Gleanings of Highland Harvest, by Rev. Murdoch Campbell, M.A., Free Church Manse, Resolis, Conon Bridge, Ross-shire: printed by Messrs. N. Adshead & Son, Glasgow, price 3s. 6d. This booklet extends to 120 pages, is printed in excellent, large, clear type, and bound in attractive paper covers, and is light and easy to hold in reading. Mr. Campbell, in his introduction, relates why he wrote this booklet, as follows:— “The motive of the writer in giving those notes to his friends is to save ‘the fragments which remain’ following the ‘feast of fat things’ which the Lord prepared for His people in the North.”
Having read through this booklet at our leisure, we can truly say that our interest was held throughout all its pages. There are ten chapters, in which are recorded the spiritual experiences, activities, sayings, characteristics and outstanding spiritual events in connection with ministers of the gospel of Christ, whose names are well known, and many pious laymen and godly mothers in Israel, who lived in the Western Isles, Ross-shire, Inverness-shire, Sutherland and Caithness, up to a period which closes about 50 years ago. Such persons as Revs. Alex. MacLeod, Uig; Rev. Finlay Cook, Dr. John MacDonald, Ferintosh; Dr. Kennedy, Dingwall; John Grant of Strathy; Sandy Gair, James Mathison, Clachnagrate, Dornoch, and Angus Murray, Dornoch, and indeed a host of other pious men appear in this booklet. There is a chapter under the heading “Elect Ladies” which also provides us with spiritual and interesting narrative concerning godly women who lived in Skye and Lewis, although throughout the booklet there are references to and anecdotes of other eminent Christian women.
For example, in the chapter “The Sower Who Also Reaped” we read: “Dr. Kennedy, Dingwall, once preached a powerful sermon in Stornoway. The great herald of God gave seven marks peculiar to the true Christian, while seven were also given to describe the mere formalist. Mr. MacBeath (minister, Ness) listened to the sermon. An exercised Christian woman who also listened to that sermon was much alarmed to find herself, as she believed, answering to all the fourteen marks given! In a state of fear she went over to Ness a few days afterwards to see if Mr. MacBeath could throw any light on her rather alarming discovery of her own heart. Her surprise knew no bounds when Mr. MacBeath, in the course of his sermon, said, ‘You are here to-day who heard Dr. Kennedy giving marks which described the righteous and the hypocrite, and you are afraid because you seem to find all these in your own bosom. If that is your case, my soul for your soul, that you will never enter a lost eternity.'” And so, on every page the author gathers and retains for us precious information and notes regarding the godly of other days; and he does so in an able manner and with a style both attractive and easily read. We recommend this booklet, not only to our older readers, but to the young as well. It will be most suitable to send as a gift to any interested friend at home or abroad: 3s. 6d. is not by any means too much for this type of publication. The book is to be had from the author, whose name and address are given above.