Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Hadow, James
HADOW, JAMES (1670?–1747), controversial writer, was born in the parish of Douglas, Lanarkshire, probably before 1670. If he be identical with the James Hadow who published two Latin theses at Utrecht in 1685 and 1686 respectively, he was educated abroad. He was ordained minister of the 'second' charge of Cupar-Fife in 1692, and transferred to the 'first' 30 Oct. 1694. He became professor of divinity in St. Mary's College, St. Andrews, 5 April 1699, and principal in 1707. He died 4 May 1747, and in 1748 his son, George Hadow, was admitted professor of Hebrew in the same college.
Hadow was involved in very many public controversies in the church. In 1720 he took a leading part in the Marrow controversy. This controversy bore on the views contained in 'The Marrow of Modern Divinity,' published in England by E. F. in 1645, and republished in 1718 by a Scotch minister, James Hog [q. v.] of Carnock, Dunfermline [see Boston, Thomas, the elder, and Fisher, Edward, 1627-1655]. Hadow presided over a sub-committee for preserving purity of doctrine, appointed by the assembly in 1720. Six so-called antinomian paradoxes were extracted from the work, and the assembly condemned it, 20 May 1720. Some of the 'Marrowmen' seceded, but the rest, after a time, were silently permitted to promulgate their views. Hadow acted against John Simson, divinity professor at Glasgow, who, being accused of Socinian views, was suspended from his professorship in 1729.
Hadow wrote: 1. 'Remarks upon the Case of the Episcopal Clergy and those of the Episcopal persuasion considered as to granting them a Toleration and an Indulgence,' 1703 (this was anonymous; it is attributed to Hadow in the catalogue of the Advocates' Library, but in Scott's 'Fasti' it is attributed to the Rev. James Ramsay, minister of Kelso). 2. 'A Survey of the Case of the Episcopal Clergy and of those of the Episcopal persuasion.' 3. 'The Doctrine and Practice of the Church of Scotland anent the Sacrament of Baptism vindicated from the charge of gross error exhibited in a print called "The Practice and Doctrine of the Presbyterian Preachers about the Sacrament of Baptism examined," ' 1704 (also anonymous; referred to approvingly in Cunningham's 'Zwingli and the Doctrine of the Sacraments'). 4. 'The Record of God and Duty of Faith. A Sermon on 1 John v. 11, 12. Before the Synod of Fife at St. Andrews, April 7, 1719.' 5. 'The Antinomianism of the Marrow of Modern Divinity detected. Wherein the Letter to a private Christian about believers receiving the Law as the Law of Christ is specially considered,' 1721 (the title of this book brought to Hadow the sobriquet of 'The Detector,' i.e. 'Detective'). 6. 'An Inquiry into Mr. Simson's Sentiments about the Trinity from his Papers in Process,' 1730. 7. 'A Vindication of the Learned and Honourable Author of the History of the Apostles' Creed, from the false Sentiment which Mr. Simson has injuriously imputed to him,' 1731.
[Scott's Fasti ; Wodrow's Correspondence ; Cunningham's Hist. of the Church of Scotland; C. G. M'Crie's Studies in Scottish Eeclesiastical Biography, in British and Foreign Evangelical Review, October 1884; Christian Instructor, xxx. 393, 394; T. M'Crie's Story of the Scottish Church, p. 455.]