James Hamilton on the Disruption as the Third Scottish Reformation

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Reformed Covenanter

Reformed Covenanter

Cancelled Commissioner
... But when we reflect a little longer, and remember that it is not so much a tale of ruin as of restoration — when we consider that this disruption of the northern Establishment is the resuscitation of the National Church, the revival of the Kirk in the energy of its first reformation, in the purity of its second reformation, and in the catholicity of this, its third, reformation, we almost forget the privations with which it has been purchased, and rejoice that it is such a modern story. ...

For more, see James Hamilton on the Disruption as the Third Scottish Reformation.
 
ADKing said:
James Hamilton is one of my favorite preachers to read!
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To be honest, that sermon is all that I have ever read by him. I have marked the six volumes of his works on archive.org as a future reading project. The Disruption era was something of a golden age in theological literature.
 
Reformed Covenanter said:
... But when we reflect a little longer, and remember that it is not so much a tale of ruin as of restoration — when we consider that this disruption of the northern Establishment is the resuscitation of the National Church, the revival of the Kirk in the energy of its first reformation, in the purity of its second reformation, and in the catholicity of this, its third, reformation, we almost forget the privations with which it has been purchased, and rejoice that it is such a modern story. ...

For more, see James Hamilton on the Disruption as the Third Scottish Reformation.
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He apparently wrote this is 1844? People should generally wait more than a year before they declare a definitive verdict on history. There was certainly much that was good about the disruption, and it spawned an enormous church planting (and building) movement, both in urban and rural environments. Almost every town in Scotland has a 19th century Free Church competitor building to the "Auld Kirk" (often, the Auld Kirk has a Saint's name, while the rival is more geographical). Many of these church buildings ended up being re-connected in the union of 1929, leaving only a rump of the Free Church, along with the earlier Free Presbyterians. Would the verdict of a century of hindsight agree that it qualified as a revival? Any modern scholarly works describing it in such terms?
 
iainduguid said:
He apparently wrote this is 1844? People should generally wait more than a year before they declare a definitive verdict on history.
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If you follow the link, he admits that his observations labour under the difficulty of possibly having been made too soon after the event. Like all quotes on my blog, it is a disinterested one on the part of the editor. I post the stuff out of interest but do not necessarily stand over every sentiment expressed therein.
 
Reformed Covenanter said:
To be honest, that sermon is all that I have ever read by him. I have marked the six volumes of his works on archive.org as a future reading project. The Disruption era was something of a golden age in theological literature.
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Hamilton was a beautiful writer. The word pictures he is able to create are extremely effective. His sermon on the death of Moses is a great example as well as his lectures on Ecclesiastes. He’s definitely worth the read!
 
ADKing said:
Hamilton was a beautiful writer. The word pictures he is able to create are extremely effective. His sermon on the death of Moses is a great example as well as his lectures on Ecclesiastes. He’s definitely worth the read!
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Have links to those two resources?
 
Yes, those are the ones. I have the hard copies, but I believe all six volumes of his collected works are available online.
 
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