William P Mackay, MD – born

ON THIS DATE

William Paton Mackay was born 5/13/1839, at Montrose Scotland.  He received his M.D. from the U. of Edinburgh but was converted & became a Presbyterian minister.  He wrote “We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love” (a.k.a “Revive Us Again.”) in ’63.  He & Mary Loughton Livingstone were married in ’68 & his death occurred from an accident, on 8/22/1885, at Portree, Scotland.  He wrote (edited):

“My dear mother had been a godly, holy woman, quite often telling me of the Savior…many times I saw her on bended knee in prayer for my soul’s salvation. But nothing had made a deep impression on me. The older I grew, the more wicked I became…

“One day a seriously injured man was brought to the hospital. His case seemed hopeless, he seemed to realize his condition for he was fully conscious & asked me how much time he had left to live. I gave him my opinion. “Have you any relatives whom we could notify?” I asked.  The patient shook his head. He had only one wish, it was to see his landlady because he owed her a small sum of money & also wished to bid her farewell. He requested that his landlady send him “The Book…”

“I went to see him on my regular visits once a day. What struck me most was the quiet, almost happy expression constantly on his face…After the man died, some things about his affairs were to be done in my presence. “What shall we do with this?” the nurse asked holding a book in her hand. “What kind of book is it?” I asked. “The Bible of the poor man…As long as he was able to read it, he did so & when he was unable to do so anymore, he kept it under his bed cover.”

“I took the Bible and – could I trust my eyes? It was my own Bible! The Bible which my mother had given me when I left my parent’s home & which later when short of money, I sold for a small amount. My name was still in it, written in my mother’s hand…With a deep sense of shame I looked upon the precious Book. It had given comfort & refreshing to the unfortunate man in his last hours. It had been a guide to him into eternal life, so that he had been enabled to die in peace & happiness. And this book, the last gift to me from my mother, I had sold for a ridiculous price…Be it sufficient to say the regained possession of my Bible was the cause of my conversion.”

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M (Martin) R (Ralph) DeHaan, MD, was born

ON THIS DATE 

M (Martin) R (Ralph) DeHaan, MD, was born 3/23/1891 in Zeeland, MI. He was the son of Reitze & Johanna Rozema DeHann emigrants from Netherlands. His parents were part of the Reformed Church and his father was a shoe maker. M R graduated from Zeeland high school (1908) & from University of Illinois College of Medicine, valedictorian (Chicago, 1914).

Not only did he get his MD in 1914, he got a “Mrs” that year as well, the former Priscilla Venhiuszen. He was pleased to be able (as a doctor) to deliver all four of their children. After being converted to Christ in 1921 (he had sensed his need of God at 12 but was not Born Again until after a serious illness when he promised God, “Spare my life & I’ll serve You”) he became a minister. Now he was privileged to perform the marriage ceremony for all four children – a real honor to any preacher-dad.

After returning to school (Western Theological Seminary) M R pastored more than one church. He was influenced to accept premillennialism by the Scofield Bible, Harry Ironside  *  (& others) straining his relationship with the Reformed but his rejection of infant baptism closed the door. Following this break he started that for which he is most remembered, Radio Bible Class (27 years). He died 12/13/1965.

* Being thankful for any good done, this post is not full approval of DeHaan, Scofield, or Ironsides.

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