Part 12 (1/2)
_The Life of Mr. GEORGE GILLESPIE._
Mr. George Gillespie was son to Mr. John Gillespie, sometime minister of the gospel at Kirkaldy. After Mr. George had been some time at the university (where he surpa.s.sed the most part of his fellow-students) he was licensed to preach some time before the year 1638, but could have no entry into any parish because the bishops had then the ascendant in the affairs of the church. This obliged him to remain for some time chaplain[68], in the family of the earl of Ca.s.sils.----And here it was, that he wrote that elaborate piece (though he was scarce twenty-five years of age) int.i.tled, a dispute against the English popish ceremonies, &c. which book was, in the year 1637, discharged, by order of proclamation, to be used, as being of too corrosive a quality to be digested by the bishops weak stomachs.
After this he was ordained minister of Weemes, by Mr. Robert Douglas, _April 26, 1638_, being the first who was admitted by a presbytery in that period, without an acknowledgment of the bishops.----And now Mr.
Gillespie began in a more public way to exert himself in defence of the presbyterian interest, when at the 11th session of that venerable a.s.sembly held at Glasgow 1638, he preached a very learned and judicious sermon from these words, _The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord_, &c. in which sermon, the earl of Argyle thought that he touched the royal prerogative too near, and did very gravely admonish the a.s.sembly concerning the same, which they all took in good part, as appeared from a discourse then made by the moderator for the support of that admonition.
At the general a.s.sembly held at Edinburgh 1641, Mr. Gillespie had a call tabled from the town of Aberdeen, but the lord commissioner and himself here pled his cause so well, that he was for sometime continued at Weemes----Yet he got not staying there long, for the general a.s.sembly in the following year ordered him to be transported to the city of Edinburgh, where it appears he continued until the day of his death, which was about six years after.
Mr. George Gillespie was one of those four ministers who were sent as commissioners from the church of Scotland to the Westminster a.s.sembly in the year 1643, where he displayed himself to be one of great parts and learning, debating with such perspicuity, strength of argument, and calmness of spirit, that few could equal, yea none excel him, in that a.s.sembly.----As for instance, One time when both the parliament and the a.s.sembly were met together, and a long studied discourse being made in favours of Erastianism to which none seemed ready to make an answer, and Mr. Gillespie being urged thereunto by his brethren the Scots commissioners, repeated the subject-matter of the whole discourse, and refuted it, to the admiration of all present,--and that which surprised them most was, that though it was usual for the members to take down notes of what was spoken in the a.s.sembly for the help of their memory, and that Mr. Gillespie seemed to be that way employed during the time of that speech unto which he made answer, yet those who sat next him declared, that having looked into his note-book, they found nothing of that speech written, but here and there, ”Lord, defend thine light,----Lord, give a.s.sistance,----Lord, defend thine own cause, &c.”
And although the practice of our church gave all our Scots commissioners great advantages (the English divines having so great a difference) that they had the first forming of all these pieces[69] which were afterward compiled and approved of by that a.s.sembly, yet no one was more useful at supporting them therein than Mr. Gillespie the youngest of them.----”None (says one of his colleagues who was there present) in all the a.s.sembly, did reason more, nor more pertinently, than Mr.
Gillespie,--he is an excellent youth, my heart blesses G.o.d in his behalf.” Again, when Acts xvii. 28. was brought for the proof of the power of ordination, and keen disputing arose upon it, ”The very learned and accurate Gillespie, a singular ornament to our church, than whom not one in the a.s.sembly spoke to better purpose, nor with better acceptance of all the hearers, shewed that the Greek word of purpose, by the Episcopals, translated ordination, was truly choosing, importing the people's suffrage in electing their own office-bearers.” And elsewhere says, ”We get good help in our a.s.sembly debates of lord Warriston (an occasional commissioner), but of none more than that n.o.ble youth Mr.
Gillespie. I admire his gifts, and bless G.o.d, as for all my colleagues, so for him in particular, as equal in these to the first in the a.s.sembly[70].”
After his return from the Westminster a.s.sembly, he was employed mostly in the public affairs of the church, until the year 1648, when he was chosen moderator to the general a.s.sembly, in which a.s.sembly several famous acts were made in favour of the covenanted work of reformation, particularly that against the unlawful engagement then made against England by the duke of Hamilton, and those of the malignant faction. In this a.s.sembly, he was one of these nominated to prosecute the treaty of uniformity in religion with England, but in a short time after this, the sickness seized him, whereof he died about the 17th of December following.
Says Mr. Rutherford to him in a letter when on his death bed; ”Be not heavy, the life of faith is now called for; doing was never reckoned on your accounts (though Christ in and by you hath done more then by twenty, yea, an hundred grey haired and G.o.dly pastors.) Look to that word, Gal. ii. 20. _Nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me_, &c.”
In his life-time he was always firmly attached to the work of reformation, and continued so to the end of his life.--For about two months before his decease, he sent a paper to the commission of the general a.s.sembly, wherein he gave faithful warning against every sin and backsliding that he then perceived to be on the growing hand both in church and state, and last of all, he emitted the following faithful testimony against a.s.sociation and compliance with the enemies of truth and true G.o.dliness, in these words.
