John Simson (1667–1740) was a Scottish "New Licht" theologian, involved in a long investigation of alleged heresy. He was suspended from teaching as Professor of Divinity at the University of Glasgow for his later life.
Life
He was born on 13 July 1667, the eldest son of Rev Patrick Simson (1628–1715), minister of Renfrew. John was educated at the University of Edinburgh where he graduated M.A. on 18 July 1692, then did further studies at Glasgow University being appointed university librarian in 1696. On 13 July 1698 he was licensed to preach as a Church of Scotland minister by the Presbytery of Paisley.
In September 1698 he travelled to the Netherlands to receive instruction from Johannes Marck, professor of divinity at Leiden University, staying from 1689 to 1731. During this period, his brother Matthew Simson (1673–1756), minister at Pencaitland, Haddingtonshire, was entered at Leyden as a divinity student on 20 February 1699, and it is probable that Simson accompanied him, though he is not entered in the list of students. In poor health, he obtained no ministerial charge till 1705, when he was called to Troqueer, Kirkcudbrightshire on 21 June, and ordained there on 20 September 1708 he was promoted to be professor of divinity in the University of Glasgow, succeeding James Wodrow, father of Robert Wodrow. He lectured in Latin, using Marck's Medulla as his main text-book.
He was never convicted of heresy. He adopted the maxim that reason is 'fundamentum theologiæ,' and his aim was to make orthodoxy intelligible. For 20 years the ranks of presbyterian clergy in the west of Scotland and north of Ireland were recruited from his pupils. In 1710 Simson discussed his views at Moffat with James Webster (1659–1720), minister of the Tolbooth Church, Edinburgh. Subsequently, he stated his position in correspondence with Robert Rowan (1660–1714), minister of Penningham, Wigtownshire, and with James Hog, editor of The Marrow. Webster first publicly attacked Simson in August 1712. On 17 March 1714 he made formal charges in the Edinburgh presbytery. Through the synod of Lothian the matter reached the General Assembly, and Webster, acting under the assembly's order, tabled his complaint before the Glasgow presbytery in the autumn. Simson gave in his replies on 29 March 1715, and the general assembly on 8 May referred the case to a committee of thirty ministers and six elders, on 13 May. At the head of the committee was William Carstares, who died before the end of the year. The leading theologians on it were James Hadow, and William Hamilton, D.D., Professor of divinity at Edinburgh. The gist of the accusation was that Simson had attributed too much to the "light of nature", but there were other charges, e.g. he held it probable that the moon was inhabited.
At the assembly of 1716 the marrow-men clamoured for Simson's suspension, but the case was deferred till the next assembly, when Webster broke out (8 May 1717) with what Wodrow calls 'a dreadful sally.' At the next sitting he apologised. On 14 May 1717 the assembly found that Simson had 'vented some opinions not necessary to be taught in divinity,' and had employed expressions 'used by adversaries in a bad and unsound sense;' these were prohibited for the future, but no further censure was passed. The assembly was, in fact, being offered to choose between two extremes: on the same day judgment was given against the ‘Auchterarder creed’ (see Thomas Boston, the elder). Preaching at the outer church, Glasgow, on 19 May, Simson gave offence by allusions to his opponents.