BONAR, HORATIUS

born Dec. 19, 1808, Edinburgh, Scot. died July 31, 1889, Edinburgh Scottish Presbyterian minister whose poems, hymns, and religious tracts were widely popular during the 19th century. Ordained minister of North Parish church in Kelso, Roxburghshire (1837), Bonar remained there until appointed minister of the Chalmers Memorial Church in Edinburgh (1866). At the disruption of 1843, when the Evangelical party left the Church of Scotland over the question of the congregation's right to approve its minister, Bonar joined the Free Church; he was moderator of its assembly in 1883. His three series of Hymns of Faith and Hope (185766) were sung throughout the English-speaking world, although now they are considered lacking in scriptural imagery and doctrinal content.