Free Reading: The Life of John Milne of Perth by Horatius Bonar
Banner of Truth has been offering “free readings” every couple of weeks in an email. I figured y’all might enjoy them as much as I do. This week’s reading is from the book The Life of John Milne of Perth. You can purchase this book at Westminster for 25% off the cover price.
The Life of John Milne of Perth
One of Scotland’s finest evangelical biographies, written by one of her foremost leaders
Horatius Bonar
“Let us put away our own ideas and plans, and let the Lord work when and how he will. Let us look away from difficulties, unlikelihoods, impossibilities, and rest simply on the Lord. This honours him; and he will honour us. How much has faith done! How much it still will do!”
John Milne
“In an age of false ideals and hero-worship, it will be found good … to make one who took, as his great model, both in service and suffering, the Son of God; who knew, above most, what intimacy with him could do, in moulding character, and in producing a true and telling life.”
Horatius Bonar, in the Preface
FROM CHAPTER THREE: 1840-1842, First Years in Perth
John Milne began his ministry in Perth with great earnestness; though his preaching at first was not so marked and full as in after years. He had been sent to do a work for God, and he began it with fear and trembling, as one conscious of insufficiency (2 Cor. 2:16). The work he had come to do soon became apparent.
BLESSING AND OPPOSITION
On the 10th of February 1840, he thus writes to Edmond:
I have been busy, very busy, almost unceasingly, night and day for the last six weeks; and the result of the labour is, I trust, one of the most hopeful and widest revivals that has as yet taken place in Scotland. The person chiefly instrumental in beginning and carrying on this is Mr. Burns, lately of Dundee, who is living with me; and we are very happy, working without intermission. We are in a great degree alone, having only got help occasionally from Mr. Cumming of Dunbarney, and Mr. Bonar of Collace. You can form no idea what a thirst there is on the part of the people to hear; and we have already much fruit in numerous cases of hopeful conversion. I have every day fresh reason to bless God that I was sent here, and to remember you with gratitude and affection for being helpful in sending me. I find cases where my preaching was blest from the very beginning. We have much opposition and it is getting more violent as the work goes on. Mr. Gray is the only town minister that stands by us, though he takes no active part in the services, as he is occupied with the non-intrusion question, of which he is the great champion. I find fresh opportunities of usefulness opening up every day; so you must rejoice with me.
Some time after he thus writes to the same: I see you all active on the patronage question. Let me know the general state of feeling. I have been co-operating as far as I was able on the right side. Let me hear from you soon, or, still better, let me see you. I used to envy your being so constantly employed; but I have enough of it now. But labor ipse voluptas. Are you growing in grace, and in the knowledge of Christ? That is the only desirable advancement.
I have given these two extracts together, though their dates are separated by some ten months, in order to show how the church questions of that day were interwoven with the highest spiritual work.
In one of Milne’s notebooks we find the following entry:
Most of the existing body and soul of New England churches originated in revivals; and hence a danger of fancying that little advance is to be expected or laboured for when there is no special work of God going on. Who can tell whether these occasional periodic showers or a continual down-dropping dew would be best? But let us seek directness of aim; expect conversions, even when not aware that the Spirit is at work, in the way of prayerfulness and inquiry. In revival times there is expectation of being heard; earnestness and determination of mind commensurate. At other times there is a general faith of God’s willingness to answer; but now (in revival times) there is a fervour kindled by a distinct grasp of its object as present and immediately attainable. The hearer now comes expecting that we shall call him to repent immediately and turn to God; conversion is in the mind both of preacher and hearer. Hence we find in America short seasons of energetic fruitful nature, and then long dead vacations. God’s love, interest in his church, faithfulness, never change; and he puts special honour upon those who are stedfast, and go on against discouragements and opposing currents. There are instances of revival going on through a whole ministry. Let revival effort be used even when revival does not exist.
WHAT ARE REVIVALS?
