| Administrative History | Thomas Gillespie was born in 1708 and studied theology at Edinburgh but did not graduate there and was ordained in England in 1741, after studying briefly under William Wilson (1690 - 1741) and Philip Doddridge (1702 - 1751). He was presented to the parish of Carnock, Fife, in 1741 and remained there until his deposition by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1752, for continuing to oppose the presentation of Andrew Richardson (d 1790) to the parish of Inverkeithing, Fife. With the support of many of his former parishioners, he continued to preach in the district and eventually a congregation was established in Dunfermline. He died there in 1774 after his foundation with others of the first ‘relief’ church in 1761. None of his sermons appear to have been published, although his biographer, William Lindsay, states that he had seen some manuscript volumes of them and that some of his manuscripts had at one time been in the hands of Dr Erskine of Old Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh. |
| Description | Volume of sermons by Thomas Gillespie on Job xxxvi 18, 2 Chronicles xvi 9, Hebrews xii 22 - 24, and John xvi 8 - 9. The sermons appear to be transcribed from earlier manuscripts according to references on pp.20 and 113. The title 'Providence', and the pencilled endorsement 'No. I', has been written on the front board in ink. A label has also been pasted on the front board with the date 1771 and a list of contents in a different hand to that of the transcriber. The manuscript is ascribed to Gillespie in a note 'Sermons by Gillespie Founder of tho Relief church' in the same hand as a similar remark on authorship on MS 157. The contents of the manuscript are as follows:
Sermon preached at Congregational Fast; text: Job xxxvi. 18 (pp.1-20)
31 January 1771
Sermon, 'Continuation of Discourse on 2 Chr [on.] 6, 9... begun 10 Febrewary 1771 from a Book that beginns with a Discourse on Heb. 2,17 [of] 5th August 1770 - Christs Body Mystical'; ends: 'This Subject is intermitted at present because of the Communion to be afterward discussed and finishd' (pp.20-56)
21 April 1771
Sermon, 'Sabbath When the 37th Communion was intimated'; text: Heb. xii. 22-24 (pp.56-113)
12 May 1771
Sermon, 'Continuation of Discourse on 2 Chr. 16, 9 Sabbath 23 June 1771 from Page 56 of this Book' (pp.113-217) [the theme of the greater part appears to be providence]
23 June 1771
Sermon, 'Sabbath 1 September 1771'; text: John xvi. 8-9 (pp.218-361)
1 September 1771 |
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