LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 CAUFORNIA
 
 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON
 
 KAY'S POBTEAIT OF JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON.
 
 JOHN BROWN 
 
 OF HADDINGTON 
 
 ROBERT MACKENZIE, M.A. 
 
 HODDER AND STOUGHTON 
 
 LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO 
 1918
 
 " The shepherd boy from the braes of Abernethy, who 
 had learned his Latin and his Greek while herding hia 
 sheep, surprising, by his ability to read St. John, the 
 St. Andrews professor into the gift of a New Testament, 
 becoming Burgher minister of Haddington, a patient 
 pastor, ' passing rich on forty pounds a year,' a straight 
 and strenuous preacher for God, a solid scholar amassing 
 hi an age of superficial knowledge stores of rare learning, 
 a diligent professor, a quaint humorist, a tender father, 
 potent in life and still more potent in the wealth of a name 
 that has too richly blessed posterity ever to be willingly 
 let die." A. M. FAIKBAIBN, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 Printed in Oreo* Britain by Bazell, Walton A Viney, Ld., 
 London and Aylesbury.
 
 TO 
 
 MY WIFE 
 
 AND 
 
 DAUGHTER
 
 PREFACE 
 
 THE eighteenth century witnessed struggles in Church 
 and State that were of immense import. The shattering 
 commotions of the seventeenth century, with its civil 
 wars and sanguinary persecutions, were past. Men 
 were weary of such methods of unifying a nation. 
 Liberty had at last come to its own. But power 
 strangely fascinates, and lures back the control it once 
 possessed. George III was bent on securing the old 
 supremacy of the crown which the Revolution had 
 largely shorn away ; and many were prepared to abet 
 him. Happily his schemes were frustrated, and a 
 constitutional monarchy confirmed. 
 
 In the Church there were like movements to assert its 
 authority and clothe its leaders with unlimited powers. 
 Their tendency was to strangle the spiritual life of the 
 people. But the attempts were vigorously opposed, and 
 liberty claimed for full expression of conviction and 
 aspiration. The Wesleys in England refused to submit 
 to the repressive policy of the Church established, and 
 looked out on " the world as their parish." The 
 Erskines in Scotland declined to be silenced by the 
 stern decrees of the Kirk, backed though they were by 
 military force. The former went forth on their own 
 way, and organised new methods of life and polity ; 
 the latter seceded, but followed the same lines of worship 
 and church government. They were ever longing for 
 the day when the Church of their fathers would reform 
 itself, and get rid of ministerial election by patronage, 
 of a toleration of evils that were sapping its strength, 
 and of an ill-concealed antipathy to evangelical doctrine.
 
 viii PREFACE 
 
 But both movements materially helped to keep the 
 fires of the Gospel aglow in the land. 
 
 The Church the Erskines founded rapidly grew in 
 numbers and influence ; and the causes for which it 
 stood have mainly been won. No better representative 
 of its spirit and genius in the second generation could 
 be found than John Brown of Haddington. 
 
 His early struggles read like a romance. Happily 
 his unique gifts were quickly recognised in the new 
 communion. While no University ranked him among 
 its students, or recognised his services to religious 
 literature, except a rising one in the new Republic 
 across the seas toward the end of his days, he trod the 
 path of a scholar, and in the later years placed the 
 fruits of his learning before the world. While Pastor 
 and Professor, he single-handed produced a Dictionary 
 of the Bible that held its own for a hundred years ; 
 and a Commentary of the Scriptures, which he happily 
 entitled A Self -interpreting Bible, on which Charles 
 Simeon nourished his soul with great delight, and which 
 is still a living book in America. 
 
 His life and labours have scarcely had their due 
 presentation to the public. His brief autobiographic 
 sketch, which his sons issued, had parts eliminated. 
 Short biographical accounts appeared in the foreground 
 of some of his works which were reissued during last 
 century. His youngest son, William, in 1856, produced 
 a fuller memoir than the rest. A Centenary Memorial 
 by a grandson, in 1887, added to our knowledge : while 
 one must not omit the cameo sketch by Dr. John 
 Brown, the author of the immortal Rab and his Friends, 
 in his famous Letter to John Cairns, D.D. 
 
 In producing this work, I have consulted all the 
 original material available, and perused the minutes 
 of the Presbytery and Synod of Brown's period, for 
 over twenty years of which he acted as clerk in both 
 courts. I have been specially indebted to Miss Rachel 
 Brown, Bridge of Allan, a descendant of the fourth son 
 in the fourth generation, for the original copy of the 
 Short Memoir of my Life, which for the first tune is 
 given in full, for the manuscripts of works and pamphlets
 
 PREFACE ix 
 
 published and unpublished, and for other kindly help. 
 I would also record with gratitude my obligation to 
 Professor A. Crum Brown, M.D., Edinburgh University, 
 for various manuscripts, and suggestions ; to John 
 Brown, Esq., Edinburgh, for photos of the St. Andrews 
 Greek Testament, which is in his possession, and other 
 material ; to Miss Agnes Smith, and Miss Spring Brown, 
 Edinburgh, descendants, for helpful assistance ; to the 
 Rev. J. Thomson, M.A., Abernethy, for the privilege of 
 consulting the Abernethy Church Records, and other 
 information ; to the Rev. William T. Cairns, M.A., Edin- 
 burgh, for reading the manuscript of this work, and the 
 correction of details ; to the Right Rev. Dr. Moule, 
 Bishop of Durham, and Principal Tait, D.D., of Ridley 
 Hall, Cambridge, for information regarding Simeon and 
 Brown ; to Principal Ritchie, D.D., Nottingham, and 
 Professor Johnson of Cheshunt College, Cambridge, for 
 matter bearing on the Countess of Huntingdon and 
 Trevecca College; and to the Rev. Dr. Lee, St. Louis, 
 U.S.A., in respect to Brown's works in America. 
 
 I am under special obligation for many hints and 
 helps which I have received from my friend, the Rev. 
 J. R. Fleming, B.D., London, and my brother Sir 
 William W. Mackenzie, K.C., K.B.E. ; and to the Rev. 
 Walter Brown, M.A., Edinburgh, for kindly reading 
 the proofs. 
 
 I am obliged to the Rev. G. W. Dalgleish, M.A., 
 Kirkwall, for the photos of Abernethy and its church 
 records, and to Mr. A. Swan Watson, Edinburgh, for, 
 among others, those of Haddington Manse and Church. 
 
 ROBERT MACKENZIE. 
 
 CLAHEMONT MANSE, ALLOA. 
 1918.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 PAOH 
 
 PARENTAGE AND CHILDHOOD 1 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 THE SCHOOL OF LIFE (1733-1741) ... 10 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 THE ACQUISITION OF LANGUAGES (1735-1740) . 20 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 UNJUST SUSPICIONS (1741-1746) ... 27 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 THE PEDLAR (1743-1746) .... 46 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 THE SOLDIER (1745-1746) .... 52 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 THE SCHOOLMASTER (1746-1750) ... 59
 
 xii CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE DIVINITY STUDENT (1748-1750) . 67 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 CALLED TO HADDINGTON (1750-1751) . . 73 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE PASTORATE AT HADDINGTON (1751-1754) . 79 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE PASTORATE AT HADDINGTON continued 
 
 (1754-1756) . . . . .85 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE PREACHER AND THE STUDENT . ... 98 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE BEGINNINGS OF AUTHORSHIP (1758-1768) . 106 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 " THE DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE " (1766-1769) . 116 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 THE PROFESSOR (1767-1787) . . . .127 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE PROFESSOR AND HIS STUDENTS (1768-1787) . 143
 
 CONTENTS xiii 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 PAGH 
 
 THE HOME AT HADDINGTON (1771-1773) . . 151 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE CHURCH HISTORIAN (1773-1784) . . 166 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 "THE SELF-INTERPRETING BIBLE" (1775-1780). 175 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 "THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS" (1781-1783) . . 192 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 THE THEOLOGIAN . . . . . .203 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 LETTERS AND TRACTS FOR THE TIMES . . 223 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 INCIDENTS OF THE HOME, AND MINOR WORKS 
 
 (1776-1784) . . . . . .235 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 THE CHURCHMAN . . . . . . 249 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 THE LATTER YEARS (1785-1786) . . . 260
 
 xiv CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 PAOB 
 
 FAREWELL WORDS, AND TABLE TALK (1787) . 282 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 THE CLOSE 296 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 THE " DYNASTY " 307 
 
 APPENDIX. LAST SAYINGS .... 323 
 
 BIBLIOGRAPHY 347 
 
 INDEX ........ 351
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 KAY'S PORTRAIT OF JOHN BROWN, WITH SIGNATURE 
 
 Frontispiece 
 
 PAQB 
 
 THE SITE OF JOHN BROWN'S BIRTHPLACE, CARPOW, 
 
 ABERNETHY . . . . . . .4 
 
 ABERNETHY, WITH CHURCH . . . .14 
 
 ABERNETHY, WITH ROUND TOWER .... 14 
 
 JOHN BROWN'S GREEK NEW TESTAMENT, OBTAINED 
 
 AT ST. ANDREWS ...... 26 
 
 JOHN BROWN'S GREEK NEW TESTAMENT, WITH HIS 
 
 SIGNATURE 26 
 
 MINUTE OF ABERNETHY SESSION, GRANTING JOHN 
 
 BROWN A CERTIFICATE OF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP 44 
 MINUTE DEALING WITH PARTY HEARING HIM, A 
 
 " " PRETENDED MINISTER " . . . .44 
 ANOTHER MINUTE DEALING WITH PARTY HEARING 
 
 HIM, A " PRETENDED MINISTER " . . .44 
 FACSIMILE OF A PAGE OF BROWN'S "SHORT MEMOIR 
 
 OF MY LIFE" . 64
 
 xvi ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAOB 
 
 THE MANSE AT HADDINGTON ..... 82 
 THE CHURCH AT HADDINGTON . . . .132 
 CHARLES SIMEON'S (OF CAMBRIDGE) COPY OF BROWN'S 
 
 " BIBLE " . . . * . . .186 
 FIRST PAGE OF SIMEON'S COPY OF "THE SELF- 
 INTERPRETING BIBLE," WITH HIS OWN SIGNATURE 188 
 SIMEON'S COPY OF "THE SELF-INTERPRETING BIBLE," 
 WITH ONE OF HIS NOTES, " WHEN MY DELIVER- 
 ANCE WAS COMPLETE IN 1779 " . . .190 
 JOHN BROWN'S BUREAU, WITH PORTRAIT . . 244 
 JOHN BROWN'S BUREAU, WITH PORTRAIT AND OPEN 
 
 VOLUMES OF HIS WORKS . . . . . 244 
 PORTRAIT OF JOHN BROWN 270
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 PARENTAGE AND CHILDHOOD 
 
 JOHN BROWN was born in the year 1722, in the hamlet 
 of Carpow, near Abernethy, by the river Tay in Perth- 
 shire. It was a unique period in Scottish history. 
 Within a narrow range of years, most of the men saw 
 the light who became the leaders in the intellectual 
 awakening of Scotland. In 1718, Hugh Blair was 
 born, whose eloquent sermons were the delight of Samuel 
 Johnson and George III, and who was the first to 
 occupy the chair of Rhetoric in Edinburgh University. 
 In 1721, came William Robertson, who rose to be Prin- 
 cipal of the same University, and who was to rival 
 Gibbon and Hume as the historian of his day, and 
 in that year also, Tobias Smollett, whose imaginative 
 powers were to give fiction a new prominence in litera- 
 ture. In the same year as John Brown, 1722, John 
 Home first saw the light, whose tragedy of Douglas was 
 to cause such a stir among the ecclesiastics of Scot- 
 land, and in 1723, Adam Smith first drew breath, 
 who by his Wealth of Nations was to reveal the value 
 of economic science in the building up of empires. In 
 1711, David Hume was on the scene, who was to unite 
 in himself the philosopher and the historian, and to 
 give such 6clat to the intellectual renown of his country. 
 But in those days, when in the home of Carpow all 
 that was heard was the puling cries of the child, the 
 country was heaving with a religious crisis. The 
 political disturbance of 1715, when " The Old Pre- 
 tender " made a futile attempt to regain the throne 
 of his fathers, had died away. But in the ecclesiastical 
 world, a controversy was raging that was to break 
 up the outer unity of the Scottish Church. The 
 1
 
 2 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 " Marrow " doctrine was permeating the Church, not 
 yet thoroughly welded together after the tossed and 
 troubled period of the killing times, only thirty years 
 away. The " Marrow of Moderne Divinity," as set 
 forth in a book that Thomas Boston found casually in 
 the house of one of his flock in Simprin, and which had 
 been brought to Scotland in the knapsack of a soldier 
 returned from the civil wars, was welcomed ardently 
 by some in the Church, and fiercely rejected by others. 
 In the year 1722, twelve good men were rebuked in 
 the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for 
 preaching its doctrine. One of the champions of the 
 condemned book was the minister of Abernethy, Alex- 
 ander Moncrieff, who owned the neighbouring estate of 
 Culfargie, whose father had suffered exile for his faith, 
 and who himself had been taught in the schools of 
 Leyden. Abernethy was shaken with the controversy, 
 the subject of which was discussed in every cottage 
 and hamlet in the district. Into this atmosphere John 
 Brown was ushered ; and thus he grew up with the 
 quickening lights of evangelic truth flashing around 
 him. 
 
 But Abernethy and district have a further claim on 
 the interest and gratitude of the generations, inasmuch 
 as out of the dim mists of the past it emerges as an 
 active religious centre. As early as the light of history 
 falls upon it, it is a vigorous outpost of the Christian 
 faith. With the advent of Pictish rule in Scotland, it 
 gained in Importance, and became, in the words of 
 Walter Bower in the Scotichronicon, " the principal 
 royal and pontifical seat of the whole kingdom of the 
 Picts." Its Round Tower, of which it still proudly 
 boasts, testifies to the high place it occupied in the 
 political world, erected as it was in the ninth century 
 as a means of defence, as some hold, against Danish 
 attacks, a hundred years before its only other Scottish 
 companion, that of Brechin, was built. With the 
 passing of the Celtic Church, its fortunes as a royal 
 and ecclesiastical residence declined, and other places 
 in Scotland became the seats of power. But an inter- 
 esting story this picturesque and ancient townlet has
 
 PARENTAGE AND CHILDHOOD 3 
 
 to tell, that weaves itself at times into the destinies 
 of the nation, so much so that its latest historian avers 
 that its parish history broadens out into an " Historical 
 Study " l that must include the nation, with its own 
 distinctive tale. 
 
 It was in such a centre of historic associations, and 
 at such a time of ecclesiastical stir, that John Brown 
 began his auspicious day. His father bore the name 
 of John Brown, and his mother that of Catherine Millie. 
 But the veil falls upon their ancestry, and upon them- 
 selves. Yet the stock from which he sprang must 
 have been of remarkable vigour, and rare quality, to 
 have helped to produce a character like his and the 
 " dynasty " that followed. Tenacity, grit, strength, 
 were its main features, and 
 
 Lo, Strength is of the plain root- Virtues born ; 
 Strength shall ye win by service, prove in scorn, 
 Train by endurance, by devotion shape. 
 Strength is not won by miracle or rape. 
 It is the offspring of the modest years, 
 The gift of sire to son. 2 
 
 In Carpow, a hamlet to the east of Abernethy, now 
 entirely swept away, they had their home. The ruins 
 of the little village on both sides of the purling stream 
 that meanders on through sylvan glades to the Tay, 
 a mile or less away, still remain, with a couple of ash 
 trees to tell of " the days ayont, the days awa," when 
 to and fro sped busy feet. Some old trees stand near 
 by that register immemorial years ; and scarcely two 
 hundred yards off are the bare, stript, crow-stepped 
 walls of the old mansion of Carpow, then owned by 
 the Oliphants, loyal supporters of the Stuart house. 
 In the old mansion, Prince Charles Edward spent a 
 night on his southern march, while his triumphing 
 army lay at Perth. Through the hamlet passes the 
 road between Newburgh and Abernethy ; and to-day 
 only fifty yards to the south of it, through a deep 
 cutting, runs the railway that links the two places 
 together. 
 
 1 D. Butler, D.D., The Ancient Church and Parish of Abernethy, 1897. 
 3 George Meredith, France, 1870.
 
 4 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 Though vanished, Carpow can claim an older history 
 than Abernethy. The remains of a Roman villa are 
 still visible three hundred yards to the east of the old 
 house. Indeed this region must have been an important 
 centre in the remote past, guarded as it was by a hill- 
 fort, whose formation speaks of its antiquity, on the 
 top of the Castle Law, that commands with a watchful 
 eye the whole district. 
 
 In the days of Brown's father, small patches of ground 
 were allotted to the workers on the farms, on which 
 they grew flax, that was spun by the wives and daughters 
 of their families. In the winter season, his father was 
 one of the weavers of the place ; in the summer he 
 followed the salmon fishing, that is to-day and has 
 always been, a profitable calling in the neighbourhood. 
 Of education he received none ; but he taught himself 
 to read. He filled his home with the current literature 
 of the period, which was peculiarly religious. Imme- 
 diately the gift of reading was awakened in his son, 
 he feasted upon what his father possessed, and strong 
 meat it was for a youth of tender years. 
 
 Toward the end of his days, John Brown wrote a brief 
 sketch of his life, a " Short Memoir " as he called it ; 
 and in it we obtain a glimpse of those early years with 
 their grim background, and hard, but not joyless struggle. 
 
 " The more I consider the dealings between God and 
 my soul, I am the more amazed at His marvellous 
 lovingkindness to me, and my ingratitude and rebellion 
 against Him. 
 
 " It was a mercy that I was born in a family which 
 took care of my Christian instruction, and in which I 
 had the example of God's worship, both evening and 
 morning which was the case of few families in that 
 corner at that time. This was the more remarkable that 
 my father, as I have heard, being born under prelacy, 
 got no instruction in reading or next to none, but what 
 he got from masters after he began to be a herd." 
 
 The atmosphere of the home was serene. Religion 
 shone in the background. If it burned low in other
 
 SITE OF JOHN BROWN'S BIRTHPLACE, CARPOW, ABERNETHY.
 
 PARENTAGE AND CHILDHOOD 5 
 
 dwellings, its light gleamed brightly under one roof in 
 Carpow. It deeply moved the young life, in particular 
 at the one great religious festival of the year, the 
 sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which was held in 
 Abernethy in the month of July. In most of the 
 parishes of the country there was only an annual cele- 
 bration of this ordinance. Days were allotted to it. 
 Thousands attended from far and near. Abernethy 
 was a favourite centre. There they gathered on the 
 green slope at the foot of the hill to the south of the 
 village, sitting in plaids on the green grass, the preacher 
 standing in an elevated narrow shelter, like a sentry 
 box. Within the church, the Communion proper pro- 
 ceeded, where those only were admitted who were privi- 
 leged to sit down at the table. In turn the groups 
 of communicants took their places at the reserved seats, 
 reverently covered with white linen, while preacher 
 after preacher addressed them, and distributed the 
 sacred symbols. It was a profoundly impressive occa- 
 sion. The awe and reverence of the people touched 
 the hearts of the young folks as they beheld the con- 
 tinual succession of their elders moving in and out of 
 the church. It may have repelled some; but it 
 awakened the intense curiosity of young John Brown. 
 On one occasion he ventured to mingle with the crowd 
 that poured into the church, to learn for himself what 
 took place. He slipped into the gallery. The sight of ' 
 the worshippers below, partaking of the hallowed 
 symbols, and the fervent utterances of the preacher, 
 left an impression that was treasured for life. But the 
 young eager face peering down from the upper chamber 
 was ere long descried. Its presence was a sacrilege ; 
 and he was summoned to leave. The recollection, 
 however, of the scene and the impressions produced 
 so abode with him that, in later years, he instituted a 
 reform in the Communion Services of the Church, by the 
 admission of young persons as witnesses of the cele- 
 bration, and by a more frequent observance of the rite. 
 In his autobiographic fragment he writes : 
 
 " About the eighth year of my age, I happened in
 
 6 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 the crowd to get into the church on the Sacrament 
 Sabbath, when it was common for all but intended com- 
 municants to be excluded. The table or tables which 
 I heard served before I was put out, were chiefly served 
 upon Christ, and in a sweet and delightful manner. This 
 captivated my young affections, and has made me since 
 think that little ones should never be excluded from the 
 church on such occasions. Though what they hear 
 may not convert them, it may be of use to begin the 
 allurement of their heart." 
 
 The school-days of John Brown were easily numbered. 
 Scotland has always been proud of her educational 
 system. Lofty ideals for the instruction of youth were 
 outlined at the Reformation ; for its value to the 
 national life was deemed of the highest importance. 
 But the " Sturm und Drang " of the seventeenth cen- 
 tury, when Prelacy and Presbytery contended for the 
 mastery, and were in turn overthrown, interfered sadly 
 with the realisation of these ideals. In 1633, and again 
 in 1643, and yet again in 1696, the Scottish Parliament 
 enacted and re-enacted that a schoolmaster should be 
 appointed for every parish, a " commodious house " 
 should be provided for a school, and that assessments be 
 made, half from the tenants, and half from the heritors, 
 for his salary. This beneficent law was almost completely 
 disregarded. The sanction behind the law was ineffec- 
 tive. The tenants left it severely alone in deference to 
 the landlords, and the landlords left it as severely 
 alone in deference to themselves. Presbyteries were 
 authorised to nominate " twelve honest men " to carry 
 out the law ; but nobody was authorised to see if they 
 did their duty. In consequence any kind of shelter l 
 was allowed to serve as a schoolroom it might be the 
 church steeple, a cowshed, a stable, a granary, a family 
 vault, a dilapidated hovel. Usually the schools were 
 small, dirty rooms, the windows open to let in the 
 light, or boarded up to keep out the cold, and the 
 
 1 Guthrie Smith, Strathblane ; Cramond, Church of Orange ; Hume 
 Brown, History of Scotland, vol. iii, p. 261 ; Graham, The Social Life 
 of Scotland in the Eighteenth Century, pp. 419-421.
 
 PARENTAGE AND CHILDHOOD 7 
 
 wind, and the rain. In winter they hung thick with 
 the smoke of peat, kindled to warm the children. Often 
 seats and desks were wanting, 1 and the scholars squatted 
 on the floor, covered with rushes or straw which it was 
 the children's duty to supply. In 1725, the Town 
 Council of St. Andrews was informed that " the boys 
 cannot sit for learning to wreatt ; so that they are 
 necessitat to wreatt upon the floor lying upon their 
 bellies." 
 
 The schoolmaster was kept in as dire straits as his 
 school. The Act authorised his salary to be not less 
 than 100 merks (5), and not more than 200 merks 
 (10). The former 2 was the common salary in a 
 country parish ; and the teaching consisted of Latin, 
 mathematics, arithmetic, writing, and singing. Pro- 
 visions, of course, were cheap at this period a boll of 
 meal 6s., a dozen of eggs Id., 1 Ib. of mutton l|d., 
 while shoes cost lOd. a pair, and the woollen shirts 
 and the rough plaiding were spun at home. 3 But the 
 salary was poor and difficult to gather in from fifty or 
 a hundred tenants or heritors, as the case might be, 
 in sums of a penny or a fraction of a penny. Excuses 
 for not paying were hurled at the dominie, as he col- 
 lected his pittance bad harvests or threats to with- 
 draw the children. Payment in kind was offered ; 
 and the saying was but too literally and painfully true, 
 that " Literature was cultivated on a little oatmeal." 
 Thomas Ruddiman * (1674-1757), the renowned librarian 
 of the Advocates' Library in Edinburgh for fifty years, 
 and of still wider juvenile fame as the author of The 
 Rudiments of the Latin Tongue, while schoolmaster at 
 Laurencekirk, was paid chiefly in corn, which he sold to 
 his uncle in the dear years that followed the Revolution. 
 
 The scanty months that John Brown spent at school 
 at Abernethy happily were not affected by the building 
 in which the lamp of instruction was dimly burning. 
 
 1 Thomas Kirk, Modern Account of Scotland (account of a tour 
 taken from Yorkshire to Scotland in 1677). 
 
 3 James Grant, M.A., History of the Burgh Schools of Scotland, 1876. 
 
 3 Autobiography of Arthur Young, p. 8. " In 1746, beef was 3d., 
 veal 3d., and mutton 3 id. per pound at Bury, England." 
 
 * George Chalmers, Life of Thomas Ruddiman, p. 18.
 
 8 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 It was to him an opening of the gateways of knowledge. 
 They were entered with eagerness ; and the promised 
 fruits seized with passion. He was not content with 
 reading, but with " learning by heart " what he read. 
 When one remembers what was read by this boy of eight 
 or ten, the Catechisms of Vincent and Flavel, and the 
 Larger Catechism of the Westminster Assembly, the mental 
 grip must have early declared itself. Vincent's Cate- 
 chism, the general pabulum of the time, was a hard, 
 dry book, but a book so esteemed by Alexander Cruden 
 of Concordance fame that he founded an Exhibition of 
 5 in connection with Marischal College, Aberdeen, 
 one of the conditions of holding it being, a perfect 
 acquaintance with Vincent's Catechism. Flavel' s Cate- 
 chism was another favourite of the period, John Flavel 
 (1627-1691), its author, being the son of a Noncon- 
 formist divine, who is described in contemporary records 
 as a " painful and eminent minister." The Larger 
 Catechism of the General Assembly, not the Shorter, 
 which is held to be even too stiff for the twentieth 
 century, was also reckoned a work to be mastered by 
 the youth of this earlier period, for its doctrine w^s 
 both solid and sound. 
 
 Brown says of his school-days : 
 
 " My thirst after knowledge was great. My pride 
 not a little instigated my diligence, particularly in 
 learning by heart what Catechisms I could get. I 
 have found not a little advantage by this, especially 
 by my learning of Vincent's and Flavel's Catechisms, 
 and the Assembly's Larger Catechism. My parents' 
 circumstances did not allow them to afford me any 
 more but a very few quarters at school, for reading, 
 writing, and arithmetic, one month of which, without 
 their allowance, I bestowed upon the Latin." 
 
 That completed John Brown's school and university 
 career. It is evident, as Carlyle said of Dante, that 
 in those few months he " with his earnest, intelligent 
 nature, learned better than most all that was learnable." l 
 
 1 Thomas Carlyle, Heroes : " The Hero as a Poet."
 
 PARENTAGE AND CHILDHOOD 9 
 
 A youth so studious, did not escape the keen notice 
 of the watchful mother. Seeing her boy's absorbing 
 eagerness to learn, she had a vision of a future for him, 
 which she was destined never to see, of his one day 
 standing among Scotland's preachers. Using the 
 quaint language of the time, she was wont to say, " Oh 
 when will I see the craws fleein' ower my bairnie's 
 kirk ! " 
 
 Two brothers and a sister completed Brown's family 
 circle. James, the elder of the brothers, found his way 
 to Cupar, Fife, and died a burgess of the ancient burgh in 
 1799 : a great-grandson of his is (1917) minister of the 
 parish of Bervie, Kincardineshire. William, the younger, 
 turned toward the west and obtained employment on 
 the Inverary estate of the Duke of Argyle, dying com- 
 paratively young, leaving a family that devoted itself 
 to forestry. Janet married one John Heggie, and 
 established her home in Newburgh-on-Tay in Fife.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE SCHOOL OF LIFE 
 
 17331741 
 
 " MY father dying about the eleventh year of my age, 
 and my mother soon after, I was left a poor orphan, 
 who had almost nothing to depend on, but the provi- 
 dence of God." 
 
 Such is the next pathetic sentence in the Short 
 Memoir of my Life. Thus early did the struggle begin 
 in life's hard school. Of what exactly the parents died 
 is not known. But death demanded a heavy toll of 
 human life in those days. Sanitation was unknown ; 
 the mansions of the greatest were without the most 
 rudimentary and essential conveniences of cleanliness. 
 Epidemics swept with fatal virulence over the land. 
 Ague, arising from the marshy soil, yearly disabled 
 thousands. Smallpox ravaged the community, and 
 fever abounded because of the prevailing filth. Medical 
 skill was in an exceedingly crude stage ; and the 
 remedies 1 prescribed would be amusing, were they not 
 so pathetic : toads used inwardly for dropsy, outwardly 
 for carbuncles ; slaters, or woodlice, for colic, convul- 
 sions, palsy, and cancer ; earthworms, slit up, " well- 
 washed and dried," for jaundice and gout ; vipers for 
 dysentery, smallpox, and ague; and, of course, the 
 inevitable panacea for every disease, blood-letting. 
 Disease raged triumphantly. Yet it says much for the 
 vigorous constitution of the people that, with the 
 healing art in such a parlous state, the death-rate was 
 so moderate. It was a case of the survival of the 
 
 1 Pharmacopeia Edinburgenais ; or, The New Edinburgh Diapen- 
 aatory, 1737 ; Works of Dr. Archibald Pitcairn, 1740. 
 
 10
 
 THE SCHOOL OF LIFE 11 
 
 fittest. Before the onslaught of one of these prevalent 
 diseases, first the father, in 1733, and next the mother, 
 in 1735, of John Brown fell ; and then the humble home 
 of Carpow was broken up. 
 
 With what he calls a " small religious family," John 
 found a kindly shelter for a time. Fever, however, 
 attacked his sturdy frame, no less than four times in 
 succession, and at the end left him in a state of great 
 weakness. The sorrows and sufferings, through which 
 he passed, naturally aroused the religious sensibilities 
 of this serious youth. The deep concerns of religion 
 appealed to him, although only in his twelfth year ; 
 and life was established on the surest and broadest 
 foundation on which a man can build the personal 
 surrender to the Lord of life. The religious books of 
 the period were eagerly read and absorbed. Their 
 titles seem rather startling to an age which shrinks from 
 the subjective ; but they meant exactly what the 
 writers intended. The Alarm to the Unconverted, by 
 Joseph Alleine (1634-1668), next to Baxter perhaps 
 the most widely read of the Puritan writers, and one 
 of the two thousand ejected preachers of 1662 ; Trial 
 of a Saving Interest in Christ, by William Guthrie (1620- 
 1665), the keen sportsman, and angler, and the devoted 
 pastor of Fenwick, based on sermons from Isaiah Iv. ; 
 Guide to goe to God, by William Gouge, D.D. (1578-1653), 
 a member of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, and 
 a leader of the London ministers, who protested against 
 sending Charles I to the scaffold. These works were 
 not meant to catch with guile ; but to do, or attempt to 
 do, what they claimed. Such was the literature on 
 which this youth barely in his teens feasted his young 
 soul, along with the Scriptures, and the Letters of 
 Samuel Rutherford (1600-1661), which are still a joy 
 and a profit to read. This was the result : 
 
 " Meanwhile in 1734, and especially in 1735, the Lord 
 by His word read and preached, did not a little strive 
 with and allure my soul. The reading of Alleine' s 
 Alarm to the Unconverted, contributed not a little to 
 awaken my conscience, and move my affections. Some
 
 12 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 of his hints, made worse by my mind however, occa- 
 sioned my legal covenanting with God. I made much 
 the same use of Guthrie's Trial of a Saving Interest in 
 Christ. Indeed such was the bias of my heart under 
 these convulsions, that I was willing to do anything 
 but to flee to Christ and His free grace alone for my 
 salvation. In these times, I had no small delight in 
 reading religious books, the Bible, Rutherford's Letters, 
 and the like ; and by means of these, particularly by 
 means of Gouge's Directions how to walk with God, was 
 led into considerable' circumspection in my practice. 
 The sweet impressions made by sermons and books 
 sometimes lasted days on end, and were sometimes 
 carried to a remarkably high degree. Under these I 
 was much given to prayer, but concealed all my religious 
 appearances to the uttermost of my power. 
 
 " Four fevers on end brought me so low within a few 
 months after my mother's death, as made almost every 
 onlooker lose all hopes of my recovery ; only I remember 
 a sister, the most simple but the most serious of all us 
 children of the family, told me that when she was 
 praying for me, that word, ' I will satisfy him with long 
 life, and show him My salvation,' was impressed on 
 her mind, which she said made her mind perfectly 
 easy with respect to my recovery. Apprehensions of 
 eternity, though I scarce looked for immediate death 
 in these troubles, also affected me. 
 
 " But the death of my parents, and my leaving a 
 small religious family to go into a larger, in the station 
 of a herd-boy, for two or three years, was attended with 
 not a little practical apostasy from all my former 
 attainments. Even secret prayer was not always 
 regularly performed. But I foolishly pleased myself 
 by making up the number one day which had been 
 deficient in another. 
 
 " It was my mercy, too, that in all my services I was 
 cast into families, except perhaps one, [where] there were 
 some appearances of the grace of God, besides useful 
 neighbours." 
 
 One of the families was that of John Ogilvie, who
 
 13 
 
 tenanted the sheep-farm of Muckle Bein. He was an 
 elder of the Church at Abernethy, of which Alexander 
 Moncrieff was at that time minister, advanced in years, 
 but yearning for knowledge, and unhappily never taught 
 to read. He welcomed the service of the studious youth, 
 not so much for herding his sheep as for his ability to 
 read to him, and his delight in his spiritual communings. 
 The two built a little shelter on the Colzie hill, where 
 they might talk together in utmost privacy far away 
 from the gaze of men, long afterwards known as " the 
 Tabernacle." It is like the delightful picture Pepys l 
 describes, " the most pleasant and innocent sight I 
 ever saw in my life," of the shepherd on Epsom Downs, 
 and his little boy reading the Bible to him, " far away 
 from any house, or sight of people." Pepys has recorded 
 his experience in a passage which Stevenson 2 regarded 
 as the most romantic in all the Diary. 
 
 The farm lay to the south among the heights that 
 half encompass Abernethy on that side. The youth, 
 wandering over these hills, must have had his mind 
 stirred and quickened by the magnificent views of the 
 surrounding scenery that disclosed themselves, especi- 
 ally when the atmosphere shimmered with " the clear 
 shining after rain." The Earn came winding down its 
 well- tilled valley, joining the Tay as it broke out between 
 the hills of Kinnoul and Moncrieffe. The river now 
 pursued its broadening course on toward the North Sea, 
 visible on the eastern horizon, with Dundee lying on 
 the left bank. Between the Tay and the Sidlaw range, 
 with Macbeth's Dunsinane standing guard, was spread, 
 like a billiard-table, the Carse of Cowrie, while, beyond 
 the Sidlaws, stretched the long broken line of the 
 Grampians, enfolding between them the rich expansive 
 valley of Strathmore. On clear days Schiehallion 
 showed its lofty peaks, fully forty miles away. Toward 
 the west, Ben Voirlich, Ben More, and the shoulders 
 of Ben Ledi could be descried, and toward the south, 
 not only the Lomond Tops of Fifeshire, but North 
 Berwick Law, and the Lammermoors, sheltering at their 
 
 i The Diary of Samuel Pepys, July 14th, 1667. 
 a Memoirs and Portraits : " Samuel Pepys."
 
 14 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 feet the ancient town of Haddington, where the youthful 
 shepherd was to spend his busiest days all these could 
 be seen with the naked eye. The far-flung, extensive 
 view of nearly three-parts of Scotland, so varied in 
 form, so rich in beauty, beating morning after morning 
 upon the thoughtful and reverent shepherd lad, left 
 memories that found suggestive and significant expres- 
 sion in the Christian Journal, that was to be a feast of 
 soul to many a pilgrim long years after its author had 
 passed to his rest. 
 
 A contemporary of John Brown's contributed in after- 
 years a sketch of him up to the days when his ministry 
 began. It was sent to his son John, who was minister 
 at Whitburn, and was then issuing a Life of his father. 
 For some reason it was not made use of; probably it 
 came into his hands too late for his purpose, like the 
 more famous sketch by his great-grandson, Dr. John 
 Brown, author of the immortal Rob, which he sent to 
 Dr. John Cairns, the biographer of his father, but which 
 was received too late for insertion in the first issue of 
 the published Life. In this interesting letter, the com- 
 panion of his youth said : 
 
 *' Mr. Brown was born in poor circumstances. His 
 infant life, through the death of near relatives, may 
 be styled friendless, but as soon as he could do anything, 
 Providence provided a friend for him in the neighbouring 
 mountains to Abernethy in John Ogilvie, a shepherd, 
 venerable for age, and eminent for piety. This worthy 
 man, though intelligent and pious, was so destitute of 
 education, as not to be able to read English. Knowing 
 the narrow circumstances of your father's family, his 
 serious disposition, his love of learning, his wonderful 
 capacity, he was induced to engage him in his service, 
 to help him with his sheep, particularly to tend his 
 lambs, but chiefly to read to him. They were not long 
 companions till they became dear friends, and both of 
 them found their connection mutually beneficial. To 
 accommodate themselves they built a lodge on Colzie 
 hill, to which they repaired not only to screen them- 
 selves from the storm, but to read the Word of God, to
 
 ABERNETHY, WITH CHURCH. 
 
 Castle Law in the background. 
 
 ABERNETHY, WITH ROUND TOWER.
 
 THE SCHOOL OF LIFE 15 
 
 pray, and to sing the praises of the Chief Shepherd. Thus 
 ' the wilderness and the solitary place was glad for them, 
 and the desert rejoiced with joy and singing.' 
 
 " The ruins of this lodge are well known, and from its 
 sacred use obtained, and yet bears, the name of the 
 Tabernacle. But, however, the pleasant period comes 
 to an end ; the farmer dispersed his flock, and the godly 
 shepherds separated. The old man retired from business 
 to Abernethy, of which parish he was an elder." 
 
 The demands of the religious life seemed to the 
 young lad to call for specified times of devotion, and 
 that these should be rigorously observed. It was an 
 age when " method " was regarded as a prime essential 
 in the Christian profession, and which found its most 
 illustrious example in the Society that John Wesley 
 and his brother founded at Oxford in 1732. It is curious 
 to find that about the same time John Brown was 
 endeavouring, with many failures, to put in practice 
 on the hills of Abernethy, the same ideas as to the 
 religious life. The precepts of William Law and Joseph 
 Alleine were treated with reverential deference ; and 
 the spirit of religion was apt to lose itself in the letter 
 of religious duty. In a letter of August 6th, 1745, 
 John Brown writes : 
 
 " After a formal slight using of Alleine's Directions 
 for Conversion, I dedicated myself to the Lord in solemn 
 vow, as Alleine directs (summer 1735 or 1736) ; par- 
 ticularly, I vowed to pray six times in the day when I 
 was herding, and three when I was not herding ; so I 
 continued to do this ; and if I was deficient one day, 
 I made amends the next. If I fell into any known sin, 
 I prayed for forgiveness, and so was well. All movings 
 of the affections I took for special enjoyings of God, 
 and now thought myself sure of heaven, if I was not a 
 hypocrite; to avoid which deceit, I kept the whole of 
 my religion as hid as I could, especially prayer ; and 
 to that end prayed almost aye in the field, where, if I 
 was not pretty sure nobody was near, I was exceeding 
 low of voice; and, lest my head being bare might
 
 16 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 discover it, I cast my blanket over it, or else laid an open 
 book before me, that so they might think I was reading ; 
 and so made myself, in my conceit, as sure of heaven as 
 possible. In this way of doing I continued from that 
 time till June 1740 or else 1741 at least, if not till now ; 
 still putting my fashion of religion in Christ's room, 
 setting up my formal prayers, etc., for my Saviour, yea, 
 for my God." 
 
 The formal stage, ever fraught with disquiet, passed, 
 and there broke the full splendour of the glowing sun- 
 shine. To revert to his autobiographic fragment. 
 
 " At length, after a multitude of ups and downs, 
 glowings of affections, and sad coolings, I, after a sore 
 fever in 1741, which somewhat awakened my concern 
 about eternal salvation, was providentially determined, 
 during the noontide, while the sheep which I herded 
 rested themselves in the fold, to go and hear a sermon, 
 at the distance of two miles, running both to it and 
 from it. The second or third sermon which I heard in 
 this manner, and I had no other opportunity of hearing, 
 the greater part of the year, being preached on John 6, 64, 
 ' There are some of you that believe not,* by one I both 
 before and afterwards reckoned a most general preacher, 
 pierced my conscience as if almost every sentence had 
 been directed to none but me, and made me conclude 
 myself one of the greatest unbelievers in the world. 
 This sermon threw my soul into no small agony and 
 concern, and made me look on all my former experiences 
 as nothing but common operations of the Spirit ; and 
 in this manner I viewed them for many years after- 
 wards ; and often in my sermons, after I was a preacher, 
 described the lengths which common operations might 
 go on this footing. But at last I began to doubt that I 
 had been too rash in throwing aside all my former 
 experiences as having nothing of the really gracious in 
 them. And I saw that it was improper for a preacher 
 to make his own experiences, either of one kind or 
 another, anything like a discriminating standard of his 
 conceptions or declarations on these delicate subjects.
 
 THE SCHOOL OF LIFE 17 
 
 " On the morrow after, I heard a sermon on Isaiah 53. 
 4, ' Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our 
 sorrows,' which enlightened and melted my soul in a 
 manner I had not formerly experienced ; and I was 
 made as a poor lost sinner, the chief of sinners, to essay 
 appropriating the Lord Jesus as having done all for 
 me, and as wholly made over to me in the Gospel, 
 as the free gift of God and my all-sufficient Saviour, 
 answerable to all my folly, ignorance, guilt, filthiness, 
 wants, slavery, and misery. This sermon had the most 
 powerfully pleasant influence on my soul of any that 
 I ever heard. 
 
 " By a sermon on Isaiah 45, 24, ' Surely in the Lord 
 have I righteousness and strength,' my soul was also 
 remarkably affected and drawn to the Lord. By 
 means of these and other ordinances, the sweetness 
 which I felt about 1735 was not only remarkably returned 
 to me, but I had far clearer views of the freedom of 
 God's grace, and of the exercise of taking hold of and 
 pleading the gracious promises of the Gospel." 
 
 John Brown was then nineteen years of age. The 
 deep impressions of this period of spiritual wrestling 
 were not of a passing nature. Though reticent, till 
 near the end of his days, about his inner life, he busied 
 his pen frequently in after-years in writing " Medita- 
 tions," soliloquies of the soul, intense, powerful presen- 
 tations of the subjective truth of the Gospel. By this 
 time he had emerged to see what was " really gracious " 
 in the thoughts and feelings stirred by the concentration 
 of mind and heart on such high themes. There are two 
 " Meditations " that seem to have sprung out of this 
 struggle towards the light. They are typical of one of 
 the means he sedulously employed to fan the flame of 
 religious truth in the land. The one is entitled, Reflec- 
 tions of a Soul, shut up to the Faith. It is a call to look 
 back " to the rock whence thou wast hewn." 
 
 " By a Christian education, God had shut me up from 
 the more flagrant iniquities cursing, swearing, lewd- 
 ness, intemperance, and the neglect of the forms of 
 2
 
 18 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 religion. But, ah ! with what earnestness, I indulged 
 myself in sins not less criminal, though less open and 
 scandalous ! seeking righteousness, as it were, by the 
 works of the law ! When conscience upbraided me for 
 neglect of former duties, particularly of acts of worship, 
 how often have I redoubled, or even tripled the ordinary 
 tale, in order to pay off my old debts. ... In vain. . . . 
 But thanks be to God, He passed by me, and looked 
 upon me, and said unto me, ' LIVE.' And, behold, my 
 time was the time of love, the day of power, the day 
 of espousals indeed ! Determined to make an un- 
 common stretch of Almighty grace, He hedged me in. 
 Before, behind, and on every side, I heard, I saw, I felt, 
 not cherubim with flaming swords, but calls, but cords, 
 of everlasting love," 
 
 The other " Meditation," Reflections of a Christian 
 upon his Spiritual Elevations and Dejections, is a 
 vivid description of the sunlit heights and the deep 
 dark depths that may be crossed in the pursuit of the 
 highest. 
 
 "Sometimes He hath lifted me up, in allowing me sweet 
 distinct views of divine truth, and of Jesus and His 
 Father therein. . . . Anon, He casts me down into deep 
 and darksome caves. I groped as a blind man at noon- 
 day. . . . Sometimes God, by His Word and Spirit, afforded 
 me the most convincing assurance that He was my 
 Saviour, my Husband, my Father, my Friend, my 
 Physician, my God my all and in all. Anon, He 
 permitted me to fall into such darkness and doubts 
 that I could be persuaded of scarce anything inspired. 
 . . . Sometimes God hath lifted me up to a sweet serenity 
 of soul. . . . Anon, He cast me ' into deep waters where 
 there was no standing.' . . . Sometimes He hath so 
 feasted me in His ordinances that the frequent return 
 of Sabbaths, sacramental occasions, opportunities of 
 family, social, or secret worship, were my delight. . . . 
 Anon, ordinances became to me as ' dry breasts,' and 
 their approach a trifle, a burden; and neither before, 
 nor in, nor after did I enjoy the visits of Christ. . . .
 
 THE SCHOOL OF LIFE 19 
 
 Sometimes God hath carried me up to Mount Pisgah, 
 and shown me the celestial Canaan, and my irrevocable 
 title thereto. . . . Anon, He held back the face of His 
 throne, and spread His cloud over it. ... Are thy frames, 
 my soul, so changeable ? Let me charge thee to have 
 no confidence in thyself; but to live by faith on the 
 Son of God, and His everlasting covenant, which are 
 * the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.' "
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THE ACQUISITION OF LANGUAGES 
 
 17351740 
 
 A DOMINANT passion of this friendless youth was to 
 acquire a knowledge of languages. The means, how- 
 ever, were limited in the extreme : few, if any, were 
 ever so devoid of the opportunity and the appliances of 
 learning. A penniless orphan boy, who had only a 
 quarter or two at school, and one month at Latin, 
 toiling for his daily bread, in the lone uplands of a 
 country parish, far from centres that stimulate thought, 
 had obstacles to face, so stern and forbidding as to 
 discourage all likely attainment. But he dared the 
 impossible, and did it. 
 
 It is not presumable, of course, that a serious youth, 
 who reined in the spirit of frolic that was in him, would 
 escape the gay tormentings of boys of his own age. It 
 is youth's privilege to indulge in pranks that search 
 and expose the supposed weaknesses of comrades. A 
 solemn tendency provides fair sport for merry assail- 
 ants. If it is manfully borne, there is that apprecia- 
 tion in the youthful nature to champion henceforth 
 the victim, and courageously defend, and loyally serve 
 him as a friend. On the farm of John Ogilvie was 
 another youth, Henry Ferney, who delighted to tease 
 and test the sober son of Carpow. One Sabbath evening 
 he thought that he would call out the angry fires. He 
 hurried his sheep to the fold, then strewed the entrance, 
 on which an open gate hung, with whins, and stacked 
 a bunch of rough, prickly ones near the post where the 
 gate was fastened. John Brown brought up his sheep, 
 and, being last, was under obligation to shut the gate. 
 
 20
 
 THE ACQUISITION OF LANGUAGES 21 
 
 He made his way bare-footed through the gorse, with 
 sharp twinges of pain, and barred the gate. As he 
 withdrew Ferney watched his opportunity, and sent 
 him headlong into the prickly heap, with a roar of 
 boyish laughter. Young Brown rose with face, hands, 
 and legs bleeding. Henry expected that at last he 
 would now hear an enraged tongue, or be summoned to 
 fight. But he was more than astonished when the 
 victim of his crude joke looked at him, and said in a 
 kindly but injured tone, " O Henry, what for do ye 
 that on the Lord's nicht ? I would have been loth to 
 do that to you." Henry was stung by the meekness 
 of his comrade, and was distressed till he was frankly 
 forgiven. From that hour, Henry Ferney became a 
 staunch and steadfast friend. 
 
 The relations of the two afford a glimpse of the period 
 and of the boy who was " the father of the man." 
 Ferney afterwards acknowledged the interest young 
 Brown took in his self-improvement, and aspiration 
 toward a better life. Brown sought to fire him with 
 his own spirit, and opened to him what treasures of 
 knowledge he possessed. He awoke him to a high 
 sense of duty, and to hear the call of higher things. At 
 bed-time he would say, " Henry, did you go about 
 prayer this night ? " " Yes." " When was it ? " 
 Such time, he would say. " Henry, you must have 
 little to seek at a throne of grace. O Henry, if you 
 but saw your many needs, and the many mercies God 
 is ready to give you for asking, you would not be so soon 
 through." 
 
 John Brown, with his scanty tools for acquiring know- 
 ledge, especially of languages, made such use of them 
 as to display remarkable originality. The little Latin 
 he had been taught, instead of being lost when life's 
 hard school began, where in truth there seemed so little 
 use for it, was carefully treasured, and added to, until 
 the mastery of the language was well within his grasp. 
 He borrowed books wherever he could find them. In 
 the midday, when for two hours the labours ceased, 
 he bounded off to the minister at Arngask, three to four 
 miles away, Rev. J. Johnstone, or to his own minister
 
 22 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 at Abernethy, Rev. Alexander Moncrieff , who for a time, 
 at least, was his friendly counsellor and helper. Mon- 
 crieff would set him studies that he imagined days 
 would be required to overtake, but in a short time, 
 Brown was at his door, with the work prescribed finished, 
 and ready for more. 
 
 But his browsing in Latin fields led him to seek the 
 richer pasturage of Greek, and acquaintance with the 
 very words of the New Testament. He was too 
 modest to ask guidance in this more exclusive region. 
 Latin then was common property ; not so Greek ; 
 and he conceived a plan to reach his goal by himself, 
 rather ingenious and entirely original. He took his 
 Ovid, an old Latin grammar, and the names of the 
 New Testament, especially the genealogies of the first 
 chapter of Matthew, and the third chapter of Luke. 
 The last he divined to be transcripts of the Greek, and 
 to suggest the key to unlock the door between the two 
 languages. " Reason told me," he argued, " that at 
 least an unaccidented tongue could not much change 
 names from what they were in the Greek." With these 
 he made a discovery of the Greek characters, 1 as true 
 a discovery as Dr. Young's of the characters of the 
 Rosetta stone, or Rawlinson's of the cuneiform letters. 
 He compared the names and the letters verse by verse 
 with the English. He treated the Greek as an expert 
 uses a cypher, and bit by bit with wonderful patience 
 and ingenuity, he learned the sound of the letters. 
 Though only making guesses at the meaning, yet, by 
 comparing it with the English, he was able to read the 
 Greek. Then, having acquired so much Greek, he pushed 
 on to Hebrew. 
 
 He tells the story himself in a letter which he wrote to 
 explain the mystery of his acquiring a knowledge of the 
 Greek, without a grammar and without the assistance 
 of any one, that seemed to those who knew Greek to be 
 an achievement without the bounds of possibility, and 
 as implying the necessity of being helped by none other 
 than his Satanic majesty. The main part of the letter 
 
 1 John Brown, M.D., " Letter to John Cairns, D.D.," Horos 
 Subaecivce, second series, p. 68.
 
 THE ACQUISITION OF LANGUAGES 23 
 
 will be given in the next chapter ; this portion bears on 
 the subject in question. 
 
 " I learned the letters from Orth. Tab. Gram., marginal 
 words in Ovid, and names in the New Testament ; for 
 reason told me that at least our unaccidented tongue 
 could not much change names from what they were in 
 the Greek, as, e.g. : (1) words authoritatively interpreted, 
 as Eloi lama sabachthani, Talitha cumi, Siloam, Corban, 
 Golgotha, Gabbatha, Emmanuel, Cephas, Aceldama ; 
 for if these be changed in any language as, for exam- 
 ple, if Aceldama be made Acerdama, it would be false ; 
 for it would say 1st, that the Jews called that place 
 Acerdama; 2nd, that Acerdama, Hebraice, signifies a 
 field of blood. And so in the matter of all words of 
 this kind. (2) Words authoritatively called alien, as 
 Abaddon, Armageddon. (3) Proper, obsolete, inequiva- 
 lented names, as, Hebraice, Cainan, Arphaxad, etc., 
 Luke iii., Greece, Olympas, Priscilla, etc. (4) Names 
 changed in one place from what they were in another 
 Noah, Genesis x. 1, Noe, Luke iii. Now, both being 
 alike to our English, the reason of their change is the 
 Greek, and, therefore, must be in the Greek as in ours. 
 Now, all the Greek letters may be found by comparing 
 
 Eloi lama sabachthani Arphaxad 
 EXot Xa,ua <ra.fiaxOa.vi A/>0aa5 
 
 Capernaum Sena Aceldama Booz Ragau Salmon 
 ULairepvaovfi. S^/x, A/ceXda/ua Boof Pcryav 
 
 " Now, to prove the powers to be what you conceive 
 or not, look other words : as, for example, I would be 
 sure of ft that it is equal to 6, I look Aftpaa/j,, AftiovS, 
 Aftia, fiftrjS, in all which, if I have hit right on the 
 power ft by calling it b, then the second form in all these 
 four words must be like it ; but this is true ; therefore 
 the former. This way I used. 
 
 " Another rule I also walked by is, cast your eyes 
 
 1 In the Centenary Memorial of Rev. John Brown, p. 63, by his 
 grandson, Dr. J. Crombie Brown, he remarks that the Greek character r 
 is not included in this test, but this must have been the result of over- 
 sight.
 
 24 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 on what form you will and fancy it to be what power you 
 will ; then compare it with other words having powers 
 equivalent, and if they confirm it not, fancy it to be 
 some other power, and so do till you find some words 
 to confirm you in your fancy ; and then you may take 
 it for probable that you have really lighted on its power. 
 And if it can be found to be no single letter, fancy it 
 to be some double consonant, diphthong, or syllable ; 
 as, for example, I cast mine eye on /3. I fancy it to be 
 
 a. I look Aram, Asa, Josaphat, Greece. I see nothing 
 like it there ; and yet the power a is there ; ergo, it is 
 not a. And, by the by, I remark that the power of a 
 is found Anglice four times besides capitals, and it 
 only is so often found ; but the Greek form a is found 
 alone so oft ; ergo, the form a has the power of a English. 
 Again, I fancy /3 to have the power of our d by com- 
 paring A/jLivaSafi, fl^rjS, AfiiovB, E\iov& ; I see the 
 antepenult and ult letter in the other three is d English ; 
 therefore the antepenult form in Aminadab and the 
 other three Greece must have the power of d, by the 
 rule anent obsolete names ; but this form is B, not ft, 
 and so /3 is not equal in power or sound to d. But 
 observing such a form in fl/3r)8 now, the second power 
 there is that of b English ; therefore, I fancy it to be 
 
 b, and by comparing it with Zo/>o/3a/3eX, Ia/ew/9, I 
 found it to me proven to be b. 
 
 " Thus one might go through all the forms. Now, I 
 knew proper names from the places they are put in 
 with us Anglice, the initiating capitals, their repetitions, 
 etc. As for the other ways I used, it would weary you 
 to hear them ; so I forbear at this time. 
 
 " When I had, by these means, 1 got myself into a 
 probability that I had the letters, I came down and 
 sounded them before Mr. Reid, and when he did not 
 approve of my way, I called them his way, viz., n, u, etc. 
 
 " Now, the way I took to learn the sense was much 
 the same, by comparing the Greek words with the words 
 in our Testament, beginning at the shortest verses, as 
 
 1 Cf. Solomon Maimon's acquiring a knowledge of the Latin and 
 German characters. Solomon Maimon : an Autobiography. Trans- 
 lated by J. Clark Murray, LL.D., 1888, pp. 90, 91.
 
 THE ACQUISITION OF LANGUAGES 25 
 
 1 Thess. v. 16, etc. ; and as I had observed many ter- 
 minations with some of their oblique cases in Latin 
 Greek rudiments, so as I went along I made it my 
 study to notice verbal terminations, right and oblique, 
 still allotting them to that person, time, mood, voice, 
 etc. their English agreed to. All this while, I never 
 thought of its dual number, middle voice, etc., which 
 the Latin has not. Also I noticed prepositions, adverbs, 
 etc. As to construction, Ruddiman told me (Rud., 
 p. 98, I think) that the rules he has not distinguished 
 by an asterisk are natural ; therefore, I concluded, used 
 in Greek. Some others I noticed, as AKOVOJ, 68, etc. All 
 this time I got lessons now and then from Mr. Reid ; 
 then I got a grammar and rudiments, etc. As for 
 Hebrew, I got a grammar one hundred and ten days 
 before I saw another Hebrew book, and am far from 
 so exact in any of them as they [i.e. his maligners] 
 report." 
 
 Having thus obtained a knowledge of the Greek 
 alphabet, he was anxious to possess a copy of the Greek 
 Testament for himself. He had now gathered sufficient 
 money to purchase one. The nearest likely place, where 
 such a volume could be obtained, was St. Andrews, 
 with its University. Perth was only seven miles 
 distant ; but it was doubtful if the booksellers there 
 would stock such a volume. In the university city there 
 could be no such doubt. Taking his friend, Henry 
 Ferney, into his confidence, and securing his promise 
 to look after his flock in the morning, one evening, in 
 the year 1738, at the age of sixteen, when the sheep 
 were penned, he set out on the twenty-four miles of 
 unknown road that lay between him and St. Andrews. 
 He arrived early in the morning, footsore and weary. 
 He found the bookseller's shop in South Street, near 
 the University Library, then owned by Alexander 
 McCulloch. Going in, he startled the shopman by 
 asking for a Greek New Testament. He was a very 
 raw-looking lad at the time, his clothes were rough, 
 home-spun, and ragged, and his feet were bare. " What 
 would you do wi' that book ? you'll no can read it,"
 
 26 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 said the bookseller. "I'll try to read it," was the 
 humble answer of the would-be purchaser. Meanwhile 
 some of the professors had come into the shop, and, 
 hearing the talk, and surveying the youth, questioned 
 him closely as to what he was, where he came from, 
 and who had taught him. Then one of them, not un- 
 likely Francis Pringle, then Professor of Greek, asked 
 the bookseller to bring a Greek New Testament, and, 
 throwing it down on the counter, said, " Boy, if you can 
 read that book, you shall have it for nothing." He 
 took it up eagerly, read a passage to the astonish- 
 ment of those in the shop, and marched out with his 
 gift, so worthily won, in triumph. By the afternoon, 
 he was back at duty on the hills of Abernethy, studying 
 his New Testament the while, in the midst of his flock. 
 This same Testament has been handed down in the 
 family and is to-day in the possession of the fifth John 
 Brown in lineal descent the son of the beloved 
 physician. It is a small, rather thick volume, bound 
 in leather, bearing marks of constant use. It is still 
 in good preservation, but wanting a part of the Gospel 
 of Matthew. The name John Brown is written on 
 the fly-leaf, obviously the writing of a youth, and re- 
 sembling his handwriting in later years. At the end 
 is the autograph of his son Thomas, afterwards Rev. 
 Dr. Thomas Brown of Dalkeith, written when a young 
 man at the University.
 
 JOHN BROWN'S GREEK NEW TESTAMENT, OBTAINED 
 AT ST. ANDREWS. 
 
 JOHN BROWN'S GREEK NEW TESTAMENT, WITH HIS SIGNATUBB. 
 In the possession of John Brown, Esq., Greenhill Place, Edinburgh.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 UNJUST SUSPICIONS 
 
 17411746 
 
 IT is manifest that by this time John Brown had fixed 
 on the ministry of the Church as the goal of his am- 
 bitions. The way was beset with great difficulties ; 
 but, to one of his mettle, difficulties only existed to be 
 mastered. The passion for learning burned in his soul. 
 Latin had been won, Greek was yielding, and Hebrew 
 was being added to his conquests, the door to it being 
 opened with the key that undid the bolt on Greek. 
 He did not parade his learning ; he did not boast of 
 how he had triumphed over the obstacles that sealed 
 the language of Plato and of Paul for the few. But when 
 questioned about what he had so sedulously acquired, 
 he returned a straight answer, as he naively says, he 
 " did not know the danger of saying the truth." He 
 had not studied Bacon's essay on Simulation and Dis- 
 simulation, or even its first sentence, " Dissimulation 
 is but a faint kind of policy or wisdom, for it asketh 
 a strong wit and a strong heart to know when to tell 
 the truth and to do it." There was no simulation or 
 dissimulation in Brown's nature, and his shrinking 
 modesty made him pay a heavy penalty. 
 
 His marvellous acquaintance with Greek, in his cir- 
 cumstances, simply staggered a few young men in 
 Abernethy who were studying for the ministry. The 
 priggishness of youth, struggling with Professors' help 
 to acquire the language, whetted their jealousy of this 
 unkempt, untaught herd-boy, daring to sip the nectar 
 of the gods. In conversation with William Moncrieff, 
 son of the minister of Abernethy, William ventured to 
 
 27
 
 28 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 say, " I'm sure the deil has taught you some words." 
 Brown laughed at the jest. But it turned out to be no 
 jest ; it was seriously meant. It is scarcely credible 
 to-day ; but the foul suspicion of using the black art 
 was fastened upon him, and in that superstitious age 
 was believed in, and persisted in ; and five ugly years 
 elapsed ere the stigma that was blighting all the youth's 
 prospects was removed. 
 
 In continuation of his autobiographic fragment, Brown 
 refers to this unhappy time. 
 
 " I had not lived much above a year after, amidst 
 many delightful breathings of God's Spirit, intermingled 
 with fears, temptations, and prevalencies of inward 
 follies and corruptions together, when I was exercised 
 with a new and sharp trial, especially on account of 
 the piety and influence of some that promoted it. 
 
 " By means of my anxious pursuit of learning, as I 
 could get any opportunity, I had, by the Lord's assist- 
 ance, acquired some knowledge of the Latin, Greek, and 
 Hebrew languages, and was beginning to fix my purpose 
 to use it in the service of Christ, if He should open a 
 regular door. My learning of these languages without 
 a master, except for one month, occasioned some talk 
 of me, and some small connexion between some Seceding 
 students and me, some of which proved my stedfast 
 friends, while others took a very different course. 
 Having no knowledge of polite manners, being never 
 more than a bashful herd-boy, I did not know the danger 
 of saying the truth. Accordingly I was simply drawn 
 into imparting to an intimate friend a hint, which was 
 thought not so honourable to one of the students, though 
 I meant nothing but a simple declaration of truth, in 
 answer to the question put to me by my friend. 
 
 " This was represented by the student as false. My 
 words were misrepresented, as if they had borne that 
 I was as, if not more, learned than he ; and, to crown 
 my afflictions, it was represented by him and his de- 
 fenders that I certainly had got my learning from Satan. 
 " As scarcely any person had ever appeared noted 
 for the knowledge of languages, but such as had learned
 
 UNJUST SUSPICIONS 29 
 
 at least some of them by their own mere industry, it 
 manifested either strong prejudice or great ignorance 
 of what had passed in the learned world, to put this 
 construction upon what my hard labour, by the blessing 
 of God, had acquired to me. It was, however, thought 
 necessary by the managers of it to hunt me down with 
 this malevolent reproach. Nor did they spare to 
 invent or hand about many mere fictions of their own, 
 in order to make it gain credit." 
 
 In this respect young Brown experienced, though not 
 so severely, a similar fate to that which befell Roger 
 Bacon, 1 who, in the thirteenth century, for his intel- 
 lectual daring and scientific discoveries " certain 
 suspected novelties," they were called was accused of 
 being aided by magic and " communion of devils," and 
 suffered in consequence fourteen years' imprisonment. 
 But a worse fate than imprisonment, even cruel torture 
 and death, were meted out in the later centuries to those 
 condemned for witchcraft. In 1740, Scotland was 
 only emerging from the tyranny of this devilish spite 
 against the efforts of some of her stronger spirits. In 
 all countries the black art exerted its hateful spell. 
 From the fourteenth to the seventeenth century, it was 
 specially active, and numbered its victims by tens of 
 thousands. The Reformation made no change in its 
 dismal rule, which, indeed, was never so virulent as in 
 the seventeenth century. Catholic and Protestant 
 theologians believed in the possibility and reality of 
 compact with the devil, as firmly as they believed in 
 the dogma of the personality of the devil himself. Both 
 alike vigorously defended the prosecutions of those so 
 falsely and wickedly accused. A physician of Germany, 
 Johann Wier (1516-1588), was one of the first to write 
 in protest against the folly and cruelty of the witch- 
 craft trials, asserting with withering sarcasm in the 
 course of his argument that in the hierarchy of hell 
 there were " seventy-two princes, and seven million 
 four hundred and five thousand nine hundred and 
 twenty-six devils, errors excepted," a number so precise 
 
 1 John Henry Bridges, The " Opua Major " of Roger Bacon, 1897 
 vol. i. pp. xxxi-xxxiii.
 
 30 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 that his opponents concluded that it could only have 
 been communicated to him by Satan himself. But the 
 firm protests of the few were angrily resented by the 
 multitudes, led by the clergy, who found biblical sanction 
 for the extermination of the evil. The gradual dawning 
 of a more humane feeling, with the advance of the 
 centuries, and the spread of the principles of toleration, 
 stirred by a revolt against its excessive cruelties, led to 
 the belief in witchcraft being routed from its fastnesses, 
 so long defended by ignorance, superstition, and 
 malignity. But it died hard, even after Parliament 
 had decreed that punishment for it must cease. John 
 Wesley, in his Journal, makes more than one allusion 
 to it, uttering his strong protest against the growing 
 tendency to toleration, and defending the old belief, 
 by a number of what he calls " well-attested facts." 
 Writing on May 25th, 1768, nearly thirty years after 
 Brown suffered, he says : 
 
 "It is true that the English in general, and indeed 
 most of the men of learning in Europe, have given up 
 all accounts of witches and apparitions, as mere old 
 wives' fables. I am sorry for it ; and I willingly take 
 this opportunity of entering my solemn protest against 
 this violent compliment, which so many that believe 
 the Bible pay to those who do not believe it. I owe 
 them no such service. I take knowledge, these are at 
 the bottom of the outcry which has been raised, and 
 with such insolence throughout the nation, in direct 
 opposition, not only to the Bible but to the suffrage of 
 the wisest and best of men, in all ages and nations. 
 They well know (whether Christians know it, or not) 
 that the giving up witchcraft is, in effect, giving up 
 the Bible." 
 
 In Scotland, 1 the trials for witchcraft were, as in 
 other countries, a travesty of justice. The accused 
 were hounded down with the merest pretence of a trial. 
 The clergy in Scotland were blamed for the rigour with 
 
 1 W. ! E. H. Lecky, The Rise and Influence of Rationalism in Europe, 
 vol. i. p. 127.
 
 UNJUST SUSPICIONS 31 
 
 which the prosecutions were carried out. In Sharpe's 
 History of Witchcraft in Scotland, there are many ghastly 
 details of the tragedies of this fateful art. It was only 
 in 1736, two years or so before the allegation was made 
 against young Brown, that the statutes imposing a 
 death penalty were repealed. In 1697, in Paisley, 
 seven persons suffered for bewitching a girl of eleven, 
 Christian Shaw, 1 of Bargorran. At Pittenweem in 
 1704, and Kinross in 1718, neither of them far from 
 Abernethy, the scaffold claimed a victim. The last 
 execution in Scotland was at Dornoch in 1722, where 
 a poor old woman perished for having ridden her own 
 daughter, according to the allegation, transformed into 
 a pony, and shod by the devil, which made the girl 
 lame for ever after in hands and feet, as well as her 
 son after her. In 1730, one of the Professors of Law in 
 Glasgow University, Professor William Forbes, pro- 
 claimed his firm belief in witchcraft in his Institutes of 
 the Law of Scotland. He defined it as that *' black Art 
 whereby strange and wonderful things are wrought by 
 a power derived from the devil. Nothing seems 
 plainer to me than that there may be and have been 
 witches, and that perhaps such are now actually 
 existing." * 
 
 What made the accusation the more serious for young 
 Brown was, that when the statutes against witchcraft 
 were repealed, many of the clergy in Scotland protested ; 
 and none more emphatically than those who had seceded 
 from the Church of Scotland, and it was to the Church 
 of the secession that Brown adhered. They, in 1743, 
 in a confession of national and personal sins, deplored 
 " the penal statutes against witches having been repealed 
 by Parliament, contrary to the express law of God; 
 for which a holy God may be provoked in a way of 
 righteous judgment to leave those who are already 
 ensnared to be hardened more and more ; and to permit 
 
 1 This Christian Shaw, it may be mentioned, was subsequently the 
 means of beginning the thread manufacture in Paisley, that is to-day 
 the chief industrial glory of the town. 
 
 8 Lecky, Rationalism, vol. i. p. 47. In a note he says that the last 
 judicial execution in Europe was in Switzerland, in 1782, the last law 
 on the subject, the Irish Statute, which was not repealed till 1821.
 
 32 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 Satan to tempt and seduce others to that same dangerous 
 and wicked snare." 
 
 Brown felt keenly the cruel suspicion that was fastened 
 upon him. The very retirement he sought on the 
 upland solitudes for higher communion was twisted 
 against him ; and this perversion of his conduct was a 
 double sting. He was charged, in the whirl of words, 
 with compact with the devil, also with falsehood and 
 hypocrisy. For he was now a member of the Church 
 at Abernethy. The Session, who exercised oversight 
 over the conduct of the members, naturally took cog- 
 nisance of the fama raised against him, yet apparently 
 not greatly daring to serve upon him a formal accusa- 
 tion. Some of its members still lingered in the dark 
 superstitions of the past, others were casting them off, 
 but not so resolutely as to stand out completely from 
 under their shadow. The Moderator, Alexander Mon- 
 crieff, with all his perspicuity and force of character, 
 unhappily in this matter leaned to the traditions of the 
 centuries, and agreed with John Wesley in his protest 
 that the giving up of witchcraft was, in effect, giving up 
 the Bible. Unhappily for Brown, he evidently believed 
 in the absurd accusation. Though at first he encour- 
 aged him in his studies, it would seem that when he 
 saw that he was bent upon the ministry of the Church, 
 he scouted the idea of this schoolless youth making 
 such pretensions. In spite of Brown's repeated attempts 
 to get his character cleared by the Session, Moncrieff 
 allowed the charge to hang round his neck. At last 
 the disappointed youth resolved to shake the dust of 
 Abernethy off his feet. But his heart clung to the faith 
 of his fathers, whose spiritual treasures he had begun to 
 realise for himself. The fellowship of Christian men 
 and women, he wished, wherever he went, to cultivate ; 
 and the principal passport to their circle was a clean 
 certificate of church membership ; for then, as now, 
 evil galloped its hundred leagues while truth was pulling 
 on its boots. 
 
 The Rev. Alexander Moncrieff (1695-1761), Brown's 
 minister, was a man scholarly, devout, and supremely 
 zealous for the truth. He was a minister highly esteemed
 
 UNJUST SUSPICIONS 33 
 
 in many respects, deeply interested in the young of his 
 flock, and greatly given to prayer ; sometimes in the 
 middle of his preaching he would pause, with face up- 
 lifted and lips moving, which led an old woman to say : 
 " See ! Culfargie, he's awa' to heaven, and left us a' 
 sitting here." But withal he had a strong and stubborn 
 temper that made him obdurate and unbending at 
 times. He was descended from those who had passed 
 for their faith through fire and blood. His grandfather, 
 the Rev. Alexander Moncrieff, of Scoonie, Fifeshire, 
 stood beside James Guthrie of Stirling in the fierce 
 persecution under Charles II. The one was taken, 
 martyred at the stake ; the other left, but condemned 
 never to preach again. He was, however, of apostolic 
 mould, and knew whom to obey. In many a highland 
 glen, and in busier haunts, he proclaimed his Master, 
 dying in 1688. His son, the father of the minister of 
 Abernethy, died while the youth was fifteen years of 
 age. At Perth Academy and St. Andrews University 
 young Moncrieff prosecuted his studies, and then, to 
 perfect himself in theology, went to the University of 
 Leyden in Holland, in those days, by the teaching of 
 John a Mark and Wesselius, an acknowledged centre 
 of learning in Europe. In 1720, he was called to his 
 native parish, and ordained as minister of Abernethy. 
 He was also proprietor of the estate of Culfargie in the 
 near neighbourhood. He sided with the " Marrow 
 Men " in their attitude in the Assembly of the Church 
 of Scotland in 1722 ; joined Ebenezer Erskine in his 
 defence of the Church's rights in 1732 at Perth, and 
 became one of the Secession " Four." When they were 
 deposed and necessity was laid upon them to organise 
 a Church, he became in 1742, the professor of divinity. 
 In the burgess oath controversy he upheld strenuously 
 its disallowance, and separated from his brethren. He 
 died in 1761, leaving two sons in the ministry, Matthew 
 as his successor in Abernethy, and William in Alloa. 
 
 In order to obtain a certificate of his church member- 
 ship, Brown wrote a long letter to Moncrieff, of extreme 
 interest, in which he defended himself against the base 
 calumny, explained how he acquired his knowledge of 
 3
 
 34 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 languages, and expressed his readiness to account for 
 every step of his conduct before the ecclesiastical court. 
 The letter is somewhat diffuse, jerky, and disjointed, 
 and studded with uncouth phrases of common parlance. 
 It has to be remembered that it was written by a youth, 
 practically self-educated, who had devoted more time 
 and strength to the study of ancient languages than 
 to a mastery of his own. It bears the date of August 6th, 
 1745. 
 
 To the Rev. Alexander Moncrieff, Abernethy 
 
 " REV. SIR, Although God has justly punisht me very 
 sore for my exceeding great unbelief, pride, perjury, 
 etc., by specially carrying as an enemy himself, yet at 
 the same time he has let loose men and devils against 
 me, as instruments in pleading his just quarrel. But 
 among all other things the misunderstanding that is 
 betwixt you and me is not the least part of the trial ; 
 therefore I humbly wish you would give me leave to 
 inform you of the falsity of some stories which causes 
 this misunderstanding ; and also to tell you wherein 
 you have wronged me in some things, as also wherein I 
 have wronged you. The story runs thus : 
 
 " Somebody having (as I hear in a private unsub- 
 scribed letter) exceedingly defamed me December 7th, 
 I think. When I spoke to you, December 16th, the 
 conversation was to this purpose You : ' Got ye a book 
 from Roby Millar ? ' I : ' Yes, Quintus Curtius* 
 You : ' What was he doing when ye took it home ? ' I : 
 ' Bigging his father's wain.' You : ' Did you say to 
 him that you could read it all ? ' I : ' No, I said, when 
 he said, "Can you read it all ?" "Nay, for there are 
 many sentences I cannot construct, and I mind of four 
 or five words that I ken not the English of at all." 
 You : ' Did you speir [ask] these words at him ? ' I : 
 * I tell'd [told] him them over that he might tell me 
 their English.' You : ' Did he do it syne [at that 
 time] ? ' I : ' No. After this.' You : * Do you pray 
 evening and morning ? ' I : ' Yes.' You : ' When 
 began ye to do so ?' I : ' About seven or eight years
 
 UNJUST SUSPICIONS 85 
 
 since.' You : ' What put you first to it ? ' I : ' My 
 father, when I was a little chield, gar'd [made] me do 
 it, but I often slighted it.' You : ' But did you never 
 neglect these seven or eight years ? ' I : ' Not that I 
 mind of, but for the most part I did it at the fold when 
 I let out and put in my sheep.' These answers con- 
 cerning this last you look on as both proud and false ; 
 and in order to discover its fallacy, John Ogilvie was 
 brought, who, when asked anent it, said, ' I cannot say I 
 found him a person under the exercise of grace.' But 
 as it was impossible for him to know perfectly anent 
 whether I did it or no, so his answer neither asserts nor 
 contradicts ; and, as for the pride of it, as I do not trust 
 that ever I did an action all my days without pride at 
 the highest rate before God, so really I do not see wherein 
 my pride in the sight of men appears, seeing I know 
 not of either its falsehood or its unnecessity at that 
 time in order to vindicate myself ; but, if you will, you 
 shall hear the sum of the whole story. My father having 
 forced me to pray alone, when I was little, I, as oft as 
 occasion served, neglected it, for which I had some 
 disquiet of mind by Psalm ix. 17, and by Vincent On 
 Judgment, and Alleine's Alarm. So, after a formal 
 slight using of Alleine's directions I dedicated myself 
 to the Lord in solemn vow, as Alleine directs (summer 
 1735 or 1736, viz. the last, or last except one, I was 
 with John Ogilvie, for I went from him Nov. 1736); 
 particularly I vowed to pray six times when I was 
 herding, and thrice when I was not herding, in the 
 day. So I continued to do this ; and, if I was deficient 
 the one day, I made amends the next. ... If I fell into 
 any known sin I prayed for forgiveness, and so was 
 well ; all movings of the affections I took for special 
 enjoyings of God, and now thought myself sure of 
 heaven, if I was not a hypocrite ; to avoid which deceit 
 I kept the whole of my religion as hid as I could, 
 especially prayer, and to that end prayed almost ay 
 in the field, where, if I was not pretty sure nobody was 
 near, I was exceeding low of voice, and, lest my head 
 being bare might discover it, I cast my blanket over 
 it, or else laid an open book before me so that they
 
 36 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 might think I was reading ; and so made myself, in my 
 conceit, as sure of heaven as possible. In this way of 
 doing I continued from that time till June 1740, or 
 else 1741, at least, if not till now ; still putting my 
 fashion religion in Christ's room, setting up my formal 
 prayers, etc., for my Saviour, yea for my God. 
 
 " Anent the other story it happened thus December 
 18th, 1742 when I was before the elders. You said : 
 * You said you speired [asked] these four or five words 
 at Roby Millar ? ' Said I : 'I only tell'd him them 
 that he might tell me their English.' You : ' But 
 Henry Ferney says you said to them you speired them.' 
 I : 'I don't think it, but if I said speired, it was a 
 snaper [harmless misdemeanour].' You : ' That was 
 a fell way of snapering [a pretty considerable misde- 
 meanour].' I : 'It was much about one meaning, for 
 I tell'd him them in a speiring way.' You : ' You use 
 fell equivocating.' I : ' Henry Ferney said, " I'll tell 
 you just the way, as far as I mind, he said, he let Roby 
 Millar see these words." You : ' Roby, did he speir 
 these words at you ? ' R. said, ' No.' I said, ' I am 
 not saying speired ; Roby, did I not tell you over these 
 words ? ' R. : ' You told me no such words.' I : 
 ' Well, Roby, I appeal to your brother and to your 
 conscience to the contrary.' R. : 'If so, I did not hear 
 you.' I : ' I do not ken whether you heard me or 
 no ; but am sure I told you them.' 
 
 " You alleged that it was pride to say I knew all 
 Curtius but five words, or to say Roby Millar did not 
 tell me their English, and that it was as much as to 
 say Roby knew them not. To answer which I shall 
 narrate the whole story, and it runs thus : I said : 
 ' Roby, have there your book.' Roby said, ' Have you 
 got a story out of Quintus Curtius ? ' I : ' Yes.' R. : 
 ' Can you read it all ? ' I : ' No, for there are many 
 sentences which I could not construct, and I mind of 
 four or five words I know not their English at all.' I 
 mind not whether he speired what they were or no, 
 but however I repeated them Crudus, Arma, Maxae, 
 Dise, and Calae ; at which time I affirm there was no 
 natural impediment of his hearing. However, he told
 
 UNJUST SUSPICIONS 37 
 
 me not their English. Now I using whiles to read over 
 a story of it to John and Henry Ferney, they missing 
 this, said, ' Where is your book ? ' I : ' Home.' They : 
 ' Could you read it all ? ' I : ' No, for besides places 
 which I cannot lay together, I mind four or five words 
 which I know not the meaning of at all.' They : ' You 
 should have speired them at him.' I : * So I did, or 
 so I did tell him them.' They : ' Did he tell you their 
 English ? ' I : * No.' They : ' It may be that he 
 could not.' I : 'I know not whether he could or not, 
 but he did not.' 
 
 " At this meeting also you said to me : ' Did you say, 
 " I can read all Ovid but five words "?' I: 'No.' You: 
 ' Alexander Blyth, said he it not to you ? ' Alexander 
 said, ' I cannot be positive, but I think he said so.' 
 I : 'I said never such a word.' He answered not a 
 word. You said to me : ' Said ye ever that for as 
 good a master Mr. Caml [Campbell] is, some of his 
 scholars are not very good ? ' I : ' No.' You : ' Henry 
 Ferney, heard ye ever such a tale about the hills ? ' 
 Henry : ' No.' On the whole you concluded me to be 
 proud with a witness, and said you thought it not fit 
 such a proud chield should be a student. 
 
 " Some days after I desired conference to inform you 
 more fully of these stories. You refused, May 1743, 
 I think. Notwithstanding you knew of all this, you 
 admitted to me to accede [obtain] an attestation from 
 Andrew Ferney ; but June in the beginning, I coming 
 to speak with you before Stirling Communion, said 
 you : 'I'll have nothing to do with you, because you 
 dissembled to me.' I : 'I dissembled not to you." 
 You : ' Did not the lad say so ? ' I : ' Did I not say 
 contrary ? ' You : ' Well, I shall consider it the first 
 week-day's session ; and so you may wait on.' You : 
 ' You said to Alex. Blyth you knew all Ovid but five 
 words.' I : ' Alex. Blyth would not say so, and I'm 
 sure I did it not.' You : ' John Macarsy heard you 
 say so.' I : ' Let John Macarsy come, I'll widd [wager] 
 he shall not say it before my face.' He was not brought. 
 You : ' What was you doing when you was up in some 
 hill ? ' I ; ' What hill ? ' You : 'I ken not, some
 
 38 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 hill.' I : ' The way of that story is that I was in the 
 Castel [Castle] Law four nights on end, when I was 
 with John Ogilvie, doing nobody knew what ; but I 
 said it is a lie, for I never was in the Castel Law one 
 night. I indeed watched my sheep some nights at the 
 foot thereof, seeing it was my duty.' 
 
 " So the first week-day's session was June 28th, 
 which day I in some measure attended on the Session, 
 but was never called in. That day I took occasion of 
 some conferences, as 1st, with Mr. Millar. I said : * As 
 I would end the matter as peaceably as possible, so I 
 offer if you'll go to the session and say, It may be I told 
 you those words, to seek no more.' R. : ' There is no 
 matter betwixt you and me ; all the matter is betwixt 
 you and H. Ferney.' I : ' You said, I told you not 
 these words.' R. : 'I said not you did not tell me 
 them, for you might tell me them and me not hear 
 you, etc.' 2nd, with Mr. Macarsy. I : ' The minister 
 says you heard me say to Mr. Blyth, I knew all Ovid 
 but five words, and you know you never heard me speak 
 anything to Mr. Blyth bees [such as] that.' Me. : ' I 
 heard you never say it to Mr. Blyth.' I : ' Well, will 
 you but tell Mr. Moncrieff you did not hear me say 
 so ? ' Me. : ' I'll bear no such message to the minister.' 
 I said : ' I hear there was an unsubscribed letter sent to 
 the minister saying a deal of ill of me. Was it you 
 who sent it, or know ye ought about it ? ' Me. : ' I 
 know nothing about it; and for my part, as much as 
 I have been blamed, I never said ought to your dis- 
 advantage.' I : 'I hear you would not let my letters 
 be seen, but destroyed them.' Me. : * I did it out of 
 love to you, for had they been seen they would have 
 done you more ill than all that yet has appeared, for 
 they were clatters [idle talk], and founded on clatters.' 
 I : 'I doubt if the two last would have done me any 
 ill, but, as for the first, I own there were some things 
 wrong in it.' Me. : ' They were full of wrath and 
 malice, and also in a letter to Mr. Archibald, you 
 endeavoured to make us all black.' I : ' There I said 
 no more of you than that "Equidem audivi Joan 
 Macartium in Strathmiglo me esse diabolice doctum
 
 UNJUST SUSPICIONS 39 
 
 dixisse." ' 1 Me. : ' I do not mind of ever speaking of 
 your name in Strathmiglo. As for your learning, I'm 
 in a strait about it, as well as far better learned men 
 are.' I : ' You told me the contrary at Culfargie's 
 [viz. that he spake of me to John Lumsden and Andrew 
 Ferney] ; but that is but a mistake of the memory, which 
 is fallible.' I answer if he had been in any strait he 
 was willingly in it, else he would have sought in- 
 formation. 
 
 " Now as there are several stories anent my learning 
 as that it is unprecedented from the devil that I 
 learned in hills and dens, without a grammar, and 
 master, etc., I shall endeavour to satisfy you on this 
 matter. Now I think it is not from the deil on these 
 accounts : because, 1st, I am, as I solemnly appeal to 
 the God of heaven as witness, in no compact with him, 
 nor did he ever speak to me viva voce, nor yet learned he 
 me ought (as far as I know) by enthusiastick impulse, 
 in which if I lie, may God avenge it. (1) I sought it 
 from God by beginning my lessons of times with prayer, 
 as God is witness. (2) Its reasonableness further 
 appears in that I had an occasional master, Mr. Reid, 
 from whom I got many lessons, and at him I speired 
 all the unknown words I minded. Now if a fixed 
 master can learn, an occasional one may do it too, tho' 
 more slowly, for majus et minus non variant speciem* 
 2nd, It is well known that all arts use to arise from 
 men's reason by learning. 3rd, Learned men, as Locke 
 On Education, and Clarke in his Introduction, tell us 
 one may learn by industry ; ' nay,' says Locke, ' one's 
 mother might teach him the Latin tongue,' etc. As to 
 grammar, it is the consent I suppose of all men, it is 
 not absolutely necessary, seeing it is only a superstruc- 
 ture founded on language. Now a foundation may well 
 exist without a superstructure, at least Lilly, Watt, and 
 Clarke, and Locke, are of this opinion. As the great 
 question is anent the Greek, which I learned some of 
 afore I got a Greek grammar, it runs thus : 
 
 1 "I have personally heard that John Macarsy in Strathmiglo has 
 stated that I have got my learning by the help of the devil." 
 
 2 " Greater and less make no difference in the nature of a thing."
 
 40 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 Then follows the portion already quoted as to how 
 he acquired a knowledge of Greek with his Ovid and 
 New Testament. 
 
 " As to my letters the story runs thus : About Novem- 
 ber 10th, 1741, I had some conversation with Messrs. 
 W. and Mat. Moncriefs, and John Macarsy. They 
 caused me to read some lines of Terence and Greek 
 Testament, then asked if I had a Greek grammar. I 
 said ' Not yet.' W. said (I thought it had been in 
 jest) : ' I'm sure the deil has told you some words.' 
 Mac. : ' You begin at the top and build down to the 
 bottom.' Nothing more remarkable was here said. 
 About November 29th, when I came to Mr. Blyth's 
 school, without any provocation, I got two counts 
 from them, viz. Messrs. M. M. and A. B. At this time 
 I got some hard language. They also gave a count, as 
 I was informed, to Mr. Reid, I suppose in mockery, 
 which much enraged me ; as also I heard it commonly 
 that Mac. and Mr. M. M. had and were endeavouring 
 to spread it that it was not possible for me to learn so 
 without diabolick influence, with which I, being enraged, 
 sent with the pretended answer to their count these 
 railing words : ' Audivi vos dixisse me diabolice doctum. 
 Sed qui scitis ? Queisque signis probatur ? Expertine 
 estis diabolum bonum esse doctorem ? Egone dia- 
 bolicus ? Vosne diaboli ? Imo videtur ratio est. 
 Mimalloneis vestra impli cornua bombis. Toy MarOaiy 
 
 MoVKpi(f)(t) Kdl T0t9 \Ot7TOi9 /i Sta/3o\t% OVa ' 1 -' * 
 
 " No more that I can know to be offensive is in it. 
 With these I sent them a count. Some time after by 
 means of Amos iii. 6, ' Can there be evil,' etc., I came 
 in some way to see God's hand in the affliction, by means 
 of which about June 15th, 1742, I sent them two letters, 
 confessing the wrong I had done them, and begging 
 forgiveness, intimating that I forgave them whatever 
 
 1 "I have heard that you stated that I was taught by the devil. But 
 how do you know ? By what evidence is it proved ? Have you 
 learned by experience that the devil is a good teacher ? Am I a devil ? 
 Are you devils ? That indeed seems to be the rational account of the 
 matter. Its mad music I've filled your trumpets with. To Matthew 
 Moncrieff and others who call me a devil."
 
 UNJUST SUSPICIONS 41 
 
 they had done against me. These letters were, as I 
 heard, sore misrepresented, but as God is my witness 
 that thus the matter ran, I desire to rest careless, seeing 
 He is judge, as I told them. 
 
 " But, to return. The consideration of my character 
 being neglected, June 28th, I several times entreated 
 you to do it, according to your promise. At length, in 
 harvest, 1743, Providence seemed (upon condition I 
 brought a testificate [certificate] with me) to invite me 
 to another place, but by the unreasonable refusal of a 
 testificate, I was stopt. Then, as for bleatness [be- 
 coming modesty], I feared to complain viva voce to the 
 session of this their unjust treatment, I sent two letters 
 to them, which, excepting some circumstances, I just 
 now [still] approve. They nothing prevailed, therefore 
 I twice came personally to them and pleaded a cog- 
 nisance [investigation] July 9th, 1744. You, in their 
 name, I think, before them said : * John, if you will 
 come to the next week-day session and insist, we shall 
 consider or think on methods for considering not only 
 the affair betwixt Mr. Millar and you, but your whole 
 character.' Said I : ' But how shall I know when the 
 session sits ? ' Said you : ' You'll get word some way.' 
 But several week-day sessions after this were kept so 
 close (why, I know not), that, in spite of my utmost 
 enquiry, I could never know when they were till they 
 were past. 
 
 " So, being again disappointed here, I came again to 
 you (thinking it was just much as if I had gone to the 
 session, seeing at the session you may give the answer) 
 in December 1744. I desired you to cognise [investi- 
 gate] my affair. Said you : ' I am not to fash my 
 head about it ; but if you go out of the parish you 
 shall get a testificate.' Said I : ' You did not give 
 me one when I sought it.' Said you : ' You was not 
 going out of the parish.' Said I : ' But I know I was 
 ( and I appeal to All-seeing God, that I was firmly 
 resolved to dwell out of this parish, as soon as I got a 
 testificate, both now and then). ' Said you : * John, 
 you want to be a scholar, and I do not want that.' I 
 said : ' That is not the present thing I want ; I
 
 42 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 want to have my character as it should be.' Said 
 you : ' I did not break your character.' 
 
