Biographical Sketch of Dr. Chalmers.
As an evangelical divine, a preacher of great strength and earnestness,
a man of a truly devout and generous spirit, of great independence,
energy and perseverance, a leader of the Free Church of Scotland, and a
successful advocate of the doctrine of Christ's supremacy, Dr. Chalmers
may be regarded as a fair embodiment of the religious spirit of his
native land. In his mode of thinking, in his doctrinal belief and
practice, especially in his devout and fervid eloquence, the Doctor is
eminently Scottish. His whole spirit is bathed in the piety of "the
Covenant." On this account a brief sketch of his history will not be
inappropriate in this place.
Thomas Chalmers, D. D., was born about the year 1780, in the town of
Anstruther in Fifeshire, the birth-place of another man of genius,
Professor Tennant, of St. Andrews, the celebrated author of "Anster
Fair," one of the most facetious poems in the language, and making a
near approach to the dramatic energy of "Tam O'Shanter." Young Chalmers
gave decided indications of genius and energy, and was sent to the
College of St. Andrews, and soon became "a mathematician, a natural
philosopher, and though there was no regular professor of that science
at St. Andrews, a chemist." After having been licensed as a preacher, he
officiated for sometime, as assistant minister, at Cavers in
Roxburghshire. He was subsequently called to the care of the parish
church in Kilmany, beautifully situated "amid the green hills and
smiling valleys," of his native county. He was ordained on the 12th of
May, 1803, and soon displayed the vigor and activity of his mind. In
addition to his regular parochial engagements, he devoted much attention
to botany and chemistry; lectured on the latter science and kindred
subjects in the neighboring towns; became an officer in a volunteer
corps; assisted the late Professor Vilant in teaching the mathematical
class in the College of St. Andrews; on the succeeding session opened a
private class of his own, on the same branch of science, to which all
the students flocked; and wrote one or two books, and several pamphlets
on the topics of the day. His first publication appeared at Cupar in
Fife on what was called the Leslie Controversy. It was written in the
form of a letter addressed to Professor Playfair; and abounds in talent,
wit and humor. It was published anonymously, and for a long time was not
known to be his. He vindicates in it very powerfully, the divines of the
Church of Scotland, from the imputation of a want of mathematical
talent, a reproach which he thought Professor Playfair had thrown upon
them. He also wrote a volume on the resources of the country, which
attracted much attention, as a work of ability and eloquence.
From these statements it must be evident that Dr. Chalmers had but
little time to devote to the spiritual interests of his parish. He
performed his _stated_ duties, it is true, but devoted his energies
chiefly to literary and scientific pursuits. Indeed he was in religious
belief a rationalist, and had not yet adopted those profound and
spiritual convictions which subsequently formed the main-spring of his
ministry. In 1805 he offered himself as a candidate for the vacant chair
of Mathematics in the University of Edinburgh, with considerable chances
of success, but afterwards withdrew his name at the earnest solicitation
of his friends, who wished to retain him in the Church.
When Dr. Brewster's Edinburgh Encyclopedia was projected Dr. Chalmers
was engaged as one of the contributors, and wrote the article
"Christianity," which was subsequently published in a separate form. It
was about this time that his mind underwent a radical change on the
subject of vital religion. He discovered the utter inefficiency of a
utilitarian morality, for the renovation and guidance of man, and
eagerly embraced those peculiar views of evangelical faith, which
recognize the sacrifice and intercession of Christ as a ground of hope
to the fallen, the necessity of "being born of the Spirit," and the
ineffable beauty and blessedness of "a life hid with Christ in God." It
is said that this change took place while writing the article referred
to; he then felt the necessity of acting upon his own principles, of
yielding his heart absolutely and forever, to the truths of that
Revelation, the reality and authority of which he was called to prove.
