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MEMOIR, &c.
F/:(irfji.'td lu ,I.Sar/am
'M,\>fo (i^JJUi'JiULijitjK.'^ w\y-:^)"'^)'^n^'i:, jiu. jw„
MEMOIR
REV. CHARLES NISBET, D.D.
LATE PRESIDENT OF
DICKINSON COLLEGE, CARLISLE.
,^:
BY SAMUEL 'MILLER, D.D.
PROFESSOR IN THE THEOLOGICAL SEMIXARY,
PRINCETON, NEW JERSET.
NEW YORK:
PUBLISHED BY ROBERT CARTER,
58 Canal Street.
ISIO.
Enteked, according to the act of Congress, in the year 1840, by
Samuel Miller, D.D., in the ofiice of the Clerk of the District
Court for the District of New Jersey.
PRINTED Br JOim nORATlT,
PRINCETON, N. J.
TO THE
SURVIVING RELATIVES
OF THE VENERABLE MAN WHOSE HISTORY AND
CHARACTER ARE HERE ATTEMPTED ;
AND TO ALL THE
ADMIRERS OF HIS PIETY, GENIUS, WIT, AND
PROFOUND ERUDITION,
IN BOTH HEMISPHERES,
THIS VOLUME IS MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED,
BY
THE AUTHOR.
Princeton, August 20, 1840,
*
PaiHCETOIT
theologiojl
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
His birth. — Early education. — Course in
the University of Edinburgh. — Entrance
on the study of Theology. — License to
preach the Gospel. — Stated supply in the
Gorbals of Glasgow. — Call to Montrose.
— Ordination. — Marriage. — Epithala-
mium Montr osi anum . — Thought of as
President of Princeton College. — His ac-
knowledged learning. — His extensive lite-
rary and social connections 13
CHAPTER n.
State of the Church of Scotland when Mr,
Nisbet entered her ministry. — He attaches
himself immediately and inviolably to the
Orthodox party. — Specimens of his speeches
in the General Assembly of the Church. —
His correspondence with the Countess of
Huntingdon. — His Review of the System
of Methodism.— Character of that Review. 29
Vm CONTENTS.
CHAPTER III.
His ministry in Scotland continued^ — His
uniform finendliness to Civil and Religious
Liberty. — He is friendly to the cause of
the Jlmerican Colonies during the Revolu-
tionary contest. — Specimen of his preach-
ing on a Fast day during the *Bmcrican
war. — His opposition to the Patronage
Jict . — His correspondence with the Coun-
tess of Lev en ^ and with the Earl of Buchan, 74
CHAPTER IV.
Establishment of Dickinson College. — Dr,
Nisbet chosen the first President. — Co?'-
respondence with the Countess of Lev en in
relation to this appointment . — t/Jlso ivith
Dr. Rush and the Trustees. — ^nd with
the Earl of Buchan. — He finally accepts
the appointment, and sails for the United
States. — Jirrival at Philadelphia. . . 100
CHAPTER V.
Dr, Nisbet spends a few days in Philadelphia.
— Pays a short visit to Dr. Witherspoon
at Princeton. — Sets out for Carlisle^ —
CONTENTS. IX
Pleasant arrival there, — Inauguration
in his office. — Writes to the Earl of Bu-
chan, an account of his voyage, and sit ua^
Hon. — Becomes tediously a7id dangerous-
ly sick. — Is discouraged. — Resigns his of-
fice and determines to return to Scotland.
— But soon recovers. — h re-elected to the
Presidentship, and again accepts it. — «^c-
count of the Lectures and Labours tvhich
he undertook in^the discharge of the duties
of his office. — Embarrassments and diffi-
culties of the College. — Correspondence
with the Earl of Buchan — with the Rev.
James Paton — ivith the Countess of Lev en
and with Dr. Beat tie. — Marriage of his
eldest Daughter 137
CHx\PTER VI.
The autho7'''s first interview with Dr. Nisbet.
— His impressions from that interview. —
Remarks on the difference between know-
ledge acquired by Books, and by oral com-
munication. — Dr. Nisbefs correspondence
with the Countess of Lev en. — His visit to
Governor Dickinson. — Corresjjondence
with Dr. Witherspoon and Dr. Erskine. —
Marriage of his younger Daughter. —
Sentiments and conduct respecting the
CONTENTS.
French Revolution, — Correspondence with
the author of this Memoir, and with Dr.
Paton of Scotland. — His remarks on the
Eighteenth Century, ... * . . .210
CHAPTER VII.
Dr. NisheVs discouragements in his official
. station. — His last illness and death. —
Extracts from the Sermon preached on oc-
casion of his funeral. — Rosses Latin Ode
to his rnemor I/.— Inscription on his Tomb.—
Description of his Person. — His Library,
and the disposition inade of it. — His chil-
dren and grand children. — The course of
Dickinson College after his decease. . . 282
CHAPTER VIII.
His general character. — Letter of the Rev.
President Green. — Letter of the Rev. Pre-
sident Brown. — Letter of the Rev. Dr.
Martin. — Character of his intellectual
powers. — His erudition. — His extraordi-
nary knowledge of Languages.— His cha-
racter as a Divine— as a Preacher — as an
Author — as President of a College — as a
Wit. — Closing remarks 305
ERRATA.
P. 242, 1. 26, for r easonahle read seasonable.
P. 257, 1. 2^, for Dr^ read Mr.
P. 267, 1. 3, dele Rev. Mr, Miller, N. Y.
MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET, &c.
CHAPTER I.
His Early Life.
The subject of the following Memoir was one of
those great and good men, who have been called
from spheres of usefulness and honour in Europe, to
enrich the literature, and adorn the Church on this
side of the Atlantic. And although, in his case, our
country has been culpably tardy in paying her debt
of respect and gratitude; yet that debt has been deep-
ly felt, and often acknowledged; and if the formality
of making a permanent record of it has been unduly
postponed, the result has shown that the lapse of time,
instead of consigning an elevated character, and im-
portant services to forgetfulness, has rather served to
deepen the impression of them, and to give a testimo-
nial of their value rather strengthened than weakened
by being delayed.
By this delay, however, a serious disadvantage has
been incurred. Almost all the contemporaries of the
deceased have passed from the stage; and, of course,
a large part of that information concerning his early
life which might have been easily obtained from his
2
14 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
native country, thirty years ago, is now irrecoverabljr
lost. But even w^ith regard to this loss, there are
counterbalancing considerations. Time has been
left for the first fervour of feeling on the departure
of an eminent man to subside. His character is now
viewed with the calmness and impartiality of a long
and leisurely retrospect. The statement and portrait
about to be presented are not drawn under the pain-
ful and exciting impression of a recent bereavements
There has been time to consult the award of faith-
ful public suffrage. Perhaps the most candid and
impartial, if not the most feeling and racy biographi-
cal sketches, are those which have been formed many
years after their subjects have passed from the stage
of action. The erection of this humble memorial is
reserved for one who knew the subject of it well, who
venerates his memory; and who considers it as an
honour to contribute any thing towards embalming
the memory of so distinguished and worthy a man.
Charles Nisbet was born in Haddington, in
Scotland, on the 21st day of January, A, D. 1736.
He was the third son of JVilliam Nisbet, and Jili-
son, his wife, who, for many years, resided in that
place. His father had two other children besides
Charles; one elder and the other younger. The el-
der was Andrew, afterwards the Rev. Andrew Nis-
bet, pastor of the parish of Garvald, in the Presbyte-
ry of Haddington, w^ho never married, and who died
several years before his brother Charles. The young-
er son was William, who devoted himself to mercan-
tile pursuits, and who died about the time that Charles
came to this country.
Of the occupation or circumstances of his Father
HIS EARLY LIFE. 15
little IS now known, excepting that they were not
such as to admit of his sustaining his son in the more
advanced stages of his education, when it was neces-
sary for him to leave home, the advantages of which,
nevertheless, that son was intent on enjoying. Ac-
cordingly he remained with his father until the six-
teenth year of his age, diligently employed in study-
ing the Latin and Greek languages, and the various
elementary branches of knowledge which are consid-
ered as requisite to entering the university. In 1752,
he entered the University of Edinburgh, and from
this time he never more received from his father any
pecuniary aid. Such was his thirst for knowledge,
and such his ardour and energy of character, that
immediately on going to Edinburgh, he made en-
gagements as a private teacher, which enabled him
to bear all the expenses of his College course. Even
at such an early age did this remarkable youth give
that evidence of accurate scholarship, dignity of de-
meanor, and capacity for instructing others, which
gained at once the confidence of his friends, and in-
troduced him to the means of independent and hon-
ourable subsistence.
How rarely is it that young men, in laying the
foundations of their knowledge, are equally wise, or
equally successful. A great majority of those who
pass through a course of what is called liberal educa-
tion, are so loose and careless in studying the ele-
ments of literature and science, that they are not suf-
ficiently grounded in any one branch to be prepared
for successfully teaching it. The consequences of
this negligence are unhappy in a variety of ways. —
When the foundations of knowledge are slightly and
16 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET^
superficially laid, the superstructure must ever par-
take of the same unsolid and insecure character. No
one was ever strong in any branch of knowledge, in
the elements of which he was weak. He who lays
a deep and thorough foundation, has his work more
than half done, and proceeds at every step afterwards
with more ease, with more expedition, and with
more firmness of advance. In this case, too, the stu-
dent, if in straitened circumstances, or if suddenly re-
duced to the necessity of relying on his own efibrts,
is better prepared to go forth, and acquire, in the
early morning and evening, by instructing others,
what will sustain him the remainder of his time.
This was the wisdom and happiness of young Nis-
bet, who, in the outset of his career, gave a very
decided presage of that scholarship and extensive
erudition, as well as force of mind, which afterwards
rendered him one of the most remarkable men of his
time.
Of the general character of young Nisbet's course
in the University no record now remains. The
proofs, however, of his accurate and mature scholar-
ship are so many and unquestionable, that his under-
graduate career must have been not only exemplary
but highly honourable. He was graduated in the
year 1754, in the eighteenth year of his age.*
Immediately on completing his course in the Uni-
versity, he entered the Divinity Hail in Edinburgh,
as a student of Theology, with a view to the Gospel
* The year of his graduation is not certainly known. But, as he
is said to have been six years in the Theological Hall, he must
either have been graduated in the year above mentioned, or have enter-
ed the Theological Hall before his graduation, which is not probable*
HIS EARLY LIFE. 17
Ministry. In this new situation he supported him-
self by an engagement as Editor of a popular periodi-
cal publication, the character of which, while he con-
tinued to preside over it, bore ample testimony to
his intellectual and literary resources. Of his ap-
pearance in the Divinity Hall, the Rev. Samuel Mar-
tin, of Monimail, a respectable contemporary and fel-
low student, bears the following testimony. ^' The
first time that I distinguished Dr. Nisbet was in the
Divinity Hall at Edinburgh. Dr. Hamilton, our
worthy and learned Professor, had appointed the
impugning and defending a Thesis, according to
mood and figure, in Latin; The Professor was an
excellent Latin scholar himself, and seemed to be as
much at his ease in Latin as in English. The
shrewdness and ability, the command of argument
and of language in Mr. Nisbet struck me much."
While Mr. Nisbet was a student in the Theologi-
cal Hall, his private papers show that his mind was
very seriously and solemnly exercised with respect
to divine things. On the 10th of March, 1756, he
recorded an act of solemn dedication to God, drawn
in a spirit of enlightened and ardent devotion. And
on the ISth of April, 1759, he drew up another pa-
per, in a different form, but of similar import; both
very strikingly evincing that while he was diligent-
ly engaged in studying Theology as a science, he was
by no means forgetful of its practical and experimen-
tal influence on his own heart as a Christian.
In the Divinity Hall he continued to study, ac-
cording to the excellent habit of his country, for six
years. At the end of this time, on the 24th day of
September, A. D. 1760, he was licensed to preach the
2*
18 MEMOIR OF I>R. NISBET.
Gospel, by the Presbytery of Edinburgh, in the
twenty-fourth year of his age.
Young Nisbet, in the course of his education, had
become early and intimately acquainted with the
late Dr. Witherspoon, who was about fourteen years
older than himself. Under the direction of Dr.
Witherspoon, indeed, some of his studies, especially
that of the French language, had been conducted.
The first sermon which Mr. Nisbet preached after be-
ing licensed was in the pulpitof his friend, then settled
in Paisley, a flourishing town of Scotland, about fifty
miles west of Edinburgh. These distinguished men
continued to be affectionate friends until the death
of Dr. Witherspoon, in 1794. And it is not at all
improbable that their early friendship had consider-
able influence in inducing Mr. Nisbet to listen to an
invitation to remove to the United States,
Mr. Nisbet's first engagement, as a stated preach-
er, was to supply a church in the Gorbals of Glas-
gow, Here he remained about two years. The
congregation had stipulated, besides paying the sala-
ry mentioned in their call, to furnish him with
a house. This stipulation, however, they had fail-
ed of fulfilling. Though their young preacher was
highly acceptable and popular; yet as he had no
family, and a domestic residence did not seem necCvS-
sary for him, they postponed a compliance with their
engagement. Receiving a call to another Church, he
thought it his duty to remove. On taking leave of
the congregation, he selected as a text for his farewell
sermon, Acts xxviii. 30. And Paul dwelt two
whole years in his own hired houses and received
all that came in unto him.
HIS EARLY LIFE. 19
The call referred to in the preceding paragraph,
was from the church of Montrose, a large and flour-
ishing town on the east coast of Scotland, a royal
borough, and a place of considerable importance both
for its maritime trade and its valuable manufactures.
This church was large, and embraced much cultiva-
tion and intelligence. Having been for some time
in want of an Assistant to their aged and infirm Pas-
tor, they applied to the Rev. Dr. Gillies, of Glasgow,
to recommend to them a suitable candidate. The
Doctor immediately named his young friend, Mr.
Nisbet, as the most able and promising preacher he
could think of. This nomination met with prompt
acceptance, and immediate measures were taken by
the church to present him a call. Mr. Nisbet
thought it his duty to accept of it, and soon entered
on his new charge. The right of patronage of this
Parish was vested in the King — George III. — and
the duty of taking the lead in measures to fill the
vacancy, was committed to the Town Council.
As the documents which conveyed and authenti-
cated this call, were in a form not very familiar to
Presbyterians in the United States, where patronage
is happily unknown; and as they are somewhat his-
torical in their character, they are here given at
large.
The original call from the Town Council of Mont-
rose, is as follows:
"At Montrose, the twenty-sixth day of January,
one thousand seven hundred and sixty-three years;
which day the magistrates and remanent members of
the Town Council of the said Burgh, being met and
convened within the new Council House thereof, and
20 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
taking into their serious consideration that the office
of an assistant or helper to Mr. John Cooper, first
minister of the gospel of this Burgh, has been for
some time vacant, by Mr. John Miller, his late as-
sistant, being called to and now settled minister at
Newburgh; and that by the agreement between the
Council and Mr. Cooper, he empowers them to choose
any person they shall think proper to be his assist-
ant; and having had this day laid before them an
extract of an act or report of the church session of
'this Burgh, dated the 25th day of January instant,
bearing that the several members of session declared
that, according to the best of their information, the
congregation in general were well satisfied that Mr.
Nisbet, preacher of the Gospel, should be settled
Assistant, and that proper steps be taken for his being
also successor to Mr. John Cooper. And the Coun-
cil, having considered the said report, and also con-
sidering that the said Mr. Charles Nisbet has been,
for some considerable time by-past, preacher of the
Gospel at Gorbals, near Glasgow: And (as the Coun-
cil are well informed), has discharged his office there
to the satisfaction of his auditory; and that the Coun-
cil has received a very agreeable character of his
sufficiency from very competent judges; and they
also considering that he had preached in the Church
here, several times in the month of July, 1761, to the
general satisfaction of the Congregation; and they,
looking upon him as a very proper person to be both
Helper and Successor to Mr. Cooper: Therefore the
Council did, and hereby do, unanimously elect and
choose the said Mr. Charles Nisbet to be Helper or
Assistant to the said Mr. John Cooper, as Minister
HIS EARLY LIFE. 21
aforesaid; and also they, for the reasons and causes
mentioned in their Act of Council, dated the 14th
day of January, A. D. 1761, do hereby entitle the
said Mr. Charles Nisbet, as long as he shall exercise
the aforesaid office of Assistant to Mr. Cooper, a
salary of fifty pounds sterling yearly (being the same
which was settled on the two former Assistants), to
be paid to him at two terms in the year, Whitsunday
and Martinmass, by equal portions, and to com-
mence upon the first Sabbath that he shall hereafter
perform divine service in the Church of this Burgh.
And further, the Council do hereby promise and
engage that they will, without loss of time, cause
to be made application to his majesty, as patron of the
first Minister's charge here, for his royal signed
manual in Mr. Nisbet's favour, naming him both
Assistant to Mr. Cooper during his life time, and
also Successor to him in his office at his death: and
that they will thereafter take the proper steps in
order to get him ordained a Minister and settled
Helper and Successor as aforesaid, according to the
rules of the Church. And they appoint the Clerk
to make out an extract of this their act, and Baillie
Lauchlan Mouson to transmit the same to Mr. Nis-
bet, and to request him to come to this place as soon
as possibly he can in order to take upon himself the
aforesaid office of an Assistant, in regard his pre-
sence, is much wanted here, as the whole of the
ministry lies heavy upon Mr. Aitken, the other Min-
ister." " Extracted from the Records of Council.'^
'* William Speed, Clerk,^'
The Presentation, by the Royal Patron, was in the
22 MEMOIR or DR. NISBET.
following words. It will be perceived that it bears
date near eleven months after the call of the Town
Council. This is probably to be accounted for in
two ways. First, the presentation by the Royal
Patron was not necessary to the choice and settle-
ment of an Jissistant to the Pastor; but it loas
necessary to prepare the way for that Assistant to be
" Successor in the Pastoral charge.'^ Secondly, the
Town Council probably had assurance that the Royal
presentation would be made in due time, and on this
"assurance both they and the gentleman called, re-
posed with confidence, and proceeded at once to take
those steps which were desirable for obtaining aid
to their aged Pastor as speedily and effectually as
possible. Some formalities at the seat of govern-
ment led, no doubt, to delay in actually drawing up
and transmitting the necessary document.
*' George R.
" Whereas, by an humble representation to us,
from Mr. John Cooper, Minister of the Gospel at
Montrose, and from the present Magistrates of the
said Borough, and remanent members of the Town
Council thereof, we are informed, that, by the great
age and infirmities of the said John Cooper, and other
circumstances of the said Parish, it appeared neces-
sary to the advancement of the Gospel, and the good
of the said Parish, that Mr. Charles Nisbet, Preacher
of the Gospel, should be ordained Assistant to the
said John Cooper, during his life, and Successor in
office, as Minister of the said Parish, after his death,
provided our consent was obtained thereto, the pre-
sentation upon the death of the said John Cooper
HIS EiRLY LIFE. 23
being in our gift, and at our disposal; Therefore we
are graciously pleased, from a due regard to the said
representation, and the advancement of the Gospel
in said Parish of Montrose, to give the Royal Assent
to the said settlement, and to will and consent that,
upon the death of the said John Cooper, the said
Charles Nisbet be entitled to the stipend, benefice,
and profits now belonging to the said John Cooper,
in the same manner as if he had been presented upon
the vacancy of the said Parish. Given at our Court
at St. James's, the 25th day of November, 1763, in
the fourth year of our reign."
" By his Majesty's Co7nmcmd,
^' Sandwich.'^
Mr. Nisbet, as before stated, considered it as his
duty to accept this call, and soon after removed from
the vicinity of Glasgow to Montrose. He was regu-
larly ordained to the work of the Gospel Ministr}^,
on the 17th of May, A. D. 1764, by the Presbytery
of Brechin, within the bounds of which he was now
placed. The Church to which he now undertook to
minister was unusually large. The tradition is, that
in the administration of the Lord's Supper, which, in
the Church of Scotland, is dispensed at tables, and
not pews, there were usually fourteen or fifteen
tables. Such a charge, when the duties which, in
the former and better days of the Church, it was
considered as imposing, such as visiting, catechising,
&c., as well as preaching, are taken into considera-
tion, must have been a formidable undertaking for a
young man. He addressed himself to it, however,
with something of the spirit which its nature de-
24 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
manded, and was favoured with great acceptance by
the people. Though he was officially a Helper or
Assistant in the charge, yet the chief weight of all
the duties connected with it devolved on him, as Mr.
Cooper, the senior Minister, was aged and infirm,
and seldom able to appear in public. He lived, how-
ever, nearly ten years after Mr. Nisbet was brought
into connection with him, viz. until 1773, when he
deceased, and left his young Assistant in the sole
charge of the congregation.
About two years after Mr. Nisbet settled at Mont-
rose, he was united in marriage with Miss Anne
Tweedie, a daughter of Thomas Tweedie, Esquire,
of Quarter, about thirty miles south of Edinburgh.
His elder brother, Mr. Andrew Nisbet, before spoken
of, afterwards minister of a Church in the neighbour-
hood of Glasgow, was, for several years prior to his
ordination, engaged as a private Tutor in the family
of Mr. Tweedie. During this period, the subject of
this memoir, while a student in the University, and
about eighteen years of age, paid a visit to his bro-
ther. In the course of this visit he became attached
to Mr. Tweedie's daughter Anne. This attachment
was favourably received, and ultimately led to a mat-
rimonial engagement. Their marriage, however, on
account of his situation, was postponed for twelve
years. In the month of June, 1766, they were
united, and lived together about thirty-eight years,
in great harmony and comfort. About the same
time with the marriage of Mr. Nisbet, the nuptials of
another distinguished individual occurred at Mont-
rose, both of whom were particular friends of Dr.
Beattie, the celebrated moral philosopher and poet
HIS EARLY LIFE. 25
of Marlschal College, Aberdeen. On this occasion,
Dr. Beattie composed and transmitted a beautiful
Poem, which he styled Epithalamium Montrosi-
ANUM. Pains have been taken to recover this ele-
gant testimonial of friendship from so popular and
honoured a pen, but without success.
Not long after Mr. Nisbet became an assistant
Minister at Montrose, another event occurred which
showed the high esteem and confidence in which he
was held by those who were most competent to judge
of his character and attainments. In the month of
November, 1766, on the death of the Rev. Dr. Fin-
ley, President of the College of New Jersey, the
Rev. Dr. Witherspoon, then Pastor of the Church of
Paisley, in the west of Scotland, was unanimously
chosen to succeed him in the Presidentship of that In-
stitution. His first answer to this call was in the
negative. He felt himself so bound to the land and the
Church of his nativity, that he could not consent to
sever himself from them, and go to a land of stran-
gers. While in this state of mind, feeling it im-
possible that he himself should accept the office, he
addressed the following letter to Mr. Nisbet.
" Paisley, May 25, 1767."
" Dear Sir,"
" I received a letter from you, some time ago,
upon the subject of the call from New-Jersey,
which I did not answer immediately, as that affair
was under deliberation. It has indeed given me the
greatest uneasiness that ever any thing of the kind
did, for I felt a very strong inclination in myself to
comply; but met with so many difficulties from my
3
26 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
family and connexions, particularly my wife's insu-
perable aversion, that 1 have been at last obliged to
give it up. I find the gentlemen here are still de-
sirous of having one from Scotland, and particularly
a young gentleman, Mr. Rush, from that country, a
Student of Medicine at Edinburgh, a most agreea-
ble young man, and who has the warmest attachment
to the interest of that Seminary, was with me the end
of last week on that subject. I then named i/ou to
him as the person of all my acquaintance the fittest
for that office, and said that your being so much
younger than me was, in my opinion, an advantage,
instead of a loss. He told me you had been men-
tioned by his friends at Edinburgh; and that he vva^
sure that any person recommended by me to them
would be chosen by the Trustees. I, therefore, un-
dertook to write to you on the subject, which I now
beg you may take into your immediate serious con-
sideration. I dare say you will consider this as a
mark of my undissembled esteem, and assure you
that you have not a sincerer friend; and that 1 be-
lieve it to be a station in which you may be emi-
nently useful, as well as a station of much honour
and profit. I know there is one difficulty: a prudent
man may be backward to give his consent, when
there is only a possibility, not a certainly, of his be-
ing elected; but when you consider the necessity of
the case, and the disappointment they have already
incurred, you will be sensible that we cannot write
to them to make an election of another in Britain,
unless they have reason to think it will be success-
ful; and therefore hope you will overcome this diffi-
culty; and that jou may not run the least risque, I
HIS EARLY LIFE. 27
have taken Mr. Rush, and engaged that no person shall
know of this application to you but your friends at
Edinburgh, Mr. Erskine and Mr. Wallace, Let
me have your answer as soon as you possibly can on
such a subject."
" I rejoice to hear of Mrs. Nisbet's welfare and
fruitfulness; and do heartily wish you much plea-
sure and comfort in your family. Present my com-
pliments to her in the most affectionate manner.
" I am, dear sir,
" Your affectionate brother,"
^' John Witherspoon."
When we consider that Mr. Nisbet was now only
thirty-one years of age; that the gentleman who
spoke thus of him was Doctor Witherspoon, un-
doubtedly one of the most sagacious and wise men
of his day; and that such a judge, who had long and
intimately known him, pronounced him " the fittest
man of all his acquaintance" to be the head of a Col-
lege; we are presented with a testimonial of Mr.
Nisbet's reputation in Scotland, at this time, for
talents and learning, of the most remarkable kind.
Whether, in consequence of this recommendation
by Doctor Witherspoon, any movement was ever
made in the Board of Trustees of Princeton College
towards the election of Mr. Nisbet, is not now known.
There is no record to that amount in the minutes of
that Body. But the fact is, that in a very short time
after this letter announcing his own refusal of the
call to America, and recommending Mr. Nisbet, was
written, Dr. Witherspoon reconsidered the subject;
and intimated to the Trustees o£ the College that, if
28 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
their call should be repeated, he would accept of it.
It was unanimously repeated. He declared his ac-
ceptance of it; and the next year removed to Ame-
rica, and entered on the duties of a station which he
adorned for twenty-six years.
The truth is, Mr. Nisbet was now regarded as among
the most learned men in Scotland, and was prover-
bially called '■^ the walking Library J^ Nor was
this wonderful. His thirst for knowledge was insa-
tiable. His habits of study were singularly diligent.
His memory was not only excellent, but bordered
on the prodigious. The Libraries within his reach
were large and rich. And his access to the society of
literary men, both in and out of the Church, was such
as seldom falls to the lot of one so youthful, and who
could boast so little of what is called worldly pa-
tronage.
The secret of the last mentioned circumstance was
this. His social talents were singularly excellent.
His wit and humour might be said to be unrivalled.
He was really qualified to instruct and highly to en-
tertain any circle, literary or religious, of the most
elevated class. The consequence was, that his com-
pany was as much courted, and his social connexions
as large and honourable, as almost any man of his
day in the Church of Scotland. Circumstances, in
his early history, made him intimately acquainted
with several of the nobility of Scotland, both male
and female; and his peculiarly interesting social
character, served to rivet and extend friendships of
this kind, and led to much intercourse with them
YfhWe he remained in his native country, and to a
gratifying correspondence after he came to Ame-
rica.
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 29
CHAPTER II.
His Ministry in Scotland,
When Mr. Nlsbet entered on the Ministry in the
Church of Scotland, that Church, as is well known,
was divided, and had long been divided, into two
great parties — the Orthodox and the Moderate.
The Orthodox were distinguished by their attach-
ment to evangelical truth, and faithful preaching;
and by their opposition to Patronage, especially to
its abuses. And although they were not enemies to
the ecclesiastical establishment; yet they were jeal-
ous of the encroachments of the civil government,
and ever on the watch to maintain the spiritual
purity of the Church, and to guard its ministers and
judicatories from being made the instruments of de-
signing statesmen to accomplish schemes of secular
policy, at the expense of real religion. The Mode-
rate were more lax in their doctrinal views; less
evangelical in their preaching; friends of the system
of patronage; and more accommodating in their feel-
ings and votes to the plans of secular politicians.
The Orthodox were disposed to contend for the
rights of the people in the settlement of ministers,
and in all their judicial proceedings. The Mode-
rate were, in general, favourable to the influence
of the crown in the courts of the Church; willing
3*
30 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBJST.
to let tlie law of patronage take its legal course,
however hardly it might bear on the popular choice;
and always reluctant to thwart the views of the civil
administration.
Mr. Nisbet, from the first, associated himself de-
cisively and uniformly with the Orthodox party.
He contended, side by side, with his early and faith-
ful friend. Dr. Witherspoon ; and, although the class to
which he belonged were, at that time, and continued
for many years to be a minority; yet he adhered to
his principles with steadfastness, and the laudable
efforts of himself and his faithful associates were
sometimes crowned with unexpected success. His
piety, his learning, his wit, his powerful appeals, not
unfrequently prevailed over all the talents, the plau-
sibility, the tactics, and the governmental favour of
his opponents.
Of Mr. Nisbet's talents as a debator in the Gene-
ral Assembly, the traditionary statements are of the
strongest kind. At this distance of time, however,
two specimens only can be given. For the space
which these specimens occupy, no apology will be
deemed necessary by those who are capable of appre-
ciating genuine eloquence. It wOuld be unjust to his
memory to deny them a place in this Memoir. They
are both extracted from the volume of the "London
Magazine," for 1773, where they are accompanied
with expressions of approbation of the highest kind.
By the constitution of Scotland, it is granted to
the civil and ecclesiastical powers, jointly, to regu-
late I he extent and number of parishes, by making
such ahoratioris as shall be judged to conduce to the
general good; ruming two parishes out of oae large
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLiND. 31
one, or annexing one parish to another, and, conse-
quently, sinking one altogether. On a case of a pro-
posed annexation of one parish to another, and, of
course, diminishing the number of parishes, which
the Presbytery of Brechin, to which Mr. Nisbet be-
longed, had ordered, and which the synod of Perth
and Stirling had affirmed; upon being brought before
the General Assembly, in the year 1771, Mr. Nis-
bet, who had stood alone in the Presbytery, and
also in the Synod, in opposition to the proposed
measure, delivered the following speech:
" Moderator:^
" 1 bring this complaint, not for any private profit
or emolument, but solely for the interest of the
Church of Scotland, the ver}^ being of which I appre-
hend to be concerned in the issue of it. It may seem
to need some apology, that I have adventured to
differ from a whole presbytery and synod of my re-
verend fathers and brethren ; but this will seem the
less presumption, when it is considered, that only
two members of presbytery, and ^\sq of the synod,
have had an opportunity of judging in the matter,
and even these were solicited and bespoke by the
professed enemies of this church. \w a case over-
loaded with truth and evidence, one must be under
an unusual difficulty to adduce arguments. Dr, Til-
lotson complains that it is extremely hard that a man
should be obliged to write a book to prove that an
egg is not an oyster, or that a musket ball is not a
pike. I find myself precisely in the same situation
at present. I am to prove, I hope to your convic-
tion, that it is for the interest of religion, that parish
32 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
churches should be preserved, instead of being de-
stroyed, and do not imagine that I stand in need of
any extraordinary eloquence or logic for that pur-
pose. I must however beg the attention of the house
to the cause, as however trifling it may appear to
some, it is no less than articulus stantis aut caden-
tis eccleside. How any member of this church should
be overpersuaded into a scheme tending to its de-
struction, as it must appear a paradox, I reckon my-
self obliged to account for it. One thing only I beg
leave to add, by way of preamble, before I enter on
the narrative, namely, to purge myself of malice and
partial counsel. As I am to narrate the actions of
sundry gentlemen interested in this business, I begin
with declaring, in the presence of that Being who
knows my heart, that I have no personal enmity to
any of them, that from some of them I have received
good offices, and would be ready to serve all of them
in an honest way.
The rise of this proposal of annexation, to the best
of my knowledge, is as follows. Some time ago Mr.
Bruce, one of the ministers of Brechin, applied to his
presbytery for their concurrence in a process he in-
tended to raise against his heretors for the augmenta-
tion of his stipend, which was readily granted ; but
afterwards, being apprehensive of the length and ex-
pence of such a process, he resolved to try, with the
consent of his presbytery, what he could get from
them in the way of private negociation, A meeting
was accordingly appointed for this purpose, betwixt
the heretors and a committee of presbytery. At this
meeting the heretors consented to make some addi-
tion to Mr. Bruce's stipend j but it seems they in-
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 33
tended it should not be at their own charges. One
parish was proposed to be annexed, to make some
small addition to the living of another. The parish
of Kinnaird, in the neighborhood of Brechin, was
pitched upon for that purpose, and a scheme was set
on foot by the tutors of Sir David Carnegy of South-
esk, a minor, sole heretor of the parish of Kinnaird,
in conjunction with sundry gentlemen, heretors of
the parish of Brechin, to bring a process before the
lords commissioners for plantation of kirks, &c. for
suppressing the church and parish of Kinnaird, and
annexing it to the adjacent parishes of Farnwell and
Brechin, and to apply to the presbytery for their
consent to said process. But as it could not be sup-
posed that the presbytery would give their consent
to a plan tending to the destruction of all their chur-
ches, they were not left to their liberty in judging.
The gentlemen interested In the cause, by them-
selves or their agents, had first bespoken and enga-
ged most of the members to support, or at least not
to oppose this design ; and not till these solicitations
were over, a presbytery pro re nata was called, in
the middle of harvest, when few members could at-
tend, and a petition from the heretors of the parishes
of Kinnaird, Farnwell and Brechin, was presented to
them, setting forth, that whereas many parishes in
Scotland are incommodiously large, and others very
small, the support of churches and manses was there-
by rendered heavy upon heretors ; and whereas the
parish of Kinnaird is a small one, consisting of not
much more than one hundred examinable persons,
and lying within one mile of the church of Farn-
well, and not much farther from Brechin, therefore
34 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
praying that the presbytery would consent to a naore
commodious division of said parish, by annexing the
parish of Kinnaird to the adjacent parishes of Farn-
well and Brechin, and that they the heretors would
engage to enlarge the church at Farnwell, so far as
should be necessary for the accommodation of the
new parishioners. This petition, after a delay of a
fortnight, hardly obtained, was at last granted in a
meeting of five members of the presbytery, three of
whom were interested in the question.
On this occasion I thought it my duty, after plead-
ing in vain what occurred to me in opposition to this
destructive scheme, and having consulted with some
of the most learned of my brethren, to dissent from
this sentence of presbytery, and to complain of it to
the ensuing synod. At the meeting of the synod in
October following, out of seventy-two members, of
whom the synod consists, only five attended, besides
the presbytery of Brechin, who were parties ; and
these, with a correspondent from the synod of Perth
and Stirling, whom they put into the chair at hear-
ing the complaint, were pleased to dismiss it as fri-
volous, and it was even proposed to censure the com-
plainer. Finding the interest of the church so scan-
dalously neglected by the synod on this occasion, by
means of the influence of heretors, I found myself
under a necessity of bringing my complaint before
this house, where I am persuaded that local prejudi-
ces and party influence will have no place, I am to
show that the proposed annexation, agreed to by the
presbytery and synod, is illegal, unnecessary, and
ruinous to the interest of this church, and that it has
been contrived by our professed enemies, to make a
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 35
precedent for destroying this church piece meal. It
is indeed represented by the gentlemen petitioners
to the presbytery as a more commodious division of
the parishes in question, and what they propose by
way of remedy to their present inconvenient divi-
sion, is not that part of the greater parish should be
annexed to the lesser, to bring them nearer to an
equality, but that the least of them should be wholly
suppressed, and annexed to the two others. This is
commodious indeed : but to whom ? to the landed
gentlemen only, who think they will have less sti-
pend to pay, and fewer churches to support in con-
sequence of it. They observe that some parishes are
too large, and others too small. Granted ; but the
common remedy they propose for both these incon-
veniences is annexation. Wonderfully commodious
again ! I once knew a gentleman, who used to say,
that there were only two kinds of dogs that he could
not bear, the great dogs and the little dogs : the gen-
tlemen petitioners seem to have the same idea of pa-
rishes, as they propose that the small parishes should
be annexed to the great ones, to render them more
commodious, and the fitter to be annexed in due time.
Wonderful indeed ! En cor Zeiiodott, en jecur
Cratetis ! Does this scheme fall any thing short of
a design to destroy all the parish churches in Scot-
land one after another ? Non-jurant meetings were
suppressed by law in 1746, though connived at by
the present ministry for reasons of state. If an at-
tempt had been made to suppress any of these, though
against an express law, the promoters of this scheme
would have cried out persecution, and applied to the
throne for redress. But it seems it is lawful enough
36 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
to contrive the suppression of established churches,
and to make use of the law, which was made for their
preservation, for their destruction. As the lenity of
the ministry has tolerated these non-jurant meetings,
why should not the benefit of this toleration be ex-
tended to the established church ?
If such things go on, no one can say how far this
idea of conveniency may be extended. Dionysius, a
respectable heretor in ancient times, thought it ex-
tremely convenient for him to abstract the golden
cloak from the statue of Jupiter, and to annex it to
his own property ; and he gave very good reasons
for it : it was too heavy in summer, and too cold in
winter : and by the same train of thinking among
our landed gentlemen, it may possibly soon be found
most convenient to have no churches at all. Our
legal establishment must be wholly elusory, if it is
to be cut and carved upon by every gentleman at
pleasure, according to his notions of ideal convenien-
cy. Although it were not publicly known, that the
pretender's friends are at the bottom of this design,
the ver}^ nature of it proves it the work of an enemy
to our church. The Jews reasoned well when they
said, "He loveth our nation, and hath built us a sy-
nagogue.'^ And may we not say as justly, He hates
our constitution, and has destroyed us a church ? It
might seem wonderful indeed in one view, how the
persons concerned in this design should ever have
been united ; but a little time ago, on occasion of a
controverted election, they were as bitter enemies to
each other as ever Herod and Pontius Pilate. But
when a church is to be destroyed, they become at
once hearty friends ; and when it is considered that
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 37
a non-jurant meeting has been lately erected at Bre-
chin by one of the subscribers, the cause of their
union may be easily guessed.
*'But to consider this proposal in the view of real
conveniency; the parish of Brechin is six miles long,
and near three broad, sufficiently inhabited, besides
the large town of Brechin in the centre. The church
is too small already for the people that attend it,
and the expense of supporting the fabric is furnished
out of the poor's money. Such a parish does not
seem to stand in any need of an addition to make it
more convenient. The parish of Farnwell is at pre-
sent as large as many others in its neighbourhood, and
the minister has a living superior to most in the
country: so that neither does this parish need any
addition. If real conveniency was sought for, the
smallest degree of common sense would dictate, that
the smaller parish should be augmented from the
greater. But it seems this did not occur to the wise
projectors of this scheme, or they did not think it so
much for their interest. It is evident then, that no
part of the parish of Kinnaird can be annexed to
Brechin, as the church is already too small, and the
heretors have no power to enlarge it. This being
the case, how are the parishioners of Kinnaird to be
accommodated when annexed to Brechin, unless
they could contract themselves into as small dimen-
sions as the audience of the Pandaemonium, or choose
to go to the non-jurant meeting? Besides, the ex-
pense of opening the wall of that cathedral would
amount to more than these heretors have bestowed
on churches these fifty years past. Our Church,
Sir, is established by law, and unless that establish-
4
38 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
ment be entirely elusory, it must extend to all and
every one of our parish churches, except where the
law has declared otherwise. It is true, that the
lords commissioners have a power to annex churches ;
but this power is limited by law, and will be found
not to extend to the case in hand. The act which
defines their powers is act 3, part 22, Ja. VI. ISth
June, 1617, and has these express words: * With
special power to the said commissioners, to unite
sik kirks, ane or moe, as may conveniently be unite,,
where the fruits of any one alone will not suffice to
entertain ane minister.' It is evident from these
words, that small and insufficient livings only were in
the view of the legislature, and that a sufficient living
is incapable of annexation. The parish of Kinnaird
is a sufficient living: there are twelve parishes in the
presbytery, whose living is inferior to it, and but
four greater. Unfavourable statutes ought to be strict-
ly interpreted: what the law permits the lords to do
in one case only, can in no shape be extended to any
other case whatever. The power of the lords com-
missioners is for edification, and not for destruction:
they are designed in the act, lords commissioners for
plantation of kirks and valuation of tiends: now to
destroy one church in three over all the kingdom,
can never be called planting of kirks. They have
power indeed to annex insufficient livings, as an act of
mercy to ministerswhen no other provision can be got
for them, but have no power to touch those that are
already sufficient. This parish of Kinnaird is a suf-
ficient living, and it is not the least in Scotland, nor
of the presbytery where it lies; and as the estate of
Southesk, of which it is a part, has been under for-
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 39
feiture since 1715, it is no wonder that it is not very-
populous at present, though, when the improvements
already projected shall be carried into execution, it
will probably be as populous as many others. But
the promoters of this scheme have chosen to catch
the time for it while this objection is in force, by a
policy similar to that of valuing their tiends before
their rents are raised. But does not the establish-
ment of all churches tolerate small parishes as well
as large ones? Small and great are relative terms,
and, though this design should succeed, some parish-
es will be smaller than others till we come to the
greatest of all, by destroying them one by one. De-
mo unum, demo etiam unum, dinn cadat elusus
ratione mentis acervi: so that the utmost favour
that any parish in Scotland could expect from this
annexing scheme is only the same that Polyphemus
promised to Ulysses, to be devoured last of all. Min-
isters of small parishes may be useful to the church
by the works of their retirement. Some of the min-
isters of our church have begun to figure in his-
torical composition; and unless we tolerate small
charges, how shall our ministers find time to write
histories? Every sufficient living is, by the plain
meaning of this act, continued upon the establish-
ment, and it is out of the power of the lords commis-
sioners to touch it; but if this line is once broken,
and one sufficient living suppressed, ourwhole estab-
lishment becomes a baseless fabric, and may be
undermined at pleasure. Why should this little
church be denied the benefit of all other churches?
Is it not robbery, is it not assassination, to disjoin it
from the common foundation of the rest, to destroy
40 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
it with more ease? This is like taking a man into a
dark corner, and knocking him down before he can
call for help. But the words of the statute are ex-
press to this purpose, so that we need not rest on
general inferences; for it afterwards expressly ^ finds
and declares, that all kirks which are planted with mi-
nisters, whose stipends extend to five chalders victual,
or five hundred merks money, [the then minimum
of that country] are expressly excepted out of this
commission, and no wayes comes under the compasse
thereof, neither shall the said commissioners have
any power, by virtue hereof, to meddle with any
kirks or stipends which are in that case, seeing the
said commission is not extended to the same.' No
words can be conceived more positive or express
for hindering the annexation of sufficient livings;
nay, the legislature seem anxious to declare this to
be their meaning. What then must we think of the
logic or candour of those who would subject them to
it at pleasure? Dr. Donne tells us of an ingenious
critic, who, in explaining the Decalogue, expunged
the negative particle from every precept, and would
have the twelve negatives taken from it, to be insert-
ed in the several articles of the Apostle's Creed, to
make a complete and consistent body of doctrine.
And surely it must need no less licentious interpre-
tation to evince, that a sufficient church living can
be annexed, since the law is so express to the con-
trary. Some may alledge, that the lords hav&a dis-
cretionary power to annex what churches they think
fit, but the law gives them no such power; and' how-
ever fit the present lords may be to have such a pow-
er, I dare not trust their successors. The law req^ui-
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 41
res two things to make a parish legally annexable:
insufficiency of living, and commodiousness for an-
nexation. Neither of these have place in the pre-
sent case. Besides, this church of Kinnaird is rather
better founded than most others, not being a popish
foundation, but erected by the lords, upon mature
deliberation, and conviction of its necessity, in 1661,
an age of no very violent zeal for religion, when
building of churches was far from being the the ru-
ling passion. And the same lords were so convinced
of the necessity and importance of this erection, that
in 1718 they granted an augmentation of stipend to
the minister. I know there is a story told, which
seems contrived on purpose to favour this annexa-
tion: it is said, that about 1661 there was an immor-
tale odium <^' nunquam fanabile vulniis betwixt
the earl of Southesk and the earl of Airlie then resi-
ding in the neighbourhood, because the parson of
Farnwell, where they both attended divine worship,
used to bow to Lord Airlie before his lordship, and
that this parish of Kinnaird was disjoined from that
of Farnwell and Brechin, only that his lordship might
have the inexpressible satisfaction of receiving the
first bow from the parson — a favour not so much
esteemed in our days. This absurd story has been
evidently contrived to represent the erection of this
parish to have proceeded from a whim, that it might
be destroyed by another whim.
" The gentlemen concerned in this design would
perhaps laugh at the mention of sacrilege, so that I
shall not insist upon that; but must it not at least be
felony to attempt the destruction of a church already
as well secured as the law can secure it, and to ab-
4^
42 MEMOIR OF DR. NISKET.
stract the revenues of it from the lawful proprietors?
These gentlemen would have been hanged by the
neck, if they had formed the same design against a
private house; and why it should be more lawful t^
assault a church is hard to say. I have heard of a
couple of Highland gentlemen, long ago, who hav-
ing some difference about the division of the spoil
they had taken in conjunction during the Miehaelmas
moon, gravely resolved to have it decided by the
court of session. The present case, in my view of
it, not a little resembles theirs. To demand the con-
sent of the judges to an unlawful design is an insult
upon all law whatever. It signifies nothing to say,
that the stipend, when annexed, is to be divided
amongst the neighbouring clergy. God hates rob-
bery for burnt offering, and so should all his servants.
If a robber takes my money on the road, whether he
keeps it to himself, or gives it to his whore, I am
equally injured, and the law is equally transgressed in
both cases. If the ministers of large parishes are to
be allowed to annihilate the lesser livings, and to di-
vide them among themselves, must not this tend to
corrupt the clergy, by offering baits to their avarice,
and making them have an evil eye towards their
brethren? not to say, that this would be an erecting
of dignities in the church, and introducing episcopacy
in masquerade. 1 have seen a print representing a
parson grasping at all the churches in his view; but
were I possessed of the genius of a Raphael or a Mi-
chel Angelo, I would draw the figure of an annexing
heretor scowling at all the churches around him, and
threatening their destruction. If ministers, whose
livings are already almost double those of many of
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 43
therr brethren, are allowed- to hope for further in-
crease of them by the destruction of th^ir neigh-
bours, we may soon expect to hear of annexations
projected by ministers, and some are already talked
of in this neighbourhood. We have had already
four annexations in Ihis presbytery since the Refor-
mation, and we have now as many non-jurant meet-
ings. Some of these annexations have been attended
with great inconveniences. By one of them, in the
hill country, the parish is rendered more than seven
Scots miles in length; so that some people do not at-
tend the church from tiieir baptism till their marriage.
By another of them the minister is obliged to ride
three miles in bad road every second Sabbath.
Such are the blessed fruits of annexation; but we
complain not of what has been done according to law.
The assembly ought to be more suspicious of this
project of annexation, as this is a disaffected country,
where there are too many that would wish to see all
our churches suppressed, and this annexation must
soon be followed by many others. If the law does
not secure every sufficient living from annexation,
our establishment can stand only till the necessary
processes for its ruin are completed.
" I must likewise beg leave to call the attention- af
the house to this cause, on account of the too great
passiveness of ministers and inferior judicatures in
matters of annexation. Of this the assembly was
formerly so sensible, that by act 5, ass. 174G, sess. 9,
they expressly ^ discharged all presbyteries to con-
sent to, or connive at the annexation or suppressing
of parishes, without the consent or approbation of the
synod of the bounds, or the general assembly,"
44 MEMOIR OP DR. NISEET.
The present cause evinces, that it is possible for here-
tors to persuade a presbytery, and even a synod, that
the suppression of a parish church is for the good of
the community, because it may promote the tempo-
ral interest of some individuals, and give hopes of like
gain to others. Amazing indeed must have been
the eloquence of Mr. Habakkuk Slj^boots, who could
persuade a man to hang himself in cold blood. The
present cause exhibits no less a prodigy — churchmen
convinced that the destruction of parishes is for the
good of the national church. Such is the v^onderful
influence of heretors! When inferior judicatories
are become thus weak and slavish, and in the interest
of our adversaries, it must become the wisdom of
this house to put a stop to these proceedings, by re-
versing the acts of the presbytery and synod com-
plained of, and opposing the projected annexation,
and all such illegal attempts against our establish-
ment.
" Thus, Sir, I have stated tolhe assembly this cause,
which is properly the cause of the whole church.
Self-preservation should teach us to defend ourselves
as long as we can. Est enim hsec non scripta, sed
nata lex, quam non didicimus, accepimus, legi-
tnus^fed ex ipsa natura arripX'dmus, hausimus,
expressimus. I hope the house will see, that the
present project is only a branch of a design against
the whole church, and demands your strictest atten-
tion. What is now the case of this small parish,
may soon be that of many others. Nam tua res
agitur, paries cum yroximus ardet. It is true to
a proverb, multis minatur, uni qui injuriam fa-
cit. No reason can be pleaded for the suppression
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 45
of this parish, which does not militate with equal
force against a hundred others. It is not wonderful,
that the enemies of our happy establishment should
be zealous and active in promoting non-jurant meet-
ings; but 10 suppress established churches to make
room for them is rather too much. Some may be
averse to believe, that our church should be in dan-
ger from attempts of this sort; but if present instan-
ces are less clear, the records of past times will prove
beyond doubt, that the like practices have been for-
merly used by the enemies of the church. We find
in the records of the Concilium Byzacenum, that
annexation was one of the methods employed, during
the Arian persecution, for the destruction and extir-
pation of the Catholics; and in latter times, before
the formal revocation of the edict of Nantes, the
churches of the Protestants were taken from them
in sundr}' places, on the pretence of their being Uii-
necessary. The policy of our enemies, and their
present situation by our laws, does not permit them
at once to show the cloven foot, or tell us that they
design our destruction; but if we are not extremely
blind, we may easily discern the drift of their designs,
Their interest is to proceed by silent sap and' machi-
nation, and especially to make use of some of us to
ruin the rest. Much, alas! has been done this way
already through their influence, by driving away the
people from the churches; and because that method
does not succeed fast enough for their wishes, it
seems that what remains of our ruin is to be accom-
plished by taking away the churches from the peo-
ple. The design in hand is visibly contrived for
your deslraction, by annihilating your parishes oae
46 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
by one. What a dismal prospect for this church!
Quid facerent hosles capta crudelius iirbe? By
an invasion of foreign enemies our possessions might
be ruined, and our churches burnt; but shall we
stand by and see the same thing done by our coun-
trymen in time of peace, and under colour of law?
Shall our venerable and ancient constitution, which
has resisted so long the attempts of persecutors, and
stood the shock of two rebellions, be gradually sub-
verted by the covert machinations of the church
and state? Shall we be reduced to take up the poet's
lamentation,
" Captiq ; dolis lacrymisq ; coacti,
Quos 71071 Tydides, nee LaJ^issans Achilles,
JVo?i a7i7u dofniiei^e decern, no7i mille carinoe"
" It is not to be wondered at, that some of the real
friends of our establishment are found among the pro-
moters of this annexation, as it is common to see
such overreached and blindfolded by their adversa-
ries. Few have ever been betrayed except by their
friends. I have done my duty in warning you of
your danger; I have shown you the Pretender's
soldiers actually at work upon your church, with
the axes and haminers of annexation and demembra-
tion. It remains that you do your duty by defend-
ing it to the utmost. If you can stand tamely by,
while your enemies are so busy, you will fall de-
spised and unpitied, as your ruin will be of your-
selves. Every wise woman buihleth her house, but
the foolish plucketh it down with her hands! If the as-
sembly give their consent to this annexation, the con-
sequence must be the instant ruin of many parishes;
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 47
but if they vigorously support the interest of the
church by opposing it, and reversing the sentences
of the Presbj'tery and Synod, I have reason to be-
lieve that the principal party interested in this cause
is so worthy a person, and so much a friend to this
church, that, in respect to the authority of this house,
he will desist from the attempt, nnd the little under-
strappers of Jacobite polities will be hindered from
accomplishing their wicked designs.
" But if, after all, this annexation shall be carried
into execution, with or without the consent of the
Assembly, I find myself unable to express my ap-
prehensions for our whole establishment, and there-
fore shall conclude in the words of a celebrated au-
thor,* who is an ornament to the present age:
"*No oppression is so heavy or lasting as that
which is inflicted by the perversion and exorbitance
of legal authority: the robber may be seized, and the
invader repelled whenever they are found; they
who pretend no right but that of force may by force
be punished or suppressed: but when plunder bears
the name of impost, and murder is perpetrated by a
judicial sentence, Fortitude is intimidated, and Wis-
dom confounded; Resistance shrinks from an alli-
ance with Rebellion, and the villain remains secure
in the robes of the magistrate.' "
The Editor of the London Magazine, after giving
this speech at length, adds: " Though Principal Ro-
bertson^ and several more of the court luminaries,
spoke warml}^ in favour of the annexation, the Ge-
neral Assembly, by a great majority, reversed the
♦ "Rambler, No. 145, vol. iii. p. 227."
48 MEMOIR OP Dl. NISBET.
sentence of which Mr. Nisbet complained, and, for
once, the force of eloquence was visibly exemplified."
The scond specimen of Mr. Nisbet's eloquence in
the General Assembly, is found in a speech which
he delivered in that Body, in 1772. This speech
was occasioned by an appeal from the Synod of »/?n-
gKS and Mearns, which had affirmed a sentence of
the Presbytery of Fo)^dii)i, settling, or inducting
Mr. John BrymeVy as Minister of Marykirk. The
original charge was, that the presentation of Mr.
Brymer to the parish, was effected by an act of Si-
mony. This charge was set aside, and the settle-
ment ordered to proceed, by the Presbytery, and
afterwards by the Synod. The whole subject was
brought by appeal before the General Assembly.
On the trial of this appeal, Mr. Nisbet, on behalf of
the appellants, made the following Speech:
" Moderator, ^^
" I appear not at your bar as a party, but as a
member of an inferior court, warranted by the con-
stitution of this church to complain of a decision
of my superiors. The right of dissent and com-
plaint is competent to every member of this church,
and I hope that my using it in the present case will
not deprive me of the character of a peaceable mem-
ber. It gives me pleasure to reflect, that in this
complaint I am not alone, but that many worthy
ministers voted as I did, and the most worthy and
respectable member of our Synod joined my dissent.
" The sentence I am to complain of is, in my
opinion, and I hope to make it appear to this house,
contrary to the word of God, to common sense, and
I
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 49
th^ express laws of this church. This cause has been
urged into an early diet of this assembly, on account
of its relating to the moral character of a minister.
In my opinion, it is of infinitely greater importance
than the character of any individual. On the deci-
sion which you must give in this cause, the moral
character of this churcli and its assemblies immedi-
ately depends; and it must be evident, by your con-
duct this day, whether piety, learning, and prudence
shall be the necessary requisites in the clerical cha-
racter, or merely the possession of a littls money.
To give the house a full view of this cause, I shall
first give a brief narrative of the whole procedure,
taking notice of sundry irregularities committed in
the course of it, and lastly set forth the proofs of
simony against this presentee, which ought to set
aside his settlement, had it been ever so regularly
and formally conducted.
" To begin with the narrative. It is well known
that sundry years ago, the King's college of Aber-
deen exposed to public sale, by way of auction, in
consequence of an advertisement in the public papers,
the patronage of sixteen churches then in their gift,
of which that of this parish of Marykirk was one.
At said auction, one Brymer, an innkeeper at Mar-
nock-kirk, in Banffshire, father to the now presentee,
became purchaser of the patronage of Marykirk,
having previously paid a visit to the incumbent, to
enable him to judge what price he might venture to
give for it. As it was known at the time of the sale
that this Brymer had a son, the now presentee, then
prosecuting the study of divinity, no one needed to be
told that this purchase was intended for his benefit,
5
50 MEMOIRS OF DR. NISBET,
and in this view it appeared new and strange to all
that heard of it; and it is well known that the said
patron, on viewing the strength and healthy look of
the incumbent, declared that he might probably live
almost as long as his son, and that instead of 300^.
which the college had asked, he would venture no
more than 200/.
" On the death of Mr. Thomson, minister of Mary-
kirk, Brymer, now patron by the articles of the roup,
issues his presentation to his son, the now presentee,
concealing however his relation to himself. When
this presentation came into the country, the parish-
ioners of Marykirk, astonished to see themselves
bought and sold, as to their spiritual interests, by
those whose duty it was to have protected them,
were alarmed for their safety; but expected that the
laws of this church would prevent such a scandalous
bargain from being carried into execution. With
this view, some of the elders, the now appellants,
attended the meeting of the presbytery of Fordoun,
when it was expected that this new presentation
would make its appearance. But the members, be-
ing already gained by the patron's friends, gave
them no opportunity of objecting against it. The
presentation was given in, read, and sustained in a
whisper — a practice that seems borrowed from the
privy council of the kings of Brentford.
" A meeting of presbytery was appointed for the
moderation of a call, at which the heretors (though
only one of them is of the communion of this church)
appeared, and gave their consent to the settlement
of the presentee, having used all endeavours, by
threats, promises, &c. to prevail on their tenants and
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 51
dependants to sign the call. The parishioners had
employed a notary to appear for them, and to pro-
pose objections against the settlement; but as in this
slavish country no notary of character could be got
to appear against gentlemen of property, for fear of
their resentment, the parishioners were obliged to
employ one given to drinking, who, being plied by
the heretors' agents, was soon rendered incapable of
conducting their business properly. However, he
got access to the presbytery, gave in his letters of
proxy, and objected against sustaining the call, on
account of its being signed only by the heretors, and
a few of the lowest of the people; and on the pres-
bytery's sustaining it, he appealed to the ensuing
synod, and gave in his reasons: but the presbytery
having adjourned to a blind ale-house along with the
heretors, refused to take in his reasons, or give
an extract of their sentence, and appointed a day
for the admission of the presentee, notwithstand-
ing the appeal, which it seemed they intended to
smother. They dismissed without prayer.
" At the meeting of the presbytery for the admis-
sion of the presentee, the parishioners procured an
agent from a distance, who gave in objections against
the presentee in form of a libel, and referred himself
to the presentee's oath for proof of his assertions.
His objections were overruled, his libel refused to
be admitted to proof: on which he appealed to the
ensuing synod, and the presentee was admitted in the
face of the appeal, and amidst the tears and groanS
of the congregation. One of the parishioners object-
ing to the presentee's doctrine, and endeavouring to
support his objections from the scriptures, one of the
52 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
heretors, standing in a gallery above, aimed a push
at him with a pike-staff, which drove his Bible out
of his hand, and pierced through the whole of the
Acts of the Apostles; which obliged the poor man
to drop his argument, and to escape for his life.
" The parishioners, however, rested on their ap-
peal to the synod, notwithstanding every method
was used to intimidate and distress them, especially
by a committee of the presbytery, who procured an
order from the sheriff of the county to the kirk trea-
surer, to deliver up the poor's box to the presentee
without receipt, under the pain of instant imprison-
ment; which order, however, upon proper represen-
tations, was at last recalled.
" Before the meeting of synod, commissions of
array were issued by the heretors, and sent by the
presentee to many members of the synod, summon-
ing them, under the pain of their high displeasure,
to attend that court, and support the presentee, which
is the common way of conducting synod business in
this country. At this meeting of synod, though
packed and summoned by the influence of the here-
tors, the presbytery's sentence was affirmed by a
majority of a few votes only, and the cause now
waits the decision of this court.
" To enumerate all the irregularities committed in
the dependance of this cause before the presbytery
would be an endless task. The very orders of the
presentee were irregular. He had been ordained
some time bel^ore by the presbytery of Sirathbogie,
ad ministerium vagum, without any parochial
charge, to avoid the examination of the presbytery
of Fordoun as to his ministerial talents; and of this,
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 53
that presbytery was so sensible, that they brought
an overture to next synod for preventing the like
practice in time coming. To ordain a clergyman
without a title or charge is contrary to the laws of
all churches; and if this were permitted, it were
easy to prove that one presbytery, assisted by pa-
trons, and brokers in patronages, might furnish minis-
ters to all this church, of whatever characters they
pleased. The laws of our church appoint ministers
to be ordained by that presbytery, within which they
are to have a parochial charge, unless they have for-
merly been ordained by another where they had the
like concern. But our laws give no license to any
presbytery to ordain ministers for exportation; in
which case it might be justly suspected, that they
would be the more careless as to their fitness for the
office: and as this ordination of the presetitee was
procured after the purchase of the patronage, it ap-
pears to be a branch of the same design, and in the
strongest manner to infer a simonial intention, unless
it likewise was paid for, which might be the case for
any thing I know. Another irregularity is the pres-
bytery's proceeding to admit the presentee in the
face of an appeal. To say nothing of the first ap-
peal, which the presbytery aSect to deny, and have
kept out of their minutes, their proceeding in the
face of the second appeal is in the highest degree
irregular. I know that our forms allow inferior
church courts to proceed usque ad sententiam, not-
withstanding appeals; but to execute their sentence
in the face of an appeal is such a stretch of lawless
and arbitrary power, as, should it be once permitted,
would render superior courts wholly useless. The
5*
54 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
rights of appeal have been reckoned sacred among aJl
nations, and have been religiously regarded even in
the most arbitrary times. The great Apostle Paul,
finding himself before a partial judge, appealed to the
Roman emperor; but it was the apostle's great mercy
that he never met with such judges as the presby-
tery of Fordoun, who, as it is evident from their
conduct, would have laughed at his appeal. These
gentlemen would have told him, ' No, sir, you have
no right to appeal: we will kill you; we will exe-
cute our sentence, and then you may appeal to Caisar
when you please.' How low is this church sunk
in point of character, when its judges want the pro-
bity of heathens, and the integrity of infidels!
" Another irregularity in this business is the want
of a legal call, without which, according to our con-
stitution, no relation can be established between a
minister and a congregation. As to the call of here-
tors, who are not members of our church, I am
ashamed to mention it, it being contrary to the most
obvious dictates of common sense, that persons
should be callers of a minister who are never to have
any connexion with him, nor to attend his ministry.
It has this additional circumstance of aggravation in
it, that these heretors declared under their hands
that they committed to the presentee the care of their
souls, and promised him all due obedience in the
Lord! I want words to express the absurdity and
profanity of such a conduct, especially considering it
as countenanced and allowed by a presbytery of this
church; but I hope that the gentlemen concerned
will be censured for it by their own bishops.
" Our people, sir, never intermeddle with elections
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 55
of Kpiscopal ministers, nor renounce the communion
of this church, in order to have a share in them; and
if these gentlemen had been possessed of that sense
and breeding which our people have always had, they
would have had no concern in these matters. Be-
sides, sir, these gentlemen are totally ignorant of our
laws, and imagine that heretors have the power of
ordination: so it is to be wished, that they would
confine themselves to the afifairs of their elections,
their draught horses or setting dogs, or some subject
that lies level to their understandings. As to the
few people of the communion of this church who
have signed the call, they were obliged to it by
threats and concussion, and some of them were lite-
rally beaten by their worthy masters. It was a mat-
ter of no importance to the heretors who was minis-
ter of Marykirk, as they were to have no concern
with him, nor to attend his ministry; but it was of
the utmost importance to the parishioners who are
members of this church, and depend for edification
and spiritual instruction on the ministration of their
parish minister. I know there are some among us
who pay great regard to the consent of the landed
gentlemen, as such, in the settlement of parishes;
because they suppose that the landed interest are the
supporters of the church. I remember but one time
when our church was in danger: I mean in the late
rebellion; and what then became of our noble friends?
They either joined the pretender, or took protection
from him, or ran like frighted hares to. the border, and
liappy was the man that could get first to London.
Such are our boasted supporters! But as the ordi-
aation of a minister, being a spiritual transaction,
56 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
has no relation whatever to land, it is evident that
the proprietors of land, as such, have no sort of inter-
est in it. But whatever be in this argument, the
parishioners joined issue in the main with the here-
tors: they have given their consent that the presen-
tee should be established minister at Marykirk; that
is, they have declared that he is a minister not fit for
them to hear, and the parishioners are exactly of the
same opinion.
"But to come to the grand objection against this
settlement, to wit, simony: this, in my apprehen-
sion, is so plain, that it is but mere wrangling to at-
tempt to deny it. Simony is defined by the canon-
ists, Studiosa ciipiditas emendi aut vendendi spi-
ritualia, aut spiritualihus annexa. This crime
may be committed in a variety of forms, and may
have sundry objects. The canonists mention sacra-
ments, orders, induction, and promotion; but the
above definition comprises the essence of it. It is
called crimen mere ecclesiasticiiin, and to the com-
mission of it three parties are requisite, the seller,
the buyer, and the accepter. As crimes love dis-
guise, and as no one yet has been hardy enough to
present himself to a benefice, it is natural to suppose
that the simoniacal presentee will get some friend or
relation to act the part of the ostensible patron, as in
the present case; but it is to be observed, that in the
canons against this crime, the vengeance of the sen-
tence falls first upon the accepter, it being for his
account that the bargain is made, as we commonly
say, that if there were no receipts, there would be
no thieves. This crime has always been considered
as the greatest corruption, and forbidden under the
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 57
pain of deposition in all ages of the church. The
first ages of Christianity knew not that operose dis-
tinction and precision, which have become necessary
in latter ages for describing this crime. The story
of Simon Magus, in the Acts of the Apostles, was
the pattern from whence Ihey borrowed their no-
tion of it, and the name of it. The most ancient
canons depose without distinction all such as are or-
dained or inducted by the influence of money, by
whomsoever given or however artfully concealed.
The canons that go by the name of the Apostles,
though not quite so ancient, are plain to this purpose.
I quote Father Caranza's translation of them. ^S**
quis episcopnSy aiit presbyter^ aut diaconus
per pecunias hanc ohtinv.erit dignitatem^ deji-
ciatiir ipse et ordinator ejus, et a communione
modes omnibus abscindatur, Jicut Simon Magus
a Petro. Again, in the second council of Orleans,
can. 4, Si quis sacerdotium per pecuiuse nundinum
execrabile ambitione qusesierit, abjiciatur ut re-
probus, quia apostolica sententia donum, Dei esse
prsecipit pecunise trutina minime comparandum.
I quote these decrees of councils, and could quote
many more to the same purpose, not as of autho-
rity in this church, but as the opinions of wise and
disinterested men in the earliest times of the church,
and they deserve great regard on that score. You
see they condemn as simoniacal all settlements or or-
dination of ministeis, vvherof money is the procur-
ing cause, by whomsoever given, and however the
simoniacal intention may be covered; and it is a
maxim among the canonists, authorised by common
sense, that money given by any one person to ano-
58 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
ther, with the view of getting a person fixed in a
pastoral charge, infers simony against the accepter
of said charge, unless it can be proved that it was
given maliciously, with an intent to procure his
deposition.
*' To bring home this doctrine to the present case,
it is evident that money is the sole cause of Mr. Bry-
mer's settlement. The sale of the patronage was
public, and the parties known. The design of the
father to provide for his son is necessarily inferred
from his buying the patronage, his visit to Mr. Thom-
son before the purchase, and afterwards actually pre-
senting his son to the benefice. Can the simoniacal
intention be clearer in any supposable case than in
the present one? It is not denied that Brymer the
father bought the patronage; but it is said, that it does
not appear that he intended it for his son, and conse-
quently here is no simony. I could peril the whole
cause upon this single point: if any gentleman of cha-
racter will stand up and give his oath, that he be-
lieves in his conscience that the father had no inten-
tion of this sort, I here give up my argument; but I
find this challenge will not be accepted. Intention
is the soul of all crimes; but as it is not visible of it-
self, nor will be owned by the accused party, it must
be inferred from overt acts: and in the present case
a man has no need of being a conjuror to determine
positively, that Brymer the patron purchased this
benefice solely as a provision for his son, and for his
emolument allenarly. It is not to be supposed, that
a candidate will purchase a patronage openly by him-
self, in order to manifest his simoniacal intention, and
facilitate his conviction; and there is no person so
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLiND. 59
bad, or so insignificant, as not to have a friend or
relation to make the bargain for them, and fulfil their
intention. Simony, like other crimes, will always
affect to be under cover; but in the present case the
cover is so thin and transparent, that none can be de-
ceived by it, except those who have a mind to be de-
ceived. A father, of the rank of an innkeeper, has a
son following the study of divinity, and buys the pa-
tronage of a benefice. Can it be believed by any per-
son of common sense, that he had no intention to pre-
sent his son to it, or that his son knew nothing of the
transaction? I can only say that every man, woman
and child, in the country where I live, knew the con-
trary in the present case. A father must be concern-
ed to provide for his own son: on account of his near
relation to him he must be prejudiced in his favour,
cannot be a judge of his qualifications. A patron
exercises a judgment in the choice of his patentee,
and there is in every presentation an explicit delec-
tus personas for his fitness real or supposed; but in
the present case no judgment could be exercised, and
no deliberation could have place, on account of the
near relation betwixt the patron and presentee. As a
father cannot be the judge of his own son, nor a wit-
ness for him, so by parity of reason he cannot be his
patron. Nor is this a new notion. The tenth council of
Toledo, in their third canon, expressly inhibits pre-
lates, who were then the only patrons, from present-
ing their relations, or even their dependants, to any
benefice in their gift. The canon is entitled, Contra
episcopos qui monasteriis vel ecclesiis consangui-
neos, vel sibi faventes prxjiciu7it, and runs thus:
%^gnovimus enim quosdam pontijices praecepti
60 MEMOIR OF DR. NlSBilT.
principiis aposfolorum (qui ait, Pascite qui in
vobis est gregem, non coacte, sed spontanee, neque
vi dominantes in clero^ ^c.J ita esse immemores,
ut quibusdam monasteriis parochialihxisque eccle-
siis, aid suae consanguinitatis personas, aut sui
favoris participes, ifiiquuni saspe statuant in prse-
laturarn, ita illis providentur commoda inhonesta,
ut aut eisdem deserantur quae propria episcopodari
Justus ordo depoposcerit, aut quae rapere deputati
exactoris violentia poterit. Proinde placuit nobis
Sf in prxsenti tale rescindere factum, fy non esse
de caetero faciendum. Nam quisque pontificium
deinceps aut sanguine propinquis aut favor e per-
sonis quibuscunque sibi coiijunctis talia cotnmen-
dare lucra tcntaverit, ad suum nefandae praesum,p-
tionis excidium, et quod jussum fuerit, devoce-
tur in irritum, ^ qui ordinavit, annuse excommu-
nicationi subjaceat. Further, in a synod assembled
at London, anno 1171, can. 9. *Let none transfer
a church to another in the name of a portion, or take
any money or covenanted gain for the presentation
of any one. He that is guilty, by conviction or con-
fession, is for ever deprived of the patronage of that
church by the king's authority and ours.' I own *
that the practice of buying and selling benefices is
tolerated in the neighbouring church of England,
though no less contrary to the laws of that church
than of this; and there every presentee is obliged to
take a tremendous oath against simony, bearing that
neither he himself, nor his friends, have purchased
the benefice on his account. All good men in the
church of England have lamented and abhorred this
practice, as contrary to Christianity, and lending to
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 61
the utter corruption of the clerical order, and its
fruits have been answerable to their apprehensions.
But simony cannot be more expressly forbidden in
any church than in ours. By three several acts of
assembly in 1753, 1757, and 1759, it is declared to
infer deposition in a minister, and forfeiture of li-
cense to a probationer, to bargain with the patron or
his friends, either by themselves, or by their friends,
with or without their knowledge, or to give or pro-
mise any reward whatever to the patron or his friends,
in consideration of his settlement, or to fulfil any
such bargain when made, or to conceal it when
brought to his knowledge; and presbyteries are re-
quired to proceed to the sentence of deposition in all
the cases above specified, or when any simoniacal
paction or practice is used by any person whatever
in consideration of a particular settlement. It is
most childish reasoning to allege, as has been done
on the other side, that because the buying of rights
of patronage is not expressly mentioned in these acts,
therefore such purchase cannot infer simony. These
acts specify all the modes of simony that had fallen
under the consideration of the assembly at that time;
and as they comprehend and mention much lesser
degrees of the crime of simony than that of buying
the patronage of a benefice, can it be believed by any
person in his senses, that such merchandize is not as
much, and indeed more contrary to the spirit of these
laws, than the buying of a presentation? If it is si-
mony by our laws, as no one doubts, for a candidate to
purchase from the patron one single vicey can it be less
so to purchase the] patronage absolutely, or that the
candidate himself should become patron in the person
6
62 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBST.
of his friend? Common sense revolts at the men-
tion of so absurd a distinction. The assembly will
be pleased to attend a moment to the consequence of
such transactions. If they are permitted to go on,
persons of the most infamous characters, destitute of
every ministerial talent, if possessed only of a little
money, and the favour of a single presbytery, may
purchase any benefice in this kingdom. It is well
known that a person who a few years ago appeared
as a tumbler in several towns in Scotland, has pur-
chased a benefice of considerable revenue in the west
of England, and it may be expected that tumblers of
inferior reputation will soon purchase into our church
in the same manner. How venerable would this as-
sembly appear to the public, if we had seen one half
of its members with their heels upwards! We see
already that there are patrons ready enough to sell
their patronages to candidates or their friends, as
often as they can make a penny by the bargain. The
King's college of Aberdeen has set a noble example
to the rest, so that we may soon find more instances
of this kind. That learned body, fired by the noble
love of wealth that animates most of our modern lite-
rati, have openly set to sale the sacred trust reposed
in their ancestors. Money is the principal thing,
therefore get nioney: this seems to have been their
maxim. I shall not repeat what a learned gentleman
has just now observed as to the stomachs of literary
men; but to avoid offence, I shall read a short quota-
tion from an eminent author, which I find acciden-
tally among my notes. ^ Such is the state of the
world, that the most obsequious of the slaves of pride,
the most rapturous of the gazers upon wealth, the
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 63
most officious of the whisperers of greatness, are col-
lected from seminaries appropriated to the study of
wisdom and virtue, where it was intended that appe-
tite should learn to he content with little, [here in-
deed is something relating to their stomachs] and
that hope should aspire only to honours which no
human power can give or take away.' Rambler,
No. 180.
" By the laws of our church, sir, a candidate for the
ministry is obliged to undergo a long and laborious
course of study, and to maintain a d-ecent and irre-
proachable character. He must be certified by a
professor of divinity, and examined carefully by a
presbytery, before he obtains license to preach, and
when presented to any particular charge, must under-
go a new trial before that presbytery in whose bounds
the charge lies, before he is ordained a minister; and
at his ordination all persons are called upon to pro-
duce, if they can, any accusation against his life and
doctrine. So anxious is our church for the purity
of the clerical character, and their being possessed of
proper talents for the ministry, that their whole set-
tlement is made to turn upon that: But how differ-
ent a course has been followed by this presentee; and
if allowed, will be followed by other candidates! If
this settlement is affirmed, persons without learning,
piety, or moral character, need only get the favour
of any particular presbytery, which will not be diffi-
cult to be found, and get themselves ordained ad mi-
nisterium vagurti; and then, if they have but a little
money, or can get credit for it till the benefice be-
comes vacant, they will find patrons to sell them
their right, or to seem to sell it them till their turn
64
MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
is served. I readily allow that simony is the natu-
ral offspring of patronage, as that is of the mother of
harlots and abominations of the earth; but it must be
evident to every person of common sense, that if the
settlement in question is affirmed, nothing but the
v\^ant of money will be able to prevent the most in-
famous and unfit persons from becoming ministers of
this church. Every minister at his ordination is
obliged to declare solemnly, and as in the presence
of God, that he has not used any undue methods to
procure his settlement, either by himself or his
friends. And when this declaration is made by
those in the circumstances of the present presentee,
as it has been made by him, it must put an end to
their moral character instead of establishing it. When
a person begins his ministry with such a solemn
prevarication, not to say perjury, what edification
or profit to the church may be reaped from his mi-
nistry may be easily imagined. In controversies
about settlements, the opposers of presentees are
often reviled on account of their rank in life; they
are represented as illiterate vulgar, incapable of judg-
ing of the talents and qualifications of ministers; but
it seems patronage sanctifies every thing, and, like
the popish sacraments, confers grace, and sense, and
wisdom. Had this innkeeper, who is now the pa-
tron, been an inhabitant of the parish of Marykirk,
and an opposer of this presentee, those who are now
his friends would have held him in the utmost deri-
sion; but by his becoming patron, he immediately
commences wise, just, and infallible; so mighty a
thing is it to have credit for two hundred pounds, in
the opinion of some men. I cannot look upon this
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLiND. 65
patron in the same light with any other patron. His
right was a fresh purchase, with a visible design to
provide for a son, whether qualified for the ministry
or not; and it appears by this transaction, that the
presentee's father thouoht as meanly of his son's
talents as any of his opposers do. If he had thought
that his son had as much merit as would recommend
him to any patron or parish whatever, he would
never have parted with 200/. to provide him in a
settlement. No application was made to this patron,
as is always the case with others; because his inten-
tion of conveying it to his son was known to every
person from the time of the purchase. If it is said,
that no simoniacal intention appears, I answer, that
it appears as clearly as any criminal intention can
ever be supposed to appear. May we not as fairly
and legally infer the simoniacal intention from the
circumstance of the purchase, and the settlement fol-
lowing upon it, as the lords of justiciary, in cases of
murder, infer the animus injuriandij or criminal
intention, from the overt acts and behaviour of the
pannel? And if this is not admitted, no criminal
vvhatever can be condemned, as all crimes consist in
intention. If this transaction has all the circum-
stances, appearances and consequences of a simonia-
cal transaction, as it must be owned it has, why in
the name of common sense is it to be called by any
other name? At this rate, a man might believe tran-
substantiation itself, and hold that accidents can sub-
sist without a substance/'
" In a word, you must either find this settlement
simoniacal, or declare that simony never was nor can
be committed by any j>erson. If these things go on,
6»
66 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
you may soon expect to see your churches filled
with useless and immoral clergymen. If money is
sufficient to give a right, patrons will be found ready
to sell, and candidates to buy. What need have we
of probity or character, if money does quite as well?
What need have we of professors of divinity, except
to cry out, O cives! cives! quserenda pecunia pri-
?num est; and if clandestine ordinations in distant
presbyteries are allowed, they need not add, Virtus
post nummos. Your churches will be res m com-
merciOj and patronages transacted at fairs and mar-
kets; the price of patronages, as well as other provi-
sions, will rise in proportion to the demand, and
clergymen, paying so high for their settlements,
must languish out the rest of their lives under a load
of debt and misery. How honourable for our church
would such a paragraph be in our public papers as
this? ' We hear from Falkirk, that on Wednesday
last, there was a great show of cattle, but little de-
mand. Patronages bore a very high price, all those
brought to market having been bought up the night
before by an eminent dealer in horses, so that many
clergymen were disappointed.' Nor is this suppo-
sition too extravagant: I have heard already of an
eminent dealer in horses who intends to buy a bene-
fice for his son, having discovered that he has no ge-
nius for his own profession. But dropping conse-
quences, it is evident that the present transaction
comes precisely within the limits of the acts of 1758
and 1759. At the time of it the college of Aberdeen
were patrons of Marykirk. Mr. Brymer's friends
offered and gave money for the presentation, as there
could be no surer way of securing it than buying
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. &T
the right; so that the presentee, by accepting said
presentation, incurs ipso facto the sentence of depor
sition, according to the express tenor of said acts.
Besides, it may be shown, that at the time of making
these acts, the word presentation was used to signify
a right of patronage, as well as a single vice^ as it
was not till of late years that this strictness of speak-
ing obtained amongst us. Moreover, it is confi-
dently asserted, that though Brymer, the patron,
bargained ostensibly for the right of patronage, he
was obliged, by a secret article, to dispone it to a
certain gentleman after he had served his turn by it,
and that it is already sold to another patron; so that
a single vice or turn of presenting was the very thing
bargained for. It is true, that at the synod the
presentee's agent held up a piece of parchment,
which he affirmed to be the right in question, but it
might have been only a piece of an old drum-head,
for ought I know; and a collusion betwixt the buyer
and seller was so easy in this case, that no sort of
stress can be laid upon that. If innkeepers are to be
patrons of our churches, and have no sons willing to
accept, it may be expected that the greatest drinkers
will be generally preferred ; and I am by no means sure
that these will be the most eminent for learning, piety,
and other ministerial qualifications. Whenever these
are disregarded, and money is found sufficient to
supply their place, the whole fabric of our constitu-
tion must be totally ruined. Upon the whole, the
character of this assembly depends upon this day's
decisions, and if this settlement is not found simonia-
cal, and reduced accordingly, your sentences will
amount only to an advertisement to all persons in-
68 MEMOIR OF I>R. NISBET.
tending to purchase benefices, to get their fathers or
friends to make the bargain for the patronage for
their behoof, and that they be sure to get clandes-
tinely into orders before-hand, in order to prevent
any troublesome examination into their qualifications
by the presbytery where the benefice lies. Such a
plain countenancing of the grossest simony is what I
cannot expect from an assembly that has the least
regard to character or conscience; but if I am disap-
pointed in this, I would beg leave to hint to any his-
torian who is to write the history of our times, to
draw a line at the present year, as Mr. Calderwood
does at a certain period, with this inscription: * Here
end the sincere assemblies of the Church of Scotland.'
*' As your decisions will be freely and impartially
examined by the public, I would beg leave to know
how you can avoid being considered as an assembly
of venal and corrupt men, if you openly encourage
corruption and venality in others, and make them
the surest ways of introduction to benefices in this
church. To prevent, if possible, such reproach, I
beg leave to put you in mind of an awful passage of
scripture, which applies to cases of this kind, and
which has already been fulfilled, with regard to the
presbytery of Fordoun, and the majority of last sy-
nod of Angus and Mearns: it is Malachi ii. 8, 9: —
* But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caus-
ed many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted
the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of Hosts.
Therefore have I also made you contemptible and
base before all the people, according as ye have not
kept my ways, but have been partial inthe law.' But
as I find that quotations from scripture are disagree^
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 69
able to some members, I shall conclude with a few
monkish verses, quoted by Johannes Andreas van
der Muylen, professor of the civil law at Utrecht, in
his book Be imperio conscientise circa hominis
mores, which I leave to the consideration of this as-
sembly:
*' Judicabitjudices judex generalis,
Ibique non proderit dignitas papalis,
Sive sit episcopus, sive cardinalis,
Reus condemnabitur, nee dicetur qualis,
Ibi non proderit multum allegare,
Neque excipere, neque explicare,
Neque ad sedem apo^tolicam appellare,
Heus condemnabitur, nee dicetur quare,
Cogitate, miseri, qui et quales estis,
Quidque in hoc judicio dicere potestis,
Ubi neque locus erit codici nee digestis,
Reus condemnabitur, nee producetur testis."
The result, in this case, was not so favourable as
in the former. Notwithstanding this strong appeal,
the advocates of the system of Patronage were so
powerful that the General Assembly affirmed the
judgment of the courts below, in favour of the pre-
sentation, by a large majority.
The truth is, it would not be easy to conceive of
a more formidable opponent than this remarkable
man in a deliberatave body. His memory was such
as to furnish him with apt quotations from every de-
partment of literature, with the peculiar adaptedness
and pungency of which he frequently disconserted
and sometimes demolished his opponent, and seldom
failed to electrify the body which he addressed. His
inexhaustible wit and humour also supplied him
with a weapon which no one ever used with more
70 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
readiness or effect. It appeared as if no argument,
no quotation, no bon 7not, could ever take him by
surprise. If any one ever attempted to play the
wit at liis expense, quick as lightning, flash after
flash, of superior wit, would break from his lips, ac-
companied with a peculiar expression of his counte-
nance, which, when he chose to indulge it, might be
said to blaze with wit, which generally proved irre-
sistible, and seldom Aiiled completely to turn the
laugh on his prostrate adversary.
In 1771, the subject of this Memoir had a corres-
pondence with the Countess of Huntingdon, well
known, for many years, in the religious world, net
only as a fervently pious Christian, but also as a warm
friend of Whitefield, and as an active and munifi-
cent promoter of the cause of truth and piety through-
out Great Britain, and, indeed, as far as her power
extended. This correspondence seems to have arisen
on the part of Lady Huntingdon, who wished to con-
sult Mr. Nisbet in regard to certain opinions which
she considered as erroneous, and which then appear-
ed to be gaining ground.
The only portion of this correspondence which
has been j)reserved, consists of one of Mr. Nisbet's
letters to that illustrious and excellent female, who
seems to have lived only to do good, and who de-
nied herself many of what were considered as the
ordinary comforts of life, that she might have the
more to give for the promotion of the Redeemer's
kingdom. This letter appears to have been written
in answer to a solicitation of his opinion in respect
to a proposed public Conference between the friends
of truth and the followers of Mr. Wesley. On this
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 71
subject, so interesting at that time to a portion of the
religious public, Mr. Nisbet writes thus:
" Montrose, 2Gth July, 1770.''
^^ Madam ^^ — "It must give pleasure to every lo-
ver of Christ and of true religion to hear that a per-
son of your Ladyship's rank is so interested in the
affairs of Christ's kingdom, in so degenerate an age
as ours is. It would seem that Mr. Wesley, by his
preaching and conferences, has been but too success-
ful in seducing many of the ignorant and unwary
into his notions. He has been long suspected of
teaching doctrines inconsistent with the gospel of
Christ, and tending to encourage fallen sinners in a
reliance on their own works and merit for justifica-
tion. In his last conference he seems to have taken
off the mask, and openly to inculcate the old Popish
doctrine of the merit of good works wrought by sin-
ners in a fallen state, in direct opposition to the arti-
cles of the Church of England, which he must have
subscribed, and to the doctrine which he has many
times preached. It is easy to revive an old, explo-
ded heresy, when we take no notice of what has been
said against it, by torturing a single expression in
Holy Scripture to give it countenance. The obscu-
rity and ambiguity with which Mr, Wesley express-
ed himself, gives strong suspicion against his sincer-
ity as well as his orthodoxy. If 1 had all Mr. Wes-
ley's publications by m.e, I think it would be easy to
show that every doctrine asserted and countenanced
in his last Conference, is directly contrary to what
he himself has often preached and published to the
world as the true Gospel of Christ. But I see that
72 MEMOIR OF BR. mSBET.
he is already provided with an answer to this, by ac-
knowledging that he and his brethren have been dis»
puting onl^ about words for these thirty years past.
It is true that General" Councils and public Confer-
ences have seldom been favorable to the interests of
true religion, as men bring their own private preju-
dices and attachments to those Assemblies, and come
resolved to maintain their former opinions, whatever
may be said against them ; not to add, that these
meetings have led many to found their faith on hu-
man authority, rather than the testimony of God in
the Holy Scriptures."
" But as the Conference alluded to is proposed by
the acknowledged friends of true religion, who must
know the situation of things; and besides, as it must
tend to illustrate a point of fact, viz. that the doc-
trines now taught by Mr. Wesley and his brethren,
are contrary to what is taught and believed by the
truly orthodox ministers of Christ in Great Britain; —
for these reasons I rejoice that it is to be held, and
cheerfully contribute my poor testimony in support
of the truth. None can have the vanity to believe
that Scripture, reason and argument will have the
effect to enlighten Mr. Wesley,, who is a person of
great learning and ingenuity, and cannot be supposed
to err from ignorance. But perhaps the concurring
testimony of many acknowledged orthodox minis-
ters of Christ, may be sufficient to open the eyes of
some of his followers, and to convince them that Mr.
Wesley's new doctrines are countenanced only by
the Papists and some Arminians. I shall be glad to
hear of the issue of the intended Conference, and
pray that God, by his Spirit, may so direct his faith-
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 73
ful servants, that they may be enabled to bear ho-
nourable testimony to the truth of Christ, and in
meekness to instruct those that oppose themselves,
if God, peradventure, will give them repentance to
the acknowledging of the truth."
"I am. Madam, your Ladyship's most obedient
humble servant, Charles Nisbet."
" The Countess of Huntingdon."
In the same year (1771), when Mr. Wesley^s
system of doctrine was attracting considerable atten-
tion, and when some measures were taken to draw
to it the notice of the theologians of Scotland, Mr.
Nisbet drew up a Review of that system, which,
though not published at the time, was committed to
the press a number of years afterwards in a popu-
lar periodical. This Review is a very honourable
monument of the learning, taste, piety and ortho-
doxy of the author. He treats the erroneous system
of that remarkable man with an urbanity, a force of
reasoning, and a comprehensive clearness, which
evince the hand of a scholar, a logician, and a divine
of no ordinary character. Yet it is probable that if
the subject of this memoir had undertaken to speak
of Mr. Wesley and his opinions twenty or thirty
years afterwards, when the character of both was
more fully developed, he would hardly have called in
question the " sincerity " of that eminent man. His
consistency and his orthodoxy he would, no doubt,
still have assailed with undiminished confidence; but
he would probably have awarded to him the praise of
honest zeal, and of no small usefulness, however mis-
taken and erratic some parts of his system.
7
74 MEMOIR OF DR. 3IISBJKT-
CHAPTER 111.
His Ministry in Scotland continued.
It was not only in the General Assembly that Mr.
Nisbet appeared as the advocate of the rights of the
people, against the encroachments of civil or eccle-
siastical oppression. He was the uniform and ar-
dent friend of this great cause, and whenever he had
an opportunity of pleading it, he was ever faithful to
his trust, and as able as faithful.
Not many years after his settlement in Montrose,
the troubles commenced between Great Britain and
her North American colonies. In this great contest,
though he did not allow himself to violate the duty
of a loyal subject, yet, in principle and feeling, he
sided with the Colonies. His friend, Dr. V/ither-
spoon, had, in 1768, removed to America, and was
known there as the active, uncompromising patron of
the Colonial claims and feelings. Mr. Nisbet, it is
believed, substantially agreed with him in his general
sentiments; and though, from the difference of his
situation, not prepared to go all lengths with his now
American friend, yet he felt and acted, so far as his
sacred function called him to act, with the enligh-
tened and patriotic Whigs of Great Britain of that
day; considering the Colonies as having just grounds
of complaint, and as pleading for rights which ought
not to have been denied them. In short, Mr. Nisbet
was a decided and warm friend of America in the
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLiND. 75
contest in which she was engaged; and manifested
his friendship as far as he was allowed by his situa-
tion. And as this was no secret, it attracted the no-
tice of the partizans of government, and drew upon
him the frowns of many a tool of the administration.
Being called to preach on a public Fast appointed
by government during the American war, he took
his text from Daniel v. 5, 25: In the same hour
came forth Jingers of a man's hand, and wrote
over against the candlestick, upon the plaster of
the wall of the king^s palace; and the king saw
the part of the hand that wrote — And this is
the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Te-
KEL, UfHARSIN.
The introduction to his discourse was in the fol-
lowing strongly marked and characteristic strain:
" We are this day called by our superiours to fast
and afflict our souls; and they have not called us to
this duty until they had given us abundant reason to
do so. We have many enemies: our sins and follies
are many also; yet we do not chuse to be told of
them. Prosperity intoxicates men's minds; and even
a great share of adversity is insufficient to open their ,
eyes, and bring them to their senses. They love to
be deceived, and hope to the last, till the punishment
of their sins actually falls upon them. Nineveh is
the only instance in history of a people repenting
and obtaining a delay of their punishment. To dis-
charge our duty with as little offence as possible, we
have chose the words of this text for the subject of
our discourse on this occasion. They served to awa-
ken a mighty monarch, who does not appear to have
ever thought before. After the destruction of Nine-
76 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
veh, Babylon was the principal seat of the Assyrian
monarch, though that empire did not continue long
in vigour after the above period. Under Nebuchad-
nezzar it was terrible and extensive; but the weakness
and incapacity of his grandson Belshazzar brought
it to an end, as we are told in the chapter from which
our text is taken, and as it had been long ago fore-
told by the prophet Isaiah, Chapter 45, 46, 47. Cy-
rus, the instrument chosen of God for that purpose,
was named, long before his birth, by the prophet;
and on this account, that he was raised up to execute
God's judgments against Babylon, and to rebuild the
Temple of Jerusalem, he is called ' the Lord's anoin-
ted.' The Babylonian empire consisted of a num-
ber of conquered provinces, whose princes were alto-
gether kings. Many of these had revolted, on ac-
count of the injuries they had suffered by the Baby-
lonian monarchs. An empire founded in violence,
and stained with blood, can never be called secure,
and nourishes in its bosom the seeds of its dissolu-
tion. An arbitrary prince rules over enemies, whose
weakness alone obliges them to pretend to be his
friends; but who are ready to seize the first opportu-
nity of revenging their wrongs, by abandoning, be-
traying or destroying their tyrant. The Medes and
Persians were made use of in the destruction of Ba-
bylon, and were part of the nations that had been
subject to its dominion in the time of Nebuchadnez-
zar."
On another public fast day, during the continu-
ance of our revolutionary contest, the members of
the Town Council of Montrose, who were always in
the habit of attending public worship in Mr. Nisbet's
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 77
church, and of occupying a pew in a conspicuous
situation assigned to them in their official character,
were seated as usual in their appropriate place. Per-
ceiving, soon after the commencement of the dis-
course, that its character was likely to be by no means
agreeable to their taste, they rose in a body and left
the Church. Mr. Nisbet, stretching forth his hand
toward the seat which they had just occupied, said
with emphasis, as they withdrew — '' The wicked flee
when no man pursueth."
It is hardly necessary to say, that things of this
kind drew upon him no little odium from various
quarters. But his great talents, his pre-eminent learn-
ing, and his acknowledged piety and faithfulness
made such an impression on the public mind in his
favour, that the friends of the administration did not
consider it as either wise or safe to do more than to
smile at the wit and sarcasm, and complain of the
censure, of which he so frequently and severely made
them the subjects.
Mr. Nisbet, however, in taking this course, was
not alone. Some of the best men in Scotland sym-
pathized with him in his principles and preaching,
and thus contributed not a little to divide and disarm
the odium which might otherwise have borne more
heavily on an unsupported individual. Among oth-
ers his venerable and highly respected friend, the
Rev. Dr. Erskine, of Edinburgh, substantially agreed
with him, and in his preaching and publications from
the press stood forth as the friend of America. A
short time before the breaking out of the war which
terminated in the independence of the United States,
Dr. Erskine published a pamphlet, entitled " Shall
78 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBETs,
we go to war with our brother Benjamin^*' He, too,,
was charged with preaching and praying in a manner
highly offensive to the advocates of the American
war. When besought by a personal friend to pray
differently for the king and his ministers, he said —
" Do I not pray for them every sabbath?'' — his friend
replied — " Yes, but you pray for them as if they were
the greatest culprits in all his majesty's dominions."
These circumstances, no doubt, among others of a
still more interesting character, led to a warm attach-
ment between these two friends, which gave rise to
much intercourse between them while Mr. Nisbet
remained in Scotland, and to a confidential and affec-
tionate correspondence, after his removal to this coun-
try, which continued as long as Dr. Erskine lived.
Some specimens of this correspondence will be given
in a subsequent chapter.
While Mr. Nisbet proved himself a warm friend
to the enlightened claims of civil liberty, he was no
less awake to the rights of conscience and of the
Church. In 1781, he prepared a series of "Letters
to the members of the established Church of Scot-
land," in which his views of the unhappy policy pur-
sued by the courts of the Church, are presented with
great strength and eloquence. Argument, learning,
and satire are all brought, with much ability, to bear
on the subject. In one of the letters, a draft of a
proposed petition to the king is found, in which faith-
ful warning, united with intense sarcasm, shows the
hand of a great and good man, supremely devoted to
what he deemed the best interests of the church, and
of the nation. These Letters appear to have been
iive in number. Only two of them are found among
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 79
his papers in any good measure complete. Whetlier
all, or indeed any of them were ever published can-
not now be known. E.ven the two which remain in
manuscript, do not appear to have been entirely pre-
pared for the press; and the publication of them with-
out the others would hardly be doing j^ustice either
to the author or the cause.
In the year 1782, a special effort seems to have
been made in Scotland to obtain from the Parliament
a repeal of the Patronage Act, and restoring to the
chu+'ches of the Scottish establishment the right to
choose their own ministers. At such a time it was
impossible for him to be idle. Accordingly, there
w^as found among his papers, a series of Resolutions,
in his own hand writing, drawn up and adopted at a
large public meeting, of which the following is a
copy, and which will sufficiently explain themselves.
^^ Montrose, July 15, 1782.
"A considerable number of the Elders, and the
greater part of the inhabitants of this town and par-
rish, who are members of the established Church,
having this day met, and being informed that attempts
are making, in several parts of this kingdom, to pro-
cure a repeal of the Patronage Act, they judged it
their duty to join the other parishes and societies in
Scotland, which intend to petition for a repeal of said
Act; and unanimously agreed to the following Reso-
lutions, viz.
I. "That patronage is not only contrary to the
Scriptures, and the natural liberties of mankind, but
also a direct encroachment on the rights and consti-
tution of the Church, established by the 5th Act of
80 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
the first parliament of William and Mary, and rati-
fied by the Treaty of Union.''
II. " That Patronage, though restored by Queen
Anne's Tory Ministry in 1712, was not received or
submitted to by the judicatories of this Church, but
repeatedly remonstrated against, till about forty years
ago, when a corrupt party began to prevail, and the
original principles of this Church were in a great
measure forgotten. Nay Patronage has been so uni-
formly reckoned a grievance in this Church, that
even those General Assemblies whose oppressive
measures have given so much offence to the members
of this Church, have never failed to instruct their
commissioners to petition for a repeal of said Act, if
a favourable opportunity offered."
III. " That although the pretended intention of
the Patronage Act was to prevent heats and divis-
ions; yet, by the experience of more than forty years,
it has been found that the said Act, and the violent
proceedings of Church Judicatories in compliance
with it, has occasioned the greatest divisions ever
known in this Church; and has driven from its com-
munion some hundreds of congregations of well dis-
posed persons, who are still of the principles of this
Church, but who could not submit to such tyrannical
usage."
IV^. "That the said Act, restoring Patronages, by
putting the power of settlements solely in the Patron,
has introduced a servile and dependent spirit among
the Clergy of this Church, whereby their votes and
determinations are entirely governed by their Pat-
rons, or friends that procured their settlement; which
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 81
makes them most unfit guardians and representatives
of a free and independent church."
V. " That, in consequence of this dependent spirit,
the General Assemblies of this Church, composed
mostly of such men as patronage only could have in-
troduced, are become so corrupt, slavish, and tyran-
nical in their proceedings, that they are the terror
and aversion of all the friends of religion and liberty;
as by their foolish and arbitrary proceedings they
are lessening the numbers of the members of this
Church every year; and thus openly wasting that
body which it is their duty to preserve/'
VI. <' That if some stop is not soon put to these
destructive proceedings, which certainly cannot be
expected from General Assemblies, who are the prin-
cipal authors of them, this Church mu5t soon be re-
duced to a very contemptible number, and all its be-
nefices reduced to absolute sinecures; a circum-
stance that must hasten the ruin of our Church esta-
blishment; and as there already exist parishes, con-
sisting of only two, five, eight, and ten individuals,
the rest being mostly dissenters, this period can be
at no great distance."
VII. " That Patronage gives an opportunity for
simoniacal pactions, which, though condemned by
the laws of all Christian countries, can never be pre-
vented where Patronage is established. And, though
there is good reason to believe that sundry benefices
in this Church have been bought with money; it is of-
ten impossible to make legal proof of these deeds of
darkness, whereof even the guilty actors are evi-
dently ashamed."
VIII. ^^And that the people who remain in the
82 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
communion of the Church, by the habit of submit-
ting to oppression, have, in a great measure, lost the
spirit of libert}^, and become the willing slaves of
any that pretend dominion over them."
IX. " For these reasons, we hereby declare our
resolution to join with the other parishes and socie-
ties who have notified their resolution to petition
the Legislature for the repeal of this most pernicious
and destructive Act; and we appoint these our reso-
lutions to be notified to the Constitutional Society of
correspondence at Glasgow, and to be published in
the Caledonian Mercury, the Edinburgh Evening
Courant, and the London Chronicle; and we hereby
promise to defray a proportional part of the expense
of the application to Parliament, along with all those
other societies who shall join in said application."
Although ]Mr. Nisbet, by thus opposing, both in
church and state, the policy most acceptable in the
•' high places" of the land, incurred not a little odium,
he held a place in public estimation too high to be
contemned, and too firm to be shaken. But not only
was the popular voice strong in his favour. Even
some of the noblesse of the country were constrained
to do honour to his exalted character, and to show
that they knew how to estimate pre-eminent accom-
plishments and worth, however unbending to the
authority of the court. Accordingly, the subject of
this Memoir was favoured with the peculiar friend-
ship and confidence of a large number not only of the
most distinguished and excellent of the clergy and
literati of Scotland; but also of some individuals of
both sexes belonging to noble families, who delighted
to testify their veneration for the piety, the talents.
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 83
and the extraordinary erudition which all parties as-
cribed to him. Among a number of names which
might be mentioned as examples of this friendship,
those of the Earl of Buchan, and the Countess of
Leven and Melville, in Scotland, and of Lady Hunt-
ingdon, before mentioned, in England, are particu-
larly specified, because some remains of their corres-
pondence are still preserved among the papers of
this remarkable man.
A few specimens of the letters of the Countess of
Leven will, doubtless, be interesting to the reader,
as examples of plain, simple, unpretending, but en-
lightened Christian friendship, equally honourable to
the illustratious female by whom they were written,
and the venerable minister to whom they are ad-
dressed.
The first is without date as to the year, but proba-
bly written about the year 1778 or 1779.
" Melville House, Sept. 1th.
''Sir,''
" As I have a great esteem for your character, and
some attachment to your name,"^ I take the liberty
to write a few lines to you concerning a book which
is in your possession, and which, at present, occa-
sions a good deal of speculation. I need not, after say-
ing this, add the name of the book, which I am not
thoroughly acquainted with. The author's name is
Nostrodanuis. It would be doing my Lord and me
* The Earl of Leven had married Miss JVilhelmina A'lsbet, of a
family which, though it bore the name of the subject of this Memoir,
was not known to bear any relation to him, of either consanguinity
or affinity.
84 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
9. favour if you would take the trouble to cause to be
written out a few of the mo5t remarkable passages,
alluding to these times, and send them by post.'^
"Should this correspondence prove an introduc-
tion to future acquaintance, it will bring about a
wished for event. If it is agreeable and convenient
for you, my Lord and I will be glad to see you,
either at Melville House, or Edinburgh. '^
" 1 beg you will forgive this trouble; and that you
may believe me to be, with esteem/^
" Sir, your humble servant,"
" W. Leven."
" Rev, Mr. Nisbet, Montrose.^'
The book mentioned by Lady Leven is a very rare
and a very curious one. The author of this Memoir
never saw a copy of it excepting the one possessed by
Dr. Nisbet, of which he often heard the Doctor speak
with no small interest. Nostrodamus was a celebrated
physician and astrologer of France, who flourished
in the sixteenth century. His prophecies, like those
of the Delphic Oracle, were interesting chiefly on
account of their mysterious and equivocal character.
It was not difiicult to find the fulfilment of an oracle
so expressed that it might be made to mean almost
any thing. Dr. Nisbet considered this work as one
of the most singular productions of modern times,
and often amused himself in comparing its pretended
predictions with late events.
From the same.
"iVov. 29, 1779.''
*' Rev. Sir,''
" I would have written before now, to inquire after
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 85
you, and to thank you for your kind visit, had I not
waited for a frank; and, in the mean time, a very
mounful event occurred, which gave much concern
to this family; and I truly believe that the death of
our worthy friend. Lady Northesk, has given very
general concern. Her own family have sustained a
very great loss. But I have no time to enlarge upon
this extensive subject.'^
" I am much obliged to you for the frank manner
in which you expressed a desire to comply with my
request for a reading of your Lecture, had it been
written: and still more by your offer to gratify my
inclination, recollecting your pious meditations on
that rich Psalm, and writing them out for me. I
cannot deny myself so far as to decline so instruc-
tive an offer, though sensible it must be attended
with considerable trouble to you. I do, therefore,
thankfully accept of it. And, when a leisure hour
may permit, I beg you may fulfil the further offer
you made of letting me have your thoughts, now and
then, on some further passages of scripture as they may
occur. I have an interleaved Bible, in which 1 have
collected some Annotations, particularly all that are
to be found in Mr. Hervey's writings (should be glad
to know your opinion of these writings.) It will be
doing me a great favour to send me some notes for
that purpose.^'
"All this family join in best respects to you; and
I beg you may believe me, with much esteem,'^
" Dear sir, your humble servant,"
« W. Leven."
" Rev. Mr. Nisbet.''
86 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
From the same.
''March 9th, 1780.''
« Dear Sir/'
" I received yours of February 21st, which gave
me much satisfaction, and for which I do most sin-
cerely thank you. IMy good correspondents, and,
of course, my inclination for writing, are much fallen
off of late. But when I meet with one whose senti-
ments agree with my own in so many particulars as
you have yet had occasion to mention, it encourages
me to proceed, in hopes of receiving profit. As to
your sentiments of Sermons, they give me much
pleasure, if I mistake them not. I suppose you give
the preference to sermons which affect the heart,
which many condemn. For my part, those sermons
which do not affect my heart, and draw tears from my
eyes, have little effect upon me at all. They go in
at one ear and out at the other, without making any
lodgment in the memory. Your verdict concerning
Commentators is also, in general, most just. I never
met with one of the few I have seen, without ob-
serving the coldness with wHich they could treat of
the most interesting truths. I thought you might
l^now of one of another spirit; who wrote with more
feeling than the generality of Commentators do; and
with another view than multiplying their critical
notes and observations. This made me prize Mr.
Hervey's writings. He writes with such warmth,
and his ideas are so exalted.'^
"I am much obliged, and much edified by your
notes upon the other verses of the XXXII. Psalm. I
say it without an idea of flattery (indeed my opinion
is little worth having), that I think you would make
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 87
a most excellent Commentator. And this opinion,
I dare say, is not peculiar to me. I should be much
indebted to you for any addition to the notes already
collected in my interleaved Bible, which are not
many; mostly confined to Mr. Hervey's. I cannot
name any particular texts or places. Whatever
strikes or occurs naturally to yourself will be most
agreeable, and from time to time, as you find lei-
sure and inclination. I suppose notes from old
lectures (if you have them) abridged, would answer
very well. But I have some idea that you said you
did not write your lectures, which is a pity."
" I am glad to find that your health was improved
when you wrote last. I hope your family are all
well, to which I am persuaded, from your habits, and
the character of your mind, you are much attached."
'^ I have not been so well for a week past, as for
some time before. The degree of health to which I
have been restored is a great blessing, and demands
my most thankful acknowledgments to my Almighty
Deliverer. O that more precious fruits may grow
from this new lease of life than I have ever brought
forth hitherto; and all be dedicated to Him who has
yet Fpared and rexleemed from the power of the
grave!"
"I tire of writing, so will add no more, but ask
your opinion of Baxter's Saint's Rest abridged, and
his ' Dying Thoughts' — ^ Converse with God in So-
litude' — all abridged, by B. Fawcett. If you noticed
a letter in the newspaper (London Chronicle) from
Mr. Wesley, concerning Popery, I think you would
approve of all. 1 like those pieces of Baxter very
much. Perhaps you have not seen them in their
88 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
present state. My Lord, and all the young people,
send their best respects. I am, with much esteem,
" Dear sir, your humble servant,
"W. Leven."
« Rev. Mr. Nisbet.''
" P. S. You have heard that Mr. Taylor, of Pais-
ley, goes to Glasgow, and Mr. Burnside to Dumfries.
A Mr. Buchanan, from Glasgow, is spoken of for
Leith. I think that is his name. Mr. Boner might
have gone to Glasgow had he inclined; but (what is
very uncommon) wisely thought himself too young
for such a charge; and that it might have been a loss
to him in the most essential respects."
From the same.
''Melville House, Nov. 4, 1783.''
''Rev. Sir,''
" I had the favour of yours, and really take it as
a favour; for, although your pen writes readily, it
cannot be called ' the pen of a ready writer.' Nei-
ther is mine; I am sure, for, whatever it has been, I
find a great change. I wish I could say that indo-
lence, much as I dislike the idea of thai, was the
only cause of my unwillingness to write. But if I
ever had any genius for it, it is now lost. Of this, I
must not delay to give you a specimen, to convince
you that I am not insensible of your favour; and,
therefore, write, perhaps a few, perhaps many lines,
in answer to your truly valuable letter, for which I
thank you, and give you joy of your victory. As
matters seem to go on slowly, it will probably come
to be another outgo, if then it be restored."
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 89
" Your expectations concerning the effects of peace
have been different from mine. I could earnestly
wish you had been right; but I always dreaded that
when the war ended, people would then imagine
they had less to fear, and their minds, consequently
become dissipated, especially with regard to secular
affairs, as it made a new opening for trade. As for
the other warnings from Providence, most awful in-
deed have they been; and I trust that those who have
been more immediately concerned, have been led to
repentance by the judgments of God: but at this dis-
tance they seem to have had no effect. Neither do
the direful effects of war, or threatened famine, which
so many have suffered by, appear to have accom^
plished the purpose for which they were sent. By
all accounts, we continue to ^ revolt m.ore and
more.' Extravagance and luxury daily increase.
God only knows wMiat the consequence will be! He
knows what we deserve. No nation has better rea-
son to say, that 'judgment is his strange work;'
and that ' it is of his mercy that we are not consu-
med.' "
'' As for the Unitarian sect which you mention as
lately introduced at INIontrose, it is pretty plain that
God has not joined them together, therefore endea-
vours may be used to put them asunder. Yet I dare
say, open opposition is the readiest way to make
these small beginnings grow and flourish. I remem-
ber to have heard that Barclay, the Quaker, was
sadly disappointed that he was not persecuted. I
just now read a passage, which I will transcribe, as
somewhat to the purpose. ' It is meet we should
tremble for fear, and stand amazed when we behold
8*
90 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
the most grievous judgments of God; how he con-
founds the understanding of the learned of this world ;
whilst many persons not indeed destitute of good na-
tural understanding and sagacity, are so offended at
the great simplicity of the holy Scriptures, that they
have found out divers ways of inverting the sense of
clear words, and use their utmost endeavours to deny
their plain meaning; draw them to a foreign sense,
and accommodate them to the taste of their corrupt
reason. Although the words themselves be so mani-
festly perspicuous as to glare in their eyes, the ex-
ample of those men, who look upon the words of St.
John, in the first chapter of his Gospel, as divinely
inspired, and nevertheless, impugn the eternal divi-
nity and majesty of our Lord Jesus Christ, ought to
render us cautious and circumspect, that we do not
pervert the holy writings to our own destruction; on
the contrary, that we strive, with the greatest ear-
nestness, to receive the plain truths of God, with plain
and honest hearts, and earnestly pray to him for the
true sense thereof/ Lord, incline us ever to hear,
to receive every truth from thy word, and every dic-
tate of thy Spirit with docility and love!"
"My Lord, and all the family send their best re-
spects. '^
" Ever respectfully yours,''
"W. Leven.''
''Rev. MrsNishetr
Several years before Mr. Nisbet was invited to
America, he entered his eldest son, Thomas, as a stu-
dent in the University of Edinburgh. On one occa-
sion, when the young man returned to his studies in
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 91
that Institution, his father gave him a letter to the
Earl of Buchan,* commending him to the paternal
notice of that nobleman, with whom his father had
been long and intimately acquainted. The follow-
ing is the letter borne by the son; and the reply of
the Earl is added.
" Montrose, 22d October, 1782.''
''Ml/ Lord,''
^' If I were not fully assured of your Lordship's
goodness and condescension, I would not have taken
the liberty, though at your express desire, of pre-
senting my son to your patronage and protection, as
I hereby do. I should have reckoned them words
of course, like the ofifers of service usually made by
courtiers. But as I have a quite dififerent opinion of
your Lordship, and have been informed of the care
you have taken of encouraging youth in the study of
letters, I would gladly hope that the very circum-
stance of being presented to your Lordship, and the
observing, if he were capable to observe, what lustre
the study of letters adds to persons of rank, may ex-
cite in my boy an ambition to deserve the approba-
tion of the declared patron of letters and liberty.
Your Lordship will find him extremely raw and un-
furnished with ideas, as must be the case with boys
* This is the Lord Buchan, who sent to General Washington a
box made of the Oak which sheltered the great Sir UlUiam JVallace,
after the battle of Falkirk, and to whom the American Chief, with so
much characteristic dehcacy and dignity, bequeathed back the inter-
esting gift in his last will, not wiUing to take on himself the selection
of the man most worthy of possessing it. This Scottish Nobleman
seems to have been an enlightened, honest, eminently patriotic and
worthy man.
92 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
educated in a country burgh, and merely as the rude
block out of which an image is to be cut by the skill
of the statuary.'^
" The gentlemen of this country, (I scruple to call
them Freeholders) appear to be quite unworthy of
your Lordship's late address, and it would be a trans-
gression of the express precepts of the gospel to ten-
der it to them. For the most part they seem to have
no idea of an equal representation, or indeed of any
representation at all, except such as may occasionally
profit their sons and dependents. Some late incident*
contributed to carry the business of making game
votes as far as it could go in this country. It is now
considered as the law of the land, and though some
gentlemen for a time affected to complain of it, each
great proprietor grudges to be deprived of the support
of his subordinate myrmidons. It is with great con-
cern that I observe that our present Premier seems to
have referred the business of the Caledonian Band to
the arbitrament of the Treasurer of the Navy. I
wish that the good genius of Great Britain had desti-
ned your Lordship a more equitable judge, but I am
not without hopes that the representation of the slate
of this country, which will be made by the noblemen
and gentlemen concerned, and to which the Lord Ad-
vocate cannot yet be a stranger, as well as the distin-
guished loyalty and good character of the solicitors,
may make some impression even on a person of pre-
rogative principles. Poor Scotland can never expect
to reap any benefit from the late act for arming the
people, nor indeed to be any thing more than a nur-
sery of the forces of the Crown, if by any unlucky
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 93
means the present project should be set aside. I am,
with unfeigned respect/^
"My Lord,"
^•' Your Lordship's most obedient,"
"Humble servant,"
" Charles Nisbet."
" The Right Honourable, the
Earl of Biichan, EdinburghJ^^
The Reply.
" Edinburgh, November 2d, 1782."
" Reverend Sir,''
"Your acceptable letter of the 22d ult. found me
at dinner with the Lord Provost, by which means I
was deprived of the pleasure of seeing the bearer of
it, to whom I shall pay the attention, during the
course of his studies at Edinburgh, which I imagine
you would desire."
" The great object of education is to form good and
useful citizens, and to give a proper direction to the
energy of youth."
"I flatter myself that I possess the faculty, or
' knack,' as we vulgarly call it, of discerning the
forte and the foible of young people, and of laying
hold of both or either to set the intellectual machine
in motion. I shall be very glad to exercise this
gift, and bestow it on the son of a respectable and
very singular Scotch Clergyman."
" I say singular, not because f think it rare to meet
with a respectable clergyman in our Kirk. God for-
bid ! Very far from it. But I am sorry to say, that
I find it very singular for a Scotch Clergyman to
94 MEMOIR or DE. XISBET.
hold so high a place as you do among the friends of
liberty, and the English Constitution of government.
1 wish I could call it B?ntish."
"Your alliteiations on the C. B. are much relish-
ed.'"^
"I am, Reverend Sir, with regard, your obliged
humble servant, Buchan."
'^ Rev. Mr. Nisbef, Montrose.^^
Mr. Nisbet to the Earl of Buchan.
''Montrose, Nov. I2th, 17S2."
" Ml/ Lord;'
"Your Lordship's letter of the 2d instant, which
I duly received, entirely justified, but could not ex-
ceed the opinion I had conceived of the Earl of Bu-
chan. I greatly respect the Scotch Peerage; but I
feel a far greater respect for persons possessed of ele-
vated sentiments, public and private virtue, and a
true regard to the welfare of our country. Poor
Caledonia has suffered and still suffers much, by the
rarity of these qualities in men of rank. It is now
visible, that neither high descent, great wealth, nor
a mysterious and haughty behaviour will command
the esteem of freeborn Britons, nor even of degene-
rate Scotchmen, even though attended with polite-
ness of address, connections with ministry, and pos-
session of the most lucrative offices. Since we daily
see persons possessed of all these advantages, as far
from obtaining as they are from deserving the re-
■* There is an allusion here to a literary ^'e?i rV esprit of a very in-
genious and highly amusing character, which Dr. Nisbet, a short time
before, when on a visit to the Earl of Lcven's family at Melville
House, had sent to the Earl of Buchan.
HIS IvIINISTRY IN SCOTLASD 95
jard of their fellow subjects. I hope your Lordship
las discovered the true secret of becoming import-
mt, by meriting the esteem of the public, instead of
challenging it as due by hereditary right, without
merit. In private life, mankind know their friends,
and respect them: though I am sorry to observe that
with regard to their sovereigns they have generally
paid the greatest honours to those who do the most
mischief. It is natural for great men to desire to
rule, and to have an extensive influence among their
inferiors in rank, and those are not last in feeling
his desire who are conscious of their title to the re-
spect of the public; but if I had the honour to be ad-
nitted of their privy council, I would respectfully
lint to them, that they mistook the road to influence
md esteem, if they thought of forcing it by autho-
rity, or attracting it by outward show, and the trap-
pings of false dignity. To convince the public that
one wishes their welfare will establish a greater and
more permanent interest than legions of superiority
votes, or the temporary power of distributing places
and pensions. Your Lordship has laboured to con-
vince your countrymen that you understand their in-
terest, and are zealous to promote it. I hope that
they will at last be convinced of it, and that the man
of the people will soon be a more honourable, as it
is certainly a more solid distinction, than the friend
of the king. The order of nature requires that some
should be exalted above others; but if those whom
Providence has exalted, do not show a desire to be-
nefit, as well as to command others, they have no
reason to complain when they are neglected or de-
spised by their inferiors. A little benevolence, con-
96 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET,
descension and humanity goes a great way, when it
comes from persons of quality. And as the virtues
of men of rank bear a higher proportion to those of
others in the esteem of the public than that of gold
to silver, it is not a little surprising that persons of
distinction should be so negligent in acquiring, and
so parsimonious in circulating, this sort of coin.
With the abilities they already possess, they might
have far greater influence, and benefit their country
much more into the bargain, if they took care to
give them a proper direction. A visible regard to
virtue and religion in the representative of a great
family, will go farther to the reformation of their de-
pendents and domestics than many sermons and ad-
monitions. Scotchmen, above all others, love to be
led by authority, and to imitate the example of their
superiors; so that^those are surely blameable who do
not acquire influence among us, where it is so easily
gained. If the mere shadow of popularity, and an
artful, though counterfeit, imitation of public virtue,
have raised some wicked and designing men to great
esteem and authority, what may not we expect from
true and permanent patriotism, which is now become
almost a title of reproach? I should have asked par-
don for using a style so different from that in use, or
rather have declined using it at all, were I not per-
suaded that I know the person to whom I am writ-
ing. I know that it is commonly objected to political
reformers, that their notions are quite visionary, and
that they expect from men a higher degree of virtue
than can be found among them, and that they dream of
a Republic like Plato's. But surely it is no Utopian
dream to expect a much higher degree of virtue and
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 97
public spirit than is presently the ton among great
men; That which has been done, may be done again;
and human nature may yet produce as shining charac-
ters as it has ever produced. I have been much provo-
ked at hearing human infirmity pleaded in excuse for
the most scandalous enormities, as if men could not
be men of virtue unless they were canonisable saints;
and as if it were only an imperfection to be an infa-
mous knave, or a mischievous tyrant. I wish our
times were showing some symptoms of reformation
by the appearance of some more characters similar to
your Lordship. I consider you as the Apostle of
the higher classes, and hope you will preach so as to
make many converts. I find the degeneracy of our
people prophesied in the Canon law, but lest I should
have lost credit with your Lordship in quoting anti-
quity, I assure you that the following passage is co-
pied from the Decretum Gratiani, printed at Paris,
1550, Distinct. bQ, fol. 100, Col. 4. < Bonifacius
Martyr, Scribens Regi Anglorum,' Si Gens Anglo-
rum, ait, * sicut per istas provincias divulgatum est, et
nobis in Francia et in Italia improperatur, et ab ipsis
Paganis improperium nobis objicitur, spretis legalibus
connubiis, adulterando, et luxuriando ad instar sodo-
miticse gentis foedam vitam duxerit, de tali commix-
tione meretricum sestimandum est, degeneres populos
et ignobiles et furentes libidine fore procreandos, et
ad extremum universam plebem ad deteriora et igno-
biliora vergentem, et novissime nee hello seculari
fortem, nee in fide stabilem, et nee honorabilem Iho-
minibus, nee Deo amabilem esse venturam.' I am
afraid that if any body should write the King of Eng-
9
98 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
land in such a style at this day, he would quickly
have the same honour conferred on him as St. Boni-
face. I am with sincere respect,"
"MyLord,'^
" Your Lordship's much obliged,''
" Humble servant,"
'* Charles Nisbet."
" The Right Honourable, the
Earl of Buchan, Edinburgh.^^
At the Commencement in Princeton College in
the year 1783, the Trustees of that Institution, with
cordial unanimity, conferred upon the subject of this
Memoir the degree of Doctor of Divinity. He was
then in the 48th year of his age. His reputation had
been for several years well and honourably known on
this side of the Atlantic; and his affectionate friend,
Dr. Witherspoon, the President of the College, de-
lighted, no doubt, to co-operate in bestowing this
testimonial of respect on his old friend and beloved
brother. Academical Degrees were never of much
value. They are every day becoming less and less
worthy of regard. But it would be happy for Col-
leges, as well as for the learned professions, if colle-
gial honours were generally bestowed with as enligh-
tened a regard to intellectual and literary merit as in
the case of this distinguished man. It is not impro-
bable that this public testimonial of respect and es-
teem would have been given at an earlier period, had
the intercourse between this country and Great Brit-
ain been regular and amicable. But a seven year's
war between the United States and that country had
HIS MINISTRY IN SCOTLAND. 99
scarcely closed. During the continuance of the con-
test, the college at Princeton was in a great measure
abandoned; and the usual interchange of kind offices
between Americans and Britons had been almost en-
tirely suspended.
100 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
CHAPTER IV.
His Invitation and Removal to the United
States.
Soon after the return of peace, measures were
taken to establish a new College in the town of Car-
lisle, in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, one hun-
dred and twenty miles west of Philadelphia. Among
the gentlemen most zealous and active in founding
this institution, were the Hon. John Dickinson,
then Governor of the State of Pennsylvania, and ce-
lebrated as the author of some eloquent and popular
publications connected with American Independence;
Dr. Benjamin Rush, William Bingham, Esquire,
Henry Hill, Esquire, and several others, distin-
guished for their wealth, patriotism, and public spirit.
This institution received the name of Dickinson
College, in honour of the eminent statesman and
political writer who nominally took the lead in its
establishment, and who was also its most liberal be-
nefactor. This name it still bears. Its erection
was no sooner agreed upon, and in some good degree
realized, in the year 1783, than the attention of the
Board of Trustees was directed to Doctor Nisbet, as
the first President* of their new College. This choice
* In the Charter and laws of Dickinson College, the title of the
presiding officer was *' Principal," and by that title was Dr. Nisbet
addressed in all official acts. But as this title is scarcely known, in
any other instance, out of Scotland; and as to the ear of a large por-
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 101
was made on the 8th day of April, 1784, not only
with unanimity, but with a warmth and cordiality
which indicated the peculiarly high estimation in
which his chafacter was held on this side of the At-
lantic. Measures were immediately taken to apprise
him of the choice, and to urge him to accept of his
new appointment. Besides the official communica-
tion of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Dickinson and
Dr. Rush* each addressed to him several private let-
ters, in which, with great fervour and eloquence, the
attractions presented by the office to which he was
chosen, were earnestly laid before him; promising
him every thing that wealth, honour, and Christian
kindness could bestow, if he would leave his native
country, and accept the chair to which he was elect-
ed. This strain of eloquent importunity, and of high-
wrought glowing anticipation, especially character-
ized the letters of Dr. Rush, and was adapted to
make a deep impression on the mind ofonewhohad
never seen the new world to which he was invited,
and who knew not from experience how to estimate
its habits or its institutions.
The fact is, the establishment of Dickinson Coi-
tion of the American community it would not convey a very definite
meaning — tlie title " President" is here and elsewhere used, as more
in accordance with American usage ; as more universally intelligible ;
and quite as perfectly in accordance with substantial fact.
* Dr. Bexja]min Rush had received his Medical education in the
University of Edinburgh ; had been acquainted with Dr. Wither-
spoon in Scotland ; had some agency in prevailing on him to accept
the presidentship of the College of New Jersey; and, it is believed/
during his residence in Britain, also made the acquaintance of Doctor
Nisbet, He returned from Scotland to Philadelphia in the year
1769,
9*
102 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
lege was not now called for, either by the resources*
of the country, or by its literary wants. The " Uni-^
versity of Pennsylvania," in Philadelphia, on the
one hand, and " the College of New Jersey," at
Princeton, on the other, furnished all the means of
instruction which were then really demanded, and
indeed more than could receive adequate patronage
in the impoverished and embarrassed state of the
country. The small number of students in both
these institutions plainly showed that another was
not required. But some movements of the Legisla-
ture of Pennsylvania, in 1779, in founding and en-
dowing the " University," had exceedingly disoblig-
ed a number of gentlemen in Philadelphia, and none
more than Dr. Rush. He indulged a strong animo-
sity against the Rev. Dr. Ewing, the " Provost" of*
the University, and little less against the Rev. Dr.
Witherspoon, the President of the College at Prince-
ton. From this animosity, there is little doubt,
arose, at least in part, the plan of founding a new
College at Carlisle. Even the clergy, and other lite-
rary men in the immediate neighbourhood of Carlisle,
did not at first see either the wisdom or the practi-
cability of establishing the new institution. But the
unwearied zeal and eloquence of Dr. Rush, and the
sanguine hopes and promises of the opulent gentle-
men in Philadelphia, who lent their names, and
pledged their purses in its behalf, at length removed
every difficulty. Objections were obviated. Pros-
pects were made to appear fair. A Charter was ob-
tained; and the College set in motion with flattering
hopes of success.
All this might have been fair and proper enough
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 103
bad the personal and domestic comfort of none been
implicated but those who were acquainted with our
country, and capable of estimating the character and
prospects of the projected institution. But the first,
and indeed the most vital step; nay, that which was
relied on for giving life and vigour and success to
the whole plan, was to invite a learned and venerated
stranger, who was wholly unable to estimate the
probabilities of the case, to leave a comfortable sta-
tion at home, and commit himself to the fortunes of
a new and hazardous enterprise.
This invitation was one of very serious import.
The venerable man to whom it was directed had now
passed the meridian of life; was in a very important
sphere of usefulness as a pastor; was greatly respect-
ed and beloved by a large circle of friends; was
favoured with a temporal support equal to all his
wants; was surrounded with the most ample means
of gratifying his literary and pious taste; and more
unfit than most men of his talents and learning, to be
a pioneer in the track of a dubious enterprise, or to
cope with, and overcome the difficulties of a new in-
stitution, and of a country just starting in its career
of independence, and national cultivation. We may,
therefore, naturally suppose that it cost him many a
painful conflict before he could persuade himself ta
give up all the advantages which he enjoyed, and to
cast himself upon all the contingencies of an arduous
and untried undertaking.
While his mind was agitated with the decision of
a question so important to the future prospects of
hinoself and his family, his oJd fciend, the Countess.
104 MEMOIR OF i)R. NISBET.
of Leven and Melville, addressed to him the two fol-
lowing letters.
'^Melville House, July 26ih, 1784.'^
"Dear Sir,''
"I received yours, with the inclosed. The day
on which it came to hand I have forgotten, being
wholly engrossed by the present distress in this fa-
mily. Lord Balgonie's second son, one of the finest
little creatures I ever saw, has been near three weeks
ill of a worm fever, so that his life is despaired of,
and, to all appearance, he cannot live long. I must
leave all reflections upon this melancholy event to
your pious mind. For my part, I am so overcome
with the thought of God's goodness in bestowing so
many comforts of this nature, and continuing them
so long, that I cannot get utterance to speak of it. It
well becomes us to be submissive to his divine will
in all things. Parting with such bewitching com-
forts is not an easy duty: but God, by his goodness?
which endureth continually, and is ever a present
help in time of need, can make his grace sufficient
for us, and his strength perfect in our w-eakness.
My dearly beloved Mary — like the mother of our
Lord, ponders things in her heart, and truly behaves
in the most exemplary manner. Calm and quiet as
a weaned child, waiting the Lord's will, and adoring
him as the author of all her mercies, and justifying
him when calling for what he gave* I could write
a long time on this sweet but melancholy subject,
did not my duty call me to be with her almost every
hour, when she is not reposing for rest; and, indeed,
I am wonderfully enabled to do more than could be
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 105
expected from my small bodily strength, and present
feelings. But, to the praise of God be it said, I have
ever found this to be the case.''
" I cannot mention the half of the thoughts which
occur to my mind upon perusing your letter and the
enclosed. Only this, in general, I think is plain,
that you ought to be in no hurry with your positive
determination ; as the foundation of the College seems
not yet to be laid. I said before that it would be a
dreadful idea to me to say any thing against a clear
call in Providence: and also it would give me pain to
think of counteracting a design and earnest wish of
my kind friend, Dr. Rush, whose name, upon one
particular account, especially, will ever be dear to me
and all this family; and I should be sorry he should
ever know that I wrote to you upon this subject.-
But, at the same time, as a fool may give a wise man
good counsel, 1 cannot help saying what occurs to me
on this subject. I find, from what I can learn, that
the whole originates from Dr. R. His temper is
warm and lively, and has the same impression upon
the people there, that his importunate expostulations
have had upon you. His eloquence I have had much
experience of by a long correspondence with this fa-
mily; and by his persevering, and overcoming all Dr.
Ws difficulties, which were many and great, though
small, 1 think, when compared with yours.* How
do you know whether the forti/ members of the
Board of Trustees, of whom you have heard, will all
continue of one mind, especially as they are compo-
sed of all sects? How will the duty of teaching
* The Countess here probably refers to the importunity which drew
Dr. Witherspoon from Scotland, in which Dr. Rush had also a share.
106 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
three hours every day agree with you? How do you
know but that Dr. — . is in the right, and that he is
really your friend, in dissuading you from going?
He is a good man, and we should not suppose that
mercenary views would induce him to mislead a
brother. Have you a turn for managing a farm, and
improving land? Consider the great difficulties that
have been surmounted (if they have been surmount-
ed) in bringing this College to a bearing. Indeed it
has not yet come the length of the infant described
by the good Doctor. I find that much of the good
opinion conceived of you in that quarter rests upon
Mr. B.'s evidence; and how do you know but that,
like Dr. — . you might not bring the same character
back with you to Scotland, that you carried with you
to America? It is a business of importance, which,
like matrimony, ought to be well weighed, as it can-
not ever be undone with honour. Remember that I
write to you in confidence, never to be read but by
yourself. But your situation craves the attention
and the interference of your friends. I wish I was a
fitter one to advise. Indeed it is presuming too far
to say as much I have done: but the dread of your
being decoyed away from your country and friends,
where you and other good people are as much need-
ed as you can be any where, makes me think it ne-
cessary to give only this hint, to take good heed, and
ponder well the path of duty. No doubt you have
done this: but oh! it is sometimes hard to know; and
it is a great mercy when the Lord sets a plain path
before us. You seem to make little account of the
removal of an "obscure individual:" but this you
would not do, if that individual was not yourself.
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 107
We should not, I believe, so much consider whom
the Lord will or can raise up, as to work the work
given XLS to do. I tremble while I m.ention this, and
am ready to blot it out, when I compare myself with
the person to whom I write. But as there are very
few to do the Lord's work among us, an obscure in-
dividual is of great importance. We see what great
things have been sometimes done by an individual.
I dare say, it will ever be your ^ chief end to glorify
God,' wherever or in whatever work he may be
pleased to employ you; but surely you need not leave
this country to seek opportunities of greater useful-
ness: and you say yourself, that we should bless God
that ' we are not persecuted for the faith, nor obliged
to fly to a different country for safety^ — Uhat we
should be thankful for the tranquility of our station,
and labour to improve it to the honour of the Giver of
all good.' I should think the call to such a sort of
vigorous duty, was more the province of pious young
men, than one come to your time of life, with such
indifferent health as yours."
" ] took a spare half hour to scribble this, at two
different times. Since it was begun, it has pleased
God to call away from us our dear little lam.b. I can
only add, that many merciful circumstances might
be mentioned. Oh that I could be watchful in search-
ing out the innumerable instances of that love that
never faileth. Alas, it is little of it we know. I,
in particular, inexcusably neglect to observe and im-
prove the operations of his hands, who is ever em-
ployed in doing what is good and best for us. I am
sure you would be pleased to see my dear Mary's
behaviour upon this occasion; who, though one of
108 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
the most affectionate, attentive mothers, who devotes
her whole time to her children, is, nevertheless, as
composed and resigned as you ever saw a person.
What a mercy! We have been truly much afflicted,
and no wonder upon this occasion. May the Lord
sanctify the dispensation, and unite our hearts more
closely to himself, and be weaning them more and
more from the love of the creature! Pray for us,
dear sir, and believe me, with much esteem, &c."
"Your sincere well wisher,"
"W. Leven."
«i?€V. Br, Nishetr
From the same.
^^ Melville House, Nov. 20M, 1784."
« Dear Sir/'
" I received your long letter, and do really regret the
trouble you take in writing to me as one of your ad-
visers, which I have told you I never would pretend
to be; though I felt an irresistible desire to offer
some thoughts that occurred to my weak judgment,
perhaps ill supported by sense or argument, and also
too partial to be sustained as of much weight. I see
the wise and good often so different in their judg-
ment in matters of importance, that they think it
their duty to argue and act in opposition to their own
inclination, from a dread that a bias that way may
lead them to measures contrary to the will and pro-
vidence of God. But to such tender consciences, does
not God, in mercy, ordinarily make the way clear, and
scatter the clouds which darken their minds? Too
much consulting with flesh and blood, is not the'way
to come to the knowledge of the truth — (but I need
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 109
not tell you this ) Those who advise to the side
that nature leads to, are suspected of partiality; while
some who put nature out of the scale for others,
would find it a more weighty matter were they ba-
lancing for themselves. I think the Lord in mercy
often forms our natural tempers according to the
work to be done. You are not endowed with a
hardy spirit. You do not seem form formed for en-
terprise in the bustle of public life. Perhaps you
may step out of your proper sphere of action, in con-
tradiction to your own inclination, from a dread of
sinful indulgence. Surely, there are many argu-
ments on the staying side y^ry weighty, as well as
upon the side of removing, had I the pen of a
Rush to illustrate them. I do not think his fixing
on you, at the distance of twenty years, at all sur-
prising. It is a question if he h-ad heard much con-
cerning people in your line during that time; and
scarcely of any one whose character he could depend
upon as friendly to America. So that he had, per-
haps, no choice; unless, upon your refusal, he had
made inquiry, and consulted vv'ith you and others for
a suitable one, who had less (in the Providence of
God), to detain him on this side of the Atlantic than
you have. I hope this is no improper parenthesis.
Are not your long settlement in a charge; — your
age; — your wife and family; — your happy connec-
tions; — all detaining arguments of some weight?
The present call from abroad certainly appears far
from clear; and is at best but an indigested scheme,
of the maturity of which one may lawfully entertain
great doubts, considering the contentions which at
present appear to exist among them. Your ideas of
10
110 MEMOTR OF DR. NISBET.
the other side of the water, present, I am afraid, too
flattering a picture. What good reason is there to
believe that they are a sheet of clean paper, as you
seem to think they are? ^ Every thing,' you say,
* is to form; the minds of men there are free from
the shackles of authority; and can more easily yield
to reason, &c. &.C.' I wish I could perceive good
reason to see with your eyes, the people there in
such a favourable light. But though I have ever
been partial to them, and have fought many small
battles for them, I cannot but believe that they are
like ourselves, — much improved in the knowledge
and practice of evil. We read of contentions and
animosities begun and carrying on with a high hand;
and while there are so many masters^ I fear there
will be constant division among them.''
" I thought I had put a finis to this subject when
1 wrote to you at the end of the last month — but
one word brings on another; and it is said of our sex
that we like to have the last. But this is not the case
with me; for I like to have you in my debt, which
is the reason I am swifi to reply. This is little for
your ease, but I can wait your time till the conven-
ient season arrives, and till you get answers to some
important queries you expected to have solved be-
fore you formed any determination. I am always
angry at myself for saying too much upon a subject
on which I have so little title to advise; and yet al-
ways fall into the same error, though ready to con-
fess myself the most unfit of all your correspodents
to be of any use to you either by prayer or counsel,
though I honestly wish it was otherwise."
" I told Mr. T. of your difficulties, and, as impar-
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. Ill
tially as 1 could, your reasons for and against remov-
ing. He seems to think that the state of affairs
there, and more especially that of the College, is very
precarious; and that it ought to be further advanced,
and the state of affairs more settled, before it would
be prudent to engage, or for any to leave his
country, where he is of great use, which he is cer-
tain is the case with you, and a very wise sagacious
man he appears to be.^^
^'The parish of M are exceedingly happy
in having obtained Mr. T. for their minister; and
likewise rejoice that my Lord was victorious over
all the means that could possibly be used to defeat
the settlement. But this must be the business of
conversation, not of correspondence. About two
hundred of them came here on Sabbath to hear him,
in a pour of a rain and high wind, and said they
were well requited for their trouble. An elder said
that ' had Lord Leven given the parish three thou-
sand guineas, he would not have made them so hap-
py. Adieu! It is not from having much time to
spare that I write you such a long letter, but for the
esteem with which I am,"
" Your sincere well wisher,"
'' W. Leven."
" Rev, Br. Nishety
"P. S. When an opportunity offers we shall be
very glad to see you. Lord B. leaves us before or
about Christmas. I wish you could have seen them.
Lord B. would like to hear all your ideas concern-
ing many things. I do not rightly understand what
112 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
you say concerning the Kast India Company, and
the forfeited estates."
The writer of the foregoing letters would have
been a noble woman without her title. The union
of so much piety, w^isdom, unobtrusive delicacy, and
yet faithfulness of friendship, are rarely found united
in epistles not intended for the public eye, but as a
confidential testimonial of respect and Christian af-
fection.
The reader will be very much struck with the con-
trast between the prudence, the caution, and the dis-
cerning hesitation of Lady Leven, and the sanguine
calculations, the unlimited confidence, and the un-
qualified promises of Dr. Rush. He thus writes to
Dr. Nisbet.
" Philadelphia, May 1 5M, 1784."
" Dear Sir.^^
"I did myself the honor of writing a long letter
to you last month, in which I endeavoured to state
your appointment to be Principal of Dickinson Col-
lege, in Cumberland County, in such terms as to in-
duce you to accept of it. 1 informed you of the great
opportunities of usefulness which were befoce you,
and of the happiness you might enjoy in your new
and elevated station. 1 have now only to add, that
the public mind is more filled than ever with expec-
tations from your character. They destine our Col-
lege to be THE FIRST IN America, Under your direc-
tion and government. The Ministers who compose
the Synod of New York and Philadelphia begin to
feel themselves interested in your arrival. They ex-
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 113
pect, in proportion to your superior knowledge and
abilities, that you will bear a superior share of the
labour in the harvest fields of the church in Ameri-
ca.'^
"Mr. Bowie tells me that you have a dislike to
the sea. I am not in the least jealous of that element.
It cannot —it must not separate you from us. Your
benevolence and sense of duty, I am sure, will over-
come every fear, and even antipathy itself. Remem-
ber the words of the Saviour — " It is /'^ — '^I, who
" govern both winds and waves. I, who have quali-
" fied you with so many gifts and graces for the sta-
" tion to which you are called. I, who by my Pro-
" vidence have made your name known and dear to
"the people of America. I, who have many people
"in that country, to be enlightened and instructed,
" directly or indirectly, by you. I, who preside over
"the whole vineyard of my Church, and, therefore,
" know best in what part of it to place the most skil-
"ful workmen. It is I, who call you to quit your
" native country — and to spend the remainder of
" your days in that new world in which the triumphs
" of the Gospel shall ere long be no less remarkable
"than the triumphs of liberty. I have now done
" with ministers of my Providence. Washington,
" and the Adams' have finished their work. Here-
" after I shall operate on the American States chiefly
"by the ministers of my grace."
" I neglected to inform you in my last letter of the
seal of your College. The device consists of a Bible,
a Telescope, and a Cap of Liberty — the two last
placed over the first. The motto is Pietate et Doc-
trina tuta libertas. This excellent sentiment was
10*
114 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
suggested by our worthy Governor, Mr. Dickinson,
a gentleman who unites with the finest accomplish-
ments of the man, and the patriot, a sacred regard to
the doctrines and precepts of Christianity. You will
receive with this letter a duplicate of his letter of
invitation, together with a copy of the minutes of
your election, and No. 3 of a bill of Exchange.''
" We expect to see you this fall. I beg, upon your
arrival in our river, near our city, that you would
convey notice of it to me. My carriage shall be
ready at a moment's warning to conduct Mrs. Nisbet
to my house; where I shall insist upon you and your
whole family making your home till you set out for
Carlisle."
•^ Adieu — yours — yours, sincerely,
"B. Rush."
" The Rev. Dr. Charles Nisbet , Montrose.^'
From the Same.
" Philadelphia, Ju7ie 1st. 1784."
" Dear Sir.''
"A vessel that sails in a few hours gives me an
opportunity of acknowledging the recept of your po-
lite and interesting letter of the 5th of February last,
by the English Packet, which came to hand this day.
My letter by Captain T.ofthe22d of April, will
give you, I hope, the satisfaction you have required
upon the subject of the College at Carlisle. Our pros-
pects with respect to that Institution brighten daily.
Our funds amount to near three thousand pounds;
and as to buildings, we expect to purchase some pub-
lic works built with brick, within half a mile of Car-
lisle, during the late war. They are large and com-
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 115
modious, and may be had at a small expense from the
United States. Our Legislature has patronized the
new College, insomuch that we expect an endowment
from them, at their next session, of five hundred
pounds a year. From the plans which have been
adopted for obtaining funds for our College, we have
little doubt but what we shall have ten thousand
pounds in the course of a year or two, from public
and private donations. Indeed, sir, every finger of
the hand of heaven has been visible in our behalf.
Our enemies have not only become our friends;^ but
have co}it7nbuted ]sir^e\y to our design. Dickinson
College, with Dr. Nisbet at its head, bids fair for
being the first literary institution in America.''
*' I am happy to find that you feel such an attach-
ment to your profession as a minister of the gospel.
You will have an opportunity of preaching every
Sunday at Carlisle. It will be expected — nay more
— it will be required of you for the benefit of your
pupils. The pastoral charge of the Congregation of
Carlisle will be given to the Rev. Dr. Davidson, who
will fill a subordinate Professor's chair in the College.
As the bounds of the Congregation extend four or
five miles from Carlisle, most of his time will be
taken up in visiting his people. His name will be
of use to us, for he is a man of learning, and of an ex-
cellent private character. If your preaching should
prove acceptable at Carlisle, (which I am persuaded
will be the case, for you and the Presbyterian con-
gregation there hold exactly the same principles), I
am well assured that you will receive fifty pounds a
year from them, in addition to your salary from the
College. The duties of your exalted station, in teach-
116 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
ing — governing — seeing company — corresponding —
and attending Presbyteries, Synods, &c. will be such
that you will be glad to be excused from performing
any other of what are commonly called pastoral du-
ties, than preaching^
"Calvinism, among Protestants of all denomina-
tions, is the fashionable religion of our country. Mr.
Haslet (a disciple of Dr. Priestley^s), has attempted
to introduce Socinianism among us. But he met with
so little encouragement, that he is obliged to betake
himself to teaching in order to gain bread for his
family. He preached once in your church in Car-
lisle, when his principles were detected, and exposed
with all the zeal of orthodox indignation.^'
"I shall communicate your hints respecting pro-
viding for emigrants from the North of Scotland to
some of our enterprising merchants.''
" The letter which you will receive from Mr. Coop-.
er and Mr. Linn will, I hope, be acceptable to you.
The former is a, learned and respectable divine; the
latter is an elegant scholar, and a very popular and
eloquent preacher. They are both men of great
prudence and piety."
'^ Adieu, yours — yours,"
"Benjamin Rush."
" To the Rev. Br. Nisbet.''
From the same.
'^Philadelphia, Nov. 28, 1784."
" My Dear Friend,'^'
" I am afraid-I shall oppress you with the number
and postage of my letters; but f cannot omit an op-
portunity which offers to-morrow, by the way of
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. Il7
London, of informing you, that I have written three
letters to you within these three weeks, in each of
which I have given you such assurances of the safety
and flourishing state of our College, as will determine
you to embark in the spring for Pennsylvania. Mr.
Dickinson seems very sensible of the prematurity of
his fears communicated to you by the November
Packet. You will receive with my letters a letter
from him, in which he acknowledges a change in his
opinions and prospects. If our river should not
freeze before Christmas, you will receive a letter from
the Trustees in the neighborhood of Carlisle. But
if the obstructions in our navigation should check any
future opportunities of writing to you, you may pre-
sume as much upon their honour and friendship as if
you had received bonds from each of them. Not
only honour and friendship, but interest, patriotism
and religion are all concerned in your support.^'
" I find, by your papers, that your ministry pro-
pagate as many falsehoods about us iioiv as they did
during the war, when it was more difficult than at
present to contradict them. The factions, riots, and
executions in London, and the bankruptcies, clamours
and distresses of eveiy part of England and Scotland,
afiord a most striking contrast to the order, industry,
and contentment which prevail in every part of this
country. After the disbanding of an army of 10,000
men, it was expected that the strength of our govern-
ment would have been tried. But we have happily
been mistaken. Not a single instance has occurred
of a soldier having broken the peace in any one of
the states. All the crimes that have been commit-
ted since the war, have been by deserters from the
118 MEMOIR OF DR. NISEET.
British army, and emigrants from Britain and Ire-
land. And indeed even these have been compara-
tively few. The means of subsistence here are so
easy, and the profits of honest labour so great, that
rogues find it less difficult to live by work than by
plunder. You are at liberty, if you please, to make
this information public through the channel of your
newspapers.'^
" We have allotted a room in our house for your
reception, which goes by the name of" Dr. Nisbet's
room.'' My little folks often mention your name,
especially my hoys, who have been taught to consi-
der you as their future master. Possibly this will be
the last letter you will receive from me on the other
side of the Atlantic, To the direction and protec-
tion of Heaven I commit you, till I take you by the
hand on the peaceful shores of Pennsylvania. Adieu !
Adieu!"
" Yours," " BENJiiMiN Rush."
" The Rev. Br, Charles Nisbet,
at Montrose, Scotland.^'
In other letters, written about the same time. Dr.
Rush represents the prospects of the rise and firm
establishment of the College as unquestionable and
brilliant; assures Dr. Nisbet that its funds were such
as might be firmly relied on; that his ample support
as President rested upon a solid basis which could
not possibly fail; that the Board of Trustees embra-
ced a large number of men of wealth, several of them
of very great wealth — every one of whom would con-
sider his estate and his honour pledged to see that
their newly elected President should not have a
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 119
want as loiip; as he lived; and that the most gratifying
amount both of usefulness and honour awaited him on
his arrival in America, and entering on his new
charge.
So far as the College and its endowments were con-
cerned, these promises, as we shall see in the sequel,
were not realized, though honestly intended, and
ought never, in this alluring form, to have been made.
There was, indeed, a moral impossibility, that in the
then existing state of the country, immature in all
literary matters at least, and just emerging from the
exhaustion of the severe revolutionary contest, ex-
pectations thus excited should have been satisfacto-
rily answered. The truth is, Dr. Rush was an ardent
and sanguine man. His whole soul was embarked in
the cause of the College at Carlisle. His patriotism,
and his zeal for the advancement of literature were
unfeigned and great; but in his plans in relation to
the College — for he might be said to have been, in
the outset, the master spirit of the whole scheme —
there was, as we have seen, a large admixture of the
stimulus of personal and party feeling. Without this,
the enterprise would scarcely have been undertaken,
at the time, and by the men who urged it on: and
when this stimulus ceased to operate as powerfully as
at first, the College, and its learned and venerable
Head, engaged less of the attention of its original
friends than they did in the beginning. New diffi-
culties arose; their primitive zeal had cooled;- and
their early pledges were in a great measure forgotten.
Dr. Nisbet, indeed, was not without some intima-
tions unfavourable to his acceptance of the Ameri-
can call from gentlemen on this side of the Atlantic.
120 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET,
Governor Dickinson himself, at one time, was dis-
couraged by the aspect of things, and felt bound to
express doubts whether the Doctor ought, in exist-
ing circumstances, to take a step so momentous to
himself. After the receipt of such a communication
from such a source, he seems, for a time, to have
abandoned all thoughts of coming to America. It
was in this state of mind that he addressed the fol-
lowidg letter to his old and firm friend, the Earl of
Buchan:
" Montrose, 5th Jan. 1785."
" My Lord,''
" As your Lordship has been so good as to take
an interest in my affairs, I think it my duty to in-
form you of a material alteration in them that has
lately taken place. I received lately a letter from
Governor Dickinson, informing me that, by the new
elections on the 12th October, a great change in the
political affairs of that state has taken place; so that
he thought himself obliged, in honour and justice, to
request me not to think of coming out to America
in its present divided state. Since the re-admission
of the loyalists the majority is against my friends,
and what is wonderful, they exclude Quakers, though
near half the state, from the privilege of citizens,
giving as a reason for it, their attachment to the go-
vernment of Great Britain, and they have now voted
out that majority which voted them in. Perhaps
this delusion may not continue. I imagined that a
coalition of parties was in view, as I received in Au-
gust last, a very polite and friendly letter from
General Reed, the head of the now prevailing party,
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 121
expressing his great satisfaction at the news of my
going to America, and begging me to number him
among my friends. But the admission of the loyalists
has put that matter out of sight. Perhaps the late As-
sembly of Pennsylvania have been too much in haste
to obtain the reputation of being humane and merciful,
by taking in those who have turned out themselves.
If they had contented themselves with restoring the
loyalists to their estates, but denied them the privi-
lege of voting, till they had passed a novitiate often
or twelve years, the present confusion might have
been avoided. The loyalists could have had no ex-
ception at being put in the same state in which the
Quakers, a more numerous and respectable body,
have remained for eight years past. But imprudent
counsels are common in all states. Wishing your
Lordship and Lady Buchan many happy years, I
am, with great esteem,"
" My Lord,''
"Your Lordship's most obedient,''
"Humble servant,"
" Charles Nisbet."
" The Right Honourable, the
Earl of Buchan, EdiyihurghJ'
To this letter, Lord Buchan returned the follow-
ing characteristic answer:
" Reverend Sir,''
"A mother whose constitution is broken, seldom
produces healthy children."
" I am sorry to see the features of the mother grow
every day stronger in North America; and I can hard-
11
122 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
\y condole with you upon your being obliged to live
among your countrymen."
" I flatter myself that posterity will discover, that
I have endeavoured, not altogether without success,
to make Scotland more worthy of retaining you as a
citizen, and a pastor of our Church, than it has been
heretofore."
" That you should have been prevented from ac-
cepting your appointment in the proposed College at
Carlisle, by the Calvinistic party in Pennsylvania, is
amusing enough; as are the strange inconsistencies
of admitting the loyalists to citizenship, and exclud-
ing the followers of the legislator or founder of the
commonwealth."
" I have marked, with a jealous eye, your whole
conduct; and I can find no fault with it, but that you
are more honest and open than I am, and that your
enemies have availed themselves of it."
"Since 3^our train of thought has been led to the
institution of youth, why are you to be prevented
from the exercise of your talents and your laudable
ambition here, because you are not allowed by pru-
dence to white-wash the ill instituted youth of a dis-
tant country?"
" Only prove it is in your power that you can
make a man, and you will have many at your com-
mand. In the mean time, allow me to call your at-
tention to a learned subject, which I have been
lately endeavouring to elucidate — the prog7^ess of
the Roman arms in your part of the world,^^
" There are the remains of two camps, about six
miles from each other, connected with a causeway,
and these are not far from you. They are called the
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 123
Haw-dykes and the Battle-dykes. Mr. Jamieson,
of Forfar, has informed me of them, and I wish to
have a description and measurement of them, accom-
panied by a drawing, and a map of the adjacent
country, representing the nature of the ground inde-
pendent of cultivation. From these, and a string of
Roman entrenchments, through Strathmore to the
pass of the Grampian, near Slonehive, I mean to fol-
low Agricola in his march, and to determine the
field of the last great battle where Galgacus, and the
combined clans, were defeated."
" Lady Buchan desires me to present her compli-
ments; and I am,'^
" Rev'd sir, with great regard,"
" Your obedient humble servant,"
"Buchan."
" To the Rev. Br. Nisbet, Montrose.^^
The suggestion in Lord Buchan's letter, that Dr.
Nisbet's election to the Presidency of Dickinson
College was opposed by " the Calvinistic party of
Pennsylvania" is as totally destitute of foundation as
possible. Two classes of persons only, so far as is
now known, opposed the measure, viz: 1st, the cau-
tious and calculating, who were afraid of exciting
expectations which could not be fulfilled, and who
strongly doubted the propriety of bringing so distin-
guished and venerable a man from Great Britain to
a situation less comfortable than that which he occu-
pied in his native country; and, 2dly, the few who
feared that the erection of a new College in Carlisle
might interfere with the prosperity of institutions
already existing, and with which they were con-
124 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET#-^'
nected. But Calvinism, assuredly, formed no part
of the dividing line in either case. Among all the
opposers of both classes, only one nominal Calvinist
is now recollected; whereas the great mass of Cal-
vinistic influence in Pennsylvania was ultimately in
favour of Dr. Nisbet's appointment.
In the mean while, some of the Trustees of the
College, having heard of Mr. Dickinson's letter to
Dr. Nisbet, and the unfavourable impression which
jt had made on his mind, although there could not be
a formal meeting of the Board, determined to address
to him a joint and countervailing communication.
This was done in the following terms:
'^ Philadeljohia, Nov. IQth, 1784.''
« Sir;'
"Mr. Dickinson having communicated to us, the
subscribers, Trustees of the College at Carlisle, occa-
sionally met in Philadelphia, a copy of his letter to
you of the 25th of October, we are happy in an op-
portunity of informing you that we conceive the
apprehensions and fears contained in that letter to be
wholly without foundation."
"We beg leave to inform you that the aforesaid
letter was written by Mr. Dickinson in his private
capacity, without the knowledge of any one of the
Trustees, and that we are fully of the opinion that
the charter of our College is as secure as any private
property in the state."
"'We expect to have the pleasure of seeing you in
the spring, and to realize all our expectations of the
future usefulness of our College, from your patron-
age as its Principal."
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 125
" In the mean while, we beg you would place the
fullest confidence in the assurances and obligations
of the Board of Trustees, contained in their public
letter of the 30th of September last, which was signed
by their order, by the President of our Board."
" With sincere wishes for your prosperous voy-
age to America, and assurances of future friendship,
we are,"
" Sir,"
" With great respect,"
" Your obed't humble serv'ts,"
^r TT r Collesre of Car-
Henry Hill, f ^.^^J -^
Benj'n Rush, J
After much hesitation, and many conflicts, the im-
portunity and solemn assurances of Dr. Rush, and
other members of the Board of Trustees, prevailed.
Dr. Nisbet declared his acceptance of the office to
which he had been elected, and, in a short time, pre-
pared for his voyage to America.
In taking leave of the Presbytery of Brechin, of
which^4ie had been, for many years, a member, the
following testimonial was given him by that body;
which, as it is much more extended than is com-
monly given on such occasions, and especially as it
was voted by a body in which he had long been,
and continued to be, in a struggling and persevering
minority, a minority to many of the important and
controuling members of the church of Scotland in
no small degree ofiensive, is the more worthy of re-
gard. Such a testimonial, in such circumstances
11*
136 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
could not have been accorded except to a man whose
talents, learning, and acknowledged piety, were so
pre-eminent as to triumph even over party animo-
sity.
"At Brechin, the 6th day of April, 1785, the
Rev. Dr. Charles Nisbet, who has been minister of
Montrose, within the bounds of this Presbytery,
since the 17th day of May, 1764, having signified
to us his intention of removing from his present
charge to a settlement in a distant part of the world,
We hereby certify, that the said Dr. Nisbet, has, dur-
ing the time of his residence within our bounds, dis-
charged the several duties of the pastoral office, with
great faithfulness, diligence, and assiduity; and that
his conduct, both in private and in public life, has
been in every respect unexceptionable, and highly
ornamental to his character and profession, as a Chris-
tian, and a minister of the Gospel. We deplore his re-
moval, as depriving this Presbytery of a worthy and
valuable member; as a loss to the town and parish
of Montrose in particular, and to the Church of Scot-
land in general; and we are fully confident, from our
own knowledge and experience, that he will prove a
real blessing to any Christian society in any part of
the world, with which he may happen to be con-
nected, and in any station or department in which
Providence may place him. Signed in the name, in
the presence, and by the appointment of the Presby-
tery of Brechin, at Brechin, place and date as above,
by'' " Robert Hannah, Moderator .^^
"John PiRiE, Clerks
But before Dr. Nisbet left Scotland, his faithful
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 127
and anxious friend, Lady Leven, addressed to him
the following letters:
^'Melville House, Jan.. 17, 1785.''
''Ddar Sir;'
" I intended to have written to you before now,
had not the high postage laid an embargo. Mr. Mar-
tin has been so good as to give me a reading of your
letter to him, which is the cause of my taking the pen
immediately; in case I should by mistake, be classed
among your " mistaken Right Honourable friends;"
that I may assure you, that whoever these may be,
I never was among the number; but had penetration
enough, upon the first reading, to discover the true
import of the words. And I really tliink it required
but a small degree of penetration to pass a true judg-
ment upon them by any person who knows the au-
thor's manner and feelings. I thought the words
alluded to could never have been construed in any
light but in jest, though the writer had been un-
known; but surely none that know the humanity of
your disposition, and your sympathy with all in dis-
tress, could suppose you guilt}'' of hard measures. 1
think it was not prudent to write in that style to such
a distance. The other particulars of your letter to
Mr. W. I remember little about; the note about the
Loyalists being the only thing I had taken notice of,
and on which I was at a loss for a commentary. I
hope you keep good health in this severe season.
Both my Lord and I have been ailing. He has shar-
ed in a distemper very epidemic of late in many
places, a complaint in the bowels, attended with a
flux. He is now pretty well again. A great mercy
128 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
— among many mercies to his family, that cannot be
numbered."
" We have no word yet of the ship in which our
son David sailed for Gibraltar the end of November
last, which is matter of great anxiety to my mind.
Dr. Erskine's only remaining son has been very ill,
and is still far from well. They dreaded water in
his head. The worthy man is very low."
'' I only got your letter yesterday from Mr. M. He
only got it himself on Saturday, as he had been in
Edinburgh. I should not write so soon, but did not
wish that you should suppose me so ignorant of your
Christian disposition as to misconstrue your words
when they would bear a meaning that implied no
evil."
"In haste, adieu. I take the opportunity of our
carrier to send this to Edinburgh. I am. Reverend
and dear sir,
" Yours, with great regard,"
" W. Leven."
" The Rev. Dr. Charles Nisbef,''
" Montr osQ.^^
From the same.
" Melville House, March 23, 1785."
" Rev. and worthy Sir.''
" It was lucky for me that your final departure was
sudden and unexpected the day you left Melville
House. I had no apprehension that it was to be the
last meeting. It is always very hard upon me to bid
adieu to a friend, much more especially when I never
expect to see him again. You have by this time, no
doubt, felt enough of this trial, which to me is al-
REMOVAL TO THE UJ5ITED STATES. 129
ways aflfecting. I intended writing to you before
now, but waited for some convenient opportunity.
But upon hearing accidentally that you was to be at
Dundee on Wednesday, on your way to Greenock,
I take up the pen to express my good wishes for a
safe and easy passage, and that you may be long pre-
served for valuable purposes. I heartily sympathize
with Mrs. Nisbet. If her views are not clear as to the
path of duty, she must suffer deeply . I beg that you
will write to me sometimes. And do not conceal
the truth, if matters do not answer your expectations.
I still think you have been hurried off this stage,
which I do most sincerely regret. My worthy
friend. Dr. Rush and I would be antipodes in your
affairs. I beg, however, that you will assure him of
my constant love and regard, for the friendly duty
he performed, to the last remains of Him, whom I
loved as my own life.* I have half written several
* The repeated and strong expressions of grateful attachment to Dr.
Rush, on the part of the Countess of Leven and her family cannot have
escaped the notice of any attentive reader. It is due to the memory of
both paities to assign the reasons of this attachment. When Dr.
Rush vi^as pursuing his medical studies in the University of Edin-
burgh, he became particularly acquainted with the Earl of Leven's
family, and was a frequent visitor at Melville House. Nor will any
one who ever had an opportunity of observing the refined and polish-
ed manners, and the peculiarly fascinating conversational powers with
which he was endowed, wonder that, when he returned to America,
he left behind him in such a family, not only a respectful, but even
an affectionate memorial. But there was another tie still more tender
and deeply interesting which bound him to that noble family.
In the British army sent over for the subjugation of the Colonies,
the Earl of Leven had a son — the honorable Captain William Leslie,
of the 17th Regiment, who is said to have been an elegant and pro-
mising young man. In the battle of Princeton, January 3d, 1777,
130 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
letters to him, and write him many in my thoughts;
but never could get one completed that pleased me.
My Lord has written to the Doctor three or four
times, both before and since hostilities closed. I
hope he has received some of them. I would not for
any thing have him suspect any diminution of the
grateful sense which all this family will ever retain
of the regard due to one who showed himself to be
such a friend in a far country. It gives me great
pleasure to learn, from time to time, that he is so
happy in his domestic concerns. I have desired my
daughter to put into your keeping a smidl box direc-
ted to Dr. Rusli, which you will be so good as to take
care of and deliver to him."
this young officer was among the slain. After the retreat of the Bri-
tish, leaving a number of their killed and wounded on the held, Uene-
ral Washington, accompanied by Doctor Rush — then Physician Ge-
neral of the American army — and several other gentlemen, rode up
to that part of the ground on which the greatest number of the killed
and wounded were lying, and made some inquiry concerning the
regiments which had been engaged, and especially respecting the
body of an officer immediately in view, which attracted his particular
attention. It was answered, that that was the body of ^he honourable
Captain Leslie, of the 17th Regiment. Upon hearing this, Dr. Rush
was much affected; immediately dismounted; with the aid of a servant,
laid the body on a suitable vehicle, which happened to be near at hand;
took it with him when the American army withdrew from Princeton •
and when they halted at Pluckamin, a small village, a httle more than
twenty miles north of Princeton, caused the interesting remains of his
friend's son to be interred with appropriate honours and solemnity. This
distinguished respect and sympathy on the par^ of an old acquain-
tance — now a magnanimous foe — made, as it well might — a deep im-
pression on the minds of the Earl of Lcvcn's family. That it should
never be effaced frorh a mother's heart, every one acquainted with ma-
ternal feelings would, of course, expect.
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 131
" I write this in a hurry, having no time to lose.
I shall wish you and your family well, in all places,
and at all times; being, with much esteem and regret,
your humble servant,"
'' W. Leven.''
" T/ie Rev. Dr, Charles Nisbet."
After perusing such letters as these, it is probable
that every reader will feel more and more surprise,
that Dr. Nisbet, after having lived nearly half a cen-
tury in Scotland, and after having long enjoyed the
intercourse and affectionate confidence of .swcA friends,
should consent to tear himself away from their socie-
ty, and from all the attractions connected with it, and
to launch, after having passed the meridian of life,
into new scenes; among entirely new connections;
and on a theatre of action as arduous as it was un-
tried and responsible.
Nor did Dr. Rush's generous conduct end here. Knowing that the
location of the remains of a stranger, deposited in an obscure village
church yard, might soon pass from the memory of those who felt little
interest in the deceased, he caused a handsome marble monument to
be erected over the grave, bearing the following inscription: —
" In memory of
The Honourable Captain William Leslie,
Of the 17th British Regiment,
Son of the Earl of Leven,
In Scotland.
He fell January 3d, 1777, aged 26 years,
At the battle of Princeton.
His friend, Benjamin Rush, M, D.
Of Philadelphia,
Hath caused this stone to be erected,
Asa mark of his esteem for his worth,
And of his respect for
His noble Family."
132 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
Yet when we consider the pictures of certain and
great usefulness which were held up to his view; the
prospect of being able to raise the standard of knowl-
edge and intellectual improvement in the new world;
and the solemn, reiterated pledges of ample and even
generous support to the end of life, given by men of
so much elevation in society, we shall easily be able
to understand how his difficulties were overcome, and
he constrained to commit his future comfort to the
.new enterprise.
Dr. Nisbet sailed from Greenock, with his family,
on the 23d day of April, 1785, and after a voyage of
what was then deemed a medium length, and mark-
ed by no very unusual circumstances, landed at Phi-
ladelphia on the 9th day of June following. He was
now in the fiftieth year of his age. He had lost by
death four children, — two sons and two daughters in
Scotland. The family which he brought with him
consisted of Mrs. Nisbet, together with two sons and
two daughters. Thomas, the elder of the sons, had
passed through a regular course of study, and been
graduated in the University of Edinburgh, before he
left Scotland. He was a young man of uncommon-
ly fine talents, and of accurate and mature scholar-
ship, and promised, at that time, to be an ornament
and a blessing to his family.
Dr. Nisbet remained with his family in Philadel-
phia nearly three weeks after their arrival. During
this time, according to a previous arrangement, the
house of Dr. Rush was their home. Here they re-
ceived all those kind and polite attentions from the
family of their host, and from the citizens of Phila-
delphia, which strangers so interesting, and so high-
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 133
ly esteemed might have been expected to draw from
an intelligent and polished community.
During this interval he paid a short visit to his old
friend, Dr. Witherspoon, of Princeton, by whom he
was cordially received, and introduced to the litera-
ry gentlemen connected with the College in that
place.
In four or five days after his arrival in Philadel-
phia, he wrote thus to his friend, the Earl of Buchan :
^' Philadelphia, June 131 h, 1785."
" Ml/ Lord,"
" As your Lordship is kind enough to take an in-
terest in my affairs, I give you the trouble of this to
inform you, that after a pretty good passage of seven
and forty days, I arrived here on Thursday last at
three o'clock afternoon. We had several smart gales,
and one calm with a high sea, near the banks of
Newfoundland. I used the directions I got from
your Lordship, having procured a bag of saffron at
Greenock. I had no attack of the sea sickness all
the passage, but my youngest boy had it severely for
eight days, but is now well recovered. The spring
has been rainy and backward in this country. The
weather is only become fine and clear since our ar-
rival. 'The heats however are not yet come on. I
have been waited on since my coming here by many
people of property and influence in this State, from
whom 1 have received every mark of respect and
attention, and the republicans here, I am assured,
never deign to bestov/ these where they are not in
earnest, as they have nothing to ask of any man liv-
ing. I lodge with my family in Dr. Rush's house
12
134 MEMOIR or DR. NISBET.
where we are entertained with a hospitality that
would do honour to any age or country. I have been
visited by sundry ministers of the English, German
and Scotch churches, who have cordially welcomed
me to this country. Party spirit is beginning to sub-
side, and commerce appears to flourish, from the vast
number of ships of all nations with which the river
is lined for a mile and an half opposite this city.
Every thing seems quiet and orderly, and those in
office are respected by all parties. A Spanish fri-
gate brought over an Ambassador from his Catholic
Majesty to the United States. England, who will
send none, has fairly outdone the Spaniards in haugh-
tiness. The people here bear no grudge at Great
Britain, and continue to prefer her manufactures. I
am assured that British debts are recovered every
day in the courts of this State, whatever is said on
your side the Atlantic, Dr. Rush has written an
Essay on the progress of Agriculture and Population
in Pennsylvania for the information of a friend in
London. I have begged a copy to enclose for your
Lordship, with which I hope you will not be dis-
pleased. As Agriculture and Commerce are the chief
objects here, there cannot be much literature, though
I am assured there are more than could have been
expected, who possess no small degree of learning.
There is a Philosophical Society in this city, which
has subsisted for some time, and has already pub-
lished a volume of their transactions. They are
just now getting a hall built for their meetings, the
Assembly having given them the ground for that
purpose. Perhaps it is possible to make the sciences
Nourish without royal patronage. The like societies
REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 135
exist, as I am informed, in the Ncrthern States, and
are rising to reputation. If this country continues
in peace for a considerable time, as 1 hope it will,
learning and good taste may be diffused among its
citizens to a much greater degree than at present, as
they are still far from having acquired that portion
of wealth which enervates the mind, and renders it
incapable of exertion. 1 should imagine likewise
that the general sobriety that prevails here, must be
favourable to regular thinking and distinct perception.
The West Indians, and the inhabitants of the South-
ern States, on account of their dissipation and intem-
perance, cannot be expected to figure in science, or
even to live so long as to be able to acquire it. The
mania of purchasing vast quantities of land prevails
not a little among the people of property in this coun-
try. Many are distressed, and unable to pay their
debts, merel}'^ on account of their extensive purchases.
The mania of possessing land after the price is spent,
is the nearest thing you have to it in Great Britain.
The greatest inconvenience of this country at pre-
sent is the suspension of private credit, which keeps
much money out of circulation, and the want of ex-
ports to answer their imports. Luxury in dress and
furniture prevails more than excess in eating and
drinking. Frugality and moderation is rendered
more difficult by the vast importations of European
goods. The intercourse with the Spanish settle-
ments is perhaps the most profitable branch of trade
possessed by these States. It is much to be wished
that they may cultivate the friendship of that Court.
But this may be rendered difficult by the high spirit
and thoughtlessness of our back settlers. In regard
136 MEMOIR 01 DR. NISBET.
to my own affairs, my prospects are more encoura-
ging than I expected. I mean to leave this city next
week, as some gentlemen of Carlisle are expected to
convey me thither. No regulations are yet estab-
lished, and the whole will be left to my discretion.
I have not been at Princeton, and perhaps may not
have it in my power to get there till September next.
If your Lordship desires any information from this
country which I can furnish, I shall be proud to re-
ceive your commands. I beg my sincere respects to
Lady Buchan, and remain,"
"My Lord,"
" Your Lordship's most obedient,"
" Humble servant,"
*^ Charles Nisbet."
" The Bight Honourable, the
Earl of Buchan, Edinburgh,''^
RESIDENCB IN THE UNITED STATES. 13.7
CHAPTER V.
His Residence in the United States.
Early in July, 1785, Doctor Nisbet set out from
Philadelphia, for Carlisle, and reached it on the
fourth of that month, in the midst of the spirited
and patriotic celebration of the Anniversary of Inde-
pendence. The inhabitants of the town and neigh-
bourhood, who had assembled in great numbers to
commemorate the day, being informed of his ap-
proach, dispatched a deputation of the citizens, toge-
ther with the Carlisle troop of horse, to escort him
into the borough. He entered it in the midst of joy
and congratulation, and was received and. treated
with all those marks of respect and esteem which
distinguished and long expected strangers, having so
many strong claims on the public favour, had a right
to anticipate. On the next day, the 5th of July, the
oath of office was administered to the Doctor; and
he immediately began to address himself to those
duties which devolved on the Head of an infant In-.
stitution, existing, as yet, chiefly on paper; whose
students were to be attracted; whose character was.
to be formed; and whose success, under God, was to
be insured only by the wisdom and reputation of a.
distinguished individual called to preside over it.
It was on this, occasion, that Dr. Nisbet delivered-
the only discourse that he ever allowed to be printed.
It was founded on ^cts vii. 22: ^* t/2nd Moses w^s,
12*
138 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and
vjas inighty in words, and in deeds.^' The scope
of the sermon was to show "the importance of the
union of piety and learning. '' It is hardly neces-
sary to say that the sermon was an able one, and that
those who have read it, have been disposed instinc-
tively to regret that the author should not have pub-
lished much more.
Scarcely had he entered on the arduous duties of
this new and responsible office, before he and several
members of his family, were attacked with a severe
and protracted illness. Although Carlisle and its
neighbourhood have, in general, been and still are
considered as rather remarkably healthy; yet th esse
interesting strangers underwent what has been called
a seasoning to the climate, of the most dangerous
and trying kind. Most of them were seized with
an obstinate fever, which brought them very low,
and from which their recovery was difficult and ex-
tremely slow. The Doctor himself suffered more
severely than any other member of the family. His
strength was so greatly reduced by the obstinate
continuance of the disease, that he was confined in a
great measure to his house for several months, and
rendered wholly unfit for any effort, either bodily or
mental; and so completely discouraged, that, on the
ISth of October following his arrival, he sent in to
the Board of Trustees of the College, his resignation
of the office of President, and determined on return-
ing to Scotland. The Board received this commu-
nication with great regret, and were unwilling to
accept it. But finding the Doctor's mind filled with
the most gloomy impressions concerning his pros-
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 139
pects, and in a state which precluded the hope of
being able to retain him, they at length, with much
reluctance, determined to yield to his desires, and
accepted his resignation.
In this state of depression and despondency, he
addressed the following letter to the Earl of Buchan:
" Carlisle, i5t/i December, 1785."
'' My Lord r
^' I had the honour of your Lordship's esteemed
letter of the 14th, Sept. eight days ago. It will no
doubt surprise you to learn that I am preparing to
leav^e this country by the first opportunity. I have
not been in a condition to enjoy life, or do business
since I entered it. The great heats, though last sum-
mer was one of the mildest ever known here, are be-
yond the conception of any person who has not felt
them. Fevers and agues are the reigning distresses,
to some they are annual and periodical, and in all
cases most violent and oppressive to the nervous sys-
tem. I run a great risk of falling a sacrifice to the
climate. My whole family were ill for three months
together^ and I have heard of their lasting five years.
Immoderate heat extinguishes activity, and damps the
spirit of enterprise in persons of my weak nervous con-
stitution. I can give no other reason for the universal
gravity that reigns among the people of this country,
but that their nerves are quite relaxed. Tliey would
answer Lord Chesterfield's taste to a tittle."
"America will doubtless be a great and flourishing,
empire, but it must undergo a great change before it
becomes so. They must have more virtue, more in-
140 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
dustry, and more confidence in one another than afr
present. What looks most ominous for the rising
generation is the extravagant indulgence that is shown
to children. They must have the choice of their
masters, and may go to school or not as they please.
The whip is reserved for negroes. Yet the Roman
ferula, of the very shape in which it is represented
in the statue of the Schoolmaster at Lyons, is used in,
schools here, and often is not idle."
Those who have not been in Europe, who are the
majority, and consequently the rulers, have no. notion
of any difference betwixt a college and a school for
boys and girls of six years of age. They would have
their teachers be mere day-labourers for seven hours
a day, for summer and winter, and allow only two
months a year for vacation. For which reason the
lessons they receive are crude and indigested. Pri-
vate study is impractible, no time being left for it,
and the students acquire only a confused and imper-
fect idea of what they think they have learned, not
to mention that many contract a decided aversion for
books and learning, in consequence of the great con-
finement and little satisfaction they experience at
their colleges.''
*' Parents would have their children become learn-
ed, but. the way in which they are to attain it must-
be dictated by those who know nothingof the matter.
The power of the Trustees is absolute, and without
appeal. They receive the tuition money paid by the
parents, and allow the teachers what salaries they
please: they turn them off when they think proper,
and they confer degrees phno jure, the teachers
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 141
serving only as clerks for drawing up and signing the
diplomas, the Trustees receiving the money that is
paid for them. It is no wonder that they should be
bestowed on subjects that disgrace them. Nor is
the case altered though some of the Trustees should
be persons of virtue and learning. They will oblige
their friends, and take such measures as may render
their college agreeble to the people, and draw stu-
dents from a distance. What they consider as the
ultimate end of learning, is that students may be able
to speak readily in public; so that the preparing and
delivering their speeches, make the greatest part of
their employment. ^^
"I know not when or whether these things
will be altered, as the Americans seem much more
desirous that their affairs be managed by themselves
than that they should be well managed. Many Aca-
damies and Seminaries are erected or erecting in
diflferent Slates, but from the foolishness of their plan
I suppose that learning will be long a stranger in this
country. Their taste seems to belike that of the
Romans, who made every thing subservient to orato-
ry. They are strongly attached to liberty, and can
make great exertions upan any sudden emergency,
but are quite inattentive to futurity. The general
mania of removing to the westward must be hurtful
to the other parts of this State. I imagined that, as I
was acceptable to all parties, I' might cure them of
their wrong notions of education and Colleges; bu-t
when I presented a few hints to the meeting of the
Trustees, not the smallest attention was paid to them,
though I know that many of them approved of them,
142 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
in their hearts. Every thing was ordered according
to the old mumpsimus. Will your Lordship blame
me for leaving this country ? I beg my sincere re-
spects to Lady Buchan. I am,"
«'My Lord/'
" Your Lordship's most obedient"
" Humble servant,"
" Charles Nisbet."
" To the Right Honourable, the
Earl of Buchan, Edinburgh^
An immediate return to Scotland, however, being
impracticable, for want of strength and spirits,,
and of a good opportunity; and a voyage in mid-winter
being both uncomfortable and unsafe, it became ne-
cessary to remain in Carlisle until the ensuing spring.
But before the close of winter, both the Doctor him-
self and all the invalids of his family had so far reco-
vered; and with the return of health, their spirits and
comfortable feelings had so far rallied; that they be-
gan to admit the idea of remaining with health and
usefulness in America. Under the influence of these
altered feelings, he thus announced the change in his
purpose, to his old friend, Lord Buchan.
« Carlisle, 20th ^pril, 1786."
" My Lord,''
" I informed your Lordship, some month ago, of
my resolution to leave this country, in which, indeed,
I have met with many discouragements and disap^
pointments; but as it pleased God to restore my
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 143
health in December last, and many people were still
earnest for my staying, I intimated to the Trustees
my willingness to resume my former office, to which
I hope to be re-elected in May next. This country
is in a torpid state with regard to public spirit, arts
and industry, and far from being united in politics.
Indeed, private interest seems every where to be
pursued in preference to the public good. Some
few are wise, but the far greater part otherwise.
Their public debts, though easily payable by good
management, bear hard upon them. Industry and
manufactures, even with the thin population we have,
might extricate us from our difficulties; but most
people here think that what has not been done can
never be done. The ruinous practice of moving to
the westward still continues, both in this and sundry
other States. Kentucky is daily growing at their
expense, though I cannot see how. a people that live
a thousand miles from the sea can find any market
for their produce, or subsist by themselves. On ac-
count of the scarcity of working people, agriculture
is in a low state, and the want of proper exports is
continually taking money out of this country, and run-
ning our merchantsin debt to England more than they
can pay. The easy and extensive credit granted by
English merchants prevents people here from think-
ing of manufactures, but as a corn-trade is a very bad
staple, our people cannot long make punctual remit-
tances, and necessity and want of credit must at Jast
drive them to do something for themselves. Some
small beginnings of manufactures have taken place in
the northern States, but there is no appearance of
any such thing here. A love of letters and know-
144 MEMOIR OF DR. NISEET.
ledge prevails among the youth; but the seminaries
of this country are upon the worst footing, owing to
their being too often under the government of igno-
rant Trustees."
"The national frugality and industry of the Ger-
mans render them the most thriving inhabitants of
this State, but their ignorance and superstition are
much against them. A deference to absurd customs,
and an aversion to labour, prove a dead weight on all
schemes of improvement. Hence the lands produce
little; most of the ground is in wood or waste; the
highways in a state of nature; and the inhabitants,
by living so distant from each other, are deprived of
the benefit of society, and especially of that emula-
tion which is excited by neighbourhood. Indefed,
societies for improvement of agriculture have been
formed at Philadelphia and Baltimore; but their out-
set is very faint, and the people are not disposed to
listen to them. The few rich men lay out all their
money on land, which they keep up, in hopes of a
high price; but personal credit does not exist, and
no man chooses to trust another without a mortgage.
I hear of no such thing as a man of fortune residing
on his estate in the country, and setting an exatrtple
of rational agriculture to his neighbours. Hence the
meanness of the country houses, and the neglected
and squalid state of farms. In the southern States,
indeed, there are men of fortune, who occupy large
territories, but they have no neighbours, and live on
the labours of herds of slaves, without elegance,
taste, or usefulness."
" If any thing worthy your Lordship's attention
should come to my knowledge, I shall be ready to
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 145
Communicate it. I beg my best respects to Lady
Buchan, and remain, with esteem/^
"My Lord,"
" Your Lordship's most obedient"
** Humble servant,"
"Charles Nisbet."
'' The Eight Hon. the Earl of
Buchan^ Edinburgh, ^^
According!}', on the lOth of the following May,
17S6, he was unanimously re-elected to the office
which he had relinquished, and immediately re-
sumed the perform.ance of its duties. Happily, in
the good providence of God, the climate of Carlisle
never afterwards subjected him to a similar trial.
His health was never again, for any length of time,
seriously interrupted, until the approach of that fatal
illness which, many years afterward, terminated his
life.
It was not, however, for a number of months after
he went abroad, and began to resume the duties of
his station, that he recovered his usual strength of
body, and his wonted vigour and activity of mind.
During the continuance of this impaired mental pow-
er, when his memory, which might be considered as
one of his master faculties, did not serve him as
promptly as usual, an intelligent gentleman inform-
ed the author of this Memoir, that he heard Dr.
Nisbet preach. He remarked that his preaching was,
so far as he could judge, as rich and instructive as
usual; but not marked with so much vigour and
sprightliness. But what struck him as evincing a
slight failure of memory, and at the same time the
13
146 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
wonderful fertility of his mind was this. When he
had gone through the expository and didactic part of
his discourse, he distinctly announced his purpose to
apply the subject, and made a practical application,
in the usual form, and, in the estimation of the gen-
tleman, in a very appropriate and happy manner.
But, just as he had completed it, his recollection
seemed, for a moment to fail him — and he said, a
second time — " Let us now apply the subject.'^ Upon
.which he commenced a new application, drawn out
into a number of particulars — without repeating a
single idea that he had already expressed, and yet all
equally appropriate and happy with that which he
had before delivered. Here appeared an anomaly of
memory of a peculiar kind. It failed him as to the
fact, that he had already applied his subject; but did
not fail him with respect to the topics on which he
had just enlarged, and which he had urged in ma-
king that application. His mind was so fertile and
full that he evidently had the power, wiihout pre-
vious preparation, to illustrate and apply the same
subject in a variety of different ways, without inter-
ference or confusion. This failure of his memory,
however, lasted only for a short time. The full ex-
ercise of that faculty, so peculiarly strong in him,
was soon restored, and continued to serve him with
its wonted promptness and vigour, until the approach
of his last illness.
The Rev. Dr. John Erskine, one of the ministers
of Edinburgh, was mentioned in the preceding chap-
ter as one of Dr. Nisbet's early and affectionate
friends. This excellent man, who seemed to take an
interest in ^^^vy thing benevolent or useful in every
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 147
part of the world, by no means ceased to care for his
beloved brother after his removal to America. Hear-
ing of his sickness, his discouragement, and his seri-
ous thoughts of abandoning the country, and return-
ing to Scotland, he vvTote to him in the most affec-
tionate manner, and at the same time expressing with
candour his opinion of the course which ought to be
pursued. Among the letters written on this occa-
sion, the following will serve to manifest the spirit
and practical character of the venerable writer.
" Edinburgh, July 28, 1786."
'' Dear Sir,''
^^ I v/rote, and sent you a small parcel of books, for
your College, to the care of Dr. Wistar, of Philadel-
phia, now in London, three days ago. The only in-
tention of this is to give you the satisfaction of send-
ing three letters, which will show you the deep affec-
tion for you, and concern for your interest felt by
Dr. and Dr. . I beg that they may be
burnt, that no person may know of the contents of
them; particularly that the writers may have no hint
of my having sent them to you. I have equal proofs
of Sir Henry Moncrieff's, and of Mr. Henry Ers-
kine's attention, though I do not send them. I am,
however, of opinion that all your friends in Scotland,
(except, perhaps. Lady Leven) think that, although
there is room to doubt as to your first success in the
Presidentship of Dickinson College; there is none
that your staying in America will be more for your
honour, your interest, and the general interests of
religion, than your returning."
" Let me know what branches you teach in the
14S MEMOIR OF BR. NISBET.
College, and what are taught by others, whether Pro-
fessors or Tutors; and also what place in London
parcels for you, or for Dickinson College, should be
left at."
"I am, my dear Sir,"
*^ Yours, affectionately,"
" John Erskine."
'' To the Rev. Dr. Nisbet,
President of Dickinson College, Carlisle.'^'*
From the Same.
" Edinburgh, Sept. 2Qth, 1 786."
*•' Dear Sir,''
"Nothing important has occurred since my last
letter of July 2Sth. I send this chiefly for the pur-
pose of inclosing one to you from Lord Buchan."
" Holland seems on the eve of a civil war, in which
some of our shallow, short-sighted politicians are re-
joicing, on account of the temporary advantage to our
commerce; not considering the increase of the power
of France which must be produced by their ruin, and
probably soon involve Britain in the same fate. But
the popular voice will be— let the ungrateful Dutch
fight their own battles — and the ministry will listen
to it."
"As you are in a strange country, remember that
you have two cars and but one tongue; and therefore,
without necessity, and a thorough knowledge of the
prudence as well as honesty of your correspondents,
write nothing which you would be uneasy if it was
published."
" I wish you would fix on places at London, Phi-
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 149
ladelphia, and New York, for sending parcels to your
self or your College.^'
*^I am, dear Sir,"
" Yours, affectionately,"
" John Erskine.'*
" To the Rev. Dr. Charles Nisbet,
President of Dickinson College y Carlisle.^ ^
Dr. Nisbet's faithful and enlightened friend, the
Countess of Leven and Melville, whose anxious mind
followed her venerable correspondent to America,
about this time, having received from himself an ac-
count of his safe arrival, addressed to him the fol-
lowing letter..
" Melville House, August 8, 1785."
'^ Dear Sir,''
"I am much indebted to you for writing me so
soon after your arrival, and acquainting me with your
safe landing on the American shore. You give me
a very distinct account of your voyage. Your son's
dangerous illness would, of course, divert your fears
for one week: though I dare say you had many
awful alarms, and your poor wife would be in great
distress. I do not know how it has been with you
as to the article of heat; but we have seen no such
warm summer for twenty or thirty years. Tliere
was also a great deal of thunder and lightning on
Tuesday the 26th of last month, which seems, ta
have been universal; at least, we have heard of its
effects, east and west, south and north."
<' I rejoice that you found the worthy Dr. Rush in
comfortable circumstances. I shall never be indif-
13*
150 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
ferent concerning him. He gained my good opinion
in his early days, and lias done much since to con-
firm it. I never think of him but with affection.
My not writing to him is not a mark of my want of
esteem; but that the subject which first presents itself
to my mind, when I attempt to write to him, (which
1 have done often) is too tender. He has a feeling
heart. I wish you had told me whether the box
directed to him, which followed you to Glasgow, by
Mr. Lake, arrived in safety. When you write, let
me know about his family, &c. and also about your
fellow voyager, Mr. Thompson; and whether he has
got any thing in a settled way. Poor Mr. Peterkin
has waited for some time for a ship; and, in the mean
time, Mr. G. is dead, who was chaplain of Sterling
Castle, and Mr. P. has applied for that small living.
If he succeeds, it will prevent the necessity of leav-
ing his poor family; who will be in a very poor
way If he is obliged to leave them.''
•' Your Glasgow correspondents will write you
all about a Jew who has been preaching there and in
Edinburgh. I would gladly hope it is the beginning
of a more plentiful harvest. He has published a
short account of his conversion, which Mr. Peterkin
will carry, if he goes. 1 intend to send this letter
by him, which causes me to write in a hurry, as his
motions are uncertain. It will soon be known if
there is any hope of his success."
'' I have the pleasure to inform you, that Lord
Balgonie has a son. The mother is well, and mak-
ing a fine nurse. We expect them (God willing) in
about a fortnight. This is a very comfortable event.
I hope you will not forget your friends in your pray-
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 151
ers, now that you are in a far country. No distance
of place can remove us from Him who is the confi-
dence of all the ends of the earth, and is not far from
every one of us. that I felt this truth in such a
manner as to have its due influence upon all my
thoughts, and words, and actions!''
" I have little new to write, for either instruction
or comfort. What takes up the attention, and is the
foundation of much speculation at present, is calcu-
lated for neither of these ends, viz: that Mr. M., of
B. at the age of above sixty ^ has gone off with a lady
between thirty and forty, and left his worthy wife to
mourn for his absence and his sins. She is a very
pious good woman, and at present will find abundant
use for the exercise of all Christian graces. She will
have the prayers of many good people in her singu-
larly trying situation. He has 5610,000 sterling a
year, and left a letter for the minister of the parish,
requesting him to take care and comfort Lady Catha-
rine."
" For Church new.«?, 1 leave it to all yoiir brethren
to communicate; and for State news, I do not allow
myself to interfere with it. I shall be glad to find
that Presbyterians with you stand their ground, f
suppose, after you are settled, you will find time to
write to old friends, and will sometimes find private
hands coming in case you have any pamphlet or
parcel. I think much of your writing to me so
soon. JNIy Lord joins, with all the family, in best
respects to you. If Mr. Peterkin should go out, I
hope you will show him some favour. I am per-
suaded that he is a very serious good man. This is
all I can give you at present. We are all much as
152 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
you left us, which is a singular mercy. My best
respects to Mrs. Nisbet. She has not yet forgotten
Montrose. Believe me, with much esteem,'^
" Your humble servant,'^
"W. Leven."
" The Rev. Br. Charles Nisbet.''
The following letter, also from the same excellent
lady, will show how strong the attachment of the
Church at Montrose was to the venerable Pastor of
whom they had been recently deprived, and with
what cordiality they would have received him back,
had he been willing to return. It appears from the
statement of Lady Leven, that Dr. Nisbet's sickness
soon after his arrival; his discouragement; his inten-
tion of leaving Carlisle, and returning to his native
country — were all, to some extent, known in Scot-
land; and that his friends, in the spring of 1786,
were every day looking for his return with the deep-
est interest, and were greatly disappointed at his de-
termining t'o remain in America,
" Melville House, Jiiig. 2.5th, 1786."
'' Dear Sir,''
" Just when I was meditating a letter to you, yours
of June 24th, came to hand. Had 1 been in good
health, I should not have been so long in acknow-
ledging your letter ivithoiit date, which I received
about three or four weeks ago. It filled me with
much surprise, considering its immediate predeces-
sor, and that we had long looked for you, and daily
expected your arrival on the Scotch coast. I had.
heard surniises, but none of them appeared such as
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 153
could be depended on, till I had it from your own
hand. Most wishfully your friends were expecting
you, and tlie people at Montrose kept the Church
vacant till your not coming was almost certain. But
perhaps you did not know of this. I trust that you
have been directed to what is best, and most for pro-
moting that interest which you wish to spread. I
am sorry to find that your health has been again af-
fected in the hot weather, and that your family are
suffering by it. I shall be glad to learn that you are
all better, and other particulars concerning them."
"I am much obliged to you for writing me so par-
ticularly concerning the state of religion. I fear
you are prejudiced, and, therefore, do not do all the
justice to the Methodists that many deserve who go
under that designation. You know they were al-
ways in two parties. Those bearing the name of
Mr. Whitefield are orthodox, as I suppose, in all
points. And, although some of Mr. Wesley's are
not so; yet I am persuaded they have done a great
deal of good in reforming the lives and manners of
thousands; and that Mr. Wesley has been counte-
nanced in his indefatigable labours by his Divine
Master. To Him, according to his views, he has
been a faithful servant for 70 years. He is now
near 90, still active and vigorous, and anxiously con-
cerned, I truly believe, to do the will of his heavenly
Father."
"• I should be glad to learn more particulars con-
cerning the ^ Shakers j^ being entirely ignorant of
their history or tenets. I will be much obliged to
you for writing frequently. I am sure you will
hear much good of Mr. Whitefield, and still find
154 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
some of his disciples making a good figure. It is
always a pleasure to me to hear any thing to his
praise. You will have heard, perhaps, before this
reaches you, of the great loss which the Church and
people of God have met with in the death of the
precious Lady Glenorchy. I fear we shall never
see her like again. But the subject is too copious.
I must only give you the text, which you can en-
large upon better than I. She left only the scrawl
of an unsigned will, in which she devised £5000 to
fhe Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge in
Scotland; and a like sum for pious uses in England,
It is not ascertained whether or not Lady Souther-
land and her husband will fulfil her intentions; but I
should suppose their doing so cannot be doubted.
There is a good deal more devised for pious uses."
"As I suppose you get Scotch newspapers which
go to Philadelphia, I need not write concerning cur-
rent news. Many strange things daily fall out.
We hear of much evil, and little good. May a hap-
py reverse soon take place! Shall we ever see the
unhappy division between America and her mother
made up again? Shall we see that breach which
was and is the cause of so many evils, repaired? I
am persuaded that both parties would be happier
and more affectionate than ever. Alas! pride, that
easily besetting sin, stands in the breach, ever indus-
trious to widen it. that men were wise!"
" Let me know if it be true that Dr. Witherspoon
has given up the Presidentship of Princeton College.
I am glad to find that Mr. Thompson is alive and
well. We had heard that he was dead. As I have
an opportunity of sending this free and safely, I has-
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 155
ten to conclude. I hope our worthy friend, Dr. Rush,
and family, continue well and happy. I had a kind
letter from him lately, which gave me very great
pleasure. Had I been well, I should have written
an answer before now, and have sometimes been on
the point of doing it, but have been prevented. My
best respects and wishes ever attend him and all his
concerns."
'' All this family desire to be kindly remembered
to you and the worthy Dr. Rush. I am ever, with
esteem, dear sir,"
" Your humble servant,"
"W. Leven."
" The Rev. Dr. Charles Nisbet,
Care of Dr. Rush, Philadelphia.^^
Dr, Nisbet, aS soon as his health was established,
not only entered on the duties of his office; but per-
sued them to an extent, and with an alacrity and vi-
gour which none butaman of his extraordinary resour-
ces, and great energy could have safely undertaken.
He immediately began the preparation and delivery
o^ four co-ordinate courses of Lectures — One on
Logic; another on the Philosophy of the Mind; a
third on Moral Philosophy; and a fourth, on Belles
Lettres, including interesting views, historical and
literary, of the principal classical writers, both Greek
and Latin. These were all carried on at the same
time, and with the greatest apparent ease; the lecture
of each successive day being, for the most part, writ-
ten, so far as it was committed to writing at all, on
the preceding evening. But it was not necessary
for him to write more than the leading outlines of a
156 MEMOIR 0$" BR. NISBEf.
Lecture on almost any subject. His mind was so full
of digested and arranged matter, that a little premedi-
tation, and committing to paper a few facts, dates and
hints, were all that he required for an ample prepa-
ration to meet and gratify his class.
But besides the four courses of Lectures already
mentioned, this learned man delivered a fifth on
Systematic Theology y which deserves particular no-
tice, as it was, probably, the w&ry first cou rse of Lec-
tures on that subject ever prepared and delivered in
"the United States.
A small band of pious students, who graduated in
the College in 1788, conceived so high an opinion of
this venerable man as an instructor, in every depart-
ment of knowledge through which he had conducted
them, that they requested him, after the completion of
their collegiate course, to give them some instruction
and aid in pursuing their theological studies. With
this request he promptly consented to comply; and at
once formed the plan of preparing and delivering a
regular course of Theological Lectures. To a mind
so highly furnished and active as his, the distance
between plan and execution was very small. He im-
mediately addressed himself to the preparation of the
proposed couise, and after the short vacation, which
commenced with the last week of September, he en-
tered on the public delivery of it. W\s first Theo-
logical Lecture was delivered October 31, 1788, and
the last January 5, 1791; thus extending to a little
more than two years and two months. The whole
number of Lectures comprised in the course, was
four hundred and eighteen. His habit was, during
term time, to deliver a Lecture every day in the
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 157
"Week, excepting Saturday and the Lord's day. These
lectures were fuHy written out, and slowly read;
and each hearer was required to take down the whole
from the lips of the Lecturer. So that every stu-
-dent was expected to possess a complete copy of the
whole course.
The theological class to which these Lectures were
delivered consisted of about eiii;ht or nine. Of these,
one or two had not the patience or perseverance to
follow the venerable Lecturer through the whole
course, but left him before it was finished. Then, as
well as now, young men were found unwise enough
to prefer iheir ease or convenience to their solid im-
•provement, and upon various pretexts to deprive
themselves of precious opportunities of instruction.
Dr. Nisbet never affected novelties in theology.
He was not ambitious, in hi^ theological instruction,
to appear as an inventor of new opinions; or even of
new exhibitions of truth. He, therefore, apprised
his pupils that, in these lectures, he did not claim to
-be entirely original; that he drew freely from appro-
ved authors; and specified Tarreline^ Witsius, Ri-
vet, Le Blanc, and others, as those which he most
largely employed as auxiliaries and guides. And,
accordingly, it has been stated, by one, if not more, of
this class of students, that when a suggestion was
made to him, that it might be desirable to commit
these lectures to the press, he repelled the proposal
with evident marks of disapprobation; because he
would by no means palm them upon the public as an
entirely original work.
When the Doctor had closed ^is course of lec-
tures on Theology, the members of the class felt
themselves so much gratified and interested by them,
14
158 MEMOIR OF BR. NISBET.
that they requested him to give them some instruc-
tion on the Pastoral Office. With this request he
also readily complied, and delivered on this subject
twenty-two lectures, which were deemed excellent,
and which were taken down from his lips by the
students in the same manner as before.
In addition to all his labours as the President of
the College, and lecturer on so many different branch-
es of knowledge, he regularly preached in the Pres-
byterian church in Carlisle, alternately with the Rev.
Dr. Davidson, Vice President of the College, and
Pastor of the church. In this part of his public
duties, as well as others, he was highly acceptable
and popular. Without what are commonly called
the graces of delivery, and though always preaching
without written preparation, his discourses never fail-
ed to be in a high degree instructive and interesting.
Dickinson College, under the supervision of her
learned and accomplished head, soon began to rise
in reputation and in the number of her students.
The first Commencement in that Institution was
held on the 2t)th day of September, 17S7; when nine
young gentlemen received from his hands the first
degree in the arts.
But notwithstanding these favourable circumstan-
ces, it cannot be denied, and there seems to be no ade-
quate reason for concealing, that Dr. Nisbet, in com-
ing to America, was not a little disappointed. It
could scarcely, indeed, have been otherwise. The
truth is, the first five or six years after he arrived in
the United States formed one of the most unfortunate
periods in which*a stranger could have transferred
his residence from Great Britain to this country. A
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 159
protracted and exhausting war had just closed. The
currency and commerce of the nation were in a state
of deplorable depreciation. In fact, the States, in their
united as well as individual capacity, might be said
to be bankrupt. Public and private credit had sunk
to a very low ebb. The value of real estate was de-
pressed to a most discouraging degree. Enterprise
had no reward. There was no harmony of action
among the States. The government of the Union,
so far as it deserved the name, was in a great mea-
sure inert, for want of adequate powers. Indeed
from the year 1784 to I7S9, when the Constitution
of the United States went into operation, so many
were the difficulties of our confederated republics,
and so gloomy their prospects, that many of the zeal-
ous advocates of Liberty and Independence began to
be less sanguine in their hopes from the American
revolution; and to doubt whether we were yet pre-
pared to take that stand among the nations of the
earth which the God of battles had assigned to us.
Such was the state of the country at large.
The state of Dickinson College partook of the na-
tional embarrassment. An infant Institution, and,
from the first but slenderly endowed, it was beset with
most formidable difficulties. Neither its funds nor
its students had increased as rapidly as its sanguine
founders and friends had expected. Money was too
scarce to allow many parents who desired it, to give
their children a liberal education. The Legislature
of the State of Pennsylvania was not then sufficient-
ly alive to the interests of literature to make any
considerable grants to seminaries of learning. And,
to crown all, the Board of Trustees of the College
IGO MEMOm OF DR. NISBET^
was a body so large, and consisted of gentlemen sor-
little homogeneous in their principles and character,
that united and energetic action for any length of
time together was not to be expected, and certainly
was not realised. They honoured the accomplish-
ments, and were proud of the reputation of their new
President; but they found it difificult to sustain him in
that ample and honourable manner which he had been
led to expect.
. But besides all the difficulties of his official station,
the social atid literary state of the country, and the
general state of public improvement, were such as
was ill adapted to answer the expectations, and grati-
fy the feelings of one who had been in Scotland al-
most the idol of a large circle of friends; who, when-
ever he went to Edinburgh, is said to have had at
least one hundred intelligent and literary acquaint-
ances, gentlemen of wealth and leisure, some of them
among the first noblemen of the country, who re-
joiced to see him, and in whose sociely and conver-
sation he enjoyed the most refined satisfaction. In
intercourse with such circles, and with easy access
to large Libraries, in which he took so much delight,
he found himself in circumstances, in many respects^
eminently congenial to his taste.
It is true, indeed, that long before the subject of
this memoir came to America, he had imbibed feel-
ings of strong partiality to our country. He sympa-
thized with us in our revolutionary struggle, and'
wished well to us in all our interests, before he was
induced j>ersonally to cast in his lot with us. He-
came to the country, therefore, with partial feelings.
And though he was aware that a body of youthful
RESIDENCE IN THE rNlTED STATES. 161
colonies, recently become independent, could not be
expected to present all the stability of order, and all
the maturity of improvement, to be looked for in
older states; yet he imagined that in a population in
which there had been displayed so much intelligence
as to understand, and so much high-minded patriot-
ism as to contend for, the rights and privileges of
freemen, he should find more of the simplicity and
sturdiness of virtue than in his native land. The
very circumstance of those who called him manifest-
ing, in all their communications, an ardent zeal for
the promotion of literature; and an earnest desire to
attract from the other side of the Atlantic great and
good men to '' go in and out before them," for the
purpose of lifting up the literary character of our
country, was well adapted to beget a confidence that
such men, when obtained, would be cordially wel-
comed, and honourably supported. No wonder, then,
that some degree of painful disappointment ensued,
when he found on his arrival in this country, that
the general standard of literature was low; that a
thorough classical and scientific course would be sub-
mitted to by very few of the youth who aspired to
Collegiate honours; that the very small number of
professional and other gentlemen who laid claim to
literary character, were generally so busy as to ren-
der much social intercourse wholly impracticable;
and that, of course, with his habits and estimates of
things, there was little prospect of his being able
very essentially to benefit the counti-y, or to become,
speedily, if at all, instrumental in elevating the cha-
racter of its literature. And when, above all, he
found the state of religion so low and languishing as
14*
162 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
it undoubtedly was, for a number of years after the-
revolutionary war, it can hardly be imagined that a
mind so enligiitened, so sensitive, so enlarged, and so
intent on the literary and religious improvement of
a^Il around him, as his. could be otherwise than dis-
posed to gloom.
Besides these cornsideratlons, so well adapted to
make an unfavourable impression on his mind, there
were other considerationvS, more immediately per-
sonal, which could not fail to concur in diminishing
his cornfoi-t. His salary, though by no means large,
was imj)erfectly paid. The provision made for ac-
commodating his family with a dwelling, was, from
the beginning, far from comfortable; and the retired
place of his residence, though, in many respect.^,
exceedingly pleasant, presented very few social cir-
cles adapted to gratify a man so pre-eminently devo-
ted to books, and so well fitted to instruct and enter-
tain those in the highest stations.
As these things cauld not fail painfully to impress
his mind, so it was natural that he should, from time
to time, make some reference to them in correspon-
ding with his fi'iends in Scotland, many of whom
took a deep interest in liis comfort, and followed him
with anxious inquiries as to his situation and pros-
pects. Accordingly it is easy to see, from the lan-
guage of several of his correspondents in Britain,
that his situation was far from being one of unmixed
comfort; and that as late as the year 1794 or 1795,
the idea of his return to Scotland, ihough laid aside
by himself, was not wholly abandoned by his^frieudj-
m the other side of the Atlantic.
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 163
The following letters will serve to throw some
light on the subject of the foregoing remarks.
Dr. Nisbet to the Earl of Buchan.
" Baltimore, 2Alh June, 1786.^^
'^ My Lord;'
" Being detained here by a fit of the ague, and un-
derstanding that there are several English ships in
this port, I take the opportunity of testifying my sin-
cere respect to your Lordship, though I have very
little intelligence to communicate. Knowledge \s
very rare in this country, and has been the least of
our importations. The love of money checks its
progress, and the desire of it among the generality, is
not great. It is true that Colleges. Academies and
Schools are founding in many places; but there is a
penury of m.en, books and rational regulations. Po-
litical knowledge, however necessary in this country,
is very imperfect, on account of the undue and false
notions of liberty that generally prevail. Public
spirit is rare; and even where it exii^ts, it is checked
by the dreadful reflection, that it can be of no use
unless it can be infused into a majority. And where
is the community so enlightened that a majority of
it are wise men? A king, surrounded with guards,
ministers and courtiers, is not more inaccessible than
the minds of a multitude beset with prejudices and
ignorance. Natural knowledge, however suitable
and necessary in this country, where it has so large
a field, does not flourish among us. No species of
science is so much honoured as Mathematics, which,
however excellent as an adminicle, is barren in itself.
The king of Franee has purchased a Botanic Garden:
164 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
in Jersey, which may, perhaps, excite some curi-
osity for Natural History. Mines have been said to
be discovered in several places, but I cannot ascer-
tain the fact; and even if the report were true, the
possessors of those mines would do well to keep them
a secret. I believe the ancient adage still holds — Si
giia/oret icllus qux fulvum milter et aurum, hos-
iis erat. I have discovered a strange coincidence
between a part of the superstition of the Indians, and
that of the ancient inhabitants of Europe. Where-
ever the Indians discover bees, they take for grant-
ed that white men will soon come after them. In
the seventh book of the iEneid, when a swarm of
bees had hived near the palace of king Latinus, the
same construction was put on the phenomenon. Con-
tinuo vates; externos cerjiimus, inqiiit, adveniare
viros. This is strange enough. Virgil never visit-
ed America; nor did the Indians ever read Virgil. I
have been assured that in the western parts of this
country, on both sides of the Mississippi, there are
monuments discovered which render it almost cer-
tain that that region has been inhabited by a people
much more civilized than its present-inhabitants. A
gentleman who is proprietor of a mine, assured me
that they had discovered digging tools many fathoms
under ground. I was informed by another, that, in
sinking a well, he found a small furnace of brick
work thirty feet below the surface, with coals and
brands that had been ignited. Near the falls of the
Ohio there is a salt spring in the bed of the river,
which had been inclosed with stone work of un-
known antiquity, to keep out the fresh water; but
this inclosure being ruined by the freshets, the inha-
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 165
b-Itants have no use of the spring except when the
river falls so low as to leave its environs dry. In
many places circular fortifications have been disco-
vered, inclosed with deep ditches, and fenced with
a breast work. Yet no traces of ancient habitations
are to be seen. Perhaps the inhabitants have been
contented with wooden houses, like Attila, though m
possession of a great part of the Roman empire. Pit
coal is found in abundance in the western counties of
Pennsylvania, and at Wyoming on the Susquehanna;
but the great abundance of wood renders it of little
use as >'et. The u-ant of industry is one great cause
of the little progress of the useful arts in this coun-
try; but the climate is enough to damj) the most ac-
tive minds. Many people here observe the siesta
as regularly as the Spaniards and Italians; finding
their animal spirits, if such there are, very apt to be
evaporated by the intense heat of the sun: yet we
hear of none dying here by a coup de soleily though
that accident is common in France and Italy. '*
"The humour of making new States seems unpro-
pitious to this country. Kentucky is admitted into
the Union on condition of their putting themselves
in the order of a Slate before a given day, and taking
a proportional share of the public debt of Virginia,
Vermont is tacitly permitted to govern itself, but not
represented in Congress, or admitted into the confe-
deration. The state of Massachusetts threatens di-
vision, though it has not yet taken place. The dif-
ferences at Wyoming still subsist, though not pub-'
licly supported by the Slate of Connecticut. Ethan
Allen is actually amongst them, and undertakes to
command their forces against all opposition; and a
166 MEMOIR or DR. NISBET.
number of ill-disposed and profligate people are as-
sembling from all the slates, which may occasion a
civil war for a time."
*• I hear that grants of American lands are becom-
ing merchantable commodities on the Exchange of
London: and I am just now informed that an eminent
American land-jobber is actually at Hamburgh, and
finds purchasers in that city. If this is true it will
interest foreigners in the prosperit}^ of this country,
and may be a means of encouraging industry, and
introducing useful hands, and useful arts among us,
of which we are still in great want."
" I beg m}' best respects to Lady Buchan, and am
with the most unfeigned esteem,"
'^ My Lord,"
*' Your Lordship's much obliged,"
"Humble servant,"
" Charles Nisbet."
" The Eight Honourable the
Earl of Biichdii, Edinbiirgh.^^
The next letter is from Dr. Nisbet, to the Rev.
James Paton, the pious and excellent pastor of
Craig, a town in the neighbourhood of Montrose,
with whom the Doctor maintained a long and en-
deared friendship.
" Carlisle, lOth Jan. 1787."
" Dear Sir,''
"Yours, of the 9th of August, reached Philadel-
phia on the 22d of November, but did not reach me
for three weeks afterwards, as we have no post 3'et
established on this road, and communication is diffi-
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 167
cult this hard winter. I had got a detail of all the
transactions of your neighbourhood by Dr. Erskine,
and some others. 1 had no design of writing you in
a dark manner; but many things here cannot be re-
lated in a few words. I am sorry for the deaths
you acquaint me with, especially for those of wor-
thy ministers, who have been at all times scarce. I
am glad to hear of the welfare of your family, and
wish I could give you any idea of this country.
Knowledge, industry, virtue and religion are greatly
wanting; and though every man is a politician, true
politics are little understood. The lands are mostly
possessed by poor, ignorant, or indolent farmers;
and yield extremely little in comparison with what
they might yield under wise and efficient manage-
ment. Trade is in a low state. Labour is very
dear; and servants scarce, bad, ignorant and lazy.
In the possession of an industrious, enterprising peo-
ple, this country would be a very rich one. To-
bacco, hops, vines, and all sorts of fruit thrive here,
but none of them to any extent are cultivated in this
neigiibourhood. Hemp and flax are rarely culti-
vated; though what little is sown rises plentifully.
The people here have no attachment to their estates,
but are ready to sell them whenever a buyer offers,
and to retire into the wilderness. As this new
world is unfortunately composed, like that of Kpi-
curus, of discordant atoms, jumbled together by
chance, and tossed by inconstancy in an immense
vacuum, it greatly wants a principle of attraction
and cohesion. Such may come in time, but it has
not yet taken place. Legislative wisdom is greatly
wanting, as most of our members have no other poll-
1G8 MEMOIR OF DR. NISEET.
tical qualifications than their election bestows or
them. Common sense may be introduced, but it
must be gradually, and with difficulty. The great
extent of the country is likewise agninst its improve-
ment. With regard to my own situation it is tole-
rable, though not according to expectation, and must
improve only by the improvement of the public. 1
have more trouble with the old than with the young,
Our Trustees are generally men of small acquaint-
ance with letters, even those that have been bred to
learned professions, and can scarcely be made to un-
derstand their duty. The impoitation of books has
almost ceased since the war, except novels, plays and
Buch trifles. There is little curiosity, and conse-
quently little knowledge. The youth readily re-
ceive the superficial and introductory parts of know-
ledge; but are little fit for abstract studies, or any
thing that requires perserverance and application;
and being mostly destitute of books, helps, and ob-
jects of ambition, it is no wonder that they flag in
their studies, and sit down contented with low at-
tainments.'^
" My department in this College is moral philo-
sophy; but, for the want of an adequate number of
teachers, I am obliged to give a course of logic and
metaphysics. We have but four efi'ective teachers,
though we need two more at least. Donations have
raised our library to about 2800 volumes. It con-
tains many good books; though our wants in that
department are still numerous. Our numbers are
short of a Scotch seminary, but nearly equal to
those of this country. We have been in pretty good
health since July last; though the extremes of heat
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 169
and cold are still hard on us. As to sending out
Probationers from Scotland to this country, I could
not advise it till the people here are more sensible of
their wants. A man must have the spirit of martyr-
dom that would travel thousands of miles, over large
deserts, not knowing where he is to settle, and when
settled, having no certainty that most or all of his
congregation may not leave the place, without taking
him along with them. In September last, I made a
journey to New York, which is 210 miles hence.
The country of Jersey is flat and pleasant, and pretty
well settled, though numbers of the inhabitants are
daily moving westward. The Raritan, the Passaic,
the Hackensack, and the Hudson are fine navigable
streams, though little commercial, except the last.
New York is beautifully situated on the extremity
of an island, and resembles an European city more
than any place I have seen on this continent. I
viewed, with a mixture of pleasure and concern,
many of the scenes of last war, and surveyed the
progress of the fire which was once so fatal to this
city. Almost all the ruins were built up in a tolera-
ble, and some of them in a magnificent manner. The
houses are higher than those in Philadelphia, though
mostly of brick. The inhabitants are gay and luxu-
rious in the extreme, though not much attentive to
religion, or paying their debts. I preached to two
very large congregations, the most genteel in appear-
ance I ever saw, though I believe very few are
opulent. I dined next day with the President of
the Continental Congress, and the Representatives of
nine States. Some of them are decent sensible men,
and others young and raw, having been chosen only
15
170 MEMOIR OF BR. NISEE'T.
for their military service last war. Long Island is
almost as near New York as Ferryden is to Mont-
rose. It is a beautiful high land, seemingly well
cultivated, and affords a fine prospect as far as the
Narrows, about ten miles below the city. Staten
Island has a wilder, but not a disagreeable appear-
ance. Mr. Thompson, after his wanderings in Vir-
ginia, has got a good congregation in Johnstown,
150 miles above New York, Mr. Monro was or-
dained in June last, about 70 miles east from Car-
lisle, on the frontiers of Maryland; but I have never
seen him, or had a letter from him. Mr. Addison,
who went out with us, has been a year at Washing-
ton, 225 miles west of this place; but not being able
to get settled, on account of the refractory humour
of his Presbytery, is likely to change his profession
for the more gainful one of the law. A daughter of
Mr. Grant, late minister of Dundurcus, to whom he
was engaged, came over to Philadelphia last summer.
He went down, and they were married in Septem-
ber last, and passed this place on their way home,
while I was at New York. Mr. Ross and his wife
are settled at Pittsburgh, where he has made pur-
chases, though I do not know whether they will be
gainful, at least for a time. He is building a distil-
lery, and has boats for supplying the town with coal.
It is probable that Pittsburgh will be a considerable
place in a short time, as so many are daily flocking
to that neighbourhood. Twenty waggons, upon an
average, every day, have passed that way in the
course of this year, and we have seen them passing
even since the snow fell.''
" What may be the fate of this country is uncer-
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 171
tain; but there is a large scope for industry, if direct-
ed by wisdom, and not interrupted by war. We
have little or no inteliigence here, which makes us
very dull, and the people in general are not curious
either as to what passes among themselves or else-
where. We are alarmed with the report of a war
with England, upon a suspicion, it is said, that the
people of this country intend to seize some of their
West India Islands; but your ministry would be
foolish indeed were they to entertain any such sus-
picion of people that have neither ships nor any de-
sire for insular possessions. The people here are
not in the least disposed to make war against any
power whatever, except with Spain, whose posses-
sions are too distant to be in any danger from their
efforts, at least for a century to come. Some thought-
less people in the southern States would be glad ta
declare war against Spain, for opening the navigatioa
of the Mississippi, though they have no use for such
a navigation at present, and cannot procure the con-
sent of the other States to any thing of this kind. I
hear of little or no emigration to this country: 520
people, being a whole parish in the Isle of Skye,
emigrated this spring; but were advised to land at
Quebec, as they were assured that England would
make war against this country in a little time. I
observe in the London Reviews, that pamphlets are
writing in England, prophecying the submission of
this country to Great Britain; and Lady Leven's
letter, without date, which accompanied yours, con-
tained a question, whether there was a disposition
in the people here to return to their allegiance. I
suspect that something is brewing among you to re-
172 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
vive the horrors of war in this country; but I hope
that the death of the Prussian monarch may turn the
attention of your great Commoner to conquer Ame-
rica in Germany, which will give no disturbance
here. Manufactures must be introduced into this
country before it can flourish; and this cannot be
done but by a long peace, and the removal of strong
prejudices.'^
" I have just now read Dr. Anderson's book on
the improvement of the British Fisheries and West-
ern Islands. It contains many maxims of sound
sense and good policy. I only differ from him as to
the consequences of emigration; though he says
that Dr. Price has been brought over to his opinion.
He does not consider that almost every person who
emigrates from Great Britain is in distress and po-
verty, and can get little or nothing to consume at
home, for the encouragement of industry at home:
whereas in his reasoning he supposes them all to be
people of fortune, and excellent customers to the far-
mer, the butcher, the brewer, and baker, whereas
most of them have not a morsel of bread, nor can
get any work to earn it. Were Dr. Anderson's
scheme to be instantly carried into execution, emi-
gration might become less necessary for many of the
poorer sort. But at present I am certain that it is
the interest of poor working people to emigrate to
this country. If they come over young, they may,
by industry, acquire the property of a good planta-
tion in ten or twelve years, whieh they could never
hope for at home. If this country were cultivated
by English or Scotch farmers, its product and riches
would be very great, and it might maintain a large
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 173
and opulent landed interest. But no body will be
a tenant in a country where he can so soon become a
j3roprietor; so that our landed interest consists of a
yeomanry who labour their own lands, and who are,
of course, not very enlightened. Their children, al-
most uniformly, embrace the same profession, as lands
are always to be had. A tradesman, though he might
make more money, is little thought of in compari-
son with a farmer. This perverse way of thinking,
however, must continue either until they are in dis-
tress for want of foreign commodities, or till some
projecting genius embraces the profession of a trades-
man or manufacturer. Dr. Anderson seems like-
wise to be wrong in discouraging the building of
villages, as all towns have grown out of them, even
Rome and Laurence-kirk not excepted. They may
be improper in the Hebrides, but in a fertile country
I think they ought to be encouraged; as all counties
here are divided into townships. I have frequently
told our farmers that they ought to build the rudi-
ments of a town in the most convenient situation
near the centre of each of these townships, and told
them that these would soon increase, especially if
they would breed some of their children to trades,
and settle them in these villages. The whole lands
of the townships would rise in value. But this is
what they cannot comprehend; and they would be
sorry to contribute to the emolument of the proprietor
of the lands nearest the village."
" I am in hopes that the difficulties we are under
here in discharging the high taxes laid in the last
years of the war, will be soon over. Our ordinary
taxes are a mere trifle in comparison of yours iq
15*
174 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
Great Britain, and cannot occasion the smallest incon-
venience. I am pleased to observe that our Legis-
lature are beginning to discern the importance and
necessity of making good roads, and setting about
that great work. I wish also that they could be per-
suaded to discourage travelling on the Lord's day,
which abounds here to a shameful degree. We have
laws good enough for that purpose, but nobody is
appointed or encouraged to put them in execution.
In a word, many things among us need reformation;
and, though we have the means in our own hands,
there is little prospect of their being reformed in
haste. The ignorance of many of our citizens, who
have come hither in a rude state, and their wanting
opportunities of improvement by the distance of their
dwellings, and the general neglect of public worship,
as well as the scarcity and dearness of good books,
contribute greatly to continue them in their igno-
rance, and to strengthen their prejudices. The
Courts of Law are almost the only operative cause
that brings men together here, or awakens the facul-
ties of their minds; and you cannot imagine to what
degree these are employed and encouraged among
us. Our Lawyers are not so learned as yours; but
they are generally men of respectable knowledge and
liberality of manners. The landed interest are the
least enlightened, though there are some honourable
exceptions. I imagine that the want of genius among
our news-writers, and the barrenness of events in our
papers, are likewise partial causes of that stagnation
of the human faculties which prevails in this coun-
try; as well as the want of cross posts, and readiness
of communication. 1 live a very laborious life, and
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 175
must expect no interruption of labours for at least nine
months to come. 1 am endeavouring to get the
people to attend public worship, and we hope to have
two sermons next sabbath, which is a great reform.
Some people are beginning to think, and I hope bet-
ter times are approaching. Nine of my pupils are
destined to the service of the Church, and have meet-
ings for prayer. But things must go on slowly. I
consider myself as engaged, with others, in the inglo-
rious but useful labour of digging under ground, and
laying the foundation of a building that may rise and
make some figure in another age. Let me hear from
you soon, and send me all the intelligence, public and
private, that you can collect, Remember me kindly
to all friends. I am, Reverend and Dear Sir, yours,
aflfectionately,," " Charles Nisbet."
^^ Rev. Mr. James Paton.^^
Every one who recollects the state of our country
from the close of the Revolutionary war in 1783, to
the adoption and organization of the Federal govern-
ment, in 1789, during which the foregoing letter was
written; — the wide-spread poverty — the prostration
of commerce — the general discouragement — the mu-
tual distrust — the absence of enterprise — and the pre-
vailing gloom — which were portrayed in a preceding
page — will undoubtedly regard the picture drawn by
the venerable writer as an unexaggerated one; and
will only wonder, that, coming as he did from a land
of wealth and of established order — he did not load
his canvass with still darker colours. The truth is,
this learned and excellent man fell into a mistake
very common among the most enlightened who
176 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
visit our country from the other side of the At-
lantic. He found it difficult to make the requisite
allowance for a young countr}^, struggling into na-
tional organization and order. He measured Ame-
rican facts hy European principles. Had he lived
thirty years longer, he would have seen that the want
of intelligence, of wakefulness to their advantages,
and of enterprise in pursuing opportunities of im-
provement and of profit, was one of the last charges
justly imputable to the inhabitants of the United
States.
It was remarked, in a preceding chapter, that, in
the great contest between the British government,
and her American colonies, which is.«ued in the in-
dependence of the United States, Dr. Nisbet was a
warm whig, and gave much offence to m.any in his
own country, by taking, on a variety of occasions,
the side of the Colonies. With these feelings he
came to America, ft cannot be disguised, however,
that when he found, after being for a time in the
country, the general state of things to be so different
from what he had been taught to expect; — the low
state of literature; the deranged condition of our com-
mercial affairs; the failure of the founders and guar-
dians of his College to redeem their pledges; and the
erratic notions and conduct of many of our politicians
respecting the govermental questions of the day ; — he
was not a little revolted, and began to fear that the
Republicanism of the United States would prove a
miserable failure. And it must be acknowledged that
the character of the first five or six years of his resi-
dence in our country, was such, that a mind of his sen-
sibility, and accustomed to European establishments.
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 177
might well be pardoned for giving way to such a re-
vulsion.
To this may be added, that the impression from
what hesawaround him, was greatly deepened by the
occurrence of the French Revolution, and the terrific
scenes which, for more than ten years, that nation
presented to the civilized world. From the moment
that revolution commenced. Dr. Nisbet seemed to
regard it with horror, and predicted most of the dread-
ful results which are now matters of history. Of
course, when he saw so many in the United States
disposed to rejoice in that Revolution, and to applaud
its worst features, he found it difficult to restrain
his feelings, or to repress the language of indignant
vituperation. When this subject was alluded to, it
seldom failed to call forth his keenest wit, his most
biting sarcasm, and the most distressing apprehen-
sions of fatal mischief likely to be poured forth from
France, as from an awful volcano, on ourselves, and
on every other nation within the sphere of her influ-
ence. In the course of a most interesting and long-
continued correspondence with him, the writer of
these pages recollects no one subject on which he
poured out so much weight of thought; so much fer-
vid eloquence; so much that was adapted to exhibit
him, amidst all his cutting severity, as one of the
most benevolent and patriotic of men.
From the Countess of Leven and Melville.
" Dear Sir,'' .
" Melville House, Jan. 20th, 1788."
" I received your letter dated the 17th of Septem-
ber, about a week ago; by which I am sorry to find
178 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
your situation is not likely to become more agreea-
ble; and that you cannot give a more favourable re-
presentation of the state of religion, &c. in that part of
the world where you now are, I am afraid the pic-
ture you exhibit is by no means a caricature, extorted
by predjudice or discontent; as I find others corrobo-
rating your statement, especially concerning the state
of religion. A young gentleman from this neigh-
bourhood writes in the very same strain. He says
the holy sabbath is not regarded, and the churches
of Philadelphia very ill attended; not above forty
communicants, he states, in the church which he at-
tended. I have always wished, since you landed there,
that you had come out from among them: for instead
of being of more use there than at home, as matters
now stand, I fear you are of much less, I have
never had more than one view of that matter alto-
gether, as you well know; for I always told you my
sentiments, though with much diffidence, and am sor-
ry that you did not take your departure from Ameri-
ca, as you had once firmly resolved to do. I always
think that you will yet end your daj^s on this side
of the Atlantic. To be sure much depends on the
state of your family, of which you never say any
thing; how^the children are situated and employed,
&c. Your letters are very entertainingand instructive;
but always make one sorry upon your own account,
and on account of the woful change for the worse
upon that once highly favoured part of the world. I
forget who it is that'says—
" Religion stands on tiptoe in our land,
<'Read)' to fly to the American strand."
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 179
And surely 1 thought it had taken its fliglit thither;
for once I thought they were all saints, especially
from some samples I saw of them, and good reports
we heard. But, by all accounts, religion has taken
wing again; though, alas! I do not find that she has
landed on the British shore, or would meet with a
welcome there."
" I look for something extra coming from our be-
loved Sovereign's tedious illness; — that it will not be
unto death, but for the glory of God. It has called
the attention of all ranks, and made a sort of solemn
pause, and given many people time to consider who
never think at all. The public amusements are all
hushed, and churches crowded to hear the many fer-
vent prayers to heaven for the restoration of his pre-
cious health. The royal family are all quite deject-
ed, and afflicted, which may be of great use by the
blessing of God. The last time the king was abroad
was at the Chapel, where he would be, in spite of ad-
vice to the contrary; and the Queen, and Princes and
Princesses have the worship^of God in the Queen's
apartment. These, and other things too tedious to
mention, appear to be tokens for good. The nation
was never more united, or more fervent in their
Vv'ishes than they are at present for the preservation
and establishment of the king's health. Surely there
never was a sovereign more universally beloved."
" I am at a loss how to fill the rest of my paper
with such intelligence as would be interesting, to
you. All your friends are well, so far as I know."
"March 2d. I must just say to you, as the wor-
thy and Rev. Mr. Newton said to me, in a letter
which I received from him lately, — began about two
180 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
months before it was finished; — that he sent the first
part to convince me of his intentions; but from vari-
ous occurrences, he had never found it convenient to
finish what he had begun. This too, has been the
case with me; and I would not send such a confused
scrawl to such a distance, were it not as a proof that
I had not forgotten you. My fear is, that my long
silence may make you suspect what can never be
truth concerning me, that I forget or can make light
of a friend. Beside that, you may be assured I con-
sider the loss as my own, as your letters are a great
entertainment to me. But .the truth is, I am kept
too busy; though I fear often idly busy. I hope this
will find you well."
"Since this letter was begun, a great change has
been wrought in the state of affairs in Britain by the
happy recovery of our beloved Sovereign. The joy
is beyond description or imagination from the low-
est to the highest. I must refer you to the public
papers for all that happened during the sad interval
of his illness. There appears to be a great work up-
on the wheel at present. I wish I could have an
opportunity of conversing with you, to hear your
lively observations and animadversions about many
things. Let me know how you are as to health and
contentment; and whether you feel settled in life; or
intend to end your days in Britain."
" I am sorry to find that poor Mr. Muir has got
no settlement. Perhaps, by this time, it may be
otherwise. He is, I believe, a good man; what his
foibles are I cannot say. When you write, pray let
me know the history of your own family. This fa-
mily, by the blessing of God, and his infinite mercy,
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 181
are all alive, and much increased. Lord Balgonie
has three sons. Mary has had nine children, of whom
seven are still living; and she does not look to be
above twenty. Remember us in your prayers. We
have much to be thankful for,''
" I thought you had corresponded with worthy
old Dr. Gillies. He is alive and well, and would es-
teem a letter from you very highly. Mr. Martin
and family are all well. He remains * the husband
of one wife,' notwithstanding your prediction. My
Lord sends his best respects to you, in which my
daughters join. Please to oflfer mine to Mrs Nisbet;
and be assured that I continue to be with real esteem,
your humble servant,"
"W Leven."
" The Rev. Dr. Charles Nisbet, Carlisle.''
From the same.
'' Melville House, August 1st, 17S8."
^< Dear Sir,''
^' Though I am distressed with sore eyes, I have
taken a large sheet of paper, in case I can find where-
withal to fill it. It is with regret that I reflect how
long it is since I had your's of December 25th. Not
answering it immediately is the reason of the delay;
for a variety of pressing occupations makes me neg-
lect many necessary duties which slip out of my
mind."
" I am sorry that you have no better news to write
from your quarter, either with regard to 370ur own
situation, or the state of religion among you. I shall
be glad to hear what your great expectations have
resulted in from the new Constitution of the United
16
18:2 MEMOIR OF DR. NISEEf.
States lately proposed and adopted. When I mtri^
tioned Ihe possibility of di young man being better
to go to America than you, I surely intended to say
to combat, not to compli/ with^ the prejudices of the
people; for in many res])ects, indeed, this might be
much ag;iinst a nnan's character. In all difficult
emergencies a steady person is the fittest; as sinfu!
compliances are always attended with bad consequen-
ces. Though in other matters it is often necessary
and winning to use gentle means.''
"It is a mutter of deep regret to be informed of
such a woeful change for the worse as America, in
general, has undergone of late. I once looked upon
it as the most highly favoured corner of the earth, in
many respects, but chiefly with regard to religion.
When the Lord honoured Mr. WhiteSeld to be a lead-
ing man among them, in many places religion flour-
ished and increased. He had no bye views or ends.'
The glory of God, and the good of souls, were the
main spring of all his movements. The war did
much hurt; turned the people idle and forgetful of
God, and indeed of every thing but liberty, falsely
so called. And, 1 doubt not, it has been to many a
fatal liberly, very different from that of 'the chil-
dren of light.' Poor Mr. Thompson is arrived, in a
very depiessed situation. It is several months since
he came to Hritain. He is now in Dundee. He
describes iiis situation to have been most affecting.
Some of tile people were unable to pay his stipend,
from poverty; others, from want of will. The mo-
ney he carried out, (having sold his annuity,) he
bought land With, of which he could make nothing;
and was obliged to slip away, even without his poor
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 183
wife, who staid, I fear, as a hostage. I hope the
people of Dundee mean to serve him in some shape
or other. lie has, indeed, had a sore time of it."
"There is nothing in this country to write about
but what you will get from the newspapers and
magazines, A great deal is said and attempted about
Sunday schools, and reformation of manners, which,
by the blessing of God, I hope will have a good
effect. The former have already had wonderful
effects, especially in large trading towns, both in Scot-
land and England . Youv friends about Glasgow, &c.
could tell you much about this. I thought that Dr.
Gillies and you corresponded. Surely Dr. Wither-
spoon and he correspond. He is always busy about
something, and will be to the last, if his faculties re-
main. I beg to be remembered to Dr. Wilherspoon,
when you see him. I regretted not seeing him when
he was in Scotland.* It surprises me that, when
you write, you say nothing about your own family.
I hope your son has gotten rid of all impediments in
his sight, and is doing as you could wish him."
" I find, by a letter from Mr. Muir, who was at
Bermuda, that he is gone to New York. Of this Dr.
W. would inform you, as he has written a short Pre-
face to a few Sermons he has published; the price of
which, by tlie time it reached me — a single volume
— was 19 shillings and 2 pence. He thoughtlessly
sent it by post; whereas in a ship it would only have
been a triiie, if any thing. He is a pious, good man,
* Dr. Witherspoon, soon after the close of the American war, W8S
commissioned by the Trustees of Princeton College to visit Great
Britain, for the purpose of soliciting donations to that Institution, Hia
mission, however, was not attended with much success,
184 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
I am persuaded, and wish he may succeed where he
now is. He married too young, which is sometimes
no small evil. He does not mention whether he has
any children. 1 should be glad to know how he is
received, or whether he is in any settled way. I am
glad he is under the tuition of Dr. Rodgers, to whom
he desires me to direct for him."
"I shall be gratified to be informed how you and
your family keep your health. Have you laid aside
all thought of returning to your native land? I sin-
cerely wish you and yours may be happy. You have
imbibed, I perceive, a bad idea of the Methodists
since you went abroad. There are good and bad in
all sects and parties. Yet strange that one who ever
knew that eminent and favoured saint, Mr. George
Whitefield, should harbour a doubt that the Lord was
with him of a truth, and countenanced his labours more
than those of any other man since the Apostles' days;
and at this moment I dare say that the best people in
America are plants of the precious seed sown in his
time. It hurts me to find you speaking lightly of
the Methodists in general. The good that some of
them have been enabled to do is most amazing. It
is no wonder that Satan opposes them, and lays snares
for them."
^*But my paper is nearly full, and my eyes are
failing. 1 dare not send any pamphlets, as the trans-
portation of them is so expensive. I will try to get
this letter sent a pennyworth. I fear at best you
will think it a poor one. If I knew of any persons
or family you wished to hear of, I would mention
them. Mr. Martin is well; as are all this family,
present or absent, so far as I know. Remember us
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 185
in your prayers. Good reason have we to say, that
the Lord is good and gracious. My Lord sends his
best respects. Give mine to Mrs. Nisbet. How-
would she like to come back to Montrose? With
much esteem, I am, Sir,"
" Your humble servant,"
^' W. Leven."
*' The Rev. Dr. Nishei, Carlisle College.''
From the same.
''Melville House, Nov. 27, 1789."
'' Dear Sir,''
" It is truly presumptuous in me to begin upon a
full sheet. Good example, I know, is of much worth:
but we are often imitators in those things which we
are least qualified to copy after. Your great letter
of August 9th came to hand September 12th, and was
a fund of entertainment and instruction, in regard to
many things which we were before unacquainted
with. To get these testimonies from a far country,
upon the word of veracity itself, is rare news. Plen-
ty of news, indeed, pours in upon us, but little truth.
What David said 'in his haste' that 'all men are
liars,^ a worthy friend once remarked, he might now
say at his leisure. Your letters always give me plea-
sure; but I still find a cloud hanging over them: and
my regret for your absence from your own country,
is increased by every insinuation of your own for
having left it. The decaying state of religion^and
its fatal consequences, must greatly affect yours, and
every righteous spirit. The famine of those fit to be
made friends, and of hearers in your Church, must
cast a damp even upon your good spirits. It is a
16*
186 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
great mercy that you and your family have enjoyed
good health; and you have all reason to hope that
your indefatigable labours will be blessed. But you
cannot expect to be long able to undergo such an ex-
ertion of strength of body and mind, as your present
labour requires. You do not mention what assist-
ance you have, or whether those employed are dili-
gent and useful among the students, &c. If you
were destitute of such comforts as the world cannot
give, your situation would indeed, be most uncomfort-
able; as it is so little suited to your natural genius.
But you have the comfort of knowing, that whatso-
ever state you are in, it is by the Divine Providence;
that God has the ordering of it; that all the ingredi-
ents in your cup, and all the varieties of your state,
are from Him. When you consider that there is no
present stateof things, how favourable soever, without
an alloy; that there is something in every condition
of life, in every place, to convince us of the fruitless
effort of seeking rest here below. While we com-
plain of grievances in this or that situation, we might
find worse in another. In every state there is some-
thing amiss; but, blessed be God, there ia no state
that can exclude those comforts and consolations-
which cannot be taken away. Peace grows every
where from Him who is * our Peace.' He is the
Comforter of all the ends of the earth.''
*' I cannot think of any thing to write for your
amusement. There is nothing on this side of the
Atlantic in which you are interested, but what you
know as much of as you probably wish to know.
Nothing seems to be improving so fast as the art of
swindling, and deceiving the unwary. There are
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 18?
many ^masters of arts' in this profession; so that
one cannot help admiring their ingenuity, while they
grieve that it has not been employed to better pur-
pose. The state of the French nation, and of many
places in Germany, you will be informed of. They
are in a most deplorable situation; and I believe the
the vviset politician can form no idea of what will be
the issue. Mr. Martin has written you all the news
he could collect, which I am glad of, as I find that my
letters can be little else than tokens of remembrance
and of good wishes for you and your family. I hope
your son will do well, and disappoint all your fears.
Our youngest son, George, is now settled in business
at Ostend, and is much satisfied with his situation.
Has your son gotten his sight perfectly in his eye
that was afiected? My mind is at present in much
anxiety and concern about my dear and only sister,
Lady Bantf. She has been in a declining state, from
various causes, for these twelve months past. She
has been better and worse; but there seems little
appearance of returning health. That sweet fa-
mily will experience a great loss, if it should please
God to take her to himself. She has three daughters
still unmarried; and Mrs. Murray, whom you will
remember, has not seen a day's health these three
years, since she had her third child; but I hope is
now getting better.''
" I write all this as if to obtain your pious prayers.
But, alas! what changes may have taken place before
k can make its way to you! Mr. Martin will have
mentioned about the weather, earthquakes, &c. No-
body remembers such a wet season. My Lord in-
tends to send with this a few Magazines, containing
188 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
some account of General Assembly matters^ and a
few Scotch newspapers, which we hope will amuse
you. Though I know nothing that at present occurs
which promises to interest you, I beg you will con-
tinue your interesting and amusing history to me.
We have little from America that can be depended
on. Mr. Martin, I take for granted, wrote you
about Dr. M'Gill. Nobody can say how that matter
will end. It had much need to amend. I hope you
will hear from Dr. Gillies what the Presbytery of
Glasgow has done, and mean to do. If you send a
commission to procure any books for your Library,
I wish you would get two volumes entitled ^ Horae
Solitarise,' or Essays, both Doctrinal and Practical,
upon the Divinity of Christ and the Holy Spirit, and
also upon the subject of the Trinity, showing it to
have been a truth received from the earliest ages, and
confirmed by the principles of the Gospel, in two
volumes, octavo. The author's name is not prefix-
ed to the work; but it is well known to be by Am-
brose Serle, Esquire, Secretary to Lord Howe, du-
ring the American war. He is also the author of
" The Christian Remembrancer," .which I will send
with the Magazines. His works are very much es-
teemed by good people; and I dare say you would
admire that work very much, as it is esteemed a
masterly performance; I mean the Horse Soliiarise.^^
^' I must now conclude this VQYy trifling epistle,
which I am ashamed to think is to travel so far, to so
little purpose; and which can serve only as a mark
of that esteem which I have entertained for you ever
aince Nostrodamus introduced us to each other's
acquaintancej or rather those enemies of yours, who
RESIDENCE IN THE tTNITED STA°*rES. 189
raised such ridiculous stories about a sermon of
your's, which I resolved to get to the bottom of by
inquiring at the fountain head. Best respects await
you from all here, and mine to Mrs. Nisbet. My
Lord is much entertained with your letters, and de-
sires to be particularly remembered to you. Many
thanks for the Pastoral Letter. It is an exceedingly
good one. I would be much indebted to you for any
scraps of lectures, or explanations of any passages of
scripture, which you may juflge adapted to be useful,
lam very partial to your talents in this way; and
really few possess them. You ought to publish a
volume."
"How do Dr. Rush and all his family? It is
a long time since I had the pleasure of hearing of
them; but 1 do sincerely wish them well. Believe
me, with much esteem and friendship, your humble
servant.'^ *' VV. Leven."
'' The Rev. Dr. Nisbet, Carlisle College.''
The Earl of Buchan was a less punctual and a less
devoted correspondent than Lady Leven. Still his
letters are peculiarly characteristic, and by no means
uninteresting. The following are a specimen.
'' Bryburgh Abbey, December 21, 1790.'^
" Rev. and dear Sir.''
"I did not receive yours, of March last, by the
way of Liverpool, until two days ago: and since that
letter contains observations and reflections which in-
dicate the uneasy state of your mind, which I wish
to remove, I lose no time in giving you my opinions
without reserve, which you will, I dare say, think
190 'MEMOIR or DR. NISBET.
worthy of your deep and frequent attention, and will
ponder them in your mind yet oftenerand more ma-
turely than tiiose relating to the future state of Ame-
rica, with respect to which I find no cause to change
my opinion.'^
" Re-enter, I beseech of you, into your own mind,
and study more the itoXi; <rou &sov than the itoXig tuv
av^^oTwv. How could you expect unregenerated and
unsanctified human nature to be any otherwise in
in the new than in the old hemisphere? How could
you expect that the spawn of a highl}- civilized and
corrupted nation, could, in colonies, formed at a time
of uncommon corruption in the parent state, should
resemble in principles and in practice those societies
that have grown out of a gradual alteration in the
substance of original union among men in the infan-
cy of society; and which in the lapse of ten or
twelve centuiies, have passed through all the differ-
ent states of wandering families, feeding on kernels
and fruits; of barbarous hunters; more innocent ten-
ders of flocks and herds; of husbandmen; and lastly
of manufacturers and traders, united in great, weal-
thy and luxurious empires, tending again, continual-
ly, towards destruction and separation by corruption
of manners; while the wheel is again to be revolved
in the saine eventful manner, perhaps for ages?"
"Why do you perplex your understanding, and
wound your feelings by brooding over, and inquiring
needlessly into the obliquities of mankind in the
place of your residence? Were you in Scotland, or
in any part of Europe, that your imagination might
picture, as more suited to your taste, do you think
you would not discover all the same roguery, the
RESIDEJ^CE IN THE UNITED STATES. 191
same disinclination to good learning, and the same
errors and vices that cling to society wherever it is
formed upon the face of this planet, and, 1 suppose,
upon the face of all the myriads of globes that elude
the minutest research of our modem astronomers?
'No, sir, you cannot, after a moment's reflection, ex-
pect any material change upon the general construc-
tion of human society; nor do those Scriptures on
which I hope and believe you depend for your best
information with respect to futurity, give 3'ou any
reason to look for such changes on this side of that
which bids defiance to, and renders absurd all our
speculations upon such inscrutable subjects."
"From your youth you destined your life to the
service of religion and virtue, by preaching the ever-
lasting Gospel, and exemplifying its precepts in your
dealings and conduct in society. Re-enter into your
own mind, and renew your covenant to preach that
Gospel faitlifully, and to practice its piecepis in your
life, without perplexing yourself with needless dis-
contents concerning the crookedness and perversity
of hum.an nature. Who told you that the way was
wide and easily practised, that leads to perfection and
to everlasting felicity? Only the foolish philoso-
pher and the idle speculatist in politics. Follow
rather Him who tells us that the way is narrow and
asperous that leads to life, and that there be few in-
deed who find it. Seek you, therefore, to enter in
at that gate, and give but an inattentive ear to anv of
the idle reasonings that draw us from the contempla-
tion of the Supreme Beatitude. Hold Seneca in one
hand, and Saint Paul in the other; and look up to
Heaven for direction and for happiness. You cannot
192 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
now desert the charge which, in mature age, you
chose upon your bended knees, in dependence upon
the Divine blessing, to set forward the improvement
of a great but infant state. Make a Palinodium to the
society you are connected with, not to utter a sylla^
ble, in word or in writing, to your discomfiture, but
in action for your comfort, which, notwithstanding
the circumstances you mention, will, I am persuaded,
remove any of the troubles you complain of, and
enable you to be still useful in the promotion of piety,
virtue, and useful learning/'
" Dedicate your leisure to the study of nature and
its glorious Author, and fence yourself against the
various evils of life, by that Divine philosophy of the
soul, which uniting it by grace to the eternal Foun-
tain of wisdom and consolation, will support you un-
der every trial, and render the evening, and the very
close of your ministry, and of life, delightful. In the
turbulence of society, you must ever expect many
disagreeable disappointments and vexations, and eve-
ry thing about you will be subject to change, as it
has been to all mankind ever since the beginning of
the world. But remember that Jesus Christ is the
same yesterday, to-day and forever. You say you
have health, and long may you have it! I never
enjoyed much health from my infancy, and 1 have
been unsuccessful in all my undertakings, except
that of dedicating myself, body and soul, to the ser-
vice of God, in the performance of his will in bene-
volence to his creatures. Yet I complain not of man-
kind. I look up to my Father which is in Heaven,
and see nothing but his power and his goodness in
the government of the Universe, and look forward to
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 193
the grave with something more and better than phi-
losophic indifference. Lady Buchan joins me in
good wishes for your health and happiness.'' " I re-
main, your sincere friend/' "Buchan."
" To the Rev. Dr. Nisbet, <^'c."
From the Same.
'' Bryhurgh Abbey, June 28, 1791."
" Reverend and Dear Sir,^'
" I cannot allow any opportunity of writing to you
to pass. Tliis will be handed to you by Mr. Archi-
bald Robertson, painter of Aberdeen, whom, as re-
commended to me by my learned friend, Mr. Pro-
fessor Ogilvie, of King's College, Aberdeen, I desire
to recommend to the honour and pleasure of your
countenance in America."
*'I am happy to think you are now more agreeably
situated than formerly: and if you can persuade your-
self of what I know to be true, that Britian is not
worthy of the residence of the friends of a free con-
stitution of government, you will reconcile yourself
to that of America, with all the inconveniences you
have so justly depicted."
"I have written, in the 21st. number of the Bee, a
monitory paper on America, which may, perhaps,
reach your College. I beg leave to reccommed
the Bee to your attention and patronage in your
neighbourhood. I hope you will encourage Rook
Societies in your town and neighbourhood, and the
public Libraries will multiply apace, which will
disseminate useful knowledge."
"As Britian has been, since the Christmas of 1783,
in a deep sleep of politics, I can send you no news.
17
194 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
AH around us the voice of Freedom is heard; but
with us notliing is relished but vile effeminacy and
lubricity of manners. So here, Doctor, I present you
with a Rowland for your Oliver. Rest, and be
thankful.
"Lady Buchan joins me in kind wishes; and I
always am, Rev. and dear Principal, with great re-
gard, your obedient humble servant,''
" Buchan."
" Principal Nisbet,
Carlisle College.''^
But of all Dr. Nisbet's correspondents in Great
Britain, the most persevering and punctual was the
venerable Dr. Erskine, of Kdinburgh, one of the
most pious and public spirited men of his day.
That gentleman probably maintained a more exten-
sive correspondence with American clergymen than
any other European Divine. And probably, no pri-
vate man on the other side of the Atlantic ever sent
so many books gratuitously to this country as Dr.
Erskine. He probably had twenty or thirty corres-
pondents in different parts of the United States; and
it is believed that almost every letter he wrote was
accompanied by a package of books; — some of them
for his correspondents themselves; and others for the
public libraries of Colleges and other institutions, to
which he was constantly remitting rare and curious
books. Of this he never made any parade; as he was
one of the most modest, as well as most pious of men .
But it is a fact which ought to be known and remem-
bered by the friends of theological learning and li-
erary taste in the United States. He was a punctual
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 195
and affectionate correspondent of the elder President
Edwards, to whom he sent, from time to time, a
number of scarce and important books no where to
be found in America. And after the death of that
illustrious divine, whose praise is in all the Protest-
ant world, he continued to direct especial attention
to correspondence with the friends of religion in this
country, until his death in 1S03, about one year be-
fore the decease of the subject of this Memoir.
The three following letters are from his ever busy
and ready pen:
'' Lauriston* April 2\, 1789"
''Rev. and dear Sir,''
" I have before me your letters of September 16th,
and December 29tb, 1788. It has been an exciting
and remarkable time in Britain since the beginning
of November. On the 5th of that month, by ap-
pointment of the last Genral Assembly, a Thanks-
giving was observed through Scotland, for the Re-
volution in 1688. Most, or rather all of your old
friends were hearty in the measuie: as was Dr. Blair,
on the other side, and many more. But my col-
leaguet was, throughout, cold, or rather unfriendly
to the scheme, perhaps from the fear that on such an
occasion, whig principles would be zealously incul-
cated. In fact they were so by INlr. Kemp, Mr.
Jones, and several others in our Presbytery. Your
* Dr. Erskine's residence was in Edinburgh; Lauriston was a little
rural retreat near the city.
I His colleague was the celebrated Dr. William Robertson, the his-
torian, and Principal of the University of Edinburgh,
196 MEMOIR OV DR. NlSBETf.
friendj chiefly considered the evils of Popery, the
imminent danger of these evils, and the remarkable
deliverance. My colleague, Mr. Greenfield, and
some others, chiefly considered the influence of the
Revolution in promoting just ideas of liberty, and in
extending liberality of sentiment. And this has
been much the tone of the printed sermons on this
occasion. None of them, except Mr. Pedie's, who
succeeded Mr. Pattison, pleased my taste."
" The joys of Nov. 5th, were soon turned into
sorrow, by the king's dangerous illness. Seldom
were more general and sincere prayers put up for the
recovery of a Prince. This was occasioned, not only
by fears of the unsettled government which often
happens under a Regency, but by the virtuous pri-
vate character of the king and queen, and the king's
late proclamation against Sabbath breaking; the gen-
eral approbation of the measures of Mr, Pitt; the
danger apprehended by some, lest a new administra-
tion might not have pursued his plans with regard to
foreign alliances, and the reduction of the national
debt; to which I might add, a growing conviction
that the American war was occasiond by inform-
ation, false indeed, but which it was natural for
the king and ministry to credit. No good change
was expected by a Regency, unless, perhaps, in Scot-
land, where my friend Mr. H. E. would probably
have succeeded Mr. H. D. whose high talents are so
much obscured by his habits and manners."
" Church aff'airs here, as well as civil, would have
probably fallen into better hands. But we could
4 Meaning himself.
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 197
hardly hope that the great affairs of the British
Empire would be better conducted. Fears were in-
creased by a belief that the Duke of Portland, and
Mr. Fox had less of the Prince of Wales's ear, for
some time past, than Mr. Sheridan. But the anx-
iety of disinterested friends of the public, and their
deep concern on account of the king's illness was
soon ended by a recovery next to miraculous, for
which last Thursday was observed as a day of Thanks-
giving. My subject on that da}^, was the improve-
ment we ought to make of Gods changing the times
and seasons. I herewith send you a few books. I
commit them to your discretion, excepting that I
do not wish the work of Clodius to be put into a
public library. He is half way over to the German
* Rationalists,' as they call themselves."
" I am, dear Sir,"
" Yours, affectionately,"
"John Erskine."
" Bev. Dr. Nisbet:'
From the same.
" Lauriston, Jan. 25, 17.91."
" Bear Sir,''
" I sent you, on the 21st of July, my ^ Hints and
Sketches of Church History' and two or three other
books, to the care of Mr. Campbell, of New-York.
I have since received yours of June, 1790, and thank
you sincerely for so long and entertaining a letterj to
one who only sends you scraps. The magistrates of
Edinburgh, returning to the plan of presenting, are
likely in time to fill our vacant pulpits, so as to empty
our Churches of many of the most sound, serious and
17*
198 MEMOIR Oy DR. NISBET.
judicious Christians. Our last vacancy is supplied
by Mr. Finlayson, Professor of Logick, who is surely
an adept in that science, if bold assertions, ill natured
inuendoes, and unbecoming levity may pass for argu-
ment. Dr. Henry died two months ago; and, it is
said, has left another volume of his History nearly
ready for the press. He was a bold, able and honest
man. Provost S. intended Mr. R — r — . of D .
as his successor; in gratitude for the attention he paid
to his son's education. But, though Mr. R— — has
considerable abilities, especially as one acquainted
with the fine arts, — people have in general thought
so lowly of his pulpit and theological talents, that
Provost S — very wisely gave it up, and Mr. S. of
L. came to Edinburgh; one of the same sentiments
as to Church policy, but less violent, and a much su-
perior preacher. Mr. S — of L — died suddenly on
a scaffold, where he was accompanying his daughter
to see. the last races. He was one of a decent minis-
terial behaviour, and of sound sentiments; but of
second rate abilities; and his usefulness was much
impaired by his being often held in leading strings
by men more crafty than himself. The Session and
Corporation of L. have been prevailed upon to elect
for the second charge Mr. T. M — , son of Dr. M — ,
through fear that, otherwise, Mr. D — would not get
the presentation to the first charge. Mr. M. thinks
Calvinism the only rational and consistent scheme of
Christianity. He will make a more eloquent, though,
perhaps, less plain preacher than Mr. S — . His style
and manner are as animated as his father's are dull.
The father would be the better of the son's polish;
|ind the son would not be the worse for studying
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 199
scripture as critically as his father does. We made
a great acquisition, two years ago, by Mr. B — of
S — succeeding Dr. M— in the Cannongate. Mr,
S — of W — y an excellent and able man, has gone to
S— .'^
" My ^ Sketches ' have been favourably received
by those who attend to Theology and Church His-
tory, unless a certain party, through whose influence,
perhaps, no account of them has yet appeared either
in the monthly or Critical Reviews. I have consi-
derable materials collected for a second volume, but
have not yet advanced far in reducing them to order,
and preparing them for the press.^^
" I now send you, to Mr. Campbell's care, a pack-
age of books, which I hope you will receive in
safety/'
^' I am, dear sir, yours, affectionately,"
*' John Erskine."
^' Bev. Dr. Nisbet:'
From the same.
'^ Lauriston, October 2Qth, 1791.''
" Dear Sir;'
" I hope you received my parcel of July 26th. I
have had no letter from you since. Much about the
time of my writing you, worthy Mr. Grant, of Ochil-
tree, died. The pious Patroness, Lady Glenorchy,
applied, as formerly, to Dr. H — and me for advice
as to filling the vacancy. If I had been sole in the
nomination, I should certainly have recommended
Mr. R , of K , Mr. C ^ or some other,
whose good behaviour in a Chapel of Ease, or in a
charge in the establishment, where a good successor
200 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
was probable, merited that distinction. But it was
necessary we should recommend persons known to
us both; and it would have had a bad appearance if
those who had studied under Dr. H — had been over-
looked. On that account, we recommended Messrs.
T — and L — , as the two most proper persons for
that parish, in the opinion of both of us. I wished
the success of the last, as the most learned and zeal-
ous; but I believe the best ministers in the city and
suburbs differed from me, as they considered the first
as more prudent. The three last ministers who have
come to Edinburgh are Dr. G — , Mr. F — , and Mr.
S — . Mr. M. Junior, who succeeded Mr. — , of L.
six months ago, preached an able sermon on the ad-
mission of Mr. S — two v/eeks ago. I think my
colleague (Principal Robertson) preaches with as
much distinctness and vigour as ever, though his
deafness much deprives him of the pleasures of so-
ciety. Mr. McCulloch, of Dairsie, has published
Lectures on the first twelve chapters of the Pro-
phecy of Isaiah, in one octavo volume. If this vo-
lume succeeds, he intends to continue his Lectures
on the rest of the Book. They contain no new cri-
ticisms, or ctug7neniiim scieniiariim; but I hope
will be useful to ordinary readers. I hear^that Whi-
taker, the author of a " History of Manchester,'^
sometime since published, has just published a " His-
tory of Arianism."
"The Birmingham riots show the strange blind
zeal, not only of those engaged in the horrible scenes,
but of many Church-of-England divines, and some
Dissenters, who have treated these outrages in too
tender a manner, and without proper expressions
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 201
of detestation. Carnal weapons are not the proper
means to bring every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ.'^
" I was remarkably free from colds last winter; but
in May and part of June I have been distressed with
rheumatic pains. Since these subsided, I have been
troubled with bowel and stomach complaints. They
have not, however, hindered my preaching regu-
larly."
" I have tlie pleasure of sending herewith a pack-
age of books; particularly some new works from
Germany, which I Jiope will be interesting to you,
both on the score of instruction and entertainment."
" My wife and daughters, and my son David, join
in offering to you and Mrs. Nisbet, and all your
family, our best wishes."
" I am, dear sir, yours, sincerely,"
" John EpxSkine."
" JRev. Dr. Nisbet.''
That Dr. Nisbet enjoyed the affectionate friend-
ship of the celebrated Dr. Beattie, of Aberdeen, was
mentioned in a preceding chapter. This friendship
did not terminate with Dr. Nisbet's departure from
Britain. As a specimen of their correspondence, the
following letters, it is presumed, will not be uninter-
esting to the reader,
''Aberdeen, lOth August, 1788.- Sunday. '\
" Dear Sir,"
" I wish it were in my power to show any civili-
ties to Mrs. Craig, or to any person recommended
b.^ you. But in the present case I am deprived of
202 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
the pleasure of doing so, by the lady's resolution
of setting out immediately on her return to Ame-
rica. She arrived here at a time when I was from
home; and I never heard of her till yesterday, when
she did me the honour to call upon me, and inform me,
to my very great regret, that finding things here not
exactly as she wished and expected, she was to set
out with her child on Monday morning early in the
Fly for Edinburgh, and thence make all haste to
Greenock, as the ship in which she intended to be a
passenger would sail about the middle of this month.
Thus I am deprived of the means of cultivating her
acquaintance, from which I am sure 1 should have
derived great satisfaction.*^
" Your letter is a very short one, but I thank you
for it. The sight of your hand-writing recals a thou-
sand agreeable circumstances to my memory. Your
departure for America gave me concern, and was in-
deed a disappointment; for a few days before you
went, you informed me b}^ letter, that you would
not go. I am happ}^ to hear that your health is bet-
ter, and that things are so well with you. Mrs.
Craig informs me, to my great joy, that at Philadel-
phia there is peace and opulence, and every appear-
ance of public prosperity. The country you are now
in has great resources, and I hope they shall, and
heartily wish they may, be rightlj' improved.''
" When you have leisure, you would do me a great
favour by giving me some account of your schools
and colleges, the state of literature and your methods
of education. From this country I can send you
nothing new; but every thing will be so to me which
you are so good as to send me from yours. I re-
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 203
member nothing particular that has happened of late
to any of the friends you left behind you. My bro-
ther-in-law and sister, and what remains of their
family, are well. You would hear of poor James
Valentine's fate; he perished in a hurricane off Ja-
maica the very day on which he was promoted to the
command of a ship. His brother has not been so
fortunate as we could have wished, or as his great
abilities in his profession seemed to deserve; howev-
er he is pretty well, and commands a vessel that
goes alternately to the Mediterranean and the Baltic.
His sister commonly lives with me; but is just now,
with my boy Montagu, on a visit to her father and
mother at Montrose. My elder son was last year
appointed my assistant and successor. It was what
he wished himself, and it is an ollice for which he is
eminently well qualified. The King presented him
to it, upon the unanimous recommendation of the
college. I mention these particulars relating to my
family in order to stimulate 3'ou to give me intelli-
gence equally minute with regard to yours; for I am
greatly interested in their welfare, and beg leave to
offer my compliments and best wishes to them all.
Our old friend, Charles Keith, is settled as a physician
at Morpath, and does very well. I passed two days
with him last year. Thomson is semper idem, that
is to say, worse and worse; he drinks as much as pos-
sible, and does nothing else. David Walker, I am
sorry to hear, has stopped payments.'^
"If you have. a corivenient opportunity, I would
trouble you to present my humble service to that
venerable and wonderful man. Dr. Franklin, to whom
I had the honour to be known about seventeen years
204 MEMOIR OF DR. NISfiEt.
ago in London; to our Reverend friend Dr. Wither-
spoon, and to Dr. Rush, Professor of Chemistry at
Philadelphia, to whom I am under great obligations."
"Adieu, my dear sir. It is not likely that you
and I shall meet any more in this world; but let us
write to one another sometimes, and think of one
another often."
" Most faithfully and affectionately, yours,"
"J. Beattie."
" The Rev. Dr. Nisbet.''
P. S. "This has been the finest summer I ever
remember to have seen; and all over Great Britain
there is every appearance of an early and most plen-
tiful harvest."
From the same.
" Peterhead, July 2d, 1792."
" Dear Sir,''
"I cannot tell you how much I am gratified by
your very kind remembrance of me, and how much
I have been entertained by your two excellent let-
ters. Be assured, that though a- dilatory writer, I
am not conscious of any diminution in my affection
for you; that I often think of you: and that when I
meet with any of our common friends, I often speak
of you in terms which you would not dislike. For
reasons that will occur to yourself, I cannot give a
particular detail of the reflections suggested by the
very interesting information with wiiich you have
favoured me. I shall only say, that it coincides, ex-
actly with the conjectures I had formed, and the in-
telligence I have received from some others; and
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 205
that my principles on the subjects in question, are
the same with yours. '^
" You are pleased to speak favourably of the first
volume of the 'Elements of Moral Science.' The
second is now in the hands of the printer. 1 will
endeavour to send you both. What I have said in
the second on Slavery, and on the principles of Po-
litics, will not please every body; but I have honest-
ly given the sentiments which I have been teaching
and pondering for thirty years and upwards; and
they are sentiments in which, the more I see and
hear of this changeable world, the more I am con-
firmed."
" I need not give you any of the public news of
this country: you will see all that in the newspapers.
Our national prosperity is, just now, greater than I
have ever known it: and nothing is wanting to make
us a very happy people, but a right sense of that
prosperity, and gratitude to that good Providence
which bestows it. But we are evil and unthankful;
and too many of us are not only discontented, but
turbulent. Both in religion and in politics, we are
pestered with foolish theories; the effect of levity
and ignorance. If we could read more Greek and
Latin, and less French; more histories, and fewer
novels; and if we could speak less, and think more,
it would be a good thing for us. The theories of
the present time often put me in mind of that old
sophist, (you will remember his name, though I do
not) who took it upon him to give Hannibal a lec-
ture on the military art. The harangue was much
admired by the author, and by such of his audience
as knew nothing of practical tactics. The Cartha-
18
206 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
ginian, however, bluntly said, that he never before
had met with a blockhead so ignorant, and so con-
ceited."
" You will be glad to hear that my sister, and her
son and daughter are in their usual health. My bro-
ther-in-law, now in his S6th year, though. he has been
confined to bed these five years, eats well, and sleeps
well, and is perfectly easy, contented and happy.
Socinianism flourishes mightily at Montrose; the
, who are all become authors, are the great
apostles of that church. Our old friend died
last winter of a iever. His son, who is in a very
thriving way, offered to supply him with as much
gin and porter as he could swallow; but the heroic
Charles wandered from alehouse to alehouse, and
tippled to the end of the chapter."
*' Of myself, I have nothing good to say. That
old vertigo of my head (as you have often told me)
will never leave me until I am dead. But I have so
many other complaints that I cannot expect to be
long here. About eighteen months ago, I was visi-
ted with an afHiction, which, though I am entirely
resigned to the will of Providence, has broken my
heart. My son (whom you will remember) died at
that time, of a consumption. His illness lasted a
year, during which time I was always with him. He
had every advantage that could be derived from aflfec-
tionate attendants and able physicians, and every
thing was procured for him that the faculty recom-
mended ; but all was vain . The king appointed him
my assistant in the College five years ago; and an
able assistant he was. Indeed, to all who were well
acquainted with him, he was the object of admiration
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 207
and delight. The inscription which I wrote for his
tombstone contains his character in brief; and I as-
sure you without any exaggeration. It is in these
words: —
Jacobo Hat Beattie, Jacobi filio:
Philosoph. in Acad. Marischal Professori.
Adolescent!
Ea modestia,
Ea suavitate morum,
Ea benevolentia erga omnes,
Ut humanum nihil supra.
In bonis Uteris,
In Theologia,
In omne Philosophia,
Exercilatissimo.
Poetae insuper,
Rebus in levioribus faceto,
In grandioribus sublime.
Qui placidam animam efflavit
XIXNovemb: MDCCXC:
Annos habens XXII, diesque XIII.
Pater moerens hoc marmor posuit.
^' I have collected and arranged as many of his pa-
pers as will justify every particular of this character;
and intend, for the use of my friends, to print sixty
or a hundred copies, one of which will be sent to
you. It will be either one pretty large volume, or
two small ones; and, if I live, will be put to the press
next winter. . The epitaph touches upon the more
important parts only of his character; but I will take
the liberty to inform you further, that he was an able
chemist, botanist, anatomist, profoundly skilled in
the theory of music, an excellent performer on the
violin and organ, an elegant drawer, a master of
Greek and Latin, a proficient in the French tongue,
208 MEMOIR or DR. NISEET.
an admirable public speaker, expert in fishing, fow-
ling and fencing, and such a mechanic, that, two
years before his death, he superintended the building
of a very good organ for himself. In wit and hu-
mour he was not inferior to you; and though his
piety, modesty and delicacy were exemplary; he re-
tained, even when he came to be a man, all the cheer-
fulness and playfulness of a boy. His poems are
partly English and partly Latin; for he composed
with equal ease in both languages. He foresaw his
death long before it came, and met it with true Chris-
tian meekness and resignation. All this may seem
extraoi'dinary; but it is all literally true, as many
persons now alive can testify."
'' I send this under cover to my friend, the Bishop
of London, who will frank it as far as his privilege
extends, that is, I suppose, to Falmouth."
*' With best wishes to Mrs. Nisbet and your fami-
ly, I ever am, dear sir, your affectionate humble
servant, J. Beattie."
*' Rev. Dr. Nisbet,
Principal of Carlisle College, Pennsylvania.''^
In the year 1790, Dr. Nisbet's eldest daughter,
Mary, was married to William Turnbull, Esquire,
a native of Scotland, who had been for a number of
years a respectable merchant of Philadelphia; at that
time resident in the city of Pittsburgh. This proved
a happy marriage. And although the subject of this
memoir, up to this time, and even several years after-
wards, continued to be importuned by some of his
friends on the other side of the Atlantic, to return to
Scotland, as will be se^n by letters to !pe hereaftesj
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITLD STATES. 209
introduced; yet his advancing age; his almost invin-
cible aversion to a sea voyage; and the happy settle-
ment of his daughter in this country; concurred with
a variety of other circumstances to bind him to the
United States, and to render him less and less dispo-
sed to withdraw from the important station to which
he had been called. He saw, too, that while the
American Union was agitated by party violence, and
by what he deemed unwise govermental measures;
his native country, and, indeed, the whole civilized
world, were agitated in a similar manner, and by
similar means. There was little hope, then, of bet-
tering his situation by returning to the old world*
At the same time, the ties which bound him to the
new, were becoming, every day, more strong and
more interesting."
18^
5.10 MEMOIR OF DIl. NISBET.
CHAPTER VL
His residence in the United States continued'.
It was in the Autumn of the year 1791, that the
acquaintance of the author of this Memoir with the
venerable subject of it commenced. The author
had, anterior to this, pursued his Theological studies
under the direction of a beloved and venerated Pa-
rent, near Dover in Delaware, his native place. On
the decease of that parent, who had been the pastor
of the Presbyterian church in Dover for nearly half
a century, and after having received license to preach
the Gospel, he determined to avail himself, for at
least a {^\^ months, of the conversation and guidance
of the distinguished man, whose learning, and whose
course of Theological Lectures, had received so larg&
a share of public approbation. For this purpose, in
tlie month of November, of the year above mention-
ed, he repaired to Carlisle, and found Dr. Nisbet in
good health and spirits, and busily engaged in his-
labours as the Head of Dickinson College, the winter
session of which had, a ^qw weeks before, commen-
ced
He had never until then seen the eminent man
whose instruction he sought. Pie expected to find
80 much learning connected with reserved and formal,,
if not repulsive manners; but was agreeably surprised
to find \^x. Nisbet as affable, as easy of access, as sim-
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 211
pie and imostentatious in his manners, and as attrac-
tive in all the inlercotirse of social life, as any man he
had ever seen. He received the inexperienced young
Licentiate, with all the condescensioa and kindness
of a parent; and after the first hour, placed him as
much at his ease, as if he had been hanging on the
lips of that parent according to. the flesh, whose loss
he had recently been called to mourn.
Such were the habits and manners of this venera-
We man, and also of his amiable family, that the
writer, from the first day of his arrival in Carlisle,
felt himself at honve in his presence. His practice,
in ordinary cases, was regularly, every evening, to
sit with him in his domestic circle two or three
hours. And on whatever subject he might desire
information, whether in Theology or Literature,
ancieat or modern, he had but to propose the topic,
and suggest queries, to draw forth every thing that
he wished. Nor were Dr. Nisbet's instructive com-
munications of that declaiming or preaching kind
which some learned men are fond of exhibiting, but
which can scarcely with propriet}^ be called "conver-
sation," since they are all on on^e side. They pre-
sented a constant flow of rich amusement and infor-
mation, and yet so entirely free from ostentation,
dogmatism, or pedantry, that every listener, was at
once instructed, entertained and gratified. Prob-
ably no man on this side of the Atlantic ever brought
into the social circle, such diversified and ample
stores of erudition; — such an extraordinary know-
ledge of men, and books, and opinions; such an ama-
zing fund of rare and racy anecdotes; and all poured
9U.t with so much unstudied simplicity; with such
212 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
constant flashes of wit and humour; and with such a
peculiar mixture of satire and good nature, as kept
every company whether youni;; or old hanging upon
his lips, and doing constant homage to his wonderful
acquirements.
Sometimes, when in the midst of these delightful
effusions, a new visitor would step in, and introduce
a new topic of discourse, it was wonderful with what
facility he could change the train of conversation;
strike upon a new and rich vein of thought; and ex-
cite new and endless surprise by his intellectual re-
sources. And if any member of th^ circle attempted
to enter the lists with him as a competitor in either
wit or learning, as was sometimes the case with those
who did not " know their man," he soon manifested,
with perfect good humour, with what entire ease
he could distance every one on either track. Of
scenes of this kind, the writer of this Memoir has
been so often a witness, that he cannot call them to
mind at the present hour without mixed feelings of
surprise and admiration.
He was led, too, in consequence of the strong im-
pressions then made by the instructions of the living
teacher, to doubt whether the popular estimate of the
means of knowledge anterior to the discovery of the
Art of Printing, is not, in some measure, both inade-
quate and incorrect. There were then, indeed, few
books. Their scarcity and costliness rendered them
wholly inaccessible to any but the wealthy and the
powerful. However eager a poor man^s desire for
knowledge, he could very seldom obtain it by read-
inv;. We are, perhaps, sometimes ready to carry
our pity for them on this score to an extreme. They
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 213
were, indeed, destitute of a privilege of immense
importance. But the multiplication of books has its
drawbacks as well as its advantages. They had an-
other source of instruction in some respects superior
to that which we now enjoy. They were in the
constant habit of travelling to different and distant
parts of the world, as far as they were able; and of
conversing and disputing with the greatest and most
learned men wherever they went. Thus the ancient
Greeks and Romans, anterior to the advent of the
Saviour, pursued knowledge. Thus Roger Bacon,
John Duns Scotus, and many of the most profound
men of the middle and subsequent ages, constantly
sought to strengthen and furnish their minds. They
went to different Universities, residing several years
in each, for the purpose of free, unreserved personal
intercourse with the great men in each; that they
might not only gain the know^ledge which these men
possessed, and were ready to impart; but that they
might, by the literary and scientific conflicts, in other
words, by the intellectual pugilism, then fashionable,
acquire a wakefulness, an adroitness, and a vigour of
mental action which unceasing oral disputation is pe-
culiarly adapted to nurture. It is not intended in
these remarks, as all will understand, to undervalue
books. They are a gift of inestimable value. But it is
intended to estimate more highly than many seem in-
clined to do, personal communications and conflicts;
and to represent tiie latter source of instruction as pre-
ferable, on some accounts, to books. The knowledge
acquired by unlimited reading, may be more exten-
sive; but that which is gained by conversation, and es-
pecially by unreserved discussion and oral controver-
214 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
sy with superior minds, will generally be found to have
about it a life, a distinctness, a clearness, and an adhe-
sion to the mind, which do not ordinarily appear in an
equal degree in the mere devoiirer of books. It is cer-
tain that the writer of this Memoir, when he left Car-
lisle, in the spring of 1792, carried with him a deeper
impression than he ever had before, of the immense
advantage to be derived from coming into contact
daily with an acute, active and richly furnished mind,
from which, as much might be learned in one hour,
(especially on subjects concerning which books rare
and difficult of access, are the only sources of in-
struction from reading,) as from the private study
of a week. He left it also with no small regret
that he had not derived from the enjoyment of
this privilege more ample benefit; and a conviction,
that if he had been more aware of its value at the
time, and more awake to its importance, it might
have been made far more productive of fruit than it
was. Alas! it was with him, as with most others,
that the most precious advanta|j;es are seldom ade-
quately appreciated until the possession of them is
withdrawn.
Happy are they, who, sensible of the defects of an
intellectual culture formed by mere reading, habitu-
ate themselves to the mingling of reading with close
thought; to independent inquiry; to impartial can-
vassing and sifting of the opinions proposed in books;
to pausing, and comparing book with book; and, as
far as possible, to the conversation of sound and strong
minds, accustomed to think, and disdaining to walk
in trammels. Without these adjuncts to reading,
there is little hope of forming that robust mental
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 215
structure; that intellectual promptness, vigour, and ac-
tivity which so eminently characterized men formed
in the middle ages, by travel, by oi-al communication,
and by personal conflict.
The compiler of this volume has never seen a man
so well adapted to benefit those around him, in these
respects, as Dr. Nisbet. The rapidity and force of
his mind in conversation; the pre-eminent richness
of his mental furniture; his vivacity; his wit; his in-
exhaustible stare of striking anecdotes, and of happy
classical allusions, rendered him at all times a most
instructive and entertaining companion; and served
more indelibly to impress upon the mind what canie
from his lips than from those of almost any other
man.
The writer was not so happy as to enjoy the pri-
vilege of hearing any part of Dr. Nisbet's course of
theological lectures. Their delivery had been com-
pleled ten months before he took up his temporary
abode in Carlisle; and they were never repeated to a
second class. A number of individual students, in-
deed, from time to time, resorted to him for direc-
tion in their studies; but the regular formation of a
theological class was never again accomplished. The
reasons of this reflected little credit on the youthful
candidates for the ministry at that time. Some were
discouraged by the prospect of a course of study
which was to extend to between two and three years!
This seemed a long time to those who imaginedthat
an adequate course of theological instruction might
be brought within a much shorter compass, and whose
parents, still more impatient, could not be persuaded
that such a long, and, as they thought, tedious train-
216 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBEti
ing could be necessary to prepare candidates for the
ministry for their work. They saw some other de-
nominations, with none of these advantages, and in-
deed with scarcely any study, sending forth scores of
popular men; and hastily supposed that so much pro-
tracted labour in preparing for the ministry could not
be needful.
It was understood, too, that the requisition of the
learned and venerable lecturer, that every member
of his Theological class should commit to writing the
whole of each Lecture, as it fell from his lips, was
regarded with aversion, and deemed a drudgery too
severe to be pursued through several years. This
requisition would never have been made in other
circumstances. But the Lecturer well knew that
books were extremely scarce, especially in the west-
ern parts of our countr}^; and that, therefore, the pos-
session of a complete system of Theology, j)repared
with great care, would be a treasure of permanent
and peculiar value. Even this, however, was not
properly appreciated by short-sighted young men,
and still more short-sighted parents. On these ac-
counts, a second class was never formed; and, al-
though the Lectures in question were copied by seve-
ral Theological students who had not tlie privilege of
hearing them delivered, and were read in manuscript
by a number of the neighbouring divines, they were
never again repeated in public.
When we contemplate the deplorable mistake un-
der which a large portion of American candidates for
the ministry, as well as others, appear to labour re-
specting the requisite extent of professional study,
we cannot wonder that enlightened and reflecting
Residence in the united states. 217
men regard it as deeply humiliating. That this mis-
take should still continue to be indulged by so many
theological students, after all that has been said and
done by the General Assembly of the Church, as
Well as by individual ministers, to cojrect the evil,
is indeed astonishing, and only to be accounted for
on principles which reflect great discredit on the
judgment of those wlio allow themselves to be the
dupes of the error in question. Wiien one who un-
derstands the nature and importance of mature study,
sees so many of our aspirants to the sacred office con-
tenting themselves with a superficial course, can he
be at any loss to explain why it is that so large a pro-
portion of their number are consigned to obscuritj',
and comparative uselessness all their daj's; why their
leanness appears so conspicuous in all their public
and private ministrations?
No one, of course, will wonder, that Dr. Nisbet,
after coming immediately from the Colleges and
Theological Halls of North Britain, in which a train-
ing so extended and mature was then, and still is,
demanded, should have been surprized and deeply
revolted at the superficial plans and habits of study
which he was constrained continually to witness, and
yet had not the power to correct. Had he not felt and
spoken respecting this infatuation very much as he
did, it would have warranted an imputation either on
his discernment or his faithfulness. If he fell into
any mistake on this subject, perhaps it was in not
making a more adequate allowance for the intrinsic
difficulties of the case; and in not setting himself to
obviate the evil by means more accommodated to the
Btate of things on this side of the Atlantic, than those
19
218 MEMOIR or DR. NISBET.
which were suited to European habits. It was, no
doubt, a severe trial to a man long accustomed to the
best literary society, to ample libraries, and to bands
of youth taking large views, and cherishing ardent
desires of knowledge; to find so many of the young
men committed to his care unwilling to submit to the
labour of study ; complaining of hardship when it was
required of them; and considering it as a great pri-
vilege to bear the name, and be decorated with the
honour of college students, with few or none of their
appropriate attainments. Who, in similar circum-
stances, could have had reason to be confident that
he would have been more patient, or less disposed to
direct toward the glaring evil the artillery of indig-
nant wit ami withering sarcasm, than was this great
and good man?
The following letter from Lady Leven is the last
found among Doctor Nisbet's papers from that excel-
lent and remarkable woman. The infirmities of age
were now creeping upon her; her health soon after-
wards declined; and although her decease did not
occur until 1798, her latter years, it is believed, were
passed in much feebleness.
" Melville House, August 22d, 1793.''
" Dear Sir,''
" I have just received your letter and parcel, which
has roused me as from a dream, and awakened in me
sincere regret for having never acknowledged your
former long letter. To convince you that I had in-
tended it, 1 send this sheet, upon which 1 had begun
an answer; but having let that opportunity slip, have
never found a more convenient season. I think my-
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 219
self that I have become unfit for writing; letters. If
ever I had any capacity that way, it is much impair-
ed. But I cease from apologies, and admire your
goodness in forgiving this seeming neglect; but in
deed there is nothing real in it. You have laid me
under a great obligation by the treasure you have
sent me, and for which I return a great many thanks,
I have not yet proved them; but I know they need
no proof, as they are from the same tree from which
I have tastpd such sweet fruits formerly."
** I wonder Mr. Martin did not deliver the com-
mission which I gave him to thank you, and make my
excuse for not writing when he did. He is not
happy, having gotten his son a preacher and a kirk.
It gives me great pleasure to find that your health is
so good. It sometimes comes across me that you
will yet land on your native shore, and during the
remainder of your life, enjoy the society of some old
friends, among whom I rank myself. I am frail and
feeble as to health; at the same time I wonder that I
am so welL It is, indeed, a singular mercy to be
free from many of those distresses incident to old
age. My dear friend (the Earl of Leven) is surpris-
ingly healthy; and all my children and grand chil-
dren enjoy good health, I must tell you a circum-
stance that is matter of wonder and praise. Our son
John, in the guards, returned to Britain just when
the army was preparing to attackValenciennes, which
was a very unlooked for event by his anxious friends;
and as comfortable as unexpected. The cause was,
that three companies were to be raised, and added to
the regiment; and he was appointed to one of them,
which gives him the rank of Colonel, besides,
220 ME3I0IR OF DR. NISBET.
bringing him home. I leave it to you to reflect-
how this ought to affect tender parents. Yet we
ought always to ' rejoice with trembling.' not know-
ing wliere our danger or safety lies; but, in the
mean time, it is relieving.'-'
''The situation of our troops before Valenciennes
engrosses the attention of all ranks and denomina-
tions at preseiU. What wonderful havock and bar-
barities have been committed since I wrote you last!
What the end of these things will be, is only known
to Him that knoweth all things. that men would
become wiser and better by the jud<^ments of the
Lord, since goodness and mercy have failed of bring-
ing them to repentance!"
"Mr. Martin will write you all the news. I am
a very bad retailer; and indeed the most rapid
sketch would fill a volume. I will send you some
newspapers, in which you will find much true and
much false. The siege of Valenciennes engrosses at
present the attention and anxiety of the public. May
Divine mercy prevent dreadful consequences I I dare
say people in Philadelphia constantly get the news-
papers from Britain. S^o'ch newspapers will, of
course, suit your taste best. We are all quiet at pre-
sent. No sickness or pains are troubling our consti-
tution. It is thought that the many late receipts for
curing public disorders have had a good etfect. The
'rights of man' have been of more use to show them
their wrongs (by many just commentaries published
on this subject) than any method that would have
been discovered.''
"Aug. 25. The news of the surrender of Valen-.
ciennes, came to our ears, and is indeed wonderful
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 221
in our eyes. I wish it was more believed to be the do-
ing of the Lord. But nothing yet has been said, in al
the accounts, which ascribe this wonderful success to a
higher power than that of man. That such an event
has been brought about with the loss of so few men,
is indeed marvellous. I will send you newspapers,
and leave all remarks to your own invention, which
is not only fertile, but witty and wise.^'
"I have just finished reading your * Notes,' which
I had not perused, when I began this letter. I thank
you very much for them. They have no fault but
a small one. If ever you favour me with any more,
you must, if you please, stretch out your hand writ-
ing, in pity to my dim sight. I have great reason,
however, to be thankful that my sight is no worse.
My Lord read some of them easily by candle-light.
Would you have any objection to our publishing
some parts of these Notes, if Dr. Erskine approved?
There are some remarks that would be well timed,
and might be useful. The author might, or might
not be concealed."
" Dr. E. published a Sermon sometime ago, which
he was solicited to do, which I will send you. He
preached a Sermon at Doctor Robertson's death,
which, together with a Lecture, were esteemed mas-
ter-pieces, and nothing but the state of his health
prevents his complying with the many earnest soli-
citations to publish them. It is with much pleasure
that I venture to say, he is continuing better, and
preaches often, though very poorlj'. He is a won-
derful man! Dr. Gillies is also much recovered.
He has, at last, been prevailed upon to take an as-
sistant. Mrs. Gillies died last winter, after which
19*
222 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
Mrs. Leslie staid with him near half a year. He is
always anxious to hear about yotr/'
" [ take for granted that Mr.MartHi keeps you in-
formed with regard to church-matters. 1 hope, in
time, they will improve, and truth prevail against
error; as inquiry has been making concerning this
subject at Drs. Erskine and Hunter, and their party."
" Oh! it is strange to reflect that America is so
much in tlie French interest! I should imagine this
partiality to be only apparent, and that Britain will
still have a hold of their hearts. Though parents
may have been thought harsh and severe in their
measures, yet they are parents still; and ' blood is
stronger than water,' as the proverb says. Perhaps
they may yet unite, and take one of our princes to
rule over them. What says Nosh^odamifs concern-
ing the present' times and prospects? I hope some
body sent you Mr. Fleming's prophetical conjec-
tures concerning many things. I have but one
copy."
^'Now, that I have entered upon small talk, I
shall rather tire than either edify or amuse you. It
is, however, a gratification to me that I have covered
so much paper, in ' cracking' with my worthy
friend in a far country; but would much rather doit
at Melville fire-side. It is always a great pleasure
to me to hear from you. Let me know what is do-,
ing, either public or private; how you are now with
respect to temporal concerns; and how religion ad-
vances, ordeclineg; whether there is any encourage-
ment for good ministers, if we could spare any from
our small stock. Indeed, it is not the best here that
generally meet with the greatest encouragement.
J
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 223
Perhaps you could send us a sample of ^owr divines,
I should like to see some of your raising, if they an-
swer your wishes and care. Many of ours are of
the fashionable sort, and seem to have learned a new
creed. I do not know how they can sig;n the Confes-
sion of Faith with a safe conscience. TVe do not hear
many of them preach, but we hear much of them.
Their burden, indeed, seems to be light, and they
seem to have laid aside every weight, and all beset-
ting sins, and teach me so to do; but not in the way
that He teaches who taught as never man taught,
and that cannot be learned by the precepts of men.
They have never yet learned of Him who said:
*Take my yoke upon you.' Though I fear this
class of divines, old and young, are too numerous,
yet there are many excellent pious young men. But
I must not waste my paper, having to thank you for
another letter, just now received, bearing date June
14th. I take this as a great mark of kindness, espe-
cially when I was appearing to you under the mask
of unkindness, forgetful ness, &c.; a very unfair copy
of my countenance toward you, my worthy old
friend. I desire that whatever appearances may oc-
cur in that false light, you m.ay regard and treat as
not even the shadows of the truth; which, however,
I have already told you at the beginning of this let-
ter. I am sorry you should make any apology for
your excellent 'Notes,' which we highly prize, and
wish that they and more of the same useful tendency,
were in print."
I am sorry for what you write concerning .
It does not correspond with his former professions of
friendship. He must ever have my regard and good
22i MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
wishes, as in duty bound. But many are the chan-
ges which a little time produces in this uncertain
state of things. Blessed be God! Mhe foundation
of the Lord standeth sure.' This is firm footing;
all is sand beside.''
"I cannot pretend to answer your letter, further
than to say, that I approve of all the solid reasoning
which it contains; that I beg the continuance of so
edifying a correspondence; and that you inform me
concerning the situation of your family. I beg also
to be informed how Doctor Witherspoon stood the
operation which he underwent, and whether it had
any good effect, which I sincerely wish; and would
request, that, if you have any correspondence with
him, you would say, in your next, that I remember
htm with esteem and good wishes. My good friend
sends his best regards to you. He is much enter-
tained with 5'our correspondence. Lord Balgonie's
family is well. He has four promising sons. Lady
Ruthven has two sons and five daughters; all healthy
and thriving, so far. Her eldest son has been above a
year in England, with Mr. D'Courcey, who was in
this country long ago in Lady Glenorchy's family,
and is now settled at Shrewsbury. All the young
man's tutors approved of his going there; and we had
a visit from him and Mr. D'C. this summer. He is
much improved, and much beloved by every body.
I write you this as a matter of great thankfulness.
The girls are all very promising. Sir J. and Lady
Jane are well, and their only daughter, a fine tall
girl. Have you any grandchildren? Where and
how are your young people emploj-ed? How does
dear Mrs. Nisbet keep her health?"
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 225
" I am afraid you will find my letter to contain
very little for your edification, — I ought to have said
information. Whatever it contains, I intend it as a
proof of cordial good will, which you must accept
for the deed. 1 can have no doubt concerning your
usefulness, though it may not appear consjjicuous to
yourself. Being content with Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John, is a hapjjy sign, though not a 'sign of the
times.' To whom can we go, or to whom should
we go to seek the truth, but to the precious word of
God which testifies it; and though all men should
become liars, this foundation standeth sure. You
complain of pieaciiiug to a dead peoplp. I wish I
could tell you it would be diflferent if you were here.
A deep sleep seems lo prevail over all ranks, so far
as I can see or hear of. What says Mr. Martin? I
have acccsa to see no cluirch that. i.s differently situa-
ted. With esteem and friendship, believe me^ dear
sir/'
" Your humble servant, ^* W. Leven."
" J?ey. Br. NIsbet."
"P. S. I thoiiglit that I had written to you that
the author of Horse Soli t arise is a Mr. Serle, who
was secretary to Lord Howe, during the last war;
and now enjoys a place under government of about
twelve or fifteen hundred pounds sterling a year; as
they know him to be a man of business, as well as of
learning and piety. He has WTitten many pious
small tracts, for the use of the poor, &c. I sent you
his * Christian Remembrancer.' He is a very sin-
gular man in his generation. Tell me your opinio^
of his publications,"
226 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
In ihe spring of 1792, Doctor Nisbet paid a visit
to Governor Dickinson, whose reputation and muni-
ficence had induced the Trustees to give his name to
the College over which the subject of this Memoir
presided. Mr. Dickinson was now residing in Wil-
mington, in the state of Delaware, in the enjoyment
of the otium cum dignitate which became an afflu-
ent, enlightened, retired statesman. This visit ap-
pears to have been a highly gratifying one on both
sides. Mr. Dickinson seems to have retained, what
some other members of the original Board of Trus-
tees did not, — a deep sense of the obligation, result-
ing from their wi'ilten pledges, in calling Dr. Nisbet
from Scotland, to consult, and endeavour to secure,
his personal comfort. He, therefore, ever treated
him with the most pointed attention and respect. A
gentleman who happened to be a witness of the in-
terview and conversation between these two gentle-
men, during the first evening after Dr. Nisbet's arri-
val, gave the writer of these pages an account of it,
which was in no small degree interesting.
The conversation on that evening turned on the
following subject — " The probable effect of a zealous
and ardent prosecution of the study of the physi-
cal sciences on the religious character; or, the ten*
denc}' of a long continued and earnest investiga-
tion of the wonders of nature to produce a forgetful-
ness of the Creator and Governor of the world." In
this conversation Dr. Nisbet, as was expected and
desired, took the lead. He maintained the position,
that unless the grace of God produced a different
effect, the more intimately men became acquainted
with the works of nature, the less mindful were they
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 227
of their great Author. The gentleman who made
report of this conversation, represented it as one of
the most rich, instructive and interesting intellectual
feasts that he ever enjoyed. At the close, Mr. Dick-
inson said to him — " Doctor, what you have said,
would form an invaluahle octavo volume. I would
give a large sum to have it in that form." He urged
his venerahle guest to pay him an annual visit. And
on Doctor Nisbet's return home, he received notice
that Mr. Dickinson had deposited five hundred dol-
lars in one of the Philadelphia banks, subject to his
order, for bearing the expence of the future visits
which he had solicited. Accordingly, for several years
afterwards, he continued to pay an annual visit to
Mr, Dickinson, and was always received and treated
as might have been expected on the part of one who
made a proper estimate of the talents, learning and
piety of his guest, and who remembered the solicita-
tions and promises which had allured him from his
native land.
These journeys were always made on horseback.
The running of public stages between Carlisle and
Philadelphia, had then, either not begun, or the es-
tablishments were on such an uncomfortable footing,
and the roads so bad, that the most eligible mode of
travelling, for him, was on the saddle. He preferred
it to any other within his reach.
In the year 1793, Dr. Nisbet passed through an
ordeal which was in no small degree trying to his
feelings, and those of his family. In the progress of
what was called the "Whiskey Rebellion,"* in that
• A rebellion in Pennsylvania, occasioned by the tax laid by the
government of the United States on the distilling of ardenl spirits.
2,28 KEMOIR OP DR. ^^ISBET.
year, which called out the military force of the
United States, with Washinglon at its head, to put it
down — the popular excilemeut at Carlisle was tre-
mendous. On this occasion the suhject of the
present Memoir concurred with his colleague, Dr.
Davidson, in opinion that it was proper to say some-
thing from the pulpit adapted to allay the dieadful
tumult. Dr. Davidson in the morning, gave a ju-
dicious, hut modest and mild discourse, which though
not very acceptable to the populace, gave hut little
offence. Dr. Nisbet in the afternoon, spoke out a
little more jjlainly. His text was, 1- Thessalonians,
iv. 11. 'And that ye study to be quiets and to do
your ou'7i business, and to itork with your own
hands, as ice ccmmandcd yen. In this sermon he
endeavoured to show, with much force of reasoning,
drawn from Scripture and experience, and not with-
out some fignificant occasional glances of a satirical
kind, that all men were not equally fitted to be
Philosophers, Legislators, and Statesmen; but that
some were intended for working with their hands.
This sermon gave great cffence to a portion of the
congregation; some of whom remarked, that '^ such
doctrine did not suit this side of the Atlantic."
Accordingly, a few days afterwards, when the Whis-
key insurgents came into Carlisle, from the adjacent
country, to erect a Whiskey or Liberty Pole, it was
feared, by many, that Dr. Nisbet's Iiouse would be
violently assailed by the mob. Some respectable
friends and neighbours offered to remain in his
house for the purpose of del^ending it, if attacked.
He declined however accepting tlie offer; wisely
judging that if such an assemblage were known of,
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 229
it might invite attack. The result showed that pro-
vision for defence was not wholly unnecessary. The
mob were actually and furiously proceeding to the
President's house, but were stopped by a friend,
who informed them that his younger daughter was
lying very ill, and that to attack his dwelling, under
such circumstances, would be brutal rather than pa-
triotic. This remonstrance prevailed with the infu-
riated multitude to retire.
Is it wonderful that this venerable servant of God
should have received, from such scenes, impressions
of an unfavourable kind concerning the population
and institutions of our country? Here was a man
eminent for his learning and piety, who had, in his
own country, warmly espoused the cause of America
in our revolutionary war; who had fearlessly preach-
ed and prayed against the measures of his own gov-
ernment in that contest, yet without suflfering any
violence; who, on coming to a land of boasted free-
dom, for the simple declaration of his opinions, could
scarcely be protected from the lawless ferocity of a
mob!
The following extract of a letter addressed by Dr.
Nisbet to his old friend, Dr. Witherspoon, December
3, 1793, a few months only before the death of the
latter, v/ill give a characteristic view of the state of
mind of the writer at that time, and of the aspect of
various things in our country:
"The consequences of the yellow fever in Phi-
ladelphia, and the reports of its having been in this
place, have prevented the return of more than half
of our students from the southern States; and I am
afraid that some of the students themselves have had
20
230 MfiMotR oj* t)R. ms-^tf.
a hand in the affair, and misrepresented the situation
of this place, in order to prevail with their parents
not to send ihem back, as their indolence and their
aversion to study are inexpressible, and the indul-
gence that is given them by their parents, is almost
boundless. One C— , from North Carolina, who was
certified to us as qualified even to teach the ancient
languages, (although he was afraid of being examined
in them,) and as well acquainted with almost every
. part of philosophy, is gone, as 1 fear, to your College,
because we would not admit him into the Philo-
sophy class, in the middle of the course, in hopes of
obtaining a degree without any examination or fur-
ther instruction. I wonder that you did not men-
tion him in your letter. But it is probable that he
would not mention to you that he had ever been in
this place.''
" I have been informed that at the College at ■
they have no public lessons, and the students are not
bound to give attendance at the institution; but that
their teachers give them books, from time to time,
from which they make extracts, or compose speeches,
which they recite when they return to the College;
and that the whole of their education is conducted in
this manner. If students succeed in this wa}', 1
think that they will not be much indebted to the la-
bour of their teachers. But every thing is supposed
to be so much improved in the present age, that I
should not be surprised to hear of students receiving
degrees without any study at all; and the practice at
, if my intelligence is to be depended on,
seems to come very near it."
" I hear that some of the * friends of the people '
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 231
have come over from Scotland this year, and pub-
lished the most dismal accounts of the situation of
that country, which are contrary to all the intelli-
gence that I have from my correspondents. I sup-
pose that you have already heard of the arrival of
Dr. Priestley's son in this country, from France, and
that his father is expected soon to follow him from
England. Is it not somewhat surprising that this
young man, who, scarcely a year ago, gave public
thanks to the National Assembly of France, for the
immense honour they had dotie him, by adopting
him as a French citizen, should have so soon become
sick of Miberty and equality,' and come over to
this country, where we have only liberty? But as I
hear that the expenses of the new play-house in
Philadelphia are not yet defrayed, I am afraid that
the Doctor will not find subscribers for building him
a place of worship, and paying his salary, unless Con-
gress shall be pleased to vole him a pension, as a
French citizen in distress, or to give him a salary
for officiating as their chaplain, and should turn this
office into a church-dignity in his favour."
"By the way, I have seen the plan of the Federal
City, and agree that it resembles the New Jerusalem
in one respect; for, as St. John testifies, that * he saw
no temple there;' so I find no plan or place for a
church in all that large draught. But I cannot add
what he mentions in the next verse, as I believe that
our people will be well enough contented with the
light of ' Liberty and Equality,' together with that
of French lanterns and Atheistical philosophy. Yo\i
do not mention whether the 'citizen Minister' has
been successful in making proselytes for his repub-
232 MEMOIR OF 0R. NISBET.
lie in the city of New-York; nor whether the gene-
rality of the citizens have left off wearing breeches.
You ought to have informed me too, as you live so
near the source of light and information, whether
wooden shoes are worn by the majority of the people;
whether soiip maigre is in great request at their
tables; and what is the current price oi frogs in their
markets. But it appears that you have too little cu-
riosity with regard to the affairs of your neighbours."
" The subscription by the opposition party in Eng-
land, of a large subsidy, and a permanent annuity to
Mr. Fox, in my opinion, does little honour, either
to the givers, or to the receiver. Patriotism seems
to have run very low in England, if the people could
find no more proper object for their bounty and con-
fidence, than a man who has spent his whole life in
the pursuit of wine, women and cards; and who only
attended to the affairs of the public in the intervals
of his debauchery. A similarity of character in his
subscribers may be naturally inferred, from their
choosing him as the object of their bounty. Besides,
it does little honour to their understanding that they
have attempted to limit a professed gambler, and ta
make his annuity inseparable from his person. As
if that could not be staked on a card, as well as any
other possession. Accordingly the newswriters pre-
tend that this ^ man of the people' has already lost
his inseparable annuity at play, to a Scotch Lord, so
that he has nothing remaining except the title of
^king of the beggars,' which is likely to be more
inseparable from him than his annuity."
About this time his faithful correspondent, Dr.
^rskine, was assiduous in keeping hinx informed.
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITIJD STATES. 233
of the various events in Scotland which might be
supposed to he interesting to his American friend.
Tliough Dr. E. had many correspondents on this side
of the Atlantic, the number which he addressed to
Dr. Nisbet is really surprising. Out of many which
might be inserted, all of which would be interesting,
the following is a small specimen:
''Edinburgh, August 12, 1793.''
" Dear Sir,''
" I received your letters of 30th January, and June
4th, and have not sent you a parcel since the 14th of
February last, which I am glad went safely to your
hands."
^' The Rev. Mr. Dunn, of Kirkintillock, was im-
prisoned in Edinburgh Tolbooth, for three months.
The ground of the sentence was, his cutting some
leaves from the minutes of a Society of * the Friends
of the People,' which might have authenticated a
charge of sedition against them. But I believe some
passages of his Synod Sermon on Rev. xxi. 5, occa-
sioned a severity which to many appeared too great.
Some passages of the Sermon were thought to favour
sedition; and though, from his explications in other
parts, I hope he had no such design, I think he very
improperly wrested and misapplied his text. None
of the anonymous pamphlets were written by me.
That against Mr. Dunn, is generally ascribed to Mr.
Moody, of St. Andrew's church. Dr. Porteous, of
Glasgow, a keen supporter of the slave trade, and of
the measures of our ministry in the war with France^
has published a Sermon, Jeremiah vi, 16: Thus
taith the Lord, stand ye in the wa^s, &c. which
20*
234 MEMOIR OF ]>R. NISBET.
many think has gone as far to one extreme, as Mr»'
Dunn's sermon to the other. Both of them are able
men, and diligent and useful ministers; and, I believe,
prompted in this instance by an honest zeal, the one
for reforming things amiss in the constitution or ad-
ministration of goveraraent;. and the other for pro-
moting good order, and a just subjection to lawful
authority. But the zeal of neither has been, I think,
according to knowledge:. — and both verify the max-
im, that not only stulti, but sapieiites dum vitia
fugiunt^ in contraria currimt. Indeed Paine, and
many of the anonymous writers on the same side,
have probably — ^some with design, and some without
it — vented sentiments which lead to violent means
for essentially altering our constitution, and even to
an equalizing of property; and many of the replies,
in their loyalty, have forgotten whig principles,
and vindicated as necessary government carrying on
their measures by bribery and corruption. Dr.
Hunter, however, Mr. M'Gill, of Eastwood; and
Mr. Somerville, of Jedburgh; have steered clear of
these extremes. On the other band, many, who had
no other design, have been unjustly branded as.
friends of sedition, especially by those who belong
to the moderate party. Mr. Thompson, of Ochil-
tree, and Mr. Davidson, of Dundee, are instances of
this; of whom ill-natured calumnies have been in-
vented anxl spread, and found too ready a belief
from those whose distance and circumstances did not
allow them to examine the change."
" I know not how this war is more unpopular
than that with America was, though administration
plead aecessity, as France, when pretending friend-
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 235
ship, by secret emissaries, was encouraging disaffec-
tion and rebellion. Yet this notwithstanding, though
many disapprove particular measures of government,
our enemies are much mistaken, if they flatter them-
selves that we wish to get rid of our king and con-
stitution. There are some such among us;^ but their
aumbers, rank, character and influence are not alarm-
ing. It is fortunate for the interest of religion,
that some, unjustly termed Uhe wild Clergy,' were
the earliest to warn against and reprave the riots of
179^; and that Palmer, the head of all the professed
Socinians here, is thought to have been active in
spreading seditious papers. "
" You have, no doubt, heard of my colleague, Dr.
Robertson's death. Our opposite sentiments and
conduct as to Church policy, and the late American
war, did not hinder our mutual regard. He endured,
for six weeks before his death, violent pain, with
much fortitude and resignation. He was no friend
to the Ayrshire doctrines as to the divinity and
Atonement of Christ; and I have reason to. think our
sentiments as to the present posture of afl'airs, were
much the same. The Sabbath after his burial I
preached two sermons; the first on 1 Peter, i. 12 —
15; and the second on 1 Chronicles xxix. 12: In thine
hand is to make great — which I have been much
urged to publish; though publishing the first is im-
possible, as nothing of it was written, except what
related to. my colleague's character, Mr. Baird,
who has been only nine months a minister of Edin-
burgh, succeeds him as Principal of the University.
His diligence in public and private ministerial duties,
persuade me that he will do no dishonour to that
236 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
office; although those who wished it for the aged Dr.
Blair, or the eloquent Dr. Hardie, make a great out-
cry against Provost Elder, for doing for his son-in-
law what, perhaps, in a similar case, they would have
done for theirs."
"I herewith send you a small bundle of books,
chiefly German periodicals."
" I find that the observation which I ascribed to
Mr. Nathaniel Mather, was indeed the observation
of Mr. Samuel Mather. You will find it in Dr. Cot-
ton Mather's Magnalia, Book IV. p. 152. With
best compliments to Mrs. Nisbet and your family,
in which my wife and family join,"
" I am, dear Sir,"
*^ Yours, affeclionately,"
"John Erskine."
« Rev. Dr. NisUt.''
From the same
'^ Edinburgh, July 24, 1797."
*' Dear Sir,''
"Four days ago, I wrote you a hasty line, which
was all that my time then allowed, being much oc-
cupied by my * Sketches,' vol. ii. I was favoured
the day after with yours of May 2.2d. My parcel to
you goes under cover to Mi'. Samuel Campbell, b-y a
ship from Leith for New York. I send this letter
by another hand, ii> the same ship, that it may go by
post from New York, and inform you of the parcel."
" The ignorance of Church history, and especiaUy
of the Church history of the present century, appears
to me very deplorable, and to mislead many well-
wieaning men. My second volume is almost coa-
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 237
fined to the modern history of Popery; and, I think,
shows that, though Louis XVI. and the unfortunate
King of Poland, were of tolerant principles, and the
Emperors Joseph and Leopold not only friends to
liberty of conscience, but promoters of the reforma-
tion of some of the greatest abuses of Popery; yet
that the absurdities, idolatries, superstitions, and per-
secuting spirit of a great part of the Popish Church,
remain the same. I think I have also given some
reasons in opposition to the Seceders and others, who
think as ill of Popery as I do, that the extremes of
atheism, of infidelity, and of a levelling, anarchical
spirit, when the evils engendered by them are for
a time felt, will stimulate men to fly from them to
the opposite evils of arbitrary power and superstition,
being ignorant of the true cure in genuine Chris-
tianity."
"The bad efiects of the revolution in Holland will
not, I suppose, immediately appear; as many of the
worthiest ministers there continue to be supported
by their wealthy hearers, and continue to preach and
to write as formerly on the great doctrines and du-
ties of Christianity. But as no clergymen are to be
paid by the state, if (which appears to me probable
from the speeches which are published) private do-
nations to religious purf)oses are to be considered as
sacred, the consequence will be the Roman Catholics
in Holland will return to the possession of the many
legacies and endowments made in their favour be-
fore the Reformation; and, consequently, will be
able to maintain their clergy at less expense, which
must tempt covetous worshippers, of little conscience,
at once to go over to their communion.'*
238 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
"The Rev. Dr. Peirson, minister of the English
church at Amsterdam, has been one of the greatest
sufferers by the revohition. Apprehending it, he
had sent on board an English ship silver plate,
jewels, &c. belonging to his wife, and very valuable
furniture, worth nearly £1400 sterling, which was
seized in the Texel, by De Winter, then in the
French service, and now the Prince of Orange's
successor as Admiral of Holland. De Winter did
not report the capture to the French commissaries.
His roguery and meanness were condemned; but the
Doctor could procure no restitution. On the first
day of June, 1795, it was moved in the Classis at
Amsterdam, to congratulate the municipality of that
city on the treaty between France and Holland.
The Doctor opposed the motion, and said, that the
day of signing that treaty appeared to him the most
sad and dismal day Holland had ever seen. The
motion was over ruled by a majority of two votes,
which discouraged attempts at procuring such con-
gratulations from other classes. The rulers were
amazed at the Doctor, and became more so on his
refusing a declaration, when summon<ed before the
municipality on account of that speech, of submission
to the new government, and that he never would do
any thing for re-establishing the Stadholder. This
lie thought he could not do without renouncing his
allegiance to his native sovereign, and leaguing him-
self with the king's enemies. On the 14th of July,
1795, the municipality suspended him from his oflfice
and benefice, worth about £200 sterling: and on the
20th of July they dismissed him from his office, and
prohibited his leaving Amsterdam without the con-
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 239
sent of the Committee of Vigilance, whom they ap-
pointed to keep a watchful eye over him. For a
year and nine months he was thus under arrest, in
his own house, and spies employed to watch his mo-
tions. This year, on the 14th April, the Committee
of Vigilance forced him thence, and put him in pri-
son, none having access to him except the jailor and
his servants; he and his lady not being allowed even
to write to each other without their inspection. The
first ten days, she was not allowed to send him any
victuals. On the 27th of April, they delivered him
up to the Committee of Justice. Both friends and
foes exclaimed against these proceedings. It is be-
lieved that nothing criminal can be found against
him; and he says, with firmness, the motto of arms
shall be * death rather than disloyalty.' I have
heard of no later accounts of him than those bearing
date the 15th of May last. He got a good deal of
money with his lady; and his losses are supposed to
amount to £2500 sterling; and it is supposed that
the expenses of lawyers, &.c. may amount to several
hundred pounds more. When so much has been
done for French emigrants, I hope our administra-
tion will not neglect a native of Britain, who, for
his attachment to his king and the Prince of Orange,
expressed, perhaps, with more honesty than pru-
dence, has sufiered so severely. As these things
have not appeared in our prints, and probably will
not in yours, I have given them thus* fully.''
" I will mention another and more agreeable anec-
dote, which I had from a friend near London, to
whom it was related by one who had it in that city
from the Polish General, Kosciusko. The Empe-
240 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
ror Paul came to him in prison, incog. After in»
quiring about his health, he asked the General if he
wished to be set at liberty? The answer was, * cer-
tainly, but I know not how to obtain it.' The visitor
replied — * I have some interest at court, and if you
will tell me what you would do if you had your li-
berty, I will use it in your behalf.' The General
replied — * I would go to America.' On which, the
unknown visitor said — * I am Paul, the Russian Em-
peror; my mother is now dead; and you are this
moment at liberty to go where you please. I shall
order £8000 to bear your expenses to America.'
My correspondent says, he has a pension there, and
will get any quantity of land he can reasonably ask.
He has a most painful and disabling wound in his
thigh, so that he cannot walk. As soon as he came
to London, WaronzofT, the Russian Ambassador, no
doubt by order of his generous master, waited on
him, showed him the utmost respect, and asked him
if he would permit him to send his physician to him?
The general consented; and the ambassador sent his
physician, who took with him some other physi-
cians and skilful surgeons, who thought it would re-
quire two or three years for him to recover strength
in his limb; but that he would be always lame. The
American consul at Bristol took the general from
the hotel, and entertained him at his own expense
until he embarked for America. By accounts, both
from London and Bristol, he is a most modest and
unassuming man."
"As ships sometimes sail from Philadelphia, and
more frequently from New York, for Scotland, when
you have an opportunity, write by Mr. Ebenezer
iJESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 241
Hazard, Philadelphia, or Mr. John Thompson, New
York, merchant in Queen street, and every thing
you commit to them will be correctly forwarded/'
"I was confined about ten weeks, the end of the
last and beginning of the present year, but since have
preached as usual. My wife has had no return of
dangerous distress, but has had, for four months,
rheumatic pains, which have prevented her visiting
and being out at night, but have not hindered her
going to church, and sometimes taking an airing in
a chaise. I am, dear sir, yours, affectionately,'^
'^ John Erskine."
" Rev. Dr. Nisbet."
^^ P. S. Dr. Snodgrass, of Paisley, died last month. *'
From the same.
" Lauriston, Octoher 2d, 1797."
''Dear Sir,''
" I chuse not to write what you will see as early,
if not more so, from the public prints. The follow-
ing anecdote may not be disagreeable:"
" The Stadtholder and suite were expected at Col-
chester, on their flight from Holland, late on Friday
night. Mr. Sterry, a worthy clergyman there, sent
word to the proper quarter, that he would gladly
give the best accommodations in his power to some
of them. Accordingly, M. De Lorry, and one or
two more, came to Mr. Sterry's house, near 12
o'clock at night; and as they had hardly slept any
for the six preceding nights, requested to be imme-
diately put to bed. In the morning they signified
their inclination in every thing to conform to the
21
242 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
usages of the family; attended family worship; and
breakfasted with them; Mr. S. desiring them to send
for their servants, and, while the Prince remained in
Colchester, to use all the freedom in his house they
would in their own. On Saturday Mr. Sterry
was introduced to the Stadtholder, and expressed his
concern for the occasion of his visiting England, and
his thankfulness that God had preserved his high-
ness in the danger to which he was exposed. The
Prince received him with great cordiality; signified
that he would be his hearer on the next day; and re-
quested the loan of a prayer-book, that he might pre-
viously read the prayers and lessons of the day. On
the Sabbath, Mr. Sterry preached from 1 Chron. xx.
12, and first viewed sin as the cause of all calamities
and danger; and lastly, the proper consolation under
such circumstances. The Prince stood during the
whole of the sermon, and discovered the most seri-
ous attention. M De Lorry told Mr. S. that the
Prince was well acquainted with his Bible, and fol-
lowed a plan and order by which he generally read
it through thrice every year. On Monday Mr. Ster-
ry waited on the Prince before his departure, who
thanked him for his hospitality to the gentlemen of
his suite, and signified the pleasure w'lih which he
had, on the preceding day, heard his<reasonable and
useful discourse. One of the gentlemen in the Prince's
suite had been, on some occasion, in the French
army, under Pichegru, where he observed an order
and subordination much superior to that in the
armies of the allies and emigrants: and he under*
stood this strict order had been established by near
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 243
2000 men being shot, for plundering and other
crimes.'^
" Some very able and pious Missionaries have been
sent to different parts> from the various societies
in England and Scotland. Mr. Clark, at Sierra
Leone, whose labours were so much blessed in this
city, to a Sunday morning school, and to boarding
schools, where he occasionally exhorted, united zeal
with prudence; and there are now promising appear-
ances of his usefulness. A Dr. Vanderkemp, from
Holland, studied medicine in Edinburgh more than
twenty years ago, and pubh'shed an uncommonly able
and ingenious Thesis. Afterwards, he made a great
figure, first in the medical line, and subsequently as
an officer in the Dutch army. But all this while he
was a thorough sceptic, or rather desplser of Chris-
tianity. On a fair and promising day, he, his lady,
and his only child, went on a pleasure party on the
water. A sudden water-spout overturned the boat;
his lady and child perished; and he was preserved in
a manner next to miraculous, by a boat from the land
being driven to the place where he was about to sink.
This deliverance, however, made no saving impres-
sion on his mind . But on a certain occasion worldly
motives led him, notwithstanding his unbelief, to at-
tend and partake of the Lord's Supper. A deep
conviction of guilt was made upon his mind, and his
heart was soon opened to the King of glory. He
immediately determined to devote himself to the ad-
vancement of the Redeemer's kingdom; and being
warmly recommended by some worthy Dutch minis-
ters, he has offered himself to the London Missionary
MKXOim OF 9X. inSBCT.
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RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 245
their manner of spending the Sabbath makes their
sincerity doubtful. The peculiar doctrines of the
Gospel are seldom preached upon by some who do
not directly oppose them: or, if mentioned at all, are
expressed in cold and ambiguous language. Many in
the lowest ranks are tinctured with infidelity. Mr.
Robert Haldane, of Airthrie, who, some years ago,
broached anti-monarchical tenets, has formed a new
sect, and applied considerable sums for carrying on
their designs, a full account of which they, very pru-
dently, have not published. His brother, at first a
lay-preacher, but now ordained, and Mr. Ewing, wha
lately renounced his connexion with the Church of
Scotland, now profess the Tory creed of passive obe-
dience and non-resistance. They bring a succession
of ministers from England, who, on Sabbaths, preach
in the circus, or itinerate through various parts of
Scotland, for five or six weeks, and then return home.
Their professed object is, to carry the pure gospel to
those parts of the country which are most in want
of it. Yet their chief efforts have been directed
to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, Dundee, and other
places blessed with faithful ministers, of different de-
nominations; and their adherents are chiefly gained
from some of the most sound and able, whom they,
or the strangers they employ, insinuate are cold°
hearted, because they give not their countenance to
lay-preaching, and other irregularities. I am sorry
that some who hourly declaim against these men,
promote the growth of their party, both by an unpo-
pular manner of preaching, and by pushing with suc-
cess some late measures in our General Assemblies;
^1*
^46 MEJVrOIR OF DR. NISBET.
for example — laying difficulties and restrictions an
new Chapels of Ease, which are like to drive many
from our Church; — an act last May, declaring it
against the constitution of our Church to admit any
into our pulpits who have not been licensed and or-
dained by her Presbyteries; — -and a warning then
very properly emitted, against the circus people;
but which has much defeated its own design, by a
vague charge against them, as entertaining designs
hostile to civil government. For though there may
be suspicions against some of them, they amount not
to conclusive evidence. Had only the evil tendency
of their party been asserted, this might have been
easily proved, not only by the jealousies and divis-
ions which they have excited among men whose
union in the present crisis was important; but by
some of the ablest of them maintaining that even de-
fensive war is unlawful, which must check all effec-
tual opposition to a French invasion. ^^
^^ We have agreeable accounts that Dr. Vander-
kemp has been well received at the Cape of Good
Hope, and is soon to enter on his mission. In his
voyage, he was the means of preventing, by his per-
suasion, the execution of the conspiracy for murder-
ing the captain and sailors, and delivering the ship
to the French; and also of converting several of the
convicts, who were on their way to Botany Bay.
But I am sorry to add, accounts received this day
make it probable that the ship Duff has been cap-
tured in her second missionarj' voyage; though oux
enemies, on learning her destination, have set the
njissionariQS at libertyc'^
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 247
" I send herewith a small parcel of books, of
which I beg your acceptance; and am, as ever,
^' Affectionately, yours,'*
*' John Erskine."
In 1795, Dr. Nisbet's young,est daughter, Alison,
was married to Dr. Samuel M'Coskry, an eminent
physician, residing in Carlisle. By him she had a
number of children, several of whom still survive.
Of these notice will be taken hereafter. This mat-
rimonial connection of a second member of his fa-
mily formed another tie binding the Doctor to his
adopted country, and precluding all thought of a re-
turn to Scotland.
The light in which Doctor Nisbet regarded the
French revolution, was alluded to in a preceding
chapter. Every reader will recollect that the pe-
riod covered by the dates of the foregoing letters,
was precisely that which presented the most thrill-
ing and revolting scenes of that great national catas-
trophe. From the first, he regarded it not only
with suspicion, but with fixed aversion, and even ab-
horrence. He considered it, from the outset, as ori-
ginating with the infidel jjiiilosophers of France, for
the overthrow of religion and of all government. He
was accustomed to remark, that, many years before
the revolution commenced, he had discovered the
seeds of it vegetating and springing up in a variety
of forms, and all indicating the exploding and de-
structive materials that were at work. He remarked,
that even in such an article as the French fans, and
other similar manufactures imported from that coun-
try years before, it was easy to discover the presence
248 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET,
of principles and feelings at war with all morality
and all order.
It is well known that at the commencement of the
French revolution, and even after it had made consi-
derable prog;ress, a large portion of the friends of ci-
vil and religious liberty in the United States regarded
it with a favourable eye. Recollecting the friendly
aid yielded to us by France in the course of our re-
volutionary contest; and considering that nation as
engaged in a struggle, very similar to our own,
against oppression, multitudes of our citizens not only
wished well to what they deemed an effort to esta-
blish republicanism in France, but were strongly
disposed to make common cause with her in her
war with England. This, it is well known, gave
rise to much diversity of opinion in our country;
excited the most ardent party feelings; and agitated
the nation in a most distressing and alarming man-
ner for a number of years.
In this period of painful agitation, Doctor Nisbet
could not think it his duty to conceal either his
opinions or his feelings. He expressed both from
time to time, with candour and freedom. And al-
though he resided in a State which was greatly torn
by party conflicts on this occasion, and occupied an
office which some considered as dictating a cautious
reserve on such a subject, his characteristic honesty
would not allow him to take such a course. He
spoke freely and openly in private and in public,
and bore a decisive testimony against what he deem-
ed a system of infidel profligacy and crime, under
the guise of a love of liberty. In addressing the
students of the college, as their official instructor and
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 249
guide, and even on some public occasions, he warned
his hearers against the impiety and the enormous
cruelty and Jicentiousness exhibited on a theatre
from which every channel of Intelligence brought
the most revolting and heart-rending accounts of
bloodshed, and every species of Inhuman and anti-
christian practice. This freedom of censure, of
course, gave offence to the advocates of the French
party, as they were familiarly called; and, perhaps,
deterred some parents iVom sending their sons to the
College over which he presided. Violent politicians
represented him as an enemy to civil and religious
liberty; and inferred, that he who thought unfavour-
ably of the French revolution, must have been
equally unfriendly to that revolution which gave in-
dependence to our own country. It was In vain
that he appealed to his uniform course in favour of
America, and in opposition to the war waged against
us by the British government, before he came to
our country. It was In vain that he urged the utter
dissimilarity of the struggle in France to that which
gave freedom to the United States. He insisted,
that the American revolution was commenced on
just and solid giounds; was carried on by honest,
enlightened, noble-minded patriots; was prompted
by a sincere love of rational liberty; and established
on a basis which sound political and religious prin-
ciples equally approved. While it was, in his opin-
ion, notorious that, although there had long been in
France grievious oppressions and abuses, which
needed correction; yet that the revolution in that
country, so far as its leaders were concerned, was
begun in Atheism; continually actuated, not by pa-
250 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
triotism, but by a hatred of all religion; by the bas-
est selfisliness, and by that savage disregard of all
moral obligation, and all sober government, which at
once disgraced and defeated their professed object of
pursuit.
Under these painful impressions, no wonder that
he allowed himself to speak on this subject in terms
of the strongest detestation. The following anec-
dote, while it may amuse the reader, will serve at
once to illustrate and confirm our representation of
his feelings. Sometime about the year 1794, when
he happened to be in Philadelphia, a gentleman of
his acquaintance said to him — "Well, Doctor, what
are we to think of the French Revolution now?"
*^ Indeed, man," said he, — "I can give you a better
account of that matter now than ever before. What
I am about to tell you is no fable, but a fact that re-
allj happened in my neighbourhood lately. A poor
old woman, who is no politician, but a plain, serious
body, who had been for some time in a gloomy state
of mind, anxious about the salvation of her soul, (a
thing, by the vvay, that no politician ever thinks of,)
dreamed that she died, and went to the bad place.
It seemed to her like a great inclosure, surrounded
by a high, massy wall. She knocked at the door,
when who should open it but his Satanic Majesty
himself. The old woman expressed her surprise
that he should stoop to such an office, and her won-
der that he had not sent one of his imps or under-
strappers to open the door. * Indeed, good woman,^
said he, ' the devil an imp or understrapper have I
left in all my dominions. Hell is completely empty.
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 251
They have all gone to help on the cause of liberty
and equality in France."
It is hardly necessary to say, that such language
was deeply revolting to many. It was often made
matter of heavy complaint. Still, although this ve-
nerable man continued, while he lived, to endure the
suspicions, and even, in some cases, to be loaded with
the abuse, of violent demagogues; yet such was his
established character for integrity, benevolence and
ardent piety, that even the violence of party spirit
was disarmed, and all regarded him with real vene-
ration, as an honest. Christian patriot. And even
many of those who once disapproved of his senti-
ments, and who hesitated about committing their
sons to his tuition, lived to see the time, (though, w^ilh
regard to many of them, he did not live to see it,)
when they were constrained to acknowledge, that his
judgment on this subject was more sound than their
own, and his prediction of the result, more in ac-
cordance with the actual catastrophe of that awful
drama.
Candour seems to require from the author of this
Memoir the acknowledgment, that the last remark
applies in some measure to himself. He was among
the thousands of his countrymen who regarded the
French Revolution, in its early stages, witii a favour-
able eye, as the triumph of the spirit of liberty over
misrule and oppression; and as promising, notwith-
standing all the crime and bloodshed with which it
was attended, the ultimate reign of freedom and good
government. Such were the hopes which he once
entertained; and to which, almost without hope, he
clung, long after every truly favourable aspect had
252 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
vanished. During this period he maintained an in-
teresting; and delightful correspondence with the ve-
nerated Friend, whose memory it is now his privi-
lege and his pleasure to endeavour to embalm. In
the course of this correspondence that friend poured
out his whole heart with the freedom of a father to a
son. He frequently, indeed, uttered sentiments in
reference to the French Revolution which the pre-
sent writer could not t/ie?i adojjt, and some to which
he is constrained i/et to demur. But never did he
pen a line which impaired the writer's confidence in
his piety, his benevolence, or his genuine Christian
patriotism. Never did the writer suffer, for a mo-
ment, this honest, candid expression of his corres-
pondent's feelings, to impair his deep veneration.
And, in the end, he was constrained to say, with
regard to most of the points then in discussion, that
his venerable friend was more sagacious and wise
than himself. And if that friend was sometimes
driven by the enormities of French anarchy, and by
the real anomalies and excesses of American demo-
cracy, to express sentiments which sometimes appear-
ed to militate with the principles of true republican
freedom, no one who knew how to appreciate ster-
ling integrity, and pre-eminent' w^orth, could regard
them in any other light than as venial mistakes aris-
ing from the extreme sensibility of a great and good
man. The truth is, no one who remembers the
course of events in the United States, during the
nineteen years from 1785, when Doctor Nisbet be-
came an American citizen, until 1804, when he died,
will find the least difficulty in understanding why a
Bteady friend to the rights and happiness of man
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 253
should sometimes utter language manifesting painful
disappointment with regard to the past, and deep ap-
prehension with respect to the future.
The following letter from Dr. Nisbet to the author
of this Memoir, is a specimen of the intercourse
which subsisted between them in that trying and
agitating period of our country's history.
" Carlisle, July 6, 1798.'^
« Dear Sir,''
"I have not had the pleasure of hearing from you
for a long time; and in my visit to Philadelphia in
May jast, did not find you there occasionally, as I
had done sometimes before. I had resolved to visit
New York, but found it impracticable. I had sus-
pected that some coldness had taken place on your
part, from I know not what cause, as I am not con-
scious of having given any occasion for it. I cannot
persuade myself that the free communication of my
sentiments would have given you offence, nor that
you should have taken to yourself any thing that I
have said of American sans culottes. I can assure
you that it was merely in jest that I addressed you
in that character; and if I had not thought that you
were a sincere friend to the government under which
you live, I should have had no desire to correspond
with you.* I acknowledged my obligation to you
for getting my box of newspapers and pamphlets out
of the Custom-house, but never heard whether you
received my letter.''
" So great a change of sentiment has taken place
* The Doctor's suspicions were wholly groundless. The remotest
thought of offence had not been entertained.
22
254 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
among our citizens, in appearance at least, since my
last letter, that I think I may now write you with
some confidence, as one of the majority, without
fearing to give you offence. The immense reve-
rence which our citizens had for the terrible Repub-
lic, is beginning to abate, and some of them even
begin to suspect that Talleyrand might possibly be
in the wrong, when he demanded only the small sum
of twenty five millions of dollars from us by way of
tribute; though others affect to wonder that he asked
so little. They say that the French are still willing
to be on friendly terms with us. Now as friendly
communication consists in giving and receiving, when
they found us averse to giving, they endeavour to
try our friendship in the way of r^^ceiving, having
lately made us a present of 700 sa?is culottes, inclu-
ding 300 negroes and mulattoes, of equal value with
the rest. You might have heard that nine vessels,
laden with these precious commodities, are now at
Philadelphia, and that twenty-nine other vessels, no
less richly laden, are soon expected there. We hear,
likewise, that some vessels are gone to New-York;
though perhaps your aristocratic Governor may not
be willing to receive them, especially if their num-
ber is less than that of those who are sent to this
state. But ive are happy in having a Governor
wholly devoted to the sans cu/otte interest, who,
though he scruples to receive the negroes and mulat-
toes, on account of the law ogainst the importation
of slaves, yet has no objection to receive tiie French
citizens, as those that we have got already have not
been so diligent in burning our towns, and revolu-
tionizing our citizens as the Directory had reason to
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 255
expect. But as Congress have taken the business
into their hands, it is to be feared that they may de-
clare against all communication with the French,
either in the way of giving or receiving. And if
this is the case, how shall B — receive his pension?
What will become of J — , and G — , and G — , and all
those who depend on the bounty of the terrible Re-
public?"
"J^iu- democrats will, no doubt, be glad that M.
Genet has received a large packet from the Directory,
which will be a seasonable supply to them after the
great expenses they must have incurred by celebrat-
ing the successes of the terrible Republic. Do you
know whether he makes his distribution at his coun-
try seat on Long Island, or in the hall of the demo-
cratic society in your city? I hear that New York
has been affected, though very moderately, with that
change of opinion which has taken place in this state;
though I believe that many of our new converts are
not sincere. We are impatient to hear of the inva-
sion of England; but that project is now said to be
laid aside, which must occasion great sorrow to our
democratic societies. If our government is able to
prevent our citizens from trading to the West Indies,
the French might probably be soon starved out of
those islands; but as we hear that many American
citizens are found on board those privateers which
are desti-oying our trade, it is probable that those of
the same disposition, who remain at home, may be
no less (liligent in supplying the French with provi-
sions; and we hear that some lately supplied them
with arms and ammunition. We are really a divid-
ed people, as Talleyrand says; though I hope not SQ
256 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
mucli divided as he supposes. If our government
had the courage to seize and hang some of those mis-
creants who rob their countrymen, it might, perhaps,
be a terror to the rest.'^
" We have heard nothing, as yet, of the success of
our armed ships. The French have done their ut-
most to intimidate our seamen, by declaring that
they will give no quarter lo such as make any resist-
ance to the terrible Republic. Who would have ex-
pected to live to see the Pope become the poorest
clergyman in Christendom? Yet this is the case at
present. Had it happened in the reign of Ganga-
nelli, who was a Franciscan, it would have been
much less calamitous, as it would have only given
him an opportunity of performing his vow of pover-
ty, which he had taken in entering into that order.
Some are weak enough to think that Popery is at an
end, by this misfortune of the Pope: but Popery
exists in the minds of men, and exists not in the
pockets of the Popes, or in the walls of Rome."
'^ I long to hear that the French army has turned
against the Directory, and that their new conquests
have revolted, as I suppose this must happen some
time or other; and until that infernal republic is
overturned, I see no prospect of peace for America,
or the rest of the world. It is happy for us that the
ports of France are blockaded up by the British
fleets, though many of our wise citizens would wish
that those fleets which are our present protection,
were sunk in the ocean. You must have read Pro-
fessor Robison's ' Proofs of a Conspiracy.' It might
have been entitled * Satan's Invisible World Disco-
vered;' as it lays open a scene of villany worthy of
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 257
that great philosopher, and calculated for extending
his dominions over all the world. I know that
some of our scms culottes affect to treat it as a work
of mere imagination, though tlie facts related in it
are clothed with complete historical evidence. Per-
haps they may say the same thing of the account of
the behaviour of the French in Suabia, v/hich has
been lately published: but facts cannot be put out of
existence by reasonings, nor erased from the records
of time, in order to save the reputation of republican
soldiers. If an account of all the enormities com-
mitted by the French in sundry parts of Europe,
could be collected, it Would compose the most shock-
ing volume in all the history of mankind. Yet there
are not a few among us, who wish to see them in
this country, and who hope, by their assistance, to re-
generate, that is, to overturn the federal govern-
ment."
" I shall be happy to hear from you with your con-
venience, and to be assured that I have given
you no offence; being, my dear sir,"
" With much regard,"
" Your sincere friend,"
" Charles Nisbet."
''Rev. Dr. Miller, New York.''
After perusing the foregoing remarks and let-
ter, the following letter, to a venerated friend in
Scotland, will not surprise the reader:
*' To the Rev. Dr. Paton, Craig, near Montrose, North Britain."
" Carlisle, October lOth, 1799."
" JRev. a?id dear Sir,''
" I was favoured with yours of the 23d of July, a
22*
25S MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
few days ago. I answered that of March 12th, soon
after I received it. I have reason to be thankful
that 1 and my wife and family are still in pretty
good health. Though the yellow fever is raging in
Philadelphia and New York, this season has been
with us very healthy. It is long before we can hear
of the transactions of Europe. We are impatient to
hear of the success of the secret expedition from
England, — the fate of the French fleet, — and that of
Buonaparte's army in Syria, as well as of the issue of
the * infernal' commotion in Paris. The success of
the Russians in Italy, and of the Austrians in Swit-
zerland, leads us to hope that that great nest of vipers
which has so long plagued France, and all Europe,
will soon be crushed. But you will have the satis-
faction of hearing it long before us. I am sorry for
the consequences of restraining the missionaries, and
the erection of a new society of Dissenters among
you.* Being hindered from preaching to the heathen
abroad, they have revenged themselves by preaching
it to the heathen at home, of whom no doubt you have
not a few. And though this may be called preaching
Christ out of strife and envy, yet your General As-
sembly have shown a spirit directly opposite to that
of the Apostle Paul, who tells us that he rejoiced on
an occasion of the like nature; whereas they have
been so far from rejoicing, that they have got into a
violent passion against the missionaries, and forbid
their members to encourage them, or to employ them,
by which means they have erected a new sect of
* There is here a reference to obstacles thrown in the way of
missionaries in the east, by the British government, together with
the consequences of these prohibitory acts.
RESIBENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 259
Dissenters, who will naturally associate with the en-
emies of government, after having been so ill treated
by it.'^
"When Mr. Whitefield itinerated in Scotland,
some ministers employed him, and others not; but
when an overture was brought in to inhibit them
from employing him, the Assembly v^isely rejected
it, and declared that the employing or not employ-
ing Mr. Whitefield, should not be made a term of
communion; by which moderate conduct, no schism
took place. How wise would it have been to have
imitated this conduct on the present occasion! Soon
after, Mr. Whitefield came over to America; but our
clergy at that time not being so wise as yours, those
who employed him broke off all connection with
those who did not, and these with the othd's; by
which folly, a schism took place in the Presbyterian
body, which was scarcely at an end when I arrived
in this country. But your General Assembly have
chosen to imitate the folly of this latter course, rather
than the wisdom of their own predecessors. I have
never heard of any measure of the British govern-
ment since the Revolution, that even resembled per-
secution; but this violent proceeding of Henry Dun-
das amounts to persecution in the most gross and
criminal sense of the word. Mr. Dundas is like the
dog in the manger, in the Fable of JEtsopj as he will
neither profit by the Gospel himself, nor suffer
others to profit by it, if he can hinder them. Such
conduct was never heard of in any other Christian
country. The Roman Catholics have been com-
mended even by Protestant writers for their dili-
gence in propagating their religion in Heathen and*
260 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBE'F.
Mahommeclati countries. But no Roman Catholic
missionary was ever prohibited, either by any Pope
or Roman Catholic Prince, from visiting any country
whatever with the view of propagating the Chris-
tian religion; far less did they ever attempt to ex-
clude them from any part of their own dominions.
Such cruelty and absurdity seem to have been reserved
for Protestant governments; and I am sorry that the
only instance of it should have been found in the
government of GreatBritain. The Assembly ought
rather to have petitioned government to permit the
emigration of these innocent ecclesiastics, and endea-
voured to convince them that the Gospel was never
reckoned a contraband commodity by any Christian
nation, nor supposed to have a tendency to produce
any harm to society: that if government did not
think these missionaries the fittest persons for propa-
gating the Christian religion, the design, at least, was
laudable, and their zeal might evaporate, not only
innocently, but profitably in India; whereas if it were
violently restrained, it might produce a convulsion
that might endanger both Church and State, as has
actually been the case. The Missionaries must
know that they have been unjustly and cruelly treat-
ed by government, and they must feel the indignity
of being the only persons that are oppressed in a free
nation. And can it be expected that they will he
friends to that government which has made them the
only victims of its injustice? The Roman Catholic
clergy of France were kindly received and support-
ed, and permitted to propagate their religion in Eng-
land; but it seems that Protestant clergymen are
dangerous persons, and not fit to be tolerated even
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 261
in a heathen country! Such persecution may be ex-
pected to draw down the vengeance of heaven on the
government that is guilty of it; and 1 confess I am
more apprehensive for the fate of Great Britain, on
account of this unexampled persecution, than from
all the armaments of the French, and all the plots of
revolutionists and reformers.^^
" But while I say this, I do not commend the con-
duct of the Missionaries. They ought rather to have
gone to the East Indies by way of Cape Horn, or
through Turkey and Persia, than to have encouraged
division, and kindled the torch of discord in their
native country."
" Unius ob noxani et furias Henrici Dundas."
"But in this case there seems to have been a strife
betwixt the JNIissionaries, Henry Dundas, and the
General Assembly, which of them should show them-
selves the greatest fools. And, in the competition,
the General Assembly, who had the example of the
others before them, are, undoubtedly, entitled to the
preference."
" I have not yet seen Dr. Erskine's Sermons; but
I suppose that they are in a parcel which he informs
me that he had sent, but which I have not yet receiv-
ed. I congratulate you on your new church, and
think that, excepting its size, it will be better filled by
an old minister, such as you, than by many of those
who have lately come up. Your heritors ought to
give you an assistant after so long an incumbency;
but generosity to ministers is none of the vices of
the present age. When the inhabitants are once
262 MEMOIR OF DR. NISEET.
assembled in their winter quarters, I shall direct in-
quiry to be made for the person you mention, though
it is very difficult and often impossible to discover
emigrants in a country, where few people continue
any time in the same place. The summer has been
very hot and dry in this country, though the heat
did not set in early. The springs were mostly dried,
and the grass and hay consumed by the grasshoppers,
before the sun could burn it up; and the cattle would
have perished for want, if we had not got plentiful
rains in the end of August, and the beginning of Sep-
tember, which produced a new crop of grass. The
wheat crops were scanty, and the potatoes, indian
corn, and buckwheat, were almost totally ruined by
the drought. Our vessels are daily taken and plun-
dered by the French; but our citizens do not com-
plain, as they say the French are their friends. But
when any of them are taken by the English, with
French or Spanish property aboard, they cry out
bitterly, and set no bounds to their resentment. We
are a weak, foolish, and divided people; and nothing
prevents our being subdued by the French, but that
the English fleet keeps them at home, and gives them
full employment. But we are so far from being
thankful to them for this service, that they are the
constant objects of the imprecations of the sans cu-
lotte paity among us. A republic is often said to be
the cheapest form of government; but if we consi-
der the frequency and expense of elections, it may
be said to be the dearest of all. This year, we have
an election of a Governor; and I believe it will cost
this State more than half a million of dollars, by the
mere interruption of business, and, perhaps, a great-
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 263
er sum in drink, canvassing, and distributing hand-
bills. But this is not all. The king of Spain, whose
ambassador here is son-in-law to the democratic can-
didate for Governor, is supposed to have expended
a greater sum still in private donations to dema-
gogues and agents, for procuring votes, which will
be charged for secret services/^
" If your people were wise, they would see that
the right of universal suffrage, which they so fool-
ishly contend for, is a nuisance and not a blessing, as
it reduces elections to a mere lottery, in which de-
magogues have the disposal of the prizes, and ninety-
nine parts in a hundred of the electors know nothing
of either of the candidates, and often care as little.
We are not yet certain that the democratic candi-
date for governor is chosen, as the election was only
on the Slh instant, and all the votes in the different
counties must be sent to the capital and numbered
before the successful candidate can be declared. But
as he had aids to which the other candidate had no-
thing to oppose, it is considered as almost certain
that he will have the majority."
"The JNIillennium has been of late a subject of
speculation here. Some of our ignorant clergy have
imagined that it began with the French Rovolution!
But it is strange that tlie reign of Atheism should be
called the rei^n of Christ. A minister in jNew Jer-
sey lost his senses by studying tlie prophecies re-
specting th.e Pvlillennium, or rather by endeavouring
to reconcile it to his own notions. After having set
a day for its commencement, and being disappointed,
he turned Anabaptist, and re-baptised some of his
congregation, wdio were as mad as himself. In a
264 MEMOIR Of DR. NISfiEf.
little while he turned Episcopalian; ant! soon after*
wards he expended an ample patrimony of his own,
and all that he could collect from hisfriends,in erecting
immense buildings, for stowing the goods and money
of the Jewish nation, which he imagined they were
to leave in his custody, while they were to proceed,
poor and penniless, to take possession of the land of
Canaan. It is plain that he knew nothing of Jews
when he imagined that they were to leave their mo-
ney and goods behind them; though, if they expect-
ed to be restored by Buonaparte, that would have
been a very wise measure, as he would have imme-
diately confiscated them for the benefit of the ' great
nation.' But this reverie took place long before
the expedition to Egypt. Enthusiasm and Infidelity
seem mutually to produce each other. I have just
now been reading a German newspaper, published
at York, in this neighbourhood, wherein it is assert-
ed ihat Buonaparte is the Saviour mentioned in
Isaiah xix. 20; that Bonnier and Eoherjot are the
* two witnesses^ mentioned in the Revelation, and
the two olive trees in Zechariah, as being ministers
of peace. And I was lately assured by a clergyman
of credit, that a distinguished Physician of Philadel-
phia had given it as his opinion, that the expedition
of Buonaparte into Syria was to be understood by
the ' high way out of Egypt into Assyria,' Isaiah xix.
23. Dr. Bryce Johnston's commentary on the Reve-
lation is the best that I have met with; though the
Millennium is still, and ought to be, as long as it is
future, involved in obscurity."
"The Socinian and anarchical publications in
England and Germany, seem to be more prejudicial
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 265
to religion than direct infidelity, as they seduce many
to renounce Christianity before they are aware of it.
Buonaparte's adventures seem to be almost at an end
by the defeat at St. John D'Acre, and Sir Sidney
Smith has had a noble opportunity of being revenged
on the French, for the cruel usage he met with v^^hen
a prisoner among them. It is manifest that the
French despair of Buonaparte's success, by their
having denounced those who sent him on his anti-
Crusade, and by their sending him no reinforcements.
Italy seems to be once more free, as we expect soon
to hear that the French are driven from Geneva; and
the deliverance of Switzerland may, perhaps, be as
sudden as its conquest. When will men be at peace
with one another? The eighteenth century seems
to go out very bloody and threatening, and God only
knows how the nineteenth is to set in.'^
"I am rather uneasy at the rendezvous of the
French and Spanish fleets at Brest; though it announ-
ces their complete disappointment with respect to
their interests in Italy and Egypt. It is too near
England and Ireland to be beheld without concern.
As in the American war, the combined fleets only
played at bo-peep with the English, and returned,
without doing mischief, to their native shores, I have
hopes that the same will be the case at present, espe-
cially as they were both stronger and more united
than they can be now. Yet till they are disposed of,
or driven away with disgrace, I am not without ap-
prehension for Great Britain. There are still many
traitors and malcontents in all the three kino-doms:
so that perhaps Henry Dundas may not find it so
easy to keep the French out of England, as to keep
23
266 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
the missionaries out of India. But I hope for better
things. We are told that the secret expedition to
Flanders or Holland is not to be given up on account
of the return of the hostile fleets to Brest, and the
French Directory are so distressed at home, that they
cannot find out any army that could be formidable
to Great Britain, especially after Buonaparte had de-
clined that expedition, and chosen rather to engage
with Turks and Mamelukes. The state of suspense
is a painful one; yet in this I must be content to re-
main, till I hear of the destruction or dispersion of
the combined fleets, on which I think the safety of
this country, as well as that of Great Britain depends
at present. Our malcontents would hide their dimi-
nished heads, and disown their rebellious principles,
when they were no longer supported by the French
Republic, or encouraged by successes."
"The Pope is, infallibly, in a ticklish situation in
France, and the respect paid him by the remains of
the Roman Catholics will, perhaps, cost him the loss
of his head, unless the Directory have hopes of a
ransom from the Catholic princes in the negociations
for peace, which I hope is not far oflf; though I think
no armistice ought to be agreed to, till France is
stript of all her conquests, and content to submit to a
limited monarchy. Indeed, an absolute one is too
good for them. If it be true that the king of Prussia
has acceded to the coalition, the business might soon
be over. R€member me kindly to any in your
neighbourhood who have not foigotten me, and let
me hear frequently of your welfare, and that of all
friends with you. I remain, with unfeigned esteem,
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 2^7
Rev. and dear Sir, your very humble servant,"
" Charles Nisbet."
'' l^^:^^.rMiUer, 'New York,''
The venerable friend and correspondent to whom
the foregoing letter was directed, was considerably
more advanced in life than Dr. Nisbet, and survived
him for several years. He died in the year 1811, full
of yeai*s, and of those sanctified honours with which it
is the happiness of the piaus and devoted minister of
religion to close his fitithful labours.
Toward the close of A. D. 1800, the last year of
the 18th century, the writer of this Memoir, then a
pastor in the city of New-York, resolved to take
public notice of the close of one century, and the
commencement of another, in a discourse from
the pulpit. This purpose he accordingly fulfilled
on the first day of January, ISftl; and out of that
Sermon afterwards grew, unexpectedly, the enlar-
ged plan which issued in his "Retrospect of the
Eighteenth Century," in two actavG volumes. A
few weeks before the day just mentioned, he ad-
dressed a letter to his learned and venerated Friend
at Carlisle, intimating his purpose, and soliciting
from him any suggestions which might aid in execu-
ting his plan. That Friend was then in advanced
life, in declining health, and in circumstances, on a
variety of accounts, unfavourable to any response on
an extended scale. Yet his compliance with the
request made, was prompt, and as will be seen, both
extended and able. The following characteristic an-
swer will show a mind awake to all the occurrences
of the day, and especially sensitive with regard to
every thing which had a bearing on the interests of
good morals and religion.
268 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
" Carlisle, IGth Dec. 1800."
'' Bear Sir,''
" Your design of preaching the funeral sermon of
the ISth century is pious and rational. It is fit that
you should celebrate the Mother that bore you; and
her character is large and various enough to afford
numerous topics of praise and blame."
"Perhaps the most distinguishing character of the
age, is the spirit of free inquiry, which has been so
prominent, and which indeed has been carried almost
to madness. I was born in the thirty-sixth year of
it, when it was rather past its vigour; and, of late?
when it seems to be past child-bearing, it teems with
the most monstrous and mis-shapen productions.
Air-Balloons; the Rights of Man; the Sovereignty of
the People; and the Guillotine, are the productions
of its dotage and decrepitude. The arts of destruc-
tion have been improved beyond the examples of
former ages. Fusillades, Royades, and massacres of
six, seven or eight hundred men or women at a time,
have been among its chief discoveries. Its love of
scepticism has only been equalled by its hardiness
of decision. Having proscribed the love of system,
it is not shocked with the grossest contradiction.
Hence an unrestrained liberty of thought, speech,
publication and action, has been combined with an
obligation to universal soldiership, though no two
things more incompatible with each other can be
conceived by the human imagination. And as old
people are twice children, the present age, in the
progress of decrepitude, is busy in vamping up old
publications, and reviving old exploded errors, such
as Atheism, Socinianism, and what seems the la,st,
BESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 2Wr
stage of delirium, the indifference to all opinions in
religion. Yet this is established by the constitution
of the United States, and in all our state constitu-
tions. The equality of the opinions of one God,
twenty Gods, or no God, is affirmed in Mr. Jeffer-
son^s ^ Notes on Virginia,' and seems to be becom-
ing the established creed. By the way, I have just-
heard with sorrow that he has been chosen Presi-
dent of the United States, and Burr Vice-President.
God grant us patience to endure their tyranny!
Though it would appear by Buonaparte's drinking
to the " Sixteen United Departments," at the enter-
tainment which he gave to our Ambassador, that he
considers the sixteen United States as a part of his
dominions. You must not forget some great * disco-
veries-' which have been made in the course of the
century which you propose to celebrate. Dr. Hurt^
ley has discovered that the soul of man is material,
by which Dr. Priestley, and some of our own dis-
tinguished Savans, have been greatly enlightened.
Lord Monboddo, in his " Essay on the Origin of Lan-
guage," has discovered that all men were originally
beasts, and by passing successively through the state
and nature of Dogs, Foxes, Jackalls, Monjieys, ^nd;
Ourang Outangs, at last arrived at the vocality and,
rationality of human nature. His Lordship consi-
ders the race of Monkeys, Baboons, and.Ourang Our
tangs as nations imperfectly civilized, but in the way
to perfection. Mr. Taylor has discovered the re-
ality of the mythology of the ancient Greeks, and;
revived the worship of Jupiter, and the other fabur
bus deities of Homer. He has made many disciples;;
but I know not whether he has. obtjiined Buona-
23*
270 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
parte's license to visit Paris, and pay his devotions
to the Farnesian Hercules, the Apollo of Belvidere,
and the Medicean Venus, or is obliged to worship
such copies and casts of them as England may afford.
Biionupnrte, while in Egypt, discovered the truth
and divinity of the Mohammedan religion, which
has been again discovered by Menoii, his successor,
even after Buonaparte had subsequentl}^ discovered,
in France, the truth of the Christian religion. Tho-
mas Paine has discovered that the people have a
right to change every form of government every
hour, if they please. And the constitutional Clergy
of France have discovered that Christianity is an im-
posture. At the same time, the whole people of
France discovered that the body of a naked prosti-
tute was the supreme object of religious worship.
Such discoveries surely cannot be matched in any
age or nation. Yet, after Nature and Reason had
been proclaimed to be the only Gods, Robespierre
discovered that there was a Supreme Being; though
afterwards, on recollection, he discovered that the
^sovereign people' were the Supreme Being, and
swore by them accordingly. It has been discover-,
ed that Republics are fond of peace, and that mon-
archs alone make war, by those who have destroyed
all the Republics in Europe, except Hamburgh.
Buonaparte has discovered that Liberty and Equal-.
ity consist in an unconditional submission to the or-
der of one supreme Consul; and the whole people of
France, the owners of this Liberty and Equality,
have ratified the discovery. The Democrats of Ame-
rica have discovered that it is for the interest of
Christianity to elect a President who ia indifferent
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 271
whether the people believe that there is one God, or
twenty Gods, or no God at all. May not this cen-
tury be denominated the age of discovery? Mr.
Godwin has discovered that government, religion,
morality, marriage and property, are so many en-
croachments on the liberties of mankind, and that
gratitude is a vice and not a virtue.-"
^' Among the inventions of the eighteenth cen-
tury, you must not forget to commemorate the fact,
that a Deistical meeting was established in London,
by David Williams, originally a dissenting minister.
In this place of worship they had sermons, prayers,
&c. as in ordinary Christian assemblies. The Deists,
however, soon became weary of hearing sermons;
and Williams, after two years, went over to France,
and, by an easy transition, became an Atheist; came
back to England, and formed a Liturgy, and a sys-
tem of Psalmody, adapted to atheistical worship!
Dr. Theophilus Lindsay, a clergyman of the Church
of England, resigned his living in the establishment,
for a better one among the Unitarians in London;
and prevailed on five other established clergymen
to do the same, though they did not gain so much
by the exchange as he did. They all became Socin-
ians. One clergyman of the Church of Scotland re-
signed his charge for the same reason; and a popular
Seceding minister declared himself a Deist. Several
dissenting ministers in different parts of England
put otf the clerical and Christian character at once,
and professed themselves Deists.^'
" The revolutions of America, France, Venice,
Rome, Holland, Naples, and Switzerland, are among
the most remarkable events in this century, and
Ukely to give birth to many others, and have entire-
272 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
]y changed the relative sidiation of the powers of
Europe. The increase of infidelity and atheism,
and the progress that the French Propagandists have
made in demoralizing the minds of men, in order to
grind them down into * citizens,' is very alarming,
as it has extended to the greatest part of the civilized-
world, and seems to be still growing. The suppress-
sion of the Jesuits would have been noticed as a sur-
prising event, if it had not been followed by many
others of a much more surprising character. The
unprincipled persecution of the French clergy, by
pretended philosophers, who professed to abhor all
persecution, might have been noticed as a signal
contradiction, had not the promoters of it renounced
all system and consistency of opinion. The murder
cf the kings of France and Sweden, and the poison-
ing o£ an Emperor and Empress of Germany, are
among the early triumphs ot Liberty and Equality,
though those things were reckoned crimes in former
ages. An ignorance and contempt of antiquity, and
a boundless rage for theory and experiment, has
been one of the distinguishing features of this age;
and though the rage for Liberty and Equality in
France has been obliged to suecumb into submission
to one person, this circumstance has not in the least
abated the same rag^ in America, which may soon,
perhaps, lead to a similar despotism, or, what is more
probable, in subjection to the despot of France. This
century is likely to expire in blood, as the prospect
of a general peace in Europe is still at a distance.
The number of the victims of war in this century,
would constitute a very great and powerful nation^
especially if we include their possible posterity."
*^ With regard to:the g.reat works of the eighteenth.
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 273
century in Poetry, History, the translations of classic
authors, Greek and Latin, and especially the princi-
pal works which belong to the department of Theo-
logy, Biblical Criticism, and Ecclesiastical History,
I have reason to know that you need no suggestion.
They are too familiar to your mind to require the
least hint from me. But I hope, that in treating the
Biblical and Theological part of your subject,*
you will devote particular attention to the rise and
progress of what is emphatically called Rationalism
among the divines of Germany. This is so promi-
nent, so painful, and, at the same time, so instruc-
tive a feature in the ecclesiastical history of the
18th century, that your readers, (if you should print
what you deliver,) will, no donbt, expect a special
notice of a matter so much talked of in every eccle-
siastical circle. And as my reading in German has
been probably more extensive than yours, (I do not
remember whether you read German at all,) I will
give some sketches on the subject. The Divinity of
Christ was the first doctrine attacked by the Neolo-
gists, or New Reformers; and on this head some em-
braced the Arian, and some the Socinian system.
The next was the Atonement, or Satisfaction of
Christ, in attacking which they pretended that all
those expressions of our Saviour and his Apostles
from which this doctrine was inferred, were only in
* This part of the original plan of the " Retrospect of the Eigh-
teenth Century" was never executed. When the author had com-
pleted the first part on " The Revolutions and Improvement in Sci-
ence, Arts, and Literature, during that period," the remainder of the
subject appeared so to swell under his hands, that he did not dare to
pursue it.
274 MEMOIR OF DB. NISBET.
condescension to Jewish prejudices. Under this
head they reckoned the quotatio-ns fronn the Old
Testiment prophecies applied to Christ; his being
called the Messiah, the Son of God, — the Redeemer
of Israel. They denied that his death was a sacrifice;
but insisted that it was a mere martyrdom; that he
was only a teacher of morality, and natural religion,
and that by his doctrine he redeemed his followers
from idolatry and superstition, from Levitical cere-
monies, and Jewish prejudices. The third doctrine
that was attacked was that of Original Sin, or the cor-
ruption of human nature, and the loss of God's im-
age by the fall, the belief of which thej^ contended,
was inconsistent with our natural notions of the Di-
vine goodness and justice. The fourth doctrine was
that of Faith. The new reformers contended that
all that the Scriptures mean by Faith, is only the re-
ceiving the doctrines of Christ as true, and living
according to them; and some openly asserted that
we are not boaad to believe the history or miracles
of Christ and his Ap.ostles, but merely the moral
precepts. The fifth doctrine was that of the Sacra-
ments, to which the Reformers ascribed little or no
virtue. The sixth was the existence of Angels and
Devils, which the Neologists denied, and the eternity
of hell-torments, which they maintained to be con-
trary to all reason,. They likewise rejected Creeds,
and Confessions of Faith, as altogether inconsistent
with freedom of inq^uiry. This led to a contempt
of the Scriptures, and a doubt of their divine inspi-
ration, or confining it to a part of the Scriptures,
Some confined inspiration to the New Testament.
At last they asserted that nothing in Scripture ought
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 275
to be believed as coming from God, except what
tended to promote the moral perfection of man.
Their rules of criticism and exposition of the Scrip-
tures were adapted to this supposition; and they
seemed to labour to alter the Christian faith, so as
to render it more palatable to the Deists."
" The philosophy of Leibnitz and Wolf, which en-
joins on all men to think for themselves, and to be-
lieve nothing of which they could not form distinct
ideas, contributed greatly to the success of the New
Reformers; and led them to expunge all mysteries
and miracles out of their creed: and the translation
of the works of the English Deists into German gave
them still greater assislance* Commentaries, Dic-
tionaries, and Literary Journals were employed for
propagating and recommending their new doctrines,
by which means many were led to adopt them who
had never read the Socinian or Deistical writers.
In 1779 Dam published a translation of the New
Testament according to these views, which he had
conceived from 1758. He maintained that the books
of Moses are only so far inspired as they lead to
God; that the history of the fall is a fiction; that the
book of Job is likewise a fiction; and that there are
many falsehoods in the books of Samuel and Joshua;
that the Psalms contain contemplations of the divine
perfections, but no prophecies; that all the books of
the Old Testament are mere human writings; and
that the historical books of the New Testament are
written in the taste and manner of the ancient Jews,
in which truth and fiction are mingled; that Jesus is
called the Son of God merely because he was a very
good man, both in his life and doctrine: that he was
276 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
the son of Joseph and Mary; that his doctrine is pure
natural religion; that the truth of his doctrine does
not depend on miracles or prophecies, hut on its in-
ternal worth: that his death was not a sacrifice or
atoneinent for sin; nay that he did not really die on
the cross, but fell into a fainting fit; and that he was
taken out of his grave, and restored to life and health,
after which he left the country of Judea. They
maintained that he did not ascend into heaven; and
that the effusion of the Holy Ghost on the day of
Pentecost was no miracle, but the effect of a thunder
gust, and the credulity of the multitude. That when
the Evangelists relate miracles, they are always to
be explained according to the laws of nature. That
there are no mysteries, nor revealed religion. That
the chief object of Christianity is morality, and no-
thing more. That the doctrine of the Trinity is not
true. That there are no angels nor devils: and that
when devils are mentioned in Scripture, they are to
be interpreted as meaning either bad men, or grievous
diseases. That the image of God consists only in Rea-
son which man has not lost. That the resurrection of
the body is only a figurative representation of the
souPscontinuing to exist after death. That the punish-
ment of bad men after death shall have an end. That
what the Scripture says of the day of judgment, and
the end of the world, is a mere allegory. Such in
general are the doctrines of the New Reformers,
though they are not all agreed among themselves.
Professor TollneVy'dX Frankfort on the Oder, depart-
ed in several points from the established Confession,
but he w^as more discreet and less insolent than many
others. Sleinbart, his successor, went further, and
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 277
rejected every ihm^ positive in religion, that is^ all
mysteries, together with the satisfaction of Christ,
and the corruption of human nature. lie published,
in 1778, his book, entitled ^ The Philosophy of Chris-
tianity separated from Hypothesis.^ Professor Base-
dow, curator of the Philanthropin at Dessau, was one
of the first and most zealous Reformers; but he was
so honest as to confess that he was neither a Luthe-
ran nor a Calvinist. *^. PF. Teller, oi Berlin, pub-
lished a Dictionary of the New Testament. His
system was not just the same as that of Dam. The
Old Testament, he said, was for the Jews, the New
for Christains; of course all those ideas and express-
ions which the New Testament borrows from the
Old, do not belong to Christian doctrine. He taught
that the Old Testament was inspired only in so far
as God is the author of all spiritual good; that Jesus
is God's only-born Son, by his partaking of the di-
vine nature, and being an extraordinary messenger
sent from God to men, and adopted by God for
his Son; that he is our Redeemer, Mediator and Sa-
viour, as he has delivered us from the torment of a
guilty conscience, and given us assurance of the fa-
vour of God; that as Mediator, he has by his sacrifice
been Surety for men, that God would have them all
to be saved ; but that his death is only called a ^ sacri-
fice,' in compliance with the Jews, who were accus-
tomed to sacrifices. Eberhard, formerly minister at
Charlottenburgb, near Berlin, and now professor of
Philosophy at Halle, belongs likewise to the New
Reformers, as appears by his * Apology for Socrates.'
Ludke, a minister of Berlin, in his treatise on * Tole-
ration,' and Busching,\.\\Q consistorial counsellor, in
24
278 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
his treatise on ' Confessions,' evidently avow their
connestion with the same class. Spalding and Sem-
ler, but especially Dr. Bardt, and Nicolaiy of Ber-
lin, have contributed signally to the propagation of
the doctrine of the New Reformers, which being so
nearly allied to Deism, gave countenance to professed
infidelity. i>e5A>/n^ published the ' Wolfenbuttle
Fragments,' which had a great run in Germany. The
tendency of all these fashionable writings was to
render the old doctrines contemptible. These doc-
trines were on all sides exposed to ridicule, as irra-
tional, absurd and pernicious; and the teachers of
them were held up to view as bigots, blockheads, and
ignoramuses, &c. Many treatises were published
against the new doctrines; but these, by being mis-
represented and abused in. the fashionable journals,
were little read. John Frederick Teller, superin-
tendent of Zeitz, wrote a Dictionary of the New
Testament, in opposition to his brother, before men-
tioned: but without naming him. But it would be
endless to enumerate all the answers that have been
made to the New Reformers, especially as tliese are
not perfectly consistent with each other, or with the
doctrines of the first Reformers. But many of them
are excellent; — John E. MebiiiSy a Dutch minister,
has published three volumes of Letters against
Steinbart'sFhilosophy of Christianity, and a humour-
ous performance entitled 'Letters from a Travelling
Jew,' exposing these doctrines to deserved ridicule.
A treatise entitled ' The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing,'
without the name of the author, was printed in 1783,
but it never appeared in the Booksellers' shops, as it
not only refuted the doctrines of the New Reformer*
RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 279
by arguments, but exposed them to deserved ridicule,
the author having a talent for humour. This trea-
tise is highly commended by the orthodox journalists,
and seems to have made a considerable, though tem-
porary impression."
"As to religious revolutions in Holland, Switzer-
land, Denmark and Sweden, I know but little; but
as French fashions have long prevailed in those coun-
tries, it cannot be wonderful if French infidelity
should likewise become fashionable among them.''
" With regard to the most important of all sub-
jects, to wit, the state of orthodoxy and vital piety
in the Church, I fear you will be obliged to represent
it in the Eighteenth Century as every where decli-
ning^ and in most places, awfully declining. In
the Reformed Churches of Germany, France, Hol-
land, Svvitzerland, and Geneva, this representation,
we all know, applies in a most distressing degree;
and even in Great Britain, with few exceptions, it is
also applicable. We have sometimes hoped that a
revival of evangelical preaching, and of attachment
to Gospel truth, was beginning to dawn on Scotland
toward the close of the century. But, if I mistake
not, it is certain that a more decisive revival of true
religion has, within a few years, taken place in Eng-
land, both among some portions of the Dissenters,
and still more remarkably in the established Church;
under the ministry, and from the writings of such
men as Romaine, John Newton, Simeon, Cecil, Scott,
and others, distinguished for the general soundness
of their opinions, and the fervour of their piety.
When Romaine and Hervey arose, in the early part
of the century, to plead for evangelical religion, thcsy
280 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
stood almost alone among the clergy of the establish-
ment. The spiritual desolation of the Church of
England was then deplorable. A gratifying change
has since taken place: but even yet I hear of scarcely
any participation in this revival in the Miigh places'
of that Church."
" Thus have I gleaned, with great weakness and
imperfection, a few hints concerning discoveries and
improvements in the century just about to expire,
and to which you may think proper to refer, either
in the text or the notes of its funeral Sermon. You
had no need to be apprehensive that your queries
would give me trouble. They do me honour. I
should be glad if I had such a man as you in my
neighbourhood, who might put such questions to me
every day. May the next century bring you peace,
happiness and success in your ministry, and better
prospects to the public than we have at present!"
''^ I remain, with sincere and unaltered esteem,
Dear Sir, your very humble servant,"
" Charles Nisbet ."
''Rev. Mr. Miller, New York.''
In tlie perusal of the foregoing letter, it ought to
be borne in mind that it was written forty years ago,
when the errors and leaders of the Ratioiialists of
Germany were less extensively and familiarly known
than they have since become; and, of course, that the
sketches concerning them which it contains, were
then of greater value than they would be now, when
information on the subject is much more common.
Still they indicate a mind alive to every thing which
had a bearing on Religion, in every part of the world..
RESIDENtJE IN THE UNITED STATES. 281
And, probably, there was not another individual in the
United States, at that time, when an attention to Ger-
man literature had gained so little popularity even
among the literati of our country, who had kept him-
self so well informed concerning every important
movement in that cauntry; — a country which, ever
since his day, has been teeming with literary and
theological labourers greatly beyond any other section
of our globe; and which has exceeded all others in the
strange, grotesque, and impious productions of the
press, as well in the science of Mind, as in that of
Theology.
24*
2S2 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
CHAPTER VII.
His last Illness and Death.
For a number of years before his decease, Dr.
Nisbet was not only diligent but uninterrupted in
his attendance on the duties of his office. From,
the time of his recovery from the severe illness
which reduced him so low soon after his arrival in
the country, until the access of that disease which
terminated his life, such were his fidelity and zeal,
that he had scarcely ever been prevented, for a sin-
gle day, from attending on the public duties of his
station. He shrunk from no reasonable task, and
was ever ready to undertake any labour which pro-=
mised real benefit to the institution committed to his
care. Indeed, literary labour, and especially that
which consisted in imparting the elements of know-
ledge to ingenuous youth, appeared to be the delight
of his heart.
He was often, indeed, not a little distressed to find
the Trustees of the College entertaining opinions so
entirel}^ different from his own, respecting the time
necessary to be bestowed on a course of study, and
in regard to the best means of conducting the affairs
of a literary institution. Instead of enlarging and
improving the system of public instruction, they
were rather disposed to make it more narrow and su-
perficial; and a course already meagre, still more
ineagre, and adapted to disappoint the friends of
mS LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 2 83
sound learning. Accordingly, the Trustees, several
years before the Doctor's death, directed the course
of study in the College to be shortened, and required
as much to be done in one year as had formerly oc-
cupied two years. To this measure, he strongly
objected, as a kind of literary quackery; as adapted
to deceive the public; to impose upon young men
seeking a liberal education; and as pandering to po-
pular ignorance and parsimony in a manner disgrace-
ful to the guardians of education. His remonstrances,
however, were in vain; and there is every reason to"
believe that the mortification and discouragement
connected with this measure, and some others of a
similar kind, and indicating the same spirit, preyed
upon his mind, and convinced him, that the great
hope which had brought him to the country, that
he might be instrumental in raising the standard of
knowledge and public improvement, could no longer
be cherished. His letters, about this time, bear the
marks of great, depression of spirits, and the gradual
departure of those fond expectations which he had
once entertained of extensive usefulness to the cause
of Literature in the United States.
A few months before his. death, in addressing the
students of the College, he expressed himself thus:
" You have studied at a time when the most false
and absurd opinions concerning learning have been
current, prevalent, and even rampant. We mean
those opinions which suppose that a liberal educa-
tion may be attained in a very little time; that the
study of the ancient languages is useless; that edu-
cation may be completed in the space of a year; that
two years is too long, and that a great part of the
284 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
time of education ought to be allotted to amusement,
&c. The encouragement that has been given to
these opinions among us, has been of far greater de-
triment to this Seminary than the most active malice
of its numerous enemies; as they have rendered it
impossible for its numerous friends to recommend
or defend it. Who would undertake to recommend
a Seminary that produces yearling graduates, and in
vs^hich the studies of youth are conducted in the
most expeditious manner? We ought not to wonder,
therefore, that those gentlemen in other States, who
have received advice from the newspapers of its pre-
sent state, have given it no countenance, though pre-
viously disposed to encouraged it.'^ And, in the last
address which he made to the students before his
decease, the following strain of remark sufficiently
indicates the bitterness of spirit with which he con-
templated his situation. " While this Seminary con-
tinues to exist, though in a degraded state, when
compared with others, we shall think it our duty to
do all that our circumstances permit, for the instruc-
tion of those who are committed to our care. It is,
indeed, to be lamented that the teachers of youth
among us, owing to the disgraceful subjection in
which they are placed, cannot do what they would
for the improvement of their pupils. To raise ex-
pectations which cannot be fulfilled; to undertake to
accomplish what they know to be impracticable; to
promise to do as much in one or two years, as other
Seminaries can do in three or four, is undertaking
an impossibility. Men of learning and experience
would disdain to use the language of quacks and im-
posters; and they would be inexcusable if they did
HIS LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 285
it of their own accord. But when it is imposed on
them by others, without their consent, their situa-
tion is singularly calamitous, and their circumstances
make them resemble a sect under persecution . But,
as in this new country, every thing is in a state of
infancy; and as in the imperfect state of human af-
fairs, a considerable time is necessary before rational
opinions, and salutary institutions, can be introduced,
the teachers of youth must be contented to do what
they can, though they have it not in their power to
do what they would."
"Some of those who have had the government of
Seminaries have greatly deceived themselves and th&
public, by appreciating the labours of learned m,en by
the standai;cl of mechanics and day-labourers, and im-
agining that the education of youth could be conduct-
ed on agricultural and mechanical principles. They
seem to have entirely forgotten that the will and ex-
ertions of the student are indispensably necessary ta
his receiving instruction; that the master can only
give lessons and exhortations; but that it depends
wholly on the will and inclination of the student
whether he will give any attention to them or not,
A remedy for this, though a very imperfect one, has
been proposed, by examination. But unless exam-
ination had a charm to draw out of the head of a stu-
dent what had never got into it, it is of no effect. A
student on examination can only repeat what he al-
ready knows and remembers; but he cannot repeat
any thing that he has lorgotten, or to which he had
never given any attention. Where such opinions
are formed by the managers of Seminaries, it is im-
possible that learning should prosper, as they proceed
286 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
from a profound ignorance of human nature. The
human mind which is the object of education, is not
a mere passive subject, like arable land, wood, or
metal, which can make no resistance to the operations
of the husbandman or mechanic; — but it is a spiritual
substance, endued with understanding and will, the
former, perhaps, very weak, and the latter very
strong and obstinate; and if the will does not con-
sent to the cultivation of the understanding, all the
efforts of the teacher must be fruitless. It some-
times requires a long time to excite the attention of
youth, and to make them receive and comprehend
the ideas contained in their lessons; and oftentimes a
much longer time to make them delight in them, and
receive them with sensible pleasure; and till this is
the case no valuable progress can be made in learn-
ing.'^ for no one will learn any thing against his will,
or labour to understand what he dispises, and what
gives him no pleasure."
" Those who imagine that a liberal education
may be obtained in a year or two, do not seem
to consider tbis, but to suppose that scholars will
as freadily receive instruction as the earth yields
to the plough-share, or the hot iron to the stroke
of the hammer. But those who are practically
acquainted with education, know by experience that
this is not the case; but that many youthful minds re-
sist instruction for a considerable time, and occupy
themselves with any trifles rather than their lessons,
who, nevertheless, may afterwards be awakened to
attention, and be successful, and, in some cases,
even highly successful, in the acquisition of know-
ledge. Their time of awal^ening must be wateh'^
HIS LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 287
ed and waited for, and much instruction must be
dispersed in the air, before they can be made to
receive any. We must follow nature; we cannot
contradict or control it. The quantity of knowledge
acquired by any student must be in the compound ra-
tio of his natural capacity, and the degree of his atten-
tion and willingness to learn. And this accounts in
the most satisfactory manner for the great difference
that we discover in the attainments of students who
have had the same opportunities for acquiring know-
ledge.'^
" Hence we may see the absurdity and folly of all
short roads to learning. They all proceed on false
principles, and must end in miserable disappointment.
Quacks and projectors in education have indeed pro-
posed an endless variety of plans for diminishing
the labour, and shortening the time of study, by pro-
mising to teach as much in a few lessons as has been
hitherto done by the labour and application of seve-
ral years. In Germany and elsewhere, quacks have
undertaken to teach young men every science by
way of diversion: but not one real scholar has ever
been formed by these compendious methods, which
have never produced any thing else than dunces and
smatterers."
While these trammels on the discharge of his offi-
cial duties mortified and grieved him, he was not
free from embarrassment in regard to his temporal
support. The salary which the Trustees of the Col-
lege originally promised to pay him, was ^£2 50 ster-
ling, or about $1200. A few years before his death,
finding the number of students small, and the
finances of the Institution declining, they reduced
2S8 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
his salary to ^800; a sum altogether insufficient for
the comfortable support of his family. Even this
sum, however, was miserably paid. Arrears were
allowed to accumulate to an extent mortifying to
him, and embarrassing to his family. Insomuch that,
at the time of his decease, these arrears had nearly
reached the amount of four or five years salary; and
were recovered at last only by a legal process. The
Church at Carlisle, to w^hich he steadily rninistered
alternately with Dr. Davidson, as has been already
mentioned, also stipulated to pay him a small salary
for his services. It was a mere pittance; but, pit-
tance as it was, it was never punctually paid; and a
considerable balance had accumulated at the time of
his death, which his executor recovered by a similar
process. It is unnecessary to say, that these things
could not fail to make a deep impression on one who
had laboured so faithfully and ably to serve the In-
stitution committed to his care; and who had left his
native country on the faith of the prospects and prom-
ises which have been already described.
About the beginning of January 1804, Dr. Nisbet
was seized with a severe cold, accompanied with in-
flammation of the lungs and fever, which gradually
gained ground until it terminated his life. After the
disease began to assume a threatening aspect, and es-
pecially within a few days of the closing scene, he
appeared to suffer exceedingly; but he endured it all
with remarkable patience and fortitude. He retain-
ed the possession of his mental powers to the last.
The only faculty which appeared to be strikingly
impaired was his memory, which in health, was
among the master powers of his mind. This pre-
HIS LAST ILLNESS AND DilATH. 289
vented his holding much connected conversation
with those around him during his last hours. The
exercises of devotion appeared to occupy his heart
and his lips as long as he was able to utter them.
The last efforts of vocal utterance which could be
distinguished, were employed in articulating with
great tenderness, the name of his wife; and in say-
ing with peculiar fervour, " Holy, Holy, Holy!"
With these words on his lips, he gently fell asleep,
on the 18th day of January, A. D. 1804, having
within three days completed the sixty-eighth year
of his age.
It is hardly necessary to say, that the demise of
the venerated President, covered not only his family,
but also the whole College with the mantle of mourn-
ing. For, notwithstanding all the failures of the
Trustees of the College to fulfill their engagements,
and to provide for his comfort and that of his family,
these failures were rather to be ascribed to the de-
plorable scantiness of the funds committed to their
care, and the want of skill and enterprize in mana-
ging them, than to the want of respect or affection
for his high character. The decease of this excel-
lent man called into exercise and manifested a widely
extended and peculiar attachment and veneration.
The College — the town — the whole neighbourhood
were moved, and appeared as mourners. The fune-
ral was attended by multitudes. The Trustees, Fa-
culty and students of the College appeared in a man-
ner which marked their deep sense of the loss which
they had sustained. A sermon was preached on the
occasion by the Rev. Dr. Davidson, Vice President
of the College, and Pastor of the Church in Carlisle.
25
290 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
Of this sermon it is judged proper to give the follow-
ing extract.
" We are called this day to perform a very mourn-
ful office indeed ! To convey to the house of silence
what was mortal of a highly respected Brother and
Servant of the lord. Great is the loss which we
have this day to deplore! The world is deprived of
a Scholar and a Divine worthy to be ranked among
the most eminent that ancient or modern times have
produced. The occasion will justify me in depart-
ing from our usual practice, and attempting a brief
sketch of so worthy a character. This tribute is due
to his great talents and services. Nor can I with-
hold it without doing violence to my own feelings.
Having been associated with him in the duties of
the same pulpit, and of the same literary institution
for nearly nineteen years, no one can have had a
better opportunity of observing and admiring his
extensive acquaintance with languages and science —
his benevolent aims and exertions — and his ardent
zeal for the interests of religion and learning."
" When some gentlemen of a truly public spirit
had obtained a charter for a College in this Borough,
(to bear the name of one of our earliest and most ac-
complished Patriots,) it was their wish to place at
the head of it some one who was distinguished in
the literary world; well knowing that the reputa-
tation and usefulness of such a Seminary would de-
pend greatly on the plan of education first adopted,
and the manner in which that plan was carried into
effect. A Seminary in a neighbouring State, had
risen to high reputation, under the direction of a
President called from North Britain;— a country
HIS LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 291
long and justly famed for its learned Universities,
and eminent scholars. It was expected by the
founders of this institution, that, under a similar
head, it might acquire an equal degree of celebrity,
and become equally useful."
"The Rev. Dr. Charles Nisbet was known to be
a scholar uncommonly well skilled in languages, an-
cient and modern, and in those sciences which are
most necessary to form the minds of young men.
But he was, at that time, and had been for more
than twenty years, comfortably settled as a pastor of
a large Church in Montrose; and to that people we
are assured he had officiated, during that time, with
such ability and assiduity, that they were greatly
attached to him."
" The Trustees, however, of the new College, hav-
ing unanimously chosen him for Principal, thought
it their duty to press him by every affecting argu-
ment, to the acceptance of an office, in which they
hoped he would be as comfortable as in his former
station, and far more extensively useful. Great was
the perplexity of his mind, during a whole year, be-
fore he could come to a final determination. To
leave a society so much pleased with him as their
spiritual teacher; to bid a last adieu to his native
land, and the companions of his youth; to cross an
ocean whose dangers appeared formidable; and to
cast himself among strangers, in a new world; what
a sacrifice of his feelings to a sense of duty did this
require!"
" He arrived here on the 4th day of July, 1785, to
enter immediately on the duties of his office; hoping
soon to see his prospects of usefulness realized. But
292 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
how uncertain are all our possessions, and all our
prospects! Very soon after his arrival, by a violent
fit of sickness, he was rendered incapable of any
public duty. From the shock which his constitu-
tion then received, it seems never to have fully re-
covered; and such was his debility, and consequent
dejection of spirits, that a return to his native land
was seriously contemplated.^'
" As soon, however, as his health, in the follow-
ing season was, pretty well restored, he resumed his
former station. And now we see him entering on a
scene of active usefulness, which it would be great
injustice to his character to pass lightly over."
"Such was his desire to put this College on a most
respectable footing; and such were his ideas of the
evils of a superficial education, and the advantages of
a thorough and solid one, that he spared no pains to
have his pupils well initiated in every branch of use-
ful knowledge. His acquaintance vs'ith books and
languages was far, very far beyond what is common-
ly acquired by those who obtained a liberal educa-
tion. His memory was indeed extraordinary, and
retained with ease whatever was committed to it!
With the languages necessary to be known in order
to a critical knowledge of ancient authors, sacred and
profane, he was intimately conversant. The beau-
ties of the Greek and Latin classics lay unveiled to
his penetrating eye; and there was scarcely a re^
markable passage which he could not accurately re-
peat at pleasure. To show still further the amazing
powers of his mind, and the abundant sources of his
knowledge, it is proper to mention, that his acquaint-
ance with the French, Uali,an, German, Low Dutch
HIS LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 295
and Spanish languages, gave him easy access to the
most celebrated works in these modern tongues.
Hence we see how it was practicable for him to com-
pose, and deliver, from day to day, (as he did in the
first years,) those Lectures on Criticism, Logic, and
Moral Philosophy, which have been so much ad-
mired."
" In addition to these duties, after he had been
some time here he undertook and executed another
very important work, — which scarcely any other
man in his circumstances would have attempted.
This was, to write and deliver, from day to day,,
for more than two years, a course of lectures on
theological subjects. These lectures form one of the
most valuable systems of Divinity that the world has
perhaps ever seen. And these he had the patience
to dictate to his pupils, (as he did also his philosophi-
cal lectures,) so that they could write down every
sentence."
"To complete his character let it be remembered,
that he was an eminent minister of the Gospel; and
that in addition to all his other labours, he preached
for the most part statedly, as one of the pastors of
this church. The soundness of his principles and
the solidity of his sermons are well known."
" The study of the holy Scriptures was his chief
delight, and in the exposition and application of di-
vine truths, he was indeed a master in Israel. How
serious and solemn was his manner! How plain
and perspicous his style, and perfectly free from
every thing pompous or affected ! He sought not the
applause of men, but the salvation of souls, and the
glory of his Redeemer. Ever solicitous to exalt the
25*
2^4 MEMOIR Op DR. NI8BET.
love and grace of God, and to humble the pride of
man, salvation by grace was his favourite theme.
At the same time, no one could be a more severe re-
prover of vice, or more forcibly inculcate that purity
of heart and life, without which all pretences to faith
and religion are vain. — To you my friends, the peo-
ple of this congregation, there is a voice addressed
this day, calling upon you long and affectionately to
remember him, who has so long dispensed unto you
the precious word of life; to retain his instructions,
and continue stedfast in your Christian profession.
Remember also the excellent example which he set
before you. View him sustaining with propriety
every endearing relation, and with exquisite sensibili-
ty, attentive to every social duty. Was he not a most
agreeable companion, especially in his more tranquil
days.-^ Was he not ever most happy when in the com-
pany of his friends, and diffusing cheerfulness all
around him? Who could but admire his lively re-
marks, his quick replies, and the severe strokes he
was frequently aiming at what he conceived to be
the follies, the extravagancies, the injustice and im-
pieties that so greatly abound? To see religion flou-
rishing, and mankind rejoicing in its richest bless-
ings, together with the benefits of a wise and effi-
cient government, — this he earnestly desired, and
for this he fervently prayed.''
"• His addresses to the pupils, and especially at
Commencements, contained most important direc-
tions for their conduct in life; and showed his great
detestation of every vice, and of slavery and op-
pression under every form. Those addresses alone
would make a considerable volume. — Let all the
HIS LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 295
sons of this Seminary affectionately remember the
exhortations received from him, who felt for them all
the solicitude of a Father.'^
"Finally, let the Trustees and Patrons of this
Seminary, amidst all their discouragements (and this
which may appear the greatest of all,) be exhorted,
not to faint or grow weary in well doing. This
was an event sometime and certainly to be expected.
— An entire year has not yet elapsed, since your de-
ceased principal saw, to his great grief, the beautiful
Edifice, that you had nearly finished, envoloped in
flames. Yet you persevered in the good work you
had undertaken; and in lieu of that which you lost,
a much larger and more convenient building has ra-
pidly progressed, under your direction. how it
would have pleased him to have seen it completed,
and the institution, which has already sent forth so
many young men to fill important stations in society,
brought to the desired perfection, and placed on a
broad and permanent basis! — But such was not the
will of Heaven! His race of usefulness here was
run.''
" Attacked with violence, on the first day of the
year, by a pulmonary complaint, that had been for
some time growing upon him, the remaining days
of life were spent with much bodily distress. But
when the important moment arrived, — quietly, with-
out a groan, he breathed his last; and committed, as
we have sufficient ground to hope, into the hands of
his Redeemer, a spirit ripe for glory ^ — and, bidding
a world of uncertainty and sorrow an everlasting
adieu, entered into the promised rest. — At a good
age, — -at the close of his 68th year— concluded his
296 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
active and useful life. — May we all live the life, as
we would hope to die the death, of the righteous;
and may our last end be like his!"
Dr. Erskine, the excellent friend and affectionate
correspondent of the subject of this Memoir, died just
one year before him. In his will he bequeathed to
Dr. Nisbet a large part of his Library, as a testimo-
nial of respect and affection. No information, how-
ever, of this bequest reached America before Dr.
Nisbet's decease. In a few days after the death of
Dr. Erskine, his surving Son addressed a letter to
Dr. N. announcing the demise of his Father, but not
mentioning the legacy. Toward the close of the
year 1803, Miss Erskine addressed a letter to the
venerable legatee — announcing this token of her Fa-
ther's affectionate remembrance. But before this
letter reached its destination, Dr. Nisbet was no
more; and nothing further, of course, was said or
done respecting the bequest.
Soon after Doctor Nisbet's decease, the following
Latin Ode to his memory was prepared by Mr.
James Ross, who had once held a Professorship in
Dickinson College; and was, at the date of this com-
position, a Professor in Franklin College, Lancaster,
Pennsylvania; who knew him well, and was a warm
admirer of his character. It seems to have been sub-
mitted to the judgement and the disposal of the res-
pectable Gentleman whose name appears in the In-
scription, — and was probably by him committed to
the press. And although its claims on the score of La-
tin poetry are indeed very humble, yet as a testimo-
nial of respect from a most excellent man, it is wor-
thy of being here recorded..
HIS LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 297
Ad GULIELMUM HAMILTON
SALUTEM.
Hos ego versiculos ; in memoriam viri integerrimi, nee non et ex
omnibus quos aetas prsesens, annis multis per orbem terrarum tulit,
doctissimi, tesserulam honoris, typis, ad Te, tuis mandandos, mitto ;
quippe qui te facilem et commodum meis, aliis occasionibus, haud se-
mel precibus dedisti. Ja. Ross.
In Obitura
Viri ckrissimi CAROLI NISBET, D. D.
Coll. Dickinson. Praesidis, qui octodecimo
Januarii, A. D. 1804, vita decessit.
Te quoque, qui nostris dignatus vivere Nisbet
Finibus, eripuit mors ! fera Te eripuit !
Tu, tandem, fessus, metam finemque laborum
Docto, invenisti, corpore deposito.
Preclarus, turbas hominum, sociosque relictos,
Morte redemptus, nunc despicis altivolus.
Divitias quoque habes partas hie, munera culta
Mentis nempe bonae, quas dedit ipse Dkus .
Hsec autera, vestes, aurum, popularis et aura,
Grata licet quondam, et fulgida, diffugiunt.
Finito ergo opere, propter quod missus in orbem,
Tempore et expleto, convenit utiedeas.
Haud aliter servus, longas legatus in oras
Qui, domino, rediit, jam revocante domum.
Nuncius Ameiicorum hie tristes pervolat oras,
" Nisbet mortuus ! Heu ! doctus et ille perit !"
Mentibus, ore, oculis, Studiosi (Academia plorat)
Nisbet nunc quaerunt auxilio ut subeat !
Nisbet namque docens, vestigia, quae sua, pressit ;
Non aliena sequens : legit at ille sua.
Nisbet eos docuit falso secernere verum,
Atque domique foris sedulus officio.
Nisbet eos dscuit rerum cognoscere causas ;
Nisbet et instituit quaerere vera bona.
O quoties, praeco pandis cum theraata sacra,
" Vivito" dixi " nee sit brevis hora tua ;
<' O felix, sortita Hunc, fausta Columbia, tellus !
" Vivito Nisbet ! nee mors fera Te rapiat !"
298 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET,
' Fidite ne vestris ; heu ! vana opera omnia,' dixit,
' Confugite ad Jesum, vita in eoque salus.'
Vivere si licuisset nunc, o si ! frueremur
Voce tua, aspectu, consilioque pio.
O utinam vixisses ! omnia namque videnur
Rapta simul Tecum, volaque nostra jacent !
Ceciopidse Anytique reum flebantque Platona,
Nisbet, Te Juvenes non secus atque gement !
Vivet in seternum virtus tua, nulla vetustas
Delebit famam, conspicuumque decus.
De patria que tua sors si certabitur olim,
Te volet esse suum hsec, illaque et esse suum,
Nulla aetasque futura tacebit nomina Nisbet,
Per terrarum orbem clara, negata niori.
Coll. Franklin Lcmcastria, Kal. Mart. 1804.
The Trustees of the College desired, and we are
assured, intended, to erect a suitable monument over
the grave of their venerated President; but their
poverty and a load of debt, together with their want of
zeal and enterprize, prevented the execution of their
wishes. At length however, this memorial of re-
spect was completed by the filial affection, and at the
expense, of his only surviving son, the Hon. Alex-
ander Nisbet, Judge of the city court of Baltimore.
The following is the epitaph which it bears, and
which is ascribed to the pen of the late Rev. Dr.
John M. Mason, who is universally known as hav-
ing been one of the most accomplished and eloquent
divines which have adorned the American Church,
and who was one of the successors of Dr. Nisbet, as
President of Dickinson College.
M.S.
Caroli Nisbet, S. S. T. D.
Qui unanimi hortatu
Curatorum Academise Dickinsoniensis,
HIS LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 29&
Ut Primarii ejusdem munia susciperet,
Patria sua, Scotia, n licta,
Ad Carleolum venit, A. D. 1 789.
Ibique per novem decern annos
Summa cum laude
Muneri suo incubuit,
Viri, si quis alius, probi piique
Omni doctrinaornatissimi,
Lectione immensa, memoria fideli,
Acumine vero ingenii facetiis salibusque
Plane miri, et undique clari.
Nemini vero mortalium nisi iis infensi,
Qui cum Philosophiae proetextu sacris insultant.
Familiae autem suae amicisque,
Ob mores suaves, benignos, hilares comesque
Unice delecti.
Animam placide efflavit 14mo. Kal. Feb. 1804,
Anno aetatis 68vo.
Abiit noster: proh dolor !
Cui similem baud facile posthac visuri sumus !
At quern Terra amisit, lucrifecit Ccelum,
Novo splendore
Corporis resuscitati, vitaeque eterni
Cum Domino Jesu, omnibusque Sanctis,
Ovantem rediturura.
Dr. Nisbet's person was, in height, rather below
the middle stature, and, in earl}' life, slender and full
of agility. He often said, that in his youth, in walk-
ing, it was easy for him to keejo pace with an ordi-
nary horseman; and that he frequently, on a winter
morning, walked twenty or thirty miles before break-
fast, without any painful effort. Before his arrival
at middle age, however, he became corpulent, and
continued so to the end of life. It came upon him
suddenly, like a disease; and no degree of abstinence
which he could adopt, appeared to arrest or diminish
it. Yet his corpulence did not interfere much with
300 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
activity, even in advanced age. His motions were
habitually rapid, and such as might have been ex-
pected in one who had been once so remarkably
agile. He was characteristically quick in every
movement, physical and intellectual. There was
nothing sluggish or drawling in his constitution.
Neither did his corpulence interfere with his health.
This was seldom interrupted. He was, indeed, oc-
casionally troubled with some disorder of the sto-
mach, somewhat similar to the modern fashionable-
disease, called dyspepsia. He, however, very sel-
dom took medicine; but generally found himself en-
tirely relieved by a fast of twenty-four hours, which
was his unfailing remedy.
The Print prefixed to this Memoir is copied from
a painting taken about the fortieth year of his age;
which is said, by those who knew the venerable
original at that early period, to be an excellent like-
ness of what he then was. The Mezzotinto copy
here presented, is executed with admirable success.
Mrs. Nisbet survived the Doctor more than three
years. Her health and strength declined from his
decease. She departed this life on the 12th day of
May, 1807, in the hope and consolation of the Gos-
pel. She was an excellent woman, greatly aj,tached
to her husband, and peculiarly adapted and devoted
to his comfort.
The library which Dr. Nisbet left, was a peculiar
one. It was rather select and curious than large.
Such a collection of books is rarely found. Of what
may be called common-place works, he had compa-
ratively few. But of books singular in their charac-
ter, or very rare, he was a zealous collector. In thii
HIS LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. SOI
respect, his library was probably a unique in our
country. It comprised works not only in the Latin
and Greek, but also in the French, German, Spanish,
and Italian languages, all of which, it is believed, he
read with entire ease. As he made no will, this
collection fell, without any testamentary disposition,
into the hands of his widow and children. Some
years after his death, two of his grand children, viz.
the Right Rev. Bishop M'Coskry, of Michigan, and
Henry C. Turnbull, Esq. of Maryland, who had ob-
tained the disposal of the Library, generously made
a present of it to the Theological Seminary at Prince-
ton, as the most suitable ultimate destination of a
collection of books made by a Presbyterian minister,
whose ruling passion was the diffusion of human and
divine knowledge, and who had come to our coun-
try, as has been already stated, with the hope of be-
ing able to contribute something toward elevating
the standard of education, and especially of Theologi-
cal education, on this side of the Atlantic.
This donation to the Theological Seminary being
made at a time when it was uncertain whether heresy
or schism, or both, might not expose every thing
committed to that Institution to the danger of per-
version; the generous donors thought proper to con-
stitute the Presbytery of New Brunswick Trustees
of the Library, to guard against its being employed
to promote principles hostile to those of the original
possessor, and, in case of such perversion, to make
an ultimate disposal of it. This trust the Presbytery
has accepted.
The present chapter will be closed by a brief state-
26
302 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
ment of the surviving children and descendants of
this eminent man.
At the time of his decease he left two sons, and
two daughters living.
His eldest son, Thomas^ survived him only a
short time. He was never married, and died with-
out reformation.
His second son, Jllexander, after graduating
in Dickinson College, studied law with Judge
Duncan, of Carlisle, and settled, in the practice
of his profession, in the city of Baltimore; where
his talents, integrity, and application soon secured
him a respectable amount of professional success.
He has occupied the ofiice of Judge of the City Court
of Baltimore for twenty-two years. He married
Miss Mary C. wings, of Maryland. They have
had seven children — three sons, and four daughters.
The daughters only survive.
The Doctor's eldest daughter, Mary, who, as was
before stated, married William Turnbull, Esquire,
died about twenty years after her father. She left
nine children; four sons and five daughters. Of
these, all, except one of the sous, are still living, and
in various highly respectable situations.
The Doctor's younger daughter, *^//.90?2,j^'ho mar-
ried Dr. M'Coskry, in 1795, was left a widow, in
the year 1818, and is still living. She has had six
children; three sons and three daughters. Of these
one son only, and two daughters survive. The son
is the Right Reverend Samuel M'Coskry, Bishop of
the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of
Michigan, Of the daughters, Mary, the second,
married the Rev. Erskine Mason, D. D. of the city
HIS LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 303
of New York; and Alison the youngest, married Mr.
Charles D. Cleaveland, late Professor in Dickinson
College, now Principal of a respectable literary In-
stitution in the city of Philadelphia.
In a (e\v months after the decease of Dr. Nisbet,
an extended JMonody to his memory was published
by Charles Keith, M. D. a Physician, of Scotland,
who afterwards removed and practised his profession
in England. He considered himself as deeply in-
debted to the Doctor, for a large part of his early
education, and for his success in life; and was ar-
dently attached to his memory. After Dr. Nisbet's
death. Dr. Keith, in a letter to his younger son, Alex-
ander Nisbet, Esquire, of Baltimore, expressed him-
self concerning his reverend friend in the following
strong language. " Ever dear to me must be the Son
of my ever honoured and much lamented Friend.
Proud I am to have had such a Friend: for, take him
for all and all, I never knew his equal; and proud
you may well be to have had such a Father. His
death was to me a grievous affliction. His loss I can
never supply. But if I have lost so much in a friend
separated from me by the wide Atlantic, what must
not your mother and all of you have lo.st!"
After the decease of Dr. Nisbet, Dickinson College
continued still further to decline. Its deplorable
povert}^, and the still more deplorable want of zeal,
harmony and efficiency on the part of the board of
Trustees ensured an existence, if continued, sickly
and feeble. Five or six Presidents in succession
were appointed, but without any effectual relief; un-
til at length the Presbyterian board — for such was
the predominant influence which sustained the InstU
304 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
tution — surrendered it into the hands of gentlemen
connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church in
the United States. By the brethren of that denomi-
nation, the Institution has since been borne onward
and upward with commendable zeal, and with a very
respectable degree of success.
HIS CHARACTER, ETC. 505
CHAPTER VIII.
His Character, ^-c.
The attentive reader will have seen enough in the
foregoing statements and remarks to enable him to
make a distinct estimate of the character of Dr. Nis-
bet, without any formal attem})t to draw his por-
trait. Yet for the sake of furnishing a convenient
medium for presenting to the public some of the Let-
ters, and other testimonials which follow, and which
might have been greatly multiplied, this closing
Chapter is added to the foregoing. The writer ac-
knowledges, too, that in making this addition, he is
in some degree influenced by a lurking reluctance to
take a final leave of a character so endeared to him
self by a thousand most respectful and affectionat'
recollections.
Probably no minister in the American Church
naw living, was at once more intimately acquaintec
with Dr. Nisbet, and more capable of appreciating
his character, than the Rev. Dr. Ashbel Green, lat'
President of the College of New Jersey, and still, ii
a venerated old age, zealously and ably serving th
cause of evangelical truth and order. This Fathe
of ihe American Church, at the request of the write
of the present Memoir, transmitted to him the fol
lowing Letter, which is inserted for the double pur
pose of presenting to the public the interesting fact
and opinions vvliich it contains; and also, as a memo
26*.
306 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
rial of that early and long continued friendship which
led to this union and co-operation in erecting an
humble monument to the memory of the illustrious
dead.
'« Philadelphia, Spril ^Oth, 1839/'
" Rev. and Dear Sir,''
" I am now to fulfil a promise which you drew
from me, that I would furnish you with some of my
reminiscences of the late Rev. Dr. Charles Nisbet. ''
'' My first acquaintance with this eminent man
was at Princeton, shortly after his arrival from Scot-
land, in the year 1785. My impression and belief
is —although I cannot affirm it as a fact — that before
he went to Carlisle, he left his family in Philadel-
phia, and made a short visit to his old friend Dr.
Witherspoon. I was then a professor in the College
at Princeton, and was, as a matter of course, introdu-
ced to Dr. Nisbet, with whom however I had but
little intercourse or conversation. Nearly the whole
of what I distinctly remember of him, at that time,
is, that Dr. Witherspoon conducted him into the
college chapel, where he offered the usual evening
prayer with the faculty and students.''
"It was not till the month of February, in 1786,
that I was licensed to preach, and not till tlie spring
of 1787, that I was settled in Philadelphia; and du-
ring this period I knew nothing more of Dr. Nisbet
than I have already mentioned, except that he was
established at Carlisle, as the President of Dickinson
College."
" Shortly after my collegiate connection with Dr.
Sproat, I obtaiaed — but from whom I do not remena-
HIS CHARACTER, ETC 307
ber — a copy of a printed sermon delivered at Car-
lisle by Dr. Nisbet, soon after he had entered on his
official duties in that place. So far as I know, this
was the only publication that he made in this coun-
try. It has been, I find, a prevalent belief, that after
he left Scotland, (how it was before I know not,) he
never made a publication of any kind: but of the
sermon to which I have referred, I have a distinct
recollection; and I have a strong impression, yet not
amounting to confidence, that the text of the sermon
was Acts vii. 22: ' And Moses was learned in all the
wisdom of the Egyptians.' "'
"Dr. Nisbet was in the habit of visiting Philadel-
phia at the annual meetings of the General Assem-
bly of our church. When he was a member of that
body, he came here of course: and when he was not
a member, he selected this period to make an excur-
sion for the benefit of his health, and to see and con-
verse with his clerical brethren, from all parts of our
country; as well as to enjoy the company of a large
circle of friends in this city — friends among other
denominations of Christians, as well as his own. He
excelled in conversation, and greatly delighted in
social intercourse. I well remember to have heard
him remark, that at the meetings of our Presbyte-
ries, Synods, and General Assemblies, the private
and friendly intercourse of the ministers and elders
of our church, was, in his opinion, as useful as their
ecclesiastical acts as judicatories; and to me, he ad-
ded, far more pleasing,''
" It was at an early period of my pastoral life, but
the year I do not remember, that at one of his an-
nual visits to Philadelphia, we renewed our former
308 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
acquaintance; and from that time till his death, I had
much intercourse with him, both in personal con-
versation and in epistolary correspondence. Most
of his letters to me were of great length — closely
written, but as legible, nearly, as a well printed book;
for his hand writing was beautiful, and remarkably
distinct. He very rarely erased or amended a single
word that he had first penned. 1 once asked him
how he could do this, as I knew he never used trans-
cription. His reply was characteristic. 'Your
question, said he, is easily answered. I always write
what first comes into my head, and leave it to my
correspondents to erase and amend just as much as
they please.' I regret to say, that I have lent and
given away his letters, till I have not one remaining,
of those he addressed to myself. A long one to Br.
Witherspoon has come into my hands, which I hope
to insert in his life. "
"Dr. Nisbet, was, beyond comparison, a man of
the most learning that I have ever personally known.
Of this learning, however, he was 7iever ostentatious.
It discovered itself in his conversation and letters,
but without any thing like intentional display. In
my hearing, he never even adverted to his various
attainments. Yet from what I observed, and what
I have learned from others, I believe it maf be safe-
ly stated, that beside his own language, he was skill-
ed in Hebrew, including the Chaldee, Greek, Latin,
French, Italian, Spanish, German, and probably Erse.
Whether he was, or was not, acquainted with the
Arabic, Syriac, Persic or Sanscrit, I do not know.
With the ancient classics, and with the modern
tongues I have mentioned, his familiarity was great
HIS CHARACTER, IJTC. 309
— in each, he had read a considerable portion of the
best authors. When he left Europe, he was suppo-
sed to be among; the best Greek scholars it contain-
ed. While at the University, 1 have been credibly
informed, that, during one of the vacations, he read
all the Homilies of Chrysostom. Of the Iliad of
Homer, he could repeat by memory a great, if not
the greater part. But he was not merely a linguist.
There was scarcely a subject, or topic, in any depart-
ment of liberal knowledge, and even in some of the
mechanic arts, with which he was not acquainted —
doubtless with some, more accurately and extensive-
ly than with others. Of what are usually called the
exact sciences, I think his knowledge was only gen-
eral. I have reason to know that he was an anato-
mist. Being greatly afflicted, in the early part of
my ministry, with weak eyes, and observing that, at
the age of about sixty, he never used spectacles, I
asked him what means he had used to preserve his
eye-sight, in what appeared to me a state of perfec-
tion. He took up the subject at once, and after ex-
plaining the structure of the visual organs, with ana-
tomical exactness, he applied the explanation to the
means which he had used, and which others might
use, to preserve them in a healthy state. By follow-
ing his directions, in connection with the use of some
additional means of my own devising, the complaint
of my eyes was gradually and entirely removed; so
that now, in the latter part of my seventy seventh
year, m}' vision is far better, than is common, in men
of my age."
" In stating my reminiscences, this may be as pro-
per a place as any other, to mention a remarkable oc-
310 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
currence in the life of Dr. Nisbet, relative to an affec-
tion of his sense of tasting, the state of his stomach,
and probably of his whole corporeal system; a descrip-
tion of which I received from his own lips. He
said that at one period of his life, he was, for seve-
ral years, without any sensation of hunger, any de-
sire of food, or any relish of it, when it was taken;
so that if he had been starved to death, he thought
he should have died without any craving of suste-
nance. His general health, however, did not suffer
much; and he took his meals, both as to time and
quantity, as his judgment dictated, and without
loathing, but without any sensible gratification. At
length, having occasion to go to a distance in a stage
coach, he resolved to make the first stage, of some
twelve or fifteen miles, without his breakfast; and
that, on calling for it at the stage house, he, for the
first time in tvvelve years, ate a part of a beef-steak,
with appetite and relish. The whole time I was
acquainted with him, he was, in his person, fleshy,
without being corpulent, very active, and quick in
all his muscular motions. He dined with me a
number of times; and I remarked nothing peculiar
in his eating or drinking, except that he always re-
fused gravy with his meat." ^
"Dr. Nisbet's extensive reading in the principal
languages of modern Europe, had rendered him well
informed of the state and tendencies of society, in
the several nations of that quarter of our globe.
Hence it was, that from the very origin of the French
revolution, he foresaw and predicted its desolating
course, and denounced it with as much decision and
bitterness as Edmund Burk himself. With the most
HIS CHARACTER, ETC. 311
of my countrymen, I thought favourably of it at
first; and, in one of my letters, told him, that I
hoped it might be the design of God, in this provi-
dential dispensation, to make use of the rough hand
of infidelity to prostrate the barriers of Popish igno-
rance and superstition, and then to pour out his Spirit
on the immense population of that kingdom, and
produce a glorious revolution, in favour of pure reli-
gion, and the liberties of mankind. He answered
me by saying, that if it was a desirable thing to pull
down the Pope, and set up the Devil, it must be
confessed that a glorious revolution was going on in
France; and that if it was the design of God, in his
providence, to make the enormities perpetrated
among that people productive of any immediate
good, we could only say, * How unsearchable are his
judgments, and his ways past finding out!' My par-
tiality to the French revolution was terminated at
an early period of its progress, and the Doctor, from
that time, had no hesitation in giving me his whole
mind on the subject. From some cause or other,
he was able to predict coming events at that period,
even in opposition to existing appearances. Thus,
at the time when the Constituent Assembly had de-
creed that France should remain a monarchy, and
the people were enthusiastically swearing fealty to
their king, Dr. Nisbet wrote to me, as near as 1 can
recollect, in these words: ^ Poor Louis, he will have
a sham trial, and a real execution.' When I com-,
plimented him on the sagacity manifested in his
prognostics, he told me, that he deserved no other
credit for his predictions, than what was due to his
lucky interpretation of the prophetic enigmas of the
312
MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
celebrated Nostrodamus; that when he wished to
know what was to come next, he had only to con-
sult Nostrodamus, (no doubt, in his ' Centuries of
Quatrains,') and employ his skill in solving his pro-
phetic symbols; in which he had hitherto been very
successful. I told him, that since Nostrodamus was
80 sure a guide, I should like to know how the
French revolution was to terminate. * 0,' said the
Doctor, * it will all go to the Devil at last. ^ How
much, or how little, of exact truth there was, in this
statement about Nostrodamus, I pretend not to deter-
mine. Dr. Nisbet never trifled with truth, when
the subject was serious; but he both hated and ridi-
culed the French revolution, and that incessantly. I
could fill more than this second sheet of my remi-
niscences, with his ludicrous allusions to the events,
and the language to which it gave rise. I will men-
tion but a single instance. While the General As-
sembly of our Church was in session, in May, 1796,
a very valuable horse was stolen from me, out of a
pasture-lot in the vicinity of the city. Dr. Nisbet,
who was paying us his annual visit, on hearing of
this occurrence, hastened to my house, and some-
thing like the following colloquy ensued: * So,' said
he, ' 1 understand you have lost your hors^-' Yes,
Doctor, I replied, the night before last, a thief fancied
him, and I fear I shall never see him again. 'No
doubt,' said he, * it was done by one of the sovereign
people; he was taken, without your leave, by a pure
act of sovereignty. But, sir, it was only a forced
loan; it was an act of practical Liberty and Equal-
ity; the rascal thought that you had been riding
long enough, and that, by all the laws of equality, it
HIS CHARACTER, ETC. 313
was his turn to ride naw; and so he made use of his
liberty to appropriate to himself a part of your pro-
perty, without your consent.^ ^'
"Lord Kames, in his Elements of Criticism, says,
* Memory and wit are often conjoined, sound judg-
ment seldom with either.' Of the justice of at least
the first half of this dictum of his countryman. Dr.
Nisbet might be referred to, as a striking example.
In memory and wit, I always viewed him as a pro-
digy. I do not mean to say, that his memory was
without a parallel; for both in ancient and modern
times, I have read of those who equalled him in this
faculty. But I can truly say, that I never myself
have known an individual that could pretend to be
his equal. Every thing that he had read, heard or
seen, seemed to be immovably fixed in his mind, and
to be ready for his use. Not only could he refer to
any fact or reasoning, in the numerous authors
which he had perused in various languages, but all
the incidents in the newspapers of the day, and in
other ephemeral publications that fell under his no-
tice, he never forgot. His letters to me sometimes
referred to occurrences in this city, which, although
on the spot, I had not observed, or had entirely for-
gotten, till he called my attention to them. He told
me, however, in one of the last interviews that I had
with him, that he found his memory was less faith-
ful and tenacious than it had formerly been. In re-
gard to his wit, it seemed to be instinctive, and to
gush out, almost involuntarily, on all occasions.
Sometimes it showed itself in that pleasant play of the
fancy which is denominated Humour; and sometimes
and oftener, it might be called broad Wit, irresistibly
27
314 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
provocative of agitating mirth, or laughter. Too
often for his own quiet, it was satirical, or sar-
castic; causing loss of friendship in some who could
not make allowance for an overbearing propensity.
For truly, in him, satirical remark or allusion was
not prompted by a misanthropic or malignant spirit,
or disposition. On the contrary, he was benevolent,
compassionate and kind, in no ordinary degree.
Seldom have I known a man, more easily or certain-
ly melted by distress or misfortune; or more ready
to do all in his power to relieve it. After the dread-
ful calamity, the yellow fever of 1793, his sympathy
was so awakened by the death of his friends, that on
his next visit to our city, he exhibited little else
than sadness in his demeanour and conversation. I
once took the liberty to say to him, that it seemed
to me, that whether in the communications of others,
or by his own observation, his attention was drawn,
with somewhat more than ordinary force, to an ob-
ject, he speedily saw it in some obliquity of aspect,
in some grotesque or ludicrous form, that rendered
it ridiculous, or the fit subject of satire. He frank-
ly replied, * I think there is something in that.-* I
thought it an evidence of deep conscientiousness,
that, as far as possible, he restrained himself from
saying what would cause levity and laughter on the
Lord's day; and that he did not intentionally admit
any eifusion of wit into his sermons. You will no-
tice the qualification with which I have expressed
myself in the last sentence; for the truth was, he was
sometimes witty, and caused a smile, without intend-
ing it, or probably being conscious of it himself.
Thus, he once made me smile, while preaching for
me in my own pulpit; by comparing a man who is
HIS CHARACTER, ETC 315
^ carried about by every wind of doctrine,' and appa-
rently afraid to trust his own understanding to fix
him steadfastly in any article of his relij>;ious creed,
to a man who should make the experiment of tying
up his own eyes, to see how he would walk blind-
folded. Expressions of this character were so com-
mon with him, both in conversation and writing,
that I think he probably often used them, without
being at all sensible that they were ludicrous."
'' He never showed a note in the pulpit; and what-
ever he mio;Iu have done in the early periods of his
ministry, I am persuaded that while I knew him, he
rarely, if ever, wrote a sermon. His mind was so
stored with ideas on every topic of a religious kind,
and his acquaintance with the holy Scriptures was
so accurate and familiar, that with his ready utter-
ance, he could preach on any subject without much
labour of preparation. His public discourses abound-
ed in thought, and thought that was pertinent, useful,
and often striking; but he was loose and miscellane-
ous, rather than close and methodical. He always,
indeed, adhered to a general method, in the treat-
ment of his subject; but he was not solicitous to put
each expression in its most proper place, or to ex-
clude matter merely collateral, if it fell in his way.