 " Here I take occasion to answer : (1) That though 
 I should seek to be a scholar, that is no reason why I 
 should be unjustly punished. (2) You say you do not 
 want me to be a scholar. Why ? Say you, ' His 
 reason for it is but fancy.' I answer it may be so ; 
 but thus it is : Considering of a particular calling, it 
 was borne in on my mind, that everybody should serve 
 God in that calling his faculty is best for, and, con- 
 sidering that my learning faculty was strongest, there- 
 fore I concluded it was my duty to serve God in some 
 learning station. I rejected it because I thought I 
 was not able to carry on learning ; but that word, ' The 
 Lord will provide,' Gen. xxii. 8, about the same time, 
 Isaiah xliii. 2, were borne in on my mind, so I yielded 
 to essay it. Further, as far as I can discover, this 
 impulse brings with it a sense of insufficiency and impels 
 regularly, so that notwithstanding of irregular doors 
 being opened, with invitations to enter in, yet hitherto 
 the Lord has kept my feet from thus falling, which I 
 look on as a token from God. I add that often I've laid 
 the matter before the Lord, but could receive nothing 
 like a prohibition. (Indeed, in 1743, March, I think, 
 I was haunted with this : ' This evil is of the Lord, 
 why should I wait any longer.' I observed that this 
 impulse carried with it a deadening carelessness about 
 religion, and so concluded it to be a diabolick impulse.) 
 About the same time there was an impulse. ' Thy way 
 to God commit. Him trust, it bring to pass shall He,' 
 etc. This I took as savouring more of the Holy Spirit. 
 This is it wherein I fancied my call to be a scholar lay. 
 So if you would indeed convince me that it is all fancy 
 I should be glad, and should no more seek to be a scholar. 
 (3) Your other reason why you want me not to be a 
 scholar, is my want of means. To this I answer, if the 
 Lord ever shall open a door for my entrance to be a 
 scholar, I hope to be in no way burdensome to the 
 Presybtery or you either. But, to return. June 1st, 
 I went away out of this parish (leaving commission to 
 John Laurie to get me a testificate) and travelled in
 
 UNJUST SUSPICIONS 43 
 
 East Lothian some time, accounting it my residence 
 (for I have none but a nominal residence here), but 
 took no house till I was quite away. So coming back 
 for my testificate, I caused Mr. Marshall write a common 
 one, and came and bade you, by Janet Din, sign it. 
 You refused. I by her bade you put what you would 
 to it, and then sign it. You said : * I have nothing 
 ado with it.' Here appears a right cruel procedure, 
 for : First, your promise of a testificate was that which 
 moved me to seek one. Second, This, in my view, was 
 equal to the greater excommunication materially, for 
 it implies a total casting me out of your care, and so 
 you would have nothing to do with my testificate. Thus 
 you have punished me these two years on suspicion 
 with a material excommunication, the evil of which I 
 showed in my letters, March 1744, and January, I 
 think, 1744, or December 1743. I add, thirdly, thereby 
 I am exposed to the fury of men and devils ; as (1), to 
 soldiers taking me, as being under mala jama ; (2), to 
 adherents tempting to apostacy, of which tempting 
 they make this, your unjust treatment, their occasion ; 
 (3), to devils and mine own lusts tempting me to vent 
 anger at you, etc., to desert the cause, because of the 
 bad usage I met with in it. Under which trouble, as 
 I have acted most sinfully by trespassing more and 
 more against the Lord, so I have been guilty of hatred 
 at you, which I have especially discovered in not using 
 due pains to restrain you in this course of injustice, 
 and also in telling this your treating of me, unwarily, 
 where I should not ; for which as I wish for forgiveness 
 of God, so I wish you'll forgive me it, humbly intimating 
 that through the grace that is in Jesus, I desire to forgive 
 you and all men, whatever they have done or said 
 against me, as I would desire to be forgiven of God. 
 So I earnestly beg and intreat you would from this 
 time forth do me justice by bringing my character to 
 trial, and if you find me then guilty of scandal, punish 
 me with some formal censure, which thing I resolve 
 to seek from the session as soon as possible. 
 
 " All this letter I write in presence of Almighty God, 
 whoj punishes liars, Rev. xxi. 8, xxii. 16, and leave it
 
 44 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 to the management of Providence, desiring you to use 
 it as the Lord shall direct you. So farewell. August 6th, 
 1745. 
 
 " Your weak lover, 
 
 " JOHN BROWN. 
 " CARPOW. 
 
 " N.B. Sometimes the sense (not the exact words) 
 is only kept. 
 
 " J. B." 
 
 The letter, quaint, rugged, stilted as it is, so different 
 from the flowing style he was yet to acquire, is a witness 
 to the seriousness of the charge, though the charge 
 seems to us to-day to savour of the ridiculous and the 
 grotesque. His irreproachable character, his manifest 
 purity of motive and of life, alone warded off the slander 
 and its dire possible consequences. Time brought its 
 test ; and in the end truth and sincerity prevailed. 
 Moncrieff was as adamant to the last. Another year 
 of disquiet had to be endured. Then on June 16th, 
 1746, the clean certificate of full membership in the 
 Church was granted by the unanimous vote of the 
 elders and deacons of Abernethy, Moncrieff dissenting, 
 and refusing to sign it. 1 Thus, after five years of perse- 
 cution, his character was cleared. But the lash of the 
 slander left its mark on the young spirit. The freeness 
 and ease of talk with men in regard to his scholarship 
 or literary aims, was gone. There was a certain reserve 
 about him henceforth, as of a man who had to be on 
 his guard, and a reticency to speak of the days of his 
 youth. It is not without interest to recall what he 
 himself said about witchcraft in his Dictionary of the 
 Bible, which enjoyed such a wide repute in its day: 
 
 " WITCH is a woman and WIZARD is a man that have 
 
 1 The minute of the court runs as follows : " John Brown, having 
 desired a testificate to be given him, the Elders and Deacons agreed 
 nemine contradicente that the testificate should be given him, and the 
 minister signified that he would not stand in the way of its being 
 given him, seeing it was carried in the session, but that he could not 
 sign it, but left it as a deed of the session to be signed by the session 
 clerk."
 
 MINUTE OF ABERNETHY SESSION, GRANTING JOHN BROWN A 
 CERTIFICATE OF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP. 
 
 MINUTE DEALING WITH PARTY HEARING HIM, A " PRETENDED 
 MINISTER." 
 
 ;fc./A>#: J. 
 
 *-.- -*-H 
 
 ANOTHER, MINUTE DEALING WITH PARTY HEARING HIM, A 
 " PRETENDED MINISTER."
 
 UNJUST SUSPICIONS 45 
 
 dealings with Satan, if not actually leagued in formal 
 compact with him. That such persons are among men 
 is abundantly plain from Scripture, and that they 
 ought to be put to death (Deut. xviii, 10, Exodus xxii. 18). 
 It is plain, however, that great caution is necessary in 
 the detection of the guilty, and in punishing them, lest 
 the innocent suffer, as many instances in New England, 
 and other places, have proved. Nor can I believe that 
 people's standing in awe of persons suspected of this 
 infernal power is anything else than an indirect wor- 
 shipping of Satan. Witchcraft comprehends all kinds 
 of influence produced by collusion with Satan, and 
 excludes the user from the kingdom of God (Gal. v. 20)." 
 
 The falseness of the charge against himself did not 
 deliver him from the trammels of the long-standing 
 tradition. In his History of the Church of Scotland, 
 referring to Archbishop Sharp and his delinquencies, 
 he says : " There is not a little ground to believe that he 
 had entered into a solemn compact with the devil, in 
 order to preserve his life, and to carry on his designs." 
 
 Hard is it for the human mind to divest itself wholly 
 of the ghastly cerements that have clung to it from the 
 days of youth, and been so universally worn. Perhaps 
 in regard to himself, Brown concluded that, seeing it 
 was the New Testament that drew him into the net 
 of the inquisition, there was prima facie reason for the 
 senselessness of the imputation cast upon him ; for, 
 as his great-grandson sagely observed, " That shrewd 
 personage, the devil, would not have employed him on 
 the New Testament."
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 THE "PEDLAR 
 17431746 
 
 THE Wander jahr of many men at one time was regarded 
 as an essential part of their education. It carried them 
 into strange lands, and among people of strange tongues, 
 which they were expected to acquire. It opened the 
 mind to new aspects of life, and was considered a 
 liberalising agent in the mental development of the 
 privileged youth, as no doubt it was. John Brown 
 had his wanderjahr ; but it was of a different order 
 from that commonly enjoyed. To begin with, it was, 
 in a measure, forced upon him. It only included the 
 counties of Kinross, Fife, and East Lothian, with 
 occasional adventures, or sacramental pilgrimages, to 
 neighbouring counties. Business was conjoined with 
 education. The one year stretched into five years, 
 with two exciting episodes between, one connected 
 with the State, and the other with the Church. 
 
 Abernethy, which had proved an unkind mother, he 
 had determined to quit, as soon as his character was 
 cleared by his Church. Meantime he assumed the r61e 
 of pedlar, shouldered a pack, and set off into the 
 neighbouring county of Kinross, crossing at times the 
 Firth of Forth to the Lothians, and offering his goods 
 to selected customers. 
 
 A characteristic feature in Scottish life in that troubled 
 period of church history was the formation of " pray- 
 ing societies." In many places the lamp of religion 
 burned low. The services in the churches were cold 
 and dead. But in nearly every town and hamlet there 
 
 46
 
 THE PEDLAR 47 
 
 were fervent hearts, that hungered for fellowship. 
 Little societies sprang up, that met once a week and 
 kept the flame of the evangel bright and glowing. These 
 societies were the saviours of evangelic truth in Scot- 
 land. John Brown sought them out in his wanderings, 
 and enrolled himself in their ranks. Their members, 
 the sincere and devout of the time, scouted the calumny 
 raised against him, and among them he found repose 
 of soul. In later years, he expressed his gratitude by 
 drawing up for their guidance a series of rules, which, 
 by reason of their sagacity, breadth, and Christian 
 spirit, proved of great service. 
 
 To the members of such societies mainly he carried 
 his wares. Fashions changed slowly in the reigns of the 
 first two Georges ; but there was still a necessity for the 
 household to renew its supplies. David Livingstone 1 
 found, on his first visit to Cape Town, in 1852, after a 
 number of years in the depths of South Africa, that 
 his clothes were ten years out of date. A hundred 
 years earlier, ten years would have made no difference 
 he would have been still in the fashion. People in 
 most cases made their own clothes, and the newest 
 London modes were long in reaching them. Even the 
 tailors who appeared occasionally at houses that pre- 
 ferred their services, and who were paid at the rate of 
 2d. or 3d. per day with food, believed thoroughly that 
 the old ways were best. The shops, little earth-floored, 
 dark, thatched houses, were poorly supplied through 
 lack of capital and customers ; and packmen carried 
 round a varied, if limited assortment of wares in their 
 wallets, and waited upon cottage and mansion. In 
 houses of the rich and poor, weaving went on, and 
 travelling weavers made periodic visits and exchanged 
 a tempting web for the home-spun product. 
 
 In this business John Brown spent five years of his 
 life. But it did not prove a very profitable concern. 
 His wares got sadly mixed up ; a piece of ribbon would 
 draw out needles and pins, thread, handkerchiefs, and 
 lace, with the whole contents in inextricable confusion. 
 
 1 W. G. Blaikie, D.D., LL.D., The Personal Life of David Livingstone, 
 first edition, p. 127.
 
 48 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 To a few sympathetic and thoughtful housewives on 
 his rounds, he was indebted for putting his wares in 
 order, and making an attractive display. With him 
 the passion for business was outrivalled by the passion 
 for books. Wherever on the shelves of any household 
 he discovered a few volumes, the pack was quickly 
 forgotten, and he devoured the literature that chance 
 spread before him. The day would speed its course 
 while he was greedily intent on some sappy author, 
 and night would often find him far from his lodging. 
 
 The great Church festival, observed at different times 
 in different places, provided a change in the wanderings. 
 Days were given up to the Communion seasons. To 
 Dunfermline, Burntisland, Falkirk, Stirling, Glasgow, he 
 walked and enjoyed *' ravishing " and refreshing times. 
 
 An interesting sketch of him at this period is pre- 
 sented by the acquaintance of his early days in the 
 document already referred to : 
 
 " Some time after this Mr. Brown turned his attention 
 to merchandise, and became a travelling merchant. 
 His journeys were confined mostly to the inland parts 
 of Fife and Kinross shires. In this line he did not 
 much succeed ; it was only families he called at who 
 were reported to him as religious and given to reading, 
 and, upon finding any intelligent person to converse 
 with, or new book to consult, his merchandise was no 
 more minded. Half days and more were spent thus, 
 and when evening approached he had sometimes miles 
 to travel to his lodgings, as he had what we call in this 
 country only feft places he chose to lodge at. One of 
 these, in this neighbourhood, was David Young's, in 
 Balgedie. There, that sensible man told me, Mr. Brown 
 would have stayed two or three days, and gathered in 
 all the books he could get his hands on, about the town, 
 which he could scarce be withdrawn from to take his 
 meat. Mr. Young was acquaint with him from his 
 infancy, and used great freedom with him, and often 
 represented to him the propriety of attending to his 
 merchandise, and not to spend his time in what at 
 that time he thought did not so much concern him, But
 
 THE PEDLAR 49 
 
 his remonstrances were all in vain, for, said Mr. Young, 
 he was fit for nothing else but for being a scholar ; and 
 when he was but a child, his mother seemed to have 
 some persuasion, or at least fondness, that he should. 
 She would have said, ' O, when will I see the craws 
 fleeing ower my bairn's kirk ? ' But on his return to 
 Mr. Ireland's, of Urquhart, or to Mr. Robert Low's in 
 Roundil, from his trading excursions, for these were 
 his headquarters and his home, his stock of goods stood 
 in much need of a proper arrangement, which he was 
 very well pleased to see accomplished by some of the 
 family. His articles were often so displaced that upon 
 laying hold of the end of a ribbon or garter two or three 
 buckles were brought up, and these clasped some hanks 
 of thread, and so on. About this time he was dressed 
 in a whitish coat, which, with carrying his pack, was 
 worn out on both shoulders, and mended with cloth 
 darker than the coat." 
 
 The writer proceeds to give a description of a journey 
 to Stirling to attend a sacramental feast. The Rev. 
 Ebenezer Erskine, pronounced by Dr. John Watson 1 
 to be " the most representative type of sound spiritual 
 character in the eighteenth century," though he had 
 separated himself from the State Church, had elicited 
 the sympathy of many throughout the land, by the 
 stand he had taken in defence of the Church's rights 
 and the Church's faith. It found expression in the readi- 
 ness with which these sympathisers travelled long dis- 
 tances to be present at the Communion celebrations of 
 his congregation. John Brown and his company 
 journeyed from Kinross and even beyond, twenty-five 
 miles and more, down the vale of the Devon, to the 
 City of the Rock. Hospitality was freely offered on 
 such occasions. When they reached Stirling Brown, 
 with his rustic garb, was relegated to the humblest 
 place in the house where he was entertained, which he 
 accepted uncomplainingly ; but his worth was soon 
 recognised, and he was summoned to occupy the chief 
 seat beside the master of the house. 
 
 1 John Watson, D.D., The Scot of the Eighteenth Century, p. 284. 
 
 4
 
 50 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 " At this period, he, in company with Mr. Ireland, of 
 Uruqhart, and a number of people from this corner, 
 went to Stirling to attend on the dispensation of the 
 Lord's Supper by Mr. E. Erskine. Mr. Brown sometimes 
 joined one company on the road and sometimes another, 
 but Mr. Ireland discerned his friend, if before him, by 
 the back of his coat. At Stirling they were lodged in 
 some respectable house near the town, in whose hos- 
 pitality a considerable number of worshippers from 
 various quarters also shared. Mr. Brown sat down 
 in the kitchen in company with the servants and herds 
 of the family. After supper the household and guests 
 were called into a parlour for worship. The gentleman 
 of the house requested Mr. Ireland to take the lead in 
 divine service. He excused himself, as being at that 
 time much fatigued with the long journey ; but, reaching 
 the Bible to Mr. Brown, said, ' Johnnie Brown, you'll 
 do this service for me,' to which Mr. Brown yielded, 
 and went through the service to the satisfaction of the 
 company. On the after-days of the solemnity he was 
 no more left in the kitchen, but preferred to a seat at 
 the head of the table, close by the master of the house, 
 and every respect shown him to which these talents, 
 which his rustic garb could not conceal, evidently 
 entitled him." 
 
 Referring to this period, the "Short Memoir" of his 
 life gives a refreshing glimpse of a man under the cloud 
 of a malicious calumny, who resolutely determined to 
 steer the straight course in calm silence, till light 
 should arise. With his own thoughts he communed as 
 he carried his wallet to and fro ; and the truth searched 
 him the keener, especially in the gatherings at the 
 sacred festival, because spiteful tongues had thrust this 
 shame upon him. The retrospect of after-years revealed, 
 however, that it was a spiritual snow summit which 
 he had been climbing during this dismal period of 
 obloquy and reproach. 
 
 '' While for several years this calumny was carried on 
 and spread far and wide, I enjoyed remarkable mixtures
 
 THE PEDLAR 51 
 
 of mercy with the affliction. In my very entry on it, 
 that word, ' His loving-kindness the Lord will command 
 in the daytime, His song shall be with me in the night, 
 and my prayer to the God of my life,' was peculiarly 
 sweet to my soul. The members of the praying society 
 to which I belonged all continued my steady friends. 
 Not one that I knew of who knew me, as far as I dis- 
 covered, appeared less, but rather more friendly to me 
 than before, except such as were very nearly connected 
 with the raisers or chief managers of the calumnious 
 report. Nay, my acquaintance with the world being 
 extended, many others upon my first acquaintance were 
 remarkably sympathising and friendly. 
 
 " Meanwhile the Lord, by powerful and pleasant 
 impressions of His Word on my heart, particularly at 
 sacramental occasions at Dunfermline, Burntisland, 
 Falkirk, and Glasgow, marvellously refreshed my soul, 
 and made these years perhaps the most pleasant that, 
 ever I had, or will have, on earth. Discourses on these 
 texts Heb. 10. 37, Ezek. 37. 12, Psal. 91. 2, and a 
 meditation on Psal. 5. 7, were particularly ravishing. 
 To some of these sweet transactions I allude in my 
 Journal of a Spring, Winter, and Sabbath Day. 
 
 " Meanwhile, I was led out to ponder my own heart 
 and way, and made to see myself as bad before God 
 as a devil, and much worse. This I took God to be 
 calling me by the reproach. These things made me 
 not a little content with my lot, and kept me from 
 labouring to expose my reproachers, or even to defend 
 myself, unless when I thought I had a plain call. And 
 I then and ever since have found that the Lord most 
 clearly delivered me and vindicated me, when I made 
 least carnal struggling, but laboured to bear His indig- 
 nation as quietly as I could. The sting I had found 
 in my learning which I had so eagerly hunted after, 
 tended to keep me humble under what I had attained, 
 or afterwards attained. The reproach which I myself 
 had met with, tended to render me less credulous of 
 what I heard charged on others. On these and other 
 accounts, I have since looked on that sharp affliction 
 as one of God's most kind providences to my soul."
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE SOLDIER 
 17451746 
 
 ONE day, in the autumn of the memorable year, 1745, 
 the pedlar was pursuing his occupation in the Howe 
 of Fife, when a cloud of strangely apparelled figures 
 appeared on the horizon. He slipped behind a cairn 
 of stones, and watched them closely. Houses they 
 entered, and farmyards they visited, and marched off 
 with bags of booty. They were the highland soldiers 
 of Prince Charles Stuart, foraging for themselves or 
 the army, on its march southward for the capture of a 
 kingdom. It is said that " during the long march 
 from Perth they had been kept under perfect discipline ; 
 such provision as had been required was bought with 
 legal money, and the highland instinct for plunder 
 was rigorously repressed." * Exactions were laid on 
 towns and country districts where Charles could com- 
 mand authority at least on the outgoing expedition. 
 On the return from Derby, when the Pretender felt 
 that fortune was deserting him, and he rode sullenly 
 at the rear of his army, discipline was relaxed. Liberty 
 was given to men to supply themselves ; and they 
 fell on all convenient booty like " caterans returning 
 from a creagh." * 
 
 The presence of the highland host created a panic 
 among the people. They feared the worst ; and money, 
 valuables, and even clothes were hidden away. Business 
 was at a standstill ; and the pedlars were the first to 
 find that their wares were not wanted. 
 
 John Brown was indifferent about the falling off of 
 
 1 Hume Brown, History of Scotland, vol. iii. p. 292 
 
 2 Scott, The Tales of a Grandfather, ch. Ixxx. 
 
 52
 
 THE SOLDIER 53 
 
 trade it would give the more time for reading. But 
 the sight of these marauders from the Highlands that 
 had marched across the Grampians and down the Garry, 
 and through the straths to Stirling, showed that his 
 country was in danger. He at once offered for its 
 defence. He took his pack and buried it in a peat- 
 stack on the farm of Cameron, about two and a half 
 miles to the south-west of St. Andrews. He then en- 
 listed in the Fifeshire volunteer corps, that was being 
 raised in the county, in defence of the Government. 
 He was despatched to hold the fort at Blackness l on 
 the Forth, lying between South Queensferry and 
 Boness, as Charles was marching rapidly on Edinburgh. 
 He did not share in the " Canter of Coltbridge," as it 
 has been cynically called, when an outpost of the King's 
 dragoons, alarmed by a few pistol-shots from the 
 Prince's approaching hosts, were seized with such 
 panic that, doubling back on the main body, they 
 threw them into such trepidation that the whole regi- 
 ment fled as fast as horse could carry them through the 
 fields on which the new town of Edinburgh now stands, 
 and reined not bit nor bridle till they reached the 
 village of Prestonpans, leaving Charles victorious, and 
 Cope, the King's general, a public laughing-stock. But 
 Brown was ready to go where the call sounded. 
 
 Such a spirit was characteristic of the men belonging 
 to the young Seceding Church with which Brown had 
 associated himself. They entered heartily into the 
 defence of their country at this national crisis. 8 Per- 
 
 1 Almost opposite the naval base of Rosyth, now being adapted 
 as an oil centre for the British Navy, owing to its proximity to the 
 Lothian shale-pits. 
 
 3 H. G. Graham, Social Life of Scotland in the Eighteenth Century, 
 p. 377, says: "Scotland at the time was in rebellion and turmoil, parishes 
 were disturbed by raids of wild Highlanders, men were enrolling as 
 volunteers to resist the Pretender, and stolid ministers who could not 
 wield a toasting-fork were anxious to tie on pouches for their ammuni- 
 tion, to shoulder muskets they could barely load, and to be drilled with 
 their communicants ; the Church was holding fast and humiliation days 
 to stay the divine judgment in a civil war," and, with a cheap sneer, 
 he adds : "And while all these events were agitating the nation Secede rs 
 were busy debating, hi cottage, fair and market, and meeting, the 
 mighty question, * Can the burgher's oath be taken without sin ? ' " 
 This last sentence is a signal instance of the suppresaio vert.
 
 54 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 plexing questions were troubling their community at 
 the time ; but these were at once made to stand aside. 
 The nation was needing the help of its loyal citizens ; 
 and they were among the first to respond, organising 
 companies out of their own congregations. The Rev. 
 Ebenezer Erskine, at Stirling, with the burden of 
 sixty-five years upon him, formed a volunteer company, 
 and himself acted as captain. When the town was in 
 danger from the highland host, he appeared in the 
 guard-room in uniform. The officers on guard tried 
 to persuade him that both his calling and his years 
 unfitted him for active service ; but he replied, " I am 
 determined to take the hazards of this night, for the 
 present crisis requires the arms as well as the prayers 
 of all good subjects." While the rebels were in posses- 
 sion of Stirling, he acted in a twofold capacity, preaching 
 to his congregation in the woods of Tullibody, five miles 
 away, on Sundays, and leading the volunteers in week- 
 days against the enemy in assaults that again and again 
 endangered his life. Ralph Erskine's son, Henry, 
 settled at Falkirk as minister, led the volunteers of that 
 town ; and, as a recognition of his loyalty and bravery, 
 was enrolled as an honorary burgess of Glasgow. Adam 
 Gib, the doughty minister at Edinburgh, called upon 
 his congregation for a corps to defend the city, and 
 over 350 at once responded. While the rebels held the 
 city, but not the castle, he preached for five weeks, 
 at Dreghorn, near Colinton, three miles to the west 
 of the town. There was a large detachment of the enemy 
 in the neighbourhood ; and often they sought the 
 outskirts of his congregation. They had to listen to 
 his denunciation of the rebellion, and his prayers for 
 its speedy suppression and for the safety of the reigning 
 sovereign. The spirit of loyalty fired the young Church ; 
 and where there were trucklings with the enemy, as, 
 among other places, at Abernethy, where Alexander 
 Moncrieff had to suffer the spoliation of his goods, and 
 the seizure of his sons, the Session exercised its discip- 
 line. In many of the session records of the time, 
 there are instances of those who had served the usurping 
 army, paying the " cess " they demanded, and digging
 
 THE SOLDIER 55 
 
 ditches for them, being " rebuked " for their disloyalty 
 to the King. Indeed every congregation was arranging 
 to provide a corps of its own, when the rebellion ceased, 
 and the necessity passed. 1 
 
 1 D. Fraser, Life of Ebenezer Erskine, pp. 437-446 ; D. Fraser, 
 Life of Ralph Erskine, pp. 353-361 ; Works, vol. ii. p. 251, 268, 277 ; 
 Mackerrow, History of the Secession Church, p. 200; McEwen, The 
 Erskines, p. 114 ; ; Rev. Adam Gib, Edinburgh, in Scots Magazine, 
 vol. xxvii. p. 272, says : " At the time of the rebellion in the year 
 1745 and 1746, the Seceders were spread as now through all the Low- 
 lands of Scotland, from Dunkeld to Cheviot, from St. Andrews to Air, 
 and in the counties of Angus, Mearns, Banff, Elgin, Nairn and Ross. 
 But not only did not one of them join with the rebels, but all of them, 
 men and women, took all opportunities to manifest their abhorrence 
 of the rebellion, as they took all opportunities to join in public prayer 
 and fasting for the suppression of it, and in public thanksgiving for 
 the same after the great day of Culloden. All the Seceding Ministers 
 were this day employed in their congregations with express supplica- 
 tions in behalf of our Sovereign, King George and his Government." 
 The records of these congregations practically confirm this. Where 
 any of the members were found trading with the enemy, they were 
 instantly dealt with, and it was shown that such trading was done 
 more or less under compulsion. In a number of records we have 
 examined there are no references, because there was no call for inter- 
 ference ; but others show how scrupulously Sessions guarded their 
 communion. In Falkirk a blacksmith was examined before the 
 Session for having forged ramrods for the Highlanders on the Sabbath 
 Day. His defence was that they stood over him with their bayonets, 
 and compelled him to do the work. He was cautioned to be more 
 careful in the future. In Abernethy we have this minute: 
 
 " Colforgie, 20th Dec. 1745. The Moderator reported that one of 
 the members of this congregation, who has been with many others in 
 this place employed on Tuesday last in digging trenches at Perth upon 
 the call and command of a part of the highland army now lying at 
 Perth, had been demanding of him the privilege of Baptism ; he 
 therefore required the judgment of the Session. The Session, after 
 reasoning, agreed, that the conduct of these men in this matter is cen- 
 surable, in respect that they obeyed their command merely upon 
 their threatening and without any compulsion to force them to it, and 
 in regard whatever was their intention, yet the work they were em- 
 ployed in, considered in its own nature and in the intention of those 
 who employed them, was a sinful work ; and in regard they have 
 thus by their practice strengthened the hands of the enemies of our 
 covenanted Reformation, and departed from that faithfulness in 
 witnessing for Christ and His cause and interest, which is the dutie 
 particularly of those who live in these lands so solemnly devoted to 
 the Lord ; and therefore the Session appoint that none guilty as 
 aforesaid be admitted to sealing ordinances until they confess their 
 fault in this particular, and the scandal be purged in such a manner 
 as the Lord shall give direction." 
 
 February 26th, 1746. " The Moderator laid before them the sin 
 some of the community had fallen into by swearing to a party of 
 Highlanders that came to Abernethy in the search of old arms and 
 that they should consider what they should do in it ; but because of
 
 56 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 John Brown's action was typical. Others as readily 
 took up arms. At Blackness he helped to guard the 
 Forth from a French descent, that was momentarily 
 expected. Shortly after the Pretender set out on his 
 ill-fated march to England, he was transferred to 
 Edinburgh Castle. There he remained till the end of 
 the civil war. The return of the Prince and his hapless 
 host was checked at Falkirk by the battle with General 
 Hawley, a man noted for two things, his ignorance of 
 war, and his despotic tyranny. At Culloden, on 
 April 9th, 1746, the decisive blow was struck which 
 ended Charles's hopes and those of the Stuart dynasty. 
 With the escape of the deluded Prince to France, to 
 dribble out his days in his cups, the commotion of the 
 conflict speedily died down. The Fifeshire regiment 
 was disbanded, and Brown returned to his calling. 
 
 But Edinburgh had a special attraction for him. 
 Then, as now, it had its famous bookshops. Allan 
 Ramsay's circulating library, the first of its kind, was 
 a fascination to the student. When released from mili- 
 tary service, Brown set off, down by the Castlegate, 
 where the author of the Gentle Shepherd, having now 
 retired from wig-making, and bookselling, and even 
 from the haunts of the Muses, had built his octagon 
 
 the shortness of their time they cannot proceed to it at this time, 
 they therefore delay consideration of the matter till March 7th, 1746." 
 "March 1th, 1746. The Session, taking under consideration those 
 who had made voluntary complyances with the enemies of the cause 
 of Christ by going at their threatening to dig defences for the garrison 
 at Perth ; that many in this corner and under the inspection of this 
 Session have fallen from a due testimony to the cause of Christ, and 
 being left to sinful complyances with the Lord's enemies by paying 
 cess, and other duties unto them, and duties upon ale and leather and 
 by their carriages of the instrument of death and other things that 
 they thought necessary for them at their call and command and 
 merely upon their intreating : the Session find that they are censur- 
 able for their said simple complyances, but agree that such as come to 
 make a voluntary confession of their sin at their next meeting shall 
 be rebuked and admonished before the Session, and the censure to 
 terminate in the said rebuke ; and the Session, further taking under 
 serious consideration that several under their inspection have been so 
 far left of the Lord as upon the threatening of the enemies of Christ 
 to profane the sacred name of God to own their authority by taking 
 an oath about arms and subscribing the same, the Session find that 
 these sinful complyances of theirs are highly censurable and most 
 sinful."
 
 THE SOLDIER 57 
 
 house, commanding a magnificent view of the distant 
 heights of Fife, beyond the Forth. Allan's shop 1 was 
 easily recognised with its heads of Ben Jonson and 
 Drummond of Hawthornden above the door. Perhaps 
 he dropped into the establishment of Alexander 
 Symmers, the bookseller in Parliament Square, into 
 which about this time, or later, Thomas Ruddiman, the 
 famous grammarian, was wont to step, to play with the 
 worthy bookseller the fascinating game of chess, regard- 
 ing which play, Ruddiman' s biographer 2 states : " They 
 did not play for money ; but, being both pertinacious 
 players, they generally parted in a wrangle." More 
 than likely the young soldier pressed on to the shop 
 of John Gray, in the Grassmarket, the son-in-law of 
 Ebenezer Erskine, who was later to be his own pub- 
 lisher. There he found what suited his taste, and read 
 with avidity and ease works in Latin as well as in 
 English. The Luckenbooths were then a feature of the 
 broad avenue of the High Street, guarded by its lofty 
 crow-stepped gables ; and the Tolbooth, " like a long 
 black snail crawling up the middle of the street, and 
 defiling its beautiful esplanade." Edinburgh was not 
 only still radiant after the gay doings of the Prince 
 at Holyrood, but it rang with the memories of the tur- 
 bulent cries of the mob that slung Captain Porteous 
 on a pole in the Grassmarket, six years before an officer 
 over-officious in discharge of his duty, forgiven by the 
 Crown, but slain by the incensed citizens. 
 
 But all the glory and the stir of the past and present 
 faded with the studious soldier before the attractions 
 of the shops of John Gray and other booksellers. His 
 humble pay was spent upon them. When the rebellion 
 was over and the regiment dispersed, John Brown left 
 the city, not by the Queensferry coach, whose fare was 
 25., but on foot, with 3d. in his pocket, sufficient to 
 carry him across the Forth. He hastened along through 
 Burntisland, and Kirkcaldy, and Leven, and Largo to 
 the Cameron farm, to find his precious wallet intact. 
 In the somewhat quaint words of the friend of those 
 
 1 Daniel Wilson, Reminiscences of Old Edinburgh, vol. i. p. 221. 
 
 2 Chalmers, Life of Ruddiman, p. 170.
 
 58 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 days, " Upon his return to Cameron, the stack of peats, 
 which had been gradually removed for the use of the 
 family, was greatly reduced, and on the very next day 
 after his arrival they came to the pack, which was per- 
 fectly safe, and all things in good condition."
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE SCHOOLMASTER 
 17461750 
 
 SHORTLY after John Brown's return to his travelling 
 occupation, he received the welcome intimation, that 
 the office-bearers of his church at Abernethy had granted 
 him a full certificate of church membership. This 
 closed his connection with Abernethy. He never 
 crossed its borders again. Once (1752) he came within 
 five miles of it to preach, at Auchtermuchty. A few 
 loyal souls climbed the mountain road to hear him, 
 which kindly act of theirs was a grave offence in the 
 eyes of Moncrieff and the religious leaders of Abernethy. 
 They were summoned l to the Session to account for 
 their conduct, and were rebuked for venturing to go 
 and hear John Brown, " a pretended minister." Pre- 
 judices die hard. 
 
 It was Brown's ambition to enter the ministry of the 
 Church, but the means to obtain a university educa- 
 tion were not available. The next step that was pos- 
 sible to take, he took, and became a schoolmaster. By 
 his incessant self-culture, he was well equipped for the 
 profession, which in .those days lay open to any one, 
 without compulsory courses of training. He started 
 at Gairney Bridge, two miles south of Kinross, where 
 a monument stands to-day to commemorate the event 
 of thirteen years earlier, when the Secession fathers 
 met and founded their Church. As a teacher he was 
 eminently successful. He drew scholars from a wide 
 
 1 On three separate occasions, May 31st, June 21st, and July 5th, 
 1752 (Session Records, Gen. Assoc. Church, Abernethy). 
 
 59
 
 60 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 radius. With a passion for learning in his own soul, 
 he communicated the fire of it to his pupils. 1 
 
 Saturdays were then not devoted to holidays, as 
 to-day prevails throughout Scotland, but were usually 
 employed by schoolmasters for special religious teach- 
 ing. Those Saturdays in John Brown's mastership 
 were better remembered afterwards than the other 
 days of the week. Says the writer who has preserved 
 the recollections of those early days of his career : 
 
 " He was accustomed on Saturdays seriously to 
 address his scholars. His discourses on these occasions 
 were very warm and pathetic. The late Mr. Adam Low 
 of Barclay informed me that, for his part, he was often, 
 by Mr. Brown's rousing lectures, terrified from sin, 
 and so strongly convinced of evil that it cost him many 
 nights' want of sleep, until he got clearer views than 
 he had of the way of salvation through Jesus Christ." 
 
 While at Gairney Bridge, it was not unusual for him 
 on Sundays, as he relates in his closing days, to tramp 
 over the hills of Cleish to Dunfermline, eleven miles 
 distant, " to hear that man of God, Mr. Ralph Erskine, 
 whose ministry, he felt, was brought home by the Spirit 
 of God to his heart." In his post as teacher of this 
 school, Brown had a famous successor, Michael Bruce, 
 the author of " The Ode to the Cuckoo," a poet of rich 
 promise, who died at the early age of twenty-one, too 
 soon for the ripe fruits of his genius to be garnered in. 1 
 
 While engaged in teaching, the way opened up for 
 Brown to reach his long-looked-for goal. Abernethy 
 was one of the burning centres of the religious con- 
 
 1 " The school was but an old disused hut, a few seats or blocks of 
 wood serving as the benches" (Graham, Scottish Men of Letters in the 
 Eighteenth Century, p. 365). Graham quotes no authority for this 
 statement, and I have been unable to find any verification. A sketch 
 of the school is given in James Mackenzie's Life of Michael Bruce 
 (1914), p. 88, which shows that Graham's assertion is absolutely apart 
 from the truth. 
 
 2 Of the three poems, Wordsworth's " Ode To the Cuckoo," Shelley's 
 " To the Skylark," and Brace's " To the Cuckoo," John Bright, greatly 
 admiring all these, preferred that of Bruce to the others as a whole 
 (Trevelyan, Life of John Bright, p. 424).
 
 THE SCHOOLMASTER 61 
 
 troversy that had raged in Scotland for nearly twenty 
 years. One Church in Scotland, holding the Presby- 
 terian faith, had sprung out of the convenanting 
 struggle in 1690. In it were men who had steadily 
 sought the favoured side of fortune, and men who 
 refused to be " bought," who cared for nothing but 
 the purity of the Gospel, and the rights and liberties 
 of the Church of Christ. For a period all went well. 
 But differences emerged ; and majorities began to 
 crush minorities. The first divergence was a funda- 
 mental one over the relation of the sinner to grace. The 
 book, The Marrow of Modern Divinity, was welcomed 
 by those who upheld the evangelical view, that the 
 belief in Jesus Christ is the essence and the beginning 
 of a redeemed life, and that no sinner is hindered from 
 salvation by the decrees of God. The opposing view 
 was that a sinner must repent and forsake his sins 
 before he accepts the Saviour, as his power of doing 
 so is fixed by unchanging decrees. This legal and 
 fatalistic way of presenting the Gospel was manifestly 
 the current method of the time ; it triumphed in the 
 General Assembly of the Church, so much so that, as 
 has already been mentioned, twelve earnest and faithful 
 men were publicly rebuked by the Assembly for assert- 
 ing the " Marrow " principles, one of whom was Ebenezer 
 Erskine of Stirling, as well as Alexander Moncrieff of 
 Abernethy. The rebuke was humbly submitted to ; 
 but it left a rankling behind, the more deeply felt that 
 others who seemed to deny the divinity of Christ, and 
 verged on a doctrine, as David Hume said, of " heathen 
 morality," were left untouched. 
 
 This singular indifference on the part of the majority 
 to the purity of the Church's doctrine was followed 
 by an invasion of the rights of the congregations in the 
 election of their ministers. These rights were freely 
 conceded in the settlement of 1690. They were snatched 
 away by Parliament (the Union Parliament) in 1712. 
 Scotland had little knowledge of the deed. When it 
 did know, it so deeply resented it, that the Act remained 
 for a while a dead letter, the Assembly of the Church 
 annually protesting against it. However, when patrons,
 
 62 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 to whom the power of choice was given, declined to 
 act, it lay with the Assembly to determine how ministers 
 should be chosen. The Assembly granted the liberty 
 to congregations, till 1731, when it decided to entrust 
 the choice to heritors and magistrates acting with the 
 elders. Ebenezer Erskine, 1 a son of the covenant, with 
 its struggles for the rights of the people and the honour 
 of the Church bred in the bone, blazed out against such 
 disloyalty to the Church's charter, in a Synod sermon 
 at Perth, in 1732. For this, he and three steadfast 
 adherents, Moncrieff of Abernethy, Wilson of Perth, 
 and Fisher of Kinclaven, were censured by the Synod. 
 They were suspended by the next Assembly from the 
 ministry. But, as Erskine' s father had told " Bloody 
 Mackenzie " that, " having a commission from Christ," 
 he could not be silent, these men continued to preach, 
 and to administer sacraments in their own parishes, and 
 wherever they were invited. On December 5th, 1733, 
 they met in an inn, where roads converge at Gairney 
 Bridge in Kinrosshire, on the great North Road, and, 
 after three days spent in prayer, they, along with two 
 others, Ralph Erskine * of Dunfermline, and Thomas 
 Mair of Orwell, formed an " Associate Presbytery." 
 The Assembly repented of its haste, and made repeated 
 attempts to get these stalwarts to return. But they 
 
 1 Ebenezer Erskine (1680-1754), of the house of the Erskines, in 
 whose veins ran the best blood of Scotland, born at Dryburgh, Rox- 
 burghshire ; studied at Edinburgh University ; became minister at 
 Portmoak, on the banks of Lochleven, in 1703, and continued till 
 1731, when he removed to Stirling; marked by the majesty of his 
 person and his preaching. On Sabbath, May 18th, 1740, he was 
 excluded from his charge in the West Church, but continued to 
 minister to a large congregation in a new building that to-day bears hia 
 name. He died in the seventy-fourth year of his age, and the fifty- 
 first of his ministry. 
 
 2 Ralph Erskine ( 1 685-1 752), a younger brother of Ebenezer Erskine, 
 born at Monilaws in Northumberland, gentler, more ideal, more 
 mystical than his brother, fond of music and proficient on the violin ; 
 became minister of Dunfermline in 1711 ; sympathised with the stand 
 his brother and others took before the Assembly, and eventually cast 
 in his lot with them ; his Ooapel Sonnets, published in 1 734, had a 
 wide repute ; his collected works in ten volumes passed through 
 numerous editions ; his church in Dunfermline to-day bears the name 
 of Queen Anne Street Church, and his statue graces the entrance. He 
 died in the sixty-eighth year of his age, and the forty-second of his 
 ministry.
 
 THE SCHOOLMASTER 63 
 
 believed that this change of front was dictated more by 
 policy than by principle, and they refused. They had 
 now found a " free platform," and it was for Scotland's 
 good that they reached it. The action they took repre- 
 sented " a real step in Scotland's progress towards full 
 religious liberty." l 
 
 The marvel is that throughout the prolonged contro- 
 versy, and with things said and done that future genera- 
 tions could not but condemn, no riots and no outrages, 
 such as have attended other contendings in the Scottish 
 Churches, marred the effect of the spiritual struggle. 
 Orderliness was a marked feature in the procedure of 
 those who seceded. They faithfully followed the course 
 kept by church courts, and as directed by church law. 
 They held strongly that they, and not the Assembly, 
 were loyal to the constitution of the Church of Scotland. 
 
 It was to this band of men, fired by a holy zeal for 
 the rights of the Redeemer and His Church, that John 
 Brown adhered. Into their ministry he desired to enter. 
 Small encouragement, however, was given him by those 
 who should have been the first to have helped. Moncrieff 
 scorned the idea of this orphan lad, in the lap of poverty, 
 attempting such a course. The students of the time 
 and neighbourhood, outstripped in their own kingdom 
 by this schoolless, collegeless youth, raised an evil 
 clamour against him. Attempts were made, in view of 
 this, to win him back to the Church he had left. Offers 
 of assistance were held out. The chance was a tempt- 
 ing one, but the choice he had made had been too 
 deliberate to permit of turning back. He was well 
 aware of the meaning of the questions at issue, and, 
 with his strong grasp of principle, he felt that the only 
 men he could follow were such as the Erskines, who 
 would rather suffer than that the Church should lower 
 her standard of evangelical truth, or the people lose 
 their Christian rights. In spite of the vile calumny cast 
 upon him by those among whom he sought Christian 
 fellowship, he had sunk his shaft too deeply into the 
 principles for which they stood, to be turned aside by 
 the malice of a few. 
 
 1 J. R. Fleming, B.D., The Burning Bush, p. 104.
 
 64 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 This is what he says of this period of his life : 
 
 " During those trials I had my own share of solici- 
 tation to desert the Secession, in which I was so ill-used 
 by some of the chief managers. But, as I had not 
 taken that side from regard to men, the Lord enabled 
 me to take no offence at His cause because of their 
 maltreatment of me." 
 
 After teaching for a time at Gairney Bridge, he 
 crossed the Forth to Spittal, near Penicuik, Midlothian, 
 where, he says, " I had a large school, and I hope was 
 useful in training up, among others, several young men 
 in the learned languages, who were afterwards eminent 
 ministers of Jesus, as the late Archibald Hall of London 
 and others." But the calm that followed in affairs of 
 State after the Pretender's eruption into Scotland 
 found a fierce conflict bursting forth in the young 
 Church, whose fires had been smouldering during the 
 rebellion, and which was to rend it in twain. Again 
 the eager youth had to make his choice. 
 
 Prior to the Prince's coming, a bone of contention 
 had been hurled among the adherents of the Secession 
 by the resuscitation, on the part of the Government, of 
 an old oath imposed upon the burgesses of Scotland. 
 The burgess oath originated in 1591. For a century and 
 a half it had been taken without a scruple. But in 1744, 
 for the burgesses in three towns in Scotland, Edinburgh, 
 Glasgow, and Perth, it was preceded with this religious 
 clause : " I protest before God, that I profess and allow 
 with my heart the true religion, presently professed in 
 this realm, and authorised by the laws thereof. I shall 
 abide thereat and defend the same to my life's end, 
 renouncing the Roman religion, called Papistry." It 
 was of no small value for one to be a burgess in those 
 days. Only burgesses could carry on business within 
 the burgh, enter the trade guilds, or exercise the fran- 
 chise. A considerable proportion of the adherents of 
 the Secession belonged to the cities mentioned. The 
 question was, did those words of the new clause in
 
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 THE SCHOOLMASTER 65 
 
 the oath, " the true religion presently professed in 
 this realm," imply approbation of the errors and defec- 
 tions complained of in the Church of Scotland, or did 
 they simply mean approval of the true religion itself ? 
 Moncrieff and Adam Gib l strongly adhered to the former 
 position, the Erskines the latter. Supporters ranged 
 themselves on both sides, and the contention was keen. 
 The Church, now numbering thirty-two congregations, 
 had already divided itself into three Presbyteries, with a 
 Synod, meeting once or twice in the year, as need arose, 
 as the supreme court. In the Synod a large majority 
 condemned the oath ; but others and this was the 
 rock on which they split insisted on making disapproval 
 of the oath a term of communion. At the spring meeting 
 of the Synod, April 8th, 1747, the decision was taken. 
 Of the 55 members present, 23 (13 ministers and 10 
 elders) voted for the extreme view ; 20 (9 ministers 
 and 11 elders) favoured mutual forbearance ; the re- 
 mainder, who did not take part in the final vote, wished 
 delay, but sided with the Erskines. Moncrieff and his 
 party withdrew, and formed a new Synod the General 
 Associate Synod that at once proceeded to excom- 
 municate the majority. The young Church had grown 
 with amazing rapidity, an evidence to the value of 
 its testimony ; but this division, pathetically known 
 as " the Breach," drove its wedge into every hamlet 
 where adherents had gathered, and effected an absolute 
 cleavage. 
 
 The root of the controversy was in the interference 
 of State law with religion ; it brought the civil magis- 
 trate in and put a stumbling-block in the way of the 
 
 1 Adam Gib (1714-1788), born at Castletown, his father's property, 
 in Muckhart, Perthshire ; studied at Edinburgh University ; a man 
 of strong heroic features ; signed a covenant with God in his own 
 blood ; a theologian of no mean order ; a generous-hearted friend, 
 who tore up the will by which his father bequeathed his estate to him 
 that the elder brother, who had been foolish, might obtain the inherit- 
 ance ; a courageous defender of his country in 1745; but all his 
 life a restless controversialist, to whom the burgess oath was anathema, 
 and who was the main cause of the " Breach " in his Church in 1747. 
 He was the first minister of the Bristo Church, Edinburgh, but after 
 the Breach had to leave it, and founded Nicholson Street Church, 
 where he was succeeded by the Rev. Dr. Jamieson, the author of the 
 famous Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language.
 
 66 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 religious conscience. 1 But it was a melancholy affair ; 
 the more melancholy that the oath was soon abolished. 
 It took seventy-three years 2 to heal the "Breach" in 
 Scotland, though in America, where the young Church 
 had already planted a vigorous branch, only twenty 
 years elapsed, when the two parts were knit together. 
 But, as it has been truly said, "It is the one dark spot 
 upon the history of the Secession, and consequently 
 the only fact in its history of which many of its de- 
 tractors seem to be aware." 
 
 John Brown in this crisis threw in his lot with the 
 Erskines. He regarded Moncrieff and his party as too 
 strict in their interpretation of the oath. He himself 
 would not have taken it, 4 but he had no objection to 
 church fellowship with those who might be required to 
 take it, and could do so without violence to their con- 
 science. But the ill fortune that befell the young cause 
 was his opportunity. The ".Associate " church required 
 preachers. He offered himself, and was accepted. He 
 continued his teaching for three years longer, until he 
 had acquired a training in philosophy and divinity. 
 Then the door to the ministry opened, and he passed 
 within its portals. 
 
 1 W. Blair, D.D., Handbook of the United Presbyterian Church (1888), 
 p. 34. 
 
 2 When the reunion took place in 1820, the thirty-two congregations 
 at the " Breach " had increased to 262. Under the title of the United 
 Secession Church, it pursued a course of uninterrupted prosperity. It 
 applied itself with great enthusiasm to the cause of missions, and 
 planted stations in Jamaica, Trinidad, Africa, West and South, and 
 elsewhere. In 1847, it maintained more than 60 missionaries. In 
 that year it united with the Relief Church, founded by Thomas Gillespie 
 in 1752, whose congregations now numbered 114, while the Secession 
 Church numbered 384 congregations. It then became the United 
 Presbyterian Church, with 140,000 members. In 1875, it gave off 100 
 congregations in England, with 20,000 members, to form the English 
 Presbyterian Church. In 1900, when it united with the Free Church 
 of Scotland, it numbered 593 congregations, with 200,000 members, 150 
 missionaries on the mission field, which now included India and Man- 
 churia, and an income of 392,000 ; and the United Church assumed 
 the name of the United Free Church of Scotland. For its history, see 
 David Woodside, B.D., The Soul of a Scottish Church, 1918. 
 
 3 John Pollock, Stranger than Fiction. 
 
 * J. C. Brown, Centenary Memorial, p. 90.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE DIVINITY STUDENT 
 17481750 
 
 THE disaster that had befallen the young Church played 
 havoc with the Divinity Hall, which it had established 
 for the preparation of its preachers, as surely as it had 
 rent the congregations. The hope reigned supreme 
 for a while among the Erskines and their followers, that 
 a few months would lead to a better understanding, 
 and the reuniting of their forces. They took no step 
 to embarrass the situation by making new appointments. 
 They waited patiently to see if a via media could not 
 be reached, by which both parties could co-operate, 
 where co-operation was so desirable. But their patience 
 was unrewarded, and their hopes doomed to disappoint- 
 ment. Alexander Moncrieff of Abernethy was the 
 Professor of the young Church at this exciting period ; 
 as leader of those who protested against the oath, he 
 carried the Divinity Hall into the new Synod that had 
 been formed. 
 
 The other party had no choice but to summon their 
 adherents to a special meeting of Synod, which was 
 held in Dunfermline, in September 1747. They urged 
 Ebenezer Erskine to undertake the professoriate of the 
 Church. He pleaded his years he was now sixty-seven. 
 A strenuous life Had been his ; and domestic sorrows of 
 late had darkened his path. He would rather a younger 
 man were entrusted with the office. Ultimately he con- 
 sented on the understanding that, should his strength 
 fail him, his remaining colleague in the Secession struggle, 
 James Fisher, now of Glasgow, should relieve him of 
 the burden. 
 
 67
 
 68 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 Erskine's church was at Stirling, and it was in that 
 town that the Theological Hall of the new Church was 
 first held. The first student who presented himself at 
 Stirling was John Brown. A university career was 
 demanded of all entrants to the ministry, but Brown 
 had made such progress by his self-education in 
 classics and general literature, that in his case a univer- 
 sity curriculum was dispensed with. He was now 
 twenty-six years of age ; and he had mastered more 
 than most after a university training, Latin, Greek 
 and Hebrew, and was even knocking at the gates of 
 Arabic and Persian. What theological works were avail- 
 able he had devoured. His qualifications in the matter 
 of learning none could gainsay. But when for the day 
 he left his school at Penicuik, and presented himself 
 at his Presbytery in Falkirk to be received as a theo- 
 logical student, he was again to hear the echoing shouts 
 of his persecutors, happily for the last time. The 
 kindly and courageous defence of Ralph Erskine of 
 Dunfermline, whose ministry he used often to attend 
 while at Gairney Bridge, shielded him at the critical 
 moment. When he was proposed as a candidate for 
 the ministry one of the members raised the objection 
 that the young man's learning he did not dispute, but 
 he understood that he had got it from his Satanic 
 majesty. Ralph replied with the soft answer that 
 turneth away wrath, " I think the lad has a sweet 
 savour of Christ about him." The gentleness of the 
 rebuke silenced the harsh grumble. 
 
 Just before he went to Spittal, while at Gairney 
 Bridge, Brown appeared before this Presbytery, as a 
 commissioner with others from the congregation at 
 Kinross, in support of a call to John Swanston, after- 
 wards Professor in the Associate Church. Mr. Swanston 
 hailed from the parish of Stitchel in Roxburghshire, and, 
 in spite of the dissuasions and remonstrances of his 
 family and friends, his conscience compelled him to 
 withdraw from the Established Church and join the 
 Secession. He took a full course of classical and philo- 
 sophical instruction at Edinburgh University, and 
 studied at the Theological Hall at Perth under William
 
 THE DIVINITY STUDENT 69 
 
 Wilson, for the Secession ministry. Various congrega- 
 tions claimed his services, Kinross among them. To 
 urge the claims of Kinross, Brown accompanied a depu- 
 tation to Falkirk. His appearance, eager, studious, 
 with dark, flashing eyes made him a marked figure. A 
 minister present pointed to him, and asked who that 
 was. With a twinkle in the eye, he was answered, 
 " Do you not know the man that got his learning from 
 the devil ? " Quick came the reply, " I warrant you 
 he's a dungeon, then." 
 
 The theological session was confined to about three 
 months in the year, which enabled the students to keep 
 on their situations, if engaged in teaching. These 
 months brought the student into very close fellowship 
 with the Professor. With Ebenezer Erskine, there was 
 not much of the professional method or manner. His 
 life had been cast in other moulds. But the privilege 
 of profiting by the mature wisdom and the ripe experi- 
 ence of one who had not only been amongst the most 
 commanding preachers of his country and generation, 
 but who had been foremost in the struggle for the 
 Church's liberties and rights in Scotland, was highly 
 prized, and deeply impressed the young, ardent students 
 that gathered around him. He did not deliver any regu- 
 lar lectures. In a less formal style he communicated 
 his instruction from the rich fields of his own reading, 
 experience, and observation. The Institutio Theologies 
 Elencticce of the Genevan professor, Franyois Turretin 
 (1623-1687) was the principal text-book of the Univer- 
 sities at this period. From this Erskine read, com- 
 menting on the leading doctrines. Examination, how- 
 ever, was a marked feature of his work ; and by it he 
 skilfully elucidated doctrine, and tested the knowledge 
 of the students. They had also to submit discourses, 
 and his critical remarks upon them enabled him to give 
 many valuable hints on preaching, an art in which he 
 excelled. Literary style did not appeal to him, he 
 being as indifferent to it as George Whitefield ; but this 
 defect, that weakens his discourses when read, dis- 
 appeared, as with Whitefield, in the impression made 
 on the multitudes that listened to them.
 
 70 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 After two years, the professoriate passed from Eben- 
 ezer Erskine he died five years later at the ripe 
 age of seventy-four to his son-in-law, James Fisher. 
 In 1741, Fisher had been removed from Kinclaven, in 
 Perthshire, to a church in Glasgow. He had been 
 singled out at Erskine's appointment as the next theo- 
 logical Master. John Brown, after the refreshing and 
 stimulating experience of Stirling, moved to Glasgow, 
 to sit at the feet of the accomplished Fisher, whose 
 intellectual culture and refinement, studious habits, 
 and aptitude for teaching eminently fitted him for 
 the post. Minister of a large and growing charge, in 
 the rapidly extending city of Glasgow, he so equipped 
 himself for his task that the students received a new 
 and wholesome stimulus under him ; and from his 
 classes, during the fifteen years he taught them, came 
 forth some of the ablest and most accomplished minis- 
 ters within the Church. Brown was conscious of his 
 influence, and grateful for his illuminating guidance 
 both in theology and philosophy. 
 
 A prominent feature of the class work was the delivery 
 of discourses, and the reading of critical and exegetical 
 exercises. Training in exact interpretation of the 
 Word, and effective preaching of it, was the dominant 
 aim. Pulpit-work was never lost sight of. A con- 
 siderable proportion of the time, in consequence, was 
 spent in hearing and criticising students' sermons. 
 The students shared in the criticism. When one of 
 their number had delivered a discourse, or read an 
 exercise, the members of the class were invited and 
 expected to offer free comments, and they usually took 
 full advantage of the opportunity. The Professor 
 followed, summing up the merits and demerits of the 
 production. 
 
 For the students to act as critics was a long-standing 
 custom. But, whether the fires became too hot, and 
 the opportunity abused, or the Professor felt that his 
 judgment was weakened, or diverted by the candid 
 opinions of over-daring youth, it fell gradually into 
 desuetude. John Brown, while Professor himself, en- 
 couraged the practice, but under his successor, Dr.
 
 THE DIVINITY STUDENT 71 
 
 George Lawson of Selkirk, it began to decay, and ulti- 
 mately expired. 1 When the exhilarating practice began, 
 it is difficult to say. Wodrow, historian of the Church 
 of Scotland, tells how his father, who was a Professor 
 of Divinity in Glasgow, from 1692 to 1707, conducted 
 his class. He describes the assistance which a student 
 could obtain from the Professor in the preparation of an 
 exegetical exercise ; and then he says : 
 
 " This and all other discourses were delivered without 
 reading, to habituate scholars in that way, though 
 their papers were allowed to lie before them in the 
 delivery. Then the Professor usually asked the observes 
 and censures of the students, who were very narrow 
 and exact in their remarks upon this and all other dis- 
 courses before them, both in matter and style, and 
 manner of delivery. The deliverer was allowed to make 
 his defences ; and the Professor, in the last room, gave 
 his observes, and ordinarily he had little left to do but 
 give a general judgment." 
 
 " The deliverer was allowed to make his defences." 
 This salutary part of the process seems to have fallen 
 out by the middle of the century ; and the student 
 critics had it all their own way. The victim's chance 
 would come when his neighbour stood in the pillory ; 
 and the fear of this perhaps restrained the intemperate 
 ardour of the critic. 
 
 With the close of Professor Fisher's first session Brown 
 emerged from the Divinity Hall. Licence, with its neces- 
 sary " trials," now awaited him. He had little diffi- 
 culty in meeting this test of his examiners ; and on 
 November 14th, 1750, at the age of twenty-eight, he 
 became a licentiate of the Church, receiving licence 
 from the Presbytery of Edinburgh. He was a man 
 deeply affected by such occasions. For years this had 
 been the goal of his ambition, and for a long period 
 the way had been effectually blocked. Now that the 
 eventful day had arrived he was profoundly moved by 
 
 1 John MacFarlane, LL.D., The Life and Times of George Lawson, 
 D.D. (London, 1862), p. 287.
 
 72 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 the responsibilities involved. Curiously it coincided 
 with the fate that befell the man * who had been mainly 
 instrumental in spreading broadcast and keeping alive 
 the calumnious charge against him regarding his 
 acquisition of knowledge : his base conduct descending 
 to deeper depths of infamy, wrought vengeance on his 
 own head. Thus Brown refers to this time in his 
 Short Memoir : 
 
 " Micah 7. 7-10 had been not a little impressed on 
 my mind under my sore trial of about five years 
 continuance; and the Lord, by a connection of provi- 
 dences, gradually opened a way for my getting some 
 regular instruction in philosophy and divinity, and I 
 was licensed to preach the Gospel in 1750 ; and could 
 not but be affected that about the same time, if not 
 the very same night, my primary calumniator, whose 
 part had been so earnestly maintained in opposition to 
 me, was, after he had been several years a preacher, 
 and a zealous preacher in appearance, necessarily ex- 
 communicated by his supporters, as guilty of repeated 
 acts, or attempts, of uncleanness (even with married 
 women). ' Behold, O my soul, the goodness and 
 severity of God, towards him severity, and towards 
 me ' who was perhaps ten thousand times worse 
 before His all-seeing eye ' goodness.' Let me never 
 be ' highminded, but fear.' ' 
 
 1 Robert Millar entered the Secession Church while a theological 
 student in connection with the Established Church, followed the 
 Moncriefi party, but was never called, and in consequence of his un- 
 worthy conduct was deprived of his licence.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 CALLED TO HADDINGTON 
 17501751 
 
 THE fully equipped student was now at liberty to per- 
 ambulate among the vacant Churches, with a view to 
 a settled charge. The life of a Probationer of more 
 modern times has been portrayed by Dr. James Brown 
 of Paisley, 1 in narrating the career of Thomas Davidson, 
 a licentiate of brilliant parts, whom death snatched ere 
 a congregation called him. John Brown's itinerating 
 of the Churches lasted less than a year. The journeys 
 were on foot, by pony or stage-coach ; and hospitality 
 was received from generous friends in the congregations 
 ministered to. 
 
 A Probationer's thoughts, as he makes his way from 
 place to place, are usually exercised as to the sphere 
 in which his lot may be cast. While this did concern 
 our licentiate, he was more eager about being fit for the 
 calling, in which he so ardently longed to serve. He 
 has left an interesting tractate, entitled Reflections of a 
 Candidate for the Ministerial Office, which reveal his 
 mind and outlook. As was his wont, he turned the 
 searchlight in upon himself, scanning narrowly every 
 cranny and nook where unworthy motives might lurk. 
 He pours forth a series of interrogatories that pene- 
 trate all round. He wishes to examine, with deep 
 concern, the " preparation for, the call to, and the 
 end in," offering himself to this important work. After 
 testing and questioning the personal attitude, he asks : 
 
 " What furniture of gifts hath Christ bestowed upon 
 me, what aptness to teach, what knowledge of the 
 
 * James Brown, D.D., The Life of a Scottish Probationer, 
 73
 
 74 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 mysteries of the kingdom, what skill to instruct others, 
 bringing forth out of my treasures things new and old, 
 what ability to make the deep things of God plain to 
 weaker capacities, what quickness of conception, what 
 due inclination to study, as one devoted to matters of 
 infinite consequence, what peculiar fitness for the pulpit, 
 qualifying me to commend myself to every man's con- 
 science in the sight of God, preaching not in the enticing 
 words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the 
 Spirit, and with power ? " 
 
 He fears lest the glamour of the preacher's address 
 might captivate a congregation, or the preacher be a 
 mere professional proclaimer of divine things. 
 
 " Say, then, my conscience, as thou shalt answer at 
 the judgment-seat of Christ, am I taking this honour of 
 myself, or am I called of God as was Aaron ? Is Christ 
 sending me, and laying a necessity upon me to preach 
 the Gospel ? While He determines me to follow Provi- 
 dence, and to take no irregular step toward thrusting 
 myself into the office, is He breathing on my soul, and 
 causing me to receive the Holy Ghost ? Is He en- 
 dowing me with tender compassion for the souls of 
 men, and with a deep sense of my own unfitness, 
 and earnest desire to be sanctified and be made meet 
 for the Master's use ? In the progress of my education, 
 am I going bound in the spirit, with the love of Christ 
 burning in my heart, and constraining me ; rendering 
 me willing cheerfully to suffer poverty, contempt, and 
 hatred of all men, for His name's sake ; willing, if pos- 
 sible, to risk my own salvation in winning others to 
 Christ ? " 
 
 He gathers into one thrilling paragraph a striking 
 combination of all the Scripture passages bearing upon 
 his calling, and subjects himself to examination by each. 
 While deeming it right and wise to be gentle, faithful, 
 and earnest, he is anxious to know if the courage and 
 tact are there to deal faithfully yet tenderly with the 
 shortcomings and failures of men,
 
 CALLED TO HADDINGTON 75 
 
 It is manifest that, wherever his sphere was to be 
 found, no low ideal was to be the standard of his work. 
 
 Two congregations, with great unanimity and hearti- 
 ness, invited him to their pastorate Haddington in 
 East Lothian, and Stow on Gala Water. His choice lay 
 with the former, although it was the smaller and less 
 attractive sphere. But the Church at Stow held a 
 warm place in his heart ; and he rendered it frequent 
 service in the course of his ministry. 
 
 The Haddington congregation had just passed through 
 the fires. It traced its origin to the " praying societies " 
 that flourished in East Lothian. In 1737, the members 
 made request of the new Associate Church for a regular 
 ministry. Initial difficulties were overcome. A con- 
 gregation was formed. An election was made, but the 
 preacher preferred Perth. Another was called, but of 
 him, the curious minute in the Presbytery records reads : 
 " Mr. Walter Loch, Probationer, being, in adorable 
 providence, removed by death since last meeting of 
 Presbytery, the calls to him from Stitchel and Hadding- 
 ton do fall, of course." A third responded to their 
 invitation, Robert Archibald, from Perth or its neigh- 
 bourhood, and was ordained. The new cause rapidly 
 grew. But the burgess oath descended with its angry 
 sword, and clave the congregation in twain. The minister 
 and a portion of his people protested against the oath, 
 but, being in a minority, they separated, and formed 
 themselves into a new congregation of the General 
 Associate Church. For four years they continued their 
 service in the manse garden, though in winter some 
 kindly shelter must have protected them, till a suitable 
 structure was provided. The remaining members 
 petitioned for fresh " supply." After one more declina- 
 ture, they set their hearts upon John Brown, and he 
 was ordained among them on July 4th, 1751. 
 
 While the succession of candidates was being heard 
 by the congregation, an old lady of advanced Christian 
 experience was asked which of the preachers she specially 
 approved ; she replied, " Oh ! the lad wi' the tattit head ; 
 there's a sweet savour of Christ about him." 
 
 Her description silhouettes the figure of this ardent
 
 76 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 student, now commencing his ministry. He is twenty- 
 nine years of age. His matted hair, in dark ringlets, 
 clung to a brow broad and high, beneath which gleamed 
 a pair of dark, eager, sparkling eyes. A full, ruddy 
 countenance was supported by a mouth and chin that 
 spoke of resolution and mastery, while the bodily frame, 
 well-knit and vigorous, measured in height about 5 feet 
 8 inches. Behind was an indomitable spirit, a mind 
 keen, active, of wide outlook, but specially directed, 
 and that passionately, into one broad channel of sacred 
 truth, a memory of extraordinary tenacity, and a con- 
 science painfully sensitive, ever moving under the 
 " great Taskmaster's eye." 
 
 Haddington ranks with Abernethy as a noted place 
 in the ecclesiastical history of Scotland. It was never 
 a large town, but stood on the highway to England, 
 although to-day the railway passes it by. The English 
 armies often penetrated to its precincts when the con- 
 tests between the two countries were raging ; and in 
 1549, while held by the English, it suffered a long siege. 
 It is interesting to note that it was at the abbey outside 
 Haddington (July 7, 1548) that Parliament accepted 
 the hand of the French Dauphin for Mary, being careful 
 at the same time to secure Scottish independence though 
 a French prince she was to wed. 1 Two years before that 
 event, George Wishart preached in the Abbey Church, 
 long known as " The Lamp of Lothian," just prior to his 
 capture at Ormiston and martyrdom at St. Andrews. 
 Among the devoted band whose hearts were stirred by 
 his message was John Knox, tutor in the family of 
 Longniddry, then a young man of thirty-one, by the 
 new reckoning, who, if Thomas Carlyle be correct, was 
 born in Haddington. 2 Knox would fain have followed 
 the dauntless Wishart to his doom, carrying the two- 
 handed sword which had been entrusted to him as 
 Wishart's bodyguard; but on the eventful night before his 
 arrest Wishart took the sword from him, and dissuaded 
 
 1 Andrew Lang, History of Scotland, vol. ii. p. 12. 
 
 2 Carlyle generously purchased the reputed site of the house in 
 which the great Reformer first drew breath, railed it off, erected a 
 suitable monument, and presented it to the community.
 
 CALLED TO HADDINGTON 77 
 
 him with the words, " Nay, return to your bairns, and 
 God bless you ! Ane is sufficient for ane sacrifice." 
 
 Of the town itself about the middle of the eighteenth 
 century, we have this account from the vivid pen of 
 John Wesley, written three months before Brown was 
 settled there as minister. It may have been that the 
 two men were pacing the streets about the same time. 
 Writing in his Journal on April 24th, 1751, about which 
 time not unlikely John Brown was preaching for two or 
 three Sundays as a candidate, John Wesley refers to 
 this as his first visit to Scotland, and gives his im- 
 pressions of the Scottish towns and people as he passed 
 'through Haddington. 
 
 " The Scotch towns are like none which I ever saw, 
 either in England, Wales, or Ireland : there is such an 
 air of antiquity in them all, and such a peculiar oddness 
 in their manner of building. But we were most sur- 
 prised at the entertainment we met with in every place, 
 so far different from common report. We had all things 
 good, cheap, in great abundance, and remarkably 
 well dressed." l 
 
 While the church in which John Brown ministered 
 was in Haddington, it drew its membership from a wide 
 area round about. It was a rich, fertile country that 
 caused the hearts of Cromwell's soldiers to leap with 
 joy when they beheld it a hundred years before. " It 
 contained the greatest plenty of corn they ever saw." 
 Most of Brown's flock were engaged in agricultural pur- 
 suits, or supplied with merchandise, in the various com- 
 munal centres, the usual needs of the population. 
 
 As the pastor faced his work, and felt himself now in 
 close contact with it, he again turned the light in all its 
 intensity, upon his inmost being, and he poured forth 
 his reveries in a paper found after his death, Reflections 
 of one entered on the Pastoral Office. He subjects him- 
 self to a series of sharp, searching questions, in order to 
 
 1 Next day he says, " We rode to Edinburgh " (only seventeen 
 miles distant), " one of the dirtiest cities I had ever seen, not excepting 
 Colon in Germany. We returned to Musselborough."
 
 78 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 guard against any faithlessness in his high and sacred 
 trust. He dreads his ends being selfish, or himself 
 unenthusiastic. To be a " graceless preacher " would 
 be an unspeakable calamity ; to be an ignorant mes- 
 senger would be a disastrous experience. " Am I set 
 here at the gate of heaven, as a candle to waste myself 
 in showing others the way, in lighting up the Bride- 
 groom's friends, and must my lamp in the end go out 
 in obscure darkness ? " Urgent is the call for the 
 fullest use of one's gifts, in view of the tremendous 
 tasks imposed. The honour and privilege of the office 
 and one's relation to the Great Master ought to impel to 
 faithfulness. " What self-denial, what pure regard to 
 the honour of God, what prudence, what diligence, what 
 humility, what zeal, what spirituality of heart and 
 life, what entire dependence on Jesus by faith, what 
 order, what plainness, what just tempering of mild- 
 ness and severity, are necessary in dealing with the 
 souls of men ! " The consciousness of personal short- 
 comings almost overwhelms him. Pride ever threatens 
 to rule the will, the factious spirit to assert itself, sloth 
 to lay its heavy hand on duty. Let conscience bestir 
 itself, and the Divine Spirit's help be claimed, that 
 neither time nor talents be wasted, that " I may not 
 tear God's Church, mangle His truths, betray His honour, 
 nor murder the souls of men." 
 
 Few avoided the perils more successfully and rose 
 more nobly to the higher heights of their calling. The 
 supreme devotion to his life-task, manifest from the 
 outset, became fruitful in results, as the years proceeded.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE PASTORATE AT HADDINGTON 
 
 17511754 
 
 THE pastorate opened with an extraordinary tale of 
 pulpit and pastoral labour. When it was all discharged, 
 the wonder arises where the time was left for the 
 enormous literary and professorial work which Brown 
 accomplished in the six-and-thirty years of his ministry. 
 In the congregational records the statement is given 
 in precise terms what his labours were to be. Whether 
 it was his own wish that such duty was assigned to 
 him for it will already be gathered that he was vora- 
 cious for work or the wish of his people, who must 
 have had great expectations if such was their request, 
 there it is, set forth in his own handwriting : 
 
 "1. There is a lecture, a sermon, and an evening 
 exercise on Sabbath in the months of November, 
 December, January, and February ; and public worship 
 begins at eleven o'clock forenoon. During the other 
 eight months there is a lecture, two sermons, and an 
 evening exercise ; and public worship begins at ten 
 o'clock. Only in the east country is there ordinarily 
 no exercise on Sabbath evening. 1 
 
 "2. The congregation is visited once, and examined 
 twice every year. 
 
 " 3. The members of Session meet for prayer about 
 the first Monday in every month, except September ; 
 and the minister, with three of the elders or deacons, 
 
 1 What would he have thought of Robert Hall's oracular sentence 
 to his grandson : "A man of genius, sir, may produce one sermon 
 in the week ; a person of average talent may compose two, but nobody 
 but a fool, sir, can write three " ? (John Cairns, D.D., Memoir of John 
 Brown, D.D., p. 88). 
 
 79
 
 80 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 ordinarily pray on such occasions, with singing of 
 Psalms, and spiritual conference between prayer. 
 
 " 4. The tokens are distributed by the minister in 
 presence of the elders, constituted with prayer. 
 
 "5. Young communicants are admitted with a 
 solemn renewal of their baptismal engagements, in 
 presence of the Session, and with suitable exhortations." 
 
 To be furnished with material for Sundays so crowded 
 meant considerable drain on both the physical and mental 
 powers. But Brown was a master of the Scriptures. 
 His extraordinary knowledge of them, unparalleled 
 in its way, joined to a most retentive memory, served 
 him well. Specimens of his outlines still preserved 
 show the grasp he took of a subject and a marvellous 
 wealth of Scripture illustration. His style aimed at 
 simplicity and directness ; his manner was not demon- 
 strative ; but earnestness was visible in every feature. 
 To the end the tale of regular pulpit work seems to 
 have remained what it was at the beginning. 
 
 On the week-days the visitation was carried out. 
 His congregation drew from a wide area from the 
 parishes of Spott, Whittinghame, Dunbar, and Pencait- 
 land, places seven to ten miles apart. On an appointed 
 day, duly intimated from the pulpit the previous 
 Sunday, he and one of his elders would set forth to 
 visit the families in a particular district. They passed 
 into a house, where were assembled the parents, the 
 children, and the servants, if there were any. The 
 heads of the household were first catechised, and after- 
 wards the children, on matters relating to the doctrines 
 and duties of religion. An exhortation to all fol- 
 lowed, and prayer concluded the visit. In the next 
 family, and the next, till all had been waited upon, 
 the same procedure was followed. Night found the 
 visitors weary with their exhausting yet stimulating 
 labours. 
 
 Another day was fixed for a " diet of examination." 
 A centre was decided upon, and duly announced the 
 preceding Sunday. To this all, old and young, were 
 expected to come, at the appointed hour. The occasion 
 was open to all ; it might be held in the church, as it
 
 THE PASTORATE AT HADDINGTON 81 
 
 would be for those in Haddington, or in Dunbar, or 
 North Berwick, or Tranent. Usually they met in the 
 evening. Into their midst passed the minister at the 
 fixed hour. After brief devotions, the examination com- 
 menced. Commonly the Shorter Catechism was the 
 standard text-book. He would call on one of the 
 members to repeat the answer to the question, say, 
 " What is effectual calling ? " With that as a basis 
 he would proceed to ask of others further questions in 
 order to elucidate and enforce the truth it contained. 
 The answers were mainly monosyllabic ; but they 
 afforded the opportunity of imparting knowledge, of 
 removing difficulties, of strengthening the foundations 
 and rearing the fabric of Christian character. Twice 
 in the year in the various centres were these examina- 
 tions held. 
 
 Such methods of maintaining and developing the 
 spiritual knowledge of the people were characteristic of 
 the age. The school years were then of short duration ; 
 labour claimed youth at an early stage ; books to read 
 were few. The days of Sabbath Schools, Bible Classes, 
 Young Men and Young Women's Christian Associations, 
 had not dawned. Literary societies were unheard of. 
 John Wesley recognised the clamant need for some 
 system of regular instruction in Scripture in England, 
 and devised his " Classes." In Scotland, where the 
 habit of learning prevailed, examination and visitation 
 were the means adopted to foster and encourage the 
 intellectual and spiritual development of the people. 
 Changing circumstances as time went on led to change 
 of methods ; the diet of examination fell into disuse, the 
 method of visitation altered ; but throughout the 
 ministry of John Brown this was the system that pre- 
 vailed. Besides this plan of getting into touch with 
 his flock, the care of the sick and the infirm was ever 
 upon his heart. In the wide area he had to traverse he 
 was assiduous in his attentions, not merely confining 
 himself to his own people, but wherever sickness or 
 sorrow cast their dark shadows. 
 
 These pastoral labours, abundant though they were, 
 did not oppress his spirit. There was a lambent humour 
 6
 
 82 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 that played around his life, making it gay with its bright- 
 ness, and strong in the sharpness of its thrust. Such a 
 burden of toil as the members of his congregation seemed 
 to think necessary for a new pastor, made some of them 
 doubt his fitness for the post. One absolutely refused 
 to adhibit his name to the " call," when it was agreed 
 to invite him to Haddington. He waited for a few 
 months after the pastorate had commenced, and, seeing 
 the grit of the man that had been chosen, he was 
 anxious to explain to him why he did not sign his call. 
 " I have nothing against ye, sir," he said, " but I 
 think ye're ower young and inexperienced for the 
 work." " That is just what I think myself, David," 
 was the reply, " but it would never dae for the like o' 
 you and me to go in the face of the whole congregation." 
 
 In the course of his visitation, he was passing through 
 Tranent, riding on his pony, which was halting. A 
 scoffing blacksmith seeing him jogging up to a house 
 near the smithy on his limping steed, shouted to him. 
 " Mr. Broun, ye're in the Scripture line to-day the 
 legs o' th' lame are not equal." " So is a parable in 
 the mouth of a fool," was the ready retort. 
 
 He knew also when to strike as well as how. His 
 tact was as alive as his wit. On one occasion he was 
 crossing the Forth by the usual Ferry boat that then plied 
 between Leith and Kinghorn. The waters were rough, 
 and the temper of the passengers was tried. An old 
 Highlander gave somewhat vigorous expression to his 
 feelings in language so impolite that it grated harshly 
 on the ears of his fellow-passengers. Some were dis- 
 posed to rebuke his ferocity. But Brown waited till 
 the shore was reached ; and, slipping up to him as he 
 passed along the quay all alone, he civilly but seriously 
 reproved him for language so brutish. The irate High- 
 lander took it in good part, and thanked him for his 
 thoughtful courtesy in not humiliating him before the 
 crowded boat. " Had you said this to me while in the 
 boat, sir, I believe I would have run you through." 
 
 The manse of which John Brown took possession when 
 he commenced his ministry, and in which he continued 
 till its close, still stands in Haddington. It occupies
 
 THE PASTORATE AT HADDINGTON 83 
 
 a site facing a short street that emerges into Market 
 Street, which runs parallel to that off which is the house 
 in which Jeanie Welsh (Carlyle) was born, and is not 
 far from the early home of Samuel Smiles. It is a 
 two-story building with low-ceiled rooms, as was the 
 fashion of the time. Behind it stood the church with 
 its four lancet windows, its entrances from the sides, 
 gallery round three parts of the building and pulpit 
 between the high windows. Into the little fireless 
 room over the doorway of the Manse, Brown crowded 
 his books of many languages, and there spent every 
 available hour of his time, not only in preparation for 
 the pulpit, but in mastering all kinds of knowledge, 
 and issuing works for the press. His stipend began 
 at 40 per annum, and never rose above 50. Small 
 though it was, it met his necessities, and therewith he 
 was content. Indeed it went further : he had always 
 something to spare to help the poor and needy in their 
 struggle. In these economies, he was indebted to the 
 prudence and the care of the two help-meets who shared 
 his lot Janet Thomson, who died in 1771, and Violet 
 Croumbie, who long survived him. 
 
 Janet Thomson was the only daughter of a Mussel- 
 burgh merchant, John Thomson. 1 He was a remarkable 
 man, in whose veins ran the blood of staunch defenders 
 of the faith. He was born in the parish of Strathmiglo, 
 Fifeshire, in 1700. His people had suffered for their 
 fidelity to principle in the days of the Stuarts. In 1727, 
 he went to Musselburgh, and there built up a large and 
 prosperous business. 2 In 1745, when Prince Charles 
 Stuart summoned the clans to regain his father's throne, 
 like John Brown he shouldered his musket in defence of 
 his country, and suffered considerably from the Jaco- 
 bites of Musselburgh for his attachment to the house 
 of Hanover. 
 
 Just before the battle of Prestonpans, a Highlander 
 entered his shop and demanded his money. He simply 
 
 1 Brief Memoir, Christian Magazine, February, 1802. 
 
 2 According to Dr. Carlyle of Inveresk, his would be the only shop 
 in the town. " There were few or no shops in the town, and but one 
 in each of the streets of Musselburgh and Fisherrow " (Autobiography, 
 p. 225, 1910 edition).
 
 84 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 and flatly refused. The Highlander wheeled round, 
 slammed the door, and turned the key. Drawing his 
 claymore, he gruffly said, " Don't you know your life 
 is in my hands ? " " I'm not so sure o' that," was the 
 answer from behind the counter. " My life is in God's 
 hands." Ere the burly Northman got further, an 
 officer of his regiment opened the door behind him. 
 He had heard the loud shouting as he passed, and, scent- 
 ing mischief, entered the shop and arrested the inter- 
 loper. The Highlander had been too eager to secure 
 his quarry, and had turned the lock before the door 
 was shut, and the trapper was trapped. John Thomson 
 was one of the fine types of the period, of high principle 
 and clear vision, ready for sacrifice if such was demanded, 
 and unswerving in his attachment to the truth. He 
 died on December 1st, 1774. 
 
 His daughter, Janet, shared his independence and 
 courage. She was married to John Brown in Septem- 
 ber, 1753 ; and she brought to the home in Haddington 
 the fidelity and the piety that shone so brightly in the 
 merchant's house in Musselburgh. Eight children were 
 born of the marriage, only two of whom survived. 
 Both followed in the footsteps of their father, John 
 becoming minister of Whitburn, and Ebenezer minister 
 of Inverkeithing.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE PASTORATE AT HADDINGTON (continued) 
 
 17541756 
 
 THE wide-spread area from which the members of the 
 congregation at Haddington were drawn would have 
 made it almost impossible for a pastor, however dili- 
 gent, to keep in touch with them all. The Presbyterian 
 Church, by calling in the laity for special service, has 
 broadened and strengthened its own foundations, and at 
 the same time has developed and ennobled the char- 
 acter of the laymen whom it calls to office. The re- 
 sponsibility of office in the Christian Church has been 
 for the making of the men appointed ; and they in 
 turn have contributed largely to the Church's activity 
 and strength. 
 
 John Brown had the assistance of a session of twelve 
 elders, with six deacons whose duties were more con- 
 cerned with the temporal affairs of the congregation. 
 They met at fixed times, and prayer and conference 
 formed a regular part of their proceedings. The 
 sessional duties covered a wide area of the individual 
 life of the members ; sometimes it is ludicrous to find 
 in old church records what was dealt with. Wanderers 
 from the fold, as we have already seen in connection 
 with Abernethy, were even gravely rebuked for their 
 forgetfulness. Brown himself was the innocent cause 
 of two members being called in question by the neigh- 
 bouring congregation (in Haddington) of Antiburghers. 
 He had been visiting members of his flock at Samuelston, 
 a hamlet three miles from Haddington, and had re- 
 mained overnight at the house of a farmer, who invited 
 one of his men to meet him, and Rev. W. Hutton, of Dal- 
 
 85
 
 86 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 keith, at breakfast. After breakfast, the morning praise 
 was rendered ; and, while it was proceeding, the grieve 
 of the farm entered and sat down. The two servants 
 belonged to the other regiment. Such intercourse in 
 religious fellowship was apparently perilous, and was 
 considered subversive of discipline. The two men were 
 both summoned to the church court ; and the grieve 
 was admonished, because he had gone in inadvertently, 
 and the other was censured because he knowingly 
 remained while the family joined fn worship. 1 It was 
 
 1 Here is the minute of this offence: " 1752. George Pringle and 
 Archibald Monfriegh delated for joining in worship with Mr. Hutton 
 [William Hutton, M.A., 1711-1791, minister of Dalkeith] and Mr. 
 Brown. Haddington, July the eighteenth, ante-meridian, in Mr. 
 Archibald's House, one thousand seven hundred and fifty two, the 
 Session met and was constituted with prayer by Mr. Archibald, Modera- 
 tor, and were present, etc. It was reported to the Session that George 
 Pringle and Archibald Monfriegh, both servants to George Logan in 
 Tolby, had sometime lately joined in family worship with Mr. William 
 Hutton, one of the ministers who had been laid under the sentence of 
 the higher excommunication, and also with Mr. Brown, whom the 
 Burgher party introduced into this congregation. It was agreed to 
 call them. Archibald Monfreigh was not in town. George Pringle 
 compeared, and, being interrogated as to the fact, acknowledged it. 
 At the same time it was alleged he had sometimes vindicated his 
 conduct when one friend in that corner found fault with him upon 
 that occasion. This George denied. The Session, after having con- 
 versed with him relative to his sin and scandal in these particulars 
 as having not only a hardening tendency towards Mr. Hutton and 
 Mr. Brown, but also as ensnaring to others to follow the same practice, 
 introductive of manifest disorders and an open contempt of the 
 authority of Christ by trampling upon and disregarding the sensors 
 ( censures) of His Church, George acknowledged his sin and professed 
 his resolution through grace to be upon his guard in time coming ; he 
 was removed. The Session agreed that presently it was necessary 
 to tender a rebuke to him, and because this practice of his may be 
 ensnaring to others, it was agreed to intimate this unto the congregation 
 with a warning to every person to beware of such a practice for time 
 coming. But in regard it was supposed Archibald Monfriegh' s case 
 was similar to that of George Pringle it was agreed to delay the 
 intimation till they have opportunity to converse also with Archibald 
 Monfriegh. George Pringle was called in and rebuked, and this 
 intimate to him. 
 
 " Haddington, August, the Sixteenth, post-meridian, in the Meeting 
 House, one thousand seven hundred and fifty two, the Session met 
 and constituted with prayer by Mr. Archibald, Modr., and were present, 
 etc. They understanding Archibald Monfriegh was waiting on, called 
 him in, he compeared and being interrogate relative to his joining in 
 family worship with Mr. Hutton and Mr. Brown, replied that he never 
 joined with Mr. Brown, but one day coming in occasionally into 
 George Logan, his master's house, he heard Mr. Hutton talking upon
 
 THE PASTORATE AT HADDINGTON 87 
 
 a remnant of the old spirit of intolerance that reached 
 its height in the days of Charles II. These were light 
 judgments compared with what was then meted out. 
 Only seventy years before, Marion Harvey, a servant- 
 girl in Bo'ness, was executed in Edinburgh for going to 
 hear Donald Cargill, and helping his escape at South 
 Queensferry, and Isabel Alison from Perth suffered 
 along with her, because she, too, had sought out and sat 
 at the feet of the great preacher, and refused to submit 
 to the tests Episcopacy would thrust upon her. The 
 Wigton martyrs, 1 Margaret Wilson and Margaret Lach- 
 lison, the one little more than twenty years of age, 
 and the other over threescore, and both blameless 
 and gentle, suffered for the simple offence of attending 
 field and house conventicles. The narrowness of the 
 age was passing, a dawn was breaking, and toleration 
 was coming to its own. Liberty in time triumphed 
 along the whole line of the Presbyterian Church. But 
 to this day exclusiveness still reigns in certain branches 
 of the Church in Scotland and elsewhere, and if not 
 censure a frown would severely follow a wanderer from 
 their particular fold. 
 
 Toward the end of 1753, there came to Brown an 
 honour that usually does not reach a man till near 
 the end of his ministry. Though only a little more 
 than two years since his ordination, he was called to 
 occupy the Moderator's chair of the Synod, the supreme 
 
 some certain subjects, which tickled his fancy, wherefore, he stood 
 a while and listened, but it seemed family worship had not been over 
 in his master's house that morning, wherefore all on a sudden the 
 door was shut, and they set about it, which Mr. Hutton performed. 
 Archibald said as he was wholly taken at unawares he wist not what 
 to do. Wherefore he continued with great reluctancy, and it had 
 been matter of much thought and vexation to him ever since. The 
 Session, after hearing him, found there was a very manifest difference 
 betwixt the case of Archibald Monfriegh and George Pringle, where- 
 upon it was agreed to admonish him to be more upon his guard in 
 time coming, and not cast himself in the way of temptation, and that 
 an extract of this minute with that concerning George Pringle should 
 be made out and read before the congregation next Sabbath, as a 
 warning to others to beware of the like practices and snares. Archi- 
 bald was called in and admonished accordingly" (Minutes of General 
 Associate, Session, Haddington). 
 
 1 The attempt to discredit the story of their martyrdom has signally 
 failed. See A. Smellie, D.D., The Men of the Covenant, ch. xxxi.
 
 88 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 court of the Church, that met in the November of that 
 year in Edinburgh. Two others were nominated along 
 with him, James Erskine, nephew of Ebenezer Erskine 
 of Stirling, and James Bennett, the first minister of 
 St. Andrews ; but the choice fell on the minister of 
 Haddington. That Synod meeting was one of historic 
 importance, not so much because of the application for 
 services from many parts of the country, nor because 
 of the difficulties that the Supreme Court had with 
 some Probationers, especially with one Forrest, under 
 call to Stow, who refused to be settled where the Synod 
 said they should, but because of the Testimony the 
 young Church felt bound to record at this point in their 
 history, as to the steps that had been taken to organise 
 their Church, and the principles and practice for which 
 they stood. They had come through the fires, first in 
 their conflict with the Established Church, and then 
 with their own brethren over the burgess oath. Neces- 
 sity was laid upon them to lay down with clearness and 
 accuracy the principles for which they had contended 
 and the course they had pursued in upholding them, 
 so as to justify their action to those who might adhere 
 to them, and to succeeding generations. In a long 
 and full record covering no less than thirty-eight pages 
 of the large folio volume of Minutes, they narrated the 
 account of " the Rise, Progress and Grounds of the 
 Secession." 1 Out of the animated discussions that 
 ensued, various other questions arose that were not 
 deemed so urgent, but yet required consideration, and 
 to a committee of three, of which Brown was a member, 
 it was remitted to prepare " a draft of additional teach- 
 ing." Another subject that received the sympathetic 
 consideration of the house was a pressing request from 
 parties in North America, beseeching the Synod to have 
 regard to " their deplorable circumstances for want of 
 faithful ministers " ; and it was delegated to James 
 Fisher and John Brown to write a " consolatory letter," 
 and to ask for a fuller account of their number and cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 It is generally the privilege and distinction of the 
 1 Minutes of the Associate Synod, vol. iii, pp. 1157-1195.
 
