The name Ralph Erskine (1685- 1752) might not sound that familiar to modern ears but, in fact, this minister's literary works were once so treasured that as late as 1879 they were still some of the best-selling religious books in London. (1) Most of Erskine's published material consisted of his sermons, but his most popular selling volume was a collection of feisty poetic discourses entitled the Gospel Sonnets, first published in 1720 and which by 1793 had seen more than twenty editions (including American releases). (2)
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1 [ Back ] G. Ella, "Ralph Erskine's Marvellous Ministry," The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, March 1998, 72.
2 [ Back ] Thomas F. Torrance, Scottish Theology (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1996), 235-236. Torrance does not mention the American editions, but I have personally seen antiquarian booksellers list editions of the Gospel Sonnets printed in Boston.
3 [ Back ] Ella, 71.
4 [ Back ] Ralph Erskine, The Practical Works of Ralph Erskine Consisting of His Sermons and Poems (Glasgow: W. Smith and J. Bryce Booksellers, 1778) vol. 10, pp. 85-86.
5 [ Back ] Ralph Erskine, Beauties of Ralph Erskine (London & Edinburgh: A. Fullarton & Co., 1830), 124-125.
6 [ Back ] Erskine, The Practical Works, vol. 10, p. 93.
7 [ Back ] Ibid., 85.
8 [ Back ] Ibid., 87.
9 [ Back ] Ibid., 87.
10 [ Back ] Ibid., 89.
11 [ Back ] Ibid., 271.
12 [ Back ] Ibid., 273.
13 [ Back ] Ibid., 53-54.
14 [ Back ] Ibid., 267.
15 [ Back ] Ibid., 270.
16 [ Back ] Ibid., 91-92.
17 [ Back ] Ibid., 98.
18 [ Back ] Ibid., 98.
19 [ Back ] Ibid., 99.
20 [ Back ] Ibid., 54-55.
21 [ Back ] Mark Noll, "Canons & Decrees of the Council of Trent: Canon 11," Confessions and Catechisms of the Reformation (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1991), 185.
22 [ Back ] Noll, "Canons," 185.
23 [ Back ] Erskine, The Practical Works, vol. 10, pp. 82-83.
24 [ Back ] Ibid., 97.
25 [ Back ] Ibid., 50.
26 [ Back ] Ibid., 273.
27 [ Back ] Ibid., 51.
28 [ Back ] Ibid., 94.
Shane Rosenthal is executive producer of The White Horse Inn national radio broadcast which can be heard online at www.whitehorseinn.org.
Issue: "Christian Liberty: Getting Beyond Legalism and License" March/April 2000 Vol. 9 No. 2 Page number(s): 25, 28-33
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