John Simson

John Simson (1668?–1740) was a Scottish New Licht theologian, involved in a long investigation of alleged heresy. He was suspended from teaching as Professor of Divinity, Glasgow, for the rest of his life.

He was the eldest son of Patrick Simson (1628–1715), minister of Renfrew. He was educated at Edinburgh University where he graduated M.A. on 18 July 1692. He was then librarian at Glasgow College. On 13 July 1698 he was licensed by Paisley presbytery.

He received instruction from Johannes Marck, professor of divinity at Leiden University from 1689 to 1731; his brother Matthew (1673–1756), minister at Pencaitland, Haddingtonshire, was entered at Leyden as a divinity student on 20 February 1699, and it is probable that Simson accompanied him, though he is not entered in the list of students. In poor health, he obtained no ministerial charge till 1705, when he was called to Troqueer, Kirkcudbrightshire on 21 June, and ordained there on 20 September 1708 he was promoted to be professor of divinity in Glasgow University, succeeding James Wodrow, father of Robert Wodrow. He lectured in Latin, using Marck's Medulla as his main text-book.

He was never convicted of heresy. He adopted the maxim that reason is 'fundamentum theologiæ,' and his aim was to make orthodoxy intelligible. For twenty years the ranks of presbyterian clergy in the west of Scotland and north of Ireland were recruited from his pupils. In 1710 Simson discussed his views at Moffat with James Webster (1659–1720), minister of the Tolbooth church, Edinburgh. Subsequently, he stated his position in correspondence with Robert Rowan (1660–1714), minister of Penningham, Wigtownshire, and with James Hog, editor of The Marrow. Webster first publicly attacked Simson in August 1712. On 17 March 1714 he made formal charges in the Edinburgh presbytery. Through the synod of Lothian the matter reached the General Assembly, and Webster, acting under the assembly's order, tabled his complaint before the Glasgow presbytery in the autumn. Simson gave in his replies on 29 March 1715, and the general assembly on 8 May referred the case to a committee of thirty ministers and six elders, on 13 May. At the head of the committee was William Carstares, who died before the end of the year. The leading theologians on it were James Hadow, and William Hamilton, D.D., professor of divinity at Edinburgh. The gist of the accusation was that Simson had attributed too much to the "light of nature", but there were other charges, e.g. he held it probable that the moon was inhabited.

...
Wikipedia