 THE PASTORATE AT HADDINGTON 89 
 
 Moderator during his year of office to visit congregations 
 celebrating some event in their congregational history ; 
 it was the fortune of this Moderator to be more apostolic, 
 and to be present at the beginnings of new congrega- 
 tions and assist in their organisation. In this same year, 
 Brown was also called to be Moderator of the Presbytery 
 of Edinburgh, a post he occupied for the next three 
 years. 
 
 These honours accorded to Brown were a tribute to 
 his character and standing, and no less to his business 
 aptitude. The confidence his brethren reposed in him 
 is seen by his being sent to confer with new congrega- 
 tions, and to guide them in their early developments. 
 He journeyed across the borders for this purpose to 
 Alnwick, and to Newcastle-on-Tyne, in which latter 
 city he was requested " to travel as he should see cause 
 in that perplexing affair " of the minister of Newcastle 
 and his congregation, who had come over from the Church 
 of Scotland, and to bring matters to a satisfactory 
 issue. At the frequent meetings of Presbytery, requests 
 kept pouring in for " supply " of sermon, and readily 
 and freely the ministers in charges rendered assistance, 
 taking the young congregations by the hand, till a 
 pastor was settled among them, and they in turn 
 were able to render help to others. In the manifold 
 work of his Church Brown took an active share, becom- 
 ing, later, clerk to the Presbytery of Edinburgh, and 
 of the Synod of the Church. From the presbyterial 
 and synodical records of the time, it can be gathered 
 that he was as loyal, faithful and trusted as a presbyter 
 as he was devoted and zealous as a pastor. Many ques- 
 tions appertaining to the doctrine and government of 
 the Church naturally pressed on the young communion, 
 framing a constitution ; and not an important com- 
 mittee was appointed to consider these, but he formed 
 one of its members. 
 
 In 1756, Brown introduced what was regarded as a 
 daring innovation at that time. It was a simple matter 
 in itself, but it occasioned much controversy. It was 
 the observance of the ordinance of the Supper twice in 
 the year. Such a plethora of services had grown up
 
 90 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 around the celebration of the rite that it was declared 
 impossible and unwise to have a repetition of these more 
 frequently than once in the year. For example, there 
 were two services on the Wednesday or Thursday pre- 
 ceding the Sunday fixed for the solemnity, another on 
 the Friday, two on the Saturday, and on the Sunday 
 itself services were continuous from morning till night, 
 sometimes till midnight, and two more on the Monday. 
 For over a hundred years this method of celebrating 
 the ordinance in certain districts had more or less pre- 
 vailed. There were long breaks in the dreary " killing " 
 times, with happy "blinks" of this nature between. 
 Where religion was at a low ebb, there were no such 
 celebrations, sometimes no observance for years. Among 
 the more earnest and faithful, the plan of elaborate 
 services met with favour, and Brown himself in earlier 
 days had often frequented such gatherings. But he 
 began to question the wisdom and the value, as well 
 as the authority for such a succession of meetings, and 
 doubted whether the true nature of the Sacrament was 
 not in danger of being occluded by them. 
 
 From earliest times there has been a tendency to 
 cumber the simple ordinance with what diverts atten- 
 tion from its main purpose. The early Corinthian 
 Church surrounded it with the agapai of the heathen 
 days and degraded it, receiving the sharp reproof of St. 
 Paul. The Roman Catholic Church in process of years 
 reached the transubstantiation conception, and developed 
 the ornate and elaborate ceremonial of the " mass " 
 out of the plain original rite. They also withdrew 
 the cup from the laity as being too sacred for common 
 hands. Indeed the question as to the meaning and 
 the method of the observance of this rite became the 
 prominent one in the controversies of the Reformation 
 movement. More and more clearly was it seen that 
 the only way to overthrow sacerdotal domination was 
 to purify the so-called Sacrament of the Altar from the 
 superstition by which it had been converted into a 
 miraculous act depending on human intervention. 
 " It was a question," says Creighton, " which the 
 Lollards handed on to the Hussites, and the Hussites
 
 THE PASTORATE AT HADDINGTON 91 
 
 to Luther. Wyclif challenged the belief in a miraculous 
 change in the nature of the elements ; the Hussites 
 attacked the denial of the cup to the laity ; and Luther 
 warred against the doctrine of the sacrifice of the mass." l 
 
 Brown perceived that the Church of his time and 
 country was pressing along a route that would obscure 
 and pervert the purpose of the ordinance in another 
 way by the multiplicity of services in connection with 
 it, leading to what he termed a kind of refined Popery. 
 After careful study, he resolved to do his utmost to 
 arrest the tendency. Where sympathies are strongly 
 enlisted on behalf of an object, it requires considerable 
 courage to advocate a course different from that pur- 
 sued, which may seem contending against it, but is 
 really conserving it. Brown faced this resolutely. His 
 action in consequence had not a little to do with freeing 
 the ceremony from the encumbrances that were over- 
 loading it, and securing for it that simple dignity and 
 grace with which it is observed to-day. 
 
 The enormous gatherings that were wont to assemble 
 at certain centres, where the celebration was held, were 
 natural in the circumstances. Where so many services 
 were deemed requisite on week-days and Sundays, it 
 necessitated the assistance of a number of ministers. 
 These ministers, in most cases, had to leave their flocks 
 pastorless for the Sabbath, owing to the difficulty of 
 obtaining " supply." Why, therefore, should not the 
 flocks follow their shepherds to the rich feeding-grounds ? 
 
 Unhappily, a by-product of these great gatherings 
 sometimes revealed itself in the outer fringes of the 
 vast assemblies. All classes were brought promiscuously 
 together, and there was conduct that was not worthy 
 of the object for which they had met, and occasionally 
 led to grave scandal. This grieved the hearts of many, 
 and Burns swept it with the lightning fire of his keen 
 satire, as in the " Holy Fair." 2 
 
 1 Mandell Creighton, D.D., A History of the Papacy, vol. i, p. 129. 
 
 2 T. Pennant, Tours in Scotland in 1769 and 1772 (1790), vol. i, 
 p. 86 : " The devotion of the common people of Scotland, in the 
 usual days of worship, is as much to be admired, as their conduct at 
 the Sacrament in certain places is to be condemned. It is celebrated 
 once in a year ; when there are sometimes 3,000 communicants, and
 
 92 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 In the beginning of the controversy, Brown wrote a 
 letter to a fellow-student, William McEwen, of Dundee, 
 the second minister of School Wynd Church, one of 
 whose successors was the gifted George Gilfillan. Mc- 
 Ewen began his ministry with rich promise, and pub- 
 lished a work, A Treatise on the Scripture Types, Figures, 
 and Allegories, which enjoyed a wide reputation , Dr. 
 John Erskine classing him with Hervey, the author of 
 the Meditations, and which Carlyle " even liked for its 
 glib smoothness." 1 But the bright promise was sharply 
 cut off by his death from fever, at Leith, immediately 
 after his marriage, at the age of twenty-eight. His 
 loss was deeply mourned by a wide circle. Michael 
 Bruce wrote an elegy 2 on him, in the course of which 
 he says : 
 
 The righteous perish ! is McEwen dead ? 
 
 In him Religion, Virtue's friend, is fled. 
 
 Modest in strife, bold in religion's cause, 
 
 He sought true honour in his God's applause. 
 
 What manly beauties in his works appear ! 
 
 Close without straining, and concise though clear. 
 
 Brown's letter is the answer to a request for assistance 
 from McEwen, at the celebration of the ordinance in 
 Dundee. 
 
 To the Rev. William McEwen, Dundee 
 
 " I received yours, but can't perform what you desire, 
 as I am to be at Linton Sacrament on the third Sabbath 
 of this month. It is no wonder to see us disagreeing 
 about the time of our Sacraments, when I fear it will 
 be no easy task to prove that our way of administering 
 the Supper is agreeable to the Word of God, or the 
 
 as many idle spectators. Of the first as many as possible crowd each 
 side of a long table, and the elements are rudely shoven from one to 
 another ; and in some places, before the day is at an end, fighting 
 and other indecencies ensue. It is often made a season of debauchery ; 
 so, to this day, Jack cannot be persuaded to eat his meat like a Chris- 
 tian (Tale of the Tub)." 
 
 1 C. E. Norton, Reminiscences by Thomas Carlyle, vol. i. p. 23. 
 
 2 The original MS. of this elegy is treasured in Michael Brace's house 
 at Kinesswood (James Mackenzie, Life and Works of Michael Bruce, 
 p. 263).
 
 THE PASTORATE AT HADDINGTON 98 
 
 Protestant principles of our covenants, or Directory for 
 worship, or Acts of reforming Assemblies, all which we 
 pretend to espouse in our Testimony. I see that com- 
 municating once a year was not known in the Church 
 of Christ till the Papists, to please a careless generation, 
 who could not give themselves the trouble to attend 
 frequently, introduced it. I find not one of the Pro- 
 testant Churches but has condemned it, and as few of 
 the Greek Churches that deserve the name. 
 
 " I confess it is hard for me to think the present race 
 of Ministers and Papists wiser than all the Apostles, 
 Primitive Christians, and whole body of Reformers. 
 That its unfrequency tends to make it solemn I do not 
 see, for if it is so why not administer baptism but once 
 a year also, as it, in its own nature, is as solemn as the 
 Supper ? Why not pray seldom, preach seldom, read 
 God's Word seldom, that they may become more solemn 
 too ? How is it that the persons that communicate 
 perhaps twelve times in a year have as solemn impres- 
 sions of this ordinance, and get as much good by it, as 
 those who cause once in two years to serve them ? 
 
 " If the Passover being received once a year is a reason 
 for our custom, then how is it we keep it not at Pasch 
 and that the remembering Israel's deliverance out of 
 Egypt is not a main ingredient in the work of communi- 
 cating ? And how is it that the Apostles and other 
 great men in the Church never took up the force of this 
 reason ? Is the withdrawment of the Spirit, in com- 
 parison of what it was in the Apostolic or reforming 
 times, a reason for the seldomer administration of it ? 
 Then why should we not be unfrequent in prayer, 
 reading, etc., when the Spirit is away ? What if the 
 unfrequency of this ordinance, through which the Spirit 
 doth in an especial manner communicate His influences, 
 be the spring of the want of His influences ? If the 
 pipes of a conduit be kept stopt can much water run 
 out ? Can even human appendages of a fast, or two 
 or three sermons on Saturday and Monday, make up 
 for the unfrequency of it ? Can what is of human insti- 
 tution, though of itself very good, make up for the want
 
 94 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 of what is of divine institution ? Might we not as well 
 take it into our heads to set apart two or three days 
 for reading of God's Word, when we had a mind to pray 
 in secret ; and then only pray in secret once every half 
 year, because no oftener could we get the destined time 
 for reading would the reading much on that occasion 
 make up for the long neglect of prayer ? 
 
 " If the prejudices of custom are laid aside, is it any 
 plainer from the Scripture that the Supper should be 
 administered once a year only than it is that a man 
 should pray only once a month ? 
 
 " Is the notion I am seeming to favour being indepen- 
 dent-like ? Then why is the Apostolic practice Inde- 
 pendent-like ? Why the first book of Discipline, the 
 Assembly 1638, and 1645, so Independent-like in their 
 words ? Why the Westminster Directory so Indepen- 
 dent-like ? Why the Testimony espouse the books of 
 Discipline and Directory, and our ordination vows 
 espouse it, if this notion be so Independent-like ? 
 
 " These doubts are the issue of my unbiased essay to 
 examine the conduct of the Secession. I have hinted it 
 then to you because we have had questions formerly 
 together, and because I know you want, if you can, to be 
 at the bottom of things. 
 
 " Rev. dear brother, 
 
 " Yours affectionately, 
 
 " JOHN BROWN." 
 
 The concluding utterance, " I know you want to be 
 at the bottom of things," is exceedingly characteristic 
 of Brown himself, whatever it was of his correspondent. 
 To the bottom of this matter he went, and it baffled him 
 to discover why there should be such infrequent obser- 
 vance of the main rite of the Christian Church. The 
 reasonableness of his contending seems to us so manifest 
 to-day, that we forget the prejudices of the age, and 
 how strong these are, even with ourselves, when hallowed 
 by the custom of years. Brown reasoned out his action, 
 and wrote a defence, which he entitled an Apology for 
 the more Frequent Administration of the Lord's Supper. 
 He did not publish it, as his action in his own congre-
 
 THE PASTORATE AT HADDINGTON 95 
 
 gation, and his advocacy of it in other ways, com- 
 mended itself to those with whom he was intimate. But 
 nearly twenty years after his death, when the question 
 became urgent in other communions, it was issued to 
 the public. There he declares : 
 
 " I am not averse to the custom of a fast preparation, 
 and a thanksgiving day, if the exercises on these days 
 are considered as means for encouraging strangers to 
 attend, as they have it so seldom at home ; and when 
 they are considered as means for deepening the solemnity 
 of the approach to God in this ordinance, which in our 
 present case is quite, or next to quite, worn off in the 
 long intervals between ordinances of this nature. But 
 is it not plain, that in case the Church were returned to 
 the primitive custom, there would be no need to encour- 
 age strangers to attend, because they would have weekly 
 opportunities for partaking at home ? And there 
 could be less need to use means of this nature to fix or 
 deepen those impressions ; the conscientious approach 
 to God in this solemn ordinance, the Sabbath before, 
 and the Sabbath after, would more effectually prepare 
 the soul for receiving and rivetting divine impressions 
 than all the work of these three days. 
 
 " When these days' exercises are considered as well- 
 meant human helps, during the present unfrequency 
 of administration, nobody regards them more than 
 I do ; but if anybody considers them, as too many 
 ignorant people do, as essential parts of this ordinance, 
 and plead the absolute necessity of them, as a reason 
 against the more frequent administration of the Supper, 
 can I, in consistency with our Confession of Faith, chap. 
 xxi. sect. 1, refrain from detesting that view of them, 
 and the usage proceeding therefrom as refined Popery ? 
 Are they not of human invention ? Was not the inven- 
 tion of them merely occasional ? Are they not still 
 unknown in many Protestant Churches ? Were they 
 not unknown in the Church of Scotland for about 
 seventy years after the Reformation ? Do we not 
 find one of our best Assemblies, namely, that of 1645, 
 prohibiting to have any more than one sermon upon
 
 96 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 Saturday and another upon Monday ? Did not Mr. 
 Livingston, 1 as long as he lived, refuse to allow any 
 more sermons on the Saturday and Monday at his 
 sacramental occasions ? Now, is it not plainly Popish 
 to count human inventions and occasional additions, 
 essential parts of this great ordinance ? " 
 
 Then follows an elaborated analogy of private devo- 
 tions observed on the same principles as alluded to in 
 the above letter, and he concludes as follows : 
 
 " In fine, whether is it grace or corruption that most 
 affects to add human devices to God's worship, in order 
 to make it more splendid than Christ has left it ? May 
 not persons be as really guilty of Popery by doting on 
 the splendid pomp of divine ordinances that consists hi 
 the variety of days, sermons, and ministers, as by doting 
 on the variety of fantastic ceremonies used in the 
 Popish Mass ? Ought we not to beware of adding to 
 God's ordinances, as well as of taking from them ? Is 
 God content to barter with us in this point, by giving 
 up with the frequent administration of the Supper, if 
 we will annex a few days' sermons, ministers, and 
 people to it, when seldom administered ? Where does 
 he either make or declare his acceptance of this pro- 
 proposal ? " 
 
 The passing of the old custom was somewhat slow ; 
 but in time the more frequent administration found 
 general acceptance. Three, four, and six times in the 
 year are not uncommon throughout the Presbyterian 
 Church, liberty being allowed each Session of a con- 
 gregation to determine the times for itself. In the 
 
 1 John Livingston (1603-1672), born at Kilsyth, where his father 
 was minister, descended from the fifth Lord Livingston. Studied for 
 the ministry, in great request as a preacher before ordained. On 
 Monday after communion in June 1630, at Shotts, Lanarkshire, 
 he preached a sermon that touched the hearts of 500 hearers. Unable 
 to accept the five articles of Perth, he refused a charge in Scotland, 
 and was ordained in Ireland ; driven back by storms in attempting with 
 others to go to America, he became minister of Stranraer (1638), where 
 Communions were attended by crowds from Ireland, and of Ancrum 
 (1648).
 
 THE PASTORATE AT HADDINGTON 97 
 
 remote parts of Scotland, especially in the Highlands, 
 the old method still lingers, and has gathered to itself, 
 as though it were something unique in the Church's 
 history, the title of a " Highland Communion." 
 
 Brown's other plea, namely, for the admission of young 
 people as witnesses of the celebration of the ordinance, 
 also gradually prevailed ; and universal to-day is the 
 delightful spectacle of the children watching with awe 
 and reverence the observance of the impressive function 
 which has its sacred meaning for them as for their elders.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE PREACHER AND THE STUDENT 
 
 AUGUSTINE, in his work on Homiletics, Dei Doctrina 
 Christiana, sets forth his ideal of preaching in the 
 memorable words : " Sapientia (divine wisdom) without 
 eloquentia (the best human expression) will do good ; 
 eloquentia without sapientia will do no good, and will 
 often do harm; but the union of sapientia with elo- 
 quentia is ideal." These kinds of preaching were being 
 reflected very strongly in Scotland in the eighteenth 
 century. Of eloquentia there was an abundance ; 
 but a fashion prevailed of deprecating the sapientia. 
 It was the day when the star of Moderatism was in 
 the ascendant, Moderatism that delighted in a merely 
 moral atmosphere ; and the vitality of religion seemed 
 to be ebbing away. 
 
 It is to men of the stamp of John Brown we owe it 
 that Scotland was saved from the full effect of the 
 strong current that was bearing religion to an arid 
 desert. His work in the pastorate, and still more in 
 the professoriate, where he left the impress of his own 
 ardent, Christ-fired spirit on young men being trained 
 for the ministry, and not less in the books that issued 
 from his pen, did much to keep in full flow the stream 
 of evangelic truth that was in time to fertilise the land. 
 
 Dr. Alexander Carlyle, minister of Inveresk, Mussel- 
 burgh, has left us, in his entertaining Autobiography, 1 
 a vivid picture of that period, especially as it was lived 
 in his own circle, which, with all its array of loud- 
 sounding names, was not a particularly wide one. It is 
 a picture stained by many dark blots, that do not re- 
 
 1 The Autobiography of Dr. Alexander Carlyle of Inveresk, 1722-1805. 
 
 98
 
 THE PREACHER AND THE STUDENT 99 
 
 dound to the reputation of the clergy of that age. 
 Dr. Carlyle prided himself on his standing among the 
 ranks of the Moderates, on their " culture," their auto- 
 cratic rule in the Church, and their glorious convivi- 
 ality. His pen portraits of the leaders of the evangelical 
 school are not very flattering. Dr. Alexander Webster, 
 the acknowledged leader in the Established Church of 
 that band, minister of Tolbooth Church, Edinburgh, 
 he especially pillories, as " being a five-bottle man, 
 who could lay them all under the table," who " could 
 pass from the most unbounded jollity to the most 
 fervent devotion," with whom " aptness to pray was 
 as easy and natural as to drink a convivial glass." 
 
 Dr. Alexander Webster is not an attractive person- 
 ality. John Brown was a more fitting representative 
 of this group of men, loyal to the cause of learning, 
 and passionate in their defence of vital religion ; and 
 certainly and happily, from this school, " have sprung 
 the preachers who have shaped and coloured the 
 religion of Scotland." * Not only in the ranks of the 
 Secession, but in the Established Church were such 
 to be found. They held tenaciously on, while religion 
 was being driven into barren wastes, and Scotland 
 threatened with a dearth of Christian truth. In the 
 end victory lay with them. But in the long, stiff 
 struggle, the outer garb of the Church was severely 
 torn. Moderatism compelled the Erskines and others 
 to secede from the prevailing party ; and later it 
 thrust out Thomas Giilespie, the gentle but high-prin- 
 cipled minister of Carnock, who, with a son of Thomas 
 Boston, founded the Relief Church. These men were 
 under the necessity of unfurling a standard under which 
 they could worship, albeit inscribed with the same Con- 
 fession and the same polity, as that of the Church they 
 had to leave. They resolutely kept the sapientia to 
 the front in the preaching of Scotland, and helped the 
 country to recover its faith and the Church to regain 
 its freedom. 
 
 As to the character of the preaching of John Brown, 
 we have an interesting light from the testimony of one 
 1 J. Watson, D.D., The Scot of the Eighteenth Century, p. 191.
 
 100 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 who heard him in the course of his ministry. In his 
 early manhood, Robert Simpson, theological tutor of 
 Hoxton Academy, London, was in Haddington, in 
 1770. He went to Brown's church. 
 
 " I well remember," he says, " a searching sermon 
 he preached from the word, ' What went ye out for to 
 see ? A reed shaken with the wind.' Although at 
 that time I had no experimental acquaintance with 
 the truth as it is in Jesus, yet his grave appearance in 
 the pulpit, his solemn, weighty, and majestic manner 
 of speaking, used to affect me very much. Certainly 
 his preaching was close, and his address to the con- 
 science pungent. Like his Lord and Master, he spoke 
 with authority and hallowed pathos, having tasted 
 the sweetness and felt the power of what he believed." 
 
 It is still more interesting to hear the comment of 
 David Hume upon his preaching. Hume was a friend 
 of Alexander Carlyle's, and felt bound to rebuke him 
 for a sermon preached in Athelstaneford to the congre- 
 gation of John Home, the author of the tragedy of 
 Douglas (to whom a little monument stands in Had- 
 dington in front of the library). On one occasion he 
 heard John Brown preach. It was a public function 
 at which an aspiring young clergyman spoke along 
 with the minister of Haddington. The former delivered 
 his message first, in an eloquent, florid style, typical of 
 the age. Brown followed with his sermon, marked by 
 his usual simplicity and earnestness. '" The first 
 preacher," remarked Hume to his friends, " spoke as 
 if he did not believe what he said ; the latter as if he 
 were conscious that the Son of God stood at his elbow." 1 
 His son, Dr. William Brown,* declares that "as a 
 preacher he was distinguished by great plainness, 
 faithfulness, seriousness, and earnestness. His learn- 
 ing he never brought into the pulpit, unless by bringing 
 
 1 Hay and Belfrage, A Memoir of the Rev. Alexander Waugh, D.D. 
 (1830), p. 51. 
 
 2 William Brown, D.D., Memoir and Select Remains of the Rev. John 
 Brown (1856), p. 72.
 
 THE PREACHER AND THE STUDENT 101 
 
 down the great truths of religion to the level of common 
 capacities." Archbishop Ussher's golden saying was 
 a great favourite of his, " It will take all our learning 
 to make things plain." The doctrines and duties of 
 religion in his message were charged with tremendous 
 power. In his appeals to those without the fold, he 
 touched chords that vibrated with his own passion. 
 He was never moved so deeply as when pleading 
 with men that despised the light. Tears only wet his 
 cheeks, when entreating them to return to the Re- 
 deemer's fold. He was blamed by one of his former 
 students, himself then in the ministry, for expressing 
 disapproval of Richard Baxter: "Mr. Brown, you are 
 often speaking against Richard Baxter, but I see no 
 man so like Richard Baxter as yourself." In his 
 delivery, he acquired a " sing-song " then not uncommon 
 among preachers. Such a method of utterance is 
 usually offensive ; but in his case it seems to have been 
 rather effective, being described as " singularly melting 
 to serious moods," and as " touching and overpowering." 
 " I can have no recollection of his delivery myself," says 
 his son, William he was only four when his father died 
 " but I have heard it imitated by my brother Ebenezer, 
 and I felt it so touching, and overpowering, that I 
 question if the highest flights of oratory would have 
 had anything like the same impression on my mind." 
 He was a strong advocate of brevity in religious exer- 
 cises. " Be short," he was wont to tell his students, 
 " in the pulpit and the family ; in the closet you may 
 be as long as you please." Intense souls are never 
 long in public prayer ; it is the thin-verdured who 
 exhaust prayer and patience both. There was one 
 occasion only when he disregarded this rule, at the 
 observance of the Church festival of the Sacrament. 
 Then he poured out his soul with the fervour of a man 
 who stood in the inner depths. 
 
 It was an age when the sterner aspects of the faith 
 were by no means kept in the background. But the 
 conscientious pastor of Haddington welcomed the 
 sharp, keen-sighted answer that came from a saintly 
 member, whose foundations he was probing, as she lay
 
 102 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 a-dying. " Janet, what would you say if, after all He 
 has done for you, God should let you drop into hell ? " 
 " E'en's (even as) He likes," was the instant reply, " if 
 He does, He'll lose mair than I'll do." The divine 
 character of being faithful and righteous would be 
 shaken. 
 
 It is characteristic of him to regard his own work 
 with extraordinary depreciation. We shall draw again 
 from his Autobiography, and hear what he says about 
 his preaching. 
 
 " The morning before I was licensed, that awful 
 Scripture, Isaiah 6. 9, 10, was much impressed on my 
 spirit ; and it hath since been I know not how often, 
 heavy to my heart to think how much it was fulfilled 
 in my ministry. I know not how often I have had an 
 anxious desire to be removed by death from being a 
 plague to my poor congregation. But I have often 
 taken myself, and considered this as my folly, and begged 
 of Him that if it was not for His glory to remove me 
 by death, He would make me successful in His work ; 
 for as to transportations I had not a good opinion of 
 most of them, and I looked on it as so far my mercy 
 that 'my congregation was so small. 
 
 " After all, I dare not but confess Christ to be the 
 best Master ever I served. Often in preaching and 
 otherwise, I have found His words the joy and rejoicing 
 of my heart. He hath often laid matter before me in 
 my studies, and enabled me with pleasure to deliver it. 
 God in our nature, and doing all for us, and being all 
 to us, free grace reigning through His imputed righteous- 
 ness, God's free grant of Christ and His salvation, and 
 of Himself in Christ, and the believing appropriation 
 founded on that grant, and the comfort and holiness of 
 heart and life flowing from that, have been my most 
 delightful themes. And though I sometimes touched 
 on the publick evils of the day, yet my soul never so 
 entered into these points. 
 
 " No sermons I ever preached were, I think, sweeter 
 to my own soul than those on Psalm 142. 7, first clause ; 
 Isaiah 44. 5, first clause ; Isaiah 46. 4 ; and 60. 20,
 
 THE PREACHER AND THE STUDENT 103 
 
 last clause; 1 Timothy 1. 15, 16; Rev. 3. 21, and 
 
 John 11. 28. The little knowledge which I had of my 
 uncommonly wicked heart, and of the Lord's dealings 
 with my own soul, helped me much in my sermons. And 
 I observed that I was apt to deliver that which I had 
 extracted thence, in a more feeling and earnest manner 
 than other matters." 
 
 The pulpit was enriched by the labours of the study. 
 The preaching was as if only one book was read, " not- 
 withstanding all my eager hunting after most part of 
 that lawful learning which is known among the sons 
 of men, I was led to preach as if I had never read a 
 book but the Bible." "The eager hunting" covered 
 wide fields. It was his custom, says his son, to rise 
 in the summer between four and five in the morning, 
 and in winter at six, and to study till eight in the evening. 
 He was a firm believer in the old German proverb, 
 " Morning time has gold in its mouth." With the 
 necessary duties of the ministerial life, that called him 
 apart, and in the discharge of which he was most assidu- 
 ous, he managed to spend twelve hours in the little room 
 above the doorway of his house crammed with books. 
 The procuring of these volumes out of his small stipend 
 showed that the passion of the bookman glowed in his 
 soul. He regretted that he had no one to guide him 
 in the choice of books, nor money to purchase the best, 
 but he acknowledged that, after all, he was led to acquire 
 the most useful. 
 
 He possessed the gift of a quick mastery of languages, 
 rivalling George Borrow in this respect. To the know- 
 ledge of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, with which he com- 
 menced his ministry, he added that of Arabic, Persic, 
 Syriac and Ethiopic, and of European languages, French, 
 Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and German. He was an eager 
 student of natural and moral philosophy; but his 
 favourite reading lay in the region of history and divinity. 
 All the masters of theology he laid under tribute ; and, 
 as to Bible commentaries, he epitomised them in his 
 Christian Journal, where he speaks of the " elegant 
 Calvin, laborious Poole, sagacious Patrick and Lowth,
 
 104 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 practical Henry, copious Gill, literal Calmet, sensible 
 Clarke, plain Burkitt, soft-flowing Doddridge, judicious 
 Guise, learned Vitringa, penetrating Owen, pious Home, 
 curt Bengel, dry Schultens, and critical Whitby." As 
 he read pen and paper were beside him ; and he sum- 
 marised as he went from paragraph to paragraph. The 
 multitude of his commonplace-books, which he happily 
 entitled "Books for holding Bright Thoughts," bears testi- 
 mony to his industry and to the wide range of his reading. 
 The Ancient Universal History, published hi twenty large 
 octavo volumes, and Blackstone's Commentaries on the 
 Laws of England, he abridged and compiled an abstract 
 of for himself. Like Francis Bacon, he took all know- 
 ledge for his province. Only toward the end of his 
 days, when he realised the vastness of the ocean on which 
 he had launched, he declared, " From experience I have 
 found, that it is vain to attempt to be a universal scholar." 
 While rejoicing in the mastery of nearly a dozen other 
 tongues, he was fully abreast of the literature of his own 
 land and time. He was familiar with the works of the 
 men whom he called the " lofty Milton, witful Cowley, 
 elegant Pope, sprightly Thomson, awful Young, in- 
 genious Blacklock, soaring Browne, spiritual Gray, 
 divine Watts." As for the literature that " tickles the 
 imagination " he was not so enamoured of it, and held it 
 should be read " at most, very sparingly." 
 
 His notebooks are written in a clear and legible hand, 
 packed with resumes of the different works he had read. 
 Wodrow's History of the Church of Scotland, Robertson's 
 History of America, Miracles by Bonnet, a work on 
 Universal Restitution, with many others, are all epito- 
 mised, while there are also engrossed numerous statis- 
 tical statements of the population of different countries, 
 and various other matters. 
 
 But, first and foremost, was his intimate acquaintance 
 with the Scriptures. They held the supreme place in his 
 reading and thinking, and nothing was allowed to dislodge 
 them. He knew them from cover to cover. Let a text 
 be quoted, instantly he would repeat it, assign its place 
 and connection with the context, and explain its mean- 
 ing. He delighted to number at leisure moments not
 
 THE PREACHER AND THE STUDENT 105 
 
 only the books and chapters and verses, but the very 
 words and letters of the Bible. He had an extraordinary 
 grasp of it in the mass and in detail. His miraculous 
 memory, his oceanic reading, his intellectual power, and 
 his deep religious spirit, united with his tireless in- 
 dustry, made him a fit instrument to produce a Dic- 
 tionary of its contents, and a Self-interpreting Commen- 
 tary of its chapters.
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE BEGINNINGS OF AUTHORSHIP 
 
 17581768 
 
 BEFORE John Brown undertook the works that were 
 to give him enduring fame, he devoted his powers to 
 other fields of study. The ground in which he sought 
 to reap is largely neglected at the present day, but 
 it attracted considerable attention at the time The 
 Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Catechisms. 
 His aim was to get to the foundations, and induce men 
 to build upon them from their earliest days. Seven 
 years after his settlement in Haddington, in 1758, he 
 first broke ground as an author. The work he issued 
 was a volume of 400 pages, with the rather cumbrous 
 title, An Help for the Ignorant, being an Essay towards 
 an Easy, Plain, Practical, and Extensive Explication of 
 the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms. 
 
 " Essay " is a term that has lost its original shade of 
 meaning. His work is not an " essay," in the sense 
 of a short, written composition, but an attempt to 
 explain by question and answer the standards of the 
 Church. Such a work demands clear thinking and clear 
 writing. These are manifest on every page of this re- 
 spectable production. Somehow, while Romanists and 
 Episcopalians have used this method of instruction in 
 recent years to enable the young and the " ignorant " 
 to grasp their distinct tenets of belief, Presbyterians 
 have allowed it to lapse. Something after the manner 
 of Brown's Explication, though not so elaborate, might 
 well be revived for the benefit of Presbyterian youth 
 throughout the world. 
 
 It is of importance to observe that the first production 
 
 106
 
 THE BEGINNINGS OF AUTHORSHIP 107 
 
 from his pen was directed toward the quickening and 
 informing of the mind of youth, and the last of his 
 twenty-nine works had for its object the same purpose. 
 His eyes from the first were directed up-stream, and he 
 felt, in days when the young and growing mind received 
 scant attention, that the destiny of the human race 
 was after all in the hands of the coming generation. 
 Let it be safely anchored, and the ship of Church and 
 State will surely outride all threatening storms. 
 
 The Explication met with a ready acceptance. But 
 soon, in that keen-scented age of controversy, the dread 
 charges rang out that impiety, blasphemy, heresy, and 
 other deadly evils lurked in its pages. The Rev. John 
 Dalzell of Earlston led the attack with great asperity. 
 Dalzell began his ministerial life in the same year as 
 Brown, but in the other branch of the Secession. He 
 possessed remarkable gifts as a preacher, and laboured 
 for fifty-three years in the one sphere. 1 Dalzell assailed 
 Brown in a pamphlet, The Imputation of Christ's Right- 
 eousness, which is all that remains from his pen to-day. 
 The point in dispute was the practical extent of the 
 righteousness of Christ. Brown declared in his Essay, 
 that though Christ's righteousness is infinitely valuable 
 in itself, yet believers receive it only in proportion to 
 their need, and to the demands which the law laid upon 
 them ; they were therefore perfectly righteous in law, 
 as the law required them to be, but not infinitely 
 righteous. " Not infinitely righteous ! " exclaimed 
 Dalzell and his fellow combatants. The righteousness 
 of Christ, they held, is imputed to believers in its whole 
 infinite value, as it is the righteousness of a God-man, and 
 therefore it constitutes us in law reckoning as infinitely 
 righteous as the person of the Christ, the God-man. 
 The controversy raged with considerable fury, and 
 pamphlets, as became the time, were shot with speed 
 between the parties. One of eighty-four pages is before 
 me, defending Brown with lucidity and force, and not 
 wanting in severe language. The controversy is dead 
 to-day it was a matter really of view-point. But the 
 
 1 One of his great grandchildren is Lord Pearson, of the Court of 
 Session.
 
 108 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 temper of the assailed author is revealed in his one reply 
 to his bustling antagonist. In a small pamphlet, 
 entitled, Brief Dissertation concerning the Righteousness 
 of Christ, he marshals his arguments skilfully for his 
 contention ; and his wide reading stands him in good 
 stead, as he submits the authorities, whose orthodoxy 
 none disputed, that upheld his views. In his Foreword 
 he writes with dignity and self-restraint, and shows the 
 spirit in which he deemed controversy of such high 
 themes should be conducted, and how distasteful this 
 method of reaching the heart of these mysteries was to 
 him : 
 
 " I have much more charity for the ministers of that 
 party than to suspect the bulk of them are capable of 
 imbibing, even through inadvertency, an old Antinomian 
 and Familistic error ; or have so small acquaintance with 
 the writings of Protestant divines, as to imagine that I 
 am the first who ever asserted that Christ's infinite 
 righteousness is imputed to believers precisely in propor- 
 tion to their need, and the demands of the broken law 
 upon them, or so as to make them perfectly and com- 
 pletely righteous in law, but not in such proportion as 
 to render them infinitely holy, righteous, comely, or 
 valuable in law ; and had these few, who, it seems, are 
 otherwise disposed, signified their scruples to me in a 
 Christian manner, either by word or by writ, I doubt not 
 but I should have offered them such replies and solu- 
 tions, as might have prevented that conduct, which 
 (though charity obliges me to hope, was entirely an 
 inadvertent and well-designed mistake) some will readily 
 reckon a wounding of truth, a dishonouring of Christ, 
 an instructing of their people to revile, and in the issue, 
 an injuring of their own reputation among impartial 
 men. But now that the fact is committed, though I 
 reckon it my duty to contribute my weak endeavours 
 towards the support of injured truth, and to restore to 
 the Scriptures and the most eminent Protestant divines 
 their due honour of being my instructors in this point, 
 yet, instead of intending to resent, with similar conduct, 
 the injury these reverend brethren have done me, I
 
 THE BEGINNINGS OF AUTHORSHIP 109 
 
 reckon myself, on account thereof, so much the more 
 effectually obliged by the Christian law (Matt. v. 44, 
 Luke vi. 27, 28, Romans xii. 14, 20, 21, 1 Peter ii. 23, 
 and iii. 9), to contribute my utmost endeavours towards 
 the advancement of their welfare, spiritual or temporal, 
 and am resolved through grace to discharge these 
 obligations, as Providence shall give opportunity for 
 the same. Let them do or wish me what they will, may 
 their portion be redemption through the blood of Jesus, 
 even ' the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of 
 His grace ' ; and, call me what they please, may the 
 Lord call them ' the holy ones, the redeemed of the Lord, 
 sought out, and not forsaken.' " 
 
 Six years after the appearance of his Explication of 
 the Church's standards, he published two Catechisms, 
 one introductory to and the other explanatory of the 
 Shorter Catechism. They had a very extensive circula- 
 tion, and passed through numberless editions. They 
 were familiarly known in many a household as " Little 
 Brown's," and " Big Browns," * and were translated into 
 different languages both in Asia and Africa. Dr. Robert 
 Mofiat, in South Africa, rendered them into the Sechuana 
 tongue. Other manuals have been issued since ; but 
 Brown's Short Catechism for Young Children * is still being 
 published and meets with a ready sale. It is as im- 
 possible to estimate the value of these Catechisms as 
 it is to enumerate the hundreds of thousands of them 
 that have proceeded from the press, and found their 
 way all over the world. 
 
 1 Readers of Marjorie Fleming will recall the amusing paragraph, 
 where the faithful old servant of the household, Jeanie Robertson, 
 instructing the children in the faith, put the question of the Short 
 Catechism to Marjorie's brother, William, who could show his 
 " Calvinistic acquirements when nineteen months old." Jeanie's 
 glory was " putting him through the carritch " (catechism) in broad 
 Scotch, beginning at the beginning with " Wha made ye, ma bonnie 
 man ? " For the correctness of this and three next replies, Jeanie 
 had no anxiety, but the tone changed to menace, and the closed nieve 
 (fist) was shaken in the child's face as she demanded, " Of what are 
 you made ? " " DIRT," was the answer uniformly given. " Wull ye 
 never learn to say dust, ye thrawn deevil ? " with a cuff from the 
 opened hand, was the as inevitable rejoinder. (Horce Subsecivae, 
 Third Series, p. 210.) 
 
 3 Published by Oliphant, Anderson, and Ferrier, Edinburgh, price Id,
 
 110 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 " Once an author, always an author," says Cowper in 
 his diverting and delightful letters ; " this you know, my 
 friend, and it admits of no dispute." It was so with 
 the busy pastor of Haddington. In the year 1765 
 he published what perhaps was the most popular of all 
 his writings, judging by its countless issues in the course 
 of the next fifty years and more. He called it The 
 Christian Journal ; or, Common Incidents, Spiritual 
 Instructors. Its first publishers were " John Gray and 
 Gavin Alston," at their printing press in " Jackson's 
 Close, Edinburgh." As edition after edition was called 
 for, the author was altering, adding to, amending, and 
 sometimes not improving his pithy, pungent expressions. 
 It is a work that looks upon nature as " God's great 
 green book." It might have been prompted by the 
 spirit that animated his renowned namesake, Sir 
 Thomas Browne. " There are two books," he wrote, 
 " from whence I collect my divinity. Besides that 
 written one of God, another of His servant nature, that 
 universal and public manuscript that lies expansed 
 unto the eyes of all." Brown anticipated Wordsworth 
 in his passion for nature, in his interpretation of her 
 vigorous and manifold life, in his affirmation that 
 
 One impulse from a vernal wood 
 
 May teach you more of man, 
 Of moral evil and of good, 
 Than all the sages can. 
 
 Beethoven was caught by a like inspiration in his 
 " Pastoral Symphony," and with his, commanding 
 genius summoned music to express the varied moods of 
 the day as uttered in the great cathedral of nature. 
 
 The Journal has five main divisions : the journal of a 
 day in Spring, in Summer, in Harvest, and in Winter, and 
 of the L)ay of Rest. He calls up a traveller on one of 
 the days in these seasons, and with a swift, brief word, 
 he describes his thoughts, actions, sights, throughout 
 that day, and follows in each case with a pointed spiritual 
 application. One could easily reproduce the life of the 
 period, in town and country, from the pages. You see 
 the man awaking in the morning, rising, dressing, viewing 
 himself in the looking-glass, and passing out into the
 
 THE BEGINNINGS OF AUTHORSHIP 111 
 
 day's varied experiences and seeing nature arrayed in 
 her ever-changing garb, and returning at night to his 
 rest and to dreamland. All sorts and conditions of 
 men, all the sights and scenes to be met with in any of the 
 seasons, and on the Sunday, pass before you ; and all 
 are brought under one point of light, that penetrates with 
 searching ray every incident and aspect of nature and 
 of life the " Light of the World." In the " Summer " 
 Journal he carries his traveller to a mountain-top, where 
 before him march the nations, ancient and modern. 
 With a graphic phrase each is described, and the appli- 
 cation follows. Anon he passes into a library, rich in 
 the literature of the world; rapidly is it reviewed, 
 an apt adjective summing up each author and his style. 
 
 On the first page are happy quotations that justify 
 the work. One is from Hesiod : " Let us begin with God ; 
 all things are full of God." Another is from Cadha : 
 " The ear that is always attentive to God, never hears 
 a voice that speaks not of Him ; the soul whose eye is 
 intent on Him, never sees an atom wherein she doth 
 not discern her best beloved." A third is from Job 
 xii. 7, 8 : " Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach 
 thee ; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee ; 
 or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee ; and the 
 fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee." 
 
 In his Preface he vindicates his method by asking 
 
 " Does not the divine Spirit, in His invaluable oracles, 
 constitute the puny ant, the lazy cur, the wallowing sow, 
 the troubled sea, with its mire and dirt, our spiritual 
 instructors ? Does not Jesus, the wisdom of God, 
 draw His instructive, His inestimable parables from 
 sparrows, fishes, nets, bottles, grains of mustard seed, 
 dough, and other common objects ? Why may not we, 
 though at infinite distance, follow His blessed example, 
 and, with the skilful chemist, extract a precious spirit 
 from things outwardly base and contemptible ? " 
 
 To give an illustration, we might dip into the Journal 
 anywhere. 
 
 " ' How pleasantly the dew falls ! ' Lord Jesus,
 
 112 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 canst Thou not be as the dew to my soul ! canst Thou 
 not make me one of Thy young converts who are like 
 ' the dew from the womb of the morning ' ! Cursed 
 unbelief, how hast thou resisted the power of this divine 
 promise, and robbed Jesus of the honour of accom- 
 plishing it ! ' Here the worms creep out of the earth, 
 to acknowledge their debt to Him that waters it, and 
 to sip this early dew.' When, my soul, wilt thou creep 
 forth from thine earthliness and carnality, to thank 
 the divine Father of the dew for all His kindness towards 
 thee ? When wilt thou desire and feed on Jesus, who 
 is as the dew of Israel, and refresh thyself with the in- 
 fluences of His grace ? 
 
 
 
 " * Without the warmth of the sun, and moisture of 
 the clouds, the care of the husbandman could produce 
 nothing.' Without the concurrence of Jesus' blood 
 and Spirit, no human labour could convert a soul, 
 produce a good work, or procure a grain of felicity. 
 Nay, he must do all and we nothing, but stand still 
 and see His salvation. ' How sweetly, in this vernal 
 rain, the clouds consign their treasures to the field ! ' 
 God's paths drop down fatness. Ye sons of men, 
 muse, praise, and look forth lively gratitude. In lovely 
 spring, and her soft scenes, I see my smiling God ; I 
 feel a present Deity, and taste His joy, to see a happy 
 world. Sweet vernal fields. Thrice sweeter sacred 
 Word ! How Jehovah pours His stores of love, His 
 melted heart, into thy darling page, that messenger of 
 grace ! Where rapture flows on rapture ; every line 
 with rising wonders filled ; how from its rainy pools, my 
 soul, enraptured, drank the spirit of eternal joy, of that 
 unutterable happiness which Love alone bestows upon 
 her favoured few ! How soars my mind beyond the 
 blooming earth ! On swelling thought, my heart flies 
 to the bosom of her distant, her ETERNAL FAIR: My 
 Lord and My God. 
 
 
 
 " ' Yonder the sparrow chirps.' Pretty bird, but 
 Jehovah's care ; my Father's charge. Am I not much
 
 THE BEGINNINGS OF AUTHORSHIP 113 
 
 more so ? though, when forsaken of His I mourn, yet 
 let me cleave to His house ; nestle in the walls of divine 
 perfections and promises, and in the covering of Jesus' 
 righteousness. 
 
 . 
 
 " ' Here runs a beautiful stream.' Thrice more 
 beautiful river of Jesus' blood and blessed Spirit, which 
 makes glad the Church, the city of God. O the plenty, 
 the purity, freeness and easy access to Thee ! Here we 
 may drink and wash ; all may drink and wash ; filthi- 
 ness can never pollute Thy stream. Wash here, my 
 soul ; wash seven times and be clean. 
 
 
 
 " * How stately the steps, how great the strength, 
 how bold the looks, of this horse ! ' Rather, how 
 gloriously the divine power and greatness shineth in 
 him ! how infinitely more august the aspect and 
 goings of my God and my King who made him ! How 
 surpassing, that God should make this strong and 
 stately creature so submissive to man ! how much more 
 so, that the Almighty Himself should submit to bear 
 my sin, my curse, my woe ! and to bear and carry me 
 to everlasting rest ! Never more doubt, my soul, 
 of all things working together for thy good ; and be 
 thou, as the Lord's goodly horse, strong in Christ, and 
 courageous in His way; but beware of neighing after 
 thy lusts or rushing into temptation, as the horse 
 rusheth into the battle. 
 
 " Souls will soon become empty, which are always 
 letting out, but not careful to let in from Christ. We 
 should lay in Christ, lay up with Christ, and then lay 
 out for Christ. We ought to beware of being always 
 wooing Christ without ever marrying Him. . . . Opinion- 
 sowing and church-railing professors have commonly 
 more self than grace. . . . Young Christians commonly 
 need a curb, and old ones a spur. . . . Sins die and 
 fall off true Christians, as leaves fall off trees in 
 harvest. . . . True Christians are like flint stones, 
 8
 
 114 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 which keep their fire under water itself. . . . Our care 
 ought to be to wait on God, to walk with God, work all 
 our works in and for God ; and to bring our will in 
 everything to the will of God ; and the worse we see 
 others, to be the better ourselves. 
 
 " ' Now comes a light from my father's house, but my 
 sight fails.' O the dazzling beams, the tides of glory 
 from above, which burst into my inner man ! how 
 Jesus, my everlasting Sun, enlightens my soul ! how He 
 leads me to His bleeding mercy, that quiet sea of 
 infinite sweetness, for faith to drink of and bathe in, 
 till I become without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing ! 
 How He guides me into the green pastures of His com- 
 forting Word ! Thrice happy prospect of the blind ! 
 no more can I read the letters of the precious, precious 
 book of God, but I feel it written on my heart ; no more 
 can I see outward things, but I see Jesus formed in my 
 soul ; I see my name written, and myself lying in His 
 heart ; I see the things within the veil, whither the 
 Forerunner is for me entered. I rend the curtain of 
 time, and look into eternity. I give up with all crea- 
 tures, life, heart, flesh, eyes, and all, that I may have 
 all in God. O to appear before, and be near enough 
 him ! O to be unearthed, unselfed, that I may be like 
 Him ! that my soul may be in perpetual ascension 
 to Him ! my love going forth in everlasting raptures 
 after Him ! " 
 
 In a letter to a correspondent, dated Haddington, 
 August 20th, 1765, Brown says : " The Christian Journal, 
 I suppose, is now published. You may send for what 
 copies you need, and O pray for its doing some good. 
 No doubt it will be the savour of death and a stumbling- 
 block to some carnal and profane readers ; but if Jesus 
 render it useful to the serious, it is my business to 
 bear patiently the scoff of the profane." The years 
 it held its own, and the generations it influenced, bore 
 witness to the great good it did. 
 
 Publishers found it to their advantage to issue
 
 THE BEGINNINGS OF AUTHORSHIP 115 
 
 editions of it. James Nisbet, the founder of the firm of 
 Nisbet & Co., has told us that, when he resolved to 
 leave his native Kelso, and start business in London, 
 the first work he issued was John Brown's Christian 
 Journal. That was in 1810, nearly fifty years after its 
 first publication, and twenty-three years after its 
 author's death. He acknowledged that it was a happy 
 and profitable venture. 
 
 The 'insight into the hidden meaning of animate 
 and inanimate nature was a gift Brown passed on to 
 his descendants. It was a particularly marked posses- 
 sion of his famous great-grandson, the author of Rab. 
 The words of the Imitation might be fitly applied to 
 both : " If thy heart were sincere and upright, then every 
 creation would be to thee a looking-glass of life."
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 "THE DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE" 
 17661769 
 
 THE doors of authorship were now open, and works 
 surging in the author's brain were struggling for egress 
 into the market-place of literature. His wide reading 
 and enlarging vision made for a clear and confident grasp 
 of the many subjects he longed to handle. Few helps 
 did the people possess to a comprehensive understand- 
 ing of the Scriptures ; and the minister of Haddington, 
 having gathered so much of the treasures of knowledge, 
 boldly conceived the idea of preparing a Dictionary of 
 the Bible for the reading public. There was no thought 
 of calling in helpers in this great enterprise, as is so 
 manifestly necessary in these days of specialised know- 
 ledge. Single-handed was the work to be done. To design 
 and dare such a task, with congregational and church 
 duties that carried the pastor over a wide area and de- 
 manded a heavy tale of pulpit and synodical work, was 
 an heroic thing to do. No one had attempted such 
 an undertaking in Scotland before ; and in England 
 The Christian Dictionarie of Thomas Wilson (1563-1622), 
 the rector of Canterbury, had long passed into oblivion. 
 As he proceeded to gather material for his great 
 work, Brown threw off dissertations on some special 
 subjects that interested him. In 1766, he issued An 
 Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Seces- 
 sion, a small work, as befitted a history that might be 
 supposed to cover only twenty-six years. He starts, 
 however, with the Reformation, and proceeds in a fair 
 and impartial spirit to detail the salient features of the 
 
 116
 
 "THE DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE" 117 
 
 Church's struggle, till 1730. The events that follow 
 are firmly handled. The deposition of the eight men 
 who were jealous of the rights and liberties of the Church 
 is vividly contrasted with the treatment by the same 
 Assembly that was meted out to John Glass, " an impeni- 
 tent and furious Independent," who was restored to 
 the ministry, and who, the historian affirms, had plainly 
 broken his ordination vows, and continued to declare 
 against Presbyterian government. The work, vigorously 
 written, gives an insight into the condition of church 
 life in Scotland at the time ; it shows the kind of Gospel 
 that was preached and the loose conditions of church 
 membership that prevailed, calling for a protest, if 
 the country was to be saved from slipping into sheer 
 paganism. 
 
 In the following year came from his active pen, 
 Letters on the Constitution, Government, and Discipline 
 of the Christian Church, nineteen letters addressed to 
 " My dear Amelius," x who is regarded as a person 
 with lax notions as to the constitution of the Church, 
 and the admission of members within its pale. They are 
 written with unflagging spirit, are weighty in argument, 
 and rich in their scriptural background. They show 
 that Brown was reaching down to root causes, and 
 laying the groundwork of a history that later years were 
 to see. 
 
 The succeeding year, 1768, led him into a study that 
 had a great fascination for many in that age, the typo- 
 logy of Scripture. His own mind was captivated by it, 
 and he felt that he had light of his own for a subject 
 that has so many facets. Out from the little sunlit, 
 crowded study of Haddington went forth that year, 
 Sacred Typology; a Brief View of the Figures, and 
 Explanations of the Metaphors, contained in Scripture. 
 An age that does not concern itself much with types, 
 except of the scientific order, will be interested to know 
 how they appealed to an earlier generation. 
 
 1 It was a prevalent custom of the time to use classical names as 
 representative of persons who held certain opinions, e.g. Berkeley's 
 Hylaa and Philonoua, Hervey's Theron and Aspasia, and Johnson 
 in The Rambler frequently adopted it ; while Pope spoke of Addison 
 as " Atticus."
 
 118 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 " The advantage," says Brown, " of a clear, compre- 
 hensive and regular view of the Figures, the Types, 
 and the Predictions of Scripture is obvious. In the 
 first, we observe the surprising eloquence of Heaven, and 
 discern, in almost every form of nature, a guide to and 
 an illustration of inspired truth. By the second, we 
 perceive the whole substance of the Gospel of Christ, 
 truly exhibited in ancient shadows, persons, and things : 
 in laws apparently carnal and trifling. In the third, 
 we observe how astonishingly inspired predictions, 
 properly arranged, and compared with the history of 
 nations and churches, do illustrate each other ; and 
 modern events, as with the evidence of miracles, con- 
 firm our faith in the oracles of God." 
 
 Of the trilogy here mentioned, the first appeared in 
 1768, the second and third not till 1781. These works, 
 as one might expect, are often very arbitrary in their 
 elucidation of the type or figure. The imagination is 
 apt to run riot in such a field, and the analogy to become 
 somewhat strained. Yet the views of truth presented 
 at times are striking, and the whole is characterised by 
 an extraordinary richness of scriptural knowledge. The 
 Harmony of Prophecy in particular is a manual exhibit- 
 ing extensive reading, and judicious application of the 
 prophetic word to the facts of history. 
 
 But all this was more or less the by-product of a larger 
 work, which was to carry the author's reputation far 
 byond his native land. All his strength was now 
 concentrated on the Dictionary, materials for which he 
 had been gathering during the past ten years. In 
 1769 it first saw the light, and for a hundred years it 
 was to hold on its way, by the issue of various editions, 
 revised and brought up to date by various editors, the 
 last appearing in 1868. British scholarship had prac- 
 tically neglected this field of Scripture study ; and 
 Brown's predecessors were, with the exception of Wilson, 
 continental scholars, only one of whose works had been 
 translated into English, that of Augustine Calmet, and 
 the translation was an abridgment. 
 
 The story of Bible Dictionaries has never been told,
 
 "THE DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE" 119 
 
 but it is one of considerable interest. Like most great 
 enterprises, they had a humble origin, a quiet begin- 
 ning. They sprang from the simplicities of the con- 
 cordance, a word leading to the summation of its varied 
 meanings, a doctrine to the statement of its truths, a 
 place to the account of its history, a person to the story 
 of his life. The first to attempt a concordance was Car- 
 dinal Hughes de Saint-Cher, of the order of St. Dominic, 
 who died in 1261 or 1262. He called in helpers from 
 five different monasteries to assist him. The difficulty 
 he had to contend with was the lack of the division of 
 the books of Scripture into chapters and verses. He 
 overcame it by using the letters of the alphabet, a, b, c, 
 d, etc., to indicate the lines of the pages of the MS. 
 There was not the minuteness in detailing words as in a 
 Concordance of to-day ; indeed that was impossible ; 
 but leading words were set forth with care and accuracy, 
 and it was a decided help in the comparing of Scripture 
 with Scripture. 
 
 His successors were a couple of enthusiasts, who 
 worked together, Conrad d'Alberstade and Arlot. 
 They considerably added to the material contained in 
 Hughes's Concordance. Their work was issued in 1290. 
 
 A long period now intervened, ere the next step was 
 taken. It was not until the time of the Council of Basle 
 in 1430, when Jean de Segovie carried forward the plan, 
 producing what he called, Une Table alphdbetique des 
 particules indeclinables. 
 
 Another century had to pass before developments 
 were possible. The enthusiastic and enterprising 
 Parisian publisher, Robert Stephens, by his bold division 
 of the Scriptures into chapters and verses (chapters were 
 partly acknowledged before), gave a great impetus to 
 the work. His Bible, to publish which he had to retire 
 to Geneva, that citadel of liberty for the men of progress 
 and reform, was sent forth in 1551. The numbering 
 of the Scripture writings by this ardent son of the Re- 
 formation abides to this day. It has often been con- 
 demned as unsatisfactory ; and so it is, chapters chop- 
 ping up paragraphs meant to stand as one, and verses 
 dividing thoughts that are knit by the closest ties Yet
 
 120 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 none have dared to produce anything better. Where 
 the verse system has been modified or abandoned, the 
 result has not proved satisfactory, at any rate from the 
 point of convenience. Indeed stand it must, as practi- 
 cally the whole earth in its numberless tongues possesses 
 the Scriptures, and with them Stephens' versicular 
 division. 
 
 The path of bibliographers was now materially im- 
 proved. George Bullocus, in 1572, sent forth a new con- 
 cordance from Antwerp, in Latin, in which not merely 
 the word, but the content of the word according to 
 Scripture usage is supplied. His work bore the title, 
 CEconomia methodica Concordantiarum Scriptures Sacrce. 
 
 About this period also Matthias Flaccius Illyricus 
 produced his work, which shows the development from 
 the chrysalis stage of a concordance to the fuller growth 
 of a dictionary. He called it Clavis Scripture Sacrce. 
 It is in Latin, and runs to about 1,000 pages. Flaccius 
 was for a time a colleague of Luther and Melanchthon 
 in the University of Wittenberg ; but after the former's 
 death he became a leader of the strict Lutheran party, 
 and fiercely assailed Melanchthon from Magdeburg and 
 Jena, whither he had gone. But his exclusive narrow- 
 ness and bitter polemics, in spite of his great ability, 
 made him latterly acceptable to none, and he was driven 
 from town to town, dying at Frankfort in 1575, at the 
 age of fifty-five. He was the originator of the work, 
 called the Magdeburg Centuries^ in which a number of 
 scholars took part, and an attempt was made to 
 write the history of the Church from the evangelical 
 point of view, a work with a controversial tone, but of 
 immense learning, that inaugurated the free study of 
 church history. 
 
 In 1612, the rector of St. George's the Martyr, Canter- 
 bury, Thomas Wilson, published his Christian Dictionarie 
 which reached its eighth edition in 1678. In his short 
 " advertisement " he points out the difference between 
 his production and that of William Knight, which is a 
 " concordance ; mine is a dictionarie ; his axiomatical, 
 mine is partly verbatical, partly pragmatical." This 
 William Knight was rector of Little Grandsen, Cam-
 
 'THE DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE" 121 
 
 bridgeshire, and in 1610, published in folio form, his 
 Concordance Axiomatical, cantaining a Survey of Theolo- 
 logical Propositions, and their Reasons and Uses in Holy 
 Scripture. 
 
 From Geneva in 1650, came the work of Peirus 
 Ravanellus, in Latin, in two folio volumes. It was 
 entitled Bibliotheca Sacra, sen Thesaurus Scripturce, 
 canonical amplissimus, a work more elaborate than its 
 predecessors, and more comprehensive in its treatment 
 of biblical themes. 
 
 In 1693 appeared Le Grand Dictionnaire de la Bible 
 of Honore Richard Simon, a priest and doctor of the- 
 ology at Lyons. It was a work of two large folio 
 volumes of about 750 pages each. His aim. he describes 
 on his title-page, to set forth " the lives and doings 
 of important personages, spoken of in the Old and 
 New Testaments, and in the history of the Jews, names 
 of animals, pure and impure, precious stones, feasts 
 and solemn festivals of the Jews, etc." 
 
 A quarter of a century further on, in 1722, the year 
 in which John Brown was born, came the monumental 
 production of Augustine Calmet. It appeared in French 
 in two volumes, supplemented by other two six years 
 later. It carried on its title-page a full account of its 
 plan and purpose : Dictionnaire historique, critique, 
 chronologique, gtographique, el literal de la Bible, enrichi 
 d'un grand nombre de figures en taille-douce, qui repre- 
 sentent les Antiquitez Judaiques. The Introduction is 
 a contribution of considerable interest, referring to the 
 labours of some of his predecessors in this department 
 of study, and to a review of the writings of Scripture, 
 as dealt with by commentators up till that time. 
 Calmet was a most voluminous writer, issuing a com- 
 mentary of the Bible in twenty-three volumes, a History 
 of the Jews, and an attempt at a Universal History, 
 which reached seventeen volumes. He also produced a 
 History of Lorraine, in four volumes. He was born at 
 Mesnil-la-Horgue, near Coumercy, in 1672. He entered 
 the order of St. Benedict, filled several important eccle- 
 siastical offices, and, after a laborious career, died as 
 Abbot of Simones in 1757. His Dictionary was trans-
 
 122 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 lated into English in 1732, by Samuel D'Oyly, M.A., 
 Vicar of St. Nicholas, Rochester, and John Colson, M.A., 
 F.R.S., Vicar of Chalk in Kent. It was an abridgment 
 of the main work, and published in three large folio 
 volumes and somewhat fully illustrated. 
 
 It was in the footsteps of these men that John Brown 
 courageously followed, when in 1769, he brought out 
 his dictionary of the Scriptures in two volumes, with 
 this title (see page 123) : 
 
 The work contained a few illustrations, such as the 
 camp of the Israelites, with the Standards of the Twelve 
 Tribes, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Sphinx, and the 
 Ancient City of Jerusalem, and maps of the travels of 
 St. Paul, the countries mentioned in the New Testament, 
 and one showing the Dispersion of the Nations, and 
 one, the most curious and interesting of all, " A Map of 
 the World, agreeable to the Latest Discoveries," in which 
 the western shores of the United States are represented 
 as " British Empire," India as the " Mogul's Empire," 
 Australia as " New Holland," and the northern half of 
 Africa, as " Sarrah, or the Desert." 
 
 There was no man in Scotland so well equipped for 
 issuing a work of this nature as the minister of Hadding- 
 ton. His interests were encyclopaedic. His knowledge 
 of oriental languages, in which Calmet was markedly 
 defective, of classics, of history, of divinity, and natural 
 sciences was beyond anything possessed by any of his 
 contemporaries. He had the works, it is to be gathered 
 from his Preface, of Illyricus, Wilson, Simon, Ravenall, 
 and Calmet before him ; but he formed his own plan, 
 and pursued his own method. His articles show inde- 
 pendent treatment, and include subjects that hitherto 
 had been left untouched. His extraordinary command 
 of Scripture and his wide reading gave him an easy 
 mastery in the many subjects that a dictionary must 
 embrace. What was unhistorical was omitted ; " few 
 fancies of the Christian Fathers, or of the Jewish or 
 Mahometan writers are here inserted, as I knew not 
 how they could be of use." He courageously faced diffi- 
 culties, whether the solutions commended themselves 
 to others or not. " I have not wilfully kept back,"
 
 A 
 
 DICTIONARY 
 
 of the 
 
 HOLY BIBLE. 
 
 containing 
 
 An Historical Account of the Persons ; a Geographical and Historical 
 Account of the Places ; a Literal, Critical, and Systematical Description 
 of other OBJECTS, whether Natural, Artificial, Civil, Religious, or Military 
 
 An Explication of the appellative TERMS, mentioned 
 in the Writings of the 
 
 OLD and NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 The Whole Comprising 
 
 Whatever important is known concerning the Antiquities of the Hebrew 
 
 Nation and Church of GOD ; forming a Sacred COMMENTARY ; a Body 
 
 of Scripture HISTORY, CHRONOLOGY, and DIVINITY ; and serving in a 
 
 great Measure as a Concordance to the Bible. 
 
 By JOHN BROWN, 
 
 Minister of the Gospel at Haddington. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 
 Entered in Stationers' Hall. 
 
 Edinburgh : 
 
 Printed by JOHN GRAY and GAVIN ALSTON. 
 
 Sold at their Printing House in Jackson's Close. 
 
 MDCCLXIX
 
 124 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 he naively says in concluding his brief, modest Intro- 
 duction, " the solution of any difficulty ; but it is often 
 given, especially in historical articles, without the least 
 critical noise or parade." The fires of criticism that 
 rage so fiercely to-day had not then begun to burn 
 round the books of Scripture. The Conjecturings of 
 Jean Astruc (1684-1766), the French Professor of 
 Medicine, which struck the first spark in the ceaseless 
 inquiry as to the Elohistic and Jehovistic strata in the 
 Pentateuch, had only recently been published (1753). 
 No knowledge of them had apparently penetrated to 
 the study-table of the manse at Haddington. If they 
 had, their fire would most likely have been quickly 
 quenched by a sharp drenching from the Scriptures 
 themselves. 
 
 To produce such a Dictionary was a high adventure 
 for one to undertake, compassed round with other 
 duties ; but it was admirably executed. If popularity 
 be the standard of success, its triumph was complete. 
 Edition after edition was called for. " The author," 
 said Rev. Dr. Fletcher of London, issuing an edition 
 early in the nineteenth century, "could never have 
 anticipated the remarkable, and extensive, and estab- 
 lished countenance it has obtained from the students 
 of theology." Not only students of theology gave it 
 countenance, but it found its way into the homes of 
 the people. It " embraced both the situation of teacher 
 and taught." 
 
 Three editions were called for during the author's 
 life-time ; and he " bestowed no small pains in render- 
 ing each edition considerably more perfect than the 
 former." As to the number 1 that followed it is impos- 
 sible to say ; but few years elapsed down till 1868, 
 when a publisher did not announce a new edition of 
 Brown's Bible Dictionary, revised, corrected, and added 
 to by some editor. No less than five spurious editions 
 were published by persons anxious to propagate their 
 own peculiar tenets, containing, as his sons (John, 
 Ebenezer, and Thomas) say in issuing the fifth edition 
 
 1 In the British Museum there are ten editions of Brown's Dictionary 
 of the Bible.
 
 "THE DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE" 125 
 
 in 1807, " sentiments diametrically opposed to those 
 of the author, and replete with inconsistency and error." 
 The law of copyright held good then for fourteen years. 
 But detection led to warning and suppression. It was, 
 however, a striking testimony to the great value in 
 which the reading public held the Dictionary of the 
 minister of Haddington that it was exploited in these 
 ways. 
 
 It need not be said that a work of this kind, produced 
 in 1769, is bound to be largely superseded to-day. But 
 it was well abreast of the scholarship of that age, and 
 practically for the first time put its results in an inter- 
 esting form in the hands of the people. The whole 
 work is written with unfailing spirit, something quaint, 
 racy, and memorable glittering in almost every page. 
 The articles are very miscellaneous, containing much 
 to be found in no modern Bible Dictionary. The 
 author's keen interest in natural history shows itself in 
 his graphic description of Bible animals. His linguistic 
 gifts find full scope ; and his ample knowledge of 
 divinity and history is manifest throughout. Altogether 
 it is a work that would have made the reputation of 
 any author. While it revealed Brown's extraordinary 
 powers, it proved of immense service to biblical study, 
 and was treasured as being a source of information on 
 Bible themes, and acknowledged by not a few as being 
 in addition a means of spiritual quickening. 1 
 
 To complete the interesting bibliographical record 
 which we have traced in this chapter, leaving out 
 smaller works, we may add that it was not till 1845 
 that another ardent worker in the British field of 
 scholarship appeared, John Kitto, D.D., with his Cyclo- 
 paedia of Biblical Literature. Five years later he was 
 followed by Samuel Green, LL.D., with a Biblical and 
 Theological Dictionary ; and by Dr. John Eadie, with 
 A Dictionary of the Holy Bible for use of Young Persons. 
 Dr. Eadie, in the 1868 edition of Brown's Dictionary, 
 
 1 It was one of the familiar books of Hartley Coleridge (1796-1849). 
 " This work," says his brother Derwent, " which he possessed from 
 childhood, is enriched by a double series of notes, one of earlier, the 
 other of later composition."
 
 126 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 which was redacted by Brown's youngest son, William, 
 contributed articles on Assyria, Babylonia, Media, 
 Nineveh, Persia, Zidon, etc., in view of the discoveries 
 in these lands since the earlier editions were issued. 
 In 1860, appeared a more ambitious project, A Dic- 
 tionary of the Bible, in three volumes, edited by Dr. 
 William Smith, of classic dictionary fame. Already it 
 has become antiquated. In 1896, Dr. James Hastings 
 sketched his plan for a new dictionary of the Bible and 
 gathered around him an array of brilliant contributors 
 to assist him in issuing a work worthy of the scholar- 
 ship of the age. In 1898, the first volume appeared, to 
 be followed by three others in quick succession ; and a 
 fifth volume, containing articles of first importance 
 that overflowed from the others, and later a one-volume 
 edition. This projected work stirred up others ; and 
 step by step with Hastings' monumental production, 
 came the Encyclopaedia Biblica, edited by Professor 
 T. K. Cheyne, aided by a host of writers in the advanced 
 school of biblical criticism. The publishing firm of John 
 Murray also produced a Dictionary in one volume, of 
 which the main commendation was its illustrations. 
 Messrs. Dent, in 1910, brought out the latest standard 
 work in English under the capable editorship of William 
 Ewing, D.D., and J. E. H. Thomson, D.D., both of 
 whom, in addition -to their scholarship, had personal 
 experience of life in Palestine. In addition to these 
 must be mentioned the Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia 
 of Religious Knowledge, embracing Biblical, Historical, 
 Doctrinal and Practical Theology, and Biblical, Theo- 
 logical, and Ecclesiastical Biography, in thirteen volumes, 
 including the Index. The peril is now of the field 
 being over-tilled.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 THE PROFESSOR 
 
 17671787 
 
 WE have been anticipating. While the labours in the 
 little square room in the manse of Haddington were 
 being devoted to the Dictionary and other works, the 
 eyes of his Church were being directed to the student 
 pastor. Suddenly in 1767, a vacancy occurred in its 
 one professorship. From the first the men of the Seces- 
 sion recognised the supreme value of an educated 
 ministry. The Universities of the country, Edinburgh, 
 Glasgow, St. Andrews, and Aberdeen, trained their 
 students in a full Arts curriculum. Yet the young 
 Church did not bar the door to every one who did not 
 tread that avenue to the ministry. Brown himself was 
 a notable exception. But the exceptions only " proved 
 the rule." When, however, it came to the subjects of 
 divinity, the Church claimed its own teachers, and pro- 
 vided for the instruction of its own candidates for 
 the ministry. The arrangement at this period was for 
 one professor to undertake the work for two months in 
 the year under a curriculum extending at first over 
 four and later over five years ; and for presbyteries to 
 superintend the students' further studies in theology 
 during the other ten months. As the Church grew in 
 numbers and the number of students increased, the pro- 
 fessoriate was enlarged, and four or five professors con- 
 ducted the classes instead of one. 
 
 Since Brown sat in Glasgow at the feet of James 
 Fisher, who held office till his death in 1763, the Church 
 had had only one occupant of the chair, John Swan- 
 ston of Kinross, who was appointed in 1764. Swanston 
 
 127
 
 128 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 was a man of handsome appearance, and acknowledged 
 powers, and had the gift of enkindling a love for learn- 
 ing in his students. For only three brief sessions was 
 he permitted to serve his Church in this capacity. In 
 the summer of 1767, while at Perth, he was suddenly 
 seized with an inflammatory illness, and died ere he 
 could be removed to his home at Kinross, in the forty- 
 sixth year of his age. One of his students was the 
 young poet, Michael Bruce, who succumbed to his 
 malady only three weeks after the Professor. 
 
 His widow had troubled waters to pass through after 
 this loss, and two letters of Brown's have been pre- 
 served which he wrote to her in her period of sorrow. 
 They have the warm touch of a sympathetic heart, 
 and a delicacy of expression that unobtrusively links 
 life with its shortcomings and its sufferings, to the 
 central source of all. 
 
 To Mrs. Swanston, Kinross 
 
 " DEAR MADAM, 
 
 " Partly forgetfulness, partly want of time, has 
 occasioned my not writing till now ; but how delightful, 
 that Jesus never forgets to show kindness, never wants 
 time ! How proper He to supply the place of a husband ! 
 no breach deserves the name, if it be filled up with 
 Christ. Few women have had a larger breach made 
 on them than you ; yet there is more than enough in 
 Isaiah liv. 5, Hos. ii. 19, 20, Jer. xlix. 11, and Phil. iv. 19, 
 to fill it up. O were your heart and mind filled to the 
 brim with these ! with Christ and His redeeming love ! 
 That would sweeten all the waters of Marah to us. It 
 would make us always triumph in Christ, and make us 
 think how good and wise a God, that took a husband, 
 took children, took a brother from us, and out of our 
 heart, that God Himself might fill ALL, AND BE ALL IN 
 ALL, and leave us no room for an idol. If God dry up 
 the streams of our comfort, let us have recourse to Him, 
 the fountain of living waters. Here we, though like 
 wild asses' colts, may drink our fill ; and here let all 
 your consolation be. Into His bosom pour every com-
 
 THE PROFESSOR 129 
 
 plaint, every request. With Him talk on your solitary 
 case, of Him ask counsel in every perplexity. Lay 
 the great burden of the education of the children on Him. 
 " This in haste, wishing the Lord Jesus may support 
 you under your present load, and make what no doubt 
 you reckon a heavy affliction work for you and yours 
 a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. My 
 wife joins in compliments to you and children. 
 
 " Yours affectionately, 
 
 " JOHN BROWN. 
 
 " HADDINOTON, 
 
 " April 18th, 1768. 
 
 " P.S. I am glad to see you have a son that is likely 
 to have so much of his father, and I hope he will be a 
 comfort to you. However, let your great comfort be 
 placed in God. All created comforts may soon turn 
 crosses, but Jesus will never turn a cross. O essay to 
 suck comfort out of His fulness and His promises. 
 J. B." 
 
 Seventeen months later another bereavement befell 
 her, and again his busy pen brought her the tender 
 sympathy of a loyal friend. 
 
 " DEAR MADAM, 
 
 " I would desire to sympathise with you in your 
 late, and I may say mournful repetition of a former 
 trial. God, I see, is trysting you with death after death, 
 to wean your affections from all creatures to Himself. 
 Not long ago you had, as it were, one on every hand 
 of you, betwixt you and death ; now you, as it were, 
 stand alone, without either parent or husband. The 
 only safe course now, and I hope the Lord determines 
 your heart to take it, is to press near and keep near 
 the Lord Jesus to supply all wants, that when parents, 
 husband, and all have forsaken you, He may take you 
 up. I beseech you, try to support a sinking heart with 
 that, ' The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock, and let 
 the God of my salvation be exalted ' ; and, ' Fear not, I 
 am with thee ; be not dismayed, I am thy God.' Promises 
 are sweet morsels at any time, but especially in a day of 
 9
 
 130 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 trouble. The more credit you give God with respect 
 to His promises, the better it will fare with you and 
 your seed. None perish that trust in Him. Let, there- 
 fore the motto of your life be, Looking unto Jesus for 
 all you can need. With Him it is more blessed to give 
 than to receive. Though indeed avoiding of proper 
 company is wrong in one that is oppressed with grief, 
 yet there is no companion for a broken heart like Jesus 
 Christ. May your soul now use Him in place of parents 
 and husband, and as your all and in all ; for the small 
 remains of children you retain, however agreeable, are 
 but vanity and vexation of spirit, in comparison with 
 Him. This in haste from yours affectionately, 
 
 " JOHN BROWN. 
 
 " HADDINGTON, 
 
 " September 18th, 1769." 
 
 The question of a successor to Swanston in the pro- 
 fessorship of the Church was eagerly canvassed. But 
 only one man in the Church seemed deserving of the 
 honour John Brown of Haddington. He might have 
 been placed in the chair on receiving licence, such was 
 his mastery of Scripture tongues, and the vast amount 
 of varied erudition he had even then acquired. But 
 the intervening years had immensely added to his stock 
 of knowledge, and he was forging his way bravely toward 
 the height of his ambition, to become " a universal 
 scholar," a height he was later sorrowfully to confess 
 receded the higher he ascended. The specialising age 
 was then on the distant horizon ; it was the age of 
 pluralists ; and a " pluralist " in learning the young 
 Church had in its widely informed minister of Hadding- 
 ton a man to whom the Scriptures in their original 
 tongues were as familiar as his own, and theology a well- 
 tilled field, and church history a well-known story. 
 
 He was requested by the Synod to do duty for the 
 Session of 1767, as there was scarcely time to make a 
 formal appointment. In the following year, at the 
 meeting of the Synod in May, the regular official at the 
 clerk's table, Andrew Cock of Greenock, asked to be 
 relieved of duty as a case was impending in which he
 
 THE PROFESSOR 131 
 
 was one of the principal parties, and Brown was chosen 
 to act as his substitute. When the subject of the 
 appointment of the Professor of Divinity was reached, 
 three Johns were " put on the leet for said office " 
 John Smith of Dunfermline, John Brown of Hadding- 
 ton, and John Belfrage of Falkirk, all strong, capable 
 men. But, as the record runs, " the roll being called 
 and votes marked, it was carried unanimously for Mr. 
 Brown." l The post to which he was appointed with 
 such acclamation he held with universal confidence for 
 twenty years, to the day of his death. 
 
 The students always assembled where, for the time 
 being, the Professor was located. The two months in 
 which they met were August and September. To Had- 
 dington accordingly the young men gathered in these 
 autumn days, meeting in the Professor's church. 
 
 If Haddington were " the dimmest, deadest spot in 
 the Creator's universe . . . the very air one breathed 
 impregnated with stupidity," * as Jane Welsh Carlyle 
 depicted it a few decades later, it would be enlivened 
 by the incursion of this youthful band of students. 
 Lying in a hollow, at the foot of the southern slopes of 
 the Garleton Hills, it enjoys an air of repose. Pleasant 
 walks for the students abounded, and places to stir the 
 historic imagination. The old church, with its massive 
 central tower, spoke of a thrilling past. To the east 
 were Stenton, Whittinghame, and Hailes Castle, where 
 the ill-starred Mary, Queen of Scots, took temporary 
 refuge with her third husband, after spending the night 
 at Bothwell House, Haddington. Not far off to the 
 south-west was the ancient fortalice of Lethington, once 
 the home of the astute Maitland, the adviser and Secre- 
 tary of Queen Mary, with its " Political's Walk." To 
 the west, in the richly wooded fertile valley, was Saltoun, 
 once the seat of Andrew Fletcher, the famous Scottish 
 patriot, who died a little more than half a century before 
 (1716), and who left the oft-quoted saying, " that he 
 believed if a man were permitted to make the ballads, 
 he need not care who should make the laws, of a nation." 
 
 1 Minutes of the Associate Synod, vol. iv. p. 1581. 
 
 2 Early Letters of Jane Welsh Carlyle, edited by David G. Ritchie, M. A.
 
 132 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 From the heights of the Garleton Hills extensive views 
 could be obtained of the rich agricultural lands of East 
 Lothian, and with the heights breaking the horizon of 
 Traprain Law, the Bass Rock, North Berwick Law, 
 and Arthur's Seat, couching like a lion watching over 
 the metropolis, and the Lammermuirs in the south, and 
 the Firth of Forth in the north, and beyond the blue 
 hills of Fife. Haddington, therefore, was a centre that 
 had much to interest and delight the student. 
 
 During the period of his professorship, Brown had 
 about thirty students each year in attendance. They 
 were, of course, at different stages in study ; but he 
 adapted his work to cover the whole course deemed 
 essential for their equipment. The presence of these 
 young men was a fresh stimulus to the eager learner. 
 It evoked the best he had to impart, and provided him 
 with the opportunity of reaping a harvest in the various 
 fields which he so assiduously cultivated. He enter- 
 tained a high ideal of the work to which these students 
 were called, and was fired with a glowing passion to 
 inspire them to attain. 
 
 The session was a brief but crowded one. The Pro- 
 fessor met with his students every morning at ten o'clock. 
 Punctual to the minute, he was in his chair, and all 
 required to be in their places. The same punctuality 
 did not attend the closing hour it might be eleven, 
 or twelve, or even one o'clock and after, ere they 
 separated ; the work mapped out for the morning had 
 to be completed. On four days in the week Monday, 
 Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday they assembled in 
 the afternoon to hear students' sermons and lectures. 
 A first-year student had a discourse to give, the text 
 of which was assigned him on the opening day of the 
 Hall, and which had to be delivered ere the brief session 
 closed ; the second-year student had to deliver a lecture 
 on a portion of Scripture, and an exercise with additions 
 (a passage in Hebrew, with its meaning and message) 
 from the Old Testament; the third, fourth, and fifth 
 years' students had apportioned them three discourses 
 each a lecture, a thesis, and a popular sermon. Out- 
 siders were free to attend the afternoon sessions, when
 
 THE PROFESSOR 133 
 
 these sermons or lectures were delivered. The students 
 were at liberty to criticise each other's productions a 
 privilege of which they freely availed themselves, the 
 Professor meanwhile guarding the gates of honour, 
 and himself closing with his criticism. 1 It required 
 tact and firmness, kindliness and sympathy to manage 
 this part of the curriculum. And it is recorded as a 
 proof of the geniality which was infused into his strict 
 management of the Hall, that more of Brown's students 
 regularly stood forth as critics than under any former 
 Professor. On Wednesday afternoons the students met 
 by themselves for debate and discussion. On Saturdays 
 they assembled with the Professor for prayer. In the 
 evenings a session was usually held, when lectures 
 were delivered on Church History. About 160 hours 
 per session were thus crowded in. 
 
 For the more efficient study of Hebrew, the Pro- 
 fessor prepared a short grammar and vocabulary of his 
 own. In Divinity he struck out a path for himself, and 
 discarded what was generally taught in the theological 
 classes of Scotland at the time, the Medulla of the 
 Dutch theologian, Marckius, or the Institutes of the 
 Genevan Professor, Turretin. He produced a System 
 of his own, which he eventually published in 1782. 
 In Church History he mapped out no less a field than 
 one covering the whole course of the Church, from the 
 birth of Christ to his own day, and its conquests in 
 various lands. Lectures on Practical Training were 
 also delivered, bearing on style, delivery, conduct as 
 a pastor, and on examples worthy of imitation. 
 
 From time to time, especially when " the System of 
 Christian doctrine " was under consideration, there 
 would spring from his glowing heart an impassioned 
 soliloquy, suggested by the theme that was being dis- 
 cussed. This culminated in the closing address of the 
 session, when men were leaving the student life proper 
 and commencing the ministerial career. He was anxious 
 to guard against the peril of divorcing theology from 
 religion, of separating the speculative from the practical 
 side of the faith. The danger was by no means an un- 
 
 1 C7/, J. L. Poton, John Brown Paton, a Biography, pp. 98 ff. (1914).
 
 134 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 real one, and has often been painfully felt. But if any 
 were disposed to disjoin the dogmatic from the homiletic 
 among Brown's students, his searching queries, delivered 
 with marked intensity of feeling, could not but startle 
 them out of their danger. One student l has preserved 
 notes of one of these appeals, which were made on this 
 fateful day. 
 
 " Thinking this morning on your departure, two 
 passages of Scripture came to my mind, and you would 
 do well to take them into your serious consideration. 
 ' Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a 
 devil ? ' One may be called to special service, may 
 fill a public station in the Church, may be a preacher, 
 may go abroad into the world and address people on 
 things of deep and everlasting importance, and yet be 
 a devil ; may be under the power of Satan, in a state 
 of enmity against God, may be a traitor at heart, and 
 act the part of an open traitor at last, may betray the 
 Master he professed to serve, and come to shame and 
 disgrace. Jesus knows all things ; 4 He searches the 
 heart, and tries the reins of the children of men ' ; what 
 state you are in, what are the reigning principles in 
 your breasts, what are the motives you are influenced 
 by, and what the ends you have in view, whether you 
 are indeed what you profess and what your outward 
 appearance would indicate all is known to Him. To 
 commend a Saviour one has no love for ; to preach a 
 Gospel one does not believe ; to point out the way to 
 heaven, and never to have taken one step that way ; 
 to enforce a saving acquaintance with religion and to 
 be an entire stranger to it oneself, how sad, how pre- 
 posterous ! Tremble O my soul, at the thought, still more 
 at the thing ! Better follow the meanest occupation, 
 than enter into the holy ministry solely or chiefly to 
 serve some secular, some selfish design. While I would 
 be far from setting limits to the divine sovereignty, I 
 am afraid it but seldom happens that a person is 
 converted after he has become a preacher. Was 
 
 1 Rev. David Carruthers, South Queensferry, John MacFarlane, 
 LL.D., The Life and Times of George Lawson, D.D., p. 351.
 
 THE PROFESSOR 135 
 
 there a Judas, a devil among the twelve ? what if there 
 should be one for every twelve among you ? * Lord, is 
 it I ? is it I ? is it I ? ' 
 
 " The other passage comes more closely home, and is 
 still more alarming. ' And five of them were wise and 
 five were foolish.' It is one half of the number here 
 present that are wise, that are truly serious, prudent, 
 and thoughtful, and wise unto salvation, that are 
 savingly instructed in the mysteries of salvation, in the 
 mysteries of the kingdom, in whom Christ is found, 
 and in whose hearts He dwells by faith, who have felt 
 His Gospel to be the power of God, and the wisdom of 
 God, who have taken Him for their only Lord and 
 King, and have given themselves unto Him. Are there 
 so many of an opposite character, foolish, mere nominal 
 Christians, in the same state in which you were born ; 
 who, whatever light you may have in your heads, have 
 no saving grace in your hearts ? And is the Bridegroom 
 coming ? will He come quickly, come at the hour that 
 ye think not ? And shall they that are ready enter in 
 and the door be shut, and you stand without and cry 
 for admittance, but cry in vain ? How dreadful the 
 thought, how fearful the issue ! I would be far, very 
 far, from judging uncharitably of you ; but I know 
 the deceitfulness of the human heart. Surely they who 
 propose to undertake an office, the design of which is to 
 win souls, had need to be convinced, deeply convinced, 
 about their own souls." 1 
 
 These addresses, spoken with deep feeling at the 
 close of the Session, culminated in a powerful and 
 searching allocution, which was delivered in 1782, and 
 which has been many times reprinted. Brown was 
 then in his sixtieth year, and the vision of the end was 
 breaking upon him ; " when I am gradually slipping into 
 the eternal state " were his own words. He took the 
 consciences of his students to bear him witness that 
 " my principal concern was to impress your minds with 
 the great things of God." There is an intense spiri- 
 tuality and a consecrated earnestness visible in every 
 
 1 Waugh, Memoir, op cit., pp. 48-50.
 
 136 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 sentence and paragraph of the address, while, for direct- 
 ness of speech and conscientious fervour of appeal, it 
 is not inferior to that masterpiece of Pastoral Theology, 
 The Reformed Pastor of Richard Baxter. Real 
 Christians and real Christianity, he pleads for, and with 
 tremendous passion the reverse he depicts in words 
 that scorch with lightning fire. The ideal of the 
 ministry and the work of the ministry are set forth in 
 language that loses none of its point by being expressed 
 in the apt, telling words of Scripture ; and the perils 
 and temptations that beset the ministerial career are 
 outlined under searching interrogatories, that, piled the 
 one upon the other, startle and arouse. The message 
 which the minister should deliver is expressed in a few 
 massive, comprehensive sentences, clinched with Scrip- 
 ture. The duties are cogently summed up ; and, in the 
 event of conflicts arising, a warning is sounded out of 
 the mistakes in past controversies. He frankly tells 
 his students, in regard to those which brought his own 
 Church into being : 
 
 " I look upon the Secession as indeed the cause of God, 
 but sorely mismanaged and dishonoured by myself 
 and others. Alas ! for that pride, passion, selfishness, 
 and unconcern for the glory of Christ, and spiritual 
 edification of souls, which has so often prevailed. Alas ! 
 for our want of due meekness, gentleness, holy zeal, 
 self-denial, hearty grief for sin, compassion to souls 
 in immediate connection with us, or left in the Estab- 
 lished Church, which become distinguished witnesses 
 for Christ. Alas ! that we did not chiefly strive to 
 pray better, preach better, and live better than our 
 neighbours." 
 
 On a tender note the great address closes, dwelling on 
 the encouragements and rich rewards in such service, 
 and concludes with a touching personal testimony. 
 
 " Believe this on the testimony of God Himself; 
 believe it on the testimony of all His faithful servants ; 
 and, if mine were of any avail, I should add it, that there
 
 THE PROFESSOR 137 
 
 is no Master so kind as Christ, no service so pleasant 
 and profitable as that of Christ, and no reward so full, 
 satisfying, and permanent as that of Christ. Let us, 
 therefore, begin all things from Christ ; carry on all 
 things with and through Christ ; and let all things aim 
 at, and end, in Christ. ' Christ is all in all.' " 1 
 
 We can well understand the universal testimony 
 borne by his students that the most profound silence 
 reigned while he thus addressed them, some of whom 
 would not return, their feet being now at the entrance 
 to their life task. Such addresses delivered, with his 
 characteristic energy, fervour, and solemnity, moved 
 many of them to tears, and left a profound and an 
 abiding impression. 
 
 His grandson, Professor John Brown, D.D., of Edin- 
 burgh, holding an office in the Secession and the United 
 Presbyterian Church of his day, like his own, but with 
 three colleagues to assist, reproduced the address of his 
 sainted predecessor frequently and issued large editions 
 of it. 
 
