Letters of Thomas Chalmers

Introduction by Iain H. Murray

Category
Look Inside Price £17.50

Weight 0.77 kg
Dimensions 22.3 × 14.3 × 3.6 cm
ISBN 9780851519401
Binding

Cloth-bound

format

Book

page-count

576

Original Pub Date

1853

Banner Pub Date

Jul 16, 2007

EndorsementsRead More ↓

‘Although many have written on Chalmers, the best knowledge of the man comes from reading his own words, and there is no better starting point than the volume of his correspondence…It has long been unobtainable, and numbers will surely be thankful to see it in print again. The times and the religious scene are greatly changed since Chalmers’ day, yet what lay at the centre of his influence remains the church’s constant need, and there is here much sound wisdom from which other generations can profit.’ — IAIN H. MURRAY

‘Chalmers’ Letters give us a fascinating insight into the turbulent decades preceding the 1843 Disruption and a no less fascinating insight into the mind and heart of a giant in Christ’s church. This selection of letters ‘breathes the warmth of Chalmers’ devotion to Christ and reveal his true soul’. He being dead yet speaks.’ — IAN HAMILTON

‘There is rich Scriptural precedent for observing that God has used letter-writing to edify his people and win the lost. These letters of the Presbyterian theologian Thomas Chalmers well illustrate the former. They also reveal, however, the spirituality of one of the greatest Scottish evangelicals of the nineteenth century, and document a period of rich revival through the eyes of one who played an extraordinary role in it.’– MICHAEL HAYKIN

‘This volume of letters reveal the priority of the pastoral and the need of vital Christianity. It is only too easy in the Reformed/Presbyterian world to be overwhelmed by theological correctness and to neglect the vitality of the spirit as it impinges on the Pastoral Ministry. This volume has given me an entirely new outlook on Thomas Chalmers. He was truly a spiritual giant.’– REFORMED THEOLOGICAL REVIEW

Book Description

It is not often that the world has seen men like Thomas Chalmers.’ The vast crowds who lined the streets of Edinburgh as Chalmers’ funeral procession made its way from Charlotte Square to the Grange cemetery, no doubt concurred with this statement of Thomas Carlyle. Thomas Chalmers was indeed a remarkable man- parish minister, popular preacher, social reformer, lecturer in moral philosophy, economics, and theology, the first Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland. His great natural gifts, combined with his fervent determination to serve the Lord who had so signally saved him by divine grace, thrust him to the forefront of the evangelical movement that was to bring such a transformation to Scotland.

This volume, first published in 1853, contains a selection of his correspondence, edited by his son-in-law and biographer, William Hanna. These letters breathe the warmth of Chalmer’s devotion to Christ and reveal his true soul. Here we see the man behind the powerful sermons and impressive lectures, the ecclesiastical debates and the extensive literary volumes- a humble servant of Christ who in spite of his outstanding natural gifts longed to be a true man of God. Writing to a friend he says, ‘I long to realize the joys and exercises and the habits of experimental religion, to love Christ as fervently as good Samuel Rutherford… There is nothing of which I am more thoroughly aware than the utter difference which there is between a speculative and an experimental conviction of the same truth…I long for more of the life and freshness of an actual contact with these things-for the kingdom of God as abundantly in power as it is in word’.

Again he writes: ‘Let us all address ourselves to Him as the alone refuge and propitiation of sinners. We cannot surely trust Him too much; nor is there temerity or presumption in venturing our all upon to sure a foundation. Let us not fear that if our dependence be strong enough, we shall fail in our preparations for eternity; as the simpler and stronger our faith, the more fervent will be our love, the more abundant as well as affectionate will be our obedience.’

