This year, 2022, marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of John Brown of Haddington. In 1722, Brown was born into a poor Christian family in Scotland. As a young teenager, he found himself an orphan after an illness claimed the lives of his parents. Soon after, he became quite sick as well.
Brown recalled in his memoirs, ‘Four fevers on end brought me so low within a few months of my mother’s death, as made almost every onlooker lose all hopes of my recovery.’ Eventually, Brown did recover and began to support himself as a herd boy.
Despite his Christian roots, Brown lived in disobedience until he heard a particularly convicting sermon while his sheep were resting. The Scripture preached upon was John 6:64, ‘But there are some of you that believe not.’
