Life

The son of Matthew Guild, a wealthy armourer of Aberdeen

Aberdeen

Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....

, he was born at Aberdeen, and was educated at Marischal College

Marischal College

Marischal College is a building and former university in the centre of the city of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland. The building is owned by the University of Aberdeen and used for ceremonial events...

. He received license to preach in 1605, and in 1608 was ordained minister of the parish of King Edward in his native county. Two years later his wealth was increased by his marriage with Katherine Rolland or Rowen of Disblair, Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...

. In 1617, during the visit of James I to his ancestral kingdom, Guild was in Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

, and was a member of the assembly which met in the music school of that city, and protested for the liberties of the kirk; the temper of the king was thought to make it dangerous to sign the protestation, but Guild was one of the fifty-five who subscribed. While in Edinburgh he made the acquaintance of Bishop Lancelot Andrewes

Lancelot Andrewes

Lancelot Andrewes was an English bishop and scholar, who held high positions in the Church of England during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. During the latter's reign, Andrewes served successively as Bishop of Chichester, Ely and Winchester and oversaw the translation of the...

, then with the king, and to him (in 1620) he dedicated his best-known work, Moses Unvailed.

He was made a chaplain to Charles I. Soon afterwards he received the degree of D.D., then almost unknown in Scotland. He was translated to the second charge at Aberdeen in 1631, where he joined the clergy in supporting episcopacy, and in 1635 he was one of the preachers at the funeral of Bishop Patrick Forbes

Patrick Forbes

Patrick Forbes was a late 16th century and early 17th century Scottish churchman. Born in 1564, he was the oldest son of Elizabeth Strachan and her husband William Forbes, Laird of Corse. He attended the High School of Stirling, the University of Glasgow and then the University of St Andrews...

, his diocesan. The National Covenant was viewed at Aberdeen with disfavour, and the commissioners sent to press its acceptance on the city were met by the Aberdeen Doctors

Aberdeen doctors

The Aberdeen doctors is a term given to a group of six scholars working at Marischal College and King's College, Aberdeen. Until 1635, they enjoyed the leadership of Patrick Forbes, Bishop of Aberdeen. They are distinguishable not only for their positions at Aberdeen, but also by their opposition...

 for the university, and the town ministers, with a series of questions disputing its lawfulness. Guild signed these questions, but soon subscribed the Covenant, though with three limitations: he would not condemn the Articles of Perth, though agreeing for the peace of the church to forbear the practice of them; he would not condemn episcopal government absolutely; and he reserved his duty to the king.

Guild went as commissioner to the Glasgow assembly of 1638, which deposed the Scottish bishops. In March 1640 an army approached Aberdeen to enforce unconditional subscription of the Covenant. Guild for a time took refuge in Holland, but soon returned, and administered the communion according to the presbyterian form on 3 November. In August 1640 the covenanters expelled Dr. William Leslie, and appointed Guild principal of King's College, Aberdeen

King's College, Aberdeen

King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and an integral part of the University of Aberdeen...

, in preference to Robert Baillie

Robert Baillie

Robert Baillie was a Scottish divine and historical writer.-Life:Baillie was born at Glasgow, the son of Baillie of Jerviston...

. He retired from his position as minister, preaching for the last time on 27 June 1641. He helped in the dismantling of the bishop's palace at Old Aberdeen

Old Aberdeen

Old Aberdeen is part of the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh, which was erected into a burgh of barony on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament in 1891...

 and the purging of the cathedral and the college chapel of ornaments; but Andrew Cant

Andrew Cant

Andrew Cant was a Presbyterian minister and leader of the Scottish Covenanters. About 1623 the people of Edinburgh called him to be their minister, but he was rejected by James I. Ten years later he was minister of Pitsligo in Aberdeenshire, a charge which he left in 1638 for that of Newbattle in...

, then all-powerful at Aberdeen, thought him lukewarm, and at the visitation of King's College by Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....

's military commissioners in 1651 he was deprived.

