David Dickson (professor)
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David Dickson (1583–1663) was a
Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
minister and theologian.


Life

David Dickson of Busby was born in
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
in 1583. He was the son of John Dickson, a wealthy local merchant with premises on the
Trongate Trongate is one of the oldest streets in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Trongate begins at Glasgow Cross, where the steeple of the old Glasgow Tolbooth is situated, being the original centre of medieval Glasgow, and goes westward changing its n ...
. He was at first intended for the mercantile profession, but instead studied for the Church. After studying at
Glasgow University The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ...
he gained an M.A. around 1601. He was then appointed Regent of Philosophy in the University. On 31 March 1618. he was ordained as minister of Irvine. He declared against the Perth Articles, and was summoned before the Court of High Commission. Declining its authority, he was deprived of office. In 1622 he was allowed to return to his parish. During the visitation of religious zeal in 1630, known as "the Stewarton Sickness," his prudence was notable, and the interests of practical religion were maintained. For employing in 1637 two of his countrymen, who were under the ban of Episcopal authority in Ireland, he was again called before the High Commission. As its authority, however, was then on the decline, he was no further troubled. In the same year an attempt was made to enforce the Service-Book, which he and his Presbytery moderately but firmly opposed. In 1637, having given shelter to Robert Blair and John Livingston, driven from their charges in Ireland by the interference of the bishops there, he was again cited before the High Commission Court. He took an active part in the Glasgow Assembly of 1638, and in 1639 acted as chaplain to an Ayrshire regiment commanded by the
Earl of Loudoun Earl of Loudoun (pronounced "loud-on" ), named after Loudoun in Ayrshire, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1633 for John Campbell, 1st Earl of Loudoun, John Campbell, 2nd Lord Campbell of Loudoun, along with the subsidiary ...
. He was appointed the first Professor of Divinity at
Glasgow University The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ...
in January 1640 and later that year was elected
Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the Chair (official), chairperson of a General Assembly (presbyterian church), General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Calvinism, Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbytery (church pol ...
. In 1650 he took a new post as Professor of Divinity at
Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...
. He was appointed to
St Giles Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral (), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century; significant alteratio ...
(second charge) by the Town Council 12 April 1650, and admitted shortly after. Dickson was for a second time Moderator of Assembly 21 July 1652. In October 1662 he was deprived, and by the end of the year he was dead (buried 31 December). He was a popular preacher, and highly instrumental in promoting the notable revival at
Stewarton Stewarton (,
) is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. ...
about 1625. Nor was he less zealous and useful in the overthrow of Episcopacy, having taken a prominent part in the business of the Assembly at Glasgow. When the Church unhappily divided into Resolutioners and Protesters, he became a leader in the party of the former. He was the only son of John Dick or Dickson, a merchant in the
Trongate Trongate is one of the oldest streets in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Trongate begins at Glasgow Cross, where the steeple of the old Glasgow Tolbooth is situated, being the original centre of medieval Glasgow, and goes westward changing its n ...
of
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
, whose father was an old feuar of some lands called the Kirk of Muir, in the parish of St. Ninians,
Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling ( ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling.Registers of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. It borders Perthshir ...
. He was born in Glasgow about 1583, and educated at the
university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
, where he graduated M.A., and was appointed one of the regents or professors of philosophy, a position limited to eight years. On the conclusion of his term of office Dickson was in 1618 ordained minister of the parish of Irvine. In 1620 he was named in a leet of seven to be a minister in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, but since he was suspected of nonconformity his nomination was not pressed. Having publicly testified against the
Five Articles of Perth The Five Articles of Perth was an attempt by King James VI of Scotland to impose practices on the Church of Scotland in an attempt to integrate it with those of the Church of England. This move was unpopular with those Scots who held Reformed wor ...
, he was at the instance of James Law,
archbishop of Glasgow The Archbishop of Glasgow is an archiepiscopal title that takes its name after the city of Glasgow in Scotland. The position and title were abolished by the Church of Scotland in 1689; and, in the Catholic Church, the title was restored by Pop ...
, summoned to appear before the high court of commission at Edinburgh on 9 January 1622; but having declined the jurisdiction of the court, he was subsequently deprived of his ministry in Irvine, and ordered to proceed to
