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

§ 173. 18. Near the same time I published a Treatise of Conversion, being some plain Sermons on that Subject, which Mr. Baldwin (an honest young Minister that had lived in my House, and learnt my proper Characters, or short-hand, in which I wrote my Sermon Notes) had transcribed out of my Notes. And though I had no leisure, for this or other Writings, to take much care of the stile, nor to add any Ornaments, or Citations of Authors, I thought it might better pass as it was, than not at all; and that if the Author, mist of the Applause of the Learned, yet the Book might be profitable to the Ignorant, as it proved through the great Mercy of God.

§ 174. 19. Also I published a shorter Treatise on the same Subject, entitled, A Call to the Unconverted, &c. The Occasion of this was my Converse with Bishop Usher while I was at London, who much approving my Method or Directions for Peace of Conscience, was importunate with me to write Directions suited to the various States of Christians, and also against particular Sins: I reverenced the Man, but disregarded these Persuasions, supposing I could do nothing but what is done as well or better already: But when he was dead his Words went deeper to my Mind, and I purposed to obey his Counsel; yet so as that to the first sort of Men (the Ungodly) I thought vehement Persuasions meeter than Directions only: And so for such I published this little Book; which God hath blessed with unexpected Success ⟨p. 115⟩beyond all the rest that I have written (except The Saints Rest): In a little more than a Year there were about twenty thousand of them printed by my own Consent, and about ten thousand since, besides many thousands by stolen Impressions, which poor, Men stole for Lucre sake: Through God's Mercy I have had Informations, almost whole Households converted by this small Book, which I set so light by: And as if all this in England, Scotland and Ireland were not Mercy enough to me, God (since I was silenced) hath sent it over on his Message to many beyond the Seas; for when Mr. Elliot had printed all the Bible in the Indians Language, he next translated this my Call to the Unconverted, as he wrote to us here: And though it was here thought prudent to begin with the Practice of Piety, because of the envy and distaste of the times against me, he had finished it, before that Advice came to him. And yet God would make some farther use of it; for Mr. Stoop the Pastor of the French Church in London, being driven hence by the displeasure of Superiors, was pleased to translate it into elegant French, and print it in a very curious Letter, and I hope it will not be unprofitable there; nor in Germany, where it is printed in Dutch.