James Purves (minister)

James Purves (1734–1795) was a Scottish universalist minister.

He was born at Blackadder, near Edrington, Berwickshire, on 23 September 1734. His father, a shepherd, died in 1754. On 1 December 1755 he was admitted to membership in a religious society at Chirnside, Berwickshire; it was one of several "fellowship societies" formed by James Fraser of Brae. They had joined the Reformed Presbytery in 1743, but separated from it in 1753, as holders of the doctrine of universal atonement (this split occurred at the death of John Macmillan, and they were without a fixed ministry).

Purves in 1756 bound himself apprentice to his uncle, a wright in Duns, Berwickshire. He read Isaac Watts's Dissertation on the Logos, 1726, and adopted the doctrine of the pre-existence of the human soul of Christ. In 1763 the Berwickshire societies sent him as their commissioner to Coleraine, County Londonderry, to consult with a branch of the Irish secession church holding similar doctrines. A minute expressing concurrence of doctrine was signed at Coleraine by John Hopkins, Samuel Lind, and Purves.

In 1769 the Berwickshire societies decided to qualify one of their members as a public preacher. Three candidates delivered trial discourses on 8 June 1769; one of these withdrew from membership: of the remaining two, Purves was selected by lot (27 July), and sent to Glasgow College. Here he learned some Latin, and Greek and Hebrew so as to read the scriptures in the originals. In 1771 a statement of principles drawn up by Purves was adopted by the societies. Its theology was high Arian, but its distinctive position was the duty of free inquiry into the scriptures, unbiassed by creed. This document led to controversy with ministers of the Reformed Presbytery.

In 1776 several members of the Berwickshire societies, headed by Alexander Forton or Fortune, migrated to Edinburgh and established a religious society, calling themselves "successors of the remnant who testified against the revolution constitution". Purves joined them on their invitation. he supported himself by teaching, and on 15 November 1776 was elected pastor. The site of his school and place of worship at Broughton, then near Edinburgh, was later taken by St. Paul's episcopal chapel, York Place, Edinburgh. In 1777 hemoved his residence to Wright's Houses, Bruntsfield Links, Edinburgh.

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