Complex sentence: His first charge was the parish of Stenton in East Lothian, a retired and quiet place, where he found little either of social or spiritual life, but where for twelve years he laboured with great diligence, and not without encouragement.
Split into simpler sentences: His first charge was the parish of Stenton in East Lothian. This was a retiring and quiet place, where he found little either of social or spiritual life, but where for twelve years he laboured with great diligence and not without encouragement.