Alexander Maclaren
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Alexander Maclaren (11 February 1826 – 5 May 1910) was a Scottish Baptist minister.


Biography

Maclaren was born in
Glasgow, Scotland Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, the son of David Maclaren, a merchant and Baptist lay preacher.Edwin Charles Dargan (1912) ''A History of Preaching'', p. 572. His father went to Australia from 1837 to 1841 where he served as Resident Manager of the
South Australian Company The South Australian Company, also referred to as the South Australia Company, was formed in London on 9 October 1835, after the '' South Australia (Foundation) Act 1834'' had established the new British Province of South Australia, with the S ...
, leaving his family in
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
. During his father's absence, Maclaren was converted and publicly baptized into the fellowship of the Hope St. Baptist Church, Glasgow, some time between age 11 and 13.John Edwards (1902) ''Nineteenth Century Preachers and their Methods'', p. 75. He was educated at the Glasgow High School and
Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...
, and the family moved to London when his father returned from Australia. Maclaren entered Stepney College in 1842 at age 16, a Baptist institution in London. He was heavily influenced by Dr. David Davies, an eminent Hebrew scholar, and became an enthusiastic student of Hebrew and Greek, among other subjects. He took his bachelor's degree at the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
before he was 20, sitting for examinations for his arts degree and winning prizes in Hebrew and Greek. Besides his collegiate studies, he read widely in literature, being especially fond of the English poets. The following year, he commenced his ministry at Portland Chapel, Southampton. He worked there for 12 years and developed a reputation as an attractive and powerful preacher. After much solicitation from other congregations, he accepted an invitation to the pastorate of Union Chapel in Oxford Road, Manchester, where he remained until his retirement in 1903. He visited Australia and New Zealand in 1889 where he preached at major cities to large congregations, despite poor health.An Eminent Preacher The Rev Dr McLaren
''South Australian Register'' 9 February 1889 p.6 accessed 3 July 2011
Maclaren was twice president of the
Baptist Union of Great Britain Baptists Together (officially The Baptist Union of Great Britain) is a Baptist Christian denomination in England and Wales. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance and Churches Together in England. The headquarters is in Didcot. Hi ...
, and he was president of the Baptist World Congress in London in 1905. He received honorary degrees in divinity from both Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities. In 1896, the citizens of Manchester had his portrait painted for their
art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...
, and the Anglican
bishop of Manchester The Bishop of Manchester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Manchester in the Province of York.'' Crockford's Clerical Directory 2008/2009 (100th edition)'', Church House Publishing (). The current bishop is David Walker w ...
gave the address when the painting was presented. He said that few speakers had exceeded Maclaren "for profundity of thought, logical arrangement, eloquence of appeal, and power over the human heart". Many attempts were made to draw Maclaren from Manchester, but he remained there despite his dislike of the climate and the workload. In 1903, he was made pastor emeritus and retired from the active ministry.


Works

* ''Expositions of Holy Scripture'' * ''The Expositor's Bible - The Psalms I to XXXVIII'' * ''The Victor's Crown'' * ''The Life of David As Reflected in His Psalms'' * ''The Unchanging Christ'' * ''The God of the Amen''


References


External links

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Alexander Maclaren
Expository Sermons {{DEFAULTSORT:Maclaren, Alexander 1826 births 1910 deaths English Baptist ministers Alumni of the University of London People educated at the High School of Glasgow