The Revival of Religion

The subject of revival should be of great interest to every Christian. It is of particular importance in the church today. We need to face such questions as: Do we need revival? What is revival? Can anything be done to encourage revival? Few things more stimulate interest in and prayer for a work of revival than the record of what God has done in the past, and the stories of the lives he has used. But alongside the history of revivals it is vital that we should understand the biblical principles of revival. Rarely has that aim been better accomplished than in these studies. Originally delivered by men who knew both the doctrine and the experience of revival themselves, they cover every facet of the subject. Full of instruction and biblical historical illustration, they represent some of the finest material anywhere available on this subject. It is, as the new Introduction calls it, ‘a virtual systematic theology of revivals.’

Contributors include William Burns of Kilsyth, whose son W. C. Burns was so instrumental in the remarkable movement of the Spirit in Robert M’Cheyne’s congregation; John Bonar (with whom Murray M’Cheyne served as assistant minister), and several other outstanding Christian leaders in Scotland, including R. S. Candlish, Alexander Moody Stuart, and Patrick Fairbairn. Their biblical understanding, wide pastoral experience, and personal commitment to Christ and the gospel are woven together in the course of lectures which now, as also when they were first given in 1840, will stimulate prayer that God will ‘rend the heavens and come down.’

This edition contains a substantial new Introduction which will help readers navigate the various lectures and appreciate the lessons being taught.