THE Plague Checked; OR, PIETY will either Prevent OR Alter the Property of the PLAGVE. HELD FORTH, Together with sundry other Things in a Letter, Written by a Friend, to sundry of his godly Friends and Acquaintance, Pouring out himself thereby into their Bosoms, and opening his Heart unto them; Partly in a paraenetical and Perswasory way; Partly in a Corroborating and Consolatory way, with respect to the Present Times and Providences; Wherein the Great and Terrible God, hath appeared in some what a Dreadful manner, both by Land and Sea; and by Terrible Things in Righteousness, hath manifested and made himself known to the sons of Men, as the Lord of Hosts, and the God that is Holy, who will be Exalted in Judgement, and Sanctified in Righteousness.  
London, Printed by T. M. for the Author's Friends, 1665.   

A Friend of the Authors to the READER.  

MY Friend, if so thou art to whom these come,  
Acknowledge God, the Author of what's done;  
The Instrument his servant in his hand,  
Hath showed himself to be at his Command;  
And thereunto Obedient in that he  
Hath thus prepared, what is so good for thee;  
I say prepared for thee, and 'tis a price  
Put in thy Hand, beware and be not nice:  
Here by thou mayest be helped, Virtue to nourish;  
But Vice it checks, even in its greatest flourish:  
Where e'er he finds it, like a man of God,  
He makes due Application of the Rod,  
Unto the Back, which most deserves the blow:  
But if it be not minded, know, yea know,  
This as another Witness will come in,  
And be an aggravation of thy sin;  
Not that it was intended for that end,  
No, no, it aimed at this, that such might mend,  
And knowing their own evils might return  
To God that smites, and makes his anger burn:  
That he may please to spare, and eke to pity  
The miserable state of this poor City;  
And would not let out all his Wrath,  
Till us consumed quite he hath.  
But in his Mercy he may give  
Some an escape that they may live,  
And be for Monuments of Praise,  
To his most holy Name always.   
Amen.   

London's Lamentation  
Made mostly in the language of Jeremy's Lamentations, occasioned by the present Plague with which she is now visited, Anno 1665.  

Her Case.  
HOw doth the City solitary sit 
I am.   
Of People it was full now few in it: 
1. 1.   
She weepeth sore i'th' Night, and so appears 
2.   
With mournful Face, with Cheeks bedewed with Tears  
The ways of her Assemblies do lament, 
3.   
Because that few or none do them frequent:  
Her Priests do sigh, yea, they for fear do fly;  
Her Virgins grieve, she takes all bitterly;  
Her beauty which was great, it now is gone;  
Solemnities she had, now there are none:  
Her Princes and her great Ones, like the Hart, 
6.   
Pursued by Plague, strengthless from her depart;  
Distressed she is, her▪ Bowels troubled are;  
Her Heart is turned in her, thus doth it fare 
20.   
Abroad the Sword bereaves, at home there's death,  
Both young and old bereft are of Breath:  
Her miseries are yet without restraint;  
Her Sighs are many, and her Heart is faint. 
22.    

The Cause.  

cap. 1. 8.  She hath Rebelled and Sinned grievously,  
Therefore she is removed and made to fly:  

cap. 3. 42. 9  Her Filth is in her skirts, so may she find  
Her latter end, full little did she mind;  

cap. 2. 14.  Zion of old had Prophets which did see  
Vain things, and foolish were they found to be:  
Sin did not they discover, no not they,  
So as to turn calamity away:  
False Burdens they did see, and Visions vent,  
Causes of dreadful Plague and Punishment;  
God's fiercest Wrath they sorely did provoke,  
And so they fell under his heavy stroke;  
For sins of Prophets, and of Priests that shed:  
The blood o'the just in her; and had not fed  

cap. 4. 13.  The Souls of those committed to their care,  
But rather mischief did for them prepare:  
God's anger did break out, and 'twas his mind  

16.  Them to divide, no favour should they findè.  
Let London in this Glass her Face behold,  
Lest still there die and die both young and old,  
If she with Scripture, as God's Heifer plough  
Sho'le read the Riddle and the cause she'll know.   

The Course to be taken in Order to Cure.  
WIll she turn queritant? That's not the way 
Cap. 3. 39 40.   
To appease the wrath of God, the Plague to stay,  
Nay rather, let her search her ways and turn  
Unto the Lord, Lest that his anger burn,  
And not be quenched; nor from her turn away,  
But still devour, and waste from day to day:  
Unto the Heavens let her lift her hands, 
41.   
Her Heart to God, who hath her in his Bands:  
And say that she transgressed, Rebelled hath, 
42.   
And therefore God hath Plagued her in his wrath.  
That he is Righteous, in what e▪ re he doth,  
Sinned she hath, and he is justly wroth;  
'Cause she hath none to plain its punishment:  
For Sin she bears; it is for that she's shent,  
Let her submit: keep silence unto God, 
28,  
29.   
Put mouth in dust, quietly bear the Rod: 
19   
Remembering misery Wormwood eke and Gall, 
Levit. 26 41 Isaias 26. 9   
And being kindly humbled under all:  
Such Recollection made, let her express  
Acceptance of her punishment learn Righteousness, 
1 Kin. 8. 38.   
Knowing withal her spiritual Plague and Sore:  
Let her return to God and Sin no more, 
Joh. 5 14.   
Lest worse things come unto her when she shall 
Ps. 85 8.   
Back-slide, return to Folly, from God fall:  
Then let her Hope, and in that Hope confess, 
Lam. 3. 21.   
It is of God's rich Mercy that there's less  
Than utter desolation on her brought;  

22,  She not consumed, wholly brought to nought:  

23.  Let her acknowledge, God's compassions are,  
Such as do never fail, he doth prepare  
Them every morning fresh, and so makes known  
His faithfulness, full great unto his own;  
Let her make God her Portion, and then say  

24,  In him my hope shall be both now and aye:  
Let her improve the experience she hath found,  
For others good, and loudly let her sound  

25,  To th' Honour of God's Name, that they that seek  
And wait for him, with lowly Hearts and meek,  
Shall find its good, because its duty, and  

26.  For them his goodness he will still command.  
Let London take this course, be sure God will  
Return in Mercy, make her flourish still.   

The after Carriage of such, as are Preserved from, or recovered of the Plague.  
LOrd thou hast greatly been provoked,  
By City, Countries all:  

Psal. 80. 4.  Thine anger hath broke out and smoked,  
And we been made to fall.  

Psal. 66▪ 5.  Terrible have thy appearings been,  
Thy Hand eke lifted up:  

Psal. 75. 8.  In it our Eyes have also seen  
Of Wrath a deadly Cup.  

Deut. 32. 41.  Thy glittering Sword, thou whetted haste,  
Thy Bow, eke thou hast bend;  

Psa. 7. 13, 14  Thine Arrows on thy string were placed,  
On every side they went.  
On Judgement thou hast taken hold, 
Deut. 32. 41   
Thy Vengeance thou hast made  
To seize on such as have been bold,  
And not at all afraid,  
Thee to provoke unto thy Face,  
Against thee to Rebel:  
Thy Pestilence it did them chase,  
And into Graves they fell;  
Thousands on our right hand did fall,  
Thousands eke on our left; 
Ps. 91.   
But thou hast not consumed us all:  
A Remnant thou hast kept,  
Who trembling stood to see thy Wrath,  
Thus to break forth and burn,  
Not knowing but into th' same path  
With others they may turn.  
But some from stroke of Pestilence  
Wholly preserved were:  
Others who of thy stroke had sense,  
From Grave, thy Hand did rear;  
Let such thus say, with thankful hearts,  
Thy Fire Lord have we felt,  
From being consumed are set apart,  
Us let it try and melt.  
It's meet for us to say to God  
Chastisement we have boar, 
Job 34. 31   
And having sinned, have felt the rod,  
Now we will sin no more.  
What yet we know not teach us Lord, 
32.   
And having sinned before,  
To this we gladly will accord;  
Hence forth to sin no more.  

Psal. 116. 3  Thou Lord hast us delivered,  
From Death and deadly thrall;  
Our moistened Eyes from Tears we shed,  
Our sliding Feet from fall;  

Psal. 94. 18  When we did say, our foot did slide,  
We now are like to fall;  
Thy goodness Lord, did so provide,  
To stay us up with all;  
Except thou Lord hadst been our aid,  

17.  Death's darkness to dispel;  
Our Life and Soul had now been laid  
Almost as low as Hell,  

Psal. 116. 7  And now our Souls since you are safe,  
Return unto your Rest,  
For largely lo, the Lord to you  
His bounty hath expressed.  

9  Before the Lord, we in the Land  
Of Life, will hence forth walk,  
Submitting to his ruling hand;  
His Laws we will not balk:  

Psal. 6. 4.  Among the Dead, none doth, none can,  
Remember him one whit,  

5.  To sing his Praise, there's not a man in the Infernal Pit.  

Isaiah 38. 19 20.  The living, yea, the living shall  
Him praise, and eke his Truth:  
The Fathers to their Children all,  
Shall show with Heart and Mouth  
The Lord was ready us to save,  
And we our Songs will Sing:  
And to his House, being kept from Grave,  
Our Offerings we will bring.   
Amen.   

To the Reader.  
THE Author of this Letter, hath expressed in one part of it, that that which doth more specially concern the Families and Persons under the Pestilential stroke might be extracted, and by one means or other transmitted to them, and so coming in conjunction with Mr. Baxters' papers, might through the co-operation of divine Grace, contribute somewhat to the promoting of their Spiritual and Eternal welfare: We to whom the Letter was principally intended, have judged it worthy, in the whole, to appear in Public; hoping it will have the same blessed effect upon others, as upon ourselves: For the Author himself, he is at a point, not passing for man's day, knowing that he who judgeth him is the Lord: If the Letter had been circumscribed within the compass of that number to which it was principally intended, it would have pleased him well enough; as for others, who probably will frown upon it, and lad it with their censures; as he makes account they will Con him little thanks for it, so he is not so low brought, as to think himself beholding to them for their thanks; And so if it must out, out let it go, and that's all he hath to say.  
C. B. S. H, etc.   
Amos 3. 8. THe Lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy? Micha. 6. 9 The Lord's voice cryeth unto the City, and the man of wisdom shall see thy Name: Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it. Prov. 11. 19▪ As righteousness tendeth to life, so he that pursueth evil, pursueth it to his own death. Numb. 32. 14. Behold you are risen up in your father's stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord towards Israel. Numb. 32, 20, to 23. If ye will do according to that which the Lord hath commanded, this land shall be your possession, before the Lord; but if ye will not do so ye have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out. Levit. 26. 23▪ 24, 25. If ye will not be reform by these things, but will walk contrary to me, then will I also walk contrary to you, and will punish you yet seven times for yours sins; And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my Covenant, and when ye are gathered together within your Cities, I will send the Pestilence among you. Read further, vers. 40, 41, 42. Esay 27. 4, 5. Fury is not in me, who would set the Briers and Thorns against me in battle; I will go thorough them: I will burn them together, or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me, and he shall make peace with me. Heb. 10. 31. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Psal. 116. 15. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints. 1 Cor. 3. 22, 23. Whether Paul, or Apollo, or Cephas, or the World, or Life, or Death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is Gods. Jerem. 15. 15, 16. Take me not away in thy long suffering: Know that for thy sake, I have suffered rebuke; thy words were sound, and I did eat them, and thy word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.  

