John Nevay (died 1672) was a Scottish Covenanter. He was the nephew of Andrew Cant, minister of Aberdeen. He graduated with an M.A. from King's College, Aberdeen, in 1626. He worked as tutor to George, Master of Ramsay. He was licensed by the Presbytery of Dalkeith 14 October 1630 on the recommendation of that of Alford, but left its bounds a fortnight after. He was admitted about 1637 and appointed in 1647 a member of committee to revise the Psalter. He was present at Mauchline Moor in opposition to the royal army in June 1648. He was subsequently pardoned by Parliament on 16 January 1649. Nevay was appointed a commissioner by Parliament for visiting the University of Aberdeen 31 July 1649. He was active in raising the western army in 1650, and in 1651 a prominent supporter of the Protesters. In 1654 he was named by the Council of England on a committee for authorising admissions to the ministry in the province of Glasgow and Ayr. On 23 December 1662 he was banished by the Privy Council from His Majesty's dominions and went to Holland, where he died in 1672, aged about 66.
He was a man of great zeal though somewhat violent and did not object to the execution of the Macdonald prisoners taken at Dunaverty. He married Ann Sharp, widow of Robert Halyburton, merchant, Edinburgh; she survived him, and had issue — a son. [1]
A nephew of Andrew Cant, Nevay entered King's College, Aberdeen in 1622, and graduated M.A. in 1626. For some time he was tutor to the Master of Ramsay; and on the recommendation of the presbytery of Alford he was licensed as a preacher of the kirk of Scotland by the presbytery of Dalkeith on 14 October 1630. In 1637 he was admitted minister of Newmilns in Ayrshire, and he was chosen a member of the general assemblies of 1646, 1647, and 1649. [2]
Nevay was opposed to all forms of set prayer in public worship, objecting to the use of the Lord's Prayer, the Gloria Patri, and the repeating of the creed at baptism. In the assembly of 1647 he was appointed to revise Francis Rous's version of the last thirty psalms, with a view to the adoption of the collection by the assembly. [2]
Nevay joined the Whigamores at Mauchline in June 1648. His conduct, with that of others who took part in the raid, was absolved by an act of parliament passed in the following January. In July 1649 he was named one of the commissioners for visiting the university of Aberdeen. In 1650 he took an active part in raising the western army, composed of Covenanters. On the division of the church in 1651 into two parties, the "resolutioners" and the "protesters", Nevay sided with the protesters, who abjured Charles II, and claimed for the spiritual power an extensive jurisdiction over civil matters. In 1654 he was named by the English Council of State one of those for authorising admissions to the ministry in the province of Glasgow and Ayr. [2]
After the Restoration of 1660, Nevay was on 11 December 1661 banished by the privy council from Charles II's dominions, and went to Holland. On 20 July a demand by the English government for his expulsion, along with Robert Macuard and Robert Traill, was laid before the states of Holland, and on 23 September placards were issued, stating that they were sentenced to leave the Dutch territory within fifteen days under pain of being prosecuted as "stubborn rebels". [2] [3]
Nevay died in Holland about January 1672. [2]
Nevay was the author of: [2]
He is also said to have written a Latin version of the Song of Solomon and Christ's Temptation (Robert Wodrow, Analecta, i. 170). [2]
Robert Baillie was a Church of Scotland minister who became famous as an author and a propagandist for the Covenanters.
Andrew Cant (1584–1663) was a Presbyterian minister and leader of the Scottish Covenanters. About 1623 the people of Edinburgh called him to be their minister, but he was rejected by James I. Ten years later he was minister of Pitsligo in Aberdeenshire, a charge which he left in 1638 for that of Newbattle in Midlothian. In July of that year he went with other commissioners to Aberdeen in the vain attempt to induce the university and the presbytery of that city to subscribe the National Covenant, and in the following November sat in the general assembly at Glasgow which abolished episcopacy in Scotland. In 1638 Cant was minister of Pitsligo in Aberdeenshire. In 1640 he was chaplain to the Scottish army and then settled as minister in Aberdeen. Though a staunch Covenanter, he was a zealous Royalist, preaching before Charles I in Edinburgh, and stoutly advocating the restoration of the monarchy in the time of the Commonwealth. Cant's frequent and bitter verbal attacks on various members of his congregation led in 1661 to complaints laid before the magistrates, in consequence of which he resigned his charge.
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Andrew Gray (1633–1656), was a Scottish divine. Gray was baptised on 23 August 1633. He was the son of Sir William Gray of Pittendrum, and Egidia Smith. He graduated from St Andrews University with an M.A. in 1651. He was licensed as a minister in 1653 and called on 5 September. He was ordained by the Protesters on 3 November 1653 but his ministry was a short one. He died on 8 February 1656.
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James Durham was the eldest son of John Durham of Easter Powrie, north of Dundee. He was educated at University of St Andrews, and betook himself to the life of a country gentleman. While visiting his mother-in-law in the parish of Abercorn, he came under profound religious impressions in consequence of a sermon by Melvill, minister of Queensferry. Joining in the Civil War, he was promoted captain, and seriously exhorted and led the devotions of his company; this being noticed by Professor Dickson, he was induced to prepare himself for the ministry, a resolution which was hastened by two narrow escapes on the battlefield. He graduated M.A.. He was licensed for the ministry by the Presbytery of Irvine 18 May 1647. He was admitted to the congregation of Blackfriars 2 December 1647. Durham was appointed chaplain to the King July 1650. He called 4 September 1651, with charge of West Quarter of the city. He endeavoured, without success, to effect a union between the two contending parties in the Church in 1652. He died of consumption, 25 June 1658.
John Row, born 1598, was the second son of John Row, minister of Carnock, and grandson of John Row, the Reformer. He educated at University of St Andrews graduating with an M.A. in 1617. He was elected schoolmaster of Kirkcaldy 2 November 1619, resigning before 25 November 1628. He was licensed by the Presbytery of Dalkeith 29 September 1631 and became tutor to George Hay, afterwards second Earl of Kinnoul, by whose father, the Lord Chancellor's recommendation, he was appointed master of the Grammar School of Perth in June 1632. He was ordained to Third Charge, Aberdeen, 14 December 1641 and appointed on 23rd November 1642 as lecturer on Hebrew in Marischal College. He was so actively engaged in support of the Covenanting party that on the approach of Montrose to Aberdeen in 1646 he was compelled to take refuge in Dunnottar Castle. Row was appointed by the General Assembly in 1647 to revise the new version of the Psalms from 90 to 120. He was a member of the Commission of Assembly in 1648, and of Commission for visiting the University of Aberdeen 31 July 1649. John Row joined the Independents and was admitted to a church of that persuasion in Edinburgh. He was promoted to Principalship of King's College in Aberdeen in September 1652. He resigned in 1661, and thereafter kept a school in Aberdeen. He died at the manse of Kinellar in October 1672 and was buried at Kinellar.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Lee, Sidney, ed. (1894). "Nevay, John (d.1672)". Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 40. London: Smith, Elder & Co.