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BLAIR, ROBERT, an eminent
divine of the seventeenth century, was the sixth and youngest son of John
Blair of Windyedge in Ayrshire, and Beatrix Muir, a lady of the honourable
house of Rowallan. He was born at Irvine in 1593, and received his
education at the college of Glasgow. After acting for some time as
assistant to a teacher in that city, he was appointed, in the
twenty-second year of his age, to be a regent or professor in the college.
In 1616, he was licensed as a minister of the gospel. Happening soon after
to preach before the celebrated Robert Bruce, and being anxious to have
the judgment of so great and good a man upon his discourse, he took the
liberty of directly asking him how he liked the sermon: Bruce said,
"I found your sermon very polished and well digested, but there is
one thing I did miss in it—to wit, the spirit of God; I found not
that." This criticism made a deep and useful impression upon the
young preacher. The prospects of Mr Blair at Glasgow were clouded in 1622,
by the accession of Cameron to the office of Principal in the College.
This divine, having been imbued in France with the tenets of Arminius,
became a zealous promoter of the views of the court, for the introduction
of Episcopacy into Scotland. Blair speedily became obnoxious to his evil
offices, and found it necessary to resign his charge. For some years he
officiated to a Presbyterian congregation at Bangour in Ireland, but, in
1632, was suspended, along with the equally famous preacher Livingstone,
by the Bishop of Down. He then went over to court, to implore the
interference of the King, who at length gave a favourable answer to his
petition, writing with his own hand upon the margin, "Indulge these
men, for they are Scotsmen;" an expression certainly honourable to
the heart of the unfortunate monarch. Blair was one of those divines, who
were reputed in Scotland to have direct communications with heaven, and a
power of prophetic vision. While waiting anxiously for the return of his
petition, he asked, and, as it is recorded by his biographer, received, a
sign from heaven, assuring him that his wishes would be realised. He also
"had from Ezekiel xxiv. 16, a strange discovery of his wife’s
death, and the very bed whereon she was lying, and the particular
acquaintances attending her; and although she was in good health at his
return home, yet in a little all this came to pass," [Scots Worthies,
new edition, 1827, p. 302.] He had not been long re-established
at Bangour, when the bishop found further fault with him, and again
sentenced him to be expelled. He now joined in a scheme set on foot by
various Presbyterian clergymen in similar circumstances, for fitting up a
ship, and emigrating to New England. But being driven back by a storm,
they conceived that the Almighty will was opposed to their resolution, and
accordingly abandoned the scheme. Blair returned to Scotland to mingle in
the tumultuous scenes of the covenant. He preached for some time at Ayr,
and was afterwards settled by the General Assembly at St Andrews. In 1640,
he accompanied the Scottish army into England, and assisted at the
negotiations for the peace of Rippon. After the first burst of the Irish
rebellion of 1641, when the Presbyterians supplicated the General Assembly
for a supply of ministers, Blair was one of those who went over. He soon
returned, however, to his charge at St Andrews. In autumn 1645, when the
Scottish estates and General Assembly were obliged by the prevalence of
the plague at Edinburgh to sit in St Andrews, Blair took a conspicuous
part in the prosecution of Sir Robert Spottiswoode and other adherents of
Montrose, who had been taken prisoners at Philiphaugh. Sir Robert, who had
accompanied Montrose as a mere civilian, upon an ernbassage from the King,
was sentenced, by a flagrant violation of the law, to be beheaded as a
traitor. In reality this dignified and respectable person was sacrificed
as an atonement for the exertions of his father, Archbishop Spottiswoode,
to introduce Episcopacy. At this period, when toleration was sincerely
looked upon as a fatal and deadly error, it was conceived, that to permit
this person to escape would draw down the wrath of God upon the land.
Blair, who entertained all these notions in the most earnest manner, was
nevertheless anxious that an exertion should be made to turn Sir Robert
from the errors of his faith, so that he might at least die in the
profession of the true religion. He therefore attended him in jail, and
even at the scaffold, trying all his eloquence to work a conversion.