The Plague Checked: OR, Piety will either Prevent, Or alter the Property of the PLAGUE. Held forth together with Sundry other things in a Letter Written by a Friend, to a Friend, pouring out himself into his Bosom, and opening his heart unto him concerning the present Times and Providences, etc.  
SOlomon tells us, Prov. 19 v. 22. That the desire of a man is his kindness, and that a poor man is better than a liar. A poor man that hath a real and cordial desire, to express his love & to show kindness to another, but hath not power in his hand so to do, is better than a rich man that doth perform according to the power that is in his hand, somewhat that is beneficial to another, but it is not from an inward affection and desire; the actings of his hand are not from the enlarged desires and affections of his heart, such a one is a liar. Give me leave to accommodate this to myself, I am one of the poor men of Anathoth, that have but little in mine hand, two Mites or so to cast into the Treasury; but have an enlarged heart and a lively desire to contribute to the Promoting of the Good and Welfare of all: Why should not this be reckoned to me as my kindness and myself and actings in this way be accepted of you and others of my ancient and dear Friends, to whom I apply myself now in this Epistolary way, according to what I have, and not according to what I have not: I do not now present you with a curious and finely composed Sermon, nor with an elaborate Treatise, the World is full of such; Oh! that there were better use made of them, more and better fruit springing up from them than appears at this day; but this is a Lamentation, and well may it be for a Lamentation that there is price upon price put into the hand of Fools, and they have no heart unto them; and we may reckon upon it, that the many precious Sermons and Treatises which are abroad will come up in judgement against the men of this Generation and condemn them, for that such blessed light hath been, as by Preaching, so by Books and Sermons Preached and published, being conveyed into the world, and especially into this Land and Nation; and the community of people love darkness rather than light; for my own part, I have been a poor Prophet of Anathoth, a Preacher of the Gospel, partly in the Country, partly in and about the City of London, between Forty and Fifty years; most of my time even to above Forty years, I have spent in and about London, continuing in the City all the time of the great PLAGUE, Anno 1625. and from that time, having obtained help from God, I have continued my relation and the exercise of my Ministry ever since in one place, till an Act of Parliament put a stop: endeavouring by plain and profitable Preaching, by quiet and peaceable living, to show and set forth the glorious Gospel of the Great God, and our Lord Jesus Christ, by whose Death and Resurrection, death and darkness and Mortality, which the first Adam by sin had let into the World, and opened a door unto, is swallowed up in Victory, and Life, and Immortality is brought to Light, and is performing glorious Triumphs, in and by the Lord Jesus. I have reduced the Main of my Preaching to the Apostle Paul's Dichotomy, Repentance towards God, and Faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ; yet not baulking other Doctriner that are superstructory and necessary to be built on these Foundations, as in particular obedience to Kings and Magistrates, and that for Conscience-sake; persuading and provoking people to pray for Kings and all in Authority under him, that we may live under them a peaceable and quiet life in all Godliness and honesty: So that I bless the living God, I have no regret in my Conscience, for having first or last driven in a way of Preaching or Praying any, either Treasonable or Disloyal designs; nor am I Conscious to myself, that any thing hath been performed by me to the imbassing of the Spirits of his Majesty's Subjects or debauching them, or drawing them from their Duty and Allegience, knowing how my Commission runs, and what of the Counsel of the most high God is held forth in, Prov. 24. 21. Rom. 13. v. 1. 2. Titus 2. v. 1. 1 Pet. 2. v. 17. But Knowing withal, that it concerneth Magistrates and Rulers, that they Rule in the Fear of God as King David acknowledged they ought to do, 2 Sam. v. 23. And that they be not a terrrur to good works, but to evil works. Rom. 13. That they set themselves to punish evil doers, and to be for the praise of them that do well: and truly it is sad, when such as are be trusted with Magistratical Power show more severity against such as are Judiciously Conscientious, and out of a Judicious and well-informed Conscience are a little crossing the Magistratical Impositions and Injunctions, then against men of Grossest Immoralities, openly Flagitious, Profligate, and Naught; and run to all excess of Wickedness. It were to be wished, that in all Kingdoms and Commonwealths, Drunkards, and Swearers, and Whormongers, and Sabboath-breakers, and unjust Dealers, with all other of that black and ragged Regiment, which is headed by the Devil the Prince of Darkness, might feel the sharpest of the Magistrate's Severity; while Sober, Judicious, and Conscientious Christians, partake of the benign influences of Magistratical Power and Goverments, and sit quietly under their own Vines and Figtrees, and drink the Waters of their own Cystern: They the mean while setting themselves to study their Duty, and in Faithfulness to perform it.  
There are the Duties of particular relations, wherein and in the due management whereof, the Beauty and the Power of Godliness doth very much discover itself, as in the Relation between the Husband and the Wife, between the Parents and their Children, between the Master and the Servant, between the Pastor and the People; so are there between the Magistrate and the Subject: The well answering of which will conduce very much unto the more comfortable enjoyment both of one and other; and as it is much to be wished, that Kings and Magistrates may have the Honour and Obedience performed to them which is their due; So it is likewise much to le desired, that the Subjects under their Government, may have the Ease, Freedom, and Refreshment which is justly to be expected by them. I live in the comfortable Hope, and joyful Expectation of a Time, wherein the Church and People of God, shall have a more Free and Comfortable Enjoyment of themselves, than ever yet; not Oppressions, Persecutions, Oppositions, hard Usages as all along, almost ever since the fall of Adam: Surely the Godly shall not always be under Hatches and Harrows, and Wicked and Profane Men, that neither Fear God, nor Reverence Men; Ruffle and Rant it, and pour out Scorn and Derision upon others that are as good as they, yea, it may be far their betters in worldly respects, but be sure their betters in Grace and Godliness, such shall not always behave themselves in such a manner: Surely the wicked shall not always lift up their Horn on high, and push at the Godly with side and shoulder, but the Lord will (and we have his Faithful Word and Promise for it) lift up the Horn of his People, keep the Feet of his Saints, when the Wicked shall be silent in Darkness, he will exalt the Horn of his Anointed, whether Godly Kings or Godly People, 1 Sam. chap. 2. King's have in a civil way their anointing with material Oil which the Subjects partake not with them in, and in that respect they are peculiarly the anointed Ones; but such as are really Religious and Godly have a spiritual anointing, the Scripture speaks much of it, 2 Cor. c. 1. 1 Joh. 2. ad fine, You have an unction faith the Apostle from the holy One, which unction, as it is a teaching unction, and conduces much to the accomplishing of the Saints as they are Prophets, as there the Apostle expresses, for faith he, You have an unction from the holy One, and ye know all things, v. 20. And again, v. 27. The anointing Teachers, so is it a privileging unction, and conduces very much to the promoting of their Spiritual and Corporal Ease and Freedom from sore Burdens and Oppressions, and accomplishes them for the Kingly Dignity (understand it in the Mystery, not in the Letter) which the Lord Jesus hath by his blood purchased for them, and hath raised them up unto us. Rev. 1. v. 6. He hath loved us, and washed us in his own blood, and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God our Father: This ease and freedom from what is Oppressive, whether Imprisonment, Impoverishment, Banishment, Scorns, Reproaches, Persecution, etc. The Anointing promotes according to what the holy Prophet speaks, Isa. 10. v. 27. And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. This apprehension and opinion concerning a more flourishing State of the Church and Saints then ever the World yet saw, such as wherein there shall be Righteousness and Peace, and wherein the Lion shall lie down with the Lamb, and none shall hurt in all the holy Mountain of God; but Jerusalem shall be a quiet habitation, Zions' King appearing in his Beauty, the Bride the Lamb's Wife in her bravery clad in clean Linen pure and white, which is the Righteousness of the Saints, Revel. 19 Zions' solemnities performed in a most perfect and complete manner, the glorious Lord being to his Saints and people, as a place of broad Rivers where no Galley with Oars shall pass, no Funeral solemnities performed, yea no sickness seizing upon them; for the Inhabitants shall say, I am not sick, the People that are therein shall be forgiven their iniquity; all or most of which expressions you find in Is. 33. This apprehension, I say the Scripture seems strongly to favour as that in the 37. Psalms, which is a Psalm of providence, penned on purpose to quiet, and calm, to support & sweeten the spirits of the Godly under all the Persecutions, Oppositions and hard Usages which they are subject to meet withal; and by means whereof, they are too apt to fall into Frees and Under-discomposures, to be put out of possession of their Souls by Impatience; it is said there, that the meek shall inherit the Earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace; and as I take it, our Saviour refers to the Scripture alleged before in Matthew 5. where among other Beatitudes, he pronounces a blessedness upon the Meek, such as carry Patiently, Calmly, and Quietly, and with a composed spirit, under all the Hardships the● are put to undergo by the Men of the Earth, that these meek ones shall inherit the earth: And by the way let me tell you, that this meekness and calmness of Spirit, is that which entitles to most precious Promises and Privileges, as a meek and quiet Spirit either in men or Women, is a thing very pleasing with God & he values it as a thing of great price, 1 Pet. 3. So is it also very beneficial and profitable to us, they that are beautified with it God will beautify with Salvation, Psalm 149, when God ariseth to Judgement, he hath always a special respect to the meek of the Earth, Psal. 76. The meek of the earth that set themselves to seek and show forth, and be expressive of meekness, of all others are the likeliest to be hid in the day of the Lords anger, Zepha. 2. v 3. Moses was the meekest man in all the earth, as it is testified of him in Numbers 12. and when Aaron and Miriam spoke against him, and dealt in a querulous manner with him concerning the Ethiopian woman, he was quiet and meek, and carried as one that heard not, and as one in whose mouth were no reproofs, as David speaks of himself, Psal. 38. v. 13, 14. But doth the Lord suffer this to pass without checks and control? no I'll warrant you, God will plead the Cause of his meek ones; God speaks quick and short, and to speak with a holy Reverence cutted to Aaron and Miriam, calls them out sharply, reproves them, and saith unto them, How, were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses: this meekness of Spirit my dear friends, I have seriously considered of, and weighed with myself▪  
First, In reference to myself.  
