JAMES DURHAM
JAMES DURHAM was born about the year 1622, and was lineally
descended from the ancient and honourable family of Grange Durham, in the
parish of Monifeith, in the shire of Angus.He was the eldest son of John Durham
of Easter Powrie, now called Wedderburn, in Forfarshire, after the
gentleman’s name who is the present possessor thereof.
Having gone
through all the parts of useful learning with success and applause, he left the
university (of St. Andrews) before he was graduated, and for some time lived as
a private gentleman at his own dwelling-house in the country without any
thought then of further prosecuting his studies, especially for the ministry.
And though he was always blameless and moral in his life, both in the
university and when he left it, yet he was much a stranger to religion in the
serious exercise and power of it, and through prejudice of education did not
stand well affected to the Presbyterian Government. He was first married to a
daughter of the Laird of Duntarvie, near [South] Queensferry. His wife and her
mother were both very pious women.
His conversion to the Lord was very
remarkable; for going with his lady to visit her mother [Anna Durham] in the
parish of Abercorn, some miles west from Edinburgh, it happened that at this
time the sacrament was to be administered in the parish. Upon Saturday his
mother-in-law earnestly pressed him to go with them to church and hear sermon.
At first he showed much unwillingness; but partly by their persuasion and
partly from his complaisant disposition he went along with them. The minister
(Ephraim Melville) who preached that day was extremely affectionate and serious
in his delivery; and though the sermon was a plain familiar discourse, yet his
seriousness fixed Mr Durham’s attention very closely, and he was much
affected therewith. But the change was reserved till the morrow. When he came
home he said to his mother-in- law, “The minister hath preached very
seriously this day. I shall not need to be pressed to go to church
to-morrow.” Accordingly, on Sabbath morning, rising early, he went to
church, where Mr Melville preached from 1 Pet. ii. 7, “Unto you therefore
which believe, He is precious,” when he so sweetly and seriously opened up
the preciousness of Christ, and the Spirit of God wrought so effectually on Mr
Durham’s spirit, that in hearing of this sermon he first closed with
Christ, and then went to the Lord’s table and took the seal of God’s
covenant. After this he ordinarily called Mr Melville “father” when
he spoke of him.
Afterwards he made serious religion his business in
secret, in his family, and in all places and companies where he came, and did
cordially embrace the interest of Christ and his Church as then established,
and gave himself much up to reading for which reason that be might be free of
all disturbance, he caused build a study for himself. In this little chamber he
gave himself to prayer, reading and meditation, and was so close a student that
he often forgot to eat his bread, being sometimes so intent upon his studies
that servants who were sent to call him down often returned without an answer;
yea, his lady frequently called on him with tears before he would come. Such
sweet communion he had sometimes with the Lord in that place.
James Durham
made great proficiency in his studies, and not only became an experimental
Christian but also a very learned man; one evidence of which he gave in a short
dispute with one of the ministers of Dundee, while he was in that town. He met
there with the parson of the parish (for so the ministers were then called),
who knew him not. After some discourse he fell upon the popish controversy with
him, and so put him to silence that he could not answer a word, but went
sneakingly out of the room to the provost, craving his assistance to apprehend
Durham as a Jesuit, assuring the provost, that if ever there was a Jesuit in
Rome he was one; and that if he were suffered to remain in the town or country,
he might pervert many from the faith. upon this the provost, going along with
him to the house where the pretended Jesuit was, and entering the room,
immediately knew Mr Durham, and saluted him as Laird of Easter Powrie, craving
his pardon for their mistake; and turning to the parson, asked where the person
was whom he called the Jesuit? Mr Durham smiled, and the parson, ashamed, asked
pardon of them both; and was rebuked by the provost, who said, “Fy, fy!
that any country gentleman should be able to put our parson thus to
silence.”
His call and coming forth to the ministry were somewhat
remarkable, for at the time when the civil wars broke out, several gentlemen
being in arms for the cause of religion, he was chosen and called to be a
captain, in which station he behaved himself like another Cornelius, being a
devout man and one that feared God with all his house, and prayed to God always
with his company. When the Scots army were about to engage with the English, he
judged meet to call his company to prayer before the engagement, and as he
began to pray, Mr David Dickson, then
professor of divinity at Glasgow, on his way past, seeing the soldiers
addressing themselves to prayer, and hearing the voice of one praying, drew
near, alighted from his horse, and joined with them. He was so much taken with
the prayer that he called for Mr Durham, and having conversed with him a
little, he solemnly charged him, that as soon as this piece of service was
over, he should devote himself to serve God in the holy ministry, for to that
he judged the Lord called him.
But though, as yet, Durham had no clearness
to hearken to Mr Dickson’s advice, yet two remarkable providences fell out
just upon the back of this solemn charge, which served very much to clear the
way to comply with his desire. The first was, that in the engagement his horse
was shot under him, and he was mercifully preserved; the second, that in the
heat of the battle an English soldier was on the point of striking him down
with his sword, but apprehending him to be a minister by his grave carriage,
black cloth and band (as was then in fashion with gentlemen), he asked him if
he was a priest? Durham replied, “I am one of God’s priests,”
and he spared his life. Durham upon reflecting how wonderfully the Lord had
thus preserved his life, and that his saying he was a priest had been the means
thereofe, resolved, as a testimony of his grateful sense of the Lord’s
goodness to him, henceforth to devote himself to the service of God in the holy
ministry, if the Lord should see meet to qualify him for the same. Accordingly,
in pursuance of this resolution, he quickly went to Glasgow, and studied
divinity under Mr David Dickson, then professor there, and made such
proficiency, that in a short time he humbly offered himself for trials in 1646,
and was licensed by the Presbytery of Irvine to preach the gospel. Next year,
upon Mr.Dickson's recommendation, the session of Glasgow appointed Mr.Ramsay,
one of their ministers, to come and preach in Glasgow. Accordingly he came, and
preached two Sabbath days and one week day. The session, being fully satisfied
with his doctrine, and the gifts bestowed on him by the Lord for serving Him in
the holy ministry, did unanimously call him to the ministry of the
Blackfriars’ Church, then vacant, and he was ordained minister there in
November 1647.
He applied himself to the work of the ministry with great
diligence, so that his profiting did quickly appear to all, but considering
that no man that warreth should entangle himself with the affairs of this life,
he obtained leave of his people to return to his own country for a little time
to settle his worldly affairs Yet even there he was not idle, but preached
every Sabbath. First, he preached at Dundee before a great multitude from Rom.
i. 16, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ;” from which he
showed that it was no disparagement for the greatest to be a Gospel minister.
The second time be preached at Tealing, in his own country, from 2 Cor. v. 18,
“And hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;” and the third
time at Monifeith, at the desire of the minister there, from 2 Cor. v. 20, "Now
then we are ambassadors for Christ" In all these places he indeed acted like an
ambassador for Christ, and managed the gospel treaty of peace to good purpose.
The next Sabbath he designed to have preached at Montrose; but receiving an
express to return to Glasgow in haste, his wife being dangerously sick, he came
away, leaving his affairs to the care of his friends, and returned to Glasgow,
where in a few days his wife, who had been the desire of his eyes, died. His
Christian submission under this afflicting dispensation was most remarkable;
for after a short silence he said to some about him, “Now, who could
persuade me that this dispensation of God’s providence was good for me, if
the Lord had not said it was so?” He was afterwards married to Margaret
Muir, relict of Mr Zachariah Boyd, minister of the Barony Church of
Glasgow.
