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son_n	brother_n	daughter_n	sister_n	75,810	5	11.5950	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26870	A breviate of the life of Margaret, the daughter of Francis Charlton ... and wife of Richard Baxter ... : there is also published the character of her mother, truly described in her published funeral sermon, reprinted at her daughters request, called, The last work of a believer, his passing-prayer recommending his departing spirit to Christ, to be received by him.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1681 (1681)	Wing B1194; ESTC R1213	62,400	127

to live on the Charity of strangers § 18. When Warrants were out from Sir Thomas Davis to distrain of my goods for fines for my Preaching she did without any repining encourage me to undergo the loss and did her self take the trouble of removing and hiding my Library a while many score being so lost and after to give it away bonâ fide some to New England and the most at home to avoid distraning on them And the danger of Imprisonment and paying 40. l. for every Sermon was so far from enclining her to hinder or discourage me from any one Sermon that if she did but think I had the least fear or self-saving by fleshly wisdom in shrinking from my undertaken Office work it was so great a trouble to her that she could not hide it who could too much hide many others § 19. She was exceeding impatient with any Nonconforming Ministers that shrunk for fear of suffering or that were over-querulous and sensible of their wants or dangers and would have no man be a Minister that had not so much self-denial as to lay down all at the feet of Christ and count no cost or suffering too dear to serve him She greatly hated choosing or using the sacred Ministry for wealth ease or honour or any worldly end serving the flesh under the name of serving Christ and looking to be reverenced and honoured in this taking of Gods Name in vain § 20. Accordingly after some years wherein a lager course had been taken she was against my perswading Parents to devote their children to the Ministry that had but good Wits and Parts and were not prophane though my success with some did much encourage me to it heretofore But her sense of the sin and mischief of bad Ministers made her perswade all that in that case she had to do with to take heed of devoting their Sons to the Ministry till they had good reason to judg them truly godly and as she would not have pious persons to Marry such as were not pious on pretence of hopes that God would convert them so much less would she have such hopes that have no promise from God pretended for devoting unsanctified lads to the Sacred Office she saw how many even of good mens children prophaned the Ministy and turned to any course that did but serve their worldly interest that she was vehemently against addicting any to that Office that had not besides good Wits and Parts so great a love to God and Souls as to come to it with absolute self-denial resolved to serve Christ at the dearest rates and take his acceptance and the winning of Souls for their Benefice She was not willing to entice any into the way of the Ministry as a common Trade to live by in the world and would have had two or three Reading Writing and Catechising-Schools set up instead of one Grammar-School And she would not have Parents make Scholars of bad children nor send them to the Universities lest when they had a little wordy Learning they should make themselves Ministers whether their Parents would or not and so a swarm of such as had been a few years at the University should think a Benefice their due and take the charge of the souls of many that never knew the worth of one nor how it must be qualified and guided § 21. Her expectations of liberality to the poor from others were too high and her displeasure too great towards them that denied her whereupon when she saw a worthy person in debt or Prison or great want she would promise to gather them such a Sum and sometimes she was put to pay most of it her self But a Fortnight or Month before she died she promised to get 20. l. towards the relief of one of known name and worth and could get but 8. l. and somewhat over of it and paid all the rest her self § 22. Her judgment was that we ought to give more or less to every one that asketh if we have it and that Neighbourhood and notice and asking next to known indigence and great worth are the marks by which to know to whom God would have us give I thought that besides these we must exercise prudence in discerning the degrees of need and worth But she practised as she thought and specially to them in Prison for debt and blamed me if I denied any one § 23. Alas I know many poor Widows and oothers that think they have now lost a Mother and are left desolate whom I could wish some that are able would help instead of the help which they have lost § 24. She was much more liberal to many of my own poor kindred than I was But her way was not to maintain them in idleness but to take children and set them to some Trade or help them out of some special straits § 25. To her own kindred she bare a most tender love but her care was most to get them to be good and save their souls and next to settle them well in the world I had ever been greatly averse to motion Marriages yet she even compelled me first satisfying my reason to be a motioner of a Wife to her only Brothers Son who it 's said was worth to him above 20000. l. And her Sisters children she loved as if they had been her own especially three Daughters § 26. There are some things charged on her as faults which I shall mention 1. That she busied her head so much about Churches and works of Charity and was not content to live privately and quietly But this is but just what prophane unbelievers say against all zeal and serious godliness what needs there all this ado Doth not Paul call some women his helps in the Gospel He that knows what it is to do good and makes it the business of his life in the world and knows what it is to give account of our stewardship and to be doomed as the unprofitable slothful servant will know how to answer this accusation § 28. Another accusation is that she was wasteful and imprudent in leaving me so much in debt To that I answer 1. Let any one that reads what went before consider what she did and he will not wonder at her debts It was not to pamper her own body she used mean clothing and a far meaner diet for her own person I think much less than Cornario's and Lessius's proportion 2. And she went into no debt but by mortgage or otherwise she gave the Creditors good security for 3. But I confess she and I differed in this I thought I was to give but all my Income and not to borrow to give unless in some publick or extraordinary case she thought otherwise that while she could give security she ought to borrow to relieve the poor especially the most worthy Nor did she draw upon us any debt but what there was not only sufficient security for but also a fair prospect of our selves having a competency

