172 LIFE OF itICHARD BAXTER. " Shortly after our disputation at the Savoy, I went to Rickmers- worth, hi Hertfordshire, and preached there but once, from Matt. xxii. 12, ! And he was speechless.' ,I spake nota word that was any nearer kin to sedition, or that had any greater tendency to pro- voke them, than by showing that wicked men, and the refusers of grace, however they may have now many things to say to excuse their sin, will, at last, be speechless, and dare not stand to their wickedness before God. Yet did the bishop ofWorcester tell me, when he silenced me, that the bishopof Londonhad showed him letters from one of the hearers, assuring him, that I preached sedi- tiously.- So little security was anyman's innocency, who displeas- ed the bishops, to his reputation with that party, ifhe had but one auditor that desired to get favor by accusing him. A multitude of such experiences made me perceive, when I was silenced, that there was some mercy in it in the midst ofjudgment for Ishould scarce have preached a sermon, or put up a prayer to God, which one or other, throughmalice or hope of favor, would not have been tempt- ed to accuse as guilty of some hainous crime. And as Seneca saith, ' He that bath an ulcer, crieth OH ! if he do but think you touched him.' "Soon after my return to London, I wentinto Worcestershire, to try whether it were possible to have any honest terms from the reading vicar there, that I might preach to my former flock; but when 1 had preached twice or thrice, he deniedme libertyto preach any more. I offered to take my lecture, which he was beund to allow me, under a bond of £500; but he refused it. I next offer- ed to be his curate, and he refused it. I next offered to preach for nothing, and he refused it ; and, lastly, Idesired leave but once to administer the sacrament to the people, and preach my farewell sermon to them ; but he would not consent. At last, I understood that he was directed by his superiors to do what he did. But Mr. Baldwin, an able preacher whom I left there, was yet per- mitted. At that time, my aged father lying in great pain of the stone and strangury, I went to visit him; twenty miles further; andwhile I was there, Mr. Baldwin came to me, and told me that he also was forbidden to preach. We returned both to Kidderminster, and having a lecture at Sheffnal in the way, I preached there, and staid not to hear the evening sermon, because I would make haste to the bishop. It fell out that my turn at another lecture was on the same day with that at Sheffnal, viz., at Cleobury, in Shropshire; and many were met in expectation to hear me. But a company of soldiers were there, as the country thought, to have apprehended me ; who shut the doors against the minister that would have preached in my stead, bringing a command to the churchwarden to
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