E Q UA ERS IN ABERDEEN 166 .

1T may seem strange that Abe rdeen of all places should have become the headquarters of Quakerism ; but so it was , there being no n place in Scotla d , in the middle of the seven teenth century, where so many men of education and social position embraced the tenets of that sect . It would be a mistake , which no one who is acquainted with the religious condition of the m ti e could fall into , to suppose that the com para tive strength of Quakerism was owing to a deeper spirituality here than existed in the other large centres of the population in Scotland .

The very opposite of this was the case , and the as explanation , paradoxical it may appear , is perhaps to be found in that fact .

There were Quaker settlements in Inverurie , A u h or th ies Kin sw ells Oldmeldrum , q , g , Kinmuck , and Aberdeen , and the two last named are all

Kincar that now remain in our county . Ury , in din esh ire - , attained to a world wide fame in con n e ction f with the Quakers , through the in luence of the Barclay family. In order to understand aright the things done against and by the Quakers , we must remember

1 2 7 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

e men mad . We need to take account of the stat of public feeli ng at the time before we can give due perspective to some of the extravagances laid

to . the charge of the Quakers A Quaker writer , dealing with that period , says

“ Su e c s n n s s not s bj ted to the e i dig itie , it doe cau e surprise th at two such gentlemanly a nd refined natures as Andrew Jaffray !son of Alexander] and Robert a c a c a t d ff m s of B r l y were ea h , i erent ti e , led to make s s s c ac to s cu n c s them elve a pe t le the per e ti g itizen , by wa n st to wa s t o s s lki g, ripped the i t, hr ugh the treet , one t s c c o a nd s s h is and th e the wi h a k l th a he on head , other holding of the filth that h ad thu s been cast upon

h m his a s c n w s m s t e in h nd , ea h utteri g oe and judg ent on the city if such cou rse of insult and oppression w s e s na c s ere persisted in . The e p r o l appearan e by wa of s n th e s old f y a ig , like prophet of , are not orgot ten to be br ought forwa rd by th ose wh o reproach th e early Friend s with fanatical practic es b u t they never

u m n n a s e s s ch o ght to be e tio ed, th y mo tly are by u , withou t due remembrance of the state of public feel in a t th e m and s n g ti e, the hocking i dignities and brutalities an ex cited populace had inflicted on these

c a ns a s of h - pea e ble citize . The appear nce igh bred gentlemen in such a condition might be expected to have h ad more effect of sh ami ng them into propriety than of offeri ng any shock t o those u na cquainted with ' ” a t our moder n ideas of soci l proprie ies .

There are f ew local figures more impressive

to the imagination than that of David Barclay , S THE Q UAKER IN ABERDEEN . 1 73

the laird of Ury , who after being on many h i s battlefields , retired to estate , and gave him

u N e w self p to the study of the Testament , with the result that he espoused the cause of the de s pised Quakers . The grand old warrior presented a more noble aspect in his passive e ndurance a s a persecuted Quaker than as a victorious genera l at the head of armies in Swed e n under Gustavus

h e Adolphus . As he said himself , found more satisfaction as well as honour in his being thus in su lted w n in his religious principles than he , some

w as th e a a s years before , it usual for m gistrates ,

e o he visited the city of Aberde n , to g several m iles to meet and conduct him to a public e nt e r

- O tainm ent e . n e in th ir Town House day , as he was bei ng insulted w hile riding alon g the

n e streets of Aberdeen , an old comrade , accompa i d

ff d is e is e by soldiers under his command , o ered to p w and punish the mob , but Barclay would not allo

n him to interfere . It is to this i cident that

Whittier, the American Quaker poet , refers in

one of his most Spirited pieces . We subjoin two stanzas

U th e s e e s of e ee n p tr t Ab rd , th e a nd c o e e e e n By kirk ll g gr , R od e th e L a ird of U ry ose e n h im c ose e s e Cl b hi d , l b id ,

Fou of m ou a nd e -e e l th vil y d , n Presse d th e m ob i fu ry . ° 1 74 TH E LIGHTS OF TH E NORTH .

“ et w ca m a nd s a el m en Y ith l t t y i , U th e s ee s of e een p tr t A b rd , C a m e h e s lowly riding ; A nd t o a ll h e sa w a nd hea rd n s we n n ot a e wo A ri g bitt r rd , T u rn ing not for

The following exquisite touch , from the pages ’ of John Hill Burton s Book Hunter, brings

the old warrior Quaker, Barclay , more distinctly be fore our imagination

After th e religious change had come upon David

a c a t o s nd h is a te s B r l y, and he had retired pe l t r day

in h is nc s s a in nc n sh a e tral e t te Ki ardi e ire, a brother laird though t the old Q u aker could be taken advan

a of w u n and n n c t ge ith imp ity, bega to e croa h upon a c a man nd w h is ma c s. s a r he B r l y, a trong , ith the

n s n ws h is c c s s iro i e of ra e, and their fier e pirit till n n in h is s s nc ac and bur i g eye , trode up to the e ro her, ‘ w t a s s s — n n s i h grim mile poke thu Frie d , thou k owe t

a co man ac relin th t I have be me a of pe e, and have

u ish ed s f and t f art n q tri e, here ore thou e deavouring to

ak wh a is not own m n s t e t thine but i e, becau e thou

s a n of s believe t th t, havi g abjured the arm the fle h, I A nd as n ca nno h n t . d v s t i der hee yet, thy frie d , I a i e s s for s ou s u s cc u s thee to de i t, h lde t tho u eed in ro ing a w m e c anc the old Ad m ithin , per h e he may prove too ’ ‘ ’ if tfi nl me for stf on o . gf y for , but thee

* “ Th e oe ca \V orks of J o n eenl ea W P ti l h Gr f hitti er , 3 l . . 1 . V o . I I , p

1 76 THE LIGHTS or THE N O RTH .

of Aberdeen . He was a favourite with Crom h im well , who induced to enter the Barebones ” ff Parliament , and o ered him a j udgeship , which was declined . He was afterwards one of the Parliamentary Com missioners to negotiate with

Charles II . for his ascension to the Scottish throne . Having received a good education , and being accustomed to mingle with men of all classes, he was often employed in public work requiring firmness and tact .

It was the lot of this quiet , contemplative man to spend his days in Aberdeen when feeling was high and hot as it never was before nor has been since . What with Covenanters , Cromwell ians , and Royalists, society must have been very ff lively . As showing the di icult position which the inhabitants of Aberdeen had to maintain at w that critical period , take the follo ing extract from the diary of General Monk

VV e had notice that our m en were well enter tained n n s Ab erd ene e m by the i habita t of , wh e ade a

b an u ett m . s a 3 ts q for the They t id there nigh , and s had very good quarter . They brought away 2 sh ips laden with a rmes and ammunition ; fined th e towne l ss st 1 000 . for a i ing of Huntley

But while there w as enough of interest in his outward life to ensure him an honourable men tion in the annals of his native town , which he — Sc o a n and h e o onwea 165 1 6 3 . 14 . tl d t C mm lth , p or K I NGSW E LLS 1 77 ALEX ANDER JAFFRAY .

did so much , by his blameless character and pub h im lic spirit, to adorn , what gave the very high place which he occupies in our reverent remem

spiritual religion , and the sacrifices he made to give effect to his convictions in the highest sphere of human thought . He seems to have been pre disposed naturally by the elevated cast of his S mind , his grave , earnest pirit and fearless love of truth , to gi ve a hospitable welcome to the best ideas and influences of the times in which he lived . He was not the man to be the mere creature of convention and fashion , the echo of other minds , but brought an independent and inquiring spirit to bear upon the deep questions of life which were then agitating the thoughts of men . He had a strong realisation of the leading i ’ doctrine of Protestant Christian ty , viz . , God s direct immediate personal access to the soul and following that truth with a noble carelessness

as to consequences of a temporal kind , it led

him first of all to the side of the Covenanters ,

latterly , by intercourse with Cromwell and John

Owen , to the Independents , and farther still

amongst the derided and persecuted Quakers . The story of the discovery of Alexander ’ - Jaffray s long lost diary is worthy of being told . 1 8 26 In John Barclay , a descendant of the

“ famous Quaker Apologist , was visiting the t home of his ancestors at Ury , near S onehaven , 1 78 S O F O THE LIG HT THE N RTH . with the view of ascertaining whether any documents could be found in the family archives that would shed light upon the days when Quakerism became a force in our part of the land . In a corner of the room that was the Apologist ’s study he discovered the earlier part ’ ’ Ja fl ra s w of y diary , along ith other MSS . in a i n eglected cond tion . The paper w a s highly d is coloured and the writing in some parts almost f faded away , so that it was most dif icult to le ft decipher it . In the of a farmhouse not far from the old mansion detached fragments of another MS . were found among heaps of waste paper which was in the same handwriting , and proved to be the other part of the diary . After w incredible pains , the hole was copied , and is given with wonderful perfection in the volume 1 8 that was published in 56 . Thomas Carlyle laments that our renowned fellow - townsman Jaffray should h ave devoted so much of his writing to an account of his in tr osp ectiv e musings and devout contemplations instead of giving us information regarding men and things in the stirring times in which he lived But it is possible to glean facts of h istorical interest relating to himself and others from among his spiritual meditations . In giving an account of his early days he says

n o n n in o Bei g b r at Aberdee , the m nth of July,

6 1 4 was d at amma sc o t 1 , I bre !the gr r] ho l here by

1 8 T OF TH E 0 H E LIGHTS NORTH .

“ I n u a cam w J ly there fter I e home, my ife being, f m co n ou h t s son be ore y mi g, br g to bed of her fir t ,

S af called Alexander. hortly there ter I went again L on n in c m w S A w to do o pany ith Robert kene, ndre n nd m s n m a s s . Bir ie, George Ja ie o , the fa ou arti t I s a m m and on t id so e ti e longer , my n nt off o and s U s retur , we the r ad vi ited the niver ity I n Cam wa . S 1 634 of bridge by the y eptember, , I went to France ; and there staid in Caen in Nor m n for s of e m nt s c a dy, the pace thr e o h in whi h time I learned so much of the French language that I was n able to travel without a guide . From Cae I went ou n and nc s w s d for to R e , from the e to Pari , here I tai the space of two or three months ; from thence I d to o n a nd so D and returne R ue , to ieppe, in the n u n a in L mo th of J e I l nded eith . In September t a te w n a n c and s a fi ve here f r I e t ag i to Fran e, t id or m on s m s a of m in N u ch six th , o t p rt the ti e ! e f atel] despa tchi ng some and had them with me and made some but to very little ” os purp e .

1 647 Regarding the year , he writes

The pestilence raged in Aberdeen for the space of s m m m w fi ve or six months. All thi ti e y fa ily as pre s c was m s as was erved, whi h the ore ob ervable, I every m n s c o n s r — day a o g the i k pe ple , bei g a Magi t ate for ” n s lls th e time I removed to Ki g we .

As one of th e Commissioners appointed to

n . arra ge for the accession of Charles I I , he gives o r K W 1 8 ALEX ANDER JAFFRAY I NGS E LLS . 1

an interesting account of his repentance for the part he took

a 1 649 n n a m m of In the ye r , I bei g the e ber

ia m nt for th e own n was se nt u n o Parl e t of Aberdee , t

o la w Ea of Cassillas Lo o e a nd H l nd , ith the rl , rd Br di ,

L Lib ertone for t a w and n om e ou r ord , to re t ith bri g h

n s a s n n ma n n s young ki g. I h ll pare to me tio y thi g s ss th e wa m st o s s for hortne ; only, by y , I u b erve thi , a n in s m c of ou r a s that h vi g gone there the i pli ity he rt , m n w c nc a se th e indi g hat we o eived to be duty, it ple d Lord to bri ng u s sa fely off with out a ny sna re or

m n Bu t n a a n s n e b th e entangle e t . , bei g g i e t th re y

a m n a 1 650 for sam s ness P rlia e t, in the ye r , that e bu i , we did sinfu lly b oth e nta ngle and e ngage th e na tion s s a nd a oo ou n n c w om and our elve , th t p r y g pri e to h s t m a n him s n and sw a a co nan we were en 5 ki g ig e r ve t , c now om c a and mons a e asons whi h we k , fr le r de tr bl re ,

i a Y t n n a u on a t in h s . e th t he ha ed he rt , fi di g th t p s ms n cou a m t o o the e ter o ly, he ld be d itted rule ver u s all m ns a in fa e h im s nfu ( other ea h v g il d ) , he i lly complied with what w e most sinfully pressed upon h im—w r m st f ss m a ns on ou r he e, I u con e , to y pprehe i , ” sin was more than h is.

The battle of Dunbar and h is narrow escape ff from death , and the e ect it had upon his future are narrated with vividness

n n com om we w not we The Ki g bei g e h e , ere ll w n En an was on o w a n landed, he gl d our b rder ith a m su co s s a a ns ou r n a n r y, to c r them elve g i t i v di g I t is not m s s a to a them . y purpo e here to pe k th t 1 8 2 TH E G S r LI HT o THE NORTH .

s n ss or th e u nwa an a e ss of ou r bu i e , rr t blen of it, or defence and th e lawfulness of it ; but th e thing aim is— m m a nd 0 I at to re e ber ( , that I could do it with a heart rightly thankful ! ) th e just severity and

c f s sa ss L yet mer i ul di pen tion of my ble ed ord, who sad o t a t D u th e 3rd by a very bl w at h t ba tle of nbar, of S m 1 650 me day epte ber, , brought to the very

s - m s n s n e m e gate of death y hor e bei g hot u d r , and n c two w n s in m a one m I havi g re eived ou d y he d, in y an and n th in c So right h d, a o er my ba k . good was L n m e— the ord u to that, albeit for my manifold

t ess s and cu a cc ss n guil in e , parti l rly for my a e io to and compliance in that matter of ou r acting about our

— and King, he might have left me there for ever to — H is wrath in hell y et glory to his name ! that n ss was and m s s guilti e blotted out, all y in pardoned ” s through Jesu Christ .

He now writes of his intercourse with

Cromwell and with the great Puritan theologian ,

John Owen , which was destined to tell so much upon his future

During th e time of my being a prisoner I had good Opportunity of frequent conference with th e G n L n a C m L . L e . ord Ge er l ! ro well] , ! ieutenant a w o and D c w ccas n Gener l Fleet o d], o tor O en ; by o io s c a h ad f s a ou t n o not of who e omp ny I ir t m de u t me, ’ only some more clear evidences of the !Lord s] c s w th e f m and s in ontrover y ith a ily per on of our K g, b u t more particularly th e sinful mistake of the good m en of this nation ab out the knowledge and mind of

1 84 S r TH E LI GHT o THE NORTH .

’ might b e the cau ses of the L ord s controversy with ” the land . The circumstances connected with the setting u p of a separate congregation in Aberdeen are given in detail

“ Some time after this some Christians in Aber m en and w n n for a n m n deen, ome , havi g lo g ti e bee convinced of these things (long before ever a tho ught of m was w fou n ms s the ith me), d the elve obliged to endeavour to h ave the ordi nance s administered in a m o u wa was an o re p re y, than there y h pe ever to a t n a e m in n t a a Bu t tai to h v the the a ion l w y . before we w conc u h n s was ould l de to do any t i g of thi , it t c ssa st a u s to s hought ne e ry, fir to imp rt our p rpo e ome C s n n s a nd to w n a w a hri tia frie d , be illi g to he r h t they

c u c a s ou r so u n . W o o ld obj e t ag in t re l tio hereup n, by c m n cons e was wn sub om o ent, a l tter dra up and sc in nam of st b Mr o w ribed, the e the re , y . J hn Ro e , W n . o n e n s m a d Mr J h M zie , Mr . illia Moire, me, and

ct L VV r i n Da D d a r stou . c dire ed to the or , Mr vid i ke, n L n n L n s m s o . s Mr . Joh evi t e ! ivi g tone] , Mr Ja e n Sam u a d . u t f com Guthrie, Mr el R her ord, to be mu nicated w s w c was f to hom they plea ed, hi h letter o a at d te, Aberdeen the day of jaj vi and We learn that Jaffray was not without marks of appreciation and honours such as the world can give

“ Thereafter I was called by the Judges at Edi n

to D e c to of th e Ch a ncellr in m n burgh be ir r y, the o th : ALEX AN DER .JAFFRAY o r 1 8 5

of c 1 65 2 w c a cc of in th e m n Mar h , , hi h I epted o th o f

I n th e m on of u n 1 653 wa s ca wi th J e, , I lled , th

o ou t of Sc o an sit a s m m e of ther four tl d , to e b r the a m n of n m f a E a n . ca e th e 5 th o u P rli e t gl d I e ther J ly , and s a u n h f 5 h a 6t o u 1 6 4 . d t yed til the Febr ary, I there good occasion to mee t and be acquain ted with m n o m en o ca n sa e of a n oo a y g dly , th ugh I y littl y g d w e did a t th at Pa rliame nt ; y et it was on th e h ea rts of some th e re to h ave done good for pr om oti ng th e

n m of C s b u t th e m not e n come ki gdo hri t ; , ti e b i g w e s t n s we e to b e ou o t we w e h n the e hi g r br ght f r h , er

1 2th a nu a 1 6 4 I c m e for Sco sso 5 . a di lved the J ry, t

an sa 6th of e a t af e a in l d, the id F bru ry here t r , h v g gotte n a t th at time from the Lord Protec tor a nd h is C ouncil a n orde r for p aying to m e b y the C ommis

sioners Le s e n for a n m a at ith t rli g, p yi g y p rt of that debt w e contracted in Holland in the yea r

Does th e following statement not reflect honour upon the Protector as well as upon Jaffr ay

W n h a a a m nt wa s o e n u not he t t P rli e br k p , I

n sa s w sons t o was one of bei g ti fied ith the rea here f,

- Y t or t one a sta e in th e ou se . e thirty thir y th t y d h , th e Protector was pleased to give m e th e a for esaid

of w c ot a m n a nd off e m e order, hi h I g p y e t ; did r to be one of the Judge s in Scotla nd ; b u t thi s I fu s n n m se not ca a for sc a re ed , fi di g y lf p ble di h rge of ” that duty . 1 86 S or THE LIGHT THE NORTH .

Committed a prisoner on account of his r e li iou s g views to the Tolbooth , Edinburgh , he tells us of his sufferings :

Bu t is s h in s here, it to be ob erved, t at my ca e, not n fi x ed ness and n a m nt s m s s o ly e l rge e ! ee u pended, m m m e n w s ls a m s or re oved fro ] , but eve ord a o m ny ti e so that I could not speak a word ; and yet I c ould n ot w f or h ow it was s w so tell here ore thu ith me , in much th at upon the 6th of December I was neces s ita e a m s m s n t d es of . S to d ire Mr J e i p o , my fellow son to a to ss an f m pri er, forbe r pre me y more to per or t a t a n u c as was h t du y of pr yi g p bli ly, I before

c u s n s n - fa was a c tomed to do i our little pri o mily . I above a month under this exercise before I did

nt h s to o n a n s a n adve ure t u be f rbor e , fe ri g to be mi t ke

h i an ff n B a in m d c . u t by , to give him o e e h ving m a of ca s a nd th e w ss for ed him little my e, of eakne and gr eat i nfirmity o f my body ; and having a little reasoned with h im abou t labou ring to h ave ou r hearts more in a fi tted ness and disposition for

a o ntu n so s it as o pr yer, bef re ve ri g ra hly on rdinarily

— s m scou s of s n a n s we do o e di r e thi ki d h vi g pa t, at ” s s m la t he agreed for o e time to forbear me .

ff After a life of incessant toil , much su ering , but , as his diary shows , not a little j oy of a truly heavenly sort in his walk and converse with ff d Kin sw ells God , Alexander Ja ray ied at g in 1 673 , and lies in the little graveyard in that estate , bearing evidence in the very situation of

X V C H A P T E R I .

