CAMERON, JoHN, born in Glasgow in 1579, laureated in its university 1598, and admitted as a regent 1599. In 1600 he taught the classical lan guages in the French College of Bergerac, and afterwards became professor of philosophy at Sedan. He was chosen one of the students sup ported for four years by the French church, in order that they might devote themselves exclusively to sacred studies, and on closing the last year of this course in Heidelberg, 1608, he composed some theses that excited considerable interest, ' De triplici Dei cons homine fcedere.' For ten years following Ise acted as colleague to Dr. Primrose in the charge of the church at Bordeaux, from which he was translated to Saumur, where he officiated as professor of divinity. Driven from France by the public commotion of the time, he gave private lec tures in London, and in 1622 was appointed prin cipal of the university of Glasgow. As he had committed himself to the royal policy in opposi tion to Presbytery, he did not feel himself at home in his native city, so that he left it in a year, and at Montauban, where he obtained the theological chair, he became equally unpopular by his advo cacy of the tenet of passive obedience. He died in 1625, leaving a widow, to whom he had been married but a few months, and three daughters by an earlier marriage, whose support was undertaken by the French church.
Cameron has won celebrity from his eminent scholarship, his connection with the Salmurian con troversy (Mosheim, Eccl. Hirt., cent. 17, sect. ii., p. 2, ch. 2), and especially his abilities as an exegete. It is in this last capacity that Cameron chiefly has claims on the attention of the biblical student. He has left no regular and sustained commentary on any portion of Scripture. In 1626-28, his P,w. lectiones in selectiora lam Novi Testanienti appeared in three 4to volumes ; in 1632, a separate 4to was edited by Cappel, under the title, Mymthecium Evangelicum, in quo aliquot lam N. T. explicantur;
and in 1642, all his theological works, with the exception of the Myrothecium, were collected into one folio. His treatises in the body of his works are polemical disquisitions on particular texts rather than exegetical inquiries into their mean ing. So far as the latter process is made the basis on which his doctrinal and controversial conclu sions rest, it is of great value, from the subtle tact and luminous precision with which it is conducted. Many of the topics are of great interest, while the discussion of them is by no means trite or super seded by later exegesis. The passages expounded relate to the primacy of Peter, the consistency of grace with responsibility, the ascension of Christ, his second advent, etc., from Matthew xvi. 18,19 ; Phil. ii. 12, 13 : Ps. lxviii. 19 ; Mat. xvi. 27; xvii. 10--13 ; xvii. 14, 15 ; xvii. 24-27 ; xviii. ; xviii. 2-5 ; xviii. 7 ; xviii. 8, 9 ; xviii. lc) ; xviii. 15-20 ; xix. 3. The notes in the Myrothecium are much shorter, comprehending no small part of the ex pository matter in the Prcelectiones ; but besides this, it has a great variety of short notes on dif ferent parts of mostly all the books of the N. T. There are no special principles on which the author proceeds. He seems fond of discover ing a Hebraistic tinge in many phrases. His consummate knowledge of the original tongue ena bles him to apprehend with singular clearness the scope of any statement, while he can give his readers his conclusions respecting it in language at once terse and perspicuous. They may not concur with him in his views, but they are sure to profit from the freshness and point with which they are given. —W. H. G.