Turriff Turriff () is a town and civil parish in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It lies on the River Deveron, about above sea level, and has a population of 5,708. In everyday speech it is often referred to by its Scots name ''Turra'', which is deriv ...
,
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, within twenty days. When he was about to set off northward, the Archbishop of Glasgow, at the request of the
Earl of Eglinton Earl of Eglinton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created by James IV of Scotland in 1507 for Hugh Montgomerie, 3rd Lord Montgomerie. In 1859, the thirteenth Earl of Eglinton, Archibald Montgomerie, was also created Earl of Winto ...
, permitted him to remain in
Ayrshire Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...
, at Eglinton, where for about two months he preached in the hall and courtyard of the castle. As great crowds went from Irvine to hear him, he was then ordered to set out for Turriff, but about the end of July 1623 was permitted to return to his charge at Irvine, and remained there unmolested till 1637. Along with Alexander Henderson and Andrew Cant, he attended the private meeting convened in 1637 by Lord Lorne, against the bishops. The same year he prevailed on the presbytery of Irvine for the suspension of the service-book, and he was one of the deputation of noblemen and influential ministers deputed by the
Covenanter Covenanters were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son C ...
s to visit Aberdeen to invite ministers and gentry into the Covenant. The doctors and professors of Aberdeen were unconvinced, and after various encounters with the
Covenanters Covenanters were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son ...
published ''General Demandis concerning the lait Covenant'', &c. 1638, reprinted 1662 to which Henderson and Dickson drew up a reply entitled ''Ansueris of sum Bretheren of the Ministrie to the Replyis of the Ministeris and Professoris of Divinity at Abirdein'', 1638, reprinted 1663. This was answered by the Aberdeen professors in ''Duplyes of the Minsteris and Professoris of Abirdein'', 1638. At the assembly which met at Glasgow in 1638 Alexander Henderson was chosen in preference to Dickson to fill the chair, but Dickson delivered a tactful speech when the commissioner threatened to leave the assembly, and in the eleventh session gave a learned discourse on
Arminianism Arminianism is a movement of Protestantism initiated in the early 17th century, based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was origina ...
. The assembly also named him one of the four inspectors to be set over the university cities, the city to which he was named being Glasgow; but in his case the resolution was not carried out till 1640, when he was appointed to the newly instituted professorship of divinity. In the army of the covenanters, under
Alexander Leslie Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven (4 April 1661) was a Scottish army officer. Born illegitimate and raised as a foster child, he subsequently advanced to the rank of field marshal in Swedish Army, and in Scotland became Lord General in comma ...
, which encamped at Dunse Law in June 1639, he acted as chaplain of the Ayrshire regiment, commanded by the
Earl of Loudoun Earl of Loudoun (pronounced "loud-on" ), named after Loudoun in Ayrshire, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1633 for John Campbell, 1st Earl of Loudoun, John Campbell, 2nd Lord Campbell of Loudoun, along with the subsidiary ...
, and at the general assembly which, after the pacification, met at Edinburgh in August of the same year, was chosen moderator. In 1643 he was appointed, along with Alexander Henderson and David Calderwood, to draw up a 'Directory for Public Worship,' and he was also joint author with James Durham, who afterwards succeeded him in the professorship in Glasgow, of '' The Sum of Saving Knowledge'', frequently printed along with the ''
Westminster Confession of Faith The Westminster Confession of Faith, or simply the Westminster Confession, is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it becam ...
'' and catechisms, although it never received the formal sanction of the church. In 1650 he was translated to the divinity chair of the university of Edinburgh, where he delivered an inaugural address in Latin, which was translated by George Sinclair into English, and, under the name of 'Truth's Victory over Error,' was published as Sinclair's own in 1684. The piracy having been detected, it was republished with Dickson's name attached and a ''Life'' of Dickson by
Robert Wodrow Robert Wodrow (167921 March 1734) was a Scotland, Scottish minister and historian, known as a chronicler and defender of the Covenanters. Robert Wodrow was born at Glasgow, where his father, James Wodrow, was a Professor of Divinity (Glasgow), pr ...
in 1752. In 1650 he was appointed by the committee of the kirk one of a deputation to congratulate Charles II on his arrival in Scotland. For declining to take the oath of supremacy at the Restoration he was ejected from his chair; he gradually failed in health and died in the beginning of 1663. His wife was Margaret Roberton, a daughter of Archibald Roberton of Stonehall (the youngest son of John Roberton, the 9th Laird of Earnock) and sister of James Roberton, Lord Bedlay. They had three sons, of whom John, the eldest, was clerk to the exchequer in Scotland, and Alexander, the second son, was professor of Hebrew in the university of Edinburgh. The third son, Robert, born in 1630 in Irvine, Ayrshire settled in Ulster, Ireland in 1666.


