A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian EthicsBaxter, Richard
Religion
A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian Ethics
Baxter, Richard
Casuistry; Christian sociology
But notwithstanding such opposition, his unwearied labours in this town
had amazing success. He preached twice every Lord's day before the civil
war; afterwards once; and once every Thursday, besides occasional
sermons in the lectures at Worcester, Shrewsbury, Dudley, Sheffnall, &c.
On the Thursday evenings such as were so disposed met at his house, one
of them repeated the sermon, and afterwards they propounded to Mr.
Baxter any doubts they had about it, or any other case of conscience,
which he resolved. On Mondays and Tuesdays in the afternoon, in every
week, he and his assistant took fourteen families between them for
private catechising and conference, spending about an hour with a
family. Every first Wednesday in the month he had a meeting for parish
discipline. Every first Thursday in the month there was a meeting of the
neighbouring ministers for discipline, and amicable disputation about
matters theological: and every Thursday in the month besides, he had
several ministers at his house, after the lecture was over, with whom
the afternoon was spent in profitable conversation, till the neighbours
came in to repetition and conference.
He had an attentive, diligent auditory, that was very numerous. On the
Lord's day there was no disorder to be seen in the town, but you might
hear a hundred families singing psalms, and repeating sermons, as you
passed along the streets. When he first came, there might be a family
in a street that worshipped God, and called on his name; and when he
came away there was not above a family on the side of a street that
did not do it. Nay, in the most unlikely families, even inns and
alehouses, usually some in each house seemed to be religious. He had
six hundred communicants; and there were not above twelve of them, of
whose sincerity in religion he had not hopes. There were few families
in the whole town that refused to submit to his private catechising
and personal conference; and few went away without some tears, or
seemingly serious promises of a godly life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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