Thornton, John. Pure Religion Recommended as The Only Way to Happiness; or, Dangerous Prevailing Errors Exposed, and Gospel Truths Vindicated: In a Series of Dialogues. Boston: Samuel T. Armstrong, 1821. First American Edition. [10106]
Full leather, edges worn, spine sometime covered in black cloth, modern white label on the cloth, 14.5 x 9 cm (5 3/4 x 3 1/2 inches). Round bookseller's ink stamp on front paste-down & ffep, 1824 signature of Richard Rand in several places, including the title page. [i]-xii, [13]-250, [2] pp. Text is complete. Several internal hinge repairs; black cloth spine repair is glued to the text block making it stiff to open. Good.
Rev. John Thornton (1776-1841), Independent minister for 41 years at Billericay, Essex. His Memoirs were written by his son and published in London in 1843. Allibone lists 20 titles attributed to him.
The book is a series of dialogues, in which the author exposes what he considers to be doctrinal errors, including the "Ultra-Calvinism" of William Huntington; Modern Pharisaism; Religious Enthusiasm - "John Wesley and George Whitefield, were, I doubt not, both good men, and both eminently successful in turning sinners to God; but while we revere their characters, and rejoice in the success of their labors, it cannot be denied, that they sometimes suffered their zeal to break forth without judgment, and used rash, unguarded language" p. 95 - ; A Speculative Habit; and The Folly of Atheism. The writer names persons and books both agreeable and disagreeable to his positions.