Table of Contents Expand ↓

Dr. Chalmers to Mr. James Anderson 3
Mr. James Anderson to Dr. Chalmers 3
Mr. James Anderson to Dr. Chalmers 6
Mr. James Anderson to Dr. Chalmers 9
Mr. Thomas Smith to Dr. Chalmers 11
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Thomas Smith 12
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Thomas Smith 15
Mr. Thomas Smith to Dr. Chalmers 16
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Thomas Smith 18
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Thomas Smith 19
Mr. Thomas Smith to Dr. Chalmers 21
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Thomas Smith 22
Mr. Thomas Smith to Dr. Chalmers 23
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Thomas Smith 24
Mr. Thomas Smith to Dr. Chalmers 26
Mr. Thomas Smith to Dr. Chalmers 27
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Thomas Smith 29
Mr. Thomas Smith to Dr. Chalmers 30
Mr. Thomas Smith to Dr. Chalmers 32
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Thomas Smith 33
Mr. Thomas Smith to Dr. Chalmers 35
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Thomas Smith 37
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Thomas Smith 39
Mr. Thomas Smith to Dr. Chalmers 41
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Thomas Smith 43
Mr. Thomas Smith to Dr. Chalmers 44
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Thomas Smith 46
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Kedie 49
Dr. Chalmers to the Misses Kedie 50
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Kedie 53
31-36. Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Kedie 54-58
37-41. Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Dr. Jones of Edinburgh 59-65
42-55. Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Coutts 65-85
56-60. Dr. Chalmers to Miss Collier 86-92
61-70. Dr. Chalmers to William Wilberforce, Esq., M.P. 93-107
71-88. Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Glasgow of Mountgreenan 108-130
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Dunlop 131
90-121. Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Parker 133-156
122-129. Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Darroch 157-165
Dr. Chalmers to General Darroch 166
Dr. Chalmers to General Darroch 168
Dr. Chalmers to Dr. Rainy of Glasgow 170
Dr. Chalmers to Dr. Rainy of Glasgow 171
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Brown 172
135-140. Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Robert Brown 175-181
141-144. Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Patrick Chalmers 182-187
145-208. Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Morton 188-249
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Mr. Watson 250
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Mr. Watson 251
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Fortune 253
212-216. Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Watson 253-260
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. William Fortune 261
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Mr. Honey 264
Dr. Chalmers to the Secretaries of the Fife and Kinross Bible Society 267
220-222. Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Dr. Charters of Wilton 273-276
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Roger, Esq. of Glasgow 277
224-227. Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. J. W. Cunningham of Harrow, London 279-286
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Dr. Wright of Stirling 287
229-231. Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Dr. Smyth of Glasgow 288-289
232-236. Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Dr. Macfarlan of Greenock 290-294
Dr. Chalmers in reply to a Letter requesting some Directions on the subject of Practical Charity 296
Dr. Chalmers to a Friend 298
Dr. Chalmers on Man’s Responsibility for his Belief 299
Dr. Chalmers’s Directions to an Anxious Inquirer 300
Dr. Chalmers to the Countess of D-. A Letter of Christian Encouragement 302
Dr. Chalmers to Lady Osborne 304
Dr. Chalmers to his eldest Daughter, on partaking for the first time of the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper 306
Dr. Chalmers to Master J. Morton 308
Dr. Chalmers’s Advice to a Young Clergyman 310
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Grant of Laggan 312
247-249. Dr. Chalmers to T. Erskine, Esq. of Linlathan 313-317
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. John Foster 318
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Dr. Ryland 320
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. J. E. Ryland 321
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. J. E. Ryland 322
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Paul 323
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. C. Bridges 323
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. C. Bridges 325
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Horace Bonar 326
258-260. Dr. Chalmers to Dr. James Brown 327-330
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Brown 331
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Mr. Harvey 332