 But it must not be thought that the human element 
 did not play a lively part in the Institution of Hadding- 
 ton. The Professor had a humour glinting in his soul 
 and flashing from his eye that charmed his students. 
 His learning and zeal, and manifest, heart-whole interest 
 in them won their esteem and confidence. For the 
 testimony they bear is, " He was among them as a father 
 among his children ; he loved them and studied their 
 good ; and they loved him, and regarded his counsel. 
 No time of the year was so pleasant either to the Pro- 
 fessor or the students, as the two months of their attend- 
 ance at the Divinity Hall." * 
 
 So we read in the life of Dr. Alexander Waugh of 
 
 1 His successor, Dr. G. Lawson, Selkirk, on one occasion, instead of 
 giving a " Valedictory," read " a few passages out of his venerable 
 predecessor's address. He took up the book and began to read. So 
 affecting, however, were the ideas that he could not proceed. The 
 tears flowed down his cheeks. The students caught the infection, and 
 the Hall, for the nonce, became a Bochim." (Life of Lawaon, op. cit., 
 p. 351.) 
 
 2 Waugh's Memoir, op. cit., p. 48.
 
 138 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 London, one of the founders of the London Missionary 
 Society. Yet Waugh himself came under his lash. He 
 entered the Divinity Hall fresh from Edinburgh Univer- 
 sity, and still under the spell of that philosophical master, 
 Samuel Fergusson. Brown assigned him a text on which 
 to prepare a sermon, Romans viii. 2. Here was a chance 
 for a philosophic flight, of which, like a young student, 
 he availed himself. The Professor listened patiently 
 to his discourse, to the end ; and, after the students had 
 passed their criticism, he brushed the whole production 
 aside with a withering sentence and a flash of his dark, 
 kindling eye. " I hope I shall never hear such a dis- 
 course again in this place." It so shook the young 
 brilliant student that it well-nigh pitched him out of 
 the ministerial career altogether. A friend wisely 
 counselled Waugh as to the folly of such procedure. 
 The cloud passed, Professor and student recognised 
 each other's character and aims ; and no stronger bond 
 of friendship existed between teacher and taught than 
 between these two. Gently did the Professor lead 
 the sensitive and aspiring student into his confidence. 
 On one occasion he recognised he must speak to him 
 as to some delinquency. He did not summon him before 
 the class, " to meet with me at the end of the hour." 
 He said he wished to meet with the students from the 
 border district (Waugh was from Kelso). When 
 they assembled, " Oh ! " he said, " Sandy Waugh will 
 do," and dismissed the others. 
 
 The Professor carried his supervision further than 
 the studies of his students. When he saw apparent 
 cause, he deliberately inquired into their financial 
 circumstances, and, though his own finances were not 
 abundant, he assisted those who through poverty 
 would have been unable to continue all the session. 1 
 
 Their general conduct he considered it necessary also 
 to superintend. He was, we have seen, a firm believer 
 in the virtues of early rising. A succession of students 
 
 1 Lauchlan MacLean Watt, Scottish Life and Poetry, p. 339, speaks 
 of them as " poor struggling students of a poor Church." They were 
 far from this description ; moat of them were sons of those in com- 
 fortable positions. A few came from homes where the shoe pinched ; 
 but their poverty was no dishonour.
 
 THE PROFESSOR 139 
 
 he was wont to visit at their lodgings between the hours 
 of six and eight in the morning. 1 He was not con- 
 cerned about the lateness of the hour of retiring, 
 believing that the candle could not burn at both ends, 
 and early to rise implied early to bed. The houses in 
 which the students lodged were mostly those of members 
 of his own congregation, so that he had practically free 
 access to their rooms. Not a few were startled out of 
 their slumbers by a loud and peremptory challenge, 
 that was occasionally helped by a poke from the 
 pastoral staff. On looking up they saw the grave Pro- 
 fessor, who sternly rebuked them forthwith as sluggards. 
 But the student brain was quick to devise devices against 
 such unexpected professorial visits. Plans were arranged 
 with the landlady to apprise the slumberer, when she 
 heard the approach of the Professor's step. She was to 
 burst the door suddenly open ; and immediately the 
 student leapt to the floor, dropped into a chair, and 
 pored over a divinity tome, lying conveniently open. 
 The Professor, when he beheld the figure in undress so 
 assiduously studying, complimented him on his devotion 
 to his work, but cautioned him against the peril of 
 sitting in his night garments in the early morning. 
 Sometimes the signal was too late in being recognised, 
 and the slumberer would slip out of his bed-clothes, 
 and underneath the bed ; and was comforted by hear- 
 the retreating Professor say to the landlady, " Ah, he's 
 up, good lad, and out for an early walk." * 
 
 At other times than in the early morning, he was 
 wont to drop in upon his students. One day he entered 
 a room where a number were assembled. A hot dis- 
 cussion was absorbing their attention, and every tongue 
 was asserting itself. Amid the din, the knock unheard, 
 the door was opened and the Professor stood on the 
 threshold. " Gentlemen," he said, with a merry twinkle 
 in his eye, "the Spectator says never more than six 
 
 1 Does the practice still continue ? " The Principal had been round 
 to some of the lodgings ; the first thing he did was to thrust his 
 walking-stick up the chimney to see if it was stuffed with newspapers. 
 ' I won't have my men working in poisoned air,' he said." John Brown 
 Paton, op. cit., p. 95. Nottingham College. 
 
 3 Rev. P. Landreth, The United Presbyterian Divinity Hall, p. 173.
 
 140 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 should speak at once." Silence fell in a moment ; but 
 the roguish laughter of the Professor restored good- 
 humour among the too ardent disputants. 
 
 He was quick in seizing a situation and summing it 
 up in a few snell words. A youth called on him, express- 
 ing his desire to become a preacher of the Gospel. He 
 rapidly sized him up, as strong in conceit and weak in 
 intellect, and advised him to continue at his present 
 occupation. " But I wish to preach and glorify God," 
 the youth protested. " My young friend," replied the 
 Professor, " a man may glorify God making broom 
 besoms ; stick to your trade, and glorify God by your 
 walk and conversation." 
 
 Among his students was George Lawson, of Selkirk, 
 the Scottish " Socrates," as Carlyle called him. Lawson, 
 who hailed from Hallmyre, West Linton, Peeblesshire, 
 was gifted with extraordinary powers of memory. He 
 came to Haddington one session without his Hebrew 
 Bible, which was too bulky to be packed. Several long 
 passages had been prescribed to be read that year. 
 Lawson not only read them, but stored them in his 
 memory, and left the ponderous tomes behind. When 
 called to read in the class, the Professor observed that 
 he had no Bible in his hand, and requested an explana- 
 tion. " I could not conveniently bring my Hebrew 
 Bible," he said, " but I do not require one. I have 
 committed it all to memory and can repeat it all." With 
 his memory ran his humour, which brought a kindly 
 retort from his Professor, who had high appreciation of 
 his talents. On one occasion Brown left the room for a 
 few minutes ; Lawson mounted the Professor's chair, and 
 commenced to address the students in the professorial 
 tone. On returning, the Professor, hearing ominous 
 sounds from within, listened for a few moments at the 
 door, till the voice ceased. On taking the chair again, 
 he very good-naturedly remarked, to the delight of the 
 astounded class, " I perceive I have already got a suc- 
 cessor." As a matter of fact, Lawson did succeed him 
 in the professorship, and, in honour of his remarkable 
 gifts, was the first in the Secession ministry to receive 
 the degree of D.D. from a Scottish University (Aber-
 
 THE PROFESSOR 141 
 
 deen). This caused great searchings of heart among 
 the obscurantists of the time. 
 
 Another of his students was Dr. James Husband of 
 Dunfermline. When at the Hall he called upon the 
 Professor as he was setting out for Gifford, a few miles 
 from Haddington, in order to clear up some perplexity 
 regarding the doctrines of grace, on which that week 
 Brown had been lecturing. " Come awa' wi' me, and 
 I'll expound that ; but when I'm speaking, look you 
 after my feet." They passed through the town, and 
 on to a rough bit of common. The eager, full-minded 
 man was in the midst of the unfolding of the divine 
 scheme, and his student was intensely drinking in his 
 words, but forgetting his part of the bargain. Suddenly 
 his master stumbled and fell. On getting up he some- 
 what sharply said, " James, the grace of God can do 
 much ; but it cannot gi'e a man common sense," which 
 is as good theology as sense, says his great-grandson in 
 relating the story. 
 
 Among the early students of his professoriate was 
 the Professor's eldest son, John, who was settled ulti- 
 mately at Whitburn. He was followed three years 
 later by his brother Ebenezer, who received the appoint- 
 ment to the church at Inverkeithing. The elder brother 
 was staid and sober, the younger full of animal spirits 
 in those early days, and his bright, twinkling eyes were 
 usually on the outlook for the amusing and unexpected, 
 though in after-years he became one of Scotland's 
 greatest preachers, admired of Lord Brougham and 
 Lord Jeffrey. But now the gay vivacity and flash of 
 youth throbbed in his soul. 
 
 In the afternoons, as has been stated, it was cus- 
 tomary to hear the students' discourses in the church. 
 It occurred to young Ebenezer that, as tremblingly 
 man after man took his stand for twenty minutes or 
 so in the boxed-in pulpit, he might there hide himself 
 and enjoy helping the preacher in his anxious task. 
 He selected the afternoon on which his brother was to 
 preach. When John had commenced his sermon, he 
 was seen to be much agitated. Occasionally he turned 
 round and appeared to be remonstrating with somebody
 
 142 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 beneath the pulpit seat. The Professor took in the 
 situation at once, and a stern " Come down, sir," 
 brought Ebenezer out of his lurking-place where he had 
 secreted himself that he might " jag " his brother's 
 legs with a pin while he was holding forth. 
 
 A human atmosphere was redolent of the Hall, and 
 its varied experiences were a treasured memory. The 
 foundations of a ministerial career were carefully and 
 prayerfully laid ; and a stimulus was imparted to build 
 the edifice with a joyous enthusiasm. Throughout the 
 work of the sessions there breathed a kindliness and a 
 sympathy with young minds that after-years more 
 clearly revealed. It made Haddington a green spot 
 in the retrospect of memory, and the Professor a friend 
 in whose eyes lethargy and indifference were a heinous 
 sin, and loyalty to the Cross, love to the Master, 
 and devotion to His cause a first and a consuming 
 passion.
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE PROFESSOR AND HIS STUDENTS 
 
 17681787 
 
 ABOUT one hundred and eighty students in all passed 
 through the Theological Institution of Haddington. 1 
 Though in the five years which their training demanded, 
 it was only ten months that really were spent under 
 the immediate supervision of the Professor, the period 
 left its deep impress upon them. A few turned out 
 failures, and a few succumbed, like Michael Bruce, to 
 the maladies that decimate our youth ; but the vast 
 majority entered the ministry, some going as mission- 
 aries to the New World, then opening its wonders to the 
 nations of Europe. Not a few reached high distinction 
 in the Church, and became leaders in the religious life 
 and activities of the country. " A giant himself," says 
 Dr. MacFarlane,* " Brown gave birth to giants. The 
 piety, learning, and soundness in the faith, for which 
 the Haddington students were justly esteemed, greatly 
 contributed to the influence and usefulness of the 
 young Secession." 
 
 Besides those already referred to, Dr. George Lawson 
 of Selkirk, Dr. James Husband of Dunfermline, and Dr. 
 Alexander Waugh of London, there were men of the 
 stamp of David Greig of Lochgelly, Fife, strong as a 
 theologian, and spoken of in his day and long after as 
 " Greig, the Divine," the presiding Moderator at the 
 union of the two branches of the Secession in 1820 ; 
 Dr. James Hall of Cumnock and first minister of 
 
 1 William Mackelvie, D.D., Annala and Statistics of the United Presby- 
 terian Church, pp. 665-8. 
 
 2 Life and Times of George Lawson, D.D., op. cit., p. 272. 
 
 143
 
 144 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 Broughton Place Church, Edinburgh, one of the fore- 
 most champions in the Old Light controversy ; Dr. 
 Robert Jack of Greenock, and afterwards of Manchester, 
 noted for his remarkable pulpit gifts, and invariably 
 described as " silver-tongued " ; Dr. John Dick, of 
 Slateford, and afterwards of Greyfriars Church, Glasgow, 
 first Professor of the United Secession Church, whose 
 lectures in Theology had a wide reputation ; Dr. 
 John Smart of Stirling, a successor of Ebenezer Erskine, 
 a commanding figure in the midlands of Scotland ; 
 Dr. William Kidston of Kennoway, Fife, and first 
 minister of Sydney Place Church, Glasgow, widely 
 known for his varied services, a Clerk of Synod, and 
 Moderator at the union of the Secession and Relief 
 Churches in 1847 ; Dr. John Jamieson of Scone, Perth- 
 shire, spared to serve his congregation and Church for 
 sixty-two years, a man of high attainment and broad 
 outlook ; Dr. James Peddie of Bristo Church, Edin- 
 burgh, who spoke of his Professor as that " venerable 
 man whom may skill part from my right hand if I ever 
 forget, a man to whose learning and piety, and inde- 
 fatigable diligence the Secession entrusted the care of 
 training her young men for the ministry ; and to whose 
 instruction, counsels, and prayers I ascribe, under God, 
 much of what little usefulness I may have attained 
 during a long period of ministration in the Church." 
 
 The list might be easily increased ; but two others 
 may be mentioned. One was Andrew Swanston, a 
 son of Brown's predecessor. His remarkably brilliant 
 powers were overshadowed by a conscience of extreme 
 sensitiveness. He was greatly beloved and held in 
 highest esteem by all who knew him. Dr. Peddie 
 acknowledged that it was Andrew Swanston who gave 
 him an idea of what an exposition should be. But the 
 Secession Church, which his father adorned, had defects 
 that cost it his allegiance. Other denominations he 
 tried, one after another, but they all failed to reach 
 his standard. When he died, his old Professor said, 
 " Well, Andrew has got a Church now that will please 
 him ! " Another of his men was William Skirving, 
 one of the political martyrs of the age. After a few
 
 THE PROFESSOR AND HIS STUDENTS 145 
 
 sessions at the Hall, he turned aside to the pursuit of 
 farming on his estate of Strathruddrie in Fife. He was 
 author of a work on agriculture, and became a candidate 
 for the Professorship of Agriculture in the University 
 of Edinburgh. He joined the " British Convention," 
 or " The General Association of the Friends of the 
 People," a society whose aim was to secure greater 
 political freedom, but which, under the Dundas " des- 
 potism," was repressed with a ruthless hand. He 
 was appointed secretary to the movement, but for his 
 active propaganda he was condemned in 1794 to 
 transportation for fourteen years. While undergoing 
 this sentence, he died of dysentery at Botany Bay. 1 
 His name is inscribed on the monument 2 to the " Poli- 
 tical Martyrs," in the Calton burying-ground, Edinburgh. 
 
 It was an unvarying habit of the Professor to follow 
 his students with a kindly letter when they began their 
 ministerial career. He had individual knowledge of 
 them, and could lay his finger on their weakness and on 
 their strength. Their master's greeting was welcome, 
 because it was personal and sincere. Sometimes when 
 there were competing calls, and the Supreme Court of 
 the Church despatched them to one sphere, while they 
 had strong preference for another, the sense of justice 
 was offended. Sometimes the task in front of them 
 filled them with dismay, before which they were dis- 
 posed to shrink. The Professor had a word in season 
 for each. 
 
 To Alexander Waugh, his keenly intellectual student, 
 hesitating to proceed to " licence " by his Presbytery, 
 he addressed a letter affectionate but faithful. When 
 a student had completed all the studies preparatory to 
 the ministry, his next duty was to obtain licence to 
 preach from the Presbytery within whose bounds he 
 resided. Waugh dreaded taking this step. He was 
 
 1 Narrative of the Sufferings of T. F. Palmer and W. Skirving during 
 a voyage to New South Wales, by Palmer. 
 
 2 Along with four others, Thomas Muir, Thomas Fyshe Palmer, 
 Maurice Margarot, and Joseph Gerrald. On the base of the monument 
 is inscribed a sentence from Skirving' s speech in the Court of Justiciary, 
 January 7th, 1794: "I know what has been done these two days will 
 be re judged." 
 
 10
 
 146 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 slow in composition, doubted his ability to produce 
 sermons acceptable or profitable, and was afraid his lot 
 might be that of a " stickit minister." In addition, the 
 responsibilities of the office seemed to weigh heavily 
 upon him. Thus he drifted into great uneasiness and 
 perplexity. Friends tendered affectionate counsels of 
 encouragement. There came a letter * from the warm 
 heart at Haddington, a letter that breathed of that 
 tender interest and faithful freedom so characteristic 
 of its author in his intercourse with his students. 
 
 " To Alexander Waugh 
 
 " The hint I heard concerning Mr. Blackball * vexed 
 me. I have written to him, and I hope he will be up 
 at the Presbytery. I beg you will have all your trials 
 ready. Cast your burdens on the Lord ; but beware 
 of any attempt to slight what in Providence you are 
 called to, otherwise the Lord may avenge it on you while 
 you live. God makes our strength as our days are. 
 Cast all your care on Him. I am far from thinking it a 
 token that a man is not called, that he, when it comes 
 near to the point, is terrified. Christ got forty days of 
 sad temptation, before He was licensed to preach the 
 Gospel (Matt. iv.). But if we will sit God's time, the 
 consequences are apt to be dangerous. My advice to you 
 is, to make a solemn surrender of yourself to God, 
 before coming to the Presbytery. I hope the Lord has 
 let some of the wind out of you, that I thought was in 
 you when first I knew you. Beg of Him to fill its room 
 with Himself and His grace, 
 
 " Yours affectionately, 
 
 " JOHN BROWN. 
 
 " HADDINGTOBT, 
 
 " February 13th, 1779." 
 
 1 Hay and Belfrage, op. cit., p. 75. 
 
 2 John Blackball, a fellow student of Waugh' s, from Selkirk ; called 
 to School Wynd Church, Dundee, which he refused to accept because 
 there seemed to be some fatality that hung over the lives of its ministers : 
 afterwards to Berwick (now Wallace Green, where Principal Cairns 
 ministered, 1845-1876); ordained, January 5th, 1782; laboured for 
 thirty-one years; died March 5th, 1813.
 
 Waugh, happily for the Church, was amenable to 
 the advice of his Professor and friends, and soon justi- 
 fied their decision by proving an able and acceptable 
 preacher. In a short time he was called to minister to 
 a newly formed congregation in Newton St. Boswells, 
 that is to-day an important centre on the railway system 
 of the Border counties, but was then a struggling village. 
 It was hardly worthy of his talents it only numbered 
 some thirty members ; and it seemed like wasting his 
 sweetness on the desert air to minister to such a handful. 
 But a letter l from his watchful and faithful Professor 
 placed matters in a different light, and enabled him to see 
 larger possibilities than he imagined in so small a sphere. 
 
 " I know the vanity of your heart," wrote the Pro- 
 fessor, " and that you will feel mortified that your 
 congregation is very small in comparison with those of 
 your brethren around you ; but assure yourself, on the 
 word of an old man, that when you come to give an 
 account of them to the Lord Christ, at His judgment- 
 seat, you will think you have had enough." The 
 appeal of the brief letter to the sensitive and diffident 
 preacher sank deep into his susceptible mind ; and he 
 accepted the charge. He was only privileged to labour 
 in it for two years, when, after three successive calls, he 
 responded to the invitation to go to Wells Street, now 
 Oxendon Church, London ; and often in his crowded 
 ministry in the metropolis he recalled gratefully the 
 sharp reminder of his Professor concerning the heayy 
 responsibility of fulfilling his trust. 
 
 This instance of affectionate interest in the young 
 men that left the Divinity Hall at Haddington, withal 
 so frank and candid, was typical of his dealings with 
 them. Brown possessed the happy gift of blending the 
 dignity of the teacher with the affection of the friend ; 
 and he was repaid with the treasured homage of attach- 
 ment and esteem. 
 
 In the course of a few years he issued a series of letters 
 
 on Gospel Preaching, and on Behaviour of Ministers, 
 
 which, when he delivered their substance at the Hall, 
 
 he was wont to cause his students to transcribe. The 
 
 1 Hay and Belfrage, op. cit., p. 91.
 
 148 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 letters on Gospel Preaching number six ; they express 
 the characteristic thought of the time, but are direct, 
 concise, and vigorous, pressing home the individual aspect 
 of salvation. In the first, he dwells on the peril of 
 presenting the Gospel without any definite and distinct 
 message ; it is possible to preach " a multitude of the 
 precious truths of Christ, without ever preaching the 
 Gospel of Christ," and then he follows with examples. 
 In the second he shows, in brief compass, what is needed 
 to " hold forth Christ as God's free gift" and our all 
 and in all. The third carries him to an earnest appeal 
 for a personal experience of the truths declared, that 
 thereby the whole message may be rightly communicated, 
 every truth in its order, for " the misplacing of a single 
 truth, like the misplacement of a single wheel in a clock, 
 may derange the whole sermon." The next letter is an 
 exhortation to show the two sides of the shield in 
 preaching, not dwelling always, or even long, on such 
 cutting, alarming subjects, as man's sin and suffering 
 in consequence, and to make certain that the Gospel 
 is " held forth in its suitableness, amiableness, and love, 
 in order to encourage, captivate, melt, and draw the 
 sinner's heart." The fifth letter leads him to an earnest 
 appeal to see that first things come first in the great 
 news ; and the last exhibits, in nine brief paragraphs, 
 what union with Christ, the very essence of the Gospel, 
 implies. 
 
 But the Haddington Professor was not oblivious to 
 the social side of the work his men had to do. He was 
 equally solicitous that, along with sound preaching, there 
 should be exemplary living. He was deeply conscious 
 of the unspeakable harm done to religion through lower- 
 ing the standard of life required of those in the ministry, 
 and as convinced of the immense service rendered to 
 the cause by lives that sparkled in the sunshine, wher- 
 ever cast. He reminded his students, therefore, of the 
 necessity of "Exemplary Behaviour" on their part in 
 a series of ten letters. They are epistles that bathe 
 the reader in the white light of noonday, and are starred 
 with Scripture citations, and this N.B. : " It is earnestly 
 requested of the Reader of these Letters, that he will,
 
 THE PROFESSOR AND HIS STUDENTS 149 
 
 as he proceeds, turn up and muse on the passages of Scrip- 
 ture cited in them, as the means of shedding light on the 
 reasoning, and of imparting divine force to the exhor- 
 tations contained in them." 
 
 In the first, he directs attention to the preacher's call, 
 and to his personal character, which must be above 
 suspicion, whatever eloquence or eminence in learning 
 may be his. In the second, he cautions him not to envy 
 the fame or success of others, to avoid contentions, to 
 restrain all tendencies to anger, and to " shun every 
 appearance of, or approach to, intemperance in eating 
 and drinking, and all temptation thereto." In the next, 
 he turns to the Christian graces that ought to be culti- 
 vated, and to the claims and obligations of the home, in 
 the choice of a helpmeet, the education of the children, 
 and the attitude toward servants in respect to their 
 " proper work and wages and careful instruction." The 
 fourth Letter portrays the becoming conduct in relation 
 to those outside, " mankind in general." Replete with 
 judicious hints, it urges, among other things, that 
 " prudence is necessary in guarding against the advances 
 of designing men, who hypocritically pretend to esteem 
 and love you ; in avoiding the unbridled rage of enemies ; 
 in attending not only to that which is lawful, but also to 
 that which is expedient ; in keeping within the limits 
 of your station, while you are endeavouring to extirpate 
 evil, and promote what is good ; in never correcting 
 evils by that which will prove as hurtful, or more so ; 
 in studying to suppress the fame of your good deeds, 
 if it be likely that it will be perverted to a bad use ; 
 and in never meddling with, or even inquiring into, those 
 things which do not concern you." The succeeding letter 
 is an inculcation of the duty of maintaining habits of 
 study, with special emphasis on the value of an intimate 
 acquaintance with the " oracles of God, especially in their 
 original languages, which, to the public disgrace of even 
 Protestant Churches, are but too little known," from 
 which he passes to the spirit of dependence, and devotion 
 in ministerial work, and the relation of such workers to 
 their hearers an affectionate interest, a tender sym- 
 pathy, and a broad tolerance with them. This leads in
 
 150 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 the sixth letter to the manner and method of preaching, 
 in which he utters a warning to " avoid everything 
 which tends to darken or disgrace your discourses ; 
 or which tends to provoke or prejudice any of your 
 hearers ; such as a hurried, indistinct, or drawling pro- 
 nunciation, awkward gestures, wild or tedious wander- 
 ings from the subject, curious and useless questions," 
 followed by suggestions on visiting and catechising. 
 In the next three letters, he directs attention to the 
 different classes of hearers, and the message that is 
 suitable to their peculiar needs. While commending 
 fidelity, he at the same time urges sympathy with them 
 in their varied and peculiar circumstances, so as to win 
 them for the kingdom. The last letter is devoted to 
 the spirit in which the sacraments of the Church are 
 to be observed ; and to the dignity and responsibilities 
 of the office which a minister of the Gospel has to fill. 
 
 Wide and valuable are the suggestions made through- 
 out these letters, not one sentence of which is without 
 a biblical reference. They reveal keen sympathy with 
 the perils and temptations that beset the ministerial 
 office, and provide a stimulus to the hearty discharge of 
 the duties it imposes. The glowing heart behind them 
 is as manifest as their saneness and sagacity. They 
 are a compendium of pastoral theology as complete as 
 many of the elaborate treatises on the subject which 
 later times have produced, while none of these equal 
 them in the wealth of Scripture that is employed to 
 substantiate every statement made.
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 THE HOME AT HADDINGTON 
 
 17711773 
 
 THE home at Haddington was brightened by the presence 
 of the Divinity students, assembling for their two 
 months of arduous training. But the presiding genius 
 was not long spared to give welcome to the successive 
 bands of young men. Mrs. Brown had only seen her 
 husband honoured with the Professorship of his Church 
 for three years when she was called away. Often had 
 the angel of death visited her roof during the years of 
 her married life, and had borne away six of her children 
 in their infancy. Only two were left John, the elder, 
 born in 1754, and Ebenezer, born in 1758. John 
 entered the University of Edinburgh at an early age, 
 as was common in those days. Like a youth, he was 
 sometimes forgetful of his home obligations ; and the 
 following motherly letter shows the watchful, generous, 
 anxious heart, careful of all that concerns her boy : 
 
 " Mrs. Brown to her Son 
 
 " DEAR JOHNY, 
 
 " I received yours this day by Mrs. Lowney. I 
 was wearying very much to hear from you. Your 
 father and I were in full expectation to have heard 
 from you last week, and, when no word came, we were 
 somewhat uneasy. I think you have only written to 
 us once since you went last from us. You should never 
 let two weeks pass without writing us. We are all 
 pretty well. Be sure to send out your foull (soiled) 
 clothes this week. And I suppose you will be needing 
 
 151
 
 152 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 money : write us, and not straiten yourself ; only do 
 not buy books foolishly that you have no need of. ... 
 Little Janey Hunter died of the small-pox yesterday. 
 We have great need to improve the present moments 
 we enjoy for eternity ; we know not how few they may 
 be. Dear Johny, youth is a precious time, lett it not 
 slip without being concerned that Christ be yours 
 and you be His. 
 
 " Yours affectly, 
 
 " JANET BROWN. 
 
 " HADDINGTON, 
 
 "February 14th, 1771." 
 
 On May 10th, 1771, Mrs. Brown passed to her rest, 
 at the age of thirty-eight, and was buried at Haddington. 
 
 Speaking of her death, the bereaved pastor said : " I 
 confidently trust she went to her first and best husband." 
 He wrote to an old friend regarding his loss, expressing 
 himself somewhat severely, as was characteristic of the 
 period, on his own shortcomings in view of the passage 
 of time and its missed opportunities. 
 
 " I am the old man still, sinning over the belly of 
 troubles, convictions, and everything else. Only God 
 can tell how inconsistent my sermons and inward life 
 before God are ; and yet, after all, I cannot say He is 
 ' a barren wilderness or land of drought.' Even yester- 
 day He seemed to smile, and enable my soul to say, 
 Amen, to the last clause of Zech. xiii. 9. In short, my 
 life is and has been a kind of almost perpetual strife 
 between God and my soul. He strives to overcome 
 my enmity and wickedness with His mercies, and I 
 strive to overcome His mercy with my enmity and 
 wickedness. Astonishingly kind on His side, but worse 
 than diabolically wicked on mine ! After all, I wish 
 and hope that He, not I, may obtain the victory at 
 last. Time not allowing me to enlarge, I conclude 
 requesting your earnest prayers for me, and my con- 
 gregation and students. One thing galls me with 
 respect to my departed consort : that I did so little for 
 the furtherance of her spiritual comfort and eternal
 
 THE HOME AT HADDINGTON 153 
 
 salvation, and profited so little by her. Take heed, 
 you and J , and play not the fool as I did." 
 
 But though shadowed days fell on the Manse house- 
 hold from time to time, the two boys were lively in their 
 moods, and were in the heart of many a frolic. William 
 Black, in his Daughter of Heth, has woven one of their 
 youthful escapades into his delightful story. It is the 
 incident where the Whaup, catching hold of his staid 
 younger brother, depends him over a small bridge with 
 his head a short distance from the water, and, swinging 
 him by the feet, demands that he should say a " sweer," 
 before he is released from his peril. " Deevil," he 
 ejaculated, as his head touched the ripples of water, 
 and then was liberated. But it was the younger 
 brother, Ebenezer, who was the ringleading culprit, 
 and who caught the sober John, and held him over a 
 low bridge on the Tyne that meanders through Had- 
 dington. John sturdily refused to say the " sweer " 
 Black puts into the mouth of Wattie, but was allowed 
 by his tormentor to compound it by saying " doggont," 
 a minced oath of the time. 
 
 Ebenezer kept the times merry, and was heedless of 
 the consequences of his pranks. On a sacramental 
 occasion at Haddington, a meat pie had been prepared 
 for dinner in the manse. There was a gathering of 
 ministers, and the services were long for a hungry boy. 
 Ebenezer obtained his chance, and carefully removed 
 the crust of the pie, and abstracted the meat. He as 
 carefully filled the pie-dish with grass, and replaced 
 the crust. When the party gathered round the fes- 
 tive board, and the crust was broken, to the amaze- 
 ment of the host and his friends, the green herb 
 appeared, with a card on which was inscribed, " All 
 flesh is grass." 
 
 In the garden behind the manse, well stocked with 
 its fruit-trees, there was a jargonelle pear-tree whose 
 produce the master strictly guarded. The apples, 
 pears, gooseberries, and other fruit might be taken at 
 liberty ; but the Professor considered this as his 
 specialty, and prohibition was laid on its luscious fruit.
 
 154 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 This scarcely coincided with Ebenezer's idea of the fit- 
 ness of things. He saw the last of the tempting pears 
 in the late autumn ; and, throwing a sop to Cerberus, 
 he donned the parental boots and captured the prize. 
 The pears were missed, but the footprints of the culprit 
 were distinctly visible. Suspicion fell on Ebenezer, and 
 his boots were tried in vain. " Suppose we try your 
 boots, father," suggested Ebenezer. They were tried 
 and fitted exactly. " How did you know, Eben, my 
 boots would fit ? " at once queried the parent with a 
 significant lifting of the eyebrows. 
 
 But Ebenezer had his thoughtful moments ; and the 
 death of his mother profoundly touched him. He 
 was then little more than twelve years of age, and with 
 this sad event his mind sought the deeper channels. 
 Not long after his mother was laid to rest, he was 
 prostrated with fever. His father tenderly nursed him. 
 As he sat by his bedside one day reading a newspaper, 
 the youth turned his eager eyes upon him and startled 
 him by saying, " Father, you are reading the account 
 of my death." " No, my man, you are not dead." 
 " Oh, yes, I am, but in the papers it does not give my 
 name ; it only says, * A Young Man.' ' From the fever 
 he rose a new man, 1 not sombre or austere, but with 
 life tingling with higher things. 
 
 In the year 1771, with its sad memories, there began 
 an active correspondence between the pastor at Had- 
 dington and the Countess of Huntingdon, a corre- 
 spondence about which the Professor, in his modesty, 
 never spoke to any one in his life-time. Selina Hastings, 
 Countess of Huntingdon,* was one of the most remark- 
 able women in England of the eighteenth century. 
 Born in 1707, daughter of the ancient and honourable 
 house of Shirley, married to the Earl of Huntingdon, 
 
 1 Compare with this a passage in John Woolman's Journal. " In a 
 time of sickness with the pleurisy, I was brought near to the gates 
 of death. ... I heard a soft melodious voice. ... I believed it was the 
 voice of an angel. . . . The words were, John Woolman is dead. . . . The 
 mystery was opened ; and I perceived there was joy in heaven over 
 a sinner who had repented ; and that that language (John Woolman 
 is dead) meant no more than the death of my own will." 
 
 2 The Life and Times of Selina, the Countess of Huntingdon, by a 
 member of the Houses of Shirley and Hastings. Two vols., 1839-40.
 
 THE HOME AT HADDINGTON 155 
 
 she evinced from her earliest years an interest in spiritual 
 things, and throughout her long life (she died in 1795) 
 her heart glowed with a passion for the spiritual uplift 
 of her country. She lost her husband in 1746, but, 
 possessed of considerable means, she launched it forth 
 with a lavish hand to further the work of Whitefield 
 and Wesley. Claiming the privileges of a peer, or 
 rather peeress, she employed chaplains of her own, 
 who had access at first to many Church of England 
 pulpits. To equip men of the right stamp for the 
 ministry, she founded a college at Trevecca, in Merioneth- 
 shire, in 1768, over which the saintly Fletcher of 
 Madeley for a time presided. From it went forth a 
 constant stream of men fired with a holy zeal to preach 
 the Gospel. Many of them were admitted into the 
 Church of England ministry, but by and by the Bishops 
 resented their admission, as they were wandering 
 preachers, and barred the door against them. Very 
 unwillingly, but of necessity, the Countess consented to 
 her students being ordained by men in her connexion, 
 as it was called, who had episcopal ordination. This 
 led to exclusion from the Church of England ; and thus 
 the community which her efforts gathered came to lead 
 a separate existence. To-day it is practically absorbed 
 in the Congregational Church of England. 
 
 The early years of the college at Trevecca 1 had its 
 difficulties in obtaining men of evangelic spirit, and 
 the necessary learning to teach the youths who came 
 up with untutored minds, but with fervent, Christ- 
 filled hearts, to prepare for the ministry. The Countess 
 was anxious also about the doctrines taught to the 
 rising youth. The old controversy between faith and 
 works began to show its ugly teeth in the rising tide of 
 evangelic fervour. The Wesleys took a strong stand 
 for " works " ; the Countess and her supporters, like 
 Toplady and Whitefield, championed the supremacy of 
 
 1 Trevecca was given up for Cheshunt, a few miles from London, 
 shortly after the Countess's death ; and quite recently, in 1905, the 
 college was transferred to Cambridge to breathe more freely of the 
 academic air that pervades that ancient home of learning. It forms 
 one of the twelve colleges of the Congregational Church, its President 
 being (1914), Rev. Campbell Morgan, D.D.
 
 156 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 " faith." The disputants were not so far apart ; but the 
 rage of words began, and the smoke of battle obscured 
 their positions The men of the Secession held a far-off 
 second in the strength of their language toward each 
 other, when the unhappy breach occurred over the 
 burgess oath, compared with the slashing fury of the 
 Calvinists and Arminians in their conflicts of 1770 and 
 onwards. But the combatants have left the stage long 
 ago ; their rash words remain as a warning of the 
 injury good men may do to a cause they fondly 
 cherish. Really the one party was having regard 
 mainly to the roots, and the other to the fruits of the 
 great redemptive truth. John Wesley and the Coun- 
 tess parted at this crisis, although one aim animated 
 both, and directed and inspired all their energies, to 
 win the nation and the world to a living faith. John 
 Wesley at the time was preparing to conduct the second 
 anniversary of the new college; but the controversy, 
 though then in its infancy, blocked the way. Already 
 had the Countess determined on her course, and with 
 that course the Haddington Professor was in fullest 
 sympathy. 
 
 By the works he had issued, and especially by his 
 Bible Dictionary, Brown's name was being carried far 
 beyond his own denomination. The views he had 
 enunciated in the latter on the burning questions of 
 the hour were clear and concise ; and his work proved 
 an armoury for weapons in the controversy. His 
 opinions commended themselves to the Countess ; and 
 she was desirous to know at greater length his mind 
 on the great subject of justification by faith. This led 
 to a series of articles from his pen on the doctrine, which 
 appeared from time to time in the Gospel Magazine and 
 Theological Miscellany, between the years of 1770 and 
 1776. Most of the letters that passed between the 
 Countess and the Professor have been lost, but one or 
 two have been preserved. In the following, the writer 
 gets away from the commonplaces of life and into the 
 higher regions, where he expresses himself with a fulness 
 that is amazing.
 
 THE HOME AT HADDINGTON 157 
 
 "To the Countess of Huntingdon 
 
 " MADAM, 
 
 " In consequence of a message from the Rev. 
 Mr. Shirley * I have, so far as the late death of a dear 
 consort, and penury of time permitted, thrown together 
 a few thoughts upon the doctrine of justification through 
 Jesus' blood, that great foundation of all our holiness 
 and comfort, and transmitted them to your care. But, 
 since the High and Lofty One that inhabits eternity 
 appears to have singled you out as one of the not many 
 that are called ; has espoused you to his Son, and 
 rendered you an eternal, a distinguished debtor to the 
 exceeding riches of His grace, and a zealous contender 
 for the leading points once delivered to the saints, 
 might not I, an unknown and inconsiderable friend of 
 the Bridegroom, for your encouragement, speak a word 
 in His behalf ? 
 
 " Truly, Noble Lady, let your life have Christ for its 
 all and in all (Philip, i. 21). Let it be a looking to 
 Christ, a coming to Christ, a receiving out of Christ's 
 fulness, a resting on, and rejoicing in Christ ; and, in 
 fine, a worshipping and serving of the Lord Christ. 
 Amidst all the temptations of a high life, let your 
 meditation on Him be sweet. When you awake, may 
 you still be with Him ! 
 
 " What are all the dignities, the glories of creation, 
 in respect of Him, the brightness of His Father's glory, 
 the King, the God of glory ? O ! sweet to us ! the 
 man, God's fellow ! the Word made flesh ! God bone 
 of our bone, and flesh of our flesh ! Our Brother born 
 for adversity 1 Our Friend that sticketh closer than a 
 brother ! Immanuel, God with us 1 Our Mediator 
 between God and us ! Thrice blessed, thrice wondrous, 
 and effectual means of reconcilement ! Blessed surety 
 
 1 Walter Shirley (1725-86), fourth son of the Hon. Laurence 
 Shirley, and first cousin to the Countess of Huntingdon, rector of 
 Loughrea, Co. Galway. He was in full sympathy with the Countess 
 in her work, and sided with her in the above controversy. He adhered 
 to the English Church to the end. He was the author of some hymns. 
 His portrait hangs in the library of Cheshunt College, Cambridge, 
 in the founding of which college at Trevecca he took an active part.
 
 158 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 of the better testament, that undertook and paid our 
 infinite debt, till God could take no more ! Powerful 
 Redeemer, that takes us a prey from the mighty, and 
 delivers us, the lawful captives ! Blessed Prophet, to 
 whom God hath given the tongue of the learned to 
 speak words in season to our weary souls, and whose 
 words are spirit and life, and like new wine that goes 
 down sweetly they cause our dull and dumb hearts to 
 sing ! Great High-Priest of things to come, that loved 
 us and gave Himself for us ! All-prevailing Advocate 
 with the Father, that welcomes us, with all our per- 
 plexed cases, and desperate-like cases ! Our Prince of 
 Peace, to command deliverance for us, subdue our 
 mighty lusts, defend and support us against every 
 foe! 
 
 " Behold, Madam, what the Son of God, in our 
 nature, is to you ! Your Shepherd to support you 
 against want, to lead you beside the still waters of His 
 everlasting love, His redeeming blood, His new-covenant 
 promise, to restore your soul again, and make you walk 
 in the paths of righteousness, for His name's sake. 
 Your Father that has begotten you to a lively hope, 
 to be an heir of God, a joint-heir with Christ ; your 
 divine Husband that rejoices over you with singing, and 
 rests in His love ; your boast, your bliss, your rock, 
 your refuge, your comforter and comfort ; in fine, your 
 God and your all. Methinks your ravished heart cries 
 out, ' Is the Son of God so much to me, and, ah ! do I 
 regard Him so little ? Has He so little room in my 
 heart ? and am I of so little use, so little service to 
 Him?' 
 
 " Think again. Did the eternal God pass by lofty 
 angels, pass by millions of men, pass by multitudes of 
 my fellow-nobles, and think of me, no better than the 
 worst ? engage for me ? obey the rigid law, and bear 
 infinite wrath for me ? rise and ascend for me ? pour 
 forth unceasing prayers for me ? send His word to heal 
 me ? and, at last, in a pang of almighty love, break in, 
 notwithstanding all that the world from around, hell 
 from beneath, inexpressible guilt and raging corruptions 
 from within, could do to oppose Him, and fix His eternal
 
 THE HOME AT HADDINGTON 159 
 
 residence in that hidden hell, my heart ? O day of 
 power, indeed, in which He made me, so outrageous 
 an enemy, willing to be what He pleased ; when my 
 haughtiness was brought down, when all the unnumbered 
 idols of my heart were tumbled headlong, and the Lord 
 alone was exalted ! O time of love, when Jesus came 
 to me in my blood, and said to me, Live ; when my soul 
 was courted with the words, the sighs, the bloody tears, 
 dying groans, of an incarnate God ! How my heart 
 burned within me while He talked with me, and opened 
 the Scriptures ! when He rehearsed, in the manner of 
 the Godhead, the story of His everlasting love to me ! 
 when He showed me His pierced hands, His wounded 
 side, His melted heart ! How was my soul then all 
 captivated, all inflamed with His love ! If I love not 
 the Lord Jesus let me be anathema maranatha. Blessed 
 day of espousals, when He betrothed me to Himself in 
 righteousness and in judgment, and in loving-kindness 
 and in mercies ; yea, even betrothed me to Him in 
 faithfulness, and made me know the Lord ! when He 
 made stupid, obstinate, and unreasonable me, to reason 
 together with Him, till He washed me in His blood, 
 clothed me in His righteousness, made my scarlet, my 
 crimson transgressions white as wool and snow ! when 
 He testified against me, I am God, even thy God, and, 
 with overpowering evidence, made my careless and un- 
 believing heart cry out, Amen, so be it, Lord, my Lord 
 and my God ! when He put to me the everlasting cove- 
 nant, well ordered in all things and sure, which is all 
 my salvation and all my desire ! when Christ was effec- 
 tually made of God to me wisdom, righteousness, sancti- 
 fication, and redemption ! Birthday, indeed, when it 
 pleased God to reveal His Son in me 1 when Christ was 
 formed in my heart ! when I was made God's workman- 
 ship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works ! when 
 He that sat on the throne made all things new ! 
 
 " Think, further, what is in reserve for you a going 
 to God, your exceeding joy ; an eternal, an immediate 
 vision and fellowship with the Three-one God, as your 
 all in all ; a sitting with Christ on His throne ; a being 
 for ever with the Lord ; a being for ever like Him by
 
 160 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 seeing Him as He is, and knowing Him even as we are 
 known. Ah ! puny joys of earth, when compared with 
 the rivers, the oceans, the fulness of joy that is at His 
 right hand. But whence spring these living waters ? 
 Not from works, lest any man should boast, but from 
 the free, the abundant, the exceeding abundant grace 
 of God. What is their price ? Not human works, but 
 the works, the blood, the death of God ! 
 
 " Once more, think what is my charter of rights to 
 this inheritance of grace, of glory, of salvation, of God 
 Himself ? It is the new covenant, the New Testament 
 in Christ's blood. How much more firm than all thy 
 claims on the estate of Huntingdon ! O blessed charter, 
 planned by God, written by God, confirmed by His 
 oath, and ratified by His blood ! May I pore much on 
 it ! May His word be found of me, and I eat it, and it 
 be to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart ! May I 
 esteem the words of His mouth more than my neces- 
 sary food ! When He has so framed His promises that 
 I cannot but see my own shameful name sinner, 
 rebellious, stout-hearted, and far from righteousness 
 marked in them : and, when He so points His blessings 
 to my case, and urges them on my soul, that I cannot 
 shift them, without blasphemous reproaches of God, 
 as a liar, a perjured person, without desperate fighting 
 against His grace : What am I, that I should withstand 
 God ? Lord, I believe ; help Thou mine unbelief. 
 
 " May your life be the life of faith on the Son of God, 
 Who loved you and gave Himself for you. May God 
 enable you to adorn your station, not only with the 
 reality of religion, but with a liveliness in it, successful 
 in winning many to Christ, as your accounts at Jesus' 
 tribunal cannot fail to be very extensive and important. 
 May He Himself enable you so to act in all your ways 
 that you may give them in with joy, and not with grief. 
 Thus wishing the choicest blessings of time and eternity 
 to you and family, I am, Madam, 
 
 " Your most humble servant, 
 
 " JOHN BROWN. 
 
 " HADDINQTON, 
 
 " July 25th, 1771."
 
 THE HOME AT HADDINGTON 161 
 
 The heart-to-heart intimacy of correspondence between 
 the Professor and the Countess encouraged and strength- 
 ened the latter in the course she pursued at that critical 
 period, when brought into sharp conflict on matters 
 of doctrine with friends whose labours she prized. She 
 acknowledged the value of his services. It is manifest 
 that it was his teaching on the subjects of justifica- 
 tion and other cognate doctrines that was taught at 
 Trevecca ; later on we shall see how his whole lectures 
 on theology were asked for, and used at this seminary. 
 Brown thus shared in giving the impress to the work 
 of this college, that has sent forth so many young men 
 into England and to the colonies and the foreign field 
 with the stewardship of a vision there caught of the 
 rich fulness of Gospel truth and the great opportunities 
 in a Gospel ministry. 
 
 The Professor came into contact with others upon 
 whom he left an abiding mark. In 1772, 1 he had a 
 chance interview with Robert Fergusson, Edinburgh's 
 youthful poet, Burns's " master," that has occasioned 
 a good deal of controversy. Brown was passing through 
 the churchyard of Haddington, when he came across 
 the poet in one of his dark moods. He hailed the youth, 
 then only in his twenty-second year, but with a repu- 
 tation already established of being in poetic succession 
 to Allan Ramsay, through the verses which he had 
 been contributing weekly for the past two years to 
 Ruddiman's Weekly Magazine. Fate had dealt out 
 hard lines to the author of " Auld Reekie," and the 
 " Farmer's Ingle." Born in a dingy house in the Gap 
 and Feather close in Edinburgh, educated at the High 
 School there, and, through a Fergusson scholarship, at 
 Dundee Grammar School, and St. Andrews University, 
 he had turned aside from the clerical life, to which he 
 was destined, to a clerkship in the Commissary office 
 in Edinburgh. His poetical effusions, vivacious, pun- 
 gent, and arresting, especially when he clung to his 
 native Doric, drew around him a convivial crew. They 
 led him into excesses that soon told upon his none 
 too robust constitution. Friendly voices besought him 
 
 1 A. B. Grosart, Robert Fergusson, p. 124. 
 11
 
 162 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 to be careful of the perils thronging his path. But 
 the vision of the pinched home and the toiling mother 
 rose before him ; and, covering his face with his hands, 
 he would sob and say, " Oh, sirs, anything to forget 
 my poor mother, and those aching fingers ! " Yet withal, 
 regular as the Tron Kirk bell he would be seen rounding 
 the corner to proceed to what Charles Lamb called 
 " the daily drudgery of the desk's dead wood." A 
 county parliamentary election in which he was taking 
 part exposed him to the keen winds and the violent 
 excesses that usually accompany such contests ; and 
 the reaction took the form of a brooding melancholy. 
 Shortly after this he was in Haddington, where the 
 Professor happened upon him. They entered into 
 conversation, and Brown tendered him counsel that 
 awoke the spiritual fires, for which the youth was grate : 
 ful. He did not pester him with his " damnatory 
 creed," as Stevenson crudely assumes, 1 nor terrify him 
 with Calvinist doctrines, as some of his biographers* 
 have alleged. The Professor, though ever on serious 
 purpose bent, had too much geniality and kindliness 
 in his nature, and quickness to understand and sympa- 
 thise with sensitive minds thus to worry him. But he 
 opened his eyes to the spiritual side of life to which the 
 poet was keenly alive, and regretted so largely ignoring ; 
 and Fergusson went back to Edinburgh with a blither 
 and braver heart. Unhappily, his boon companions 
 lured him again, in his own pathetic phrase, to " the 
 baneful pleasures of the time," with " their delusive 
 mirth," and the melancholy returned. Insanity began 
 to dim the brilliant brain. Two months before the end, 
 he stumbled at the top of a stair in a friend's house, 
 and fell to the bottom. Concussion of the brain fol- 
 lowed, which by no means helped his malady ; and in 
 a public madhouse, the brief tragic life ended on Octo- 
 ber 16th, 1774, two years after Brown's interview with 
 him. 
 
 In the beginning of the year 1773, John Brown brought 
 a second mother to his desolate home, in Violet Croumbie, 
 
 1 R. L. Stevenson, Edinburgh : Picturesque Notes. 
 a Fergusaon's Poems, with Life, 1807, p. 56.
 
 THE HOME AT HADDINGTON 163 
 
 daughter of William Croumbie, merchant in Stenton, a 
 townlet a few miles from Haddington. In one of his 
 famous letters on the Exemplary Behaviour of Ministers, 
 he offers some shrewd advice to his students, or to any 
 one, on the choice of a wife. He urges much circum- 
 spection and gracious direction from God as " neces- 
 sary in the choice of a pious, prudent, active, frugal, 
 kind, and affable wife, who may be an help and orna- 
 ment to you and your family ; not an hurt, hindrance, 
 reproach, and grief." Such was the happy selection 
 he made himself. Violet Croumbie was noted for being 
 frugal and industrious, clear-headed and clever, a 
 superior, and even a remarkable woman, and one who 
 had the charm of a stored and cultured mind. She 
 was evidently as devoted to books as her husband. 
 She would have immensely gratified Jane Austen, who 
 was vehement in her contention that women should 
 read ; but her grandson, Dr. Samuel Brown, was rather 
 dubious of this excellent trait in his progenitor, for he 
 records, " She was especially voracious of books, a 
 thing not to be commended perhaps ; and literally read 
 the libraries dry." 
 
 The Croumbies of Stenton were a noteworthy family. 
 They had for generations supplied the travelling dealers 
 of the district with their miscellaneous wares. These 
 travellers went all over the south of Scotland, and into 
 the northern counties of England. Though the Croum- 
 bies did not mount the pack themselves, they belonged 
 to the Chapmen Guild, which in those days was an 
 influential body, with its centre in East Lothian. They 
 met annually in general assembly at Preston Tower, 
 elected their king and his lords depute, and made laws 
 for their realm of trade. One of the Croumbies was a 
 lord of this estate. With the changed conditions of 
 trade, the Guild 1 was dissolved ; and the Croumbies 
 began to make Haddington, the more populous com- 
 munity, their centre. 
 
 John Croumbie, a brother of Mrs. Brown, was the 
 first to come to Haddington, a man of high integrity, 
 
 1 The Bannatyne Club rescued the cross and its appendages, and 
 the ink-bottle, cast in stone.
 
 164 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 open-handedness, and devout spirit. He had it in his 
 mind to purchase the birthplace of John Knox, and give 
 it to the community, which Thomas Carlyle did at a 
 later date ; but he deemed the money might be more 
 profitably devoted to religious purposes. He had a 
 remarkable escape in the course of his business career. 
 He stored gunpowder in a cellar beneath his shop. 
 One summer evening, as he sat at the shop window over 
 his ledger, an apprentice went down to the cellar with a 
 lighted candle. A spark from the spluttering light fell 
 on the exposed barrel. Immediately a terrific explo- 
 sion occurred. The lad was killed instantaneously ; 
 his master was shot into the air, and carried up the 
 street about thirty yards, where he was deposited among 
 the debris without a scratch. It was a never-to-be- 
 forgotten experience. The good man, while he lived, 
 scrupulously observed its anniversary, shutting himself 
 within his bedchamber the whole day long, pouring out 
 his thanksgivings for his preservation. He firmly 
 declined the amount for which he was insured, as he 
 could not forgive himself for his gross carelessness in 
 giving the charge of the cellar with such combustibles 
 to an inexperienced youth. The Insurance Company 
 acknowledged such unheard-of delicacy of conscience 
 by the presentation of plate, which is still in the pos- 
 session of the Brown family. 1 
 
 On January 19th, 1773, John Brown and Violet 
 Croumbie were married. On the day after the wedding, 
 a friend of the bride's, daughter of one of the elders 
 of the congregation, called at the manse with her con- 
 gratulations. She was informed that it was not a 
 day for receiving the day was being spent in fasting 
 and prayer. 
 
 In this home it was not unusual for its master to 
 observe days of fasting and thanksgiving with his family. 
 As circumstances seemed to call for it, he gathered his 
 household together for this purpose. Prayer was to 
 him the very necessity, and at the same time the delight, 
 of his life. He frequently set apart a morning for 
 
 1 Miss Rachel Brown, a great-granddaughter, Mount Hope, Bridge 
 of Allan, possesses it.
 
 THE HOME AT HADDINGTON 165 
 
 extraordinary devotions. Often he appeared to engage 
 in pious ejaculations. When, in the last months of 
 his life, he began to reveal the hidden depths from 
 which he drew his strength, he pointed out to his sons 
 various places in the field behind his house where he 
 often stood and mused, till " the fire burned."
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE CHURCH HISTORIAN 
 
 17731784 
 
 THE mind of this master of Divinity had frequently 
 been traversing the long, winding road in which the 
 Church worked out and applied its great principles. 
 He was keenly alive to the value of history, and was 
 specially concerned at this time with the need for 
 prominence being given to the history of the Christian 
 Church. He was jealous of her honour, and anxious 
 that her record should not escape attention. He 
 brought his eager and inquiring mind to survey the 
 vast field, and orientate its leading features. 
 
 As it happened, never were there so many historians 
 in Scotland, busily educating the public, as during the 
 later half of the eighteenth century. The literary bent 
 of Scotsmen now largely turned into this channel. David 
 Hume published his History of the Stuarts in 1754, and 
 completed his whole History of England, from the Roman 
 period downwards, in 1762. William Robertson, Princi- 
 pal of Edinburgh University, was gathering fame among 
 the learned by the issue of his History of Scotland in 
 1758-9, to be followed by histories of the reign of the 
 Emperor Charles V, and of America and of his Vieiv of 
 the State of Europe. Adam Fergusson published his 
 History of the Roman Republic in 1782, a work that 
 Carlyle recommended in his famous Edinburgh Rec- 
 torial Address as " particularly well worth reading." 
 William Tytler of Woodhouselee produced his defence 
 of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1759, vindicating her from 
 the charges brought by Robertson and Hume, by which 
 he so angered the latter portly historian that thence- 
 
 166
 
 THE CHURCH HISTORIAN 167 
 
 forth he could not bear his presence. Lord Hailes 
 began the output of his Histories in 1762, and continued 
 issuing, till 1777, volumes of his Annals of Scottish 
 history, beginning with the accession of Malcolm Can- 
 more. " Dry, deplorably dry," they are acknowledged 
 to be, but contain an amount of matter-of-fact history 
 of great value. The Principal of St. Andrews Univer- 
 sity, Robert Watson (1730-81), like his brother Prin- 
 cipal of Edinburgh, was also a student of history, and 
 like him also a clergyman, and issued a History of Philip 
 II of Spain in 1777, which enjoyed great temporary 
 popularity, and was translated into French, German, 
 and Dutch, and which gained for its author the ap- 
 probation of the arch-critic of the day, Dr. Samuel 
 Johnson, 1 
 
 The activity on the part of churchmen in the field of 
 secular history seemed to Brown to be an unworthy 
 and unfair neglect of their own special domain. The 
 Church, with its epoch-marking episodes, and its epoch- 
 making men, afforded ample scope for the historian's 
 gifts, and its rich and thrilling story was not too well 
 known. He concludes his preface to his History of 
 the British Churches with an expression of regret at the 
 ignoring of this department of research by those so 
 well qualified to investigate it. " It is not, perhaps, 
 to the clerical honour, that so many of them labour in 
 civil histories, while that of the Church of Christ is so 
 much neglected." 
 
 For himself, with his usual encyclopaedic survey, no 
 limited section of the Church's labours, and no single 
 period could suffice. He must trace its course from 
 earliest times, and its progress in every country, with 
 special fulness from the period when liberation from the 
 thrall of Romanism enabled the Church to raise the 
 flag of civil and religious freedom. Accordingly he 
 plans out a History that shall " first, comprehend a 
 
 1 The Principal he was Professor then entertained Johnson at 
 St. Andrews when on his tour to the Hebrides, in 1773, when one of 
 the guests was the great-granddaughter of Archbishop Sharp. " I 
 take great delight in him," was Johnson's remark afterwards to 
 Boswell, who describes him as " a well-informed man, of very amiable 
 manners,"
 
 168 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 general view of transactions relating to the Church, 
 from the birth of our Saviour, till this present time ; 
 second, contain more fully the histories of the Reformed 
 British churches, in England, Scotland, Ireland, and 
 America : third, comprehend the histories of the 
 Waldenses, and of the Protestant Churches of Switzer- 
 land, France, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, 
 Poland, and Hungary." He had even a larger vision, 
 that captivated his imagination, the history of the 
 world from the birth of time. But Nature's time limit 
 narrowed his execution to the first two projects, with 
 the addition of a History of the Waldenses. When, in 
 1784, he issued his History of the British Churches, he 
 had regretfully to acknowledge that the two volumes 
 more, in which he hoped to record the history of the 
 Continental Churches, had to be abandoned. " Want 
 of access to many necessary vouchers, together with 
 the increasing infirmities of old age, oblige me to drop 
 the design." 
 
 The besetting difficulty of church historians is the 
 impartial setting out of the plain facts without prejudice. 
 The dominant figures cast their spell on the writers ; 
 and their actions in the cold light of the past are por- 
 trayed either with the glow of noontide or the gloom 
 of night upon them. Brown was fully conscious of this 
 peril. His wide reading broadened his vision, and his 
 mental equipment enabled him to seize the salient 
 features of a period, and delineate them succinctly and 
 clearly. But he was aware of the pitfalls by the way, 
 and resolved, if possible, to avoid them. 
 
 " I have aimed at impartiality in my narrative, but 
 dare not pretend that I have attained this rare his- 
 torical excellency. That I might not be tempted to 
 impose my own convictions instead of facts, I have 
 seldom dipt into the secret springs of men's actions, or 
 made reflections on them. Freedoms of this kind too 
 often render histories little better than well-written 
 romances." 
 
 In 1777, he issued his General History of the Christian
 
 THE CHURCH HISTORIAN 169 
 
 Church, in two volumes. He terms it " A succinct 
 Account of external Events, prosperous or calamitous ; 
 the State of Learning, the State of Practical Religion ; 
 and the Disputes, Heresies and Sects, that have troubled 
 the Christian Church, in each century." There is an 
 Appendix, containing the " History of Philosophers, 
 Deists, Socinians, Arminians, Anabaptists, Quakers, 
 Moravians, etc., to which is subjoined a List of Errors, 
 especially since the Reformation." He relates the 
 history according to the centuries. He acknowledges 
 his indebtedness to " the celebrated Mosheim, chan- 
 cellor of the Hanoverian University of Gottingen ; but 
 along with him I have consulted all the valuable church 
 histories, whether Popish or Protestant, that lay in my 
 power." He submits an extraordinary list of writers, 
 240 in all, British and Continental, who have treated 
 of the subjects bearing on the sixteen centuries with 
 which he deals. He will not pledge his credit upon the 
 excellency of all these productions. Some are fabulous 
 or partial he knows ; but he affirms that it is necessary 
 for one who desires a true acquaintance with history 
 to peruse what is said on both sides. 
 
 The history of the centuries of Christendom which 
 he presents is not a bare mass of details crowded on the 
 canvas : there is a warmth of colour added that makes 
 the period live before the mind of the reader. The 
 method he adopts of apportioning to each century its 
 own tale has its disadvantages, which he acknow- 
 ledges, for events have their origin and issue with scant 
 regard to the divisions of time ; but it enables the 
 spectator to obtain a bird's-eye view of the leading 
 incidents and the trend of movements over a definite 
 period. 
 
 Thirteen years elapsed ere he issued the second part 
 of his great scheme, the History of the British Churches. 
 It appeared in two volumes in 1784. A Compendious 
 History he entitled it. The first volume opened with a 
 " Brief Sketch of the History of the Waldenses." Nine 
 chapters are allotted to the Church of England, and 
 the two concluding chapters are devoted to the history 
 of the Church of Ireland, and of the Protestant Churches
 
 170 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 in America. In his Foreword he enumerated his autho- 
 rities for his English History Fox, Fuller, Burnet, 
 Strype, Collier, Warner, Neal, Calamy, Bennet, and 
 Pierce. He makes no further reference to them in the 
 course of his narrative, and without allusion to any 
 authority ploughs his way through the stormy seas from 
 the introduction of Christianity into England down to 
 his own time. With considerable success he disentangles 
 the narrative from the history of the State, and presents 
 the Church at its distinctive work, moulding and 
 making the nation. A touch here and there suffices, 
 where Church and State necessarily trench on each 
 other ; but the absorbing events occurring in the latter 
 never entice him from the pursuit of the Church and 
 its doings. Graphically and firmly he records its 
 conquest of the country and the development of its 
 polity and doctrine. With a sharp, snell phrase he 
 sums up a situation or some aspect of life. For example, 
 in the hot but futile contentions that raged in the 
 Universities of Oxford and Cambridge over the Insti- 
 tutes of Calvin, he remarks, " After the disputants had 
 fatigued themselves, the controversies were dropped." 
 Cromwell's sturdy independency did not altogether 
 meet with his judicious approval, and he dismisses him 
 as " the bold, and crafty, and perhaps pious Protector " ; 
 but he writes that during the Protectorate, " which hath 
 been so much reproached as an age of horrid rebellion, 
 the Universities abounded with pious and learned 
 teachers and students. Never did another period 
 produce so many or so remarkable ornaments to the 
 English Church. Better laws were never made in 
 England, nor good laws ever so well executed. The 
 dress, the language, and conversation of the people 
 were sober and virtuous " a condition of things that 
 was quickly altered when Charles II resumed the 
 reins of monarchical government, and his " most 
 brutish and infernal example " let " debauchery and 
 wickedness of every form break forth and overflow all 
 ranks in the kingdom." 
 
 The second volume contained his Compendious History 
 of the Church of Scotland, a quarto volume of 439 pages,
 
 THE CHURCH HISTORIAN 171 
 
 concluding with " an Historical Account of the Seces- 
 sion." The early years are rapidly sketched, and the 
 heralds of the new dawn are soon upon the scene with 
 their martyr witness. He seizes the main episodes of 
 the long story and presents their outstanding features. 
 The Assemblies of the Church after the Reformation 
 that were of historic interest have their decisions fully 
 but tersely recorded. The notorious fifty-five questions 
 of James VI before setting up Episcopacy are related, 
 among which were : What power have the king and 
 clergy in the making of ecclesiastical laws ? When is it 
 lawful for ministers to leave their flocks ? Whether 
 ministers may from the pulpit point out particular 
 transgressions ? For what enormities may they publicly 
 blame magistrates ? Whether preachers may wander 
 from their texts in declaiming against vices ? If the 
 clergy neglect their duty, may Christian kings rectify 
 their character ? 
 
 The salient feature of Brown's histories is his power 
 of summarising. In fewest words, long decrees, canons, 
 deliverances, are set forth. He goes straight to the 
 heart of the question that has been the centre of con- 
 troversy in the Church, sifts out its leading points, and 
 in one comprehensive sentence masses the whole. The 
 main defect of his work is the lack of references to his 
 authorities. This is a characteristic of Brown's method. 
 He states his authorities at the beginning in his Preface, 
 and troubles the reader with them no more. While 
 his histories e'njoyed a reputation in their day, this 
 detracts from their value now. But annals of the 
 past, because of the emergence of new material, demand 
 frequent resetting, if they are not to suffer eclipse. 
 With the single exception of Gibbon's monumental 
 work, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, the 
 numerous histories of that time have all shared the 
 fate of Brown's, and find their repose on the dusty 
 shelves of our great libraries. 
 
 It requires to be said, however, that a vaster range 
 of history caught and fired the imagination of this 
 historian. He possessed the spirit of a Lord Acton, 
 and beheld how movements were linked the one to the
 
 172 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 other, that ought to be traced and related, if history 
 were to fulfil its part. The days for specialising in 
 one branch of a great subject had not yet arrived, and 
 men had not learned how to unite in the unfolding of 
 the great drama of the past, though Brown, by offering 
 his help to others, in a measure anticipated such a time. 
 Meantime each writer had to stand alone, and effect his 
 own conquests. The historian of Haddington, however, 
 conceived a project of vast proportions with which he 
 regretted that he had not time nor strength to grapple 
 a History of Redemption. He long and eagerly can- 
 vassed the problem, or rather the double problem, that 
 from another point of view equally fascinates the 
 scientist, as it did the late Lord Kelvin : What have the 
 records of the past got to tell us of this universe in 
 which we live, its beginnings so far as we can reach 
 back, and its end so far as we can look forward ? A 
 history from the birth of time to the present hour 
 would reveal, he felt, the divine Hand in the world 
 events. To accomplish such a task would call for 
 careful research, extensive reading, wide vision, and 
 spiritual insight. These requisites would not have 
 daunted him ; but his energies were summoned in other 
 directions, and life was advancing at a pace that could 
 not contemplate great schemes. Often he expressed 
 the wish that some one " able and well-informed " would 
 undertake the work, and show " how all the great events 
 in the history of nations were calculated to promote 
 the grand design of redemption in its purchase, publica- 
 tion, and application." Viewing history within the 
 same segment, if from a slightly different standpoint, 
 Carlyle * beheld a like purpose behind the movements 
 of the events that have shaped and are shaping the 
 world's course. To the minds of these students of the 
 records of the past, the human story was of fascinating 
 interest, and, when large and broad views were taken 
 
 1 " History, with Carlyle, is the human epic, not a record of political 
 conduct, nor a transcription of tombstones, nor stories of the deaths 
 of kings, but a revelation of the divine and the human, now in 
 apposition, anon in opposition, manifestations of the purpose of God 
 and man, crossing and inter-crossing" (L. MacLean Watt, Carlyle, 
 P. 47).
 
 THE CHURCH HISTORIAN 173 
 
 of the processes of history, it revealed lines of distinct 
 progress, all projecting toward that 
 
 One far-off divine event 
 To which the whole creation moves. 
 
 Brown often referred to this vast scheme, and 
 appealed to some eminent men to undertake it, proffer- 
 ing freely his own help. None would venture. 
 He was delighted when he learned that Jonathan 
 Edwards 1 (1703-58) had essayed the task ; but he 
 was disappointed when he discovered the meagreness 
 of the scale on which he had planned his work, and 
 was convinced that it demanded a much larger canvas. 
 
 It was a bold idea ; but the widening horizon of human 
 knowledge has simply appalled the human understand- 
 ing, and the vastness of the proposal has silenced all 
 attempts to bring it to fruition. In spite of brilliant 
 assaults upon the domains of history, by men of the 
 first rank combining together, the great plan of John 
 Brown practically awaits fulfilment. 2 
 
 What he himself thought might be done is outlined 
 in a tractate he published, with the title, A Brief 
 Chronology of Redemption. Brief as it is, it shows the 
 extraordinary range of his knowledge and the mental 
 outlook, that surveyed events from the far-distant dawn 
 right on to a long-distant future. Of course, he wrote 
 in an age that had not unlocked the great treasures 
 of the lands of the East in which civilisation had played 
 its part, like Egypt, Assyria, and Babylonia. The 
 chronology of Ussher was accepted without demur ; 
 the Scripture records were confined within a too narrow 
 compass of time. In the centre of the vision through- 
 out is the peerless Figure that gathers round Him the 
 homage of the centuries. The marvellous movements 
 
 1 A History of the Work of Redemption, which was published by his 
 son, Dr. Jonathan Edwards (1745-1800), in 1773. Originally the work 
 was a series of sermons preached in 1739. But, says his son, his 
 father's heart "was so much set on executing this plan that he was 
 considerably averse to accept the presidentship of Princetown College, 
 lest the duties of that office should put it out of his power." 
 
 2 Lord Acton, while his great plan of a history has been splendidly 
 executed in The Cambridge Modern History (14 volumes), through the 
 assistance of many helpers, yet left unfulfilled the project which he 
 long cherished, of a History of Liberty.
 
 174 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 that led to the Israelitish nation founding a home in 
 Palestine, a centre from which the radii of its circle 
 could reach to the whole world, and the striking events 
 among other nations that brought them into contact 
 with her, are filled with meaning and really become 
 intelligible when light from the Victor of the cross 
 and the grave falls upon them. The onward march of 
 events since " those blessed feet walked the holy fields " 
 have had as their goal the coming of His kingdom, and 
 the issue cannot be a matter of doubt. 
 
 In compact paragraphs with dates definitely assigned 
 he carries the reader through the thick maze of the 
 centuries, and notes from time to time how His coming 
 is prefigured, and the world prepared for His advent. His 
 reign is being established, and the conquest of the race 
 gradually won. Towards the end of this amazing pro- 
 duction, the historian becomes the seer, and attempts 
 to pierce the future and discern the end. 
 
 " A.M. 5870, A.D. 1866, or perhaps 150 years later, 
 we expect the Fall of Antichrist, and the beginning of 
 the glorious thousand years' reign of the saints. . . . 
 Perhaps, for the weakening of the kingdom of Satan, 
 punishment of Papists, Mahometans, and heathens, 
 the world may be for about thirty years or more, fear- 
 fully plagued with wars, pestilences, famines, and earth- 
 quakes. But, certainly, by the spread of the glorious 
 Gospel, preached with the Holy Ghost sent down from 
 heaven, all nations, Jews and Gentiles, shall be con- 
 verted to Christ. To manifest His regard to their an- 
 cestors, the Jews will probably be reinstated in their 
 ancient country, and many of them made singularly useful 
 in pulling down Antichristian, Mahometan, and heathen 
 delusions, and in converting Gentiles to Christ. For a 
 very long time, perhaps a thousand years' continuance, 
 the Church of Christ in a most peaceful, pure, orderly, 
 lively, and glorious form shall fill the whole earth." 
 
 The " times and the seasons " it is impossible to fore- 
 tell ; but, whatever may be the procession of events, the 
 triumph of the kingdom is the certain hope of Christ-lit 
 humanity.
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 "THE SELF-INTERPRETING BIBLE" 
 17751780 
 
 No work carried the reputation of the author so far 
 afield as his Self-interpreting Bible. It was not issued 
 till 1778, but it cost years in preparation. Brown 
 preceded its coming by bringing out in 1775 an edition 
 of the Metrical Psalms with notes intended to shed 
 light on their historical connection, and their spiritual 
 significance, and contribute to their devotional value. 
 It was then the custom to sing right through the Psalter 
 from beginning to end in the weekly service of the 
 Church, and to preface the psalms before they, were 
 sung with a brief account of their scope and tendency. 
 For this purpose the plan of Brown is well conceived 
 and well carried out. The general substance of each 
 psalm is concisely stated, and its devotional spirit 
 happily caught. The Preface, though commendably 
 short, is an interesting production. It contains a full 
 account of how the psalms in their metrical form came 
 to be produced. He relates the efforts of the various 
 versifiers, from the Wedderburns of Dundee in the days 
 before the Reformation, and their successors through- 
 out the next hundred years, Sternhold and Hopkins, 
 Whittyngham, Norton, James VI, the Earl of Stirling, 
 Sir William More of Rowallan, and Francis Rous, to 
 produce a psalter suitable for the Church's needs. 
 Ultimately, after various revisions by committees of 
 Assembly, the Church in Scotland decided in 1650 upon 
 the form in which we have the Presbyterian Psalter of 
 to-day, and enjoined its use in the congregation and 
 the family, the " old paraphrase " of Sternhold to be 
 
 176
 
 176 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 " discharged." Brown admits that " this metrical ver- 
 sion has long been esteemed for the simplicity of its 
 diction and its universal accordance with the original " ; 
 but confesses that, in the then refinement of the language, 
 " the versification, in many instances, is obviously harsh 
 and inharmonious, and even its diction evidently re- 
 quires considerable improvement." That was penned 
 one hundred and forty years ago ; but the many attempts 
 to comply with his suggestion have been met with a 
 blank, stolid refusal. The words, to-day, it is felt, have 
 become wedded by the generations with a music that 
 drowns the grating notes, and leaves only a rich and 
 pleasing harmony behind. His edition of the Metrical 
 Psalms was frequently bound up with the Self-inter- 
 preting Bible in its later issues. 
 
 The object Brown had in view in this Bible, must be 
 clearly observed in determining its value. There were 
 not lacking commentaries for the learned, but the 
 wants of the multitude had hitherto been entirely over- 
 looked. This vast circle the Haddington Professor was 
 anxious to reach. An intelligent knowledge of the 
 divine Word would, in his opinion, be one of the most 
 effective instruments in raising them in the intellectual, 
 moral, and spiritual scale. His work, therefore, was 
 planned to be available for devotional use, with just 
 sufficient explanations to make the meaning plain, and 
 sufficient information bearing upon the nature of the 
 Scriptures, their inspiration, and historical setting, to 
 meet the wishes of an intelligent reader. Hence there 
 was no parade of learning, no quoting of authorities, no 
 critical dissertations, no speculative theories. There was 
 the plain word for the plain man, with the resolute 
 purpose to make the passage reflect its light on the 
 heart and conscience of the reader. 
 
 " Self-interpreting " his Bible seeks to be, by its use 
 of marginal references, 1 so as to compare one statement 
 
 1 " Csnne, the author of the marginal references on the Bible " 
 (Brown's Church History, vol. i, p. 235). John Canne, thought to have 
 been born in Bristol, ministered to a congregation of Independents 
 and Psedo-baptists in London in 1621. After two years he left for 
 Amsterdam, where he ministered to English Independents for seven- 
 teen years. There he became author and printer, issuing a work of
 
 "THE SELF-INTERPRETING BIBLE" 177 
 
 of Scripture with another, elicit the development of 
 a subject, or focus the lights that bear upon it. He was 
 among the first to make any extensive use of such 
 references, which to-day are so common. As a proof 
 of the care with which he sought to verify his citations, 
 no less than five copies of the Scriptures were worn to 
 pieces by the incessant use to which they were put. In 
 a meagre fashion prior to the issue of his work, refer- 
 ences had been adopted. But his marvellous and 
 minute knowledge of the Book, coupled with his tena- 
 cious memory, enabled him very largely to extend the 
 field. 
 
 In addition to the marginal references, at the bottom 
 of each page of the bulky tomes are brief, pithy explana- 
 tions of any verse that might seem obscure. The 
 author's mastery of the Hebrew and Greek languages 
 enabled him to furnish these. Each book is introduced 
 with a brief account of its scope and purpose. Each 
 chapter has a clear statement of its contents at the 
 beginning ; and at the close, under the title of " Reflec- 
 tions," a vivid, refreshing summing up of its bearing 
 on the individual life. He never allows it to be for- 
 gotten that this book is not meant for mere reading, 
 but casts the very mould for the shaping of conduct 
 and character. With clever ingenuity, he arrests the 
 reader by the appropriateness for him of the message 
 just read, be it psalm or prophecy, argument or history ; 
 and in a succession of warm, kindling sentences, not 
 many in number, he presses the truth home. 
 
 As an instance, take his reflections upon Ruth, chap- 
 ter i., where is related the story of Naomi and her 
 daughters-in-law : 
 
 " Numerous and diversified are the arrows in God's 
 quiver for the punishment of men's sins, and often, 
 while His enemies riot in plenty, his people are pinched 
 with scarcity and want. A diligent care to provide for 
 
 recognised ability, Necesaitie of Separation from the Church of England 
 (1634), also A Stay against Straying (1639). In 1647 his reference 
 Bible with notes, appeared, which refers to an earlier work, which, 
 however, is not known ; an extended edition was sent forth in 1664. 
 He is believed to have died in Amsterdam in 1667. 
 
 12
 
 178 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 our family is highly commendable ; but it is seldom 
 safe to flee from God's land, though He frown on it, or 
 to suffer scarcity of bread to draw us from the ordinances 
 of God. It is not in fleeing from God's mighty hanid, 
 but in humbling ourselves under it, that safety lies. It 
 is not in outrunning crosses, but in taking them up, 
 and following Christ, that true comfort is to be had. 
 Young people often mistake in their marriage, through 
 want or neglect of their parents' advice. But marriages 
 and deaths are near neighbours ; and one death in a 
 family is but the forerunner and warning of another. 
 Both comforts and crosses are often nearer us than we 
 suspect ; and if we are shut up into the society of the 
 wicked we should escape for our life as soon as our 
 hindrances are removed. It is a mercy when God 
 embitters our condition of distance from Himself, that 
 we may be weaned from it, and hastened to our heavenly 
 home ; but yet it is pleasant to see near relations knit 
 together in love and loath to part. With the most 
 strong and fixed resolution should we set out in the 
 Lord's way, as we know not from what repeated and 
 strong temptations we may have to turn back ; but the 
 difficulties of the way, which discourage the temporary 
 believer, will but bind the faithful soul the more closely 
 to Jesus Christ. Nothing, no, not death, can separate 
 them from Him and His people. Poverty and age 
 make great alterations on mankind ; and it is proper 
 that all around should remark it with solemn awe and 
 cordial sympathy ; for surely it is but madness to set our 
 heart on that comeliness and wealth which so quickly 
 fade. Let us, therefore, keep waiting on God in the 
 way of His judgments ; in patience possessing our 
 souls ; eyeing the Lord's hand in all that we meet 
 with ; humbling ourselves under humbling providences ; 
 mourning, but never murmuring, under His hand ; and 
 ever remarking how the minutest circumstances of our 
 lives are directed by the overruling providence of 
 God." 
 
 The Introduction to the Self -interpreting Bible is as 
 elaborate and crowded with solid information as that
 
 "THE SELF-INTERPRETING BIBLE" 179 
 
 of any learned commentary. In the original edition 
 it covered 118 compact, double-columned quarto pages. 
 The author's aim is to provide " a right understanding 
 of the oracles of God." It is characteristic of his 
 invariable habit of getting to. the heart of a question, 
 and patiently setting it forth for the benefit of his 
 readers. To deal with the Scripture problems meant 
 extensive research and a close and comprehensive study 
 of the Word ; but these to him were as the sniff of 
 battle to the war-horse. His Introduction he divides 
 into five chapters. In the first he discusses the question 
 of inspiration " the Divine authority of the Scriptures 
 of the Old and New Testaments." Human reason, he 
 points out, could never unaided have furnished this 
 revelation. " The penmen of the Scriptures exercised 
 their own reason and judgment ; but they were stirred 
 to write, given their part, guided to select, used their 
 illustrations, by the Holy Spirit." "Many of the sen- 
 tences recorded are not inspired of themselves, being 
 the words of Satan, or of wicked men ; but the Scrip- 
 ture relative to these expressions is directed by divine 
 inspiration." The subject-matter and manner, the 
 scope, the purpose, the preservation of the Scriptures, 
 as well as the character of the promises, are irrefragable 
 proofs of the " divine original." The question, so 
 bristling with difficulty, is sanely handled, and, as be- 
 comes his manner, is clinched in its conclusions with 
 scriptural citations. 
 
 The second chapter of the Prolegomena is upon 
 " Rules for understanding the Scriptures." He lays 
 down no less than fourteen admirable rules, beginning 
 with a request for the help of the " Enlightener," and 
 ending with a call for " humility of mind." The rules 
 indicate what experience had taught and good common 
 sense would inculcate. The twelfth rule would have 
 saved many a commentator and critic from pitfalls. 
 
 " Where Scriptures at first sight seem to contradict 
 one another, we must, by a serious consideration of them, 
 labour to discover their harmony. But if we should 
 not be able to reconcile them, we ought not to pronounce
 
 180 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 them irreconcilable, but rather attribute a deficiency 
 to our own understanding." 
 
 " Jewish Laws and Types " form the subject of the 
 succeeding chapter a lucid and comprehensive study. 
 After an explanation of Jewish civil government, he 
 expounds the Jewish sects, and then enters upon a 
 favourite study of the time, " Typical Representations," 
 maintaining as his plea the Apostle's description of the 
 Jewish ordinances, as " shadows of good things to come." 
 He gives examples of typical persons, 30 being enume- 
 rated ; typical classes, 15 in all ; typical events, 17 
 detailed ; typical places, 6 referred to ; typical utensils, 
 8 described ; typical oblations, 10 given ; typical 
 seasons, 7 specified ; typical purifications, 8 set forth. 
 It is a cleverly compacted bit of work, showing a perfect 
 mastery of the subject. 
 
 The fourth chapter is a monument to the author's 
 wide and extensive reading : " The Geography and 
 History of the Nations " that come under the cognisance 
 of Scripture. It is called a " short view," but it is a 
 multum in parvo. The history is naturally limited by 
 the view of the age, but it is succinctly and graphically 
 related. His object is to throw light on the historical 
 and prophetical parts of Scripture, " the correspondent 
 texts of which," he says, " are all along generally 
 quoted, and ought to be carefully compared." There 
 is a fine directness in the narrative of the history of the 
 hazy dawn of the ages, where, in spite of the mists of 
 antiquity, its course is threaded with confidence, and 
 the peopling of the earth is described with singular 
 felicity. The degree of the latitude from London is 
 stated where stood the garden of Eden, "about the 
 32nd degree of north latitude," a spot " not only 
 extremely delightful in itself, but adapted for the 
 spread of mankind from thence into the rest of the 
 world." But the histories that recorded all that then 
 could be told of Chaldea and Canaan, of Egypt and 
 Ethiopia, of the Assyrians, Medes and Persians, of 
 Greece and Rome, of the rise and advance of the Mo- 
 hammedans, of the Jewish people and the Christian
 
 "THE SELF-INTERPRETING BIBLE" 181 
 
 Church, were laid under contribution, to furnish 
 material for this great chapter. Not content with a 
 calm unravelling of prehistoric times, as a man with 
 a vision who would search the future, he dares to 
 adumbrate, as in his history of Redemption, its onward 
 course. Seasons of peace and prosperity, and of peril, 
 will befall the Church and the world " then cometh 
 the end of the world, at what distance we know not." 
 Historians have neglected the faculty of outlining the 
 future. 1 Higher criticism delights to construct a past, 
 but it fears to turn toward the advancing light. The 
 commentator of Haddington, with an outlook that 
 embraced the universe, and sustained by Scripture 
 warrant, hesitated not to look down the files of time ; 
 and, as ever with him, he defends his position with a 
 bristling array of sacred texts. 
 
 In a concluding chapter he provides a " Chronological 
 Harmony of Scripture Histories and the Fulfilment of 
 its Predictions." It reveals his patient and pains- 
 taking investigation, and love for detail, as well as his 
 passionate interest in the correlation of the great 
 movements of the world. The Ussher reckoning is the 
 guide throughout the biblical part, and the dating of 
 events is carried from creation's beginning down to his 
 own time and beyond. 
 
 It will be evident that an extraordinary amount of 
 valuable material was thus placed at the command 
 of the ordinary reader. It was the information that 
 a student of the Scriptures hungered for, who had 
 not access to the learned works dealing with such 
 subjects. 
 
 There were difficulties in getting the elaborate work 
 issued to the public. The expense awakened fears in 
 the minds of the ordinary publisher. Brown himself 
 had to lend pecuniary aid, in the first instance. At 
 last, in 1778, it was sent forth in two volumes, with 
 this as its title-page : 
 
 1 Did not Thucydides dedicate his history of the Peloponneaian 
 War to " those who desire to have a true view of what has happened, 
 and of like or similar things which, in accordance with human nature, 
 (jb dvOoumov) will probably happen hereafter ? "
 
 THE SELF-INTERPRETING 
 BIBLE. 
 
 THE OLD AND THE NEW TESTAMENTS 
 
 of our LORD and SAVIOUR 
 
 JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 Translated from the Original TONGUES 
 with 
 
 EXPLANATORY CONTENTS, PARALLEL SCRIPTURES, 
 LARGE NOTES, AND PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS, 
 
 By JOHN BROWN 
 
 Minister of the Gospel at Haddington. 
 
 "Search the Scriptures ; for in them ye think ye have eternal life ; 
 and they are they which testify of Me." -John v. 39. 
 
 " To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whoso- 
 ever believeth on Him shall receive remission of sins." Acts x. 43. 
 
 " Where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of 
 the testator." Heb. ix. 16. 
 
 "The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Rev. xiii. 8. 
 
 Edinburgh : 
 
 Printed by GAVIN ALSTON, the Publisher, 
 And sold bv other Booksellers in Great Britain and Ireland. 
 
 MDCCLXXVI1I.
 
 'THE SELF-INTERPRETING BIBLE" 183 
 
 The Self-interpreting Bible at once secured a place in 
 the households of the reading public. Although the two 
 bulky volumes were issued at a price that was costly, 
 l 2s., a sum twice the pre-war value of a like amount 
 to-day, they were rapidly disposed of. Unfortunately 
 for its author, the publisher of the first edition failed, 
 and the money Brown had advanced towards its pro- 
 duction was lost. But new editions were called for, 
 and were sent forth with fresh material added. Brown 
 extended his Introduction, supplying a chapter containing 
 an " Alphabetical Table of Proper Names, and their 
 Meanings," and another on " Measures, Weights, Monies 
 and Times, mentioned in Scripture, and their equivalent 
 carefully wrought out in English terms." These were 
 succeeded by a brief but amazing statement, on the 
 " Number of books, chapters, verses, etc., in the Holy 
 Bible," the fruit of leisure moments and passionate love 
 for the very letter of Scripture : 
 
 " The Old and New Testaments contain : 
 
 Books in the Old, 39 ; in the New, 27. Total, 66. 
 Chapters in the Old, 929 ; in the New, 260. Total, 
 
 1,189. 
 Verses in the Old, 23,214; in the New, 7,959. 
 
 Total, 31,173. 
 Words in the Old, 592,439 ; in the New, 181,253. 
 
 Total, 773,692. 
 Letters in the Old, 2,728,100 ; in the New, 838,380. 
 
 Total, 3,566,480. 
 The middle chapter, and the least in the Bible, is 
 
 Psalm cxvii. 
 The middle verse is the 8th of the cxviiith 
 
 Psalm. 
 
 The middle time is 2 Chron. iv. 16 
 The word and occurs in the Old Testament 35,543 
 
 times. 
 The same word hi the New Testament occurs 
 
 10,684 times. 
 The word JEHOVAH occurs in the Bible 6,885 
 
 times.
 
 184 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 " In the Old Testament : 
 
 The middle book of the Old Testament is Proverbs. 
 The middle chapter is Job xxix. 
 The middle of the verses is 2 Chron. xx., between 
 
 the 17th and 18th verses. 
 The least verse is 1 Chron. i. 25. 
 The 21st verse of the viith chapter of Ezra has all 
 
 the letters of the alphabet. 
 The xixth chapter of 2 Kings and xxxviith of 
 
 Isaiah are alike. 
 
 " In the New Testament : 
 
 The middle book of the New Testament is 2 Thessa- 
 
 lonians. 
 The middle of the chapters is between the xiiith 
 
 and xivth of Romans. 
 The middle verse is the 17th of the xviith of the 
 
 Acts of Apostles. 
 The least verse is the 35th of the xith of John." 
 
 The publication of this work brought the author 
 his world-wide reputation. Its success from the first 
 was extraordinary. It met the requirement of the 
 tunes, and led to imitators. 1 It would be difficult to 
 say how many editions of it were issued, 8 sometimes 
 in one volume, sometimes in two. After his death 
 publishers summoned the help of others, to add to its 
 notes, to improve if that were possible -its reflec- 
 tions, while the pages were brightened by illustrations. 
 Issue after issue went forth till it traversed the English- 
 speaking world. 
 
 The last edition of Brown's Bible is undoubtedly the 
 best. It was issued in America, in 1897, and a new 
 edition followed in 1909. It is Brown's idea brought 
 up to date. The editor is the Rev. James W. Lee, 
 D.D., St. Louis, U.S.A. Bishop H. Vincent, D.D., 
 
 1 Thomas Scott (1747-1821) acknowledges in his Commentary Brown 
 gave him the hint as to the plan on which it was best to work. 
 
 2 In the British Museum there are twenty-six editions of Brown's 
 Self-interpreting Bible, the first in 1778, the last in 1909.
 
 'THE SELF-INTERPRETING BIBLE" 185 
 
 LL.D., contributes an Introduction. In order to bring 
 the Land and the Book closely together, advantage is 
 taken of the investigations by the late L. Porter, D.D., 
 LL.D., who spent many years in Palestine, while Dis- 
 sertations and Side-lights are supplied by other writers. 
 There is also an admirable article by William Black- 
 wood, D.D., on " Aids to the Study of the Holy Bible," 
 Not the least interesting and valuable feature of the 
 issue is the 448 half-tone engravings specially taken 
 for the work by R. E. M. Bain of St. Louis. The artist 
 and Dr. Lee went specially to the East to obtain these 
 and other material for this sumptuous edition. But 
 it is a tribute to the solid learning and sane experimental 
 knowledge on which Brown's Introduction, Notes, and 
 Reflections were based that they are left practically 
 untouched. The work contains a brief sketch of Brown's 
 life, not free from errors, in which he is credited with 
 being not only a D.D. but an LL.D. ! It is in four large 
 volumes, and carries out to the full the conception of 
 a Self-interpreting Bible. 
 
