The Cities of Refuge: or, The Name of Jesus

Macduff, John R. (John Ross), 1818-1895Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.4

Word count: 78K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Cities of Refuge: or, The Name of Jesus by John R. MacduffAuthor: Macduff, John R. (John Ross), 1818-1895,Language: English, Class: BV: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Practical theology, Worship, Release Date: May 13, 2008

Editor's review

This book is a collection of devotional sermons by the nineteenth-century Scottish minister John Ross Macduff, taking the six cities of refuge in the Bible as its thread and setting the ancient legal institution of asylum against the redemptive meaning of "the name of Jesus." The author's prose bears the typical style of Victorian sermon literature: clear structure, dense figures, and an earnest tone, skilled at drawing devotional reflection from geographical and institutional details; it serves well as a primary text for understanding traditional English devotional literature. The electronic edition was prepared by Project Gutenberg and preserves the original language, with no modern annotations; readers need some English reading ability and background knowledge of the Bible. It suits personal morning reading, reference for Sunday sermons, or supplementary material for studying nineteenth-century English religious prose. The discussion unfolds around scripture at a slow pace, better read in small portions with care than for plot momentum.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a Christian background who wish to meditate on redemption through Old Testament imagery
Students or enthusiasts studying nineteenth-century English sermons and devotional literature
Pastors and co-workers needing Sunday sermon material who prefer traditional exposition
Readers with English reading ability who wish to engage with Project Gutenberg public-domain religious texts

Not a good fit for

General readers unfamiliar with biblical scripture and Christian terminology
Readers expecting systematic theology or modern scholarly annotation
Readers who prefer fast-paced narrative and lack patience for the sermon genre

Reading tips

First look up the six cities of refuge in the Book of Joshua, then read chapter by chapter alongside it to follow the author's line of application.
Read only one chapter at a time, and afterward summarize its core figure and scriptural basis in two or three sentences.
Keep a notebook to record recurring images such as refuge, flight, and the name, and observe how they unfold.
If the English proves difficult, read the relevant passages in a Chinese Bible first, then return to the original to lower the threshold of understanding.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a collection of sermons?

It is a collection of devotional sermons, not a novel. The author takes the legal provisions for the six cities of refuge in the Bible as his starting point and builds layer by layer toward the refuge and redemption symbolized by "the name of Jesus," in the typical nineteenth-century mode of scriptural exposition.

Can I understand it without a Christian background?

You can read it, but extra preparation is needed. The book quotes scripture extensively and assumes reader familiarity with the relevant background; it is advisable to first learn the basic scriptural source of the cities of refuge and read alongside an annotated Bible, or else one may remain at the literal level and struggle to grasp the line of application.

Why does the electronic edition have no modern annotations?

This edition was prepared by Project Gutenberg, whose aim is to preserve the original form of public-domain texts, so it adds no modern editorial notes, introductions, or annotations. Readers needing background explanation should consult a Bible dictionary or related research materials separately.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Macduff, John R. (John Ross), 1818-1895 Author

John R. Macduff (1818–1895) was a nineteenth-century author known mainly for devotional and inspirational writing. Public information about his life is limited, but the nine works held in the collection clearly show the focus of his writing: most take biblical passages and the words and deeds of Jesus as their themes and offer practical, accessible exposition, such as an exposition of Psalm 42, meditations on the mind and words of Jesus, and short devotional pieces on Bethany and the cities of refuge. His style is warm and earnest, emphasizing exhortation, comfort, and everyday practice of faith, and is suited to personal reading and reflection. These works continue to be read in the inspirational-growth category and reflect the readable, spiritually caring character of nineteenth-century popular devotional literature.