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
passages 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 noble 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 unsurpassable
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 associate 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
illustration of the way in which a man may attain his highest fame
after he has passed 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 classics.... 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 circumstance 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 noble and well spent life."
[THE ATHENÆUM.]
"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.'"
[THE NONCONFORMIST.]
"As no English sermons of the century have been so widely read,
and as few leaders of religious thought have exerted (especially
by works in so much of an unperfected and fragmentary character)
so penetrating and powerful an influence on the spiritual
tendencies of the times, we can well believe that no biography
since Arnold's will presently be possible to be compared with
this, for the interest excited by it in the minds of readers who
consciously live in the presence of the invisible and eternal, who
feel the pressure of difficult questions and painful experiences,
and who seek reality and depth, and freedom in the life and
activity of the Church of Christ.... Mr. Brooke has produced a
'Life of Robertson' which will not unworthily compare with Dean
Stanley's 'Life of Arnold,' and which, with that, and Ryland's
'Life of Foster,' and the 'Life of Channing,' is likely to be
prized as one of the most precious records of genuine manly and
godly excellence."
[THE MORNING STAR.]
"The beautiful work which Mr. Brooke has written contains few, if
any, romantic episodes. It is the life of a man who worked hard
and died early.... Mr. Brooke has acted wisely in allowing Mr.
Robertson to speak so fully for himself, and in blending his
letters with his narrative, and arranging them in chronological
order. These letters are in themselves a mine of intellectual
wealth. They contain little of table-talk or parlour gossip: but
they abound with many of his best and most ripened thoughts on
multitudes of subjects, political, literary, and scientific, as
well as theological. We wish we could present our readers with
extracts from them; but even if we had space, it would be unfair
to the writer to quote disjointed fragments from a correspondence
which now belongs to the literature of the country.... Mr. Brooke
has performed his responsible task as a biographer and an editor
in a spirit of just and discriminating appreciation, and with
admirable ability."
LONDON: PRINTED BY
SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE
AND PARLIAMENT STREET