The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1850-01-15
Baxters Courtship and Maria ge

Baxter's Courtship and Marriage.
Among Baxter's old parishioners OF
Kidderminster, was widowed lady ol
gentle birth, named Charlton, who, with
her daughter Margaret, occupied house
in the neighborhood. The daughter
was a brilliant girl, of strangely vivid
wit" and "in early YOUTH" he tells US,
"pride and romance and company suit
able thcreunto. did take her up" But
ere long. Baxter, who acted in the double
capacity of spiritual and temporal
physician, was sent for to visit her, on
an occasion of sickness. He minister
ed TO her bodily and mental sufferings,
and thus secured her gratitude and con-
idence. On her recovery, under the in
fiuence Of his warnings and admoni-
tlons, the gay young girl became
thoughtful and serious, abandoned her
light books and companions, and devo-
ted herself to the duties Of Christian
profession. Baxter was her counsellor
and confidant. She disclosed to him all
her doubts, trials and temptations, and
he in return, wrote her long letters Of
sympathy, consolation and encourage.
ment. He began to feel such an un-
wonted interest in the moral and spirit
ual growth of his young disciple that in
his daily walks among the parishioners,
he found himself inevitably drawn to-
wards her mothers dwelling.
In her presence, the habitual austerily
of his manner was sofiened; his cold,
close heart warmed and expanded He
began to repay her confidence with his
own, disclosing to her all his plans Of
benevolence, soliciting her services, and
waiting with Difference for her judgment
upon them. A change came over his
habits of thought and his literary tastes :;
the harsh, rude disputant, the tough, dry
logician, found himself addressing to
his young friend epistles in verse on doc
trinal points AMI matters of casuistry,
Westminster Catechism in rhythm and
measured harmonies.
A miracle alone could have made Bax.
ter poet the cold, clear light Of rea-
son "paled the Intellectual fires" of his
Imagination; oil things presented them
selves to his vision with hard outlines
colorless, and with no surrounding at
mosphere." That he did, nevertheless,
write verses so creditably as to Justify a
ludicious modern critic in their citation
and approval, can perhaps be accounted
for only as one of the phenomena Of that
subtle and transforming influence to
which even his stern nature was uncon-
sciously yielding Baxter was in love.
Never did the blind god try his arch
cry on a more unpl omsing subject
Baxter was nearly so years OF age, and
looked still older. His life had been
one long fast and pennance. Even in
youth he had never known a schoolboy's S
love for cousin or playmate. He had
resolutely closed up his heart against E.
motions which he regarded as the al
Iurements of time and sense. lie mad
made merit of celibacy, and written
and published against the entanglement
of godly ministers in matrimonial en-
gagements and family cares. Ii is
questionable whether he now understood
his own case, or attributed to its right
cause the peculiar interest which he felt
in Margaret Charlton. Left to himself
il is more than probable that he might
never have discovered the true nature o
that interest, or conjectured that any.
thing whatever Of earthly passion OF
sublunary emotion had mingled with hi:
spiritual Platonism. Commissioned
and set apart 10 preach repentance lc
dying men-penniiess and harmless,
worn with bodily pain and mental toi
and treading as he believed on the
very margin Of his grave, what had h,
to do with iovel What power had h,
to inspire that tender sentiment, the ap
propriate offspring only of youth, anc
health and beauivi
"Could any Beatrice see
lover in such anchorire!"
! But, in the meantime, a rociproca
feeling was gaining strength in the hear
Of Margaret. To her grateful appre,
citation of the condescension Of a grea
and good man-grave, learned, and re
nowned,-to her youth and weakness
and to her enthusiastic admiration of hi
= intellectual powers, devoted to the high
: est and holiest objects, succeeded naiu
rally enough the tenderly suggestive pit,
of her woman's heart as she thought o
his lonely home, his unshared sorrows
e. his lack of those sympathies and kind
5 nesses which make tolerable the hare
Journey of life. Did she moi owe 4,
$ him, under God, the salvation of bod
and miadl Was he not her truest ant
most faithful friend, entering with liyel
interest into all her joys aud SORROWS
Had she not seen the clouds of his ha
btual sadness broken by CLEANS Of sun
ny warmth aud cheerlulness, as the,
! conversed together Could she do bet
. Ter than 10 devote herself to the pleas
!. ing task Of making his life happier, O
= comforting him in seasons of pain an,
: weariness, encouraging him in his vas
abors, aud throwing over the cold an
hard austerites Of his nature the warmt
: aud light of domestic affecIionl Pity
e reverence. gratitude. and womanly ten
$ derness-her ferv,d Imagination and tn
: sympathies Of a deeply religious natur
! : combined to influence her decision
: Disparity of age and condition rendere
|. il improbable that Baxter would eve
: venture to address her in any other ca
d paciiy than that of friend aud teacher
land it was left TO herself to give the fir