178 LIFE OF RICHARD BAXTER. the unlawfulness of takingarms against the king or those comtnis- sinned by him, upon any pretense whatever. "When the Act of Uniformity was passed," says Baxter, "it gave no longer time than 'till Bartholomew's day, Aug. 24, 1662, and then they must be all cast out. This fatal day called to re- membrance the French massacre, when, on the same day, thirty or forty thousand Protestants perished by Roman religious zeal and charity. I had no place of my own; but I preached twice a week, by request, in other men's congregations, at Milk Street and Blackfriars. The last sermon that I preached in public was on May 25. The reasons why I gave over sooner than most others were, because lawygrs did interpret a doubtful clause in the act, as ending the ,liberty of lecturers at that time; because I would let authority soon know that I intended to obey in all that was lawful ; because I would let all ministers in England understand in time, whether I intended toconformor not; for, had I staid to the last day, some would have conformed the sooner, from a supposition that I intended it. These, with other reasons, moved me to cease three months before Bartholomew's day, which many censured for awhile, but, afterwards, better saw the reasons of it. "* By this measure about two thousand ministers, most of themwell qualified for their office, and devoted and successful in their work, were at once cast out of their places, and forbidden to preach the gospel. When the Popish clergy were ejected at the reformation, some provision wasmade for their relief ; and so it waswith theminis- ters deprived by the Long Parliament, and afterwardsbyCromwell: at both those periods, one fifth of the income of the living was uni- formly reserved for the benefit of the person ejected. But in this case, these two thousand ministers were turned out at once upon the world without the least means of subsistence, and forbidden even to keep " any public or private school," or to instruct youth in any private family." -" And now," says Baxter, " came in the great inundationof calamities, which, in many streams, overwhelm- ed thousands of godly Christians, together with their pastors. As for example ; 1. Hundreds of able ministers, with their wives and children, had neither, house nor bread ; for many of them had not past thirty or forty pounds per annum apiece, and most but sixtyor eighty pounds per annum, and few had any considerable estates of their own. 2. The people's poverty was so great, that they were not able much to relieve their ministers. 3. The jealousy ofthe state and the malice of their enemies were so great, that people that were willing durst not be known to give to their ejectedpas- tors, lest it should be said that they maintained schism, or were * Narrative, Part II. p. 384.
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