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Hugh Black

Hugh Black (March 26, 1868 – April 6, 1953) was a Scottish-American theologian and author. Black was born on March 26, 1868, in Rothesay, Scotland. He received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Glasgow in 1887, and studied divinity at Free Church College Glasgow from 1887 until 1891. Black was ordained in 1891 and became associate pastor at St George's Free Church in Edinburgh in 1896, where he worked with Alexander Whyte.Hugh Black (March 26, 1868 – April 6, 1953) was a Scottish-American preacher, theologian, and author whose ministry bridged pastoral service and academic theology, impacting congregations across Scotland and the United States for over five decades. Born in Rothesay, Scotland, to parents whose details are not widely documented—likely a modest Presbyterian family—he grew up immersed in the Free Church tradition. He graduated with a Master of Arts from the University of Glasgow in 1887 and studied divinity at Free Church College Glasgow (1887–1891), ordained in 1891 without further formal degrees, though he later received honorary Doctor of Divinity titles from Yale (1908), Princeton, and Glasgow (both 1911). Black’s preaching career began as assistant pastor at Sherwood Church in Paisley, Scotland, followed by a decade as associate pastor at St. George’s Free Church in Edinburgh (1896–1906) under Alexander Whyte, where his eloquent sermons earned him renown as a “whitener” to Whyte’s “blackening” style. Emigrating to the United States in 1906, he became Professor of Practical Theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City (1906–1937), preaching at college chapels and guest pulpits like Central Congregational Church in Providence, Rhode Island, with a focus on practical faith and evangelism. He pastored First Congregational Church in Montclair, New Jersey, from 1930 to 1937, retiring to write and lecture. Author of works like The Art of Being a Good Friend (1899) and Christ’s Service of Love (1907), he married with family details unrecorded and passed away at age 85 in Montclair, New Jersey.
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Hugh Black emphasizes the importance of wisdom and understanding, contrasting it with the foolishness of those who are always seeking something grand in distant places instead of appreciating the opportunities right in front of them. He highlights the tendency to dream about achieving greatness elsewhere, neglecting the present duties and responsibilities. Black challenges the notion that only those with grand aspirations are of superior nature, pointing out that true imagination is found in appreciating the beauty and depth of everyday life. He encourages the audience to find wisdom in understanding and valuing the common experiences and people around them.
The Thrill of the Moment
"Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth" (Prov. 17:24). We all know something of the attraction of distance, the romance of the unknown; and we are inclined to minimise present opportunities by dreaming about some larger sphere where we would do great things. Not here, but somewhere in the ends of the earth, is the occasion we need to draw out our unsuspected powers. The first duty is the duty near at hand; but that is too small for the fool whose eyes are in the ends of the earth. The distant, the far-away affects imagination easily; it can soar and fly without breaking wings against hard facts. Some think that it is because they are of superior nature, of a finer texture of imagination, that they take no interest in the life around them, but divert themselves with vain dreams, building castles in the air, turning ever towards the ends of the earth for their high thoughts and noble aspirations. But really, such an imagination is of the commonest and lowest type. It is lack of imagination to be unable to enter with insight and sympathy into the common life around, to see only the commonplace in what is common, to see none of the romance and pathos and heroism of lowly life. Even from the point of view of art that is the triumph of imagination, to throw a glory round the usual and interpret the common in loving sympathy. Any one can imagine thrilling adventures in China or Peru or in the islands of the sea, but few can show us the treasures of heart and soul in the common life ungilded by the halo of romance. Truly wisdom is before the face of him that hath understanding, but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.
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Hugh Black (March 26, 1868 – April 6, 1953) was a Scottish-American theologian and author. Black was born on March 26, 1868, in Rothesay, Scotland. He received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Glasgow in 1887, and studied divinity at Free Church College Glasgow from 1887 until 1891. Black was ordained in 1891 and became associate pastor at St George's Free Church in Edinburgh in 1896, where he worked with Alexander Whyte.Hugh Black (March 26, 1868 – April 6, 1953) was a Scottish-American preacher, theologian, and author whose ministry bridged pastoral service and academic theology, impacting congregations across Scotland and the United States for over five decades. Born in Rothesay, Scotland, to parents whose details are not widely documented—likely a modest Presbyterian family—he grew up immersed in the Free Church tradition. He graduated with a Master of Arts from the University of Glasgow in 1887 and studied divinity at Free Church College Glasgow (1887–1891), ordained in 1891 without further formal degrees, though he later received honorary Doctor of Divinity titles from Yale (1908), Princeton, and Glasgow (both 1911). Black’s preaching career began as assistant pastor at Sherwood Church in Paisley, Scotland, followed by a decade as associate pastor at St. George’s Free Church in Edinburgh (1896–1906) under Alexander Whyte, where his eloquent sermons earned him renown as a “whitener” to Whyte’s “blackening” style. Emigrating to the United States in 1906, he became Professor of Practical Theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City (1906–1937), preaching at college chapels and guest pulpits like Central Congregational Church in Providence, Rhode Island, with a focus on practical faith and evangelism. He pastored First Congregational Church in Montclair, New Jersey, from 1930 to 1937, retiring to write and lecture. Author of works like The Art of Being a Good Friend (1899) and Christ’s Service of Love (1907), he married with family details unrecorded and passed away at age 85 in Montclair, New Jersey.