Section 5: Narration of the Plague of 1665

The plague so great, so lately, should not be forgotten; yet lest the fire more lately, and proportionately more great, and the amazing fears, which since have risen within us, should shuffle former thoughts out of our minds, and raze out the impressions, which by the Plague we had, and should labor to retain to our dying hour: therefore I shall give a brief narration of this sad judgment, and some observations of mine own (who was here in the City from the beginning to the end of it) both to keep alive in myself and others, the memory of the judgment, that we may be the better prepared for compliance with God's design in sending the Plague among us.

It was in the year of our Lord 1665 that the Plague began in our City of London, after we were warned by the great Plague in Holland in the year 1664, and the beginning of it in some remote parts of our land the same year; not to speak anything whether there was any signification and influence in the Blazing-star not long before, that appeared in the view of London, and struck some amazement upon the spirits of many. It was in the month of May that the Plague was first taken notice of; our Bill of Mortality did let us know but of three which died of the disease in the whole year before; but in the beginning of May the bill tells us of nine, which fell by the Plague, just in the heart of the City, the other eight in the suburbs. This was the first arrow of warning that was shot from Heaven among us, and fear quickly begins to creep upon people's hearts; great thoughts and discourse there is in town about the Plague, and they cast in their minds whether they should go if the Plague should increase. Yet when the next week's bill signifies to them the disease from 9 to 3, their minds are something appeased; discourse of that subject cools; fears are hushed, and hopes take place, that the black cloud did but threaten, and give a few drops; but the wind would drive it away. But when in the next bill the number of the dead by the Plague is mounted from 3 to 14, and in the next to 17, and in the next to 43, and the disease begins so much to increase, and disperse.

Now secure sinners begin to be startled, and those who would have slept at quiet still in their nests, are unwillingly awakened. Now a great consternation seizes upon most persons, and fearful forebodings of a desolating judgment. Now guilty sinners begin to look about them, and think with themselves into what corner of the land they might fly to hide them. Now the profane and sensual, if they have not remorse for their sins; yet dread and terrors, the effects of guilt, they could not drive from them; and if by company, and carousing, and soft pleasures they do intoxicate and smoothen their spirits in the day; yet we may guess what dread does return upon them if they give but any room for retirement, and what hideous thoughts such persons have in the silent night, through fears of death which they are in danger of. Now those who did not believe an unseen God, are afraid of unseen arrows; and those which slighted God's threatenings of eternal judgments, do tremble at the beginning of his execution of one, and not the greatest temporal judgment. Now those which had as it were challenged the God of Heaven, and defied him by their horrid oaths and blasphemies, when he begins to appear, they retreat, indeed fly away with terror and amazement. The great orbs begin first to move; the lords and gentry retire into their countries; their remote houses are prepared, goods removed, and London is quickly upon their backs: few ruffling gallants walk the streets: few spotted ladies to be seen at windows: a great forsaking there was of the adjacent places where the Plague did first rage.

In June the number increases from 43 to 112, the next week to 168, the next to 267, the next to 470, most of which increase was in the remote parts; few in this month within, or near the walls of the City; and few that had any note for goodness or profession, were visited at the first: God gave them warning to consider and prepare themselves; yet some few that were choice were visited pretty soon, that the best might not promise to themselves a supersedeas, or interpret any place of Scripture so literally, as if the Lord had promised an absolute general immunity and defense of his own people from this disease of the Plague.

Now the citizens of London are put to a stop in the career of their trade; they begin to fear whom they converse with, and deal with, lest they should have come out of infected places. Now roses and other sweet flowers wither in the gardens, are disregarded in the markets, and people dare not offer them to their noses, lest with their sweet savor, that which is infectious should be attracted: Rue and Wormwood is taken into the hand; Myrrh and Zedoary into the mouth; and without some antidote few stir abroad in the morning. Now many houses are shut up where the Plague comes, and the inhabitants shut in, lest coming abroad they should spread infection. It was very dismal to behold the red crosses, and read in great letters, Lord have mercy upon us, on the doors, and watchmen standing before them with halberds, and such a solitude about those places, and people passing by them so gingerly, and with such fearful looks, as if they had been lined with enemies in ambush, that waited to destroy them.

