James Hog (1658?–14 May 1734) was a Scottish

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 at

Carnock Carnock ( gd, A' Chàrnaich) is a village and parish of Fife, Scotland, west of Dunfermline. It is east of Oakley, Fife. The name of the village derives from Scottish Gaelic, from ''ceàrn'' ("corner"), with a suffix denoting a toponym, thus ...

, known for his role in the

Marrow Controversy The Marrow Controversy was a Scottish ecclesiastical dispute occasioned by the republication in 1718 of ''The Marrow of Modern Divinity'' (originally published in two parts in London in 1645 and 1649 by "E. F.", generally believed to be a pseud ...

within the

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 Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

Life

He was the son of Thomas Hog, minister of

Larbert Larbert ( gd, Lèirbert/Leth-pheairt, sco, Lairbert) is a small town in the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley above the River Carron which flows from the west. Larbert is from the shoreline of the Firth of F ...

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling. It borders Perth ...

(d. 1680?). After graduating with an MA from the

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 ...

in 1677. He studied theology in Holland, was licensed to preach by the presbytery of Edinburgh, and ordained minister of

Dalserf Dalserf is a small village of only a few streets in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on the River Clyde, east of Larkhall and south east of Hamilton, Scotland, Hamilton. Dalserf is also a traditional civil parishes in Scotland, civil pari ...

parish, in the presbytery of Hamilton, 20 January 1691. Hog declined on principle to take the oath of allegiance in 1693. Against his own desire he was in 1695 elected a member of the

General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body.''An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland'' by A. Gordon McGillivray, ...

, but declined to take the required oaths. The Lord High Commissioner then objected to his taking his seat, and Hog under pressure retired from the Assembly. In bad health Hog resigned his charge on 12 November 1696, but in August 1699 he was installed in the parish of Carnock, Fife, and held the post till his death, on 14 May 1734. Hog had arranged for the memoirs of the Covenanter Katherine Ross to be published and this work appeared in 1735.

The Marrow Men

Hog belonged to the stricter section of the Church of Scotland, who cherished the Covenanter traditions, upheld popular rights, and took their stand against the more tolerant methods of thought and discipline that had come into the church. He originated the "Marrow" controversy by the republication in 1718, with a preface, of the ''Marrow of Modern Divinity''. The book was denounced by an act of the assembly in 1720, whereupon Hog and 11 other ministers, who became known as the " Marrow Men", presented a protest. The bitter controversy which followed was an indirect cause of the

First Secession The First Secession was an exodus of ministers and members from the Church of Scotland in 1733. Those who took part formed the Associate Presbytery and later the United Secession Church. They were often referred to as seceders. The underlying ...

of 1733. He was eulogised by Ralph Erskine.

