At the beginning of the twentieth
century, James Macdonald of Edinburgh
purchased a box of old papers which had
belonged to a preacher of around sixty
years earlier. The contents might have
seemed of little value, but to some
they were ‘altogether priceless’. They
were the notebooks and sermon notes of
Robert Murray M‘Cheyne (1813–43), the
godly and devoted minister of St
Peter’s Church, Dundee. From these
papers, lodged in the library of New
College, Edinburgh, Dr Michael D.
McMullen has transcribed the sermons
found in this set of three volumes.
They are indeed a precious treasure.
Whether based on Old Testament or New,
every sermon is full of Christ: the
sinner’s need of Him, the fullness of
His grace, the happiness of those who
come to Him, and the danger of stopping
short of genuine faith in Him. They
will remind preachers and ordinary
Christians alike that to preach Christ
aright, one must first know Him, and
live in the atmosphere of His love.