Now rich tradesmen provide themselves to depart; if they have not country houses, they seek lodgings abroad for themselves and families, and the poorer tradesmen, that they may imitate the rich in their fear, stretch themselves to take a country journey, though they have scarce wherewithal to bring them back again. The ministers also, many of them, take occasion to go to their country places for the summertime; or it may be to find out some few of their parishioners that were gone before them, leaving the greatest part of their flock without food or physic, in the time of their greatest need. (I don't speak of all ministers; those which did stay out of choice and duty deserve true honor.) Possibly they might think God was now preaching to the city, and what need their preaching; or rather did not the thunder of God's voice frighten their guilty consciences, and make them fly away, lest a bolt from Heaven should fall upon them, and spoil their preaching for the future: and therefore they would reserve themselves till the people had less need of them. I do not blame many citizens retiring, when there was so little trading, and the presence of all might have helped forward the increase and spreading of the infection; but how did guilt drive many away, where duty would have engaged them to stay in the place? Now the high ways are thronged with passengers and goods, and London does empty itself into the country; great are the stirs and hurries in London by the removal of so many families; fear puts many thousands on the wing, and those think themselves most safe that can fly farthest off from the city.

In July the plague increases and prevails exceedingly; the number of 470 which died in one week by the disease rises to 725 the next week, to 1089 the next, to 1843 the next, to 2010 the next. Now the plague compasses the walls of the city like a flood, and pours in upon it. Now most parishes are infected, both without and within; indeed there are not so many houses shut up by the plague as by the owners forsaking of them for fear of it; and though the inhabitants be so exceedingly decreased by the departure of so many thousands, yet the number of dying persons does increase fearfully. Now the countries keep guards, lest infected persons should from the city bring the disease to them; most of the rich are now gone, and the middle sort will not stay behind; but the poor are forced through poverty to stay and abide the storm. Now most faces gather paleness, and what dismal apprehensions do then fill the minds, what dreadful fears do there possess the spirits, especially of those whose consciences are full of guilt, and have not made their peace with God? The old drunkards and swearers, and unclean persons are brought into great straits; they look on the right hand and on the left, and death is marching toward them from every part, and they know not where to fly that they may escape it. Now the arrows begin to fly very thick about their ears, and they see many fellow-sinners fall before their faces, expecting every hour themselves to be smitten; and the very sinking fears they have had of the plague has brought the plague and death upon many. Some by the sight of a coffin in the streets have fallen into a shivering, and immediately the disease has assaulted them, and Sergeant Death has arrested them, and clapped to the doors of their houses upon them, from where they have come forth no more, till they have been brought forth to their graves. We may imagine the hideous thoughts and horrid perplexity of mind, the tremblings, confusions, and anguish of spirit, which some awakened sinners have had, when the plague has broken in upon their houses, and seized upon near relations, whose dying groans sounding in their ears have warned them to prepare. When their doors have been shut up and fastened on the outside with an inscription, "Lord have mercy upon us," and none suffered to come in but a nurse, whom they have been more afraid of than the plague itself. When lovers and friends and companions in sin have stood aloof, and not dared to come near the door of the house, lest death should issue forth from there upon them. Especially when the disease has invaded themselves; and first began with a pain and dizziness in their head, then trembling in their other members; when they have felt boils to arise under their arms, and in their groins, and seen sores to come forth in other parts. When the disease has worked in them to that height as to send forth those spots which (most think) are the certain tokens of near approaching death; and now they have received the sentence of death within themselves, and have certainly concluded that within a few hours they must go down into the dust. And their naked souls, without the case of their body, must make their passage into eternity, and appear before the highest Majesty, to render their accounts, and receive their sentence. None can utter the horror which has been upon the spirits of such, through the lashes and stings of their guilty consciences, when they have called to mind a life of sensuality and profaneness, their uncleanness, drunkenness, injustice, oaths, curses, derision of saints and holiness, neglect of their own salvation. And when a thousand sins have been set in order before their eyes, with another aspect than when they looked upon them in the temptation; and they find God to be irreconcilably angry with them, and that the day of grace is over, the door of mercy is shut, and that pardon and salvation (which before they slighted) is now unattainable. That the grave is now opening its mouth to receive their bodies, and hell opening its mouth to receive their souls; and they apprehend that they are now just entering into a place of endless woe and torment, and they must now take up their lodgings in the inferior regions of utter darkness, with devils and their fellow damned sinners, and there abide forevermore in the extremity of misery, without any hopes or possibility of a release. And that they have foolishly brought themselves into this condition, and been the cause of their own ruin; we may guess that the despairing agonies and anguish of such awakened sinners has been of all things the most unsupportable — except the very future miseries themselves, which they have been afraid of.

