The recent shot of Augustine between books on Catholicism and Protestantism reminded of a remark Spurgeon makes (in his Commenting on Commentaries). It concerns High Calvinist John Gill and the Arminian Adam Clarke (I'd misremembered it as a reference to Wesley and Toplady). Spurgeon says
I have placed next to Gill in my library Adam Clarke but as I have no desire to have my rest broken by wars among the authors, I have placed Doddridge between them. If the spirits of the two worthies could descend to the earth in the same mood in which they departed, no one house would be able to hold them. Adam Clarke is the great annotator of our Wesleyan friends; and they have no reason to be ashamed of him, for he takes rank among the chief of expositors. His mind was evidently fascinated by the singularities of learning, and hence his commentary is rather too much of an old curiosity shop, but it is filled with valuable rarities, such as none but a great man could have collected. Like Gill, he is one sided, only in the opposite direction to our friend the Baptist. The use of the two authors may help to preserve the balance of your judgements. If you consider Clarke wanting in unction, do not read him for savour but for criticism, and then you will not be disappointed.
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