JAMES PHASER OP BREA Vol. 1 JAMES F R A S E R OP BREA 1639 - 1699. His Life and Writings, with special reference to his Theory of Universal Redemption, and its Influence on Religious Thought in Scotland. By DUNCAN PRASER M.A., Edin. Univ.,1924; Honours Diploma in Theology, New Coll., Edin., 1927; Junior Cunningham Fellow, New Coll., Edin., 1927. Thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in the University of Edinburgh (Faculty of Divinity - Department of Ecclesiastical History). FOREWORD Dr. Alexander Whyte held that James Fraser of Brea was one of the ablest men in a time of able men, and that hie high and abiding value stood in this, that he turned his great intellectual gifts so powerfully to the interests of experimental religion. He confessed that Fraser was one of his prime favourites, and always stood at his elbow beside Augustine, Bunyan, Baxter, Edwards, Boston, Shepard, and Halyburton. Apart, however, from Dr. Whyte's own series of devotional addresses, published in 1911 with the title James Fraser, Laird of Brea, no study on any considerable scale either of Fraser himself, or of his theology and influence has yet appeared. References to him, of course, abound in the literature of the period, and since the publication of his works at intervals in the course of the first fifty years of the eighteenth century almost all who have written about the Scottish Church or about the development of Scottish Theology from the time of the Revolution Settlement have had something to say about him, but only a very few of these references are really helpful. The most notable are to be found in Robert King f s Covenanters in the North (1846), James Anderson's Martyrs of the Bass iii FOREWORD iv (1848), James Walker f s Theology and Theologians of Scotland (2nd edn.1888), Murdoch Macdonald's Covenanters in Moray and ROBS (2nd edn.1892), and more recently, Emeritus Principal John Macleod's Scottish Theology in Relation to Church History (1943). But in none of these is Praser or his theology dealt with at all comprehensively. It is also a fact that, with the sole exception of the Memoirs, none of Eraser's works has been repub11shed in recent times. Not even his important Treatise on Faith. originally published in two parts, in 1722 and 1749 respectively, has seen a second edition. But the strangest circumstance of all ie that his "Philocris" Memoirs are still unpublished. The manuscript, in a perfect state of preservation, is included among the Laing papers in the Library of the University of Edinburgh, and only awaits the labours of someone willing to devote himself to the work of transcribing end publishing a seventeenth century religious autobiography even more interesting than Fraser f s published Memoirs. The present Thesis is an attempt to fill, however inadequately, the curious gap in the annals of the Scottish Church due to this strange neglect of Fraser and his theology. Whatever we may think of his Theory of Universal Redemption the fact remains that Fraser was a great and original thinker whom we neglect to our cost. Everything he wrote deserves the closest study. FOREWORD v In quoting from Fraser's works I have adhered fairly closely to the form in which these first appeared. I have taken the liberty of dispensing with some of his many capital letters; I have modernised his spelling and punctuation, but only where such modification seemed called for in the interests of clarity; obvious misprints have been corrected; but with these few exceptions I have not interfered with Fraser's text. A Bibliography is appended to the Thesis. I desire to express my grateful thanks to those to whose courtesy and kindness I am indebted for permission to consult^ books, papers, and manuscripts dealing with the subject of the Thesis. In particular I would mention Dr. H.W. Meikle and Mr. W. Beattie, of the National Library of Scotland} Dr. L.W. Sharp. Librarian of Edinburgh University; Rev. Dr. A. Mitchell Hunter and Miss Erna Leslie, of New College Library; Rev. Dr. John Campbell, of the Church of Scotland General Assembly's Library; Mr. C.A. Malcolm, of the Signet Library; Mr. H.W. Paton, Curator of Historical Records, H.M. General Register House; Dr. W.R. Cunningham, Librarian and Keeper of the Hunterian Books and Manuscripts, Glasgow University; Rev. Dr. R.M. Buchanan, Librarian of Trinity College, Glasgow; Mr. R. Bain, Glasgow City Librarian; Dr. W. Douglas Simpson, Librarian of Aberdeen University; Mies Annie I. Gibson, Librarian of Christ's College, Aberdeen; And the librarians and staffs of the British Museum Librery, FOREWORD vi and the Scottish Central Library for Students. I wish to acknowledge a very special debt to the Rev. Dr. Hector Mecpherson, Edinburgh, with whose assistance I have been able to ascertain the exact date of Fraser's death. This took place on 13th September 1699 (0.S.), and not on 13th September 1698, the date given in the 1738 edition of the Memoirs, and followed by most subsequent writers. The eclipse of the sun referred to in a note prefixed to the 1738 Memoirs as having occurred on the morning of the day of Fraser's death actually took place on 13th September 1699. April 1944. CONTENTS Page FOREWORD ill BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF THE THESIS X CHRONOLOGICAL TABLES: (l) Fraser's Life xiii " " (2) Fraser's Works xv THE THESIS I. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER I. SCOTLAND AND THE SCOTTISH CHURCH IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY: (1) Before Freser'e Time - to 1639. 2 II. SCOTLAND AND THE SCOTTISH CHURCH IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY: (2) In Fraser's Time - from 1639. 26 II. FRASER'S LIFE III. THE YEARS OF PREPARATION - 1639-1660. 56 IV. THE YEARS OF PERPLEXITY - 1660-1672. 74 V. THE YEARS OF PERSECUTION - 1672-1682. 100 VI. THE YEARS OF PEACE - 1682-1699. 129 vii CONTENTS viii CHAPTER Page III. PHASER'S WRITINGS VII. THE MEMOIRS (1738). 160 VIII. PRELACY AN IDOL, AND PRELATES IDOLATERS (1713). 184 IX. THE LAWFULNESS AND DUTY OF SEPARATION FROM CORRUPT MINISTERS AND CHURCHES (1744). 197 X. MEDITATIONS ON SEVERAL SUBJECTS IN DIVINITY (1721). 244 XI. SOME CHOICE SELECT MEDITATIONS (1726). 283 XII. THE FAITH TREATISES: (a) Preliminary 314 XIII. THE FAITH TREATISES: (to) The First Treatise (1722). 334 XIV. THE FAITH TREATISES: (c) The Second Treatise (1749). 387 XV. THE FAITH TREATISES: (d) The Appendix Concerning the Otoject of Christ's Death 456 IV. FRASER'S SOURCES XVI. ORTHODOX CALVINISM 504 XVII. THE MARROW OF MODERN DIVINITY, AND THE MARROW THEOLOGY 528 XVIII. ARMINIAN UNIVERSALISM 546 XIX. AMYRALDISM, AND THE SCHOOL OF SAUMUR 563 CONTENTS ix CHAPTER Page V. PHASER'S INFLUENCE XX. THE BREACH IN THE REFORMED PRESBYTERY 575 XXI. THE CONTROVERSY IN THE ASSOCIATE SYNOD 598 XXII. THE WRITINGS OP ADAM GIB 627 XXIII. SOME LATER RESULTS 651 VI. EPILOGUE XXIV. THE COVENANTER 671 XXV. THE MAN 689 BIBLIOGRAPHY: (l) Fraser's Works 699 w (2) Original Documents and Contemporary Records 702 M (3) General Works 708 REFERENCES 717 BRIEF SYNOPSIS OP THE THESIS I. The main body of the Thesis consists of a detailed analysis and exposition of all Fraser's published works. These are taken in the following order:- Memoirs (1738), Prelacy an Idol, and Prelates Idolaters (1715), The Lawfulness and Duty of Separation from Corrupt Ministers and Churches (1744), Meditations on Several Subjects in Divinity (1721), Some Choice Select Meditations (1726), A Treatise Concerning Justifying Faith (1722), A Treatise on Justifying Faith (174P), and finally, The Appendix to Chapter Five of the last mentioned - Concerning the Ob.lect (or Extent) of Christ's Death - in which Fraser's Universalism receives its clearest and fullest expression. The reason for dealing with the works in this seemingly arbitrary order will appear in the course of the Thesis. The examination has reference to Fraser f s theology in general, but especially to his Theory of Universal Redemption, implicit in most of his writings and explicit in the Appendix x£erred to. II. There follows a discussion of the main sources of Fraser's theology, again with particular reference to his Universalism. These sources are (a) Orthodox Calvinism, (b) The Marrow of Modern Divinity, and the Marrow Theology, BRIEF SYNOPSIS xi (c) Arminian Universalism, and (d) Amyraldism, and the School of Saumur. III. Next comes an examination of the effects of Fraser's thology, particularly his Universalism, upon (a) The Reformed Presbytery, in which it led to a breach in 1753, (b) The Associate Synod, where between 1754 and 1757 it occasioned an acrimonious controversy among the Anti-Burghers, ending with the deposition of the Rev. Thomas Mair of Orwell in the latter year, (c) The writings of Adam Gib, who devoted a considerable part of the second volume of his Display of the Secession Testimony to a discussion and refutation of Fraser's Theory of Universal Redemption, and (d) The development of the Double Reference Theory of the Atonement in the Secession Church, and also the theology of men like Thomas Erskine of Linlethen, John M'Leod Campbell, and James Morison, all of whom show affinities with Praser. IV. The examination of Fraser's writings is prefaced by a short biography based upon (a) the published Memoirs, which first appeared in 1738, and have often been reprinted down to our own time, the latest edition being in 1889, (b) the unpublished "Philocris" Memoirs, in many ways more interesting and more illuminating than the published version, end (c) a large number of contemporary records and documents, such as the Brodie Diaries, Wodrow's History of the Sufferings.