In August how dreadful is the increase? From 2010 the number amounts up to 2817 in one week; and from there to 3880 the next; from there to 4237 the next; from there to 6102 the next; and all these of the plague, besides other diseases.

Now the cloud is very black, and the storm comes down upon us very sharp. Now death rides triumphantly on his pale horse through our streets, and breaks into every house almost where any inhabitants are to be found. Now people fall as thick as leaves from the trees in autumn, when they are shaken by a mighty wind. Now there is a dismal solitude in London-streets, every day looks with the face of a Sabbath day, observed with greater solemnity than it used to be in the City. Now shops are shut in, people rare and very few that walk about, in so much that the grass begins to spring up in some places, and a deep silence almost in every place, especially within the walls; no rattling coaches, no prancing horses, no calling in customers, nor offering wares; no London cries sounding in the ears; if any voice be heard, it is the groans of dying persons, breathing forth their last, and the funeral knells of them that are ready to be carried to their graves. Now shutting up of visited houses (there being so many) is at an end, and most of the well are mingled among the sick which otherwise would have got no help. Now in some places where the people did generally stay; not one house in an hundred but is infected; and in many houses half the family is swept away; in some the whole, from the eldest to the youngest; few escape with the death of but one or two: never did so many husbands and wives die together; never did so many parents carry their children with them to the grave, and go together into the same house under earth; who had lived together in the same house upon it. Now the nights are too short to bury the dead, the whole day though at so great a length is hardly sufficient to light the dead that fall therein into their beds.

Now we could hardly go forth, but we should meet many coffins, and see many with sores, and limping in the streets; among other sad spectacles, methought two were very affecting: one of a woman coming alone, and weeping by the door where I lived (which was in the midst of the infection) with a little coffin under her arm carrying it to the new churchyard; I did judge that it was the mother of the child, and that all the family besides was dead, and she was forced to coffin up and bury with her own hands this her last dead child. Another, was of a man at the corner of the Artillery-wall, that as I judge through the dizziness of his head with the disease, which seized upon him there, had dashed his face against the wall, and when I came by he lay hanging with his bloody face over the rails, and bleeding upon the ground; and as I came back he was removed under a tree in More-fields, and lay upon his back; I went and spoke to him; he could make me no answer, but rattled in the throat, and as I was informed, within half an hour died in the place.

It would be endless to speak what we have seen and heard of some in their frenzy, rising out of their beds, and leaping about their rooms; others crying and roaring at their windows; some coming forth almost naked, and running into the streets, strange things have others spoken and done, when the disease was upon them: But it was very sad to hear of one who being sick alone, and it is like frantic, burnt himself in his bed. Now the plague had broken in much among my acquaintance; and of about 16 or more whose faces I used to see every day in our house, within a little while I could find but 4 or 6 of them alive; scarcely a day passed over my head for I think a month or more together, but I should hear of the death of some one or more that I knew. The first day that they were smitten, the next day some hopes of recovery, and the third day that they were dead.

In September, when we hoped for a decrease, because of the season, because of the number gone, and the number already dead; yet it was not come to its height; but from 6102 which died by the Plague the last week of August, the number is augmented to 6988 the first week in September; and when we conceived some little hopes in the next week's abatement to 6544; our hopes were quite dashed again, when the next week it did rise to 7165, which was the highest Bill. And a dreadful Bill it was! And of the 130 parishes in and about the City, there were but 4 parishes which were not infected: and in those, few people remaining that were not gone into the country.

Now the grave does open its mouth without measure. Multitudes! multitudes! in the valley of the shadow of death, thronging daily into eternity; the churchyards now are stuffed so full with dead corpses, that they are in many places swelled two or three foot higher than they were before; and new ground is broken up to bury the dead.