CHURCH LIFE IN THE S EVENTE ENTH CENTURY .

ET us learn , in this chapter , of the worship

and life of the people , their morals and m anners , as indicated in the Presbyterial records th e of that period . On Sabbath day the people were accustomed to meet in church half an hour before the minister appeared , when the reader or precentor read several chapters of the Bible as prescribed . When the minister came in , the reading was stopped and a psalm given out , which was sung till a sign came from the pulpit to ff cease . After that , prayer was o ered , followed

t was by the sermon , which at tha period usually delivered without the help of notes . After prayer m and another psal came the benediction . Almost the only difference in the service as conducted by Presbyterian and Episcopal clergymen was that the latter , in addition to the above , repeated the ’ Lord s Prayer and Doxology at the end . In most was was places there an afternoon service , which shorter than the morning one .

The following entries , extracted from the records of Strathbogie Presby tery, give us glimpses of the disturbed times

m t Botarie 1 8 Feb rua rn 1 645 . N Att , , o ee ing THE SEVENTEENTH CENT U RY . 1 89 b ecau s of the enimie was for the tyme within th e b ou ndis re sb teric so a th e b reth ere n co of the p y , th t uld not saiflie convein together ; but the Mode ra tor by letter d esyred the b re th eren to meet tha t d ay fourteen days.

h a c 1 4 Bota rie 5t 6 5 . N e t n for Att , M r h , o me i g

s n f sa and b es des s b reth ere n wer the rea o or id , y the ole s s forced to flie from their hou e .

“ Botarie 1 9 a c 1 6 45 . C n e n Att , M r h , o v ed the

two of b reth eren n a a c n all Moderator and the ex t dj e t , th e rest being absent b ecau s of the b rokne s of the country .

The times were rough and wild in various ways , as the records of that same Presbytery abundantly show . The Church then was really the principal guardian of order , and was useful , not only for its spiritual ministrations , but also as a moral police . The reader of those entries is disgusted with the extraordinary n umber of per sons charged with uncleanness who came before the ministers of the district for discipline . But probably it was the exceeding faithfulness ’ of Z ion s watchmen of that day w hich mak e s th e

n immorality so apparent . Men were not let alo e in their sin without words of w arning and cor rection :

Botarie a 8 1 637 . . o At , Febru ry , M r R bert W atsone regrated that Andrew M ackpharsone was very scandalous in his behaviour in that d weling in 1 O 90 THE LIGHTS F THE NORTH . the c ou ntrye a nd at th e ch urch style ; he ne ver came to ch u rch e nor a n of famil e sa the y the y . The id Robert was ordai ned to deal p rivatlye with the said n w and if fo n no f u h is traveles A dre , he u d guid r it by , that he shall su mmond th e said Andrew and his ” amil f y e before the P resb yterie .

“ The stool of repentance was a great institu ff tion in those days . Female o enders were some

“ times put in the kirk wolt or d ou kit at the dam . The sentence occurs very frequently Ordained to satisfi e in sackcloth three -quarters of ane year .

William Mitchell , of the parish of Keith , con

“ victed of adultery : was ordained to stand in the j ogge s and b r an k es with his head clipped and barefooted , in sackcloth , till the congregation was

fi oth er w se r e d e em e satis ed , or y to himself from th e j ogge s and b ra nk es by paying forty markes ”

en alt e . p y , and to stand only in sackcloth

Some of the women , ashamed of their posi tion as they sat before th e gaze of the whole congregation , drew their shawl or plaid over their heads , so as to cover their faces , but they were ordered to desist from that attempt at con ” cealm en t. The stool must often have had a

hardening effect . We read of a man who is described as making a moke of repentance by putting in of sne esh e n in his eyes to make them

u on e one i tear and by laughing p several per s s n ” u li i p b c t. It must have been a character of that

1 92 S THE LIGHT OF THE NORTH .

’ of Aberdeen was to th e saint s well in Bay of

Nigg . The most hideous example of perverted zeal shown on behalf of religion was in the su ppres sion of witchcraft . The parish of Skene , it ff would appear, was specially a ected with

in 1 602 w as witches , as a roll of them ordered to be made up and transmitted to the Marquis of

“ Huntly that the land may be pu rgit of sic ” in s r m is l t u ent of the d e vil . The purging w as carried on with great energy , and the people of the city and the county seemed to have lost their heads in dealing with the poor unfortunate m creatures , who fro various signs were supposed i to be in league with the Pr nce of Darkness . It was believed that certain persons were brought under the malign influence of the Evil One , that they made a compact with him , and were his agents in stopping mills , blasting crops , raising storms , causing cattle to die , and cows to cease to give milk . Terrible cruelties were perpetrated in the name of religion . In the course of ten years in the latter part of the sixteenth century no fewer than thirty persons , chiefly women , were put on their trial and burned alive beside the l Heading Hill in Aberdeen . It did indeed ook as if there were demoniacal possession in the accusers rather than the accused . Sometimes in their fury a tumultuous and howling crowd would drag suspected persons down the Sh ipr ow TH E S U EVENTEENTH CENT RY . 1 93

and throw them into th e harbour ; if they s ank

there was an end of them , and if they floate d they were guilty !

It must , in j ustice to the ministers , be said that those raids upon witches were due more to popular excitement than to the instigation of m the Church . There was one for of superstition very prevalent that the Presbyteries set them

’ selves against , and that was the goodman s lot . This was a survival of the old heathenism of the

b e n efi c ent country , which had its place before the

w TO s ay of Christianity began . propitiate the ” t devil he was called the goodman , j us as the a s fairies were addressed our good neighbours , and in recognition of him there was often a “ 1 646 part of the farm left untilled . In Seif wright and Stronach were accused of sorcery ” in allowing some land to the old goodman . At a visitation of the Kirk of Rhynie in August ,

1 651 L e sm oir , Sir William Gordon of admitted that part of the Mains of L es moir was given w a ay to the goodman , and not to be laboured ,

h ad m nd s s O f but that he a y , be the a si tance G od . , to cause labour the same The times were trying to good men whose hearts were enlisted on behalf of the cause of 1 6 1 5 . order and righteousness . In the year Mr

Botri h nie w as Alexander Fraser , minister of p , f deposed from the of ice of the ministry , and one cannot but sympathise with that parishioner wh o 0 G 1 94 THE LI HTS OF THE NORTH .

entreated a preachi ng in that desolate con grega tion that they might have the occasione in like manner for taking order with the great enormities that were beginning to increase amongst them th rou gh e the want of restraint and ” l correction . Amidst the awlessness which pre vailed duri n g the civil wars the dread of th e reappearance of Popery often came into the hearts of Christian patriots , as they were ever on their guard against those who had converse with ex com u n ist p e rson e s or Shall receipt semi

r i i narie p est s and Jesuits . Great exertions were made to wean the people from Sabbath desecration . The Laird of Avoch y wa s found guilty of bringing home a millstone from Morayshire on a Sunday with ” a great company of horses and litters . At the D u nsf er mand Presbytery meeting in , September 29 1 636 h not , , it is ordained that the earth s all be Opened in the church till the b u r iall silver be s payed . It is also ordained that drinkers in tym ” of divyne service shall be punished as fornicators .

“ In 1 603 two of the baillies w ere ordered to pass throw the townie everie Sabbath day and nott sic as they find absent fra the sermones e th e r

ef ir of o or efter none . Persons absent from

sermon were fined . The baillies were enjoined to go through the town on preaching d ays as well as on Sunday s to caus the people resort to ” h e W e t sermones . learn that George Gordon of

1 S or 96 THE LIGHT THE NORTH . ecclesiastical chronicles of th e sevente enth century than the discipline which the ministers n ot imposed upon each other . Men who did attend the Presbyterial gatherings were soon made to feel that indolence or occupation with

s le s important matters brought its penalty . At

Botar ie 1 6 1 640 was , Sep . , , the said day it ordained if any brother will be absent two dayes without ane sufficient reason shown to ther P r esbyterie he should be suspended from the ” min istrie . A few years before we learn that

“ B r i 1 2 1 ota e 637 . At , April , , Mr William Read and Mr . Robert Irving were excused for their absence th e former daye by reason of their age b o sterou sness and the y of the wind . But , as if they felt they had gone too far in brotherly “ 1 7 leniency , we read that on May , same year ,

Mr . Robert Irving excused his former absence by the tempest of (raine) . H is excuse was rej ected by reason the raine was warm I But there were some tender touches of senti w ment in those stern days , as hat took place at

w a s a death bears witness . Notice given to the

“ ” cryer, who , with a handbell , announced at convenient places “ Faithful brethren and w e t sisters , I let you to that there is a faithful brother (or sister) departed as it hath pleased

w a s Almighty God . He or she called (the name i in be ng given) , and lived E C H A P T R X V I I .

— 1 33 TH E S ECEDERS 7 .

EFORE w e can give an intelligible a ccount

B “ ” of the genesis of the Secession move

a e ment , it will be necessary to t ke a g neral survey of the situation a n d sta te of the Scottish Church from the Restora tion in 1 660 to the w W e now . period of which have to write hen ,

h e I I to by t accession of Charles . the British

w a s a th e throne , Episcopacy est blished and forms of worship and govern me n t to which th e great body of the people te n a ci ously c lu ng were

r e sc rib ed n p , four hundred mi isters , who were the heirs and representa tives of the bes t tradi

n n w h o tio s of the Reformatio , and preferred to

n m a n serve God rather tha , left the parish churches and betook themselves to th e con ve n tiele a n d w n a o the field , here their co greg ti ns were to be found . The persons w h o ca me to fill the pulpi ts of the ejected mi n isters when Episcopalianism w a s up and Presbyteri a n ism down h a d a s their

on w e distinctive appellati , in hich th re was a “ ” f th e . a o touch of scorn , curates M ny them

th e m n th e were from north , and fro all accou ts y were no credit to th e country fro m which they 1 98 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

’ h e came . Bishop Burnet s loyalty to t Stuart dynasty and to Episcopacy cannot be impeached in the face Of the following extract from the preface to his “ History of the Reformation

“ The Church w a s again restored to its former ’ beauty and order by Your Maj esty s ! Charles II . ] Even he describes those curates

” “ ” as . w a sorry lot They ere generally , he

s . says, very mean and despicable in all respect

They w ere the worst preachers I ever hea rd . f Many O them were openly vicious . They were a disgrace to their orders and sacred functions , and were indeed the very dregs and refuse of th e h ” nort ern parts . N ow w , hen it is remembered that hundreds Of such persons thus described by a friend of their order were admitted into the reconstructed Presbyterian Church after the Revolution 1 688 it settlement of , cannot be doubted that those who ate the bread and performed the sacred functions of the Church w ere bound to be for years to come a very mixed multitude . The spirit Of compromise was abroad in a the councils of St te and Church in , and 1 88 n for some considerable time after 6 . Ki g W illiam was essentially an Erastian ; he w as

a t a Presbyterian by training , but did not tach much importance to ecclesiastical or even

’ — B u rnet s Hi story of th e Refon n atiou dedi ca tion to K n t h e i g .

200 TH E L I GH Ts OF THE NORTH . historical authority ever pretends to deny that there was a general deterioration of morals from the time that Charles II . ascended the throne . The kingdom that was coming during his reign was the very antipodes Of that which is right

eou sness . , peace , and j oy in the Holy Ghost What else could be expected when the best elements of the nation were driven into hiding places , and the lower tendencies of human nature came to the front , and basked in the sunshine of royal favour and example On th e flag of the frigate which bore the Prince of Orange to our shores he caused the “ m words to be inscribed , I will aintain the ” liberties of England and the Protestant religion , and in j ustice to his memory it must be owned 1 688 he kept his word . But while is indeed a

- was Of red letter year in our history , as it the close a long , weary struggle with the forces of ruthless despotism and cruel persecution , yet, looking m forward fro that time , there was not much to re u se religious enthusiasm .

The Church , under leaders lacking in the spiritual elevation O f those of the Reformation and Covenanting periods , began to move on a lower plane . High spiritual ideals , conviction that burned and glowed in the soul , heroic enter prise , consuming devotion to the great practical

Of aims Christianity, and prayers that were mighty in wrestling with God belonged to the s E E nE us THE C . 20 ] past ; the prevailing temper n ow w a s one o f placid accommodation to thi ngs as they were Of the reign Moderatism was about to begin . But God was not without H is witnes s in that degenerate Church . There was a godly re mnant that had too much of the ancient spirit of Knox and Rutherford to acquiesce in a down ward course . There were some who had sufficient spiritual vitality and warmth to overcome the benumbing effects of the m an y icebergs which were around them ; and w hen Patronage was forced upon the Church in 1 7 1 2 by the a nti

w n a evangelical party , hich comma ded a m jority ' m an v ii in the Church Courts , there were strong ,

ff s u c h ine ectual , protests uttered against an inter f ference with the rights O the people . What helped to keep experimental religion alive during the ascendan cy Of Prelac and w hen the people were debarred from the ministrations th e n they loved , was private prayi g society which

a existed in almost every parish . In some p rishes

tw o n there were or three such meeti gs , for

Of th e a n d a prayer , reading Scriptures , mutu l edifi cation a a n to , which gave a popul r b cki g

th e A a nd evangelical leaders in General ssembly ,

s e e paved the way , as we shall , for the Secession

e w movement . It is questionabl hether even students of Scottish Chu rch history have yet realised h ow much the religious life O f th e people was indebted for its maintenance a t a 202 H T o O THE L I O s r TH E N RTH . trying period to those scattered and obscure

praying societies . The part that was taken by the majority of the General Assembly in 1 720 in connection with

“ ” r e what was called the Marrow controversy , vealed their negative spirit and growing bias n agai st evangelical doctrine . A book called “ M ” The arrow of Modern Divinity , published by 1 645 a graduate of Oxford , in , had been brought to Scotland by a soldier from the wars of the

Commonwealth . A copy of it was discovered in

Of Sim rin a cottage in the parish p , by Thomas

Boston , who turned the attention of his fellow countrymen to its contents . The main object of w the book , hich consists of extracts from the writings of Luther , Calvin , and other eminent ’ Off Of divines , is to set forth God s free er salva

m en . tion to sinful Cunningham , in his Church t History of Scotland , acknowledges that if tha celebrated treatise diverges from the standards ” - of orthodoxy , it is only by a hair breadth . Grub ,

“ ” in his Ecclesiastical History of Scotland , says The doctrines of the book were nearly the same with those held by leading divines of the

Protestant Church in the seventeenth century , and were eagerly supported by all who retained the Old

Covenanting opinions . Yet that book was formally condemned by the General Assembly, and twelve of the best members of the Church suffered severe re buke as its upholders . Such a

204 L I GH Ts or O THE THE N RTH .

m e n honest , they lamented the deadness of the in O f times , and the exercise of the right free speech , reproached the Church for not bestirring itself more to champion the liberties of the people , th e and meet spiritual wants of the country , 1 8th 1 733 he and his associates , on November, , were released from their charges , and their

r churches were declared vacant . Ala med at the resolute attitude those Secessionists took , and seeing that they were evoking a great deal O f popular sympathy , the leaders of the Church 1 734 r changed their front , and in so eage were they that the brethren should return to their place in the Establishment , that they actually

O rescinded some of the bnoxious legislation ,

“ because it w a s found to be hurtful to the Of Church , and recommended the Synod Perth

“ and Stirling to restore the four brethren . The n Synod did so, and even went beyo d orders in appointing Mr . Erskine moderator of Stirling

Presbytery . But with the experience they had had of the want of spiritual sympathy in the Church , n ow and the views they had for the future , for Erskine and his associates to have gone back would have been to sacrifice spiritual ends for the sake of an ecclesiastical connection . So they as formed themselves into a Presbytery , and , indi eating the spirit in which those men entered upon

their new responsibilities , it may be mentioned TH E S RS ECEDE . that before any formal arrangement w as made the

wo r greater part of t days was spent in p ayer . Another secession took place in 1 752 by the deposition of Gillespie , who , as a member of the l d Presbytery of Dunferm ine , refuse , along with

O f other ministers , to take part in the ordination a man to the parish of Inverkeithing . because he was Obnoxious to the parishioners . The high handed men who led the Church in those days , ’ utterly out Of touch w ith the people s feelings

th e and needs , decided that Gillespie should be a Of th e w sc pegoat Presbytery , and they ithout any compunction cast him out . He and those who afterwards joined him , not prepared to Of enter the groove the Erskine movement , became what was called the Relief Church , as indicating the relief they h a d got from the yoke f O patronage .

Those Seceders were grave , solid men , with a decidedly Old - world strain in their theology and phraseology . In their independence , staunch adherence to conviction , and readiness to testify against what they deemed to be evil or error, they gave a pronounced embodiment to some of the sturdiest characteristics of the Scottish nation . Narrowness and hard - and - fast dogmatism were amongst their most obvious sh ortcomings . An

s rg u losit entangled g p y , Bishop Burnet said , is one of the characteristics of the Scottish mind , and it certainly comes out in the histo ry of th e 206 THE L I O H Ts OF THE NORTH .

controversies in the Secession Church . They needed to have repeated to the m the words of Oliver Cromwell to an assembly of Scottish divines I entreat you , my brethren , I entreat you , by the mercies of God , to remember that it is possible that sometimes you may be mistaken . The first Secession Church gave evidence Of this tendency to allow too much mom to an argu m en ta tive and opinionative state of mind by — dividing itself into two bodies the Burghers

- and Anti Burghers , as they were called , the former thinking it quite legitimate to take the im Burgher oath , the other considering it ff proper , and refusing to make this di erence the ground Of mutual forbearance . This is part of the oath that was taken at the time Here I protest b efore God and your lordships th at I profe ss a nd allow with my heart the true on s n o ss d wi n h s m religi pre e tly pr fe e thi t i real , and authorised b y th e la ws th ereof. I shall abide there ’ at and f nd th e sam e s nc n , de e to my life end , renou i g ” th e man n c d a s Ro religio alle P pi try .

