and still more wonderful how he was capable of the unceasing labor in public or in writing, in which he was engaged. Though "in deaths oft," he prosecuted, with unremitting and growing ardor, the service of his Master, and the salvation of his fellow

creatures.

"Being driven from home, and having an old license yet in force, by the countenance of that, and the great industry of Mr. Beresford, I had leave and invitation for ten Lord's-days, to preach in the parish churches round about. The first parish that I preached in, after thirteen years' ejection and prohibition, was Rickmersworth, after that at Sarat, at King's Langley, at Chesham, at Chalford, at Amersham, and that often twice a day. Those heard, who had not come to church for seven years; and two or three thousand heard, where scarcely an hundred were wont to come, and with so much attention and willingness as gave me very great hopes that I never spake to them in vain; thus soul and body had these special mercies.

"But the censures of men pursued me as before: the envious sort of the prelatists accused me, as if I had intruded into the parish churches too boldly, and without authority. The quarrelsome Sectaries, or Separatists, did, in London, speak against me, for drawing people to the parish churches and the liturgy, and many gave out that I did conform. All my days, nothing hath been charged on me as crimes, so much as my costliest and greatest duties. But the pleasing of God, and saving souls, will pay for all.

"The country about Rickmersworth, abounding with Quakers, because W. Penn, their captain, dwelleth there, I was desirous that the poor people should once hear what was to be said for their recovery, which coming to Mr. Penn's ears, he was forward to a meeting, where we continued speaking to two rooms full of people, fasting, from ten o'clock till five. One lord, two knights, and four conformable ministers, beside others, being present, some all the time, some part. The success gave me

cause to believe that it was not labor lost: an account of the conference may be published ere long, if there be cause.c

(b) No account of this meeting has been printed, as far as is known to me; but part of the correspondence between Penn and Baxter remains. From the letters of Penn it appears that Baxter proposed the meeting, to which Penn acceded. A second meeting appears to have been demanded, but does not seem to have taken place. Penn's language to Baxter, in two of his letters, is very abusive. He tells him, "I perceive the scurvy of the mind is thy distemper; and I fear it is incurable. I had rather be Socrates at the day of judgment, than Richard Baxter." In the last letter, however, he speaks in a much more courteous style; and acknowledges the great civility he had experienced from Baxter at the meeting. The correspondence is curious, as showing, one way, that Penn was both a man of talents and a gentleman; and, in another, that, when excited by his religious views, he was rabid and vulgar. Baxter could be severe, but it was the severity of an ardent and ingenuous mind; the severity of Penn is sheer ribaldry-Baxter's MSS.

(c) Life, part iii. p. 174.

"While this was my employment in the country, my friends at home had got one Mr. Seddon, a Nonconformist, of Derbyshire, lately come to the city as a traveller, to preach the second sermon in my new-built chapel; he was told, and overtold, all the danger, and desired not to come if he feared it. I had left word, that if he would but step into my house through a door, he was in no danger, they not having power to break open any but the meeting house. While he was preaching, three justices, supposed of Secretary Coventry's sending, came to the door to seize the preacher. They thought it had been I, and had prepared a warrant upon the Oxford act, to send me for six months to the common gaol. The good man, and two weak, honest persons, entrusted to have directed him, left the house where they were safe, and thinking to pass away, came to the justices and soldiers at the door, and there stood by them till some one said, 'This is the preacher;' and so they took him, blotted my name out of the warrant and put in his; though almost every word fitted to my case was false of his. To the Gate-house he was carried, where he continued almost three months of the six: and being earnestly desirous of deliverance, I was put to charges to accomplish it, and at last, having righteous judges, and the warrant being found faulty, he had an habeas corpus, and was freed upon bonds to appear again the next term.

" d

Baxter was now placed in great jeopardy. His prosecutors were exasperated against him, and determined, if possible, to succeed in the next warrant, which they only waited an opportunity to get against him. Several of the justices, however, who had been his greatest enemies, died. At the same time, he lost his kind and excellent friend, Judge Hale, to whom he had often been indebted, and of whose death he speaks in a very affecting manner. Before proceeding to notice his next trials, I shall just mention the books which he wrote during the period which this chapter embraces.