Now hell from beneath is moved at the number of the guests that are received into its chambers; the number of the wicked which have died by the plague, no doubt, has been far the greatest, as we may reasonably conclude without breach of charity; and it is certain that all the wicked, which then died in sin, were turned into hell. How then are the damned spirits now increased? Some were damning themselves a little before in their oaths, and God is now damning their souls for it, and is passing the irreversible sentence of damnation upon them. Some were drinking wine in bowls a little before, and strong drink without measure; and now God has put another cup into their hands, a cup of red wine, even the wine of the wrath and fierceness of the Almighty. Some were a little before feasting their senses, pleasing their appetite, satisfying the desires of the flesh, and being past feeling had given themselves up to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness; but now their laughter is turned into mourning, and their joy into howling and woe. Now they have recovered their feeling again, but instead of the pleasures which they felt, and their sensual delights, which took away the feeling of their consciences, they are made to feel the heavy hand of God, and to endure such anguish and horror, through the sense of God's wrath, as no tongue can express. Now the atheists believe there is a God, and the Anti-scripturists are convinced of the truth of God's Word, by the execution of God's threats in the Word upon them. Now the covetous and unjust, the malicious and cruel, the scoffers and profane begin to suffer the vengeance of eternal fire; and the ignorant person with the civil, who are unacquainted with Jesus Christ are not excused; indeed the hypocrites, with all impenitent, and unbelieving persons, are sent down to the place of weeping. And surely hell wonders to see so many come among them from such a city as London, where they have enjoyed such plenty of such powerful means of grace; and place is given to them, even the lowest and hottest, where Judas and others are of the chiefest note.

Yet hell does not engross all that die by the visitation; some there are (though not the first or most) who have room made for them in the mansions, which are above. The plague makes little difference between the righteous and the wicked (except the Lord by a peculiar providence do shelter some under his wing, and compass them with his favor as with a shield, hereby keeping off the darts that are shot so thick about them) yet as there is little difference in the body of the righteous, and of others: so this disease makes little discrimination, and not a few fearing God, are cut off among the rest. They die of the same distemper, with the most profane; they are buried in the same grave, and there sleep together till the morning of the resurrection. But as there is a difference in their spirits, while they live: so there is a difference and the chiefest difference in their place and state after their separation from the body. Dives is carried to hell, and Lazarus to Abraham's bosom, though he died with his body full of sores. Devils drag the souls of the wicked after they have received their final doom at the bar of God, into utter darkness where there is weeping, and wailing and gnashing of teeth. But angels convey the souls of the righteous into the heavenly paradise, the new Jerusalem which is above, where God is in his glory; and the Lord Jesus Christ at his right hand; and thousand thousands stand before him, and ten thousand times ten thousand administer to him; even an innumerable company of angels, and where the spirits of all just men and women made perfect were before gathered; where there is fullness of joy, and rivers of eternal pleasures running about the throne of God, the streams of which do make glad all the inhabitants of new Jerusalem. Now the weak prison doors of the body are broken down; and the strong everlasting gates of their Father's palace are lifted up; and the saints are received with joy and triumph into glory, and they come with singing into Zion, and everlasting joy in their hearts, and all sorrow and sighing does fly away like a cloud, which never any more shall be seen. Now the veil is rent, and they enter the holy of holies, where God dwells, not in the darkness of a thick cloud, as in the Temple of old; but in the brightness of such marvelous light and glory, as their eyes never did behold, neither could enter into their heart to conceive. There they have the vision of God's face, without any eclipse upon the light of his countenance; there they have the treasures of God's love opened, and his arms to receive them with dearest and sweetest embracements; which kindles in their hearts such a flame of love, so ravishing and delightful, as words cannot utter. There they are entertained by the Lord Jesus Christ, whom in the world they have served, and he that showed them his grace, which they have wondered at, when they were in the body, does now show them his glory, which they wonder at much more. There they are welcomed by angels, who rejoice if at their conversion, much more at their coronation; there they sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of their Father; there they find Moses, and David, and Samuel, and Paul, and all the holy martyrs and saints, which have died before them, among whom they are numbered, and placed, who rejoice in their increased society.

