the Reverend Ebenezer Erskine

Biographical Summary

Ebenezer Erskine, born Dryburgh, parish of Mertoun, Berwickshire, 22nd June (bapt. 24th July) 1680, fourth son of Henry E., min. of Chirnside [of the Erskines of Shielfield, Lauderdale, a direct descendant of Robert, third Lord E., who fell at Flodden], by his second wife, Margaret Halcro ; educated at Univ. of Edinburgh 1693-1702; M.A. (28th June 1697); tutor and chaplain at Leslie House, Fife, in the family of John, Earl of Rothes ; licen. by Presb. of Kirkcaldy 11th Feb. 1703 ; ord. to Portmoak 22nd Sept. 1703. He joined with Boston and ten other ministers in defence of the Marrow doctrine, and signed a Representation to the General Assembly, 11th May 1721, against the Act of 1720, which had condemned the Marrow. For this " the twelve " were admonished by the Assembly, 21st May 1722. E. received calls to Burntisland in 1712, to Tulliallan in 1713, to Kirkcaldy in 1724, and to Kinross in 1728, but all were refused by the Church Courts ; called to this charge 28th April, trans. and adm. 8th July 1731. He disapproved of an Act passed by the Assembly of 1732 anent the settlement of vacant charges, wherein the right of popular election was destroyed. As retiring Moderator of the Synod of Stirling, 10th Oct. 1732, he preached a sermon in which he maintained the invalidity of such an Act, as " wanting the authority of the Son of God." For so doing he was censured by the Synod. His appeal to the General Assembly, 14th May 1733, was dismissed, that Court homologating the action of the Synod and further rebuking E. Against this, he and three associates [William Wilson, Perth, Alexander Moncrieff, Abernethy, and James Fisher, Kinclaven] protested. The Assembly, through a committee, endeavoured to persuade them to withdraw their Protest, and the four ministers were given till the meeting of the August Commission to make up their minds, the Commission being empowered to suspend them if they refused, or to pronounce even a higher censure. In August they were suspended, and at next Commission, 16th Nov., by the casting vote of the Moderator [John Gowdie, D.D.], a sentence virtually amounting to deposition was passed upon them. E. and his friends thereupon signed a formal act of secession. They met at Gairney Bridge, near Kinross, where on 6th Dec. they constituted themselves into an Associate Presbytery with full powers. They were afterwards joined by Erskine's brother Ralph, min. of Dunfermline, Thomas Mair, min. of Orwell, Thomas Nairn, min. of Abbotshall, and James Thomson, min. of Burntisland. Between 1734 and 1740 various healing measures were suggested, all of which were rejected. The obnoxious Act was declared no longer binding, and on 14th May 1734 the Assembly enjoined the Synod "to take the case of the seceders under consideration, and do therein as shall be found most expedient for restoring the peace and preserving the authority of the Church." The sentence against them was annulled 2nd July 1734, and the ministers were restored to their status, E. being re elected Moderator of Synod. Every overture failing, they were finally deposed by the Assembly, 15th May 1740. E. preached on the Abbey Craig and in the fields till a meeting-house was erected. During the Rebellion of 1745 he headed two companies of Seceders against Prince Charles, and was thanked by the Duke of Cumberland. On the division in the Associate Church, 9th April 1747, upon the question of the Burgess Oath, E. adhered to the Burghers and was deposed by the anti - Burgher section, 4th Aug. 1748. He was Professor of Theology to the Burgher Synod 1747-9. He died 2nd June 1754, and was buried within his own church, in front of the pulpit [Erskine U.F. Church, built in 1826, in room of that of 1740, was placed further back from the resting-place of its founder, which is now enclosed in a small mausoleum in front]. A statue of E. stands in the cemetery on the Castlehill of Stirling. He marr.

(1) 2nd Feb. 1704, Alison (died 31st Aug. 1720, aged 39), second daugh. of Alexander Turpie, writer, Leven, and Jean, daugh. of William Friar, merchant, Edinburgh, and had issue —

• Henry, born 6th Aug. 1705, died 8th June 1713 ;
• Jean, born 1706 (marr. James Fisher, min. of Kinclaven) ;
• Alexander, born 20th July 1708, died 20th June 1713;
• Ralph, born 17th Jan. 1712, died 23rd April 1713;
• Isabel, born 21st July 1714, died 7th Dec. 1720;
• Ebenezer, born 1715, died at sea about 1733 ;
• David, schoolmaster at Morpeth and Edinburgh, born 1716, died 1800;
• Margaret, born 1717 (marr. 8th Nov. 1736, James Wardlaw of Netherbeath, Dunfermline), died 6th Sept. 1737;
• Anne, born 1718 (marr. James Jaffray, bookseller, Stirling);
• Alison, born 1719 (marr. 1745, James Scott, Secession min. at Gateshaw and Morebattle), died in Edinburgh, 13th January 1814

(2) 23rd January 1724, Mary (died 15th March 1751), daugh. of James Webster, min. of the Tolbooth Parish, Edinburgh, and had issue —

• James, died abroad, 1770;
• Alexander, died abroad, 1779 ;
• Mary, died at Glasgow about 1786 ;
• Helen and Rachel, both of whom died young.

SOURCE: Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae: the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation, Vol. IV, page 328

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