DURHAM, JAmEs, born 1622, ordained to the ministry in Blackfriar's Church, Glasgow, 1647, and appointed professor of divinity in the university of the same city in 1650. He could not enter on the discharge of this office, however, as he had to attend the king in the capacity of royal chaplain. Ultimately he was settled as one of the ministers of Glasgow, where he died in t658.
Though cut off by death after so brief a course on earth, Durham has left several works behind him which amply vindicate the esteem in which he was held as a divine. His expository works are— An exposition of the book of ,ob, 1659, I2M0 ; Cantici, or an exposition of the Song of Solomon, 1669, 4to ; A commentary on the book of Revelation, 1660, 4to ; The law unsealed, or an exposition of the Ten Commandments, 1675, 4to ; and to these may be added, Christ Crucified, or the marrow of the Gospel evidently set forth in 72 sermons on Is. liii., 1683. The last work was republished in 1792, with a strong recommendation prefixed to it by various divines, among whom appear such well known names as Ridgeley, Watts, Wilcox, and Bradbury. On the principle of interpretation adopted, no commentary on the Song of Solomon yet exceeds in value that of Durham. The preli minary discussion on the nature and scope of the book is shrewd and sensible, while the exposition itself is characterized at once by sobriety of tone and depth of evangelical feeling. The allegory is
pursued to the utmost minuteness of the figure, but the whole is briefly given, and the spiritual instruc tion of the reader is not sacrificed to the enforce ment of a mere conceit. In the commentary on the Revelation, the details of the interpretation are loosely stated, but a great amount of practi cal instruction is elicited from every part of the book. Generally, under the seals he treats of the early persecutions to which the church of Christ was subjected ; under the trumpets he finds the early heresies which corrupted the simplicity of the faith, and which reached their consummation in the great antichristian apostacy of Rome ; and un der the vials he holds that the downfall of the Romish antichrist is predicted. Passages of con siderable power occur in the writings of this author, and though some of his works have been more than once republished, it may be questioned if Durham has been appreciated to the extent he deserves. Dr. Owen speaks in warm terms of his Law un sealed as `a complete Christian directory in our walking before God in all the duties of obedience.' —W. H. G.