"Oh, to hear Mr. M'Cheyne at prayers in the mornin'!
It was as if he would never gi'e ower; he had sae muckle to ask.
Ye would ha'e thocht the very walls would speak again."—
Domestic Servant at Collace.
IN the writer's congregation there is an old lay who remembers hearing M'Cheyne preaching in the High Church of Kilmarnock. He was advocating the claims of the Jewish Mission, and this lady has told me she can never forget the deep impression his words made. Indeed, when referring to the subject, our aged friend spoke as if the solemn tones of his voice were still heard by her, and the light that was on his saintly face was still visible.
On one other occasion at least he preached in Ayrshire, and this was at Newton-on-Ayr, close by—indeed part of—the county town. The impression again made was not easily effaced from the memory. A relative of the Rev. Roderick Lawson, of Maybole, was present, as a young man, and in after years, when speaking of the solemn service, he told the following to Mr. Lawson:—The service did not take place in the church, but in the Newton graveyard, some distance from the building. It was a remarkable open-air service. M'Cheyne's subject was the Great White Throne, and he continued preaching till the sun set behind the mountain tops of Arran, across the sea. As the orb of day went down he took that going down into the darkness as an emblem of the setting of time with all the children of Adam. This hearer, however, seemed as deeply impressed with the appearance of the speaker as with the subject he spoke from. He could never forget "the thin spare form, and the pale face, and pathetic voice, and the burning earnestness which was characteristic of him."
M'Cheyne was not an orator like Chalmers or Guthrie, nor—though he was a scholarly man—was there any parade of learning in his sermons. He preached in fact with remarkable simplicity, and yet perhaps there was no preaching in Scotland at that time which so told. His lips were certainly touched with "the live coal from the altar;" the Holy Spirit rested in rich measure upon him; he believed, therefore he spoke; and everything to him was as nothing—as loss—that he might win souls to Christ. Christ Jesus and his saving work for men was the supreme thing—the intensest of realities—for M'Cheyne.
When speaking at a prayer meeting once from the words of Paul at Miletus, "ye know from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all season," he made this remark—"Paul, you see, began his ministry at once. He did not spend the first day going through the town to view the Temple of Diana, and see generally what the town was like. He plunged instantly into his work, as though other things existed not." So with this devoted Dundee minister. A poet, a musician, an artist, a scholar, an athlete—all these things he counted but loss—as if they existed not—that he might bring souls into the kingdom of his dear Redeemer. He thought so much about Christ, and spoke so much about Christ, that the Christ-like image was gradually his. "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." So, when he had passed away, one is not surprised that a letter was found in his desk, which had been sent him by a stranger who had received great good to his soul from a sermon he had heard M'Cheyne preach in St. Peter's; and after all not so much from the sermon as from the look of the preacher: "it was not what you said, nor even how you said it, but it was your look—it was so Christ-like—the face of one shining from being in the presence of his Lord."
He lived the Christian life. It was not only in the pulpit that he shone ; he shone—showed forth Christ—in the every-day life. And this told on believer and unbeliever, an illustration of which we have in the following anecdote. Dr. Stalker, of St. Matthew's, Glasgow, tells it:—In Alexandria, Egypt, a lady happened to be staying at one of the hotels there. Something had irritated her, and she launched forth against professing Christians as just a lot of hypocrites. She would not believe any of them. They would cheat whenever and wherever they could.
"Well," said one who was patiently listening to this tirade, "did you never in all your life see one Christian, one follower of the Lord Jesus you believed in?"
There was a pause. Then the lady, in a calmer tone said, "Yes, I saw one—a man— a minister, in this hotel, a tall, spare man, from Scotland. He was a man of God. I watched him, and felt that he was a genuine Christian. His very look did me good." That minister was Robert Murray M'Cheyne. His holy, consistent life was telling in that hotel among people he had never seen before, and many whom he would never see again. Christianity, thus lived, tells.
