A Remarkable Circle of Friends

Introduction I am writing this introduction in 2025. Think back with me two hundred years. God was visibly at work in Scotland’s national church. Widespread spiritual darkness was giving way before the light of the gospel. Two Church of Scotland ministers were particularly prominent in the new movement. One was Andrew Thomson of St George’s Church in Edin burgh, the other Thomas Chalmers who in 1825 was teaching Moral Philosophy in St Andrews University. Andrew Thomson’s Edinburgh ministry began in 1810 in the New Greyfriars’ Church. In 1814 he accepted the offer to be the first minister of St George’s. David MacLagan, in his history of the congregation, St George’s, Edinburgh, tells us that ‘Religion was not in disrepute at the time of Dr Thomson’s appointment. … Some earnestness there was in connection with one or two congregations which had recently obtained ministers of evangelical belief, faithful gospel preaching, and consistent Christian walk and conversation. But the general atmosphere was extremely worldly, cold and indifferent; and church-going, as a rule, was attended to very much because it was generally considered a proper thing to be done. … But the preaching of Dr Thomson was like a bombshell falling among the people. Not only did he give constant prominence to the distinctive gospel doctrines of grace and redemption by an atonement, but in terms of great directness and plainness of speech he denounced the customs of a society calling itself Christian; and in a marvellously short time, by his zeal and faithfulness under God, a remarkable change was effected in the habits and pursuits of many of his people.’ In the same

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