Works

Besides prefaces to other religious treatises, Hog was the author of a large number of theological pamphlets. *Remarks concerning the Spirit's Operation, and the difference betwixt the Law and the Gospel (Edinburgh, 1701) — issued also as Notes about the Spirit's Operations for discovering from the Word their Nature and Evidence (Edinburgh, 1709) *A Casuistical Essay upon the Lord's Prayer, to which is subjoined A Letter to a Friend (Edinburgh, 1705) *A Letter to a Friend, containing diverse Remarks concerning the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper (Edinburgh, 1706) *Some Select Notes towards detecting a correct mixture of the Covenant of Works and of Grace (Edinburgh, 1706-18) *The Covenants of Redemption and Grace displayed (Edinburgh, 1707) *Otia Christiana, or Christian Recreations (Edinburgh, 1708 ; Aberdeen, 1776) n the First Edition the author's signature appears in error at the end of the Preface as " John Hog "*Some Remarks about Submission to the Sovereign disposure of the God of the Spirits of all Flesh (Edinburgh, 1709) *Notes about Saving Illumination (n.d., also reprinted at Aberdeen, 1778) *A Letter to a Gentleman, in which the Unlawfulness of imposing Forms of Prayer, and other Acts of Worship, is plainly Demonstrated (Edinburgh, 1710) nswered by Robert Calder in An Answer to Mr James Hog (Edinburgh, 1710)*A Letter to a Person exercised to Godliness about our Natural Enmity (Edinburgh, 1714) *An Abstract of Sundry Discourses on Job XXXV I., 8, 9, 10 (Edinburgh, 1714; Aberdeen, 1778) *Abstract of two private Discourses on Mark LX., 23 (Edinburgh, 1715) *Remarks concerning the Rooting, Growth, and Ripeness of a Work of Grace in the Soul (Edinburgh, 1715) *An Essay to vindicate some Scripture Truths gainst Professor Simson (Edinburgh, 1716) *A Letter to a Gentleman detecting the gangrene of some Errors vented at this Time (Edinburgh, 1716) *Abstract of Discourses on Psalm XLI., 4 (Edinburgh, 1716) *Letter to a private Christian on Gospel Holiness (Edinburgh, n.d.) *Three Missives written to a Minister of the Gospel, in answer to one from him [an anti-Separatist tract (Edinburgh, 1717, the first of those missives was reprinted at Edinburgh in 1893) *The Right of Church Members to choose their own Overseers (Edinburgh, 1717) *The Marrow of Modern Divinity [by Edward Fisher], edited with Preface (Edinburgh, 1718) *A Vindication of the Doctrine of Grace from the Charge of Antinomianism (Edinburgh, 1718) *Some Proposals for Peace and Harmony (Edinburgh, 1718) *Some Missives addressed to a Gentleman which contain the Author's aim at detecting and refuting the Decision . . of our Time welve letters (Edinburgh, 1718) *A Letter concerning the True State of the Question between the Non-Jurant and Jurant Ministers of the Church of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1718) *An Explication of Passages excepted against in the Marrow of Modern Divinity (Edinburgh, 1719) *A Conference between Epaphroditus and Epaphras (Edinburgh, 1719) *Remarks upon the Review of A Conference, etc. (Edinburgh, 1719) *Letter to a Gentleman, containing a detection of Errors in a Print entitled "The Snake in the Grass" (Edinburgh, 1720) n Answer to "The Snake in the Grass," or Remarks upon The Marrow of Modern Divinity (Edinburgh, 1719)*The Scope and Substance of the Marrow of Modern Divinity (Edinburgh, 1721) *Reasons of Masters James Hog and James Bathgate . . . for their not Observing the Day of Thanksgiving (n.p., 1724) *Answer to Campbell's Discourse proving that the Apostles were no Enthusiasts (Edinburgh) *On Covenanting (Edinburgh, 1727) *Preface to Halyburton's Natural Religion insufficient to Man's Happiness (Edinburgh, 1714), and to Memoirs or Spiritual Exercises of Mistress Ross (Edinburgh, 1735). The Controversie concerning the Marrow . . . Considered in Several Familiar Dialogues, I., II. (Edinburgh, 1721-2) *Queries agreed unto by the Commission of the General Assembly (1721) and put to those Ministers . . . together with the Answers given (n.p., 1722) *Memoirs of the Public Life of Mr James Hog and of the Ecclesiastical Proceedings of his Time previous to his Settlement at Carnock, written by himself as a Testamentary Memorial (1798).

Family

He married, and had issue — *Alison (married William Hunter, minister of Lilliesleaf) *Janet (married Daniel Hunter, minister of Carnock).

Bibliography

*Reg. Bur. (Edin.) *Boston's Mem. *Wodrow's Corresp., i. 23-6, 105-8, ii. 3, 191, 508, iii. 7 *Edin. Chris. Inst., 1831-2, p. 694 *Brown's Gospel Truth *Fraser's Ralph Erskine *Fraser's The Christian, the Student, and Pastor, Exemplified (Edinburgh, 1781) *Erskine's Fife Bibliog., 171-4 *Henderson's Religious Controversies of Scotland, 20-43;

Citations

Sources

* ;Attribution