THE TRIAL AND TRIUMPH OF FAITH
By Samuel Rutherford
Banner of Truth. 406 pages. £6.50
ISBN 0 85151 806 0
This is a collection of sermons, originally published in 1645, expounding the incident where the Canaanite woman comes to Jesus for the healing of her daughter.
Samuel Rutherford (1600-61) is described in the introduction as 'a devotional writer... a distinguished preacher, theologian and political thinker'. There are 27 sermons based on the verses in Matthew 15 and Mark 7 and Rutherford's subject matter therefore strays beyond the text itself.
Both his style and content reflect the period in which he is writing - the language is ornate and figurative, his structure is highly organised (with many sub-points), and he speaks passionately about the current political/religious scene (denouncing 'malignants, prelates, and papists' (p.27), for example).
His intention to commend Christ and faith in him is in no doubt and he makes a number of helpful observations on the text. I was struck particularly by his comments on fervency in prayer. Although I have read some other literature from the same period, I have to admit to finding this rather hard going. However, I am sure that someone who is more used to books of this genre will find plenty to inform and encourage.
