Memoir & Remains of Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Few books have been better loved than the Memoir & Remains of Robert Murray M’Cheyne. Its circulation underlines this. First published in 1844, within twenty-five years it went through one hundred and sixteen English editions. In 1910 it was estimated that, including translations into other languages, not less than half a million copies were in circulation. Few books have had such a widespread influence on the lives of God’s people. Testimonies to its usefulness were received from many lands and Christians of differing theological persuasions have testified to the blessing experiences through reading it.

Few books contain such variety and wealth of spiritual matter between their covers. As well as the life covering 174 pages, Memoir & Remains of Robert Murray M’Cheyne contains a good selection of letters, sermons, other writings and sacred songs.

About the Author

Andrew Alexander Bonar (1810-92), the youngest brother of Horatius, was born in Edinburgh and educated at Edinburgh University. He was ordained at Collace, Perthshire in 1838, where he was minister in the Church of Scotland to the Disruption (1843) and in the Free Church until moving to Finnieston Free Church, Glasgow in 1856. He was Moderator of the Free Church Assembly in 1878. He visited Palestine with Robert Murray M’Cheyne in 1839, and was his friend’s biographer after his early death.

Several of Bonar’s books are published by the Trust, including his Commentary on Leviticus in the Geneva series, but he is perhaps best-known for the forementioned Memoir and Remains of R. M. M’Cheyne. Bonar was tireless in his evangelistic endeavours, and he epitomised the text in Hebrew above the entrance to his church in Glasgow: ‘He that winneth souls is wise’.