We may here just give an instance from the diary. Trifling it may seem, but it reveals the character, showing the goodness of this man. Mr. M'Cheyne had been at the Convocation, held in Edinburgh on 17th November, 1842, for the purpose of considering what was to be done in view of the probable Disruption of the Scottish Church. His congregation, through Mr. Lamb, had sent him payment of his travelling and other expenses, but the following reply to Mr. Lamb's note reveals his unselfishness and generosity : "I have received the sum collected for minister's expenses. I would not have allowed this had I known beforehand, but it being done I accept it with thankfulness as a token of the interest of my dear friends in the great cause. It is double my actual expenses, so that with your leave I shall apply the half to pay for the expenses of another minister more in need than myself."
We have entitled these pages, "M'Cheyne from the Pew," and in them we have given, from one who sat in a pew in St. Peter's, notes of M'Cheyne's sermons ; also a record of the work that went on in that church during M'Cheyne's ministry. But in Mr. Lamb himself, the writer of the diary, we see M'Cheyne in the Pew. In this hearer we se a reflection of the good minister. Here, too, is a very godly man, a very holy life.
These pages are meant more for laymen than for ministers, and in this attentive and lay listener and earnest Christian worker it seems to me we see very much what M'Cheyne would have been had he been a layman. The two lives at least—that of the minister and that of the elder—reflect very much each other. It was from the same Light of Life they both got their light : and it was that Light—the Light that lighteneth every man that cometh into the world—they showed forth. Before, then, we dwell on the closing scenes of M'Cheyne's life, as revealed in the diary, let me give some extracts to show how beautiful a life William Lamb lived—beautiful with the beauty of holiness—and how truly consecrated it was to the Lord Jesus.
He prayed much, as witness the following: "Performed secret prayer ; remembered particularly my dear relatives, specially all who seem still to be mere professing Christians, who have but a name to live and are spiritually dead. Strange that I should pray so seldom for the salvation of immortal souls, even for those of relatives, as also of friends whom I love. I believe all Christians exercise little faith in this— in praying every day for the souls of their relatives, and next of their friends." Again: "We, as Christians, neglect this duty and privilege too much. I believe God is more rejoiced to see His people meeting spontaneously for prayer, through the week, than when, as is too apt to be done by us, we assemble as a matter of course on the Sabbath, and in the week attend no religious meeting at all. The Lord stir up (as was prayed for this evening) a great spirit of prayer amongst Christians." Again: "To-night I commenced having a meeting for prayer, and reading of the Word of God, in my district. Began with praise and prayer, and read the second chapter of Matthew, making a few simple remarks on it. James W—— concluded in a very impressive prayer, and this ended my first elders' meeting. I truly felt it good to be there, to pray and speak of the love of Christ, in leaving the bosom of His Father, to tabernacle on this earth and die, the Just for the unjust. May God bless this evening's meeting, and give me grace to persevere therein, and boldness to tell others of Christ, and what He has done to save sinners."
Then we have this: "It is prayer, habitual public and private prayer, and meditating on and digesting the Word of God, that are the exercises calculated to keep the Christian soul in health. I feel this to be true every day I live as regards my own soul. I have much need to pray for grace, to draw me more to a Throne of Grace, to be more prayerful and meditative, so as to progress in holiness and likeness to Jesus Christ." Also this: "Earnest in prayer, this evening, that I might go forward in the Divine life, and watch and pray more that I do not become lukewarm in my professions. How necessary do I find it is to devote stated times to private meditation and prayer, in order to know whether I am advancing or retreating in the Christian life, whether I am living more to God or to the world. When in my secret devotion I am hurried, cold, and formal, and find more pleasure in their being finished than prolonged, then it is high time to awake, to gird up the loins of my mind, to be sober and vigilant. The Lord grant me grace to be so!"
