Chalmers, Thomas

The theologian, preacher, and philanthropist Thomas Chalmers was born in Anstruther, Fife, on 17 March 1780. He was educated first at the parish school and then at St. Andrews University where he became a keen mathematician and scientist. He also wanted to be a preacher and when he became a Minister at Kilmeny in Fife, in 1803, he also gave lectures on Chemistry at St. Andrews. As a preacher he made his name at the Tron Church from 1815, and at St. John's Parish, Glasgow, from 1820. In 1828, Chalmers became Professor of Divinity at Edinburgh University, and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1832. Within the Church, Chalmers was the leader of the Evangelical party, and as such he proposed the Veto Act (1834) which gave some power to the parishes to reject a minister proposed by the patron. This stand against patronage contributed to the Disruption in 1843 when he led around one third of Church ministers to form the Free Church of Scotland. He became the first Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland. The Rev. Dr. Thomas Chalmers died overnight on 30-31 May 1847.

From the guide to the Papers of the Rev. Dr. Thomas Chalmers (1770-1847), 1798-1846, (Edinburgh University Library)

Epithet: Reverend Scottish theologian

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000297.0x000398

Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) was Professor of Moral Philosophy at St Andrews University, 1823-1828.

He was born in Anstruther in 1780, the sixth of the fourteen children. After his education in Anstruther and at St Andrews (1792-98) and Edinburgh Universities, he served as Minister of Kilmany (Fife), (1803-1815) during which time he also acted as assistant to the Professor of Mathematics at the University of St Andrews. He was appointed as Minister of Tron Church in Glasgow, (1815-1820) and then to St John's Church in Glasgow, (1820-1823). While in Glasgow he worked to relieve poverty and to educate his parishioners and reorganised the poor relief system. He revived the office of deacon and used elders to share his burden. He received a DD from Glasgow in 1816.

In 1823 he was offered and accepted the chair of Moral Philosophy at the University of St. Andrews. He believed that in taking up this new work he was engaging in a higher calling than that of parish minister. He saw his new position as one which would offer great opportunities of influencing the rising generation of ministers, and he hoped that he would be able to devote more time to writing. By this time he had a number of publications to his credit, mainly volumes of sermons and addresses. He worked with local children as well as students. The practical issues of Christianity led to the formation of a student society promote interest in the missionary movement.

He moved from St Andrews to become Professor of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh. The years at Edinburgh University (1828-1843) were very fruitful ones for Chalmers. More and more of the students who left him to become ministers of the Church of Scotland were in complete sympathy with his teaching and went out to preach the true Gospel with something of Chalmers' own urgency and authority. Chalmers influence, however, was not restricted to students. His writings were gaining increasing attention and he was publicly honoured in 1834 by being admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a Corresponding Member of the Royal Institute of France. The following year he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws by the University of Oxford. He was elected as Moderator of the Church of Scotland in 1834.

At the disruption of the Scottish Church in 1843 Chalmers was the leader of the 'seceding' ministers who struggled for the freedom of the Church to manage her own affairs without interference from the Civil Authority. He was elected the Moderator of the first General Assembly of the Free Church and within a year he had organised the building of 500 new churches and the ordination of 100 new ministers. He also acted as Principal of the Free Church College, Edinburgh, 1843-1847 so that in addition to preaching and organising the Church's finances, Chalmers gave lectures in systematic theology to students studying for the Free Church ministry. About this time he started work on two books: Institutes of Theology and Daily Scripture Readings . He has a reputation as one of the finest orators Scotland has ever produced.

Source: http://www.newble.co.uk/chalmers/index.html

From the guide to the Papers of Thomas Chalmers, 1810-1848, (University of St Andrews)