Excerpt from The Secret and True History of the Church of Scotland, From the Restoration to the Year 1678: To Which Is Added, an Account of the Murder of Archbishop Sharp

Perhaps a juster estimate of Kirkton's method in conveying in struction from the pulpit, may be formed by perusing some notes of one sermon, printed from a ms., and another entire discourse, published after his death, which are subjoined to this notice. Yet, In The Memoirs and Spiritual Exercises of Elizabeth West, written by her own hand, very frequent and honourable mention is made of Kirkton, and his impressive style of preaching. Among other things, she says, Oftentimes Mr James Kirkton had this expression in the pulpit of Self, That dead dog, self! It is as easy to pull the marrow out of our bones, as to pull self out of our hearts.' She also mentions his disapprobation of a book which his sect are reported, by the author of the Presbyterian Eloquence, to have abhorred. There is a book which the curates have among them, which they call The Whole Duty of Man, ' which book is a clear discovery of their errors for in all that book there is nothing but morality preached up. The eminent servant of Christ, Mr James Kirkton, very frequently in the pulpit gave his testimony against this book; he said, that it was so far from being the whole duty of man, that it was not half of the duty of man for his thoughts were, that the whole duty of man consisted in receiving Christ; and in all this book there was never a word ofychrist, either as to receiving or employing him in any thing whatsoever; and yet they cry up this book before all others.

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