 Spurgeon, in his Commenting and Commentaries, 1 says, 
 in reference to Brown's Self-interpreting Bible, " Useful 
 in its day, and still popular. Notes on New Testament 
 are undisguised plagiarism from Guyse." There is 
 little foundation for such a sweeping indictment. John 
 Guyse (1680-1761) published his Exposition of the New 
 Testament in three volumes in 1735, and again in 1752 
 in six volumes. His work is mainly a paraphrase, 
 somewhat ponderous in style, with occasional notes. 
 It was exceedingly popular in its day, and went through 
 six editions. But not a single note from it has Brown 
 adopted. Brown, in his Foreword to his Commentary, 
 refers to those who had preceded him in interpreting 
 the Scriptures Pool, Patrick, Clarke, Henry, Burkitt, 
 Gill, Doddridge, and Guyse, " judicious Guyse," as he 
 calls him here and in his Journal. He states that his 
 avowed aim in his publication is not to depreciate the 
 valuable commentaries of these writers, but " to exhibit 
 their principal substance with all possible advantage, 
 in a manner that might best comport with the ability 
 
 1 C. H. Spurgeon, Commenting and Commentaries, 1887, p. 36.
 
 186 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 and leisure of the poorer and labouring part of man- 
 kind " ; and, in referring particularly to the New 
 Testament, he adds that " there the explication is pecu- 
 liarly extensive, and attempts to exhibit the substance 
 of many learned and expensive commentaries." He 
 thus frankly acknowledged his indebtedness to other 
 authors. The influence of Guyse, as of the other 
 commentators mentioned, may be traced in his work, 
 in the same way as commentaries of to-day represent 
 the views of other writers than their authors, the 
 difference being that they supply the references as they 
 pass from verse to verse, whereas Brown, as was his 
 wont, records the references at the beginning, and 
 suffers no further interruption to occur. Spurgeon's 
 assertion is therefore very misleading. He also adds, 
 " not a students' book." Brown had not students in 
 view in preparing his work, but in his Introduction, 
 References, and Reflections students will find to-day 
 what is not likely to be found in similar productions. 
 
 The issue of this Bible Commentary brought Brown 
 into correspondence with many notable persons, among 
 them the saintly Charles Simeon of Cambridge. Simeon 
 prized the Self-interpreting Bible above all others, 
 and made acknowledgment of the spiritual enlighten- 
 ment and quickening which he received from its daily 
 perusal. Simeon was born at Reading in 1759, and 
 passed from Eton to Cambridge when he was nineteen 
 years of age. He never left the famous University 
 seat. He secured a Fellowship in King's College, which 
 he held throughout his life, and became, in 1782, minis- 
 ter or perpetual curate of the Church of Holy Trinity. 
 He was a man with a new voice in the dark religious 
 days of Cambridge, a voice that rang out with vehe- 
 ment earnestness in the midst of violent opposition and 
 fierce obloquy. In the opening years of his ministry, 
 parishioners and undergraduates bitterly resented his 
 preaching. The former not only abstained from attend- 
 ing his church, but locked their pews and locked the 
 church doors, and the latter caused many a riotous 
 scene in the streets adjoining the building. But, by his 
 tact and singular gentleness, Simeon gradually wore
 
 Steam <t Sotis] [Cambridge. 
 
 CHARLES SIMEON'S (OF CAMBRIDGE) COPY OF BROWN'S 
 
 " BIBLE." 
 Kept at Ridley Hall, Cambridge.
 
 "THE SELF-INTERPRETING BIBLE" 187 
 
 down opposition, and turned the prejudice against him 
 into profound reverence and regard. Even the un- 
 sympathetic were compelled to listen to him. " Well, 
 Simeon is no fool, however," said an undergraduate to 
 his companion on leaving the church. " Fool ! " was the 
 answer, " did you ever listen to a sermon like that ? " 1 
 In later life, his rooms in Gibb's building at the top 
 of the second staircase from the chapel, was the Mecca 
 of many pilgrims, and prominent on his table lay the 
 Bible of the minister of Haddington. When his day 
 closed in 1836, 800 University men paid tribute to his 
 work by their presence at the interment of his body in 
 the famous Chapel of King's. 
 
 It was Simeon's habit, summer and winter, to rise 
 every morning at four o'clock. After lighting his fire, 
 he devoted the first four hours of the day to private 
 prayer and the devotional study of the Scriptures. The 
 favourite companion of these devotional hours, all 
 through his life, was Brown's Self -interpreting Bible in 
 one volume. Says the Bishop of Durham in his Life 
 of Charles Simeon : * 
 
 " There lies before me, as I write, the massive volume 
 of The Self -interpreting Bible, with explanatory Con- 
 tents, parallel Scriptures, large Notes, and practical 
 Observations, by John Brown, Minister of Haddington ; 
 printed in 1778, and bought by ' C. Simeon, King's 
 College, Cambridge, March 24, 1785.' The Bible was 
 his life-long companion, and is inscribed with many 
 notes from his pen." 
 
 The correspondence between Brown and Simeon 
 began only toward the end of the former's career, but 
 only one letter of Simeon to Brown has been preserved. 
 So much, however, did he prize this commentary, which 
 to the end of his life, says Cams, 3 he was continually 
 
 1 Arthur Gray, Cambridge and Its Story, p. 272. 
 
 2 H. G. Moule, M.A., Charles Simeon, p. 16. 
 
 3 Rev. William Carus, M.A., Memoir of the Life of the Rev. Charles 
 Simeon, M.A., p. 68.
 
 188 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 enriching with valuable notes of his own, that he wrote 
 to the author at Haddington as follows : 
 
 Rev. Charles Simeon to John Brown 
 
 " CAMBRIDGE, 
 
 "January 19th, 1787. 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 *' Your Self-interpreting Bible seems to stand 
 in lieu of all other comments ; and I am daily receiving 
 so much edification and instruction from it, that I 
 would wish it in the hands of all serious ministers. 
 I have conceived a thought of purchasing a few to give 
 to those godly ministers who would find it very incon- 
 venient to purchase it for themselves. But, having 
 no very great affluence myself, it is needful that I 
 should proceed upon the most saving plan. I take 
 the liberty, therefore, of asking whether you (whose 
 heart seems to be much set upon forwarding the cause 
 of Christ), could procure me forty at the bookseller's 
 price for that purpose alone ; and to inform me whether 
 there will be a new edition soon. 
 
 " Yours sincerely, 
 
 " CHARLES SIMEON." 
 
 The date, it will be observed, is January 19th, 1787. 
 At that time the Professor was at the beginning of the 
 end of his mortal journey. He evidently was unable 
 to reply to Simeon's interesting request. His sons 
 found the letter among his papers, after he passed 
 away, and Ebenezer replied in the following terms : 
 
 Rev Ebenezer Brown, Inverkeithing, to Rev. Charles 
 
 Simeon 
 
 " HADDINGTON, 
 
 "June 26th, 1787. 
 
 "REV. SIR, 
 
 " My Father, Mr. John Brown of Haddington, 
 fell asleep in Jesus on Tuesday last. Looking through 
 his papers I observe a letter from you. By its date, I 
 see that it came here just about the beginning of his 
 distress. This being the case, I am afraid that it never
 
 
 U^IV .'."*. ..-.-"... I 
 
 Btearn & Sons] [Cambridge. 
 
 FIRST PAGE OF SIMEON'S COPY OF " THE SELF-INTERPRETING 
 BIBLE," WITH HIS OWN SIGNATURE.
 
 "THE SELF-INTERPRETING BIBLE" 189 
 
 yet received an answer. You mention a wish that my 
 father would procure for you 40 copies of the Self- 
 interpreting Bible at prime cost. Had it been in his 
 power I know that he would cheerfully have served you, 
 and now, were it in mine, you should have them con- 
 veyed to you without delay ; but the truth is that in 
 Scotland there are few copies to be found. A new and 
 more correct edition is intended. Very probably it 
 will be printed in London, and then I hope you shall 
 have as many as you please. I rejoice to hear that the 
 Doctrines of the Gospel are so highly esteemed in 
 England. May the whole earth be filled with the 
 glory of the Lord ! 
 
 " My Dear Sir, there is a small catechism published 
 by my Father some time ago : it contains a summary 
 of the principles of religion, and is used in the Schools 
 for the instruction of thousands. As in your letter you 
 manifest an uncommon regard for men's spiritual welfare, 
 would you be so condescending as to accept of Two or 
 Three hundred of these Catechisms to be distributed 
 among poor children ? Believe me, if I know my own 
 heart, had I ability I would make you a present of as 
 many Self-interpreting Bibles. Oh what should we not 
 do for the salvation of souls, when the Son of God died 
 for sinners ! 
 
 " If you please to return an answer, you will do a 
 singular pleasure to one who would wish to be numbered 
 among the servants of Jesus Christ. 
 
 " EBENEZER BROWN. 
 
 " Direct to me, Minister at Inverkeithing, Fifeshire. 
 
 " P.S. Perhaps it will delight you to hear that my 
 revd. Father died testifying his faith in the Doctrines 
 which he preached and expressing earnest desires to be 
 with Christ." 
 
 Brown's Bible was treasured in the homes of the 
 people with all the reverence and care enjoyed by 
 Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and Boston's Fourfold 
 State. It supplied what was lacking in these great 
 soul classics, providing a clear path to the fount from
 
 190 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 which they derived their vitality and strength. The 
 three were considered the necessary literary and reli- 
 gious equipment of the household. They furnished 
 pabulum for serious reading ; and they produced strong 
 men. Burns linked them together in a manner that 
 showed the popular reading of the time : 
 
 For now I'm grown so cursed douce, 
 I pray and ponder butt the house ; 
 My shins, my lane, I there sit roastin'. 
 Perusing Bunyan, Brown, and Boston. 1 
 
 The grandson of the author, Dr. John Croumbie 
 Brown * (1805-1895), relates that in distant lands, 
 where it had been his lot to travel, the reputation of the 
 Bible had gone before him, and the bulky volume, or 
 volumes, as the case might be, would be produced as 
 forming a connecting link between the host or hostess 
 and himself, and that they were still appealed to as an 
 authority on doctrinal and ecclesiastical subjects. He 
 also recounts that, on one occasion, travelling from 
 Perth to Dundee, he had his attention directed by a 
 farmer in the compartment to the site of Abernethy 
 sheltering so sweetly under the hills across the Tay. 
 To the farmer's surprise, he seemed to know more 
 about Abernethy than he himself did, though he was 
 a native of the neighbourhood. His companion was 
 curious to know how this happened ; and he told him 
 of his grandfather having been born at Carpow and 
 lived at Abernethy. This led to inquiry as to his name. 
 On hearing it, his questioner replied with great relish : 
 " Eh ! that's wonderful ; I belong to the Parish Kirk, 
 and- nae further gane than last Sunday, we had an 
 ordination o' elders in the Kirk ; and the minister 
 spak o' elders as if they were mair like angels than 
 men. That wasna my experience o' them ; and says 
 I tae myseP, When I get hame, I'll rax doon the Bible, 
 and see what John Brown says ; and here I've met wi' 
 his grandson." 
 
 The great-grandson, Dr. John Brown, the author of 
 
 1 Epistle to James Tennant, the Miller of Olenconner. 
 1 J. C. Brown, LL.D., Centenary Memorial, p. 163.
 
 r. DEUTERONOMY. 
 
 "if thy brother, -a Hebrew 
 
 man, or an Hebrew woman, be fold un- 
 
 * 
 
 ihe ferenth year thou (hah let him go free 
 fromthec. 
 
 1 Aid when tbonfendeft him out free 
 thte. thou ' ibalt not let turn goT- 
 
 .. from 
 
 " 
 
 * 
 
 "j7"TnotT(halt furnHh him liberally out 
 
 of thy wine-prelt : of that wherewith the 
 LOUD thy God hath blcfied thee, thou 
 (halt gin onto him. 
 
 1 5 And thon ' (halt remember that thon 
 -waS*feaod-man in theUndof Egypt, and 
 " the Loin Ay God redeemed thee: there- 
 fore I command thee this thing to-day . 
 ' 1 6 And it (hall be '.if He &y.nto thee, 
 ^ I win not BO away from, thee, (becaufc 
 he kvreth t&ee and thine houfe, becjufe 
 he a well with thee,) 
 
 17 Then thou. (halt take an. wi, and 
 thrult i> through his ear unto fix doorv 
 
 :. and he (hall be thy (errant * for em: 
 ," and alib unto thy maid-ferrant thou (halt 
 dolikewife. 
 
 18 It (hall not feem ' hard' unto thee 
 when thou fendeft him away from thee ; 
 
 -. for he hath, been worth a. f double-hired 
 , fervant la ibtt, in fcrving thee fii years : 
 ; and the LOXD thy God- (hall blrfs thee 
 
 V. "" in all that thou doft. 
 
 tj^i-i 19 1 'Alt the firftling males that come 
 .*'t'S^ ^ ^ herd, and of thy flock, thou (halt 
 c *"n* fanftify unto the LORD thy God: thou 
 MiM- (halt do no work with the * firftling of 
 Vli'fvT *ty Bullock, nor (hear the firftling of thy 
 "" fteeg. 
 
 10 Thou (halt eat it before the LORD 
 thy God, year by year, in the place which 
 the LO.ID thy God ihall choofe, thou and 
 thy houfhold. 
 it Jf JJ. -21" And if there be r blemi(h there- 
 in, tu IJ it be lame, or blind, or tavt any 
 ill blemifli, thon (halt not (acrinot it un- 
 to the LORD thy God. 
 -.v,. 22 Thou (halt eat* it within rhy gates: 
 
 the unclean and the dean ftrhmjhtll 
 |^"~^ * >liie . t** the roe-bock, and aa the hart. 
 ii-T.?\ 2 3 ' Only thou (halt not eat the blood 
 ' -V.;' thereof: thou (halt pour it upon the ground 
 KS'^y as water. 
 
 While, 
 reptibk, 
 Cod'i rtd 
 
 k.na.u, which we, hrfri 
 .Rice of Go*, aj<bed 
 bond-Ciuirn of aianliuxl. 
 
 . 
 
 buouic u fc.eHt mrinll poor, bu 
 boixft ocbter. i how >p< w eauil i etfe upon o 
 I bife K k CodV Jundncli to llx 
 caSdn of ov uki^faKa lo item I How 
 rrfufc Itixtaf M tko, efpecU!) T if md- 
 ftriou, wbo. -c haw God to be rtcir flinty, who- 
 will repjf wkk *ur I nd fcow ituijrtoo! to-Urc 
 
 naiiir of <** !'".* - tfvifc 
 temwttiMf. ax: na6 ow>>t fcrwau t 
 if fo4 I 
 
 , jefo, aod all hia teoocoKd. deroted to- 
 * of God, accocwiac to their n 
 pom, od ftarieoi, kt mt Ibink, ? ith wh 
 
 
 arfi 
 
 WH tiling belonrio, to the Lor.fcxi.lit to be 
 
 hi hu-fcrrice, mtL wry uOoa pielciibed h 
 
 CH 
 
 < rtfititia 
 fy/ftft / (i 
 
 
 nifr 
 
 . ^ 
 
 f t* ttrm,it.i,. fufjr- 
 w /A* *?p*itlovnt y uifrnir magi- 
 fjrtk rifltMmi mama- <f tknr***- 
 j!. o. (3.) >< frMHtim <f rfmti, 
 ltmr, <a* tf m*fti, 3 r . ji. 
 
 thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt. 
 by night " 
 
 i Thou, (halt therefore * ficrince thep ,* 
 paflbrer unto the LORD thy Cod, of the S.T"SrfT 
 flock and the herd, in the pbc -which theit." ' 
 Lo RU (hall choofe co place hii name there. *' 
 
 3 ' Thou (hah eat no leavened bread <*.iu.i. 
 withil: frrendayi (hall thou CBttuUeaTeacd^'^*" 
 bread tkenrwitt, ruem- the bread of afflic- *~- " " 
 tioo: (for'thou cameAfbrthoococ* the land > >^iv 
 
 ber the day when rhrnicaancftfecTh out of V" V 
 the land of Egypt, afl tWdays of thy life.. * A 
 
 ,^^ - 
 
 Ken wkh the* ia all thy ooafta- (even da. ToX'^ai 
 neither (hall tbror, tSWrf iS.^ffi 
 which thou CkcrificcUA the nrft day at e* 
 
 SIMEON'S COPY OF " THE SELF-INTERPKETING BIBLE," WITH ONE OF 
 HIS NOTES, "WHEN MY DELIVERANCE WAS COMPLETE IN 1779."
 
 "THE SELF-INTERPRETING BIBLE" 191 
 
 the immortal Rob, began his professional career in 
 Chatham, where he fought the cholera that then raged 
 in the town, with singular self-sacrifice and heroic 
 courage. Into a house which he entered on his pro- 
 fessional duties, a woman, on learning that his name 
 was Dr. John Brown, asked in all sincerity, " if he was 
 the son of the Self -interpreting Bible." 
 
 The labour expended by the author on this work 
 overflowed in other directions. It led to the prepara- 
 tion of a Concordance of the Scriptures, which was pub- 
 lished in 1783. Alexander Cruden, the pioneer of this 
 work in the English language, produced his third and 
 final edition in 1763. Brown added very considerably 
 to his stock of references ; and his work was issued 
 with considerable frequency, until it was superseded 
 by larger works that aimed at including every word of 
 Scripture.
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 " THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS " 
 
 1781-1783 
 
 JOHN BROWN was convinced of the great value that bio- 
 graphies of men eminent for their piety and usefulness 
 possessed in quickening and developing the interest 
 of the people in things spiritual. He was an intense 
 reader of this kind of literature himself, and felt its 
 stimulus. Unlike George Borrow, who had a great passion 
 at one stage of his career for the lives of criminals, 
 Brown preferred the other side of the shield, and 
 reckoned the world needed the example of good men to 
 spur it on to high endeavour, rather than the ingenious 
 deviations from rectitude that captivated the imagi- 
 nation of the brilliant devotee of gipsy lore. 
 
 In this respect Brown was in accord with a later 
 historic figure in the Church Catholic, John Henry 
 Newman. 1 Before his exit from Protestantism, he 
 took an active part in issuing a series of The Saints of 
 England; and after it, in his enthusiasm for his new 
 faith, he, in conjunction with a fellow pervert, Frederick 
 Faber, began the issue of The Lives of the Saints, whom 
 Romanists hold in favour, which enterprise, however, 
 had an abrupt ending. 
 
 Brown would have been willing to subscribe to so 
 much of the Oratorian's Memorandum, with which he 
 vindicated the inauguration of the series : 
 
 '' The Saints are the glad and complete specimens of 
 the new creation which our Lord brought into the 
 moral world, and as ' the heavens declare the glory of 
 
 1 Wilfrid Ward, The Life of John Henry, Cardinal Newman, vol. i. 
 pp. 206 ff. 
 
 192
 
 "THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS" 193 
 
 God,' so are the Saints proper and true evidence of the 
 God of Christianity, and tell out into all lands the 
 power and grace of Him who made them. What the 
 existence of the Church itself is to the learned and 
 philosophical, such are the Saints to the multitude. 
 They are the popular evidence of Christianity, and the 
 most complete and logical evidence, while the most 
 popular. . . . The exhibition of a person, his thoughts, 
 his words, his acts, his trials, his features, his begin- 
 nings, his growth, his end, have a charm to every one ; 
 and, where he is a Saint, they have a divine influence 
 and persuasion, a power of exercising and eliciting the 
 latent elements of divine grace in individual readers, 
 as no other reading can have." 
 
 But Brown would have scorned to regard, as a worthy 
 aim, what is set forth in another memorandum by 
 Newman, evidently intended for private consumption, 
 in which, recounting the objects he had in view in 
 commencing the modern saints, he affirms, " that 
 we were in evil plight in England for want of the 
 supernatural the ethos of Catholics seemed utterly 
 Protestant, and their religion different from what had 
 converted us ; that low views of grace among Catholics, 
 and wrong views of it in others would be corrected 
 thus ; that it would help to destroy antiquarianism, and 
 introduce modernism and foreignism ; that it wguld 
 promote devotion to the Madonna, images, relics, etc. ; 
 that it would help to make confessors into directors." 
 
 Newman's Lives, however, were more than even 
 Roman Catholics could tolerate. " Some features in 
 them scandalised," says his biographer, " many Eng- 
 lish readers." The abundance of imperfectly proved 
 miracles was objected to, and some of the stories of 
 scandals within the Church were considered unsuitable 
 for Protestant England. The series had to be stopped, 
 for two reasons, says Newman in a letter to a fellow 
 Oratorian : " The first great fault was dryness. . . . Next 
 that, the feeling of Catholics about them might be 
 summed up in these two objections, that the miracles 
 need not be believed (and were difficult), secondly that 
 
 13
 
 194 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 they would prejudice Protestants. Some Catholics or 
 Protestants (I forget which) scrupled at receiving the 
 account of St. Winifred carrying her head that Bacci 
 was dry." The future Cardinal felt the snub keenly. 
 " Why," he continued in his wrath, " are they [the 
 Roman Catholic clergy] jealous ? What have we done ? 
 Since the day we were Catholics, they have been burst- 
 ing with ' jealousy ' and we are on every occasion to 
 give way to this indefinite terror." But he was severely 
 called in question for his sensitiveness and pugnacity, 
 and taught that it was only his to obey. 
 
 Brown's Lives had no such flaming sword drawn over 
 them. They had the hearty approval of his Church, 
 and were read by increasing multitudes. Long after 
 he had passed to his rest they continued to be issued, 
 and might with profit be issued still. Of course, the 
 so-called miracles that Newman and Faber delighted 
 to serve up with their chosen saints find no place in 
 the lives of the men that Brown set before the public. 
 He was content to allow the story of their experiences 
 and activities, their defeats and triumphs, to carry its 
 own testimony. 
 
 In issuing them, he said, his aim was " to disparage 
 the fashionable but soul-ruining flimsiness in religion " 
 that prevailed, and " promote a distinct, deep, and 
 heart-captivating experience of the gracious working 
 of the Spirit of God, issuing in a devout, active, and 
 orderly practice." He appealed in particular to his 
 students to gather from these Lives, so as to " lay deep 
 the foundations of their professed religion, if they 
 wished the ravishing delights of it." In characteristic 
 fashion he goes on to say : 
 
 14 For real gnawings of the shell will but render it 
 disgustful to you, and make your ministrations of the 
 Gospel a task, a burden to yourselves, and a curse to 
 your hearers. None that know how long and how 
 eagerly I have hunted after human literature, as my 
 circumstances permitted, will readily suspect me as 
 an enthusiastic contemner of it. But as, on the brink 
 of eternity (he was then in his 59th year), I dare
 
 'THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS" 195 
 
 pronounce it all ' vanity and vexation of spirit,' when 
 compared with, or not subordinated to, the experimental 
 knowledge of Jesus Christ, as ' made of God unto us, 
 wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and re- 
 demption.' There is no language, ancient or modern, 
 like that of the Gospel of the grace of God, pronounced 
 by the Holy Ghost to one's heart, and of heaven-born 
 souls to God, under His influence ; no history like that 
 of Jesus Christ, redemption through His blood, and 
 effectual application of His grace ; no science like that 
 of beholding the Word made flesh, and beholding the 
 infinite perfections of Jehovah in Him and through 
 Him, in every creature ; no pleasure like that of fellow- 
 ship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." 
 
 Newman, when at least " on the brink of eternity," 
 as his biographer shows, 1 would have subscribed without 
 demur to this Memorandum. 
 
 The first series of Brown's Lives appeared in 1781, 
 and bore the title, The Christian, the Student, and the 
 Pastor. The saintly men whom he portrayed were 
 James Fraser of Brea, Thomas Hallyburton, the seraphic 
 Professor of Divinity of St. Andrews, Owen Stockton, 
 a minister of Colchester, Matthew Henry, of Commentary 
 fame, and Philip Doddridge, eminent as a preacher, 
 professor, and Christian poet, and, in brief compass, 
 three American writers, Thomas Sheridan, Cotton 
 Mather, and Jonathan Edwards. The men are allowed 
 mostly to relate their own story, and to concentrate 
 on their spiritual conflicts, with the result that the 
 impression deepens with every page. The call of the 
 inner life and the necessity for its thoughtful culture, 
 are what concerns the editor. Newman declares that 
 ** The Lives of the Saints were one of the main and 
 special instruments, to which, under God, we may 
 look for the conversion of our countrymen at this 
 time " to Roman Catholicism. Brown's was a much 
 truer and loftier conception, the conversion of his 
 countrymen to the Lord Christ. 
 
 The reception accorded the publication was exceed- 
 
 1 Wilfrid Ward, op. cit., vol. ii. p. 527
 
 196 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 ingly cordial. The Professor, much in advance of his 
 time in his care for the rising generation, proceeded in 
 the following year (1782) with a second series, entitled 
 The Young Christian ; or, the Pleasantness of Early 
 Piety. Eleven Lives are given, in order to 
 
 " Encourage all concerned, to their utmost, to study, 
 or promote an early fear of God. . . . How delightful to 
 have our children, servants, scholars, or young hearers 
 living or dying in the manner these young ones did ! 
 How delightful to have them, on their death-beds, bless- 
 ing God, and thanking us for the pains we took in their 
 Christian . education ! Why do we complain of the 
 ignorance, folly, pride, prodigality, and profaneness of 
 the rising generation, if our neglect of their souls, or 
 our encouragement of them in fashionable conformity 
 to the world, be the cause ? If any of them be a burden 
 or a reproach to us, doth not our own wickedness correct 
 us, and our backslidings reprove us ? " 
 
 To his young readers he addresses the appeal: 
 
 " In these little histories which I now present to you, 
 behold what your lives ought to be ! Behold what, 
 by the grace of God, they might be ! Behold what 
 they would be, were it not for your own sloth, folly, 
 and wickedness ! Behold what an honour and comfort 
 you might be to your parents, masters, teachers, and 
 ministers ! and what a mercy to your families and 
 country ! and what a joy and crown to Jesus Christ, 
 that loved you and gave Himself for you ! " 
 
 The examples given are certainly remarkable ; they 
 illustrate, however, the surface meaning of the classic 
 proverb, " Whom the gods love, die young." One or 
 two reach the age of twenty-two, but most are of tender 
 years. The precocity of youth on its religious side is 
 strikingly manifest, but the editor himself, in a footnote, 
 makes the assertion, " I myself once saw a child dying 
 in a cradle that appeared to have more knowledge of 
 the principles of religion than some who apply for
 
 "THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS" 197 
 
 admission to the Lord's table." The study of child 
 life has revived in recent years ; and the results tend 
 to support the contested utterance of Wordsworth, 
 " Heaven lies about us in our infancy." The series 
 closes curiously with the " dying sentences of some 
 great, learned, or godly men." They are aptly chosen, 
 and culled from a wide field Cardinal Richelieu, John 
 Knox, Archbishop Ussher, Hugh Grotius, John Selden, 
 Dr. John Donne, Hugh McKail, and others. 
 
 In the year following, 1783, Brown completed his 
 series of Lives, in a work entitled Practical Piety, exem- 
 plified in the Lives of Thirteen Eminent Christians. 
 These " complete my intended exemplification of Prac- 
 tical Religion, in which, I hope, believers of every age 
 and station may find somewhat for their own reproof, 
 correction, and instruction in righteousness." These 
 thirteen consist of eight men and five women. Among 
 them were Joseph Williams, a rich merchant in Kidder- 
 minster, Sergeant James Nisbet, son of John Nisbet of 
 Hardhill, one of the Scottish covenanters, Margaret 
 Abercrombie near Alloa, Elizabeth Cairns, whose family 
 suffered from " the fury of the Highland rebels,'" James 
 Barry, who, as a boy, passed through the Irish massacres 
 of 1646, a nephew of the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. 
 Most of his list had gone through the sifting fires of 
 persecution. When the torch is lit, the truth burns. 
 Those whose souls hungered for the light, and at last 
 were satisfied, felt that they had a stand to make which 
 called both for a reason to support it, and for a record 
 to preserve it. It was such that this indefatigable 
 worker in the rich field of Christian biography brought 
 before men. The fact that the saints selected were 
 from the quieter walks of life was the more effective, in 
 Newman's phrase, as " the popular evidence of Chris- 
 tianity." There is nothing so striking about them as 
 the varied nature of their personality. Such dwelling 
 upon the inward moods might lead to monotony and 
 morbidity. But there is a refreshing note in the testi- 
 mony of each, as they severally relate how, like Dante, 
 "they climbed the mountain." The times also reveal 
 themselves in their narrative with an intimacy that
 
 198 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 brings the reader into closer touch with the realities of 
 the period than is depicted by the painstaking historian. 
 The narratives are to a large extent the personal his- 
 tories of the writers, and two of them are direct from 
 their manuscripts. They show how deep the roots 
 were planted in an age that rang with controversy in 
 Church and State, and what rich fruits were garnered 
 in spite of the prolonged and fierce storms of con- 
 tention. 
 
 The series was foUowed by Casuistical Hints, or Cases 
 of Conscience. These hints were " originally formed for 
 my own use ; and may now be considered," says the 
 author, "as an appended illustration of the Lives, or 
 as an appendix to my system on the head of Sanctifi- 
 cation." 1 They afford a glimpse into his mind and 
 method of dealing with the practical problems of life. 
 Brown's difficulties were not specially of an intellectual 
 nature, they were rather of an ethical and spiritual type. 
 His faith mounted over the perplexities of the mind, 
 facing the mysteries of the universe. It steadied itself 
 on the sun-lit heights of God's sovereignty and His 
 revelation in Jesus Christ, and accepted what was in the 
 shadow as beyond human power, and rejoiced, and was 
 content to rejoice, in the vast region where the light 
 fell. But when it came to the region of character and 
 conduct, it made him agonise in his endeavours to reach 
 lofty altitudes of rectitude and holiness, and he was 
 deeply humbled that the ascent was so slow. 
 
 The problems of conduct therefore concerned him 
 greatly. Here he centres his inquiry round five impor- 
 tant spheres, in which action is difficult to determine 
 temptation, indwelling sin, spiritual experiences, the 
 Christian walk, and errors and divisions in the Church. 
 Both the examples and the experiences of the saints 
 whose lives he had been detailing, as well as the great 
 doctrine of Sanctification that he was fond of emphasis- 
 ing, opened up fields where the path safely to pursue 
 was not the easiest found. While the main route was 
 plain, there was soon reached a doubtful belt, where 
 right and wrong, good and evil, truth and error, meet 
 
 1 See p. 212.
 
 'THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS" 199 
 
 and merge. Brown set himself to act as guide and 
 interpreter, and would 
 
 Like a trumpet, rouse 
 Those who with half-open eyes 
 Tread the border-land dim 
 'Twixt vice and virtue. 1 
 
 He discusses the " Temptations " that beset men of 
 all ages, in all ranks and professions. He deals with 
 each in detail, and pursues, with the scent of a sleuth- 
 hound, the tempter in all the twists and turnings he 
 takes to capture his prey. Then, in a few vigorous 
 sentences, he furnishes the weapons which grace and 
 Scripture provide to meet the foe. He thereafter turns 
 to " Indwelling Sin," whose two leading properties are 
 deceitfulness and power. In this chapter he displays 
 his analytical faculty in tracking evil to its hidden 
 depths, and dragging it to the light. " Spiritual Experi- 
 ences," he next examines in their varied character, in 
 regard to conviction, conversion, inward feelings, doubts 
 and fears. This is followed by a chapter on the Christian 
 life, with its roots in faith, its fellowship in God, its 
 safeguards in spiritual-mindedness and a conscience 
 void of offence, and its fruits in the hours of trouble 
 and sorrow. The concluding chapter is concerned with 
 " Casuistical Hints relative to Scandalous Practices, 
 Errors, and Divisions." He himself, in his early days, 
 was the occasion of a good deal of offence, by the 
 malicious slander foisted upon him by unthinking com- 
 rades, and was ministering in a Church that caused the 
 first rent hi the fabric of the Scottish Church. He 
 could view this grave matter, therefore, from a stand- 
 point that had been reached by a rugged route of personal 
 experience. In a sane and temperate manner he subjects 
 to examination scandalous practices, pointing out the 
 pitfalls, and how they are to be avoided. " Errors " 
 are to be repudiated, albeit the greatest care is to be 
 exercised in defining and determining what is " error." 
 
 " Divisions " in the Church are considered under a 
 profound sense of the grievous disasters they may 
 
 1 Matthew Arnold, Rugby Chapel.
 
 200 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 produce on the spiritual life of the individual and the 
 community. In all cases, they are, if possible, to be 
 avoided, and much is to be allowed for imperfections in 
 this imperfect world. He will only allow that " heresy 
 in doctrine, idolatry in worship, tyranny in govern- 
 ment, habitual intrusion of ministers, progressive indul- 
 gence of manifest scandals, imposition of sinful terms 
 of communion by requiring any omission or commission 
 which as circumstantiated is sinful, are sufficient grounds 
 of withdrawment from a Church, with some of whose 
 members left behind Christ holds spiritual fellowship." 
 And separation is only justifiable if the Church is 
 " obstinate in holding fast to her evils." Providence 
 often points out " the duty of separation by permitting 
 some faithful ministers to be tyrannously thrust out 
 of her communion." 
 
 When he turns to the means to heal the divisions in 
 the Church, he has much wise and sensible advice to 
 offer. In view of the special circumstances of the 
 Church to-day, not only in Scotland but elsewhere, 
 the wisdom of his words may well find a place in 
 the thoughts of men. Discordant parties are warned 
 against any attempt to crush each other, or " one party 
 be shy in their condescensions because the other appears 
 sinfully stiff." " When meetings for promoting union 
 are held, the most sensible, peaceable, prudent and 
 humble ought to be the only managers, or at least the 
 principal speakers." The first thing to be considered 
 is how far there is agreement, in order to " conciliate 
 affection and manifest that the real differences are but 
 few and comparatively of smaller importance, if any- 
 thing at all but words and the most ticklish points 
 ought to be last considered." The differences that 
 arise on doctrinal points not fundamental, manner of 
 worship, personal faults, authority of certain courts, 
 and practices of courts, are handled with consummate 
 sense ; and again he insists on separation being a 
 necessity only when every method of reaching common 
 ground without a betrayal of the highest principles is 
 exhausted. It is interesting to see how the author who 
 himself toiled along the thorny and difficult path that
 
 ''THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS" 201 
 
 clave the Church of his land, deemed secession or 
 separation no light thing, but the very last to be 
 resorted to, and to what lengths he would go to have 
 the breaches healed. The union among Christians 
 ought specially to be studied and promoted " in face of 
 the perils threatening the Church, the inability of the 
 State to help, the weakening caused by divisions," and, 
 above all, " when God in His providence offers any 
 remarkable opportunities of a happy conjunction." 
 
 The discussion of these grave problems affecting con- 
 duct appropriately closed the remarkable series of 
 Lives which Brown issued. The situation disclosed of 
 difficulty or peril was courageously faced ; and he 
 hesitated not to furnish a solution, whether it might 
 commend itself to the perplexed reader or not. He had 
 the faculty not only of diagnosing a condition, but 
 also of discovering a remedy. The value of his " Hints " 
 was their honest and sincere attempt to provide guid- 
 ance in regions of conduct where cross-roads meet at 
 almost every turn. 
 
 Here it may be fitting to record an experience which 
 he himself had, in a situation equally difficult and 
 delicate. He had a particularly strong aversion to 
 what in those days was termed the " transportation of 
 ministers," that is their being called from one sphere 
 to another. In 1779, the pastorate of the great congre- 
 gation of Bristo Church, Edinburgh, became vacant 
 through the death of the minister, the Rev. John 
 Patison. Five calls were presented to ministers, which 
 were in turn unsuccessful. Brown was appointed 
 moderator (to take temporary charge) in 1782. Many 
 of the people were bent on having the Rev. James Hall 
 (afterwards Dr. James Hall) of Cumnock, Ayrshire, as 
 the minister. Others favoured a brilliant student of 
 Brown's (both were his students), newly licensed, James 
 Peddie (afterwards Dr. James Peddie). The long 
 vacancy had created adverse currents in the congre- 
 gation. At the moderation for a call, Brown preached 
 a sermon on Acts i. 24, that had its application to the 
 circumstances, and, while not advising the calling of 
 the settled minister, steered strongly in that direction.
 
 202 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 When the vote was taken, Peddie had a bare majority. 
 The other side raised a clamour about the unfairness 
 of the sermon, which Brown immediately published, 
 under the title, The Necessity and Advantage of Special 
 Prayer for the Lord's Special Direction in the Choice of 
 a Pastor. It was correct to the last particular ; but 
 it was followed With an Appendix of Free Thoughts 
 on the Transportation of Ministers, in which he depre- 
 cated strongly the translation of ministers except 
 under the very highest necessity. This Appendix did 
 not soothe matters, and involved the author hi a con- 
 troversy which, he says, " occasioned me many sleepless 
 and thoughtful hours," and in which he had vigorously 
 to defend his principles. 
 
 The issue in the congregational struggle was an 
 endeavour to make the charge a collegiate one, and 
 both candidates were requested to preach on alternate 
 Sundays. This, however, did not conduce to harmony. 
 Ultimately Mr. Peddie was ordained to the charge on 
 April 3rd, 1783, in which he was succeeded by his son, 
 William, and the two ministered to the same congre- 
 gation for the long period of 110 years, till 1893. Mr. 
 Hall and his party withdrew, and formed the congre- 
 gation of Rose Street Church, in the new part of Edin- 
 burgh that was rapidly rising. The numbers in both 
 congregations quickly increased, in Rose Street Church 
 so greatly that in 1821 Dr. Hall and a part of his 
 congregation moved to a larger church in Broughton 
 Place, on the opening day of which the rival candi- 
 dates of Bristo forty years before, Dr. Peddie and Dr. 
 Hall, both preached. In both these charges, in Rose 
 Street, and Broughton Place, Dr. Hall was succeeded 
 by the grandson of John Brown.
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 THE THEOLOGIAN 
 
 THE duties of the Professor's chair compelled its occu- 
 pant to devote time and strength to the " Queen of 
 Sciences." Theology, in Boccaccio's vivid phrase, was 
 " the poetry of God," requiring the heart of a saint, 
 the mind of a scholar, and the soul of a poet. Brown 
 possessed the first two requisites, and was not lacking 
 in the third. 
 
 Incumbent as it was on a teacher of divinity students 
 to deal with this theme, there were many ways in which 
 it might be done. It must be remembered that those 
 called at this time to this office had all the burdens of a 
 pastoral charge laid upon them, and that their profes- 
 soriate embraced Church History, Old and New Testa- 
 ment exegesis, Doctrinal and Pastoral Theology. It 
 was not surprising, therefore, that they turned to 
 other writers, who had specialised in Christian Doctrine, 
 and made their works the basis of their prelections. 
 The Medulla of the Dutch theologian, Marckius, or 
 the Institutes of the Genevan professor, Turretin, were 
 so used by Brown's predecessors, and in the divinity 
 class-rooms of the Universities of the period. These 
 treatises enjoyed a high repute, and commanded uni- 
 versal acceptance. Like the rest of the theology of 
 that age, they have dropped out of the cognisance of 
 the present time ; but they were landmarks in the 
 progressive march of Scripture science, and left their 
 impress on the thinking of the day. 
 
 Brown, however, was not content with the standard 
 authors on this subject. He worked out an elaborate 
 and comprehensive system of his own, a system in 
 which he exhibited his powers of discrimination, pre- 
 203
 
 204 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 cision, and lucid expression. In this study he was 
 particularly affected by the trend of the theology of 
 the period, which was more or less a revolt from the 
 severely scholastic method that had so long held sway, 
 only, however, to be caught by it in another form. 
 Due place was given to Calvin's Institutes, which still 
 command attention. But, instead of emphasis being 
 placed, as with it, on the eternal decrees of God, atten- 
 tion was centred on the historical activity of God in 
 dealing with men, first by a covenant of works, and, 
 when that failed, by a covenant of grace. Bullinger of 
 Zurich, Olivian, one of the authors of the Heidelberg 
 Catechism, and a few others in the sixteenth century 
 shared this conception of theology. But in the seven- 
 teenth century, in the invigorating atmosphere that 
 prevailed in the Dutch Church, this new point of view 
 received fresh emphasis ; and Johannes Cocceius laid 
 the foundations of a new system of theology upon this 
 basis. He drew his whole conception of Christian 
 doctrine from the Scriptures, 1 and the Scriptures alone ; 
 and beheld it all as covered by the two great covenants 
 the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace. 
 Cocceius was born in Bremen in 1613, and died as 
 Professor of Theology at Leyden in 1669. He played an 
 important part in the history of theology. He came 
 into violent collision with the scholastics and the 
 Cartesians of his day, who denounced him as a heretic. 
 But, in spite of their loud protests, he delivered the 
 Reformed Church from the tyranny of their methods, 
 and drew her back to the source and secret of her 
 strength, as being emphatically a biblical Church, and 
 certainly secured for her great theological freedom. 
 His was the first attempt at a biblical theology. His 
 work was entitled Summa Doctrines,* in contrast with 
 the Summa Theologia of Thomas Aquinas (1221-74), 
 the chief of the scholastics, against whose method his 
 whole artillery was directed. Not only were the 
 Scriptures the one source of his philosophy and creed, 
 
 " It [federal theology] was biblical rather than speculative in its 
 character" (A. C. McGiffer, Protestant Thought before Kant, p. 153). 
 2 Summa Doctrince de Fcederi et Testamentia Dei (1648).
 
 THE THEOLOGIAN 205 
 
 but with him it was a fundamental exegetical principle 
 that every passage must be interpreted according to 
 its context, and have only the sense which the context 
 suggests. His scheme was known as the Federal 
 System of Theology. 
 
 An ardent disciple of Cocceius was Herman Witsius 
 (1636-1708), who also lectured at Leyden. He modi- 
 fied his master's ingenious scheme. His principal 
 work was De (Economia Fcederum Dei cum Hominibus 
 . (The Economy of the Covenants between God and Man), 
 a translation of which was published in London in 
 1763, and in Edinburgh in 1771. It is not equal in 
 ability and grasp to Cocceius's, but obtained a much 
 wider reputation. The controversy raged fiercely in 
 the Netherland Church between the Federalists, as the 
 Cocceian party was called, and the scholastics, regarded 
 as the orthodox party. Witsius's treatise was an earnest 
 effort on the author's part to quieten the conflict by 
 lining up the federal system more accurately and com- 
 pletely with scriptural truth ; but, unfortunately, it 
 met with the approval of neither party, and, strangely, 
 least of all with his own, who accused him of having 
 sinned against the Holy Ghost. 
 
 Both Cocceius's and Witsius's systems underwent 
 modification from their followers. But their method 
 of viewing theology commended itself to the Professor 
 of Haddington. First and last he was a biblical student. 
 As a man steeped in the Scriptures, he felt drawn to it ; 
 and, being a preacher, he was the better equipped for 
 being a theologian ; for the best theologians are those 
 who are moved to preach. They interpret the Gospel 
 by seeing it in operation ; and experience illumines 
 much that is dark in the Word. 
 
 The dear Lord's best interpreters 
 Are humble human souls. 1 
 
 Let it be said that, while the federal theology in time 
 lost its fascination as an attempt to unfold the mysteries 
 of this science, it gave to Protestants their passion for 
 
 1 Whittier, The Friend's Burial.
 
 206 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 a purely biblical theology. It swung, perhaps, like all 
 new movements, the pendulum too far ; but it has not 
 always been acknowledged how, to the elucidation of 
 Christian doctrine, it riveted attention to the Scrip- 
 tures, 1 and thus brought into prominence the tenderer 
 aspects of divine truth previously overlooked, which 
 the Scriptures everywhere reveal. If it lacked the 
 recognition of the mystical element, that arose more 
 from the statement of it than from the lack of the 
 mystical spirit in the men that affirmed and upheld it. 
 It suffered from the peril of reducing salvation to a* 
 mercantile arrangement between God and the sinner * ; 
 but, behind the bargain, there was understood to be a 
 warmth of fellowship, that knit Saviour and sinner in 
 the golden bonds of love and devotion. 
 
 Brown, attracted to a system that embedded itself 
 so deeply in Scripture, was not content with the masters 
 who had hitherto expounded it. He investigated the 
 methods of stating the relations of God to man and 
 the far-reaching issues, from the Fathers downwards, 
 and tested what was said with revealed truth. He 
 declared his preference for the federal scheme as set 
 forth in the Westminster Confession, and formulated a 
 " System " of his own that was " recognised as being 
 altogether one of the most profound, and at the same 
 time perspicuous, views which have been given of the 
 theology of the Westminster Confession" This he 
 delivered to his students ; and, at their urgent request, 
 it was given to the public in 1782, a closely printed 
 volume of 650 pages. 
 
 A singular feature of it is that almost every paragraph 
 stands strongly entrenched by Scripture passages 
 sometimes a perfect tornado of them being poured forth 
 
 1 TJlrich Zwingli (1484-1531) maintained a day would come when 
 a Scriptural theology would become a necessity. 
 
 2 C. G. McCrie, D.D., The Confessions of the Church of Scotland, p. 72. 
 
 3 " The Westminster Confession marks the maturest and most 
 deliberate formulation of the scheme of the Biblical revelation as it 
 appeared to the most cultured and the most devout Puritan minds. 
 It was the last great Creed-utterance of Calvinism ; and intellectually 
 and theologically it is a worthy child of the Institutes, a stately and 
 noble standard for Bible-loving men " (W. A. Curtis, D.D., A History 
 of Creeds and Confessions of Faith, p. 275).
 
 THE THEOLOGIAN 207 
 
 in defence swept in from every book in the Bible. No 
 work in theology presents such a mass of Scripture 
 citations, so aptly linked together. There are no less 
 than 26,819 such references, and according to Brown 
 the number of verses in the Bible is 31,173. Scrip- 
 ture, in accord with the universal practice of the time, 
 was viewed as one authentic and authoritative whole, 
 and every part of it regarded as of equal value. His 
 students were expected to make a transcript of the whole 
 system for their own use in the course of their attendance 
 at the Hall, and to commit to memory the texts at the 
 end of each paragraph. In a letter to the Countess of 
 Huntingdon, when sending her a copy of his Lectures 
 for use at her college at Trevecca, Brown explained 
 his object. " As plain Scripture texts bid fairer to fix 
 themselves on men's consciences than any human 
 reasoning, I have dealt plentifully in those which, with 
 us, students are requested to repeat on being quoted 
 to them, in order to oblige them to become mighty in 
 the Scriptures." Whether the students mastered those 
 27,000 texts may permit of doubt ; but their citation 
 reveals an extraordinarily minute and perfect know- 
 ledge of the letter of Scripture. 
 
 In his work, there is also shown signal acquaintance 
 with the labours of those who had toiled in this extensive 
 field. In his ninety-three references to the authors who 
 had either expounded the theocratic system, or criti- 
 cised it, there is scarcely one omitted, unless it be the 
 mediaeval saints. The mediaeval theologians were felt 
 to be too closely identified with the Romanism that 
 repelled a Luther to commend themselves to the sturdy 
 Protestantism of the Haddington Professor. But, apart 
 from them, it is manifest that the insatiable thirst 
 for knowledge in the high lands of theology was not 
 quenched any more than in other regions for him, until 
 he had drunk of the wells which those who had explored 
 them had dug. 
 
 His work bears the title, A Compendious View of 
 Natural and Revealed Religion, in seven books. It is 
 prefaced by that tender, searching, powerful address 
 to his students, to which allusion has already been
 
 208 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 made, and which was published again and again during 
 the next hundred years. 
 
 Of the seven books, the first is, " The Standard of 
 all Religion : the law of nature in its foundation and 
 contents ; the insufficiency of the light of nature to 
 render a man truly virtuous and happy ; the possi- 
 bility, desirableness, necessity, propriety, reasonable- 
 ness, credibility, divine authority, properties, and parts 
 of that revelation which is contained in the Scriptures 
 of the Old and New Testaments." He opens his treatise 
 with what is really a study in ethics, and at the same 
 time controverts the deistical arguments which were 
 at that time so vigorously proclaimed. In this way 
 he clears the ground for an advance to his main theme. 
 He discusses not only the grounds and principles of 
 natural religion, but the elements and developments 
 of natural morality. He indulges in some speculations 
 that are not only quaint, but daringly unexpected. 
 From the premise that God is omnipotent, and there- 
 fore possesses no impediment in His nature in the 
 pursuit of holiness, and at the same time perfectly happy 
 in Himself, and therefore has nothing to expect from 
 the indulgence in moral evil, He deduces the conclusion 
 that He could not deviate from moral rectitude without 
 incurring both dishonour and remorse. While the 
 validity of his argument may be questioned, he is on 
 safer ground when he insists, " Benevolence and good- 
 ness being the glory of rational beings, must also be 
 the glory of the Godhead." 
 
 The second chapter carries him more directly into the 
 field of ethics. Its interest is enhanced for us to-day 
 by its reflecting the social conditions of the time, and 
 the views entertained regarding them. The slave trade 
 is denounced as criminal, yet in certain circumstances 
 slavery is held to be lawful and justifiable. Demo- 
 cratic government does not commend itself to the 
 Professor, but a limited monarchy meets with his 
 hearty approval. A whole string of questions bearing 
 on the ethics of the time, concerning the relations 
 of families, the eldest-born, servants in a household, 
 employers and employees, wrongs inflicted on the weak,
 
 THE THEOLOGIAN 209 
 
 and such like, are considered and adjudged. One may 
 dissent from his findings, but one never suspects him 
 of using sophistical arguments, and is convinced that 
 the reasons advanced perfectly satisfied the author's 
 own mind. 
 
 From this he proceeds to discuss the insufficiency of 
 the light of nature in a chapter that contains much 
 penetrating thought, and reveals extensive reading in 
 classical and deistical literature. It also exhibits con- 
 siderable acquaintance with out-of-the-way and little- 
 known facts in the past history and moral condition of 
 men in all ages of the world. Here he crosses swords 
 with his contemporary, David Hume, and meets him 
 and the Deists upon their own ground ; for it is the 
 one chapter in which there is not a single allusion to 
 Scripture. His method of handling his antagonists is 
 to discharge on them a series of searching questions 
 which irresistibly suggests the weakness of the argu- 
 ments on which Rationalism rests for its rejection of 
 divine revelation. 
 
 All this has now prepared the ground for discussing 
 the revealed standard of religion as provided in the 
 Scriptures. This chapter concludes the first book. It 
 is largely apologetic in its character. Much of its 
 reasoning is still valid ; but its effect is weakened by 
 the refusal to admit the possibility of a gradual evolu- 
 tion and development of ethical and spiritual truth. 
 
 In Book II he proceeds to the consideration of 
 theology proper ; it is entitled, " Of God the author, 
 object and end of all religion, in His perfections, persons, 
 purposes and works." In four chapters he discusses 
 the subject. The first is concerned with the nature 
 and perfection of God. It is a striking chapter for the 
 minuteness of its analogies drawn from Scripture, 
 and the wide, comprehensive survey of what is there 
 asserted of the Divine Person. Here he builds on 
 . no man's foundation. Chapter II deals with the 
 three Persons in the Godhead. In Chapter III, he 
 approaches the dark and difficult subject of the divine 
 decrees and purposes. In this hotly disputed field, 
 where the swords of centuries have fiercely clashed, he 
 
 14
 
 210 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 quotes no authors, not even when dealing with objections 
 that have been raised to the view he so strenuously 
 defends. The Scriptures are the sole criterion and 
 standard by which he determines what is the real, 
 fundamental teaching regarding the mysteries of the 
 divine decrees, as executed in the works of creation, 
 providence, and redemption. He recognises the diffi- 
 culties, and faces them unflinchingly. He acknowledges 
 that the great problem, morally considered, of any 
 Christian scheme of redemption is the presence of sin 
 in a universe which cannot exist except as the expres- 
 sion of the will of God. But the modern mind would 
 scarcely submit to have its thoughts on even a Scripture 
 doctrine moulded as he would fashion it, simply by an 
 appeal to mostly isolated texts, drawn indiscriminately 
 from Genesis to Revelation, and built upon as if all were 
 of equal value. The chapter that concludes this Book 
 deals with God's administration of His own decrees in 
 the works of creation and providence. It is a won- 
 derful example of examining the Bible inductively in 
 order to ascertain the principles which it expresses 
 as determining the divine action alike in nature and 
 grace. With great ingenuity and power he draws his 
 conclusions as to how providence works, and is respon- 
 sible for what comes to pass. In this section he reveals 
 his scholarly acquaintance with the past, and, by the 
 manner in which he dilates on geographical and electrical 
 phenomena, he evinces his interest in, and no slight 
 acquaintance with, the elements of natural science. 
 
 It is not till Book III is reached that the influence of 
 the learned Leyden Professor is shown. It brings him 
 to " The Bonds of the Religious Connection between 
 God and Man." The Covenant of Works is the first 
 chapter, " the Making, Breach, and ruinous Conse- 
 quences of it." He supplies a careful exposition of 
 the federal system of theology. Like Cocceius, he 
 endeavours to build up his conclusions regarding the 
 original covenant of works and its administration on 
 an analytical examination of Scripture, and inductive 
 use of biblical statements. The exegetical principles 
 pursued are not those applied to Scripture by modern
 
 THE THEOLOGIAN 211 
 
 theologians ; and the doctrines laid down are much 
 sterner than those avowed to-day. 
 
 The Covenant of Grace is the theme of the second 
 chapter. What is there said is more congenial and 
 credible than in the preceding chapter. The most 
 novel and impressive part of it is the application of the 
 promises of the covenant. As the result of the mystical 
 union between Christ and His redeemed, the author 
 reaches some interesting conclusions, bearing especially 
 on the indestructibility of grace, the perseverance of 
 the saints, and the doctrine of a limited atonement, 
 that yet was sufficient to make propitiation for the sins 
 of the whole world. More copious use of Scripture is 
 made in this chapter than in any of its predecessors, 
 containing as it does no less than 1,792 references. 
 
 Book IV carries " The System " forward to the 
 " Mediator of the Covenant of Grace in His Person, 
 Offices, and States," opening with a chapter on the 
 " Mediatorial Person of Christ," that is quite modern 
 in its teaching and tendency, and might be the utter- 
 ance of a twentieth-century theologian. When men get 
 near to the living centres of the faith, the differences 
 due to the changing circumstances of the passing cen- 
 turies diminish and disappear. There is here excep- 
 tional speculative power displayed in dealing with the 
 divine and human nature in the unique Person of 
 Christ, and the necessary incommunicability of any of 
 the distinctively human properties to the divine nature 
 in that form, 'or of the distinctively divine attributes to 
 the human. 
 
 The second chapter undertakes the " General and 
 Particular Offices of Christ as Mediator, Prophet, Priest, 
 and King." It is a powerful chapter. Gallantly it 
 fights for the losing cause of a limited redemption, and 
 the plea is advanced with as much acumen and scrip- 
 tural authority as have ever been expended on this 
 untenable doctrine. An atonement for the elect only 
 did command the fervent support of many keen-sighted 
 and spiritually-minded theologians ; but their stout 
 defences have been abandoned by the change in the view- 
 point of the great central truth of the Christian faith,
 
 212 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 and, under the glowing light and warmth of God's love, 
 there is seen to be a " wideness in God's mercy like the 
 wideness of the sea." These men, however, of the type 
 of the devoted and scholarly Professor of Haddington, 
 spoke with a larger soul than the logic of the mind 
 impelled. The spell of the scholastic was still upon 
 them, and unwittingly at times they were drawn back 
 from the sphere of life into that of logic, where scholas- 
 ticism fairly revels. 
 
 In the succeeding chapter, Christ's states of Humilia- 
 tion and Exaltation are considered. It is a sane and 
 rational handling of the theme, where analogy and 
 typology, which are doubtful and precarious weapons, 
 are pretty freely employed to explain and expound the 
 doctrines. 
 
 The opening chapter of Book V, a Book which deals 
 with the principal blessings of the Covenant, has for 
 its subject, " Union with Christ and Effectual Calling 
 to it." The Scriptures yield their usual rich harvest 
 to provide arguments for the two aspects of the subject. 
 The Holy Spirit's work is vividly set forth. Objections 
 are carefully detailed and refuted. But the intellectual 
 vigour and penetration are not so apparent in the treat- 
 ment of these subjects as in that of the next chapter 
 on " Justification." It is a massive and able discussion, 
 as powerful in its demolition of misconceptions and 
 objections as in the building up of the great doctrine. It 
 will stand comparison with John Knox's vigorous and 
 forceful exposition of this theme. The chapter that 
 follows on " Adoption " is brief and to the point, and 
 redolent of the Word. The next on " Sanctification " 
 is indeed a masterpiece. " I advise you to read Brown 
 on ' Sanctification,' " said Lawson. 1 The writer's life 
 and character shine through every sentence of it. The 
 study awakens admiration for the religious life which 
 interpreted and expressed itself in the exposition here 
 given of the secret source and mystic development of 
 the divine life in the Christian soul. The survey of the 
 mystery of divine grace in personal experience is the 
 work of one who has searched the inner depths. As 
 
 1 The Life of Dr. Lawaon, op. cit., p. 227.
 
 THE THEOLOGIAN 213 
 
 might be expected, the Scripture citations in this chapter 
 reach the high figure of 2,481. 
 
 This book on experimental theology concludes with 
 two chapters on " Spiritual Consolation," and " Glorifi- 
 cation, begun and perfected," rich in their revelation of 
 a deep and genuine spiritual experience. 
 
 Book VI turns to " the External Dispensation of the 
 Covenant of Grace." The Word the Law and the 
 Gospel and the Sacraments cover this field. The 
 Sinaitic Law is discussed in its widest scope, applying 
 to the multifarious details of life, the discussion being 
 clinched by no fewer than 3,133 Scripture texts, which 
 is the record. The logical mind carries its conclusions 
 to the very extreme, but the awards in the way of 
 punishment are repellent. The Gospel is then illus- 
 trated in connection with the Law, magnifying and 
 vindicating it, in a way that is novel and original. 
 Each commandment is carefully expounded, to show 
 how it becomes a practicable and natural expression 
 of the spiritual life. The ordinances of the Church 
 close the discussion, the sacraments, Baptism and the 
 Lord's Supper, being exhaustively treated. 
 
 Book VII is the copestone to the " System," " the 
 Covenant Society, the Church, for erecting of which, 
 and to which, the covenant is dispensed." It was a 
 question then greatly discussed, and still is, what is 
 meant by the Church. This is Brown's definition, clear 
 and comprehensive : " The visible Church on earth is 
 a society of believers and holy persons whom God by 
 the Gospel hath called from among mankind to 
 fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ." This Society 
 is holy, spiritual, independent of all human wisdom and 
 authority, and orderly. " Church Power " finds itself 
 expressed in church government, which, in the writer's 
 view, scripturally declares itself in the Presbyterian 
 system. The closing section on " the Social Exercise of 
 Church Power," is a vigorous plea for the ruling of the 
 Church by means of sessions, presbyteries, and synods. 
 
 The author concludes his " System of Natural and 
 Revealed Religion " with a touching paragraph that 
 exhibits his deep humility and conscious unworthiness :
 
 214 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 " Hearest thou, O my soul, what these thousands of 
 truths, which I have been reviewing, bear witness for 
 or against me ? Alas ! Have I reviewed so many 
 precious, so many saving truths, and seen none in their 
 glory, felt none in their power ? . . . Let me conclude my 
 work with a solemn surrender of myself as a poor, 
 an unparalleled, ignorant, guilty, polluted and enslaved 
 sinner, to Jesus Christ, as in the Gospel, made of God 
 unto me, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and 
 redemption. Let my conscience, let angels, let the 
 redeeming THREE bear me witness that I consent, 
 heartily consent, that Jesus and all that He is and hath 
 be mine, and that I be His from henceforth and for ever ; 
 and that in me, the first-rate sinner, He may show to 
 the ages to come all His longsuff ering, and the exceeding 
 riches of His grace." 
 
 Whatever may be asserted of the " System," it lacks 
 not in the vastness of its range, nor in the minuteness of 
 its detail. When it is remembered how the author was 
 handicapped in the preparing years, and the other 
 duties that pressed upon him in his pastorate and pro- 
 fessorship, it is a testimony to his intellectual vigour, 
 his scholarship, and his indomitable spirit to have 
 produced such a work. While the mode of pre- 
 senting biblical truth along federal lines obtained, 
 it held its own, and it placed that system before 
 men with singular lucidity of style, with argumentative 
 power, and with a throbbing passion worthy of the 
 theme. 
 
 There is a singular feature of the work, to which we 
 have not alluded, thoroughly characteristic of the man. 
 At the close of nearly every chapter, the wonder and 
 the majesty of the subjects he had been considering, 
 intensified by the fresh insight into revelation, through 
 the marshalling of the Scripture texts to defend and 
 uphold the doctrines proved, rolled back on the eager 
 student ; and in a paragraph of " Reflections " he gave 
 utterance to the feelings of contrition or of gratitude 
 that were aroused. The searchlight was turned with 
 vivid force upon his own heart and life to see if he were
 
 THE THEOLOGIAN 215 
 
 worthy of such revelations, and if his conduct and char- 
 acter did really shine with their tender holiness and 
 grace. 
 
 One out of many we might quote we shall choose 
 that at the close of his long-sustained argument on the 
 Trinity. 
 
 " Now think, O my soul, what an insignificant nothing 
 I am before this infinite, this eternal, this all-mysterious 
 God ! How little a portion I have known or even heard 
 of him ? How astonishing, if He be a Saviour, an 
 Husband, a God, an ALL IN ALL to mean, to vile, to 
 monstrous, murderous me ! Alas ! why did, why do I 
 ever exchange this inestimable pearl of great price, 
 this unbounded treasure of godhead itself, this infinite 
 Lover, nay LOVE, for that which is of no, of worse than 
 no, value ? Why despise eternal LOVE, for the sake 
 of a transient shadow ? of a taste of gall and worm- 
 wood ? of vanity and vexation of spirit ? Alas ! why 
 doth ever my heart turn from Him ? Why do my 
 desires after Him ever cool or flag ? Why is my love, 
 my life ever unanswerable to His unchangeable excel- 
 lency and kindness ? When these INFINITE THREE are 
 ever with me, are all my own, why am I not always 
 ravished with their loves ? Why am I not ever listening 
 to their voice and pouring out my heart into their 
 bosom ? Why doth not my soul talk with them, when 
 I sit down, and when I rise up ? But have these 
 honoured, these true and faithful, these unchangeable 
 THREE, by solemn oath, attested and confirmed every 
 promise of the new covenant, that I might have strong 
 consolation and good hope through grace ? Dare I 
 then stagger at the promises through unbelief, and not 
 be strong in the faith, giving glory to God ? O thrice 
 happy new-covenant state, in which Father, Son, and 
 Holy Ghost undertake all for ME ; perform all for, and 
 in ME, and are ALL IN ALL to ME ! Thrice happy heaven, 
 where the glittering vanities of creation shall be for ever 
 forgotten, and a three-one redeeming God shall be for 
 ever seen, for ever known, for ever immediately enjoyed 
 as MY God, and MY ALL IN ALL ! "
 
 Deep must have been, and was, the impression pro- 
 duced on his students by those searching, awe-inspiring 
 reflections of their Professor. Whatever the heights 
 on which he stood above them as their teacher on these 
 sublime themes, by their side he placed himself, as he 
 poured out such mingled penitence and praise on a 
 review of the high argument. " This goes far to 
 account," says his grandson, Professor John Brown, 
 D.D., Edinburgh, " for the strong hold he had of the 
 conscience as well as of the affections of his pupils, and 
 which in this way distinguished him probably above 
 all his contemporary tutors for the rising ministry." 
 
 The writer recalls an experience of his student days, 
 in respect to one of his teachers, the late Principal 
 Cairns, and in respect also to this great doctrine of the 
 Trinity. The first year of his course as a divinity 
 student found him contemplating the mysteries of the 
 faith with an eagerness to penetrate and understand 
 them and a yearning to be able to interpret and com- 
 mend them to others. With a measure of fear and 
 trembling a youthful spirit faces the demands of such 
 a life-task. Shortly after the session commenced, the 
 students resolved to unite their efforts in practical 
 mission work in the Pleasance of Edinburgh, where 
 there was imperative need. Dr. Cairns agreed to address 
 the opening meeting, to which we had gathered an 
 assemblage of humble, sin-battered folk. His subject 
 was 1 Timothy i. 8, " This is a faithful saying, and 
 worthy of all acceptation," etc. In simplest language 
 that a child could understand, full of the tenderness 
 that overflowed in that great loving heart, he com- 
 mended the Gospel to his tattered, yet eager-eyed 
 audience. On us who would travel in his steps, and be 
 preachers to men, he left the impression that if this is 
 the Gospel, and if this is preaching, there was nothing 
 to fear, and no great height to scale. Next morning, 
 at ten o'clock, we students met in the class-room. The 
 Professor, the preacher of last night, was in his chair. 
 His subject was the Trinity. Every man had his note- 
 book and pencil ready. The Professor began, and 
 pencils were busy for a time. As the lecturer moved
 
 THE THEOLOGIAN 217 
 
 forward into the heart of his great theme, the deep 
 tones of his voice became more impressive, the mighty 
 roll of the sentences increased, a flash now and again 
 of the kindling eye revealed the glowing fires within. 
 Soon note-taking ceased, and every one sat gazing in 
 wonder and awe at that venerated figure, searching into 
 the heavenly system, and ever, as fresh beauties and 
 marvels of the divine revelation broke upon him, hailing 
 them with a rapturous joy and with a torrent of elo- 
 quence that left his students hushed and entranced. 
 Argument had been piled on argument, and vision had 
 followed vision in such rapid succession, that long ago 
 the wistful, panting students had given up the pursuit. 
 A thrilling passage of adoration and praise, tingling 
 with humility, and even with helplessness before such 
 overwhelming mysteries, yet lit up with the light 
 divine, closed the lecture. When the class stood up, 
 and the benediction fell, every man withdrew in hushed 
 silence. They had been led by a master-mind into 
 the immensities ; and speech was irreverence. 
 
 This, too, is the Gospel, said the student to himself. 
 What a contrast between the preacher last night and 
 the Professor this morning ! What lovely shallows, what 
 amazing depths in the Gospel of the Redeemer of men ! 
 
 Brown's Lectures on Theology were carried far beyond 
 Haddington. We have already referred to the intimacy 
 of the correspondence that passed between him and 
 the Countess of Huntingdon, and the assistance he had 
 rendered in the controversy between the Wesleys and 
 herself and others on Arminianism. In 1779, she made 
 a request for a copy of his lectures on his " System," 
 in order that they might be delivered at her college at 
 Trevecca. She naturally expected that one of his 
 students would transcribe them ; but with his own 
 hand he wrote a fresh copy. At the same time there 
 was serious illness in his home, and there occurred the 
 death of one of his children. But duty with him was 
 paramount, and whatever furthered the cause of his 
 Master was no burden. He despatched the Manuscript 
 and along with it a copy of all his works. The letter he 
 addressed to the Countess has been preserved, and is
 
 218 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 refreshing in its singular sincerity, and its eager delight 
 for a talk on higher things. 1 
 
 " To the Countess of Huntingdon 
 
 " HADDINGTON, 
 
 " August llth, 1779. 
 
 " MADAM, 
 
 " Scarce had my last to you got into the Post 
 Office, when I began to fear I had been too rash, inso- 
 much as indirectly hinting that I had some thoughts of 
 presenting your Theological Society with a copy of the 
 System of Divinity which, for about twelve years past, 
 I have essayed to teach to a somewhat similar society 
 of candidates for the holy ministry. It appeared to 
 me presumptuous-like to suppose that the prelections 
 of one who had had so little of a regular education, 
 whose poverty of diction and want of an ear, rendered 
 him incapable to express himself handsomely to an Eng- 
 lish ear, and who had vainly squandered away much 
 precious time and talent in the vain attempt to be an 
 universal scholar, could be useful to a seminary which 
 had teachers with far superior advantages and abilities. 
 However, being by your ladyship's repeated condescen- 
 sions led into a kind of promise, my conscience and my 
 credit as a minister and a Christian seemed to forbid 
 my drawing back, without your allowance. This I 
 blushed to ask. I therefore applied myself to transcribe 
 the copy, as I have not a hand to trust to do it exactly ; 
 and amidst a scene of distress, in my person and in my 
 family. I have got it accomplished as it stands. This 
 distress I plead as an excuse for the badness of my 
 writing and for so long a delay. I have sent it by, I 
 think, a safe hand for you, directed to the care of Messrs. 
 Vallance and Simmons, printers of the Gospel Magazine, 
 in Cheapside, London, No. 120, from whom the carrier 
 can bring it to you, if you please to direct him. 
 
 " After an Introduction chiefly directed against the 
 fashionable scheme of the infidel Deists, it attempts 
 to extract everything in religion from the oracles of 
 
 1 The TAje and Times of Selina, the Countess of Huntingdon, by a 
 member of the Houses of Shirley and Hastings, vol. ii. pp. 428 ff .
 
 THE THEOLOGIAN 219 
 
 God, and to comprehend the marrow and substance of 
 what I think proper for ministers to preach, or sinful 
 men to hear for promoting their eternal salvation. As 
 plain Scripture texts bid fairer to fix themselves on 
 men's consciences than any human reasoning, I have 
 dealt plentifully in those which, with us, students are 
 requested to repeat on their being quoted to them, in 
 order to oblige them to become mighty in the Scrip- 
 tures. Candour, I thought, required me to transcribe 
 one copy without reserve, which occasions a few hints 
 toward the close, in favour of our church government 
 and worship in this country. These, I hope, will be so 
 far from giving offence to you, that it will occasion 
 you a delightful satisfaction to observe how extensive 
 and important the agreement, and how small the differ- 
 ence of religious sentiments, there is between a pro- 
 fessedly staunch Presbyterian and a truly conscientious 
 Episcopalian, if they both cordially believe the doctrine 
 of God's free grace, giving unto men eternal life of 
 holiness and happiness through the imputed righteous- 
 ness of Jesus Christ our Lord. The hearty belief of this 
 doctrine would unite us in the warmest affection to one 
 another. 
 
 " Perhaps compassion to my rashness may require 
 your ladyship to conceal how you came by the manu- 
 script, till by yourself or by your learned friends you 
 see whether it be any way useful to your Theological 
 Society, and, if it is thought to be no way useful, it 
 may be returned to the care of Mr. James Hastil, car- 
 penter, in Portland Street, Cavendish Square, London, 
 No. 72. If it is found to be in any way useful to your 
 students, I, as a distinguished debtor to the free grace 
 of God, heartily dedicate it to their service as a token 
 of my affection to them as friends of the Gospel of this 
 grace, and as a token of my bidding them ' God speed,' 
 though they follow not with us. And I leave it to 
 your ladyship to direct the presentation of it to them 
 in what manner you judge best. Only in such a case, 
 it might be proper that one of them who hath a good 
 hand should write out a plain copy of it, for the more 
 easy perusal.
 
 220 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 " I meant to have sent along with it a dozen or two 
 of the Catechism that comes with this, as a present to 
 the boys and girls in your family service, but could not 
 presume to trouble the bearer with any more bulk ; 
 but if I could get the smallest hint that they would 
 be acceptable, I should see to get them conveyed by 
 another. 
 
 " But, dropping the superficial chat concerning my 
 poor books, let us have a word concerning that great, 
 that glorious, that truly original Book of God GOD 
 
 MADE MANIFEST IN THE FLESH. Blessed be God for OUT 
 
 English translation of His oracles, and for our safe and 
 easy access to peruse them. Blessed be God for the 
 Hebrew and Greek originals of the Testament of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ. And blessed be above all blessings, 
 and praised be God for that Original Bible, Jesus Christ, 
 of which He Himself hath engraved the engraving. Oh 
 for grace to regard it day and night till we go to see 
 Him, and God in Him, as He is, and know Him even 
 as we are known ! Oh to count all things but loss for 
 the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our 
 Lord ! How delightfully wonderful is God made 
 manifest in the flesh ! That man who is God's fellow, 
 and in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead 
 bodily ! How stupendous his person-God-man ! How 
 marvellous the union and communion of His nature ! 
 How bright, how amiable an image He is of the invisible 
 God ! How fragrant and heart-cheering, how wonder- 
 ful His unnumbered names, like ointment poured forth, 
 and all full of grace, mercy, and love towards men ! 
 How answerable His offices to promote the glory of 
 God to the highest in the rich, the free, the eternal 
 salvation of sinful man ! How deep, how kind His 
 thoughts to usward ! How gracious, powerful, and 
 quickening His words ! How marvellous all His works 
 in the room of, and towards men ! How unbounded 
 His fulness of righteousness, grace, and glory ! And, 
 to augment the wonder more, all that He is, all that He 
 has, and all that He doth, is for men, for sinful men 
 for, above many, sinful, wretched, worthless you for, 
 above all, sinful, worthless, wretched me.
 
 THE THEOLOGIAN 221 
 
 " What shall we say to this ? Of God we are in 
 Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, right- 
 eousness, sanctification, and redemption. Astonishing ! 
 Are we, who are altogether born in sin, and dead in 
 trespasses and sins we, who so richly deserve to be in 
 hell, in CHRIST JESUS ? Hath God, whom we offended, 
 God, whom we attempted to murder, God, whom we 
 hated with our whole heart and soul, and mind and 
 strength, put us into Christ, instead of putting us into the 
 lowest hell ? In answerableness to our infinitely wicked 
 and destructive folly and ignorance guilt and crimes 
 baseness, sinful pollution and ungodliness bondage, 
 and danger, and misery is Christ Jesus made to us 
 wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption ? 
 Is He made all this to us ? Is He made all this to us 
 by God, who maketh nothing in vain ? Why do we not 
 stir up our souls to possess what our Lord giveth us ? 
 Why are we slack to claim, to take, to live on, all that 
 God hath made ready for us, and by free grants in the 
 Gospel, and by effectual influence, hath made our own ? 
 If Christ Jesus is then so much to us made of God so 
 much to us why should anything but Christ, and God 
 in Christ, get such room in our hearts ? why should not 
 the heart and mind be thoroughly widowed to all things 
 but Jesus Christ ? Alas ! why should we, as though 
 we were half beasts, half devils, attempt to live on 
 dust and sin, rather than on Jesus Christ ? 
 
 *' However, this sad life will soon be over with you 
 and me, I hope. Death must soon break down our 
 prison-walls and let us fly to God, as our exceeding joy. 
 Our body of death must give place to perfection of holi- 
 ness. Our vain and wicked thoughts must give place 
 to thoughts fixed only upon the Lord. Our twilight and 
 transient blinks of the glory of God must give place 
 to seeing Him as He is, in the face of Jesus Christ. And 
 oh, how we will admire and adore the grace that brought 
 us thither ! and how we will sing songs to our well- 
 beloved, to the tune of ' For His mercy endureth for 
 ever ' ; or, shall I say, to the tune of ' Thou art my 
 God, and I will exalt Thee ; my God, and I will praise 
 Thee ? '
 
 222 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 " May this, your husband Christ, guide you with His 
 counsel while here, and afterwards bring you to His 
 glory ! This from, Right Honourable Lady, 
 " Your most humble servant, 
 
 " JOHN BROWN. 
 
 " P.S. As I have had so little acquaintance with 
 persons in high station, I hope your ladyship will 
 forgive whatever expressions or freedom unsuited to 
 your dignity and outward station you discern in any 
 hints of mine. Though it is chiefly in your high char- 
 acter of a redeemed bride, the Lamb's wife, that I 
 address you, I would not choose to use any freedom 
 unsuited to the dignity of the Countess of Huntingdon." 
 
 The Manuscript was kept and used at Trevecca. It is 
 not likely that the last brief chapter on " the Social 
 Exercise of Church Power in Sessions, Presbyteries, and 
 Synods," would be deemed acceptable ; but the main 
 thesis was sustained with such argumentative power and 
 abundance of scripture reference that, given the covenant 
 view of theology, it provided a compact and compre- 
 hensive statement of the subject, which, however regarded, 
 touches so vast and far-reaching issues. His desire that 
 another should transcribe his lectures can be well under- 
 stood, as he wrote always a crowded page, though in a 
 very legible hand. The specimen we give of his Memoir 
 is typical of all his manuscript writings (see page 64). 
 
 Brown's work as a theologian was indeed most 
 creditable, when account is taken of his multifarious 
 duties. His " System " was based on a view of theology 
 which at the time seemed to cover its extensive field. 
 Its limitations were felt by the author ; but when the 
 progressive minds of the next century laid hold of other 
 aspects of the divine decrees, and threw emphasis on 
 other salient features, that centred themselves, not so 
 much on the historical unfolding of the divine will 
 towards man, as in the governing principles of that 
 will, Federal Theology receded from its place altogether. 
 But, as it did so, it left this lasting heritage with the 
 science that, however constructed, it must root and 
 establish itself in the revealed word of Scripture.
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 LETTERS AND TRACTS FOR THE TIMES 
 
 THE correspondence that Brown maintained in his life- 
 time came as a marvel to his friends after he had passed 
 away. His epistolary intercourse extended to all classes. 
 Unhappily, such fugitive material is not generally 
 treasured, a fault more pertinent to the eighteenth 
 century than to this ; and a large part of his corre- 
 spondence has been lost. A few letters to the Countess 
 of Huntingdon have been preserved, showing the inti- 
 macy of his fellowship with that remarkable woman. 
 He had also frequent communication with John Mason 1 
 of New York, Annan * of Boston, Philips of Sarum, and 
 others. The letters that have survived show that it 
 was not the dash of a pen over a few lines of common- 
 place that satisfied him, but talk on the highest themes. 
 So refreshing were these letters in their wise counsel and 
 comfort, so brightening and stimulating, that many of 
 them were sent to his sons after his death, and pub- 
 lished. They may not have the touch and insight, the 
 charm and vivacity of his distinguished great-grandson, 
 the author of Rab ; but they possess a character and 
 an individuality of their own that made them welcome 
 to that age, and called for their frequent publication. 
 
 The extracts we furnish will enable us to enjoy a closer 
 view of the man, and the burning passion that ever 
 animated him. 
 
 1 John Mason, D.D. (1731-92), belonged to Midcalder, Midlothian. 
 The Secession Churches sent out a number of missionaries to the 
 United States, and he went as one in 1761. He became minister in 
 New York, and a distinguished leader in the Dutch Reformed Church. 
 
 * Robert Annan belonged to Ceres, Fifeshire, sent out also in 1761, 
 to the United States. Settled at Boston. Author of Universalism ; or, 
 the Doctrines of Universal Salvation, The Connection between Religion 
 and Civil Government, etc. 
 
 223
 
 224 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 Here is one dated August 20th, 1765 : 
 
 " You ask me concerning marks of fellowship with 
 our Lord Jesus. Alas ! that I should know so little 
 about that happiness. How easy to talk about spiritual 
 things, when we feel not their power ; but, without 
 doubt, our communion with Christ is real, if it make 
 us lie in the dust before Him, and cause us to loathe and 
 abhor ourselves in His presence. . . . Real communion, 
 too, melts the heart with love to God, and to His laws, 
 ordinances, and people, and renders us vexed and shamed 
 that we cannot love Him to purpose. But it is one 
 thing to know these matters in our head, and another 
 thing to feel them in our heart. Ah ! how many of us 
 called Christians are led like beasts by the head ; and 
 how few, like saints indeed, are led by the heart" 
 
 To a correspondent engaged in trade, he penned a 
 letter that made his occupation a source of daily in- 
 struction. The date is, Haddington, 1769. 
 
 " Yours I received. Oh that we had learned Christ 
 to any purpose ! It were well to have learned but as 
 much of Him as to convince us that He is far above 
 our comprehension. There is nothing in creation, but 
 the more acquaintance we have with it, the more spots 
 and blemishes we shall see ; but Christ, the more He 
 is seen and known, appears so much the more comely. 
 ... As all lawful business is full of Christ and of eternal 
 things, yours is so in a peculiar manner. Your asking 
 of persons what they desire, as they come in, is an 
 emblem of Christ saying, ' What will ye that I shall do 
 unto you ? Buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou 
 mayest be rich.' Your arranging of goods on shelves, 
 puts me in mind of Christ arranging His blessings in 
 the ordinances of the Gospel, and in the various promises. 
 Often you let people see things, and they refuse to buy 
 them at all, or at least to take them at your price a 
 sad emblem of our conduct toward Christ ! Ah ! how 
 often do we come to His ordinances and buy nothing, 
 view His covenant in a careless manner, and refuse
 
 LETTERS AND TRACTS FOR THE TIMES 225 
 
 to have any of His special benefits ! We reason with 
 Christ ; not to have His blessings cheaper that cannot 
 be, but to have them at a higher rate than that at 
 which Christ offers them. Is not this madness with a 
 witness ? . . . Perhaps you sometimes exchange goods ; 
 but no exchange is like that which Christ made. He 
 took our curse, and gives us His blessings ; He took our 
 sorrows, and gives us His joys ; He takes our old 
 heart, which is little worth, and gives us a new one ; 
 He takes away our filthy garments, and clothes us with 
 a change of raiment ! You get your own share of slack 
 trade on some days ; but if you could learn the way 
 of trading quick with Christ, if bad debtors make you 
 rightly consider what you owe to Christ and how 
 poorly you pay, you might make the worst part of your 
 business the most profitable." 
 
 Out of the anguish of a sorrow-riven heart another 
 wrote him, making a request at the same time for the 
 illustration he had used at the Communion Table. 
 
 " I desire to sympathise with you in your affliction. 
 Experience hath made me know how hard it is to part 
 with a pleasant child. God hath in His dispensation 
 shown you that ' vanity of vanities, all that cometh is 
 vanity.' There is no certain source of pleasure beside's 
 Christ. When we come into life, we are much in the 
 same situation as you were when you got home we 
 find created joys on their death-bed. May we put as 
 little trust in them as they deserve ! In this stroke, I 
 am sure God is righteous. Think if your tender little 
 one did not twine about your heart, and draw it off from 
 God. Is it not, then, just that God abolish the idol ? 
 But, methinks, this stroke is not only just, but it is 
 good also, both to you and to your child. What you 
 have met with on this occasion appears to me an evi- 
 dence, so far as I can see into the secrets of Jehovah, 
 that God has at once taken your child to Himself, and, 
 in some measure, taken your child's room in your 
 heart. If, when young ones are in such danger here, 
 God hath taken your daughter to educate her in heaven, 
 
 15
 
 226 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 if she is gone to Christ, your best Friend above, is she 
 any worse ? rather, is she not far better ? Do you well 
 to be angry that God has dealt so graciously with her ? 
 Learn from the death of children to pant for the ever- 
 living God ; to consider them, and all created things, 
 as mere loans, which God may recall at pleasure. 
 Esteem nothing but Christ your proper possession ; all 
 things beside Him give us the slip. 
 
 " As to the note at the service of the table, of which 
 you spoke, it was to this purpose : ' When the savages 
 of Louisiana were going to murder Lasale, 1 or his Italian 
 friend, he told them that, such was his regard for them, 
 that he had them all in his heart ; and would they 
 murder a man who loved them so well ? At the same 
 time applying a small looking-glass to his breast, he 
 desired them to look, and see if it was not so. It is 
 said that the poor savages, observing their own image, 
 had their barbarity melted into the most tender com- 
 passion and love ; they would not for the world have 
 hurt him or suffered him to be hurt by others.' Now, 
 believing communicants, Jesus bids you look into His 
 heart, and see yourselves there. ' Behold,' said He, 
 ' you were on my heart from eternity, when I under- 
 took for you ; then My delights were with the sons of 
 men, and I rejoiced in the habitable parts of the earth. 
 Lo ! you were on my heart on Calvary, when it was 
 melted as the wax with the wrath due to your crimes ! 
 Behold you are on my heart, now that I am in the midst 
 of the throne, while I appear in the presence of God 
 for you and prepare a place for you ! ' " 
 
 To a relative on the death of her first-born he wrote : 
 
 " God indeed has manifested, in your case, the vanity 
 of all earthly enjoyments, in giving you a child to look 
 about her and die. However, O mind ! it is the Lord ; 
 let Him do what seemeth to Him good. She was not 
 given, but lent you. Grudge not the recall of the loan. 
 
 1 Robert Cavelier La Salle (1643-87), a great French explorer in 
 North America.
 
 LETTERS AND TRACTS FOR THE TIMES 227 
 
 I am sure He did not recall it till He saw it proper and 
 necessary. In plenty of wisdom, as well as justice, He 
 doth afflict. Nay, in plenty of mercy too. ... I beseech 
 you, beware of immoderate sorrow for the loss of your 
 only child. If you do not, it may break your own 
 delicate constitution, and quickly hurry you to the 
 grave. You have not reason to sorrow as those who 
 have no hope. . . . Indulge not the mind in recalling her 
 agreeable looks and the like, but turn aside, looking 
 unto Jesus, the Child, the Son of God. Fellowship, 
 close fellowship with Him, can allay the bitterest griefs, 
 and make up the greatest losses on earth." 
 
 In these letters are occasional glimpses of his own 
 personal life. To a mother who had lost her husband 
 he sent a heartening message for herself and children : 
 
 " I am essaying to weep with you that weep. . . The 
 Lord hath now an opportunity of giving you an experience 
 of Himself as the widow's husband, the widow's judge, 
 and the widow's stay. Stir up your soul and cry, ' " I 
 know that my Redeemer liveth " ; " my Lord and my 
 God " ; yea, mine own God is He.' Permit me to say 
 a few things to the children. Remember your father 
 hath often and solemnly devoted you to the Lord. O 1 
 for the Lord's sake, never give yourselves to Satan, or 
 to your own lusts ! If you cast yourselves on the God 
 of your father, I dare foretell that God will take care 
 of you all, both of soul, and of body. I myself was 
 thrown to the wide world when young, and yet to this 
 moment I never was in a strait as to outward things ; 
 nor as to inward things either, unless when my own un- 
 believing heart was the cause." 
 
 Writing from Stow, June 6th, 1769, to a friend tried 
 in the furnace, he sought to sustain him with views of 
 " our liberal Jesus, Who seeing our need, doth grant 
 unto us His gracious promises." He makes appeal for 
 his friend's sympathy, in view of his own shortcomings. 
 " Dear friend, pity me, and cry mightily to God on my
 
 228 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 behalf. It is shocking, if you knew it, to think what 
 difference there is betwixt my sermons and my own 
 inward life." 
 
 To Miss Christian Scott, Edinburgh, battling with 
 mental depression, he brought the solace of a wise 
 comforter : 
 
 " I would not have you to sink under your burdens : 
 Christ says to you, ' Cast thy burden on the Lord, and 
 He shall sustain thee.' What, though you be weak, 
 is Christ not strong enough to help you ? And is He 
 not willing enough ? is He not a tender-hearted brother 
 and friend ? Was He not manifested for this end, 
 that He might destroy the works of the devil ? And 
 is not that hardness of your heart, that stupidity and 
 carelessness about divine things, that inability to apply 
 divine promises, that unfitness for prayer, that you are 
 plagued with, a work of the devil ? Surely it is ; oh then 
 give it up to Christ, that He may destroy it in you and 
 for you. . . . Do not be afraid at every blast, but essay 
 to grip to the promise of Christ to encourage you. . . . 
 It is true, God has said, Thou shalt call Me my Father, 
 and shall not turn away from Me ; what more could 
 you desire God to engage for you ? Oh ! hold Him at 
 His word, essay to plead it in prayer, and though, for 
 a hundred times on end, you should be so straitened 
 in essaying to plead it, plead on, God waits to be 
 gracious and will you not wait till He be gracious ? 
 ... Is it not very pleasant, that where sin abounds, 
 grace, sovereign grace much more abounds ? I hope 
 that God will bring you to a wealthy heritage, though 
 He draw you through fire and water to it. Oh ! my 
 dear young friend, when your feet are in the net, let 
 your eyes be toward Jesus, the conqueror of sin, death, 
 and hell ; and by looking to Him you shall be lightened. 
 Whenever you ponder your own dismal case, be sure 
 to ponder the sure grace, mercy, and saving power of 
 the Redeemer, and ponder how many claims you have 
 on Christ. ... It is the faith of Christ's love, saving 
 power, and infinite righteousness that must melt your 
 heart ; think on it night and day ; try to get that
 
 LETTERS AND TRACTS FOR THE TIMES 229 
 
 text pressed on your heart, ' He loved me, and gave 
 Himself for me.' " 
 
 The letters overflow with profound sympathy for 
 those who " bear the whips and scorns of time." He 
 himself had tasted the bitterness that life can offer 
 in some of its moods, but had drunk yet more deeply 
 of the streams that flow from the crystal fountain. 
 The sorrows and sufferings of men and women touched 
 a responsive chord in his heart, and he was eager to 
 help them to reach the refreshing waters. In this way 
 he exercised a wider ministry than he contemplated 
 as the recipients carried his messages to others in like 
 perplexity. A demand arose in time for their publi- 
 cation, with which his sons complied ; and thus, that 
 which was meant to be the enlightening help of one 
 became the comfort and stay of many. 
 
 His letters were not only a feature of his crowded 
 life, but Tracts for the Times poured forth from his 
 busy pen ; for there were Tracts that had a special 
 appeal to their day before those that with momentous 
 consequences to the Church of England originated the 
 Tractarian movement in the " thirties " of last century. 
 Many of Brown's were afterwards collected and pub- 
 lished. Some of them take the form of Meditations, 
 musing soliloquies, especially where some enkindling 
 aspect of revealed truth enthralled the vision, Christ 
 being made of God to us Sanctification, The Grace of God 
 as manifested in Redemption, The Purchase and the 
 Application of Redemption, A Soul shut up to Faith, 
 Spiritual Elevation and Dejection. The style is simple 
 but incisive, and the language vibrates with the passion 
 of a man in tune with the Infinite. " Redemption ! 
 thou eternal excellency, the joy of many generations, 
 return, return, that I may look upon Thee ! How my 
 heart is amazed, is ravished with the view of what my 
 adored Jesus hath done for me in the purchase of redemp- 
 tion, and doth to me in the everlasting application of it 
 to my soul ! " Then the great theme unfolds itself, 
 discovering fresh beauties to the ardent spirit ; and he 
 concludes, " What melting views are these ! How my
 
 230 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 heart heaves with joy, flames with love, would burst 
 with praise, if wonder would allow ! " (Tract III, A 
 Contrast of the Purchase and Application of Redemption). 
 Other Tracts have more specific reference to the 
 events and controversies of the day, that were en- 
 grossing the minds of the people. These he utilised to 
 wing a message for his Master. The contention between 
 Arminians and Calvinists then raged fiercely, and a 
 Tract on Conditional Election and Freewill set forth his 
 views with conspicuous clearness, where the Arminian 
 theory is described as " a miserable comforter and 
 physician of no value." In 1775 came a dissolution 
 of Parliament, with a general election and all the orgies 
 that then gathered round such an event in those pre- 
 ballot days, when bribery and corruption gaily flourished. 
 He sees in it another " Dissolution," and it impels his 
 pen to quicken to a better life his fellows in the muddy 
 whirl of politics. 
 
