Fair Sunshine: Character Studies of the Scottish Covenanters

Book Description

Many volumes deal with that terrible yet glorious period in the history of the Scottish church between the restoration of Charles II and the accession of William III, but Fair Sunshine deserves a place alongside the very best of them.

Whether Jock Purves was writing about James Guthrie at the beginning or James Renwick at the very end of this time of martyrdom and suffering there was a lyrical quality about his treatment. When taken together with his spiritual perception and moral earnestness this drives every one of these biographical chapters to the heart of the reader.

Contents
Chronological Summary 
James Guthrie  
Hugh MacKail 
Richard Cameron 
David Hackston 
John Brown  
Margaret MacLachlan & Margaret Wilson 
John Nisbet  
James Renwick 
James Mitchell  
William Gordon 
John Dick  
Donald Cargill  
Epilogue   
An Outline of Scottish ‘Covenant History’ in the Seventeenth Century  

Author

Jock Purves was born in 1901, the eldest of five children. Suffering from poor health as a child, he left school at the age of fourteen and became apprenticed as a moulder. Taking evening classes to make up for missed days at school, he found a delight in English language and literature, and Scottish history. He was converted when the evangelist D. P. Thomson visited his home town of Bathgate, West Lothian during his 1919/20 tour.
In 1925 Jock Purves went to Kashmir and Tibet as a pioneer missionary with Worldwide Evangelisation Crusade (WEC). He described his colourful and dramatic experiences in Lesser Tibet and on the Indian-Afghan Frontier, often living alone in a primitive village at 11,000ft, cut off from the rest of the world by eight months of snow a year, in his book The Unlisted Legion (Banner of Truth, 1977). Also described in the book are some of those who became Christians as a result of his evangelistic work. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 1931 in recognition of his travels.
Deciding during his first furlough to go to university, Purves nevertheless gave up his studies in English and History at Edinburgh University to return to work with WEC. He wrote the popular Fair Sunshine: Character Studies of the Scottish Covenanters (Banner of Truth, 1968), taking great delight in visiting many of the places associated with those concerned. He died at home, on the eve of his 87th birthday in July 1988, with his family around him.

Additional Information

Cover: Softcover
Number of Pages: 194
Publisher: Banner of Truth Trust
Publication Date: 1968