And as there is a great difference between the condition of the souls of the righteous, and the wicked, who died by the same disease of the plague, after their death and separation, so there is a great difference between the bearing of their spirits at their death, and upon their sick bed. Some wicked men are stupid and senseless, and are given up to a judicial hardness, and die in a sleep of carnal security, out of which they are not awakened, till they are awakened in the midst of flames: others more sensible, and considering what has been, and what is coming upon them, are filled with inexpressible terror, through the roarings and tearings of a guilty accusing conscience, and the forethoughts of that horrible unsupportable torment they are so near to. Now scaring dreams do terrify them, and fearfulness of the bottomless pit, and the burning lake below does surprise them, and some break forth in the anguish of their despairing souls; Who can dwell with devouring fire, who can inhabit everlasting burnings? And however jovial and full of pleasure their life has been, yet at their latter end they are utterly consumed with terrors. But mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, the end of that man is peace, whatever storms they have had in their passage through a rough sea, the wind blowing, and the waves roaring, and sometimes have been ready to sink through opposition and discouragement, sometimes have been overwhelmed with grief and doubtings, sometimes have been dashed upon the rocks of terror, and perplexity: yet now they are come to the haven of death, the winds are hushed and still, the waves are smooth and silent, the storm is over, and there is a great calm upon their spirits; they are past the rocks, and are out of the danger they feared, when they are in the greatest danger of approaching death.

It was generally observed among us, that God's people who died by the plague among the rest; died with such peace and comfort, as Christians do not ordinarily arrive to, except when they are called forth to suffer martyrdom for the testimony of Jesus Christ. Some who have been full of doubts, and fears, and complaints, while they have lived, and been well; have been filled with assurance, and comfort, and praise, and joyful expectation of glory, when they have lain on their deathbeds with this disease. And not only more grown Christians, who have been more ripe for glory, have had these comforts: but also some younger Christians, whose acquaintance with the Lord has been of no long standing.

I can speak something of my own knowledge concerning some of my friends, whom I have been with; I shall instance only in the house where I lived. We were eight in family, three men, three youths, an old woman, and a maid: all which came to me, hearing of my stay in town, some to accompany me, others to help me. It was the latter end of September before any of us were touched; the young ones were not idle, but improved their time in praying, and hearing, and were ready to receive instruction; and were strangely borne up against the fears of the disease and death, every day so familiar to the view. But at last we were visited, and the plague came in dreadfully upon us, the cup was put into our hand to drink, after a neighbor family had tasted it, with whom we had much sweet society in this time of sorrow. And first our maid was smitten, it began with a shivering and trembling in her flesh, and quickly seized on her spirits; it was a sad day, which I believe I shall never forget; I had been abroad to see a friend in the city, whose husband was newly dead of the plague, and she herself visited with it; I came back to see another, whose wife was dead of the plague, and he himself under apprehensions that he should die within a few hours; I came home, and the maid was on her deathbed; and another crying out for help, being left alone in a sweating fainting fit. What was an interest in Christ worth then? What a privilege to have a title to the kingdom of heaven?

But I proceed. It was the Monday when the maid was smitten; on Thursday she died full of tokens; on Friday one of the youths had a swelling in his groin; and on the Lord's day died with the marks of the disease upon him; on the same day another youth did sicken; and on the Wednesday following he died: on the Thursday night his master fell sick of the disease, and within a day or two was full of spots; but strangely beyond his own, and others' expectations recovered. Thus did the plague follow us, and came upon us one by one; as Job's messengers came one upon the heels of another: so the messengers of death came so close one after another, in such dreadful manner, as if we must all follow one another immediately into the pit. Yet the Lord in mercy put a stop to it, and the rest were preserved. But that which was very remarkable in this visitation, was the carriage especially of those youths that died, who I believe were less troubled themselves, than others were troubled for them. The first youth that was visited being asked by his father, concerning the provision he had made for his death and eternity; told him, he hoped if he died, he should go to heaven: being asked the grounds of his hopes, said, the Lord had enabled him to look beyond the world; and when he was drawing near to his end; boldly inquired whether the tokens did yet appear, saying that he was ready for them; and so a hopeful bud was nipped; but let not the father or the mother weep, and be in sadness for him, he is I don't doubt with their Father, and his heavenly Father, which may be their comfort. The other also was a very sweet hopeful youth; so loving and promising, that it could not choose but attract love from those that were acquainted with him. But the grace he had gotten in those years, being I suppose under seventeen, did above all beautify him, and stand him in the greatest stead: in his sickness he had much quiet and serenity upon his spirit; and lay so unconcerned at the thoughts of approaching death, that I confess I marveled to see it; the sting and fear of death, were strangely taken out through the hopes which he had of future glory; yet once he told his mother he could desire to live a little longer, if it were the will of God; she asked him why he desired it? He told her he desired to live till fire and faggot came, and above all he would gladly die a martyr: she said if he died now he should have a crown; he answered, but if he died a martyr he should have a more glorious crown: yet he was not unwilling to receive his crown presently; and went away with great peace and sweetness in his looks, to his father's house: and I could not blame the mother's grief for the loss of such an only son; but to be so immoderate was not well; now I am sure it is time to dry up tears, and lay aside sorrows for the loss of him, who has been so long filled with joys in the heavenly mansions.

