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Andrew Bonar
Andrew Alexander Bonar (1810–1892). Born on May 29, 1810, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Andrew Bonar was the youngest of seven brothers, including hymn-writer Horatius, in a devout Presbyterian family. Orphaned by his father at seven, he struggled with faith until finding assurance at 20 through William Guthrie’s Saving Interest of Christ. He studied divinity at Edinburgh University, was licensed to preach in 1835, and ordained in 1838 at Collace, Perthshire, serving 18 years. A friend of Robert Murray M’Cheyne, he co-wrote a mission report on Palestine’s Jews in 1839 and authored M’Cheyne’s memoir, a lasting Christian work. Joining the Free Church of Scotland after the 1843 Disruption, he preached in a tent until a church was built, fostering revival during the 1839–1840 Kilsyth movement. In 1856, he became minister at Finnieston Free Church, Glasgow, until his death on December 30, 1892. Married to Isabella Dickson in 1848, he was widowed in 1864 after having six children. Known for expository preaching and fervent prayer, Bonar’s ministry bore a guiding principle from Proverbs 11:30, as he wrote in his diary, “He that winneth souls is wise.”
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Andrew Bonar reflects on the passing of a beloved family member, emphasizing the deep faith and confidence in Christ that she embodied. He acknowledges the sorrow felt by the family and friends but also highlights the enduring fragrance of her memory through her selfless acts and prayers. Bonar encourages his nephew Lewis and the family to look beyond their grief, finding solace in the hope of eternal rest with Christ.
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Letters: Mr. Lewis Grant, His Nephew, Kirkcaldy (1)
GLASGOW, 16th January 1880. MY DEAR LEWIS, —Your note has just come with its burden of heavy tidings. I had written an hour ago to Uncle William, whose letter expressed anxious alarm, but we were not prepared for your announcement, for Willie's note of yesterday was rather encouraging and hopeful. You know, and we all know, that as to your beloved mother, Christ was all her confidence. She rested in Him, and has now entered into a deeper rest with Him. But how fragrant will her memory ever be! Her most unselfish care for all of us, her innumerable kindnesses, as well as her prayers and sympathy—all will be missed, and felt to be missing, by all her many friends. 'I was dumb, because Thou didst it.' With kindest love to all with you—all alike under the dark cloud, but yet able to look beyond it.— Your affectionate uncle, ANDREW A. BONAR.
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Andrew Alexander Bonar (1810–1892). Born on May 29, 1810, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Andrew Bonar was the youngest of seven brothers, including hymn-writer Horatius, in a devout Presbyterian family. Orphaned by his father at seven, he struggled with faith until finding assurance at 20 through William Guthrie’s Saving Interest of Christ. He studied divinity at Edinburgh University, was licensed to preach in 1835, and ordained in 1838 at Collace, Perthshire, serving 18 years. A friend of Robert Murray M’Cheyne, he co-wrote a mission report on Palestine’s Jews in 1839 and authored M’Cheyne’s memoir, a lasting Christian work. Joining the Free Church of Scotland after the 1843 Disruption, he preached in a tent until a church was built, fostering revival during the 1839–1840 Kilsyth movement. In 1856, he became minister at Finnieston Free Church, Glasgow, until his death on December 30, 1892. Married to Isabella Dickson in 1848, he was widowed in 1864 after having six children. Known for expository preaching and fervent prayer, Bonar’s ministry bore a guiding principle from Proverbs 11:30, as he wrote in his diary, “He that winneth souls is wise.”