In the past century there were widespread and deep movings of the Holy Spirit in Scotland associated with the ministry of the godly and gifted young pastor, Robert Murray McCheyne. The Memoirs of McCheyne, which includes his letters and messages, was compiled and edited by a contemporary, Dr. Andrew A. Bonar. The book has gone through many editions and continues to be of untold blessing and heart-searching to God’s people.
There are divine principles in God’s dealings with His people, and in the matter of revival in particular. Some of these we observe in the early ministry of McCheyne preceding the awakening. For example, the young pastor wrote on the matter of church discipline, an area in which there is great divergence of opinion and practice among the churches in our day. Either there is almost complete laxity of discipline or, in a few cases, a rigid castigation inconsistent with Christian correction and restoration. Observed McCheyne:
"When I first entered upon the work of the ministry among you, I was exceedingly ignorant of the vast importance of church discipline. I thought that my great and almost only work was to pray and preach. I saw your souls to be precious, and the time so short, that I devoted all my time, and care, and strength, to labor in word and doctrine. When cases of discipline were brought before me and the elders, I regarded them with something like abhorrence. It was a duty I shrank from; and I may truly say it nearly drove me from the work of the ministry among you altogether.
"But it pleased God, who teaches His servants in another way than man teaches, to bless some of the cases of discipline to the manifest and undeniable conversion of the souls of those under our care; and from that hour a new light broke in upon my mind, and I saw that if preaching be an ordinance of Christ, so is church discipline.
"I now feel very deeply persuaded that both are of God--that two keys are committed to us by Christ: the one the key of doctrine, by means of which we unlock the treasures of the Bible; the other the key of discipline, by which we open or shut the way to the sealing ordinances of the faith. Both are Christ’s gifts, and neither is to be resigned without sin."
Christian consistency in the daily walk on the part of pastor and church officers is indispensable in bringing the conviction of the Holy Spirit upon sinners. McCheyne was very careful to be consistent, since he knew that an idle word, a harsh judgment, any matter of needless contention would be a stumbling block to his people.
Dr. Bonar said, "We must not only speak faithfully to our people in our sermons, but live faithfully for them too. Perhaps it may be found that the reason why many who preach the gospel fully and in all earnestness are not owned of God in the conversion of souls, is to be found in their defective exhibition of grace in these easy moments of life. ‘Them that honor Me I will honor’ (1 Samuel 2:30). It was noticed long ago that men will give you leave to preach against their sins as much as you will, if so be you will but be easy with them when you have done, and talk as they do, and live as they live. How much otherwise it was with Mr. McCheyne, all who knew him are witnesses."
McCheyne’s burden for revival was expressed earnestly in a letter to Rev. W. C. Burns who later was used of God in revival ministry:
"Everything I meet with, and every day I study my Bible, makes me pray more that God would begin and carry on a deep, pure, widespread, and permanent work of God in Scotland. If it be not deep and pure, it will only end in confusion, and grieving away the Holy Spirit of God by irregularities and inconsistencies; Christ will not get glory, and the country generally will be hardened, and have their mouths filled with reproaches.
"If it be not widespread, our God will not get a large crown out of this generation. If it be not permanent, that will prove its impurity, and will turn all our hopes into shame. I am much more afraid of Satan than I used to be....
"I am also deepened in my conviction, that if we are to be instruments in such a work, we must be purified from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Oh, cry for personal holiness, constant nearness to God by the blood of the Lamb! Bask in His beams, lie back in the arms of love, be filled with His Spirit; or all success in the ministry will only be to your own everlasting confusion.
"You know how I have always insisted on this with you. It is because I feel the need thereof myself. Take heed, dear friend; do not think any sin trivial; remember it will have everlasting consequences. Oh, to have Brainerd’s heart for perfect holiness--to be holy as God is holy, pure as Christ is pure, perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect! Oh, what a cursed body of sin we bear, that we should be obliged by it to break these sweet gospel rules! How much more useful might we be, if we were only more free from pride, self-conceit, personal vanity, or some secret sin that our heart knows! O hateful sins, that destroy our peace, and ruin souls!"
When revival like a gentle rain from heaven began to fall, the young pastor again spoke of his prayer that the work be pure and permanent.
"I am still as anxious as ever that God’s work should be pure, and unmixed with error and satanic delusions; and therefore, when I pray for the revival of God’s work, I always add that it may be pure and permanent. I have seen two awakened since I came home, with the use of hardly any means. If they shall turn out real conversions, I think I shall never despair of any."
McCheyne was always apprehensive lest God’s people allow contentions and quarrels to defeat the work of the Spirit. "Let there be no strife among you," he said, "but who to be lowest at His feet, who to lean his head most fully on His breast. Let all your conversation, meditation, and readings lead you to the Lamb of God. Satan would divert your minds away to questions and old wives’ fables, which gender strifes.
"But the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus--draws to Jesus--makes you cleave to the Lord Jesus with full purpose of heart. Seek advance of personal holiness. It is for this the grace of God has appeared to you. (See Titus 2:11,12). For this Jesus died; for this He chose you; for this He converted you, to make you holy men--living epistles of Christ-- monuments of what God can do in a sinner’s heart.
"You know what true holiness is. It is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Let Him dwell in you, and so all His features will shine in your hearts and faces. Oh, to be like Jesus! This is heaven, wherever it be. I think I could be happy among devils, if only the old man were slain in me, and I was made altogether like Jesus! But, blessed be God, we shall not be called to such a trial, for we shall not only be like Jesus, but be with Him to behold His glory!"
The revival for which McCheyne prayed and prepared himself and his people came during his absence. Rev. W. C. Burns was ministering in the pastor’s place and wrote of the mighty moving of God’s Spirit: "It was like a pent-up flood breaking forth; tears were streaming from the eyes of many, and some fell on the ground groaning, weeping, and crying for mercy. Onward from that evening meetings were held every day for many weeks; and the extraordinary nature of the work justified and called for extraordinary services. The whole town was moved. Many believers doubted; the ungodly raged; but the Word of God grew mightily and prevailed. Instances occurred where whole families were affected at once. Other men of God in the vicinity hastened to aid in the work.
"When Mr. McCheyne arrived at the conclusion of his trip through Europe, the blessing was still continuing. He saw such evidence of the revival for which he had been praying as to make his heart rejoice. He had no envy because another instrument was so honored in the place where he himself had labored with many tears and trials. In true Christian magnanimity, he rejoiced that the work of the Lord was done, by whatever hand."
Such are foundations for revival to be recognized and laid by pastors and people: prayer, penitence, searching of heart, consistency of Christian walk and praise.
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