Donald Maclean DD by Rev G N M Collins BD
Foreword
It is to me a very high privilege to be asked to write a foreword to this account of the life of Principal Maclean. For he had not only given me the right of regarding him as a friend, but had also by the unconscious exercising of the charm of his rich personality made of me one of his most ardent admirers.
I had the joy of meeting him on many occasions, but what w1ll always stand out in my memory is the week in March 1941 which I spent in his home as his guest. It was a quite unforgettable experience for I not only got to know him intimately but through him, and as the result of h1s truly oecumenical spirit I had the pleasure of meeting a number of other "Scots Worthies". It would be a very easy matter to write of him as the perfect host, but more important matters call for comment.
I have nothing to add to the portrait which the deft and accurate artist, Mr Collins, has painted so perfectly. I can but select and emphasise certain particular features.
The first impress1on left on anyone who met Principal Maclean was the natural dignity, coupled with charm, of his personality. He was one of nature’s gentlemen, with that additional something that can only be supplied by Celtic blood! At one and the same time one was conscious of strength, and almost severity, and yet shining throughout the sterner aspect, was the element of grace and graciousness. His voice was rich and deep, and his tendency to intone as he spoke made his conversation in a very literal sense "music to mine ears".
He at once suggested all one had ever read or heard of the Covenanters. He belonged to them, was one of them, and gloried in them. But at the same time one realised that he was abreast of the times and fully alive to everything round about him.
I had the joy of meeting him on many occasions, but what w1ll always stand out in my memory is the week in March 1941 which I spent in his home as his guest. It was a quite unforgettable experience for I not only got to know him intimately but through him, and as the result of h1s truly oecumenical spirit I had the pleasure of meeting a number of other "Scots Worthies". It would be a very easy matter to write of him as the perfect host, but more important matters call for comment.
I have nothing to add to the portrait which the deft and accurate artist, Mr Collins, has painted so perfectly. I can but select and emphasise certain particular features.
The first impress1on left on anyone who met Principal Maclean was the natural dignity, coupled with charm, of his personality. He was one of nature’s gentlemen, with that additional something that can only be supplied by Celtic blood! At one and the same time one was conscious of strength, and almost severity, and yet shining throughout the sterner aspect, was the element of grace and graciousness. His voice was rich and deep, and his tendency to intone as he spoke made his conversation in a very literal sense "music to mine ears".
He at once suggested all one had ever read or heard of the Covenanters. He belonged to them, was one of them, and gloried in them. But at the same time one realised that he was abreast of the times and fully alive to everything round about him.
But one had not been long in his company before realising that the most important thing about him was his great concern for the Truth, and his special zeal for the propagating of the Reformed Faith. That was the great passion of his life, and in a very short time he always turned the conversation in that direction.
Above everything else, however, what was most striking about him was the way in which he combined absolute loyalty to the Truth as expressed in the Westminster Confession of Faith with a marked catholicity of spirit.
Above everything else, however, what was most striking about him was the way in which he combined absolute loyalty to the Truth as expressed in the Westminster Confession of Faith with a marked catholicity of spirit.
It never ceased to impress me that one who had passed through and had taken a prominent part in, the troubles and controversies in the Church in Scotland that led to the events of 1900 to 1906 should have emerged from it all without any trace of bitterness. His was truly that type of love that "hopeth all things" and which enables one to hate error and heresy without feeling or displaying personal animosity towards those guilty of them.
To him the Truth as he saw it, and accepted it, was so clear and inevitable that he found it difficult to believe that others could rest finally in any other position. This, it seems to me, was the explanation of his attitude towards those who in the past twenty years have been travelling in the direction of traditional Reformed doctrine. He was not only tolerant towards them but actively encouraged them. sometimes at the risk of offending those who shared his own views, believing as he did that eventually they would come the whole way.
All this and especially in his position as editor of the Evangelical Quarterly marked him out as a leader of quite exceptional importance and especially so in view of the present world and theological situation. Furthermore, as Mr Collins brings out so clearly, his knowledge of other lands and his friendships with the leaders of Reformed theology everywhere led many of us to look to him as the almost indispensable link in the post war years between British and Continental Evangelical Protestants.
There seems to be no one who, in terms of character and spirit and knowledge and experience, can take his place.
All this and especially in his position as editor of the Evangelical Quarterly marked him out as a leader of quite exceptional importance and especially so in view of the present world and theological situation. Furthermore, as Mr Collins brings out so clearly, his knowledge of other lands and his friendships with the leaders of Reformed theology everywhere led many of us to look to him as the almost indispensable link in the post war years between British and Continental Evangelical Protestants.
There seems to be no one who, in terms of character and spirit and knowledge and experience, can take his place.
But we believe with him that God's ways are always perfect, and that though he has been taken from us, the cause which he so loved, and for which he laboured so constantly and valiantly, will triumph and prevail.
His memory will remain with all who had the privilege of knowing him as a constant stimulus and
encouragement. And should we ever tend to become hard and bitter we shall be rebuked by the recollection of the gracious personality and captivating smile of Dr Donald Maclean.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
London
His memory will remain with all who had the privilege of knowing him as a constant stimulus and
encouragement. And should we ever tend to become hard and bitter we shall be rebuked by the recollection of the gracious personality and captivating smile of Dr Donald Maclean.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
London
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