Rev A. Brandram
Aberdeen 4th August 1845
My Dear Friend,
I continue to you my narrative of occurring circumstances in this Scottish Bible tour. My last letter was dated St. Andrews July 9th and brought on matters as far as that place. On the same day on which the letter referred to was dated and sent off, I left St. Andrews, and returned to Dundee. There I saw the Editor of the Northern Warder, the newspaper noticed as having favourably and repeatedly spoken of our meetings. I learned from him that the Second Warning had been sent him for insertion. This was an extension of the Second Warning beyond the first, for it was not here advertised, and the putting of the Second in this paper was no doubt occasioned by our movements. This was throwing a shell with a particular aim.
From Dundee I went to Arbroath, and saw there the solid and extensive remnants of the once vast monastery which contained about 430 monks. I visited the different Ministers here, and went on to Montrose. Here a meeting was held, and the collection made in one of the United Secession Churches. The Minister of the other church connected with this body was, for a wonder, unfavourable to us. On the same side, and very distinctly, stood the two Ministers of the Free Church, one of whom is a half brother of the late Dr. Andrew Thomson. I called upon them both, and afterwards breakfasted with one of them. They each took a strong view on the points objected to by the Edinburgh Bible Society. Our interviews were long, and from disputed things we passed to things in which we agreed, and I shall long remember the pleasantness of our conversations in the Gospel of Christ, and in the things of the Kingdom of God. This same Mr. Thomson said we were quite right in advocating our cause in Scotland.
I called also on the two Ministers of the Established Church and found them both very friendly. They had, they said, for some time back been considering whether anything could be done by them in aid of your Society, and signified their readiness to have a sermon preached for you, and a collection made. The Wesleyans, Independents, and Baptists were also favourably disposed towards us.
In Montrose is one who left you a Legacy, which you have already received though the Testator yet liveth. I refer to Mr. Dorward, who became his own Executor, and paid you (as you would have been paid at his death) his legacy of £2000. I thought it an official duty to call upon this gentleman. He is aged and infirm, and still continues warmly attached to our cause.
I now returned to Arbroath to meet the engagements I had entered into in that place. On the former and present occasion I saw all the three Ministers of the Free Church, and found them all unfavourable, yet mild towards us though indisposed. They have more confidence they say in the Edinburgh Bible Society, and hold with that body in some at least of their objections. I thought I made some impression upon one of them, in reference to the aid we give to their missions in the East, pleading, as I said, that as a matter of justice, we should meet with some encouragement from them, and not the reverse. Another of the three said he entertained no feelings of opposition to our Society, and the third said he knew that our Society only was supplying the world.
In Arbroath I saw the Montrose newspaper, which while it noticed our Sunday meeting, took occasion to chant the Edinburgh chorus. However I learned at the same time that an article in our favour had come for insertion in the Arbroath newspaper, and to this I appended a column of information concerning our Society in its plans and operations.
The two Ministers of the Established Church in Arbroath I found well inclined toward us, and so were the Secession, Methodist, and Relief Ministers, the latter of whom, the Rev. William Allan, was particularly serviceable to me both in counsel and general help, and he is a member of the Edinburgh Bible Society here. In his church we held a meeting of Ministers, and some of their leading people, and all were represented except the Free Church. Our object was to form the nucleus of the Society in a committee consisting of Ministers of each denomination with one or two of their elders or deacons. This was a very pleasing meeting, and resulted in the formation of the intended committee, whose object is to pass into a Society as soon as circumstances will permit.
This finished my business in Arbroath. I then paid a short visit to Forfar, the capital of the County, where I met with friends to our object, and particularly in the Parish Minister, and something was done in furtherance of future operations. The short visit I also paid to Brechin. The two Ministers of the Established Church were very favourable to us, and one or perhaps two of the Free Church Ministers were rather favourably inclined also. I called on the Bishop, but he told me he subscribed to the Propagation and Christian Knowledge Societies, and that that was all he could do.
