John Ker
John Ker (1819–1886) was a Scottish preacher and minister whose thoughtful sermons and writings enriched the United Presbyterian Church during the 19th century. Born on April 7, 1819, in the farmhouse of Bield, Tweedsmuir, Peeblesshire, to parents who later moved to Fillyside and Abbeyhill near Edinburgh, he was deeply influenced as a child by the preaching of John Brown of Haddington. Educated at Edinburgh High School and the University of Edinburgh, where he excelled in philosophy classes under Sir William Hamilton, Ker entered the divinity hall of the United Secession Church in 1838. Ordained in 1851, he became pastor of East Campbell Street Church in Glasgow, serving there until 1876, when he was appointed professor of practical training at the United Presbyterian Theological Hall, a role he held until his death. He never married, focusing instead on his ministerial and scholarly pursuits. Ker’s preaching ministry was characterized by intellectual depth and pastoral sensitivity, earning him respect among peers and congregants despite chronic health issues that limited his physical stamina. His sermons, often reflective and steeped in Scripture, were complemented by his contributions to the United Presbyterian Magazine, including articles later published as The Psalms in History and Biography (1886). After his death on October 4, 1886, posthumous works like Lectures on the History of Preaching (1888) and a volume of his letters (1890) revealed his broad interests in theology, Scottish identity, and pastoral care. Ker died in Glasgow, leaving a legacy as a preacher and educator whose quiet dedication and erudition strengthened the United Presbyterian tradition, though his influence remained largely within ecclesiastical circles rather than achieving broader public renown.
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John Ker preaches about the nature of doubt, highlighting that while doubt may not always be a sin, it is unnatural and something to seek escape from. Doubt can be seen as a temptation arising from various sources, but it is wrong not to seek deliverance from it and to use it as an excuse for sin. The preacher emphasizes the importance of not entertaining doubt as a means to avoid seeking the truth and the necessity of feeling the weight of doubt in order to overcome it.
Sinless Doubt
"And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted" (Matt. 28:17). Is doubt a sin? Not always. We should not, to begin with, say that doubt is the proper state for any mind; for if things were right, belief in the great spiritual realities would be as natural as seeing the light: therefore doubt is unnatural, something that should not be, and from which we ought to seek escape. But doubt may be called at first a temptation rather than a sin--a temptation ready to recur from outward events and inward states of mind, and infections of thought from other spirits. These are not necessarily sinful. it is wrong not to seek deliverance from doubt--it is wrong to cherish it as an excuse for sin, to inquire captiously, to press frivolous objections, to seek evidence which is impossible or which we do not require in similar cases for practical action in life, to scatter doubt where we have no hope or wish for a solution of our own, and it is wrong not to feel for ever the pressure and misery of it.
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John Ker (1819–1886) was a Scottish preacher and minister whose thoughtful sermons and writings enriched the United Presbyterian Church during the 19th century. Born on April 7, 1819, in the farmhouse of Bield, Tweedsmuir, Peeblesshire, to parents who later moved to Fillyside and Abbeyhill near Edinburgh, he was deeply influenced as a child by the preaching of John Brown of Haddington. Educated at Edinburgh High School and the University of Edinburgh, where he excelled in philosophy classes under Sir William Hamilton, Ker entered the divinity hall of the United Secession Church in 1838. Ordained in 1851, he became pastor of East Campbell Street Church in Glasgow, serving there until 1876, when he was appointed professor of practical training at the United Presbyterian Theological Hall, a role he held until his death. He never married, focusing instead on his ministerial and scholarly pursuits. Ker’s preaching ministry was characterized by intellectual depth and pastoral sensitivity, earning him respect among peers and congregants despite chronic health issues that limited his physical stamina. His sermons, often reflective and steeped in Scripture, were complemented by his contributions to the United Presbyterian Magazine, including articles later published as The Psalms in History and Biography (1886). After his death on October 4, 1886, posthumous works like Lectures on the History of Preaching (1888) and a volume of his letters (1890) revealed his broad interests in theology, Scottish identity, and pastoral care. Ker died in Glasgow, leaving a legacy as a preacher and educator whose quiet dedication and erudition strengthened the United Presbyterian tradition, though his influence remained largely within ecclesiastical circles rather than achieving broader public renown.