EDINBURGH] OLD GREYFRIARS 47
Assembly 23rd May 1754; D.D. (Edin-
burgh, 13th March 1759) ; again Moderator
15th May 1760, and one of the deputation
appointed by the Commission to congratu-
late George III. on his accession ; Dean
of the Order of the Thistle 1766 ; died 3rd
April 1787. He marr. 31st March 1745,
Jean (died 4th April 1804), eldest daugh.
of John Hay of Haystoun, and had issue
—James, M.D., distinguished Edinburgh
physician ; Grizel (marr. Benjamin Bell,
surgeon, Edinburgh) ; Gavin ; and others.
—[Fdin. Chr. Inst., xxv. ; Tombst.; Kay's
Portr., ii. ; Morren's Ann. ; Grant's Univ.,
ii. ; Somerville's Life, Carlyle's Autob.]
GEORGE KAY, M.A. (St Andrews, 7th
May 1729) ; licen. by Presb. of
Kirkcaldy 7th Nov. 1734; ord. to
Collessie 13th Sept. 1739 ; trans, to Minto
23rd Oct. 1741 ; trans, to Dysart 8th Dec.
1743; trans, to St Cuthbert's, Edinburgh,
3rd Sept. 1747 ; trans, to New Greyfriars
26th Oct. 1752 ; trans, and adm. 11th Oct.
1754 ; D.D. (Edinburgh, 13th March 1759)
;
Moderator of the General Assembly 24th
May following, and chaplain of Stirling-
Castle; died 10th April 1766. He marr.
14th Dec. 1747, Charlotte Sherriff, and had
issue—David, born 12th July 1749 ; Charles,
bora 5th Oct. 1751, died 15th Oct. 1762 ;
Margaret, born 2nd March 1757 : (2) 20th
Aug. 1761, Ann Forth, who died 10th
June 1788.—[Morren's Ann., ii. ; Carlyle's
Autob.~\
1767
JOHN ERSKINE of Carnock, born
2nd June 1721, eldest son of John E.
of Carnock, Professor of Scots Law,
Edinburgh Univ., and Margaret, daugh. of
the Hon. James Melvill of Balgarvie
;
educated at Cupar-Fife, and High School
and Univ. of Edinburgh ; originally in-
tended for the law, but studied divinity
and was licen. by Presb. of Dunblane 16th
Aug. 1743 ; ord. to Kirkintilloch 31st May
1744; trans, to Culross 21st Feb. 1753;
trans, to New Greyfriars 15th June 1758
;
D.D. (Glasgow 1766); trans, and adm. 9th
July 1767 ; died 19th Jan. 1803. He was
a classical scholar of distinction ; for many
years leader of the evangelical party in
the General Assembly and a master of the
preacher's art. He warmly supported a
proposal in favour of foreign missions, which
was opposed by Hamilton of Gladsmuir and
the moderate party generally. His open-
ing words, when replying to Hamilton,
became famous in the history of the
mission cause. Pointing to a Bible which
lay on the table, and of which he intended
to make use, and employing an expressive
Scottish idiom, he said, " Moderator, rax
me that Bible." The best pen-portrait of
him is contained in Guy Mannering (chap.
37). He marr. 15th June 1746, the Hon.
Christian Mackay (died 20th May 1810),
fourth daugh. of George, Lord Keay, and
had issue—John, bora 30th Sept. 1747, died
June 1776 ; George, born 21st Aug. 1748,
died in Bengal in autumn 1770 ; Mary,
born 19th Feb. 1750 (marr. 29th Oct. 1773,
Charles Stuart of Dunearn), died 15th April
1817 ; Margaret, born 17th Sept. 1751, died
5th Feb. 1795 ; Ann, born 30th Dec. 1752,
died 18th May 1820 ; Alexander, born 28th
July 1754, died 25th Feb. 1760; Robert,
born 4th May 1756, died 9th April 1784;
Charles, born 20th Oct. 1757, died 28th
June 1782 ; Christian, born 28th June
1759; Hew, born 27th Jan., died 25th
Sept. 1763 ; James Bruce, born 8th Sept.
1764, died 11th Oct. 1771 ; Harriet, born
11th Oct. 1766, died 10th Oct. 1771 ; David
of Carnock, born 18th April 1770, died
16th March 1838. Publications— Theo-
logical Dissertations (Edinburgh, 1765
;
another edition with account of the author
by Thomas Davidson, D.D., Edinburgh,
1808) ; Considerations on the Spirit of
Popery (Edinburgh, 1778) ; Sketches and
Hints of Church History and Theological
Controversy, chiefly translated and abridged
from Modern Foreign Writers, 2 vols. (Edin-
burgh, 1790 and 1797) ; Letters on Loss of
Children and Friends : A Sujiplement to
Gillies's Historical Collections (Edinburgh,
1796) ; Discourses on Several Occasions, 2
vols. (1798, 1804) ; and others. In addition,
he edited at least twenty publications,
chiefly the works of Jonathan Edwards
(with whom he was on terms of intimacy),
and other American divines. See Life by
Sir Henry MoncreiffWelhvood, Bart. (Edin-