Another generous friend of the movement was John Thornton, a director of the Russia Company, who was said to be the wealthiest merchant but one in Europe. Cowper has sung of his "industry in doing good," "restless as his who toils and sweats for food." "Few," said Venn, "have ever done more to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and help all that suffer adversity;" and this was no exaggeration, for he spent at least £10,000 on works of charity. Nor did he limit his care to the bodies of men. "He purchased," said Richard Cecil, "advowsons and presentations with a view to place in parishes the most enlightened, active, and useful ministers. He employed the extensive commerce in which he was engaged as a powerful instrument for conveying immense quantities of Bibles, Prayer Books, and the most useful publications to every place visited by our trade. He printed at his sole expense large editions of the latter for that purpose, and it may be safely affirmed that there is scarcely a part of the known world, where such books could be introduced, which did not feel the salutary influence of this single individual." The best known of these books was his English edition of Bogatzky's Golden Treasury, from which he removed all extracts which seemed to verge on Moravianism, and substituted short meditations written by himself and his friends. This rapidly became one of the most popular Evangelical books of devotion.
Extract from "A History of the Evangelical Party in the Church of England" (G.R.Balleine)