His Christian spirit held me captive, and I never got tired of
his earnest, eloquent, and godly talk. Even the old and endless
controversies on which he spent so much time and strength, were often
rendered interesting by the honesty of his heart, by the abundance of
his charity, by the moderation of his views, and by the never-failing
good sound sense of his remarks. None of the works I read had such a
charm for me as those of Baxter, and no other religious writer exerted
so powerful and lasting an influence either on my head or heart. Taylor
was too flowery, and Barrow too wordy, and Tillotson was rather cold and
formal; yet I read them all with profit, and with a great amount of
pleasure. Hooker I found a wonder, both for excellency of style and
richness of sentiment; and his piety and wisdom, his candor and his
charity, have never been surpassed since the days of Christ and His
Apostles. And Hoadley too I liked, and Butler, and Thomas a Kempis, and
William Law. And then came Bolton and Howe, and Doddridge and Watts.
Then Penn, and Barclay, and Clarkson, and Sewell, and Hales, and Dell
caught my attention, giving me interesting revelations of Quaker thought
and feeling.
And I was edified by Lactantius and Chrysostom, the most eloquent,
rational and practical of the Christian Fathers.
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