Spottiswoode, who was one of the most learned and enlightened men of his
age, appears to have looked upon these efforts in a different spirit from
that in which they were made. He was provoked, upon the very scaffold, to
reject the prayers of his pious monitor, in language far from courtly. Mr.
Blair was equally unsuccessful with Captain Guthrie, son of the ex-bishop
of Moray; who was soon after executed at the same place.
Blair was one of the
Scottish divines appointed, in 1645, to reason the King out of his
Episcopal prepossessions at Newcastle. The celebrated Cant, one of his co-adjutors
in this task, having one day accused his Majesty of favouring Popery, Mr
Blair interrupted him, and hinted that this was not a proper time or place
for making such a charge. The unfortunate monarch, who certainly had a
claim to this amount upon the gratitude of Blair, appears to have felt the
kindness of the remark. At the death of Henderson, his Majesty appointed
Blair to be his successor, as chaplain for Scotland. In this capacity, he
had much intercourse with the King, who, one day, asked him if it was
warrantable in prayer to determine a controversy. Blair, taking the hint,
said, that in the prayer just finished, he did not think that he had
determined any controversy. "Yes," said the King, "you
determined the Pope to be Antichrist, which is a controversy among
divines." Blair said he was sorry that this should be disputed by his
Majesty; for certainly it was not so by his father. This remark showed
great acuteness in the divine, for Charles, being a constant defender of
the opinions of his father, whose authority he esteemed above that of all
professional theologians, was totally unable to make any reply. The
constancy of the King in his adherence to a church, which his coronation
oath had obliged him to defend, rendered, as is well known, all the
advices of the Scottish divines unavailing. After spending some months
with his Majesty, in his captivity at Newcastle, Mr Blair returned to
Scotland.
In 1648, when Cromwell came
to Edinburgh for the first time, the Commission of the Church sent three
divines, including Mr Blair, to treat with him for a uniformity of
religion in England. The sectarian general, who looked upon the Scottish
Presbytery as no better than English Episcopacy, but yet was anxious to
conciliate the northern divines, entertained this legation with smooth
speeches, and made many solemn appeals to God, as to the sincerity of his
intentions. Blair, however, had perceived the real character of Cromwell,
and thought it necessary to ask explicit answers to the three following
categories: 1, What was his opinion of monarchical government? To this he
answered, that he was for monarchial government; which exactly suited the
views of the Scottish Presbyterians. 2, What was his opinion anent
toleration? He answered confidently that he was altogether against
toleration; which pleased, if possible, still better. 3, What was his
opinion concerning the government of the church? "Oh, now," said
Cromwell, " Mr Blair, you article me too severely; you must pardon me
that I give you not a present answer to this." When the deputation
left him Mr David Dickson said to Mr Blair, " I am glad to hear this
man speak no worse; " to which the latter replied, " If you knew
him as well as I, you would not believe a word he says; for he is an
egregious dissembler."
Blair continued to be a
zealous and useful minister during the usurpation of Cromwell, but after
the Restoration, fell speedily under the censure of his metropolitan,
Archbishop Sharpe. For some years, he had no regular place of worship, but
preached and ministered when he met with a favourable opportunity. During
his later years, being prohibited from coming within twenty miles of St
Andrews, he lived at Meikle Couston, in the parish of Aberdour, where he
died, August 27, 1666, in the 73d year of his age. He was buried in the
church-yard of Aberdour, where there is a small tablet to his memory.
Robert Blair was the author
of a Commentary on the Book of Proverbs, and also of some political
pieces, none of which have come down to modern times. His abilities were
singularly revived in more than one branch of his numerous progeny,
particularly in his grandson, the author of "The Grave," and his
two great-grandsons, Dr Hugh Blair, and the late Robert Blair, President
of the Court of Sessions.
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