John Watson (3 November 1850 – 6 May 1907), was a minister of the Free Church of Scotland. He is remembered as an author of fiction, known by his pen name Ian Maclaren. I'm currently reading his short story collection "St Jude", but am also fascinated by his life. Here was a man who stood out against a narrowness in his creed, and who was indeed "a generous soul".
The Life of The Rev. John Watson, D.D. "Ian Maclaren"
A Generous Soul
By W. Robertson Nicoll
WHEN a Scotch divinity student concludes his course, he is examined by his Presbytery and licensed to preach. If he is popular he is soon called by a vacant congregation, and after that he is ordained and settled in a charge. The intervening period is trying enough to many. Men have been " probationers," licensed to preach, but not called to a particular parish for as many as twenty years. Some have never been called, and these are described as " stickit ministers."
The three months which Watson spent as assistant at the Barclay Church were the most miserable period of his whole life. The pulpit nearly lost him for the Bar. As assistant he said :
“I was reserved for the work of visiting elderly ladies and trying to bring young men into Church who did not attend. On rare occasions I was allowed to enter the pulpit. The crisis in my life came when on a Friday I was told my chief was suffering from a sore throat, and that I should have to prepare to preach the following Sunday. What should I do? I had usually consumed two weeks in pre- paring a sermon from Hodge. As I had recently lost my mother the miracle of Nain appealed to me, and I preached about a man's relation to his mother. I know it was real, for I felt what I said. But my chief told me he had had a bad report of me for I did not preach conversion.”
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