It will be remembered by those acquainted with the article in question,
that he takes the ground that a divine revelation must necessarily be
mysterious; that coming from God, it must belong to the infinite
and the obscure, and thus contain many things which shock our
preconceptions,--that _a priori_ objections to its doctrines are
therefore null and void, and that the whole must be received, without
exception or modification. He insists that while we have experience of
man, we have little or no experience of God, that the thoughts of such a
Being must infinitely transcend ours, and in all probability contradict
ours, especially with reference to the great problem touching the
salvation of the guilty. If then the genuineness and authenticity of the
sacred books can be proved as historical facts, we have nothing to do
with the revelation which they contain, but to receive it with adoring
gratitude and submission. The incarnation of the Godhead, the sacrifice
of the Cross, justification by faith, the re-birth of the soul by the
Holy Spirit, the resurrection of the body, and eternal judgement are
revealed facts or truths, already proved, and must therefore constitute
the heart's-creed of every true believer. These doctrines consequently
were embraced by Chalmers himself, and formed thenceforward the subjects
of his preaching to the people. A great excitement ensued. The community
was aroused--multitudes were converted. Chalmers preached with the
greatest fervor and unction, and hundreds flocked to hear him from the
neighboring parishes. This produced inquiry, and he found it necessary
to give explanations in reference to the causes which had effected such
a change in his ministry. In this view the following will be read with
interest and profit:
"And here I cannot but record the effect of an actual though undesigned
experiment which I prosecuted upwards of twelve years amongst you. For
the greater part of that time I could expatiate on the meanness of
dishonesty, on the villany of falsehood, on the despicable arts of
calumny--in a word upon all those deformities of character which awaken
the natural indignation of the human heart against the pests and the
disturbers of society. Now, could I, upon the strength of these warm
expostulations, have got the thief to give up his stealing, and the evil
speaker his censoriousness, and the liar his deviations from truth, I
should have felt all the repose of one who had gotten his ultimate
object. It never occurred to me that all this might have been done, and
yet every soul of every hearer have remained in full alienation from
God; and that even could I have established in the bosom of one who
stole such a principle of abhorrence at the meanness of dishonesty that
he was prevailed upon to steal no more, he might still have retained a
heart as completely unturned to God, and as totally unpossessed of a
principle of love to Him as before. In a word, though I might have made
him a more upright and honorable man, I might have left him as destitute
of the essence of religious principle as ever. But the interesting fact
is that during the whole of that period in which I made no attempt
against the natural enmity of the mind to God, while I was inattentive
to the way in which this enmity is dissolved, even by the free offer on
the one hand, and the believing acceptance on the other, of the Gospel
salvation; while Christ, through whose blood the sinner, who by nature
stands afar off, is brought near to the Heavenly Lawgiver whom he has
offended, was scarcely ever spoken of, or spoken of in such a way as
stripped him of all the importance of his character and offices, even at
this time I certainly did press the reformations of honor, and truth,
and integrity among my people; but I never even heard of any such
reformations being effected amongst them. If there was anything at all
brought about in this way, it was more than I ever got any account of. I
am not sensible that all the vehemence with which I urged the virtues
and the proprieties of social life had the weight of a feather on the
moral habits of my parishioners. And it was not till I got impressed
with the utter alienation of the heart in its desires and affections
from God; it was not till reconciliation to Him became the distinct and
the prominent object of my ministerial exertions; it was not till I took
the scriptural way of laying the method of reconciliation before them;
it was not till the free offer of forgiveness through the blood of
Christ was urged upon their acceptance, and the Holy Spirit given
through the channel of Christ's mediatorship to all who ask him, was
set before them as the unceasing object of their dependence and their
prayers; it was not, in one word, till the contemplations of my people
were turned to these great and essential elements in the business of a
soul providing for its interest with God, and the concerns of its
eternity, that I ever heard of any of those subordinate reformations
which I aforetime made the earnest and the zealous, but I am afraid, at
the same time, ultimate object of my earlier ministrations. To servants,
whose scrupulous fidelity has now attracted the notice and drawn forth,
in my hearing, a delightful testimony from your masters, what mischief
ye would have done, had your zeal for doctrines and sacraments been
accompanied by the sloth and remissness, and what, in the prevailing
tone of moral relaxation, is counted the allowable purloining of your
earlier days! But a sense of your heavenly Master's eye has brought
another influence to bear upon you; and while you are thus striving to
adorn the doctrine of God your Saviour in all things, you may, poor as
you are, reclaim the great ones of the land to the acknowledgment of the
faith. You have, at least, taught me that to preach Christ, is the only
effective way of preaching morality in all its branches; and out of your
humble cottages have I gathered a lesson, which I pray God I may be
enabled to carry with all its simplicity into a wider theatre, and to
bring, with all the power of its subduing efficacy upon the vices of a
more crowded population."