His voice in preaching was articulate, but not power-
ful; not loud enough to reach the remote parts of
a large and full church, so as to be heard without
a painful listening. He was not aware of this, till
he heard of it in the way of complaint; and then
he altogether refused to attempt a publi*c service in
the larger churches of our city. * I cannot preach in
your mammoth houses,' was his reply to every in-
vitation, after he had formed the resolution I have
316 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
mentioned. Yet he was always ready, and apparent-
ly gratified to preach in any place or circumstances,
in which he could he easily and fully heard. 1 once
accompanied him when he went, I believe on his own
voluntary offer, to preach to the convicts, in the pub-
lic prison of this city; and I was never better pleased
with any sermon that I heard from him, than that
which he delivered on this occasion.'^
^^In Theology, Dr. Nisbet was a decided Calvin-
ist, of the old school, and deeply read in the writings
of its most distinguished masters. Yet he was not
intolerant of other denominations, if they held what
he regarded as the fundamentals of religion. I never
heard him speak with severity of any religious sect,
except the Universalists. Of an individual of that
sect, whom he believed to be a very bad man, I once
heard him say, * His is the only good rogue's re-
ligion. He knoVvs, if that dont save him, he has no
chance at all.' "
"Of his general character as the President of a
College, I know but little. Living at the distance of
one hundred and twenty miles from Carlisle, and ha-
ving visited it but once during his presidency, and
that at a time of vacation in the College, I had no
opportunity to make any observations for r»yself. I
have always understood, that in the business of in-
struction, he never failed to perform with ability,
diligence and punctuality, every duty to which he
was pledged. I also know that he was greatly dis-
satisfied with the hasty and imperfect course of study,
which he found himself obliged to tolerate; and that
he gave great umbrage to some of the Trustees of the
Institution, by the severity of the remarks which he
made, on the disposition which he believed they
HIS CHARACTER, ETC, 317
eherislied, to favour a superficial system of educa-
tion."
"In like manner, I must state, that I know but
little, from personal observation, of Dr. Nisbet's do-
mestic character. I have uniformly heard him repre-
sented as peculiarly amiable and kind, not only in
his family, but in alt his intercourse with othei'S, in
private life. When the General Assembly met at
Carlisle, in 1792, he invited a company to dine with
him, of whom I was one; and this, as far as I recol-
lect, was the only time, except on the following
Lord's day, that I ever made a part of his domestic-
circle. The dinner party to which I have referred,
was received and treated in a handsome style; and at
its close, the Doctor indul<red his witty and satirical
vein, bevond any thing that I had before witnessed.
At other times, it had broken out by flashes, with
distinct intermissions; but it now blazed forth in a
coruscation, with only fitful abatements, for more
than an hour."
" I conclude my reminisences of Dr. Nisbet, with
stating, that he was a man of as much genuine in-
tegrity as I have ever known. Whatever were the
subject, he abhorred, and denounced in unmeasured
terms, all hypocrisy and all disguise. His own sen-
timents and feelings he disclosed with the simplicity
of a child. Had he been more reserved, perhaps he
he would have been more happy; but he had no ta-
lent for concealment."
" Respectfully and affectionately,"
" Yours,"
" AsHBEL Green."
''Rev. Dr. Samuel Miller.''
27*
318 MEMOIR OF D3.. NISBET.
The following letter from the Rev. Dr. Brown,
President of Jefferson College, Canonsburg, Pennsyl-
vania, will show the estimation in which the subject
of this Memoir is held by another highly respected
head of an important literary Institution.
" Canonsburg, June 29, 1840."
" Reverend and Dear Sir,''
" I have a very high regard for the memory of Dr.
Nisbet. It was my privilege to enjoy the benefit of
his instruction, for several j^ears, while a student at
College. I have an entire copy of all his college Lec-
tures as he delivered them. Afterwards 1 studied
Theology under his direction, and was favoured with
the reading of the manuscript Lectures which he de-
livered previously to a Theological class.
" Dr. Nisbet was certainly a very extraordinary
man. He appeared to have read and studied every
thing, and to have forgotten nothing. He seemed at
home on every subject; to be familiar with all distin-
guished writers, ancient and modern; and to be ex-
tensively and accurately informed on every depart-
ment of literature. He was master of at least twelve*
different languages, and could write and converse in
most of them with ease and fluency. In Latin par-
ticularly he could converse and write with great fa-
cility and elegance. As President of the College,
when present at the recitations or examinations of the
different classes, he appeared perfectly familiar with
*In a subsequent page the number of languages with which he
was familiar, is represented as Jiine. That representation was intend-
ed to be strictly within bounds. Dr. Brown tliinks the number was
greater.
HIS CHRACTER, ETC. 319
every department, mathematics, the natural sciences,
and languages, as well as his own peculiar depart-
ment. He was so perfectly familiar with the Latin
and Greek classics usually studied in College, that
^' without book," he could hear a recitation, and cor-
rect the slightest error. He appeared to have the
whole committed to memory. The power of his
memory was altogether extraordinary. 'The Task,'
a favourite poem with him, he was said to have com-
mitted to memory perfectly by two readings. He
could quote and repeat, with a familiarity truly won-
derful, most of the great Poets, Latin, Greek and
English.
'•' In Theology and the sacred Scriptures his knowl-
edge was extensive and profound. When 1 com-
menced the study of Theology under his care, he di-
rected me to read and study the Scriptu7^es, at first
'without note or comment;' and when any difficul-
ty occurred, to note the passage and present it to
him, at the time appointed for meeting him. The
moment he took the paper in his hand he seemed to
anticipate the whole difficulty, referred at once to the
connection, and commonly repeated literally, and
with the utmost readiness, the whole context; and
was prepared to throw the most satisfactory light
upon it."
'' It was my privilege to sit under his ministry for
several years. But I can give you no new information
on this subject, as you had the same privilege, though,
for a shorter time. After I became familiar with his
Scotch dialect and tone, I was delighted with him as
a preacher. There was, as might have been expect-
ed, in his discourse a rich fund of thought expressed
320 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET*
with peculiar vivacity and force of language; and
when exposing error and vice, accompanied with a
vein of satire for which he was so remarkable. His
sermons, you know, were not written; but they were
very systematic, and always well arranged. He had
a singular command of that exhaustless fund of ideas
with which his mind was stored. When I heard
him in Carlisle, he seemed to limit himself exactly
to an hour, in every discourse, by the watch. But
this limitation of himself to the hour did not seem to
destroy, or even to affect, the proportion or harmony
of the different parts of his sermons."
" His plan of instruction in College was by Lec-
tures, which the classes were expected to write in
full. He delivered them with so much deliberation
and with such pauses, that, after some practice, we
were able to take down the whole. I have a full
copy of all his lectures taken from his lips as he de-
livered them. There were, however, few classes, all
the members of which would consent to sustain the
labour of doing this. His lectures were thought by
some to be too voluminous; but they were exceed-
ingly rich, and excellent in their kind. Besides a
thorough and philosophical investigation of his sub-
ject, it was always illustrated by appropriate anec-
dotes, characterized by that wit and vivacity for
which he was so distinguished. He seldom finished
a lecture without some exhilarating anecdote, and
some brilliant flashes of wit and humour, electrifying
the whole class."
" It has been often alleged that men who are re-
markable for memory and ivit, are commonly defi-
cient in judgment, and the power of close reasoning
HIS CHARACTER, ETC. 321
and investigation. This rennark, which has almost
passed into a maxim, was not exemplified in the case
of Dr. Nisbet. His Lectures on Metaphysics, on
Mental Philosophy, and on the most difficult subjects
in Theology, exhibit a mind capable of the closest
reasoning, and the most discriminating and profound
investigation, whilst at the same time his lucid style,
and striking illustrations, throw an interest around
those subjects which are usually considered as dry
and unattractive."
"And here I cannot forbear to give a little speci-
men of what I mean, extracted from one of his Lec-
tures on Logic. After treating on several sorts of
syllogism and modes of argumentation, he added:"
"Besides all the modes of argumentation already
mentioned, there is another more ancient and much
more in use, than any of the rest. This is com-
monly called the ay^gumenium bacculinum, or
club argument, and consists in using force in bring-
ing others over to our opinion. But all other me-
thods of reasoning ought to be tried before this is
used; yet in all governments this mode is absolutely
necessary for supporting the honour of the laws;
and indeed all government is only a jest without it.
But it is not only the nerve of authority, but the
soul of war. Whence Louis the 14th caused this
inscription to be engraved on his cannon — Ultima
ratio regum. There are some men of a nature so
stupid that this is the only mode of reasoning that
has any weight with them; and others are so stub-
born that even this mode of reasoning cannot change
their opinion; but it has this convenient quality that,
when it is vigorously applied, it either silences or
322 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
convinces. It has the same property as the dilem-
ma^ viz, that it is apt o be retorted; and if the per-
son who uses it, has not a force superior to his respon-
dent, he runs the risk of being confuted; because
this mode of reasoning is of all others the most in-
fectious, and apt to be catched by the respondent,
the moment that it is used against him, which ought
to make young men very cautious in the use of this
argument, lest Ihey give their respondent an oppor-
tunity of refuting them. But the most warrantable
and safe use of this mode of argumentation is when
one acts as a respondent; and this is the only justifi-
able use of it in private life. There is no mode of
argument in which mankind are more liable to be
licentious and disputatious. Young men in particu-
lar are very prone to the use of it, though generally
forbidden by their teacher; and, indeed, they ought
not to be allowed the use of it until they are acquaint-
ed with the rules of logic, so as to know its proper
place, and the cases in which it ought to be used.
Of all modes of reasoning this is, undoubtedly, the
most generally used. Hence all history is full of it;
on which account it may be reckoned surprising that
Jiristotle has said nothing about it in his Organon;
and it was probably owing to this omissiot^that his
pupil, Alexander the Great, was so licentious in the
use of it."
" It is remarkable that although, in the common
mode of syllogistic disputation, there is nothing so
difficult as how to find a good middle term, on the
contrary, in this way of disputation, there is nothing
so easy. Almost every thing has been used as a
middle term in this method of disputation. Hence
HIS CHARACTER, ETC. 323
Virgil says, Furor arrna lainistrat, because a stone
a stick, a fire-brand, or almost any thing within one's
reach, may be used as a middle term. School-mas-
ters make use of their ferula for this purpose, and
boys of their fists; and Horace tells us that the Thra-
cians made use of their drinking cups by way of
middl'e terms: — and the moderns have imitated their
example by using bottles and glasses for the same
purpose. As it is necessary in disputation that the
same person should not at once act as opponent and
respondent, this gave rise to the shield, the hemlet,
and the coat of mail, which served the same purpose
to the disputant as the denial of any of the premises
in ordinary logic, the effect of which is to render the
argument on the other side useless. But since the
invention of gunpowder, a new kind of middle term
has been introduced, which renders defensive armour
entirely useless. But the argumentuni baccidi-
nw??2 is safest in the hands of the civil magistrates,
because private persons are apt to use it with indis-
cretion. Young men ought not to be licentious in the
use of any sort of argument; but they ought to be
especially cautious in the use of the argumentuni
bucculi?iiim.''
"The moderns have introduced into their logic,
an argument unknown to the ancients called argu-
mentuni ad crunienajn, i. e. an argument addressed
to the purse, which, however fashionable, has nothing
to recommend it, because it has no tendency to pro-
duce conviction. It may embarrass a poor respond-
ent, but cannot convince his understanding. Be-
sides, this mode may also be retorted."
" Another mode of argument is the argumentum
324 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET»
juratorium, or attempting to demonstrate a conclu-
sion by oaths, instead of premises and middle terms.
This kind does not admit of any rule, being really a
breach of all rules, and commonly as unfriendly to
truth as it is contrary to delicacy and propriety.
Besides, swearing in common conversation has been
observed to be almost inseparably connected with
lying; so that one may pick out the lies out of any
mixed discourse, without any other guide than the
oaths by which they were accompanied. The fact
is, when a man is conscious that he is speaking the
truth, he will never suspect that it needs to be con-
firmed by an oath; whereas, when he knows that he
is telling a lie, it is more than probable that he will
swear to it.'^
" I am doubtful whether there is any thing in the
foregoing reminiscences which will be of any use to
you, or which you do not know quite as well al-
ready. If any thing has been suggested which has
heretofore escaped your notice, it will give pleasure
to him who is very respectfully yours,"
'' M. Brown."
« Rev. Dr. Miller:^
More than thirty four years ago, when^ plan had
been formed for writing the life of Dr. Nisbet, which
was afterwards, for several reasons, for a time laid
aside, several ministers of the Church of Scotland
were requested to furnish materials for that purpose.
On that occasion, the following letter was received
from the Rev. Dr. Samuel Martin, of Monimail, a
very respectable and worthy Pastor of that Church,
which it is thought proper to give at large. A part
aiS CHARACTER, ETC. 325
of the first paragraph was before quoted; but for the
Bake of the connexion, it is judged best to present the
whole letter at one view.
" Monimail, June 1 3, 1805."
" Dear Sir,''
" You apply to one who is very willing to contri
bute his part for doing honour to the memory of our
friend, Dr. Nisbet. But, alas! I am not so well
qualified for this purpose as you seem to think. As-
suredly there are many who could furnish you with
much more ample details respecting his life and its
various events than I can, and who had better access
to him, and more ability to estimate his character
and endowments than myself To show you, how-
ever, that 1 respect Dr. Nisbet's memory, and that I
wish to oblige you, I shall frankly communicate, on
the spur of the occasion, what occurs to my recollec-
tion, as interesting, and worthy of being recorded in
a Memoir of that eminent man.''
*' To go back, chronologically; perhaps the first
time that I distinguished Mr. Nisbet, was in the Di-
vinity Hall at Edinburgh. Dr. Hamilton, our wor-
thy and learned Professor, had appointed the im-
pugning and defending a Thesis, according to mood
and figure, in Latin. The Doctor was an excellent
Latin scholar himself, and seemed to be as much at
his ease in Latin as in English. The shrewdness
and ability, the command of argument and of lan-
guage in Mr. Nisbet, struck me much in those days.
This disputation was the more memorable, because
it was the only one I witnessed in the Theological
Class. 1 suppose the practice about that time — 1757
28
326 MEMOIR OF DR. NI3BET.
— or 1758 — was becoming obsolete; though it is kept
up still, I believe, in some Presbyteries, in the licens-
ing of preachers, and in the secondary trials, before
ordination, in our Church/^
" His command of Latin, which, at that time I ad-
mired, suggests to me the mention of his astonishing
memory. In this faculty, he exceeded all men that
I ever knew. A son of mine had returned from his
first session in the University of St Andrews, when
Dr. Nisbet paid a visit to the Earl of Leven's fami-
ly, and therefore was with me.* He asked the boy
what he was reading? He told him, such a book of
Homer. The Doctor then began, and recited many
lines of that book, without the least hesitation. I
asked him how it was possible tliat such a quantity
of Greek could remain in his mind? He replied,
* that he did not well know; that he read them, and
they stuck.' He assured me that he could once
have repeated the whole ^neid, and Young's Night
Thoughts. In his quotations from the Classics, and
from modern books, I had occasion often to admire
the strength of his memory, and the appositeness of
his references. Butler's Hudibras seemed to be per-
fectly familiar to him, and was often quoted with
happy effect. He was fond of wit, and the wit con-
joined with the learning of Hudibras, could not fail
to please him. Like other wits, he could be playful,
and descend to a play on words, very happily. For
example, I carried him, one night, through intricate
paths and windings, to him, at least, intricate and a
* Mr. Martin was, for some time, a Chaplain in the Eail ol Leven's
family.
HIS CHARACTER, ETC. 327
labyrinth. At the end, he exclaimed—" Martin!
you will make an excellent commentator; you carry
one safely and skilfully through dark passages."
" Dr. Nisbet's appearances in the General Assembly
attracted my notice long before I was introduced to
his acquaintance. They were distinguished by
acuteness, and learning, and wit, and happy quota-
tions, and quaint allusions. He felt strongly. One
of his best friends used to say: — " Quicquid vult
valde vidt.''^ He was, therefore, I suspect, some-
times too severe on his antagonists in his opinions,
his conversations, and his public speeches. His
speeches generally were short. He was far from
being declamatory. Weak nerves and di65dence ap-
peared in his utterance; but his matter was excel-
lent; full of point, of argument, and of happy illus-
tration. The Docter had given offence to some by
quoting Scripture in the General Assembly. The
violent settlement of a minister, under the "Patron-
age Act," against the will of the congregation, was
the subject before the Assembly. Two members
had made flaming and menacing speeches in favour
of the settlement, and reprobating, in strong terms,
the sentence of the Synod refusing to let the presen-
tee be placed. After the preceding speakers had
done. Dr. Nisbet stood up, and spoke as follows: —
* Moderator, I was afraid the two last speakers
would have called for thunder and lightening to fall
on us and consume us. I have been often blamed
for quoting Scripture in this house. I shall not
trouble you with it just now; but will repeat (glanc-
ing an eye at the friends of Mr. Home, the celebrated
author of the Tragedy of Douglas,) a few lines from
328 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET,
Shakespeare, which, perhaps, will be more to the
taste of some gentlemen.
" Could great men thunder
As Jove himself does, Jove would ne'er be quiet ;
For every pelting petty officer,
"Would use his heaven for thunder ; nothing but thunder. —
Merciful heaven !
Thou rather, with thy sharp and sulphurous bolt,
Split'st the unwedgeable and gnarled oak.
Than the soft myrtle : But man, proud man I
Brest in a little brief authority,
Most ignorant of what he's most assured,
His glassy essence, — like an angry ape.
Plays such fantastick tiicks before high heaven,
As make the angels weep ."*
"This electrified the Assembly; and by such
means he often carried his point."
"After I came to Fife, in 1776,1 had frequent
opportunities of meeting with Dr. Nisbet, in the
company of our common friend, Dr. Snodgrass, then
minister of Dundee. They were congenial spirits
in many respects. We enjoyed ' solid nights,' as
Dr. Snodgrass phrased it; rich with anecdotes, enli-
vened with wit and learning, and seria mistajocis.
Our union, however, became closer after he was in-
troduced into the acquaintance of the Earl of Leven's
family, and was a frequent visitant at JNlel ville House.
But I may say, in truth, our union became closer
still, after he went to America. I had urged him
exceedingly not to cross the Atlantic. I discovered
a degree of zeal on the question of his accepting or
declining of the invitation to be the President in
f Shakespeare — Measure for Measure — Act \\. Scene II.
HIS CHARACTER, KTC. 329
Carlisle College, which showed to him that I was
greatly interested in him and his £aim\\y, I suppose
it was in some measure on account of the manifesta-
tion of tiiis interest, that I was favoured with many-
long and very entertaining letters from America, as
one of his friends, to whom he took pleasure in un-
bosoming himself without restraint. His espistles
were always highly grateful to me, and full of A7*-
betiana. The greatest number of them I have pre-
served; and did delicacy and duty permit freedoms
of this sort, which I think they do not, they would,
from the press, furnish the public with a very enter-
taining collection. They are conversations, unpre-
meditated; one topic slides into another; sometimes,
however, the transitions are abrupt and unexpected.
From his correspondence, though I had not known
him in any other way, I should feel myself warranted
in pronouncing Dr. Nisbet an excellent man; a sincere
Christian; a true patriot; a warm friend; and strongly,
verv strongly attached to the interests of religion, and
of mankind. His attachments to Great Britain seemed
to increase with his years and his experience. He
held revolutionary, and especially Galliean princi-
ples, in utter detestation. He considered the strength
and triumph of Great Britain, in her contest with
France, as, under God, the hope of the world. The
' Grand Republic' was the object of his aversion and
horror. The transition from outrageous Republican-
ism, to the abject servility of the slaves of an upstart
Usurper, he considered as, at once, ridiculous, con-
temptible, and completely degrading. The doc-
trines of Deists, Socinians, and other innovators,
were as much abhorred as the levelling doctrines of
28*
330 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBETT.
the infamous Paine, and of his disciples, whose blas»-
phemies had deserved no notice or reply,.but for tha
unhinging spirit of democracy and impiety, which
had crept forth at the time, under the specious ap-
pearances and names of ' Philosophy,' the ' Rights of
Man,' and general 'Philanthropy,' and 'Illumina-
tion.' "
" By distance of time and place. Dr. Nisbet's iiv
terest in his friends in Great Britain seemed to in-
crease. 'When I see,' said he in one of his letters-:
-— ' When I see the sun, moon and stars passing over
me, I am ready to envy them, and to ask tliem con-
cerning my Friends whom they have so lately visited
and are so soon to see again.' In the act of shutting
bis windows, he had happened to think of his friends
at Monimail: 'Ever since,' says he, ' I think of you,
and pray for you when I shut my windows at night;
and so I have connected the remembrance of my
friends with particular objects and incidents; and
thus I feel myself among them; though I do not just
go the length of saying, Sancte Martinty ova pro
nobis. ^ "
^' Short and hurried as my sketch is, and, there-
fore, imperfect, it is all that my knowledge and cir-
cumstances admit of; and perhaps all that the limits
you can allot for a communication of this sort, can
receive. Such as it is, you are welcome to it, and
may dispose of it as you please. Others may furnish
you with a more perfect account; but none with a
more sincere regard for the character of Dr. Nisbet,
than his friend and admirer, and yowr obedient hum-
ble servant," '' Samuel Martin,"
" The Rev. Dr, Miller, New York.''
HIS CHARACTER, ETC. 331
The foregoing communications will satisfy every
reader, if he were not before informed of the fact,
that Dr. Nisbet's intellectual powers were of a very
high order. That his memory was all but prodi-
gious, and his wit seldom equalled, all who knew
him, with one voice conceded. His memory ex-
extended to ivords as well as things, and seemed to
serve him without effort, on all occasions. This be-
ing the case, some may be ready to doubt whether a
mind so remarkable for the power of recalling past
impressions, and of tracing unusu-al and striking as-
sociations of ideas, would be likely to be a sound or
strong reasoner. But his power in the Judicatories
of the Church, and many of his sermons, as well as
several things which have appeared from his pen, —
especially his Review of the System of Mr. John
Wesley, before referred to, — clearly evinced that
his reasoning powers, as well as those of retention
and imagination, were remarkabl}^ clear and vigour-
ous. The rapidity as well as the vigour of his men-
tal operations, was noticed as striking by all who
conversed with him. If controversy had more
strongly called his reasoning talents into exercise,
there is every reason to believe there would have
been a display of them of the most honourable kind.
In love of knowledge, and in solid learning, this
eminent man undoubtedly exceeded even most of
those denominated the learned men of his age. He
had been a devoted student from his boyhood. He
read books, (as the writer of this Memoir has often
had occasion to observe,) in half, if not one-third
part of the time which it cost every other person he
ever saw. And he seemed to forget nothing that h©
332 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
ever read. Studies of this kind could not fail of
leading to an accumulation of knowledge of the rar-
est extent and value. He seemed to have read
every book, and to have studied every subject which
the best informed person at any time in his com-
pany could ever mention. He, perhaps, more fully
deserved the title that was given him before he left
Scotland — a walking library — than any other man
in the United States. Often, very often, when convers-
ing in literary circles, after those around him had
been listening, with instruction and delight, to the
conversation of other remarkably well-informed in-
dividuals, the subject of this Memoir has surprised
the company with an exhibition of learning on the
same subjects of conversation so much more pro-
found and discriminating, as to preclude all compa-
rison with the attainments of any one else.
In what may be strictly called erudition, he was
truly great. By this is meant a profound acquain-
tance with the ancient Classics; with the Fathers of
the Christian Church; with the earlier as well as the
later Historians; with the principal Theological wri-
ters of all countries and systems; with the history of
knowledge; with the leading writers on the Philoso-
phy of the Mind, Moral Philosophy, Political Eco-
nomy, &c. On these, and the allied subj.ects, he had
few equals. In what are commonly termed the
Physical Sciences, though well informed, he was
not so profoundly versed, as in the branches of knowl-
edge just mentioned. He could, indeed, converse on
almost all of them in an instructive and entertaining
manner; — showing that his mind was awake to every
object of knowledge. But it was evident that he
HIS CHARACTER, ETC.
333
had not directed to them his early, continued and
close attention. Indeed, when conversing on several
of the natural sciences, he has been often heard to
say — " The case is, all we know on these subjects is
just a few facts.^'
Dr. Nisbet's familiarity with the Greek and Latin
classics has been already more than once alluded to.
Of this many striking proofs and examples were con-
tinually occurring. A single one will suffice. Once,
not long after his settlement in Carlisle, when he was
dining with a select literary circle, a Lawyer of con-
siderable eminence, who greatly prided himself on
his acquaintance with the Latin and Greek langua-
ges, was of the company. In the course of conver-
sation this Gentleman quoted several lines in the ori-
ginal Greek from Homer's Iliad. When he had
finished his quotation, Dr. NIsbet said to him — 'Well,
mon, ga on; what yau've left is just as goad as what
you've taken.' The gentleman confessed that his
memory did not serve him. for repeating more. The
Doctor then began where he had ended, and with the
greatest ease repeated a considerable additional por-
tion.
But his knowledge of Languages was not confined
to the Latin and Greek. He was an excellent critie
in Hebrew literature. He also read French, Ger-
man, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese; the two first
named with perfect ease and familiarity; and all in
such a manner as to understand the scope, and to
relish the beauties of the principal writers in those
respective tongues. Judge Brackenridge, late of the
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, in an eulogy on this
eminent man, partaking in some degree of his char-
334 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
acteristio eccentricity, but abounding in just and ex-
cellent thoughts, — remarks that " he was not only a
master of the French language, so as to speak and
write it with entire facility; but that he also had such
an acquaintance with the Italian as enabled him to
read some of the best compositions in that language
with pleasure; and so much knowledge of Spanish
and Portuguese, as to read Don Quixotte and Ca-
moens in the original." Here were iiine languages
possessed and used by one man. And although, as
is well known, there have been examples, in ancient
as well as in modern times, of much larger attain-
ments in the department of language; yet it may be
doubted whether there have been many examples in
any age, of a man skilled in so many languages, who,
at the same time, had acquired so large an amount of
other and richer knowledge. To the acquisition of
some of these dialects he did not apply his mind un-
til late in life; and in making his acquisitions in this
field, he proceeded almost entirely by his own unas-
sisted efforts, without enjoying any of those facilities
which much travel, large libraries, and the constant
society and aid of great linguists, so richly afford.
As a Preacher Dr. Nisbet's excellence was great
and peculiar. In early life he was in the habit of
preparing for the pulpit by writing a portion, and
sometimes a considerable portion, of what he intend-
ed to deliver. But ii was only on special occasions
that he wrote the whole. What he wrote, he com-
monly committed to memory, which, with him, was
a very short and easy process. Two, or at most,
three readings of that which had been recently writ-
ten, would enable him to repeat it verbatim. He
HIS CHARACTER, ETC. 335
was probably never known to carry a paper, or any
kind of help to his memory into the pulpit. Such
a mind needed no such aid. After became to Ame-
rica, he wrote but two Sermons; one at his inaugu-
ration as President of the College, which was print-
ed; and the other on the death of Washington, which,
though solicited by many to be published, was never
committed to the press.
In the later periods of his life, when the writer of
this sketch had an opportunity not only of hearing
him, but also of being much with him in private, his
preparation for the pulpit seemed to cost him very
little labour. Indeed, there appeared to be no partic-
ular portion of time set apart for it. Even the m.em-
bers of his own family never knew when it was done.
The truth is his mind was so richly furnished with
knowledge; his memory so extraordinary; his ima-
gination so much under his command; and all his
powers so prompt and obedient to his will, that it
seemed almost as easy for him to preach as to breathe.
Nor was his preaching by any means of that com-
mon place, declamatory character which too gene-
rally belongs to the extemporary speakers, in which
words are more abundant than thoughts; in which a
few grains only of wheat are to be found in bushels
of chaff. On the contrary, his sermons abounded in
thought, always instructive and weighty; often new,
striking and deeply interesting.
His delivery in the pulpit was not remarkably
graceful, or conformed to the rules of art. His voice
was small, scarcely sufficient to fill a large house,
without extraordinary effort. He made very little
gesture. He seldom rose to much vehemence; but
336 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
poured out a flood of precious truth, good sense, and
unaflfected piety with a uniformity, and solidity which
never failed to fix and reward the attention of those
who were more intent on richness of thought, and
sound theological instruction, than on the ornaments
of rhetoric, or the graces of a fascinating delivery.
His style of speaking was remarkably clear, manly,
unafiected, direct, and adapted to please all classes of
intelligent and serious hearers. His powers of argu-
ment and of illustration seemed to be inexhaustible;
and when the hour (to which his sermons were usual-
ly confined) was out, he closed, not from the least
failure of matter, but rather from the unexpected and
regretted failure of time. An example of the rich-
ness and variety of his resources in the pulpit was
given in a former chapter, when speaking of his re-
covery from a severe illness, soon after his arrival in
Carlisle. On another occasion, when visiting a friend
in the ministry, that friend, having left the discus-
sion of an important subject unfinished in his morn-
ing's discourse. Dr. Nisbet, in the afternoon, took it
up, at the point where it had been left, and brought
it to a close in a manner equally instructive and in-
teresting: — and all this without retiring a moment
for study, or appearing to devote any time to prepa-
ration.
As a divine, Dr. Nisbet was a sound, old-school
Calvinist, He was a devoted friend of the West-
minster Confession of Faith; considering it as a most
lucid and happy exhibition of the system of doctrine
taught in the Holy Scriptures. The arrangement of
his course of Theological Lectures was in conformity
with the chapters of this Confession; and he constant*^
HIS CHARACTER, ETC. 337
ly inculcated the maxim, that, on the one hand, all
who professed to subscribe it only " for substance of
doctrine,'' were guilty of criminal deception; and,
on the other hand, that none could subscribe it sin-
cerely or consistently, but genuine Calvinists, or
those who so far adopted the Calvinistic system, as
to be decidedly opposed to all those opinions, in em-
bracing which Arminians and Pelagians differ from
Calvinists. All this was frequently evinced by the
tenor of his preaching: and especially by his Review
of the System of Mr. John Wesley; and also by man-
uscripts left among his papers, in which the subjects
of "Moral Suasion," and the "Nature and impor-
tance of Creeds," are distinctly and strongly discuss-
ed. Nor was this soundness in the faith a mere
frigid disposition to contend for a "form of sound
words." Those whp were honoured with his ac-
quaintance, or who frequently heard him in the pul-
pit, can bear witness with what pious fervour he
often spoke on these subjects, and how much his sen-
timents in regard to ihem evidently appeared to re-
sult not from simple attachment to forms, but from
a conscientious and cordial love of the truth, and a
deep impression of the importance of sound doctrine
in its bearing on vital religion.
He also manifested as rooted and firm an opposi-
tion to "New Measures," as to "New Divinity."
Several years before his death, when "new mea-
sures" were a novelty in the Presbyterian Church,
the writer of this Memoir had occasion, in corres-
ponding with his venerable Friend, to advert to the
remarkable revivals of religion which, about the
years 1800 and 1801, took place in several of the
29
338 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
Western States, particularly in Kentucky and Ten-
nessee, attended with outcries, bodily agitations, and
various extraordinary characteristics. In the course
of that correspondence, a favourable opinion was ex-
pressed on the whole, of those revivals, by the pre-
vsent writer, amidst all the drawbacks and blemishes
with which they were attended. Dr. Nisbet, in re-
ply, gave a solemn warning of disasterous results;
predicted that the issue of the whole would be to
dishonour and depress real religion; and, while he
admitted that some portion of good might possibly
flow from them, expressed an earnest hope, that
every friend of truth and order would frown upon
them, as pregnant with mischief rather than benefit.
He gave it as his opinion, at that early day, that, al-
though the means em.ployed might result in the real
conversion of a few souls, the ultimate effect would
be to drive intelligent and sober people from the
house of God, and to multiply infidels.
As an Jlxitho}\ it has been already remarked, that
Dr. Nisbet published little from the press. A num-
ber, indeed, of the productions of his pen appeared
in the Magazines and Reviews of Britain, from 1756
to 1783; some of them known at the time of their
publication, and others not known until afterward, to
be his. But the only detached publication which
bears his name is the Sermon before alluded to, which
he delivered when he was inaugurated as President
of the College over which he presided. The ques-
tion has often been asked, why, in this publishing
age, a gentleman of so much intellectual wealth
should have had so little disposition to commit to
the press the productions of his mind? The pri-
HIS CHARACTER, ETC 339
mary reason, no doubt, was his unfeigned and pecu-
liar modesty. His acquaintance with the great
works of learning and genius was so intimate; his
standard of excellence in authorship was so high;
and his impression of the difficulty of adding any
thing worthy of perusal to the literary stock already
possessed by the world, was so strong, that he was
indisposed lo run the risk of obtruding any produc-
tion of questionable excellence on the already over-
burdened and glutted literary market. Accordingly,
he resisted many solicitations to pi'epare for the
press that which had afforded much gratification in
the oral delivery. And when, in his last illness, he
was requested to permit the publication, after his
decease, of some of those Lectures which had been
listened to by his pupils with equal instruction and
pleasure, he received the proposal with manifest
aversion, and refused his assent.
As the President of a ColU^e, Dr. Nisbet had
many peculiar difficulties to contend with; but,
amidst them all, he maintained an honourable stand-
ing in the estimation of all sober and competent
judges. The learned Melchior Adam, who had
some experience on the subject, long ago observed:
" Sceptrum illud Scholasticum, plus habet solici-
tudinis quam pulchriliidinis, plus curse quam
auri, plus impedimenti quam argenti.^^ So this
great and good man found it. He was calledto pre-
side over a College in its feeble infancy; the funds
of which were never adequate to the support of its
officers; a large part of the Guardians of which were
by no means qualified to direct its affairs with wis-
dom or efficiency, or to second him in his efforts to
340 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
promote sound learning; and most of the pupils of
which were altogether indisposed either to study, or
to fall in with the plans which he laid for their im-
provement. He was really required to '' make
brick without straw." No wonder that such a Col-
lege, however learned and able its Head, found in-
superable obstacles standing in the way of its pros-
perity. The Board of Trustees was by much too
numerous. It was romposed of most heterogeneous
materials. Some of them were persons of such
views and habits as rendered them a dead weight on
the whole establishment. Some of them took little
or no interest in its affairs. Others were disposed to
interfere with its management unreasonably and mis-
chievously. Indeed, their interferences with the
course of instruction, and between the Faculty and
students, were so frequent and serious as essentially
to invade the best interests of the College. Thus
they weakened the hands of the President and Pro-
fessors, and paved the way for vital mischiefs, in
regard both to instruction and discipline.
With respect to one branch of discipline, that is,
inflicting the penalties prescribed by the laws on in-
dividual students, the tendency of Dr. Nisbel^s mind
was to err on the side of undue lenity, rather than
that of over strictness. His peculiar benevolence
often led him — as some thought too often — to over-
look irregularities and disorders, or to arrest the
stroke of justice, when the interests of the College
demanded that it should fall on the head of the of-
fender. But, in regard to the discipline of his wit
and sarcasm, he was the terror of disorderly students.
Frequently, when the lash of the law either could
HIS CHARACTER, ETC. 341
not be inflicted, or failed of making the proper im-
pression, he could, by a single sentence of caustic
wit, cover the delinquent with mortification and
shame. Indeed, there is reason to believe, that, in
more than one instance, young men were so deeply
and painfully stung by an unexpected stroke of sa-
tire, or sarcasm, that they had no other refuge from
the ridicule which it brought upon them, than to
leave the College.
Dr. Nisbet, after he came to America, sel-
dom attended the General Assembly of the
Church to which he belonged; and, when he did
attend, seldom took an active part in its procepd-
ings. The reasons of this were various. The
journey from Carlisle to Philadelphia, where the
Assembly usually held its sessions, was neither easy
nor convenient. He was generally obliged to per-
form it on horseback, which to one so corpulent as
he was in advanced life, was by no means comforta-
ble. But besides this, the great difference between
the supreme Judicatory of the Church of Scotland,
and that of the Presbyterian Church in the United
States, could not fail of diminishing his interest in the
latter. The General Assembly of the Church of Scot-
land, of which he was often a member, and in which,
when present, he commonly acted a conspicuous
part, at its great Session in May, attended only to
the great and leading portions of the business; leav-
ing the minor points, and the details of order to be
arranged by the Commission of the Assembly, which
sat at least four times in the year. The consequence
was, that the meeting of the Assembly in May, was
a great occasion, when the leading men of the Church
29*
S42 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
were brought together to discuss points of thrilling
interest; when the great questions which divided
the Church, were, tVom year to year, decided; and
when eloquence of the highest order was annually
displayed . From such a body, and from such scenes,
it might be presumed that no one who could fairly
obtain a seat, would allow himself to be absent.
When the subject of this Memoir, in taking his seat
in that body, found himself associated with such
men as Robertson, and Blair, and Witherspoon, and
Erskine, and MoncriefT, and others, both clergymen
and laymen, well known to fame as masters of the
noblest ecclesiastical eloquence, no wonder that he
regarded the opportunity as, in every point of view,
deeply interesting, both as a feast of talent, and as a
contest for principle.
When he came to America, he found no such par-
ties in the General Assembly of our Church as he had
left in that of Scotland; such parties among us being
of far more recent origin. He found, too, that ques-
tions of great and general interest seldom arose in
our Assembly; and that by far the larger portion of
its time was generally occupied in details of routine
business, which, though very important to the order,
union, purity and prosperity of a church, were not
calculated to arrest the attention, and excite the high-
est efforts of the minds of its members. In these he
felt little inclined, or even prepared to take an active
part, and therefore, seldom put himself in the way of
it. And even when he did take a seat in the Assem-
bly, he found such a contrast, between the intensely
interesting questions, and the constant succession of
great speeches, which he had witnessed in his nativ©
laad^ and the general character of those which h^
HIS CHARACTER, ETC. 343
found in our supreme Judicatory, that it vvoiild have
been strange indeed if he had attended on them with
as much earnestness as in Scotland. Had he lived
thirty years longer, he would have seen in our Gene-
ral Assembly as many stimulants to ardent zeal, and
great efforts as he had left in his own country.
Accordingly, though he sometimes came to Phila-
delphia during the Sessions of the General Assem-
bly, it was more frequently for the purpose of relax-
ing himself during a collegiate vacation, or of meet-
ing clerical friends, than for taking a seat in the Body
as a mem.ber. This was once humourously recog-
nized by himself in a conversation with the late Dr.
Mason, of New York, with whom he happened to
meet on one of these visits. Dr. Mason said to him,
in that free and jocular manner for which he was re-
markable — " Well, Doctor, I find you sometimes
come to Philadelphia during the Sessions of the Gen-
eral Assembly. '^ '• Yes," said he, " I am not a mem-
ber, but 1 like to meet my friends, and see a little of
what is going on? Mason — " But do you not some-
times go in to the Assembly, and listen to its pro-
ceedings." Nisbct. — "Yes, I sometimes go in for
the benefit of hearing, and then I come out for the
benefit of not hearing.^' Mason. — " Well, Doctor,
which is the greater benefit?" Nisbet. — " Indeed,
mon, its hard to strike the balance."
And even when he was a member of the Assem-
bly, and felt it to be his duty to occupy his seat, he
seldom took any part in the debates, except on spe-
cial occasions, when something occurred in his opin-
ion seriously wrong, against which he thought it his
(]uty to bear testimony; or something ridiculousj.
344 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
which tempted him to call into exercise his satirical
vein. On such occasions his speeches were always
short and pointed; and though not always successful
in the accomplishment of his purpose, yet never fail-
ed to make a sensible impression. This impression
was sometimes made by brief, dense argument com-
pressed into a few sentences; but much more fre-
quently, by an irresistibly ludicrous turn of thought,
or by a single sentence, conveying a thought more
powerful, if possible, than even direct argument
itself.
On one occasion, when he was a member of the
Assembly, the Records of the Synod of New York
were under review. They were put, as usual, into
the hands of a Committee, to be examined and re-
ported on to the Assembly. The chairman of this
Committee was the Rev. Dr. Green, who was always
a great favourite with Doctor Nisbet. Dr. Green, in
the name of the Committee, reported, that, among
other subjects of remark, they found on the records
of the Synod, a resolution adopted by that body, re-
quiring candidates t^or the ministry to study three
full years, after closing their Collegiate course, before
receiving license to preach. The Committee did not
undertake to pronounce this resolution wrong in it-
self; but brought it before the Assembly as an act cen-
surable as directly militating against a distinct clause
of the Constitution of the Church . When the report
of the Committee was under consideration, several
speakers took part in the discussion. Among the
rest. Dr. Green, the drafter of the report, spoke ably,
and at considerable length, in its favour. When Dr.
Green sat down, Dr. Nisbet arose, and said, with an
HIS CHARACTER, ETC. 345
air and tone respectful, but intensely sarcastic, "Mr.
Moderator, T congratulate the friends of this report
in havinor found in Dr. Green so able and eloquent
an advocate of the precious rights of ignorance.^'
On another occasion, several years before, when
the " Directory for the Worship of God " was under
consideration, a Committee had reported a chapter on
the "Solemnization of Marriage." In the formula-
ry proposed by the Committee the following lan-
guage occurred — " You, Sir, take the woman whom
you hold by the hand, to be your lawful and married
wife &c. ;" and, " You, Mndam, take the man whom
you hold by the hand, to be your lawful and married
husband, &c." When this was read, Dr. Nisbet rose
and spoke thus — " Mr. Moderator, I do not like the
complimentary terms, Sir, and Madam, which oc-
cur in this form. If I were to address such language
to many plain people in the part of the country
where I live, they would either stare with astonish-
ment, or laugh in my face. This puts me in mind
of a new translation of the Bible vvhich I once saw.
That passage in one of the Evangelists vvhich says,
' a certain man had two sons,' the polite translator
rendered thus — ' A certain opulent gentleman had
two sons;* — just as if none but opulent gentlemen
ever had sons!" This created a burst of laughter in
the Assembly, and the words to which he had object-
ed were expunged.
To the wit of Dr Nisbet repeated reference has
been made in the foregoing pages. Of this Judge
Brackenridge, in a eulogy already referred to, speaks
thus.
" The wit of Dr. Nisbet was of the most genuine
346 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
quality. It showed itself chiefly in anecdote and
moral observation.. His anecdote of men and things
was inexhaustible. The talent of relating hriejiy
facts that ilkistrate a principle of human nature, or
the character of an individual, or the history of a
transaction, is a rare and most pleasing talent. Not
less is that of repealing what has been said or writ-
ten. It is not one in many thousands, even of the
liieratl, tliat has the judgment to use the proper
words, — fo U5e no more than are sufficient, — and to
present the i-A-cX or thought simply to the rnind. It
is a talent that is in a great degree the gift of nature,
though it may be improved by art. But illiterate
persons, in common life, are observed to possess it,
in a great degree, when the most improved of the
Acadeniies are without it. An anecdote or saying
may be ruined b}- the addition or the omission of a
single word, and the most delicate taste, from nature,
or from art, or both, is necessary to that terseness in
which the excellence consists. ' Brevity is the soul
of wit.' In this Dr. Nisbet excelled."
"To make the talent of wit a particular, and espe-
cially an oinament in a great man, may seem incon-
gruous, were we not to understand the wit of a Sage,
such as might become the banquet of Plato, or the
conversations of Socrates. In that point of view, it
detracts not from dignity, but rather adds to it. It
is ' the feast of reason, and the flow of soul.' His
combinations of ideas were quick and surprizing, to
illustrate a truth, or to answer an argument, and ex-
pressed with, j)erliaps, a smile, but the laugh was left
to others. I have never heard of his giving offence
to any one by his wit, or wounding the tenderest
HIS CHARACTER, ETC. 347
mind. It was evident that there was no vanity or
ill nature at bottom; but a sincere desire to unite
pleasantry and instruction. It was not a sparkling
fire, but a playins; light; and brilliancy rather repress-
ed than encouraged. I do not know that he thought
he had wit, or ever meant to use it; but his own
mind presenting the incongruities of tilings, he seem-
ed to give way to an expression of the assemblages
which were upon his fancy, unconscious of the view
in which he placed the errors which gave rise to
them."
In the Christian's ]Mao;azine,* which the late Dr.
Mason of New York, edited for several years, with
so much honour to himself and insti'uction to the reli-
gious public, the following passage occurs. "The
late Rev. Dr. Nisbet, celebrated for his profound
erudition, and ready wit, being asked. How he would
define modern philosopliy? replied — ^ It consists in
believing every thing but the truth, and exactly in
proportion to the want of evidence; or to use the
words of a poet, in making windows which shut out
the light, and passages that lead to nothing.' "
Though the chief time and attention of this emi-
nent m.an were bestowed on Theology, and the aux-
iliary branches of knowledge, he found abundant
leisure to keep pace with the current literature of
the age, and commonly appeared more at home in
this department of reading than almost any of his
associates. In Poetry, he had a remarkably fine
taste. He not only admired, read, and had deposit-
ed, to a wonderful extent, in his memory, the best of
Vol. I, p. 284.
348 MEMOIR OP DR. NISBET.
the older English poets; but he was also equally at
home in the writings of the purest and most respect-
able poets who figured in his own time. He was,
in particular, a great admirer of Coivper, and could
repeat, by memory, a large part of his "Task," and
other poems.
As ihe wit of Dr. Nisbet was exuberant and inex-
haustible; and as, on some occasions, adapted to call
it forth, he could wield with power the weapons of
ridicule and sarcasm, it might be supposed, by such as
did not know him, that he was wanting in tenderness
and sympathy. This, however, was far from being the
case. On the contrary, few men were ever more re-
markable than he for their feeling and benevolent
hearts. Of this, the writer of the present Memoir
has witnessed many striking examples. He will ad-
vert to only one. In the winter of 1791, the melan-
choly defeat of General St. Clair, by the Miami In-
dians, occurred, to the distress of the nation. A
large part of the American army which was engaged
in that expedition, had, on its way Westward, en-
camped, for a number of weeks, in the neighborhood
of Carlisle, and became considerably acquainted with
the inhabitants of the Borough. The present writer
was in Carlisle when the disasterous event occurred,
and had, for weeks before, heard the Doctor indulg-
ing his wit at the expense of the government of the
United States, and of that army and its prospects in
particular. When the news of its sanguinary de-
feat arrived, instead of receiving it, as those who did
not know him might have expected, with more than
his usual sarcasm, he was affected, melted, nay almost
overwhelmed by the sad intelligence. If he had
HIS CHARACTER, ETC. 349
lost any of his nearest and most beloved relatives, on
that field of national disaster, he could not have mani-
fested more deep and heart-felt grief than he express-
ed, not merely in a single short paroxysm of feeling,
but for a number of days together. In short, it
opened a view of his character as highly honourable
to himself, as it was unexpected to those who were
but slightly acquainted with him. Indeed his whole
history exhibited him as kind hearted and sympa-
thetic to a degree greatly beyond what is common
in those who are popularly called benevolent men.
The Patriotism of Dr. Nisbet was ardent and
unquestionable. That he was a sincere and warm
friend of free government, none who knew him
will deny. It is true, indeed, he saw, or thought
he saw, much in the political disorders and excesses
of our country, for a number of years after he came
to it, which filled him with many fears for the sta-
bility of its government. On all that he saw he was
wont to express his opinions with a frankness which
became a consciousness of perfect integrity. These
opinions were not always palatable to those around
him; and sometimes, indeed, were incorrect in them-
selves, arising from that want of entire comprehen-
sion of the character and habits of the American
people, which was natural and almost unavoidable in
a stranger. In regard to these opinions, an able
eulogy of this venerable man, published many years'
ago, and ascribed to a layman of the highest respec-
tability in Pennsylvania, thus speaks: — "They gave
rise to rumours as unfounded in fact, as they were
disastrous in their results to the interests of the
College, — that he inculcated political doctrines which
30
350 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
were hostile to republican government. On this
subject the writer of this notice can pronounce with
candour and accuracy, as he belongs to the party to
which Doctor Nisbet is supposed to have been inimi-
cal, and was not only educated at Dickinson College
during the period in question, but was also intimate
in that gentleman's family ; and he can assert with
perfect truth, no man was a more sincere friend to
rational liberty.'^*
The do7nesiic character of Doctor Nisbet was emi-
nently amiable and exemplary. In the relations of
husband, parent and master he exhibited a bright
example of the most vigilant fidelity, affection and
benevolence. No one could enter the door of his
dwelling without perceiving that his family was the
abode, not merely of order and harmony, but of the
most endearing attention and love.
Such was Doctor Chakles Nisbet — a truly great
and good man; — endowed with various intellectual
talents of the highest order; — in rich and solid learn-
ing excelled by few if any of the age in which he
lived; — as a man, peculiarly amiable and beloved;
as a friend and comjianion, interesting and attrac-
tive beyond all rivalry; — as a Christian, truly pious
and devoted, an Israelite indeed, in whom was no
guile; — as a Divine, profoundly learned, orthodox,
and in every respect eminently furnished; — as a
Preacher, not what the multitude call an orator, but
solidly and inexhaustibly instructive, and deeply in-
teresting to all intelligent and pious hearers; — as the
head of a College, Sond of instructing ingenuous
* Port Folio for January, 1824.
HIS CHARACTER, ETC. 351
youth, large in his views, indefatigably diligent, and
ever recognized as tlie father of his pupils; as a Citi-
zen, truly and zealously patriotic; — and in all the
relations of domestic and social life, gentle, disin-
terested, sympathetic, amiable and beloved.
Dr. Nisbet, however, with all these accomplish-
ments, was not so well qualified as many inferior
men, to meet the exigencies, and encounter the diffi-
culties which attended his transfer of residence to
America. The Countess of Leven was undoubtedly
correct, when she intimated to him, in one of her
letters, that he was not fitted to engage in scenes of
hardy endurance and conflict. He laboured under a
nervous timidity which rendered it difficult for him
to meet physical danger with composure. He had
no taste nor fitness for resisting injuries, or contend-
ing with the unfeeling or unjust. His wit too, not
being always under the government of cautious re-
serve, sometimes led him to attack popular prejudi-
ces, or iniquitous actions in a style which many who
did not know his sterling honesty and benevolence,
were not always ready to excuse. To which may
be added, that the first fifty years of his life having
been spent amid European scenes and habits, he
never acquired a facility in making such allowance for
American scenes and habits, as the situation of our
country really required.
The period at which he came to our country, was,
perhaps, the most unfortunate that could have been
selected for transferring the residence of such a man
from the Old to the New world. It was a period, as
we have seen, of immaturity, of disorder, of com-
mercial derangement, of infant and struggling insti-
S52 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
tutions, when few were prepared adequately to esti-
mate literary worth, and fewer still qualified to pat-
ronise and sustain it. Of consequence, great as the
subject of this memoir was, and was admitted to be,
by all who knew him, both his reputation and his
services would have been still more highly apprecia-
ted, and still more extensively useful, had he come
a few years later; or had he found on this side of the
Atlantic, as he would have found at a later period, a
larger number of congenial spirits, and a more faith-
ful fulfilment of the pledges which drew him from
his native land.
ADDITIONAL NOTES.
Page 184,/. 15.
Dr. Nisbet was, at no period of his life, inimical
to the character or ministry of Mr. Whitejield. Oa
the contrary, he was a warm friend to the doctrines
preached by that eminent evangelist, and considered
his ministry as greatly useful. He did indeed re-
gard some of the measures of that excellent man, es-
pecially in the earlier part of his course, as impru-
dent and disorderly; but these had all passed from
public view long before Dr. Nisbet came to America.
When the Countess of Leven spoke of his having a
" bad idea.of the Methodists since he went abroad/'
she evidently meant to use the term Methodist in
the comprehensive sense in which it has long passed
current in Great Britain, as including the adherents
of Mr. Whitefield^ as well as those of Mr. Wesley.
Dr. Nisbet was, indeed, warmly opposed to the Ar-
minianism of the latter gentleman and of his disci-
ples; and he also greatly disapproved of the shouting,
falling down, gj^oaning, &c., so common in their
public worship forty or fifty years ago, and no less of
their decrying learning in the gospel ministry, as
they habitually did at that time. The great change
which has taken place in the Methodist body in re-
gard to outcries and disorders in worship, and also in
30*
354 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
respect to the increasing provision made for the lite-
rary training of their candidates for the ministry, is
known to every one. Their preachers are now very
seldom heard to declaim against a " book learned''
ministry. But in regard to doctrine, had the ven-
erable subject of this Memoir lived to this hour, he
would have had undiminished reason to express
strong dissent from that body. Were he now alive,
and to go into a Methodist Episcopal Church, in many
parts of our country, he would still hear Calvinism
denounced by name in the most reproachful and vio-
lent language, as a " hateful abominable system,'^ as
a "doctrine of devils,'' &c.; and our Confession of
Faith quoted in a garbled manner, and loaded with
the coarsest abuse as the doctrine of Presbyterians.
Is it any wonder that a gentleman of Dr. Nisbet's
principles and character regarded all such things
with the strongest disapprobation; and that in wri-
ting to the Countess of Leven after his arrival in this
country, he should express that disapprobation in
very decided terms? She evidently mistook his
meaning, and considered him as having an unfavoura-
ble opinion of all il/eZ/zot/z.s'^A^, understanding the term
in the British sense, as including all professors of a
strict and serious religion.
Fage 328, /. 16.
" This electrified the Assembly .''^ It is well
known that, in the General Assembly of the Church
of Scotland, more liberty is frequently taken in em-
ploying the weapons of ridicule, sarcasm, &c,, and io.
NorES. * 355
exciting and indulging bursts of laughter, than is
usual in the General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church in. the United States. This arises from vari-
ous causes. The Assembly in Scotland is a more
numerous body than that in the United States, and
of course harder to keep in order. In the American
Assembly, professional counsel are never admitted
to plead causes; but in that of Scotland, they are
freely and constantly allowed to appear on behalf of
implicated parties; and they often, in spite of every
thing that can be done to prevent it, take unwarrant-
able liberties. Their very professions of respect are
often mingled with sneer and sarcasm; and they have
no hesitation in exciting, whenever it can serve
their turn, roars of laughter. This is not only un-
desirable, but it is also in a high degree incongruous
and unseemly. The author of this volume would
leave it as the suggestion (he will not presume to say
the cou)isel) of old age, and of some experience, that
every thing of this kind ought to be avoided in ec-
clesiastical judiciatories. When the ministers of re-
ligion come together to transact the business of the
Church of Christ, the very least that ought to be ex-
pected of them is, that perfect gravity, seriousness, mu-
tual respectfuluess, and brotherly kindness reign in
all their proceedings. Hovv revolting the levity, the
unbridled merriment, the keen retort, the unkind
turning a brother into ridicule, which are sometimes
indulged! Such scenes have frequently been exhib-
ited in Presbyterian judicatories, not only in Scot-
land, but in our own country, as would not have
been tolerated in the better days of the Church.
O.Lir fathers, Knox and Melville, in their day, or
356 MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
Henderson^ Rutherford and Gillespie in theirs,
would have " groaned in spirit," and poured forth
the majesty of Apostolic rebuke, if they had been
witnesses of many a debate, which, within the last
half century, has passed without reproof. that
our sons may be, in this respect at least, wiser and
more examplary than some of their fathers have
been! What comfort, what dignity, what impress-
iveness would truly Christian habits in regard to this
matter impart to our ecclesiastical Assemblies!
Page 341, /. 10.
On the page above mentioned. Dr. Nisbet is repre-
sented as "seldom attending the General Assembly."
This may seem, at first view, to militate with a state-
ment of Dr. Green in page 307. But the truth is,
that from the time when the acquaintance of the
author of this memoir with Dr. Nisbet commenced,
until his decease, he seldom appeared as a member
of the Assembly, and it is not recollected that he
was in Philadelphia, during that period more than
two or three times in the course of its annual ses-
sions. In preceding years, with the recollection of
which Dr. Green was more familiar, he had been in
the habit of visiting Philadelphia more frequently at
that season.
Page 342, /. 10.
When Dr. Blair is mentioned, among a number
of others, as " master of the noblest ecclesiastical
NOTES. 357
eloquence/' it is not meant that he was himself a dis-
tinguished speaker in the General Assembly. It is
well known that he seldom opened his lips in that
body, excepting to give a vote. But the character
of a gentleman of so much rhetorical taste and skill
could not fail of being highly exciting in its influence
on all who engaged in debate in his presence.
Page 345, /. 4.
The reader will do great injustice to the Rev. Dr.
Green, if he supposes, from the statement concerning
that venerable Father in the page above referred to,
that he is now, or ever was, a friend 'to- a short and
hurried course of theological study. On the contra-
ry, perhaps no minister of the Presbyterian church
has been more uniformly zealous and indefatigable in
his endeavours to induce every candidate for the
ministry under our care to avoid all haste in his
professional training. On the occasion to which the
above mentioned anecdote relates, he only meant as
a member of a Committee, to present for animadver-
sion the act of a Synod which was in conflict with
the Constitution of the Church, and which, while that
Constitution remained unaltered, he regarded as dis'
respectful and disorderly.
DATE DUE
.. miMiLjiiP
IW5
M)|J 4,^.^
MS..,.
\/Ai/r^ r \3 lu
r vj
CAYLORD
RE CLIPPER
raing, ISTov. 24, 1857,
Death of Judge Neshit. — Hon. Alexander
Nesbit, died at his residence, Montrose, Bal-
timore county, at an early hour yesterday
morning, at the advanced age of eighty
years. It appears that he arose and went to
his chamber window for the purpose of get-
ting iresh a^r. and in leaning out, lost his
balance and fell to the ground beneath. He
was taken up and brought into the house,
but died soon after. Deceased was a native
of Scotland, and emigrated to this country
when six years of age. He was the son of
Rev. Dr. Nesbit, for many years President
of Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania,
at which place he was raised. He cAme
to this city and embraced the profession
of law when about 20 years of age, and later
in life was appointed one of the Judges of
the Criminal Court, in which position he re-
mained until that office was abolished by the
ne^ Constitution. Judge Nesbit was the
only survivfng member of the St. Andrew's
Society, who took part in its formation in
the year 1806, and for twenty-seven years
previous to his death was President thereof.
The annual dinner of the Society, which was
to take place in a few days, has been indefi-
nitely postponed, and the members will take
further action to show their respect for the
deceased. On the aunouncementof his death,
the va'-ious courts yesterday adjourned.