Adventures In Good Reading

(All books intended for review In this column should be sent to Earl West, 25 N. Layman, Indianapolis, Indiana.)

C. E. Macartney, Chariots of Fire, Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1951, 191 pages, $2.00.

Clarence E. Macartney is the preacher for the First Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has become noted in the last few years for his special work in preaching on Bible characters. He is the author of the following books: MOUNTAINS AND MOUNTAIN MEN OF THE BIBLE, THE WISEST FOOL AND OTHER MEN OF THE BIBLE, TRIALS OF GREAT MEN OF THE BIBLE, GREAT WOMEN OF THE BIBLE, and SERMONS ON OLD TESTAMENT HEROES to mention only a few.

Chariots of Fire is a book of sermons on little studied Bible characters. Macartney brings out thoughts on these individuals that the average Bible student would overlook. The particular Bible characters that he studies are the following: Elisha's servant, Damaris, Herod Antipas, Eutychus, Amaziah, Hagar, Nicodemus, Adoni-bezek, Esau, Absalom, Doeg, Jehoram, Pharaoh, Samson, Rizpah, Ahab, Haman, and Abigail.

There are few books that one would recommend without reservation. It would be a mistake for any preacher to take Macartney's sermons and preach them as he did. They can be studied with profit for ideas, something most preachers always need. To these ideas can be added some much more solid material for instructive and profitable sermons.

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Millennial Harbinger, Vol. III, Harbinger Book Club, 1952, 624 pages, $5.00 On July 15, 1810, Alexander Campbell stood before an audience for the first time to address his fellow-man "on the authority and excellency of the holy scriptures, on their perfect adaptation to all classes of men, and alone sufficiency, without human amendments, to guide the sinner into the way of life, and to furnish the saint to every good work." Campbell had great confidence in the all sufficiency of the word of God to lead erring man to heaven. This child-like faith in the oracles of God is largely the reason for Campbell's success. In this characteristic he had no peer among all the great religious reformers from the days of the apostles on down.

The Millennial Harbingers contain the chief thoughts to come from the mind of Campbell. He edited this monthly periodical from 1830 until his death in 1866, although the set continued to be published until 1870. The Harbinger was Campbell's particular delight. He regarded himself, not particularly as an evangelist or even an educator, but an editor. He preferred to be recognized chiefly as an editor, and this he was.

The Harbinger Book Club in conceiving the thought of reprinting the Millennial Harbingers was desirous of making the thought of Campbell available more abundantly again. Volume III covering the year, 1882, is the third in the series to be reprinted.