Baxter, Richard
Baxter, Richard (1615–91). Puritan writer and theologian. Shropshire born and largely self-educated, Baxter was influenced by two Nonconformist preachers, Joseph Symons and Walter Craddock. Ordained deacon in 1638 by the bishop of Worcester, he served as curate at Kidderminster. At the Restoration he refused the bishopric of Hereford, taking his place with other ejected Nonconformists. His total literary output of 141 books and pamphlets includes such outstanding works as The Saints’ Everlasting Rest (1650) and Gildas Salvianus: The Reformed Pastor (1656). His lengthy autobiography, Reliquiae Baxterianae, was edited by Matthew Sylvester and published posthumously in 1696. Some of his hymns are still in use (e.g. ‘Ye holy angels bright’).
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Baxter, Richard
