Abstract
My purpose then in writing this thesis has been to
make as thorough a study of Alexander, his life and his
work, as was feasible with the time at my disposal. Then
too, I have also desired to indicate so far as possible
the extent of the influence of Alexander, especially as
preacher, churchman and theologian, both within and without Congregationalism in Scotland
I have not attempted to study in detail the controversies in theology or in church and state in which Alexander was involved. I have tried only to give an accurate
and full account of Alexander's life and to examine his
works and the ideas for which he stood.
The only biography of Alexander was written sixty-three years ago by the Rev. James Ross, and in it are
to be found some discrepancies of dates and names. In
studying all of the known works of Alexander I discovered
several addresses, lectures, sermons, discourses and
articles not mentioned in the bibliography of Ross' biography, namely, eight addresses, two lectures, five sermons,
seven discourses, three introductions, two articles in
The Evangelical Magazine, one article in the Secession
Magazine, two articles in The Christian Herald, thirty-one
speeches at annual meetings of the Congregational Union
of Scotland, and two editorials, four biographies, forty-five articles in The Scottish Congregational Magazine.