“ Some members of the Synod j udged that th e

“ th e clause in the oath , true religion presently ” professed within this realm , was equivalent to an approbation of all the errors and defections of

the Established Church , against which the

s s Sec e der had te tified . Others maintained that the clause simply bound th e person taking the

208 TH E LIGHTS O F THE NORTH .

the sympathy of the best part of the nation , that in the year 1 765 the statement was made in the General Assembly that there are now one hundred and twenty meeting houses erected , to which more than a h undred thousand persons resort , who were formerly of our communion , but have separated themselves from the Church of Scotland ; and this progress of Dissent is most evident in the greatest and most populous ” towns . I t is noteworthy that such a large proportion of men trained in the Secession Church have taken a prominent place in the civic life and Of Of n general business large centres populatio . Some of the leading business firms in Glasgow were made by Seceders , who , by reading the

Bible , pondering its contents , and grappling with d its truths , acquired an indepen ence and force which became of account in the ordinary affairs

Of the world . Wherever there were praying societies Of m en there w ere demands for Secession preachers too numerous to be readily met . A drover from a southern market met a farmer in one of the valcs secluded of Aberdeenshire , and as they sat on a stone together th ey talked about the revival of religion through the instrumentality Of the i Erskines and the r associates , and that led to the formation of a Secession Church not far from

f e w where th ey met . A fishermen from Rose S S THE ECEDER . 209

hearty , landing one day at Leith , witnessed the observance of the Lord ’s Supper in a Secession S O Church , which impressed them that , through ff Of their e orts , a church that order was formed in their village . The origin O f the Secession

L ntu rk Church at y , near Alford , can be traced to the Offence caused to the parishioners by the minister ordering the precentor tO d iscontinue the reading of each line O f the psalm before sing ! 1 760 ing it That was in , when the practice which had prevailed since the Reformation was * f being abandoned . One O the four brethren who were the founders of the Secession Church , ff Mr. Moncrie , visiting Peterhead for the benefit Of of his health , spent some time in the house his Of n friend , Mr. Ferguson Kinmu dy , and preached

to the people of the neighbourhood . That , along with other kinds of preparation which had been going on for years among the evangelically dis Of posed people the district , led to the formation W of the Craigdam Church , of which Mr . illiam 1 7 2 Brown was ordained minister in 5 . The Secession movement made great progress

in Buchan , notwithstanding the strong opposition w it met with , such as is sho n in the following postscript to the advertisement of some farms ' that were to let Ca ir d s and Seceders need not ” apply . Dr. Ferguson of Kinmundy delivers the

* ’ “ M a ckelvie s A n na ls a nd Sta ti sti c s of th e U nited ”

P an u c . 80 resbyte ri Ch r h , p . P S OF 21 0 THE LIGHT THE NORTH . following valuable testimony as to the interest awakened in the north - e astern part Of Scotland by the Secession preachers

“ m ten n w n w -fi ve Fro , fiftee , t e ty, and even t enty miles did some of them go and return to Obtain their s oo A s t s s n ma s piritual f d . hi tateme t y appear almo t nc to som ma s a fo o n ac i redible e, I y t te the ll wi g f t, wh ich rests on the auth ority of an acquai ntance Of my

d ma sa l n h n own an o . S e , y be fely re ied , bei g an e w an was c n e w t s one lderly om , well a quai t d i h at lea t Of the Rosehearty fish erme n wh o walked from that a a am On s n w s os vill ge to Cr igd . a ki g him how it a p

s for h o e s c f d ible t em to v rtake u h a journey, he in orme her that they prepared for th e Sabbath by retiring

earl to on S a n n s y bed aturd y eve i g ; and, ri ing early, they we re ready to leave home ab ou t three next morn in so a ac C in m for so g, th t they re hed raigdam ti e me re st and refresh me nt before service b egan ; on their return they were acc u stomed to rest for some time at a c w s c com a pl e here the road diverged, by whi h the pani cs from different distri cts departed to their res ective o s e n a c p h me having there g ged in prayer, whi h “ a S na n g ve to the pot the me of The Prayi g Knowe, on wa and h c they went their y, by the time t ey rea hed os was a t m the h R ehearty it gener lly i e , if weat er

m to o to sea t s per itted , g , and prepara ion having

s t ou previou ly been made, hey, with t going to bed , ” c f ow su cc a s pro eeded to oll their u al o up tion . — 1 2 i 1 6 . 69 75 Mr John Bisset born in , d ed in - w as the precursor of the Secession body in the

city of Aberdee n . After labouring for eleven

2 1 2 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH . and th e first Secession church was formed in 1 7 — 58 . in the Weigh house , Mr Alexander Dick being chosen as minister. ’ In the inscription on his tomb in the town s churchyard there is the following sentence w as Whose religion strict but not morose , warm but not enthusiastical , and regular but not formal . The Burghers an d Anti - Burghers were r e 1 820 united in , and the Relief Church joining in 1 847 w , what we kno as the United Presbyterian

Church came into existence . C H A P T E R X V I I I .

THE MODERATES .

HE term “ Moderates came into use about the middle Of th e eighteenth century to denote a party in the Church Of Scotland whose tendency w as to Oppose popular claims and dis

“ ” countenance enthusiasm in religion . As the century advanced , the term became more fully

a nd n developed in its application sig ificance , and ,

fi n while ever somewhat vague and inde ite , yet it ca me to have a recognised value a s O pposed to pronounced Evangelicalism .

The great aim of the Church generally , under the leadership of Robertson , the historian ; Dr .

O f O f Carlyle Inveresk , and Blair, the preacher smooth platitudes , was to improve the social O f manners and literary style the clergy , to tone m down fervour , to substitute for enthusias and uncompromising Evangelicalism a calm , finished ,

-Of - - O f man the world style religion , by which the upper classes would be conciliated . Moderatism , it is said by Dean Stanley and Principal Tulloch , w as a reaction from the narrowness , not to say the fanaticism , of the Covenanting period . There is a measure O f truth in that presentation of the case . It is so difficult to combine intensity of feeling with breadth of view and toleration . 21 4 S H THE LIGHT OF THE NORT .

When soldiers are concentrating their energies upon some point in the citadel , it is not easy at the same time to give due attention to all the outlying places . Wallace and Bruce , struggling as true patriots for th e vital interests of their country , were to be excused if they at the same time did not do much for its literary culture and

S O social amenity . the Covenanters were not to be condemned because , in contending for the fundamental truths Of our faith and those liberties which are the first condition of civilisa tion , they were not as alert as they might have been on behalf of toleration , charity , and other

Christian graces . There are times when some things can be gained , it would appear, only by the sacrifice or the abeyance of others . When ’ a man s ho use is on fire he is not to be greatly blamed if his movements do not show all the ease and elegance we like to see . Are , then , the

Covenanters to be reproached because , in those times of strife and distraction , they lacked some things in life which are the fruit of calm and leisure It must be owned that the Covenanters went a great deal too far in depreciating grace of form in worship and preaching , and some of them were prone to identify godliness with rude w ness , spirituality ith baldness in its vesture and setting .

But admitting that the Church in Scotland , won having fought and its battles with Popery,

21 6 THE LIG HTS OF THE NORTH .

Academics ? I did not think such heathen ” morality would have passed in Eas t Lothian . Contrast with that the remark which Hume Of made after hearing John Brown , Haddington , ’ preach That s the man for me ; he means what he says he speaks as if Jesus Christ were h i ” at s elbow . Consistency is a virtue in the pulpit or out of it, and honest men like it . The leading intellects during the reign of Moderatism made the great mistake of putting themselves out of touch with the most genuine n and fervid piety amo g the people , with the result that the ranks of Dissent were largely recruited , and the Church was robbed of needed O f was elements the highest power . The Church certainly not bound to perpetuate the lowly manners and unschooled narrowness of the godly peasantry of Scotland ; but it should have kept itself in sympathy with their faith , their devotedness , their fidelity to gospel truth . As showing the Spirit Of Moderatism which held the majority Of the General Assembly under its grasp for more than a century , there is scarcely a b enefi cent enterprise or helpful agency which has won a place for itself in the Church that was not Opposed by it . Modern religious life and progress are what they are in spite of

Moderatism . Missions to the heathen , Sabbath schools , the abolition of patronage , would not hi have been if the Evangelical minority, w ch M D 'J‘ THE O E RA E S . 2 1 7

a e became a majority , had not fought and be t n

Moderatism . But there were able and faithful mi nisters classed with the Moderates w h o owed that questionable distinction not so much to the want

of faith and zeal as to family connection , to a peculiarity of temperament , to habit of mind ,

s r e or to the fa hion of the time . I t must be E membered , also , that in those days vangelicalism was deemed by some to be associated with gush ing emotionalism , and if a man had a strong

r intellectual bent , he not unnaturally g avitated to Moderatism . That partly explains why Aberdeenshire should have been stigmatised as

“ ” the dead sea of Moderatism . There is an untempered in tellectual robustness in the north which shows a predilection for those parts of the Christian religion which the logical understand ing can grasp , but there is not a corresponding fineness of perception for the spiritual contents of our faith . We of the north are of the school of Aristotle rather than that of Plato . We are

- Of - followers of the practical , matter fact , ethical

James ; and the Apostle John , as he soars , would need to lend us his wings before we could rise to his level .

“ It is true we have a Beat-tie whose Essay

“ u on Tr th , and still more his Minstrel , prove that the finest sentiment and poetical genius can root themselves in any soil and thrive in any 21 8 H THE LIG TS OF THE NORTH .

clime . But Reid , who became the parish minister

N e wm a ch ar 1 737 of in , afterwards Professor of Moral Philosophy in King ’s College and in

Glasgow University , presents to us the typical northern intellect under the most favourable conditions . He , had such a humble estimate of his powers that he occasionally read to the N e wm a ch ar parishioners a sermon written by

own Tillotson rather than one of his , and yet in his “ Enquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense ” he has given to the world a contribution to the discussion of psychology which led to a n ew and distinct school of philosophy , and reveals to us where the strength and the weakness , or rather limitation of the northern Scottish mind lies . Alexander

“ ” Gerard , too , by his Essay on Truth and his

“ Essay on Genius , shows us the bent of the S tronger minds in the ministry in these parts in

d h ow those ays , and shows us also naturally we take to m etaph ysics rather than to the visions and raptures of saints Of a southern latitude . Yet while Moderatism is not an u nnatural excrescence of northern Scottish human nature , it is no essential and permanent part of it. The p erf er vid u m ingen iu m which is lying late nt soon comes to the surface when the soul kindling inspirations O f experimental Chris tianity have had a fair opportunity of showing what they can do .

F 220 THE LIGHTS O THE NORTH .

Moderatism represents a certain attitude of the mind in relation to the verities of religion which is never entirely absent from the Church , and may be seen in the present day under was modern conditions . Just as Erasmus a disciple of the Renaissance and Luther a herald of the Reformation , so men , according to the proclivities of the mind and the experiences of the soul , go out to culture or rise to faith . The ministers of God wh o have rendered m ost valuable service are those who combined both

in due proportion . Humanism , with all its light

and sweetness , is certainly a poor substitute for

divinity . C H A P T E R X I X .

— 1 - PRINCIPAL CAMPBELL 17 9 96 .

HE famous Dr. George Campbell , like many of ’ th e Scotland s eminent sons , was a child of

a manse , his father, the Rev . Colin C mpbell , having t 1 bee n one of the ministers of his city . Born in 7 1 9 the youngest son of a considerable family , made

w as fatherless when he only nine years of age ,

ff was and left in not very a luent circumstances , he from his earliest years disciplined into habits O f

- self reliance . The Grammar School and Maris h im d chal College did for all that they coul , though , like many who afterwards win dis tinction , he was not a recluse or a bookworm in e his early years . Aft r graduating , having made marked progress , especially in the study of Greek , he went to Edinburgh and served a regular ap la w prenticeship to the , which may partly account for the method and precision of expres w N sion observable in his ritings . ot relishing the to profession which he appeared to be destined , D he returned to Aberdeen , entered the ivinity n Hall , and threw himself with ardour i to studies that were more congenial and afforded greater n scope for the powers with which he was e dowed . As illustrating his intellectual ze a l and his acute perception of the possibilities O f any 222 G S THE LI HT OF THE NORTH .

S ituation , practical or literary , it may be men tion ed that while he was a divinity student he took a leading part in the formation of a theo logical club for the free discussio n of subj ects of special interest to embryo ministers . The original members of that society must have been astute persons , for no one could apply for admission into it , and only those were taken in wh o were deemed to be of such parts and habits m as would make the a real acquisition . After his course Of study was fin ished and he was licensed as a preacher, much against the wishes of many in the parish he was ordained minister

- Of Banchory Ternan in 1 748 . It need scarcely be said that he soon gained the confidence and affection of his parishioners by h is sterling character and assiduous devotion to duty . His

lectu r plain , practical expositions of Scripture ” O — ing , pening up the word were greatly appreciated , and they put him on a line of study which afterward s developed into his publish ed

“ Translations of the Gospels . The quiet co u ntry Of parish , by the side the Dee , did for him what such a place h as done for many ministers who rose to conspicuous place and wide public n fulness . The foundatio of his greatness as a thinker , lecturer , and author was laid during the nine years of comparative obscurity in that rural region . He had leisure to read , to ponder , to master many things , especially himself . A

224 S THE LIGHT OF THE NORTH .

h appearance of W itefield , the great preacher, in 1 41 his pulpit , when on a visit to Aberdeen in 7 , as he was to the advent of Charles Stuart, the

Pretender , regarding whose movements he made i such cep ou s notes in his diary . ’ A few months after Dr. Campbell s settlement

n ew t oe - m in Aberdeen , a socie y, Ph nix like, rose fro the ashes of the former one we have referred to , which included in its membership such men as

Gerard , Beattie , and Reid , of whom the world has heard . It was on a wider basis , and was

r mo e literary and philosophical than theological . Reid ’s “ Inquiry into the Human U nderstanding ’ and some Of Campbell s best - known works first sa w the light as seedlings in that select circle

O f intellects , as keen as ever met at any time or at any place in Aberdeen . At no time indeed , in the history of Aberdeen , did so many men live and write within its borders who have won

- world wide fame . It was a period more brilliant ” by far than that of the Doctors , for in addition to scholarship , there was original research and vigorous thought displayed by that galaxy of th e talent at close of the eighteenth century . m a I n 1 759 Dr . Campbell was ade Princip l of

Marischal College , and by the publication of

“ his Essay on Miracles not long after , he proved himself worthy Of the dignity to which he had

’ “ ” been promoted . Hume s Essay on Miracles w a s the great sensation of the eigh teenth century PRINCIPAL CAMPBELL . 225

n in the lear ed world , and many Davids did it call forth to meet this infidel Goliath . For

’ “ style , sentiment , and fervour , Beattie s Essay on Truth ” was by far the most popular effusion on the subj ect that emanated from this part Of th e th e land . It was easily read , and George Third could compliment the author by saying it was the only book he ever stole But by discerning minds , capable of weighing the merits of an argumentative treatise , the palm was awarded to

Principal Campbell . Like most controversial ” works , it had its day , and the fashion of it in passed away , as a defence of supernatural n i n ter ve t o . At the time it was admitted to be a masterpiece , and was speedily translated into

French , Dutch , and German . It is this “ Essay on Miracles more than any other book h e wrote w hich entitles Camp

“ bell to be called the Paley of Scotland . The heightened , luminous common sense which was the distinguishing note of the school of

thought to which he belonged , and which pre

vailed in Scotland at the time , is most conspicuous

in this writing . Hume had taken the position that our experience of uniformity in nature is such that no human testimony can m ake a ’ miracle credible . Here is a specimen of Campbell s illustrative rej oinder

“ I have lived for some yea rs nea r a fe rry . It consists with my knowledge that the pa ssage boa t Q 22 6 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH . h as o s m s c ss as ma a th u and ti e ro ed the river, and ny m s u s A n n n man m ti e ret rned afe . u know who I hav e just now met tells me in a serious manner th at it is

s a nd affi s t ms s a on th e lo t rm hat he hi elf, t nding n was s c of th e sc t h e saw th e ba k, a pe tator ene , tha passengers carried down the stream and the boat w N O son wh o is n c in his over helmed . per i fluen ed u m t of n s not s h ca s s j dg en thi g , by philo op i l ubtletie , — — b u t b y comm on sense a much surer guid e will hesitate to de clare that in such a testimony I have ” probable evidence of the fact asserted .

It S hould be mentioned as one of the curi ” osities of literature , and as illustrating the extra ordinary candour and courtesy of Dr. Campbell , ” that , before publishing the Essay , he sent the manuscript to David Hume , and begged him to correct any misstatement , and expunge any ex pression which gave j ust offence . We give the ’ b e first sentence in Hume s letter, in which hand ’ som ely acknowledges the author s magnanimity It has so seldom happened that controversies m in philosophy , uch less in theology , have been carried on without producing a personal quarrel between the parties , that I must regard my present situation as somewhat extraordinary , and have reason to give you thanks for the civil a nd O bliging manner in which you have con ducted the dispute against me on so interesting a ” subj ect as that of miracles . n 7 1 I 1 7 Dr. Campbell was elected by the

O F 228 THE LIGHTS THE NO RTH . polished Moderates had his own opinion of the energetic and unconventional Irishman , who , like a stranded boulder belonging to far away forma tions , had found his way to this northern land . ’ The peculiarity of Mr. Kidd s position in relation t to Dr . Campbell was hat, while a student , he was also a colleague as Professor of Hebrew in u Marischal College . The yo ng Irishman had to deliver a trial discourse before Dr. Campbell , and , being a busy man , and not very particular at any m d time about for and appearance Mr. Kid had not been at pains to elaborate h i s sermon upon

r sheets of paper in the o dinary way, but brought f O f . O a sheaf loose MSS , the outcome which , as might be expected , was rather disjointed and crude ; at least it was so in the eyes of Dr .

Campbell , who had a classic finish and neatness

“ ” N ow in all he said and did . , Mr. Kidd , said the doctor mildly , it would ill become me to criticise severely the production of a gentleman holding the position of a colleague . I would j ust advise you , when you next come up with a discourse , to have it arranged a little more ” methodically . ” Of His Philosophy Rhetoric , published in 1 776 , was one of the many contributions of that Of period to the study literary composition , and it h as received many glowing encomiums from masters of that subject , such as Archbishop

Whately . Rhetoric was one of the favourite A PRINCI P L CAM PBELL . 229

s d topic of the clergymen of the Mo erate party . Educated Scotland w as then trying to reach that purity and elegance Of English diction which was i exh bited by such writers as Addison ; and Blair ,

Gerard , Beattie , and many others , along with

Campbell, in Scotland helped the movement both by example and precept . That the style is the man comes out strikingly in the writings of — Campbell ; it is simple , perspicuous , nervous the fit vesture of his mind .

all n Of his works , no e gave rise to so much controversy as one that was issued a fe w years — “ after his death his Lectures on Ecclesiasti ca l ” History . In that volume he gives expression to views regarding the origin and structure of d the primitive Church , which some eemed to be

n dangerously democratic , with a lea ing , indeed ,

t . owards Congregationalism He is very hard , a a too , upon those who m ke postolical succession the basis of church order and authority . He refers to persons who regard

a s the sole authe ntic evidence of ou r bei ng Chri stians the examina tion of ce rtai n e ndle ss genea lo s as C s t nt n e a t all H is sc s gie , if hri had i e d d th di iple should b e antiqu a ries because otherwise th ey could not have the sa tisfaction to know whether th ey we re

i f na e for ose e o H s sc e s or not . U n o t di ipl r u t ly th p ple, all such spiritual pedigrees a re so mi serably la me tha t if their rule were to be admitted we sh ould be in volved in darkne ss on this su bject from which no 230 THE LIGHTS or THE NORTH . a c u s and o ntiquary could extri ate , there w uld not remai n the sligh test evidence that there was a single ” s on Chri tian the earth . Such trenchant and rather provocative writing Off could not but give ence , but Dr. Campbell was like the blacksmith who hammered the iron while it was hot and n ever minded where the S parks went . What a splendid directness there is in the letter to the Presbytery of Aberdeen , in which Old owing to the frailties of age , he resigned his professorship

It is my fi rm opinion that when a man is con sciou s th at he is no longer able to perform properly s of f c is n in the dutie an o fi e, and provide tially a s ua n of n n n of its m s it tio livi g i depe dently e olument ,

is a n n s nsa t s n a fi t s n it i di pe ble du y to re ig , th t a per o o n s may be timely f u d to upply the place, for the sa of c m t a ma ke the o muni y at l rge , that the public y s ff co a w ch th e c mm o not u er, mp red with hi ac o odati n nc m is and a wa s a of the i u bent , ought l y to be, reg rded ” a th os a s but a second ry consideration at e m t. He was succeeded both in the Principalship and in the Divinity Chair of Marischal College by

a . the accomplished Dr . Willi m Lawrence Brown th e 6th 1 796 On April , , in the seventy

” ec u es on cc es a s ca H s o Geo e a m L t r E l i ti l i t ry , by rg C p n 1 1 n a c c ou n of th li and w n e e e e 8 5 . A e e s b ll , Ab rd , t f riti g

of th e P nc a is en th e Rev . eo e Skene Keith ri ip l giv by G rg / , t o whi ch we are i ndebte d for ma ny of th e fac ts here state d .

C H A P T E R X X .

— - JOHN SK INNER OF L I NSH ART l 721 1 807 .

