His love to the honest people of Kidderminster, who had the prime of his strength and the flower of his labours, was very remarkable. He told them, in the preface to the "Saints' Rest," that the offers of greater worldly accommodations, with five times the means that he received with them, was no temptation to him once to question whether he should leave them. But he was afterwards forced to leave them, by Bishop Morley, and Mr. Danse the old vicar. He did not part with them without mutual grief and tears. And when he went from them, he left Mr. Baldwin, to live privately among them, and oversee them in his stead; and he advised them to frequent the public church assemblies, in conjunction with their private helps, unless the public minister was utterly insufficient, or preached heresy, or in his application set himself against the ends of his office, by endeavouring to make a holy life seem odious. After parting from them, he wrote a letter to them but once a year, lest it should be the occasion of their suffering; and for fear lest if they did any thing that was displeasing, it should be represented as the effect of his suggestions. But in process of time even this honest and quiet people were exasperated. They were alienated from the prelates and their adherents, for running down Mr. Baxter and those of his mind, as deceivers. Repeating sermons in their houses they were laid in gaols with common malefactors, their goods were seized, and they were fined and punished again and again. At length they were hardly more angry with the bishops, than they were with Mr. Baxter himself, whom they censured upon his publishing the book called "The Cure of Church Divisions," as strengthening the hands of persecutors by persuading them of the lawfulness of communicating in their parish church, with a conformable minister in the Liturgy. But he still continued his care of them, and concern for them. And at length he became capable of helping them to a valuable, useful man, that would make it his business to promote serious religion among them. For Colonel John Bridges had sold the patronage of the living to Mr. Thomas Foley, upon condition that he should present Mr. Baxter next if he were capable of it; and if not, that he should present one with his consent. When the old vicar died, many thought that Mr. Baxter himself would have conformed. Archbishop Stern, of York, particularly, bid a minister take it on his word that he conformed, and was gone to his beloved Kidderminster. But Mr. Baxter had no such thoughts, though he would gladly have assisted them in getting a suitable person. But the people there refused to have any hand in bringing in another minister into the church, lest they should seem to consent to his conformity, or be obliged to own him in his office. They were not to be prevailed with to concur; and for that reason Mr. Baxter refused to meddle in the choice. When Mr. Foley had put in a valuable man to be their minister, Mr. Baxter wrote to them to join with him in prayers and sacrament, at that time when they had no opportunity for separate meetings. But their sufferings had so far alienated them from the church party, that they would not yield that his letter should be so much as read among them. However, Mr. Baxter kept up a peculiar respect to them, and concern for them, as long as he lived.
His works were various. Dr. Bates, in his funeral sermon, says that his books, for the number and variety of matter in them, make a library. They contain a treasure of controversial, casuistical, positive, and practical divinity; and the excellent Bishop Wilkins did not stick to say that he had cultivated every subject he handled. I will touch only upon those of his works that are here collected together in four volumes.
The first volume contains his "Christian Directory." The first part of it, which he calls "Christian Ethics," is perhaps the best body of practical divinity that is extant in our own or any other tongue. And though in the "Ecclesiastical Cases" there are some things that are not to every man's gust, (and no other could well be expected where there is so vast a variety,) yet he that will have the patience to read through, will find his pains rewarded by ample instruction.
The second volume contains, I. "The Reasons of the Christian Religion;" which book hath relieved many when under temptations to infidelity. II. "The Unreasonableness of Infidelity;" where a clear account is given of the nature of the witness of the Spirit to the truth of Christianity, and of the unpardonable sin committed in opposition to it. And a discourse is added about the arrogancy of reason in opposition to divine revelation, that is very proper for those who being for a freedom of thought would know how to keep it within due bounds, so as to prevent extravagance. III. "More Reasons for the Christian Religion;" which contains a vindication of the Holy Scriptures from the charge of contradictions; and some animadversions on my Lord Herbert "De Veritate." IV. His "Treatise of Conversion;" a set of plain sermons preached at Kidderminster, explaining the nature and the necessity, the benefits and hinderances, of a thorough change of heart and life. V. "A Call to the Unconverted;" which has been blessed by God with marvellous success in reclaiming persons from their impiety. Six brothers were once converted by reading it. Twenty thousand of them were printed and dispersed in little more than a year's time. It was translated into French and Dutch, and other European languages. And Mr. Eliot translated it into the Indian language; and Mr. Cotton Mather gives an account of a certain Indian prince, who was so affected with this book, that he sat reading it with tears in his eyes till he died, not suffering it to be taken from him. VI. "Now or Never;" in which all are seriously urged to improve the present time, in order to a hearty return to God through Jesus Christ. VII. "Directions and Persuasions to a Sound Conversion;" a book that has been useful to many souls, by preventing those mistakes in practical religion, which are often fatal. VIII. "A Saint or a Brute;" being some plain sermons preached to his people at Kidderminster, concerning the necessity and excellency of holiness. IX. "The Mischiefs of Self-Ignorance, and Benefits of Self-Acquaintance;" being some plain sermons preached at St. Dunstan's, in Fleet Street, to prevent persons from devouring others, while they did not know themselves. X. "A Right Method for Settled Peace of Conscience;" written for the benefit of a melancholy lady; a book by which many dejected christians have been revived. XI. "God's Goodness Vindicated;" an essay to clear up that darling attribute of the Deity about which melancholy persons often run into such unhappy mistakes. XII. "Directions to a Weak Christian how to Grow in Grace; with Characters of a Sound Christian;" well worth the perusal of such as desire to have right and clear notions of christianity.
