140 LIVES. OF THE PURITANS. country church where he was preaching. His text was Job xi. 12. " For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt." He, observing the irreve- rence of the people, threatened to make them cry before he had done, and was as good as his word when he came to the application. The aged minister, for whom he then preached, told me, as our author adds, that he never saw the like in that church before, almoS1 the whole of the congre- gation being bathed in tears ; and he further observes, that Mr. Saxton was a very studious and learned man, and a great Hebrean, and he constantly carried his Hebrew Bible with` hill(' into the pulpit.. There goes under his name a book, entitled " Christmas Cheere ; or, Profitable Notes of Two Sermons preached the 25th of December, being com- monly (how rightly let others judge) called Christmas day, and upon the day following, commonly called St. Stephen's day," 1606. Mr. Palmer has, by mistake, classed our venerable divine among the worthy ministers who were ejected after the restoration.+ GEORGE WALKER, B. D.-This, learned divine was horn. at Hawkshead in Lancashire, in the year 1581, and educated in St. John's college, Cambridge. Being favoured with religious parents, he enjoyed the benefit of their pious instructions when very'young4 which appeared of signal advantage to him in future life. Having finished his studies at the university, he went to London ; and, in the year 1614, became rector of St. John the Evangelist, in Watling-street.§. Here he continued a faithful and laborious minister nearly forty years, refusing all other preferments, though frequently offeredhim. He did not preach to obtain preferment, but to win souls to Christ. About the same time he became chaplain to Dr. Felton, bishop of Ely, who made choice of him the very morning of his consecration. He was a bold opposer of popery, and he engaged several times in public disputations against its errors and super- Thoresby's Vicaria Leodiensis, p. 87,88. + Palmer's Noncon. Mem. vol. i. p. 377. The following curious anecdote is related of him, which we give with- out comment :-" Being visited when a child with the small-pox, and those who stood expecting his dissolution, he started up out ofa trance, with this ejaculation, Lord, take me not away till .1" have chewed forth thypraises ; which, after his recovery, induced his parents to devote him to the minis- try."-Fullei's Worthies, part ii. p. 118. Newcourea Repert. Bee!. vol. i. p. 375. sVim_
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