Robert S. Candlish

Robert S. Candlish

5 Sermons
Robert Smith Candlish (1806–1873) was a Scottish preacher and theologian whose eloquent ministry and leadership made him a pivotal figure in the Free Church of Scotland during the 19th century. Born on March 23, 1806, in Edinburgh, he was the son of James Candlish, a medical lecturer and friend of Robert Burns, and Jane Smith, one of Burns’s celebrated “six belles of Mauchline.” Orphaned at five weeks old after his father’s death, Candlish was raised by his mother in Glasgow, where she ran a boarding house. Despite never attending formal school due to poor health and family circumstances, he received a robust home education from his mother and siblings, enabling him to enter the University of Glasgow at age 12. He graduated with an M.A. in 1823 and completed divinity studies by 1826, licensed to preach in 1828 by the Glasgow Presbytery. Candlish’s preaching career began as a tutor at Eton, followed by assistant roles at St. Andrew’s Church in Glasgow and Bonhill parish. In 1834, he was ordained as minister of St. George’s Church in Edinburgh, where his dynamic sermons quickly established him as a leading evangelical voice. His influence peaked during the Disruption of 1843, when he, second only to Thomas Chalmers, led over 400 ministers to form the Free Church of Scotland, advocating for congregational rights to choose ministers and spiritual independence from state control. He served as Moderator of the Free Church General Assembly in 1867 and became Principal of New College, Edinburgh, in 1862, while retaining his pastoral role at St. George’s Free Church. A prolific writer, his works include The Exposition of Genesis (1842), The Atonement (1861), and The Fatherhood of God (1865), reflecting his Reformed theology and expository style. Candlish died suddenly on October 19, 1873, at his home in Edinburgh, buried in Old Calton Burial Ground, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose intellect and piety shaped Scottish evangelicalism. He was survived by his wife, Jessie Brock, whom he married in 1835, and several children, including James Smith Candlish, a noted theologian.
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