I again returned to Montrose, and visiting those friendly mentioned what had been done in Arbroath, and begged they would form themselves into a committee after a similar manner, to which they said they would give their attention.
Aberdeen came next in order, and this Capital of the North, and the third town in Scotland required some days for due operations. I had feared for things here, having learned that the Edinburgh spirit prevailed strong. I found things better however than report had led me to expect. The first favourable circumstance in regard to Aberdeen is, that we have more Free Church Ministers on our side than anywhere else as far as I have yet been. Two of the Secretaries of our Auxiliary there are Free Church Ministers, and some half dozen altogether we can count as our warm supporters. The strongest party on the Edinburgh side are also Free Church Ministers. In my rounds I visited these as well as others, and was very agreeably disappointed in finding them much less opposed than I imagined. The Established Church Ministers are with us, and so are the Dissenters, and not least the Baptist Minister. We held three meetings. The first was in one of the Free Churches, the second in one of the Established Churches, and the third in an Independent Chapel. The first was on a Sunday, the second was to form an Established Church Association in conjunction with our Society, and the third was a general meeting of the Auxiliary. At this general meeting we had three Free Church Ministers present, and what was both curious and gratifying was that one of them was a strong Edinburgh Bible Society man, but of a different spirit from his friends in Edinburgh, judging from what I saw of him at the meeting, and privately before in his own house. This gentleman is the Editor of a Free Church newspaper here, and in his paper issued on the morning of the day on which we met, he gave notice of our meeting and recommended the people to attend. He told us when he came to the meeting that he was acting inconsistently in coming, as well as in having told others to come. But we said that he was acting very consistently and helping forward the Bible cause in any way. – We have observed some of the newspapers take friendly notice of the meetings we hold, and in the one most extensively circulated there will appear a long article about our Society next week. What the Banner of the Free Church will say that next issue, I know not, but should like to see, and may perhaps see.
This finished Aberdeen. That is a branch of this Society In Inverury, and I thought it a duty to pay our friends there a visit, not to get money, but to give encouragement. We had a meeting in the Independent Chapel which was fairly attended considering that there was another meeting at the time. The people were pleased at the visit paid them, and were glad to hear of the Society's movement in the various parts of the world. We can hardly say that we have either the Free or Unfree Church with us here, though they keep from us on quite different grounds. The Free Church Minister in an adjoining parish is warmly for us, and attends the meetings of this Association.
Today I returned from Inverury to this city, and tomorrow morning early I go to Peterhead. – In returning here, and just before leaving the place, I would mention two things more or less connected with it. The first is, that in visiting the Rev. Sir William Dunbar, I found, contrary to my expectations, that he was not quite favourable to us, though far from being against us. His main objection seems to be our want of Prayer, and this coming from a Church of England clergyman was the more remarkable. In Scotland generally our difficulty is not understood, and Socinians are always supposed to be the cause of this want. Sir William however could well understand the matter, but he said he would have prayer, leave the Society who would.
The next thing is in regard to Dr. Wilson, the missionary from Bombay. You already know from what I wrote from Edinburgh that he is very favourable to us, and this you know also from himself by interviews and otherwise. I have mentioned on several occasions to Free Church Ministers Dr. Wilson's confidence in us, and his willingness to aid us. On some of these occasions it was suggested to me, that some statement from him in writing would be useful, as he has great weight in the Free Church. I wrote Dr. Wilson regarding this, and have had a note from him, expressing, that the Society is "entitled to the confidence of the friends of evangelical religion in Britain, and to the kindly and not unfriendly remonstrance of those who may have to suggest improvements in any department of its operations." This document I have found serviceable here, and doubt not but I shall find it so in various places as I move onward.
I remain, My Dear Friend, Yours Very Truly,
James Thomson.
P.S. Since finishing this letter, I have learned, that the Second Warning was published in the Banner, and I have seen it. This was throwing a shell before us; but it seems to have had little effect.