INTRODUCTORY

"A good soldier of Jesus Christ."

ON the third day of April, 1895, at Prestwick, Ayrshire, there passed away, at the age of 82, John Robert Lamb. He was a grain merchant in Glasgow, and as a mark of the high esteem in which he was held in that city, he received, on attaining his jubilee as a merchant, an illuminated address; while some time before there was conferred on him, by the German Emperor, the Order of the Red Eagle, in recognition of his valuable services as Prussian Consul in Glasgow for nearly a quarter of a century. In the cause of Christ he acted as an office-bearer in various churches, and rendered long and signal service.

When a young man he spent some time in Dundee, where he attended the ministry of the Rev. Robert Murray M'Cheyne. Among his cherished possessions was a bookcase, which at one time belonged to that devoted minister. He also frequently spoke of his brother William, who for some years acted as an elder and Christian worker in M'Cheyne's congregation, and who kept a diary containing a detailed account of the operations carried on in St. Peter's Church. This diary was left to a son in Glasgow, who most kindly gave me a perusal of it. At once it was evident that in this diary—there was preserved a most valuable record of Christian work that ought to be published, a view in which a number of friends concurred to whom the diary was shown. It covers a period longer than that in which M'Cheyne exercised his ministry in Dundee, but we shall confine our attention to those years in which Mr. Lamb enjoyed the ministrations and fellowship of that holy man of God.

Enclosed within the leaves of the diary are several autograph letters written by Mr. M'Cheyne, one of which will be reproduced in this book.

It may be interesting to know something of the history of him who wrote the diary.

 

WILLIAM LAMB.

He was born at Leith on the 28th day of May, 1815. His father was a solicitor, while an uncle occupied the honourable position of the Provost of the town. When a boy he was sent to the Edinburgh Academy, and among his contemporaries were some who rose to high distinction, such as Archibald Campbell Tait, who became Archbishop of Canterbury. Leaving the academy, he went to Germany, where he spent two years at school, then proceeded to Norway, where he remained for about a year.

It would appear that his guardians (for his father died when William was only three years of age) intended him for a mercantile life, and therefore regarded the acquisition of modern languages as most important. This training was found to be exceedingly useful, not only in business, but in working for God among foreign sailors. After serving his apprenticeship in Leith he went to London, where he remained from July, 1839 to April, 1840, when he came to Dundee, and commenced business as a grain merchant and shipper.

It was under the ministry of the Rev. James Buchanan, of North Leith, afterwards Professor Buchanan of Edinburgh New College, that he was brought under saving impressions. He had been brought up, however, as an Episcopalian, and had been confirmed by Bishop Sandford.

On coming to Dundee he at once decided to attend St. Peter's; and it was not long till he became one of the tract distributors, then a Sabbath school teacher, and in course of time was appointed superintendent. He also had an adult Bible class. Subsequently he was ordained an elder, and acted as session clerk. Outside the church he also rendered good service among German sailors, conducting worship and preaching the Gospel in their own tongue. A beautiful feature in his character was his remarkable freedom from bigotry and his delight in holding fellowship with all evangelical Churches.

Mr. Lamb married in 1845, but his married life, though exceedingly happy, was comparatively short. After the birth of their second child his wife passed away, as the result of an illness that lasted only four days. This was felt to be a great blow, but was borne with Christian resignation, in the assurance that his Heavenly Father was doing it all for the best. And, remarkable enough, he himself followed in the course of the same year, as we shall see farther on.

Glancing over the diary, it is evident that while Mr. Lamb was a lover of good men, he was also a lover of Nature. He delighted to make visits to the country, away "from the madding crowd." "How I love," he said, "the green fields and murmuring brooks! 'God made the country, and man made the town.'" He also found time for recreation, in fishing, or shooting, or having a round of golf on St. Andrews links. There was nothing mawkish or effeminate about his religion. He added to his faith manliness. Like his minister, M'Cheyne, he frequently took exercise on horseback. A good gallop into the country was to him a great delight.

One day, however, while riding on the Fife side of the Tay, he suddenly stopped his horse to speak to a friend, when something caused the animal to shy. He was thrown to the ground. His head was severely bruised, and he was lifted up unconscious. He never spoke again. After eighteen hours of unconsciousness he died. The silver cord was loosed, and the golden bowl was broken. All too early, at the age of thirty-three, the Saviour's age, he passed away. Yet in his comparatively short life he had lived so much, allowing no talent to remain unused, and no opportunity of serving his Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, to pass away unimproved.

So tragical an end to a life of such usefulness, and to a career of such promise, produced a profound sensation in the community; and we close this brief sketch by transcribing the minute that was framed by his fellow office-bearers in the church, expressing the high esteem in which he was held. The minute is dated 8th November, 1848, and is signed by the moderator, Islay Burns.

"The kirk session have again to record, with emotions of deepest solemnity and grief, a great and heavy chastisement of Almighty God, sustained by the session and congregation of St. Peter's, since their last meeting, in the affecting and untimely removal by a fatal accident of Mr. William Lamb, one of their body, and the clerk of this court.

"In the bloom of youthful vigour, in the freshness of early zeal and opening usefulness in the cause of his Lord and Saviour, and at the very moment when, prepared by a season of peculiarly solemn and sanctifying discipline, he promised to be more than ever a comfort to the Church of Christ, of which he was an office-bearer, he has been, in the inscrutable providence of God, suddenly snatched away.

"The session, while remembering with joy the brief but bright career of their departed brother, and desiring meekly to bow before the sovereign counsels of Him whose ways are in the sea, and whose footsteps are not known, cannot but regard this dispensation, taken in connection with other recent events of a similar kind, as conveying a lesson of peculiar solemnity to this session and congregation, and constituting a loud call to search and try our ways, to humble ourselves deeply before God, and with all our hearts to return to Him from whom we have so deeply revolted.

"They desire most tenderly to sympathize with the afflicted relatives and orphan children of the departed in their present sore bereavement, and it is their earnest prayer that the God of all grace and consolation would not only minister needful consolation under this visitation of His providence, but sanctify and bless it to all concerned, so that what for the present is not joyous but grievous, may yet afterwards bring forth the pleasant fruits of righteousness, and form the means of spiritual blessing to many."

This minute was sent to the sorrowing relatives.