IN depicting the many - sided religion of the north as i t has been evolved from a rem ote

n ow th e past , we come to Scots Episcopalians as they appeared after the Revolution , and no better representative of the m could be found than John i ma n Skinner of L nsh art. The study of such a S w h ow is interesting , were it only to ho plain — living and high thinking can go together h ow character , genius , and highest pursuits are not dependent upon earthly environment and the prizes which time sometimes bestows . It has been said that Wordsworth rendered greater service to the peasantry of Cumberland by the noble simplicity of his life than he did by the most magnificent of his poems . The Spectacle b e fore their eyes every day of a man communing with the highest and yet S howing in his house hold life h ow by frugality a little money can go h ow a great way , and personal dignity is not to be identified with the length of the purse in one ’s pocket or the upholstery that is in his house — such an obj ect - lesson was a positive h means of grace . In some such position Jo n O S o r J HN KINNER L I NS H A RT . 233

Skinner stood in relation to his contemporaries and neighbours in Buchan for upwards of sixty ear y s . John Skinner w as born in the parish of Birse 1 721 in , his father being the schoolmaster of the

a n n . place , and one of exception l lear i g and ability

e th e Apt and diligent as a scholar , John , und r

competent and stimulating tuition of his father ,

to e soon attained such profici ncy in his studies ,

especially in Latin composition , that he took a considerable bursary at Marischal C ollege whe n

w as a e w he only fourteen years of g , hich went far in securing his maintena nce during his four ’ years curriculum . At the close O f his Un iversity course it was

c Ke nm a his happy fortune , after tea hing in y

fe w n n a s School for a mo ths , to obtain a situatio m assistant to the schoolmaster of Mony usk , the natural scenery of which almost equals in in terest its ancient ecclesiastical associations . Here

his muse , which had made its presence felt at a h very early period , now took hig er wing than

“ it ever did before , and a Poem on a Visit to ” Paradise (the one in Mon ymusk) having come under the notice of Lady Grant, she encouraged h im to visit Monymusk House , and gave him

a free access to its library . He c me while there under the in fluence of an Episcopal clergyman to in the locality, which led eventually his

passing from Presbyteri an ism to Episcopacy . 4 23 THE L I GI I Ts or TH E NORTH .

There can be little doubt that conviction and

f r r nothing else accounted o this change . The e was scarcely any room at that time for the play of inferior motive . Episcopacy was not then on the sunny side of th e road ; fat livings and the smiles and favours of men in high place in Church and State were then reserved for Pres b ri - te ans . y But to a resolute , high spirited man like John Skinner there would be the charm of romance in the very adventure and probable worldly loss involved in such a step . Passing to Shetland in 1 740 to enter upon a tutorship , he met an additional argument to confirm him in his adhesion to Episcopacy in the daughter of an Episcopal clergyman , with whom he fell in love and soon married . In 1 740 he was called to Longside , near Peterhead ,

-fi ve where he remained for nearly sixty years . It may be safely affirmed that among the attrae tions that rooted him to that spot for such a lengthened period richness of landscape and l Of genia ity climate cannot be named . John Hill Burton has described Buchan as a spread ing of peat moss on a cake of granite . No

“ ” “ n Buchan body , none of the folk in the cor er, as they have sometimes been called , however intense his loyal p atriotism , could make the north - eastern part of Scotland a figu re of that ideal country of which it is the duty of a minister to speak . Yet there are sweet spots

236 T H E S or O LIG HT TH E N RTH . c “ hivalrous devotion to the Pretender , which makes one of the most romantic episodes in

Scottish history . For the sake of an idea , and no doubt also from the feeling that the return of the exiled family would bring their Church once more into the sunshine , they risked their all . Culloden not only dashed their hopes to the

law ground , but also brought the avenging on ff their track , and occasionally the innocent su ered

with the guilty , and John Skinner was one of

that class . He was no political conspirator ; there is no evidence that his people showed any

Jacobite leanings in church , such as a traveller reports of a certain Episcopal congregation in the city O f Aberdeen after the collapse of the

rebellion . The clergyman of the place had taken

the oath of allegiance to King George , and when monarch in the act of praying for the reigning ,

the people assembled , we are told , who had been joining with the utmost devoutness to the pre

scribed prayers up to this point , immediately began to betray their want of assent and consent to the testing but unpopular petitions by taking

ff - a nd out their snu boxes , , with much noise and

demonstration , using their contents till once they got past King George I But John Skinner was apprehended on the ground that he had violated the law which was passed with the view of stamping out disloyal e Episcopacy , that no clergyman was to minist r O S I R o r L I N S H A RT J HN K NNE . 23 7

to more than four persons at a time . It is believed that h e owed those attentions which

O fiic iou s a the Government paid him , to the ze l

“ ” of a lady of some rank in the district , who so pestered the powers that be that they were com pelled to enforce what was not intended to be too rigidly carried out . He was sentenced to six ’ months imprisonment in Old Aberdeen , and he

n afterwards averred that he never , in his lo g h ad ! life , such an unbroken period of study

Happily constituted man ; contented , spirited ,

h e h a d resourceful , the knack of yoking all

experiences into his service , and exacting help

ful contribution from the most untoward events . He needed all his stayi ng power in those dis b d tu r e . times One night , on coming home , he ’ found some of Cumberland s soldiers standi n g at his door with fixed bayonets , and others plunder ing indoors . He was stripped of all his valuables , and his chapel was burned to th e ground by a lawless soldiery . But his cheerful heart and nimble wit soon enabled him to rise above s u ch disasters . When without a building in which to conduct worship , and obliged to gather the people into and around his humble thatched cottage , little

“ better than a but and a ben , an incident occurred that had grea t effect upon his future pulpit ministrations , and which also shed much

light upon the man and the times . One Sabbath 238 S THE LIGHT OF THE NORTH .

w as r when Mr. Skinner about to begin eading c was c e his sermon , which in deta hed leaves pla d upon a temporary desk , a hen which had found its way into one of the apartments bega n to w a s cackle , and when an attempt made to chase it outside it became flurried and flew over the so papers , scattering them among the people as to render their recovery to be of use at the as moment impossible . As the people were h ten ing to gather the bits of paper, their minister

“ ool said , Never mind them ; a fowl !Scottice , f ] ” shall never shut my mouth again ; and ever afterwards he preached extemporaneously , and often for forty minutes . He once said to a friend who expressed surprise at the ease and fluency of his address in the pulpit Does a man require study and preparation to talk to his own family ? Of the numerous congrega tion which you saw assembled in chapel tod ay

- I have baptised more than three fourths . I there m fore consider the as my children , and surely he feels not as a parent who does not address his ” children without awe or restraint . W Dr . alker , in his interesting life of Mr. his Skinner , has put in print many of sayings , which were for generations current in the district . Unable to dissuade a conceited tailor from abandoning his trade and ente ring the “ ” Linsh ar t f h im ministry , the pastor chaf ed by asking if he could measure that angel for a suit

240 S o r O THE LIGHT THE N RTH . proper work and to the pursuits of literature to be a successful farmer , and , at the end of seven

w as m years , he glad to be liberated fro bondage which in every way was having a cri ppling

ff . e ect upon him He resol ved , as he said in a ff poetical e usion on the subj ect , to

S e ll c orn a nd c a ttl e off p ay e ve ry ma n ’ Ge t free of d ebt a n d d u n s a s fas t s I ca n e u th e a m w a ll its w an s a nd e n Giv p f r ith t , th ” W h a e me to th e oo and en . y , t k b k p

“ In his closet , five feet square , during the rest of his life he had better company than creditors and dealers , as he wrote with the air of a man who was SO happy after his release from sore captivity

W a few of th e Fa e s th e ol es a nd es ith th r , d t b t , A nd som e m o e n e a c s c e ou t om th e es d r xtr t pi k d fr r t , \Vith a Bibl e in La ti n a n d H e bre w a nd Gree k h im n n d of T o a fford i str u c tio ea c h ay th e w ee k .

He had the habits of a student , and his life shows i how a scholar , living on the pittance that is g ven c an i to a peasant , yet succeed in nourish ng his m ind , and by his utterances in the press direct

and entertain his generation . Far from public s libraries , and unable to buy many books, he tell us h ow h e kept up his reading When visit ing any neighbour possessed of such a library as

country gentlemen might be supposed to have , I took down in writing what I thought worthy of O S KI O P L I NS H A R'I‘ 24 1 J HN NNER .

w a notice in any book that came in my y , and , collecting the most material of these extra cts

- into a common place book , I could have recourse to it as often as I found occasion for such a

- reference . My common place books through fi fty - seven years and the blessing of a most tenacious memory have been my storehouse , and from their contents I have done what once r on a day I could neve have expected to do .

Och tert r e Ramsay , in the y papers , gives some interesting reminiscences of the pastor of Lin 1 795 shart . In he writes

Next Sunday I went out to Linsh art a nd a t

n d in s c c was mos as a t a te de div e ervi e , whi h al t gre treat to me as the Englis h cathedral worship is to a n saw w a k n w w o s b e raw Scotsma . I h t I e uld hortly

— - s n o mo viz an old ash on E sco c een re , f i ed pi pal lergy man wh o did not aff e ct to tread in the steps of his

E s n w n w m and a oc a ngli h brethre , bet ee ho the p r hi l ministers of Scotland before the Revol ution there was d s n h s c m e was little similitu e. The fir t thi g t at tru k

on m c s of o w c b e th e str gly arked fa e the pe ple, hi h n t s ns and s a n ss a so a tokened o only e e h rp e , but l I n t of o a nd a n serious fram e of mind . poin m de pl i ness their dress reminded m e of th at of ou r country n fo s a o onn s a nd a people more tha rty year g , b et p rty To m a s r se coloured plaids being frequent. y gre t u pri the service began with a psalm taken from the Assem ’ s e s n w c sa was mo n e to a bly v r io , hi h he id re i t lligible ’

n on an a e and a s . s country co gregati th T t Br dy Thi ,

R 242 H S THE LIG T OF THE NORTH .

’ th e c s t n and s of s with pre entor o e tyle inging, made fa c s in s n c c me n y my elf a Pre byteria hur h, till the n s e th e s readi g of the liturgy di p lled illu ion . s c b e n s th e n old man The ervi e n fi i hed, ve erable gave u s s — a was s ona a nd m ss a ermon th t piou , rati l, i pre ive , ca c u asa s and so s I t l lated to edify pe nt philo pher . owed no n th e c s h is wh ch thi g to gra e of delivery, i looked liker familiar c onversation than a st u died discourse delivered in public ; and its length and th e want of papers were equally extraordi nary in an Episcopal ” a ch pel .

His principal works by which he challenged the attention of the world were a Preservative against Presbytery , written when the fortunes

“ of Episcopacy were at a low ebb ; a Dissertation ’ on Jacob s Prophecy an exposition of the Son g of Solomon ; and a popular ecclesiastical history of Scotland , dedicated in elegant Latin to his son u and bishop . The latter was a contrib tion to the elucidation of a subj ect that has since been a favourite one with members of his Church .

Tytler , Hill Burton , Skene , Robertson , Cosmo

Innes , Grub , and other sons of the Scottish Epis copal Church have placed the country under deep obligation for their painstaking and scholarly researches into the remote and shadowy pas t l of our peop e and institutions . But what w on fame for h im above all things tw o ff ff were poetical e usions , the casual o spring of his genius, upon which he never dreamt of

244 H S O F THE LIG T THE NORTH .

gifted man , who served his generation with

fidelity , and ever showed himself, above all things , to be one who could link himself to any part of a broad , common humanity . After being for nearly S ixty- fi v e years in

Linsh ar t , he , in his extreme old age and frailty , ’ removed to his son s house in Aberdeen , where f he lived for only a e w days . C H A P T E R X X I .

M ETH DI Ts—1 4 THE O S 7 7 .

HERE is no Protestant denomination through out the English - speak ing world that has won so many adherents as Methodism , in its various branches ; but , like the Friends and its some of the other smaller religious bodies , promoters are obliged to o wn that Scotland has not been a congenial soil for the transplanted system . A Wesleyan writer says Wesleyan Methodism as an instrumen t for the convers ion of sinners and for the establishment thereby of a Church of Christ has made less progress in Scotland than in any other part of the w orld in which it has had the opportunity to make known ” its principles and exercise its power . This is all the more remarkable when it is remembered W that esleyanism came , not to proselytise , but to convert , not to propagate a particular form of in ecclesiasticism , but to take its share that great pioneering work that should be regarded as common to all the churches , and for the fur th erance of which it is not possible for us to

“ ” have too many labourers . Therefore , said John Wesley at the outset to the agents O f this n ew

“ movement , spend and be spent in this work ; and go always not only to those who want you 246 L GH T r H TII E I S o THE NORT .

but to those who want you most . Observe , it is not your business to preach so many times , and to take care of this or that society , but to save as many souls as you can ; to bring as m any sinners as you can to repentance , and with all

your . power to build them up in that holiness w ithout which they cannot see the Lord . The fact that Scotland was sternly Calvin is tic in its theology , that its people are severely reticent and constitutionally averse to the free of expression emotion , more especially in con n ection with the sacred subj ect of religion , and m above all , that Presbyterianis is rooted in the patriotic associations and affections of successive generations— all that is enough to account for

Methodism being treated very much as an exotic .

The sense of nationality , strengthened by the pro longed and embittered struggles which they h ad long ago to make for its maintenance , tended to lead the Scottish people to look askance at any thing which h a d the brand of the other S ide of f own the Border , and was dif erent from their chosen and beloved Presbyterianism . But as a contributing force to the religious life of the north in the dreary days of Moderat ism , and as being successful in rearing indi vid u a ls who have rendered conspicuous service

th e to community , Methodism is entitled to a place in this history .

M em SS wh o It is recorded that Dr . y , came

248 G S O F THE LI HT THE NORTH .

u 1 790 Aberdeen almost every alternate year ntil , the year before his death .

There are circumstances connected with Mr. Wesley ’s first visit to Aberdeen which are of general interest , and on various accounts are worthy of being recorded . That great man , besides being conspicuous for his firm resolution

a and high purpose, had a fine t ct and urbanity , which gained for him th e goodwill of those who might otherwise have been hostile . Besides , his world - wide fame made people of all classes a anxious to see and hear him . He pre ched on

“ ” Sabbath to great crowds in the College Close , and on taking a walk to King’s College on the

Monday following , he found a large number of ladies assembled in the hall , with several gentle of men , one whom said , after some hesitation

“ We came last night to the College Close , but could not hear , and should be extremely obliged l ” if you wou d give us a short discourse here .

Thereupon Mr . Wesley preached on the words God was in Christ reconciling the world unto

Himself . The professors and ministers showed him marked attention , and he appears to have been as favourably impressed as they were , for he afterwards said— “ I have scarce seen such a set of ministers in any town of Great Britain or ” Ireland . On the following day he rode over to Mony b musk , where he was the guest of Sir Archi ald D THE METHO I STS . 249

’ Grant. At six o clock he went to the Parish

“ w as Church , which nearly filled with such persons as he did not look for so near the High

w as lands . But if he surprised at their appear ance , he was much more so at their singing . Thirty or forty sang an anthem after sermon with such voices as well as judgment that he doubted whether they would have been excelled at any cathedral in England . That was in 1 761 The explanation is that the laird and his lady had taken a close personal interest in the psalmody of their church . 1 76 3 . In May , , Mr Wesley paid his second

visit to Aberdeen , regarding which he thus ex pressed himself Surely never was there a

more open door . The four ministers of Aberdeen , e the minist r of the adjoining town , and the three e d minist rs of Old Aber een , hitherto seem to have

‘ no dislike , but rather to wish us good luck in ’ the name of the Lord . Most of the townspeople ,

as yet , seem to wish us well , so that there is no 0 opposition of any kind . , what spirit a preacher

ought to be of, that he may be able to bear all this sunshine 1 In all the entries in his journal

Mr. Wesley speaks well of Aberdeen and the

treatment h e received from it . Doubtless his standing as a clergyman of the Church of Eng land and his gentlemanly bearing had something to d o with the marked attention that wa s paid

to him in our academic city . That he should 2 50 THE LIGHTS or THE NORTH . again and agai n have preached to large m ulti

“ ” tudes on a week evening , in the College Close ,

h - h on simple Gospel themes , with eart searc ing application , is proof of the respect in which he d h e was hel . It must have been from what had heard rather than what he had seen that he ,

o f Be n - after one his visits to Accord , said of its people that they were swift to hear , slow to S peak , but not slow to wrath . Mr . Wesley paid , in all , seventeen visits to the town of Aberdeen , and an interesting relic of one of th e later occa sions is an old carved chair on the platform of

Crown Terrace Wesleyan Church , which he m ff brought with him fro Ban , but found to be rather cumbrous in his carriage , and he parted with it when he came to this place . The little struggling societies dotted over the north , the members of which sought to edify one another with their class meetings and other agencies , and did not forget their duty to the th e ungodly around them , were blessed with visits of less celebrated but faithful preachers who were prepared to endure hardness for the ’ — Lord s sake . One of them Thomas Rutherford -writes of his work thus Having spent some time in Aberdeen and regulated matters as well 1 0 1 775 as I could , on January , , I set out on the northern circuit, which was above a hundred and fifty miles round , through a waste and desolate country and bad roads . My first place

2 2 5 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

two ff with them , but lay them up in di erent ! heaps , and let them lie He then added I have often observed when there is a commotion among our people that time will cure what

reason cannot . There can be no doubt that the rise of the

Secession movement , which took such a hold of th e country a f e w years before Methodism had a d footing in Scotlan , gave less of an opportunity to the latter system , and many of the societies

started at first had to be abandoned . In the early part of this cen tury there were societies in

Aberdeen , Inverurie , Old Meldrum , Peterhead , t Hatton of Fintray , Newburgh , S onehaven ,

Coth al M . Fordy , ills , and Cove Of these , the

Aberdeen , Peterhead , and Inverurie societies

alone remain . But the others did not exist in

vain . They were temporary evangelistic stations ,

the fruit of which remains unto this day. They contributed an element of fervour to the pulpit

of the north . A Presbyterian baillie in Inverurie was accustomed to say— “ I like to hear the — Methodists ; they harrow me up , man they

harrow me up . Mere numbers are no criterion of the worth

and work of a religious body . There must have been some element of power in th e Methodists of Aberdeen before Thomas Rutherford could write of them as he did in 1 7 75 I took leave of the f society there , with dif iculty tearing myself away M ET I IO IH S TS THE . 253

f wh o w e from the af ectionate people , ith their lov

Th e and tears , were ready to break my heart Methodists of the north c a n show a fair propor tion of picked men , whom they have trained and t to a large extent made what they are . The li tle society in Inverurie h a s given two Provosts to

S the town , and others noted for their public pirit th e and usefulness . One of baillies carried the phraseology of the Methodist chapel with him to

wa s the bench , and accustomed to put his ques h ow tion to the accused Well , say you to that , brother ? Are you guilty or not guilty 7 The Aberdeen Society held its first meeting ’ in Barnett s Close (leading from the Gu es trow to Flour Mill Brae) then in a house on the north side of Queen Street , and thereafter in Lodge k 1 76 4 Wal . In the Society acquired a piece of — ground near the north east end of Queen Street ,

and upon it erected an octagonal chapel , the form of building preferred by Mr . Wesley . I n 1 81 8 h Longacre Chapel , w ich was then the ’ ’ bishop s , and known as St . Andrew s Episcopal

Chapel , was purchased , the deed providing that ’

the building was not to be called St . Andrew s , which name was retained by the Episcopalians

for their new place of worship in King Street . In 1 873 the present chapel in Crown Terrace

was erected . It may almost appear from the different re ligiou s sects which in the course of years came 2 4 S r 5 THE LIGHT o THE NORTH . into existence as if th e Church of modern times in this land were only so many detached frag ments . The reproach is brought against the

Protestant Church that it is a thing of sections , that it lacks the unity w hich existed in the

Church previous to the Reformation . But it wo u ld not be difficult to prove that much of the w boasted unity is shallo and mechanical , and that all th e principal divisions which we now see in the Protestant Church existed in the Roman Church in germinal if not in matured and an n is definite form . Were J se t and Jesuit not as different from each o ther as Calvinist and Arminian Cou ld fervid High Churchman and semi - rationalistic Broad Churchman be further apart than were Bernard and Abelard ? If we have our Quakers , were there not inside as well as outside the Church in ancient days the Quietists and Mystics Did not also the preaching friars answer to our brethren the Methodists More S over , there may be deeper piritual unity , though perhaps we are only now beginning to recognise it , pervading all those Protestant religious bodies with their different administrations and distinc tive tenets than what existed in the huge iron - bound hierarchical system which was so shaken three centuries ago .

