Patrick Hutchison (1741–1802) was 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 who produced the first systematic definition of the beliefs of the
Relief Church
The Relief Church (or Presbytery of Relief) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination founded in 1761. In 1847 it united with the United Secession Church to form the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
In relation to the history of the Church ...
in Scotland.
Early life and religious loyalties
Hutchison was born on 3 January 1741 into a farming family at
Dunblane
Dunblane (, gd, Dùn Bhlàthain) is a small town in the council area of Stirling in central Scotland, and inside the historic boundaries of the county of Perthshire. It is a commuter town, with many residents making use of good transport links ...
where his father was an elder of the
Anti-burgher
The Anti-Burghers were opponents of the Burgher Oath on theological grounds.
History First Secession
In 1733 the First Secession from the Church of Scotland resulted in the creation of the "Associate Presbytery". This church split in 1747 ove ...
Church of the First Secession. Raised in that communion, he initially accepted its teaching without hesitation but, in circumstances that are unclear, came to question its principles. Concluding that some of these had no basis in Scripture, and dismayed by what he saw as the
Anti-burghers’ preference for narrow dogma over moral conscience, he joined the
Relief Church
The Relief Church (or Presbytery of Relief) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination founded in 1761. In 1847 it united with the United Secession Church to form the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
In relation to the history of the Church ...
. By 1770 he had been licensed by the Relief Presbytery and appointed assistant to
Dr James Baine, minister at College Street, Edinburgh, one of the fathers of the Relief. As a ruling elder of College Street he attended the first Relief Synod in May 1773.
Ministry
In November 1774 he was inducted as first Relief minister at
St. Ninians, near
Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
. There he was on terms of close friendship with Rev. Alexander Pirie, in whose church at
Blairlogie he frequently preached and in debate with whom he refined his judgement on topics of ministerial concern. During his eight years at
St. Ninians he became one of Scotland’s foremost religious controversialists, publishing for the first time tracts systematically setting out what were the doctrinal beliefs of the Relief communion and why they were scripturally correct when different from those of other Presbyterian denominations.
He largely withdrew from the printed fray in May 1783 upon removing to become minister at
Paisley, a rapidly expanding town that required greater
pastoral attention. But he still courted controversy with outspoken calls for political reform and for an end to the war with France, resulting in a rift within his congregation in 1796.
His preaching style was variously described as “warm and energetic” and “masculine, eloquent and impressive”, and he accepted invitations to preach across the west of Scotland such that his very name became “a tower of strength for his denomination”. He continued at
Paisley until his death, by which time his large church there was regularly “full to overflowing”.
Writings
By 1779 the Relief was under attack from both
Burghers and Anti-burghers, and Hutchison took it upon himself to hold the Relief’s corner in print, publishing ''A Compendious View of the Religious System maintained by the Synod of Relief''. This put at the heart of the system principles of independence of church from
patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
and civil
authority
In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.''The N ...
, toleration and friendly communion between all
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
persuasions, and rejection of conventions (in particular, submission to the
Solemn League of Covenant) that would, as Hutchison saw it, exclude Christ’s apostles from membership of the church of the First Secession.
The
Burgher Synod replied with a pamphlet denouncing the Relief as unprincipled in its fellowship and conducive to immorality, to which Hutchison responded with ''A Few Animadversions on the Re-exhibition of Burgher-Testimony'', and in 1780 he published ''A Dissertation on the Nature and Genius of the Kingdom of Christ'', asserting that the form of the church should be consistent with its first foundation as described in the
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
.
Ministers of other persuasions circulated papers containing further charges against the Relief, to which Hutchison issued a refutation in 1781. He wrote in vehement terms (referring to “detestable lies” by “viperous bigots”). This probably increased the appeal and circulation of his tracts, and they ran to several editions.
In 1788 he produced ''Three Discourses on the Divine and
Mediatorial Character of Jesus Christ'', described by Dr Struthers, the historian of the Relief Church, as “truly masterly discourses, determined by that breadth of intellect, and that fervour of mind, which so remarkably distinguished their author”. In 1803, following his death, a volume containing sixteen of his sermons was printed and this continued to be reissued into the 1840s.
