What historical (not living) pastors have been most encouraging or inspiring to you as examples of faithfulness either as a shepherd in general, or a preacher of the Word particularly?
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Halloway Fish! Whom I’m sure no one here has ever heard of, but that’s part of what I like about him – just a quiet, faithful minister in a little New England town. I wrote about him here.
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Also, he has a cool name. 
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Indeed he does. I’m probably the only person living who can’t wait to meet him in Heaven. 
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I have not heard of him, thanks!
I confess…I picture him looking like this:
Richard Baxter was known as a good preacher but placed a much stronger emphasis on in-home shepherding in The Reformed Pastor.
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Apostle Paul, Augustine, Benedict, Gregory, Bernard, Bucer, Calvin, Baxter, Lloyd-Jones
Thanks for that link. What a refreshing look at an old saint. Great perspective in the midst of our labors.
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I’m the world’s foremost Halloway Fish evangelist. 
JC Ryle
Twenty characters
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I’ll throw out another man none of you will have heard of - Rev. Tom Swanston. He was my Grandparents’ and my Mother’s pastor. I’m currently reading through a collection of his congregational letters. I think they’re excellent because they weren’t written to be published to the world, but to encourage and rebuke people he knew and loved. Highly recommend!
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Others no doubt but these are the few that came to mind:
John Chrysostom: John Chrysostom | Christian History | Christianity Today
Ryle, helpful thoughts on the gospels I nearly always consult when preaching and teaching from them.
Clarence Macartney. Admittedly I have only read a sliver of his writings and sermons but his “Shall Unbelief Win? An Answer to Dr. Fosdick” was excellent. Here is a great quote of his from 1930 at Westminster’s first commencement: “A deleted Bible has resulted in a diluted Gospel. Protestantism, as it loses its faith in the Bible, is losing its religion… Men who desire such dilutions can drink de-caffeined coffee and smoke de-nicotined tobacco; and now we have on every hand, without money and without price, de-christianized Christianity.”
David Dickson, the elder’s work is a good book we use with our interns and residents on pastoral care
Lloyd Jones: Sermons | Martyn Lloyd-Jones Trust
Spurgeon for his courage, compassion (a very pastoral/biblically faithful/truth-filled message here I often direct to congregants: Why They Leave Us) and enemies: interesting read here: The Spurgeon Library | The Reason Why America Burned Spurgeon’s Sermons and Sought to Kill Him;
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Although I’m not a preacher, I would answer Abraham Kuyper, whose fantastic Lectures on Calvinism I recently reread, and who is always greatly helpful and relevant.
When I first read this, I thought you were just stating an interjection. Had to do a double take to see that was the actual name. 
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