"Persevering prayerfulness is harder for the flesh than preaching"
Andrew Bonar preached from the whole Bible, the Word
of God from Genesis to Revelation.
When one of his friends remarked on his
originality in finding subjects for preaching, and wondered where he got all
his texts, he just lifted up his Bible. He did not ignore any part of it, but
explained it all. He did not shy away from any passages that might be seen as
unpopular or unpleasant. Even the first chapters of Chronicles became 'God
calling the roll of mankind.' He made it come alive as a history of men and
women, living in their time, as we live in ours, accountable to God.
Christ and Him crucified was at the centre of all his preaching, in all parts
of the Bible.
He declared 'the whole counsel of God', and was deeply aware
of his responsibility as a man of God. He spent hours every day in prayer and
meditation of the Scriptures, and asking for the Holy Spirit to show the truth
to him, so that he might pass it on to his flock. He wrote in a letter:
"Persevering prayerfulness is harder for the flesh than preaching."
Above
all, he was aware that his personal holiness would be of crucial importance to
his preaching, as his remark shows: "Sins of teachers are teachers of sins."
For an example of how his preaching affected people, read the account of
the awakening of Duncan Matheson, the Scottish
evangelist.
Most of the sermons and addresses here are no longer in print, and
therefore not or little known.
They can be read on separate pages.
Angel Workers: An address given at a worker's
meeting.
Charles Glass, 1880 (23pp)
This was
also published in the second part of 'Reminiscences' in 1895, but has never
been republished.
It is a moving account of the ministry of angels
The Altar of Abraham.
Sermon preached on the
occasion of the death of Dr. Alexander Somerville, in Anderston Free Church,
Glasgow, on September 29, 1889.
Printed in The British Weekly Pulpit, Vol.
2, 1890.
Reprinted in The Banner of Truth magazine, Issue 329, February
1991.
Epaphras.
It is not recorded when he
preached this sermon, but it was published as part of the 'Reminiscences'. A
very encouraging sermon on prayer.
All spiritual
blessings.
This is a wonderfully uplifting sermon
for every believer. Very relevant for today.
The
brethren of our Lord.
Helpful for those who face opposition at home, or
have unsaved family members.
Singing before
suffering.
'If you have a dread of what is coming, sing, instead of
brooding over it.'
The napkin about Christ's
Head.
Very short note about an act of kindness.
Jonathan and his Armour-bearer.
The importance of working together.
Christ's Silence (1).
Christ's Silence (2).
Christ's Silence (3).
Many different aspects
of the silence of Christ in the gospels.
The Pins
of the Tabernacle.
The way God notices seemingly
little things, and the value they have.
The Man
who lent Christ the Upper Room.
One of the people in the Bible we might
never think about.
The Three
Ananiases.
The same names, yet living totally different lives.
First-fruits of the Resurrection.
A text
almost never used in sermons.
The resurrection
of the Son of the Widow of Sarepta.
'Elijah had never heard of a
resurrection before, but he does not hesitate to ask this of the Lord.'
Jethro.
Interesting aspects of the life of Moses' father-in-law.
Preached at Collace on 24th
November 1839.
Kept by the power of God.
We would be powerless to keep ourselves, but God keeps us.
The Trial of Faith.
Very encouraging for
anyone being 'tested and tried.'
Indwelling
sin.
Realistic, and giving ammunition for the battle.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
A sermon to make
you count your blessings!
Onesiphorus: The
New Testament Ebedmelech.
On ministering to the saints.
Leaning on the
Beloved.
Explaining what it is to pray in faith.
Paul's fifteen days' visit to Peter.
An
example of how Andrew Bonar preached on unusual texts.
Nicodemus.
A delightful insight into the life of Nicodemus.
Closing address on Communion Sabbath, January 27,
1889.
What the Christian can look forward to.
A sermon to children.
This sermon shows the
tender compassion Andrew Bonar had for young souls.
A
sermon on the Conversion of Children.
This
shows the importance Bonar places on treating children as needing
salvation.
The Leper drawing forth the
Saviour's Grace.
Leprosy as a type of sin, and the compassion of Jesus
Christ.
This sermon was published in 'The Free Church
Pulpit or sermons and lectures by Eminent Scottish Divines', Vol. 3. as Lecture
29.
London, Routledge & Co., 1852.
The City of Refuge.
Showing how the cities of
refuge in the Old Testament are a type of Christ, the City of Refuge.
The Love of the Father.
So great was the
Father's love that He sent His Son for us.
Andrew Bonar preached this sermon
at the end of 1843, and writes to his brother Horatius about it:
"I preached
lately on "The love of the Father" - one of the sweetest days I ever had in my
life. The common truth seemed so fresh and so pleasant to the taste."
Published in 'The Free Church Pulpit,' Volume 1, as Sermon 7,
pp 75 - 84.
London, Routledge & Co., Farringdon Street 1852.
The Holy Spirit convincing.
The work of the Holy Spirit in bringing the sinner to Christ.
An address given at the Perth Convention, 1883.
Printed in
'Sheaves after Harvest' (edited by Bonar's daughters) Bonar).
Pentecost.
Praying for the work of the
Holy Spirit.
An address given at the Glasgow Christian
Convention, 1880.
Printed in 'Sheaves after Harvest' (edited by
Bonar's daughters)
The Hope of the
Lord's Return.
Notes of an address delivered at the
Edinburgh Conference, 1888.
Printed in 'Sheaves after Harvest'
(edited by Bonar's daughters) Bonar).
How faith receives Christ.
Notes of an address delivered at the Perth Conference, 1885.
Printed in 'Sheaves after Harvest' (edited by Bonar's daughters)
Bonar).
Meeting as a
congregation.
Notes of a sermon delivered in Finnieston
Free Church, Glasgow, on Sunday morning, 1 Sept. 1889.
Printed in
'Sheaves after Harvest' (edited by Bonar's daughters) Bonar).
The following sermons are to be added soon:
Invalid's Paper
(1)
Invalid's Paper (2)
The articles can also be accessed from the Literature page, but are here
grouped together for clarity.
The Scapegoat.
Published in 'The Sunday at Home': A Family Magazine for Sabbath Reading.
3 March 1866 (No. 618)
'The Value of a
Thought'
History of a Model of the Tabernacle, 1879.
'The Mercy Seat' is an enlargement of a Tract
published by the Scottish Monthly Tract Society.
Also reprinted in
'Sheaves after Harvest'.
The Fear Nots of
the Old and New Testament.
Tract, published by the Religious Tract and
Book Society of Scotland.
Part of this tract was printed in 'The Christian
Treasury' of 1858 (Edinburgh, London), and can be read on a separate page here.
The Editor called this "a delightful little Tract."
What gives assurance.
A wonderful sermon
for anyone needing assurance about salvation.
This sermon was originally
preached at Ferryden during the revival of 1859, and later published in 1860
(see Literature page)
Coming to Christ.
A
shortened version as printed in 'The Christian Treasury' in 1873.
Winning Christ.
Part of this little work was
published in 'the Christian Treasury' in 1873.
HTML transcription files copyright © 2001-2006. Jane Newble
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This page created 2 July 2001 - Updated 3 September 2001