MARROW OnNTROVERSY, one of the most strenuous and memorable struggles iu the religious history of Scotland, took its name from a book entitled the Marrow of Modern Ihvinity, written by a Puritan soldier in the tinie of the commonwealth. The highly " evangelical " character of this work, and especially its doctrine of the free grace of God in the redemption of sinners, had made it a great favorite with the few zealous and pious ministers then to be found in the church of Scotland, and in 1713 an edition was published by the rev. James Hog of Carnock, followed, in 1719, by. an explanatory pamphlet. The general assembly of the same year appointed a commission to look after books and pamphlets promoting such opinions as are contained in the Marrow, and to summon before thein the authors and recoil-menders of such publications. The com mittee, after an examination, drew up a report, which was presented to the next assem bly, that of 1720, and the result was the formal condemnation of the doctrines of the Marrow, a prohibition to teach or preach them for the future, and an exhortation (strong, but vain) to the people of Scotland not to read them. This act of the assembly was immediately brought by the celebrated Thomas Boston (q.v.) before the presbytery of Selkirk, who laid it before the synod of Merse and Teviotdale. The " evangelical " ministers in the church, few in number, but supported by a very considerable amount of popular sympathy (for the _Marrow by this time ranked next to the Bible in the regards of the religious portion of the Scottish peasantry), resolved to present a representation to the next general assembly (1721), complaining of the late act, and vindicating the " truths" which it condemned. Twelve ministers signed the representation—James Hog, Thomas
Boston, John Bonnar, James Kid, Gabriel -Wilson, Ebenezer Erskine, Ralph Erskine, Jame..1 Wardlaw, James Bathgate, Henry Davidson, William Hunter, and John Will iamson. These are the famous "Marrow-men"—also known as the " twelve brethren" and the " representers"—whose names were long held in great veneration by the lovers of " evanoulical" religion. A commission of the assembly of 1721 was appointed to deal witlithe twelve, and a series of questions was put to them, to which answers were drawn up by Ebenezer Erskine and Gabriel Wilson. These replies did not prove quite satisfactory, and the "3Iarrow-men" were called before the bar of the assembly (1722), and solemnly rebuked. Nevertheless, a.s the assembly was not supported in the posi tion it had assumed by the religious sentiment of the nation, no further steps were taken in the matter, and thus the victory virtually lay with the evangelical recusants. It was, however, substantially the same controversy—though it did not go by the name—which, 11 years later, resulted in the deposition of Ebenezer Erskine, and the origination of the "secession" body. See BOSTON, THOMAS, and ERSKrNE, EBENEZER.