History of the Johnstones, 1191-1909, with ... - Electric Scotland

CHAPTER XVI.
Young Galabank—The Church of Scotland—The Third Marquis of Annandale
—He Presents to Moffat—William Johnstone's Death in the West Indies
—Carlile of Antigua—Scottish Pharmacy—The Rising in 1745—Dumfriesshire
Men who Assisted Prince Charles—The Chevalier Johnstone.
A RECENT
writer on the social state of Scotland says " : Never did the
Church take so high a place as in 1750 to 1770." 1 Among those who
helped to raise it to that level was Galabank's eldest son, Edward.
The death of the little sisters who had been his playfellows, and of two still
younger before he was eleven, gave him a sober turn of mind, so he was early
destined to be a minister—at that time quite as influential a post in Scotland
as a Roman priest in Ireland, but by no means a lucrative one. The Presby-
terian had so recently been established as the Kirk of Scotland, and ousted
the Episcopalian, that its leaders resolved to keep up a high standard for their
clergy, and a nine years' study and strict probation was required before the
ministerial call, and Hebrew and Greek were obligatory. As to Latin, the
lectures were delivered in it, and it had to be spoken in the College precincts.
Edward Johnstone's instructor before he went to College was Mr Howie,
the Annan minister, from whom he learned French, as well as Latin and Greek.
He matriculated at the Edinburgh University when he was sixteen, and, being
an eloquent probationer of divinity, he preached several times in the College
Chapel before the Professors when he was still under twenty. He took his
degree of M.A. in 1739, being already tutor to Richard and Charles, the sons
of the Marchioness of Annandale and her second husband, Colonel Johnstone,
and he gave lessons to the sons of her first marriage, George, third Marquis of
Annandale, and Lord John Johnstone. 2 While so employed he lived at
1 Grahame.
2 " These gentlemen," wrote his brother in 1799, " were uncommonly fortunate in their tutor,
for with great literary talents, with genius, and the liberal manners of a gentleman, my brother
had the highest sense of truth, justice, honour, and piety. . . . I owe much to his example,
and sincerely honour his memory as my benefactor and as an honour to his family." This
was not only a brother's partial estimate ; " Fasti Eccles. Scotiae" says of him : " In person he
was tall and graceful. He was superior in talents, manners, and conversation, and by his
knowledge and elocution was an animated and popular preacher, as well as a diligent, zealous,
and faithful pastor. His sermon on the death of George II. was the only one printed in
Scotland."