But this man of prayer was also a great worker. He prayed while he worked, and worked while he prayed. Being intimately acquainted with German, it was his delight to gather together foreign sailors and speak to them of Jesus and His love. Here are some of the entries regarding this work. The whole crew, with their captain, of a German ship had come to the meeting, and Mr. Lamb writes: "All were very attentive, and seemed quite interested, which gratified us in no small degree … To-night I feel a greater encouragement to go on in this our humble endeavour, under God's blessing, to be useful to the souls of our foreign brethren. God give us the heart and strength to do so!" Again: "After visiting my Sabbath school, and introducing my substitute, I repaired at seven o'clock to the Sailors' Hall. My fellow-labourer, Mr. Low, was also there. (he had) stumbled on five Dutch captains, whom he prevailed upon to come, as they understood, they said, Hoch Deutsch. A German lady, wife of a captain, came too. There was also a Pole present. Having selected some German hymns, we introduced singing to-night, using some of the common Church of Scotland tunes. The good folks joined in tolerably well. Mr. Low prayed, and I said the responses, acting as clerk and at last as reader, when I read a discourse on 'Search the Scriptures.'
"The Lord bless this our commencement, and grant that we may be so far honoured as to prove instruments of leading these foreign brethren to a knowledge of our risen and exalted Elder Brother, the Lord Jesus Christ; then, indeed, I shall have cause to rejoice and bless God for His having put it into my heart to employ this talent of the knowledge of the German language, so as to glorify Him. Prayed earnestly for school, and the Germans, that I might do all humbly and in the fear of God. Indeed, after our meeting, I found that in answer to my prayer I had not the fear of man which bringeth a snare, when singing and speaking: I felt free. This is a blessed feeling. God grant I might often be so, for too much am I and all Christians, I think, afraid and ashamed openly to confess our Saviour—not before fellow-Christians, this is easy, but before men of the world, who often make a mock of sin, and despise religious people, as beside themselves."
Then look how he laboured in prayer as regards his Sabbath school and Bible class work. "Met my Bible class, at six o'clock, as usual. Twenty and more were present. Encouraged, by the number of young men increasing, to go on in faith and hope, looking up to God to bless us, and work by such an earthen, broken vessel, as indeed I am, that the power and the excellency may be His." Again: "Glad to see some new faces, all very attentive. The Lord bless this class, and give me wisdom to win souls in it for Him."
Then we have this: "Visited two Sabbath schools (after the Bible class was over), and spoke to the children at each. Saw an interesting girl on a sick bed, at the last school-room. For five months she had been confined to bed. Spoke a little to her, but she was very silent on account, no doubt, of the strangers present. Poor girl! Suffering a disease of the spine, a disease incurable by earthly physicians. The Lord have mercy on her, and 'make all her bed' in her sickness to her!" Also the following: "Having given my Bible Class to Mr. M'Cheyne, I devoted the evening to visiting some of the Sabbath schools. I read to the children part of the account regarding the revival of religion at Chadwick, and the conversion of many of the Sabbath school children there. They seemed very attentive. Oh, thought I, that we had such a time in our schools, when the Spirit of God would break the hard hearts of many, and turn them from sin and folly to serve God!"
Also the following: "At meeting this evening. There were few present, but one woman at the close waited to speak with me, and said she believed the Lord had sent me to speak that message to her soul. God grant that it may be so, and that this person may show by her life and conversation that she is truly born again. May the Spirit of God strengthen and stablish her in the faith. This to-night—at the district meeting—may be the first-fruits in answer to the prayers now offered for a reviving in this parish again."
We shall close this part of our subject by giving one or two more extracts, showing how close to God this earnest layman endeavoured to live. How like M'Cheyne he was!
