Alexander Maclaren (1826-1919)

Alexander was an English non-conformist minister of Scottish origin.

Alexander was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, David, was a merchant and a Baptist lay preacher. While his father was away in Australia (1837-41) he was converted and baptized into the Hope St. Baptist Church aged between 11-13,

He was educated at the Glasgow High school and University. When his father returned they moved to London he entered Stepney College in 1842 aged 16. Dr. David Davies, an eminent Hebrew scholar was a major influence. He took his degree at the university of London before he was 20 winning prizes in Hebrew and Greek.

He began his ministry in Portland chapel, Southampton. (1846-58). His first congregation was 20 with seating for 800. During the 12 years he was there it steadied and grew. By the time he left he had developed a reputation as an attractive and powerful preacher.

He accepted an invitation to pastorate at Union Chapel in Oxford Road, Manchester where he stayed until his retirement 48 years later. When he retired in 1903 he was made pastor emeritus and retired from active ministry. He then under took the task of writing a 31 volume pastoral commentary entitled Expositions of Holy Scripture.

He had only one ministry- preaching. He started a log with his first sermon when he was 17 - recording sermon number, location, text and date. The very last sermon in his log read 6860, November 21, 1904. -almost 61 years after his very first.

Maclaren was first and foremost a true expositor of Scripture. He never used a manuscript, preferring just sketchy notes. Yet his sermons recorded by stenographers were masterpieces of compelling, vivid and elegant language.
(It is all beautifully explained in * Preaching )

Incredible to believe but after his sermons he suffered after every one -thinking each was a failure. He could only face the awful responsibility of preaching because he so wanted the message to be heard.

F.B. Meyer, another prominent preacher of his day, said *As an expository preacher none of them equalled Maclaren of Manchester, and no other sermons were so widely read the world around… Dr. Maclaren is said with truth to have changed the whole style of the British pulpit, and to have influenced it more (than ) any of his predecessors .

He died on May 10th 1910. His ashes were buried under a cross he had placed on the family plot years before. The cross bore these words
in Christo, in pace, in Spe in Christ, in Peace, in Hope