NOBLE MARTYRS OF KENT, by the Rev. G. Anderson Miller, Rochester. Morgan and Scott, Ltd., 12 Paternoster Buildings, London, E.C. 4. Price 3s net.
It is a noble work to keep before the people of to-day the heroic conduct of men and women who loved their Lord even unto death, and Mr Miller deserves the thanks of all those who revere the memories of God’s martyred saints in publishing in this interesting book a brief account of their sacrifices for the truth, so little thought of now or valued in either England or Scotland by the great majority. The heroic conduct of these witnesses stirs the finest feelings of human nature, while the cold-blooded savagery of their persecutors awakens a righteous indignation against a system which has never disavowed the callous, heartless conduct of the men who perpetrated such inhuman deeds. It is by reading such books as these that one gets an insight into the spirit of the Church of Rome, which would not allow them to live. Kent has been termed the Garden of England, and from this book it is evident that it was a very fruitful garden to the Lord, judging from the number of His witnesses who were put to death within its borders. Good Bishop Ridley, who was Bishop of Rochester, has a chapter devoted to himself, and Latimer’s soul-inspiring words to him as they were about to face their fiery ordeal are quoted—”Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man! We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust never shall be put out.” In this book there are others, not so well known as these, who faced the ordeal no less nobly and heroically, and witnessed a good confession. We heartily recommend this book, and suggest to any of our readers in search of books for the young that they will do well to put this on their list.
RECORDS OF THE SCOTTISH CHURCH HISTORY SOCIETY,
Vol. I., Part II.
Part II. of the above Records has just been issued, and contains, among other articles, a list of the ministers of the Associate Synod (1740-1783). One of the most interesting articles is “South Perthshire and the Covenanting Struggle,” in which an account is given of men who nobly contended for the truth in the Covenanting times. Another very useful article is a
bibliography of the Cambuslang and Kilsyth Revivals in 1742. These notable Revivals, in which the Spirit was poured forth from on high, and which made such a lasting impression on many, were bitterly but mistakenly condemned by some of the ministers of the Secession, such as Ralph Erskine, Adam Gib, and James Fisher. The Associate Presbytery went the length of passing an Act condemning it, and appointed a Fast. Mr Robe, Kilsyth, rightly described this piece of ecclesiastical legislation as a heaven-defying Act. In the bibliography we have a very useful list of books and pamphlets, called forth by what took place at Cambuslang and Kilsyth.