Scottish Heroines of the Faith: By the Rev. D. Beaton, Wick. D. Catt, 74 Strand, London: N. Adshead & Son, 11 and 92 Union Street, Glasgow. 1/- net, postage 3d. extra.
THE Rev. D. Beaton, Wick, places us under a deep obligation by publishing in book form the sketches which have appeared from time to time in our Magazine on the Scottish Heroines of the Faith. This volume is neatly bound, and contains 104 pages of the most interesting and touching matter to be found in the history of the Church of Christ in our land. It is written in the author’s usual simple, lucid, and elegant style of thought and language.
The fortitude and faithfulness of godly women toward Christ and His cause have been placed on perpetual record in the Word of God. Many noble examples of it are recorded in the Old Testament. Deborah, Esther, Abigail, and many others will readily occur to our readers. In the New Testament, especially at the time of Christ’s death, godly women are taken notice of very prominently by the Holy Ghost, as clinging to Him to the last. Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the other women that were with them, manifested a love to Christ and a holy contempt of the fear of men, which ought to be the admiration of the Church of Christ to the end of time.
The same noble spirit breathes throughout this volume. Ladies of the highest rank in Scotland endured the greatest trials with patience and fortitude which staggered their persecutors. They endured with holy joyfulness the spoiling of their goods, the banishment or martyrdom of their husbands and sons, whom they loved as their own souls; they also endured imprisonment and death unflinchingly for the love they bore to Christ and His cause. Women of low degree endured torture and death sooner
than betray Christ’s covenanted cause in Scotland. The intelligent grasp both ladies and servant maids had of the cause at issue between Christ and His enemies, shows how enlightened they were in contrast with the spiritual darkness and malignity manifested by their persecutors and judges.
The man that will not admire their heroic spirit must be callous indeed toward Christ and His cause. In this Laodicean age we have much need of being reminded of the warm love which burned in the hearts of these heroines to Christ, a love which was stronger than death. If there be anything in the past history of our land of which we have good cause to be proud above all other things, it is the contendings of these noble women and men for the faith once delivered to the saints.
We trust this book will have as wide circulation as it deserves.
N. C.