Now some ministers (formerly put out of their places, who did abide in the city, when most of ministers in places 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, yea, 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 practise physic 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 physic, and no license, should have stayed amongst the sick, none would have judged it to have been breach of law, in such an extraordinary case, to endeavour by their practice, though without a license, to save the lives of those who by good care and physic 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 physic. 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

F

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-physic, 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 unto them.

Now they are preaching, and every sermon was unto 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 to-day, at night I will mow thee down. Grim Death seems to stand at the side of the pulpit, with its sharp arrow, saying, do thou 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,

Louden thy cry
To God,

To men,

And now fulfil thy trust:
Here thou must lie,

Mouth stopp'd,

Breath gone,

And silent in the dust.

Ministers now had awakening calls to serious

ness and fervour 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 unto 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 ript 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 unto 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 in the affections! Now the net is cast, and many fishes 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 unto a closure with Jesus Christ; whereof some died by the plague with willingness and peace; others remain steadfast in God's ways unto 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 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 unto 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 farther decrease to 4929, the next to 4327, the next to 2665, the next to 1421, the next to 1031; 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. Then we had a bill of 97,306 which died of all diseases, which was an increase of more than 79,000, over what it was the year before; and the number of them which died by the plague was reckoned to be 68,596 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 storms 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