2 G S or 56 TH E LI HT TH E NORTH .

Kinn i th e Synod of Moray respecting . o r and D u mb enn a n wa s that The Gospel had never in been in power these congregations . They are nurseries of gross idolatry , heresy, and 1 745 f superstition . In the o ficial record of th e Presby tery of Strathbogie is Kinnoir and D u mb en n an are distinguished above all others for malignancy and fomenters of our troubles . George Cowie was born in the parish of ' h ill Ba nfi 1 4 Ordi u 7 9 . q , near , in Sent to the was Grammar School at the age of seven , he a s u ccessful competitor for a bursary at Marischal

College when not more than twelve . Appointed schoolmaster of Rothiemay when he was sixteen , brought that same year under deep conviction of sin and guided to Gospel light and peace by the

- ministry of the Anti Burghers , with whom he became united , and in consequence was ej ected from his school in the Establishment when he was seventeen— such is an epitome of the early life of George Cowie . He was persuaded to become a student of divinity in the theological seminary of the Church to which he had 1 . 769 attached himself In the year , when he h e was was only twenty years of age , sent from it to labour in Huntly , where a few praying people were banded together and had made request for a preacher . and Preachers were scarce in those days , the little praying societies throughout the north c wm or U GEORGE o H NTLY . 257

were eager to have the services of men , whose preaching somewhat resembled in simplicity and warmth of earnestness , what they were accus tom ed to find in the Acts of the Apostles and the N ew Epistles of the Testament , which were their daily study ; so he had to labour in Grange ,

Keith , and Cabrach , with Huntly as a centre . A small company had been gathered at the w as Cabrach eight years before , which greatly augmented by his ministrations . The congrega tions at Keith and Grange appear to have been due almost entirely to his labours . At a some what later period a cause was established by him in Culsalmond . He had thus the superintend f r ence of five congregations o several years . It does not surprise us that he died before he had reached the close of his sixth decade When he preached in Huntly , many came to the central church from each of those places , and returned to their homes before the Sabbath day was done . It w as his practice in the early days of his ministry, as he himself described it , to take his ff sta in hand , bread and cheese in his pocket , and when he was weary to sit down and eat his d “ frugal fare , rink of the bubbling spring or of ” the brook that runneth by the way , and thus n refreshed resume his journey . Ofte did he arrive at his destination much fatigued , but greatly cheered and revived by finding large numbers eager to hear the W ord . So abundant s L I G H T 258 THE S OF THE NORTH .

were his labours , and so blessed of God , that each of those congregations became strong i enough to support a min ster of its ow n . But it w as in the town of Huntly that the ’ n deepest imprint was made by Mr. Cowie s u d aunted faithfulness and consuming earnestness .

a s He , a spiritual husbandman , found the district to be virgin soil , and largely overgrown with weeds and thorns . When he came it was the practice of the lads of the town to play at shinty in the Castle grounds on Sabbath when

“ the kirk scaled . Grieved and burdened , he w m ent a ongst them , and , as the result of per sistent pleading and praying, he at last succeeded in inducing them to abandon such desecration of ’ the Lord s day . ff a But he had a sti and , at first, lmost single

handed battle to fight . Unaccustomed to such an outspoken and fervid preacher of righteous

ness , some of the inhabitants of Huntly were disposed to resent his presence amongst them as

an intrusion . The baser sort lay in wait at the street corners on the dark evenings and pelted

him with rotten eggs as he passed by . It is related that on one occasion w hen he was preach i ing , the service was nterrupted , and the con

re a tion g g thrown into excitement , in the follow

ing manner . Before a place of worship was built

“ for him , he preached in a house in the Old

” “ was Road , then called the High Street it open

S 260 THE LIGHT OF THE NORTH . hesitate freely to express his approbation of the preaching of Whitefield and of the revival at d Cambuslang ; his isapprobation , also , of the

- r separation of the Burghers and Anti Burghe s , which independence and frankness led to his

ordination being delayed . When the feeling was abroad in the land among God ’ s people that the obligation was laid upon them to do something in execution of the Master ’s com mission to go and preach the Gospel to every

creature , Mr . Cowie and his people proceeded to l 0th 1 7 96 take practical action , and on March , , a w as m local missionary society for ed . Within a year of that date , Mr . Cowie succeeded in collect ing in the Huntly and neighbouring congrega~

tions no less a sum than one hundred pounds , which was sent to the London Missionary

Society , and many more precious gifts came in due course— men who offered themselves to the

service and distinguished themselves in it .

Shortly after that, one of the earliest, if not

the first , Sabbath school in the north was estab li h d ’ s e in connection with Mr. Cowie s church ;

and far and wide such schools were planted , which did their work so well that in many of the places where th e good seed was sown for years there are n ow thriving Christian congrega

tions , mostly belonging to the Free Church .

Mr . Cowie was bursting one after another of l d the swadd ing ban s of his sectarian connection . O or H ’ ‘ 2 1 GE RGE COWIE UN I LY . 6

When James Haldane , along with Messrs . Aik

H u n tl o 1 7 97 man and Rate , visited y in Oct ber, ,

Mr. Cowie and his elders gave him the use of their chapel . Unable to go against what he believed to be a work of God , and yet not willing

f - to give unnecessary of ence to the Anti Burghers , who forbade their ministers from identifying wt themselves i h such irregular services , he in the morning sat at the open window of the n ma se , which was close by the place of meeting ,

d e and heard all that was said . He was so of lighted with the preaching James Haldane , and so abundantly satisfied n ow that the work

“ ” of the Missionars was of God , that in the evening he could not restrain himself from th rowing prudential scruples to the w inds and going boldly into th e chapel when the hour for the evening meeting came round . That act sealed his ecclesiastical fate .

Mr. Cowie and his session were summoned before the Presbytery for their alleged irr egu larities , and eventually their case came before

“ the Synod in Edinburgh , which agreed unani m ou sl y in declaring that , as lay preaching has W no warrant in the ord of God , and as the Synod has al ways considered it a duty to tes tif y against promiscuous communion , no person under the inspection of the Synod can con sistently w ith their principles attend u pon or give countenance to public preaching by any 262 THE LIGHTS or THE NORTH . who are not of our communion ; and if any do so , they ought to be dealt with by the j udi c a torie s of the Church , to bring them to a sense of their offensive conduct . He and his session were thereafter deposed , and public intimation was made of the same by the minister of Clola 1 8th 1 800 on May , .

On that same day Mr . Cowie preached on the

“ words I f God be for us , who can be against

? - - us Valiant , heaven enthralled , clear sighted ,

- ! because large hearted , Cowie he is worthy to h is take place among the Confessors of old , who are confined to no age or clime , but have this as their distinction— that the Creator is more to them than the creature . His refusal to submit to men who objected to Sabbath schools and m issions and lay preaching gave an immense impetus to his usefulness . All his people clave

fi ve to him with the exception of four or , and many came to him from other parts who dis approved Of the high - handed proceedings of the

Synod . ’ Mr. Cowie s congregation gradually , but w slo ly , came to be recognised as one of the

- n newly formed I dependent Churches, though in every other respect except its independency it remained exactly the same during his lifetime as it was before . He was one of those men wh o make things denominational a mere pl a t ’ on form which to stand while doing God s work .

C H A P T E R X X I I I .

'‘ — THE I NDE P E NDE NI S 1797. 5 COTTI SH Independency is not the extension of an ecclesiastical system that had its origin B i n England , into the land which since the efor mation has been almost exclusively occupied by

Presbyterianism . It was not imported ; it sprang from forces Operating within our own borders . While th at particular form of Church polity is substantially the same as , if not identical with , w the Independency of Owen , Crom ell and d ff Milton , yet it cannot claim to be a irect o shoot ’ from that body , which took such a prominent

r part in a brilliant pe iod of English history, and

r has , by its enowned names and splendid achieve ments , shed unfading lustre upon Independency w herever it is known .

Scottish Independency , like most things that take root among the sturdy people who inhabit this part of the isle , is indigenous , or, rather , one of the incidents of a general religious movement at the close of the eighteenth century , which can be so described . It is scarcely conceivable that

n it could have bee otherwise . The Scots have ever respected and jealously guarded the idea of an d a now nationality , in former days , more th n , S 2 5 THE INDEPENDENT . 6 were disposed to look askance at any ecclesias tical m importation that came fro England , which was always willing to cast its shadow upon its smaller n eighbour. The desperate conflicts which Scot land had to wage for centu ries with England had so d riven and burned the passionate longing into the hearts of the people for the m ainte n ance of nationality , which expressed itself in the whole environment of life , that no polity or Church which had a foreign aspect had a chance of gaining a footing a hundred years ago . There was a keen , almost morbid and ludicrous sensi tive ness with regard to intrusion or meddlesome ness of any kind , especially from the South . Every institution had to be as distinctive and as much their own in Caledonia as the thistle and the heather. The imprint of the genius , or at s lea t the seal of the approval of Scotland , was necessary as a passport to favour . Presbyterian ism was that which was taken three centuries ago as a substitute for the Popery that was rej ected , and the people who , in the days of

Queen Mary , took , and ever since have more or

ff o wn d less kept, their a airs in their han s with characteristic tenacity and fervour , clung to the

Church system of John Knox , which was the child and companion of their emancipation from priestly thraldom . Other Churches might be o go d enough for other countries , but they as a h ad nation made their choice , and they resented 266 TH E LI GHTS O F THE NORTH .

the invasion of competing sects . What hindered the progress of Episcopacy in our land as much , perhaps , as anything else , was the fact that it n ow was established in England , and and again r uthlessly but impotently thrust upon Scotland , and within the memory of many , if not up to the present day in rural parts , every church of that persuasion was called the English chapel .

By what vital and assimilative process , then , did Independ ency become one of the factors in the religious life of this part of Great Britain ?

As an incidental , almost accidental , product of a period of quickened religious life . No restless n ew sectary said Go to , let us rear a denomina tion no student of ecclesiastical history, struck with the supposed superiority of this mode of Church life as expounded in books or exemplified with such intellectual and moral grandeur by the Puritans of England , brought it here as a zealous propagandist . It came unlooked for when the minds of those who became identified w ith it were bent upon the possession of what was of far greater importance . d There were , indeed , straggling In ependents Brownists " ’ —from the time of the Common

n ow wealth , before what is known as Scottish

i Ferrendale Independency began ts course . One came to Aberdeen in 1 642 who was accused of a Brownism . Local records tell us that he w s

” “ r fie trapped holding a noctu nal meeting, ,

268 THE LIGHTS O F THE N ORTH .

Scottish family w hich belonged to Perthshire .

In education , tastes , and surroundings , they were in their early days about as far removed from what they afterwards became as it was possible for them to be . They had high birth , a wide , h aristocratic connection , ample means , and all t at the world can bestow U pon those who are con sidered to be the darlings of fortune . Nothing could have more surprised them when they were men of the world and spirited officers of His Maj esty ’ s navy than to be told that they would yet find their vocation and glory in street preaching and tract distribution and as founders

- of Congregational and Baptist Churches . Brought under the power of New Testa

ment truth , they consecrated themselves and

their substance to their Divine Master. There are few things in the history of our land nobler than the story of Robert Haldane selling the

- Airth r e romantically situated estate of y , near

Stirling , that the thus liberated might

be used for the support of evangelists , the

erection of chapels , and the distribution of ictu r religious books . There is much that is p

Airth re esq ue in the scenery of y , but there is not anythin g so lovely in its rocky cliffs and grassy lawns and charming stretch of w ater as the spirit of the man who was con strained to turn h is back upon it all for the sake — Few of Christ and his fellow countrymen . E s THE I NDE PE ND NT . 269

h spots upon eart have associations that , to the thoughtful mind , bring heaven nearer . In the neighbouring castle of Stirling, where the Stuart sovereigns lived , we have the splendour of royalty in the memories which cluster around its weather

Worn walls ; in the field of Bannockburn , not many miles away , we have suggested to the mind the splendour of patriotism ; but in Air th r ey the man who has an eye for the finer things of life cannot think of what w as r e n ou nced a hundred years ago without being impressed with the exceeding splendour of ex m n l peri e ta Christianity . “ ” Christianity , said Robert Haldane , is everything or nothing . If it be true it war rants and commands every sacrifice to promote ” its influence . Hindered by the East India Company from carrying out his first intention after conversion , which was to go with a large i company as a Christ an herald to India, he turned his attention to the spiritual needs of

his native land , and made it the scene of his

- life long labours . The plan of operations adopted was to secure the co- operation of persons like - minded with

themselves , Robert Haldane backing up with pecuniary assistance all pioneering efforts for

the spiritual awakening of the people . James

Haldane , who was the better speaker of the two ,

would set out in a carriage or on horseback , 270 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH . having John Campbell or some other friend of t kindred spiri with him , and always in addi tion an abundant supply of tracts . When they reached a to wn the drummer or bellman was sent round announcing a religious meeting. One or o both of them would speak at the Market Cr ss ,

m ur the churchyard , or so e other place of conco se ; tracts were distributed , and an exhortation given to the persons assembled to cleave unto God .

James Haldane was young and handsome , of commanding presence and powerful voice , and the fact that he had the bearing of a gentleman dressed according to the fashion of the time, with his powdered hair tied behind , and had been a ’ captain in His Maj esty s Navy, gave a piquancy

. O f to his street preaching He was pposed , scof ed own at, persecuted , especially by those of his — station , but this sailor missionary had acquired the power of weathering storms of various kinds .

Here is the account that Mr. J . Haldane gives of h is first appearance in Aberdeen in the summer of 1 797

’ - — I ntending to preach ou t oi doors on the Lord s D a n n was o a th e Co C os o y eve i g, I t ld th t llege l e w uld S b e a n excellen t place . o the town drummer was

sen o nd to n t c . On S n a m o n t r u give o i e u d y rni g, o a fas c a ssa m bef re bre k t , I re eived me ge fro one of a s a s wh o was a so sso h a the M gi tr te , l a profe r, t t he

w s to se e m e . s n n s f u i hed On pre e ti g my el , he inq ired h ow I ca me to intimate preaching in a place which

272 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH . agencies which were deemed to be suitable points of contact between the truth of God and the need of man . And all the reliable records of the period bear witness to the fact that the need was great .

The Church of Scotland , however , did not appreciate the help they were receiving from the

H aldan es , accompanied by Rowland Hill and others , as the following testifies

On th e 28th 1 799 was May, , an overture pre sented from th e Synod of Aberdeen and that of Angus a nd Mearns respecting vagrant teachers and n A S a s s . s und y chool , irreligio , and anarchy The semb l u an m s tu s and y n i ou ly agreed to the over re , prohibited all persons from preaching in any place u nder their j urisdicti on who were not licensed as above ; and also those wh o are from England or any e ac h not uc e and oth r pl e, and who ave been ed at d licensed in S cotland - and resolved th at a pastoral admonition be addressed by the Assembly to all the e h people under th ir c arge .

As is always the case , ecclesiastical repression of that sort only fanned the flame instead of extinguishing it . The Word of God was sounded ff abroad , and had much e ect in spite of the ban which the Moderates of the day had put upon its ” a v grant agents .

Congregationalism , with its simplicity and

d H aldan es free om , seemed to the and those NDE PEND E NTs TH E I . 27 3 associated with them to consort with their prae tica l aims and with the example of the primitive Church which they accepted as a mod el ; but in planting Churches of that order throughout

H a ld anes Scotland the , Ewing , Aikman , and

e others who w re banded with them , did not consider so much where the conditions of a thriving ecclesiastical interest would be found as where the spiritual need was most pressing . That accounts for Aberdeenshire havin g a larger number of Congregational Churches than any

d . other rural istrict in Scotland But , as illus tra ting the sturdy individuality of the folk of our county , from the very beginning they differed from th e Independents of other parts of the land (having come to some extent under the influence of English Congregationalism) in some of their usages , as , for example , their preference for monthly Communion , instead of weekly which the H aldan es favoured . The parent church of the north was George

“ ” Street ( the Loch Kirk ) n o w known as Belmont — r . St eet , whose ministers Dr Philip , Alexander

r — Thomson , and David A thur are remembered with respect in Aberdeen . The n ew development of religious life in our city identified with Congregation alism w a s f w directly due to local instrumentality . A e

o a n d good men , having George M ir, a hosier ,

a e s o Alexander Innes , a dyer , as le d r , met t gether 274 THE LIGHTS or THE NORTH .

e difi a i n privately for prayer and spiritual c t o .

E . ventually , under the direction of Dr Bogue , of 1 5th 1 797 m Gosport , on September , , they for ed themselves into a church Nine persons were thus banded together , and they drew out a most excellent statement of the principles they f adhered to , each one a fixing his signature to the O same . Their first place of worship was pened

Benn c t th 2u d by Dr . , of London , on e September, 1 8 79 . The members were full of missionary fer

h a d vour , and preaching stations in and around Bla ckh ills now Aberdeen , the little church at , W esth ills t called , being part of the frui of that period of abounding evangelistic zeal . Shortly after , churches sprung up in Inverurie and other parts of the county , in connection with which faithful men laboured not only as pastors , but as itinerating evangelists . They preached often

u d ring the week as well as on Sabbath , taught schools and classes , and instituted libraries and centres for the d istribution of religious tracts . Among the Independents in this part of the country who , in addition to those already named , have attained to eminence , mention must be

e made of Jos ph Morrison , of Millseat, and John

ff. now Murker, of Ban There are , including th e tw o U Evangelical nion congregations , seven churches of the Independent polity in Aberdeen .

The Baptists , who are Independents , but have as their distinctive denominational basis a

V C H A P T E R X X I .

“ — - l 793 l S34 . DR . K IDD

R. D MASSON , a native of Aberdeen , in one of a series of articles which he wrote in ’ Jlf a cm illa n s M a az in e the early numbers of g , of

“ w a s which he then editor, on Dead Men Whom r I Have Known , delive s a remarkable testimony ’ regarding the effect of Dr. Kidd s presence and labours in furtheri ng the cause of Evangelicalism in our city . He says Ere long the taste for his style of preaching spread beyond his own congregation , till the whole city became in the main Evangelical in its notions of doctrine , and the other pulpits in it were filled with men supplying similar doctrine after their various native fashion , and only in the country round did Moderatism still prevail , though even there largely modified . All this was not owing to

Z e it- eist Kidd , for the g was at work , but much

w a s of it owing to him . He was a flame at which many lit their candles . There can be no doubt that in the early part of this century Dr . Kidd was one of th e great

’ es e a es n c a e th e u a on of K s m n s Th d t i di t d r ti Dr. idd i i try in e ee n Ab rd . DR. KIDD . 27 7

popular and shaping religious forces of this city . It does not lie within the scope of our present purpose to attempt even an outline of the life of

r th e this emarkable man , and that is rendered all m ore unnecessary as his character a nd romantic career are depicted with minuteness in the volume that was published in Aberdeen two or three

a to w e ye rs ago , and which are indebted for all * that is here given .

