27. " He was wondrously skilled in adapting himself
to the different capacities and conditions of his hearers.
He could stoop to the illiterate, and rise with the learn-
ed ; he had incontrovertible arguments for the skeptic,
and powerful persuasives for the listless believer ; he had
sharp remonstrance for the obstinate, and strong con-
solation for the mourner : and, like a scribe, thoroughly
instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, he brought forth
out of his treasures things new and old, as occasion re-
quired. To hear him without admiration was impossible ;
without profit, improbable. The unthinking went from
his presence under the influence of serious impressions,
and the 'obdurate with kindled relentings. Many an
unsuspecting trifler has he enclosed in the Gospel net,
and many a happy captive has he led, in the course of
his public ministry, from darkness to light, and from
the power of Satan to God. I shall here transcribe a
short passage -from a letter addressed to me by one of
the author's esteemed friends. ' I would rather have
heard,' says the writer, ; one sermon from Mr. Fletcher,
viva voce, than read a volume of his works. His words
were clothed with power, and entered with effect. His
writings are arrayed in all the garb of human literature.
