PART II. Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter. 301 der knew that they once appeared in Arms for Cromwell or any Ufirrpers; and challenged him upon his word to name one time. I could not get him to name any time till I had urged him to the utmoft ; and then he inllanced In the time when the Scots Army fled from WorceJfer: 1 challenged him to name one Man of them that was at Worceffer Fight, or bare Arms there, or at any timefor theUfur- pers : And when he could name none, I told him that all that was done to my knowledge inSixteen yearsof that kind, was but this, that when the Scots fled fromWorceffer, as all the Country fought in covetoufnefs to catch fome of them, for their Hortes, fo two idle Rogues of Kedderminfter, that never communicated with me any more than he did, haddrawn two or three of their Neighbours with them in the Night as the Scots fled to catch their Horfes : And 1 never heard of three that they catcht : And I appealed to the Bishop and hisConfcience,whether he that being urged could name no more but this, did ingenuoufly Accufe the Corporation, MagiliratesandPeopleto have appeared on all oécafion in Arms for Crowed. And when they had no more to fay, I told them, by this we faw what meafures toexpeet from Strangers ofhismind, when he that is our Neigh- bour, and noted for eminent Civility, never fticketh to fpeak fach things even of a People amongwhom he bath Rill lived § I fg.About the fame time,about Twenty or Two and twenty furious Fanaticks, called Fifth:Monarchy-men (one Penner a Wine-Cooper,and hisChurch that he prea- ched unto ) being tranfportedwith Enthufiallick Pride, did rife up in Arms, and fought in the Streets likeMad-men againft all that Rood in their way, till they were fome kill'd and the rat taken, judged and executed. I wrotea Letter at this time to my Mother-in-law, containing nothingbut our ufual matter, even Encou ragements to her inher Age and Weaknefs, fetcht from the nearnefs ofher Reft, to- gether with the Report of this News, andCome fharp and vehement words again!' theRebels. By themeans of Sir yobn Packington, or his Soldiers, the Poll was fearched, and my Letter intercepted, opened, and reviled, and by Sir yobn lent up, to London to the Bishop and the Lord Chancellour : fo that it was a wonder that having read it, they were not ashamed to fend it up : But joyful would they have been, could they but have found a wordin it, which could pollibly have been di- ftorted to an evilfence, that Malice might have had its Prey. I went to theLord Chancellour and complained of this usage, and that I had not the common liberty of a Subjedi, to converfeby Letters with my own Family. He difownedit, and blamed Mens ralhnefs, but excufed itfrom the Diftempersof the Times ; and he and the Bithops confelfed they hadfeenthe Letter, and there was nothing in it but what was good and pious. And two days aftercame theLord Windt r Lord Lieu- tenant of the Country, and Governour ofYamaica, with Sir Charles Littleton the King's Cup bearer, to bring me my Letter again to my. Lodgings ; and the Lord Wind/or told me, The Lord Chancellour appointed him todo it: After fome ex- prellion of my fenfeof theAbufe, I thanked him for his great Civility and Favour. But I faw how far that fort of Men were to be Milted. § 160. And here I will interpofe a Ihort Account of my Publick Miniftry in London: Being removed from my ancient Flock in Worceflerfhire, andyet being,un- certain whether I might return to them or not,Irefuted to take any other Charge, but preached up and down London ( for nothing) according as I was invited. When I haddone thus above a year, I thought a fixed place was better, and' fo I joyned with Dr. Batesat St. Gaoltan's in the Weft in Fleetfiroer, and preached once a week, for which the People allowed me fome Maintenance. Before this time I fcarce ever preached a Sermon in the City, but I had News front Weflminffer that Ihad preached feditioufly , or againft the Government , when I had neither a thought nor a wordof any fuch tendency. Sometimes1 preached purposely againft Faétion, Schifm, Sediti n end Rebellion, and thofe Sermons alfo were reported to be Factious and Sediti Some Sermons at Covent Gardenwere fo much"accufed, that I was fain to print t em, (theBook iscalled TheFormal Hypocrite detetled, &c.) But when the Sermons were printed, I had trot a word more againft them. The, Accufations were all general (ofSedition and FaCtion, and againft the Church ) but not one Syllablecharged in particular. § t6r. The Congregations being crowdedwas that which provoked Envyto ac- cute me : And one day the Crowd diddrive mefrom my place. It fell out that at Deeftan's Church in the midRof Sermon, a little Lime and Duft (and perhaps a pieceof a. Brick or two ) fell down in the Steepleor Beifray near the Boys, which put the whole Congregation into fudden Melancholy, fo that they thought that the Steeple and Church were falling ; which put them all into fo confuted a halle to
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