Nextly, In reference to others, both Godly Ministers and professors too, for I must tell you, as I principally study God, Christ, the Mysteries of Godliness and myself; So do I study men and observe what spirits and carriages they are of, both preachers and professors, persons of several persuasions, and where I find them to be of Meek, Humble, Lowly Spirits and Carriages; notwithstanding the circumstantial differences between them, I can, I do Cordially own and embrace one & another, but where either of them discover an elated spirit and bear up above their brethren, and keep at a distance from them upon the account of greater gifts and parts; and because their names are blown up, and they swim upon a full sea of popularity, when others of their brethren, that it may be have as much soundness of Judgement, as much Grace as they, love Christ as much as they, are as Cordial to the cause of Godliness as they, are yet upon the account of meaner parts and not being in that esteem, have little or no respect from them; (I am abundantly satisfied in myself, that there is sufficient cause thus to animadvert, if any be offended, so let them:) For such, I wish they would study better, what it is to be of a true Gospel spirit, which they may learn from their Lord and Master the great Apostle and high Priest of their holy profession, who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the good shepherd, the great shepherd, the chief shepherd, who was meek and lowly, and requires of them that are his under shepherds and all his Disciples, that they learn of him who was the Lord of all, yet because a servant to all. The example also of Paul who does take special knowledge of his Master's meekness, and is strongly argumentative from it as in the 2d. of the Corinthians chap. 10. v. 1. where he presses from the meekness and gentleness of Christ; his example I say contributes much to such a purpose; who though he was not behind the chiefest Apostles, yet acknowledges himself not worthy to be called an Apostle, and though he knew his gifts and parts, that he spoke with tongues more than they all, and had laboured more than they all; yet professes himself to be less than the least of all the Saints, a very nothing, and in his Doctrine teacheth, that there should not be a minding of high things, but a condescending to men of low degree; and I must profess for my own part, till I see more of this meekness of spirit in Preachers and Professors, I cannot think that ever we shall see the performance of these things, which we profess to live in the joyful expectation of; surely we must all be better spirited, of a more Humble, Heavenly, Spiritual, Selfdenying frame of Spirit before all be well with us. I am expressing as before my comfortable confidence concerning a better condition that the Church and Saints shall be brought into, before the final consummation the Prophet Isaiah 60. gives ground for, such a hope to be built upon, it is a precious scripture, and I think it refers to the state of the Church in this world; Officers shall be peace, exactors, righteousness, and very much to that purpose, the whole chapter is full of marrow and fatness, it drops like the dropping of a honey comb, the 21. and 22. Chapters of the Revelations also speak at a very high rate and tell us of new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven as a bride made ready for her husband; Of a City that shall be of a glorious constitution, and that all things shall be made new, and very much to this purpose, which I conceive doth as the other passages before mentioned, refer to a state in this life; I cannot but mention the second of Peter. chap. 3. We according to his promise look for a new heaven, and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness and scripture which▪ I have cause to remember with a most thankful acknowledgement of a merciful providence ordered out to myself. When I had preached over the whole Chapter to that Verse, and had engaged to the verse and preached one Sermon upon it, and had a more numerous multitude of Auditors, Ministers and others then ordinary, upon the account of the Argument, which the Text led me unto: After I had preached that Sermon, which was at seven of the clock in the morning of the Lordsday, according to my ordinary course that very day there was some disturbance in the City, and it is known what was performed by them, and what after proceeding there was on the part of the Powers then in being; engaged I then was to the prosecution of the Text the next Lord's day: it was apprehended that it was no way safe for me to proceed in the discourse, but that it was my wisest course, either wholly to wave it, or at least to intermitt the prosecution of it for a time. I disputed the matter within myself, commended my cause to God in a way of Prayer, and thereupon I judged thus; that if I should balk my Text which I had handled in part, and was fallen upon in course, having preached upon the whole foregoing part of the Chapter; I should do great disservice to my Lord and Master, and cast the whole Congregation under disappointment, which would expect to hear what I had further to say upon the point, and it would turn to my prejudice so to do. I broke, by the help of grace, the force of the temptation, proceeded in my course, gave some tolerable satisfaction to my Auditors, had some good approbation of my Labour, and all was well, very well, I had peace, the people profit; but this by way of digression.  
For the apprehension and opinion concerning a more glorious State of the Church here on earth, I own it and conceive, that the Scriptures alleged with multitudes more, give abundant ground for it: For the opinion concerning the Thousand Years, and the personal reign of Christ, I know it hath great patronage from learned and godly men: Others are of a different apprehension and judge it to be more proper to interpret the fore alleged Scriptures of a glorious estate in the world to come, In the heaven of glory I mean. Whatever the difference between them be, and however the interpretation proceeds, I wish there may be no litigant spirit among the learned and godly concerning it, knowing that it is Melius dubitare de occultis quam litigare de incertis, as was the speech of Austin of old, and whatever our expectations be, whether of a more glorious estate here on earth, or of a perfect estate of glory in heaven, let you and me set our hearts to make the best preparation we can for the appearance of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ, and that we may appear with some suteableness to the future productions of former predictions; for may we not think there will be occasion to say with respect to the performan ce of these things which are purposed concerning the Church of God in a way of mercy and grace▪ and to cry out as Balaam did with respect unto dreadful productions in a way of judgement and severity, as in Numbers 22, 23. alas! who shall live when God doth this? and what will it avail us to see new Jerusalem coming down from heaven as a bride in her beauty and bravery, and ourselves found in a state of deformity, and beggary, in rotten rags; to have New Jerusalem's L●ght and Glory breaking out, and have neither eye to see it, nor shoulders to bear up under the weight of it; to have all things made new, and nothing of newness of heart: to have the marriage of the Lamb kept, and we no wedding garments to be found on us.  
There is a letter lately come forth to public view bearing the Earl of Marleboroughs name, which I had an account of by a manuscript, I hear it is now in Print, whether with any variations and amplification I cannot say, what I heard I judged, Primo auditu, to be Verbum, Scriptum, viro nobili dignum; he therein asserting, pleading the reality, substantiality of Religion and Godliness, which many, too many at this day most impudently, insolently, audaciously, in suam perniciem give judgement upon as a mere fancy and humane device, as if that Athistical spirit had a stamp of truth upon it; Primus in orbe Deos fecit timor, fear and fancy have given the first being to God and Religion, and so they slight it, disgust it, decry it, making nothing of it.  
O! Monsters of men, in quibus ne mica sanae mentis, ne granum salis, men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith as Paul speaks, is it not my friends a time for God to work when men make void his Law, Psalm. 119. and not only his Law, his Institutions and appointments, but himself and his very being too: Is it not time for God to appear and awake to Judgement? after a long time of silence and his seeming to be a sleep, to vindicate and plead his Name, his Cause, his World, his Worships, as now he hath begun to do; no wonder that at this day he answer us out of the Whirlwind (as he did his servant Job, who had made a little too bold with God) that now he hath drawn his Sword, and bend his Bow, put his Arrows upon the string and let them fly on every side, and what would we have him to do? tell me my friends, for I would be willing to know, what entertainment this Letter of the Earls finds, how it takes on one side or other, especially on the part of the Grandees & Gentry, what judgement they make of it, and whether it be a Ludibrium or a Documentum, a matter of scorn or a Scholiast by which they are willing to be animadverted upon both as to their persons and manners, whether they slight it and set light by it as stramineu● quid stercorcum quid, the issue of a fanatic friendlike brain, or to be solid and judicious, of a profitable improvement, and such as hath a tendency to move and provoke men to consider more seriously of Religion and the things of Eternity, and so the Letter turn to a good account: This I desire to know, He tell you upon what occasion, I was told a very few days ago by a sober person, that there are many and many of such a Spirit, so debauched as that if any thing, whether Sermon, Treatise or aught else comes out in Print that discovers a friendliness to Religion and the ways of Holiness, and gives a check though with much prudence and gentleness to the lusts of men and their sinful exorbitances and exuberancies, any thing that casts a friendly aspect upon the matters of God and Christ, especially if it bears the name of such as are counted fanatics, though otherwise Learned, Sober, Peaceable men that are devoted to the fearing of God and honouring of the King; and are as Cordially and Conscientiously set to promote subjection to Magistrates higher or lower, and against whom no thing in the world can be objected but this, that they are not conforming, they either rise up in strongest opposition to it and explode it, or disparage it and lay it by as not worthy to be meddled with, but rather buried with scorn and contempt in silence, adjudging it to perpetual darkness never to see the light: Such a spirit of profaneness the Earl in his letter according to my apprehension and interpretation of it, seems to be either fore apprehensive of, or actually discovering; if he were not, I know that both he and we all have cause to reckon upon and be in expectation of it; that men of such a spirit of profaneness should come, both St. Peter (2 Epistle of Peter 2.) and St. Judas in his Epistle by a prophetical spirit and by divine inspirment foretold, that in the last days should come Scoffers and Mockers walking after their own Lusts and saying, where is the promise of his coming, such and so spirited from hell and the devil, that they neither regard God, his Precepts, Promises, or threatenings, nor his judical actings and proceedings, when his hand is lifted up, they will not see nor mind it; the works of the Lord, and the operation of his hands they will not have regard unto, so is it prophesied and so is it, and must it be fulfilled necessarily, and that because it is so foretold and prophesied, and I may say upon this occasion as our Saviour speaks, Woe unto the world because of offences; it is neceessary that offences come, but woe be to them by whom they come; so it is necessary that prophecies be fulfilled, but woe be to them by whom such kind of prophecies are fulfilled; for as much as while they not thinking of it fulfil what is foretold in a prophetical way, they run quite cross to what is held forth in a preceptive way, & so run themselves upon eternal ruin; as to such whoever, wherever they be, I shall take the boldness to say to them, are you absolute and independent, being not at all depending upon God, hath he nothing to do with you? have you nothing to do with him? will you say as they said in Jeremiahs' time, Jeremiah the second, We are Lords we will not come to thee, or as Pharaoh, Who is the Lord that we should obey him? are you at a point whether you be saved or damned, whether you go to heaven or hell, or do you count these things mere fancies that have no reality in them? is it nothing to you at once to loose God and Christ, your souls, and that to all eternity? Is it nothing to you, & of no signification with you to be for ever shut out of the Kingdom of Heaven, and to be tumbled into Hell, with the guilt of all your iniquities upon your Consciences, when your iniquities shall be upon your bones, as Ezekiel phraseth it, and while others shall be Timber for the Building, you shall be fuel for the burning and be sweltering for ever under the unsupportable weight of God's wrath, and endure the gnawing of the worm that shall never die, and the furious flames of a fire that shall never be quenched; in a word, how will your hearts endure, and your hands be strong; as Ezekiel expresses himself: When the Lord Jesus shall appear with his mighty Angels in flaming fire, as the Judge before whom you must be summoned and cited to appear, and have the judgement of eternal Condemnation pass upon you, by him who came at first clothed with garments of Salvation, with a Golden Sceptre of Grace in his hand, holding forth a pardon, a Free-pardon to all, that all might have the benefit of it, that would take hold of it. Are you resolved within yourselves, that neither God, nor Christ, nor Spirit, nor Angels, nor Ministers, nor Scripture Promises, nor Scripture threatenings, nor life, nor death, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other Creature; none of which will separate the Saints from God in Christ Jesus, and from his love, shall separate you from your lusts, and the Devil; but you will live and die, and damn with them; If it be thus with you, and that this is the Spirit you do, and are resolved to walk in, and that you scorn to be checked and controlled by any man whatsoever: neither by word or writing, you will do what is good in your own eyes, be it never so evil in the eyes of God or man: Then let me propound to your consideration, or rather to the consideration of others (for if you be so spirited, as I have already expressed, there is little hope that you will consider) what the Lord by the Prophet speaks, Isa. 28. v. 14. and so forward: Hear the word of the Lord ye scornful men, because ye have said, we have made a Covenant with Death and Hell; are we at an agreement, when the overflowing scourge shall pass thorough it shall not come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood we have hid ourselves: therefore judgement also will I lay to the line and righteousness to the plummet, and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the water shall overthrow the hiding place. And your Covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass thorough, than ye shall be trodden down by it. From the time that it goeth forth, it shall take you, for morning by morning shall it passover, by day and by night it shall be a vexation only to understand the report. For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it, and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it, for the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the Valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work and bring to pass his act, his strange act: Now therefore be not ye mockers, lest your bands be made strong, for I have heard from the Lord God of Hosts a Consumption determined upon the whole earth. And is this matter for you to scorn at? Let me further tell you, that please yourselves in a scornful spirit, and in the out-going of it, that delight yourselves in your scorning and will not turn at God's reproof, by his Word, and by his judgements; by both which he loudly calls, but ye refuse to answer; he stretches out his hand, but you will not regard, but set at naught all his counsels, and will none of his reproofs; He also will laugh at your calamity and mock when your fear cometh, Prov. 1. 24. and so forward, and know as the Lord speaks by his Prophet Ezekiel chap. 7. These things have a reality in them, and are not as an echo the sounding again of the mountains.  
While I am declaiming against such a Generation of men, as is before mentioned; I see cause to be under such a sad seizure as was holy David, who gives us this account of himself, Psalm 55. Psalm. 119. Fearfulness and trembling did come upon him, that horror had taken hold of him and overwhelmed him, and wherefore all this? what was it that troubled him: he tells us, it was because of the wicked that had forsaken Gods Law. By the way, observe what a contrary spirit most men, yea men professing Godliness, are possessed with, (and acted by,) that can see and hear the abominable impieties committed in the Land, and not be moved at all, and is it not almost grown quite out of fashion to lay to heart other men's sins and high horrid provocations, they think its well if they take any notice of their own; but this is it I drive at; It may well raise up wonder and astonishment, to consider, that any such persons should be found in this Nation, after such a time of Gospel Light and Grace, and plentiful means of Salvation, which one might think would have levened the land all over, and Sainted the whole Kingdom; and as after such means, so under such dispensations as at this day are ordered out, that should bear so high, and drive so desperately, so furiously, as many do in City and Country carring as if they would dare God to his face, make a challenge to him, and as it's said in Job. 15. 20. They stretch out their hands against God, and strengthen themselves against the Almighty, they run upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers, such are men of high daring spirits. I should think it would do well for them to take up a little, and when they are in their fullest career, to make a stop and pause somewhat of consideration and moderation would not do amiss; nor would I ever wish a man to provoke the Lord, unless he first be sure of this, that he is stronger than he, for so the Apostle Paul argues, 1 Cor. 10. 22. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? I would wish such kind of persons to consider o● Pharoachs' case, and God's expostulation with him▪ Exod 9 17. As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people,— I will smite thee and thy people with pestilence, etc. If any shall reply and say, but wha● occasion is there thus to speak? I answer, it well known, & observed what cruel actings there are at this day on the part of under-officer against their fellow subjects, such as perhaps hi● Majesty and the Parliament would not so well like of; as being supra statutum, and that to a high degree.  
But what is the day and dispensations of it that w● speak of?  
I answer, It is not the day of Judgement, the Doctrine whereof is the terror of the Lord, 2 Cor. 5. Concerning which, I have often thought, that arming ourselves with that and other weapons of our spiritual Warfare, which are not Carnal but Mighty through God, we may be bold to encounter and grapple with the proudest and stoutest of the sons of men upon the earth: This Terror of the Lord, is that which where it comes in the power of it upon a defiled Conscience, will make a man to be a Mogul Missa bib, (i. e.) a terror to himself, as Jeremiah speak Chap.. This day of Judgement we all ought to be persuaded of, and to be in a daily expectation of, and preparation for; But though this present day be not (the day of Judgement,) yet it is a day of Judgement? and many Preludiums there are both in Scripture and in the course of Providence which we may look upon, as anticipations of that Great and Terrible day. We have something signified to such a purpose in Psal. 50. 3, 4, 5. verses. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my Saints together unto me: those that have made a Covenant with me, by Sacrifice. Where the Lord calls upon the sons of men from one end of the earth to the other, and makes a general citation of them to gather themselves together, he himself being upon a solemn appearance with devouring fire. As for the present day I call it a day of Judgement, the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and whose furnace is in Jerusalem, Esai. 31. 9 hath kindled his fire, and is heating his Furnace in— England and London; its good for us to strike while the Iron is hot, we may be guided so to strike, as that our Iron may be turned into Gold, and by means of this fiery furnace well improved, many rusty Vessels may come forth as Vessels for the finer, and fitted for the master's use.  
We have these latter years had an account of many terrible Apparitions and Prodigies, and other stupendious acts of providence which have caused much amazement and amuzment for the present; But the impression of them are almost quite worn out, the remembrance of them is passed and gone, and we are yet to seek as to a genuine interpretation of them. There is Mystery Christ, Mystery Gospel, Mystery Zion, Mystery Godliness, Mystery Sin, Mystery Babylon, so is th' Mystery Providence; that God that hath his way in the Sanctuary, hath his way in the Sea, and his paths in the great Deeps, and his footsteps are not known, Psalm 77. the scriptures have their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, that is, things hard to be understood; so hath the book of Providence; there are Mysterious Texts in it, the holy Prophet found it so, Psalm 73. It was, dolour in Oculis, in the study of which, his eyes were made to water his head and heart to ache again.  
And perceiving how apt he was to run upon dangerous mistakes, he calls himself a Behemoth, a foul beast and acknowledging his Ignorance and folly, recovers himself and sees it to be his best course to draw near to God, and so he did, and found the benefit and comfort of it to his dying day. The sword of War hath lately been drawn and hath done great Execution, much Protestant blood hath been shed, when it will be quiet and fall a sleep again, after its awakening who can tell? The terrible sword of Pestilence is also now awakened, and it is acting its part according to the Commission granted unto it; how high this may rise, how far it may reach, how long it may continue, and what may succeed and come after it, who can tell? These things are laid up in store with God and sealed among his Treasures to whom Vengeance and Recompenses belong, who will make the feet of his Enemies slide in due time, for the day of their Calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste, t. 32. v. 34, 35. As touching the Pestilential Contagion now amongst us, it hath a very formidable aspect, and begins to open its mouth wide and to devour on every side; many are possessed with fear and trembling, to think what will become of them, and are ready to cry out with Balaam, Woe and alas, who shall live when God doth this? and well may sinners in Zion be afraid and fearfulness surprise the hypocrite in heart, Esai. 33. And such as are of guilty consciences as not being able to dwell with devouring fire and with everlasting burnings. It's a becoming thing for such to let fall their spirits, to come down from their grandeur, to turn in upon their own hearts and humble themselves under the mighty hand of God, who though fury be not in him, yet if any will set himself against him, he will be sure to find that God is more than his match, and will be as a devouring flame to a bush of dry thorns and stubble, and will in a moment burn them up; It's their wisest course to make peace with God and take hold of his strength, and they shall make peace with him as the Prophet speaks, Esai. 27. 4, 5. It's not for any to turn Quiritants and Plaintiffs against God, who is sufficiently able to show cause for what he doth, and give a reason of all his actings though he be not bound to do it. Nor is it fit to say unto him (what dost thou,) its proper for us all to put our mouths in the dust; and now that his hand is lifted up to see it, submit to it and learn righteousness by it, knowing that they that will not see it shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people, Esai. 26.  
And that they that will not fear with a fear of duty, shall fear with a fear of punishment in a judicial way, and if men will deal proudly against God, he will be found to be above them, yea in the very things wherein they do deal proudly against him. It's holy Counsel and never more proper for men to take then at this day, which Jeremiah gives us in the 3. of his Lamentations 40, etc. Wherefore doth the living man complain; a man for the punishment of his sin every word hath its weight, and is emphatically argumentative; Its man and not God, and shall man complain against God, it's a living man and that speaks God's patience and forbearance; he might have struck him dead and sent him to hell, but he lives, and is it fitting that he should complain, and not rather magnify God's patience and goodness, and say it's of the Lords mercies that we are not utterly consumed. It's a man for the punishment of his sin, that which he suffers under and complains of, is of his own procuring, he eats the bread of his own bakeing, drinks the drink of his own brewing, reaps the harvest of his own seed; nay, nay, it is not for the living man to complain, but as the counsel is there given to search and try his ways and turn to the Lord his God▪ to be humbly enquiring into the Reason, into the very Reason why God is fallen out with England and London, that have been good friends so long? Why he hath taken his Rod into his hand and gives us such heavy blows, that he fetches blood from us and strikes us dead? And indeed let this be our business at this day, to know and find out the Proper Reason of this present Plague. To find out the causes of a Disease we count hath a great tendency to the Cure, but who and where is the wise man that may understand this? and who is it to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken, that he may declare it for what the Land is Plagued and in a way to perish, and to become as a wilderness that none passeth through, they are Jeremiah's words, Jer. 9 verse 12.  