Relief hymnbook
Hutchison believed that the singing of
hymns
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
, and not simply
Psalms
The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...
(as was then the general practice), should be a vital part of worship, and in 1793 he printed for use by his congregation ''Sacred Songs and Hymns on Various Passages of Scripture. To be sung in the Worship of God''. This adopted the selection of one hundred and eighty psalms and hymns previously printed by Rev. James Stewart for his
Anderston
Anderston ( sco, Anderstoun, gd, Baile Aindrea) is an area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is on the north bank of the River Clyde and forms the south western edge of the city centre. Established as a village of handloom weavers in the early 18th ce ...
, Glasgow, congregation but added a further fifty-one hymns (including twenty by
Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts (17 July 1674 – 25 November 1748) was an English Congregational minister, hymn writer, theologian, and logician. He was a prolific and popular hymn writer and is credited with some 750 hymns. His works include "When I Survey the ...
and five by
Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788) was an English leader of the Methodist movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. His works include " And Can It Be", " Christ the Lord Is Risen ...
) chosen by Hutchison. In this he seems to have acted in conjunction with his brother-in-law, Rev. James Dun, who had the same compilation printed for the Relief congregation at Campbell Street, Glasgow: both editions carried a Preface by Hutchison justifying the use of
hymns
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
in public worship. In 1794 the compilation was adopted by the Relief Synod as the church’s first hymn-book and it continued unrevised until 1825.
Legacy
In 1843 Struthers opined that “To Mr Hutchison, more than to any other author of the last century, the religious public of Scotland is indebted for correct and scriptural views of the constitution of the church of Christ”. By that year initiatives were already afoot that, in 1847, saw the (now combined)
Burgher
Burgher may refer to:
* Burgher (social class), a medieval, early modern European title of a citizen of a town, and a social class from which city officials could be drawn
** Burgess (title), a resident of a burgh in northern Britain
** Grand Bu ...
and
Anti-burgher
The Anti-Burghers were opponents of the Burgher Oath on theological grounds.
History First Secession
In 1733 the First Secession from the Church of Scotland resulted in the creation of the "Associate Presbytery". This church split in 1747 ove ...
denominations merge with the Relief to form the
United Presbyterian Church, a communion that was liberal in instinct,
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
in practice, concerned to redefine its relationship with civil institutions, and committed to congregational singing. Its principles closely resembled those adumbrated by Hutchison, and when the history of the
United Presbyterian Church came to be written in 1904 (shortly after its unification with the
Free Church
A free church is a Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church does not define government policy, and a free church does not accept church theology or policy definitions from ...
), the author credited him with having “reasoned out principles of permanent value in the ecclesiastical world”.
Death and family
Hutchison died at
Paisley on 10 January 1802, “regretted by his own congregation and by many Christians of different denominations”. He had married, in 1779, Helen Graham of Tamrawer, who died in 1809. They had seven sons, of whom three conducted the
muslin
Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured.
Muslin of uncommonly delicate handsp ...
manufacturing business of James Hutchison & Co., once among the largest textile concerns in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. Of these three, James (1780-1862) was Glasgow’s
Dean of Guild
A Dean of Guild, under Scots law, was one of a group of burgh magistrates who, in later years, had the care of buildings. The leader of the group was known as Lord Dean of Guild.
Originally, the post was held by the head of the Guild brethren o ...
in 1833, Robert (1782-1862) amassed perhaps the city’s finest private art collection, and Graham (1795-1858) acquired the Craigton House estate; all were Glasgow City Councillors in 1843.
Merchants House of Glasgow, List of Deans from 1605
Glasgow Herald, 14 May 1856 and 10 January 1863
The Glasgow Story, Craigton House
Report of the Poor Law Inquiry Commission for Scotland, 1843, p. 417.
References
{{reflist
1741 births
1802 deaths
Ministers of the Relief Church