1812 THOMAS BROWN. 292pp Unpublished Scottish Presbyterian Sermons by Son of John Brown of Haddington!
1812 THOMAS BROWN. 292pp Unpublished Scottish Presbyterian Sermons by Son of John Brown of Haddington!
Just in with a really fine group of Scottish theology and manuscripts*, some of which also belonged to Rev. Thomas Brown of Dalkieth [1776-1828], this 175,000 word manuscript of unpublished sermons by the aforementioned prominent Presbyterian divine.
A prominent minister among the Presbyterians, a volume of Thomas Brown’s sermons, which we have not been able to lay hands on, was published the year of his death. He had also published The Nature, Obligation, and Advantages of Early Piety; An Address to Christians on the Advantages of Family Worship; A Defense of Infant Baptism to a Friend [who was presumably a Scottish Baptist]; The Angel Preaching the Everlasting Gospel to the Nations; The Sin and Danger of Opposing the Propagation of the Gospel among the Heathen; The History of the Church; etc., The eminent James Peddie preached his funeral sermon, which was also published.
Thomas was also son to one of the most important Scottish Presbyterians of the 18th century, John Brown of Haddington, whose Family Bible, Dictionary of the Bible, and theological works could be found in nearly every Evangelical home in the entirety of the United Kingdom.
The present, closely written manuscript of 292 pages, contains approximately 175,000 words in total. That would be between 600 and 800 pages in a standard format book in today's publishing standards.
All full and complete, we have somewhere between 60 and 70 Addresses at the Table of the Lord's Supper [perhaps a half dozen] and the rest rich, expository sermons on:
Galatians 5.7-14
John 21.14
Ephesians 5.15
Ephesians 5.21
Ephesians 5.28
I Corinthians 16.22
Ephesians 6.1-4
Ephesians 6.5-9
Ephesians 6.10
Psalm 89.7
Ephesians 6.16-20
Exodus 12.26
Romans 1.1-6
Luke 24 [Lengthy series of sermons on "That this Gospel should be preached among all nations;" fascinatingly this rare early suite of sermons on foreign missions was preached the year Livingstone was born and right after Adoniram Judson's arrival in India. This probably the genesis for his published work on the same subject]
Romans 1.7-15
Romans 1.16-19
Ezekiel 21.27 [National Fast Day]
Romans 1.20-25
Hebrews 13.8 [Jesus Christ, the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever]
Romans 1.28-32
Mark 4.12, 13, and 15 [St. Bartholomew's Day]
Daniel 1.4
Romans 2.1
Mark 4.17, 18, 19
Daniel 2.1
Mark 4.18-25
Mark 4.26-29
Romans 2.6-16
Daniel 2.14
Matthew 13.44-46
Romans 2.17
Daniel 2.28
Matthew 13.47-50
Romans 3.1-8
Daniel 2.40-49
Romans 3.9
Matthew 18.29-35
Daniel 3.1
Romans 3.19
Daniel 3.13
Romans 3.26
Daniel 4.1
Luke 18.1-8
Romans 4.1-8
Matthew 25.1-13
Daniel 4.19
Romans 4.9
John 7.46
Matthew 13.16-17
Daniel 5
Malachi 3.1
Romans 5.1
Daniel 6
Luke 10.30-37 etc.,
These would be a wonderful academic or publishing project; they are rich and full, as one might expect from Brown of Haddington's son and someone who published many other works of Scottish Presbyterian preaching, devotion, etc. The hand is near miniscule and will require significant patience. I read a lot of manuscripts. This one is tough. But after working with it for an hour or so, already my eyes were attuning to it. It's doable, but it will be serious work.
*See our lovely copy of Hannah More's Estimate of the Religion of the Fashionable World which previously belonged to Thomas Brown as well.