"How is it, may I say, that I experience Christ's presence only as a wayfaring man? Surely the fault is not Christ's. No, it is mine. I do not invite Him to stay so much and continually with me. I am contented to give the world or something else a place in my soul, and at the same time foolishly imagine that Christ will then dwell in my heart. I do believe that the reason why all Christians, and I too, experience so little of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, sanctifying our desires, elevating our thoughts, filling us with a thirst,—not for the poor and perishing waters out of this world's leaking cisterns, but for that living water, always clear, pure, and unsullied,—is just because we are indifferent; we are contented to be stationary Christians, instead of advancing, and as we cannot be stationary we fall back into apathy and unconcern, and lose our spirituality of mind, so that we never desire to be so filled by the fulness of God. We think we have enough, when we are this sure to be empty of every grace, of everything but that of self-righteousness, believing we are far enough advanced in the path of conformity to Christ. Watchfulness and prayer should be the Christian's continual practice, if he wishes to grow in grace. Lord, make me to do this, and to grow in grace!"
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, that to-day, again, I have had another opportunity of commemorating the death of my Saviour. Oh that each Sacrament time may find me more advanced in the love and faith of Christ than I am. Alas, to-day, I do not know how I feel,—something of death, and something of life; but what are feelings? I believe Christians are—and I for one am—apt to err; and when not finding a high tone of spiritual feeling in ourselves, to count ourselves in apathy; whereas the cause of this very cold and formal state of religious feeling is mainly attributable to that very circumstance of looking for some graces in ourselves, and taking as it were credit for them, to rest in them, and consider ourselves growing in likeness to Christ, which is not the case. And what is most easily attained is keeping our Saviour before our eyes (the eyes of our soul), walking by humble faith in Him, and not judging of our progress in our Christian pilgrimage by what we feel, in our hearts, but according as we have strong faith, are humble, filled with strong, hateful feelings against all that is sinful, are resigned and happy in all that happens to us. These things are, I think, good tests of our spiritual state. Add also, a strong liking to study the Bible, to meditate and pray, not only for our own souls, but for those of our unconverted relatives and friends. Oh how dead I am! Quicken me O Lord, for my soul cleaves to the dust, and is careless and dead!"
"For some time past, I have considered it a good and profitable thing to devote a few hours or even half the day of a new year in quiet and retirement, to examine, by the help of God's Spirit, wherein I have failed, and come short, in my walk and conversation, in the past year. To consider whether or not I have been stationary, or either retrograding or advancing in the Christian life; what sins do most easily beset me, and renewing solemnly and by prayer to God a covenant that it shall be my utmost care for the future to avoid the rocks on which I have struck in past days. To give up all that hinders my progress in holiness, and conformity to the will of God, that whatever others may do, as for me I will serve the Lord."
"I have long thought it a good thing, when travelling, to take a supply of tracts along with me, to distribute as I have opportunity. God has often blessed such means, and will still do so, when these silent messengers are given in faith. The Lord follow those with a blessing, which I have given this day, and grant me more courage before men to confess Christ. This is not so easy as one might think; indeed, I believe it is only by strength from above I can do it."
"Felt this Sabbath, I think, to be indeed a day of rest and refreshing to my weary soul. How different is the Sabbath, compared with other days, when the mind is so engrossed and may be unavoidably harassed by business matters! How true is it that, like John in the island of Patmos, we are 'in Spirit on the Lord's Day,' and this more particularly than in any other part of the week."
"It is indeed refreshing to dwell under the roof of a truly Christian family, to enjoy worship, morning and evening, and pleasant, edifying conversation with them during the day. Such fellowship, one with another, tends to enliven, strengthen, and perfect the Christian graces in no small degree."
"This being the first Sabbath of this year I have been at home, I spent the evening in casting a look over my life in the year that is gone, and in prayer to God that He would blot out all my sins, and forgive all my shortcomings, my want of zeal and devotedness to his cause, even the spreading abroad, in a holy and active Christian life, the knowledge of Jesus Christ to my fellow-men, without which knowledge all other is in comparison as dust in the balance—'for what can a man be profited, though he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?' This is the one thing needful, the pearl of great price. Grant me, O Lord, grace and mercy, that in this year I may, if spared, live more to Thy glory, and to the good of my fellow-men than ever!"