In 1650 Mr David Dickson, professor of divinity in. the College of
Glasgow, being called to be professor of divinity in the University of
Edinburgh, the commissioners of the General Assembly, authorised for visiting
the University of Glasgow, unanimously designed and called Mr Durham to succeed
Mr Dickson as professor there. But before he was admitted to that charge, the
General Assembly, being persuaded of his eminent and steadfastness, prudence
and moderation, did, after mature deliberation, that same year, pitch upon him,
thought then but tewenty-eight years of age, as among the ablest and best
accomplished ministers then in the Church, to attend the king’s family as
chaplain; in which station, though the times were most difficult, as abounding
with snares and temptations, he did so wisely and faithfully acquit himself,
that there was a conviction left upon the consciences of all who observed him.
Yea, during his stay at court, and whenever he went about the duty of his
place, they did all carry gravely, and did forbear all lightness and profanity,
none allowing themselves to do anything offensive before him; so that while he
served the Lord in the holy ministry, and particularly in that post and
character of the king’s chaplain, his ambition was to have God’s
favour rather than the favour of great men, and he studied more to profit and
edify their souls than to tickle their fancies, as some court parasites in
their sermons do. One instance whereof was, that being called to preach before
the Parliament, where many rulers were present, he preached from John iii. 10:
“Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?” On this
occasion he mostly insisted that it was a most unaccountable thing for rulers
and nobles in Israel to be ignorant of the great and necessary things of
regeneration, and being born again of the Spirit, and did most seriously press
all, from the king to the beggar, to seek and know experimentally these
things—a good pattern for all ministers who are called to preach on the
like occasion. He continued with King Charles II. till he went to England, and
then returned.
Towards the end of January 1651, the common session of
Glasgow appointed Patrick Gillespie to write him, concerning Robert
Ramsay’s being professor of divinity in his place in the University of
Glasgow. In consequence of this, Durham came to Glasgow; for he is mentioned as
present in the session in the beginning of April after. At the same time
Cromwell and his army were in Glasgow; and on the Lord’s Day Cromwell
heard a sermon preached by Durham, who testified against his invasion to his
face. Next day he sent for Durham, and told him that he always thought that he
had been a wiser man than to meddle with matters of public concern in his
sermons. To this he answered that it was not his practice, but that he judged
it both wisdom and prudence to speak his mind on that head, seeing he had the
opportunity to do it in his presence. Cromwell dismissed him very civilly, but
desired him to forbear insisting on that subject in public. At the same time
sundry ministers, both in town and country, met with Cromwell and his officers
and represented in strong terms the injustice of his invasion.
It would
appear that James Durham, some time after this, had withdrawn from Glasgow. A
letter was therefore in August next ordered to be sent to him, to come and
preach; and in September after, there being a vacancy in the Inner High Church
by the death of Mr Ramsay, the common session gave him a unanimous call, with
which the town council agreed. Some time after this he was received as
minister, Mr John Carstairs, his brother~in~law, being his colleague in that
church. In the whole of his ministry he was a burning and a shining light, and
particularly he shone in humility and self denial. He was also a person of the
utmost gravity, and scarcely smiled at anything. Once when Mr
William Guthrie, being
exceedingly merry, made Mr Durham smile with his pleasant, facetious, and
harmless conversation, the latter was at first a little disgusted; but it being
the laudable custom of that family to pray after dinner, which Mr Guthrie did,
upon being desired, with the greatest measure of seriousness and fervency, to
the astonishment of all present, Mr Durham embraced him when they arose from
prayer and said "Oh William, you are a happy man - if I had been as merry as
you have been, I could not have been in such a serious frame for prayer for the
space of forty-eight hours.”
He was devout in all parts of his
ministerial work, but more eminently so at Communion occasions. Then he
endeavoured, through grace, to rouse and work himself up to such a divineness
of frame, as very much suited the spiritual nature and majesty of that
ordinance. Yea, at some of these solemn and sweet occasions he spoke some way
as a man that had been in heaven, commending Jesus Christ, making a glorious
display of grace, and bringing the offers thereof so low, that his hearers were
made to think that the rope or cord of the salvation offered was let down to
sinners, so that those of the lowest stature might catch hold of it. He gave
himself much up to meditation, and usually said little to persons that came to
propose their cases to him, but heard them patiently, and was sure to handle
their cases in his sermons.