He published, in 1671, his Defence of the Principles of Love -His Answer to Exceptions against it-The Divine Appointment of the Lord's Day-The Duty of Heavenly Meditation— Holiness the Design of Christianity-The Difference between the Power of Magistrates and Church Pastors-Vindication of God's Goodness-Second Admonition to Mr. Bagshaw. In 1672, appeared More Reasons for the Christian Religion-Desertion of the Ministry Rebuked-Certainty of Christianity without Popery-A Third Answer to Bagshaw. In 1673 and 1674, he published his Christian Directory, on which he had been employed for some years. In these two years, he also published his Full and Easy Satisfaction, and his Poor Man's Family

(d) Life, part iii. p. 174, 175.

Book. In 1675, he produced his Catholic Theology, a folio volume, which was followed by several other pieces in the course of that and the following year, which I need not now enumerate. Looking at the number and variety of these works, this must have been one of the busiest periods in his life as a writer. He preached less; but during his afflictive retirement, he labored incessantly with his pen. The mere oversight of the press of so many works, would have been employment enough for an ordinary man. But Baxter must not be measured by this standard. He lived but to labor; and labor was his life.

CHAPTER XI. 1676-1681.

Baxter resumes preaching in the parish of St. Martin-Nonconformists again persecutedDr. Jane-Dr. Mason--Baxter preaches in Swallow-street-Compton, Bishop of LondonLamplugh, Bishop of Exeter-Lloyd, Bishop of Worcester-Various slanders against Baxter-Death of Dr. Manton-Pinner's-Hall Lecture--Popish Plot-Earl of Danby-Baxter's interference on behalf of Banished Scotsmen-Hungarians-The_Long Parliament of Charles II. dissolved-Transactions of the New Parliament-Bill of Exclusion-Meal-Tub Plot-Baxter's Reflections on the Times-Writings-Death of Friends-Judge HaleStubbs-Corbet-Gouge-Ashurst-Baxter's Step-mother-Mrs. Baxter.

In the latter years of Baxter's life, the information which he has furnished respecting himself, is much less particular, than what he has supplied respecting the earlier and more bustling period of it. As he advanced in age, he appears to have lived more retired; and either from choice, or from necessity, took a less active part in public affairs. His ill state of health rendered retirement absolutely necessary, and his experience of the uselessness of contending against the disposition of the government, and the bigotry of the church, probably reconciled him to wait and pray for better times, which happily he lived to see. The gleanings of his last days, however, we must endeavor carefully to gather up. He thus resumes his narrative:

"When I had been kept a whole year from preaching in the chapel which I built, I began in another, in a tempestuous time, on account of the necessity of the parish of St. Martin; where about 60,000 souls had no church to go to, nor any public worship of God! How long, Lord!

"About February and March, 1676, it pleased the king importunately to command and urge the judges, and London justices, to put the laws against Nonconformists in execution; but the nation was backward to it. In London they were often and long commanded to it; till, at last, Sir Joseph Sheldon, the Archbishop of Canterbury's near relation, being lord mayor, on April 30th, the execution began. They were required especially

to send all the ministers to the common jails for six months, on the Oxford act, for not taking the oath, and dwelling within five miles. This day, Mr. Joseph Read was sent to jail, being taken out of the pulpit, preaching in a chapel in Bloomsbury, in the parish of St. Giles. He did so much good to the poor ignorant people who had no other teacher, that Satan owed him a malicious disturbance. He had built the chapel in his own house (with the help of friends,) in compassion to those people, who, as they crowded to hear him, so did they follow him to the justices, and to the jail, to show their affection. It being the place where I had been used often to preach, I suppose was somewhat the more maliced. The very day before, I had new secret hints of men's desires of reconciliation and peace, and motions to offer some proposals towards them, as if the bishops were at last grown peaceable. To which, as ever before, I yielded, and did my part, though long experience made me suspect that some mischief was near, and some suffering presently to be expected from them.

e

"Mr. Jane, the Bishop of London's chaplain, preaching to the lord mayor and aldermen, in the month of June, turned his sermon against Calvin and me. My charge was, that I had sent as bad men to heaven as some that be in hell; because, in my book called the 'Saint's Rest,' I had said, that I thought of heaven with the more pleasure, because I should there meet with Peter, Paul, Austin, Chrysostom, Jerome, Wickliff, Luther, Zuinglius, Calvin, Beza, Bullinger, Zanchy, Paræus, Piscator, Hooper, Bradford, Latimer, Glover, Sanders, Philpot, Reynolds, Whittaker, Cartwright, Brightman, Bayne, Bradshaw, Bolton, Ball, Hildersham, Pemble, Twisse, Ames, Preston, Sibbs, Brooke, Pym, Hampden. Which of these the man knew to be in hell, I cannot conjecture: it is likely those who differed from him in judgment; but till he prove his revelation, I shall not believe him.