Guild was a benevolent man; he purchased the convent of the Trinity Friars at Aberdeen and endowed it as a hospital, for which he received a royal charter in 1633. His widow left an endowment to maintain poor students, and for other charitable purposes. He died at Aberdeen in August 1657, and was remembered there for his benefactions to its public institutions; there is a William Guild Building in the University.

Works

Guild wrote:

• ‘The New Sacrifice of Christian Incense, or the True Entrie to the Tree of Life, and Gracious Gate of Glorious Paradise,’ London, 1608.
• ‘The Only Way to Salvation, or the Life and Soul of True Religion,’ London, 1608.
• ‘Moses Vnuailed … whereunto is added the Harmony of All the Prophets’ (the latter, with separate title-page dated 1619, dedicated to Dean Young), London, 1620, 1626, 1658, Glasgow 1701, and Edinburgh, 1755, 1839.
• ‘Issachar's Asse … or the Uniting of Churches,’ Aberdeen, 1622.
• ‘Three Rare Monuments of Antiquitie, or Bertram, a Frenchman, Ælfricus, an Englishman, and Maurus, a Scotsman: all stronglie convincing that grosse errour of transubstantiation. Translated and compacted by W. Guild,’ Aberdeen, 1624. Translations from Ratramnus
  Ratramnus
  Ratramnus, a Frankish monk of the monastery of Corbie, was a Carolingian theologian known best for his writings on the Eucharist and predestination. His Eucharistic treatise, De corpora et sanguine Domini , was a counterpoint to his abbot Paschasius Radbertus’ realist Eucharistic theology...
  
  , Ælfric of Eynsham
  Ælfric of Eynsham
  Ælfric of Eynsham was an English abbot, as well as a consummate, prolific writer in Old English of hagiography, homilies, biblical commentaries, and other genres. He is also known variously as Ælfric the Grammarian , Ælfric of Cerne, and Ælfric the Homilist...
  
   and Hrabanus Maurus.
• ‘Ignis Fatuus, or the Elf-fire of Purgatorie, with a latter Annex,’ London, 1625.
• ‘Popish Glorying in Antiquity turned to their Shame,’ Aberdeen, 1626.
• ‘A Compend of the Controversies of Religion,’ Aberdeen, 1629.
• ‘Limbo's Battery, or an Answer to a Popish Pamphlet concerning Christ's Descent into Hell,’ Aberdeen, 1630.
• ‘The Humble Addresse both of Church and Poore … for the Vniting of Churches and the Ruine of Hospitalls,’ Aberdeen, 1633. The first part is a reprint of ‘Issachar's Asse.’
• ‘Sermon at the Funeral of Bishop Forbes,’ 1635.
• ‘Trueth Triumphant, or the conversion of … F. Cupif from Poperie. … Faithfully translated into English by W. Guild,’ Aberdeen, 1637.
• ‘An Antidote against Poperie;’ one of three treatises printed together at Aberdeen, 1639; its ascription to Guild is doubtful. 14. ‘The Christian's Passover,’ Aberdeen, 1639.
• ‘The Old … in opposition to the New Roman Catholik,’ Aberdeen, 1649.
• ‘Antichrist … in his true Colours, or the Pope of Rome proven to bee that Man of Sinne,’ &c., Aberdeen, 1655.
• ‘The Sealed Book opened, being an explication of the Revelations,’ Aberdeen, 1656.
• ‘Answer to “The Touchstone of the Reformed Gospel,”’ Aberdeen, 1656.
• ‘The Noveltie of Poperie discovered and chieflie proved by Romanists out of themselves,’ Aberdeen, 1656.
• ‘Love's Entercours between the Lamb and his Bride, or A Clear Explication … of the Song of Solomon,’ London, 1658.
• ‘The Throne of David, an Exposition of II Samuel,’ published at Oxford, 1659, by John Owen
  John Owen (theologian)
  John Owen was an English Nonconformist church leader, theologian, and academic administrator at the University of Oxford.-Early life:...
  
  , to whom it was to have been dedicated, and to whom the manuscript was sent by Guild's widow.