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Robert Murray M'Cheyne
Robert Murray M’Cheyne (1813–1843). Born on May 21, 1813, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Robert Murray M’Cheyne was a Scottish Presbyterian minister known for his fervent piety and preaching. The youngest of five, he excelled at Edinburgh University, studying classics and divinity, and was licensed to preach in 1835. Ordained in 1836, he served St. Peter’s Church in Dundee, where his passionate sermons and pastoral care revived a spiritually dormant congregation. A close friend of Andrew Bonar, he co-authored a report on Jewish missions in Palestine in 1839, fueling missionary zeal. M’Cheyne’s frail health led to breaks, but he spearheaded a revival in Dundee during 1839–1840, preaching alongside William Burns. He emphasized daily Bible reading, creating a plan still used today, and wrote hymns like “Jehovah Tsidkenu.” Unmarried, he died of typhus on March 25, 1843, at age 29, mourned widely for his holiness. He said, “A man is what he is on his knees before God, and nothing more.”
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Robert Murray M'Cheyne reflects on the beauty and significance of the Sea of Galilee, emphasizing its connection to Jesus, who often walked its shores and performed miracles there. He contrasts the natural beauty of the sea with the spiritual beauty of Christ, who is the true source of grace and salvation. M'Cheyne warns of the fleeting nature of grace and the consequences of rejecting Christ, urging his congregation to learn from the past and to embrace the love of the Savior. He recalls the poignant moment when Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, highlighting the call to shepherd God's flock. The sermon concludes with a prayer for divine love to empower the faithful in their ministry.
Scriptures
The Sea of Galilee
How pleasant to me thy deep blue wave, O sea of Galilee! For the glorious One who came to save Hath often stood by thee. Fair are the lakes in the land I love, Where pine and heather grow, But thou hast loveliness far above What Nature can bestow. It is not that the wild gazelle Comes down to drink thy tide, But He that was pierced to save from hell Oft wandered by thy side. It is not that the fig-tree grows, And palms, in thy soft air, But that Sharon's fair and bleeding rose Once spread its fragrance there. Graceful around thee the mountains meet, Thou clam reposing sea; But ah, far more! the beautiful feet Of Jesus walked o'er thee. These days are past - Bethsaida, where? Chorazin, where art thou? His tent the wild Arab pitches there, The wild reeds shade thy brow. Tell me, ye mouldering fragments, tell, Was the Saviour's city here? Lifted to heaven, has it sunk to hell, With none to shed a tear? Ah! would my flock from thee might learn How days of grace will flee; How all an offered Christ who spurn, Shall mourn at last, like thee. And was it beside this very sea, The new-risen Saviour said Three times to Simon, "Lovest thou Me?" My lambs and sheep then feed." O Saviour! gone to God's right hand! Yet the same Saviour still, Graved on Thy heart is this lovely strand And every fragrant hill. Oh! give me, Lord, by this sacred wave, Threefold Thy love divine, That I may feed, till I find my grave, Thy flock - both Thine and mine. Sea of Galilee, 16th July 1839.
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Robert Murray M’Cheyne (1813–1843). Born on May 21, 1813, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Robert Murray M’Cheyne was a Scottish Presbyterian minister known for his fervent piety and preaching. The youngest of five, he excelled at Edinburgh University, studying classics and divinity, and was licensed to preach in 1835. Ordained in 1836, he served St. Peter’s Church in Dundee, where his passionate sermons and pastoral care revived a spiritually dormant congregation. A close friend of Andrew Bonar, he co-authored a report on Jewish missions in Palestine in 1839, fueling missionary zeal. M’Cheyne’s frail health led to breaks, but he spearheaded a revival in Dundee during 1839–1840, preaching alongside William Burns. He emphasized daily Bible reading, creating a plan still used today, and wrote hymns like “Jehovah Tsidkenu.” Unmarried, he died of typhus on March 25, 1843, at age 29, mourned widely for his holiness. He said, “A man is what he is on his knees before God, and nothing more.”