The third volume contains, I. "The Saints' Everlasting Rest;" a book written in a very languishing condition, when in the suspense of life and death; and yet it has the signatures of a holy and vigorous mind. Multitudes will have cause to bless God for ever for this book. Among others, holy Mr. John Janeway was thereby converted.[5] II. "A Treatise of Self-Denial"; in which the nature and grounds of that capital part of our holy religion are opened and cleared. III. "Of Crucifying the World by the Cross of Christ;" an affecting caveat against worldliness. IV. "The Life of Faith;" which was an enlargement of the sermon preached before King Charles II., soon after his Restoration. Though there are many things to be met with here, that occur in his other writings, (a thing not to be avoided in one that wrote so much,) yet has the method in which they are here put together been advantageous to many. V. "The Divine Life;" in which there are three Treatises: viz. "Of the Knowledge of God," "Of Walking with God," and "Of Conversing with God in Solitude;" in which there is more solid and useful divinity than in some bulky volumes. VI. "The Divine Appointment of the Lord's day;" written for the satisfaction of some that were inclined to the seventh-day sabbath. VII. "Obedient Patience." VIII. "His Dying Thoughts;" in which though there are some peculiarities, and an account of some temptations, that it is amazing that such a man as Mr. Baxter should be at all troubled with; there yet are some as noble thoughts as to the happiness of the saints departed, and as to our blessed Saviour's transfiguration, and the improvableness of it, as can easily be met with.
The fourth and last volume contains, I. "Compassionate Counsel to Young Men;" which many have had cause to bless God for. II. "The Mother's Catechism;" designed for the instruction of children, and for the assistance of mothers in discharging their duty in that respect. III. "Catechising of Families;" a plain manual; familiarly opening the great essentials of religion in a catechetical way. IV. "The Poor Man's Family Book;" a book that hath been given away by many landlords to their tenants with good success. V. "Confirmation and Restoration," &c.; being an essay to revive the true primitive discipline, by bringing the baptized publicly to own their standing to the baptismal vow when they come to age; and proposing that such as fall into scandalous sins should be restored by a public profession of repentance. VI. "Gildas Salvianus, or the Reformed Pastor;" which perhaps contains the best model of a gospel minister that ever was published. We may indeed there meet with a free confession of ministerial faults; which confession some endeavoured to turn to his reproach: but the confessing and amending real faults, is a much more likely way to secure the honour of the sacred ministry, than either a denying them, or a seeking to cloak, extenuate, or cover them. VII. "The Vain Religion of the Formal Hypocrite;" where hypocrisy is freely detected and unmasked. VIII. "Cain and Abel;" in which the malignity of the enmity between the Seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, is proved to have discovered itself from the first. IX. "Knowledge and Love;" wherein conceited knowledge is exposed, and the excellency of divine love displayed. X. "Catholic Unity;" a sermon preached in St. Martin's Church, in which it is shown how greatly ungodliness tendeth to divisions, and godliness to the truest unity and peace. XI. "The True and only Way of Concord." XII. Sermons preached upon sundry particular occasions; with a few "Directions to Justices of Peace," &c.
I shall only add, that if the recommendations of others would have any influence upon the readers, or their characters of the author increase their esteem, few writers would have more advantage than Mr. Baxter. For besides that there are none of our practical divines whose works have been translated into more foreign languages, nor are read with more admiration abroad than his, there is no one who by the fittest judges has been more applauded.
Mr. Pitcaren, in his "Harmony of the Evangelists," p. 269, professes a great esteem for his learning, acuteness, and piety.
Mr. Wood, Professor of Divinity in the University of St. Andrews, in his answer to Mr. Lockier, represents Mr. Baxter as a most judicious, acute, and godly man.
The Honourable Robert Boyle, Esq. declared Mr. Baxter to be the fittest man of the age for a casuist because he feared no man's displeasure, nor hoped for any man's preferment.