If such a course be not taken and vigerously prosecuted without partiality, and an ingenuous acknowledgement made, that to all other our sins we have added these or these till we find out the Jonah that makes the seas tempestuous, the Achan that troubles the ●and, the Sheba son of Biory which makes the disturbance and so must be beheaded, and his head cast over the wall. Till this be done it will not be well with us, but we may even call for the mourning women as it follows in that place, To take up a wailing and to make bitter Lamentation, for death is come into our windows and is entered into our palaces to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets. I hear that divers of our Preachers have been performing something to such a purpose, improving the Scriptures, and giving account from them what particular sins have formerly provoked God to send the Plague upon a people, this is something to the purpose: But what if there be some or other abomination committed in the Land, which lies heavy on it, and the cry of it is heard in the ears of the Lord of Hosts, that till it be found ou● the mouth of it stopped and itself removed; some or other sin which the Scripture doth not so clearly and in terms make mention of; for I suppose it may be so, that sins may be committed that have scarce ever been heard of before, as God sometimes bringeth to light strange punishments, and arms himself with weapons of his Indignation, which he hath not formerly made use of, as we have it in Job 31. v. 3. Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity? So there may be uncooth unheard of sins. Now this I drive till this or that particular evil be found out, Confessed, Repent, and Reform, till the proper vein be opened, and the singer laid upon the very sore; we may pine away and perish in our iniquity, and the Land become desolate without Inhabitant. Nathan said unto David thou art the man, David said of himself I am the man, this is my sin, I have mad● some observation in my daily Course of reading Scriptures, of that passage in Eze. 15. 8. I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, and the like you find in chap. 20. v. 27. Now had they committed but one trespass, yea they had multiplied their trespasses; But we may understand it, either as if all their trespasses were run into one, or there was a Master a Monster trespass one or other trespass of such notoriety that God would not pardon, but take vengeance and do execution with furious rebukes. Whatever the cause is, a cause there is why the Plague is broken out among us and begins to rage and beat down on every side; And to be sure in the general, Sin is the cause, but happy we if we had an interpreter, one of a thousand to declare unto us our unrighteousness, and the unrighteousness in special, which testifies and pleads against us and hath procured this sore Judgement of the Pestilence, which is as a sword sharpened and furbished, and for aught we know is sharpened and furbished to make a sore slaughter. And should we then make mirth? what if it contemn our Rod, our Srength, our Riches, Honour and Beauty of our Ornaments, as it did of old; the Rod, the Strength, and Beautiful Ornaments of Israel, and of Judah, when it proved the Sword of the great men which were slain; the sword entering into their privy Chambers, & the point of it set against their gates, that their hearts might be faint, & their ruins be multiplied with terror of Princes and people. Ye find that thus it was threatened and done to Jerusalem, and Judah, Ezek. 21. 8, 9 And as it is further expressed, Ezek 7. 8, 9 10. Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and▪ will recomponce thee for all thine abominations. And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways, and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee, and ye shall know that I am the Lord that smiteth. Behold the day, behold the day is come, the morning is gone forth, the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded. With revenging re-compenses God cometh upon the Back of them, yea, to their faces he tells them, he would not spare nor have pity; Utinam non sic Nobiscum, but behold the day is come, behold it is come, the Rod is gone forth, the Rod is Blossomed, Pride is Budded, Violence is risen up into a Rod of Wickedness, and Wickedness is risen up into a Rod of Judgement and Destruction. And let us know and be assured, that he whose life is in his Iniquity, Cujus vivere est peccare so our Translators express, Ezekel 7. verse 13. That he shall not strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life. And for such as make iniquity the iniquity of their hearts, (that is) set their hearts upon their iniquity, they shall find that when the iniquity of their heels shall compass them about which is the Psalmists phrase in the 49 Psalms; their wickedness will prove bitter, yea bitterer than gall and wormwood, it will reach to the heart and make them cry out as in Jer. 4. v. 18, 19 My bowels, my bowels I am pained at the very heart. Insuch a day as this is, which is a day of sharp Rebuke from God, as it hath been of latter times a day of sharp Rebuke from Magistrates and men in Authority to some of us: It's fit for us all to humble ourselves and reckon upon it that God calls to Mourning and Weeping; Jeremiahs' Commission impowered him to say to the King and the Queen: Jerem. 13. Humble yourselves sit down in the dust; And I know no reason to the contrary, but if Kings and Queens, Princes and Nobles, and Grandees of the World sin as others do, they should humble themselves, Repent and Abase themselves before God as others ought to do and some do: If ever they will find that mercy with God, which others in the way of Repentance hope to find. God and godliness are no respecters of persons, there is not one way for Kings, and another way for Subjects; one way for Princes and Nobles, and another way for Peasants and Plebeiants; one for Rich, and another for Poor to be saved in. The same truths are to be believed, the same, yea the severest duties are indespensable, required, and to be performed and practised by one and other: If any man, yea any man be he who be will, will be Christ's Disciple, he must deny himself take up his Cross and follow him: Religion is too noble and generous a thing to stoop to any man's humour in the World. He that will not be saved upon God's terms, may and shall go without God's Salvation; God will abate nothing of his price, nor be beholding to any man to come to heaven, he that likes not the terms upon which heaven & salvation is propounded may let it alone, if one will not deal for it others will. As to a due comportment with present times and providences besides what I have already said; I say further, that it is for every man to study the Plague of his own heart, the sore of his own soul, they are scripture expressions, 1 King. 8. 2 Chron. 6.  
We are to reckon the Lord calls to weeping and mourning, and to sigh and cry for all the abominations that have been committed in the Land; to smite with the hand and stamp with the foot and say as Ezekiel expresseth it. Alas! alas! to do as the Ninivites did, when Jonah had delivered his message, judgement was but in denounciation as to them, it's in actual execution upon us; they believed God and proclaimed a Fast, put on sackcloth from the greatest of them even to the least of them; the King himself arose from his throne and laid his Robe from him and covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes, and he caused it to be proclaimed and published by the decree of the King and his Nobles; That neither Man, nor Beast, Herd, nor Flock should taste any thing, nor feed, nor drink water, but that Man and Beast should be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God, and turn every one from the evil of his ways, and from the violence that is in their hands, and all this upon a probability, nay a possibility, a paradventure, a who knows, who can tell whether God will not Return, and Repent and Turn from his fierce anger that we perish not. A most eminently exemplary ●at●ern and precedent worthy the imitation of all 〈◊〉 Cities and Countries in England and the ●●ole World; Now fie upon it and shame to us all, that we should be so shy, so proud and I know not what, as not to follow such examples better: But the men of Niniveh shall rise up in Judgement against the men of this Generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and at his once preaching; I know not that ever he preached a second time, God had much a do to bring him to that once. We have had preaching upon preaching, precept upon precept, line upon line, and all our preaching little avails, and many of those that have been upon this work are silenced, secluded, and set aside, and in the room of them there are others come up, of some of which setting aside their Conformity; I know, and others know better than I, that there is little or nothing to commend them; they have gotten their Benefices and spiritual promotions double treble, quadruble and very jolly they are as men now of a higher elevation, I grudge none of them their Preferments, I am sure I do not, only I wish they would be better, do better, walk more worthy of the Magistrates bounty and the rich provision that is made for them. As for myself, I have been a Minister and Preacher towards Fifty Years, and this I say, that being now deprived, together with the liberty of my Ministry, which is more to me then all the world beside; of my Salary of Forty pounds Per Annum which was the top of my preferment, though I have not been without offers of better maintenance, which for Conscience sake I have refused. I have been as well pleased with the courteous respects that I have met withal as I have passed along in the streets, as I could have been with the best preferments that could have been cast upon me in England. And if I could in the way of my Ministry serve my God, my King my Country without check and control for the few days that I have to live in the world, I care not if I went clad in Canvas, and laboured all the week long for my bread, only reserving time for my study, faring hard, enduring much, for I hope I can say to me, to live is Christ, and if so, I am sure then to die will be Gain. I have said somewhat already as to a suitableness of carriage and deportment in such a day of Calamity; this I say moreover to you my Friends or Others, If the Lord should spare you, as I hope he will many of you, for the Judge of all the World will do Right, and I am not without hope that he will, reserving to himself his absolute sovereignty as its fit he should showing some proof of it, will make a difference between them that fear him and them that fear him not. Be ye that shall escape as the Doves of the Valleys, every one of you mourning for his iniquity. If any of you should say to me, do you charge us with iniquities and put us upon mourning for them; I would say plainly to you and ten thousands more, not excepting myself; grant it that we are not Iniqui, yet we have Iniquitates Nostras, that is, though we be not wicked, yet we may have, nay we have our wickedness: Grant that you are not proud in the abstract, as the expression is in the 50. of Jeremiah and the 31. verse concerning Babylon, Behold I am against thee, oh thou most proud, in the Hebr●w, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Superbia pro vir Superbiae, a man of pride as the Septugint reads it, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, if you be not covetousness in the abstract, not so covetous as to be denominated by it; yet there may be much of it found in you and so of all other sins, of all which we have too too much in us: The Prince of this World came and found nothing in Christ, but alas he comes and finds much in us for his purpose to advantage his designs against us, upon which account we have and shall have cause to go mourning to our graves. Happy we, that we have an Advocate, a merciful High Priestin Heaven, at the Father's right hand who pitieth us, and appears before God on purpose that he might plead for us, and procure acceptance for our persons and services, which in themselves, are worthy of Abdication, Rejection, and Reprobation with greatest scorn. Mourn we then for our own Iniquities, and the Iniquities of others, and for the bitter Fruits and Effects and Productions of them; and while we take comfort in this that we have Premitius Spiritus, yet keep we humble in this respect, that they are but Primitiae, but the first fruits of the Spirit, and that there are Reliquiae Carnis, foul silthy deforming and defiling relics of the flesh and that to so great a Proportion. Mourn we I say, but not as men without hope, concerning our Souls and the following Eternity; yea bear up comfortably in respect of the Body and our obnoxiousness to the Present PLAGUE, which by divine appointment hath invaded us, and is now Vndi qua que pessundans: Consider in whose hand it is to order and direct. I would wish you seriously to consider and weigh well the condition and qualifications propounded in the 91. Psalms, and what account you can give of them, and of yourselves concerning them: are you such as make the most high your habitation, dwelling in his secret place, are you such as set your hearts to know his name? Have you set your intirest and most intensive love upon him, place your trust and confidence in him; have you said of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God in whom will I trust: know then that you are a secured people, the promisory part of the