Richard Baxter: The Pastor's Pastor - An Autobiography
by Richard Baxter
Retail:$10.99 Your Price:$8.75 You Save:
$2.24
(20%)
Description
Baxter was one of the most influential of the Puritans. He recognized the value of writing about 170, which have sold in tens of millions since. The amazing thing is that while he was such a prolific author he also exercised an exemplary pastoral ministry, preached to Oliver Cromwell and Charles II, and was hounded by the authorities.
Baxter was eventually imprisoned by the notorious 'bloody' judge Jeffreys, whom Baxter obviously exasperated during his trial. "I see the rogue in your face", declared the judge to Baxter, in the courtroom. "I was not aware my face was so true a mirror", shot back Baxter without hesitation.
During his pastorate at Kidderminster in England he, and one assistant, were catechizing 800 hundred families each year by taking them in groups of 14 or 15 families on Mondays and Tuesdays. On Thursdays, Baxter acted as an informal judge, settling disputes between people on every sort of issue, known as "cases of conscience". The effect on the community was such that 'the jails in Kidderminster were empty' at this time - yet he considered all this as secondary to his writing.
Baxter's autobiography is fascinating because you can read the thoughts behind the man's plans, actions and concerns, and learn the driving thought behind his ministry. Not only do you get an insight into the Puritan mind but also a survey of the society and times in which he lived.