In 1815 Dr. Chalmers was translated to the Tron church of Glasgow, and
here displayed all the resources of his brilliant and vigorous mind.
Fired with a generous ardor for the salvation of souls, he poured the
truth of God upon rapt and crowded congregations. In addition to the
indefatigable performance of his ministerial duties, he embarked with
eagerness in plans for the amelioration of the condition of the poor. He
urged the importance of free school education, and although he had to
encounter much prejudice, he accomplished a large amount of good for the
city of Glasgow. His views upon this subject are developed in a large
work, published at the time, on the "Christian and Civic Condition of
Large Towns,"--a production somewhat elaborate and diffuse, but
abounding in important suggestions and earnest appeals.
In 1816 he was invited to preach before the King's Commissioner in the
High Church of Edinburgh. His discourse on that occasion comprised the
essence of his astronomical sermons, and was probably "as magnificent a
display of eloquence as was ever heard from the pulpit." The effect upon
the audience was immediate and electric. It broke upon them like a
shower of light from the opening heavens. By means of this discourse his
fame was perhaps first widely established. From that day crowds followed
him wherever he went, and, to quote his own words, he began to feel the
burden "of a popularity of stare, and pressure and animal heat."
In 1819 Dr. Chalmers removed to the new church and parish of St.
John's, in which place the writer, while a student at Glasgow College,
had the pleasure of hearing some of his thrilling discourses. He was
then in the hey-day of life, full of mental and bodily vigor, and
preached with a rapidity, force, and pathos perfectly overwhelming. He
continued to devote himself to the interests of the poor, and indeed
took part in every plan which contemplated the welfare of society.
In 1823 he was elected Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University
of St. Andrews, "where he imparted a very different character to this
course from the mere worldly cast which it too generally assumes in our
universities." Firmly convinced of the great truths of the Gospel, he
infused into his prelections the spirit of a profound and earnest
godliness. While here, he also delivered a separate course of lectures
on Political Economy, as connected with the chair of Moral Philosophy.
It may be supposed from his frequent changes that Dr. Chalmers was
either a fickle or an ambitious man. But those best acquainted with the
circumstances, feel assured that this could not possibly have been the
case. He neither increased his income nor his popularity by means of
these changes, and all, we doubt not, were made with a view to greater
usefulness. In one instance, certainly, he proved his disinterestedness
by refusing the most wealthy living in the Church of Scotland, the west
parish of Greenock, which was presented to him by the patron.
He was more than once offered an Edinburgh church, but uniformly
declined it; as he had long conceived that his widest sphere of
usefulness was a theological chair. He was accordingly elected to this
office, in the University of Edinburgh, and soon attracted the attention
of a large and enthusiastic class of students. His lectures were able
and brilliant; but this, in our judgment, was not the principal cause of
his success. It consisted, as we believe, in his own ardor and
enthusiasm, and the consequent ardor and enthusiasm which he inspired in
his pupils. "At one time the object of the young men seemed to be to
evade attendance on the Divinity Lecture; now the difficulty became to
get a good place to hear their eloquent instructor." By this means much
good was accomplished for the Church of Scotland, by diffusing amongst
its ministry a true evangelical spirit. Still we believe that Dr.