not thought that his Book was disgraced if he wrote not over again all that every one else had written before him But my fault lay 1. In believing Dr. Stillingfleet who tells us That these Papers were written in K. Edward's Reign which made me look for them in Dr. Burnet's Second Volume where they are not And another affirming to me that he saw them in that second Volume and I perusing it purposely a second time confirmed me But Dr. B. saith Dr. Stillingfleet was mistaken many years and that they were written long before in the Reign of Hen. 8. and so he hath them in his first Volume which I had not perused not expecting them there And for this hasty judging I beg his Pardon As to these little private Histories of mine own Family forementioned I was loath to cast by mine own Mother-in-Laws Life She being a person of so long and extraordinay Holiness living long with Sir Robert Harley whose Lady was her Cousin-German and after at Shrewsbury and after with my Father and me c. in so great Communion with God contempt of the World and all its Pomp and Vanity so great Victory over the flesh and so long desires to die and especially in much constant fervent successful Prayer that had marvellous answers as very few Christians attain And I was loath to have cast by the Narrative of my Wifes Mother for some Reasons not now to be mentioned and because her Daughters extraordinary Love to her made her just honour very dear to her But her Character is in the Sermon truly given you But I am convinced by the judgment of my Friends that publick things are fittest for publick notice And I feel that Love Grief and Nearness affect me with the matters that are so near me and as it doth not much concern the world to know whether I am sick or well dead or alive or whether ever I had a being though it concerns me So I should think of the concerns of my Friends Affection makes us think our own or our Friends affairs to be such as the world should be affected with I perceive this weakness and submit That which is left out of the Narrative of my Wifes Life is the occasions and inducements of our Marriage and some passages between some Relatives and her which the world is not concerned yet at least to know If this that is written seem useless to any it will not hurt them if they leave it to others that find it more suitable to them All things be not agreeable to all That may be useful to persons of her own quality which is not so to many others To her Nephews and Neeces and some other Kindred who were also near to her and for whose sake above most others I write it you cannot think that it will be altogether useless O that they would all imitate her in all that is praise-worthy and needful to themselves The grand Objection I foresee will be That I seem but to predicate some of mine own good Works by praising hers And must I needs bury the memory of them as hers for fear of the sting of such Objectors I have told them truly It is not my own acts but those that were properly hers that I there mention It is not her giving of my Money which I there recite but that which either was her own and none of mine or else procured by her for those uses and the Works such in which I was but the Executor of her Will She is gone after many of my choicest Friends who within this one year are gone to Christ and I am following even at the door Had I been to enjoy them only here it would have been but a short comfort mixt with the many troubles which all our Failings and Sins and some degree of unsuitableness between the nearest and dearest cause But I am going after them to that Blessed Society where Life Light and Love and therefore Harmony Concord and Ioy are perfect and everlasting Reader While I give thee but the Truth forgive the effects of Age Weakness and Grief And if before I get over this owned Passion I publish also a few Poetical Fragments partly suited to the condition of some sick or sad afflicted Friends and partly to my own if thou accept them not forgive them only and neglect them As the man is such will be his thoughts and works The Lord prosper our preparation for our great approaching Change To leave this world for ever and enter upon an endless Life where we shall speed according to the preparations of this little inch of time doth certainly bespeak the most scrious Thoughts the wisest and speediest Care and Diligence the most patient Suffering the most unwearied Labour the most frugal use of all our Time the most resolute resistance to all Temptations and to the Faithful the most joyful Hopes July 23. 1681. Rich. Baxter A Breviate of the Life of Margaret the Daughter of Francis Charlton Esque and late Wife of Richard Baxter who dyed June 14. 1681. CHAP. I. Her Parentage and the occasion of our acquaintance § THough due affection make me willing to give the world a Narrative which else I had omitted yet the fear of God hath not so forsaken me that I should willingly deliver any falshood through partiality or passion but as I knew more of this person than any other for the good of the Readers and the honour of Gods grace in her I shall by Gods assistance truly report the things which I knew § 2. We were born in the same County within three miles and an half of each other but she of one of the chief Families in the County and I but of a mean Freeholder called a Gentleman for his Ancestors sake but of a small Estate though sufficient Her Father Francis Charlton Esq was one of the best Justices of the Peace in that County a grave and sober worthy man but did not marry till he was aged and gray and so dyed while his children were very young who were three of which the eldest daughter and his only son are yet alive He had one surviving Brother who after the Fathers death maintained a long and costly suit about the Guardianship of the Heir yet living This Unkle Robert was a comely sober Gentleman but the wise and good Mother Mary durst not trust her only Son in the hands of one that was his next heir And she thought that Nature gave her a greater Interest in him than an Unkle had But it being in the heat of the late Civil War Robert being for the Parliament had the advantage of strength which put her to seek relief at Oxford from the King and afterwards to marry one Mr. Hanmer who was for the King to make her interest that way Her house being a sort of a small Castle was now garisoned for the King But at last Robert procured it to be besieged by the Parliament's Soldiers and stormed and