THE LATE
REV. DR. ANDREW THOMSON
from The Scotsman, 9th February
1901,
Rev.Andrew Thomson, B.A., D.D. so long associated with
Broughton Place United Presbyterian Church, died last night at his residence,
68 Northumberland Street, Edinburgh, in his 87th year. In June 1897 there was a
celebration of his diamond jubilee as a minister, in Broughton Place Church;
but since then the infirmities of age have crowded upon him, and he has seldom
or never since been seen in public. He passed quietly away last night at a
quarter-past nine o'clock. By his death a career of some note has been closed
for Dr Thomson was both a prominent man in his own, particular church, and also
well-known in connection with tho public life of the city, in which he spent
the greater part of his days.
Born at Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire, in
February 1814, Dr Thomson studied at Glasgow University, and with much success,
for while still quite a young man, he was a licensed minister. His first charge
was the Secession Church, Lothian Road, Edinburgh, to which he was elected in
1837. He laboured there zealously for over five years, until in 1842, when he
was appointed assistant and successor to the Rev. Dr John Brown (the father of
the late Dr Brown, author of "Rab and His Friends"), and between the young
minister and this venerated father of the Church a deep and unbroken friendship
existed. Dr Thomson was inducted to Broughton Place Church on the 25th June
1843, and he laboured there with great success and general acceptance so long
as health and strength were vouchsafed to him. As a pastor he was faithful and
conscientious, as a preacher he all along maintained his sermons at a high
level of ability. His style was polished, his delivery earnest and impressive,
and under him the church maintained a foremost place in. numbers and influence
in the denomination to which he belonged. At the celebration of the completion.
of the 25th year of his ministry, he was presented with a cheque for £500
and an address, in which these words occurred: - "Nor do we omit to notice with
interest the honourable part you take in the deliberations and discussions in
the higher courts of the denomination, aad your ready tact and skill in
disentangling many an involved debate, neither would we forget your labours in
another and important department - the Press, where your masterly treatise on
the history of the origin, principles, and progress of that branch of our
United Church to which we belonged before the Union will be recognised by
future generations as that of the hand of an able ecclesiastical historian."
The money he used to defray the cost of a trip he made in 1869 in the
Holy Land with the German scholar Emmanuel Deutsch, and the late Professor
Milligan, Aberdeen, the outcome of which was a very readable book, published
some time afterwards, entitled, "In the Holy Land." Twenty-five years later,
on. the occasion of Dr Thomson's jubilee as a minister, over 2000 persons
assembled in the Synod Hall, representative of different denominations, public
bodies, the University, and home and foreign missions, to do Dr Thomson honour.
Among others who took part in the proceedings were Principal Rainy, Principal
Cairns, Sir William Muir, Lord Provost Sir Thomas Clark, and the Rev. Dr Norman
Macleod, and at that time he was presented with a silver salver; a cheque for
£900, and a diamond brooch for Mrs Thomson. His predecessor, it may be
recalled, also lived to see his jubilee as a minister in 1856, but died two
years afterwards. In 1887, on this interesting occasion in his life, Dr
Thomson, his tall figure still unbent and his eye undimmed, spoke with much of
his old vigour. Not less interesting were the closing meetings of the Broughton
Place congregation with their senior minister in 1897, when, in the same year
as her late Majesty celebrated her diamond jubilee as a Queen, Dr Thomson
celebrated his diamond jubilee as a minister. His friend and colleague, the
Rev. Dr John Smith, presided. Lord Provost Sir Andrew M'Donald, Principal
Rainy, Principal Htttton, and Dr Hutchison were among the speakers, and an
address was presented to the venerable pastor, assuring him still of the love
and regard of his old congregation.
Other incidents in Thomson's career
which may be noted were his receiving the degree of D.D. in 1851 from Glasgow
University; his appearance many years ago as a controversialist on the Sabbath
question, his attendance in 1861 at a conference in Geneva of the Evangelical
Alliance, where he read a paper on,''The Scottish Sabbath," which was printed
in different languages, and scattered broadcast over the Continent of Europe;
his election as a Heriot Governor by the Town Council as the typical
Nonconformist minister of the city, when the Act under which the affairs of the
Trust were reconsructed gave them liberty to do so; his election to the
Moderatorship of the United Presbyterwui Church in 1874; and his appointment as
a manager of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. For many years Dr Thomson was a
frequent and always, welcome speaker on public platforms, more especially at
meetings on behalf of missionary and philanthropic objects. Missions of all
kinds were near his heart; and Broughton Place United Presbyterian Church had
the credit of maintaining four foreign missionaries and of carrying on a large
city mission in, the Canongate. His connection, indeed, with Broughton Place
congregation was marked by an unbroken course of peace and unity and
prosperity.
In the midst of many other labours, Dr Thomson found time
for a good deal of literary work, and produced a number of interesting books.
Among the productions from Dr Thomson's pen are:—
"Early Discipleship:
Its Duty and Advantages,"
"Historical Sketch of the Origin of the Secession
Church,"
"Friendly Counsels to Female Servants,"
"The Sabbath not a
mere Judaical Appointment,"
"Life of Dr. John Owen"
"Life of James
Montgomery" (prefixed to Nelson's edition of his poems);
"Life of Robert
Polbk*' {prefixed to his "Tales of the Covenanters"),
"Great Missionaries "
(a series of biographies!,
"The Good Evangelist" (a memoir of the Rev.
James Trench).
"Sketches of Scripture Characters,"
"Funeral Sermon on
Occasion of the Death of Professor John Brown, DD,"
"Life of the Rev. John
Riddel,"
"What Hinders" (sermon preached before the London Missionary
Society).
"In The Holy Land: Travels in Palestine,"
"Studies to the
Book of Ruth,"
"Life of Principal Harper, D.D.,"
"Samuel Rutherford: a
Biography"
"Thomas Boston of Ettrick: His Life and Times."
It may he
noted that Dr Thomson's "Life of Boston" was re-written after he had passed his
80th year; but it is nevertheless regarded as not the least interesting of his
works. At one time Dr Thomson was himself a candidate for the Chair of
Practical Training in the United Presbyterian Theologjcal College, but he was
unsuccessful - the appointment going to the late Rev. Dr Ker by a majority of
votes.
Of a tall and rather handsome figure, Dr Thomson's manner had a
certain hauteur and stately dignity, not uncommon with ministers of the old
school in Edinburgh; but those who knew him always declared that in private he
was simple and unaffected in his tastes and disposition. He has now been
gathered to his rest, like a shock of corn fully ripe, leaving behind him a
memory for work well done which will not not soon be forgotten by those who
came under his sway. His wife was a Miss Buchanan, of Glasgow, who was in all
respects & faithful helpmate to him..Their only son was the late Sheriff
Comrie Thomson. He and his mother died within, a month of each other in the
year 1898.
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