Rev Prof Thomas Halyburton (25 December 167423 September 1712) was a
Scottish divine
Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.[divine< ...](_blank)
. Thomas was educated there at Erasmus's school, in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
, where his mother had taken him to avoid persecution. He returned to Scotland in 1682, graduated at the university of St. Andrews 24 July, 1696 and, after serving as a private chaplain, was licensed by the presbytery of
Kirkaldy 22 June 1699. He was ordained to the parish of
Ceres
Ceres most commonly refers to:
* Ceres (dwarf planet), the largest asteroid
* Ceres (mythology), the Roman goddess of agriculture
Ceres may also refer to:
Places
Brazil
* Ceres, Goiás, Brazil
* Ceres Microregion, in north-central Goiás ...
, Fifeshire, 1 May 1700, but he injured his health by excessive labour. On 1 April 1710 he was appointed by
Queen Anne, at the instance of the synod of Fife, professor of divinity at
St. Mary's. He devoted his inaugural lecture to an attempt to confute the deistical views lately promulgated by
Dr. Archibald Pitcairn in 1688. He died at St. Andrews 23 September 1712, aged only 38.
Life
Thomas Halyburton was born at Duplin, near
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
on
Christmas Day
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
1674. His father, Rev. George Halyburton, had been a minister in 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 ...
but was ejected for adherence to the principles of the
Covenanters. In 1676 the
Privy Council of Scotland
The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of m ...
denounced the former minister for holding
conventicles
A conventicle originally signified no more than an assembly, and was frequently used by ancient writers for a church. At a semantic level ''conventicle'' is only a good Latinized synonym of the Greek word church, and points to Jesus' promise in M ...
(church services in the open air, unauthorised by the established church and outlawed by the government). George died that same year, and in 1685 his wife moved the family to
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
to avoid the fierce persecution which was carried out against the Covenanters.
In Rotterdam young Thomas was educated in the school founded by
Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' w ...
. Following the
Glorious Revolution, he returned to Scotland and continued his education in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
.
After a period of inner struggle with the philosophy of
Deism, Halyburton returned to the faith of his father. On completing theological training, Halyburton graduated from the
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
with an MA on 24 July 1696. He was licensed to preach in the Church of Scotland by
Queen Anne, and ordained to the ministry of the church in
Ceres, Fife
Ceres is a village in Fife, Scotland, located in a small glen approximately over the Ceres Moor from Cupar and from St Andrews. The former parish of that name included the settlements of Baldinnie, Chance Inn, Craigrothie, Pitscottie and Tarvit ...
in 1700. The church was part of the presbytery of
Kirkcaldy.
After serving the church in Ceres for ten years, Halyburton was recommended by the
synod of Fife for the position of Professor of Divinity at
St Mary's College, St Andrews
(In the Beginning was the Word)
, established =
, type = College
, endowment =
, staff =
, faculty =
, rector =
, chancellor =
, principal = Oliver D. Crisp
, free_label = Teaching staff
, free = 20
, ...
.
He died two years later at the age of 37, following an illness. His body was buried in
St Andrews Cathedral
The Cathedral of St Andrew (often referred to as St Andrews Cathedral) is a ruined cathedral in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It was built in 1158 and became the centre of the Medieval Catholic Church in Scotland as the seat of the Archdiocese of ...
next to
Rev. Dr. Samuel Rutherford.
Legacy
Thomas Halyburton's theological and apologetic writings are marked by a distinctive thoroughness. The surviving scripts of his sermons show him to have been richly theological, deeply experimental (i.e. dealing with the experiences of the soul) and very practical—a master of the classic Puritan style of preaching.
James Begg Society, ''Thomas Halyburton''
/ref>
The extant writings of Rev. Thomas Halyburton were all published after his death:
*''Natural Religion Insufficient, and Revealed Religion Necessary, to Man's Happiness in his Present State'' (1714), an able statement of the orthodox Calvinistic
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
criticism of the deism of Lord Herbert of Cherbury
Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury (or Chirbury) KB (3 March 1583 – 5 August 1648) was an English soldier, diplomat, historian, poet and religious philosopher of the Kingdom of England.
Life
Early life
Edward Herbert was the ...
and Charles Blount
*''Memoirs of the Life of Mr Thomas Halyburton'' (1715), three parts by his own hand, the fourth from his diary by another hand
*''The Great Concern of Salvation'' (1721), with a word of commendation 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 ...
*''Ten Sermons Preached Before and After the Lord's Supper'' (1722)
*''The Unpardonable Sin Against the Holy Ghost'' (1784)
John Wesley and George Whitefield were both influenced by Halyburton's writings.
Family
He was married in 1701, to Janet Watson, and had issue —
*Margaret married William Wishart
:''See also William Wishart (disambiguation)''
William Wishart (or Wischard) (died 28 May 1279) was a 13th-century Bishop of St. Andrews. He was postulated to the see of St. Andrews (''Cell Rígmonaid'' or ''Cill Rìmhinn'') while holding the ...
*Elizabeth
*David
*George
*Janet
*Euphemia
References
Citations
Sources
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Halyburton, Thomas
1674 births
1712 deaths
Alumni of the University of St Andrews
Scottish Calvinist and Reformed theologians
18th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians