Churches of Aberdeen : Historical and Descriptive . amous forty. He did not leave BelmontStreet, however, without taking the pulpitBible along with him, and it was in con-sequence of this action on his part thatthe derisive term was first applied. It isnot known whether all the forty sharedthe responsibility for carrying off the Bible,but they shared in the ridicule. Theepithet had evidently come to stay. Theold Original Secession Church was knownto nearly every citizen as the Church ofthe Forty Thieves, and even the new building was often referred to in the sameterms. Mr. Aitkens ministry was
Churches of Aberdeen : Historical and Descriptive . amous forty. He did not leave BelmontStreet, however, without taking the pulpitBible along with him, and it was in con-sequence of this action on his part thatthe derisive term was first applied. It isnot known whether all the forty sharedthe responsibility for carrying off the Bible,but they shared in the ridicule. Theepithet had evidently come to stay. Theold Original Secession Church was knownto nearly every citizen as the Church ofthe Forty Thieves, and even the new building was often referred to in the sameterms. Mr. Aitkens ministry was a long andhonoured one. On 10th September, 1850,he was presented by the congregation witha purse containing 63 sovereigns as a markof their esteem and in token of their grati-tude at the opening of the fortieth year ofhis ministry. In the early part of 1857 hisdeclining strength necessitated theappointment of a colleague and successor,the choice of the congregation falling uponthe Rev. John MKay. Mr. MKay wasordained on 5th February, 1857, and on. Rev. Jchn MKay. 25th July of the same year Mr. Aitkenpassed away at the age of 86. His deathwas a blow to the Original SecessionChurch as a whole, as well as to the Aber-deen congregation. Mr. Aitken was a manof sincere and deep piety. In his preach-ing, it has been said, he exhibitedmuch emotion, in pastoral work he waslaborious, and from his gravity of mannerand consistency of conduct he was esteemedand respected far beyond the bounds of hisown denomination. Mr. Aitken was talland stately in figure, and in old age hisappearance and speech were peculiarly im-pressive when he took part in the delibera-tions of the Supreme Court of the the Original Secession Synod decidedin 1852 in favour of union with the FreeChurch of Scotland, Mr. Aitken headedthe minority, and was chosen Moderatorof the Remanent portion. 336 THE CHURCHES OF ABERDEEN
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