 " The late dissolution of Parliament in no way that 
 I know of affects my private interest. 1 Scarce any, 
 such as I could have freedom to chuse for my represen- 
 tative, viz. ' able men, fearing God, and hating covetous- 
 ness,' will be turned out, and perhaps as few brought in, 
 by the change. But when I consider the terrible scenes 
 of deceit, bribery, drunkenness, ignorant and profane 
 swearing or perjury, that will be thereby occasioned, it 
 sinks my spirits, and I look on the dissolution as a means 
 of hastening our ruin. Alas ! what numerous, what 
 heavy curses of Jehovah, the King of nations, the 
 wickedness committed in the electioneering work will 
 draw down ! And what court, what kingdom, can 
 prosper under so many fearful curses of Almighty God ! 
 It is neither N. nor F. nor P. that I either fear or trust, 
 but a long-provoked and exceedingly angry God. Till 
 our madness and profligacy in diversions, elections, and 
 many things else, and the fearful murder, deceit, and 
 
 1 He was not an elector. A very limited franchise then obtained. 
 The electors of Haddingtonshire, whose member was James Hamilton 
 of Pencaitland, numbered only 75 (Sir C. E. Adam, Political State of 
 Scotland in the Last Century, 1887, pp. 160-71).
 
 LETTERS AND TRACTS FOR THE TIMES 231 
 
 robbery, committed in our East Indian trade, and our 
 hatred and contempt of Christ and His Gospel, be 
 turned into weeping and mourning and girding with 
 sackcloth, I cannot expect any blessed prosperity for 
 Britain. Nay, I am astonished that God, in His 
 infinite patience, hath borne so long with us, and hath 
 not dissolved us from being a nation. But, turn thine 
 eyes, O my soul ! to a much more solemn scene. In a 
 little our lower world shall be dissolved." 
 
 And then the scene is depicted that shows " the vast 
 assembly of mankind dissolved " ; and it furnishes an 
 armoury to press home a vigorous message. 
 
 This Tract was followed by another on The Grand 
 Poll, that might stand as the prototype of The Man of 
 no Sorrows. 1 The candidates make their appeal to the 
 electors. 
 
 " Terrible confusion having happened among mankind, 
 their original state was totally dissolved by the great 
 King, the Lord of hosts. It was, therefore, necessary 
 that they should be represented and directed by a new 
 head. Two candidates, of very different characters, 
 appeared to solicit their votes. Beelzebub a prodigal 
 rake, who, in a few days of his youth, had spent his 
 large patrimony, and rendered himself and many millions 
 of his friends absolutely bankrupt and miserable ; but 
 who, nevertheless, became more and more proud, and, 
 by his impudence, flattery, falsehood, and other arts, 
 gained the character of a most fashionable and prevalent 
 orator was the one. Jesus Christ the only begotten 
 Son of the Most High God, whose abilities for manage- 
 ment, and whose fidelity, as well as His true love to 
 God and men, were absolutely infinite ; and who had 
 the tongue of the learned to speak words that are spirit 
 and life to every attentive hearer was the other." 
 
 Beelzebub had the presumption first to ascend the 
 hustings, and, with a fawning smile and loud cry, called 
 for attention. Into his mouth is put an ingenious and 
 1 Coulson Kernahan, The Man of no Sorrows, 1911.
 
 232 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 eloquent harangue, flattering human weaknesses, which 
 in the end gained the loud and prolonged huzzas of the 
 assembled hosts, " No Jesus Christ, but Beelzebub for 
 ever! Beelzebub for ever ! Beelzebub for ever !" When 
 Jesus Christ, in infinite compassion to the multitude, 
 mounted the hustings, with difficulty He obtained a hear- 
 ing. Many turned away ; to those that remained is 
 delivered a powerful plea, throbbing with tenderness 
 and love, exhibiting the greatness of the divine com- 
 passion, and the dignity of the divine calling, so that 
 multitudes, even of those that had most heartily voted 
 with Beelzebub, with great melting of heart, cried out. 
 " Behold, we come unto Thee, for Thou art the Lord 
 our God," " God my Saviour, my Master, my Lord 
 and my God." 
 
 In 1782, there was a change of Government. The 
 death of Rockingham led to a new Ministry being formed 
 under Shelburne. Some members retained their posts, 
 among them being the Lord Advocate for Scotland, 
 Henry Dundas, who was then entering upon his thirty 
 years' term of office, which became known as the period 
 of " The Dundas Despotism." A peace had just been 
 concluded after what had been " a most ruinous, per- 
 haps on all hands a most unnecessary and sinful war," 
 according to John Brown ; and there was loud talk 
 among politicians about the British constitution, and 
 the perilous state of the nation, owing to the immense 
 debt the war had incurred. To the eager-eyed patriot 
 of Haddington, there was too little recognition of the 
 King of nations in the national councils, and in a 
 Tract on The State of Britain's Debt to God, he enforced 
 this with uncommon spirit. " Amidst all their preten- 
 sions of regard to the British constitution, and concern 
 for the indebted and dangerous state of the nation, 
 neither the old nor the new Ministry had in the least 
 adverted to the extensive accounts between us and God." 
 He proceeds to enumerate the blessings the nation had 
 enjoyed, the priceless blessings of redemption, and per- 
 sonal, family, and national mercies, and, to enforce his 
 plea, contrasts these with a " few of the leading articles 
 of Britain's debt to God."
 
 LETTERS AND TRACTS FOR THE TIMES 233 
 
 The country was deeply concerned with its enor- 
 mous burdens. The political horizon was lowering. 
 France was on the eve of its revolution. Measures were 
 anxiously discussed to avert catastrophe in our sea-girt 
 isles, and to bring the ship of state into smoother 
 waters. In a further Tract on Britain's Sole Pre- 
 servative, he discusses this, and the proposals for 
 remedy. 
 
 " Let our political managers project what schemes 
 they will, for the reformation and salvation of our 
 nation, they will but issue in vanity and vexation of 
 spirit. Nothing but a remarkable outpouring of the 
 Spirit of God can prevent our superlative miseries, 
 answerable to our heaven-daring national iniquities. 
 As no civil societies have any existence in the future 
 state, national sins must of necessity be punished with 
 national judgments in this world." 
 
 He proceeds to elaborate, with a wealth of Scripture 
 incident and citation, the nation's best asset, and highest 
 defence, and calls upon 
 
 " Every Briton that wishes well to his country, to 
 cease from trusting in men, and their carnal and selfish 
 politics, and to cry mightily to God, that He may think 
 on us, that we perish not ; that He may plentifully 
 pour out His Spirit from on high upon all ranks." 
 
 In 1783, there came the accession of William Pitt 
 to power as Prime Minister, at the early age of twenty- 
 four. The period was critical, and the appointment 
 struck the imagination of the country. Hearty approval 
 was met by violent disapproval. John Brown beheld 
 the matter in a different light, and he sent forth Tract 
 XVII, Christ, the Best Minister of State, in the spirit 
 of Savonarola, who hung out the scroll over the door- 
 way of the Senate Hall of Florence, " Christ, the King 
 of Florence." 
 
 " Upon our sovereign's advancing his present young
 
 234 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 Minister, while multitudes strive who shall most con- 
 demn or defend the British Premier, let me turn mine 
 eyes, my heart, and my tongue towards Jesus Christ, 
 to whom the Majesty of heaven hath committed all 
 judgment, and given all power and fulness in heaven and 
 on earth. Unless for an introduction to a better subject, 
 it is not much worth my while to think or speak of British 
 managers of State. Grey hairs assure me that I shall 
 soon be put out of their reach, with respect to both 
 their good and their evil. But, blessed be God, I hope 
 never to be out of the beneficent reach of the Adminis- 
 trator of the new covenant." 
 
 With Jesus Christ as ruler, he shows what blessings 
 befall both the individual and the nation. 
 
 From the watch-tower in Haddington the Professor 
 eagerly scanned the horizon, and allowed few occasions 
 to pass without attempting to lift men's minds by means 
 of the flitting events to higher altitudes. He dwelt 
 there himself, but kept in touch with all that was 
 occurring on the plains below. He did not withdraw 
 from mundane things, as if it mattered not what befell 
 his country. He was alive to the surpassing importance 
 of the movements of the time, and was too observant 
 a student of history not to know that whatever did not 
 make for righteousness in a people was to their peril. 
 " The truest patriot," said Adam Smith, " is the man who 
 has the keenest conscience of the nation's sins." By the 
 Tracts he issued, with their extensive circulation, and 
 by other efforts of his pen, he strove to enkindle in the 
 hearts of his fellows a real patriotic love for their 
 country, fearlessly exposing the evils that preyed on 
 its vitals, and stirring them up to loftier ideals. In 
 this way he became one of the silent forces that con- 
 tribute to the making of a nation, the modelling of its 
 character, and the shaping of its destiny.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 INCIDENTS OF THE HOME, AND MINOR WORKS 
 
 1776-1784 
 
 THE years that slipped past found the Professor, with 
 his widening reputation, pursuing his course steadily 
 in Haddington in the work of his congregation, the 
 duties of the professoriate, and abundant service to his 
 Church. The incessant labours of the study went on, 
 and issued in a constant stream of works for the press. 
 Some of the original manuscripts have been preserved. 
 They are crowded pages, written on both sides of the 
 paper, with scarcely an erasion or correction, for before 
 they were allowed to proceed to the printer's table they 
 had to submit to two or three revisions. 
 
 Two of his sons were now preparing for the ministry. 
 They had passed through the curriculum of the Univer- 
 sity of Edinburgh, and received their training in divinity 
 in the Haddington Hall. 
 
 Regarding the elder one, John, a somewhat amusing 
 incident occurred as he crossed the threshold of his 
 career. In 1776, he completed his studies. Before he 
 was called to Whitburn in Linlithgowshire, he under- 
 took the charge of a congregation in London, ministered 
 to by the Rev. Archibald Hall, who had been a pupil 
 of his father's, while schoolmastering at Spittal near 
 Penicuik. Mr. Hall's health had broken down, and he 
 was obliged to rest for six months. During this period, 
 John Brown, the younger, discharged the pastoral 
 work. While in London, a young lady in humble 
 position, but of excellent gifts, hailing from the borders 
 of Scotland and residing with an aunt in the city, working 
 as a dressmaker, captivated his affections. The com- 
 mentator, when he heard of his leanings, was gravely 
 
 235
 
 236 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 dubious if she were a suitable helpmeet for his son, and 
 if her position in the social scale was sufficient for her 
 to be a daughter-in-law in his household, who him- 
 self was a weaver's boy. He despatched Ebenezer to 
 London to play the part of Major Pendennis. When 
 he returned, he was eagerly questioned if he had met 
 the young maiden. Ebenezer gave the overwhelming 
 reply, " Father, if John does not marry her, I am going 
 to marry her myself." Isabella Cranstoun, 1 with her 
 noted personal beauty, and meditative turn of character, 
 became the spouse of John, and she more than fulfilled 
 the standard which the Professor laid down for his 
 students in the choice of " a help and an ornament to 
 themselves and their family." 
 
 On May 22nd, 1777, John was ordained at Whitburn, 
 and his father introduced him to his flock on the follow- 
 ing Sunday with a sermon on religious steadfastness, 
 that was published and extensively circulated. John, 
 also, was the author of numerous works, and the editor 
 of considerably more. 
 
 Among the few letters to his own family that have 
 been preserved, there is one written by Brown in 1782 
 to this son, which reveals the simple homely touch, 
 and how all life to him was transfused with the unsetting 
 light. It was no jar for him to pass from the mundane 
 and the commonplace to the higher heights. He had 
 been at Stow on Gala water, a congregation that elected 
 him to its pastorate in his student days, and for such 
 confidence enjoyed a warm place in his affections. He 
 paid it an almost yearly visit it was only about thirty 
 miles from Haddington. On this occasion, with the 
 snows of sixty years upon him, his health had been 
 impaired. His town also was threatened with the 
 ravages of a cholera that was playing havoc among 
 the dwellers in the metropolis. 
 
 " To the Rev. John Brown, Whitburn 
 
 " DEAR SON, 
 
 " At present we are all moderately well. My 
 illness at Stow, I suppose, was entirely owing to want 
 1 John Cairns, ~D.T)., Memoir of the Rev. John Brown, D.D., pp. 13-15.
 
 INCIDENTS OF HOME, AND MINOR WORKS 237 
 
 of cold meat and good porter, in consequence of which 
 I was obliged to take as little meat as I could. I now 
 experience the truth of the proverb, Home is home, 
 though ever so homely. Oh to be ready for that eternal 
 home from which we shall go no more out ! 
 
 " I intend to be with you at your sacrament, if the Lord 
 will, providing you could persuade Mr. Dick [South 
 Queensferry] to come east and see his friends, and we 
 should some of us supply Queensferry for him that day. 
 I ever blush to desire brethren to take this trouble for 
 me, but I suppose all these things will soon be over 
 with me ; and I would like to be once more in your 
 country. 
 
 "The trouble that is raging in Edinburgh appears to 
 have entered our place. Oh to hate sin, the cause of it ! 
 
 " The books were sent off to you last week. This with 
 our compliments to Bell [John's wife] and to Brother 
 [John Primrose] at East Calder. I received Mr. Low's 
 [minister at Biggar] letter too late, but sent off to Mr. 
 Thorburn [South Shields] to go to Biggar on 4th Sabbath, 
 but know not yet whether he is to come or not. Had I 
 but got Mr. Low's letter at the Presbytery, I could 
 easily have supplied him on the 4th Sabbath of June. 
 May the Lord learn us all to look beforehand to the 
 concerns of our souls ! 
 
 " HADDINGTON, 
 "June, 1782. 
 
 " Our sacrament is on the 5th Sabbath of June. 
 Pray for our withered corner." 
 
 A short time after this, the home at Longridge was 
 deeply shadowed by the death of the firstborn ; and 
 from the sympathising heart at Haddington came a 
 letter addressed to *' Dear Bell," making anxious in- 
 quiries regarding herself and Johnny, as no message 
 had been received in answer to a, former communica- 
 tion. With the warm sympathy again expressed there 
 is affectionate counsel "to eye the hand of God in this 
 dispensation," and " recommending a moderate free- 
 dom " in visiting some of the kindly-hearted neigh- 
 bours, "as too much loneliness may do you hurt."
 
 238 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 On May 24th, 1780, the Professor had the pleasure 
 of seeing his second son, Ebenezer, ordained to a charge 
 at Inverkeithing, Fifeshire. Ebenezer, full of boyish 
 spirits in his youth, the hero of many a rollicking story, 
 became in process of years one of the most eloquent 
 preachers in the country. His saintly character was as 
 noted as his rare oratorical powers. From far and near 
 men came to listen to the sublime eloquence of the 
 brilliant son of Haddington. Lord Brougham and 
 Lord Jeffrey sought him out and declared that he was 
 the greatest natural orator that they had ever heard. 
 The Professor felt that neither himself nor his eldest 
 son at Whitburn could stand alongside the preacher 
 of Inverkeithing. " You and I," said the Teacher of 
 Preachers, " try to preach ; but Eben can preach." 
 
 In introducing Ebenezer to his congregation he chose 
 as his subject the Duty of raising up Spiritual Children. 
 The sermon was afterwards published. The full title of 
 it has the flavour of the age, " The Fearful Shame and 
 Contempt of those Professed Christians who neglect to 
 raise up Spiritual Children to Jesus Christ." The text 
 was a " corner " one, Deut. xxv. 5-10. In the spirit 
 of the homiletics of the time, he regarded the people 
 for whom the law was intended as typical, and the body 
 as that of the Church. 
 
 " Jesus Christ, our glorious Elder Brother, who died, 
 and went to His Father, leaving the New Testament 
 Church a widow deprived of His bodily presence, and 
 childless without any remarkable increase to God. It 
 therefore becomes His professed younger brethren, 
 particularly Christian parents, masters, and ministers, 
 in their holding fellowship with His Church, to exert 
 themselves to the uttermost for raising up spiritual seed 
 to Him." 
 
 In the year 1780, a vigorous pamphlet came from the 
 Professor's pen, vindicating the stand his Church had 
 taken in the conflict for the rights and liberties of the 
 Church of Christ. A new generation was rising that 
 heard as afar off the battle-cries of the first half of the
 
 INCIDENTS OF HOME, AND MINOR WORKS 239 
 
 century. The human memory is proverbially short ; 
 the present is ever recording its exciting passages across 
 the deep dark lines of the past. The Established Church 
 was learning little wisdom from the results of its high- 
 handed action in the settlement of its ministers t and 
 the three streams that separated from it were rapidly 
 gaining in depth and volume at its expense. But those 
 who championed the honour and purity of the Church 
 had time and again to justify their position, some- 
 times against those with whom they had a good deal in 
 common. In the other branch of the Secession was a 
 protagonist of restless energy, Adam Gib, whose 
 undoubted powers were limited by his keen partisanship. 
 He was scathing in his denunciation of the followers of the 
 Erskines, and, as usual, misrepresented their attitude. 
 
 In 1774 Gib produced two ponderous volumes, The 
 Present Truth : A Display of the Secession Testimony ; 
 in the Three Periods of the Rise, State, and Maintenance 
 of that Testimony. He traversed with great fulness of 
 detail the whole secession controversy ; and somewhat 
 cavalierly dismissed Brown's account of the numbers 
 present at the momentous Synod of April 1747, which 
 witnessed the unhappy schism. Brown wrote him two 
 letters, 1 giving his authority for his statement and 
 pointing out other mistakes in his elaborate Display. 
 He affirmed : 
 
 " I took my information from the minutes of the 
 meeting ; which, I daresay, you will own to be an 
 authority superior to the assertion of twenty members 
 of it, on that point. When you had no such voucher, 
 and accordingly have been exceedingly varied in your 
 accounts, was it not rash in you, to represent me as 
 guilty of falsehood, without once inquiring for my 
 authority to say so ? " 
 
 After giving the names of the thirty-two that took the 
 broader view of the burgess oath, as against the twenty- 
 three led by Moncrieff and Gib who opposed it, he adds : 
 
 1 The letters are to be found at the close of the second volume in 
 one of the issues of the Display of the Secession Testimony.
 
 240 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 " Now, as you have sent abroad perhaps some thou- 
 sands of copies, to spread this false reproach against 
 me, and to perpetuate the same, I hope regard to truth, 
 as well as to your own honour, will induce you to make 
 your acknowledgment of your mistake as wide as you 
 have made your groundless reproach. Nothing more 
 becomes ministers of Christ than a due regard to integ- 
 rity and truth." 
 
 He had just posted this letter on the morning of 
 June 17th, 1774, from Haddington, to his correspondent 
 in Edinburgh, when he recalled other notable mistakes, 
 and wrote immediately in the hope that the letters 
 might " come to your hand this day, and not disturb 
 you on the Saturday." This was to correct Gib's 
 designating the first Testimony of 1734 of the Secession 
 Presbytery, an extra/judicial deed. Brown shows from 
 the original minutes that it was drawn up by presby- 
 terial appointment, and was judicially approved at 
 subsequent meetings of the Presbytery. A like asser- 
 tion had been made by Rev. A. Moncrieff of Abernethy 
 twenty years before. Brown had called his attention 
 to the error, which Moncrieff ignored. After relating 
 this, Brown proceeds : 
 
 " If, sir, you as publicly acknowledge your mistake 
 on this point, and in the other as to the number of 
 members at the Sederunt of the Breach, it will both 
 prevent sin, do honour to truth, and to yourself; and 
 make such hints as we have only your word for better 
 credited. These are not all, nor near all the mistakes, 
 I think I see in your performance. But what I intend 
 is not to dispute with you, but to give you friendly in- 
 formation from better vouchers than you had to go 
 upon. And if you make such an use thereof, as will 
 testify your impartial regard to truth, perhaps I may 
 be encouraged to give you some other hints, which I 
 long ago learned from the minutes or original papers." 
 
 Adam Gib, in his reply, declared his two letters did not 
 reach him till the evening of Saturday the 18th, dis- 
 counted the value of the minutes, as containing an
 
 INCIDENTS OF HOME, AND MINOR WORKS 241 
 
 accurate record, and preferred to lean on the rather 
 precarious testimony of the recollection of those present 
 at the historic Synod of nearly thirty years before. He 
 held by his contention on the other points, and closed 
 by saying, " To conclude, I know myself to be a hearty 
 well-wisher to you with all those you are in connection 
 with." 
 
 The controversy was engaged in by others, and ulti- 
 mately the Professor intervened in 1780 with a pamphlet 
 on The Re-Exhibition of the Testimony, vindicated in 
 Opposition to the Unfair Account of it by the Rev. Mr. 
 Adam Gib. He kept by authoritative documents bear- 
 ing on the discussion, and from this armoury of facts 
 was able to make a trenchant reply. 
 
 Into a wider controversy, however, was Brown 
 allured. A new political question was at this time 
 rising on the national horizon, the question of Catholic 
 emancipation. It was stirring the passions of men 
 profoundly ; and it came too near the Church of Christ 
 not to draw him into its zone of fire. So deep were 
 the wounds inflicted on the body politic in the eyes of 
 some by Roman Catholicism, when in power, that any 
 opening of the doors that barred its freedom awakened 
 a sense of dread in many hearts. The latter decades 
 of the Stuart dynasty were not forgotten ; and the 
 late attempt of the " bonnie Prince," backed by Catholic 
 Powers, was a vivid memory. For England Parliament 
 had passed a measure in 1778, relieving Roman Catholics 
 from the disabilities imposed by the Act of William III 
 for the further preventing of the growth of Popery. 
 By that Act Catholics were prohibited from teaching 
 their own youth, from purchasing or inheriting a single 
 acre of land, even from becoming domestic servants. 
 The disqualifications indeed were so drastic that the 
 Act was more honoured in the breach than in the obser- 
 vance. 
 
 The whole story of these penal laws is no doubt a 
 painful puzzle to those in our time who know little of 
 history, and regard religious toleration as an unques- 
 tioned principle. The state of mind that passed these 
 acts with such disabilities is inconceivable to us. Yet 
 
 16
 
 242 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 the people who passed them, and those who were, 
 strangely, averse to repealing them, were not fools, nor, 
 speaking generally, fanatics. To understand their 
 point of view, we have only to remember that the 
 Papacy claimed to be a world-power, a spiritual empire, 
 with the right itself (its own) to define the boundaries 
 of the spiritual world, and the further right to enforce 
 its claims, where possible, by the temporal arm. Before 
 the Reformation, this claim, with certain modifications 
 and occasional protests, was admitted in the British 
 Isles ; and the series of Acts by which the Papal juris- 
 diction was transferred to the Crown, henceforth to be 
 supreme in all causes, temporal and spiritual, meant 
 an important stage in the development of the national 
 consciousness. The interference of a foreign Power, 
 whether in Church or State, was naturally suspected and 
 resented ; and when the Papal pretensions were backed 
 by the Spain of Philip II, and the France of Louis XIV, 
 it aroused feelings which grew to a passionate hatred. 
 Those, therefore, that clung to the " old religion " were 
 regarded not so much as heretics as prospective traitors. 
 It was proposed to apply the repealing Acts that had 
 been passed in England to Scotland ; but the dread and 
 hatred of Rome were more intense in Scotland than in 
 England ; and the proposal aroused such fierce oppo- 
 sition that the measure was for the time withdrawn. 
 The opposition sprang from all classes and shades of 
 religious and political creed. The first, indeed, to sound 
 the alarm was an Episcopalian clergyman, Dr. Abernethy 
 Drummond, who afterwards became Bishop of Edin- 
 burgh. Dr. John Erskine, one of the most influential 
 ministers in the Church of Scotland, wrote a severe 
 pamphlet in which he held such an act would be disas- 
 trous both to religion and liberty, and maintained a 
 spirited correspondence with Edmund Burke on the 
 question. John Brown published two pamphlets, one 
 in 1779, and another in the following year. The two 
 together make a fair-sized volume. Their titles speak 
 for themselves. The earlier one is designated The Oracles 
 of Christ and the Abominations of Christ compared; or, 
 a Brief View of the Errors, Impurities, and Inhumanities
 
 INCIDENTS OF HOME, AND MINOR WORKS 243 
 
 of Popery ; the other appeared as two Letters to a Friend, 
 and was written in the form of question and answer, 
 The Absurdity and Perfidy of all Authoritative Toleration 
 of Gross Heresy, Blasphemy, Idolatry, and Popery in 
 Britain. The keen overmastering logic of the critic 
 is very evident, carrying him into untenable extremes. 
 It is manifest, however, that the age of toleration 
 was not yet. The Gordon Riots of 1781 showed how 
 fanaticism still blazed south of the Tweed ; and in 
 France the Parlement of Paris protested against the 
 Edict of 1788, granting civil rights to Protestants. 1 
 
 The next few years must have kept the minister of 
 Haddington and his publishers busy. Not a few of the 
 works already referred to, on which he had been engaged 
 for a considerable period, emerged from his pen. In 
 1781, 1782, and 1783 were issued his three series of 
 Lives. In 1781, appeared in bulky volume his Types 
 and Figures of the Old Testament Dispensation, and in 
 the year following his System of Christian Doctrine was 
 published. In 1784, two other works appeared : a Com- 
 pendious History of the Church in Scotland, in two 
 volumes, and The Harmony of Scripture Prophecies, and 
 History of their Fulfilment, in one. Another work of his 
 had great popularity, Devout Breathings, in which room 
 was given for expanse of soul and lofty vision ; by 1784, 
 it had already passed through sixteen editions. A small 
 volume, sometimes bound up with it, was extensively 
 circulated, The Awakening Call : Four Solemn Addresses, 
 to Sinners, to Children, to Young Men and Women, and 
 to Aged Persons. 
 
 These productions of his, along with the other works 
 that laid the foundation of his enduring fame, carried 
 his name to distant shores. In 1784, a signal honour 
 was paid to him who had been a herd-boy at Abernethy, 
 and sat on the benches of no University, but who, by 
 his untiring industry and indomitable spirit, had climbed 
 into the ranks of Christian scholarship. America was 
 commencing its great and prosperous career, and was 
 anxious to fill its rising colleges with strong men. The 
 Dutch Reformed Church invited John Brown to accept 
 
 1 Hume Brown, History of Scotland, vol. iii. p. 350.
 
 244 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 a professorship in its new college. It was an honour 
 that was a tribute to his fame and learning ; but he 
 declined it, never mentioning to any one what had 
 been proffered him. It might have savoured of egotism, 
 and that he detested. Had he seen fewer years it mighl; 
 have received a favourable answer ; but he was in his 
 sixty-second year, and he felt Time's strong hand stealing 
 over him. If the proposal had been accepted, and he 
 had migrated to the new world with his numerous 
 family, that have left such deep marks on various 
 departments of learning, it would have meant a loss 
 of no mean kind to this country, and without doubt a 
 great gain to America. 
 
 Written in this same year 1784, moved thereto, per- 
 haps, by this honour, there was found among his papers 
 when he died a calm dedication of himself in which the 
 true spirit of the man appears. His professorship had 
 now continued for seventeen years ; twenty-seven books 
 had proceeded from his pen, most of them demanding 
 extensive reading, protracted study, and careful regard 
 to minute detail. His name was a household word 
 in Scotland, and was known to many far beyond its 
 shores. His books, pamphlets, tracts and catechisms 
 were being read by increasing numbers. It can scarcely 
 be denied that he was the most voluminous religious 
 writer of his day. It is true that his writings may lack 
 the magic style, and while some live and others are 
 dead beyond hope of resurrection, yet they won extra- 
 ordinary success. No more potent force for the further- 
 ance of evangelic truth existed in the land. And if 
 that bright flame could be kept burning, until some other 
 caught it up and turned it round to suit the needs of 
 their age, he was content ; fame might do what it chose 
 with its crown. In this fervent nature there was mani- 
 fest a deep sense of self-subordination, and an intense 
 desire that the glory should not be unto himself. Here 
 he unveils the hidden sources : 
 
 " HADDINQTON, 
 
 "June 25th, 1784. 
 
 " Lord ! I am now entering upon the 34th year of 
 my ministry, an amazing instance of sovereign mercy
 
 tf 3 
 o o 
 
 Pi
 
 INCIDENTS OF HOME, AND MINOR WORKS 245 
 
 and patience to a cumberer of the ground ! How 
 strange that Thou shouldst have, for more than sixty 
 years, continued striving to exercise mercy and loving- 
 kindness upon a wretch that hath all along spoken 
 and done all the evil that I could ; nor ever would 
 yield, but when the almighty influence of free grace put 
 it out of my power to oppose it. Lord ! how often 
 have I vowed, but never grown better ; confessed, but 
 never amended ! Often Thou hast challenged and 
 corrected me, and yet I have gone on frowardly in the 
 way of my heart. As an ' evil man and seducer,' I 
 have grown worse and worse. But where should a 
 sinner flee but to the Saviour ? Lord ! all refuge faileth 
 me ; no man can help my soul. Nothing will do for 
 me but an uncommon stretch of Thy Almighty grace. 
 To Thee, O Jesus, I give up myself, as a foolish, guilty, 
 polluted, and enslaved sinner ; and I hereby solemnly 
 take Thee as mine, as * made of God to me wisdom, 
 righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.' I give 
 up myself as a poor, ignorant, careless, and wicked 
 creature, who hath been ' ever learning, and yet never 
 able to come to the knowledge of the truth,' to Thee, 
 
 Lord, that Thou mayest bestow gifts on the rebel- 
 lious, and exalt Thy grace, in showing kindness to the 
 unworthy. O Saviour ! come down, and do something 
 for me before I die. I give up myself and family, wife 
 and children, and servant, to Thee, encouraged by Thy 
 promises : Gen. xvii. 7 ; Jer. xxxi. 1 ; Isa. xliv. 3 ; lix. 21. 
 
 1 commit my poor, weak, withered congregation, 
 deprived by death of its pillars, that Thou mayest 
 strengthen, refresh, and govern it. I commit all my 
 students unto Thee, that Thou, O Lord, mayest train 
 them up for the ministry. May never one of them be 
 so unfit as I have been, Lord ! I desire to take hold 
 of Thy new covenant, * well ordered in all things and 
 sure. This is all my salvation, and all my desire.' 
 
 " JOHN BROWN." 
 
 One must allow due weight to the sense of short- 
 coming when the full blaze is turned inwards, but there 
 rings out the true man.
 
 246 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 The immense labours of the study were solely intended 
 to benefit his fellows. Pecuniarily his works profited 
 him little ; but that concerned him as little. He stood 
 absolutely clear of the witchery of the purse. " I would 
 not wish," he said to his sons at the end of his days, 
 *' that there should be the least appearance of avarice 
 in me." He was utterly devoid of it. He might well 
 stand for Goldsmith's well-known couplet : 
 
 A man he was to all the country dear, 
 And passing rich on forty pounds a year. 
 
 His stipend never exceeded 50 per annum, and for 
 a considerable time was only 40. His professional 
 work was done without fee or reward, as was also his 
 clerkship of Presbytery and Synod. While his writings 
 circulated widely, and new editions were called for, the 
 profits did not find their way to his coffers. In the 
 publisher's hands he placed his works, in the hope that 
 they might be sold more cheaply for the sake of the 
 poor. As already mentioned, one of his publishers, of 
 his own good will, presented him with a sum variably 
 mentioned from 25 to 40. But this sum he lent to 
 the publisher of the first edition of his Bible, inasmuch 
 as it was an expensive book to print. Unfortunately 
 this publisher failed, and the money was lost. After 
 his death, his widow received 90 for several of his 
 works which he had prepared for the press, and some 
 of his MSS. 
 
 When one remembers the very numerous editions of 
 his Christian Journal that were called for, and the wide 
 circulation enjoyed by his Catechisms, Dictionary, and 
 Self -interpreting Bible, not to mention his other produc- 
 tions, it is evident that others reaped a harvest where 
 he had so diligently sown. His son 1 maintains 
 
 " Though, in regard to his writings, it must be ad- 
 mitted he acted disinterestedly, it cannot be said that 
 he acted wisely. He himself and his family would have 
 been much the better of receiving a fair portion of the 
 
 1 William Brown, M.D., op. tit., 1856, p. 54.
 
 INCIDENTS OF HOME, AND MINOR WORKS 247 
 
 fruits of his labour. Nor can it be alleged that, in 
 receiving this, he would have been less ' serving the Lord 
 Christ.' He might, on the contrary, have served Him 
 more effectually, and been useful in ways in which he 
 was not otherwise able to be." 
 
 Be it deemed wisely or unwisely, the Professor's 
 dominating idea, it is apparent, was to promote the 
 highest and best interests of all whom he could reach 
 by voice or pen. If he could accomplish that, his chief 
 end was served. Although his means were, as we 
 shall see, a little augmented in a private manner, how 
 he acquired the numerous tomes in his library in so 
 many languages, and kept the wolf from the door, 
 behind which was a young and growing family, is a 
 mystery. He held strongly that every man was bound 
 to devote at least a tenth of his income to pious and 
 charitable purposes. Whoever lays that down as a 
 principle, and acts upon it, invariably surpasses it he 
 comes to learn what is meant by the " luxury of giving." 
 Though Brown had a large family, he often, we are told, 
 exceeded this proportion. He carried the limits of the 
 necessaries for his own person to the extreme ; but 
 the comforts that he denied himself were that he might 
 the more liberally supply the wants of others. Con- 
 gregations that were springing up invariably appealed 
 to the older ones to assist in the erection of their 
 churches ; but, rather than burden his own congregation, 
 whose resources were not abundant, he contributed 
 considerable sums out of his own pocket. 
 
 One instance might be mentioned. He was mainly 
 instrumental in forming a new congregation at North 
 Berwick. As his son, Ebenezer, and he were riding to 
 the ordination of the first minister, James Scrimgeour, 1 
 he said, " Eben, this is a poor congregation, and you 
 should be as liberal as you can on this occasion. Once 
 I gave them five pounds perhaps it was more than I 
 could well afford, but the Lord soon repaid me by 
 inducing a Mrs. to leave me a legacy of 20, the 
 
 1 Ordained April 21st, 1784; demitted, 1799; went to America; 
 died minister of Little Britain, February 4th, 1825.
 
 248 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 only one I ever received." x He deprecated ostenta- 
 tion of any kind in the bestowal of his goods, and took 
 special pains that the left hand never knew what the 
 right hand did. A minister in the other branch of the 
 Secession, who had spoken of him in severe and scathing 
 language, was overtaken by misfortune, and, in a way 
 that concealed the source from which it came, he 
 helped him in his necessities. When he died, Brown 
 generously offered to take one of his destitute children 
 and bring him up with his own family. The kind offer 
 was declined, but that it was made showed the thought- 
 ful generosity of the heart that prompted it. 
 
 1 Memoir of Ebenezer Brown, pp. 71, 72. It is added : " Ebenezer 
 was led by this recommendation to contribute perhaps more than he 
 was easily able, but in a few days afterwards, as he was riding through 
 Musselburgh, he heard one calling after him, when a Mr. Thomson, 
 a relative of his mother's, informed him that a sum of money had been 
 left for him and this was for a debt never expected to be paid."
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 THE CHURCHMAN 
 
 BROWN was not only a studious bookman, and a busy 
 writer, but also a practical man of affairs. He threw 
 himself into the work of his Church with great ardour, 
 and, were it not that his Church throughout its history 
 never recognised leaders, he would haye been an acknow- 
 ledged guide and pillar in his day. As we have seen, 
 he was early summoned to the Moderatorial chair ; 
 but his business qualities were as early recognised, 
 and he was called to the clerk's table, first of his Pres- 
 bytery, and then of the Synod, which latter post he held 
 from the year he became Professor, 1768, to the year 
 of his death. The Presbytery met about a dozen 
 times in the year, mostly in Edinburgh ; and the Synod 
 assembled twice in the year when special business 
 pressed, three times. The Presbytery included all the 
 congregations within a certain area, the Synod embraced 
 all the congregations within the denomination. The 
 meetings of the supreme court were held at first in 
 various centres, Stirling, Falkirk, Dunfermline, Glasgow, 
 and Edinburgh ; later they alternated between Glasgow 
 and Edinburgh, and ultimately were confined to Edin- 
 burgh, taking place in the Bristo Church. They lasted 
 usually three or four days. One period of assembling 
 was in May, the other in the end of August or beginning 
 of September. Attendance upon them was not so 
 easily effected as to-day, with its speedy railway com- 
 munication ; then it was the slow process of walking, 
 riding, or stage coach. 
 
 Of the forty meetings of Synod before Brown was 
 appointed clerk, he was absent from only eight. Of the 
 next forty-one that were held, he was absent only from 
 
 249
 
 250 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 two the May meeting in 1786, when the Synod, after 
 meeting for eighteen years in Edinburgh, was on that 
 occasion convened in Glasgow, in order to get into closer 
 touch with the growing section of the Church located 
 in Ireland, and the May meeting prior to his death. 
 
 In the varied and anxious work of his Church, which, 
 being a self-subsisting and self-governing body, required 
 counsel and prudence of the first order, Brown was 
 frequently summoned to serve on committees appointed 
 to adjust matters and direct lines of procedure. Ques- 
 tions that are easily solved to-day, by the application 
 of rules laid down, were thrashed out then ; and in 
 most cases the action then determined on forms the 
 rules of to-day. In one instance it is departed from, 
 where ministers, demitting their charge, are allowed to 
 retain their seats in the supreme courts. In 1768, two 
 instances arose of this nature, John McAra of Burnt- 
 shields (near Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire), and David 
 Horn of Cambusnethan (Lanarkshire), having resigned 
 their ministry in these places, were anxious to retain 
 their seats in Presbytery and Synod. Their plea was 
 that, by laying down the key of doctrine, they had not 
 surrendered their right to the key of government and 
 discipline. Brown was a member of the committee 
 that reported on the subject, and the decision, supported 
 by eight weighty reasons, scriptural, historical, and prac- 
 tical, was adverse to the claim. The practice, however, 
 in course of time was altered, and the concession agreed 
 to, more on the ground of expediency and courtesy 
 toward the servant who had served the Church so long 
 than from compliance with strict ecclesiastical pro- 
 cedure. In other matters during these formative years 
 of the Church, it is noteworthy to find such sane lines 
 of action adopted as have stood the test of the changes 
 of succeeding periods even unto this day. 
 
 The question of extending the praise of the Church 
 beyond the psalter was favourably entertained, and the 
 selection of suitable " spiritual songs " with which the 
 Christian Church had been enriched was entrusted 
 (1750) to Ralph Erskine, Dunfermline, whose poetic 
 gifts eminently fitted him for such a task. Unhappily,
 
 THE CHURCHMAN 251 
 
 his death supervened at the beginning of the movement, 
 and, as no one else possessed to such a degree similar 
 tastes and aptitudes, and as other subjects of immediate 
 importance were pressing upon the Church, the matter 
 was allowed to drop for the time. There were those in 
 the membership, like Michael Bruce, 1 who could have pro- 
 duced material for such a collection. Many of Bruce's 
 productions found their way into the first hymnary of 
 the Scottish Church, the " Paraphrases," as they were 
 termed, which are as dear to the hearts of many as the 
 metrical psalms themselves. 
 
 Schemes were inaugurated for the support of widows 
 and orphans of deceased ministers, and for the assistance 
 of weaker congregations. The appointment of days for 
 fasting and thanksgiving was theft a common act of 
 Synod. The reasons that called: for such days were 
 carefully detailed. Occasionally days for fasting were 
 ordered by the Government in the name of the King ; 
 and the question was seriously discussed whether such 
 intervention was not an intrusion upon the rights 
 and liberties of the Church that must be jealous for 
 the honour of its Lord and His place in matters apper- 
 taining to His kingdom. But loyalty to the reigning 
 sovereign always won its acquiescence. 
 
 Brown's minutes of the Presbytery, and of the Synod, 
 are clear and concise, the business stated and the 
 decisions recorded in succinct terms. The records 
 sometimes are of extreme length, when matters of im- 
 portance necessitated a full statement. This is the 
 case with the Testimony, which the Church- felt itself 
 impelled to state in order to account for the position it 
 occupied in the country, or when it was considering 
 new developments of any kind. 
 
 Not a little time of the various Synod meetings was 
 
 1 James Mackenzie, Life and Works of Michael Bruce, 1914, pp. 
 333-71. Paraphrases 8, 9, 10, 11, 63, and 58 are acknowledged, 
 on well-grounded authority, to be Bruce's. Bruce unfortunately had, 
 as first editor of his works, John Logan, a notable literary brigand 
 of the Albicante and Aretino type (Symonds's Renaissance of Italy, 
 vol. v. pp. 313-75). Logan, a college comrade of Bruce's, obtained 
 possession of his MSS., and never returned them ; he became minister 
 of South Leith, was dismissed for drunkenness and immorality, and 
 died a literary hack in London in 1788 at the age of fifty-one.
 
 252 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 given up to devising how best -to respond to the call 
 from the colonists in America and Nova Scotia pleading 
 with the young Church to come over and help them. 
 Their appeals were sympathetically received, and, 
 though the demand for preachers in the homeland was 
 most urgent, ministers were loosed from their charges 
 and probationers despatched to assist the brethren on 
 a distant shore to build up their Church. 
 
 The rapid progress of the young Church at home 
 was taxing the energies of its guides to the utmost. 
 At every Synod meeting there were intimations of new 
 congregations being formed and urgent requests from 
 various centres for supply of sermon. Had there been 
 preachers available, the advance would have been 
 greater. In many instances vacant and newly formed 
 congregations had to wait for a long period before a 
 fixed ministry could be granted ; and the same reason 
 prevented the Secession undertaking missions to distant 
 lands, although it was eager to do so. As it was, such 
 activity prevailed that in the course of Brown's ministry 
 his own Church more than quadrupled the number of 
 its congregations. In 1751 there were about twenty, 
 and, at the time of his death, there were over ninety ; 
 and by the end of the century they numbered 169, 
 eight of which were in England, and forty-seven in 
 Ireland. In 1765, the rapid increase of the two 
 Secession Churches and the Relief Church throughout 
 the country began to awaken alarm in the Established 
 Church, from which they had been driven out. The 
 latter had cherished the hope when the split of the 
 Secession Church took place in 1747, that their speedy 
 extinction would follow. It thought, therefore, it 
 could look with complacency, if not with contempt, 
 upon its seceding members. But its leaders did not 
 recognise that it was the supreme matters of the faith 
 and the rights of the Church for which these were con- 
 tending, and that the breach with its unhappy conse- 
 quences was a mere passing phase. The thoughtful, 
 conscientious religious men * of the country recog- 
 
 1 Cf. W. J. Couper, M.A., The Millers of Haddington, Dunbar, and 
 Dunfermline, p. 22.
 
 THE CHURCHMAN 253 
 
 nised that, and from the shores of the Moray Firth to 
 the Solway and beyond they flocked to their standard. 
 In the year mentioned (1765) the Church of Scotland 
 became so impressed with the fact that their Assembly 
 was overtured to consider the extraordinary circum- 
 stance of the astonishing progress of these denomina- 
 tions, and requesting measures to be taken to arrest 
 " this alarming evil." This " schism-overture," as it 
 was termed, stated, as the ground of its appeal, that 
 there had been 120 meeting-houses erected, to which 
 more than 100,000 persons resorted, who " were for- 
 merly in communion but have now separated themselves 
 from the Church of Scotland." A large committee con- 
 sidered the overture for a year, and recommended 
 further action, but at next Assembly, then, as now, the 
 supreme court of the Established Church, by a vote 
 of 98 to 85, it was agreed to take no further steps. 
 
 From the Scots Magazine l it would appear that the 
 real object of those who introduced the overture was to 
 put down the Secession by force. Adam Gib,* in a 
 communication to it, referred in straight terms to this 
 alleged intention, and declared that, if such were its 
 purpose, " it was near seventy-seven years out of time." 
 He asserted that, according to his information, many in 
 the Assembly did not relish the proposal, but, should 
 it have been tried, " the Seceders have ground of con- 
 fidence that a suppressing of the testimony among 
 their hands, whatever might be done with their persons, 
 would prove too hard work for all the people of the earth." 
 Another writer 3 disclaims, on behalf of the supporters 
 of the overture, the intention to have recourse to vio- 
 lence, but in strong terms urges the necessity of some 
 measures being adopted to arrest the progress of the 
 " schism," as " an established Church, without a 
 general adherence, or from which the body of the people 
 are alienated, appears to be an object not worthy the 
 notice, the care, or the protection of any Government. 
 Presbytery was first established in Scotland, because 
 it was agreeable to the inclinations of the people ; and 
 
 1 Scots Magazine, vol. xxviii. 3 Ibid. vol. xxvii. pp. 507, 568. 
 
 2 Ibid. vol. xxvii. pp. 230-32.
 
 254 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 if these are withdrawn or lost, it is not easy to see what 
 title the present established clergy would have to a 
 maintenance from the Government, preferably to those 
 of any other denomination." 
 
 But the men of the Secession repelled the charges 
 made against them that they were schismatics. In the 
 Re-Exhibition of their Testimony they declared that 
 the reason of their continuance in a state of separation 
 from the Established Church was not because they 
 objected to her constitution, or because they held 
 opinions with regard to doctrine, worship, discipline, 
 or government different from those which she main- 
 tained in her subordinate standards, but because they 
 objected to the system of maladministration which that 
 Church was pursuing, and which they considered to be 
 no less opposed to the Word of God than it was incon- 
 sistent with the principles of her constitution. " Their 
 secession is not a schism in the Church, for they never 
 seceded from the principles and constitution professed 
 and established at the Reformation and Revolution ; 
 but upon every occasion they have declared their stead- 
 fast adherence to these, in opposition to the prevailing 
 party who have receded from them." But they main- 
 tained that the Church of Scotland, since 1733, had 
 deteriorated, and that the grounds of secession were 
 stronger than before ; in consequence, they regretted 
 that the prospect of reunion was more remote than ever. 
 
 Subsequent events have justified their attitude and 
 action. Yet it is the confident assertion of some writers l 
 
 1 Sir Henry Craik, A Century of Scottish History, vol. ii. p. 107 : 
 " The Church was freed from a party that had been a clog upon her 
 advance and a hindrance to her usefulness, to her dignity, to her 
 self-respect." William Law Mathieson, The Awakening of Scotland, 
 p. 231 : " The student who extends his survey from the Establish- 
 ment to the Secession will find that he has passed at a step from the 
 eighteenth into the seventeenth century." Henry Grey Graham, The 
 Social Life of Scotland in the Eighteenth Century, p. 380 : " Dissent was 
 not without its advantages to the Established Church. For it carried 
 off the ill-humours of the religious body into congenial sects. If 
 persons with such moods and temperaments had continued in the 
 Church, they would have perpetually disturbed its quiet, and seriously 
 hampered its progress and development." 
 
 It may be as well to hear the other side. Thomas Carlyle (Remi-
 
 THE CHURCHMAN 255 
 
 on the period that theirs was the foolish cry of " back 
 to the seventeenth century." This is a strange mis- 
 reading of history. For what did these men of the 
 Secession and their followers contend ? For three 
 things in particular : for the truth and freedom of the 
 Gospel, for liberty of choice to the people in the calling 
 of their ministers, and for the outspreading of Chris- 
 tianity to the ends of the earth. The Church of Scot- 
 land was indifferent to the first, she contemptuously 
 rejected the second, and deemed the third a matter of 
 no concern to her. To-day, which is right ? Is the 
 
 niacencea, edited by Charles Eliot Norton, vol. i. pp. 40, 41), speaking 
 of his father's minister, the minister of the Secession Church in Eccle- 
 fechan, says: "A select few had united themselves, built a little 
 meeting-house at Ecclefechan, thatched with heath, and chosen them 
 a Priest, by name John Johnston the priestliest man I ever under 
 any ecclesiastical guise was privileged to look upon. He in his last 
 years helped me well in my Latin (as he had done many) ; and other- 
 wise procured me far higher benefits. This peasant union, this little 
 heath- thatched house [it was seated for 600], this simple Evangelist, to- 
 gether constituted properly the " Church " of that district : they were the 
 blessing and the saving of many : on me too their pious heaven-sent 
 influences still rest and live." Vol. ii. pp. 11 ff., writing of the early 
 days of Edward Irving, he says : " This other fact was visible enough, if 
 you examined : A man who awoke to the belief that he actually had a 
 soul to be saved or lost was apt to be found among the Dissenting 
 people, and to have given up attendance at Kirk. . . . Very venerable 
 are those old Seceder Clergy to me, now when I look back on them. 
 Most of the chief figures among them, in Irving' s time and mine, 
 were hoary old men. Men so like what one might call antique 
 ' Evangelists in modern vesture, and Poor Scholars and Gentlemen 
 of Christ,' I have nowhere met with in Monasteries or Churches, among 
 Protestant Or Papal Clergy, in any country of the world." The Rev. 
 Dr. Candlish, Edinburgh, speaking in the General Assembly of the Free 
 Church of Scotland, May 1852, said : " I am bound to say that at a time 
 when the Church of Scotland was unfaithful, when even evangelical 
 religion was at a great disadvantage within the Establishment, at a time 
 when scriptural truth was not very commonly to be found preached 
 within the walls of parish churches, at a time when the liberties of 
 Christian people were trodden underfoot by the high-handed tyrants of 
 Presbyteries and Commissions of Assembly, backed by the bayonets and 
 swords of the military, at a time when the whole authority of Christ 
 in His own house was compromised, and when there was a tame 
 truckling to Caesar in all things at such a time, when there was 
 but little evangelical light in the ministry, little evangelical truth in 
 the pulpit, and little of faithfulness and freedom either in presbyteries 
 or congregations, they (the Secession men) fought the battle outside 
 the Establishment, and maintained the cause of Christ. The Seceders 
 were the men who preached the pure Gospel ; the Seceders were the 
 men who diffused the true light and the principles of the Church of 
 Scotland."
 
 256 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 record of history not conclusive that every one of the 
 principles for which Erskine and his successors fought 
 is emblazoned on the Church's banner in Scotland, 
 established and non-established alike ? No one would 
 dream of defending to-day the positions which Principal 
 Robertson, and Carlyle of Inveresk, and others main- 
 tained as being the essentials of a Church. Patronage 
 is a thing of the past ; a Church content with a mere 
 code of ethics for its people is out of date ; and a Gospel 
 full and free, and a world evangelised is as proud and 
 honourable and sacred a trust of the Church of Scotland 
 as of any other in the land. 
 
 The contention is laboured that ministerial appoint- 
 ment by a patron, and not by " an enthusiastic but un- 
 lettered mob," l contributed to the learning, the dignity, 
 and the liberal spirit of the clergy. But the stubborn 
 facts began to speak otherwise, and it had to be admitted 
 that nominees too often became the mere tools of those 
 who appointed them, and that the patronage of the 
 Crown was frequently made a tool of political jobbery. 8 
 This reflected itself on the Church, and by no means 
 contributed to its spirituality or power. 
 
 It is customary in certain quarters to make merry 
 over the warm discussions of the Secession men in their 
 several courts ; and the curious episode of one conscience- 
 burdened soul, Smyton of Kilmaurs (1782), who seri- 
 ously argued as to whether the bread should or should 
 not be lifted before the blessing of the sacramental 
 symbols, is made an appalling instance of the smallness 
 of these men and their stupid, passionate wranglings. 
 The instance was a mere ripple on the surface of the 
 waters. It must not be forgotten that these were 
 men of strong convictions, who took their stand on 
 principle, and sacrificed means, prestige, and preferment 
 for things that were dear to them. They had to devise 
 rules for the guidance of their Church, and men of con- 
 viction do not accept with simple stolidity or placidity 
 what those who pose as leaders may dictate. They 
 must and did examine, scrutinise, and canvass every 
 proposal submitted, and determined accordingly. The 
 
 1 Craik, Ibid. vol. i. p. 483. 2 Ibid. vol. ii. p. 109.
 
 THE CHURCHMAN 257 
 
 very life that throbbed within them sought active 
 expression. 
 
 But the forces in the country that rallied to the 
 Secession proved that it was the spiritual life of the day 
 which found expression in their assemblies. At their 
 doors was a Church that asked nothing of its members 
 for the erection or the maintenance of its fabrics, or the 
 support of its ministry, or the spread of the Gospel 
 only a few working expenses. Here, in spite of the 
 acknowledged poverty of the times, these men, because 
 of their hunger for the meat which perisheth not, erected 
 their own buildings, churches, and manses, and bore the 
 burden, on occasion, of being tithed and taxed to erect 
 or repair the churches and manses of the Establishment. 
 They supported their own ministry, and maintained 
 the whole machinery of their organisation. This was 
 not done in ill-humour and sourness of spirit. These 
 were men of higher mould. A passion, not of earth, 
 fired their souls. But the task made them self-reliant, 
 tenacious, and resolute. It put iron into their blood. 
 In the community they became the leaders of new 
 movements. They looked at matters for themselves ; 
 they took independent views, and were not afraid to 
 declare them. This was unspeakable heresy in the 
 eyes of the proud and arrogant leaders in Church and 
 State ; hence the suggestion to suppress them. But, 
 as suppression was impossible, to ignore, disown, and 
 defame were the weapons employed. The breath of 
 liberty, however, was too fragrant and too bracing to 
 be affected by the contempt of the haughty. The men 
 who felt the spell of the Master in the dissemination of 
 His truth were indifferent to the specious values placed 
 on position and privilege. They awoke a new spirit 
 among the people, and were the fervent advocates of 
 civil and religious liberty. Far from being laggards in 
 the onward march of the nation, they were the progres- 
 sive spirits that cared deeply for its moral and spiritual 
 weal, and were leading it out of a morass of indifference 
 and cold morality, into a spiritual freedom and inde- 
 pendence that ultimately became its heritage. 
 
 Brown, by his pen and many-sided labours, was not 
 
 17
 
 258 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 a little instrumental in giving impetus to this upward 
 movement in the nation. The betterment of the people 
 in the highest sense was in the background of all his 
 thoughts and supplied the quickening motive in the 
 production of his works. When he stepped into the arena 
 of Church courts, it was the same spirit that animated 
 him. While intent, however, upon such a service for his 
 fellows, and intensely loyal to his convictions and to the 
 Church he espoused, he did not look at others and their 
 labours through a red mist. He was conscious of defects 
 in his own conduct in estimating the view-point of 
 others ; and one who has attained to such consciousness 
 has climbed a goodly height. He can understand and 
 appreciate the convictions of those from whom he 
 differs. In a letter to his professorial colleague in the 
 other branch of the Secession Church, Alexander Bruce 
 of Whitburn, he put the controversy that had sundered 
 their forces into its true setting: 
 
 " Our conduct on both sides of the Secession I have 
 often thought to be like that of travellers, both walking 
 on the same road, not far from one another, but in 
 consequence of a thick mist suddenly coming on they 
 cannot see one another, and can suppose the other 
 to be off the road. After some time the darkness is 
 removed, and they are quite surprised to find that they 
 are both on the road, and had been all along so near one 
 another." 
 
 In his Historical Account of the Secession, Brown is 
 eminently fair to both sides in the burgess dispute. But 
 he urges that, in view of their agreement on so many 
 points, they might seriously consider " what hurt their 
 division and vain jangling have done, and are likely to 
 do, to the honour of Christ, the life of religion, and the 
 souls of men." If they would entirely lay aside their 
 pride and prejudice, and often meet for mutual prayer 
 and Christian conference, especially in what they agree 
 in, they would certainly, ere it was long, consign their 
 censuring, division, dry or almost unintelligible disputes, 
 to everlasting oblivion, and return as brethren, to join
 
 THE CHURCHMAN 259 
 
 together in the fear and service of God. 1 With the 
 Established Church, also, from which they parted, he 
 hoped they would ere long be able to resume fellowship, 
 once the standards they all professed were really 
 observed. " They intend to unite with the established 
 judicatures whenever they observe them reforming 
 from the various and growing defections introduced 
 since the Revolution." But his Church, as it grew with 
 the years, enlarged its vision and was called to bear 
 further testimony to the spiritual freedom of Christ's 
 kingdom ; and only now are the happy omens gathering 
 of the fruition of his long-deferred hope. 
 
 1 They were united in 1 820.
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 THE LATTER YEARS 
 
 1785-1786 
 
 THE wide field of theological and biblical literature 
 which Brown traversed enabled him to reap a harvest 
 in many quarters, in pure divinity, Church history, 
 Christian biography, and didactics. In one depart- 
 ment his extensive knowledge sought little expression, 
 where it might have exercised itself with freedom, that 
 of translation. As a master of languages, he could have 
 submitted to English readers the choice productions of 
 continental writers or the Fathers. But he confined 
 himself, and more for his own perusal, to the rendering 
 of one of the smaller books of Drelincourt, 1 a French 
 Protestant divine, some of whose works had a wide 
 reputation in this country. It was long alleged that 
 that masterpiece of plausibility which Defoe wrote, The 
 True Relation of one Mrs. Veal, was produced to sell 
 Drelincourt' s Consolations on the Fear of Death, as an 
 appendix to which it first appeared in print. But 
 Lee, 2 in his life of Defoe, exploded that idea, and showed 
 that Drelincourt's book was already in its third edition, 
 and that it was to the fourth edition that Defoe's 
 pamphlet was attached. It was The Charitable Visits, as 
 the book was curiously entitled, that Brown translated. 
 The Visits have reference to the presence of the Divine 
 Helper and Comforter in the perplexities and anxieties 
 of life. Sixty-one in all are detailed, showing that the 
 whole circle of life in this aspect is pretty well covered 
 
 1 Charles Drelincourt (1595-1669), born at Sedan ; pastor near Paris 
 for nearly fifty years ; an incisive and spiritually minded writer. 
 William Lee, Life of Daniel Defoe, vol. i. p. 127 (1869). 
 
 260
 
 THE LATTER YEARS 261 
 
 by the study. The paragraphs dealing with each are 
 brief and concise, enriched with Scripture, and illus- 
 trated by incidents, mostly of French history or 
 biography, that give point to the instruction. The 
 translation is so well executed that one feels it to be 
 a pity that Brown did not give more of his attention 
 to this kind of work. 
 
 A subject that appeals strongly to sensitive souls in 
 these days is the extent to which ordination vows ought 
 to be adhered to in face of the fluid state of thought. 
 Brown issued a brochure on the question, under the title, 
 Strictures on Ordination Vows. As might be expected, he 
 held strongly that this was a matter too serious and far- 
 reaching in its consequences to be lightly regarded, and 
 urged that, on their entrance to office, " church-officers, 
 particularly ministers, should solemnly declare their 
 real principles and their sincere resolutions with respect 
 to them, as well as the faithful execution of their office." 
 With that in view he passes through the five important 
 questions of the formula bearing on matters of faith, 
 doctrine, and church government, that are put to office- 
 bearers on accepting office, and examines each with 
 thoroughness to see what they really imply. His his- 
 torical knowledge and clear insight stand him in good 
 stead in dispelling misconceptions and securing a hearty, 
 intelligent assent to what is required. 
 
 From Samuel Rutherford l he gathered a number of 
 " Pleasant and Practical Hints," as he termed them, 
 especially from the letters that were written to his 
 congregation at Anwoth, when banished for his princi- 
 ples to Aberdeen (September 1636 to February 1638) 
 and sent them forth with his imprimatur to quicken 
 interest in spiritual things. Rutherford left a deep 
 impression upon his country by his pre-eminent abilities 
 and saintly character ; but his works, and in particular 
 his letters, were not available to the multitude. Brown, 
 drinking himself so refreshingly at this fountain, was 
 
 1 Samuel Rutherford (1600-1661), minister of Anwoth, deprived of 
 office for two years, afterwards Professor and Principal of St. Andrews 
 University, one of the Westminster Assembly Commissioners, whose 
 letters are accounted " the most seraphic book in our literature."
 
 262 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 anxious that others might quench their thirst at a spring 
 to which so many in succeeding generations have been 
 drawn and been more than satisfied. 
 
 The safeguarding of the Day of Rest has been an 
 anxious problem for all who deem its claims paramount 
 for the well-being of the nation. Incessant toil for 
 every day that dawns lowers the vital force physically 
 and saps the spiritual strength. To turn this day into 
 one of manual labour is to tamper with the highest 
 assets of the State. History repeats the warning, 
 which, alas ! is so frequently scoffed at. When the 
 State itself submits to the demands of short-visioned 
 minds and selfish clamour, there is need for bold utter- 
 ance. At this time the question of the mail on Sundays 
 was troubling the community. It was evidently the 
 purpose of the Post Office to have despatches and 
 deliveries of letters on this day as on other days. Brown 
 took pen in hand, and, in the form of a letter to a 
 friend in Edinburgh, he issued a pamphlet on Free 
 Thoughts upon the late Regulation of the Post. He depre- 
 cated such action on the part of the State, and pleaded 
 with his usual ardour and scriptural fulness for the 
 effectual guarding and sane observance of a day that 
 contributes its by no means unimportant share to the 
 health and wealth, material and spiritual, of the 
 individual and the nation. The force and wisdom of 
 such contentions were in time acknowledged, and the 
 labours in the Post Office on Sundays reduced to a 
 minimum. 
 
 Probably the last published work of Brown was a 
 reproduction of the story of a young life that created 
 a stir in certain circles at the time, The Most Remarkable 
 Passages in the Life and Spiritual Experiences of Eliza- 
 beth Wast, a Young Woman, sometime Matron of the 
 Trades Hospital, Edinburgh. This was issued in 1785. 
 His publications ended where they began, in seeking 
 to inform and stimulate the opening mind of youth, that 
 from earliest days, if possible, first things with it might 
 stand first. He launched upon the sea of literature 
 with his Help for the Ignorant, and, after sailing it widely, 
 especially in biblical latitudes, he returns with the
 
 THE LATTER YEARS 263 
 
 picture of a dedicated young woman, in humble sphere, 
 that might stand beside that of St. Teresa of Spain. 
 
 He left, however, other fruits of study and medita- 
 tion which never were given to the public. Among 
 them was a close examination of the Book of Job, 
 which so fascinates reflective minds, and makes its own 
 special appeal to every age. Here he laid down the 
 sane, guiding principle that " in attempting to under- 
 stand this portion of the sacred oracle, it is absolutely 
 necessary not only to know somewhat of the eastern 
 flowers of rhetoric, but especially to attend to the 
 scope of every particular speaker," and, in compliance 
 therewith, he proceeds to elucidate the teaching of that 
 remarkably living book. 
 
 But not the least interesting of his unpublished manu- 
 scripts are three letters on style, or what he calls " The 
 right Method of Preaching," evidently for the benefit 
 of his students, written with perspicuity and vigour, 
 and that remind one of Gibbon's l preparation of his 
 paragraphs, balancing sentences until they satisfied his 
 fastidious taste. He has elaborate notes on Blair's 
 Rhetoric ; but here he strikes out for himself, showing 
 how the youth that stammered out so haltingly his 
 apology for his acquisition of Greek became a master 
 in the language of his country, and knew how to wield 
 it with effect. The first letter deals with delivery. And 
 the first point in elocution, he urges, is to observe and 
 correct the faults of pronunciation. An overstrained 
 voice exhausts speaker and hearer ; a too low voice 
 shows unconcern, and produces weariness in the listener. 
 Whether the voice be weak or strong, speak on the middle 
 key ; and let every word, syllable, and letter be dis- 
 tinctly pronounced. To hem, haw, sneeze, yawn or 
 cough between sentences is altogether intolerable. The 
 unity of a sentence must be studied, parentheses 
 avoided. " It is common for those who deal in long 
 sentences, as Clarendon and sometimes Temple, Shaftes- 
 
 1 " It has always been my practice to cast a long paragraph in a 
 single mould, to try it by my ear, to deposit it in my memory, but 
 to suspend the action of the pen till I had given the last polish to my 
 work" (The Autobiography of Edward Gibbon).
 
 264 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 bury, and Swift, to overcharge them by crowding two 
 sentences into one." He deals with figurative style, 
 with emphasis, and with graceful action in delivery, 
 which ought to be easy and to vary with the subject. 
 To acquire all this his advice is, be natural and study 
 examples, but " in the pulpit be wholly occupied with 
 your subject, leaving it to nature and previously formed 
 habits to prompt and suggest the manner " ; and never 
 must it be forgotten that such utterance is only a hand- 
 maid to introduce the great gospel truths. 
 
 In his second letter he proceeds to the language of 
 preachers. He disapproves of wasting time in smooth- 
 ing periods, giving delicate touches to definitions, or 
 forming quaint divisions and seeking for antitheses, or 
 straining after finical expressions. " That is to act 
 the cook, whose sole care is to give high seasoning to 
 his dishes, or to present them in gilded vessels, adorned 
 with fantastical conceits, never regarding whether their 
 matter be unwholesome carrion or not." Proper lan- 
 guage is necessary : on grand subjects, strong and 
 majestic, on subjects affecting the tender passions, 
 tender and wooing, on common subjects plain and 
 familiar, but never coarse or grovelling. Perspicuity 
 and ornament are the two general properties of a good 
 style. " Weak writers and speakers ordinarily use a 
 loose style, and by their superfluous words confound 
 their readers or hearers." Though Tillotson and Sir 
 William Temple be perspicuous, they are not precise, 
 but loose and diffuse in their style. And even Addison 
 himself often falls into this fault. By his figures or 
 circumlocutions, Shaftesbury is ordinarily far from 
 being precise, but pours forth a great redundance of 
 words. He agrees with Blair that, to render a sentence 
 perfect, it must have clearness and precision, unity, 
 strength, and harmony. To secure this, however, every 
 word in it ought to be not only strictly answerable to 
 the idea, but properly placed. He proceeds to deal 
 with the characteristics of a sentence, and, turning to 
 the choice of language, asserts that to deck out a puny 
 thought in pompous language is no less fantastic than 
 to deck out a pitiful moth or an ugly spider with
 
 THE LATTER YEARS 265 
 
 broidered hair, or gold or pearls or costly array, or to 
 put a jewel in a swine's snout. In all language, plain 
 or figurative, sublimity, and beauty or sweetness are of 
 prime importance. " Airy bombast, in which we have 
 a high swell of language, without sentiment, or with 
 very puny and common thoughts, or trivial objects 
 described as if they were grand, or grand ones in an 
 extravagant manner," is contrary to true sublimity of 
 language. " Frequently Dryden, Lee, and sometimes 
 Shakespeare thus deal in mere fustian and rant." 
 Various styles are discussed, a multitude of literary 
 examples being given from Aristotle and Cicero down 
 to the writers of his time, with criticisms as to the style 
 they employ. To acquire the best style, he adds, have 
 clear ideas, compose carefully, read the best authors, 
 no book abounding with a grandeur of language equal 
 to the Bible ; and avoid servile imitation of anyone. 
 
 In his third letter he discusses the composition of 
 discourses. " I would have every preacher to possess 
 a solid and extensive acquaintance with learning, his 
 mind dilated by an extensive knowledge of the several 
 parts of philosophy, well instructed in the history of 
 nature, nations and churches, and chiefly mighty in the 
 Scriptures, even in their own original languages." 1 Then 
 follow a number of judicious hints as to the production 
 of a discourse, with the urgent reminder that the one 
 aim is to " instruct and persuade men to flee to the 
 Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, fear God, and keep His 
 commandments." 
 
 These letters exhibit Brown's characteristic habit of 
 " getting to the bottom " of a subject. Though literary 
 composition was one that might have been thought to 
 Ue outside the range of his studies, yet it concerned 
 his work both as a writer and a professor ; and that 
 was enough to constrain him to probe it to its depths. 
 The letters show him a literary critic of no mean order, 
 with his own clear conceptions of what is best in style, 
 what should be cultivated and what avoided. The 
 authors he cites to illustrate and enforce his views are 
 taken from a wide field. They include how this theo- 
 
 1 This letter appeared in the Christian Repository, November 1817.
 
 266 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 logian, fired with an early ambition to be a " universal 
 scholar," garnered in all literature in order to achieve 
 his lofty purpose. 
 
 But the vision left its vast sweep to focus itself on the 
 spiritual betterment of men. Wherever that could be 
 furthered he was willing to lend a helping hand. He 
 was eager that his students, wherever they were located, 
 should magnify their profession by their life and ser- 
 vice. In October 1786 he addressed a letter 1 to those 
 in Ireland who had been under his tuition ; and the 
 whole letter, so warm in its sympathy and tender in 
 its appeals, was ordered to be engrossed in the records 
 of the Associate Synod : 
 
 To the Members of the Associate Synod of Ireland 
 
 " MY DEAR YOUNGER BRETHREN, 
 
 " Though I have no hopes of seeing you any 
 more on earth, yet I continue earnestly desirous to see 
 you, and multitudes by your means, entered on or 
 entering into the joy of your Lord. You cannot but 
 remember, and God is also witness, that with some 
 measure of faithfulness, as the Lord enabled me, I 
 exhibited and urged the great truths of God on your 
 understanding and conscience. God forbid that any 
 of your consciences, or companions, the seats in which 
 you heard them, or the light in which you read them, 
 should have to rise up in judgment against any of you, 
 for setting at nought all my counsels, and hiding your 
 talent in a napkin. ... As your affectionate teacher, I 
 leave with your consciences the Preface to and Reflections 
 on my System, as a kind of last words. Notwith- 
 standing charitable hopes I or others may entertain of 
 your being truly gracious, and called by God to preach 
 the Gospel of His Son, oh ! give all diligence to have 
 these points clear to your own consciences ; let Matt. 
 vii. 21, 23, Jer. xxiii. 32, Rom. x. 14, 15, 1 John i. 1, 3, 
 be deeply impressed on your heart. . . . Brethren, can 
 
 1 This letter appeared in full in the Christian Repository, January 
 1818.
 
 THE LATTER YEARS 267 
 
 any of you think of Jesus' death, of Jehovah's love, 
 of the striving of His Spirit, of the worth and danger 
 of souls, of the last judgment, of an eternity in hell or 
 heaven, and yet be careless, slothful, unfaithful, un- 
 exemplary ? This, dear Pupils, is my dying word to 
 you, wishing you all supply of grace and glory in Christ 
 Jesus." 
 
 A few years ago there were some keen discussions 
 regarding the date of the founding of Young Men's 
 Christian Associations, when their jubilee was called to 
 be celebrated by the London Association. Scotland 
 claimed a priority for such an organisation. It is worthy 
 of remark that the Professor of Haddington drew up 
 Rules for Fellowship Meetings, which fact shows that 
 they must have flourished in his day. An association 
 of this kind must, in his eyes, be planted on a sure foun- 
 dation, and he begins with " the divine warrant for 
 such meetings, and the ends they seek to serve." There- 
 after he details twelve rules for their guidance clear, 
 sensible rules, three of which are, that " to avoid the 
 frequent return of the same subjects of discourse, and 
 in order to extend knowledge, it might be best to proceed 
 orderly through some form of sound words, as the 
 Shorter or Larger Catechism, or Confession of Faith " ; 
 " that no member ought ever to affect a tedious length 
 in prayer, or in answering of questions " ; and " that 
 to render their prayers or speeches more lively and 
 edifying, members ought by meditation and otherwise, 
 to prepare for each meeting." He closes his memoran- 
 dum with a statement of the advantages of such 
 meetings for religious fellowship, these being " great and 
 many." 
 
 His interest in young life found expression in many 
 ways, and not the least in correspondence. The follow- 
 ing two letters were addressed to a young man whose 
 health was precarious. In them the writer blends the 
 care of the soul with that of the body. They were sent 
 to James Pierston, a young farmer at Stonypath, near 
 Garvald. The Pierstons were intimate friends, if not 
 relations, of the Croumbies.
 
 268 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 To James Pierston 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 "As I see you still look poorly, I would earnestly 
 beseech you to make your time of trouble a time of 
 serious consideration of your infinite need of Christ, 
 and of His answerableness to all your needs and of His 
 being freely offered to you in the Gospel, and a time 
 of prayer for the effectual work of God's Spirit in your 
 heart, in convincing you of your sinfulness and misery, 
 and enlightening your mind in the knowledge of Christ, 
 and renewing your will and thereby persuading and 
 enabling you to embrace Jesus Christ as freely offered 
 to you in the Gospel. That, to be sure, ought to be your 
 principal care, as your soul's eternal salvation is of more 
 value than the whole world. 
 
 " As to your body, I beseech you, do not put off 
 riding on any account. I am persuaded that, under 
 God, the preservation of your natural life depends on 
 it, and that all delay of it tends to fix the disease on 
 you ; and I am the more earnest w r ith you as to this 
 as persons in your way often through a light sense of 
 their trouble, or a sluggish inclination to sit or lie in 
 the house, shift off their riding till it be too late, and 
 so rendered useless. 
 
 " Believe me that I give you both these advices in 
 good earnest and in real friendship, 
 
 " Yours affectly., 
 
 " JOHN BROWN." 
 
 He was anxious about the welfare of this youth, 
 especially with the ominous fall of the year approach- 
 ing, and he wrote him again a short time after. 
 
 " DEAR FRIEND, 
 
 " As this is a most critical season for your health, 
 I beseech you to do everything in your power, by riding 
 when the weather permits, etc., for the preservation of 
 what health you have, and recovery of what you have 
 lost. Not only does the law of God peremptorily 
 require us to use all lawful endeavours to preserve our
 
 THE LATTER YEARS 269 
 
 own health and life, and holds us guilty of destroying 
 our lives if we do not ; but our life on earth is of great 
 importance, as it is our only season of preparation for 
 eternity, and therefore concern for our eternal welfare 
 ought to make us as careful about our natural life and 
 health as we can. And while God is shaking your 
 natural constitution in the days of your youth, see 
 that your soul be deeply concerned to receive Jesus 
 Christ into your heart as the free gift of God. Without 
 this there can be no solid happiness in this world, and 
 nothing but inexpressible misery in the eternal state 
 hereafter. This is ever an excellent mean of health 
 (Job xxxiii. 19-28). Please read the passage along with 
 Lamentations iii. 22-29, and ponder both as before God 
 in order to experience and practise them. 
 
 " Yours affectly., 
 
 " JOHN BROWIST. 
 
 " HADDINGTON, 
 
 "September 8th, 1786." 
 
 There are two delightful pictures of the Professor in 
 his old age that reveal the child-love in his nature. In 
 his house on Saturday evenings was wont to gather a 
 company of young people for the study of the Scriptures 
 and Christian fellowship a Junior Christian Endeavour 
 Society more than a century before such a thing was 
 dreamt of ! The young people were not confined to his 
 own congregation, but were drawn also from the Estab- 
 lished Church. From his book-lined study upstairs, the 
 Professor would come down and mingle with his young 
 comrades in study, illustrating this point to them, 
 enforcing that, and gathering them all around the 
 golden gates with him in prayer. It was typical of the 
 spirit that animated him, and of his strong and well- 
 grounded belief that the child held the hostages of the 
 future. 
 
 The other picture is one presented by his fourth 
 son, Samuel, who was only eight years of age when his 
 father died. He carried with him the happy memory 
 of sitting on the Professor's knee, and having his hair 
 stroked with the feeble hands, and being called, " My
 
 270 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 little prophet." He has also another pleasant reminis- 
 cence of himself sitting on one knee and an older sister 
 on the other, while the venerable parent, quitting for 
 the moment the seclusion of his books, sang to them 
 his favourite Latin song the Mquam Memento of 
 Horace. 1 His great-grandson, the author of Rob, de- 
 clared that it was murder to do an ode of Quintus 
 Horatius Flaccus into English verse ; but it may be 
 permissible to render a part of this one into somewhat 
 literal prose. 
 
 " Remember to keep your mind easy in hard times, 
 and restrain it from exultation in good fortune. For, 
 Dellius, you are sure to die, whether you live all your 
 span in sorrow, or bless yourself with choice Falernian, 
 lying in some grassy retreat the live-long festive day. 
 So where the tall pine and the silver poplar interweave 
 a hospitable shade with their boughs, and the swiftly 
 flowing stream runs murmuring along its winding 
 channel, bid them carry thee wines and perfumes, and 
 the lovely blossoms of the short-lived rose, as long as 
 your purse and your age and the mystic threads of 
 the Sisters three permit," etc. 
 
 It is a charming picture of the wearied and ageing 
 Professor, sitting in the midst of his family, with his 
 young children around him, and two of them on his 
 knee, singing a song of one of the wittiest and gayest 
 of Roman court-poets. From early morn he had been 
 poring over his tomes in all languages, preparing works 
 for the press, or developing his lectures to his students ; 
 and now he descends to enter into the children's gaiety, 
 and delights them with his singing of an old Latin song. 
 It reveals the human side of the learned theologian, 
 captivating in its simplicity and tenderness. 
 
 His temperament was one that from the first was 
 naturally serious ; and his prolonged studies deepened 
 its bias. It gave a gravity to his manners which those 
 who were little acquainted with him mistook for 
 severity. But, if gravity tempered his spirit, gloom 
 1 Horace, Lib. Carmen III, ad Quintum Dellium.
 
 A. Swan Watson] 
 
 [liruntsfield, Edinburgh. 
 
 JOHN BROWN. 
 From a painting in possession of Professor A. Cram Brown, M.D., Edinburgh.
 
 THE LATTER YEARS 271 
 
 found no place in its moods. Among friends he was 
 cheerful as he was agreeable. His conversation preferred 
 the flavour of a story with a touch of religion in it ; but 
 it was enlivened with pleasantry, and shafts of wit and 
 raillery lit it up to the amusement and delight of his 
 auditors. 
 
 While he taught his children the joys of life, and 
 would have them entertain no dull or jaundiced concep- 
 tion of it, he was equally alive to its higher demands 
 and the call for the dedication of their gifts. Feeling the 
 increasing infirmities of the years advancing upon him, 
 and conscious that he could not surround the younger 
 members of his family especially with his watchful 
 counsel, he wrote a tender, affectionate message for 
 them, which they might peruse when he departed. 
 There were six of the younger branch of the household 
 when he died, the eldest of whom was fourteen, and 
 the youngest four. While commending certain books 
 to be read, he makes most modest allusion to his own ; 
 " perhaps," he says, " also my Journal may be useful 
 to you." 
 
 " MY DEAR CHILDREN, 
 
 " Believing that God hath made with me, and 
 with my seed after me, His everlasting covenant, to be 
 a God to me and to my seed, I did in your baptism, 
 and often since, and now do, before God and His angels, 
 make a solemn surrender of you all into the hands of 
 my God, and my father's God, and of the God of your 
 mother, and her father's God ; and in the presence of 
 that God, and as ye shall answer at His second coming, 
 I charge you 
 
 " 1. To learn diligently the principles of our Christian 
 and Protestant religion, from your Catechism, and 
 Confession of Faith, but especially from your Bible. 
 God's word hath a light and life, a power and sweetness 
 in it, which no other book hath, and by it your souls 
 must be quickened and live, or you must be damned 
 for ever ; and the more closely you press the words of 
 the Bible to your own hearts, and pray and think over 
 them before God, you will find them the more powerful
 
 272 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 and pleasant. My soul hath found inexpressibly more 
 sweetness and satisfaction in a single line of the Bible 
 nay, in two such words as these, Thy God and My God, 
 than all the pleasures found in the things of the world, 
 since the creation, could equal. 
 
 " 2. Give yourselves to prayer. Jesus hath said, 
 * Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid them 
 not ; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.' ' I love 
 them that love Me ; and those that seek Me early shall 
 find Me.' ' Remember now thy Creator in the days of 
 thy youth.' ' The Lord is good to them that seek 
 Him.' He is the hearer of prayer, and therefore to Him 
 should all ' flesh come.' The Lord, ' the Father of the 
 fatherless,' takes an especial pleasure in hearing the 
 prayers of the fatherless young ones. 
 
 When I was left destitute of a father, and soon after 
 of a mother, the Lord dealt so with me ; and though 
 I was too bent on childish diversions, the Lord on some 
 occasions made prayer more pleasant to me than any 
 of them. By prayer improve the Lord as your Father, 
 consulting Him and asking His direction in all your 
 ways, and seeking His blessing on your learning, and 
 on whatever you do agreeable to His will. 
 
 " 3. Study earnestly to love, honour, and obey your 
 mother, and to be a comfort to her. Much trouble 
 hath she had in bringing you so far in the world, and 
 much affection hath she showed you. She hath now a 
 double charge and authority over you. The Lord now 
 observes particularly what is done to her. Oh ! for the 
 Lord's sake, do not dishonour her, or break her heart, 
 by your disobedience and graceless walk ; otherwise 
 the Lord's dreadful curse will light upon you, and ye 
 will readily soon perish : for think what God hath said : 
 Prov. xvii. 25, ' A foolish son is a grief to his father, 
 and bitterness to her that bare him ' ; chapter xx. 20, 
 ' Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall 
 be put out in obscure darkness.' See also Deut. xxi. 
 18, 19 ; Prov. x. 1, xiii. 1, xv. 5, 20, xix. 13, 26, xxviii. 
 7, 24, xxx. 17. 
 
 " 4. Avoid as plagues every light, frothy, and wicked 
 companion. Be not a disgrace to me and a cause of
 
 THE LATTER YEARS 273 
 
 damnation to yourselves, by keeping company with 
 idle talkers, swearers, drunkards, tipplers, frothy or 
 lewd persons. Scarce anything more infallibly brings 
 persons to misery in this world, or to hell in the next, 
 than loose and trifling companions Prov. xiii. 20, ' He 
 that walketh with wise men shall be wise ; but a com- 
 panion of fools shall be destroyed ' ; chapter xxviii. 7, 
 ' Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son ; but he that is 
 companion of riotous men shameth his father.' See 
 also Prov. i., ii., v., vi., vii., and ix., and 1 Cor. v. 9, 11. 
 Never make any your companions with whom you 
 would not wish to appear at the judgment seat of 
 Christ and with whom you would not wish to live for 
 ever. 
 
 "5. Mind earnestly the infinitely important con- 
 cerns of your eternal salvation. I hereby constitute 
 the Addresses annexed to my Shorter and Larger Cote- 
 chisms a part of my dying directions to you. Oh, 
 ponder and practise them ! Woe to you if, by your 
 carelessness and wickedness, you thrust the grace of 
 God out from among my posterity ! Ah ! my dear 
 young children, shall I at the last day have to echo 
 my Amen to Christ's sentence of your eternal damna- 
 tion ? In order to stir up your concern about eternal 
 things, let me beseech you to read Boston's Fourfold 
 State, Pearse's Best Match, Rutherford's Letters, Guyse's 
 Sermons to Young People, Alleine's Alarm^ and Baxter's 
 Call ; but beware of some legal directions in the last 
 two. Read also the lives of Elizabeth Cairns, of Alex- 
 ander Archibald, and especially the lives of Messrs. 
 Thomas Halyburton, James Frazer, and James Hogg. 
 Perhaps, also, my Journal may be useful to you ; but 
 above all, read the Book of Inspiration. 
 
 " 6. Never affect conformity to the vain and vile 
 fashions of this world. If you do, you disobey God, 
 and hazard the ruin of your own souls Rom. xii. 2, 
 ' Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed 
 by the renewing of your mind ' ; James iv. 4, ' Know 
 ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with 
 God ? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world 
 is the enemy of God.' See also 1 Cor. vii. 31 ; 1 John 
 
 18
 
 274 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 ii. 15-17, iv. 5, 6, v. 4, 19; John vii. 7, xv. 18, 19; 
 Ps. xv. 4, cxxxix. 21, cxix. 53, 115, 136, 158. 
 
 " 7. Never marry, nor take one step towards marriage, 
 without much serious and solemn consultation of God, 
 and patient waiting for His direction. By means of 
 rash marriages was the old world defiled ; and it was 
 partly on this account that it was drowned, Gen. vi. 
 In consequence of following these examples, Esau's 
 posterity were cast out from the Church of God to all 
 generations, Gen. xxvi. 34, 35 ; Judah's family was 
 disgraced and killed, and it is to be feared that his two 
 sons perished, Gen. xxxviii. ; not only Jehosaphat's 
 family but even the kingdom of Judah was almost 
 ruined, 2 Chron. xxi., xxii. How dreadful for your 
 own souls, and for those of your children, if you take 
 into your bosom an unconverted lump of wrath ! For 
 the Lord's sake let no beauty, no affability, no wealth 
 decoy any of you into this dangerous snare, which 
 may exclude the grace of God from your family till the 
 end of time, 1 Cor. vii. 39 ; Deut. vii. 3, 4 ; Ezra ix. 
 2, 3, 12, 14. 
 
 "8. If the Lord give you families and children, bring 
 them up for God. I have essayed to point out your 
 duty in this respect, in my two sermons at Whitburn 
 and Inverkeithing, which were printed ; I pray you 
 seriously to peruse these, and to comply with the advices 
 given in the same. 
 
 " 9. Set the Lord always before you as your Saviour, 
 Witness, Master, Pattern, and future Judge. David 
 saith, Ps. xvi. 8, ' I have set the Lord always before 
 me : because He is at my right hand, I shall not be 
 moved.' It is the command of God, 1 Cor. x. 31, 
 ' Whether, therefore, ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye 
 do, do all to the glory of God.' 
 
 "10. Adhere constantly, cordially, and honestly to 
 the covenanted principles of the Church of Scotland, 
 and to that testimony which hath been lifted up for 
 them. I fear a generation is rising up which will 
 endeavour silently to let slip these matters, as if they 
 were ashamed to hold them fast, or even to speak of 
 them. May the Lord forbid that any of you should
 
 THE LATTER YEARS 275 
 
 ever enter into this confederacy against Jesus Christ 
 and His cause ! 
 
 " This from a dying father and minister, and a witness 
 for Christ. 
 
 " JOHN BROWN." 
 
 Here it may be fitting to place the concluding part 
 of the " Short Memoir" of his life, which he penned in 
 the eventide, when the shadows were beginning to 
 lengthen. He is frank and fearless with himself, erring 
 on the side of severity, with the thoughts inclined toward 
 pessimism, which, declares Herbert Spencer, 1 is one of 
 the aspects of life that appears in old age. But the 
 values he now puts on things have their interest ; and 
 the insight we obtain into his personal habits, as in 
 reading, liberality, and conduct in public affairs, is 
 refreshing. 
 
 " And now, after nearly forty years preaching of Christ 
 and His great and sweet salvation, I think that if God 
 were to renew my youth and put it entirely in my 
 choice, whether I would be King of Britain, or be a 
 preacher of the Gospel, with the Holy Ghost sent down 
 from heaven, who had to beg his bread all the labouring 
 days of the week, in order to have an opportunity of 
 preaching on Sabbath to an assembly of sinful men, I 
 would by His grace never hesitate a moment to take 
 my choice. By the Gospel do men live, and in it is the 
 life of my soul. 
 
 " When I consider what the Lord hath done for me, 
 and what I have been doing against the Lord and His 
 goodness, I know not whether to be most amazed at 
 His kindness, or my rebellious treachery and ingratitude. 
 God has been doing all He can to save, smile on, and 
 favour me, and I have been acting to my uttermost in 
 opposing and dishonouring Him. After all that He 
 has done for me, I am good for nothing, neither to 
 teach nor learn, neither to live or die, but am both in 
 heart and life evil, only evil, superabundantly evil, unto 
 this very day. I am amazed to think how the Lord 
 
 1 An Autobiography, vol. i. p. 60.
 
 276 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 hath concealed my weakness and wickedness and even 
 rendered them useful to me. 
 
 " Considering the dreadful pride of my heart, what a 
 mercy that God, who gave me learning in so unexpen- 
 sive a manner, annexed for a time such a sting of reproach 
 to it ; that my talents did not lie so properly in a quick 
 and extensive view of things at first (for in this I saw 
 that I was inferior to many of my brethren) but rather 
 in a close, persevering, and unwearied application to 
 what I engaged in ; that, notwithstanding all my eager 
 hunting after most part of that lawful learning which 
 is known among the sons of men, I was led generally 
 to preach as if I had never read a book but the Bible. 
 And the older I grew, I more and more aimed at this. 
 An observation which I had made in the days of my 
 youth that what touched my conscience or heart was 
 not any airy flights or well-turned phrases, but either 
 express scriptural expressions, or what came near to 
 them, led me to deal much in Scripture language, or 
 what was near it. My imagination being somewhat 
 rank and inclined to poetic imagery when I commenced 
 a preacher, sometimes led me into flighty thoughts or 
 expressions. But the Lord made me ashamed of this, 
 as a real robbing of Him in order to sacrifice to my 
 own devilish or accursed pride. It was my mercy, too, 
 that the Lord, who had given me some other talents, 
 withheld from me a popular delivery, so that, though 
 my discourses were not disrelished by the serious, as 
 far as I heard, yet they were not so agreeable to many 
 hearers as those of my brethren. It was a pleasure 
 to me to observe many of my brethren possessed of 
 that talent which the Lord, to restrain my pride, had 
 denied to me. 
 
 ' When I consider how many whose parents were 
 spared with them far longer than I had mine, and 
 whose station in the world and means of education were 
 far greater than mine, are in deep poverty, or, which 
 is infinitely worse, have been left to turn out abandoned 
 rakes, I am amazed to think by what kind and strange 
 means the Lord hath carried through the poor young 
 orphan till now, and taken him from following the ewes
 
 THE LATTER YEARS 277 
 
 with young, and exalted him to the highest station in 
 the Church of Christ, and by His mere grace made some- 
 what useful, not only in preaching and writing, but also 
 in training up many for the ministry, whom I hope the 
 Lord hath, or will make, far more useful in winning souls 
 to Christ than ever I have been. Notwithstanding He 
 left me a young orphan, without any relations on earth 
 that were able to help me to any purpose, He carried 
 me through to a larger stock of learning than many 
 others who have the greatest plenty ; and all this with- 
 out my being obliged to be ever in debt to or dependent 
 on any persons whatsoever. In this how plainly hath 
 the Lord appeared as the Father of the fatherless, and 
 the orphan's stay ! This kindness of the Lord to me, 
 as well as Ps. 68. 5, and 146. 9, and Jer. 49. 11, 
 encourageth me to leave my present young family 
 on Him without the least anxious care or fear. I 
 cannot leave them many pence poorer than I was left 
 myself; and though I would wish that God would 
 render them more holy and useful in the world, I dare 
 not wish them more easy, or more honourable, or 
 wealthy, than God hath graciously made me. 
 
