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The Cambridge Seven
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The Cambridge Seven, JC Pollock, Inter Varsity, London, 1955 No ISBN (112 pages in 6 chapters plus a prologue and epilogue).
The book tells the story of seven Cambridge graduates who in 1885 decided to commit their lives to overseas missionary work. The best known of the seven was CT Studd who is the subject of a chapter to himself in the book. In addition to Studd, one other of the seven was a sportsman, Stanley Smith.
There is a link from Smith to the Muscular Christian movement in that he read The Life of Charles Kingsley and commented, "I am so enjoying it and it is doing me, I trust, a great deal of good. What a noble life". (Page 30)
Smith rowed for the university and had a passion to reach the oarsmen with the gospel: "SP Smith was now captain of First Trinity Boat Club and thus a man of influence within the college, with a good chance of his blue. The routine duty of recruiting freshmen for the boats gave him a new idea. In his rooms in Old Court, looking across the wide lawn to the fountain and the clock tower, he and two of the others sat down to write out a list of freshmen - with a view to visiting them and trying by all means to do them good. CT Studd came in. We had singing reading and prayer and I asked him to take some men". (Page 31) and
"Smith was known throughout Cambridge as a Christian..and his position as a varsity oar and his charm of manner enabled him to speak directly to his contemporaries on their spiritual need. He determined to approach every man in the University boat. 'May the eight be Christians', was his prayer. One by one he found means of broaching the subject and to his delight he found that Lambert, the University Captain of boats and young Hunt, the cox were already Christians, if quiet and ineffective in their faith. The Trinity Boat Club meeting was continuing and often on a Wednesday as they came back to the boathouse Smith would go round inviting men to come to the evening meeting." (Page 33)
CT Studd's potential as a cricketer is establish with quotes from WG Grace (page 67) and Wisden (Page 69). His evangelistic zeal is also documented.
"The cricket season began [1884] and CT felt he must go into the cricket field and get the men there to know the Lord Jesus". He had found "something infinitely better than cricket. My heart was no longer in the game; I wanted to win souls for the Lord". He took members of the MCC Test team to hear Moody and AJ Webbe, the great batsman, AG Steel and Ivo Bligh, the captain, afterwards Lord Darnley, told Studd one by one that they had accepted Christ, and kept in touch with him for the rest of his life. (Page 70)