The above paragraph lets us know the state of Milne’s mind, in reference to what are called ‘Revivals’. It prepares us for understanding the part which he took in them, both in his own congregation and those of the brethren with whom he was associated. Like many of us, he did not trouble himself about the word ‘revival’. He did not feel concerned either to defend it or to take offence at it. It was the thing which lay underneath the word that he regarded. That thing which occurred in Jerusalem at Pentecost (Acts 2:41); in Samaria some short time afterwards (Acts 8:8); again at Antioch (Acts 11:21); again at Iconium (Acts 14:1); again at Thessalonica (Acts 17:4); again at Corinth (Acts 18:8); that thing, call it by what name we please, seemed to him to be the very end and object of the ministry. A minister of Christ is not an essayist, nor an orator, nor a lecturer, nor a philosopher, but ‘an ambassador for Christ’ (2 Cor. 5:20); a ‘fisher of men’ (Matt. 4:19). His work is not in the first place that of improving morals, or elevating character, or rectifying social evils, or redressing material wrongs, — but of SAVING. As the Apostle of the Gentiles said, ‘Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel’, so we have still to say, as servants of the same Master, ‘Christ sent me not to civilise, but to preach the gospel.’ It is that gospel which is ‘the power of God unto SALVATION’ (Rom. 1:16); a gospel not depending for its efficacy on the ‘enticing words of man’s wisdom’, but on the ‘demonstration of the Spirit and [on his] power’ (1 Cor. 2:4); for ‘after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by [its] wisdom knew not God, it pleased (it was ‘well-pleasing’) God by the foolishness of preaching (this preaching, i.e. of the cross) to SAVE them that believe’ (1 Cor. 1:21).
The spiritual movement in which Milne took so deep an interest, began, as the first of the above letters indicates, very soon after his settlement in Perth. In December 1839, Burns came for one night; but found such encouragement that he remained for several months, having meetings, chiefly along with Milne, but also with the assistance of some others.
CONTINUOUS FRUIT
The spiritual work went on during January and February with manifest results for good, both in the town and neighbourhood. The crowds were great, both on Sabbaths and week-days. Many were, during that time, ‘turned from darkness to light’. Milne’s sermon on the barren fig-tree, in Gray’s church, is still remembered for its solemnity and power. During the day crowds of inquirers flocked to Milne’s house for conversation with him and Burns. Every seat in the church was let; the aisle, the lobby, the vestry (a small flat-roofed room behind the pulpit) were filled at every meeting. After every seat was let a list of seventy was made up, who were waiting for the first vacancies. Many of these did not get seats till after the Disruption. At Milne’s first communion, in April 1840, there were one hundred and forty young communicants. For some years afterwards great life and warmth exhibited themselves in the congregation. The members were set aworking vigorously, in different ways; various agencies sprung up, connected with both old and young — Milne himself at the head of all of them, full of faith and fervour. A weekly prayer-meeting was begun, which has continued to this day. The Perth Young Men’s Tract Society was commenced. At first three of its members were sent out by Milne with their first distribution of tracts; now there are forty. St. Leonard’s became noted in the neighbourhood. It became a centre of blessing. To it was traced much good or evil, by those who either liked or disliked the proceedings there. ‘You’ll be from St. Leonard’s', was the answer given by more than one, to an individual who was dealing faithfully with his fellow-travellers. One family was signally blest. Several daughters were converted, along with the mother, who, though she had been long a professing Christian, used to say that never till then had she ‘lost her grip of the world’. One son continued unchanged. He soon after left Perth for another place, and Milne gave him a note of introduction to a minister there. The young man saw through the paper his own name, and read these words: ‘Others of the family have got the blessing, but he is left.’ The words smote him to the heart, and he returned to Perth, seeking the Lord, and has long been a child of God. That father was much opposed to the work and to Milne; but before his death he too was changed; and hearing of Milne, after his return from India, being in the place in which he lived, he sent for him and welcomed him with joy.
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