| dc.description.abstract | The title- "James Hog of Carnock (1658-1734), Leader in the
Evangelical Party in Early Eighteenth Century Scotland" -has been
the limiting factor in the development and scope of this thesis.
It is not without significance that Hog is described as "Leader
in the Evangelical Party": the claim is not that he was the leader
of that school; but he is presented herein as one of the leaders in
the Evangelical party. This means that the share of Thomas Boston,
the Erskines, and others of that group in Evangelical leadership
is by no means denied, but it is not the scope of this thesis to
give an exhaustive study of these particular men, of their party,
or even of the various controversies herein discussed. Their
contributions are for the most part not included in the thesis,
or are included only insofar as is necessary to establish Hog's
function in the various scenes, to balance the discussion, or to
throw light upon the overall picture. In other words, the various
subjects presented in the thesis are developed as James Hog impinged
upon them, or as they impinged upon James Hog.
The words "Evangelical Party" are intended to apply in a broad
way, for it is an accepted fact that there was, during the period
under consideration, no hard and fast Evangelical--as opposed to
Moderate--party. It was more properly an Evangelical school
and as such the words are understood and developed.
It is the early eighteenth century with which the thesis is
concerned primarily, but as it is impossible to plunge into the
current of events and thought in ecclesiastical and theological
studies without a retrospective presentation of the contextual
situation preceding the immediate problem, an introductory section,
rooted in the seventeenth century background, is placed at the
beginning of each chapter. The decision to take this approach was
taken after consultation with my principal adviser, Principal
Emeritus Hugh Watt, whose wise counsel has led the writer clear of
many Charybdian hazards. In thus presenting the introductory
sections, each chapter serves as a setting for that which follows,
climaxing in the crucial chapter on the controversy concerning
The Marrow of Modern Divinity. | en_US |