I might speak of the carriage of the master in his sickness under the apprehensions of death; when the spots did appear on his body, he sent for me and desired me to pray with him; told me he was now going home, desired me to write to his friends, and let them know, that it did not repent him of his stay in the city, though they had been so importunate with him to come away: but he had found so much of God's presence in his abode here, that he had no reason to repent: he told me where he would be buried, and desired me to preach his funeral sermon on Psalm 16:11. "In your presence there is fullness of joy; and at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore." But the Lord raised him again beyond the expectation of himself, friends, or physician. Let him not forget God's mercies, and suffer too much worldly business to crowd in upon him, and choke the remembrance and sense of God's goodness so singular; but let him by his singularity in meekness, humility, self-denial, and love, zeal, and holy walking, declare that the Lord has been singularly gracious to him. But when I speak of home concerns, let me not forget to look abroad; the plague now increases exceedingly, and fears there are among us that within a while there will not be enough alive to bury the dead; and that the City of London will now be quite depopulated by this plague.

Now some ministers, formerly put out of their places, who did abide in the city when most of ministers in place were fled and gone from the people, as well as from the disease, into the countries, seeing the people crowd so fast into the grave and eternity, who seemed to cry as they went for spiritual physicians; and perceiving the churches to be open, and pulpits to be open, and finding pamphlets flung about the streets, of pulpits to be let, they judged that the law of God and nature did now dispense with, indeed command their preaching in public places, though the law of man (it is to be supposed in ordinary cases) did forbid them to do it. Surely if there had been a law that none should practice medicine in the city, but such as were licensed by the College of physicians, and most of those, when there was the greatest need of them, should in the time of the plague, have retired into the country, and other physicians who had as good skill in medicine, and no license should have stayed among the sick, none would have judged it to have been a breach of law, in such an extraordinary case, to endeavor by their practice though without a license, to save the lives of those who by good care and medicine were capable of a cure; and they could hardly have freed themselves from the guilt of murder of many bodies, if for a nicety of law in such a case of necessity they should have neglected to administer medicine. The case was the same with the unlicensed ministers which stayed, when so many of the licensed ones were gone, and as the need of souls was greater than the need of bodies; the sickness of the one being more universal and dangerous, than the sickness of the other; and the saving or losing of the soul being so many degrees beyond the preservation or death of the body: so the obligation upon ministers was stronger, and the motive to preach greater, and for them to have incurred the guilt of soul-murder, by their neglect to administer soul-medicine, would have been more heinous and unanswerable. That they were called by the Lord into public: I suppose that few of any seriousness will deny, when the Lord did so eminently own them, in giving many seals of their ministry to them.

Now they are preaching, and every sermon was to them, as if they were preaching their last. Old Time seems now to stand at the head of the pulpit, with its great scythe, saying with a hoarse voice, "Work while it is called today, at night I will mow you down." Grim Death seems to stand at the side of the pulpit with its sharp arrow, saying, "Do you shoot God's arrows, and I will shoot mine." The Grave seems to lie open at the foot of the pulpit; with dust in her bosom, saying, "Louder your cry to God, to men, and now fulfill your trust: here you must lie, mouth stopped, breath gone, and silent in the dust."

Ministers now had awakening calls to seriousness and fervor in their ministerial work: to preach on the side and brink of the pit, into which thousands were tumbling; to pray under such near views of eternity, into which many passengers were daily entering, might be a means to stir up the spirit more than ordinary.

Now there is such a vast concourse of people in the churches, where these ministers are to be found, that they cannot many times come near the pulpit doors for the press, but are forced to climb over the pews to them. And such a face is now seen in the assemblies, as seldom was seen before in London; such eager looks; such open ears, such greedy attention, as if every word would be eaten, which dropped from the mouths of the ministers.

