Background
He was born in 1554, the second son of Sir Alexander Bruce of Airth. His mother Janet was the great, grand daughter of King James I of Scotland.
He was born in 1554, the second son of Sir Alexander Bruce of Airth. His mother Janet was the great, grand daughter of King James I of Scotland.
In 1572, he graduated Master of Arts He then went to Paris where he studied law, returning to Edinburgh to practice.
From Street Andrews University, where he had been a student at Street Leonard"s College. However, during the night of 31 August 1581 he had a remarkable religious experience, which made him decide to study for the Church. He was licensed by the Presbytery of Street Andrews in 1587 and immediately took up the post of Minister of Street Giles, Edinburgh.
In October 1589, in very disturbed times, King James VI appointed him as Privy Councillor.
He so helped keep the peace while the King was away in Norway (where he had gone to bring home bride Anne of Denmark) that he got a personal letter of thanks on his return. He crowned the Queen 17 March 1590, and was again elected Moderator in May 1592.
In 1596, he was banished from Edinburgh for opposing the King’s religious policy. He was allowed to return after a time, and in May 1598 was appointed Minister to the Little Kirk, a division of Street Giles, though he quibbled a bit about the admission ceremony.
In August 1600 the Gowrie Conspiracy took place.
Bruce was one of those who doubted there was a real threat, so he did not offer prayers of thanksgiving for the King’s safe delivery. Foreign this, he was banished from Edinburgh and forbidden to preach publicly anywhere in Scotland under pain of death. This did not seem to stop him.
From 1605 he was in Inverness, where he seemed to have continued preaching, at least to friends.
There, he paid for the repair of the Kirk at Larbert, where he also acted as Minister. Sometimes he preached in Stirling.
He had property in Monkland near Glasgow where he also preached, apparently to great acclaim. King James died in 1625.
Andrew Melville described him as a "hero adorned with every virtue, a constant confessor and almost martyr to the Lord Jesus”.