(e) Dr. Jane, of whom Baxter gives this account, was one of the highest of the high churchmen of his day. His father was a member of the Long Parliament; one of the most decided friends of the king; and author of the Emav axiaoros, the 'Image unbroken,' in answer to Milton's Einavoxhorns, the 'Image broken.' The son was educated at Westminster and Oxford, and no doubt expected to rise high in the church, for his father's services. He does not appear, however, to have advanced beyond the deanery of Gloucester, which he held with the precentorship of the church of Exeter. He had the principal share in drawing up the famous decree passed by the University of Oxford, on the 21st of July, 1683, condemning the political principles and writings of Locke, Baxter, Owen, and others of their description. On the 24th of that month, it was presented to Charles II., in the presence of the Duke of York, by Dr. Jane and Dr. Huntingdon, but had the honor to be burnt by the common hangman, by order of the House of Lords, in 1710. Notwithstanding the principles avowed in this document, Dr. Jane was one of four sent to the Prince of Orange, when on his march to London, with an offer of the University plate, to his highness, who declined it; but Jane thought his services then so important, that he took the opportunity of soliciting for himself the see of Exeter. This could not be obtained: in consequence of which he remained secretly disaffected to King William, during his reign. Jane died in 1716.—Birch's Life of Tillotson, pp. 173, 174.

f

"This makes me remember how, this last year, one Dr. Mason, a great preacher against Puritans, preached against me publicly in London; saying, that when a justice was sending me to prison, and offered to let me stay till Monday, if I would promise not to preach on Sunday, I answered, I shall not,' equivocating; meaning, I shall not promise, when he thought I meant, I shall not preach. O, these, say the malignants, are your holy men! and was such a . falsehood fit for a pulpit? Yet such men never spake one word to my face in their lives! The whole truth is this; Ross and Phillips, being appointed to send me to prison, for preaching at Brentford, shut the chamber doors, and would neither show nor tell me who was my accuser or witness, or let any one living be present but themselves. It being Saturday, I requested to stay at home to set my house in order till Monday. Ross asked me, whether I would promise not to preach on Sunday? I answered, 'No; I shall not;' the man not understanding me, said, 'Well, you promise not to preach.' I replied, 'No, Sir, I tell you; I will not promise any such thing: if you hinder me, I cannot help it, but I will not otherwise forbear.' Never did I think of equivocation. This was my present answer, and I went straight to prison upon it; yet did this Ross send this false story behind my back, and among courtiers and prelatists it passed for current, and was worthy Dr. Mason's pulpit impudency. Such were the men that we were persecuted by, and had to do with. Dr. Mason died quickly after.

"Being denied forcibly the use of the chapel which I had built, I was obliged to let it stand empty, and pay thirty pounds per annum for the ground-rent myself, and glad to preach for nothing, near it, at a chapel built by another for gain, in Swallow-street.g It was among the same poor people who had no preaching, the parish having sixty thousand souls in it more than the church could hold. When I had preached there awhile, the foresaid Justice Parry, with one Sabbes, signed a warrant to apprehend me, and on the 9th of November, six constables, four beadles, and many messengers, were set at the chapel doors to execute it. I forebore that day, and afterwards told the Duke of Lauderdale of it, and asked him what it was that occasioned their wrath against me. He desired me to go and

(f) The person of whom Baxter gives this account was, I apprehend, Charles Mason, who was made rector of St. Mary Woolchurch, in 1661, a prebendary of St. Paul's in 1663, and collated to the rectory of St. Peter Le Poor, in 1669. He was author of two or three sermons, of which I know nothing. He died in 1677.

(g) There has been a Scots church in Swallow-street for a great many years: but I believe neither the present building, nor the congregation, arose from the labors of Baxter. The English Presbyterian congregation formed by Baxter's preaching, was dissolved about the beginning of last century.- Wilson's Diss. Churches, vol. iv. pp. 44-46.