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Ralph Erskine
Ralph Erskine (1685–1752) was a Scottish preacher and evangelical minister whose dynamic ministry and writings significantly shaped the 18th-century Scottish church, particularly within the Secession movement. Born on March 18, 1685, in Monilaws, Northumberland, England, he was the sixth son of Henry Erskine, a Presbyterian minister, and Margaret Halcro, both of whom were exiled Covenanters who moved to England after Henry’s ejection from ministry in 1662. Raised in a devout family, Ralph studied at the University of Edinburgh, earning an MA in 1704, and was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Dunfermline in 1709. In 1717, he married Margaret Dewar, with whom he had ten children, though only four survived him; she died in 1739, and he remarried Margaret Simson in 1741. Erskine’s preaching career began with his ordination in 1711 as assistant minister at Dunfermline, Fife, where he served alongside his elder brother Ebenezer until 1737. Known for his fervent, gospel-centered sermons, he drew large crowds with his poetic preaching style, often delivered outdoors during Scotland’s evangelical awakenings, including the Cambuslang Revival of 1742. In 1737, he joined Ebenezer in forming the Associate Presbytery, seceding from the Church of Scotland over issues of patronage and spiritual independence, and became minister of the Queen Street congregation in Dunfermline until his death. A prolific writer, he penned over 400 sermons, published as Sermons and Other Practical Works, and composed evangelical poetry and hymns like “Faith’s Plea Upon God’s Word and Covenant.” Erskine died on November 6, 1752, in Dunfermline, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose eloquence and commitment to free grace theology invigorated Scottish Presbyterianism and influenced revivalist movements. He was buried in Dunfermline Abbey Churchyard.
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Ralph Erskine preaches about the longing for a heavenly home, expressing the dissatisfaction with the troubles and sorrows of this world, the yearning for divine joy and eternal bliss in the presence of God. He highlights the contrast between the fleeting pleasures of earth and the everlasting glory of heaven, emphasizing the need to focus on spiritual treasures rather than worldly possessions. Erskine points to Jesus as the source of true freedom and ultimate happiness, encouraging believers to seek a deeper relationship with Him and to anticipate the day when they will join the saints in praising God for eternity.
Earth Despicable, Heaven Desirable
There's nothing round the spacious earth To suit my vast desires; To more refined and solid mirth My boundless thought aspires. Fain would I leave this mournful place, This music dull, where none But heavy notes have any grace, And mirth accents the moan: Where troubles tread upon reliefs, New woes with older blend; Where rolling storms and circling griefs Run round without an end: Where waters wrestling with the stones, Do fight themselves to foam, And hollow clouds, with thund'ring groans, Discharge their pregnant womb: Where eagles mounting meet with rubs That dash them from the sky; And cedars, shrinking into shrubs, In ruin prostrate lie: Where sin the author of turmoils, The cause of death and hell; The one thing foul that all things foils, Does most befriended dwell. The purchaser of night and woe, The forfeiter of day, The debt that ev'ry man did owe, But only God could pay. Bewitching ill, indors'd with hope, Subscribed with despair: Ugly in death when eyes are ope, Though life may paint it fair. Small wonder that I droop alone In such a doleful place; When lo! my dearest friend is gone, My Father hides his face. And though in words I seem to show The fawning poets style, Yet is my plaint no feigned woe; I languish in exile. I long to share the happiness Of that triumphant throne, That swim in seas of boundless bliss Eternity along. When but in drops here by the way Free love distils itself, I pour contempt on hills of prey, And heaps of wordly pelf. To be amidst my little joys, Thrones, sceptres, crowns, and kings, Are nothing else but little toys, And despicable things. Down with disdain earth's pomp I thrust, Put tempting wealth away; Heav'n is not made of yellow dust, Nor bliss of glittering clay. Sweet was the hour I freedom felt To call my Jesus mine; To see his smiling face, and melt In pleasures all divine. Let fools an heav'n of shades pursue, But I for substance am: The heav'n I seek is likeness to, And vision of the Lamb. The worthy Lamb with glory crown'd In his august abode; Enthron'd sublime, and deck'd around With all the pomp of God. I long to join the saints above, Who crown'd with glorious bays, Through radiant files of angels move, And rival them in praise: In praise to JAH, the God of love, The fair incarnate Son, The holy co-eternal Dove, The good, the great Three-one. In hope to sing without a sob The anthem ever new, I gladly bid the dusty globe, And vain delights, Adieu.
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Ralph Erskine (1685–1752) was a Scottish preacher and evangelical minister whose dynamic ministry and writings significantly shaped the 18th-century Scottish church, particularly within the Secession movement. Born on March 18, 1685, in Monilaws, Northumberland, England, he was the sixth son of Henry Erskine, a Presbyterian minister, and Margaret Halcro, both of whom were exiled Covenanters who moved to England after Henry’s ejection from ministry in 1662. Raised in a devout family, Ralph studied at the University of Edinburgh, earning an MA in 1704, and was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Dunfermline in 1709. In 1717, he married Margaret Dewar, with whom he had ten children, though only four survived him; she died in 1739, and he remarried Margaret Simson in 1741. Erskine’s preaching career began with his ordination in 1711 as assistant minister at Dunfermline, Fife, where he served alongside his elder brother Ebenezer until 1737. Known for his fervent, gospel-centered sermons, he drew large crowds with his poetic preaching style, often delivered outdoors during Scotland’s evangelical awakenings, including the Cambuslang Revival of 1742. In 1737, he joined Ebenezer in forming the Associate Presbytery, seceding from the Church of Scotland over issues of patronage and spiritual independence, and became minister of the Queen Street congregation in Dunfermline until his death. A prolific writer, he penned over 400 sermons, published as Sermons and Other Practical Works, and composed evangelical poetry and hymns like “Faith’s Plea Upon God’s Word and Covenant.” Erskine died on November 6, 1752, in Dunfermline, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose eloquence and commitment to free grace theology invigorated Scottish Presbyterianism and influenced revivalist movements. He was buried in Dunfermline Abbey Churchyard.