by
JAMES EWING RITCHIE.
Contents: The Religious Denominations of London—Sketches of the Rev. J. M. Bellew—Dale—Liddell—Maurice—Melville—Villiers—Baldwin Brown—Binney—Dr. Campbell—Lynch—Morris—Martin—Brock—Howard Hinton—Sheridan Knowles—Baptist Noel—Spurgeon—Dr. Cumming—Dr. James Hamilton—W. Forster—H. Ierson—Cardinal Wiseman—Miall—Dr. Wolf, &c. &c.
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
“The subject is an interesting one, and it is treated with very considerable ability. Mr. Ritchie has the valuable art of saying many things in few words; he is never diffuse, never dull, and succeeds in being graphic without becoming flippant. Occasionally his strength of thought and style borders rather too closely on coarseness; but this fault of vigorous natures is counterbalanced by compensatory merits—by an utter absence of cant, a manly grasp of thought, and a wise and genial human-heartedness. The book is a sincere book; the writer says what he means, and means what he says. In these half-earnest days it is a comfort to meet with any one who has ‘the courage of his opinions,’ especially on such a subject as the ‘London Pulpit.’”—Daily News.
“It is just the book for the innumerable Religious Book Clubs, one of which is to be found in every market town and every considerable village. Perhaps it would have sold more rapidly but for its ‘exceeding honesty’ and impartiality, which, however, in our opinion, are its great recommendations. Mr. Ritchie is either of no sect, or else he has attained to such a point of freedom, that though he may be especially attached to one, he can look with an impartial eye upon the virtues and failings of all. None but a practised hand could have succeeded in presenting such generally accurate portraits with so few strokes of the pencil.”—Illustrated Times.
“One of the cleverest productions of the present day.”—Morning Herald.
“Discriminating in observation, just in verdict, lofty in its ideal of pulpit excellence, and thoroughly interesting in style.”—Homilist.
“Mr. Ritchie is just the man to dash off a series of portraits, bold in outline, strikingly like the originals in feature and expression, and characterised by bright and effectual colouring.”—Civil Service Gazette.
“The style of Mr. Ritchie is always lively and fluent, and oftentimes eloquent. It comes the nearest to Hazlitt’s of any modern writer we know. His views and opinions are always dear, manly, and unobjectionable as regards the manner in which they are set forth. Many, no doubt, will not agree with them, but none can be offended at them. As we have already remarked, Mr. Ritchie does not write as a sectarian, and it is impossible to collect from the treatise to what sect he belongs. The tendency of these sketches is to introduce into the pulpit a better style of preaching than what we have been accustomed to.”—Critic.
“Mr. Ritchie’s pen-and-ink sketches of the popular preachers of London are as life-like as they are brilliant and delightful.”—The Sun.