Personal life

He married 23 September 1617, Margaret, daughter of Archibald Roberton of Stonehall, and had children— John, clerk to the Exchequer (who predeceased him); James (G. R. Sas., xxxviii., 241); David (who also predeceased him); Alexander, minister of Newbattle, Professor of Hebrew in the University of Edinburgh.


Works

Besides the works already referred to, he was the author of: * 'A Treatise on the Promises,' 1630. * 'Praelectiones in Confessionem Fidei. Truth's Victory over Error,' 1684. * 'Explanation of the Epistle to the Hebrews,' 1685. * 'Expositio analytica omnium Apostolicarum Epistolarum,' 1646. * 'A Brief Exposition of the Gospel according to Matthew,' 1651. * 'Explanation of the First Fifty Psalms,' 1653. * 'Explication upon the Last Fifty Psalms,' 1655. * 'A Brief Explication of the Psalms from L to C,' 1655. * 'Therapeutica Sacra, seu de curandis Casibus Conscientiae circa Regenerationem per Foederum Divinorum applicationem,' 1656, of which an edition by his son, Alexander Dickson, entitled 'Therapeutica Sacra, or Cases of Conscience resolved,' was published in 1664; and an English translation, entitled 'Therapeutica Sacra, or the Method of healing the Diseases of the Conscience concerning Regeneration,' in 1695. His various commentaries were published in conjunction with a number of other ministers, each of whom, in accordance with a project initiated by Dickson, had particular books of the 'hard parts of scripture' assigned them. He was also the author of a number of short poems on pious and serious subjects, to be sung with the common tunes of the Psalms. Among them were 'The Christian Sacrifice,' 'O Mother dear, Jerusalem,' 'True Christian Love,' and 'Honey Drops, or Crystal Streams.' Several of his manuscripts were printed among his ''Select Works'', published with a life in 1838. Hew Scott: *A Treatise on the Promises (Dublin, 1630); *Explanation of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Aberdeen, 1635) *Expositio Analytica Omnium Apostolicarum Epistolarum (Glasgow, 1645); *True Christian Love, in verse (1649); *Exposition of the Gospel of Matthew (London, 1651); *Explanation of the Psalms, 3 vols. (London, 1653-5); *Therapeutica Sacra (Edinburgh, 1656—trans., Edinburgh, 1664); *A Commentary on the Epistles (London, 1659) ; *Praelectiones in confessionem fidei ; translated under the title of Truth's Victory over Error (London, 1688, and Wodrow Society, 1847) ; *several pamphlets in the Disputes with the Doctors of Aberdeen, and some in defence of the Public Resolutions. *The "Directory for Public Worship" was drawn up by him, with the assistance of Alexander Henderson and David Calderwood—and the "Sum of Saving Knowledge," in conjunction with James Durham. *Some minor poems, "The Christian Sacrifice," and "O Mother dear, Jerusalem."


Bibliography

Select Practical Writings also has a 48 page Life of David Dickson by "The Editor".
Hew Scott's Bibliography *Edin. Counc, Test., Glasgow (Marr.), Canongate (Bur.), and Reg. (Pur.) ; *Baillie's Lett., *Lamont's and Nicoll's Diaries; *Wodrow's Life, Hist., i., iv., and Anal., i., iii. ; *Livingston's Charac, *Dict. Nat. Biog.
Henderson's Bibliography: *Life by Wodrow, prefixed to Truth's Victory, and reprinted in Select Biographies published by Wodrow Society in 1847, ii. 1-14; additional details in i. 316-20; *Robert Baillie's Letters and Journals (Bannatyne Club); Calderwood's History of the Kirk of Scotland, vol. vii. *Spalding's Memorials of the Troubles (Spalding Club); *Gordon's Scots Affairs (Spalding Club); *Sir James Balfour's Annals; *Wodrow's History of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland; *Lane's Memorials; *Life of Robert Blair; *Hew Scott's Fasti Eccles. Scot. ii. 8; *Chambers's Eminent Scotsmen, i. 446-9.


References

;Citations ;Sources * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ;Attribution *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, David 1583 births 1663 deaths 17th-century ministers of the Church of Scotland 17th-century Scottish Presbyterian ministers Scottish Calvinist and Reformed theologians 17th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians 17th-century Scottish theologians Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland