James Ferguson (1621–1667), was a Scottish minister.

Biography

Ferguson belonged to the Fergusons of Kilkerran. He graduated at

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

in 1638, and was ordained minister of

Kilwinning Kilwinning (, sco, Kilwinnin; gd, Cill D’Fhinnein) is a town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is on the River Garnock, north of Irvine, about southwest of Glasgow. It is known as "The Crossroads of Ayrshire". Kilwinning was also a Civil Pa ...

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

, in 1643. He was a member of the assembly of 1648, and declined calls to both Edinburgh and Glasgow. He was so highly esteemed by the Earl of Eglintoun that, though appointed to the chair of divinity at Glasgow in 1661, he never left Kilwinning to enter on that office. He was a man of eminent piety, and at the same time "much admired", as a writer of his life in Wodrow's ''Analecta'' says, "for his great and singular wisdom and prudence, being reckoned one of the wisest men in a nation, most fit to be a counsellor to any monarch in Europe". In the controversy between the resolutioners and protesters he adopted the side of the former, but it is recorded that he confessed before his death that he was wrong. Probably in consequence of the support of Lord Eglintoun, he was not interfered with at the Restoration in his ministry at Kilwinning. He died 13 March 1667.

Works

Ferguson is remembered and esteemed at this day as the author of a series of excellent commentaries on St. Paul's Epistles. In Charteris's ''Catalogue of Scotch Divines'' he is called an author "of great reputation". Spurgeon characterises his commentaries as those of "a grand, gracious, savoury divine". His works are: # ''Expositions of the Epistles to the Philippians and Colossians'', Edinburgh, 1656. # ''Expositions of the Epistles to Galatians and Ephesians'', Edinburgh, 1659. # ''Exposition of the Epistles to the Thessalonians'', Glasgow, 1675. # ''Refutation of the Errors of Toleration, Erastianism, Independency, and Separation'', Edinburgh, 1692. He also issued several sermons, and left in manuscript an essay on singing the psalms.

Family

He married Jean Inglis (d. 1687), by whom he had two sons, James and Hew, and a daughter, Mary, wife of Robert Cheislie, an Edinburgh merchant.

References

;Attribution * Endnotes: **Scott's ''Fasti'', pt. iii. 181 **Wodrow's ''Analecta'', vol. iii. **Wodrow's ''Church Hist.'' **Baillie's ''Letters'', iii. **Candlish's ''Prefatory Note to republication of Refutation of Erastianism''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, James 1621 births 1667 deaths 17th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Alumni of the University of Glasgow People from Kilwinning Scottish religious writers 17th-century Scottish writers