Making Light of Christ and Salvation

It is a remark of Dr Wilkins, Bishop of Cliostor, that “it was pnoii;;h for one ape to produce such a man as Kichanl Baxter.” The ao which had the honour of producing this holy and yreat man, was the age of the Commonwealth, the ago of Nonconformity. “Never did our England, since she first emerged from the ocean, rise so high above surrounding nations. The rivalry of Holland, the pride of Spain, the insolence of France, were thrust back by one tinger each; yet those countries were more powerful th?.n they had ever been. The sword of Cromwell was preceded hv the niacc of Milton, by that man which, when Oliver had rendered his account, opened to our contemplation the garden-gate of Paradise. And there were some around not unworthv to enter with him. In the oompass of sixteen centuries, you will not number on the whole earth so many wise and admiralile men, as you could have found imited in that single day, when England shewed her true magnitude, and solved the question, Wiiick is most, oxf, on million? There were giants in those days; but giants who feared God, and not who fought against him.”

l)AXTEn was one of the numerous giants of the Commonwealth. He was to its theology what Ciiomwei.l was to its politics, — what Milton was to its liberties, — and what Owex was to its non-confiirmity.

This distinguished man was remarkable in every form of his char.icter, and in all those combinations of qualities which fitted him for extensive usefulness, as an eminent saint, a l.iborious pastor, and a profound divine. The series of works jiresonted to the public in the Linii.vuY of Pikttan Divines, are intended to interest the private Christian, the faithful Minister, and the theological Student. To meet these cases, this Essay is arranged to embrace

W. S.iTnjrc Landor’n Imaoivaiit CoNVEnvxioKs, in the conversation l)etwi’cn Makvel and Paheer.

EAXTKKS Lll’L’.

Baxter’s Life, Baxter’s Ministry, and Baxter’s Theology*, in the hope that it will succeed in making Baxter known to the Million.

CHAPTER I.

Baxter’s l i f k.

UicuARD Baxter was born Xovenihcr 12, IGlo, at Kowton, tiic house of his maternal grandfather, in High Ercall, a rural village, not far from the foot of the Wrekin, in Bhropshirc. His parents were connected with the gentry of the county; but his father had squandered much of his estate by the habits of gambling, to which lie was addicted in his youth. About the time of tlieAiirth of Kichard, a deep religious seriousness pervaded the chai-acter of his father, which was occasioned by reading the (Scriptures in private.

Baxter spent the first ten years of his life at Kowton, under the care of his grandfather; but the father had frequent interviews with his child, and the first religious impressions which his young heart received, were produced by the holy character and serious conversations of his father. Under this influence the boy became so haliituiiUy devout and serious, that, even at this early ago, as iJr Bates mentions in his funeral sermon for him, he would reprove the improper conduct of other children, “to the astonishment of those who heard him.”

The youthful piety of Kichard Baxter was imfoldcd in the midst of elements calculated to quench and destroj- it. He was born in a tlistrict where the religion of the ]5ook of ijjwrts was in the highest popularity. The clergy of the district were, almost universally, iiuTC readers of prayers, and no preachers. It is on this account that they were called reading curates, reading vicars, &c. In addition to their total incapacity for jireaching, they were, for the most jiart, poor, ignorant, immoral, and even dissolute nu;n. The result wa.>», that the villagers and jjcasants were sunk in vice and irrijligion, and spent the greater part of the Sabbath in dancing round the Ma)i)ole, and in other gambols, which the Book of Sports recommended and cujtuned as projicr exercises for the Lord’s day. Baxt(!r, at so tender an age, was likely to be iulluenced by the corrupting scenes around him; and, in subse(iucut life, l)o deeply laments that,” during his boyhood, he became addicted to the sin-t of disobedience to jjareuts, lying, stealing fruit, &c. — sins which afterwards greatly disturbed his coiibcicnce, and which he found great difHculty in mastering.

nAXTEIiS MIE.

In such a distrit-t, and in sui-h circumstances, the education of the future Schoolman of English Theolog-y was likely to be ;i>:- jjlected. IIi3 first ten years were spent amonjy the peasants of Hi Ercall, and all the education which he received, from the age of six to ten, was under the traininjj of the four successive curates of the parish, of whom the two ablest were drunkards, even to beggary. At the age of ten, he was removed from Eowton to the house of his father, at Eaton Constantino, a village reposing on the left bank of the Severn, about live miles below Slirewsbury. Here he was placed under the instruction of the curate, a notorious drunkard, who Lid been a lawyer’s clerk, who was now reading prayers under forged orders, and who, in Baxter’s time, preache.l only once, and was then drnnk. From this wretched teacher, i;i pretended holy orders, he was transferred to the care of a man of acknowledged abilities, “who,” says Baxter, ‘’ loved me much, and who expected to be made a bishop.” This tutor grievously neglected his charge, for, in the course of two j-ears, he never gave his pupil one hour’s actiml instruction, but “devoted his time to attacks on the Puritans.” His next tutor w;ls Mr Owen of Wroxeter, the head-master of the free school of that place. Here Baxter made considerable attaiuments in the Latin Classics, but not much progress in Greek.

In all these places of education, Baxter had to depend entirely upon his own diligence, ambition, and judgment. HLs proficiency at Wroxeter was so satisfactory to Mr Owen, that he was now deemed fidly prepared for the University of Oxford, for which he was intended; but instead of sending the youth to Oxford, Mr Owen recommended him to go to Ludlow, to be under the tuition of Mr Wiekstead, the chaplain of the council, who was allowed to have one pupil. Ue who luis once seen Ludlow Castle, will fondly remember it as the romantic centre of one of the sweetest landscapes in England, and as the august seat of many historical recollections. Here Baxter entered as a pui)il, — here, some three or four yeais afterwards, ^lilton presented his inmiortal “Comus’’ for the first time, — (ind here, some thirty years afterwards, Butler wrote the first p;irt of his Hudibras. In Ludlow Cxstle, however, as well as elsewhere, Baxter’s education was neglected by his “tutor; and all tlm benefit which tlic youth received, he derived himself from the e;:- joyment of abundance of time, and plenty of books. His own indomitable mind did all the; rest, in kis “pursuit of knowledge under difficultie.<.”

In the history of Baxter’s life, Ludlow is celebrated for two events which had great influence in the formation of hia reJi;,’iou9 character: and tlicse were his temptations to become a gambler, and the religions apostacy of his most intimate friend. The first game he ever played in his life, he played with the hest gamester in the Castle. It was soon perceived that, he must inevitably lose the game, unless he obtained one particular cast of the dice each tinp in snccession. The dice gave that particular cast each time, and he won the game. His astonishing success induced him to believe that the devil had managed the dice for the purpose of making a gamester of him. He therefore returned the money to his antagonist, and determined never to play another game. The apostacy of his yo’.mg friend was more dangerous to him than the temptation to gambling. His friend was a religious and a very devotional young man. They were very much attached to each other, and were constantly studying together. He was the first that Baxter had ever heard pray extempore, and it was from him that Baxter himself acquired the gift and habit. This youth became a reviler of all religion, and even scoffed at Baxter’s devotional habits. From the contagion of his influence Baxter was preserved, partly by his own deep religious convictions at that time, and partly by his removal from Ludlow Castle to Eaton Constantine.

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