Psalm smiles upon you, speaks most comfortably to you, presents you with Milk and Butter, with Oil and Honey, with Marrow and Fatness, as in a lordly dish; and fear you not that a Hammer and a Nail will be your second Service. Promises that are made there, are great and precious, rich and plenteous; they are promises that are not made in vain, but must and shall be performed. But how? In the very Letter of them, why not? But to all that are godly and answer the qualifications; I say, and query thus: First, did you ever hear of any man that did actually bear upon them; and that did embark himself in them, accommodate them, put them in suit, and plead them, and confidently without hesitancy and fluctuating of Spirit believe them; Did you ever know any man do this and die of the Plague? But you will ask me, may it not be so? I answer, I dare not say, but so it may be▪ The question was agitated Forty years ago, and by some held in the Negative, that godly persons acting a particular Faith upon a particular Promise cannot; I am not altogether of their persuasion: I question whether the Promises there made, that the Plague shall not come nigh the dwellings of such will give so clear ground and footing for such a fullness of Belief and Confidence; all temporal Promises have their limitations and exceptions, and God reserves a liberty to chasten his children's delinquencies, to try and exercise their graces, and he will be known to be of absolute Sovereignty. As I said before, be will do that that shall be for his people bests, his promises one and another shall be performed, one way or other, either in the letter or by equivalency: This I would say to you, and myself on this occasion: Let us do our utmost endeavour, that we may be, and be found persons so spirited and qualified, as the Psalmist expresses, and let God do with us what he will, we need not be solicitous, but possess our souls in sweetest peace and security; and if the Plagne should come and seize upon us, the property of it shall be altered, and as other sickness shall be useful to bring us home to our own Country and to our Father's house, where we shall be as well as heart can wish; where we shall never know sin nor sickness, Plague nor Poverty, nor Persecution; and the time is at hand when death its self and hell shall be cast into the lake of fire, Revel. 20. It's a high expression▪ I pray you mind it. I would have added one word to the point, I touched before in a Cautionary way.  
Let them that hold the question, Whether a godly man in the actual exercise of his Faith, and Faith upon such promises, as we spoke of before, may die of the Plague, yea, or no? In the Negative; Look to it, lest intheir own persons, & their own dying that kind of death, they prove not the affirmative.  
For you and me Brethren, let us be true to God and godliness, and be bold to trust him with all your concernments. Let our hearts be fixed trusting in the Lord, and then fear nothing, neither Plague, nor Famine, nor Sword, nor wrath of men; this wrath shall praise him, and the remainder thereof shall he restrain. It's a time wherein many are grown worse and worse, according to Revel. 22. Let him that is filthy be filthy still; which is spoken, Non optando imperando, approbando, sed prophetando, & judicialiter pronunciando▪  
Let us grow better and better, the same Text requires▪ That they that are holy be boly still; and to be sure that is spoken imperando approbando: Let us watch and keep our garments close to us, and clean about us, manifesting and making out that difference, which our God by his calling hath made between us and others, by a difference of disposition and conversation: Let us look to it that Christ be in us, the principle of spiritual life, and be assured he will be in us the hope of eternal glory: Let us not rest in a form of godliness, but press after the power of it: You know the Scripture insists much upon Power, there is the power of Christ, the power of the Spirit, the power of the Gospel, the power of the Resurrection, the power of the Kingdom, the power of Godliness, the power of an endless life, the power of the world to come; all this should make us mind Power. On take heed of a powerlesse profession, a powerlesse godliness; rest not satisfied with a mere effigies, a dead image, such as many carnal professors, set up to themselves and fall down to worship▪ Statues which themselves becomes like unto; having turns but they see not, ears but hear not, etc. Poor souls who seed upon ashes, a deceived heart turns them aside, they compass God with lies, and run away with a lie in their right hand; let us look to this that we have a Union with Christ our Mystical head, and be careful to hold that head, Colossians●● ●● 19 Study the Mystery of that expression and reduce it to daily practice; think it not enough to be in a good way, but be good in the way. It is not, Blessed are they that are in an undefiled way, but blessed are the undefiled in the way, Psal▪ 119. ●. 1. We may be in a true and Gospel Worship, and not be right and true in that Worship. What then, when the way of the Lord shall be found strength to the upright, destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity, Prov. 10 v. 29. Yea though in the way, yea the rather, the sooner; the very way will throw them out, it will tyre and founder them, while the upright shall Mutare vires, youths shall faint, young men shall fall, but they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall run and not be weary, walk and not faint, Esaiah 40. Hosea 14. and the last verse speaks to the same purpose. The ways of the Lord are right, the just shall walk in them, transgressors shall fallin them. Be ye very studious of learning the truth as it is and lies in Jesus; let it appear that you are good proficients in that learning, by your putting off the Old man. The Apostle Ephes. 4. useth a metaphor taken from a Garment, such is the Old Man, a Rotten, Ragged, Motheaten, Corrupt, Musty, Greasy Garment, it's all filthiness and corruption; nay let me tell you, the Plague is in it, verily it is, Oh than off with it and throw it upon some hedge or into some ditch, and put on the New Man that will make you comely and trim in the eyes of God, Angels and men: It's the new creature in Christ that is the availing thing, Circumcision, Uncircumcision, outward Baptisms, Knowledge, Gifts, Parts, Privileges, all these and all other externals without the New Creature will avail nothing, signifies nothing with God; therefore be ye careful of this, and that you answer the New Creature with a New Carriage and suitableness of Conversation, escaping the pollutions of the world, not only by the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour as Hypocrites may do, and afterwards come to be entangled again and overcome, and so their latter end prove worse than their beginning, as it's expressed in the second of Peter, but let it be through the righteousness of God, and by the means of the great and precious promises, and by a participation of the Divine Nature, that your escapes from the pollutions of the world and the contammination thereof is brought about, and then all will prove well at last. But while I persuade you to put on the New Man, and to be in a sanctified state; I must needs mind you of putting on the Lord Jesus Christ in his Merit and Righteousness by Faith for free Justification, and then you will have the change of Raiment, spoken of in the 3. of Zechariah and the 4. verse; And so putting on Christ, keeping him on never putting him off again, walk up and down in him, rise up and lie down in him, and to vary the metaphor, as the Scripture doth, feed upon him daily, for he is as clothing, so meat and drink to us; Except ye eat the flesh of the son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you, if you do, you have eternal life, you have it already, it's begun; and so indeed it must be begun in this world, for it is the same eternal life that the Saints live here and in heaven▪ the same for nature and kind, though there are differences in degrees; they that begin not their eternal life here, shall never go to heaven to begin it there; ye must have heaven come down from God out of heaven here in grace and holiness, or else you shall never come into heaven after you go out of this World. Wicked men and unbelievers begin their hell here in the sinful part of it, and hereafter they shall have their hell completed, in the suffering and tormenting part of it; so on the other hand, godly persons begins their heaven here in the gracious part of it▪ and then the glorious part is superadded hereafter, and it is but the parting with a little breath, and the sending out that, it's but the knocking down of a weak mud wall, and the impenitent sinner (oh miserable he) will have his hell completed: The godly believer (oh blessed he) will have his heaven completed and both one and other be in a standing condition, such as shall never know nor admit of changes to all eternity; there is no such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 between heaven and earth, but that there may be an intercourse and converse now; but there is a vast gulf between heaven and hell, Luke 16. and whereas I speak of eternal life begun here, I say it is by the means of eating the flesh and drinking the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which must be understood spiritually, and spiritually performed, not in the Letter but in the Mystery: We must not here, Terrenum concipere, it's the spirit that quickens, the flesh profits nothing: I am of this belief and persuasion, that if a man that was present at the Crucifying the Lord of Life had gotten a piece of his holy flesh and eaten it, and catcht some of his blood and drunk it down, it would have profited him nothing, as to his Soul's condition and the concernments thereof, but that by the way. I have been and am persuading to look to the main, to mind and make after real and substantial godliness, and to be cordial to it, I press it still; deal not complementally with it and in the way of Courtship; make it your main business and not as a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a matter by the by, and be sure that it be commander in chief, and so it must and will be, or it will be nothing, it's of too noble and generous a nature to be an underling to any man or to any man's lusts in the world, be he who he will; and while I urge and press godliness I would have old godliness considered of and owned; I mean Abel's godliness, and Enocks godliness, and Abraham's godliness, which was as good godliness as ever was in the world; let us think it no scorn to be commanded by their examples to write after their copy. Let us not be slothful but followers of the holy Patriarches, that by Faith and Patience inherit the promises; Concordet vita mea cum Patriarchis maneat in Eternum anima mea Compatriarchis, only look diligently with all possible care to this, that we be not mistaken about godliness, for its a much mistaken thing in the world, and the mistakes about it, though very common, yet are they of most dangerous consequence, and will be found so to be ere it be long, let you and I walk before God as Enock and Abraham did, in the humility and integrity of our hearts, and keep close to him while others study sinful and unwarrantable latitudes and walk at a loss: Be we careful that whatever the times be, we never be the worse for them, nor they the worse for us, that it may not be said of us, as of Judah of old, Hosea 11. verse 12. Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the Saints. This is the way to bring a blessing upon us, and let times and providences be what they will, it shall go well with us, if greater storms and tempests arise upon us then ever yet our eyes beheld in respect of man's actings, we shall have a weather-shoare, a shelter, a hiding place, a refuge, a chamber of retirement, let God's appearances be never so formidable and dreadful: God will be the hope of his people, and Godliness and a good conscience will befriend them to purpose, and make them sing like birds of Paradise, when others shall howl and lament for the misery that will come upon them, being cast under a certain fearful expectation of judgement and fiery indignation that shall devour the adversary. And to the honour of godliness be it spoken, the beauty and benefit of it is never more seen and found then in times of public Calamity and days of Vengeance; Consider what our Saviour speaks in Luke 21. 25. And there shall be signs in the Sun, and in the Moon, and in the Stars, and upon the earth distress of Nations, with perplexity, the Sea and the Waves roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; For the powers of heaven shall be shaken, etc. When these things begin to come to pass, what then? then, even then look you up and lift up your heads, for your Redemption draws nigh. The acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of Vengeance of our God are joined together, Esai. 61. When Vengeance comes upon the Wicked, then is God in suo bene placito, then is he in his fullest complacency The Psalmist tells us, Psalm 58 The Righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance, Esa. 66. 5. Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, let the Lord be glorified: but for what I marvel, what for hating their Brethren and casting them out? O bona causa; But what follows, he shall appear for your joy and they shall be ashamed, my servants saith the Lord shall eat and ye shall be hungry, my servants shall drink but ye shall be thirsty, my servants shall rejoice but ye shall be ashamed, my servants shall sing for joy of heart but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit chap. 65. verse 13. When was it that those Caelicolae, the much people in heaven voiced out their Hallelujahs, and the sour and twenty Elders consorted with them and said, Amen Hallelujah; but when the smoke of Babylon and her Torments ascended for ever and ever, and upon the beholding of which, the Kings and Merchants of the earth; Cry out, alas! alas! that Great City Babylon that mighty City, for in one hour is thy judgement come. It is as I hinted to you before a day of Judgement and terrible appearance of God amongst us in the way of Pestilence, and what would we have God to do, would we have him always to be silent and sit still in heaven, as one that takes no Cognisance of what is done on earth, and not sensible in the least of all the provocations wherewith he hath been provoked to his face from day to day; such apprehensions and athiestical conceits have possessed the minds of others of old, Ezek. 8 verse 12. for they say, the Lord seeth us not, the Lord hath forsaken the earth; The like we have in Psalm 94. verse 6. 7. They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thy herritage, Yet they say, the Lord shall not see: neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Would ye have the Mighty and most holy Jehovah so to un▪ God himself (with Reverence be it spoken) and so to carry as if he had cast off the Government of the World, and regarded not which end went forward, or as if he were now grown old and impotent disabled for managing affairs as formerly, or such a God as Elijah, in way of holy Sarcasm and Scoffingly propounds Baal to be 1 King. 18. v. 27. Cry aloud for he is a God either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a Journey, or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked; surely there is no gracious spirit in the World can endure, that the most blessed God should be under such reproach and scorn, but rather that he should awake up, and show himself in a way of vindication of his own name and glory, which is better than all the Angels and men in the world. The Church of old hath made lively discovery of an excellent spirit to such a purpose, Psalm 94. verse 1. O Lord God to whom Vengeance belongs, O God to whom vengeance belongs, show thyself. Esai. 60. verse 1, 2. Ob that thou wouldst rend the heavens, that thou wouldst c●me down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, and wherefore all this? mark what follows, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence. And let God alone to plead his own cause, be sure he will look to his name and glory▪ mark what he speaks by the prophet, Psalm 50. v. 21. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence: thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. So likewise the Prophet Isaiah chap. 4●. ver. 13, 14. The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of War: he shall cry, yea, roar, he shall prevail against his enemies. I have long time holden my peace, I have been still, and refrained myself: Now will I cry like a travelling woman, I will destroy and devour at once. So that a man shall say, verily there is a reward for the righteous, he that seeth cause so to say, shall see a like cause to say, as verily, there is a reward for the wicked, even as verily as there is a God that judgeth the Earth, Psalm 58. 11. We have somewhat of Justification hereof at this day, among ourselves the sword of Pestilence (as I said before,) is wakened, and the terrible God is causing his terror to manifest itself: the great men of the earth do reckon it to their honour to appear very formidable and dreadful, and to raise up and cause their terror to be known in their Dominions, and to those that are under their Government. We find in Ezekiel chap. 32. That five or six times in few verses, it is thus expressed, Such and such caused their terror in the Land of the living, but at last themselves were brought to the pit, and slain with the Sword, uncircumcised as they were, and while they had their swords under their heads they had their iniquities upon their bones, verse 27. and then this account is given of them, the terrible God who sometimes manifests himself terrible to Kings and Princes and Nations, he comes in speaking thus, verse 32. I have caused my terror, as if he had said, they have taken their times and turns to show themselves terrible, and I will take my time with them and make it appear, that I can cause as much terror as any of them. God can carry and act as men do, excepting their sinful actings; as in the 18. Psalms, With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful, with the upright thou wilt show thyself upright, with the pure thou wilt show thyself pure, with the meek thou wilt show thyself meek, with the humble thou wilt show thyself humble; But with the froward thou wilt show thyself froward, and with the terrible thou wilt show thyself terrible. The Lord carries at this day as if he had seen and heard something; I refer to that expression in Zechariah chap. 9 v. 8. when the Lord speaks by the Prophet thus, I will encamp about my house, etc. for now have I seen with mine eyes. Surely God hath seen somewhat that is not very grateful to him, for it is now more than the burden of the word of the Lord; no, It's the burden of the wrath and judgement of the Lord, not in the denunciation of it, but in the execution of it: I have signified in part already, what is the proper work for us all in such a day, and I am now turned upon the same point again; And what if it be as of old, according to what the Prophet Esaiah speaks▪ Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little. You my dear Friends and others with you will not be offended, and as for others be they who they will that are curious, captious, and critical, if any such should come to the view hereof. If they be not pleased I pass not nor shall I be displeased; I am at a point, I'll trouble them as little as I can, and it may be never more in this kind: If you and the rest to whom this is intended, accept and reap any benefit by what I have performed for your sake in a paraenetical and perswasory way, it is enough for me, I have my aim. Our common work besides other is to pray, but for what? That God would remove his heavy stroke, true; but with all, that he would sanctify it, and do us much good by it, knowing that Covenant affliction and Judgements sanctified, are better much better than common mercies: Pray that God would purge away our Dross, and take away our Tinn, what there is of dross in point of Doctrine, Discipline and Worship, and Morals; and in our own hearts, that he would purge all this away: Pray that the Plaster may lie on till in some measure it hath eaten out proud excrescences: Fruit of Judgements is better than freedom from them. There are it seems some hopes at the present, while I am Writing, that the strength of the storm is over; that there will be a great abatement this week, and so for the future: And it's said, that our busy Astrologers, who I wish do not make too bold with God encourage this hope. I would say as Jeremiah speaks concerning the vessels of the Temple, when Hananiah the son of Azure the Prophet which was in Gibeon, spoke unto him in the house of the Lord, in the presence of all ' the people saying; I have broken the yoke of the King of Babylon, and in two fall years will I bring again to this place all the vessels of the Lords house that Nebuchadnezar King of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon etc. Jeremiah said to Hananiah in the presence of the Priests and in the presence of all the people, even the Prophet Jeremiah said, Amen, the Lord do so, the Lord perform the word which thou hast prophesied, Jer. 27. So would I say upon such suggestions concerning an abatement & Cessation of the judgement upon us, even so Amen, the Lord perform this word. But see well to it, how, and upon what terms we and the Plague part, it may prove maxima Dei ira the greatest wrath of God, for God not to be angry, that is, not to make manifest his anger. God punisheth most severely when he refuseth to punish, as in Hosea 4. I will not punish your Daughters when they commit whoredom, Medicus cum definit curare desperate, it's an argument that the Physician hath little or no hope of the Patient when he gives over the Cure, it may prove the greatest Judgement to have a Judgement removed; and let us be wise and take our Saviour's counsel given to the diseased man, John 5. Sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee, Judgement and punishments of the second or third edition, or of a second or third prolation, may prove seven times more pressingly burdensome; pray we then that God and we may be friends before we and his Judgements part, by occasion of the sad stroke under which we lie. There is a monthly Fast appointed by His Majesty's Authority, and it is well that such a course is taken, in order to the removal of the Judgement which is now incumbent upon us. Fasting and Praying is a proper expedient for such a purpose of Gods appointing, and therefore it should be of man's, because of Gods; but let us take heed that our fasting be such as God requires, not a fasting for Strife and Debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness. Is it such a Fast saith the Lord, that I have chosen a day for a man to afflict his soul, is it to bow down his head as a Bulrush, wilt thou call this a fast, an acceptable day to the Lord. Let there be a putting ourselves in a due posture and know that it well becomes us to appear before God, with earth upon our heads, with ropes about our necks, with sackcloth upon our Loins, and so to lie in the dust before him. And for the public Preachers in whose hands is the management of the work, I would beseech them to look to two or three things; First, that they would cry aloud and not spare; that they would lift up their Voices like Trumpets and show the ' Inhabitants of England their transgressions, and wherein they have exceeded; that they would drive impartially, sparing none; that they would lift up a Standard against that Athiesme which threateneth to invade the Nation as a Flood; That they would not give stones instead of bread; that they would not fall upon that fallacy in Logic, to put Non causam pro causa, touching the Pestilence; That they would not be like the Prophets of Old, who saw vain and foolish things for the people, not discovering their Iniquity to turn away their Captivity, but seeking for them false burdens, and causes of Banishment and of Destruction and of desolation as the Prophet speaks, Lam. 2. v. 14. But that they would make it their main design to promote the power of Godliness and a real Reformation, according to the word of God and example of the best reformed Churches, and that Primitive Discipline, which as the Common Prayer Book expresses, it were much to be wished that it were Restored, might come in Power. The Long Parliament were driving something to that purpose, but could not bring about their design. Oh that now Magistrates and Ministers would unanimously set themselves, to see if they can perform better than they did, So as that the people of the Nation may be brought to worship God Vnohumero, with one shoulder, then shall we not need to be forced by Acts of Parliament to come to Church▪ Those whom they call fanatics, will then flee as Doves to their windows, flock as sheep to their folds, come by shoals (that to be sure) you will not be able to keep them out. The Apostle tells us, that the great God calls upon all men every where to Repent; Oh that that might be our work, and that we might second our Humiliation with a real Reformation, that we may put away the Iniquity of our hearts and hands, that we may spit out the sweet morsels which we have rolled so long under our tongue, and held so fast between our teeth, that we would each of us study our own iniquity and quit it; and let the Preachers themselves look to it, that they be lively examples thereof, then may we Fast and Pray with hope and confidence, that God will hear and answer, and appear for our help. And would not those who are looked upon as fanatics, would not they comply with others in this cause. There are of them that though they have not felt the Lashing of the Scorpions, have not had the sowerest looks, the severest frowns, and sharpest rebukes, yet have had none of the friendliest aspects; yet even those are free in their spirits to comply with the Cause of Humiliation; and I hope that the people of the Nation will not think that they have wished evil to them, or desired the woeful day. Jeremiah was forbidden to pray for the people of his time, and he was sometimes in deep and dreadful imprecations against them, whether out of passion and perturbation of spirit by means of deep provocations from them, or prompeed thereunto by divine instinct, I dispute not, but these can & do deprecate with others the present Judgements; and can say with Samuel, God forbid that we should sin in ceasing to pray for you. We are and count it our duty to be deeply sensible as of God's dishonour, so of the Nations present Calamity and Sufferings.  
