A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

XXXMEMOIR OF THEespecially by the Bishop of Salisbury of that time.The plain, scriptural discourse delivered by him extremelydispleased Mr. Bolton. He pronounced him,he says, a barren, empty fellow, and a passing meanscholar. He evidently expected to hear a learned discourse.His understanding would have been flatteredby those self-same truths which were uttered as theoracles of God, being propounded to him in the shapeof argument. The conscious pride of intellectualability would have reconciled him to the sentiments,if they had been thus offered to him ; but a simple statementof truth as it is in itself had no charms for him,because he neither recognized the supreme authorityof its great author, nor felt its suitableness to his ownnecessities.It is, however, interesting to remark, thatafter his conversion Mr. Bolton himself altered hisopinion respecting him, and considered him one of themost godly and learned men the church of Englandhad ever enjoyed. He could then perceive another andfar superior excellence in his sermons, as consistingin their being an exact impress of the truth of scripture,and as affording accurate descriptions of theagency of spiritual truth upon the human mind.While he remained at Brazen -nose college he contractedan intimate acquaintance with a gentlemein ofthe name of Anderton, who had been his schoolfellow.He is represented as having been a Roman Catholic atthis period, and as having subsequently become aneminent priest. This person seems to have earnestlypersuaded Mr. Bolton to enter the Roman Catholicchurch, promising that his temporal interests alsoshould be greatly advanced by his conversion.