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. John Sheppard 333
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. John Sheppard 334
Dr. Chalmers to Dr. Symington 335
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Thomas Bartlett 336
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Miller 339
268-271. Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Thomas Grinfield, Clifton 340-342
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Henry Bell 342
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Henry Bell 343
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Timothy East, Birmingham 344
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Ebenezer Brown of Inverkeithing, Fife 345
276-278. Dr. Chalmers to the Countess of Elgin 346-348
Dr. Chalmers to Lady Matilda Maxwell 349
Dr. Chalmers to Lady Carnegie 350
Dr. Chalmers to Lady O’Brien 352
Dr. Chalmers to Lady O’Brien 354
Dr. Chalmers to Sir Andrew Agnew, Bart. 355
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Thomas Walker, Flesher, Galashiels 359
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Dr. Strachan, Bishop of Toronto 360
286-289. Dr. Chalmers to Professor Duncan 362-364
Dr. Easton to Dr. Chalmers 366
Dr. Chalmers to Dr. Easton 367
Dr. Easton to Dr. Chalmers 369
Dr. Chalmers to Dr. Easton 370
CORRESPONDENCE ON THE CHURCH QUESTION.
Dr. Chalmers to John Hamilton, Esq. 372
Dr. Chalmers to John Hamilton, Esq. 374
296-299. Dr. Chalmers to Sir George Sinclair 375-379
Dr. Chalmers to the Bishop of Llandaff 380
Dr. Chalmers to the Bishop of Llandaff 381
Dr. Chalmers to the Honourable and Rev. Dr. Wellesley 381
303-305. Dr. Chalmers to Lord Lorne 382-396
Dr. Chalmers to William Lamont, jun., Esq., Glasgow 397
Dr. Chalmers to Alexander Campbell, Esq., M.P. 399
Dr. Chalmers to John C. Colquhoun, Esq. 400
309-312. Dr. Chalmers to Alexander Gordon, Esq., London 401-409
Dr. Chalmers to Rev. -. 410
Dr. Chalmers to the Same 412
Dr. Chalmers to Andrew Johnston, Esq. 413
Dr. Chalmers to Andrew Johnston, Esq. 414
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. William Findlater 416
Dr. Chalmers to Professor Sedgwick of Cambridge 417
Dr. Chalmers to D. Maitland Makgill Crichton, Esq. 421
Dr. Chalmers to D. Maitland Makgill Crichton, Esq. 422
Dr. Chalmers to George Yule, Esq. 423
Dr. Chalmers to Captain Burnett of Monboddo 424
Dr. Chalmers to Captain Burnett of Monboddo 426
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. P. Henderson, Pollockshaws 426
Dr. Chalmers to Sir George Sinclair 428
326-338. Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Lenox of New York 429-442
Dr. Chalmers to Dr. D. Stebbins, Northampton, Massachusetts 443
340-343. Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Dr. Merle d’Aubigne 444-447
Dr. Chalmers to Miss Brewster 448
Dr. Chalmers to Miss Brewster 449
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Williamson 449
Dr. Chalmers to Miss Marshall, Glasgow 450
348-350. Dr. Chalmers to Charles Spence, Esq. 451-453
Dr. Chalmers to M. Descombaz, Lausanne 455
Dr. Chalmers to Mr. John Craig 458
Dr. Chalmers to J. Barclay, Esq., Tongue 459
Dr. Chalmers to – 459
Dr. Chalmers to Rev. Dhimjibhai Nowroji 461
Dr. Chalmers to Miss Mackean 462
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Alexander Anderson, Aberdeen 463
Dr. Chalmers to Sir Harry Verney 464
Dr. Chalmers on visiting a Family in which a sudden death had occurred 464
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. M’Corquodale 466
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. M’Corquodale 468
Dr. Chalmers to Miss M’Corquodale 469
Dr. Chalmers to Miss M’Corquodale 470
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Rutherford of Edgerstone 471
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Usher 472
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Henry Wood, Edinburgh 474
Dr. Chalmers to William Buchanan, Esq., Glasgow 475
Dr. Chalmers to William Buchanan, Esq., Glasgow 476
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Campbell 478
Dr. Chalmers to Miss Young, Burntisland 478
Dr. Chalmers to Miss Young, Burntisland 479
Dr. Chalmers to Charles Cowan, Esq. 481
Dr. Chalmers to the Rev. Dr. Somerville of Drummelzier 481
Dr. Chalmers to Dr. Somerville 482
Dr. Chalmers to Miss Somerville 483
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Charles Nairne 484
Dr. Chalmers to Dr. Begbie 486
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. M’Clelland 487
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Bryce, Aberdour 488
Dr. Chalmers to Miss Burns 489
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Elliot 490
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Anderson 491
Dr. Chalmers to Miss Abercrombie 493
Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Mackay 495
Dr. Chalmers to James Cunningham, Esq., Edinburgh 497
Dr. Chalmers to Frederic Adamson, Esq. 498
Dr. Chalmers to Misses Wallace 501
Dr. Chalmers to Miss Wood 502
389-410. Dr. Chalmers to Mrs. Dunlop 504-537

 

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