5 minute
Podcasts
You can cram a lot of Scotland’s Forgotten History into 5 minutes!
Controversial, learned and zealous – John Flint of Lasswade – SFH083
The long and interesting life of John Flint, encountered many notable theologians. Despite his initial promise and youthful mistakes he proved to be, as Robert Wodrow says, a pious, warm-hearted, useful minister that continued in his commitment to the values of the...
“Bringing these persecuted preachings to Lothian” – James Currie and the Moorfoot Conventicles- SFH082
We are at the remote spot near Mauldslie, close to Gladhouse Reservoir with the Moorfoot Hills as a backdrop. During the first half of 1679 field meetings were held here on the boundary of the Borders and Midlothian. It was a brief window of powerful preaching. James...
The Man Behind the Memorial – James Currie of Pentland – SFH081
If you have ever viewed and appreciated the Covenanter Martyrs Memorial at Greyfriars Churchyard in Edinburgh, you have James Currie to thank. It is said that Currie indeed sculpted the panel for the memorial himself. But who was he? He himself had experiences of...
“If I should die among the snow” – a Winter Conventicle, Closeburn – SFH080
We might easily be tempted to romanticise conventicles in the time of snow. In later times poems were written of how "all around the snow was falling, yet there they held their place". The hardship was, however, acute. Such weather also certainly added to the dangers...
“Send me where you please” – David Dickson, Turriff – SFH079
In the small town of Turriff in Aberdeenshire you can still see the bell that tolled for people to come to worship and hear David Dickson’s sermons. But Dickson was not there voluntarily, he had been banished as a civil punishment. Why was this and what can we still...
An Echo from 1592, a Year of Liberty for the Church – SFH078
Sometimes a date or an event from Scotland’s Forgotten History crops up unexpectedly in current affairs. In this episode we consider such an echo from 1592, a year of liberty for the Church. What was the Golden Act and how can a simple piece of legislation have such...
Gabriel Semple’s Prison Prayer – Canongate Tolbooth – SFH077
The field preacher Gabriel Semple was incarcerated in the Canongate Tolbooth in 1681. But it was only a brief interlude in a long history of preaching despite persecution. We find out how his experience here fits into the rest of that eventful life of being hunted...
Conscience, Obedience and an Unwanted Government – Dalkeith Palace – SFH076
Politics and government often present complex realities. How do you face a turbulent political situation and an unwanted regime with conscience and principle? We visit the Scottish headquarters of Oliver Cromwell's regime to consider how Covenanters decided to respond...
Shot Dead at an “Illegal” Service – James Davie of Bathgate – SFH075
The grave of a Covenanter can be found at the ruined Old Parish Church in Bathgate. We know very little about James Davie except that he lost his life for the sake of hearing the gospel preached. Let's discover what we do know about the circumstances surrounding his...
Home in Exile – Ramsay of Arniston Mains – SFH074
The charming story of a Covenanter forced into exile from Midlothian. He moves right into the heart of Covenanting territory where there are frequent conventicles and Covenanters are ferociously hunted down. So he finds a home in exile very like his own and lives in...
Covenant or Career? The Choices and Principles of Sir James Dundas of Arniston – SFH073
Join us at the stunning mansion house of Arniston, Midlothian to discover a lesser known principled landowning Covenanter called Sir James Dundas, first Lord of Arniston. His direct descendant Althea Dundas-Bekker invites us to her home to tell us about his life,...
What David Dickson’s Forgotten Sermons Can Still Teach Us – SFH072
David Dickson’s sermons on the book of Lamentations, preached in the year 1628 have been forgotten. They were never ever published. But they have now come to light and contain some very relevant teaching for us in our current context. The published volume can be...
“Scotland broke loose with conventicles of all sorts”: The “Blynk” of 1674 – Woolmet – SFH71
During several weeks in the spring of 1674, meetings with Covenanter preachers spread like wild fire everywhere across the south of Scotland. Thousands attended and the government could scarcely restrain them. In this episode, we are at the site of Woolmet Chapel in...
Hearts Intertwined in Faith and Suffering: John Fraser and Jean Moffat – Glencorse Old Kirk – SFH70
We continue to follow John Fraser and Jean Moffat's journey to Glencorse Old Kirk. Surviving a woeful Atlantic voyage, they find liberty and marriage in New England. But their haven of rest in Glencorse will be shortlived. Find out why. The intertwined hearts in the...
The Most Delightful Place on Earth? – Glencorse Old Kirk and John Fraser and Jean Moffat’s Journey There – SFH69
The tranquil setting of Glencorse Old Kirk has enchanted many and is a popular wedding location. John Fraser and Jean Moffat settled nearby but their journey there from the Highlands and the Borders was one of intense suffering. Only in their twenties, their troubled...
The Eventful Life of William Traill of Borthwick, Donegal and Maryland – SFH068
William Traill started out as a chaplain near Borthwick, Midlothian but after many years in Donegal and Maryland he returned to minister here. His brother Robert Traill addressed his book Justification Vindicated to him here. We discover how he influenced Francis...
Patrick Anderson’s Illegal City Meetings – Potterrow, Edinburgh – SFH067
A lot was going on in Edinburgh during the time that all meetings outside the parish churches were made illegal. People were gathering for worship in houses every day, right under the noses of the authorities. This is why the story of a not especially well known...
Rutherford’s Powerful Case Against Slavery – SFH066
Not everyone in Scotland's history kept silent about the evil of slavery. Samuel Rutherford made a very powerful case against slavery in his classic book Lex, Rex which was published in 1645. Listen to find out how his resistance to slavery was crucial to his whole...
What James Guthrie Still Says to Us – SFH065
Some of James Guthrie's last words are well known, others not so much. We look at the abiding relevance of some of what he said on the edge of eternity. It was a message of both hope and warning that we still need to hear today. If you want to know more about James...
Readings in Rutherford: Part 3
This is a third reading from Samuel Rutherford’s book Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself. For more about the book see the podcast episode 57 interview with Rob McCurley. This reading is kindly supplied by Rev Bryan Peters of the Presbyterian Reformed Church...