Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, or, Mr. Richard Baxters narrative of the most memorable passages of his…

§ 30. When I had been here a while, in the beginning of July, the two Families which I had last lived in, at Dudley and Bridgnorth, were at once visited with Sickness, and they both sent for me (upon a conceit of my skill in Physic), but being from home I went to neither of them; and it proved a most contagious malignant Fever next the Plague; Mrs. Foley and some of her Family died: and Mr. Madestard, his Wife, and a Gentlewoman that lived with them, died within a day or two each of other. Being with my old Friend Mr. William Rowley, the sad Message came to us (Mr. Madestard being his Kinsman) and I went with him to the Funeral, and preached his Funeral Sermon in so deep a sense of the misery of that unprofitable People, and the deep groans which I have heard from their faithful Pastor, for their obdurateness, that I could not forbear to tell them my fears of some heavy Judgment to come upon that place, which they were more capable of laying to heart than their Pastor's death. I had never before (nor ever did I since) presume upon such kind of Predictions, (nor did I speak that with any pretence of Prophecy) but the expression of that fear I could not then suppress: My Text was Ezek 33. 33. And when this cometh to pass (lo it will come) then shall they know that a Prophet hath been among them. And when the War was begun, the Town (being against the Parliament) was a Garrison for the King, kept by the Neighbour Gentlemen of the Country; who fortified the Castle, and when the ⟨p. 21⟩Parliament's Forces came to take the Town, they cast such effectual Fire-works from the Castle as burnt down the Town to the Ground, and burnt also the great Church where I preached that Sermon, and where Mr. Madstard was interred: So that the Inhabitants were undone, and fain to lye under Hedges, till the Compassion of others afforded them Entertainment and Habitation. And as for their Church, it was a great while before it was rebuilt, and that after two general Collections, for it. The first time that I came among them when the Wars were past, I chose the same Text again to preach on, to call their sins against their faithful Pastor to remembrance: But they and I were so much interrupted with Tears, that (with some Pauses) I had much ado to proceed on to the end.

§ 30. When I had been here a while, in the beginning of Iuly, the two Families which I had last lived in, at Dudley and Bridgnorth, were at once visited with Sickness, and they both sent for me (upon a conceit of my skill in Physick), but being from home I went to neither of them; and it proved a most contagious malignant Fever next the Plague; Mrs. Foley and some of her Family died: and Mr. Madestard, his Wife, and a Gentlewoman that lived with them, died within a day or two each of other. Being with my old Friend Mr. William Rowley, the sad Message came to us (Mr. Madestard being his Kinsman) and I went with him to the Funeral, and preached his Funeral Sermon in so deep a sense of the misery of that unprofitable People, and the deep groans which I have heard from their faithful Pastor, for their obdurateness, that I could not forbear to tell them my fears of some heavy Judgment to come upon that place, which they were more capable of laying to heart than their Pastor's death. I had never before (nor ever did I since) presume upon such kind of Predictions, (nor did I speak that with any pretence of Prophesie) but the expression of that fear I could not then suppress: My Text was Ezek 33. 33. And when this cometh to pass (loe it will come) then shall they know that a Prophet hath been among them. And when the War was begun, the Town (being against the Parliament) was a Garrison for the King, kept by the Neighbour Gentlemen of the Country; who fortified the Castle, and when the