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

18. And it was a great advantage to me, that there were at last few that were bad, but some of their own Relations were Converted: Many Children did God work upon at 14, or 15, or 16 years of Age: And this did marvellously reconcile the Minds of the Parents and Elder sort to Godliness: They that would not hear me, would hear their own Children: They that before could have talked against Godliness, would not hear it spoken against when it was their Children's Case: Many that would not be brought to it themselves, were proud that they had understanding Religious Children: And we had some old Persons of near Eighty years of Age, who are, I hope, in Heaven, and the Conversion of their own Children was the chief means to overcome their Prejudice and old Customs and Conceits.

18. And it was a great advantage to me, that there were at last few that were bad, but some of their own Relations were Converted: Many Children did God work upon at 14, or 15, or 16 years of Age: And this did marvellously reconcile the Minds of the Parents and Elder sort to Godliness: They that would not hear me, would hear their own Children: They that before could have talkt against Godliness, would not hear it spoken against when it was their Childrens Case: Many that would not be brought to it themselves, were proud that they had understanding Religious Children: And we had some old Persons of near Eighty years of Age, who are, I hope, in Heaven, and the Conversion of their own Children was the chief means to overcome their Prejudice and old Customs and Conceits.

19. And God made great use of Sickness to do good to many. For though Sickbed Promises are usually soon forgotten; yet was it otherwise with many among us: And as soon as they were recovered, they first came to our private Meetings, and so kept in a learning state, till further Fruits of Piety appeared.

20. And I found that our disowning of the Iniquity of the Times, did tend to the good of many: For they despised those that always followed the stronger side, and justified every wickedness that was done by the stronger Party: Though we had judged the Parliaments War to be lawful and necessary, to save themselves and us from the Irish and their Adherents, and to punish Delinquents in a Course of Law, while we believed that nothing was intended against the King or Laws; yet as soon as ever we saw the Case changed, and Cromwell's Army enter into a Rebellion against King and Parliament, and kill the King, and invade the Scots, and fight against the King that should have succeeded, &c. we openly disowned them, and on all just occasions expressed our abhorrence of their Hypocrisy, Perjury, and Rebellion; (except two or three idle drunken Fellows that thought to live by flattering the Times, this was the Sense of all the Town). And had I owned the Guilt of others, it would have been my shame, and the hinderance of my work, and provoked God to have disowned me.