Holiest Man In Scotland
Illustration
by Don Emmitte

David and Robert McCheyne were Scottish brothers. Both had brilliant minds, though there the resemblance ended. David, the older of the two, was quiet and studious. 

He spent most of his leisure time at home helping with the family chores. David was a devoted Christian, too much so in the opinion of his younger brother, Robert. Once Robert came home from an evening of partying and found David kneeling in prayer. “I heard you calling my name, Dave” he sneered. “Am  I really that bad?” The sensitive David tried to explain. 

“We’re all sinners who need Christ,” he said. Robert only shrugged and went to sleep off his drunkenness. 

The door of opportunity opened wide for Robert when he enrolled in the University of Edinburgh. His talents for languages, drawing, music, and poetry brought him many awards and recognition. His professors predicted even greater fame in the future. Back home, however, David became seriously ill. Throughout his difficult illness he never failed to pray for his brother, even though Robert never so much as wrote him a note. After some months of sickness, David died. 

Robert became a Christian after his brother’s death. In the years to follow he became one of Scotland’s most beloved Presbyterian ministers. At twenty‑three years of age he became pastor of the 4,000 member St. Peter’s Church of Dundee. He became known as the “holiest man in Scotland.” People stood in line for hours just to get into the church and get a good seat! His ministry only lasted seven years, from 1836 to 1843. He became very ill during the last months of his ministry. A very painful consumptive cough tortured his body in the last days of his life. Throughout his illness, and even in his dying delirium, he could only talk about the One whom his brother had helped him to love.
by Don Emmitte