“Robert was
minister of the High Church Edinburgh (St Giles) during the hottest period of
dispute between Church and State from 1833 to 1843.” p. 1.
This short
biography is written in easy-to-read language. It traces the life of a man born
in 1786, from his birth till his death in 1853. It moves from his being a
stranger to God’s saving grace as a candidate for Presbyterian ministry to
saving faith at around the age of twenty-nine while in the Church of Scotland. It
would seem that God was pleased to use his wife, Isabella, as the main
instrument of his conversion in 1816, the same year as their marriage. Post
which there was a notable evangelical change in his sermons, i.e., a shift from
cogitations in the head to affections of the heart.
Many of the
greats, such as Thomas Calmers, James Bannerman, James Buchanan, Andrew and
Horatius Bonar, John (Rabbi) Duncan and Robert Candlish are mentioned, all
rubbing shoulders with and being influenced by the Rev. Robert Gordon. “It was
at Hope Park that William Cunningham heard Gordon preach the sermon that ‘first
led (him) to embrace right views of the truth.’ The text was ‘Being born again
by the Word of God.’ (1 Peter 1:23).” pgs. 45-46.
With a plethora of footnotes detailing sources,
events and dates, the book’s intention is summarised by its author, “While this
is not an academic work, I have provided as many references to information
about Robert Gordon as possible. Hopefully these will assist anyone who intends
to produce a large, scholarly work on the Rev. Robert Gordon.” p. 2.
Thank you, Michael J. Madden, for bringing the ‘almost forgotten’ Rev. Robert Gordon back to remembrance in such an informative and edifying way.
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