His healing disposition and great moderation of
spirit remarkably appeared when this Church was grievously divided betwixt the
Resolutioners and Protesters; he would never give his judgment on either side,
and used to say that “division was worse by far than either.” He was
equally respected by both parties; for at a meeting of the Synod in Glasgow
when those of the two different sides met separately, each of them made the
choice of Mr.Durham for their moderator; but he refused to join either of them
till they would unite; which they accordingly did. At this meeting he gave in
some overtures for peace, the substance of which was, that they should eschew
all public wakening, or lengthening these debates, by preaching or spreading
papers on either side; that they should forbear practising, executing, or
pressing of Acts made in the last Assembly at St Andrews and Dundee, and also
pressing or spreading appeals, declinatures, or protestations against the same;
that no minister, elder, or expectant should be censured, or their ordination
to office excepted against on the ground of these things, they being found
otherwise qualified; [that some should be named as correspondents to carry
these overtures, to be conferred with and recommended to brethren of other
synods, who should be written to, to send some of their number to meet at a
convenient time and place for that end; and that it was their purpose, if God
should give a free General Assembly, to endeavour a full and judicial settling,
an oblivion of the foresaid differences and all consequences that have followed
on them; and in the meantime to proceed in all affairs according to the
uncontroverted rules and Acts of our Church.
So earnest was Mr.durham for
peace and agreement between both sides at this time, that he went to St Andrews
with Messrs Samuel Rutherford, Robert Trail, John Livingstone, and Patrick
Gillespie, who had a conference there with Messrs Robert Blair, David Forret,
and James Wood, about their different judgments at that time; and was present
with them at their reasonings three days, where the substance of the foresaid
overtures was insisted upon. So weighty was the ministerial charge upon his
spirit, that Durham said that if he were to live ten years longer, he would
choose to live nine years in study for preaching the tenth; and it was thought
that his close study and thoughtfulness cast him into that decline whereof he
died. [Robert Baillie, in a letter to Mr Spang, minister at Middleburg, without
date, but written apparently in june 1658, writes; "Our friends in town are all
well. Only good Mr Durham has kept his chamber above these four months, and his
bed more than this month, of a lent fever and defluction, that puts his life in
great hazard; in the absence of Mr Patrick Gillespie more than a year, and Mr
Robert M’Ward seeking his health at London, a great burden of continual
preaching lay on him, and the perfecting of his work on the Revelation for the
press was very heavy. It were a great pity of the man; albeit I have my own
differences with him, and sharp reckonings sometimes, yet I love him dearly,
and count him one of the best and ablest men in Britain.”
In the time
of his sickness, the better part being afraid that the magistrates, and some of
the ministry who were for the public resolutions, would put in one of that
stamp after his death, moved Mr. Carstairs, his colleague, to desire him to
name his successor. After some demur, enjoining secrecy till it was nearer his
death, he at last named Mr David Veitch, then minister of Govan; but
afterwards, when dying, to the magistrates, ministers, and some of the people,
be named other three, to take any of them they pleased. This alteration made Mr
Carstairs inquire the reason after the rest were gone; to whom Durham replied,
“0 brother, Mr Veitch is too ripe for heaven to be transported to any
church on earth; he will be there almost as soon as I.”
