Harrower Family Tree » John Steel (1674-1746)

Personal data John Steel 

• He was born in the year 1674.
• Profession: between 1701 and 1746 Minister of the Gospel in Old Cumnock, Ayrshire, Scotland.Source 1
• He died March 1746 in Cumnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, he was 72 years old.Sources 1, 2

Household of John Steel

He had a relationship with Elizabeth or Margaret Drummond.

Child(ren):

1. Helen Steel   

Notes about John Steel

History of Old Cumnock. See web links

John Steel (1674-1746). After a vacancy of seven years,
Cumnock again had a settled minister. The reason of the long
vacancy is not known. A call had been addressed in 1697 to
Archibald Hamilton, who did not see his way to accept it. At
length, on the 26th March, 1701, Mr. John Steel was ordained
to the pastorate. Two years before, he had received license at
the hands of the Presbytery of Linlithgow. For 45 years he
continued to act as minister, closing his career on the 4th March,
1746, when he had reached the age of 73. He was survived by
his wife, Elizabeth Drummond. A good deal of information has
come down to us about his work. Several points of interest may
be noted.

Soon after he was settled, Cumnock, like the rest of Scotland,
was engaged in discussing the proposals for union between our
country and England. What view of the matter Cumnock took
is not quite certain, but the following extract from the session
records lets us see that the question was eagerly debated by the
people of the parish. It is of date 20th April, 1706. "The
minister made intimation to the session of an appointment of the
Synod, enjoining the several Presbyteries within their bounds to
order the minister and elders of every paroch within their respec-
tive districts, to set apart and keep a day with all convenient
haste of meeting, for prayer to Almighty God, that He would
graciously be pleased to pardon the abounding sins of the land,
to avert His judgments thereby deserved, to disappoint the
designs of His Church's enemies, and to overrule this important
matter of the union betwixt the two nations now in agitation, to
such happy conclusions as may be for His great name's glory and
the good of His people." For this purpose the Session appoint
"Saturday next, the 26th," as a day for prayer.

Steel seems to have been a man of earnest spirit, who trembled
lest the youth of the Church who were looking forward to the
ministry, should depart from the old paths. He was much
grieved at the influence which Professor Simson of Glasgow
wielded over his students. As is well known, Simson held defec-
tive views on the doctrine of the Trinity. His "case" occupied
the Church courts for a lengthened period, and produced a good
deal of feeling. The following quotation from Wodrow's Analecta
(III., p. 337) shows us the position taken up by Mr. Steel in the
matter. Wodrow, who is writing in 1726, is deploring the
heresy of Professor Simson. Especially does he deplore it, he
says, because " Mr. Steel of Cumnock tells me that about him
there is a society of young students in severall places in the shire
of Air, that meet in one another's houses once a fortnight, and
there declare against all Confessions of Faith and subscription,
and confirm one another in their opposition to them and loosnes
in other points. That he has this account from one of them who
remains firm as yet, how long he knows not. Ah, quorsum
ruimus ! These things look like some terrible cloud coming upon
us in this Church, when matters are at this pass in the shire of
Air and the West of Scotland, and it looks as if it flowed from
Mr. Simson's libertys that he gives and teaches his students."

Mr. Steel was a strict upholder of the law and order of the
Church. On one occasion he entered into a semi-public debate
with Mr. John Adamson, a " disorderly preacher," an account of
which was published under Steels auspices in 1714. The
pamphlet bears the following title - An account of a late Confer-
ence on the 25th October, 17 H, betivioct Mr. John Steel, Minister
of the Gospel at Old Cumnock, and Mr. John Adamson, a
disorderly preacher, anent the pretended grounds of his disorderly
course. Attested yy Mr. Steel himself and five elders, who were
eye and ear witnesses. Whereby Mr. Adamson will be found to
have discovered his disingenuity even to a surprize, and the utter
groundlessness of his separation. Mr. Adamson was not satisfied
with the account given by Mr. Steel. He therefore published a
rejoinder in 1715 under the title - Contendings for the Kingdom
of Light against the Kingdom of Darkness, being a copy of a
true dispide betivixt Mr. John Steel at Cumnock, and Mr. John
Adamson, preacher of the Gospel, aboid the grounds of separation,
etc. Little good seems to have come out of the conference, which
by arrangement took place in the house of an elder in the parish
of Ochiltree, where Mr. Adamson was residing and holding
services at the time. He continued to believe that "the
ministers of the Church of Scotland were so unfaithful that he
could not join with them.
One of the main objections of Mr. Adamson was connected
with the attitude of the Church towards the Oath of Abjuration.
Perhaps there was no subject which caused more heart-burning
among the ministers and people of the Scottish Church, during
the first half of the 18th century than the question of this oath.
Had Mr. Steel experienced no more difficulty about it than that
which arose from the action of Mr. Adamson, reference to it
would hardly have been required. But the matter was debated
in his session, and discussed by the congregation in their homes,
till feeling was roused and the peace of the church broken.