- An Irishman , a self made man , educated in t Ireland , the Uni ed States , Edinburgh , and Aber w l deen , Professor of Hebre in Marischal Co lege , Gilcom ston and minister of Chapel of Ease , by the sheer force of personality and u n flinching ’

fidelity to God s truth , Dr . Kidd did more than

all other men in the city combined , to prepare for the spiritual and ecclesiastical developments

which took place after his death . This gallery of portraits would be incomplete with out a chapter

on him . Let us therefore keep company with him for a S ingle Sabbath morning in Gilcom ston Chapel that w e may discover if possible th e

secret of his power . Gilcomston wa s Chapel , which then in what

w as was a suburb of Aberdeen , a large , square

-h built, plain building , wit galleries on both sides ,

th e pulpit at one end , and a gallery at the other , with a “ cock loft above it to accommodate the ’ increasing congregation attracted by Dr . Kidd s

“ K of e ee n 1892 Dr . idd Ab rd , 278 THE L I GH Ts o r THE N O RTH .

powerful preaching . The exterior was more — than severely simple it was bald and barn like . The interior made no pretension to elegance of any kind ; the only thing visible which hard ,

- of - matter fact utility did not demand , was the model of a ship hung in front of the end gallery , a symbol of the consequence of the seafaring calling to the population of that period, that was to be seen also in some of the other places of wors hip in the city .

There being no vestry attached to the chapel , w the Doctor, as was his ont , made a virtue of a necessity , and , walking from his house attired for his ministerial duty half an hour or so before worship began , made the pulpit his waiting place . There he sat primed and ready like a man who was longing for the opportunity in which he gloried as a preacher of Christ ’s ever i lasting gospel . He had been engaged n work

th e already in the early part of Sabbath , which only whetted his appetite for more . Besides meditating and praying from an early hour in his study , he had opened a class and addressed one or two of his Sabbath schools , and so it had been proved beyond doubt that the pump was ” off not the fang . As the Doctor sat there on his lofty pedestal surveying the assembling multitude , he , with his observa nt eye and wonderful faculty of n recog ising individuals , was able to keep up

280 THE LIGHTS o r THE N ORTH .

spiritual sympathy . The Communion Sabbath w a s the great day of the year for putting on ’ one s finest and newest clothes . It is a true “ inst inct which prompts one to put on his best when appearing before God in His public sanctu ary . So on that day the young women had on “ ” light dresses and the men drill trousers . With ” a profusion of white In u tch es and a sprinkling

- of red coloured cloaks among the elderly dames , there must have been something to please the eye even of those who were not on the mount, and saw nothi ng that lay beyond th e outward and earthly aspect of the scene . As the people were taking their places in ’ th e e e s pews under the Doctor s y , occa ionally little incidents occurred which told their own l r e ta e of human vanity and selfishness , and vealed the fact that Gilcom ston Chapel had not yet fulfilled its task in seeking to bring

Aberdeen men and women to perfection . One w day , as ill happen sometimes even yet in the

House of God , strangers who wanted to go into a certain pew where there was abundance of

room , met with a passive resistance on the part

of those sitting at the end of it , and as passing people in the narrow space between seat and

bookboard was next to impossible , they could only stand and look and wonder at the in

hospitality of the professed worshippers of God . Roused to anger by the incivility shown to 8 1 . 2 DR . K IDD

r o visito s , the Doct r, who took in the whole situa tion at a glance , thundered out Sit up , proud

a s flesh , and let the people have a seat long as ” w as there is one to give them . So great the demand for sittings that there were folding seats in the passages , which were usually filled . Old men and women might be seen sitting on the pulpit stairs , and on stools on any empty space not too far from the minister . Having a keen appreciation of the value of time , punctuality was a virtue which Dr . Kidd practised with conspicuous constancy . But his was an Irish kind of punctuality , for, as Dr .

Bain tells us , he regularly rose to begin the service five minutes before the hour . The fi rst exercise was a brief exposition of the psalm that wa s to be sung . In that way he helped the people to give reality and significance to the praise , and , when the time came for it, they were

“ be tter able to sing with the understanding .

a An old wom n of those days , but belonging to

“ a another p rish , once said , I thocht the psalms were j ist to gie the minister a breath . They o knew better than that in Gilcomston . He t ok up the psalms in consecutive order, giving so n ma y stanzas each Sabbath . as In like manner , when he announced the p sage of Scripture to be read the Doctor pro ceeded i to give a brief analys s of its contents , and a summary of the lessons taught. His great 28 2 THE me nus o r THE N O RTH . aim w as to make every part of the service real and vital to all who were before him . He was at pains to enlist their intelligence and sympathy , and to shut dull apathy and dreary formalism outside the gates of Gilcom ston . Having stated th e general scope of the chapter , he proceeded to read it with that true and powerful elocution w l hich does not draw attention to itse f, but to the matter in hand . His sonorous voice was well modulated , and the rich Irish accent , instead ff of detracting from the e ect, must , to Aberdeen ears , have lent the charm of piquancy to his delivery . Professor Masson says His slow and impressive reading of the psalms was I

- i remember , a never failing source of admirat on d h was and elig t to the Aberdonians . He a real

Chrysostom .

Then came the prayer , in which the man , in the depth and tenderness of his nature , stood revealed . Prayer was to him the very soul and breath of religion . He knew the value of it for

U himself, and he pressed its importance pon his people , sometimes in the pulpit taking up a n psalm , and , there and then , like a father deali g n w ex eri with his childre , sho ing them by actual p ment how it could be turned into prayer. Dr.

and Gilcomston Bain others , who attended in their youth , testify to the unique power , the freshness and seraphic fervour of the man in r praye . Dr . Bain says The first occasion

2s T H E LIGHTS or THE xonr u .

Bible twice , and had begun the third series when h he died . An old man , whose character in yout

w . as formed under the preaching of Dr Kidd , in Gilcomston recounting the scenes of , used to wind — up his remarks by sayi n g alluding to the fervour l d of the ministrations , as we l as to the crow ed E ” o . congregations h , sir , it was a het ho se The Sabbath spent in Gilcom ston was an educational as well as a religious force to the great body of the people of that generation in

. n Aberdeen Many you g men . some of whom have w on distinction in thei r chosen spheres of activity , had their mental powers awakened by grappling with the doctrine of the Gilcomston pulpit , and reproducing for the benefit of others the arguments and illustrations with which it was supported . For the Doctor , though he

was ever impelled by a consuming earnestness , allowed himself considerable latitude in the topics he chose and the manner in which he

. t h e treated them The millennium , evils of

th e b e Popery , and glories of prophecy might

sprung upon his people at any time . Things

civil , political , and local , the resources of litera

ture , and the examples of history , as well as the general information w hich could be gathered a from all p rts of the world , were woven into

the texture of his Sabbath discourses . It would be a stretch of fancy for even the most enth u si a stic Kiddite to lay it all to the credit of the 28 DR . K IDD . 5

Gilcom ston to th e pastor , but it is certainly , say s lea t of it , a most remarkable coincidence that so ma ny youths belonging to the district , and who were brought more or less under the influence of its i e ch ef luminary , though not all b longing to h is congregation , should have risen to place and

. i fame . Phillip , the painter ; Dr Bain , the log cian

and ta . o me physician ; Dr John Hill Burt n , the o E t hist rian ; Dr. Masson , professor of nglish li era

W - ture ; and Dr. alter Smith , the minister poet , occur among many names that might b e men

ion d w t e in this connection . We kno that his pastoral oversight d id win the gratitude of ” Du ncan Rabbi , whose genius , though erratic , d prodigious learning have brought honour

to the city of his birth .

too - Many others , , whose distinction is known

only to the records of heaven , were inwardly nourished by the weekly feast of fat things m provided for them , and had their lives redee ed from sordid tedium by the inspiring motives and

H ow splendid visions exhibited to their View . could they do other than throng Gilcom ston ? Chapel If it had no loveliness in itself , yet within its walls the beauty of holiness w as r e

vealed to their souls , and aspiration was kindled within the m as th ey were made to feel that the higher life by which they became sharers of the divine w a s a possible possession to

to an d craftsman and peasant , the poor illiterate , r 286 THE LIGHTS o THE NORTH .

and even to the vicious and abandoned . To

w h o n many , duri g the week , were tied from ea rly morn till late at night to the loom and the w Gilcomston lapstone , and to hose minds the rovid sermons introduced an ideal element, by p in g material for thought and discussion , which lifted them above their monotonous and toilsome m drudgery , but did not unfit the for their duty —to many such the lines of Herbert were indeed true Th e w ee k we re d a rk b u t for th y light ” Th o o s w th wa y t rch d th ho e y .

Gilcom ston Chapel was a kind of university m h for the ultitude , the place w ere ideas were propagated , where life was placed in its proper perspective , where truth and righteousness were shown to be more than bread , and Where eternal and immutable principle was held up against the u the most specious and prospero s expediency.

Above all , sitting in that chapel , men were made to feel that it was indeed the house of God for if they went to it in a right spirit what was

was best in them rose to the surface , what mean a nd w as an d n earthly rebuked , heaven becomi g an experimental reality , they , on leaving the place for their homes, felt constrained to try a H im gain , with the help of of whom they had d “ heard , to live accor ing to the pattern shown ” to them on the mount .

L I G HT 288 THE S OF THE NORTH .

Brown , the bookseller , the grandfather of the venerable Principal Brown , of the Free Church l th e Co lege , Aberdeen , and ministerial founder of the Secession Church in the north , he has many claims to a place in our local annals . His worldly prospects were not bright when he accepted the l a ca l to Cr igdam , as at the outset of his ministry the people did not undertake to give him more than fifteen pounds of an annual income ! H e ’ ” l rin n in was was ca led the minister, as he fleet t i of foot , and seemed ever in has e , as hav ng something important on hand ; and , considering the demands that were made upon his time and energy at the beginning of the Secession move ff ment in the needy north , he could not well a ord to walk at a leisurely pace . He did not spare himself in breaking up the fallow ground , putting heart and soul as well as earnest study into his work so that his name is still fragrant in many parts far beyond Craigdam . It was a common saying among the s erm on ~loving peasantry of “ n the north that Mr . Cowie of Huntly upo black ’ ” a n tur and Mr . Brown of Craigdam on the love ’ ” f i e. of Christ an they canna be dung, . , ex celled . d His gran son , Principal Brown , remembers an Old man describing a service conducted by the a first minister of Craigd m at Knock , near Port soy . One thing i n the sermon which came to him a n d w a s indelibly imprinted upon his memory K S or 28 PATRIC ROBERT ON CRAIGDAM . 9 was the vivid and fervid way in which the preacher used the historical incident of Simeon — “ holding the child Jesus in his arms : There did ’ not appear to be much in the old man s arms , and yet the salvation of the world was depen dent upon what was there— all was wrapt up in ” that Jesus held by Simeon . Then , holding out his own arms as if embracing that which Simeon esteemed to be so precious , Mr. Brown , with tear ful urgency of voice cried to the people assembled ’ ” f reens 0 ? Have you , my , taken a grip Jesus

1 801 - He died in , in the seventy third year of his a e - g and the forty ninth of his ministry, and was buried in the family vault of the Kinmundy family (he was married to a daughter of that house) in the church of Old Deer. w Mr. Bro n was succeeded by Patrick Robert l th 1 6 777 . son , who was born in Perth , July , His family was closely connected with the

Secession Church , his father having been an elder in one of the congregations in that city . Patrick distinguished himself as a scholar in the

Perth Grammar School , and , having studied in

Edinburgh University under Dugald Stewart ,

an Playfair, and other men whose names were n inspiratio to youth , he , at the age of twenty

On e u , had to decide what his f ture profession ff was to be . He was o ered a situation as tutor in a family of great influence on condition that he D ceased to be a issenter, and the prospect of a U 290 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH . presentation to a parish was held out as an inducement . Attachment to principle overcame a the temptation to seek worldly advant ge , and in 1 798 he entered the Anti - Burgher Divinity Hall

W - in hitburn , where he had as fellow students ,

James Templeton , Aberdeen , and Thomas Stark , of Forres , the latter of whom became the most influential minister of the body in the north .

On leaving the Hall , to be called to Craig f dam not long after, Pro essor Bruce addressed h im N ow thus , Patrick , you have talents which very f ew possess to the same degree you are gifted with a powerful imagination ; this may be of great service to you as a minister , but ” watch it, and do not let it run wild . That pro f essor must have been able to read character as well as books , for both in the prophecy and the warning he suited the word to the man .

On entern upon his duties in Craigdam , Mr.

Robertson found that a scholarly , polished style kept him at a distance from the peasant farmers who constituted the bulk of his congregation , and h e resolved to acquire the broad Buchan own dialect , so as to speak to the people in their mother tongue . No missionary who goes to heathen parts could be more assiduous in the study of the language of the people , among whom h he is to labour , than was t is Perth scholar to become all things to the inmates of the scattered cots and crofts around Craigdam , for whose ever

292 THE LIGH TS OF THE NORTH .

’ As to Mr. Robertson s numerous exercises in th e vernacular, some of them quaint and pithy,

few and not a of them ludicrous , we must refer the reader to that racy book—“ Craigdam and ” M w e its inisters , by George Walker, to which a re indebted for much that is in this chapter .

u In reading s ch a book , however, we are apt to make the mistake of regarding the choice tit - bits ’ as the staple of Mr. Robertson s preaching , and to conclude that he was more of a j oker than a e Christian herald . A great r mistake could not be made . We have to remember that for every sentence of pleasantry and eccentricity which re tains its place in the memory, there are thousands of sober sense and Christian instruction which did

r e their work at the time , though they are not produced in conversation or in writing. There was much practical wisdom and point as well as pawky humour in some of his d escr ip tions . When preaching on the temptations that

’ Ch n stian s an assail , and on the doubts d fears which arise in consequence , he said But , ma ’ ’ freen s aifter , a s deen , these doubts an fears will i ’ we sometimes be permitted to come , as a ken to ’ ’ c or cost an skaith ; an sae ye maun 31 st dee w i’ ’ them as ye dee at your wark i the fields . ’ ’ ll afttimes The black craws come , an in vera c rood s ye canna help though they flee ower your

heids , but surely ! Luther uses the same figure] ’ ’ ’ ye can prevent them s ettlin an biggin their G 2 PATRIC K ROBERTSON OF CRAI DAM . 93

h lec tu r s . nest t ere On another occasion , when ing on Jacob ’ s ladder and the angels of G od n y ascendi g and descending it so easil , he con tras ted this with the awkward sp ra wlings of th e sQ f - righ tgoil s sinner on the rungs of the ” a f ree ns far l dder. Ma , he may get up sae , but j ist the farrer he thinks he is ab een his fellow ’ men , an the nearer he thinks he is to the yetts ’ ist o heaven , j the sairer will be the clyte he will ’ ’ get whan he does fa , for fa he will . The minister of Craigdam was very out spoken , and could be sarcastic , but always with

Of . Re an undercurrent kindly , fatherly feeling

i a la w ferr ng to the Mos ic of sacrifice , which required that the animal should be perfect and n eces without blemish , he said It wis a very

la w sary , for mony a ane , then as noo , wad ’ ’ ’ look oot the scabbiest stirkie o a the le t an

think it was gweed eneuch for the Lord . His

rebuke was sometimes severe , but only when it

n w as needed . Some of the people had an i cur able tendency to rise and make for the door

before the benediction was finished . One day h e on holding up his hands as usual , noticed

some beginning to move , and broke out as ’ ’ follows : Ye j ist mind me o Fr os ter h ill s ’ ’ ’ ’ nowte fan they re a stannin in their sta s ’ ’ nae seen er dis the herd pit his han s t their ’ ” collars than ilka heid is turned t the door . w ’ A member of the congregation , after his eek s 294 TH E LI GHTS or TH E NORTH .

O toil m the pen air and his long walk to church , often succumbed to th e close atmosphere Of the I building n which they worshipped , and one day in his slumberous noddings he lost his balance

a . and fell into the p ssage The minister stopped , and looking at the unhappy man recovering as his seat , addressed him thus Ah , Tamm , ’ ’ m D ee vil s Tam as , ma man , the been rockin ye ’ ” h e S cou it ! for mony a day , but p ye at last Old An man , who was a member of the

s U . P . . Whitehill Church , remembers Mr Robert son being present there at a Communion service 1 82 a nd 5. in He lectured on the ten virgins , when he came to that part of the parable Where the foolish virgins said , Give us of your oil , for ” our lamps are gone out , he wheeled round in — “ ’ the pulpit and said Leein j ades ; their lamps were never lich tit ! Patrick Robertson had a plentiful supply of that kind of brilliancy of imagination which easily flashes into wit and humour ; and you could not well have him without them , in the pulpit or anywhere else . It might have tended to increase the weight of his influence with some if he had disciplined his natural genius more , but perhaps the broad popular effect would have b een less marked . We must ever distinguish between the man whose aim is to divert and entertain and the single - eyed servant of Christ w h o happens to have a vivid imagination and a

V C H A P T E R X X I .

T H E D I S R U P T I O N o r 1 84 3. ] T is generally admitted that the first half of the nineteenth century was in many respects one of the most brilliant periods in the history of Britain . Men awoke from the long slumber of the previous century , and turned their wake fulness to some account . They began to think and to search as they had not done for many generations, to contemplate ideals and possi ili i b t es in all spheres open to human intelligence . There came an unprecedented outburst of

d O f i energy in the omain phys cs . Invention the utilisation of the resources of nature for the — convenience of man set in like a spring tide. - th e The railway, the steamship , the power loom , telegraph , and a thousand useful appliances of the energy in steam and electricity came upon the scene . It was also a period of quickened and heightened intellectual life , as was evidenced c — by the noble su cession of poets real , genuine — poets with which this country w as favoured . Not since the time Of Queen Elizabeth has this nation had such men of the highest creati ve S N 2 7 THE DI RUPTIO . 9

genius as Coleridge and Wordsworth . And other writers , notably Tennyson , Browning , and

Ruskin , proved that the middle and latter part of this century had not lost sight of the rich vein of highest intellectual power which had e b en disclosed . r Men also became politically awake and ale t. Anomalies— inequalities in the social system were detected and exposed . The demand of the people for the rights of free men culminated in the Reform Bill of 1 832. ow N , religion flourishes most when men are intellectually awake , and when they arise from the rut of spiritless acquiescence . No doubt an excess of activity on purely secular lines tends to an impoverishment of the higher life by de i nud ng it of its rightful share of energy . Still , it cannot be ga insayed that mental life and activity are helpful to the interests of true religion . Ignorance may be the mother of superstition , but not of enlightened devotion . m In England , the Pusey or Oxford move ent was one of the most noticeable manifestations of awakened life . The old formalism , so respectable

- and self complacent , was shaken if not shattered , and men wh o had given themselves to the minis try began to enquire whether a quiet , comfort able living in the Church and compliance with time - honoured forms were to take the place of ra aspi tion after a higher life . The zeal of the 298 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

movement , as many think , was largely mis

it . guided ; still , was the warmth of revived life In the United Presbyterian and Congrega tion al Churches in Scotland there was also a

ra conside ble stirring of life , which issued in a stiff controversy about those metaphysical ques tions which lie behind the doctrines of grace .