 " My vain curiosity hath led me into not a little 
 useless reading to the misspending of much precious 
 time. But even by this the Lord hath taught me what 
 a mercy it was that when I had not a director in the 
 choice of books, nor money to purchase the best, He 
 hath led me into an acquaintance with the most useful 
 ones, and did not permit me to take up with such as 
 were erroneous or profane. From experience I have 
 found that it is vain to attempt to be an universal 
 scholar ; that a few books, well chosen and carefully 
 used, are better than a multitude of books ; that multi- 
 tudes of books are scarcely worth the reading, or, if read, 
 one had better extract the useful hints into a note- 
 book, and never more look into the books ; that abridg- 
 ing of more useful books, especially if they be large, 
 is very useful ; that few plays or romances are safely 
 read, as they tickle the imagination and are apt to infect 
 with their defilement ; and even those that are most 
 pure, as of Young, Thomson, Addison, Richardson,
 
 278 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 bewitch the soul, and are apt to indispose for holy 
 meditation, and other religious exercises, and so should 
 be read at most very sparingly. In reading histories, 
 the Lord often not only made me to take up the facts 
 as the doing of the Lord, and as verifications of some 
 part of His Word, but also made the stories to suggest 
 some useful and sometimes very sweet thoughts respect- 
 ing the redemption scheme. 
 
 " Notwithstanding my minding earthly things, the 
 Lord so managed my wicked heart that it has rather 
 been my care to husband well what He provided for 
 me than to attempt a greedy catching of what did not 
 come of its own accord, and notwithstanding my eager 
 desire of books I chused rather to want them and much 
 more other things than run into debt. Notwithstanding 
 I had but 40 pounds of stipend for a considerable number 
 of years, and then 45, and at last 50 in one of the dearest 
 places of the country, the Lord gave me such content- 
 ment with it as made my lot preferable to some who 
 had the double or near to it. It was also my mercy that 
 my wives were averse to unnecessary wastefulness and 
 cheerfully ready to add the interest of their money for 
 the helping out of the stipend. When I was the first 
 introducer of the administration of the Lord's Supper 
 twice in the year, I reckoned it a providential favour 
 that I then had no more than 20 shillings allowed me 
 for extraordinary expenses on such occasions, which 
 being the case no one could pretend that I pushed that 
 more frequent administration of the ordinance in order 
 to enrich myself. By such means the Lord hath so 
 managed my heart that to-day I think none can say 
 that they ever heard me complain of a small stipend, 
 and I may add that we have never been in debt or in 
 straits as some who had much more income. I have 
 been helped to live as one that would gladly spend and 
 be spent for my people, and aimed at seeking not theirs 
 but them ; yet not I, but the grace of God did all. 
 
 " My congregation's belief of this, I believe, not only 
 disposed them to regard me, but even readily to concur 
 with me in countenancing the erection of other con- 
 gregations within our original bounds, while some other
 
 THE LATTER YEARS 279 
 
 congregations, perhaps double our strength, opposed as 
 for life any such thing within their bounds. By this 
 means I have now, in my old age, the pleasure of see- 
 ing the Gospel fixed at Dunbar, North Berwick, and 
 Tranent, all which places were in my original bounds, 
 and I hope and heartily wish with more success than by 
 me. This pleasure I would not lose for I know not how 
 large an advancement of my stipend. And yet, to the 
 Lord's honour as well as that of my people, I have never 
 lost a farthing by these disjunctions. I have always 
 looked upon it as a great and hurtful blemish in ministers, 
 especially Seceders, to appear greedy of gain, as if they 
 wanted to serve not the Lord Jesus, but their own belly, 
 or purse. 
 
 " I have also thought it a remarkable management 
 of my mind by the Lord that, though I often grudged 
 paying of a penny or two for a useless letter, I could 
 have cheerfully bestowed as many or more pounds for 
 promoting a pious purpose. For this end I for many 
 years laid aside a certain part of my income when I 
 got it ; but when our family grew numerous, my wife 
 could scarce attend to keeping two different purses. I 
 think that having a different purse for the Lord is very 
 proper in many cases. And from experience I can 
 testify that liberality to the Lord is one of the most 
 effectual means of making one rich. I have sometimes 
 disposed more this way than it could be thought I was 
 capable of, and yet I never found myself poorer against 
 the year's end. Nay, when I think on matters, I 
 wonder that my wealth, instead of being diminished, is 
 not a little increased. There ' is that scattereth and 
 yet increaseth ; and there is that withholdeth more 
 than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.' 
 
 " I lament that I have been so deficient in effectual 
 fervent prayer for my flock and for the Church of God ; 
 and that my discourses in conversation in my family 
 or with others have not been more spiritual. My sense 
 of my weakness and unskilfulness in pushing religious 
 discourses made me keep company so little. And when 
 at any time I was in company without something serious, 
 it was painful for me to reflect on it. It was on this
 
 280 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 account, as well as because I thought feasting improper 
 on such occasions, that I much disrelished all feasting 
 at ordinations of ministers, at baptisms, or on Mondays 
 after the Lord's Supper as little else than an ordinance 
 of the devil, calculated to erase every serious impression 
 which had been made by the ordinance. I had little 
 better opinion of making the dry disputes or curiosities 
 of religion the subject of conversation, especially on the 
 Lord's Da}. 
 
 " I lament that though I pretty often attended the 
 Society meetings for prayer and spiritual conference, 
 yet I did not do it more, especially after my settlement 
 in the congregation. I am persuaded that ministers 
 encouraging of such meetings to the utmost of their 
 power, and their catechising and exhorting of children, 
 after their settlement, are some of the best means they 
 can use for promoting the welfare of souls. On things 
 of this nature, I would wish all ministers' zeal and care 
 were chiefly spent. 
 
 " In publick things I have been rather inclined to act 
 up to my own views than to push others into a con- 
 formity to me. I had little relish for making ecclesiasti- 
 cal rules without great harmony. I had found no 
 small difficulty to fix my sentiments on some things. 
 This made me averse to urge my opinions on others 
 unless where I had plain Scripture to support them. I 
 laid it down as a rule, never to be very zealous in favour 
 of anything in which my own self-interest or honour 
 was in any respect concerned. I found it was dangerous 
 in the lawful defence of self not to go too far. My 
 sense of the forwardness of my temper, and that several 
 of my brethren saw more quickly or further into a 
 cause than I did, restrained me from obstinacy of judg- 
 ment. My knowledge of the miserable effects of clerical 
 contentions in the Christian Church, and my strong 
 inclination to peace, I believe, sometimes led me to 
 undue yielding or silence." 
 
 Here the old yellow document ends, ten lines down 
 from the top of the first half of the last page. It may 
 have been his intention to add more ; but there it
 
 THE LATTER YEARS 281 
 
 stops. He usually crowds every inch of space, but 
 the hand may have grown weary, or the heart may 
 have dreaded the self-laudation that might follow. 
 And so, thus abruptly, the "Short Memoir" closes. It 
 is all contained in eleven double-columned pages of 
 seven inches by six, and a few lines. It reveals in its 
 quaint simplicity his many struggles and shortcomings, 
 and his strong opinions and convictions. Were it all 
 that he had left behind him, posterity would never 
 have known of the masterful spirit he possessed, or 
 the vast professorial and literary work he executed, or 
 the wide influence he wielded. But modesty ever drew 
 down its thick folds when he began to dilate upon 
 himself.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 THE intense, crowded life was now beginning to tell on 
 the robust and sturdy frame. Up to the close of the 
 year 1786, Brown's forceful and energetic spirit 
 carried him through all his varied work with few signs 
 of the advancement of the years. But for some time 
 dyspepsia had begun to declare itself, and it became 
 more acute as the months passed. In the beginning of 
 1787, it showed some of its worst symptoms. He was 
 now in his sixty-fifth year, and the physical vigour 
 could not combat illness with the ease with which it 
 was wont to surmount it. His friends saw with regret 
 that his health was not equal to the burden of work he 
 manfully carried, and urged him to desist from part, at 
 least, of his public service. But he answered with 
 alacrity, " I am determined to hold to the Church's 
 work so long as/ I can. How can a dying man spend 
 his last breath better than in preaching Christ ? " To 
 wear out was possible ; to rust out was unthinkable. 
 
 It was early in this year, when he found himself not 
 equal to his former tasks, that he penned his last letter 
 to the Countess of Huntingdon, with whom by corre- 
 spondence he had often held high counsel. 
 
 To the Countess of Huntingdon 
 
 " If I never write to you more, be these my last 
 words. There is none like Christ, none like Christ, none 
 like Christ ; nothing like redemption through His blood, 
 even the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of 
 His grace. There is no learning nor knowledge like 
 
 282
 
 FAREWELL WORDS, AND TABLE TALK 283 
 
 the knowledge of Christ ; no life like Christ living in 
 the heart by faith ; no work like the service, the spiritual 
 service of Christ ; no reward like the free-grace wages of 
 Christ ; no riches nor wealth like the unsearchable 
 riches of Christ ; no rest, no comfort, like the rest, 
 the consolations of Christ ; no pleasure like the pleasure 
 of fellowship with Christ. Little as I know of Christ 
 and it is my dreadful sin and shame that I know so 
 little of Him I would not exchange the learning of 
 one hour's fellowship with Christ for all the liberal 
 learning in ten thousand Universities, during ten 
 thousand ages, even though angels were to be my 
 teachers. Nor would I exchange the pleasure my soul 
 hath found in a word or two about Christ, as thy God, 
 my God, for all the cried-up pleasures of creation since 
 the world began. For what, then, would I exchange 
 the being for ever with Christ, to behold His glory, see 
 God in Him as He is, and enter into the joy of my 
 Lord ? " 
 
 On February 25th, 1787, he occupied his pulpit for 
 the last time, conducting services three times that 
 day. In the morning he preached from Luke ii. 26, 
 " It was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he 
 should not see death, before he had seen the Lord Christ." 
 He seemed to be conscious that he was addressing his 
 flock, drawn from miles around, for the last time, and 
 he bade them an affectionate farewell. In the afternoon 
 he again addressed them, after the strain of the morning. 
 In the evening his audience was largely composed of 
 those residing in Haddington, principally members and 
 adherents of the Established Church. As he climbed 
 the pulpit for the third time he was scarcely able to 
 support himself, but with more than usual earnestness 
 he delivered his message, his last sermon, from Acts 
 xiii. 26, " To you is the word of this salvation sent." 
 In a manner that touched all hearts, he again referred 
 to his presence in the pulpit as never likely to be repeated, 
 and bade an affectionate adieu to those who had so 
 diligently waited on his ministry. It was a Sunday 
 long remembered in Haddington.
 
 284 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 But, withdrawn from the pulpit, he yearned over his 
 flock. They were much in his thoughts during these 
 latter weeks, and he poured out his heart in the following 
 communication to them, throbbing with a yearning for 
 their highest good. It was found among his papers 
 after he had passed away. 
 
 " MY DEAR HEARERS, 
 
 " Having through the patience and mercy of 
 God, long laboured among you, not as I ought, far, far 
 from it, but as I could, I must now leave you, to appear 
 before the judgment seat of Christ, to give an account 
 of my stewardship. You cannot say that I ever 
 appeared to covet any man's silver or gold, or apparel, 
 or ever uttered one murmur about what you gave me ; 
 or that I sought yours, not you. You cannot charge 
 me with idling away my devoted time in vain chat, 
 either with you or others, or with spending it in worldly 
 business, reading of plays, romances, or the like. If I 
 had, what an awful appearance should I soon have 
 before my all-seeing Judge ! You cannot pretend that 
 I spared either body or mind in the service of your 
 souls, or that I put you off with airy conceits of man's 
 wisdom, or anything else than the truths of God. 
 Though I was not ashamed, as I thought Providence 
 called me, to give you hints of the truths presently 
 injured, and for the support of which is the declared 
 end of the Secession, yet I laboured chiefly to show and 
 inculcate upon your consciences the most important 
 truths concerning your sinfulness and misery, and the 
 way of salvation from both through Christ, and laboured 
 to hunt you out of all your lying refuges, and give 
 your consciences no rest but in Christ and Him crucified. 
 The delight of my soul was to commend Him and His 
 free and great salvation to your souls, and to direct 
 and encourage you to receive and walk in Him. I call 
 heaven and earth to record against you this day, that 
 I laboured to set life and death, blessing and cursing, 
 before you, and to persuade you to choose life that ye 
 might live. By the grace of God, I have endeavoured, 
 however poorly, to live holily, justly, and unblameably
 
 FAREWELL WORDS, AND TABLE TALK 285 
 
 among you. And now I leave all these discourses, ex- 
 hortations, instructions, and examples, as a testimony 
 for the Lord against you, if you lay not your eternal 
 salvation to heart, as the one thing needful, the better 
 part which shall never be taken from you. 
 
 " But I have no confidence in any of these things 
 before God as my Judge. I see such weakness, such 
 deficiency, such unfaithfulness, such imprudence, such 
 unfervency, and unconcern, such selfishness, in all that 
 I have done as a minister or a Christian, as richly 
 deserves the deepest damnation of hell. I have no 
 hope of eternal happiness but in Jesus' blood, which 
 cleanseth from all sin, in redemption through His blood, 
 even the forgiveness of my sins, according to the riches 
 of His grace. It is the everlasting covenant of God's 
 free grace, well ordered in all things and sure, that is 
 all my salvation and all my desire. 
 
 " Now I die firmly persuaded [of the truth] of those 
 things which I preached unto you. I never preached 
 unto you any other way of salvation than I essayed to 
 use for myself. I now, when dying, set to my seal 
 that God is true. After all that I have said of the 
 sinfulness of your hearts, I have not represented to you 
 the ten-thousandth part of their vileness and guilt. 
 Knowing, in some measure, the terrors of the Lord, I 
 endeavoured to persuade you that it was a fearful thing 
 to fall into the hands of His wrath. But who knoweth 
 the power of His wrath ? Knowing, in some measure, 
 the deceitfulness of sin, and the devices of Satan, I 
 laboured to warn you of them. But what especially 
 delighted my heart was, to set before you the excel- 
 lences, the love, the labours of our Redeemer, and God 
 in Him, giving Himself, and applying Himself to sinful 
 men ; and to represent to you the work of God on 
 the heart in the day of His power, and the exercise of 
 the heart in its diversified frames. What I saw, and 
 tasted, and handled, both of the bitter and the sweet 
 in religion, declared I unto you. Little as I am 
 acquainted with the Lord, I will leave it as my dying 
 testimony, that there is none like Christ, there is nothing 
 like fellowship with Christ. I dare aver before God,
 
 286 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 angels, and men that I would not exchange the pleasures 
 of religion which I have enjoyed, especially in the days 
 of my youth, for all the pleasures, profits, and honours 
 of this world, since the creation till the present moment, 
 ten thousand times told. For what, then, would I 
 exchange my entrance into the joy of a being for ever 
 with my Lord ? Truly God hath been good to a soul 
 that but poorly sought Him. Oh ! what would He be 
 to yours, if you would earnestly seek Him ! With 
 what heart-ravishing power and grace He hath testified 
 against my wicked and unbelieving heart, that He is 
 God, even my God ! And whom have I in heaven but 
 Him ? nor is there any on earth whom I desire besides 
 Him. My heart and flesh fail, but God is the strength 
 of my heart and my portion for ever. Left early by 
 both father and mother, God hath taken me up, and 
 been the orphan's stay. He hath given me the heritage 
 oi them that fear Him. The lines have fallen to me in 
 pleasant places. I have a goodly heritage. The Lord 
 is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup ; He 
 maintaineth my lot : Yea, mine own God is He, my 
 God that doth me save. 
 
 " Had I ten thousand worlds in my offer, and these 
 secured to me for ever, they should be utterly con- 
 temned. ' Doubtless I count all things but loss for the 
 excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord ; 
 and I do count them but dung to win Him, and be 
 found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, 
 which is of the law, but the righteousness of God which 
 is through faith.' 
 
 " Now, when I go to give my account to God, think 
 what it must be ! Alas ! must it be that, in too great 
 conformity to your careless neighbours, some did not 
 attend the means of grace at examinations, in meetings 
 for prayer and spiritual conference, as ye ought ? 
 Must it be that, after labouring so many years among 
 you, I left less lively religion in the congregation than 
 I found in it at first ? Must it be that ye were called, 
 but you made light of the marriage with Christ, and of 
 His great salvation ? Must it be that ye contented 
 yourselves with a form of godliness, without knowing
 
 FAREWELL WORDS, AND TABLE TALK 287 
 
 the power of it ? Must it be that some few, trampling 
 on their most solemn engagements, forsook me, having 
 loved this present world ? Must it be that others were 
 not careful to train up their seed for the Lord ? Must 
 it be, that ye often heard the most searching sermons, 
 or the most delightful, and went away quite unaffected ? 
 Or must it be that you were awakened, that your souls 
 looked to Jesus and were enlightened ; that ye believed 
 with your heart unto salvation ; that ye harrowed in 
 the seed of the truth, which I sowed among you, by 
 serious meditation and fervent prayer ; that ye laboured 
 to win souls to Christ ? Alas ! I fear many of you 
 will go down to hell with a lie in your right hand, 
 with all the gospel sermons and exhortations you ever 
 heard in your conscience, to assist it to upbraid, gnaw, 
 and torment you ! My dearly beloved hearers, shall I 
 see you next in everlasting fire prepared for the devil 
 and his angels ? Shall I see those faces all in flames 
 at the last day, and those eyes, which often looked at 
 me, looking lively bright horror at the judgment-seat of 
 Christ ? Must I hear the Redeemer bid you depart 
 from Him as cursed, into the everlasting fire, prepared 
 for the devil and his angels ? And must I, who have 
 so often prayed for your salvation, and preached for 
 your salvation, add my hearty AMEN to the sentence 
 of your eternal damnation ? God forbid ! 
 
 " Let me then beseech you, now, without a moment's 
 delay, to consider your ways. Listen to the Lord's 
 invitations ! Believe His self-giving declarations and 
 promises, which, times without number, have, with some 
 measure of earnestness, been sounded in your ears. For 
 the Lord's sake, dare not, at your infinite peril, to see 
 me again in your sins, and refusers of my glorious 
 Redeemer and Master ! Oh ! give Him your hearts, 
 give Him your hearts ! I never complained of you 
 giving me too little. Nay, I thought myself happier 
 than most of my brethren as to all outward matters. 
 But I always thought and complained that you did not 
 use my Master Christ as I wished in your hearts, lives, 
 and houses. And now I ask nothing for myself, or any 
 of my family, but make this my only dying request to
 
 288 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 you, that you would now receive my Master Christ 
 into your hearts and houses. Could my soul speak 
 back to you from the eternal state, could all my rotting 
 bones and sinews, and every atom of my body, speak 
 back to you from the grave, they should all cry, ' Oh 
 that you were wise, that you understood this, that you 
 would consider your latter end ! ' Oh that you would 
 give my Master, Christ, these ignorant, guilty, polluted, 
 and enslaved hearts of yours, that He, as made of God 
 unto you wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and 
 redemption, might enter in and fill them for evermore 
 with His grace and truth ! Oh, say not to a dying, a 
 dead minister, but to a living Redeemer, and His Father, 
 and blessed Spirit, NAY. 
 
 " Dearly beloved, whom I wish to be my joy and 
 crown in the day of the Lord, suffer me to speak from 
 the dead to you. Let me obtest you, by all your in- 
 expressible sinfulness and misery, by all the perfec- 
 tions, words and works of God, by all the excellences, 
 offices, relations, labours, sufferings, glory, and fulness of 
 Christ, by all the joys of heaven and horrors of hell, 
 now to make serious work of the eternal salvation of 
 your souls. Try what improvement you have made of 
 all my ministrations. Call to mind what of my texts, 
 sermons, or other instructions you can ; and pray them 
 over before the Lord, applying them closely to your 
 own conscience and heart. Wash yourselves thoroughly 
 in the blood of Jesus Christ from all the sins of holy things 
 since you and I met together. 
 
 " I recommend to you, young persons, my two 
 addresses annexed to my Catechisms ; and to you, 
 parents and masters, my address in the Awakening Call, 
 and my sermons on Raising up Children to Christ, as a 
 part of my dying words to you. They will rise up in 
 judgment against you, if you contemn them. 
 
 " With respect to your obtaining another minister, 
 let me beseech you, by much fervent prayer, get him 
 first from the Lord. And let it be your care to call one 
 whose sermons you find to touch your consciences. May 
 the Lord preserve you from such as aim chiefly to tickle 
 your fancy, and seek themselves rather than Jesus
 
 FAREWELL WORDS, AND TABLE TALK 289 
 
 Christ the Lord ! Let there be no strife among you in 
 calling him. And when you get him, labour at his 
 entrance to receive his message from Christ with great 
 greediness. Let your vacancy make you hungry and 
 thirsty for the Gospel. And let all hands and hearts 
 be intent on raising up a seed for Christ in poor withered 
 and wicked East Lothian. 
 
 " Oh ! how it would delight my soul to be informed, 
 in the manner of the eternal state, that Christ had come 
 along with my successor, conquering and to conquer ! 
 How gladly should I see you and him by hundreds at 
 the right hand of Christ at the great day, though I 
 should scarcely have my ten ! Oh, if Christ were so 
 exalted, so remembered among you, as to make me 
 scarcely thought of ! I desire to decrease, that He may 
 increase. 
 
 " ' Now unto Him that loved us, and washed us 
 from our sins in His own blood, and hath given us 
 everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 
 be honour and glory, dominion and blessing, for ever 
 and ever. 
 
 " * This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all accepta- 
 tion, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save 
 sinners, of whom I am chief.' 
 
 " Your once affectionate pastor, 
 
 " JOHN BROWN." 
 
 In the five months that intervened before his end, 
 the restraint that Brown placed on any personal expres- 
 sion of spiritual feeling seemed to be removed. Like 
 John Woolman in his last illness, he " uttered many 
 lovely and comfortable expressions." Says an honoured 
 authority l in letters as in imperial affairs, " We want 
 to know how a Master man talked, and, if possible, what 
 he thought ; what was his standpoint with regard to 
 the graver issues of life, what he was in the hours of 
 ease, what he enjoyed, how he unbent." We have 
 had glimpses of what the Master man of Haddington 
 was in his hours of ease, and how he unbent. He 
 enjoyed nothing so much as hours in his library among 
 
 1 Lord Rosebery, in his Introduction to Chatham, p. xi. 
 19
 
 290 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 his books. It is now, thanks to his son, Ebenezer, that 
 we hear him converse, and especially on the deeper 
 matters of life. 
 
 Ever since the Abernethy calumny, Brown was very 
 sparing in references to himself. Now and again he 
 did unbend, as once, well remembered by his students, 
 when urging them not to be satisfied with a mere 
 speculative acquaintance with the truths in the "System 
 of Doctrine," or a storing of them in their memories, but 
 to have them engraven on their hearts by the Spirit of 
 God, he said : " I recollect that, when sitting on the braes 
 of Abernethy, hearing Mr. Wilson of Perth [one of the 
 Secession Four], I got more insight into the marrow of 
 the Gospel, thy God and my God, than I ever got 
 before or since. Alas ! that it was so long ago! " That 
 he lived among faith's high altitudes was the ready 
 conviction of all with whom he came in contact. It was 
 characteristic of him to say, as he walked with a friend, 
 and a loud clap of thunder rolled overhead, " That is 
 the low whisper of my God." His difficulties, as it has 
 been said, were not so much of an intellectual as of a 
 spiritual nature. His attainments in personal holiness 
 were far short of his ideal. When he stood before the 
 Love that redeemed him, the intensity of its white light 
 seemed to darken the shadow cast by his many short- 
 comings. In preaching, while never failing to exhibit 
 the charm and the joy and the glory of the Christian 
 calling, he often depicted with a strong, severe hand the 
 blackness and the horribleness of whatever sin touched. 
 He was wittingly or unwittingly interpreting himself. 
 And now that life's battle was practically fought, he was 
 more communicative regarding his own inner life, and 
 unbosomed himself in a way that left a deep impression. 
 His son Ebenezer, the minister of Inverkeithing, was 
 frequently by his side during these months ; and he 
 noted down much of the table talk that fell from his lips. 
 It is illuminative and striking, though often it flashes 
 a description of the speaker himself that makes one 
 start and shudder. He speaks with a freedom on 
 topics that many to-day might deem too sacred to be 
 uttered. This, which may seem strange to us, was quite
 
 FAREWELL WORDS, AND TABLE TALK 291 
 
 characteristic of the times when the veil was uplifted 
 on the inner life. 
 
 On March 2nd, the week after he had laid down the 
 pulpit service, a friend remarked to him that with care 
 he might yet recover ; in a moment came the answer, 
 " If Christ be magnified, whether in my life or death, 
 that is the great matter." l 
 
 On the day following, when the reading of history 
 was discussed, the old historian enunciated his principle 
 in studying the records of the past. 
 
 " Often we read history as Atheists or Deists, rather 
 than as Christians. To read of events without observ- 
 ing the hand of God in them, is to read as Atheists ; 
 to read and not observe how all events conduce to 
 carry on the work of redemption, is to read as Deists." 
 
 He mused on the theme ; and in the evening he referred 
 again to the subject. 
 
 " A piece of history hath sometimes amused me 
 when my natural spirits were low; but now I find no 
 pleasure except in meditating on the promises. I wish 
 to begin with that in Genesis, ' The seed of the woman 
 shall bruise the head of the serpent,' and to delight 
 myself with it, and all the rest that follow, to the end 
 of the Revelation of John." 
 
 The learning accumulated with so much zest in his 
 life-time, seemed to obtain another adjustment when 
 the burden of the grasshopper was felt, and the eye 
 peered into the other world. Carlyle returned with 
 quiet hope to the simplicity of the early confidence, 
 " Our Father, which art in heaven." Brown, reviewing 
 the past, affirmed : 
 
 " If there were such a thing as exchange of learning, 
 I should willingly quit with all my acquaintance with 
 languages, and other branches of knowledge, to know 
 
 1 A fuller record of his talk is given in the Appendix.
 
 292 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 experimentally what that meaneth, ' I am crucified 
 with Christ ; nevertheless I live ; yet not I, but Christ 
 liveth in me ; and the life which I now live in the 
 flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved 
 me, and gave Himself for me.' ' 
 
 As he talked with his sons, John and Ebenezer, who 
 like himself served in the ministry, the one at Whit- 
 burn, the other at Inverkeithing, he was consumed 
 with an eagerness for their devotion to their calling. 
 More than once in these closing months he reverted 
 to this, and to the delight and joy he himself had had 
 in the ministerial career except these bonds. 
 
 " No doubt I have met with trials as well as others ; 
 yet so kind hath God been to me, that I think, if God 
 were to give me as many years as I have already lived 
 in the world, I would not desire one single circumstance 
 in my lot changed except I wish I had less sin." 
 " Labour, labour for Christ while ye have strength," 
 was his passionate entreaty. " I now repent that I 
 have been so lazy and so slothful in His service. Oh ! 
 commend Jesus. I have been looking at Him for 
 these many years, and never yet could find a fault in 
 Him, but what was of my own making ; although He 
 hath seen ten thousand faults in me. Many a comely 
 person I have seen, but none so comely as Christ ; 
 many a kind friend I have had, but none like Christ in 
 loving-kindness and tender mercies." 
 
 Speaking about sermons, he alleged : 
 
 " So far as ever I observed God's dealings with my 
 soul, the flights of preachers sometimes entertained 
 me ; but it was Scripture expressions which did pene- 
 trate my heart, and that in a way peculiar to them- 
 selves." 
 
 His sons left him for a week or so. While they were 
 away, he wrote to John at Whitburn the following 
 interesting letter :
 
 FAREWELL WORDS, AND TABLE TALK 293 
 
 To Rev. John Brown, Whitburn 
 
 " When I get an opportunity, I have some thoughts 
 of making a trial of the medicine which you mention, 
 though my hopes of being better by it are not very 
 high. My life and health seem now to pass like a 
 declining shadow ; nor dare I repine at the matter. 
 God hath, in some measure, satisfied me with old age ; 
 I would therefore be longing to see His salvation. I 
 observe several things relative to my family, which 
 urge my carnal heart to wish continuance ; but my 
 death can make no vacancy in my family, and far less 
 in the Church, which Jesus cannot easily fill up. What I 
 desire is, to have the presence of God in my trouble, 
 and to be enabled to act for His glory. I can hardly 
 bear the thought of being consigned to be a useless 
 weight on this earth. But I must not quarrel at His 
 disposal ; He cannot but do right ; nor would I wish 
 to attempt making straight what He has made crooked. 
 Redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness 
 of sins, according to the riches of His grace, is what I 
 ever desire to enjoy ; and I wish to leave the circum- 
 stances of my departure to His high sovereign will. 
 If grace reign through Jesus' righteousness to eternal 
 life to me and mine, I ask no more. I believe I shall 
 never be perfectly well till I be with the Lamb in the 
 midst of the throne. In the meantime, I earnestly 
 desire to die as a wax-taper, sending forth a sweet smell 
 of Him whose garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and 
 cassia." 
 
 On their return on March 20th, they found him 
 physically weaker, the memory not so tenacious, but 
 the vision as keen, and the judgment on things sharp 
 as ever. " Men may talk of the sovereignty of redeem- 
 ing love as they will ; but had it not been sovereign, 
 infinitely sovereign, I had been as surely lost as if I 
 were in hell already. How these words, ' He loved me, 
 and gave Himself for me,' once penetrated my heart, 
 and made me cry, ' Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all 
 that is within me be stirred up to bless His holy name.' "
 
 294 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 The various incidents of his daily life were a con- 
 tinuous source of searching and exhilarating remarks 
 it might be the morning when he awoke, the washing of 
 his face, the breakfast with which he was served, or the 
 meals of the day, the carriage exercise in which he 
 participated, the converse of friends they were all 
 to him avenues to the incomparable riches of grace. 
 " Wonderful, wonderful subject, grace," as he once ex- 
 claimed, at an afternoon repast. " Wonderful, won- 
 derful means, by which it vents the righteousness of 
 Christ ! and wonderful, wonderful issue, eternal life." 
 
 He was grateful for all the attention bestowed upon 
 him by his wife and children and expressed his appre- 
 ciation of it in warm terms, but it was only an avenue 
 to a higher domain. " Yet I must go back to this, 
 ' Whom have I in heaven but Thee ? and there is none 
 upon earth I desire beside Thee.' ' One of his younger 
 children, Peggy, who three years later followed him to 
 his rest, slipped into his room to inquire as to his welfare. 
 Drawing her near him, he laid his hands upon her head, 
 " Now my little dear, mind to pray to God ; your father 
 must soon leave you, but cry unto Jesus, ' Thou art 
 my Father and the guide of my youth ' ; and then, 
 though you will not have a room like this to come and see 
 your father in, you will be taken to a far better Father's 
 room." The anguish of parting with his children was 
 soothed by the recollection of his own early days, and 
 the guiding hand that had been upon him. As he 
 said to another of his younger children, " I do not think 
 that I was much older than you, when God caused me 
 to claim Him ; and God hath been good to me." The 
 dark sorrows that had marked his journey, he acknow- 
 ledged, had not been without their rich compensation. 
 " I think the early death of my father and mother, the 
 death of a wife and of children, in a remarkable manner 
 wrought for my good. I could not but notice, that when 
 God took away these, He always supplied their room 
 with Himself." 
 
 The vicissitudes of his career indeed tested the word 
 on which he planted his hopes, and on which he wrote 
 so extensively. Passages of it seemed to embody his
 
 FAREWELL WORDS, AND TABLE TALK 295 
 
 very experiences, like the ninety-first psalm with its 
 dark outlines fringed with gold of promise. " I know a 
 man to whom almost every line of that psalm has been 
 sweet. I think if ever God touched my heart, He went 
 through that psalm with me." But life to him was 
 enriched and gladdened above all with the treasures of 
 his Master, Christ. " Oh ! What must Christ be in 
 Himself, when He sweetens heaven, sweetens Scriptures, 
 sweetens ordinances, sweetens earth, and even sweetens 
 trials. What must that Christ be in Himself ! " 
 
 We have here access to the inner springs that were 
 so long concealed from outer gaze. It was a period of 
 patient waiting that for the first time in that crowded 
 existence enabled others to see whence emanated the 
 energy that never paused, and the confidence that never 
 wavered. These months when the pen ceased and the 
 voice in public was silent were not without their recom- 
 pense : " They also serve who only stand and wait."
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 THE CLOSE 
 
 BROWN'S increasing weakness told its tale on some of 
 his faculties, but the inner soul glowed with a brighter 
 flame. Daily, if the weather showed no drooping or 
 weeping skies, he took carriage exercise. It revived 
 him ; and the tokens of bursting spring spoke their 
 gladdening message of higher things to an observer long 
 accustomed to see nature sparkling with spiritual 
 emblems. His church was close by, in which he had 
 ministered for thirty-six years ; but to attend the 
 services now was becoming too exhausting for his 
 enfeebled frame. Once he passed within its portals on 
 a week-day and looked round, and his heart rilled with 
 emotion as the fragrant memories of hours spent there 
 rushed back upon him. " Weak as I am, I would try 
 to preach yet, if I had none to preach in my stead. 
 Oh ! what sweet fellowship with Christ I have had 
 here ! That pulpit hath been to me the best place in 
 all this house." 
 
 In the meadow adjoining the church behind the manse, 
 he was often wont to stroll. As he paced it now slowly 
 with his sons, he would call attention to places where 
 visions divine broke upon his soul, and made the spots 
 to him as hallowed ground. 
 
 " On certain occasions my soul hath been so trans- 
 ported here that, as the Apostle speaks, ' whether I 
 was in the body, or out of the body, I could scarcely 
 tell.' Perhaps it is superstitious in me, but I confess I 
 have a peculiar love for these very spots." 
 
 The book-lined study that used to enthrall him from 
 early morn to the latest hours seemed to lose its charm, 
 
 296
 
 THE CLOSE 297 
 
 and he seldom crossed its threshold. " You never go 
 in there now," said his son to him as they passed the 
 door. " No ; the closet I wish now is the place of God's 
 immediate presence. There the face of God will serve 
 me instead of all my books." Regarding the numerous 
 works he himself produced out of that study, some of 
 which were to pass into many editions, a friend advised 
 him to grant an assignation of his rights for the good 
 of his family. 
 
 " No, no ; I would not wish that ever there should 
 be the least appearance of the world in me. I can trust 
 my family to Providence ; and if, when I am in heaven, 
 it appear that there was one converted by means of 
 anything I ever wrote, I will mark down a hundred 
 pounds ; if there should be two, I will say there are two 
 hundred pounds ; and, if twenty, there is something 
 of more value than two thousand pounds. That is the 
 reward which I wish." 
 
 The astonishing memory he possessed and so assidu- 
 ously cultivated began to lock its doors, and sometimes 
 he faltered through lack of its help. But the other life, 
 he was convinced, would quickly repair the loss. " Were 
 I once in heaven, a look of Christ will cure my broken 
 memory, and all my other weaknesses." 
 
 While memory might fail, the spirit was all alive. 
 'The simplest occasions flashed out startling thoughts. 
 The fire was being stirred and its bright glow lit up the 
 room. 
 
 " Oh ! to have my heart stirred and set in an eternal 
 flame of love to that dear Son of God, of whom I 
 think I can say, ' He loved me and gave Himself for me ' ; 
 and I am sure, in point of worthlessness, He might as 
 well have loved Beelzebub himself." 
 
 Beelzebub himself ! Thomas T. Lynch, 1 in his Morn- 
 ington Lecture, says of this remarkable utterance : 
 
 " If that be true of a man who feels the sinfulness of 
 
 1 Thomas T. Lynch, The Mornington Lecture. Sec. edition, 1885 
 chapter " The Browns of Haddjngton," p. 286.
 
 298 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 his nature, that God might as well have loved Beelzebub, 
 as him, why should not God love Beelzebub ? that is 
 to say, why should not God take care for every class 
 of creature in His universe, to bring that creature as 
 far, and as speedily onward as may be ? " 
 
 On another of his sayings which might be misunder- 
 stood, Lynch l makes a pertinent remark. He amazed 
 his son one day by saying it may have been occasioned 
 by some unfortunate bankrupt in Haddington being 
 pilloried in public, as was the case with monetary 
 defaulters in those days : 
 
 " I confess I should not like to stand at our town 
 cross with a paper on my breast, declaring that I was 
 a bankrupt to men ; but I think I would love to stand 
 in the most public place in heaven having all the re- 
 deemed pointing to me as the greatest sinner that ever 
 was saved ; yea, I think their very staring at me, as 
 the chief debtor to free grace, would rejoice my heart." 
 
 As Lynch says, we could easily put a bad sense upon 
 that. If a man should like to be looked at for his 
 piety, that would be evil. This is one of those sayings 
 that are, as it were, just at the point of a rock, a 
 precipice being close by. You may fall off into a depth 
 of iniquity ; for, to ascend into a height of pride, is to 
 fall into a depth of iniquity. If a man should come to 
 wish to be stared at, even as the chief of sinners, it 
 would prove he was more of a sinner than he yet knew. 
 But this old man meant, that he would not mind 
 confessing before God things that had put his own 
 heart to shame, if only the love of God might be glorified 
 in him. 
 
 In the beginning of April, his eldest son returned to 
 his charge at Whitburn, and he wrote him the following 
 letter : 
 
 To Rev. John Brown, Whitburn 
 
 " I am at present in a weak and languishing con- 
 dition ; but as it is the doing of the Lord I desire to 
 
 i Ibid., p. 287.
 
 THE CLOSE 299 
 
 be resigned, and would gladly be content, whether 
 death or recovery be the issue. Indeed, the desire of my 
 heart is that, if it be His will, I should depart and be 
 with Christ, which is far better than being in this sinful 
 world. But it would be improper for me to set up 
 my ignorant and corrupt will as a rule to the Most 
 High. I wish to be at entire and cordial resignation 
 to His will, who hath so graciously performed all things 
 for me. Let Him recover or let Him kill me, as is most 
 for His glory ; I know that it shall be in infinite love 
 to my soul. I desire to take all kindly from His hand ; 
 and I hope that He will sweeten all with believing views 
 of His everlasting love to me. To leave a multitude 
 of kind relations, hearers, and neighbours on earth is 
 an easy matter, in order to depart and to be with Jesus 
 for ever. When I write, perhaps, my last letter to 
 you, I would commend Him who is white and ruddy, 
 the chiefest among ten thousand and altogether lovely. 
 Rather, oh that the Holy Ghost would enable you and 
 your children to come and see Him ! I am sure that 
 is a pleasant and enriching sight. May never one of 
 you get rest in your minds, till you obtain such a 
 blessed discovery ! I give it, perhaps as my last words 
 to you and your children, that there is none like Christ, 
 there is none like Christ, there is none like Christ." 
 
 The Synod of his Church was convened to meet in 
 Edinburgh on May 1st that year. For twenty years 
 he had sat at the clerk's table, and witnessed and 
 shared in many exciting debates, when sometimes the 
 calm of deliberation was broken by the storm of pas- 
 sionate discussion. The advent of the Synod was always 
 eagerly anticipated ; but it suggested to him now 
 another general assembly that of the first-born for 
 which he yearned. " No idle words, no angry speeches, 
 no sinful ignorances, no haughty pride there. But, 
 after all, it is a great mercy that Jesus, the great manager 
 of the Church, can overrule even our contentions here 
 for His own glory." 
 
 The approaching Divinity Session, however, was 
 giving him some concern. His place at the clerk's
 
 300 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 table could easily be filled by another member ; but 
 his post as Professor could not be so speedily arranged 
 for. He was doubtful if his health would permit of his 
 discharge of the manifold duties of the chair in the 
 autumn ; and he requested his son, John, who was 
 Moderator of his Church that year, to represent his 
 circumstances to the Synod. The letter he sent him 
 contains his request and shows the trend of his thoughts, 
 and the slackening of time's bonds upon him. 
 
 To the Rev. John Brown, Whiiburn 
 
 " My weakness still continues ; nor, indeed, is my 
 mind anxious about this, but a Christ-glorifying death, 
 and a being for ever with the Lord. My concern, too, 
 is that all my relations should have my place on earth 
 delightfully supplied by the knowledge, care, and 
 fellowship of Jesus Christ, even Him whom, notwith- 
 standing all my present and now long-continued care- 
 lessness and wickedness, I still hold to be Jesus Christ, 
 my Lord. Oh ! could my soul enter into the full mean- 
 ing of these words as I wish ! But I hope that I shall 
 be allowed this attainment by and bye. Already my 
 poor soul, in a manner hovering between time and 
 eternity, cries, NONE LIKE CHRIST ! AND NONE BUT 
 CHRIST FOR ME ! And may I and all my relations and 
 friends be His henceforth and for ever ! It is no small 
 comfort to have my relations on earth so kind and 
 agreeable to me ; but my superlative desire, I think, is 
 to be with Jesus and His ransomed millions above. 
 That such a sinner, and originally such a mean sinner, 
 should be so kindly treated by so many brethren and 
 friends, doth and may amaze me. But oh how sweetly 
 doth Jesus and His Spirit exceed them all ! Now I 
 in some sweet measure feel and see that there is no 
 friendship like that of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 
 
 " This week my bodily appetite is no better ; but 
 little matter if God would enable me to drink up a river 
 of His redeeming blood, and to feed full on Jesus' flesh 
 on all the fulness of God. 
 
 " At the meeting of the Synod let my weakness be
 
 THE CLOSE 301 
 
 represented to them ; and if they judge that it has 
 disqualified me for teaching the students, I heartily 
 agree to be laid aside from this work, and that one 
 more fit should be chosen. It is Jesus Christ whom I 
 wish to be exalted ; and the best means for saving 
 sinners, I wish to take place. 
 
 " I hope the brethren will take care to supply my 
 congregation with sermon, as want of this would sink 
 my spirits. I have been but a dry tree myself among 
 them ; and oh ! it would rejoice my heart to hear of 
 Jesus' power being felt, and His glory seen, by the 
 ministry of my brethren helping me ! I do not wish 
 to be a burden to them ; and if Providence bring me 
 back to any measure of strength, I shall inform the 
 supplier. The longer I live, I see myself the less worthy 
 of being regarded by anybody. 
 
 " Wishing all the blessings of time and eternity on 
 your family, and that the Lord may render you and 
 your brother, and all my pupils more faithful, diligent, 
 and successful in the ministry, than I have been, 
 
 " I remain yours, etc." 
 
 His son, John, as retiring Moderator, preached the 
 opening sermon of the Synod, when it met in Bristo 
 Church, Edinburgh, on May 1st, choosing as his text 
 Proverbs xi. 30, " He that winneth souls is wise." He 
 intimated to the court that his father's enfeebled health 
 prevented him attending the Synod meetings, and the 
 Rev. David Greig, Lochgelly, Fife, was appointed to 
 take his place at the clerk's table. He also indicated 
 his father's desire that some one should be appointed 
 to take charge of the students at the coming session, 
 as he was afraid his health would not be equal to the 
 strain. The Rev. George Lawson, 1 Selkirk, one of 
 Brown's former students, was appointed to undertake 
 this duty. The Synod not only sympathetically acceded 
 to their old Professor's requests, but also provided 
 supply for his pulpit, authorising the Presbytery of 
 Dunfermline to preach to his congregation in the month 
 
 1 Rev. G. Lawson, D.D., was appointed his successor in the Pro- 
 fessoriate, and the Divinity Hall was removed to Selkirk.
 
 302 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 of May, the Presbytery of Kelso during June, the 
 Presbytery of Edinburgh during July, and the Presby- 
 tery of Glasgow during August, thus arranging for the 
 occupancy of his pulpit up to the next meeting of 
 Synod. 2 It was a touching expression of the Church's 
 esteem for his devoted labours ; but their thoughtful 
 kindness in making such provision was not required so 
 long as they anticipated. 
 
 During May his health did not seem to improve, 
 but sufficient strength availed to enjoy carriage exercise. 
 " How strange that I, a cottager's son, should have a 
 chaise to ride in ; but oh ! how much more strange that 
 I should have a ' chariot of salvation to ride in ! ' One 
 day they said, " You cannot go out to-day because of 
 the rain." " Oh," said he, " if God would but send 
 His new covenant chariot, Death, to carry me hence 
 before the end of the day, I would not mind the 
 weather, whatever it might be." 
 
 Toward the end of the month his sons, who had been 
 with him after the Synod Session, returned to their 
 charges for a few days. They had been, before assist- 
 ance was provided by the Synod, supplying his pulpit 
 occasionally ; and he was wishful that they might 
 return and continue their help, which was so welcome, 
 though the Presbyteries appointed were doing their 
 duty. He wrote to Ebenezer as follows, the last letter, 
 most likely, he ever penned : 
 
 To Rev. Ebenezer Brown, Inverkeithing 
 
 " I am, and have been since you went away, much 
 as when you saw me. Still weak, but desiring to wait 
 for the salvation of God, which, I know, will make me 
 strong in due time ; His afflicting hand lies very merci- 
 fully on me. How pleasantly His glorifying hand, in 
 a short time, will lie on me, I with humility wish to 
 know, as soon as it is for His glory, and my own and 
 others' good. Oh ! study early fellowship with Christ ! 
 It is sweet in days of trouble to look back to this. 
 
 1 Minutes of the Associate Synod, vol. iv. pp. 2038 ff.
 
 THE CLOSE 303 
 
 " I hope you will not grudge to preach for me another 
 Sabbath ; and may that sweet Jesus Christ and His 
 Spirit give you and me many days of fellowship with 
 them, which I am sure and glad they can give us. My 
 allowed inclination is to serve the Lord on earth, or 
 to praise Him in heaven, as He thinks most for His 
 honour, for a time ; though, saving His will, I would 
 cheerfully prefer the latter. Oh ! to be with Christ in 
 heaven appears to me a double, triple heaven for such 
 a sinner ! This, with my kind compliments to all my 
 brethren about you. 
 
 " Yours affectionately, etc." 
 
 The sons returned in the beginning of June. The 
 4th of June was the birthday of the King, George III. 
 The bells rang out a merry peal. He inquired what it 
 meant. " Oh ! when will that glorious solemnity arrive, 
 when all the artillery of heaven shall be let off ! that 
 day of Jesus, when angels and the saints shall join in 
 a general shout to His honour." Some time after, as 
 the bells continued to ring, He said, " Blessed be God 
 that we have a better King's birthday to celebrate, 
 * Unto us a child is born, in the city of David, a Saviour 
 who is Christ the Lord.' On account of that event, 
 the Gospel bells have been sounding for ages past, and 
 they will ring louder and louder still." 
 
 Some one asked him whether he did not think he 
 should feel a stranger when he got into the world of 
 spirits. " No," said he, " I am sure that everybody 
 there will be ready to treat me well for Christ's sake." 
 It had been his frequent practice to travel in the leafy 
 month of June to Stow for communion services. A 
 friend remarked, " You are not journeying thither this 
 year." " No," he answered, " 1 wish to be travelling 
 to God, as my exceeding joy." Within three days his 
 wish was realised ; the royal chariot he had longed 
 for was awaiting him. On the morning of June 19th, 
 his increasing feebleness rendered the voice weak. On 
 an appeal being addressed to him the answer showed 
 the ambit of his thoughts, " The Lord hath His own 
 way of carrying on His work."
 
 304 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 The last words he uttered were the summation of his 
 life : " MY CHRIST." 
 
 After four hours the silence that is unbroken reigned. 
 On Tuesday, June 19th, 1787, he passed to his rest, 
 in the sixty-sixth year of his age, the thirty-sixth of his 
 ministry, and the twentieth of his professorship. On 
 the following Saturday, amid crowds of mourners from 
 the town and district, all that was mortal was laid to 
 rest in the churchyard of Haddington. A simple tomb- 
 stone in obelisk form was erected to mark the spot 
 where he lies, on which is inscribed the following record : 
 
 TO 
 
 THE MEMORY 
 OF 
 
 MR. JOHN BROWN, 
 
 36 YEARS MINISTER OF 
 THE GOSPEL AT HAD- 
 DINGTON, AND 20 YEARS 
 PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY 
 UNDER THE ASSOCIATE 
 SYNOD. AFTER MAINTAIN- 
 ING AN EMINENT CHAR- 
 ACTER FOR PIETY, CHARITY, 
 LEARNING AND DILIGENCE, 
 HE DIED, REJOICING IN 
 HOPE OF THE GLORY OF GOD, 
 AND ADMIRING THE RICHES 
 OF DIVINE GRACE TO HIM 
 AS A SINNER, THE 19TH DAY OF 
 JUNE, 1787, AGED 65 YEARS. 
 
 Beneath are recorded the deaths of Janet Thomson, 
 his first wife, who died May 10th, 1771, aged 38 
 years, and Violet Croumbie, his second wife, who died 
 March 21st, 1822, aged 77 years, and the words, " They 
 rest among the blessed dead who die in the Lord." 
 
 On the Sunday following his death, the Rev. John 
 Henderson, Dunbar, preached the funeral sermon in the 
 church at Haddington ; and in many pulpits throughout
 
 THE CLOSE 805 
 
 the country, especially where men ministered who had 
 been under his own tuition, tributes were paid to the 
 memory of one who, though so inadequately equipped 
 at the outset, became a master in learning and in 
 particular in the Scriptures. His own Church at its 
 first Synod meeting after his death recorded its high 
 appreciation of his character and worth : 
 
 " The Synod," it chronicled, " unanimously agreed 
 to take this opportunity of testifying their respect to 
 the memory of the Rev. John Brown, their late Pro- 
 fessor, whose eminent piety, fervent zeal, extensive 
 charity, and unwearied diligence in promoting the in- 
 terests of religion, will be long remembered by this 
 court, especially by those members of it who had the 
 happiness of studying divinity under his inspection." 
 
 The record is the more striking that such appreciations 
 were exceedingly rare incidents in the Church procedure 
 of those days. 
 
 The utterances of these later weeks reveal the spring 
 of his varied activities, and the irresistible call he felt 
 to utilise the moments and the gifts he possessed for the 
 highest purposes. The age in which he lived had cross- 
 currents running strongly. Many of these in Brown's 
 opinion were not conducive to real progress ; and he 
 was not alone in this contention. Many were deeply 
 concerned as to the manifest sapping of the nation's 
 strength by the vices and frivolity of the period, and 
 the laxity in the Church that prevailed. Brown l 
 valiantly contributed his share in arresting the threaten- 
 ing decay, and vitalising the religious forces of the 
 country. His views were neither narrow nor super- 
 ficial, though always intensely held. From the days 
 when he began to master languages by searching into 
 their basal formations, he delighted to probe down to 
 root causes. What he wrote accordingly was the ex- 
 
 1 In Mansfield College Chapel, Oxford, there are a series of figures 
 in the windows including the worthies of Christendom. One contains 
 on the 
 
 Top Row, Doddridge, Fry, Chalmers, 
 
 Under Row, Vinet, John Brown, Schleiermacher. 
 
 20
 
 306 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 pression of a full mind charged with deep conviction. 
 His life and labours planted against the background of 
 his century a century that is remarkable both by its 
 bias for the past and by its eagerness to advance- 
 reveal a man of consecrated spirit, intellectual vigour, 
 and boundless energy, who spared not himself in the 
 service of his fellows. If genius be the art of taking 
 pains, he had it in abundance. Knowledge, sacred 
 knowledge in especial, beckoned him on with its tempting 
 light ; and he followed with great zest, noting every step 
 with minute care. The heights to which he rose in its 
 pursuit, have in the onward march of the generations 
 been left behind ; but he bravely prepared the way for 
 others to follow. He opened up the Scriptures to vast 
 multitudes, and gave an impetus to learning that is 
 felt through his descendants to this hour. 
 
 So when a good man dies, 
 
 For years beyond his ken, 
 The light he leaves behind him lies 
 
 Upon the paths of men.
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 THE " DYNASTY " 
 
 THIS happy title was applied by John Brown, the 
 fourth in lineal descent, the literary genius who enriched 
 English literature with his Horce Subserivce, to the 
 family of the " heroic old man of Haddington," whose 
 history we have been recounting. " He was our king, 
 the founder of our dynasty ; we dated from him, and 
 he was ' hedged ' accordingly by a certain sacredness 
 or ' divinity.' " It is only fitting that in a final chapter 
 reference should be made to some, at least, of the highly 
 gifted descendants who trace the fertility of their 
 powers to their renowned ancestor, and who have added 
 lustre to his name. 
 
 Two sons survived from the first marriage, John and 
 Ebenezer. In a commonplace book still preserved, in 
 John Brown's own handwriting, there is a record of his 
 second family, which is given thus : 
 
 " John Brown and Violet Croumbie were married 
 January 19th, 1773. 
 
 " Our 1st child, William, was born January 9th, 
 1774, and died February 4th. 
 
 " Our 2nd child, William, born 14th of November, 
 1774. 
 
 " Our 3rd child, Thomas, born 5th of April, 1776. 
 
 " Our 4th child, Janet, born 2nd of December, 1777. 
 
 " Our 5th child, Samuel, was born April 30th, 1779. 
 
 " Our 2nd child, William, died May 7th, 1779. 
 
 " Our 6th child, Peggy, was born August 10th, 
 1780. 
 
 " Our 7th child, David, was born April 2nd, 1782. 
 
 307
 
 308 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 " Our 8th child, William, was born December 3rd, 
 1783. 
 
 " Our 9th child, Kelly, was born May 7th, 1785, and 
 died the 23rd. 
 
 On the following page in another hand is written : 
 
 " The Rev. Mr. John Brown died 19th of June, 1787. 
 " Peggy Brown died March, 1790. " 
 
 His widow survived him for thirty-five years, dying 
 on March 18th, 1822, at Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh. 
 In recording her death, the Monitor * said : " In her a 
 vigorous understanding was combined with an affec- 
 tionate heart. Integrity and independence of mind 
 marked her conduct in life." She spent some years in 
 Haddington after her husband's death, and later removed 
 to the city, where she resided with her daughter Janet, 
 at that time also a widow, Mrs. Patterson. 
 
 Reference has already been made to his eldest son, 
 John, and his ordination as minister at Whitburn in 
 1777, where he continued till his death in 1832. In 
 addition to the conscientious discharge of his congre- 
 gational duties, he interested himself greatly in the 
 evangelisation of the Highlands of Scotland, for many 
 a Highland drover in those days passed his door on the 
 way to the great markets. Few he found could read 
 the tracts in English and Gaelic which he offered them, 
 while he entertained them. He undertook repeated 
 journeys to the Highlands, and was instrumental, along 
 with his brother Ebenezer and a few like-minded spirits, 
 in the formation of a Gaelic Society which did a great 
 service in the work of vernacular religious instruc- 
 tion. He was an ardent student of the old theology, 
 and published many works of the old masters, with an 
 account of their lives. Twenty volumes in all he 
 issued, besides contributing numerous articles to the 
 magazines of his day. In a book entitled Gospel Truth, 
 he gave in brief compass what is acknowledged to be 
 one of the best accounts of the Marrow controversy. 
 
 1 The Christian Monitor, April, 1822.
 
 THE "DYNASTY' 309 
 
 He did not possess the mental virility and strength of 
 his father ; but " his laborious diligence and persever- 
 ance in good works raised him, in his own day, to con- 
 siderable influence in the religious world." 1 He was 
 among the last, says his nephew, 8 if not the last, of 
 Scottish preachers to chant his sermons, and especially 
 his communion services, to a lilt in the minor key, full 
 of pathos and unction. The intoning in Church services 
 in Presbyterianism has passed away, " But, oh ! the 
 auld Scottish sermon and communion chant was sweet ; 
 and new generations can never understand its power." 
 The minister of Whitburn was twice married, and, 
 of the family of eight, perhaps the most distinguished 
 was the first son and third child, John Brown, D.D., 
 who was born in 1784. In youth he gave promise of 
 the powers that were to carry him to future eminence. 
 He entered Edinburgh University when he was thirteen 
 years of age, and impressed his fellows there with the 
 maturity of his intellect and his powers of expression, 
 as well as by his winning smile and the lustre of his 
 speaking eyes. With his father's blessing and a guinea 
 in his pocket, he left Whitburn when sixteen years of 
 age to take charge of a school in Elie, Fife, attending 
 during the autumn months the divinity classes at 
 Selkirk, under Professor George Lawson, D.D. When 
 little more than twenty-one years old he was settled at 
 Biggar, tall and handsome, with locks bushy and black 
 as a raven, preaching in a florid and poetic style, which 
 later years modified. Seventeen years he spent in the 
 little upland town of Lanarkshire, that lies where 
 moorland and meadow meet, and streams meander, 
 embosomed among the verdant silent hills, with Tinto 
 and its weather-glass " tap " guarding the west. There 
 he laid the foundations of his scholarship. He passed 
 to Edinburgh, first to be minister of Rose Street congre- 
 gation, and then of Broughton Place congregation, 
 later to follow his grandfather in the professoriate of 
 his Church (1835), not now as the sole prelector in 
 divinity, but as one of four. Large congregations he 
 
 1 John Cairns, D.D., Memoirs of John Brown, D.D., p. 11. 
 
 2 Samuel Brown, M.D., Itinerating Libraries and their Founder, p. 84.
 
 310 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 built up, enkindling in them a missionary interest and 
 enthusiasm that abide to this day. Masterly contri- 
 butions came from his pen in his Expositions on The First 
 Epistle of Peter (1848), Discourses and Sayings of our 
 Lord (1850), The Resurrection of Life (1851), The Epistle 
 to the Galatians (1853), and other works. In the con- 
 troversies of his time he actively engaged, ecclesiastical, 
 theological, and civic. Specially important was the 
 part he took in an exciting discussion respecting an 
 ecclesiastical impost in Edinburgh known as the Annuity 
 Tax. His saintliness and learning were conspicuous ; 
 more remarkable, at the time, was his joy in riding and 
 his delight in a good novel. He died on October 13th, 
 1858, in the fifty-second year of his ministry, and the 
 twenty-fourth of his professorship, and was buried in 
 the New Calton Cemetery, Edinburgh. 
 
 This Dr. John Brown was also twice married, and his 
 eldest son John Brown, M.D., LL.D., not only shone 
 as the kindly and beloved physician, but also as the 
 brilliant essayist, the " Charles Lamb " of Scotland. 
 Born at Biggar in 1810, educated in his father's home 
 till twelve, then at Edinburgh High School and Univer- 
 sity, he became assistant to the distinguished Professor 
 of Surgery, James Syme (1799-1872), " the best and 
 blest and most beneficent of men," says his pupil. 
 He practised at Chatham, fighting with heroic courage 
 an epidemic of cholera that gripped the town, and ulti- 
 mately settled in Edinburgh, where he continued in 
 practice for forty years " the kindest-hearted, most 
 whimsical, most lovable of physicians, in whom the 
 milk of human kindness was double-creamed." l He 
 was the friend and correspondent * of Thackeray, 
 Dickens, Ruskin, Dean Stanley, R. H. Hutton, Matthew 
 Arnold, and many others. Ruskin spoke of him as 
 " his best and truest friend," as one of his " frankin- 
 cense friends." Mark Twain affectionately called him 
 " the greatest slaveholder of his time." Three volumes 
 comprise his writings : Horcs Subseciva, he entitled 
 
 1 A. Garland, Buskin and his Circle, pp. 169-85. 
 
 2 Letters of Dr. John Brown, edited by his son and D. W. Forre?t, 
 D.D., 1909.
 
 THE "DYNASTY' 311 
 
 them, hours snatched from leisure, where dogs and 
 children, old-world folks and friends who had passed 
 over the mystic stream, art and nature, are depicted 
 with a rare fidelity, and with a humour and pathos that 
 move to laughter and tears. His sketches of "Rab," 
 the peerless mastiff, " Marjorie," the sweet dead child, 
 the wild Enterkin Pass, and the silent Minchmoor may 
 be read times without number, and each time with 
 fresh wonder and delight. Sometimes the shadows 
 fell on his own gentle spirit, to lift again, like the clouds 
 that gather on the Alpine heights and roll away to leave 
 a greater grandeur. Editors and publishers were wont 
 to torment him for matter, but he was more than most 
 distrustful of his powers, and consented not " unless 
 he had something to say, and had done his best to say 
 it aright." One evening, in the spring of 1846, a note 
 that had " a fat, soft look about it " was received from 
 Hugh Miller, Editor of The Witness, requesting one or 
 two articles on the Exhibition of the Scottish Academy, 
 then open. " I gave it across to Madam, who, opening 
 it, discovered four five-pound notes, and a letter ad- 
 dressed to me. She gave it me." He protested that 
 he could not write and never wrote for the press ; but 
 " she, with wife-like government, kept the money, and 
 heartened me to write ; and write I did, but with awful 
 sufferings and difficulty, and much destruction of sleep." 
 Thus he was induced to write, not only on art, but on 
 other things besides, with a delicacy, and insight, and 
 such a living touch until 
 
 None might wear about his brows enrolled 
 A light of lovelier fame than rings your head, 
 Whose lovesome love of children and the dead 
 All men give thanks for. 1 
 
 Swiftly and silently the end came on May llth, 1882 ; 
 and his body was laid to rest beside those of his father, 
 wife, and infant daughter in the New Calton Cemetery, 
 Edinburgh. His son, the fifth John Brown, resides in 
 Edinburgh ; and his son, the sixth in unbroken succession, 
 after winning the M.C., fell on the field of honour in 
 France on April llth, 1918. 
 
 1 A. C. Swinburne, Sonnet to Dr. John Brown.
 
 312 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 A younger brother, Alexander Crum Brown, M.D., 
 LL.D., distinguished himself in science, and occupied 
 the chair of Chemistry in Edinburgh University for forty 
 years, 1869-1908, a chair for which an earlier scientist 
 of the family, Samuel Brown, M.D., was a candidate 
 in 1843. Dr. Crum Brown is not only an M.A., and M.D. 
 of Edinburgh, but was the first Doctor of Science of 
 London University, and is an LL.D. of all the Scottish 
 Universities. He has made many contributions to 
 scientific knowledge, especially in the domain of 
 chemistry ; and still lives to enjoy a well-earned rest 
 after many laborious days. 
 
 In the family of the Rev. John Brown of Whitburn, 
 a daughter, Violet, became the wife of Robert John- 
 stone. Their eldest daughter, Isabella Cranston, was 
 espoused to the Rev. Joseph Brown, D.D., who minis- 
 tered in Dalkeith and Glasgow. Two of the sons served 
 in the ministry. The Rev. John Brown Johnstone, D.D., 
 who was a gifted preacher, held charges in Newcastle, 
 Kirkcaldy, Glasgow, and Govan. While recovering 
 from a breakdown of health after the Newcastle ministry, 
 he edited the Scottish Witness. He published a memoir 
 of the Rev. Robert Shirra, a predecessor of his in Kirk- 
 caldy, and a volume of discourses on The Ministry of 
 Reconciliation. He died in 1881. His younger brother, 
 Robert Johnstone, LL.B., D.D., had pastorates in 
 Arbroath and Glasgow, and became in 1876 a Professor 
 in the United Presbyterian College, Edinburgh, and 
 later in the United Free Church College, Aberdeen. He 
 published valuable Expositions, Exegetical and Practical, 
 on The Epistle to the Philippians, The Epistle of James, 
 and The First Epistle of Peter. He has now retired from 
 his chair, and lives in Edinburgh. 
 
 Another daughter of the Whitburn household, Janet, 
 married the Rev. David Smith, D.D., Biggar. She sur- 
 vived to her 100th year, dying in Edinburgh, March 20th, 
 1900. Dr. Smith produced a sympathetic memoir of 
 his father-in-law, in a preface to an issue of his Letters 
 on Sanctification. One of their daughters, Elizabeth, 
 married the Rev. David Cairns of Stitchel, brother of the 
 Rev. Principal Cairns, D.D., LL.D. Their three sons,
 
 THE "DYNASTY' 313 
 
 John Cairns, Dumfries, Professor David S. Cairns, D.D., 
 of the United Free Church College, Aberdeen, and 
 William T. Cairns, Edinburgh, all entered the ministry, 
 and have won distinction not only in their profession, 
 but by their literary gifts and philosophic powers. 
 
 In the second member of John Brown's family, Eben- 
 ezer, 1 who became minister of Inverkeithing in 1780, 
 was found one of the first pulpit orators of his day. 
 He had an uncommon spirit of energy, and a power 
 and charm of voice that at once arrested his hearers. 
 
 " He was always good and saintly," says his grand- 
 nephew, 2 " but he was great once a week ; six days he 
 brooded over his message, was silent, withdrawn, self- 
 involved ; on the Sabbath, that downcast, almost timid 
 man, who shunned men, the instant he was in the pulpit, 
 stood up a son of thunder. Such a voice ! such a 
 piercing eye ! such an inevitable forefinger, held out 
 trembling with the terrors of the Lord, such a power of 
 asking questions and letting them fall deep into the 
 heart of his hearers, and then answering them himself, 
 with an ' Ah, sirs ! ' that thrilled and quivered from 
 him to them." 
 
 His preaching attracted the attention and the praise, 
 as has been said, of Lords Brougham, Denman and 
 Jeffrey. It also won the favour of congregations all 
 over the country. From large congregations in Stirling, 
 Glasgow, and Aberdeen came repeated calls to him ; 
 but he declined them all, and continued to the end, 
 for fifty-six years, at Inverkeithing. He had the 
 determination of purpose characteristic of the family, 
 which, however, can verge on sheer obstinacy ; but with 
 it all a frank-heartedness that won him friends. He 
 had established a week-night service at North Queens- 
 ferry, about two miles from Inverkeithing, on Tuesday 
 evenings. On a winter night, when the snow was drift - 
 
 1 His son, John Erskine Brown, wrote a Memoir of his father (Sermons 
 of the Late Rev. Ebenezer Brown of Inverkeithing, with a Short Memoir, 
 1838). 
 
 1 Horce SubsecivcB, vol. ii. p. 72.
 
 314 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 ing hard, he would not be dissuaded from keeping his 
 engagement, and set out with his pony. The pony's 
 feet became balled with the snow ; and ere long it 
 stumbled, and pitched both itself and its rider into the 
 ditch at the roadside. He would have slept his last sleep 
 there, had not a number of rough carters, coming up 
 from the Ferry, drawn him forth, and, wiping the snow 
 off him, said, " Puir auld man, what brocht ye here in 
 sic a nicht ?." They offered him a toss of whisky. He 
 stood up and asked a blessing on it, and on his kind 
 deliverers, and in such a venerable, thankful way that 
 the hearts of the rough men were melted to tears. They 
 cleaned the pony's feet, mounted him on again, and 
 brought him back to his home. At the close of next 
 meeting of Presbytery, where he seldom spoke, he rose 
 and craved utterance : " I have something personal to 
 say. I have often said that real kindness belongs only 
 to true Christians " then he told them the story of these 
 men ; " but more true kindness I never experienced 
 than from these lads. They may have had the grace 
 of God ; I don't know ; but I never mean again to be 
 so positive in speaking of this matter." 
 
 In London, where he was wont to preach in Rowland 
 Hill's chapel, they called him "the Blessed Scotchman." 
 On his return on one occasion, he related with great 
 vividness his experiences : the crowded audience, the 
 bright lights, his own excitement and self-oblivion, and 
 his sitting down quite exhausted, when the organ 
 pealed forth an anthem suited to the key of his discourse. 
 " Oh ! " he exclaimed, " I thought I was in heaven." 
 He assisted his brother in the formation of the Gaelic 
 Society, and made repeated missionary tours to the 
 Highlands. He took a lively interest in the young 
 and in the evangelisation of the world at a time when 
 neither the one cause nor the other greatly appealed 
 to the Christian Church. He died on March 28th, 1836, 
 in the seventy-eighth year of his age. 
 
 His wife, Erskine Gray, was a granddaughter of James 
 Fisher, one of the Secession Four, her father being a pub- 
 lisher in Edinburgh. One of their daughters went to 
 the mission field as the wife of the Rev. John Simpson,
 
 THE "DYNASTY' 315 
 
 Port Maria, Jamaica, where she died of fever in 1842, 
 and another was the mother of the Rev. Ebenezer Brown 
 Hill, Free Church minister, first at Dollar, and then at 
 Lochmaben, where she died in 1883, and whose son, 
 the Rev. Henry Erskine Brown Hill, is now a clergyman 
 of the Episcopal Church in Aberdeen. Another, great- 
 grandson is the Rev. Ebenezer Brown Hill MacPherson, 
 M.A., of the Brondesbury Presbyterian Church, London. 
 
 The third son of the Haddington household was 
 Thomas. He also chose the ministry as his profession. 
 He was in great demand among the congregations of the 
 time, and received calls to Bannockburn, Paisley (Abbey 
 Close), Aberdeen (St. Nicholas), and Dalkeith. The 
 last got the preference, and he was ordained January 
 22nd, 1799. He received his charge while it was torn 
 with dissension, a heritage of the previous pastorate. 
 But soon harmony prevailed, and a new church was 
 erected to replace the old one on the same site. A 
 volume of sermons, which enjoyed considerable repute, 
 came from his pen. Aberdeen, Marischal College, con- 
 ferred on him the degree of D.D., but the honour he 
 was not allowed long to wear, as two months after 
 receiving it he died, on June 2nd, 1828, in the fifty-third 
 year of his age and the thirtieth of his ministry. 
 
 The fourth member of the family was Janet, who sur- 
 vived till 1843, and who became the second wife of 
 Robert Patterson, Alnwick. One of their sons was the 
 Rev. John Brown Patterson, 1 minister of the Church of 
 Scotland in Falkirk. He had a school and university 
 career of singular brilliance. He issued an edition of 
 his grandfather's Dictionary of the Bible in 1830, and 
 prefaced it with an admirable memoir of the author. 
 He was carried off in the noontide of his life, dying in 
 1831, in his thirty-first year. Another son, Alexander 
 Simpson Patterson, D.D., 8 became a minister of the 
 
 1 A Memoir of his Life, prefixed to Discourses by the Late Rev. John 
 B. Patterson, A.M., Minister of Falkirk, 2 vols. 
 
 2 Memoir of Alexander S. Patterson, D.D., Glasgow, by Rev. George 
 Philip, M.A., Edinburgh.
 
 316 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 Church of Scotland in Whitehaven and Glasgow (Hutche- 
 sontown), coming out with the Free Church in 1843. 
 He was a contributor to several magazines, and the 
 author of commentaries on The First Epistle of John, The 
 First Epistle to the Thessalonians, The Epistle of James, 
 and the Pastoral Epistles, and other works. Their mother 
 stayed latterly with this son and was buried in the 
 Necropolis, Glasgow, where also Alexander was laid to 
 rest on February 2nd, 1885, having died on January 
 28th. 
 
 The fifth scion of the house, the fourth surviving 
 son, was Samuel, 1 one of whose early recollections was 
 sitting on his father's knee, while he stroked his head 
 and called him " My little prophet." Samuel was 
 brought up by his uncle, John Croumbie, and entered 
 into business with him as a merchant in Haddington. 
 But his was a remarkable and vigorous personality. He 
 had the passion of a bookman, although he preferred 
 the practical and experimental pursuit of knowledge, 
 and turned for its culture to mechanics and chemistry. 
 He founded the Haddington School of Arts, which was 
 the first in Scotland after that of Edinburgh ; but the 
 community lacked the fertility of soil for such a plant 
 to flourish, and it gradually faded away. But this 
 daunted not his efforts for the intellectual and moral 
 uplift of the people. From out of a prolonged serious 
 illness, which weakened his strength to the end of his 
 days, he rose up with a plan of Itinerating Libraries 
 in his mind. In 1817, he proceeded to put it into opera- 
 tion in the Lothians of Scotland. Briefly it was upon 
 this model : four centres were at first selected Aberlady, 
 Salton, Tyninghame, and Garvald ; 200 books were pur- 
 chased ; 50 volumes went to each district, under the 
 inspection of an honorary librarian. At the end of two 
 years, the books were changed, district number one 
 receiving those of district number two, and so on. In 
 this way the whole 200 volumes went round in the course 
 of eight years. A small slit in a little box neatly fitted 
 
 1 Itinerating Libraries and their Founder, by his son, Samuel Brown, 
 M.D.
 
 THE "DYNASTY' 1 817 
 
 in on the middle shelf of the book-cases received the 
 free contributions of readers, the key of which was kept 
 by the founder himself. Thus they were practically 
 free libraries, as well as itinerating libraries. 
 
 This method of diffusing knowledge at a small cost 
 attracted the notice of Lord Brougham, who wrote a 
 pamphlet upon it, Practical Observations upon the Edu- 
 cation of the People, which passed through several 
 editions. 
 
 In twenty years, Samuel Brown had set forty-seven 
 libraries in circulatory motion throughout the country, 
 containing 2,380 volumes. It meant much personal 
 sacrifice of time, strength, and means, from a body not 
 too robust, and a purse not too deep. At his death on 
 July 13th, 1839, there were 3,850 volumes in circulation. 
 The plan was adopted in other counties in Scotland, 
 and also in England, 1 Ireland, Jamaica, Canada, South 
 Africa, and Russia. It was the harbinger of the Free 
 Libraries now so numerously planted in our towns 
 and cities, and may well become the model for carrying 
 their incomparable benefits to the villages and townlets 
 throughout the country. 
 
 Samuel Brown was foremost also in the municipal 
 and philanthropic work of his community. In 1833, 
 on the coming into operation of the Royal Burghs Act 
 of that year, which reformed our municipal corporations, 
 he was elected the first provost of his native town. 
 He was intent upon reforming various old abuses, but 
 found the path of the reformer, as usual, beset by many 
 obstacles. He gathered a Sabbath School of his own 
 and taught it for many years, and visited the prisoners 
 in the county jail on Sunday evenings. An imposing 
 figure he must have been, as he flitted through the 
 streets of Haddington, and traversed the highways and 
 byways of the country, fostering his library system, for 
 from his thirtieth year onwards he always appeared 
 dressed in black, with gaiters, white neckerchief, black, 
 broad-brimmed hat, beneath which was the dark hair 
 growing grey, which was ever " duly turned and frizzed 
 
 1 Samuel Smiles set the system a-going in Yorkshire, " to which I 
 was so greatly indebted when a youth " (Autobiography, p. 143).
 
 318 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 every morning after breakfast." His threescore years 
 he carried lightly to the last, and left behind him a 
 noble day's work. 
 
 Of the eight children whom Samuel left, the eldest 
 was John Croumbie Brown, LL.D., born in 1808. He 
 entered the Church and held pastorates in Russia, 
 South Africa, and for a short time in England (Beverley) 
 and Scotland (Aberdeen). While in Aberdeen he was 
 also lecturer (1853-60) on Botany in King's College, 
 from which he received the degree of LL.D. in 1858. 
 He resigned his charge in 1863, and accepted the situa- 
 tion of Government Botanist at Cape of Good Hope, 
 and Professor of Botany in the South African College. 
 He afterwards returned to this country and settled in 
 Haddington in 1870, where freedom from other work 
 enabled him to devote himself to scientific studies. He 
 took up especially tl^e study of Forestry, which is now 
 assuming such practical importance in the development 
 of the natural resources of the country. He published 
 a series of valuable books, seventeen in all, upon this 
 subject, dealing with forestry not only as affecting this 
 country, but Germany, France, Spain, Norway, Poland, 
 Russia, and South Africa. His wife was his own cousin, 
 the youngest daughter of the Rev. John Brown, of Whit- 
 burn. In 1887, at their invitation, the descendants from 
 the parent stock met in Haddington to celebrate the 
 centenary of the passing of their progenitor, John Brown. 
 About fifty assembled and communications were received 
 from others from various parts of the world. He after- 
 wards published an account of the gathering, with a 
 sketch of his grandfather under the title, Centenary 
 Memorial of the Rev. John Brown, Haddington. A 
 Family Record. His wife died in 1893, and himself in 
 1895, both at the ripe age of eighty-seven. 
 
 Of their family, one became a physician, John Brown, 
 M.D., who practised his profession with distinction in 
 South Africa, and in Burnley, England, and is now in 
 South Africa ; a daughter, Agnes Fletcher, married 
 John Leeder Nobbs, a banker in St. Petersburg ; another 
 daughter, Rachel, at present in Bridge of Allan, who 
 has been most helpful to the present writer in tracing
 
 THE "DYNASTY' 319 
 
 the branches of this distinguished family tree ; and a 
 third daughter, who became the wife of Fritz Fliedner, 
 a brave propagator of the evangelic faith in Spain, and 
 whose family still carry on the mission he founded. 
 
 Another of Samuel Brown's sons deserves recognition 
 for his brilliant attainments, though his day of promise 
 was too soon cut off. He bore his father's name, Samuel, 
 and was born in Haddington in 1817. Science became 
 his passion, and, qualifying at Edinburgh University 
 as an M.D., he turned aside to chemistry. There he 
 daringly anticipated future developments of science 
 along the line of the constitutional elements of bodies. 
 The modern theory of electrons and the recently dis- 
 covered phenomena of radio-activity justify in good 
 measure his speculations. He suffered the usual dis- 
 couragement of the pioneering investigator. Faraday ex- 
 tended to him cold comfort, and bade him " experiment 
 in support of his views ; good must come out of them." 
 In 1843, when only twenty-six years of age, he delivered 
 a brilliant course of four lectures on the atomic theory 
 before the Philosophical Institution of Edinburgh. In 
 the same year, he stood as a candidate for the Professor- 
 ship of Chemistry in Edinburgh University. Among 
 the scientific men and others who supported his candi- 
 dature was Thomas Carlyle, who, writing from Scotsbrig, 
 August 28th, 1843, spoke of him as " a man of vivid, 
 penetrating, high-aiming, hopeful nature ; full of ardour, 
 of discernment, and veracity ; a singular acuteness as 
 well as vigour of intelligence ; prompt invention, clear- 
 ness, swift precision, nay, brilliancy and general felicity 
 of utterance, the elements, in short, of a truly gifted 
 man. To forward such a one on his way, when oppor- 
 tunity offers, seems to me one of the most sacred duties 
 of man." His chances of election were hopeful ; being 
 questioned, however, by some about what they called 
 his absurd and unscientific notions about atoms, and the 
 convertibility of matter, he submitted his inquiries to 
 Dr. Kane of Dublin, Dr. Liebig of Giessen, and Pro- 
 fessor Christison of Edinburgh, but they hesitated to 
 pronounce on his results. He withdrew his claims, and 
 the chair passed to Professor William Gregory, M.D.,
 
 320 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 then of Aberdeen. He held the chair till his death in 
 1858, when Dr. Lyon Playfair (afterwards Lord Play- 
 fair) became its occupant. On Playfair being chosen 
 parliamentary representative for the Universities of St. 
 Andrews and Edinburgh in 1868, Samuel Brown's dis- 
 tinguished cousin, Dr. Alexander Crum Brown, was 
 appointed. 
 
 Samuel pursued his scientific studies, and wrote 
 numerous articles to the magazines of the period, which 
 were issued by his widow in 1858, in two volumes, 
 Lectures on the Atomic Theory, and Essays Scientific and 
 Literary. He also published a tragedy, Galileo Galilei, 
 which, said Charlotte Bronte, " contained passages of 
 very great beauty," * and a monograph on his father 
 under the title, Itinerating Libraries and their Founder. 
 He was an intimate friend of George Gilfillan, and a few 
 of his letters to the eloquent preacher and literary 
 genius of Dundee were given in A Bookman's Letters. 1 
 They bear mostly on literary projects by Gilfillan, and 
 his endeavour to enter the distinguished Blackwood 
 group. Gilfillan was anxious about the publication of 
 his Literary Portraits, and Samuel Brown's advice was 
 strongly in favour of the ordinary channels. " The 
 abhorrence I have of a subscription list is simply that 
 it is a flag of distress, and enough to damn any book." 
 Samuel was the delight and treasure of his friends, both 
 as a boy and a man. In 1849 he married his cousin, 
 Helen Littlejohn, and their only daughter resides in 
 Edinburgh. About the time of his marriage he was 
 seized with a painful lingering illness, the result, it is 
 thought, of an attack of typhus fever, caught while in 
 Russia, some years before ; but with resolute courage 
 he pursued his investigations, the results appearing in 
 the volumes referred to. The spiritual conflict was 
 also intense at times, but the issue happily was " a 
 drawing nearer and nearer to God." In his thirty-ninth 
 year, on September 20th, 1856, his career closed, amid 
 the lamentations of all who knew him. " His wings were 
 too much for him," says his cousin, Dr. John Brown (of 
 
 1 E. C. Gaskell, Life of Charlotte Bronte, chapter xxi. 
 
 * W. Robertson Nicoll, A Bookman's Letters, pp. 86-96.
 
 THE "DYNASTY 5 321 
 
 Rab and his Friends). " He was for ever climbing the 
 Mount Sinais and Pisgahs of Science to speak with Him 
 whose haunt they were climbing there all alone and 
 in the dark, and with much peril, if haply he might 
 descry the break of day and the promised land." 
 
 The fifth surviving son of John Brown was David, 
 born in 1782. He was marked by a singular attractive- 
 ness and also slenderness of person. He had, like others 
 of the family, distinct literary tastes. He became a 
 bookseller in Edinburgh, and for a time edited the 
 Christian Gleaner, where his contributions show the 
 elegance of diction and lightness of touch which he 
 possessed. He married Euphemia Ramsay, a member 
 of a Haddington family that included the famous 
 scientist, Sir William Ramsay. They had four daughters 
 and one son, John Croumbie, who for many years was 
 on the staff of Blackwoods, acting as their literary 
 adviser, and recommending the articles suitable for 
 Maga. He married Jeanie Gibson of Leith, and had 
 one daughter and two sons, David and George, the 
 latter of whom is Rector of St. Mary's Church, Bedford. 
 
 The youngest of this noted family was William, born 
 in 1783, who survived till 1865. He entered the Church 
 and intended spending his strength in the mission field. 
 For this he qualified in medicine and became an M.D. 
 When his studies were completed, however, he was 
 appointed secretary of the Scottish Missionary Society. 
 He wrote a History of Missions, in three bulky volumes, 
 and a Memoir of his father. He also edited an edition 
 of his father's Dictionary of the Bible, which appeared 
 in 1865, while another edition appeared in 1868, with 
 an Introduction by Professor John Eadie, D.D., LL.D. 
 He married Isabella Taylor of Prestonpans, a lady 
 with strong traits in her character. They had three 
 sons, John Taylor, author of Bibliomania ; But How if 
 the Gospels are Historic? ; Dr. John Brown, a Biography 
 and a Criticism, etc.; Alexander, who became a phy- 
 sician ; and William, who became a merchant in China, 
 where he prospered exceedingly. He built the Conva- 
 21
 
 322 JOHN BROWN OF HADDINGTON 
 
 lescent Home at Corstorphine, near Edinburgh, and 
 presented it to the Royal Infirmary of the city. He also 
 put in a Burne-Jones window in memory of his father 
 and grandfather in Haddington Church. William 
 Brown had also three daughters : Margaret, married 
 to Robert Nimmo Aitken, Isabella, married to 
 John Dunlop, and Violet Croumbie, who died in 
 Edinburgh in 1918, the last surviving grandchild of 
 John Brown. 
 
 It would take too long to trace the histories and the 
 labours of all the descendants of the Professor of 
 Haddington, who projected his own vigorous person- 
 ality into those that followed him. When the fourth 
 or fifth generation is reached, the stream from the 
 parent stock becomes intermingled with others who 
 contribute their quota to the rich result. Large families 
 were in the main the order of this house, and the off- 
 spring to-day reaches over four hundred. But there 
 is a strong individuality that manifests itself through- 
 out, an independence of judgment, a tenacity of purpose, 
 and a forcefulness of character that have been its 
 strength. 
 
 The intellectual field has absorbed most of its talents. 
 Commerce has claimed its share ; and handicrafts can 
 reckon a smaller portion. But the professions have 
 proved the strongest attraction. Twenty-six ministers 
 can trace their ancestry to Haddington ; fifteen to 
 twenty have turned to scientific studies ; and others 
 liave been drawn to literary pursuits, and to philan- 
 thropic and missionary activities. The ideals that were 
 so vigorously realised in the Haddington home have 
 been to all a cherished memory. As they turn back to 
 that sacred shrine they recognise, with gratitude and 
 affection, " All my springs are in thee."
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 A RECORD OF THE LAST SAYINGS OF THE 
 REV. JOHN BROWN 
 
 AFTER Sunday, February 25th, 1787, he was unable to preach. 
 His son, the Rev. Ebenezer Brown, noted some of his utter- 
 ances, in those latter months. It may be felt, as his grandson 
 says, that he spoke in a " hyperbolical " way, especially when 
 he referred to sin, and to himself. It was, however, no affec- 
 tation on his part, but a vivid, overwhelming sense of the 
 divine glory and the divine goodness, such as led another 
 and a greater to regard himself as the chief of sinners. 
 
 March 4th. An acquaintance said to him it was pleasant 
 to see Hervey 1 insisting so much on grace reigning through 
 righteousness. " Yes," he replied, " that is the doctrine 
 which is good to live with, and good to die with." 
 
 On the Sunday, he was able to attend church. On 
 returning he remarked, " What a happy life might a Chris- 
 tian have, if he were always persuaded of the love of God 
 which is in Christ Jesus our Lord ! " 
 
 In the evening he was asked if he felt better, and calmly 
 came the reply : "I am no worse ; but I do not wish to 
 have a will in that matter ; only I would not desire to live, 
 and yet not be able for Christ's work ; though, perhaps, 
 were God so ordering it, He would enable me to bear that 
 too." 
 
 March 6th. He called the two eldest of his sons, John and 
 Ebenezer, into his room. They were returning to their 
 homes, Whitburn and Inverkeithing, and he urged them to 
 undertake their work " with both hands earnestly." " No 
 doubt, I have met with trials as well as others ; yet so 
 kind hath God been to me, that I think, if God were to give 
 me as many years as I have already lived in the world, I 
 would not desire one single circumstance changed, except 
 that I wish I had less sin." 
 
 1 James Hervey, 1714-58, author of Meditations and Contemplations 
 (1746), Theron and Apasia (1755), etc. His works were at onetime 
 in great repute. 
 
 323
 
 324, APPENDIX 
 
 The sons returned in a fortnight. On March 20th, Eben- 
 ezer noted that greater weakness had set in. The memory 
 was impaired, but not the judgment ; and he conversed as 
 if earthly things were left behind. 
 
 " I have often wondered at the favour which men have 
 shown to me, but much more at the favour of God to such 
 a grievous sinner." 
 
 ** Oh ! to be with God, to ' see him as He is, to know Him 
 even as I am known ' ; it is worthy, not merely of going 
 for, but of dying for, to see a smiling God." 
 
 " About the year , God said to my soul, ' I have loved 
 
 thee with an everlasting love ' ; and how faithful hath He 
 been to that since ! " 
 
 " There would not have been more grace shown in the 
 redemption of the chief of devils than in saving me ; the 
 same price would have ransomed them, the same strivings 
 would have overcome them." 
 
 " Men may talk of the sovereignty of redeeming love as 
 they will ; but had it not been sovereign, infinitely sovereign, 
 I had as surely been lost as if I were condemned already." 
 " Were it not that God foresaw our sins and provocations 
 from eternity, He never could have continued His love to 
 me, the grievous sinner, the arrant rebel ; yet I think He is 
 now preparing me for being ever with Himself. Oh ! what 
 is that ! I have done all that lies in my power to condemn 
 myself, and though I will not say that God hath done all 
 that He could to save me, yet I am sure He hath done a 
 great deal." 
 
 " If angels and men knew the raging enmity of my heart, 
 what would they think of redeeming love, which hath 
 pitched on me ! " 
 
 "What a miracle to see me, the arrant rebel, sitting on 
 the throne with Jesus ! And I hope I shall be seen there. 
 What cannot Jesus do ! " 
 
 " How these words, ' He loved me and gave Himself for 
 me,' once penetrated into my heart, and made me cry, 
 ' Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me be 
 stirred up to bless His holy name.' ' 
 
 A friend asking him if he had any appetite for his supper, 
 he replied, " Yes, oh ! if I had but as good an appetite for 
 the fulness of God as I have for earthly victuals." 
 
 One remarked to him that, under all his weakness, his 
 mind seemed very composed. " Indeed I am composed ; 
 God hath put a bridle in my mouth ; and though I have 
 been a most perverse wretch, yet He hath strangely re-
 
 LAST SAYINGS 325 
 
 strained me ; and how amazing ! He hath done this chiefly 
 by loving-kindnesses and tender mercies ; and is not that a 
 strange bridle for such an imp of hell as I have been ? " 
 
 " I cannot say that I have found God's words and eaten 
 them ; but truly His words have found me, and have been 
 given me, and have been to me the joy and rejoicing of my 
 heart." 
 
 " That is a sweet little sentence, * We shall be for ever 
 with the Lord.' How sweet, FOR EVER with the Lord ! 
 And that which makes the wonder is this,- that it is WE that 
 are to enjoy this happiness; WE pitiful wretches are to be 
 for ever with God our Saviour, God in our nature ! " 
 
 " How amazing the mystery of redemption, in which the 
 rich deservants of death are exalted to the throne of God, 
 and that by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ ! " 
 
 " Oh ! to be brought to this point 
 
 ' Then will I to God's altar go, 
 
 To God MY chiefest joy : 
 Yea, God, MY 'God, Thy name to praise 
 My harp I will employ.' " 
 
 " I desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far 
 better ; and though I have lived sixty years very comfort- 
 ably in this world, yet I would gladly turn my back on you 
 all, to be with Christ. I am sure Christ may say of me, 
 4 These sixty years this wretch hath grieved Me.' ' 
 
 March 2lst. In the evening he fell asleep communing 
 with his Master ; in the morning he was still with Him, 
 and his first words were : " Oh ! it is pleasant to enjoy 
 fellowship with Christ. Any small acquaintance I have 
 had of Him convinceth me of this. And, how much more 
 pleasure might I have had had it not been for my own 
 folly and wickedness ! I think that I could now willingly 
 die to see HIM, who is ' white and ruddy, the chiefest among 
 ten thousand.' ' 
 
 When at breakfast he turned to his two sons in the 
 ministry and addressed them with peculiar earnestness. 
 " Oh ! labour, labour for Christ while ye have strength. I 
 now repent that I have been so lazy and so slothful in His 
 service. Oh ! commend Jesus. I have been looking at 
 Him for these many years, and never yet could find a fault 
 in Him, but what was of my own making ; though he hath 
 seen ten thousand, thousand faults in me. Many a comely 
 person I have seen, but none so comely as Christ ; many a 
 kind friend I have had, but none like Christ in loving- 
 kindnesses and tender mercies."
 
