good old psalms of David." At this
point Dr. Bonar led in a round of applause, and then I continued: "We
also sing the Gospel of Jesus Christ as versified by Watts, Wesley,
Cowper, Toplady and _your own Horatius Bonar!"_ There was a burst of
laughter, and then I rather mischievously added: "My own people have the
privilege, not accorded to my brother's congregation, of singing his
magnificent hymns." By this time the whole house came down in a perfect
roar, and the confused blush on Bonar's face puzzled us--whether it was
on account of the compliment, or on account of his own inconsistency.
However, before his death he consented to have his own congregation sing
his own hymns, although it is said that two pragmatical elders rose and
strode indignantly down the aisle of the church.

In August, 1889, when I was on a visit to Chillingham Castle, Lady
Tankerville said to me: "Our dear Bonar is dead." I left the next day
for Edinburgh and reached there in time to bear an humble part in the
funeral services. On the day of his obsequies there was a tremendous
downpour, which reminded me of the story of the Scotchman, who, on
arriving in Australia, met one of his countrymen, who said to him: "Hae
ye joost come fra Scotland and _is it rainin' yet_?" But in spite of the
storm the Morningside Church, by the entrance to the Grange Cemetery,
was well filled by a representative assembly. The service was confined
to the reading of the Scriptures, to two prayers and the singing of
Bonar's beautiful hymn, the last verse of which is

"Broken Death's dread hands that bound us,
Life and victory around us;
Christ the King Himself hath crown'd us,
Ah, 'tis Heaven at last."

As I was the only American present I was requested to close the service
with a brief word of prayer; and I rode down to the Canongate Cemetery
with grand old Principal John Cairns (who Dr. McCosh told me "had the
best head in Scotland"), and Bonar's colleague, the Rev. Mr. Sloane. On
our way to the place of burial Mr. Sloane told me that Bonar's two
finest hymns,

"I heard the voice of Jesus say," etc..

and

"I lay my sins on Jesus," etc,

were originally composed for the children of his Sabbath school. And yet
they are the productions by which he has become most widely known
throughout Christendom. The storm-swept streets that day were lined with
silent mourners; and, under weeping skies, we laid down to his rest the
mortal remains of the man