George Matheson

George Matheson (March 27, 1842-August 28, 1906) was a Scottish theologian and preacher.

Life

Born in Glasgow, to George Matheson, a merchant and Jane Matheson (a second cousin), he was the eldest of eight. He was educated at the University of Glasgow, where he graduated first in classics, logic and philosophy. In his twentieth year he became totally blind, but he held to his resolve to enter the ministry, and gave himself to theological and historical study. In 1879 the University of Edinburgh conferred upon him the honorary degree of D.D.. In 1890, he became a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He died suddenly of apoplexy on the 28th of August 1906 in Edinburgh and is buried in the Glasgow Necropolis. He never married.

ervice

He started as an assistant pastor in 1866. His first ministry began in 1868 at Innellan, on the Argyll coast between Dunoon and Toward. He stayed 18 years. His books on "Aids to the Study of German Theology, Can the Old Faith live with the New?, The Growth of the Spirit of Christianity from the First Century to the Dawn of the Lutheran Era", established his reputation as a liberal and spiritually minded theologian; and Queen Victoria invited him to preach at Balmoral. She had his sermon on Job published.

In 1886 he moved to Edinburgh, where he became minister of St. Bernard's Parish Church for 13 years. Here his chief work as a preacher was done.

In 1879, he declined an invitation to the pastorate of Crown Court, London, in succession to Dr. John Gumming (1807-1881). In 1881 he was chosen as Baird lecturer, and took for his subject "Natural Elements of Revealed Theology", and in 1882 he was the St Giles lecturer, his subject being "Confucianism". In 1890 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the University of Aberdeen gave him its honorary LL.D., and in 1899 he was appointed Gifford lecturer by that university, but declined on grounds of health. In the same year he severed his active connection with St. Bernard's.

Published Works

One of his hymns, "O love that will not let me go", has passed into the popular hymnology of the Christian Church. He wrote it on the day of his sister's marriage. He published only one volume of verse, "Sacred Songs". His exegesis owes its interest to his subjective resources rather than to breadth of learning; his power lay in spiritual vision rather than balanced judgment, and in the vivid apprehension of the factors which make the Christian personality, rather than in constructive doctrinal statement.

References

cite book
last =Bailey
first =Albert Edward
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =The Gospel in Hymns
publisher =Charles Scribner's sons
date =1950
location =New York
pages =457-461
url =
doi =
id =

cite book
last =Julian
first =John
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =A Dictionary of Hymnology
publisher =John Murray
date =June, 1907
location =London
pages =
url =
doi =
id =

cite web
last =Cyberhymnal
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =George Matheson
work =
publisher =
date =
url =http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/m/a/t/matheson_g.htm
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doi =
accessdate = 2007-02-18

cite web
last =Brady
first =Gary
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Bio 05 George Matheson
work =
publisher =
date =
url =http://darbygray.blogspot.com/2007/01/bio-05-george-matheson.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-02-18