[CRITIC.]
"Such discourses as these before us, so different from the shallow rhapsodies or tedious hair-splitting which are now so much in vogue, may well make us regret that Mr. Robertson can never be heard again in the pulpit. This single volume would in itself establish a reputation for its writer."
[BRIGHTON HERALD.]
"... Were there no name on the t.i.tle-page, the spirit which, shines forth in these lectures could but be recognized as that of the earnest, true-hearted man, the deep thinker, the sympathizer with all kinds of human trouble, the aspirant for all things holy, and one who joined to these rare gifts, the faculty of speaking to his fellow-men in such a manner as to fix their attention and win their love.... In whatever spirit the volume is read--of doubt, of criticism, or of full belief in the truths it teaches--it can but do good; it can but leave behind the conviction that here was a genuine, true-hearted man, gifted with the highest intellect, inspired by the most disinterested motives and the purest love for his fellow-men, and that the fountain at which he warmed his heart and kindled his eloquence was that which flows from Christ."
[BRITISH QUARTERLY REVIEW.]
"This volume will be a welcome gift to many an intelligent and devout mind. There are few of our modern questions, theological or ecclesiastical, that do not come up for discussion in the course of these Epistles to the Christians at Corinth."
[MORNING HERALD.]
"No one can read these lectures without being charmed by their singular freshness and originality of thought, their earnest, simple eloquence, and their manly piety. There is no mawkish sentiment, no lukewarm, semi-religious twaddle, smacking of the _Record_; no proclamation of party views or party opinions, but a broad, healthy, living, and fervent exposition of one of the most difficult books in the Bible. Every page is full of personal earnestness and depth of feeling; but every page is also free from the slightest trace of vanity and egotism. The words come home to the reader"s heart as the utterance of a sincere man who felt every sentence which flowed from his lips."
[PRESS.]
"One of the most marked features of these lectures is the deep feeling which the preacher had of the emptiness and hollowness of the conventional religionism of the day. The clap-trap of popular ministers, the pride and uncharitableness of exclusive Evangelicalism, the pomp and pretension of ritualism and priestly affectation--the miserable Pharisaism which is lurking underneath them all--form the subject of many strikingly true and often cutting remarks. He has no patience with the unrealities of sectarian purism and pedantic orthodoxy. His constant cry, the constant struggle of his soul is for reality. Hence while his views of objective truth are at times deficient, or, at least, very imperfectly stated, he leaves a deep impress of subjective religion upon the mind, by a style of teaching which, far from uninstructive, is yet more eminently suggestive."
[THE SPECTATOR.]
"The _Notes on Genesis_--sketches more or less full of lectures on Genesis, delivered by Mr. Robertson--will be welcomed by the many who have read, with a profound interest, those writings of his which have already been given to the world.... Few will be able to read this volume without having brought before them certain pa.s.sages out of their own lives, which they will be compelled to reconsider from a fresh point of view. As an interpreter of Scripture also, Mr. Robertson nowhere appears to greater advantage. While not ignoring difficult points, he is always looking for, and never fails to find, that which is profitable and edifying."
From a few of the Notices on Mr. Robertson"s "_The Human Race and other Sermons_."
[THE ACADEMY.]
"It need not be said that there is here much that is beautiful and happily expressed."
[THE BRITISH QUARTERLY REVIEW.]
"The volume is as fresh and striking and suggestive as any of its predecessors. For unconventional and spiritual conceptions of Bible teachings; for unexpected, penetrating, and practical applications of them, and for general spiritual truth and force, these Sermons and Notes of Sermons are as n.o.ble as their predecessors."
[THE ENGLISH CHURCHMAN.]
"We are glad to see the publication of the eloquent Sermons now before us, especially those of a devout and practical character, such as those on the human race and education."
[THE CHRISTIAN WORLD.]
"These Sermons exhibit many of those features of unsurpa.s.sable excellence which have gained for the preacher a reputation which has had no equal in our time. They are full of thought and suggestiveness, and are marked by that rare beauty of style which Mr. Robertson"s readers have learned to a.s.sociate with all his Sermons. His devoted admirers--and how numerous they are--will be sure to place this new volume upon their shelves."
A SELECTION FROM THE
NOTICES BY THE PRESS OF
"THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF THE LATE
REV. F.W. ROBERTSON."
