The White Fields of France

Horatius Bonar (1808–1889) was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, in a family with a long history of ministry in the Church of Scotland. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh in 1838 (where he studied under Dr. Thomas Chalmers), Bonar was ordained and became pastor of the North Parish, Kelso, where he remained for 28 years. He joined the Free Church of Scotland after “the Great Disruption” of 1843, and in 1853 he earned a Doctor of Divinity degree from the University of Aberdeen. In 1867 he took over ministry duties at Chalmers Memorial Church in Edinburgh, and in 1883 he was elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. A prolific author, he wrote and edited numerous books, biographies, articles, poems, tracts, and over 600 hymns.