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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 expresses deep sympathy to Rev. Andrew Inglis in the wake of his daughter's death, reminding him of God's compassion and the promise of resurrection. He encourages Inglis to trust in God's plan, even in sorrow, and to look forward to the hope of reunion in Christ. Bonar emphasizes that God does not afflict willingly and that there is a purpose behind every trial, urging Inglis to find comfort in the prayers of others and the joy of future glory.
Scriptures
Letters: Rev. Andrew Inglis, Dundee (2)
GLASGOW, 9th July 1891. MY DEAR MR. INGLIS,—I have just been at Greenock, hearing the particulars of my brother John's last hours. He died really like one falling asleep 'in a good old age.' But you, dear brother, are mourning over a beloved daughter called away in her prime, and in the midst of her usefulness. 'His ways are in the sea, and His paths in the great waters.' We have tried to remember you and Mrs. Inglis, and I am sure the Lord Jesus has as much sympathy for you both as He had for Martha and Mary, and is saying to you as truly as to them, 'If you will believe (that is, "if you will only trust My word for it ") you shall see the glory of God in this sore trial.' Resurrection is coming soon, and He who is the Resurrection is coming, and 'will tell us all things.' With true sympathy with all your house and bereaved ones.—Yours in tribulation, as well as in the faith of the Gospel, ANDREW A. BONAR. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ON THE DEATH OF MRS. INGLIS GLASGOW, 16th Dec. 1891 MY DEAR MR. INGLIS, — 'He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men '—how much more unwilling He must be to afflict His own children. He must be purposing some special blessing to you by this stroke. Meanwhile, look within the veil (Rev. 7) and 'rejoice with them that do rejoice,' while at the same time you look forward and sing: 'The time draws near when from the clouds Christ shall with shouts descend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 'A few short years of evil past, We reach the happy shore Where death-divided friends at last Shall meet, to part no more.' You will find that you are prayed for by very many at this time, and all these prayers cannot fail to bring you and yours what otherwise you could not have gained.— Yours, my dear brother, in true sympathy, for I 'know the heart of a stranger, seeing I have been a stranger in the land of Egypt,' 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.”