-...we know of no work on the pastoral office to be compared with it. Could we suppose it to be read by an angel, or by some other being possessed of an unfallen nature, the reasonings and expostulations of our author would be felt to be altogether irresistible- and hard must be the heart of that minister, who can read it without being moved, melted, and overwhelmed, under a sense of his own shortcomings- hard must be his heart, if he be not mused to greater faithfulness, diligence, and activity winning souls to Christ. It is a work worthy of being printed in letters of gold- it deserves, at least, to be engraven on the heart of every minister.- So it was written in the introduction to Richard Baxter's Reformed Pastor. publ. 1656- But in our day our young ministerial aspirants are too often polemicists first and then preachers, they won't even read this.

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