Robert Murray McCheyne Books: Sermons, Letters and the Mission

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Robert Murray McCheyne (1813–1843) was minister of St. Peter's Church in Dundee, Scotland, and died at twenty-nine. He never wrote a long book of his own. Almost everything we have from him was printed after his death: sermons from his pulpit notes, letters to his family, and the report of the 1839 mission to the Jews he wrote with Andrew Bonar. TheWay Library has four of these books, plus Bonar's life of him. For his story, see who was Robert Murray McCheyne.

Here's what each one is and where to begin.

Where to start

Start with The Sermons of the Rev. Robert Murray M'Cheyne. It's the largest collection of his preaching in the library, and each sermon is short enough to read in one sitting.

After that, choose by what you want:

• To see his heart on the road: Familiar Letters.
• For the full story of the 1839 mission: Narrative of a Mission of Inquiry to the Jews.
• For his life: Andrew Bonar's Biography of Robert Murray M'Cheyne.
• If you already know the sermons: Additional Remains is mostly the same material in an earlier edition.

Every quotation below is checked against the book it comes from. For many more, see our collection of Robert Murray McCheyne quotes.

Sermons

The Sermons of the Rev. Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Ninety sermons, plus two short addresses after communion. They're simple, warm and searching. Many are about Christ Himself: the way, the truth and the life; our apostle and high priest; Christ in you, the hope of glory. Some take their pictures from the Song of Solomon, such as the believer as a lily among thorns and as Christ's garden. Others are about the Holy Spirit, the law written on the heart, and joy in God. A strong group pleads with the unconverted, plainly and tenderly. There's also his charge at the ordination of a fellow minister, which pastors still read.

Christ may be called the key-stone of the arch of truth.

The Sermons of the Rev. Robert Murray M'Cheyne, Sermon I: I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

Sermons XXVII onward are the same sermons published earlier in Additional Remains, in a cleaner text, so this volume is the one to read. (The lectures from Additional Remains aren't included.) Read the Sermons.

Additional Remains of the Rev. Robert Murray M'Cheyne

This was the second collection of his sermons, published a few years after his death to follow Bonar's Memoir and Remains. The editor explains that the sermons were printed from McCheyne's own preparation notes, never meant for the press. It has some sixty sermons, including "The Love of Christ Constraineth," "The Work of the Spirit," "Family Government" and "Look to a Pierced Christ," and seventeen lectures: on the ten virgins, seven on the family at Bethany, on Wisdom's and Folly's houses in Proverbs 9, and on the Good Shepherd.

Do you cleave to the Lord Jesus, because you have nothing of your own to recommend you to God?

Additional Remains, Sermon XXVII: Death of Stephen

The text came from a scan and has many misread words, so the Sermons volume above is easier to read for the same sermons. The lectures at the end of this book are worth having. Read Additional Remains.

The 1839 mission

Familiar Letters

McCheyne's letters home during the mission to the Jews, to his parents, his sister and his friends in the ministry. They follow the trip from London through France, Italy and Malta to Egypt and the Holy Land, through his dangerous fever near Smyrna, and home through the Danube lands, Poland and Prussia. He describes what he saw, prays for his family and for Israel, and thinks often of his people in Dundee. The last letter tells of coming home to find revival in his church.

It made me feel so little, and God so great.

Familiar Letters, Letter VI: To His Father (Malta)

These letters are short and personal, and they're the best way to meet McCheyne the man. Read Familiar Letters.

Narrative of a Mission of Inquiry to the Jews

The official account of the mission, written by McCheyne and Andrew Bonar together. It's both a travel book and a missionary report. They cross the desert into southern Palestine, spend time in Jerusalem and Hebron, go north through Samaria and Carmel to Galilee, and describe scenes of Bible history on the way. Returning through Smyrna and Constantinople, they visit Jewish communities in Wallachia, Moldavia, Austrian Poland and Prussia, and record conversations about the Messiah and openings for the gospel.

We told them that we had come from Scotland out of love to their souls.

Narrative of a Mission of Inquiry to the Jews, Chapter II

It's a long book. Read the preface and the chapters on Jerusalem and Galilee first. Since it was written jointly, it's hard to know which parts are McCheyne's. Read the Narrative.

His life

The Biography of Robert Murray M'Cheyne, by Andrew A. Bonar

This isn't by McCheyne, but it's the book most people read first. His closest friend tells his life in six chapters, quoting his diary and letters: his conversion after his brother's death, his early ministry, the mission to Palestine, the revival in Dundee and his last days. It's one of the most loved Christian biographies in English. Read the Biography, and see our guide to Andrew A. Bonar's books.

A suggested order

1. Bonar's Biography, to meet him.
2. The Sermons, a sermon a day.
3. Familiar Letters, in an evening or two.
4. Narrative of a Mission of Inquiry, when you want the whole story.
5. Additional Remains, for the lectures on Bethany and the ten virgins.

Why read McCheyne today

McCheyne preached Christ with a rare mix of tenderness and urgency. He makes you want to know Jesus better and to be holy, and he never lets you forget the people who don't yet know Him. Begin with the Sermons, and keep his letters for a quiet evening. All his books are on the Robert Murray M'Cheyne author page.