ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts of concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. Richard Baxter's Reformed Liturgy, a liturgical book written in a fortnight at the Savoy conference but based on his liturgical experiments during the interregnum, represents a splendid example of such liturgical creativity. Although Baxter's liturgical opus has been characterized as epitomizing puritanical verbosity, and justifiably so, significant surprises await the reader who successfully navigates Baxter's cerebral verbiage. Baxter's attention to liturgical constructs reveals that his liturgical craft involved more than words alone; indeed, the words of the liturgy, even when presented in the plain puritan style, were to be structured in order to bring about further layers of meaning. In this regard, three theological areas that figure prominently in Baxter's liturgy: ecclesiology, covenantal/sacramental theology, and pastoral. Baxter's ecclesiology was one that sought concord and unity among Christians of various opinions. Horton Davies remarked that Baxter could be the 'first exponent of Ecumenism in England'.
