It would seem that he had, from an early period of his life, looked
forward to the Church as his profession; and, having taught for some
time in Fordoun, he returned to Aberdeen, to prosecute those preparatory
studies which he had for a while abandoned for a parish school and
poetry. Here he attended the lectures of Dr Robert Pollock of Marischal
College, and Professor John Lumsden of King's-and performed the
exercises prescribed by both. It was at this time that he delivered a
discourse in the Divinity Hall in language so lofty, that the Professor
challenged him for writing poetry instead of prose--a story reminding us
of similar facts in the history of Thomson, Pollok, and others whose
names we do not mention--and corroborating the truth, that poetical
genius and the halls of philosophy or theology are seldom congenial, and
that "musty, fusty, crusty" old professors are in general harsh
stepfathers to rising poets.

Whether from chagrin on account of this criticism--and this is the more
probable, because Beattie was all along very sensitive to depreciation
or abuse--or from some other cause, he determined to abandon the study
of Divinity, and to follow teaching as a profession. In 1757, a vacancy
occurring in the Grammar School of Aberdeen, Beattie offered himself as
a candidate, but failed in the preliminary examination, as he had
himself expected, from a want of circumstantial and minute acquaintance
with the Latin tongue. A few months after, however, a second vacancy
having taken place in the same school, he was elected without the form
of a trial, and entered on the discharge of his duties in June 1758. He
was now in a more advantageous and a more reputable post--and while
discharging its duties with exemplary diligence, he found time for the
cultivation of his poetical gift.