And so it
proved, for Durham died the Friday after; and next Sabbath Veitch preached;
though knowing nothing of this, he told the people in the afternoon that it
would be his last sermon to them; and the same night taking bed, he died next
Friday morning about three o’clock, the time that Durham died, as Dr
Rattray, who was witness to both, did declare. [Samuel Rutherford, hearing of
the serious illness of his friend Durham, wrote to him a letter of
encouragement and comfort, dated St Andrews, 15th June 1658, only ten days
before his death. “I would ere now have written to you,” to quote a
sentence or two, - “had I not known that your health, weaker and weaker,
-could scarce permit you to hear or read. I need not speak much; the way ye
know, and have preached to others the skill of the Guide, and the glory of the
home beyond death. - . What accession is made to the higher house of His
kingdom should not be our loss, though it be real loss to the Church of God;
but we count one way and the Lord counteth another way.”]
When on his
deathbed, Mr Durham was under considerable darkness about his state, and said
to Mr John Carstairs, “Brother, for all that I have preached or written,
there is but one scripture I can remember or dare grip unto; tell me if I dare
lay the weight of my salvation upon it: ‘Whosoever cometh unto me, I will
in no wise cast out?” Mr Carstairs answered, “You may depend upon it
though you had a thousand salvations at hazard.” When Durham was drawing
towards his departure, though in great conflict and agony, yet he sensibly,
through the strength of God’s grace, triumphantly overcame, and cried in a
rapture of holy joy some little time before he committed his soul to God,
“Is not the Lord good? Is He not infinitely good? See how He smiles! I do
say it, and I do proclaim it.” He died on Friday, the 25th of June 1658,
in the thirty-sixth year of his age.
Thus died the eminently pious,
learned, and judicious James Durham, whose labours did always aim at the
advancement of practical religion, and whose praise in the Gospel is throughout
all the churches, both at home and abroad. He was a burning and shing light, a
star of the first magnitude, and of him it may be said (without derogating from
the merit of any) that he attained unto the first three, and had a name among
the mighty. He was also one of great integrity and authority in the country
where he lived; insomuch that, when any difference fell out, he was always
chosen by both parties as their great referee or judge, unto whose sentence all
parties submitted. Such was the quality of his calm and healing spirit.
His
colleague, Mr John Carstairs, in the funeral sermon which he preached upon the
death of Mr Durham, from Isa. lvii. 1, 2, “The righteous perisheth, and no
man layeth it to heart,” gives him this character: “Know ye not that
there is a prince among pastors fallen today! A faithful and a wise steward,
who knew well how to give God’s children their food in due season, a
gentle and kind nurse, a faithful admonisher and reprover, a skilful counsellor
in all straits and difficulties; in dark matters he was eyes to the blind, feet
to the lame, a burning and shining light in the dark world, an interpreter of
the Word among a thousand; to him men gave ear, and after his words no man
spake again.”
His learned and pious works, wherein all the excellence
of the primitive and ancient fathers seem to concentrate, are a Commentary on
the Revelation; seventy-two sermons on the fifty-third chapter of the
Prophecies of Isaiah; an Exposition of the Ten Commandments; an Exposition of
the Song of Solomon; his Sermons on Death and on the Unsearchable Riches of
Christ; his Communion Sermons; Sermons on Godliness and Self-Denial; Heaven
upon Earth in the Serene Tranquillity of a Good Conscience, in several sermons.
There are also a great many of his sermons in manuscript, never yet published,
viz., three Sermons upon Resisting the Holy Ghost, from Acts vii. 51; eight on
Quenching the Spirit; five upon Giving the Spirit; thirteen upon Trusting and
Delighting in God; two against Immoderate Anxiety; eight upon the One Thing
Needful; with a Discourse upon Prayer; and several other sermons and discourses
upon Eph. v. 15; 1 Cor. xi. 24; Luke i. 6; Gal. v. 16; Ps. cxix. 67; 1 Thess.
v. 19; 1 Pet. iii. 14; - Matt. viii. 7. There is also a Treatise on Scandal,
and an Exposition, by way of Lecture, upon Job, said to be his; but whether
these, either as to style or strain cohere with the other works of the
laborious author, must be left to the impartial and unbiassed reader.