Archibald McLean

Archibald McLean (1733-1812) was a Scotsman and originally trained to be a printer (which he did in the 1760s). He first came under the influence of the Sandemanian John Glass, and retained some of his principles throughout his ministry. He came to Baptist convictions c.1763-1764 and was baptized by John Gill in London in May 1765. In 1768 McLean moved to Edinburgh and became an elder in a Scotch Baptist church there. In 1785 he entered the ministry full-time, and traveled widely in an effort to increase the Baptist witness in Scotland and elsewhere. Through his efforts, the Scotch Baptist Connexion came into being. His writings were influential in the Scotch Baptist cause as well, especially his The Commission Given by Jesus Christ to his Apostles, Illustrated (1786). He also wrote the first work on believer’s baptism in Scotland (mentioned in this letter) and generally maintained a strict rigidity in his doctrinal views that often led him into disputes with other Baptist ministers. Despite his differences, McLean was a strong supporter of the BMS in its early years. See “The McLeanist (Scotch) and Campbellite Baptists of Wales,” Transactions of the Baptist Historical Society 7 (1920-1921), 147-181.