“ The Morisonian or N ew View crusade had a ff beneficial e ect , along with other contributing causes , in liberalising the theology of Scotland ; n the Eva gelical Union Churches in St. Paul Street and John Street being the local outcome and embodiment of that movement which took S 1 84 definite hape in 3 . But years before the N e w View movement — there was the Voluntary con troversy the ques tion whether the Church should be supported by the State or by the freewill offerings of its mem

bers . That discussion excited strong feeling, and champions on both sides lectured throughout the

1 land 0 1 the subject . It was at that time that the Church of Scotland took decided action on ff behalf of missions, Dr. Du going out to India

in 1 830 .

m - A idst all this life stirring , it was not to be expected th at the people could continue to sub to mit tamely the bondage of Patronage , which had always been a hateful yoke to the pious and

- high spirited in the land . Patronage might evoke no protest when religion did not mix

300 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

SO Church as it then was , shocked the moral s ense and stirred the feeling of the whole country as to make decisive action of some kind or other inevitable . The scandal , too , of the enforced settlement at Culsalmond in the same year drove the conviction further home

that something must be done , and done soon , in the name of order and religion to make such

scenes impossible . — The question came to b e Would the civil la w be altered to agree with what had become the law of the Church ? A great national crisis

had been reached . The Evangelical section of

the Church had come to a parting of the ways . They had either to succumb to the law on the

- law civil statute book , which was against the of n the Church , and be traitors to their conscie ces , h denying the eadship of Christ, or they had to

r make a sac ifice of position , stipend , and manse,

and cast themselves adrift upon the world . was There , indeed , a third course possible

viz . , that, in deference to the strong remon strances of the Evangelical clergy , headed by

Dr . Chalmers , the Government of the day would move for such an alteration of the law as should bring it into agr eement with the wishes of the

people and the la w of the Church . But by a S trange infatuation , a j udicial blindness, the statesmen then in pow er failed to realise the

significance of the crisis . They thought they THE DIS RUPTION . 301 h ad only to be fi r m and those fiery and restless

“ - fliers ecclesiastics , high , would be brought to their senses and kept within the bounds which

had be en imposed . They never dreamt that so m any men , the very strength and flower and glory of the Church , would leave their secured position , their emoluments , and manses for the sake of a principle .

- They were misinformed an d ill advised . They had too open an ear for the representations of

O the active pponents of the popular party , and to the last they never supposed that more than a mere fraction of the Church would take what

a they deemed such a desperate step . The cynic l view of human nature is sometimes proved to be

a mistake . Worldliness may miscalculate . The Devil is sometimes out witted when he is too sure of the answer to the sneeringly - put ques tion Will a man serve God for nought ? ” You do not know how far men may go when

they are carried along by a moral principle , th e which is to them as declared will of God . The leaders of the Non - Intrusion movement — — Candlish , Cunningham , Gordon , Guthrie were

remarkable men , made for and by the times , but d the popular party owed more , in the provi ence

of God , for their cohesion and courage , their

Christian gallantry , and the magnificence of the

moral demonstration of the Disruption , to the

inspiring presence of Dr . Chalmers than to a n y 302 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

w s other cause in this world . Dr. Chalmers a one of those men with whom the world is now favoured and again , and who need a great historic epoch to exhibit the full pre portions of

n their noble ma hood . After his conversion in Kilmany and his pronounced adhesion to Evan

elical r g doct ine , he was the greatest force in a Scotland since the days of Knox . It w s not only his intellectual prowess and his irresistible

S - oratory , but his imple hearted devotion to the higher ideas of life , which won for him the position he has in the reverent regard of Scotch men of all creeds and classes . The “ Ten Years ’ Conflict was practically SO the revival of the old question , which has often come to the front during the last three hundred years , whether the Church was to be a — thing of earthly potentates and statesmen a — creature of the State or to be undivided in its allegiance to Christ , its only legitimate Head . It had to be decided whether the Church was to as be Erastian or Evangelical . It w the same w controversy hich the Covenanters had to face , under modern conditions . The j ustice of the

fi ft - r contention made y th ee years ago , and which was resisted by the Moderates and the Court of

Session , has been practically vindicated . Patron n ow h as age is abolished , and the right been tardily conceded to the people of choosing their own ministers ; but it needed the Disruption to

304 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

charges in the Presbytery of Aberdeen , May,

1 843 :

D e c ss o r. Al xander Bla k, Profe or of The logy. m m s C W c . Rev. illia Pri ro e, Melville hur h

m s o E s Ja e F ote, a t

a N t John Murr y, or h ‘ u M Kenz ie c H gh , Gaeli

Da S m so n vid i p n, Tri ity

n a Be n- cc Gavi P rker, A ord

ames c Gilcom ston J Bry e, L c m . f s Aber ro by Gordon, Grey riar an D D e . s W s Alex d r avid on, e t U John Allan, nion

s W s ’ 1 1 Robert Forbe , ood ide v

n S St . C m s Alexa der pence, le ent mes St S Ja ewart, outh l illiam L c u V . Mit hell, Holb rn ’ n S n s 1 1 Joh tephen, Joh Knox ’ L on mu ir s John g , Mariner In country charges within the bounds of Aberdeen Presbytery

R v n e . so cu Robert Thom , Peter lter. o M eir N ewmach ar Rev. Ge rge , . It is not reasonable to expect that those who took the Opposite S ide in the controversy Should be able even yet to view the Disruption as do their brethren of the Free Church , or even as

- neutral spectators or non Presbyterians . But time , with its healing and soothing touch , brings S RU 3 THE DI PTION . 05

calmness and clearness of j udgment . As th e

British , after the lapse of a hundred years , can gracefully ac knowledge the heroism of Washing ton a nd his compatriots in their attitude of determined resistance which culminated in the Of Declaration Independence , so Scotchmen of all Churches will yet echo the language that Lord Jeffrey used on the day of the Disruption “ I am proud of my country . ff Every such tribute o ered to conviction , every sacrifice that a nation or considerable section of a nation makes for conscience and principle , is a distinct augmentation of that moral force which is the salt of the earth . Some think the position which the Free Church took at first was illogical ; and yet they feel that the ecclesiastical creed , as held at that time , cannot eclipse the imperishable renown of those who for w sook church and manse and emoluments , hen , as they believed , they could no longer have them without the surrender of the crown rights of the

Redeemer . Who can calculate the measure and the quality of the service rendered to the cause Of unfeigned religion when the testimony was borne home to those in high places, as it was to the members of the British Cabinet of the day , that it is unsafe to assume that , when a choice of motives is open to Christian men , the worldly , sordid ones are sure to prevail ? It was an astonishment to W S 306 THE LIGHT OF THE NORTH .

astute men of t h e world when it was demon strated beyond all contradiction th at there was such a large number of the ministers of religion in Scotland who were faithful to their in terpr e tation of N ew Testament teaching and apostolic

tradition , to the extent of submitting to the l spoi ing of their goods , rather than abandon their

convictions . It is this which enables many in

Scotland , who , while not accepting the Free 1 843 n ow Church theory of , that is in some of ’ a s its distinctive parts , through h lf a century m arvellous experience of the power of voluntary

ism , being quietly relegated to the archives of n the past , to put the Disruption amo g events in

the same rank as Iona and St. Andrews among

places , and to hold that Chalmers is a name worthy of being placed alongside Columba and n Wishart , as oble examples of what Christianity can do for men in provoking and sustaining sublime devotion to the higher claims of life and

duty . I s the ground not being rapidly cleared for a S e cclesi conflict that hall be wholly spiritual , a stic al differences being lost in the consuming desire that is possessing all Christians for union against the common f e es of unbelief and debas ing worldliness There is a growing impatience under the te rrible waste of time and energy in the m aintenance of mere sectarian rights and

interests . Cannot each body of Christians be

C H A P T E R X X V I I .

- TH E REVIVAL IN ABERDEEN or 1858 60 .

HE city and several parts of the county of Aberdeen between the dates at the heading of this chapter were favoured with a remarkable season of grace , the fruits of which were precious and abiding , and some of them remain with us unto this day . About the close of the sixth decade of this century there was a mysterious Spiritual susceptibility abroad in different parts of A the world ; and notably in merica , Ireland , and

Scotland , men in large numbers were brought under the powers of the world to come to a degree that astonished and rebuked the for malism of Christendom . Aberdeen was in a a me sure prepared for a revival work , which in its effect is simply a deepening interest in the central verities of our faith , and a more complete obedience to what it involves ; not a few within our borders were praying and expecting that the Spiritual world would make its presence felt by a striking demonstration of its power u pon the consciences and hearts of the people . A daily prayer meeting had been begun in the in 1 858 city July , , and to the feeling indicated - THE REVIVAL OF 1858 60 . 309 by the existence of such a meeting a great deal that followed could be traced . Of By invitation of Professor Martin , the

Moral Philosophy Chair in Marischal College , ff Mr. Reginald Radcli e came to Aberdeen on an h 1 8 8 2 t 5 . evangelistic mission on 7 November , ff Mr . Radcli e had already proved himself to be a man specially gifted for work O f that kind . A gentleman by birth and education , trained for

law h e t the , found wha was evidently his divinely - appointed vocation in philanthropic and

r spi itual work . In looking at him and listening to him it was at first diffi cult to account for his power ; it was so quiet and unobtrusive . There was no oratorical display , not even what could be called eloquence ; h e had not the intellectual robustness of some of his coadj utors , such as Brownlow North ; yet no man in such a short time ever so drew and stirred Aberdeen , and was the instrument of leading so many to cry out What must w e do that we may be saved ? The man ’s power lay to a large extent in his entire self - effacement ; and in the circumstance that he happened to come to Aberdeen at a time when the people were prepared to receive and profit by S imple statements of gospel truth . Considerable prej udice had to be broken down in Aberdeen , before the methods and agents God was to use for the special work that was to be done were duly acknowledged . Some of the 3 1 0 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH . churches did not view with favour the n ew earthen vessels into which the treasure was to be put , forgetting that the Master had ordained that there should be evangelists as well as pastors ’ a nd n teachers , and that a layman s testimo y from

experience , given in a plain , pointed style, may prove to be a most valuable auxiliary to th e f ’ ordinary preaching of the Word . Mr . Radclif e s Operations at first did not extend beyond Albion

Street Congregational Church . The extraordinary feature of this movement

was that it began amongst the young . The

b - - children came , and they y and bye brought

their parents . All the blossoms did not come to

few fruition , but not a converts have stood the n ow test of time , and are most useful church members and the most distinguished of our self n de ying Christian workers . Principal Brown was forward among our leading m en in discovering and expressing his belief in the genuineness of this work among

the young, and in giving it his hearty and con

in u - t ed co operation . When present in the Gene ral Assembly of the Free Church about thirteen ’ ff v years after Mr . Radcli e s isit, he had the gratification to hear a minister who had been commissioned to inquire into the state of reli gion in Aberdeen remark that the religious work among the young in 1 858 - 60 must have been h ad very profound and widespread , as he met so

H S or H H 3 1 2 T E LIGHT T E NORT .

co- e s James Smith , had to answer to his presbyt r for daring to allow this new expanding life in Aberdeen to burst asunder the swaddling - bands

of ecclesiastical rule and precedent . On consult

ing Dr. Norman Macleod as to what course he

“ w h ad should follo , he got for reply that he no sympathy with Puseyism in Scotland any more a la than in England , and that he would admit y

man to the pulpit at once .

The case , however, went against Mr. Smith in the Aberdeen Presbytery and also in the

Synod . His appeal to the General Assembly ff met with a di erent reception . Some of the men who had the ear of that august body were far removed from the ways of the ecclesiastical

martinet, and having largeness of soul enough to take in the significance of such a great spiritual

movement , were prepared to adapt the channel h ow to the S tream that was flowing . This was

Dr. Norman Macleod spoke in the General Assembly

few Ch st n c m A ri ia men a e to Aberdeen, and were br ought withi n the sacred walls of one of th e s n w e churche there. He did not k o Wh ther they preached a sermon or n ot he did not know whether s oo in t en t they t d a pulpit fif e feet high, or on a pla o m s n b u t w t a ss f r eve feet high , he kne h t they addre ed eo on th e ns c s of C s p ple up u ear hable riche hri t, and that a s Christian men they Spoke from their hearts to t n s f n housa d . The only ault fou d with these men - THE RE V I V AL or 1 858 60 . 31 3 seemed to b e that th ey addressed immortal souls on th e tru th of Christianity withi n th e walls of a ch urch but he had been brought up in th e beli ef that th e Ch urch of Scotla nd attached no peculia r sacr ed ness n I t h ad n a a t th e b ar to stone a d lime . bee ple ded t s m s hat the e en might go to the treet. But there were many la ws th a t were tolerable only becau se they

cc s na to a m and s all had liberty o a io lly bre k the , urely ch urch laws mu st subserve the one grand e nd for w h all e mi a e n c c c s e s . e c c hi hur h xi t They ght h v d e y, u a o n e cen a t s and u a reg l rly app i t d li ti e , reg l rly ordained m n w n t a m e a all th e wh . s as o , and de th ile Thi ti e when there was so much necessity for increased — spiritual life for the General Assembly to occupy a wh ole nigh t in findi ng fault because a mi niste r per ” m ts m n m a i a lay a to preach the gospel fro pulpit .

Mr. Radcliffe continued to be the leader in

m l ssw n . this , and he did not spare himself The meetings were crowded , and often after the people were dismissed they came back to hear the same old story . Thousands in the Castle gate or Links would hang upon the lips of an evangelist who could not h ave sustained the interest of an audience for ten minutes on any other theme tha n that of the gospel . Having f w e hymns which ~they could use at such meet ings in those days , they were never tired of singing over and over again the 1 26th Psalm

41 st and the Paraphrase . These were sung

”

M emo f V l . . . 89 o o ma n M a c eo o . ir N r l d , I I , p 1 4 m m 3 THE o s or THE NORTH .

thousands of times duri n g the course of th e e mission , with a freshness of interest which cam

from the soul . In the towns and villages on th e shores of the Moray Firth a great work was going on n about the same time . Mr. Tur er , of Peterhead ,

went from place to place like a flaming seraph ,

and by his addresses , and still more by his

prayers , became a channel of power to multi

tudes . Aberdeen was moved : men were to be seen in the streets an d in th e railway trains reading their Bibles ; some young men had all - night meetings in Ru b islaw Quarries ; a great many

shop assistants were brought to religious decision , and it may indicate th e kind of feeling that was abroad to learn that it was not uncommon for ff them , after sales were e ected , to have a talk

with customers about eternal things . All over

o or the town , at leisure moments and when pp tu nit y occurred , there were hundreds doing what Christ and the Apostles did eighteen centuries — before seeking to bring men to God ; the feel ing in enthusiastic m inds was that the millenni u m

was at hand . Do not say that this was mere emotional w a excitement, that passed a y like the blaze and

crackling of thorns , without leaving anything

n behi d but black ashes . Much of the Christian philanthropy that has been in our city for the

3 1 6 THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH .

1 74 was . 8 Mr Moody in , Aberdeen greatly a quickened , but not nearly to the extent th t th e it was sixteen years before . Although

movement was less profound and widespread ,

much good came out of it, one of the stand ing witnesses of that being the Young Men ’s

Christian Association buildings in Union Street,

which , through the stimulus received by Mr . ’ Moody s visit , were purchased and put to their h b all t e . present use , and large added behind The Church should expect and be prepared for

“ these intermittent revivals . The course of ” the Christian heavenward , someone has said , s is a series of impulses . Between the impulse , m however, there is the measured and nor al

movement of habit . The fresh impulse of ex

traord inar ff - y e ort, and the well regulated step

of habitual or ordinary exertion , alike harmonise with and result from the laws which limit and

govern all human activity . A revival of religion j ust means that religion by a special effort inspired from above is tryin g to raise itself to the level of something that is ' f adequately alive and e ficient , something that y is tr ing to be what it professes to be , and is fitted to serve the ends for which it was brought

into existence . There is no cause that continues upon the earth and is of service to humanity so that has not its . Especially is that “ revivals w n ith regard to everything of a spiritual ature , - TH E REVIVAL or 185 8 60 . 3 1 7 man e r l his e an d b ing so unspi itua in procliviti s , so prone to mistake traditiona l form and m ec h an i i n cal routin e for someth ng better tha they a re . Doubtless in all revivals the baser elements too c have prominent a pla e , and one of the chea pe st ways of obta ining a reputa tion for sagac ity is in pointing out the shortc omings of W e such good movements . hen a numb r of men ar e really and inte lligently moved by sacred v o con iction , many around them will be t uched with the contagious excitement generated in the community ; and , of course , if that does not ee o d pen int something more worthy , it will be as sparks shot from the anvil rather than as iron that is heated at the core and then bea ten into e the right shap . The history of religious revivals is a history of di vine power and of human weakness . W e

i as have many li v ng witnesses of the power , just ! r we have , alas too many strong p oofs of the weakness . But we do not cut down the fruit tree because some of its bloss oms come to i noth ng. We do not believe that Pentecost was a i figment, a fond imagination of the sp ritual v si o i onary , but a fact in the hist ry of the

- Chu rch . Such a fountain head leads us to look

for corresponding streams . V C H A P T E R X X I I I .

S A T H E P RE E NT — 1 89 THE CHRI TI NITY OF S DAY 6 . ] N bringing this succession of pictures of local religious life and ecclesiastical history to a n ot close , it may be an unprofitable task to inquire what the Christianity of the present day h as to say for itself after all the travail and discipline of the centuries through which it h as passed . We have seen that there has been much shaking : does anything remain which this age should cleave to ? One earthen vessel after another has been broken before our eyes ; is the

s divine trea ure left , and is it really such to us of the present day 7 No stranger can visit our city and cast his eye abroad upon its principal streets without meeting abundant evidence of the fact that its Christianity still exists , and can erect for worship and work edifices which are the orna a ment and pride of the place . The crowded p earanc e f p of Union Street, also , on a ine Sabbath morning , a few minutes before worship is begun , demonstrates that the Christian Church still h as a hold of the pop u lation . But is not the hold slackening ? Yes and

No can be answered to that question . Mere

320 T II E LIG HTS OF THE NORTH .

r practical use of eligion , there is cause for thank are fulness . Breadth and catholicity of feeling on the increase . Men are beginning to realise as perhaps they never did before , that where

Christ is , there is the Church , and consequently they are ready to recognise as brethren all who f hold the Head , even though they may dif er in their views of Church government and on minor no poi n ts of doctrine . There is w a more thorough discrimination between things essential and things n on - imm edi essential , and even where there is no of ate prospect ecclesiastical incorporation , there is to a large extent a real sense of spiritual brother hood among all truly evangelical Christians . But we should ever be on our guard lest we mistake the chilling effect of a lowered tempera ture of Christian feeling for the wisdom which fi ttin l is joined to love , and which enables us g y and usefully to distribute our intensity . Changes c we must have , as the generations succeed ea h other, but the best theological change is often f little more than a shifting o emphasis . An easy going laxity is to be avoided , as it is a bastard ’ kind of liberality . A Gallio s unconcern is a ra hi mise ble substitute for true catholicity . W le it is a decided advantage that we should be able

S to distinguish clearly between heath and kernel , there will be no great gain u nless we at the same time hold what is central and Vital in our com mon Christianity with an added firmness . And H I T I A N I T P E ENT ] C R S Y or THE R S DAY . 32

while we have learned that it is wisdom such

as u b U h mility egets , to keep a tight rein pon re merely curious and speculative propensities , straining ourselves from the attemp t to reach defi nite conclusions about what is not clearly

revealed , and which therefore lies beyond the

d and we imme iate interests of life duty , yet ought to have an intelligent apprehension of

the things most surely believed amongst us . Much of the blatant talk that is meant to dis S credit theology , only goes to how that the talkers u depreciate earnest p rpose and exact thought , with regard to the most momentous theme

which can engage the mind of man . Theology is no more than religion as it shows itself to the

thought of man . Loose or inaccurate thinking ff cannot fail to be bad in its e ects , into whatever department Of human interest it is allowed to

creep . Who ever sneers at sound thinking in social economics ? I S it not as important that we should get at the truth in the economics for ? eternity No doubt hard , dry, sapless dog m atism has much to do with the suspicion under

h as Bu which theology fallen in these days . t it

is the lifelessness not the accuracy , that is at I fault . Theology s the teaching of Scripture as

it reflects itself in human intelligence . It cannot be regarded as a small matter by any sane mind to try to hold up a flawless mirror to the Word

of God , as mere human opinion which is not the X 2 S 3 2 TH E LIGHT OF THE NORTH . reflection of truth is but the bubble that bursts in the air, but the fleck of foam that melts on the shore . The spirit of the age is putting the Church of the present day to the proof in many ways . The very intellectual progress of which we are s the heirs and gainer , and which , also, enlight

r ened eligion has done so much to promote , has m someti es seemed to array itself against us .

