The Valley of Vision, edited by Arthur Bennet. Banner of Truth paperback 224pp £1.50.
Although a paperback, this quite large book is strongly made and very reasonably priced. The excellent print makes it easy to read. The sub-title is, “A collection of Puritan prayers and devotions”, and that fairly describes it. Its editor, or compiler, is a Church of England clergyman who has extracted prayers and devotional matter from the writings of a number of Puritan preachers, early and late. Such names as Thomas Shepard, John Bunyan, Philip Doddridge, William Jay and C. H. Spurgeon appear in the list.
The prayers are cast into poetic form, and each subject is titled and occupies a page. There are over 200 devotional exercises, and we consider that a thoughtful perusal of them would lead to a broadening of the range and a great increase in the detail of one’s prayers. This is the purpose the book is intended to serve. It is not meant to be used as a prayer manual, but to suggest topics and petitions which could enrich and strengthen one’s devotional exercises.
In a few places we felt there was some exaggeration in the expressions used, but these do not detract from the value of the book. It could be used for daily readings, and it would be surprising if this did not lead to more variety and greater point in the prayers of the user.
A.McP.