[THE SPECTATOR.]
"No book published since the "Life of Dr. Arnold" has produced so strong an impression on the moral imagination and spiritual theology of England as we may expect from these volumes. Even for those who knew Mr. Robertson well, and for many who knew _him_, as they thought, better than his Sermons, the free and full discussion of the highest subjects in the familiar letters so admirably selected by the Editor of Mr. Robertson"s _Life_, will give a far clearer insight into his remarkable character and inspire a deeper respect for his clear and manly intellect. Mr.
Brooke has done his work as Dr. Stanley did his in writing the "Life of Arnold," and it is not possible to give higher praise....
Everyone will talk of Mr. Robertson, and no one of Mr. Brooke, because Mr. Brooke has thought much of his subject, nothing of himself, and hence the figure which he wished to present comes out quite clear and keen, without any interposing haze of literary vapour."
[THE CHRISTIAN WORLD.]
"The Life of Robertson of Brighton supplies a very unique ill.u.s.tration of the way in which a man may attain his highest fame after he has pa.s.sed away from earth. There are few who make any pretension to an acquaintance with modern literature who do not know something of Mr. Robertson"s works. His sermons are indisputably ranked with the highest sacred cla.s.sics.... The publication of his "Life and Letters" helps us to some information which is very precious, and explains much mystery that hangs around the name of the great Brighton preacher. It will be generally admitted that these two volumes will furnish means for estimating the character of Mr. Robertson which are not supplied in any or all of his published works.... There was no artificiality or show about the pulpit production, no half-utterances or whispers of solemn belief; but there was the natural restraint which would be imposed by a true gentleman upon his words when speaking to mixed congregations. Many of us wanted to know how he talked and wrote when the restraint was removed.
This privilege is granted to us in these volumes.... There was no romance of scene and circ.u.mstance in the life of Frederick Robertson; but there was more than romance about the real life of the man. In some respects it was like the life of a new Elijah....
A more thoughtful, suggestive, and beautiful preacher never entered a pulpit; a simpler and braver man never lived; a truer Christian never adorned any religious community. His life and death were _vicarious_, as he himself might have put it. He lived and died for others, for us all. The sorrows and agonies of his heart pressed rare music out of it, and the experience of a terribly bitter life leaves a wealth of thought and reflection never more than equalled in the history of men."
[THE GUARDIAN.]
"With all drawbacks of what seem to us imperfect taste, an imperfect standard of character, and an imperfect appreciation of what there is in the world beyond a given circle of interest, the book does what a biography ought to do--it shows us a remarkable man, and it gives us the means of forming our own judgment about him. It is not a tame panegyric or a fancy picture. The main portion of the book consists of Mr. Robertson"s own letters, and his own account of himself, and we are allowed to see him, in a great degree at least, as he really was.... It is the record of a genuine spontaneous character, seeking its way, its duty, its perfection, with much sincerity and elevation of purpose, many anxieties and sorrows, and not, we doubt not, without much of the fruits that come with real self-devotion; a record disclosing a man with great faults and conspicuous blanks in his nature."
[THE MORNING POST.]
"Mr. Brooke has done good service in giving to the world so faithful a sketch of so worthy a man. It would have been a reproach to the Church if this enduring and appropriate memorial had not been erected to one who was so entirely devoted to its service; and the labour of love, for such it evidently was, was committed to no unskilful hands.... Mr. Robertson"s epistolary writings--gathered in these valuable volumes--often unstudied, always necessarily from their nature free and unrestrained, but evidencing depth and vigour of thought, clear perception, varied knowledge, sound judgment, earnest piety, are doubtless destined to become as widely known and as largely beneficial as his published Sermons. It is impossible to peruse them without receiving impressions for good, and being persuaded that they are the offspring of no ordinary mind."
[THE MORNING HERALD.]
"Mr. Brooke has done his own work as a biographer with good sense, feeling, and taste.... These volumes are of real value to all thoughtful readers. For many a year we have had no such picture of a pure and n.o.ble and well spent life."
[THE ATHENaeUM.]
"There is something here for all kinds of readers, but the higher a man"s mind and the more general his sympathies, the keener will be his interest in the "Life of Robertson.""