Horatius Bonar

1808-1889. “The prince of Scottish hymn-writers” (James Moffatt). In Edinburgh University one of his tutors was Thomas Chalmers.* While assistant minister at St. James's, Leith, he wrote hymns to familiar tunes to interest the children in worship. In 1837 he became minister of the North Parish Church, Kelso, after the Disruption* of 1843 remaining in Kelso as minister of the Free Church. In 1866 he was translated to the Chalmers Memorial Church in Edinburgh. He was moderator of the Free Church Assembly in 1883. He was the author of many books, but is now chiefly remembered as a hymnwriter. He wrote over 600, of which nearly 100 are in common use. Probably the best known is “I heard the voice of Jesus say.” Ira D. Sankey called him “my ideal hymn-writer.” He issued eight collections of hymns.