 326 APPENDIX 
 
 A little later the old spirit with which he was wont to 
 plead with his students seemed to awaken within him, and 
 he appealed to them again with unwonted emphasis. " I 
 know not whether I shall ever see you together again or not ; 
 but oh ! labour, labour to win souls to Christ ; there is none 
 like Christ, there is none like Christ, there is none like Christ 1 
 I am sure a poor worthless wretch He hath had of me ; 
 but a precious Christ I have had of Him. Never grudge 
 either purse or person for Christ ; I can say this, I never was 
 a loser by any time spent, or by any money given for Him." 
 
 " Oh ! the pains which God hath been at to save me, and 
 the pains which I have been at to destroy myself ! But 
 He hath partly gained, and I hope that He will completely 
 gain the victory." 
 
 On returning from a carriage exercise, he remarked as 
 he crossed the threshold of his house, " Reading tires me, 
 walking tires me ; but were I once with Jesus, fellowship 
 with Him will never tire me. ' So shall we be ever with 
 the Lord.' ' 
 
 In the afternoon he lay down to rest ; on awaking he was 
 asked how he was. " I am no worse ; I am just a monu- 
 ment of mercy, and that is a great deal for such a sinner, 
 especially when I add, that I am hoping for ' redemption 
 through Christ's blood, even the forgiveness of my sins, 
 according to the riches of His grace.' ' 
 
 " I was young when left by my parents, yet their instruc- 
 tions, accompanied with God's dealings, made such im- 
 pressions on my heart as I hope will continue with me to all 
 eternity. I have served many masters, but none so kind 
 as Christ ; I have dealt with many honest men, but no 
 creditor like Christ ; and had I ten thousand bodies, they 
 should all be employed in labouring for His honour." 
 
 Two or three friends were sitting around him, and their 
 conversation led him to speak of himself as a debtor to 
 grace. " Now, sirs, I have sinned longer, and in more 
 aggravated forms than any of you ; but what sins cannot 
 the blood of Christ wash out ! What cannot mercy forgive ! 
 ' The Lord passed by, and proclaimed His name, The Lord, 
 the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and 
 abundant in goodness and truth.' How astonishing that 
 the Spirit of God should enter into our vile hearts, contrary 
 to our strivings ! Even so it seemeth good in His sight ! 
 Let praise flow, for ever flow ! " 
 
 March 22nd. He had no sooner sat down to breakfast 
 than, like a person enrapt, he broke into the following lines,
 
 LAST SAYINGS 327 
 
 repeating them thrice, changing the original words, they 
 and them, into we and us. 
 
 We with the fatness of Thy house 
 
 Shall be well satisfy 'd ; 
 From rivers of Thy pleasure Thou 
 
 Wilt drink to us provide. 
 
 Then he added, " How strange that * rivers of pleasure ' 
 should be provided for the murderers of God's Son, and 
 the contemners of His Word ! " 
 
 One of his sons remarked that he seemed to be quite 
 indifferent about things mundane. " Indeed, I am so ; 
 only I wish you, my sons, my friends, my congregation, 
 the Church, and all the world, so far as is consistent with 
 the decree of God, were with Christ. From all other things 
 my mind is weaned ; yet if the influence of God's Spirit 
 were to be withdrawn for a moment, oh how horribly my 
 heart would blaspheme ! " 
 
 To a youth of his flock, the son of a loyal member, he 
 tenderly said, " Well, mind these words, ' Thou art my God, 
 I will prepare Thee an habitation ; my father's God, I will 
 exalt Thee.' We should reckon him a madman who would 
 throw away a father's estate, but he is much more foolish 
 who throws away a father's God." 
 
 The day, he was told, was cold, and a drive would be 
 better postponed. " Oh to win to the everlasting day of 
 fellowship with Christ ! Then we shall reflect with pleasure 
 on all our cold and sorrowful days here." 
 
 Washing his face in water made him exclaim, " Oh to 
 be washed in the water of life." It was remarked that he 
 looked better than he did. " It may be," he replied ; then, 
 with a smile, " However, when I am conformed to the 
 image of Christ, I shall look far better still." 
 
 Finding he required assistance to step into the carriage 
 waiting to take him for an outing, he turned to his helpers 
 and bade them see the propriety of the advice : " Let not the 
 wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man 
 glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches ; 
 but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth 
 and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving- 
 kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth." 
 
 When he returned, he was asked how he was, " Well, well 
 for such a sinner." 
 
 To another who inquired if he felt himself any stronger 
 he replied, " I cannot say that I am, but I am just as well 
 as my heart could wish, if I were but free of sin."
 
 328 APPENDIX 
 
 When a third acquaintance asked a similar question, he 
 answered, " I am well ; for it is with body and soul as it 
 pleaseth God ; and what pleaseth Him, as a new-covenant 
 God, I desire to say pleaseth me too." When he returned, 
 a saying of Dr. Evans l was read showing his resignation to 
 the rod. " Well, that is just what I would have to be at 
 too. What kindness has God heaped upon me since the 
 
 year ! What kind stragglings ! What kind smilings ! 
 
 What kind overlookings of my outrageous wickedness ! 
 He hath shown Himself to be God, and not man, in His 
 dealings with me. 
 
 " In my mad attempts He hath often stopped me ; my 
 mad wishes He hath refused to grant ; and my mad words 
 He hath often seemed to overlook." 
 
 He was asked if he remembered preaching on the text, 
 Psalm Ixxiii. 22, " So foolish was I, and ignorant ; I was 
 as a beast before Thee." He replied, " Yes, I remember 
 it very well ; and I remember, too, that when I described 
 the beast, I drew the picture from my own heart. But 
 oh ! amazing consideration, 4 Nevertheless, I am continu- 
 ally with Thee ; Thou hast holden me by my right 
 hand ! ' " 
 
 In the evening, when a friend proposed to assist him to 
 disrobe, he said, " Very well ; I would not wish to be a man 
 of strife on the borders of eternity, and especially when I 
 am sure that the redeeming God is mine own, as that there 
 is an eternity." 
 
 March 23rd. Reference was made to another sermon, 
 Isaiah xlvi. 4, " Even to your old age, I am He " one of 
 the sermons, he tells us in his Memoir, he delighted in 
 preaching. He remembered well discoursing on it, and 
 added, with a lit-up countenance, " I must say, that I never 
 yet found God to break His word in this ; no, notwith- 
 standing all the provocations which I have given Him." 
 
 He was walking in the meadow, adjoining the manse ; 
 the wind was boisterous, and he encountered it with diffi- 
 culty. He turned to his companion and said, " I find I 
 am but weak, but 
 
 ' Soon may the storms of trouble beat 
 The house of bondage down, 
 And let the prisoner fly.' " 
 
 1 John Evans, D.D. (1680-1730), minister first among the Inde- 
 pendents, later of the Presbyterian Church, at Wrexham and London, 
 author of Practical Discourses regarding the Christian Temper.
 
 LAST SAYINGS 329 
 
 From his afternoon's rest he awoke with the words, 
 . ** What a wonder that I have not slept into eternal life 1 
 Rather, what a wonder if I should thus sweetly sleep into 
 eternal life ! " 
 
 When he sat down to tea, he could not refrain from dis- 
 coursing on spiritual things. " God is love ; there is no 
 enmity in Him at all." " There are three things which 
 are very sweet the sovereignty, the freeness, and the ful- 
 ness of divine grace." 
 
 An acquaintance asked him if he really wished to recover. 
 " I rather wonder that I have so much health and strength 
 as I have. Many of my fellow-sinners, and many less 
 sinners than I, are now roaring in the place of torment, 
 without any hopes of deliverance, while my body is easy, 
 and my heart in some measure filled with His praise. The 
 strength which I now wish is strength ' to walk up and 
 down in the name of the Lord.' ' 
 
 March 24-th. At breakfast, he looked round on his house- 
 hold and said, " Oh, sirs 1 when shall I take the last Chris- 
 tian meal with you ? I am not weary of your company, 
 nor have I any cause ; but I would fain be at that, ' I will 
 go to God's altar, even unto God, my exceeding joy.' ' 
 
 He was told that his eldest son, John, had gone home 
 to Whitburn. How happy, he remarked, he should be, if 
 the time of his departure into the eternal world was come. 
 
 " About the year , these words were sweet to my soul, 
 
 ' There remaineth a rest for the people of God.' ' " Are you 
 not willing to live and preach Christ ? " he was asked. 
 " I would love to preach Christ, if I live ; but, as to my 
 life, I have no will in that matter. I wish to have my 
 inclinations subordinate to the will of God." 
 
 A friend told him that the Gospel was spreading in the 
 Church of England. " Oh ! well, well may it spread. The 
 Gospel is the source of my comfort, and every sinner is as 
 welcome to this source as I. And, how pleasant, that neither 
 great sins nor great troubles do alter these consolations ! 
 These words were once impressed upon my heart, ' Where 
 sin abounded, grace did much more abound.' How it 
 delighted me to see God taking advantage of my great 
 sinfulness, to show His great grace ! " Oh ! the sovereignty 
 of God ! I think that He hath used more means to bring 
 down the enmity and rebellion of my heart, than He hath 
 used for a hundred beside." 
 
 On receiving a glass of wine he said, " How astonishing 
 that God's Son should get gall and vinegar to drink when
 
 330 APPENDIX 
 
 His thirst was great, and yet that I should have such wine, 
 when my thirst is by no means excessive ! " On another 
 occasion, when being similarly refreshed, he remarked, " I 
 long to drink of the new wine in my Father's kingdom, 
 which will neither hurt head nor heart. Oh ! that I had 
 all the world around me, that I might tell them of Christ ! " 
 
 A friend reminded him that, through his instrumentality 
 as a teacher of divinity, over a hundred ministers were 
 engaged in preaching Christ. " Had I ten thousand tongues, 
 and ten thousand hearts, and were I employing them all 
 in commendation of Christ, I could not do for His honour 
 as He hath deserved, considering His kindness to such a 
 sinner." 
 
 When at tea, he expressed his gratitude to those about 
 him : " I am much obliged to you all, and [turning to his 
 wife] particularly to you for your kindness to me ; yet I 
 must go back to this, ' Whom have I in heaven but 
 Thee ? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides 
 Thee.' ' 
 
 " * He hateth putting away ' I am sure I have found 
 that ; for, oh ! the provocations which I have given to God 
 to cast me off ; and yet to this day He crowneth me with 
 loving-kindnesses ! How astonishing the necessity of the 
 love of the Son of God ! Once I thought that I got a ravish- 
 ing sight of the necessity of His loving me, the sinner. He 
 said, ' Other sheep I have ; them also I must bring.' ' 
 
 " Oh ! His kindness, His kindness ! I have shared of 
 His frowns, as well as of His smiles ; little frowns in com- 
 parison of what I deserved. Yet, even when I abused these 
 frowns, as well as His smiles, He hath overcome me with 
 tender mercies." 
 
 To some who asked him if he was any worse, he answered, 
 " I am weak, but I am well, considering that I am such a 
 sinner. I may say, ' Goodness and mercy have followed 
 me all the days of my life ' ; and I hope to ' dwell in the 
 house of the Lord for ever.' ' 
 
 Someone speaking to him about his supper, he exclaimed, 
 " Oh ! to be there, where they ' hunger no more, neither 
 thirst any more ; but are filled with the fatness of God's 
 house ! ' ' 
 
 To one of his younger children he affectionately said, 
 ** Now cry to God, ' Thou art my Father.' I do not think 
 that I was much older than you when God caused me to 
 claim Him ; and oh ! God hath been good to me ! It is 
 long since He said, ' Leave thy fatherless children ; I will
 
 LAST SAYINGS 331 
 
 preserve them alive, and let thy widows trust in Me.' As I 
 know not but I am dying of this distress, I have essayed to 
 cast you on the Lord ; see that you cast yourself on Him." 
 
 March 25th. " Long ago I thought to have known by 
 experience what is meant by * dying in the Lord ' ; that is 
 a lesson, however, which I have not yet learned, but I will 
 not quit hopes of learning it still." 
 
 " These words were once sweet to my soul, ' I am less 
 than the least of His mercies.' I thought that I was not 
 worthy of the smallest favour, yet I aimed to apprehend 
 the greatest gift. Oh ! amazing scheme, redemption 1 
 Amazing contrivance of it by God the Father ! Amazing 
 work of the Son purchasing it ! Amazing application of it 
 by the Holy Ghost ! And amazing possession of it by men 1 " 
 
 "It is now many years since God put me into the state 
 that I could not totally apostatise from Him ; though no 
 thanks to me, for I have done my utmost against Him, and 
 yet He hath held me. I know not if there ever was a sinner 
 such a perverse wretch as I." 
 
 March 26th. Being asked how he had slept, he replied 
 in his usual fashion, " Good rest for such a sinner." The 
 friend said, " You know that He giveth His beloved sleep." 
 " It is true, but sure, God hath no cause to love me." 
 
 ** Long ago Jehovah silenced me with this, ' Is there any- 
 thing too hard for the Lord ? ' and to this day I have never 
 found out the thing, though perhaps I have resisted His 
 Spirit more than ever a sinner did." 
 
 " I wish to be at that point, ' He hath put to me the 
 everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure ; for 
 this is all my salvation, and all my desire.' " 
 
 " I am entirely at the Lord's will," he remarked to a 
 friend, who answered him, " Such resignation is not the 
 attainment of every Christian." " This is rather," he 
 humbly said, " what I would be at, than what I have 
 attained." 
 
 Speaking about the students of divinity who had been 
 under his charge, he remarked, " I wish them all more 
 serious and diligent than ever I have been. I hope, however, 
 that God will not cast me off as a slothful and wicked ser- 
 vant. I am sure that He ' hateth putting away.' ' 
 
 A friend said to him, " It is an unspeakable mercy that 
 God does not deal with us according to our works," to which 
 he replied, " Ah ! if God were to deal with men that way 
 I will not except the Apostle Paul the hottest place in 
 hell would be the lot of us ministers."
 
 -332 APPENDIX 
 
 " My mind is now so wavering, that I have little remem- 
 brance of what is past, little apprehension of what is present, 
 and little foresight of what is future. But, oh ! what a 
 mercy, that when once the everlasting arms of Jesus are 
 underneath, He will not lose His hold. * Israel shall be 
 saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation 1 ' 
 
 " Here is a wonder a sinner saved by the blood of God's 
 own Son ! There are wonders in heaven, and wonders on 
 the earth ; but the least part of redemption work is more 
 wonderful than them all." 
 
 March 27th. Some of his family expressed wishes for his 
 recovery. " I wish that God may do what is most for His 
 glory, and for the good of my soul. Were it left to me 
 whether I would choose life or death, I would not turn a 
 straw for either, but would refer it wholly to God Himself. 
 All my days I have been rebelling against and vexing His 
 Holy Spirit, yet I may say this has been the sum of His 
 conduct toward me, ' He wrought for His name's sake, that 
 it should not be polluted.' " 
 
 " Oh ! how God hath exemplified that law in His conduct 
 toward me, ' If thine enemy hunger, feed him ; if he thirst, 
 give him drink ' ; and in so doing I hope He hath heaped 
 hot, melting coals of fire upon my head ! " 
 
 One of his brother ministers called to see him. He was 
 grateful for the visit, but it made him wish that of a 
 Greater. " Now, I am obliged to you for your kindness ; 
 but entreat Christ to pay me a visit. I do you no wrong 
 when I say, that I would not give half an hour's visit of 
 Christ for days, months, or years of yours." 
 
 " Anything that I know about religion is this, that I have 
 found weakness and wickedness about myself; and grace, 
 mercy, and loveliness about Jesus." 
 
 A friend remarked to him that we must run deeper and 
 deeper in debt to divine grace. " Yes," he replied, " and 
 <iod is a good creditor ; He never seeks back the principal 
 sum, and indeed puts up with a poor annual-rent." 
 
 As a few friends dined with him, he broke out with these 
 words. " Well, sirs, may we all at last meet at the table 
 above, and enjoy a feast there ; no pain, no complaining, no 
 trouble there, but there is everlasting peace and joy." 
 
 It was Tuesday of the week, but he thought it was Satur- 
 day. He was asked, Did he long for the Sabbath ? "I 
 do," he said, " weary for the Sabbath ; and I would fain be 
 wearying for the everlasting Sabbath. Then I shall have no 
 need of the assistance of preachers ; nor will I even need the
 
 LAST SAYINGS 33a 
 
 blessed Bible itself. God's face will serve me for preachers 
 and Bible too." 
 
 March 28th. " Oh ! that is a strange text, ' God so loved 
 the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoso- 
 ever believeth in Him should not perish, but have ever- 
 lasting life.' This declaration would set all our hearts on 
 fire, if they were not infernally frozen ; and, indeed, closely 
 applied by the Holy Ghost, it would set them on fire, even 
 though infernally frozen. He once applied it with such 
 power to my soul, that I think the application would have 
 inflamed the heart of a devil, had it been so spoken to him." 
 In conversation with his sons in the ministry, he again 
 besought them for a whole-hearted consecration to their 
 work. " Oh ! labour, labour to win souls to Christ. I will 
 say this for your encouragement, that when the Lord led 
 me out to be most earnest in this way he poured most com- 
 fort into my own heart, so that He gave my reward in my 
 bosom ; and when I have tried to help vacancies, He hath 
 repaid me well with glimpses of His glory. Were the Lord 
 to make me young again, I think I would study to devise 
 other means for gaining souls than those which I have used, 
 and prosecute them with more activity than ever I did." 
 
 An acquaintance inquiring about his welfare, " I am 
 but weak, but it is delightful to find oneself weak in the 
 everlasting arms. Oh ! how much do I owe my Lord ! " 
 " What a mercy that once within the covenant, there is 
 no getting out of it again ! Now I find my faculties much 
 impaired." Impaired ! it was only, his friends remarked, 
 the memory that was at fault. " Well," he said, " how 
 marvellous that God hath continued my judgment, con- 
 sidering how much I have abused it ; and continued my 
 hope of eternal life, though I have misimproved it ! ' But 
 where sin hath reigned unto death, grace hath reigned 
 through righteousness unto eternal life by Christ Jesus, our 
 Lord.' " 
 
 " My memory is much failed, but, were death once over, 
 I will remember God's heaping of mercies on me, and my 
 multiplied provocations of Him ; and when I view the first 
 on one side, and the last on the other, on a new covenant 
 footing I will sing thanksgiving to God for ever." 
 
 One alleged that, if he was not happy hereafter, many had 
 reason to be afraid. " I have no other ground to be happy 
 than what is by redemption through the blood of Christ, 
 and that is suited to you as well as to me." 
 
 An interesting conversation took place as to his eager-
 
 334 APPENDIX 
 
 ness to depart and the anxiety of those around him that he 
 might recover. It was urged that he might yet serve the 
 Church, and feed his flock and be a father to his household. 
 It seemed as if these things concerned him not, and that he 
 had no desire to continue with them, and cared not what 
 befell his family or the Church. Did it not seem selfishness 
 on his part to wish to be rid of this life and go hence ? 
 " I own," he acknowledged, " I do sway to one side ; for 
 I ' desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better,' 
 and you selfishly wish me to live with you. Indeed it may 
 be selfishness with us both. I confess it may be selfishness 
 in me to wish to be with Christ ; but oh ! that God had 
 never seen any other selfishness in me than that ! " 
 
 " Oh ! to have all our troubles sanctified to us ! and 
 then, when in the other world, we will with pleasure look 
 back and see, that ' through fire and water He brought us 
 to the wealthy place.' ' 
 
 One of his children said to him, " Father we would fain 
 have you live." " Well," he answered, " I believe so ; 
 but I would fain be with Christ." " But," said the little 
 voice, " would you not wish to take us with you ? " "It 
 is not I," he gently said, " but Christ who must do that. 
 However, as to my departure, I will not set the time of it 
 to God ; He is wise, and I am a fool." 
 
 In 1764, he had been seriously ill, and said then that he 
 wished to be gone. He was reminded what service he had 
 rendered to multitudes since then. " How strange that God 
 should make use of one so sinful as I to do good to others ; 
 but I believe that He was wiser than me ; and I shall see 
 this more clearly when in the eternal state." 
 
 Ralph Erskine's poem, " The Work and Contention of 
 Heaven," 1 which had had great vogue at that time and re- 
 tained its popularity for half a century later, was read to 
 him. " Well, though I should never wish to see contention 
 in the Church on earth, yet I should be willing to join in 
 Ralph's contention above. Were I once in heaven I think 
 
 1 In Ralph Erskine's poem the contention was what rank of all the 
 ransomed race owed " highest praise to sovereign grace." The chil- 
 dren so early on " the happy shore," the saint of years, the sinner 
 above many, the sufferer, and various others are depicted as contend- 
 ing for the honour. At last it is agreed that all should " praise upon 
 the highest key," and 
 
 Their discord makes them all unite 
 In raptures most divinely sweet ; 
 So great the song, so grand the voice, 
 Melodious music nils the place.
 
 LAST SAYINGS 335 
 
 that I would contend with the best of them ; and I know 
 that our contention there will not raise heats, but excite 
 love to one another." 
 
 On receiving a glass of wine, he with a smile said to his 
 friends, " Now, sirs, I wish you all new wine in the kingdom 
 of our Father at last, and new wine from the kingdom of our 
 Father while you are on the way to it." 
 
 At supper, with his usual cheerfulness, he repeated the 
 lines : 
 
 They with the fatness of Thy house 
 Shall be well satisfied, etc. 
 
 and then added, " If earth transformed, partly by the in- 
 strumentality of men, is so delicious, oh ! what must the 
 fatness of God's house be, the flesh and blood of the Son of 
 God ! " 
 
 March 29th. Among the first words he uttered this 
 morning were, " What a rebellious child I have been to 
 God ! and what a kind Father He has been to me ! I need 
 not go farther than myself to see that ' God is love,' for even 
 in my trouble He treats me as a mother doth her sucking 
 child." 
 
 A friend took occasion to say, " I suppose you make not 
 your labours for the good of the Church the ground of your 
 comfort ? " At once he replied with earnestness, " No, no, no ! 
 it is the finished righteousness of Christ which is the only 
 foundation of my hope. I have no more dependence on my 
 labours than on my sins. I rather reckon it a wonder of 
 mercy that God took any of my labours off my hand. 
 ' Righteousness belongeth unto Him, but unto me shame 
 and confusion of face.' ' 
 
 Walking through the house, with the sun streaming in 
 upon his face, he, in an elated mood, repeated the lines of 
 the 89th Psalm : 
 
 " ' In brightness of Thy face, O Lord, 
 
 They ever on shall go. 
 They in Thy name shall all the day 
 
 Rejoice exceedingly ; 
 And in Thy righteousness shall they 
 
 Exalted be on high.' 
 
 Oh that will be sweet, when the redeemed of the Lord 
 shall walk thus in heaven " ; and then, with tears in his 
 eyes, added, " And I am sure that I may think shame to
 
 336 APPENDIX 
 
 appear among them ; but the more shame and disgrace I 
 deserve, the more glory God will get. Oh, what strange 
 things God hath done to save me ! By afflictions in my own 
 body, by the deaths of my parents, by bringing me to 
 ordinances, by reproofs of conscience, He hath striven with 
 me for my salvation." 
 
 Behind the manse was the meadow from which a little 
 distance off was visible the church 1 of the other branch of 
 the Secession, of which Robert Chalmers, 2 who hailed from 
 Dennyloanhead, Stirlingshire, was minister. Brown, look- 
 ing at the church of his young brother, could not forbear 
 expressing his vital interest in the good of souls while 
 discounting his own ^efforts. " I would be happy if my 
 Antiburgher brother Had ten [souls] for my one, as crowns 
 of joy at the last day, though I must say that I would wish 
 to have as many as possible ; but oh ! it will be a strange 
 honour for such a wretch as I to have half a dozen." 
 
 March 30th. To one who inquired about his welfare, he 
 answered, "I sit here an instance of human frailty, and, I 
 would fain add, an amazing instance of God's kindness in 
 redemption." 
 
 In his hearing some persons were discussing an ill bargain, 
 when he broke in, " How happy to have an interest in Christ ! 
 That is a bargain which will never break ; and by that we, 
 though naturally heirs of hell, are entitled to eternal life." 
 
 Often he said, " I find that I am not strong ; but oh ! 
 it is a wonder that I am not damned ! I bless God that I 
 know at least this much about religion I am convinced 
 that I am as a beast before God." 
 
 March 3Ist. " I remember that, about the year , I 
 was breathing out slaughter against the Lord Jesus ; but 
 that was always the turn of the tale, ' Yet I obtained mercy/ 
 If I were offered the crown of Britain, instead of the fellow- 
 ship with Christ which I then enjoyed, I would not hesitate 
 a moment about choosing the latter." 
 
 " The debt of grace is a strange kind of debt. Were I 
 even now two or three hundred pounds in debt to any man, 
 it would considerably distress me ; but the views of my 
 debt to free grace remarkably refresh my heart." 
 
 1 The church was discontinued for public worship in 1880, and the 
 building is now used as a public reading-room and library. 
 
 * Robert Chalmers's two daughters were married, the one to Dr. 
 McCrie, the biographer of "John Knox" (second wife), and the other 
 to his son, Professor McCrie, of the English Presbyterian Theological 
 College, London. In this church Samuel Smiles was baptized and 
 brought up (The Autobiography of Samuel Smiles, p. 8)
 
 LAST SAYINGS 337 
 
 April 1st. " Were I once in heaven, a look of Christ 
 will cure my broken memory, and all my other weaknesses. 
 There I shall not need wine nor spirits to recruit me ; no, 
 nor shall I mind them, but as Christ was through them 
 kind to me." 
 
 April 3rd. Sitting down in the meadow behind the 
 manse, the sun shining in his face, he cried out in a kind of 
 transport, " Oh ! how pleasant to be for ever beholding 
 the Sun of Righteousness in heaven ! and how pleasant, even 
 in time, to see Him by faith ! " 
 
 One of his brethren in the ministry called upon him, and 
 in course of conversation declared, " We cannot well do 
 without you." " Oh yes," said the old Professor, " you 
 can easily want me, and I would wish to be with Jesus. 
 Meantime, I am wholly at the Lord's disposal. If the 
 Lord would make me useful in the Church, I have no objec- 
 tions against living ; but if not, I would rather die." His 
 friend asserted that the Lord had been very kind to him. 
 ** Yes," he said, " God hath been heaping favours upon me, 
 the sinner, these forty years past ; and I will say, to His 
 honour, that He hath made my days of affliction always 
 the happiest. Indeed, I think that I have seldom had very 
 sweet days, except when I have met with affliction one 
 way or another." He then asked him if he felt no un- 
 easiness at leaving his family and congregation. " I cannot 
 say that I feel any such uneasiness ; not but that I regard 
 them, but I know that God in Christ can infinitely more 
 than supply my room. I might be spared, and be of little 
 use to them ; but God will be infinitely useful. My parents 
 were taken from me when I was young, and God has been far 
 better to me since than they could have been." " What 
 think you," said the friend, " of the present state of the 
 Church ? " " The Church is at present in a very poor 
 condition ; but the Lord can revive her. I have often 
 found that when wicked lusts and wicked devils have caused 
 great disorder in my heart, the Lord hath brought order 
 out of confusion. This partly encourages me to believe 
 that, though wicked men and wicked devils cause disorder 
 in the Church, yet the Lord will make all things to work 
 together for good to His own elect. I do not expect to see 
 it ; yet it is the joy of my heart that the time is coming 
 when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms 
 of our Lord and of his Christ. Dead Churches shall yet be 
 quickened, apostate Churches shall yet be recovered, and 
 Churches shall be planted where there were none before." 
 
 22
 
 338 APPENDIX 
 
 April 4>th. He apparently felt his weakness increasing. 
 " My legs are of little use, my head is of little use, and my 
 hands are of little use ; but my God in Christ is the same to 
 me now as ever." 
 
 Speaking about the Synod, the supreme court of his 
 Church which was convened to meet in the beginning of 
 May, and of which He was clerk, he expressed his doubt of 
 being able to attend it, and then he added, " Oh, if the 
 Spirit of God would bring me to the General Synod of the 
 Church of the first-born, that would be far better ! No 
 idle words, no angry speeches, no sinful ignorance, no 
 haughty pride there. After all, it is a mercy that Jesus, the 
 great manager of the Church, can overrule even our con- 
 tentions here for His own glory." 
 
 April 5th. He walked in the meadow attached to the 
 manse, and pointed to several spots where his soul had 
 exulted with views of divine grace. " Yea, on certain occa- 
 sions my soul hath been so transported here that, as the 
 apostle speaks, ' whether I was in the body, or out of the 
 body, I could scarcely tell.' Perhaps it is superstitious in 
 me, but I confess I have a peculiar love for these very spots." 
 
 When he came into the house, he was somewhat ex- 
 hausted, and expressed himself, not as one oppressed with 
 the weariness of fatigue, but as buoyed up with another 
 longing. " That will be a pleasant journey, ' The ransomed 
 of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and 
 everlasting joy upon their heads ; they shall obtain joy 
 and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.' ' 
 
 In speaking about mercy, he said, " I could wish to live 
 and die a deep, deep debtor to mercy, and that none of my 
 works should ever be mentioned, but as manifestations of 
 mercy in enabling such a sinner to do anything for the 
 honour of the God of mercy, and for promoting the work 
 of mercy in the welfare of others." 
 
 To an acquaintance who came to ask for his welfare he 
 said, " Well, you see I am a prisoner here in my own house ; 
 but oh ! that is a happy I do not choose to call it im- 
 prisonment a happy sort of confinement, in a redeemer's 
 arms, and in the covenant of grace." 
 
 April 6th. He was afraid lest, in his physical weakness, 
 he might in conversation overstep the bounds of prudence, 
 and frequently requested his watchful and devoted partner 
 to guard him against any such forgetfulness, for which indeed 
 there was no necessity. " I hope you will take care, when I 
 am speaking to any acquaintance, that I do not say any-
 
 LAST SAYINGS 339 
 
 thing trifling to them. It is not my honour that I mind 
 in this ; but I should be vexed, now that I am a dying 
 man, if I should say anything to the dishonour of Christ, 
 to the grief of the godly, or to be a stumbling-block to the 
 wicked. Indeed, it would be ill on my part to act thus." 
 
 A brother minister being in conversation with him, 
 Dunfermline was mentioned, whereupon he said that in his 
 rovings he was often about that place, and he recollected 
 the time when he went over the hills of Cleish, from Gairney 
 Bridge, to hear that great man of God, Mr. Ralph Erskine, 
 whose ministry, he thought, was brought home by the Spirit 
 of God to his heart. On returning thanks for the meal 
 that followed, he said, " We thank thee, O Lord, that since 
 we rove in our weakness, we rove about those places where 
 we think we met with the God of Bethel, and saw Him face 
 to face." 
 
 April 8th. Being asked how he was now, he replied, 
 " I am weak ; but the motto of each of my days is, ' He 
 hath not dealt with us as we have sinned, neither rewarded 
 us according to our iniquities.' ' 
 
 Sitting down in the meadow, and finding his eyes unable 
 to bear the bright shining of the sun, looking up he smilingly 
 said, " Oh ! how pleasant to be in that place where they 
 are so overcome with the glory of the Sun of Righteousness 
 that they have to cover their faces with their wings ! " 
 
 He was talking about young men entering the ministry, 
 and the greatness of their calling, when he declared, " Well, 
 though pride prevails much in my heart, yet I think I would 
 trample it thus far under my feet, as that I would be glad 
 to see all my students, and not they only, but all the faithful 
 ministers of Jesus, bringing hundreds or thousands of souls 
 with them to heaven, though I should but have five or six." 
 
 He went into his church, which adjoined the manse, 
 and looking round him said, " Now, weak as I am, I would 
 try to preach yet, if I had none to preach in my stead. Oh ! 
 what sweet fellowship with Christ I have had here ! That 
 pulpit hath been to me the best place in all the house." 
 
 A young surgeon paid him a visit, and he took occasion 
 to offer him some counsel. Persons in his profession had 
 excellent opportunities of conversing with dying persons 
 about their eternal interests ; their patients would prob- 
 ably pay more attention to religious hints from them than 
 from others ; while they endeavoured to restore physical 
 health, they should never forget to apply to Christ for 
 spiritual healing themselves. As he was evidently becom-
 
 340 APPENDIX 
 
 ing hoarse with speaking, one of the family reminded him 
 that he was exerting himself, and desired him to forbear a 
 little. " Well," he said, " I shall say no more now ; but, 
 oh ! to be at that 
 
 ' My mouth the praises of the Lord 
 
 To publish cease shall never ; 
 Let all flesh bless His holy name 
 For ever and for ever.' " 
 
 His sons left him for a few weeks to attend to then: own 
 congregational duties and to arrange for the approaching 
 meeting of the Synod. After the Synod meetings, the sons 
 returned to Haddington, and Ebenezer records some further 
 sayings of his father, which afford a very near view of his 
 inner life. 
 
 May 6th. Lying on his back in bed, and being very weak, 
 he said in a low tone of voice, " Here is a lecture on that 
 text, ' Vanity of vanities, all that cometh is vanity and 
 vexation of spirit ' ; for what a poor useless creature am I 
 now ! But oh ! what a mercy that Christ can raise glory 
 to Himself out of mere vanity ! " In uttering these last 
 words, he seemed quite overcome. 
 
 When a friend alleged to him that he appeared to be sunk 
 in his spirits, he replied, " I am so ; but it is not in the 
 least through any terror, but just through weakness." 
 
 Being asked if he was not afraid to enter into a world 
 of spirits, he answered, " No ; a persuasion that Christ is 
 mine makes me think that, when I appear in that world, 
 as a new incomer, all the spirits there will use me well on 
 Christ's account." 
 
 To a kind remark that his increasing weakness did not 
 daunt him, and that he seemed quite calm and confident of 
 victory, "Yes," he said, " I really am so ; for in my body I 
 am not much pained ; and, as to my mind, it is composed, 
 or rather cheerful. I mean not that I have what the world 
 calls mirth ; but I possess a sort of cheerfulness which 
 ariseth from views of certain texts of Scripture." 
 
 May 7th. " As I have had fulness all my days, I believe 
 that I could not now easily bear with pinching want ; 
 yet, I think, to publish the Gospel of Jesus I could willingly 
 meet with want or anything else." 
 
 He was able to enjoy a carriage drive, and was refreshed 
 by the glad signs of spring on every hand. The spirit of 
 the Christian Journal awoke within him. " I think I should 
 love to see that promise accomplished, ' The wilderness and 
 the solitary place shall be glad for them ; and the desert
 
 LAST SAYINGS 341 
 
 shall rejoice and blossom as the rose ; it shall blossom 
 abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing. The 
 glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it ; the excellency 
 of Carmel and Sharon ; they shall see the glory of the Lord, 
 and the excellency of our God.' I should love to see all 
 this ere I die, though I would wish that it may not be long 
 till the event take place. I should love, when I depart to 
 heaven, to be able to tell this news to redeemed millions 
 that the Holy Ghost has been remarkably poured out in 
 East Lothian, and that there was not a family in which the 
 worship of God was not observed. I daresay it delights the 
 redeemed above to hear Christ's glory being displayed, and 
 of souls being saved on earth." 
 
 To his wife this was a prolonged period of anxiety ; and 
 the thought of separation had its dark clouds for her. She 
 would rather that he would turn his eyes toward possible 
 recovery. " Now, no doubt, you do not wish to hear 
 about my departure ; but ' Thy Maker is thy husband ; 
 the Lord of hosts is His name.' He can infinitely more 
 than supply the want of me." 
 
 May 8th. Addressing one of his sons he said, " Now I am 
 easy whether ever you or any of my family be what the 
 world calls rich ; but I should wish you all to be the fearers 
 of God. Next to seeing Christ as He is, I think that I would 
 desire to see you, and hundreds at your back, all debtors 
 to free grace. Oh ! I would be happy to say, ' Lord, here 
 am I and the children whom Thou hast given me.' ' 
 
 " Ever since God dealt convincingly with my heart, I 
 never had any comfort in the thought that my sins were 
 little, but in the belief that the virtue of Christ's blood 
 is infinite blood that ' cleanseth from all sin ' ; and in 
 the consideration of God's mercy being higher than the 
 heavens. 
 
 " I once thought that text, ' I will have mercy on whom I 
 will have mercy,' had just been made for me ; and that it 
 was so full of grace, just that it might suit my condition. 
 Were it possible for His Majesty and me to become young 
 again, and were it left to my choice whether I would have 
 his lot or my own, I would, without hesitation, choose my 
 own. If I have not got such grand entertainment for the 
 body as he, I have got feasts on texts of Scripture, the like 
 of which perhaps he never obtained ; ' Goodness and mercy 
 have followed me." 
 
 Talking about death, he said, " It might be written on 
 my coffin, ' Here lies one of the cares of Providence, who early
 
 342 APPENDIX 
 
 wanted both father and mother, and yet never missed 
 them ! " 
 
 May 9th. Speaking of submission to the rod, he said, 
 " I would not wish that foolish question ever put to me, 
 * Would you go to hell, if that were the Lord's will ? ' for 
 it is God's promise, securing my salvation, that has much 
 influence in making me resigned. God said to me, ' I am 
 the Lord thy God ' ; and if He were not to be mine for ever, 
 he would forfeit His word which is impossible." 
 
 Two young ladies called upon him. When he asked how 
 they were, and receiving the answer, " Very well," he said, 
 " ' It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed ' ; 
 and oh ! never say to your own consciences you are very 
 well, until you have good evidence of your interest in Christ. 
 Be earnest to have acquaintance with Jesus ; no connection 
 so glorious as union with Christ ; no pleasure like that which 
 is enjoyed in fellowship with Him." 
 
 The remarkable surrender of the man is instanced in 
 reply to one who thought that he was improving in health. 
 " All my wish is, that if God spare me, I may have gifts 
 to serve Him while I live; and if I die, I wish to praise 
 Him while I have any being." 
 
 May 10th. Hearing some talk about endorsing a bill, he 
 said, " Oh how pleasant ! the bills of God's promises are 
 my heritage. I have often forgotten them ; but I am sure 
 Jehovah minds them ; and I know, too, that the Spirit of 
 God will never deceive me." 
 
 Referring to his weakness, he asserted, " God deals so 
 tenderly with me in my affliction that indeed I think the 
 strokes, as it were, go nearer His heart than they do mine." 
 
 May Ilth. " The command is, ' Owe no man anything.' 
 What a mercy that there is no such precept as this, ' Owe 
 the Saviour nothing ! ' or even this, ' Study to owe Him as 
 little as possible ! ' 
 
 May 14th. He acknowledged that his extraordinarily 
 retentive memory was becoming impaired, but, shutting his 
 eyes he devoutly uttered the prayer, " Lord, I am a stranger 
 on this earth; hide not Thy commandments from me." 
 The day was wet, and no likelihood of the daily drive. 
 " Well," said he, " if God would send His new covenant 
 chariot, death, and transport me to heaven ere night, I 
 should be happy, let the day be what it will." 
 
 *' Oh ! what a mercy that my admission into eternal 
 life does not in the least depend on my ability for any- 
 thing ; but I, as a poor sinner, will win in leaning on Christ
 
 LAST SAYINGS 343 
 
 as the Lord my righteousness on Christ, * made of God 
 unto me righteousness, sanctification, and redemption ! ' 
 I have nothing to sink my spirits but my sins, and these 
 need not sink me either, since the great God is my Saviour." 
 
 His calm serenity evinced itself in a reply to an inquiry 
 as to his welfare. " I am sitting here trying to wait for the 
 salvation of God. I should love that my departure were 
 nearer than perhaps you wish ; but I will not murmur." 
 
 Passing from one room to another he exclaimed in a sort 
 of transport, " Oh ! it will be pleasant to enter into Christ's 
 light room above ! Surely when I am there, and when I 
 reflect on the opportunities which I enjoyed in this world, 
 I shall wonder at myself as a fool for the misimprovement 
 of them. But what shall I say ? When Christ is the way 
 to heaven, ' a wayfaring man, though a fool, cannot err 
 therein.' " 
 
 To a young man he was tendering advice to honour his 
 father and mother, and was reminded that they were both 
 dead. " Oh ! " he said, " what a mercy that you can 
 never tell me that my friend Jesus is dead, when so many 
 of my earthly acquaintances are gone ! If you say of Him 
 that He was dead, I can answer, But now He is ' alive, and 
 lives for evermore ; and hath the keys of hell and of death.' ' 
 
 Speaking about the manner in which the Gospel-call is 
 addressed to men, he declared, " It has been my comfort 
 these twenty years, that not only sensible sinners, but 
 the most stupid are made welcome to believe in Christ." 
 
 When he lay down on his bed, he was asked how he was 
 now. "I lie here in the everlasting arms of a gracious 
 God." " Are you not afraid," said the friend, " to appear 
 at the tribunal of God ? " " Were I looking to give the 
 account in my own person, considering my sins, I might 
 indeed be terrified ; but then I view Christ the Judge as 
 my Advocate and my Accountant, and I know that I do 
 not owe more debt than He has paid." 
 
 June 5th. An acquaintance who was leaving him remarked 
 that he would probably be seeing some of his brethren in 
 the ministry soon. " Tell them that it is my desire that 
 they may labour to win souls for Christ, for now I am not 
 able, though ever so willing ; meantime, you must say 
 Christ hath been a kind Master to me. Many a visit He 
 hath given to me already ; and I expect to be with Him 
 in heaven by and by. Tell them, too, that I desire their 
 prayers, that, with submission to the divine will, I may 
 * depart to be with Christ, which is far better.' "
 
 344 APPENDIX 
 
 His breakfast, he declared, was a memorial to him of his 
 spiritual provision. On returning from his daily outing, 
 which he was still able to take, his heart seemed to glow 
 with praise at the love and goodness of God. " Oh ! the 
 sovereignty of grace ! How strange that I, a poor cottager's 
 son, should have a chaise to ride in ; and, what is far more 
 wonderful, I think God hath often given me rides in the 
 chariot of the new covenant. In the former He hath raised 
 me from the dunghill, and set me with great men ; but in 
 the latter He hath exalted the man, sinful as a devil, 
 and made Him to sit with the Prince of the kings of the 
 earth. Oh ! astonishing ! astonishing ! astonishing ! " Being 
 offered a little wine, he objected to taking it. " I am afraid 
 that it will hurt me ; and I would not wish to hurt that head 
 which, as well as my heart, is Christ's. Let Him do with 
 it as He pleaseth, but I would not wish to have any hand 
 in hurting it myself." 
 
 " No doubt I would love to be at my public work again ; 
 and, had it been any other than God that had restrained me, 
 I would not have taken it well ; but, as it is the Lord, I 
 desire to submit." 
 
 " Were God to present me with the dukedom of Argyle 
 on the one hand, and the being a minister of the Gospel with 
 the stipend which I have had on the other, so pleasant hath 
 the ministry been to me, notwithstanding all my weakness 
 and fears of little success, I would instantly prefer the 
 latter." 
 
 To some acquaintances who came to visit him he said, 
 "*' Here, sirs, take warning that ye must die. Now I think 
 it is come to dying work with me ; but if Jesus hold me up, 
 though I die, all is well. ' Blessed are the dead who die 
 an the Lord.' ' 
 
 A minister asked him what was the best method one 
 could take when a consideration of his own sinfulness 
 terrified him in preaching. He said to him, " Attempt to 
 believe, just as a sinner, as the chief of sinners. Those 
 promises have been sweetest to me which extend to men, 
 if they are out of hell. ' It is a faithful saying, and worthy 
 of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to 
 save sinners, of whom I am chief.' Once these words were 
 sweet to my soul. I thought, ill as I was, I could not be 
 worse than the chief of sinners. Conscience said that I 
 was the most wicked wretch that ever breathed, and that 
 I had showed myself to be such, especially by rebelling 
 against convictions, and by trampling on Christ's alluring
 
 LAST SAYINGS 345 
 
 words ; yet, since Christ came to save sinners, even the 
 chief, why, thought I, should I except myself ? " 
 
 His feebleness he realised as he moved through the house, 
 when it seemed as if at any step he might slip and fall. " I 
 am now very weak ; but were I in heaven I shall ' renew my 
 strength.' There I shall mount up with wings as an eagle ; 
 I shall run and not be weary ; I shall walk and not faint. 
 No staggerings there." 
 
 Gathering them that evening round the family altar, he 
 said, " It would be pleasant if our experiences in ordinances 
 were such here, as that they would fit us for the exercise 
 of heaven ; our prayers here, a stretching forth of our desires 
 for the employment of God, and of the Lamb ; and our 
 praises here, a tuning of our hearts for the songs above." 
 
 June 6th. His willingness and almost eagerness to depart 
 suggested to one the question, " Are you not sorry to part 
 with your family ? " "I must own I have a concern about 
 my wife and children ; but when my heart enters properly 
 into these words, * Be with the Lord,' the leaving of them 
 diminishes into a very small point ; and although affection 
 for them is strong as ever, I hope that when I am away, 
 Christ will far more than supply my room to them ; and 
 then, you see, we shall be better on all hands." 
 
 His relatives rendering him assistance from time to time, 
 drew from him the remark, " I really wonder at the kind- 
 ness of men to me ; but especially I am amazed, when I 
 reflect that it is all the kindness of my God through 
 them." 
 
 When his young children were gathered round him on any 
 occasion he would appeal very tenderly to them. " There 
 is none so glorious as Christ ; ' He is altogether lovely.' 
 If you could put all the gold and silver into one heap, 
 the glory of Christ would far exceed all. I say this, having, 
 I think, seen Jesus ; but, as yet, I have seen Him only 
 
 * through a glass darkly ' ; after this I hope to see Him 
 
 * face to face.' ' 
 
 To one of his sons in the ministry he urged, " Try to run 
 deep in Christ's debt as possible ; and take His own way 
 of paying, by acknowledging His kindness. And when 
 you mind your own debt, remember your father's debt 
 too ; say ' Thou art my God, I will praise Thee ; my father's 
 God, I will exalt Thee 1 ' ' Later he said to him, " Labour, 
 labour to win souls to Christ ; souls are well worth the 
 winning, and Christ is far more worthy of them too. It 
 gives me pleasure now to think that I did not indulge myself
 
 346 APPENDIX 
 
 in idleness in my Master's service ; not but that I was idle 
 only I do not remember indulging myself in it." 
 
 June 15th. It was invariably his custom, at this tune of 
 year, to render assistance at the great communion at Stow. 
 Stow had a warm corner in his heart ever since the day 
 it called him to its ministry. " You are not travelling 
 thither now," said a friend. " No, I wish to be travelling 
 to God as * my exceeding joy.' In the meantime I must 
 say, that at Stow I have had such sweet hours, that neither 
 Christ nor I shall ever forget them." 
 
 He was asked what he thought of free grace after his 
 long record in the ministry. " I have altered my mind 
 about many things, but I am of the same mind that ever 
 I was as to grace and salvation through Christ." " Where 
 are all your anxieties about the Church ? " said one to 
 him. " I have left my anxiety about it, and about every- 
 thing else, on the Lord ; and indeed, were it not for a God 
 in my nature, I would reckon the present case of the Church 
 very hopeless ; but in the view of Christ, I am persuaded 
 that she will yet remarkably revive on earth." 
 
 June 17th. Extreme weakness was now manifest ; but 
 as the outward man decayed, the inward man was renewed. 
 Scarcely able to speak, he turned to a brother minister 
 
 with a smile, " Oh ! Mr. , ' the Lord is my strength 
 
 and my song ; He also is become my salvation.' ' 
 
 June 18th. As he seemed oppressed by the increasing 
 feebleness, a friend said to him, " I hope the Lord is not 
 forsaking you now." " No, God is an unchanging rock." 
 Being asked by another how he was, " Oh ! it is strange 
 that the Lord Jesus encourageth us to pray even at the 
 last ! " 
 
 Some of his relations stood by his bedside, and, fixing 
 his eyes upon them, he spoke to them with touching pathos, 
 " Oh ! sirs, dying work is serious, serious indeed ! and that 
 you will soon find, strong as you now are." 
 
 June 19th. He appeared to be frequently engaged in 
 speaking ; but, owing to the weakness of his voice, it was 
 only a few of the words that could be understood. Upon a 
 friend saying to him, " You seem to be sore distressed," the 
 answer appeared to be, " The Lord hath His own way of 
 carrying on His own work." 
 
 The last words he was heard to utter were : " MY CHRIST.'*
 
 BIBLIOGRAPHY 
 
 1758. " A Help for the Ignorant ; or An Essay toward an 
 
 easy, plain, practical, and extensive explication of 
 the Assembly's Shorter Catechism." Editions, 
 1761, 1781, 1800, 1811. 
 
 1759. " A Brief Dissertation concerning the Righteousness 
 
 of Christ." Pamphlet. 
 
 1764. "Two Short Catechisms Mutually Connected." 4th 
 
 edition, 1769 ; 9th, 1779 ; 14th, 1786 ; 23rd, 1795. 
 The first part, " A Short Catechism for Young 
 Children," published separately. New editions, 
 1824, 1826, etc. Still being issued. 
 
 1765. " The Christian Journal ; or, Common Incidents, 
 
 Spiritual Instructors." 6th edition, 1792 ; new- 
 editions, 1808, 1824, etc. 
 
 1766. " An Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of 
 
 the Secession." 7th edition, 1793. 
 
 1767. " Letters on the Constitution, Government, and Dis- 
 
 cipline of the Christian Church." 
 
 1768. " Sacred Typology ; or, a Brief View of the Figures 
 
 and Explications of the Metaphors contained in 
 Scripture." New editions, 1782, 1791, 1802 ; edition 
 corrected from the author's manuscript, 1803 ; new 
 edition, 1813. 
 
 1769. " A Dictionary of the Holy Bible." Two vols. 2nd 
 
 edition, 1778 ; 5th, 1807 ; 6th, 1816 ; edition re- 
 vised by his son, William Brown, M.D., 1865 ; with 
 contributions by Professor John Eadie, D.D., 1868. 
 
 1769. " Religious Steadfastness recommended." Sermon. 
 
 1771. "A General History of the Christian Church, from 
 the Birth of our Saviour to the Present Time." 
 Two vols. 
 
 1775. " The Psalms of David in Metre, with Notes exhibiting: 
 the Connection, explaining the Sense, and for direct- 
 ing and animating the Devotion." Other editions, 
 1793, 1812, 1825, 1836, 1837, 1858. 
 
 347
 
 348 BIBLIOGRAPHY 
 
 1778. " The Self-interpreting Bible." Two vols. 26 editions 
 
 issued, the last in America in 1897, 1909. 
 
 1779. " The Oracles of Christ and the Abominations of Anti- 
 
 christ compared ; or a Brief View of the Errors, 
 Impieties, and Inhumanities of Popery." 
 
 1780. "The Absurdity and Perfidy of all Authoritative 
 
 Toleration of Gross Heresy, Blasphemy, Idolatry, 
 and Popery in Britain." Two Letters to a 
 Friend. 
 
 1780. " The Re-exhibition of the Testimony Vindicated, in 
 opposition to the unfair Account given of it by the 
 Rev. Adam Gib." Pamphlet. 
 
 1780. "The Duty of Raising up Spiritual Children to 
 
 Christ." Sermon. 
 
 1781. " An Evangelical and Practical View of the Types 
 
 and Figures of the Old Testament Dispensation." 
 
 1781. " The Christian, the Student, and Pastor, exemplified 
 
 in the Lives of Nine Eminent Ministers of Scotland, 
 England, and America." 
 
 1782. " A Compendious View of Natural and Revealed 
 
 Religion." 2nd edition, 1796. 
 
 1782. " The Young Christian ; or, the Pleasantness of 
 
 Early Piety." 
 
 1783. " Practical Piety exemplified in the Lives of Thirteen 
 
 Eminent Christians, and illustrated in Cases of Con- 
 science." 
 
 1783. " The Necessity and Advantage of Earnest Prayer 
 
 for the Lord's Special Direction in the Choice of 
 Pastors." Pamphlet. 
 
 1784. " The Harmony of Scripture Prophecies, and History 
 
 of their Fulfilment." New edition, 1800. 
 1784. " A Compendious History of the British Churches in 
 England, Scotland, Ireland, and America, with an 
 Introductory Sketch of the History of the Walden- 
 ses." Two vols. New editions, 1820, 1823. 
 
 1784. " Devout Breathings, and Four Solemn Addresses." 
 
 1785. " Thoughts on the Travelling of the Mail on the Lord's 
 
 Day." Pamphlet. 
 
 1785. " Life and Spiritual Experiences of Elizabeth Wast." 
 " Six Letters on Grospel Preaching." 
 " Ten Letters on the Exemplary Behaviour of Ministers. 
 Tract I. " Christ being made of God to us Sanctifica- 
 
 tion." 
 
 II. " The Grace of God, and Jesus Christ, the All of 
 Redemption."
 
 BIBLIOGRAPHY 349 
 
 Tract III. " A Contrast of the Purchase and Application 
 
 of Redemption." 
 
 IV. " Reflections of a Soul shut up to the Faith." 
 ,, V. " Reflections of a Christian upon his Spiritual 
 
 Elevations and Dejections." 
 
 ,, VI. " Reflections of a Candidate for the Minis- 
 
 terial Office." 
 VII. " Reflections of One entered into the Pastoral 
 
 Office." 
 
 VIII. " Reflections of a Minister encouraging him- 
 self in Christ." 
 
 IX. " On Conditional Election and Free-will." 
 X. " The Parliament Dissolved." 
 XI. " The Grand Poll." 
 XII. " On a Sinner's Marriage with Christ." 
 
 XIII. " On the Glorious Work of Mercy." 
 XIV. " Holy Resolutions in View of Marriage." 
 
 XV. " State of Britain's Debt to God." 
 ,, XVI. " Britain's Sole Preservative in an Outpour- 
 ing of the Spirit." 
 
 XVII. " Christ the Best Minister of State." 
 XVIII. " A Brief Chronology of Redemption." 
 XIX. " Blanchard's Travel Excelled." 
 XX. " A Sore-vexed Soul Delivered." 
 XXI. " Divine Warrants, Advantages, Ends, and 
 Rules of Fellowship Meetings for Prayer 
 and Spiritual Conference." 
 
 XXII. " Thoughts Relative to the Lord's Supper." 
 " Strictures on Ordination Vows." 
 " Translation of Drelincourt's ' Charitable Visits.' ' 
 " Pleasant and Practicable Hints from Samuel Rutherford." 
 ** A Brief Dissertation concerning the Righteousness of 
 
 Christ." 
 " Apology for the more Frequent Administration of the 
 
 Lord's Supper." 1804. 
 
 ** Devout and Practical Meditations." Christian Reposi- 
 tory, November, 1816. 
 
 " The Composition of Pulpit Discourses." Christian Re- 
 pository, November, 1817. 
 
 " To a Young Person under Serious Impressions." Chris* 
 tian Monitor, March 1825.
 
 INDEX 
 
 ABEBCKOMBY, Margaret, 197 
 Abernethy, Perthshire, 1 ; Mar- 
 row Controversy, 2 ; sketch of, 
 2 ; communion sabbaths, 5 ; 
 view from heights, 13 ; stu- 
 dents, 27 ; in 1745, 54; Brown 
 quitting it, 59 
 Acton, Lord, 171, 173 
 Adam, Sir C. E., 230 
 Addison, 264 
 
 Administration of the Lord's Sup- 
 per, Apology for more Frequent, 
 94-96 
 
 Aitken, Robert Nimmo, 320 
 Alison, Isabel, martyr, 87 
 Alleine, Joseph, Alarm, 11, 25, 
 
 273 ; Directions, 15 
 America, Dutch Reformed Church, 
 
 243 
 
 Annan, Rev. Robert, 223 
 Aquinas, Thomas, 204 
 Archibald, Alexander, 273 
 Archibald, Rev. Robert, 75 
 Arminian Controversy, 156 
 Arnold, Matthew, 199, 310 
 Assembly of the Church of Scot- 
 land, General, 2, 62, 253 
 Associate Congregation of Had- 
 dington, General, 85 ; discipline, 
 86,87 
 
 Associate Presbytery, 62 ; Church, 
 the Breach, 65 ; requiring 
 preachers, 66 ; E. Erskine ap- 
 pointed Professor, 67 ; James 
 Fisher, Professor, 70 ; J. Brown 
 Moderator, 88; Professor, 131; 
 its Testimony, 88 
 Associate Synod of Ireland, letter 
 
 to, 266 
 Association of Friends of the 
 
 People, General, 145 
 Astruc, Jean, Conjecturinga, 124 
 Augustine, Homiletics, 98 
 
 Bacon, Francis, 27, 104 
 
 Bacon, Roger, unjust treatment, 
 29 
 
 Barry, James, 197 
 
 Baxter, Richard, 11, 101, 136, 
 273 
 
 Bengel, Johann Albrecht, 104 
 
 Bible, division of, into chapters and 
 verses, 119 
 
 Blackball, Rev. John, 146 
 
 Blacklock, Thomas, D.D., 104 
 
 Blackstone's Commentaries, 104 
 
 Blackwood, William, D.D., 185 
 
 Blair, Hugh, D.D., 1, 264 
 
 Boccaccio, Giovanni, 203 
 
 Borrow, George, 103, 192 
 
 Bright, John, 60 
 
 Boston, Thomas, 2, 99 ; Fourfold 
 Estate, 189, 273 
 
 Bower, Walter, 2 
 
 Bronte, Charlotte, 320 
 
 Brougham, Lord, 141, 238, 313, 
 317 
 
 Brown, Alexander, 321 
 
 Brown, Professor A. Crum, 311 
 
 Brown, David, 307, 321 
 
 Brown, Rev. George, 321 
 
 Brown, James, D.D., The Scottish 
 Probationer, 73 
 
 Brown, James, 9 
 
 Brown, Ebenezer, 84, 101, 124; 
 student's frolic, 141 ; boyish 
 pranks, 153, 154 ; letter to 
 Simeon, 188; ordained, 238; 
 incident at North Berwick, 247, 
 248; noting his father's sayings, 
 290, 292, 323; father's last 
 letter to, 302 ; forming Gaelic 
 Society, 308; sketch of, 313, 
 314 
 
 Brown, Mrs. Ebenezer, 314 
 
 Brown, Isabella, Mrs. Dunlop, 
 322 
 
 351
 
 352 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Brown, Janet, Mrs. Patterson, 
 308, 315, 316 
 
 BROWN, JOHN, born, Carpow, 1 ; 
 father and mother, 3 ; " Short 
 Memoir" seethe "Memoir of 
 My Life, Short"; school-days, 6 ; 
 mother's saying, 9 ; family 
 circle, 9 ; school of life, 10 ff ; 
 death of parents, 1 1 ; shepherd, 
 13; spiritual experiences, 15, 
 16; Reflections, etc., 17, 18; 
 Elevations, etc. , 18, 19; ac- 
 quisition of languages, 20 ff ; 
 obtaining Greek New Testa- 
 ment, 25 ; unjust suspicions, 
 
 27 ff ; accused of witchcraft, 
 
 28 ; letter of defence, 34 ff ; 
 request for Church certificate, 
 41, granted, 44 ; pedlar, 46 ff ; 
 soldier, 52 ff ; joined the Fife- 
 shire Volunteers, 53 ; at Black- 
 ness, 53 ; at Edinburgh Castle, 
 56 ; schoolmaster, 59 ff ; sides 
 with the Erskines, 66 ; divinity 
 student, 67 ff ; "trials," 71; 
 called to Haddington and Stow, 
 75 ; ordained at Haddington, 
 75 ; appearance, 76 ; congrega- 
 tion, 77 ; work of pastorate, 
 7881 ; manse and church, 
 82, 83 ; stipend, 83, 246, 278 ; 
 first marriage, 83 ; Moderator 
 of Synod, 88, of Presbytery of 
 Edinburgh, 89 ; clerk of both, 
 90 ; reform of Communion 
 Services, 88 ff ; letter to Rev. 
 W. McEwen, 92 ff ; his preach- 
 ing, 99, 100 ; knowledge of 
 languages, 103 ; a " universal 
 scholar," 104 ; first published 
 work, Explication of Confession 
 and Catechisms, 106 ff ; Cate- 
 chisms for the Young, 108 ; 
 Christian Journal, 110 ff ; Dic- 
 tionary of the Bible, 116 ff ; 
 History of the Secession, 116, 
 208 ; Letters on the Christian 
 Church, 117; Sacred Typology, 
 117; Story of Bible Diction- 
 aries, 118-22, 125, 126; title- 
 page of Dictionary. 123 ; letters 
 to Mrs. Swanston, 128-30; ap- 
 pointed Professor, 131 ; the 
 Divinity Hall and its curricu- 
 lum, 1 32 ; closing addresses, 1 34- 
 37 ; intercourse of the Hall, 138, 
 
 139; among the students, 138- 
 41 ; some of the students, 143- 
 47 ; letters on gospel preaching, 
 etc., 147-50; home, 151, 152; 
 death of the first Mrs. Brown, 
 151 ; correspondence with the 
 Countess of Huntingdon, 154- 
 61, 217-22, 281-83; the poet 
 Fergusson, 161, 162 ; second 
 marriage, 163; church his- 
 torian, 166ff ; Self-interpreting 
 Bible, 175 ff; Concordance, 191 ; 
 Lives, 1 92 ff ; theologian, 203 ff ; 
 System of Doctrine, 206-16; 
 letters, 223 ff ; tracts, 239 ff ; 
 letter to John, 236 ; Display 
 of Secession Testimony, 239 ; 
 Oracles of Christ, 242 ; Authori- 
 tative Toleration, 243 ; invited 
 to a Professorship in America, 
 243, 244 ; self- dedication, 245 ; 
 his generosity, 247, 248; church- 
 man, 249 ff ; translator, 260 ; 
 Strictures on ordination Vows, 
 
 261 ; vindicating Day of Rest, 
 
 262 ; last work, 262 ; method of 
 preaching, 263-66; letter to 
 Synod of Ireland, 266, 267, 
 to James Pierston, 248, 269; 
 among his children, 269 ; singing 
 to them an ode of Horace, 270 ; 
 letter to them, 274, 275 ; to his 
 congregation, 2 84-89; weakened 
 strength, 282 ; last sermons. 
 283 ; table talk, 289 ff ; letters 
 to John, 293, 298, 299, 300; 
 resigns clerkship of Synod and 
 Professorship, 299 ; letter to 
 Ebenezer, 302 ; the end, 304 ; 
 tombstone inscription, 304; Syn- 
 od's appreciation, 305 ; his 
 family, 307 ff ; last sayings, 
 323 ff 
 
 Brown, Mrs. John, Janet Thom- 
 son, marriage, 83, 84 ; letter to 
 her son John, 151 ; death 152, 
 304 
 
 Brown, Mrs. John, Violet Croum- 
 bie, 83, marriage, 162, 164; 
 brother, 1 63, 1 64 ; amount 
 received from husband's works, 
 246 ; death, 304, 308 
 
 Brown, Rev. John, Whitburn, 
 eldest son, 14, 84 ; issues, 
 with Ebenezer and Thomas, an 
 edition of Dictionary, 124 ;
 
 INDEX 
 
 353 
 
 student, 141 ; letter from his 
 mother, 151 ; home pranks, 
 153 ; incident of courtship, 
 235; orduinod, 23G ; letters 
 from his father, 230, 237, 293, 
 298, 300 ; Moderator of his 
 Church, 301 ; sketch, 308, 309 ; 
 his family, 309-13; at Had- 
 dington, 323 
 
 Brown, Professor John, D.D., 
 issue of the valedictory address, 
 1 37 ; minister of Rose Street, 
 and Broughton Place Churches, 
 Edinburgh, 202 ; reference to 
 his grandfather, 210; sketch of, 
 309, 310 
 
 Brown, John, M.D., LL.D., Edin- 
 burgh, 14 ; sage comment on the 
 Satan episode, 45 ; Marjorie 
 Fleming, 109 ; letters, 223 ; 
 on the Odes of Horace, 220 ; 
 happy title for the family, 307 ; 
 sketch of, 310, 311 ; encomium 
 on cousin, 320, 321 
 
 Brown John, Edinburgh, St. An- 
 drews Greek Testament 26, 31 1 
 
 Brown, John, Lieutenant, M.C., 
 311 
 
 Brown, John, M.D., Burnley and 
 South Africa, 318 
 
 Brown, Rev. John Croumbie, 
 LL.D., Centenary Memorial, 23, 
 fifi ; story of Self (-interpreting 
 Bible, 190; sketch of, 318 
 
 Brown, Mrs. Croumbie, 318 
 
 Brown, John Taylor, 321 
 
 Brown, Joseph, D.D., 312 
 
 Brown, Peggy, 294, 307 
 
 Brown, Miss Rachel, 164, 318 
 
 Brown, Samuel, son, the " little 
 prophet," 269, 307 ; sketch of, 
 316-18. 
 
 Brown, Samuel, M.D., 312, 319-21 
 
 Brown, Mrs. Samuel, 320 
 
 Brown, Miss Spring, 320 
 
 Brown, Rev. Thomas, D.D., Dal- 
 keith, son, 36, 124, 307 ; sketch 
 of, 315 
 
 Brown, Violet, Mrs. Johnstone, 
 312 
 
 Brown, Violet Croumbie, 322 
 
 Brown, Rev. William, M.D., son, 
 his father's preaching, 100 ; 
 return for his works, 246, 247 ; 
 date of birth, 308 ; sketch of, 
 321 
 
 Brown, Mrs. William, 321 
 Browne, Sir Thomas, 104, 110 
 Bruce, Rev. Alexander, 258 
 Bruce, Michael, school at Gairney 
 
 Bridge, 00 ; ode on Rev. W. 
 
 McEwen, 92 ; death, 128, 143 ; 
 
 Paraphrases, 251 ; Logan, his 
 
 editor, 251 
 
 Bullinger, Heinrich, 204 
 Bullocus, George, 120 
 Bunyan, John, Pilgrim's Pro- 
 gress, 189 
 Burgess Oath controversy, 53 
 
 64, 65 
 
 Burke, Edmund, 242 
 Burkitt, William, D.D., 104, 185 
 Burns, Robert, " Holy Fair," 91 ; 
 
 on Brown, 190 
 
 Cairns, Rev. David, 312 
 Cairns, Professor David, D.D., 312 
 Cairns, Elizabeth, 197, 273 
 Cairns, Principal John, D.D., 
 
 LL.D., 14, 79, 216, 309, 312 
 Cairns, Rev. John, Dumfries, 312 
 Cairns, Rev. William S., Edin- 
 burgh, 313 
 
 Call, The Awakening, 243, 288 
 Calmet, Augustine, 104, 118, 121, 
 
 122 
 
 Calvin, John, 103, 170, 204 
 Cambridge, Cheshunt College, 155, 
 
 157; C. Simeon, 186, 187 
 Cameron farm, St. Andrews, 53, 
 
 57 
 
 Candlish, Rev. Dr., 257 
 Canne, John, author of marginal 
 
 references, 176 
 Cargill, Donald, 87 
 Carlyle, Rev. Dr. Alexander, 
 
 Inveresk, 83, 98, 100, 257 
 Carlyle, Jeanie Welsh, 83, 131 
 Carlyle, Thomas, on Dante, 8 ; 
 
 John Knox's birthplace, 26 ; 
 
 on McEwen, 92 ; on Adam Fer- 
 
 gusson, 166 ; on History, 172 ; 
 
 on the Secession Church, 254, 
 
 255 
 Carpow, John Brown's birthplace, 
 
 1, 3, 11 
 Cams, Rev. William, biographer 
 
 of Simeon, 187 
 Castle Law, 4, 38 
 Casuistical Hints, 198, 199 
 Catechisms for Young Children, 
 
 J09, 189, 246, 273 
 
 23
 
 354 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Chalmers, Rev. Robert, 337 
 Charitable Visits, The, 260 
 Cheyne, J. K., D.D., 126 
 Christian Endeavour Society, 
 
 Junior, 269 
 
 Christian, The Young, 196 
 Christian, The, The Student, and 
 
 the Pastor, 1 95 
 
 Christian Journal, The, 14, 51, 
 103 ; quotations from, 1 1 1-14 ; 
 published, 114, 115; referred 
 to, 246, 271, 273, 341 
 
 Christian, Professor, Edinburgh, 
 319 
 
 Chronology of Redemption, A Brief, 
 319 
 
 Church, General History of the, 168 
 
 Churches, History of the British, 
 167, 168, 169 
 
 Church of England, 186, 330 
 
 Church of Scotland, Marrow con- 
 troversy, 1, 61 ; witchcraft, 31 ; 
 secession from it, 62 ; History 
 of, 45, 170, 245 ; "schism-over- 
 ture," 253 ; its defenders, 254 ; 
 its testimony to-day, 255, 256 
 
 Church, Relief, 66 ; founding of, 
 99 ; growth, 252 
 
 Church, Roman Catholic, 90, 241 
 
 Church, The Secession, witch- 
 craft, 31 ; rebellion of 1745, 
 53-6 ; founded, 59, 62, 65 ; the 
 "Breach" 65; Brown's His- 
 tory of, 45, 116, 136, 171, 258 ; 
 Testimony, 88, 239, 240; growth, 
 252 ; Brown demitted Profes- 
 sorship, 299 
 
 Church, United Free, of Scotland, 
 66 
 
 Church, United Presbyterian, 66 
 
 Clarendon, 263 
 
 Clarke, Samuel D.D., 104, 185 
 
 Cocceius, Johannes, Federal . 
 Theology, 204, 210 
 
 Cock, Rev. Andrew, 130 
 
 Concordance of the Scriptures, 191 
 
 Conrad, L'Alberstade, 119 
 
 Contemporary of John Brown's 
 narrative, 14, 15, 48, 49, 50, 60 
 
 Controversy, The Marrow, 1, 2, 
 61 ; Burgess Oath, 65 ; obser- 
 vance of the Lord's Supper, 
 89 ff ; the Righteousness of 
 Christ, 107, 108 ; Arminian, 156 ; 
 Secession Testimony, 239-41 ; 
 Jlpman Catholic disabilities, 23Q 
 
 Couper, W. J., M.A., 252 
 Cowley, Abraham, 104 
 Cowper, William, 110 
 Craik, Sir Henry, Century of 
 
 Scottish History, 254, 256 
 Creighton, Mandell, D.D., 90 
 Cromwell, Oliver, soldiers, 77 ; 
 
 work, 170 
 
 Croumbie, John, 163, 164, 316 
 Cruden, Alexander, 8, 191 
 Curtis, Professor, W. A., D.D., 206 
 
 Dalzell, Rev. John, controversy 
 on Christ's Righteousness, 107 
 
 Dante, 8, 197 
 
 Defoe, Daniel, 260 
 
 Denman, Lord, 313 
 
 Devout Breathings, 243 
 
 Dick, John, D.D., 144 
 
 Dickens, Charles, 310 
 
 Dictionary of the Bible, The, 44, 
 105, 116; sketch of Diction- 
 aries, 118-22, 125, 126 ; Brown's 
 118, 122-5, 127, 156, 246 
 
 Discipline, The First Book of, 94 
 
 Divinity Hall, Haddington, 132- 
 42; someof the students, 143-45 
 
 Divisions in the Church, 197-201 
 
 Doddridge, Philip, 104, 185, 195 
 
 Donne, Dr. John, 197 
 
 Drummond, Rev. Dr. Abernethy, 
 242 
 
 Dryden, John, 265 
 
 Dundas, Henry, 232 
 
 Dunlop, John, 322 
 
 Eadie, John, D.D., LL.D., 125, 
 
 321 
 Edwards, Jonathan, D.D., 173, 
 
 195 
 
 Episcopacy and its tests, 87 
 Erskine, Rev. Ebenezer, com- 
 munions at Stirling, 49 ; action 
 in 1745, 54; son-in-law, 57; 
 defence of Christian doctrine, 
 61 ; sketch of, 62 ; Professor, 
 67, 70 ; nephew, 88 
 Erskine, Rev. Henry, 54 
 Erskine, Rev. James, 88 
 Erskine, Rev. Dr. John, 92, 242 
 Erskine, Rev. Ralph, son, 54 ; 
 Brown's attendance on his 
 ministry, 60, 340 ; sketch of, 
 62 ; defence of Brown, 68 ;
 
 INDEX 
 
 355 
 
 poetic gifts, 250 ; poem, " Work 
 and Contention of Heaven," 334 
 Evans, John, D.D., 328 
 Ewing, William, D.D., 126 
 
 Faber, Rev. Frederick, 192 
 Federal Theology, 204-6, 222 
 Fergusson, Adam, historian, 66 
 Fergusson, Robert, poet, 161, 162 
 Femey, Henry, 20, 22, 25, 37 
 Fisher, Rev. James, one of the 
 Secession Four, 62 ; Professor, 
 67, 70, 127 ; on commit- 
 tees with Brown, 88 ; grand- 
 daughter, 314 
 
 Flavel, John, D.D., Catechism, 8 
 Fleming, Rev. J. R., B.D., 63 
 Fletcher, Alexander, D.D., 124 ' 
 Fletcher, Andrew, of Saltoun, 131 
 Fletcher, John William, of Made- 
 ley, 155 
 
 Fliedner, Mrs. F., 319 
 Forbes, Professor William, Glas- 
 gow, on witchcraft, 31 
 Fraser, James of Brea, 195, 273 
 Free Thoughts upon the Late Regu- 
 lation of the Post, 262 
 
 Gairney Bridge, Brown's school at, 
 59, 60, 68; Secession Church 
 founded at, 62 
 
 George III, 1, 303 
 
 Gerrald, Joseph, political martyr, 
 145 
 
 Gib, Rev. Adam, action in 1745, 
 54, 55; sketch of, 65 ; Secession 
 Testimony, 239 ; on " schism- 
 overture," 253 
 
 Gibbon, Edward, 1, 171, 243 
 
 Gilfillan, Rev. George, 92, 320 
 
 Gill, John, D.D., 104, 185 
 
 Gillespie, Rev. Thomas, founder 
 of Relief Church, 66, 99 
 
 Gouge, William, D.D., Directions, 
 11, 12 
 
 Graham, Henry Grey, on Seces- 
 sion and 1745, 53 ; on school at 
 Gairney Bridge, 60 ; on Seces- 
 sion Church, 354 
 
 Gray, John, bookseller, Edin- 
 burgh, 54, 1 10 
 
 Gray, Thomas, poet, 104 
 
 Greek, Brown acquiring a know- 
 ledge of, 22-5 
 
 Greek New Testament, obtaining 
 
 one, 25 ; in possession of fifth 
 
 John Brown, 26 
 
 Gregory, Professor W., M.D., 319 
 Grotius, Hugh, 197 
 Guthrie, William, Saving Interest, 
 
 11 
 Guyse, John, D.D., 104, 185, 273 
 
 Haddington, 14, 25, 76 ; Brown's 
 manse and church, 82, 83, 85 ; 
 town and district, 131 
 
 Hailes, Lord, historian, 167 
 
 Hall, Rev. Archibald, 64, 235 
 
 Hall, James, D.D., 143, 201, 202 
 
 Hall, Robert, 79 
 
 Hallyburton, Thomas, 195, 273 
 
 Harmony of Scripture Prophecies, 
 118,243 
 
 Harvey, Marion, martyr, 87 
 
 Hastings, James, D.D., 126 
 
 Help for the Ignorant, Explication 
 of the Confession and Catechisms, 
 106-9, 262 
 
 Henderson, Rev. John, Dunbar, 
 304 
 
 Henry, Matthew, 104, 185, 195 
 
 Hervey, James, D.D., 92, 117, 
 323 
 
 Hesiod, 111 
 
 Hill, Rev. Ebenezer Brown, 315 
 
 Hogg, James, 273 
 
 Home, Rev. John, 1, 100 
 
 Horace, ode of, 270 
 
 Home, Rev. Daniel, 250 
 
 Home, Rev. George, 104 
 
 Hughes, Cardinal de Saint-Cher, 
 119 
 
 Hume, David, birth, 1 ; on the 
 preaching of the time, 61 ; on 
 Brown's preaching, 100 ; his- 
 torian, 166 ; Deist, 209 
 
 Huntingdon, Countess of, sketch 
 of, 154-56; letter to, 157; 
 lectures on theology sent to, 
 207, 208; letters to, 219-23, 
 283, 284 
 
 Husband, James, D.D., 141, 143 
 
 Hutton, R. H., 310 
 
 Hutton, Rev. William, 85 
 
 Illyricus, Matthias Flaccus, 120, 
 
 122 
 
 Intolerance under Charles II, 87 
 Itinerating libraries, 316, 317 
 
 Jack, Rev. Robert, LL.D., 144
 
 356 
 
 INDEX 
 
 James VI, 175 
 
 Jamieson, John, D.D., Edinburgh, 
 
 65 
 
 Jamieson, John D.D., Scone, 144 
 Jeffrey, Lord, 141, 238, 313 
 Johnson, Dr. Samuel, 1, 117, 167 
 Johnston, Rev. J., Arngask, 21 
 Johnstone, Mrs., Violet Brown, 
 
 312 
 
 Johnstone, J. Brown, D.D., 312 
 Johnstone, Professor Robert, D.D. , 
 
 312 
 
 Kane, Dr., Dublin, 319 
 Kelvin, Lord, 312 
 Kernahan, Coulson, 231 
 Kidston, William, D.D., 144 
 Kitto, John, D.D., 125 
 Knight, William, 120 
 Knox, John, 76, 197 
 
 Lachlison, Margaret, martyr, 87 
 
 Laity in the Church, Value of, 85 
 
 Lang, Andrew, History of Scot- 
 land, 76 
 
 Law, William, 15 
 
 Lawson, Professor George, D.D., 
 student of Brown's, 140, 143 ; 
 Professor, 71, 301, 309; Brown's 
 "Valedictory," 137; on Brown 
 on " Sanctification," 212 
 
 Lecky, W. E. H., on witchcraft, 
 30, 31 
 
 Lee, Rev. James W., D.D., 184 
 
 Letters on the Christian Church, 
 117 
 
 Letters on Gospel Preaching, etc., 
 147-50 
 
 Liebig, Dr., 319 
 
 Lives of the Saints, The, 192, 194- 
 98, 201, 243 
 
 Livingston, Rev. John, 96 
 
 Livingstone, David, 47 
 
 Loch, Walter, probationer, 75 
 
 Locke, John, on "Education," 39 
 
 Logan, Rev. John, Michael Brace's 
 editor, 251 
 
 Louth, William, D.D., 103 
 
 Luther, Martin, 120, 207 
 
 Lynch, Thomas T. , Momington 
 Lecture, 297, 298 
 
 McAra, Rev. John, 250 
 McCulloch, Alexander, bookseller, 
 St. Andrews, 25 
 
 McEwen, Rev. William, Types, 
 92 ; letter to, 92-4 
 
 MacFarlane, John, D.D., 143 
 
 McKail, Hugh, 197 
 
 Mackenzie, James, author of Life 
 of Michael Bruce, 60, 92, 251 
 
 MacPherson,Rev. Ebenezer Brown 
 Hill, 315 
 
 Maimon, Solomon, 24 
 
 Mair, Rev. Thomas, 62 
 
 Maitland of Lethington, 131 
 
 Marckius, Medulla, 203 
 
 Margarot, Maurice, political 
 martyr, 145 
 
 Martyrs, Wigton, 87 
 
 Mason, John, D.D., 223 
 
 Mather, Cotton, 195 
 
 Mathieson, William Law, The 
 Awakening of Scotland, 254 
 
 Medical knowledge in eighteenth 
 century, 10 
 
 Melanchthon, Philip, 120 
 
 Memoir of my Life, Short, 4, 5, 6, 
 8, 10-12, 16, 17, 28, 29, 50, 51, 
 64, 72, 102, 103, 275-81 
 
 Meredith, George, sonnet, 3 
 
 Metrical Psalms, 175 
 
 Miller, Hugh, 310 
 
 Miller, Robert, 34, 36, 38, 41, 72 
 
 Milton, John, 104 
 
 Moderatism, 98 
 
 Moncrieff, Rev. Alexander, re- 
 buked at Assembly, 2 ; tutoring 
 Brown, 22 ; letter to, 22-5, 
 34-44 ; sketch of, 32, 33 ; 
 opposes granting Brown church 
 certificate, 44 ; sufferings in 
 1 745, 54, 55 ; objected to 
 parties hearing Brown, 59 ; one 
 of Secession Four, 62 ; separates 
 from them, 65 ; averse to 
 Brown studying for ministry, 
 63 ; Professor, 67 ; Secession 
 Testimony controversy, 239, 
 240 
 
 Moncrieff, Rev. Matthew, 33, 40 
 
 Moncrieff, Rev. William, 23, 33, 40 
 
 More, Sir William, 175 
 
 Moule, Right Rev. Bishop, D.D., 
 187 
 
 Newburgh-on-Tay, 3, 9 
 Newman, John Henry, Cardinal, 
 
 192-95, 197 
 Nicoll, Sir W. R., Bookman's 
 
 Letters. 320
 
 INDEX 
 
 357 
 
 Nisbet, James, publisher, 113 
 Nisbet, Sergeant James, 197 
 Nisbet, John, 197 
 Nobbs, Mrs. Leeder, 318 
 
 Ogilvie, John, 12, 14, 20, 35, 38 
 Olivian, 204 
 
 Oracles of Christ, The, 242 
 Owen, John, D.D., 104 
 Oxford, Mansfield College Chapel, 
 305 
 
 Palmer, Thomas Fyshe, political 
 
 martyr, 145 
 " Paraphrases," by Michael Bruce, 
 
 351 
 Patison, Rev. John, Edinburgh, 
 
 201 
 
 Patterson, Alexander S., D.D., 315 
 Patterson, Mrs. Janet Brotvn, 308, 
 
 315 
 Patterson, Rev. John Brown, 
 
 Falkirk, 315 
 Patrick, Symon, commentator, 
 
 103, 185 
 Paton, John Brown, D.D., 133. 
 
 139 
 
 Peddie, James, D.D., 144, 201, 202 
 Pennant, T., Tours in Scotland, 
 
 91 
 
 Pepys, Samuel, Diary, 13 
 Pierston, James, letters to, 267, 
 
 268 
 
 Pitt, William, 233 
 Pittenweem, witchcraft, 61 
 Playfair, Lord, 320 
 Pollock, Rev. John, 66 
 Poole, Matthew, commentator, 
 
 103, 185 
 
 Pope, Alexander, 104, 117 
 Practical Piety, 1 97 
 Praying Societies in eighteenth 
 
 century, 99, 100, 101 
 "Preaching, the Right Method 
 
 of," 263 
 Present Truth, The ; Display of 
 
 Secession Testimony, 239 
 Prices in eighteenth century, 7 ; 
 
 47, 57 
 Pringle, Francis, Professor, St. 
 
 Andrews, 26 
 Psalter of the Church, The, 250 
 
 Ramsay, Allan, 56 
 Ramsay, Sir William, 321 
 
 Ravenellus, Petrus, 121, 122 
 
 Rawlinson, Sir Henry, cuneiform 
 characters, 22 
 
 Rebellion of 1715, 1 ; 1745, 52; 
 and the Secession Church, 53-6 
 
 Reflections of Candidate for Minis- 
 terial Office, 73, 74 
 
 Reflections of one entered on Pas- 
 toral Office, 77, 78 
 
 Religion, A compendious View of 
 Natural and Revealed, 207-16 
 
 Richelieu, Cardinal, 197 
 
 Robertson, Principal W., D.D., 
 1, 104, 166, 256 
 
 Rosebery, Lord, 289, 310 
 
 Rosetta Stone, 22 
 
 Rous, Francis, 175 
 
 Ruddiman, Thomas, 7, 57 
 
 Rules for Fellowship Meetings, 267 
 
 Rutherford, Samuel, 11, 261, 273 
 
 Sacrament of the Supper, at 
 Abernethy, 5 ; presence of 
 young people, 5, 97 ; at various 
 places, 48 ; at Stirling, 49, 50 ; 
 infrequency and Brown's re- 
 form, 89 ff ; abuses, 91 ; Apo- 
 logy for more Frequent Adminis- 
 tration, 94 ; Livingston's large 
 gatherings, 96 
 Sacred Typology, 117, 243 
 Salle, Robert Cavelier La, ex- 
 plorer, 226 
 Satanic influence, 29 
 Savonarola, Girolamo, 233 
 Schools, 6 ; Brown's school -days, 
 8 ; his school at Gairney Bridge, 
 60, at Spittal, Penicuick, 64 
 Schultens, Albert, 104 
 Scott, Miss Christian, 228 
 Scrymgeour, Rev. James, 247 
 Secession Four, The, 33, 59, 62 
 Segovie, Jean de, 117 
 Selden, John, 197 
 Self-interpreting Bible, The, 105, 
 175 ; Introduction, 178 ff ; pub- 
 lication, 181 ; cost, 183 ; Ameri- 
 can issue, 184, 185 ; Spurgeon's 
 comment, 185, 186; Simeon's 
 appreciation of, 187 ; Burns's 
 reference, 190; grandson's 
 story, 190; great - grandson's 
 story, 191, 246 
 Shaftesbury, 263 
 Shakespeare, William, 265 
 Sharp, Archbishop, 45
 
 358 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Sharpe, E. K., History of Witch- 
 craft, 31 
 
 Shaw, Christian, 31 
 Sheridan, Thomas, American 
 
 writer, 195 
 
 Shirley, Rev. Walter, 157 
 Simeon, Rev. Charles, 186-89 
 Simon, HonorS Richard, 121, 122 
 Simpson, Rev. John, 314 
 Skirving,William, political martyr, 
 
 student of Brown's, 144, 145 
 Smart, John, D.D., 144 
 Smellie, Alexander, D.D., 87 
 Smiles, Samuel, 83, 317, 337 
 Smith, Adam, 1, 234 
 Smith, David, D.D., 312 
 Smith, William, D.D., 126 
 Smyton, Rev. David. 256 
 Spencer, Herbert, 275 
 Spurgeon, Rev. C. H., 185 
 Stanley, Dean, 310 
 Stephens, Robert, 117 
 Sternhold and Hopkins, 175 
 Stevenson, R. L., Memoir and 
 
 Portraits, 1 3 ; Edinburgh, 1 62 
 Stirling, Earl of, 175 
 Stockton, Owen, 145 
 Stow, 75, 236, 303 
 Strictures on Ordination Vows, 261 
 Swanston, Andrew, 144 
 Swanston, Rev. John, Kinross, 
 
 68, 127 
 
 Swanston, Mrs. letters to, 128-30 
 Swift, Jonathan, 264 
 Syme, Professor James, M.D., 310 
 Symmera, Alexander, bookseller, 
 
 Edinburgh, 57 
 System of Christian Doctrine, 206- 
 
 1 6 ; delivered at Trevecca, 217. 
 
 222 ; published, 243 ; practical 
 
 knowledge required, 290 ; place 
 
 in history, 222 
 
 " Tabernacle, The," 13 
 Temple, Sir William, 263, 264 
 Thackeray, W. M., 310 
 Thomson, James, 104 
 Thomson, John, 83, 84 
 Thomson, J. E. H., D.D., 126 
 Thucydides, 181 
 Toplady, Augustus, 155 
 Tracts for the Times, 229-54 
 Trevecca, College at, 155, 157, 
 
 207, 217 
 
 Turretin, Francois, Institutes, 203 
 Twain, Mark, 310. 
 
 Tytler, William, historian, 168 
 Ussher, Archbishop, 101, 197 
 
 Vincent, BishopH., D.D., America, 
 
 184 
 Vincent's, Catechism, 8 ; Judgment, 
 
 35 
 Vitringa, Campegius, 104 
 
 Waldenses, History of the, 1 68 
 
 Wast, Elizabeth, Spiritual Experi- 
 ences of, 262 
 
 Watt, L. MacLean, B.D., 138, 172 
 
 Watts, Isaac, 104, 329 
 
 Watson, John, D.D., 49 
 
 Watson, Principal Robert, St. 
 Andrews, 167 
 
 Waugh, Alexander, D.D., student 
 of Brown's, 137, 138, 143; 
 letters to, 146, 147 
 
 \Vebster, Alexander, D.D., 99 
 
 Wedderburns of Dundee, 1 75 
 
 Wesley, John, "method," 15; 
 defence of witchcraft, 30, 32 ; 
 in Haddington, 77 ; classes, 81 ; 
 Arminian controversy, 155 
 
 Whitby, David, D.D., 104 
 
 Whitefield, George, 69, 175 
 
 Wier, Johann, Dr., 29 
 
 Williams, Joseph, 197 
 
 Wilson, Thomas, Christian Dic- 
 tionarie, 116, 118, 220, 222 
 
 Wilson, Rev. William, Perth, 
 62, 68, 290 
 
 Wishart, George, martyr, 76 
 
 Witchcraft, Brown accused of, 28 ; 
 in Scotland 29 ; John Wesley's 
 belief in, 30 ; trials, 30 ; Church 
 o f Scotland and Secession 
 Church uphold it, 3 1 ; letter of 
 defence, 34-44 ; article in Dic- 
 tionary, 44, 45 
 
 Witsius, Herman, theologian, 205 
 
 Wodrow, Robert, 71, 104 
 
 Woodside, Rev. David, Soul of a 
 Scottish Church, 66 
 
 Woolman, John, Journal, 154, 289 
 
 Wordsworth, William, 60, 110 
 
 Young, Arthur, Autobiography, 7 
 Young, Edward, 104 
 Young, Dr., Rosetta stone, 22 
 Y.M.C.A., 267 
 
 Zwingli, Ulrich, 206
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONA 
 
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