”Seeing now in all appearance, the time of my dissolution draweth near, although I have, in my latter will, declared my mind of public affairs, yet I have thought good to add this further testimony, that I esteem the malignant party in these kingdoms to be the seed of the Serpent, enemies to piety and presbyterial government (pretend what they will to the contrary), a generation who have not set G.o.d before them. With the malignant are to be joined the profane and scandalous, from all which, as from heresy and error, the Lord, I trust, is about to purge his church. I have often comforted myself (and still do) with the hopes of the Lord's purging this polluted land. Surely the Lord hath begun and will carry on that great work of mercy, and will purge out the rebels. I know there will be always a mixture of hypocrites, but that cannot excuse the conniving at gross and scandalous sinners, &c. I recommend to them that fear G.o.d, seriously to consider, that the holy scriptures do plainly hold forth, 1. That the helping of the enemies of G.o.d, joining or mingling with wicked men is a sin highly displeasing. 2. That this sin hath ordinarily insnared G.o.d's people into divers other sins.
3. That it hath been punished of G.o.d with grievous judgments. And, 4.
That utter destruction is to be feared, when a people, after great mercies and judgments, relapse into this sin, Ezra ix. 13, 14.
”Upon these and the like grounds, for my own exoneration, that so necessary a truth want not the testimony of a dying witness of Christ, altho' the unworthiest of many thousands, and that light may be held forth, and warning given, I cannot be silent at this time, but speak by my pen when I cannot by my tongue, yea now also by the pen of another when I cannot by my own, seriously, and in the name of Jesus Christ, exhorting and obtesting all that fear G.o.d, and make conscience of their ways, to be very tender and circ.u.mspect, to watch and pray, that he be not ensnared in that great and dangerous sin of compliance with malignant or profane enemies of the truth, &c. which if men will do, and trust G.o.d in his own way, they shall not only not repent it, but to the greater joy and peace of G.o.d's people, they shall see his work go on and prosper gloriously. In witness of the premises, I have subscribed the same. At Kircaldy December 5th, 1648, before these witnesses, &c.”
And in about two days after, he gave up the ghost, death shutting his eyes, that he might then see G.o.d, and be for ever with him.
Thus died Mr. George Gillespie, very little past the prime of life. A pregnant divine, a man of much boldness, and great freedom of expression, He signalized himself on every occasion where he was called forth to exercise any part of his ministerial function. No man's death, at that time, was more lamented than his, and such was the sense the public had of his merit, that the committee of estates, by an act dated December 20th, 1648, did, ”as an acknowledgment for his faithfulness in all the public employments entrusted to him by this church, both at home and abroad, his faithful labours and indefatigable diligence in all the exercises of his ministerial calling, for his master's service, and his learned writings published to the world, in which rare and profitable employments, both for church and state, he truly spent himself, and closed his days,--ordain, That the sum of one thousand pounds sterling be given to his widow and children, &c.” And though the parliament did, by their act dated June 8th, 1650, unanimously ratify the above act, and recommended to their committee, to make the same effectual; yet, the Usurper presently over-running the country, this good design was frustrated, as his grandson the Rev. Mr. George Gillespie minister at Strathmiglo did afterwards declare[71].
Besides the English popish ceremonies already mentioned, he wrote also Aaron's rod blossoming, &c. and his miscellany questions first printed 1649, all which with the forecited testimony and some other papers, shew that he was a man of most profound parts, learning and abilities.
_The Life of Mr. JOHN M'CLELLAND._
Mr. John M'Clelland having gone through several branches of useful learning, kept a school for some time at Newton in Ireland, where he became instrumental in training up several hopeful young men for the university. Afterwards he was tried and approven of by the honest ministers in the county of Down, and being licensed, he preached in their churches, until (among others) for faithfulness, he was deposed and excommunicated by the bishops.
He was also engaged with the rest of his faithful brethren in their intended voyage to New England in the year 1636, but that enterprise proving abortive (by reason of a storm which forced them to return back to Ireland), he preached for some time through the counties of Down, Tyron and Dunnegal in private meetings, till being pursued by the bishop's official, he was obliged to come over in disguise to Scotland, where about the year 1638, he was admitted minister at Kirkcudbright, in which place he continued until the day of his death.
It would appear that he was married to one of Mr. Livingston's wife's sisters, and the strictest friends.h.i.+p subsisted betwixt these two worthy men, both while in Ireland, and after their return to Scotland. While he was minister at Kirkcudbright, he discovered more than ordinary diligence, not only in testifying against the corruptions of the time, but also for his own singular walk and conversation, being one who was set for the advancement of all the practical parts of religion, and that as well in private duties as in public.----For instance, When Mr. Henry Guthrie then minister at Stirling (but afterwards bishop of Dunkeld), thought to have brought in a complaint to the general a.s.sembly 1639, against private society meetings (which were then become numerous through the land), yet some of the leading members, knowing that Mr.
Guthrie did it partly out of resentment against the laird of Leckie (who was a great practiser and defender of these meetings), thought proper, rather than it should come to the a.s.sembly, to yield that Mr. Guthrie should preach up the duty of religious exercise in families, and that Messrs. M'Clelland, Blair and Livingston should preach against night-meetings (for they were so called then because mostly kept in the night) and other abuses, but these brethren endeavoured by conference to gain such as had offended by excess in this matter, but by no means could be prevailed with to preach against them, which so offended Mr.
Guthrie, that he gave in a charge or complaint to the general a.s.sembly 1640, wherein he alledged these three ministers were the only encouragers of these meetings, Mr. M'Clelland roundly took him up, and craved that a committee might be appointed to try these disorders, and to censure the offenders, whether those complained of or the complainers, which so nettled Mr. Guthrie, the earl of Seaforth and others of their fraternity, that nothing was heard in the a.s.sembly for sometime for confusion and noise stirred up by them.
Mr. M'Clelland was also one who was endued with the Spirit of discerning what should afterwards come to pa.s.s, as is evident from some of his prophetical expressions, particularly that letter which he wrote to John Lord of Kirkcudbright dated February 20th, 1649, a little before his death, an abstract of which may not be improper, and is as follows,
”_My n.o.ble Lord_,