The death-bed of Thomas Guthrie
Dr. Thomas Guthrie was one of the greatest preachers of the early years of the Free Church of Scotland. Inclined to be a little flowery, his sermons are perhaps not to modern taste.
But the account of his death-bed is one of the most affecting things in his biography.
"When the great pulpit orator came to die, he grew more and more like a little child. He felt like a babe on the bosom of Jesus. The sight of a little grandchild, who came into his dying chamber, brought a smile over his pale face, and he whispered, - 'Put her up.' When lifted onto the bed, she crept up to him and kissed him, and he nodded his head and said sweetly, 'My bonnie lamb!'
"During those last hours, he found great solace in the singing of dear old favourite psalms and spiritual songs. But of none was he so fond as of simple Sunday-school melodies. When they asked him on one of the last nights of his life, 'What shall we sing for you?' he said quickly, "Give me a bairn's [child's] hymn.' So they sang for the veteran pilgrim... His theology was all narrowed down to one word - Christ. His faith was the faith of a little child. When asked, 'Have you that Saviour now?' he promptly answered, 'Yes, I have none else.' Then he was heard to murmur to himself, 'Over on the other side."
Adapted from William Adamson, The Religious Anecdotes of Scotland (London, Simpkin, Marshall and Co., 1893) Pp. 322-3
But the account of his death-bed is one of the most affecting things in his biography.
"When the great pulpit orator came to die, he grew more and more like a little child. He felt like a babe on the bosom of Jesus. The sight of a little grandchild, who came into his dying chamber, brought a smile over his pale face, and he whispered, - 'Put her up.' When lifted onto the bed, she crept up to him and kissed him, and he nodded his head and said sweetly, 'My bonnie lamb!'
"During those last hours, he found great solace in the singing of dear old favourite psalms and spiritual songs. But of none was he so fond as of simple Sunday-school melodies. When they asked him on one of the last nights of his life, 'What shall we sing for you?' he said quickly, "Give me a bairn's [child's] hymn.' So they sang for the veteran pilgrim... His theology was all narrowed down to one word - Christ. His faith was the faith of a little child. When asked, 'Have you that Saviour now?' he promptly answered, 'Yes, I have none else.' Then he was heard to murmur to himself, 'Over on the other side."
Adapted from William Adamson, The Religious Anecdotes of Scotland (London, Simpkin, Marshall and Co., 1893) Pp. 322-3
posted by Highland Host at 10:10 am
2 Comments:
Sad that he didn't know more theology when he died.
But he knew the whole Body of Divinity! is not that enough?
Post a Comment
<< Home