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Horatius Bonar
Horatius Bonar (1808 - 1889). Scottish Presbyterian minister, poet, and hymn-writer born in Edinburgh to a ministerial family. Educated at Edinburgh University, he was ordained in 1837, serving Kelso’s North Church for 30 years. Joining the Free Church of Scotland during the 1843 Disruption, he later pastored Chalmers Memorial Church in Edinburgh (1866-1889). Bonar wrote over 600 hymns, including “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say,” and authored books like The Everlasting Righteousness (1873), emphasizing justification by faith. A prolific evangelist, he edited The Quarterly Journal of Prophecy and published tracts reaching millions. Married to Jane Lundie in 1843, they had nine children, five surviving infancy. His devotional works, blending Calvinism and warmth, influenced global Christianity. Bonar’s hymns remain sung in churches worldwide, and his writings, notably God’s Way of Peace, endure in reprints. His poetic style enriched Victorian spirituality, inspiring figures like Charles Spurgeon. Despite personal losses, he preached hope and Christ’s return until his final years.
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Horatius Bonar emphasizes the importance of standing firm in faith amidst the instability and confusion of the last days, where many are swayed by various doctrines and empty promises. He warns against the dangers of being like 'clouds without water,' highlighting the need for believers to be rooted in God's love and grace. Bonar encourages Christians to resist the temptations of novelty in religion and to hold fast to the steadfast anchor of Christ, reminding them that true peace and fulfillment can only be found in Him. He calls for patience and strength, urging believers to remain steadfast in their faith despite the storms of life.
Stand Fast
“Stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” —1 Corinthians 16:13. IN the last days many shall be as “clouds without water, carried about of winds.” And this is one of the special perils of these “perilous times.” The winds are let loose, and are now performing their awful work of tossing hither and thither these empty clouds. Hence the instability that prevails. Men are “carried about with every wind of doctrine.” They are not “rooted and grounded in love;” and having never “tasted that the Lord is gracious,” nor rested their weary souls upon Him, they go about seeking they know not what. They want something that will fill them, but not going to the Divine fulness of the incarnate Word for it, they wander on in sadness of spirit, vainly trying to soothe their uneasy souls with every new doctrine or device that meets them in the way! All in vain. For what can be a substitute for God and His free love? Amid all this instability, let us “stand fast in the faith.” Let us be “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Let us beware of novelties in religion. Let us guard against fickleness of opinion and hastiness of decision. Satan will let loose his blasts and call up his storms; let us only moor our vessel firmer, and keep faster hold of the anchor, which is sure and steadfast, “and which entereth into that which is within the veil.” Thus, in patience shall we possess our souls, for “he that believeth doth not make haste.” -Taken from Words of Peace and Welcome, 1851.
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Horatius Bonar (1808 - 1889). Scottish Presbyterian minister, poet, and hymn-writer born in Edinburgh to a ministerial family. Educated at Edinburgh University, he was ordained in 1837, serving Kelso’s North Church for 30 years. Joining the Free Church of Scotland during the 1843 Disruption, he later pastored Chalmers Memorial Church in Edinburgh (1866-1889). Bonar wrote over 600 hymns, including “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say,” and authored books like The Everlasting Righteousness (1873), emphasizing justification by faith. A prolific evangelist, he edited The Quarterly Journal of Prophecy and published tracts reaching millions. Married to Jane Lundie in 1843, they had nine children, five surviving infancy. His devotional works, blending Calvinism and warmth, influenced global Christianity. Bonar’s hymns remain sung in churches worldwide, and his writings, notably God’s Way of Peace, endure in reprints. His poetic style enriched Victorian spirituality, inspiring figures like Charles Spurgeon. Despite personal losses, he preached hope and Christ’s return until his final years.