John Nevay facts for kids

John Nevay (died 1672) was an important Scottish Covenanter. Covenanters were people in Scotland who supported a specific form of Protestantism. They signed agreements called Covenants to protect their religious beliefs. John Nevay was the nephew of Andrew Cant, a well-known minister in Aberdeen.

Nevay studied at King's College in Aberdeen, graduating in 1626. He worked as a tutor before becoming a minister. He was a strong supporter of the Covenanter cause throughout his life. Because of his beliefs, he was eventually banished from Scotland and lived in Holland until his death in 1672.

Who Was John Nevay?

John Nevay was born around 1606. He was related to Andrew Cant, a famous minister from Aberdeen. John went to King's College, Aberdeen in 1622 and earned his Master of Arts degree in 1626.

After college, he worked as a private teacher for George, who was the Master of Ramsay. In 1630, he was officially allowed to preach by the church leaders in Dalkeith. Around 1637, he became the minister of Newmilns in Ayrshire.

Nevay's Role in the Church

John Nevay was very active in the Scottish church. He was chosen to be a member of the General Assemblies in 1646, 1647, and 1649. These assemblies were important meetings where church leaders made decisions.

Nevay had strong opinions about how public worship should be done. He believed that people should not use set prayers. This meant he was against using the Lord's Prayer, the Gloria Patri, and repeating the creed during baptism. In 1647, he was asked to help revise a version of the Psalms for the church to use.

Political and Religious Actions

John Nevay was involved in the political and religious events of his time. In June 1648, he joined a group called the Whigamores at Mauchline. This group was against the royal army. Parliament later pardoned him and others who took part in this event in January 1649.

In July 1649, Nevay was appointed by Parliament to visit the University of Aberdeen. He also played an active role in forming the western army in 1650. This army was made up of Covenanters.

The Scottish church later split into two groups: the "Resolutioners" and the "Protesters." Nevay strongly supported the "Protesters." This group did not support King Charles II and believed the church should have a lot of power over government matters. In 1654, he was named by the English Council of State to a committee. This committee was in charge of approving new ministers in the Glasgow and Ayr areas.

Banishment and Later Life

After the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, things changed for Covenanters like Nevay. On December 11, 1661, the Privy Council banished him from King Charles II's lands. This meant he had to leave Scotland.

John Nevay went to Holland. The English government later asked Holland to expel him and two other ministers, Robert Macuard and Robert Traill. In September 1662, official notices were put up. These notices stated that Nevay and the others had to leave Dutch territory within fifteen days. If they did not, they would be treated as "stubborn rebels."

John Nevay died in Holland around January 1672. He was about 66 years old.

Writings

John Nevay was also an author. He wrote:

• The Nature, Properties, Blessings, and Saving Graces of the Covenant of Grace, which was published in Glasgow in 1748.
• Two short Latin poems. One was about a passage from the Bible (Isaiah ii. 1–8). These poems were included in a book of sermons by Jacobus Borstius in 1696.

He is also thought to have written a Latin version of the Song of Solomon and a piece called Christ's Temptation.