P A I: r I. Reverend Mr. RichardBaxter. 8 fide of a Street that didnot fo; and that did not by profefling ferions Godlinefs, give us hopes of their fincerity : And thofeFamilies which were the worft , being Innsand Alehoufes, ufualiy fore perfora in each Houle did feem to be Religious. Though our Adminiltration of theLords Supper was fo ordered as difpleafed ma- ny, and the far greater part kept away themfelves, yet we had 600 that, were Com- municants, of whom therewas not twelve that I had not good hopes of, as to their fincerity : and thofe few that did confentto our Communion, and yet lived fcan- daloufly were Excommunicated afterward : And I hope there were many that had the Fear of Godthat came not to our Communion in theSacrament, foreof them . being kept offby Husbands, by Parents, by Matters, and fore diffwaded by Mesi that differedfrom us : Thofemany that kept away, yet took it patiently and did not revile us, as doing them wrong : And thofe unruly young men that were Ex- communicated, bore it patiently as to their outward behaviour, though their heats were full of bitternefs: ( except one, of whom I thall fpeak anon). When I fee upon Perfonal Conference with each Family, and Catechizing them, there were very fewFamilies in all the Town that refufed to come; and thole few were Beg- gers at the Towns-ends, who were fo ignorant that they were afhamed it lhould be manifeft. And few Families went fromme without fore tears, or feemingly feri- bus promifes for a Godly Life. Yet many ignorant and ungodly Perfons there were Rill among us : but molt of them werein the Parilh, and not in the Town; and in chofe parrs of the Pariah which were furthelt from the Town. Andwhereas one part of the Pariah was impropriate, and payed Tythes to Lay men, and the other part maintained theChurch, ( a Brook dividing them) it fell out that al- molt all that fide of the Parilh which paid Tythes to the Church, were godly, ho- nett People, and did it willinglywithout Contention ; and moat of the bad People of the Parif6 lived on theother fide. Someof thePoor men did competently un- derftand the Body of Divinity, and were able to judge in difficult Controverfies: Some ofthem were fo able in Prayer, that very few Minifters did match them, in order and blinds, and apt Expreflions, and holy Oratory, with fervency : Abun- dance of them were able to pray very laudably with their Families, or with others. The temper of their Minds, and the innocency of their Lives was much more laudable than theirParts. The Profeffors of ferions Godlinefi, were generally of very humble Minds and Carriage ; of meek and quiet behaviour unto others ; and of blamelefnefs and innocency in their Converfations. AndGodwaspleafed alto to givenie abundant Encouragement in the Leâures which I preached abroad in other places ; as at WarceFter, Cleobury, &c. but efpeci- ally at Dndley and Sheffual ; at the former of which (being the find place that ever I preached in) the poor Hailers and other Labourers would not only crowd the Church as full as ever I law any in London, but alfo hang upon the Windows,and the Leads without. And in my poor Endeavourswith my Brethren in the Miniltry , my Labours were not loft ; Our Dilputations provednot unprofitablh ; Our Meetings were ne- ver contentious, but always comfortable s We took great delight in the Company ofeach other ; fo that I knew that the remembrance of thofe days is pleafant both tothem and me :whenDifcouragements had long kept me frommotioning a way of Church-order andDifcipline, which all might agree in, that we might neither have Churches ungoverned, nor fall into Divifions among our retires; at the firlt motioningof it, I found a readierContent than I could expedh, and all went on without any great obftrudting difficulties : And when I attempted to bring them all conjunâly to thework of Catechizing and Inftruding every Family by it felt; I found a ready confent in mofe, and performance in many. So that I muff here to the pralleof my dear Redeemer, fee up this Pillar of Remembrance, even to his Praife who bath employed me fo many years info comfortablea Work , with fuch encouraging Succefs ! O what ana I, a worehlefs Worm, not only want- ing Academical Honours, but much of that Furniture which is needful to fo high a Work, that God fhould thus abundantly encourage me, when the Reverend In- ftruclors of my Youths, did labour Fifty years together in one place, and could fcarcely fay they had Converted one or two of their Parifhes ! And the greater was this Mercy, becaufe I was naturally of adifcouraged Spirit ; fo that if I had preached one Year, and feen no Fruits of it, I fhouldhardly have forborn running away likefonab, but fhould have thought that God called me not to that Place. Yea, the Mercy was yet greater in that it was of farther ;niblickBenefit : For fore Independents and Anabaptilts that hadbefore conceited, that Parilh Churches were the great Obftru&ion of all true Church Order and Difcipline, and that it was
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