William Chalmers Burns

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William Chalmers Burns Missionary to China Born 1815 Dun, Forfarshire, Scotland Died 1868 Niú Zhuāng, China

William Chalmers Burns (April 1, 1815 – April 41868) was a Scottish Evangelist and Missionary to China with the English Presbyterian Mission who originated from Kilsyth, North Lanarkshire. He was the coordinator of the Overseas missions for the English Presbyterian church. He became a well known evangelist through his participation in two periodic Anglo-American religious revivals.

Contents 1 Life 2 References 2.1 Dutch 3 External links

[edit] Life

Burns was brought up from a well-to-do household. The third son of a local church minister, William Hamilton Burns (1779-1859) and Elizabeth Chalmers (d 1879). At the age of seventeen, Burns' faith was strengthened through tragedy, and subsequently, Burns commenced theological training. He studied at Marischal College in Aberdeen, and at the University of Glasgow's Divinity Hall. (His brother Islay, author of Memoirs, was later a professor there)

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People Karl Gützlaff W. H. Medhurst J. Hudson Taylor Lottie Moon Timothy Richard Jonathan Goforth Cambridge Seven Gladys Aylward (more missionaries)

Missionary agencies China Inland Mission London Missionary Society American Board Church Missionary Society US Presbyterian Mission Baptist Missionary Society

Works Scripture in Chinese Chinese Colleges Chinese Hospitals Chinese Hymnody

Pivotal events Taiping Rebellion Opium Wars Boxer Rebellion Chinese Civil War Sino-Japanese Wars

Chinese Protestants Hong Xiuquan Liang Fa Wang Laijun Xi Shengmo John Sung Ming-Dao Wang This box: view • talk • edit

During a revival meeting, he encountered an experience in which it became apparent that God had particularly appointed him into His service. By 1839, at the age of 24, Burns had obtained the license to preach from the Glasgow Presbytery.

While still in his homeland of Scotland, he experienced, together with the preacher Robert Murray M'Cheyne, genuine revival meetings. It was one of the tools from which the great spiritual revivals in his home town of Kilsyth resulted, that took place from 1839-07-23. Burns preached at St. Peter's in Dundee while Robert Murray M'Cheyne was away on a mission to the Jews in Palestine. The days of revival also deeply affected Dundee, and continued after M'Cheyne returned to St. Peter's in November, 1839.

In 1843, Burns sided with Thomas Chalmers in the disruption within the Church of Scotland. In 1845, he visited Canada with his uncle, Rev. Dr. Robert Burns, minister from Paisley, and the yonger Burns preached for the Free Church cause in many communities, including Montreal, Canada East, and in Glengarry County, where he preached in English, Gaelic and French. He later travelled into Canada West, although there was interest in his ministry in France. His uncle remained in Canada, becoming minister of Knox Church, Toronto and a Professor at Knox College, University of Toronto.

In 1847, Burns went to the Chinese empire via Hong Kong. During this long ship journey, he spent a lot of time studying the Chinese language. He began his missionary service during the late Qing Dynasty in British Hong Kong and went on to preach in such locations as Shantou, Xiamen and Beijing.

In 1855 Burns met Hudson Taylor and the two worked together for quite some time. Both had the courage to advance into the Chinese interior. Willam Burns regarded Hudson Taylor as one of his religious mentors, who had molded/shaped him for the missionary work and had broken with missionary tradition by wearing Chinese clothing while evangelizing in the region. During his twenty years of preaching the gospel in China, Burns also spent a short period wrongly imprisoned at Guangzhou.

In 1868, Burns died after a short illness in Niú Zhuāng (牛莊), near Beijing.

One of William Burns' well known quotes was: "Always be ready" (1 Peter 3:15).

[edit] References

• McMullen, Michael D., God's Polished Arrow: W. C. Burns, Revival Preacher, Christian Focus Publications, 2000, ISBN 1-85792-395-2
• Burns, William C., Revival Sermons, Banner of Truth Trust, 1980, ISBN 0-85151-316-6
• Stewart James Alexander, Biographical Sketches: William Chalmers Burns / Robert Murray McCheyne, Asheville, NC: Revival Literature, 1963
• Tow, Timothy, William C Burns: Grandfather of Bible-Presbyterians, Singapore: Christian Life Publishers, 1994. ISBN 9971-9913-4-9
• Burns, Islay, Memoir of the Rev. Wm. C. Burns, M.A : missionary to China from the English Presbyterian Church, 1870. (Reprint: San Francisco : Chinese Materials Center, 1975)
• Clarke, Agnes H. L., China's man of the Book. The story of William Chalmers Burns, 1815-1868, London : Overseas Missionary Fellowship, 1968
• Houghton, S. M., Five pioneer missionaries: D. Brainerd, W. C. Burns, J. Eliot, H. Martyn, J. G. Paton, London : Banner of Truth Trust, 1965
• MacMillan, Donald N., The Kirk in Glengarry-A History of the Presbytery of Glengarry 1987-1984, 1985.

[edit] Dutch

• Valen, L. J. van, Die aan alle wateren zaait : uit het leven van William Chalmers Burns ; zendeling en evangelist, Ede : Hardeman, 1988, ISBN 90-71272-22-2

[edit] External links

• William C. Burns (1-Smithers)
• William C. Burns (2-Revival Library)

This article was originally a direct translation from de:William Chalmers Burns and partly from zh:賓惠廉

Persondata
NAME	Burns, William Chalmers
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Missionary in China
DATE OF BIRTH	1815
PLACE OF BIRTH	Dun, Forfarshire
DATE OF DEATH	1868
PLACE OF DEATH	Niú Zhuāng, China