CHAPTER IX.

Baxter's marriage—temporary imprisonment—literary labours-Lauderdale's proposal, and Baxter's reply -penal laws against non-conformists dispensed with -Parliament does not concur-test act-Baxter's preaching, and the annoyances to which he was subjected-his literary labours.

WHILE Baxter lived at Acton, he preached to his own family, but few of the inhabitants showed any inclination to attend; first, because they did not wish to involve him in difficulty; and secondly, because they were afraid of bringing themselves under the lash of the Conventicle law. They were, moreover, an ignorant people, who knew very little of the value of the gospel. But when the Conventicle act had expired, by its own limitation, and he preached publicly, many came, so that his house was insufficient to contain them. When they had come once, they appeared to desire to come again; and a great number of them seemed to be seriously affected with the things which they

heard. Many came from Brentford and the neighbouring towns; and in all the town, there were not found any who showed themselves adversaries to the preacher. Here Mr. Baxter became acquainted with Chief Justice Hale, one of the best and greatest men that England ever produced. Baxter has given a portraiture of his character, with a bold but just pencil.

Having incidentally mentioned Baxter's family, we are admonished that we have omitted, in its proper place, an account of a very extraordinary event in his life. We refer to his marriage. The report of it, before it occurred, was rung about through the country, as though it had been a great wonder, or a great crime; so that the king's marriage was hardly more talked of than his. This is not very wonderful, when it is considered that he had written earnestly against ministers' marrying; which, indeed, he seemed to consider as barely lawful in any case. He had remained single through his earlier and middle age; and now, at the age of fortyseven, to marry a young wife, not half as old as himself, seemed to be a strange thing; for it was scarcely to be expected that, considering the peculiarity of his temper, and that his habits were now fixed, any person could be found, with whom an alliance could be formed, likely to be productive of lasting comfort to both parties. But such a person was found, who appears to have been eminently fitted to promote the happiness and aid the usefulness of this great and excellent nian.

The reader will not deem an account of this matter from Baxter's own

pen, tedious.

“ We were born," says he, s in the same county, within three miles and a half of each other, but she of one of the chief families in the county, and I, but of a mean freeholder, called a gentleman, for his ancestors' sake. Her father, Francis Charlton, was one of the best justices of the peace in the county, a grave and worthy man, who did not marry until he was aged and gray, and died while his children

very young." ... After the death of the father, the mother took a house in Kidderminster, whither her daughter followed her. Baxter's preaching produced a deep and abiding impression on the mind of Miss Charlton, and he was called to aid in relieving her mind from the distress under which she laboured. In tiine she became an emineut Christian, and though young, was in all respects fitted to be the wife of Richard Baxter. But he must be permitted to give his own account of the transaction. 6. The unsuitableness of our age, and my former known purposes against the conveniency of ministers marrying, who have no sort of necessity, made ours the matter of much public talk and wonder. But the true opening of her case and mine would take away the wonder of her friends and mine, that knew us—viz. the many strange occurrences which brought it to pass; and the notice of it would much conduce to the understanding of many other passages in our lives; yet wise friends, by whom I am advised, think it better to omit such personal particularities. Both in her case and mine there was much extraordinary, which it doth not concern the world to be acquainted with. From the first thought of it, many changes and stoppages intervened, and long delays, till I was silenced and ejected: at last on September 10th, 1662, we were married in Bennet-Fink church, by Mr. Samuel Clark, having been before con.

tracted, by Mr. Simeon Ash, in the presence of Henry Ashurst and Mrs. Ash.

He proposed, before their marriage, that she should agree to the following conditions: 1. That he should possess nothing which was hers, before marriage. 2. That she should so order her affairs, that he should be entangled in no law-suit. 3. That she should expect none of his time, which his ministry required.

“ When we were married,” says he, “ her sadness and melancholy left her. Counsel did something to it, and contentment something; and being taken up with our household affairs, did something. We lived in inviolated love, and mutual complacency, sensible of the benefit of mutual help, nearly nineteen years. I know not that we ever had any breach in point of love, or point of interest, save only that she grudged, that I had persuaded her to surrender so much of her estate, to the disabling her from helping others.”

The married life of Baxter was a very unsettled one, so that for most of the time, he might be said to have “no certain dwelling