The story of the Oath of Abjuration is easily told. It was
made obligatory by the Parliament of Queen Anne in 1712 upon
all ministers of the Church of Scotland. Practically they were
required to swear that the occupant of the throne of the newly
united countries of England and Scotland should belong to the
communion of the Church of England. This restriction natur-
ally carried with it the inference that the crown could not be
worn by one who adopted the principles of the Presbyterian
Church. To ensure, if possible, its general acceptance by the
Scottish ministers, penalties of a heavy nature were threatened to
be inflicted upon all who should refuse to take the oath. Ruin-
ous fines were to be exacted in the first instance. Those who
persistently declined were to be forcibly ejected from their
pastoral charges. To the position implied in the oath, the
Church of Scotland could not of course agree. The whole
country was agitated over the matter. Some ministers weakly
took the oath. The majority declined at all hazards to conform,
and among these was Mr. Steel. Resolutely he refused to bind
himself with the restriction imposed by Parliament. In this he
had the sympathy and the support of his people.

How then did the difficulty arise ? In this way. Mr. Steel,
though he had not taken the oath himself, had ministerial friends
in the neighbourhood and elsewhere, who had obeyed the in-
junction of the crown. At a certain communion season one of
these friends was invited by him to assist in Cumnock. Some of
the members of session and a number of the congregation, des-
pising those who had taken the bond, would not have him among
them. Matters came to a crisis when Mr. Steel went from home
to help at the sacrament of the Lord's Supper in the parish of a
minister, who had subscribed the oath. His action was at once
followed by the withdrawal of ten or twelve families from the
church. Others expressed great dissatisfaction, though they did
not go the length of separating themselves from his ministry. As
far as he could, Mr. Steel tried to allay feeling on the point. He
read from the pulpit the recommendation both of the Synod and
the Assembly, that congregations should make no difference be-
tween ministers who took the oath, and ministers who refused to
take it. He consulted with his elders frequently about it, but
some of them he could not convince. No method of settling the
difficulty could be discovered. The result was that, for four or
five years, the Lord's Supper was not celebrated in the parish.
At length, in 1716, it was agreed to ask the advice of the Pres-
bytery, for which purpose an elder, William M'Cowan, was
appointed to go to Ayr with the minister and bring the answer
back " in write.' What happened after that does not appear
from the session records. Feeling gradually died down, for under
date 17th August, 1718, we read " the Lord's Supper was cele-
brated to-day."

After a vacancy of seven years, Cumnock again had a settled minister. The reason of the long vacancy is not known. Ordained in March 1701 John married Elizabeth Drummond, daughter or Sir George Drummond, Lord Provost of Edinburgh and had 2 children. John served until his death in March 1746 aged 72, serving for a total of 45 years. He published several religious texts.

Some information has come down to us about his work. Several points of interest may be noted.

Soon after he was settled, Cumnock, like the rest of Scotland, was engaged in discussing the proposals for union between our country and England. What view of the matter Cumnock took is not quite certain, but the following extract from the session records lets us see that the people of the parish eagerly debated the question.

It is dated 20th April 1706. "The minister made intimation to the session of an appointment of the Synod, enjoining the several Presbyteries within their bounds to order the minister and elders of every paroche within their respective districts, to set apart and keep a day with all convenient haste of meeting, for prayer to Almighty God, that He would graciously be pleased to pardon the abounding sins of the land, to avert His judgments thereby deserved, to disappoint the designs of His Church's enemies, and to overrule this important matter of the union betwixt the two nations now in agitation, to such happy conclusions as may be for His great name's glory and the good of His people.”

He died in Cumnock March 1746 aged 73.

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