If you ever saw a drowning man catch at a rope, you may guess how eagerly many people did catch at the Word; when they were ready to be overwhelmed by this overflowing scourge, which was passing through the city; when death was knocking at so many doors; and God was crying aloud by his judgments; and ministers were now sent to knock, cry aloud, and lift up their voice like a trumpet. Then, then the people began to open the ear and the heart, which were fast shut and barred before: how did they then hearken, as for their lives; as if every sermon were their last; as if death stood at the door of the church, and would seize upon them so soon as they came forth; as if the arrows which flew so thick in the city would strike them, before they could get to their houses; as if they were immediately to appear before the bar of that God, who by his ministers was now speaking to them. Great were the impressions which the Word then made upon many hearts, beyond the power of man to effect, and beyond what the people before ever felt, as some of them have declared. When sin is ripped up and reproved, O the tears that slide down from the eyes! when the judgments of God are denounced, O the tremblings which are upon the conscience! when the Lord Jesus Christ is made known and proffered, O the longing desires and openings of heart to him! when the riches of the Gospel are displayed, and the promises of the covenant of grace are set forth and applied, O the inward burnings and sweet flames which were on the affections! Now the net is cast, and many fish are taken; the pool is moved by the angel, and many leprous spirits, and sin-sick souls are cured; many were brought to the birth, and I hope not a few were born again, and brought forth; a strange moving there was upon the hearts of multitudes in the city; and I am persuaded that many were brought over effectually to a closure with Jesus Christ; of whom some died by the plague with willingness and peace; others remain steadfast in God's ways to this day. But convictions (I believe) many hundreds had, if not thousands, which I wish that none have stifled, and with the dog returned to their vomit, and with the sow, have wallowed again in the mire of their former sins. The work was the more great, because the instruments, which were made use of were more obscure, and unlikely, whom the Lord did make choice of the rather, that the glory by ministers and people might be ascribed in full to himself.

About the beginning of these ministers preaching, especially after their first fast together, the Lord begins to remit, and turn his hand, and cause some abatement of the disease.

From 7155 which died of the plague in one week there is a decrease to 5538 the next, which was at the latter end of September, the next week a further decrease to 4929, the next to 4327, the next to 2665, the next to 1421, the next to 1021, then there was an increase the first week in November to 1414, but it fell the week after to 1050 and the week after to 652, and the week after that to 333, and so lessened more and more to the end of the year: when we had a bill of 97306 which died of all diseases, which was an increase of more than 79000, over what it was the year before: and the number of them which died by the plague was reckoned to be 68596 this year; when there were but 6 which the bill speaks of who died the year before.

Now the citizens, who had dispersed themselves abroad into the countries, because of the contagion, think of their old houses and trades, and begin to return, though with fearfulness and trembling, lest some of the after-drops of the storm should fall upon them: and O that many of them had not brought back their old hearts and sins which they carried away with them; O that there had been a general repentance and reformation, and returning to the Lord that had smitten the city. The Lord gave them leisure and vacation from their trades; for the one necessary thing, which had they improved, and generally mourned for sin, which brought the plague upon the city, had they humbly and earnestly sought the Lord to turn from his fierce anger, which was kindled against London, it might have prevented the desolating judgment by fire: But alas! how many spent their time of leisure in toys and trifles, at best about feeding and preserving their bodies, but no time in serious minding the salvation of their souls; and if some were a little awakened with fear, while the plague raged so greatly, and they looked upon themselves to be in such danger; yet when they apprehended the danger to be over, they dropped asleep faster than before; still they are the same or worse than formerly. They that were drunken, are drunken still; they that were filthy, are filthy still; and they that were unjust and covetous, do still persevere in their sinful course; [reconstructed: cozening], and lying, and swearing, and cursing, and Sabbath-breaking, and pride, and envy, and flesh-pleasing, and the like God-displeasing, and God-provoking sins, (of which in the catalogue of London's sins) do abound in London; as if there were no signification in God's judgments by the plague; some return to their houses, and follow their worldly business, and work as hard as they can to fetch up the time they have lost, without minding and laboring to improve by the judgment, and God's wonderful preservation of them: others return, and sin as hard as they can, having been taken off for a while from those opportunities and free liberties for sin, which they had before: most began now to sit down at rest in their houses when the summer was come, and the plague did not return; now they bring back all their goods they had carried into the country because of the plague; they did not imagine they should be forced to remove them again so soon.

Thus concerning the great plague in London.