Chalmer's true sphere of labor was the pulpit, and that here alone he
could exert his widest influence. It is true he preached occasionally
while occupying the chair of Divinity, and gave a series of lectures on
Church Establishments, which at that time he earnestly defended. "He
considered that each established _church_ throughout the land may be
termed a centre of _emanation_, from which Christianity, with proper
zeal, be made to move by an aggressive and converting operation, on the
wide mass of the people; whilst a dissenting _chapel_ he views as a
centre of _attraction_ only for those who are religiously disposed."
Recently the Doctor has found his _centre_ of _emanation_ sadly
curtailed. The union of church and state has proved, even to him, a
prodigious hindrance and difficulty--a proof this, that theory and fact
are very different things.
It was while Professor of Theology in Edinburgh, as we believe, that he
visited London, and attracted so much attention by his sermons and
lectures. While there, Mr. Canning, Lord Castlereagh, Lord Eldon, the
Duke of Sussex, with several branches of the Royal Family, whom, as the
journals remarked, "they were not accustomed to elbow at a place of
worship," were found anxiously waiting to hear this modern Chrysostom.
Caught by the irresistible charm of true genius and piety, they listened
with wonder and delight to his honest and earnest appeals. They felt and
acknowledged that his sermons, "as far transcended those of the mawkish
productions to be frequently met with, as does the genius of Milton or
of Newton surpass that of the common herd of poets and philosophers." It
was a sublime sight to behold crowds of all ranks and conditions
listening devoutly to the vehement exhortations of this man of God.
"Can earth afford
Such genuine state, pre-eminence, so free,
As when arrayed in Christ's authority,
He from the pulpit lifts his awful hand;
Conjures, implores, and labors all he can
In resubjecting to Divine command
The stubborn spirit of rebellious man?"
WORDSWORTH.
Dr. Chalmers, as all are aware, is the principal leader of the Free
Church movement. He has uniformly asserted the supremacy of Christ in
his own church, and the right of the people to the election of their
pastors. This being denied and withheld by the legal authorities in
Scotland, Dr. Chalmers, and the noble host of ministers and churches
that agreed with him, departed in a body from "the Established Kirk." In
1843 he relinquished his station as Professor of Theology in the
University; and since that time has occupied the same office, in
connection with "the Free Church of Scotland." He is now considerably
advanced in years. His head is silvered with gray, and much of his
natural strength is abated. But his mind is yet clear and strong, his
heart calm and joyful; and we can only hope and pray that he may be
spared many years to come, as an ornament to his country, and an honor
to the Church.
It is not our purpose in this place to say much on the subject of the
published works of Dr. Chalmers. These are quite voluminous. The English
edition of his works consists of twenty-five duodecimo volumes. Of these
the two first volumes on _Natural Theology_, the third and fourth on the
_Evidences of Christianity_, the fifth on _Moral Philosophy_, the sixth,
_Commercial Discourses_, the seventh, _Astronomical Discourses_, and the
last four on _Paul's Epistle to the Romans_, are the most interesting
and valuable.[18] In style and arrangement, in logic and definition,
they possess some obvious defects, but ever indicate a genius of the
highest order, a heart burning with love and zeal, a conscience void of
offence toward God and toward all men; and a devotion, akin to that of
angels and the spirits of just men made perfect.[19]
[Footnote 18: All these, with the addition of four volumes of Sermons,
forming the Theological Works of Dr. Chalmers, have been republished, in
handsome form, by Mr. Carter of New York.]
[Footnote 19: In the introduction to "Vinet's Vital Christianity," I
have given a more elaborate estimate of the mental peculiarities of Dr.
Chalmers, in connection with those of Vinet, "the Chalmers of
Switzerland."
Since the above sketch was written Dr. Chalmers has gone to his rest. He
died suddenly and unexpectedly on the 31st of May, 1847.]