James Fisher (Scottish secession church)

James Fisher (1697–1775) was one of the founders of the Scottish Secession church.

Fisher was born on 23 January 1697 at Barr, Ayrshire, where his father, Thomas, was minister, studied at Glasgow University, and was ordained minister of Kinclaven, Perthshire, in 1725. In 1727 he married the daughter of the Rev. Ebenezer Erskine of Portmoak, Kinross-shire, with whom he was afterwards associated as a founder of the secession body. Fisher concurred with Erskine and other likeminded ministers in their views both as to patronage and doctrine, and in opposition to the majority of the general assembly, by whom their representations were wholly disregarded. In 1732 Erskine preached a sermon at the opening of the synod of Perth, in which he boldly denounced the policy of the church as unfaithful to its Lord and Master. For this he was rebuked by the general assembly; but against the sentence he protested, and was joined by three ministers, of whom Fisher was one. The protest was declared to be insulting, and the ministers who signed it were thrust out of the church, and ultimately formed the associate presbytery.

The people of Kinclaven adhered almost without exception to their minister, and the congregation increased by accessions from neighbouring parishes. Fisher was subsequently translated to Glasgow (8 October 1741), but was deposed by the associate Anti-Burgher synod 4 August 1748. In 1749 the associate burgher synod gave him the office of professor of divinity.

It is in question whether died on the 28th or 29th day of September, at the age of seventy-eight in either case.

Fisher's eponymous catechism was designed to explain the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Assembly. Fisher's Catechism (2 parts, Glasgow, 1753, 1760) was the result of contributions by many ministers of the body, which were made use of by the Erskine brothers (Ebenezer and Ralph) and Fisher. Fisher survived the other two and gave final form to the work, which passed through many editions; it was long the manual for catechetical instruction in the secession church; and it was a favourite with evangelicals outside the secession such as John Colquhoun of Leith (1748–1827) and Robert Haldane. Fisher was the author of various other works, mainly on matters of controversy at the time.