God's Way of Peace

God's Way of Peace was written by the great Scottish preacher, Horatius Bonar, of the nineteenth century. God's Way of Peace is a valuable treatise on the way of salvation. One of the best defenses against legalism ever written, Bonar's book is also a winsome presentation of the gospel. Its value comes mostly from its great ability to deal with the numerous and clever barriers that men create to keep themselves from the freedom of the salvation of Christ. Bonar had a passionate heart for revival and was a friend and supporter of several revivalists. He was brother to the more well-known Andrew Bonar, and with him defended D. L. Moody's evangelistic ministry in Scotland. He authored a couple of excellent revival works, one including over a hundred biographical sketches and the other an addendum to Rev. John Gillies' Historical Collections bringing it up to date. As a powerful soul-winner, Bonar was well-qualified to pen this brief, but illuminating study of the character of true revivalists. With his brothers (and fellow ministers) Andrew and James and other well-known ministers such as Thomas Chalmers, William C. Burns and Robert Murray M-Cheyne, Horatius Bonar was closely involved in the important spiritual movements which affected many places in Scotland in the 1830s and 1840s. In the controversy known as the "Great Disruption," Horatius stood firmly with the evangelical ministers and elders who left the Church of Scotland's General Assembly in May 1843 and formed the new Free Church of Scotland. By this time he had started to write hymns, some of which appeared in a collection he published in 1845, but typically, his compositions were not named. His gifts for expressing theological truths in fluent verse form are evident in all his best-known hymns, but in addition he was also blessed with a deep understanding of doctrinal principles. Examples of the hymns he composed on the fundamental doctrines include, "Glory be to God the Father".....on the Trinity. "0 Love of God, how strong and true".....on Redemption. "Light of the world," - "Rejoice and be glad" - "Done is the work" on the Person and Work of Christ. "Come Lord and tarry not," on His Second Coming, while the hymn "Blessed be God, our God!" conveys a sweeping survey of Justification and Sanctification. Bonar also helped to arrange D.L. Moody's Edinburg meetings in 1873, and was appointed as moderator of the Free Church several year before his death in 1889.