Robert Murray M'Cheyne - Bonar - XI - Chapter 6 concluded

Required reading
Robert Murray M'Cheyne by Andrew Bonar (Available from Amazon or free here) - Conclude Chapter 6 (The latter days of his ministry).

My summary
Today we finish M'Cheyne's 'Reformation' tract by reading his teaching on secret prayer.  M'Cheyne recommends that prayer should consist of confession, adoration, thanksgiving, petition and intercession.  The tract then ends abruptly and Bonar concludes that it was left unfinished.

We then hear of M'Cheyne's last work for the Lord, including more preaching and the publication of his daily reading plan (which is very popular still today - I use a modification of it myself) and a biographical tract called 'Another Lily Gathered'.

But gradually his health deteriorates and his life ends at twenty-nine.  The book then closes with a strong appeal from Bonar to learn from the holiness of M'Cheyne's life.

What grabbed me
I liked Bonar's appeal to the ministers in the closing paragraph of the book: 'Hundreds of souls were his reward from the Lord, ere he left us; and in him have we been taught how much one man may do who will only press farther into the presence of his God, and handle more skilfully the unsearchable riches of Christ, and speak more boldly for his God. We speak much against unfaithful ministers, while we ourselves are awfully unfaithful! Are we never afraid that the cries of souls whom we have betrayed to perdition through our want of personal holiness, and our defective preaching of Christ crucified, may ring in our ears forever? Our Lord is at the door. In the twinkling of an eye our work will be done. "Awake, awake, O arm of the Lord, awake as in the ancient days," till every one of thy pastors be willing to impart to the flock, over which the Holy Ghost has made him overseer, not the gospel of God only, but also his own soul. And oh that each one were able, as he stands in the pastures feeding thy sheep and lambs, to look up and appeal to Thee: "Lord, Thou knowest all things! Thou knowest that I love Thee!"'

To be able to say with all sincerity to God that he knows that we love him is not easy.  May God give us grace to be able to do so like M'Cheyne was able to do.

One sentence final verdict
M'Cheyne is an example for us to follow of a minister whose life was poured out like a drink offering in faithfulness and humility.

Next week's reading
Commence 'Confessions' by Augustine (Available from Amazon or free here) by reading Books 1 and 2.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.