Gilbert Rule (c. 1629 – 1701) was a
nonconformist
Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to:
Culture and society
* Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior
*Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity
** ...
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...
minister and the
Principal of
Edinburgh University from 1690 to 1701.
Early life
Rule was born about 1629, probably in Edinburgh, where his brother, Archibald, was one of the bailies (there is some likelihood, however, that he was born at Elgin in October 1628, see Tate's Alnwick). ''The Dictionary of National Biography'' gives Archibald's occupation as a merchant and a magistrate. Hew Scott states that it is "not unlikely" that his father was George Rule, minister at
Longformacus
Longformacus ( gd, Longphort Mhacais) is a small village in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is around north-west of Duns, in the Lammermuir Hills. The Dye Water runs through the village, flowing east towards its confl ...
, and his mother, Anna Johnston.
After a distinguished career at the
University of Glasgow
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
, where he was regent, he became (at an unusually early age), Sub-Principal of King's College, Aberdeen, in 1651.
In Northumberland
From Aberdeen he went to
Alnwick
Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116.
The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bor ...
to be minister of a Dissenting congregation. After the Restoration he was much molested by local authorities, who tried to force upon him the use of the English Prayer Book.
About 1656 he became perpetual curate of Alnwick, Northumberland. At the Restoration Major Orde, one of the churchwardens, provided a prayer-book.
Rule, however, preached against its use, whereupon Orde indicted him (August 1660) at the Newcastle assizes for depraving the common prayer. Before the trial Orde died by a fall from his horse at Ovingham, Northumberland, and, in the absence of a prosecutor, Rule was acquitted.
Flight abroad
In 1662, he was ejected under the
Bartholomew Act. He returned to Scotland, preached for a time in Fife, but incurring the displeasure of the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
, fled to France and Holland. He took the degree of M.D. at
Leyden, graduating in 1665, and practised medicine.
In 1672, along with his brother Robert (a
presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
minister), Rule travelled to
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
, where Robert was installed as minister until 1688. The First Derry Presbyterian Church records say:
::''"The congregation was vacant in 1670 and abortive attempts were made to induce Scotsmen to come across. Success came when the Rev. Robert Rule of Kirkcaldy and his brother Gilbert the celebrated Principal of Edinburgh came over. Robert accepted a call, was installed in 1672 and remained unmolested in his charge until 1688 when he fled to Scotland and did not return." ''
On the East Coast
![The Auld Brig - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/The_Auld_Brig_-_geograph.org.uk_-_360661.jpg)
In 1679 he was in
Berwick-on-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...
, where he was engaged both as a minister and a doctor. He practised with great success at Berwick, preaching at the same time in
conventicles, often at much peril. At
Linton Bridge, near
Prestonkirk
East Linton is a village and former police burgh in East Lothian, Scotland, situated on the River Tyne and A199 road (former A1 road) five miles east of Haddington, with an estimated population of in .
During the 19th century the populatio ...
,
Haddingtonshire
East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.
In 1975, the histo ...
,
Charles Hamilton, 5th Earl of Haddington
Charles Hamilton, 5th Earl of Haddington (1650 – May 1685), was a Scottish nobleman.
Life
Known as Lord Binning from birth, he was born in 1650, the only son to survive infancy of John Hamilton, 4th Earl of Haddington, and Lady Christian Linds ...
, fitted up for him a meeting-house, which was indulged by the privy council on 18 December 1679.
The next year, while visiting his niece, Mrs. Kennedy, in Edinburgh, he baptised her child in
St. Giles's Church, after preaching a weekday lecture there, on the invitation of the minister,
Archibald Turner, the minister of Old Kirk, St Giles. For this offence Rule was brought before the privy council, and imprisoned on the
Bass Rock. His health failed, and he was at length discharged, under a bond of five thousand merks to quit the kingdom within eight days. He returned to Berwick, where he evaded arrest by keeping on the English side of the
Tweed.
In Dublin
Gilbert served as minister to the presbyterian congregation of Wood Street Church, Dublin from 1682 until 1687, as a colleague of
Daniel Williams. At the revolution he became one of the ministers of
Greyfriars Kirk.
[Historical Notes of the Rule Family](_blank)
Scots Peerage
''The Scots Peerage'' is a nine-volume book series of the Scottish nobility compiled and edited by Sir James Balfour Paul, published in Edinburgh from 1904 to 1914. The full title is ''The Scots Peerage: Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Rober ...
, 2006
Greyfriars and Edinburgh University
Returning to Scotland, he received a call on 7 December 1688 to the ministry of
Greyfriars church, Edinburgh. This was confirmed by the town council on 24 July 1689. Rule in the meantime had been in London, to forward the Presbyterian interest, and had gained the special notice of
William III William III or William the Third may refer to:
Kings
* William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198)
* William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702)
* William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...
. In 1690 he was appointed by the privy council one of the commissioners for purging Edinburgh University, and on the expulsion, in September 1690, of the principal, Alexander Monro, Rule, while retaining his ministerial charge, was made principal by the town council. His predecessor as Principal,
Dr Alexander Monro had been ejected for not taking the oath of allegiance to William and Mary, and wrote a work in defence of his faith called "''An Enquiry into the New Opinions (chiefly) Propagated by the Presbyterians of Scotland; Together with some Animadversoins on a Late Book entitled 'A defense of the Vindications of the Kirk'; in a Letter to a Friend at Edinburgh''". This prompted Gilbert Rule to respond with a book called "''The Good Old Way Defended''". He came under personal attack for defending Presbyterian principles.
Engaging usually in study until a late hour, he was termed "the Evening Star" (in contrast to his friend, George Campbell, the Professor of Divinity, who was called "the Morning Star"), and was distinguished for great learning, piety, candour, and moderation. He retained both jobs until his death. He died on 7 June 1701, at the age of seventy-two, and is buried in
Greyfriars Churchyard
Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a num ...
.
Family
He got married on 4 February 1655 to Janet Turnbull (who was buried 7 March 1699), and had children — Gilbert, M.D.; Andrew, advocate, died December 1708; Alexander, Professor of Hebrew in Edinburgh University 1694–1702; Rachel; Janet.
Andrew Rule was elected Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages at Edinburgh University in 1694 during his father's principalship.
Publications
*A Modest Answer to Dr Stilling- fleets Irenicum (London, 1680)
*Historical Representation of the Testimonies of the Church of Scotland (1687)
*A Sermon preached before Parliament from Isaiah ii. 2 (Edinburgh, 1690), and others
*A Rational Defence of Non-Conformity (London, 1689)
*A Vindication of the Church of Scotland (London, 1691)
*A Second Vindication of the Church of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1691)(This and the foregoing are roughly handled in ‘The Scotch Presbyterian Eloquence,’ &c., 1692, 4to.)
*A Defence of the Vindication of the Church of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1694)
*A Sermon preached at the Meeting of Council of George Heriot's Hospital (Edinburgh, 1695)
*The Cyprianick Bishop Examined, and Found Not to be Diocesan (Edinburgh, 1696)
*The Good Old Way Defended (Edinburgh, 1697)
*Discourse of Suppressing Immorality ami Promoting Godliness (Edinburgh, 1701)
*A Vindication of the Purity of Gospel-worship
*A Representation of Presbyterian Government
*Answer to Ten Questions concerning Episcopal and Presbyterian Government.
*two single sermons (1690 and 1701)
*‘Disputatio … de Rachitide,’ &c., Leyden, 1665, 4to.
*He was one of those who prefaced ‘A Plain and Easy Explication of the … Shorter Catechism,’ &c., 1697, 12mo.
*A broadsheet ‘Elegie’ on his death was published, Edinburgh, 1701.
Bibliography
*Hew Scott's Fasti Eccles. Scoticanæ (volumes 1, 2 and 7)
*George Tate's contribution to the Alnwick Mercury in December 1860: The Life of Dr Gilbert Rule
*Calamy's Account, 1713, pp. 514 seq.
*Calamy's Continuation, 1727, ii. 676 seq.
*
Wodrow's History of the Kirk (Laing), 1842, iii. 194 seq.
*Armstrong's App. to Martineau's Ordination, 1829, p. 69
*Grant's History of the University of Edinburgh, 1884, i. 239, ii. 256 seq. 288.
*Edin. Comic., Test., and Peg. (Bajrt. and Bur.)
*Wodrow's History, MSS., and Anal.
*Watt's Bibl. Britt., ii.
*Mum. Univ. Glasg., ii.
*S. Presb. Eloq.
*Acts Pari., ix.
*Dictionary of National Biography
See also
*
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
*
Greyfriars Kirk
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rule, Gilbert
Principals of the University of Edinburgh
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
1629 births
1701 deaths
17th-century Christian clergy
Irish Presbyterian ministers
17th-century Presbyterian ministers
Scottish prisoners and detainees
Scottish Calvinist and Reformed theologians
Scottish educators
18th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
17th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
18th-century Scottish theologians
17th-century Scottish theologians
Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard
17th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland
Covenanting Prisoners of the Bass Rock