Nothing escapes the searching, critical inquiry of this scientific age , and the Scriptures , which are the depositories and symbols of that which is dearest to us , have been scrutinised within the las t two or three decades as they never were before . Scholarly experts are leading us to views regarding the literary origin and strue ture of some parts of the Bible different from w those hich tradition upheld . The time of tran m sitiou involved in this readj ust ent is trying, not so much to those who have faith , as to others who are only as yet halting inquirers ; b u t the crisis has been made needlessly acute by the rashness of a f ew men who have more learning than judg ment , and seem to have a predilection for the w most extreme View which the facts, ith the h utmost stretching , will allow , owever shocking

S to imple faith . But more sober, not to say more reverent , minds , with a full equipment of scholarship , yet weighted with a grave sense of responsibility to those who come not Within the

324‘ T II E S or LIGHT THE NORTH .

re re Another trial which the Church , as p senting things spiritual and eternal , has to bear i n th e present day is the extraordinary and em h fl s arrassing in ux of interest in material thing , which is a striking feature of this age of

! physical discovery and enlarge ment. Things tangible and visible are Opening up to us all s round , yielding outlet , conveniences , and grati fi cation s in such abundance that there is the risk of intoxication if a persistent effort is not

“ ” made to live in the spirit . The world of sense is able to do a great deal more for us than it did w e for former generations , and are bound to believe that all this material progress is the gift of Heaven , which will lead to a real expansion of life after the excite ment connected with our n ew possessions has subsided , and we , without going against the d u e order and proportion of things , are able to accommodate ourselves wisely

- to our providentially appointed environment . I n former days in Scotland the contents of the Bible and the sermons the people heard were not only nutriment to the soul , but also were largely helpful in maintaining an intel N ow lectual interest in life . , a world of varied interest comes daily into the home of every artisan through the afternoon newspaper ; and the Scriptures and the Church must take their place along with other things in stimulating n Th me tal activity . e task before the Church 2 C H RI STI A N I TY OF TH E P RESENT DAY . 3 5 of the present day is to encourage the people to think on whatsoever things are true , and pure ,

r and of good eport, and yet to remind them that to have the mind secularised is to have its noblest parts deadened . Should not the Church of the present day maintain that the Kingdom of God ought to come here and now in larger measure in all

- the many sidedness of its advent , temporal and spiritual ; that physical science and social economy ought to make the earth a more attractive dwelling - place for all its inhabitants ; and , at the same time , should it not fearlessly declare that man cannot be “ groomed and fod dered into blessedness ; that you can no more put right what is wrong in human nature by a

n mere improveme t of circumstances than , as

Jeremy Taylor says , you can cure a man of the colic by brushing his clothes ; that no one can live the life of the mere worldling without shutting up and shutting out What is man ’s best part ; and that life which does not link itself with heaven is like earth without a sky , or the sky without its sun ? But in order that the Church may be able to hold its ground as a witness for spirituality , it must itself be free from the taint of sensa tionalism in its worship and methods The temptation besets us all , when , owing to pre f vailing spiritual indif erence , we do not get the 326 THE LI G HTS OF THE NORTH .

u we r to e s ccess desire on Sc iptural lines , com down to lower ideals and content ourselves with social and other results—but the temptation is to be resisted . The prime question is not what will

w . dra a crowd and please it Statistics , enlarged communion rolls , which are sometimes a sad study , and popular support are no infallible a tivi criterion of real prosperity . Multiplied c a s ties , accompanied with dimini hed interest in prayer, may only mean that we are trying to spend more spiritual energy than we are really succeeding in generating . Organisation is good if there be the life to organise , but the Kingdom of Heaven never has come by activity of any kind , in which prayer has not been what the soul is to the body . The best gift the age can have is praying men and women in the pews and brave men in the pulpit, who , overshadowed by eternity and de termin ed at all cost to deliver the divine message with which they have been entrusted , will speak with a view , not so much to the taste and liking of men as to their profit . The truth of heaven never was palatable to proud , unspiritual men ; l neverthe ess , any progress that the world has made is due to its fearless utterance . Was not

Thorold , the Bishop of Rochester , right when he I w e said But this am sure of , that if had a little more of that despised Puritanism—with out its flaws and defects—there might be more

328 THE L I GH TS OF THE NORTH .

hood of God , of which the Incarnation and the w e Cross are the witness, that have learned of the o brotherhood of men . In so far as the S cialism of the day is sound and practical , it assumes and takes to its credit the moral capital which

Christianity has accumulated . It is only , there fore , as we continue to give height to our religious feeling that it can find its proper

N ew breadth . A Testament theology which develops love for God is th e root from which spring the stalk and branches of love to our fellows . Charity to the poor, mercifulness to the conquered , hatred o f war, care for the sick and aged may all be the developed and inherited results of a Christian experience which is not possessed by the very persons who favour such graces , and therefore may be embraced in a worldliness that has no eternity in it, no sense of sin , and no vital union with Christ ; and not n o ly so , but history does not bring before us the case of any nation being enabled to retai n a permanent hold of such virtues and graces with out continued faith and worship as th e soul of such a beautiful ethical body . h We ave to be on our guard , too , against the tendency to substitute the discussion of religious subj ects before men for the application of reli iou s g truth to men . Columba and the long line of illustrious successors who have made Scotland religiously what it is , ever followed the example 3 CH R I STI A N ITY or THE P RESEN T DAY . 29

of the Apostles , who called upon men to repent

and to believe in the Lord Jesus Ch rist . They

h ad spoke as men who entered , not the academy ,

but the arena . They did not content themselves with a presentation of truth under general and

impersonal aspects , talking about religion as they would of art or any branch of science but m en they grappled with the consciences of , so as to bring about entire and immediate sur render to God . A writer of the present day refers in mourn ful terms to “ the slow but sure development of the belief in the ban kruptcy of nature w hich promises to become the gloomy faith of th e nine t ” eenth century . There is something to favour that pessimistic View if those who lead us in literature and philosophy cease to have the fear of God before their eyes , and regard morality as something that. does not go further back than social expediency . What happened to ancient Rome may happen to us if the same forces are

: allowed to work . Nay , that cannot be God is in His heaven . We need to pray for more faith . An accession of faith when it comes— and it will — come is sure to bring so much with it . The men and women who during the course of this century have left their mark upon our nation ’s t history were all reared in an atmosphere of fai h . N E ewman , George liot, Gladstone , Bright , Tenny son , and Browning were all , to a large extent , 330 THE L I GH TS or THE NORTH . the offspring of the great Evangelical revival

with which the century began .

It is only an age of faith that is creative ,

that can have genius , public spirit, and heroism

as its natural fruit . When men have no vision

of unseen realities , no apprehension of eternal

truth , no intimate personal converse with the

great Father above , who is the fount of thought n S and inspiratio , life inks down to a lower level , and the glories and j oys of existence are so much

less exalted . An age of unbelief produces acute

critics , learned commentators , but the creative

work , in which man shows himself indeed to be

made in the image of God , is not possible where

there is no faith . Let all who have faith draw more closely

together in these days . A British ambassador

some years ago , in addressing an English congre

ation g on the Continent , not belonging to his h “ own Churc , said , At home we recognise and emphasise ou r differences ; abroad we realise the ” W h identities . y should our countrymen abroad have an advantage over us at home ? Should

we not , for the sake of our common Christianity

and the world that needs it so much , and in the l f face of abounding re igious indif erence , draw nearer to the “ identities ” and therefore nearer to each other

332 THE L I G H TS OF THE NORTH .

’ ST ATUT E A N E NT P ROC ESS ION ON SA INTS DAY S .

( P ages 81

“ 22 M a 1 53 1 —Ord ou r Candilmess ocos ~ y . of Pr s on and of C s C s i — s da it was i , orpu ri t The aid y, s t t t and orda nit rou est b ail eis a u , be the p , y , and c ou nsaile s n t me c n o a pre e t for the y , o f rme to the uld h onorab il consu etu d is a nd r te of s h y thi burg , and of no of E of uh ilk and the bill burgh dinburgh , the q rite consuetu de the forsaid pronest h es gotten copy in w a is t o sa in th e n God and rite ; th t y, ho or of the

Blissit V u r ne craftissmene s gy Marye, the of thi in h s d ecoire th e burgh, t air be t aray, keipe and

c ss C s C s a s and Candilmes pro e ion on orpu ri ti d i , d a als h onorab ill e as can c a t y , y thai , every r ft wi h

a w a th e a s a n th ir a in b ner , with rmi of th ir craft tharo A nd s ss c a t a s f and they all pa , ilk r f be th me el , tua tu a in s ord ou r is to sa in th e s , thi , that y , fir t, the

flesch ars and nix t m th e b a rb ouris nix t m , tha e , tha e,

sk nnaris a nd fu rroweris to idd er nix t m y , g tha e, the

cord onars nix t am e ta il ou rs eftir t m ; th , y ; ha e , the

vob staris and valcaris to idd er nix t am , g th e the b ax taris and ast all m es sac m ass s ; l of , er t the ra ent, p i all h em mermen a is sa sm this wrich tis , th t to y, y , , masonis cu aris sclateris old s m this and , p , , g y , armour

a s : a ne of s craftis th e ri And every the aid , in

Candilmes oce ss o sa fu r ne iss a a ea ne pr i n, ll th ir p g , conforme to the auld statu t m aid in th e year of God

'“ 0 v and eirs uh ilk s u was m a w t th e j x y , q tat t id i h

awiSS of th e h aill cou nsaile and a rovit , pp be the

c a tsm of th e w for t m e a nd su c r f en to ne, the y , thair ce ssors a nd ob list am th e ke in th e s m , th e to p g of a yn, 333 APPENDIX .

n a n X I s n s and b ail eis n w u der the p i of hilli g , the y u la fo e n to b e u ta kin of am a vas a s n un rgiv , p th e th t b e t one resonab ill ca u ss f a s d ocess onne or but r e the ai pr i ,

makkis trub ill or tu at on a n to th e that per rb i th ri , q u hilk thai var ob list be thair h ands u ph aldin in

m n : A nd on s b ail e is and consale juge e t the pr e t, y , es n for th e t m e a s and a rovis s s nt pr e t y , r tifie pp thi pre e s ta u and n s contenit t a n t o b e t t, the pai e h ri , kepit

in t m co inviolab l e in all man e e . y , er y ming

The crafts are ch argit to fu rneish th e pau geanys

u nd erwr ittin

fl esch aris Sa nc st and h is Tormentou ris The , t Be ien,

b arb ou ris S nc L w a nd h is Tu rmentou ris The , a t o rie,

Sk nnaris Sanc Ste win and Tormentou ris !The] y , t , cordinaris Sa nc M art ne The , t y tail e ou ris Coronatiou n of L The y , The our ady

litstaris S nc Nich olass !The] , a t wob staris walca ris and on ma s Sa nc !The] , , b et kari , t John b ax taris Sa n o !The] , i t Ge rg wrich tes messou nis slateris and cu aris !The] , , , p , The n Resurrec tio . s t s a nd h emme rmen fu rneiss e The my h to , The B ar

men of the Croce .

— 'om Bur h e ords o A berdeen F1 g R c f .

K S I N Q UA ER ETTLEMENT K INMUCK .

( P age

I n the little graveyard adj oining the Q uaker meeting-house at Ki nmuck one of the rows of grave 334 THE L I G H TS OF THE NORTH . stones contains a record of the respecti ve ages of th e s s n s w n n of th e per on there i terred , ho i g the lo gevity

ac — 85 ea s 80 40 7 2 90 79 7 2 93 76 84 85 r e y r , , , , , , , , , , ,

60 84. ,

A M S S Y FA OU ABERDEEN OCIET .

(P ages 222 and

“ os ca S c t d n as The Phil ophi l o ie y in Aber ee , it c s b u t own se as alled it elf, better kn in popular phra “ th e l V ise C u m s c in n l b , ca e into exi ten e Ja uary, m s nc f t 1 7 58. The me ber met o e a ortnigh in a ’ “ ” n m a n fi ve O c . E a was t ver , at lock tert in ent pro vid ed a s a relief from the dissertations but it was a “ distinct rule that the members Sh all leave the meet in ~room ten and t a nm t S not g at , the en ert i en hall ” i h n nce h w Mac exceed e g tee pe a ead . A riter in ’ n M az ine m w om we milla s a . . o a e g , Vol VIII , fr h h v

a n a nf m t n s s u s obt i ed the bove i or a io , al o give the transcript of one of the tavern bills for a sitting

To One Bottle Port £0 2 0 T o P u nc h 0 2 6 To Porte r 0 O 8 To Pipes and T oba cc o 0 O 4 n E te rt . 0 4 6

’ l a t J ean s Bil . B .

£0 10 6 h th fil a r c 1 . 1 l , 772

’ “ Almost th e whole of Campbell s Philosophy of Rhetoric was submitted piecemeal to th e criticism

336 THE L IG H TS OF THE NORTH . agrees with the ab ove IV ell d o I remember the d ay on which th e name of George was mentioned in — th e mor ni ng servi ce for the first time such blowing

n s s s c s c n ms suc h alf ' su ressed of o e , u h ignifi a t hu , h pp s s s c smo s and sa c n s n igh , u h thered groan univer l o fu io , ” a n a o c c h rdly be c n eived . E I N D X .

e een s o c of 53 ou n a ons of a s in 54 Ab rd , bi h pri , ; f d ti fri r ,

e a m o a nc e of 55 c a e a of 33 63 e c c es a s rly i p rt , th dr l , , ; l i

ca es a s m e n s a t e o m a on a n c e n a e ti l t bli h t R f r ti , 7 i t p g

a n s 8 1 s of M a a e u e en of J am es . 83 t , ; vi it rg r t , q IV , ; f o a s u c 84 ona on s ow a s e a o St . c d ti t rd r p ir Ni h l Ch r h , ; o u a on of a t e o m a on 10 o e na n n p p l ti R f r ti , 7 C v ti g “ ” s u e in 1 46 am ou s oc o s of 1 55 o m a tr ggl , ; f D t r , ; f r on of M e o s S oc e in 24 253 S no oi— o e ti th di t i ty , 7 , y d v r

u m a 2 2 fi s on e e o a s to a n ea c e s &c . t r fr , v gr t t h r , , 7 r t C gr ationa l c u c 2 3 fi s a s c u c 275 s of g h r h , 7 ; r t B pti t h r h , ; li t

m n s e s w h o e c a e s a t s u on 304 e a i i t r l ft h rg Di r pti , ; r viv l

- of 1858 60 308 a a m ou s s oc e 334 . , f i ty ,

e ou a on a s to s of o u m a to 1 5 . Ab rd r , tr diti vi it C l b ,

o ne a s e nc se s one a t 2 . Ab y C tl , i i d t , 7 A d am n n — f 2 a e o o u m a . Lif C l b ,

- n u e s a nc of th e Se c ess on u c 206 2 12 . A ti b rgh r , br h i Ch r h , ,

a h 2 s s t e 4. B pti t , , 7 a ou c e ac on 57 e e enc es t o 59 60 B rb r , Ar hd , r f r , ,

60 , 62 .

a a a f r c o U 1 3 . B r l y , D vid , y , 7 ” e a e a u o of th e M n s e 2 1 . B tti , th r i tr l , 7 2 sse M r . J o n m n f s e o S t . c o a s 10 . Bi t , h , i i t r Ni h l ’ oe c e H e c o nc a o f K n o 2 s e e . B , t r , pri ip l i g C ll g , 7

Bre c b a n noc h a t M n m u sk u 1 o o s e 0 33 1 . y H , ,

own Re v. “1 11mm a a m 28 . Br , , Cr igd , 7 ow n P n 28 c a 8 . Br , ri ip l , own 2 o o s 88 . Br , Pr v t , ow n h s s t e 260 . Br i t , , L I G HT 338 TH E S OF THE NORTH .

u e s a n c of th e Sec ess on u c 206 212. B rgh r , br h i Ch r h , ,

u ne le a n e G. of Kem n a 315 . B r tt , A x d r , y ,

am e P nc a 221 a en a e 221 m n s te a t C pb ll , ri ip l , p r t g , i i r

a n c o - e na n 222 a t A e e en 223 nc a of B h ry T r , ; b rd , ; pri ip l

M a sc a o e e 224 w o s of 225 ea 231 . ri h l C ll g , rk , d th, n f 18 a a a sa ou n a on o . C did C , f d ti , a n n ew 15 a e n a e 158 m n s e a t o 1 59 C t , A dr , 7 p r t g , i i t r Alf rd , a t P it sh o 160 e a c om s e m on at I n e ness g , xtr t fr r v r ,

1 62 m n s e at e e e n 165 ea 1 68 . i i t r A b rd , d th ,

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s an of th e e se n d a 318 . Chri ti ity pr t y,

u c u e s a s of 80 . Ch r h d , h rd hip , Ch u rc h e u n se e n een c e n u 188 . lif d ri g v t th t ry , o m a 1 a e n a e 3 c a a c e 4 lea es I elan C lu b , ; p r t g , ; h r t r , ; v r d , 7 a n s a t I ona 8 w o e e 9 1 1 a e s n o ; l d , ; rk th r , , tr v l rth

wa to n e n e ss 1 4 V s s e ou a nd Old ee 14. rd I v r , i it Ab rd r D r , on e a n m in th n 2 o a s e o 3. C gr g ti li rth , 7 ow e eo e of H u n 255 a en a e 256 m n s a t C i , G rg , tly , p r t g , ; i i try H u n 258 e ose no 262 o m s ind e e n tly , ; d p d by Sy d , ; f r p

en c on e a on 262 ea 263 . d t gr g ti , d th , a J o n m n s e 103 1 10 a en a e 1 10 s u e s Cr ig , h , i i t r , , p r t g , ; t di a oa 1 1 1 e u n s t o S c o a n 1 12 m n s a t br d , r t r tl d , i i try A n e e e 1 1 3 c a a n t o J a m e s . 1 13. b rd , h pl i V I , C a am n Sec ess o c u c at 209 28 . r igd , i h r h , , 7 u in n ees Sc o a 43 . C ld tl d , u s om s e e ld l n 2 om o e o 3 . C t d riv d fr r igi ,

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340 THE LI GHTS or TH E NORTH .

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o a s th e 90 . L ll rd , , ’

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N ors em e n es ons e for l oss of ec o s 3 . r p ibl r rd , 7

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P c s e on of th e 2 1 . i t , r ligi ,

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P es s os on of . ri t , p iti , 77 ’ P oc ess on s on sa n s a s s a u e a ne n 332. r i i t d y , t t t t ,

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e P o e ss o of M o a l P oso 2 1 8 . R id , r f r r hil phy , R m an in a n 2 o s t . Bri i , i N E X 4 1 D . 3

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e e e n 132 h is e e s 133 e a m e n in e Ab rd , ; l tt r , ; tr t t A b r

ee n 139 e u ns t o A n w o 142 e c n e s ro e s s o d . : r t r th , ; d li p f r

s of n i a t A e d e e n 142 . hip divi ty b r ,

’ s f 10 2 s m a s ac e o . S t . a o om e w Da B rth l y , r ,

34 c u c es o f e t e Ba nc o r M e S t . e e n c D v i k , h r h N h r h y th

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