We are fellow Countrymen, we are fellow Subjects, in the Nation's Peace, we have had Peace; but may we not question, whether other of our brethren desire or care for our Prayers, but hope to do the work themselves without our help; even so say we, So there be but found a Moses to stand in the Gap, an Aaron with his Censer in his hand to stand between the living and the dead it matters not, so there be a man to turn away the wrath of God, let him be who he will we will rejoice.  
My dear Friends I purposed a shorter come off then thus, not to draw out a Line to this length, but so it proves and I make proof of your patience; and if your patience be not quite spent, I will add some few words more, and we will close up all. I told you before of the Earl of Marleboroughs letter, I have yet further to signify to you, that I lately met with another paper bearing Mr. Richard baxter's name, a large sheet woven by him not to be a winding sheet for men's bodies, but rather a spiritual winding sheet for their souls, to wind them into God and into heaven, if you will you may reckon it to be a Penitential sheet, woven and wrought to wind poor souls into Faith and Repentance, and so to Glory: Since that sheet I have met with other papers of his, which refer partly to the Godly, partly to the wicked, to one and other principally, with respect unto this Contagious Pestilence; in all which he expresses much of the good will of him that dwelled in the bush: Good man of a Piously public spirit, wishing well to all, hurt to none if he could help it, would have none to Perish but all to come to Repentance and so to Glory, having it seems a strong confidence (as well he may) be the numbers never so great, of Persons that get the Possession of the Kingdom before himself, he shall not be prejudiced in the least, as to his own interest therein; and I must ingeniously confess thus much to you, that those sweet and savoury Papers of his, which like so many Boxes of Precious Ointment broken open, have filled the City and Country with such an Odoriferous and Fragrant smell, as hath much refreshed the nostrils of many, gave me the occasion to appear in this way, and with him to prosecute the same design of promoting some benefit, refreshment, and comfort, especially to Persons Visited with the Pestilence; yet withal having an eye to others that they might be prepared for it, and corroborated against the fears of it, rolling themselves upon God in the way of a holy confidence; and this is that which with your patience I would apply myself unto: First of all, I would persuade you, and all my Christian Brethren and Friends, not to be overfearful of the Plague; it is good to have an awe upon our spirits, and a trembling frame of heart in the Presence of our Father, when the Rod is in his hand, and he exercising his severity upon those that are in his great Family; but be not too much of a dispondent spirit, as too many are who fear and fly: I shall not now dispute the case concerning removing into the Country, how far it may be lawful, how far not; who may be allowed to provide for their safety that way who not; others have performed that, and for my part I have favourable and friendly thoughts concerning such as do, only I would have them to consider, that there is no flying from God; so David, Psal. 139. verse 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Whither shall I go from thy spirit, or whether shall I fly from thy presence; if I ascend up into Heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behòld thou art there; if I take the wings of the morning, & dwell in the uttermost parts in the Sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me; if I say, surely the darkness shall cover me: even the night shall be light about me. We are further to know that these Arrows of Pestilence are guided by a divine hand, and are not sent out at a venture at random as the Syrians were and Jehus, which were directed to ahab's breast, and Jehorams back; they are leveled in wisdom and judgement, according to the Counsel of God, he smites whom he pleases, he spares whom he pleases, and both the Numerus numerans and the Numeras numeratus are with him; It is good therefore to roll ourselves upon God, and to trust him with our lives, and souls, and all our concernments, not fearing the fear of wicked men, but sanctifying the Lord God in our hearts, & making him our fear. As touching the Plague, it is in itself and in the nature of it a formidable disease, as might be manifested in sundry respects, as I said, but it is ordered by a divine hand, you may be infected with it, it may be not; if it be so you may recover, it's not necessary you should die, it proves not mortal to all; its thought by many of the learned, that King Hezekiah was sick of that Disease, and yet he recovered and lived many years after, and we have proof of it at this very day, by means used; divers are kept from the Grave and raised up again▪ 〈…〉 whom God is pleased to make use of as instruments in his hand to such a purpose▪ though they be but few▪ blessed of God be our worthy Doctor Oaks, who is eminently active; 〈…〉 the hazard of himself and Family, for the good and benefit of such as are seized with the Disease, having a freeness of spirit, ●o apply himself as much to the Poor, as to those of a higher rank; and blessed be God not without success, as is well known to many of us at this day: but grant it that the Disease prove Mor●●l, and we should fall by the hand of it; if all be well between God and our own souls, if we be a pardoned people, justified by the blood of th● everlasting covenant, it shall be well with us to all eternity; and what if you go to heaven in a storm the Mariner thinks not the worse of the hav●n because a tempest hurled him into it; heaven will be never the worse nor less acceptable to us, not we the less welcome to it, though we come thither by the means of the Plague: As for such whose Families are now Visited, whether Rich or Poor, Young, or Old, One or Other; I would in more special manner make my Application to them. Worthy Mr. Baxter hath prevented me and performed worthily, and he hath given ou● wholesome Advice and Directions, Methodizing matters that do more especially concern persons in that condition; I would second him in a more General way, and what I shall now in the closing up of my Letter offer out, with respect unto Visited Families and Persons; I could heartily wish that it might be abstracted from the rest of my Letter, and transmitted to the said Families and Persons; and why might not some well affected persons that have a larger Portion of the World than others of their neighbours, be at so much cost to procure, together with Mr. Baxters' Papers, that which now I second them with, and transmit them unto such Families and Persons. I have observed, that our Mountebanks can issue out their Papers, and scatter them up and down, that there may be a general cognizance taken of such and such Sovereign▪ Antidotes and Medicaments, as may be beneficial to persons, to whom such Medicaments are most proper, and may prove most beneficial and this which now I have to express, is the extract which I wish might be made; I would commission such a paper to say, Peace be unto this House, and be sure if the Son or Daughter of Peace be there, the Peace shall rest upon it, notwithstanding the Plague be in it; and whether it come as a trial or as a punishment, I would advise them to bid it welcome, accept it, kiss the Rod, and the hand that holds it, drink the cup, which though it may be bitter, yet may prove wholesome and not poisonous in the least; hear the Rod, and who hath appointed it, quarrel not with it, but fall under it, study you to please God in what you do or suffer, and that God may please you in what he order out, and all will be well. I would ask you concerning your Souls, and Spiritual Conditions; have you not minded God hitherto, nor acquainted yourselves with him, and the Mysteries of his Will, things that concern your Eternal Peace, have you not yet believed, repent; set to it now, and make it your business, you may have but a little time to spend in the world, improve it to as good purpose as you can, let not a minute run out to waste; the nearer you are to your journey's end, make the more haste that your work may not be to do, when you have no time left to do it in; knowing that there is no Believing, Repenting, self-Humbling, and making peace with God▪ No, such Work in the Grave whither you are going, be deeply humbled for your neglect of Hearing, Reading, Praying, and other Duties of Godliness, and now cry mightily, urge God with his Attributes, and plead thus; Lord thou art styled a Father of Lights, and wilt thou not send light into my dark soul; thou art the God of all Grace, and shall I die in a graceless condition; thou gavest Christ, and that of thine own free accord, when there was no moving of thee in the least to such a purpose, and he hath shed his blood pacified thy wrath, satisfied thy justice, brought in everlasting righteousness, and is now at the right hand to make Intercession for poor sinners and shall I that now cry for him, fly to him, be never the better for him, not one drop of his blood to purge my conscience; only by the way let me Animadvert upon that which is the common apprehension and expression of men, that one drop of Christ's Blood was sufficient to save a world; for my part I am not clear in that it must be heart blood, life blood that must be shed by him to make an atonement; but to direct your proceed in the way of your Plea, Lord thou hast given me a natural life and breath, and wilt thou not give me spiritual life and breath; I have the natural senses of hearing, seeing, tasting, feeling, and so forth; and Lord shall I be wholly a stranger to spiritual senses, these things am not I able to perform in my own behalf, by my own power; Oh put forth thine, make me such as thou wouldst have me to be, and I shall be such; it is said of Abraham, thou foundst him faithful, and of David, thou foundst him a man after thine own heart, thou wouldst never have found them so, if thou hadst not made them so, make me such and thou shalt find me such; thy grace is as sufficient to pardon, and sanctify and renew me, as ever it was for any poor sinner in the World; If I die, and damn, and perish, there is no profit in my blood, the dead praise thee not, the damned will not nor can; If I perish I shall never love thee and honour thee; If thou wilt save me, I shall be a lasting Monument of freest love and richest Grace and Mercy. Oh then Magnify thy Mercy upon me, and let me not be Fuel for the burning, but Timber for the building; yet let me further drive and deal with you, and use my uttermost to fasten my nails in you; you are humane creatures, oh see that you be new creatures, you are a part of the first Creation that is woefully degenerated and defaced, see that you be a part of the second Creation which is performed in Christ Jesus, in whom all God's acts of Grace are performed; you have natural understandings, pray that God would give you spiritual understandings; David fetched an argument from this consideration, that God's hand had made him, fashioned him, and urged in the strength thereof: Oh give me understanding that I may keep thy Testimonies, Psal. 119. You have bodies, but do you not consider that you have souls that are infinitely more to be valued then your bodies, the loss whereof, the whole world will not countervail; you live a natural life, but do not you know that there is a spiritual life which is infinitely better, look to live that life; you eat and drink daily for the body, there is a spiritual meat and drink provided, which your souls have as much need of, as your bodies have of the Perishing food, oh make out after that; You are careful to clothe your bodies, and shall your fouls be naked; You prise and study to keep and maintain your outward liberty, spiritual liberty is far better, and will you please yourselves in spiritual bondage to sin and the Devil, oh make out after this spiritual liberty, knowing that if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed; You are careful to maintain your bodily health, and is it good that you should have sick souls; let me ask you, will you love darkness rather than light, sickness rather than health, bondage rather than liberty, death rather than life, your disease better than your Cure, your Plague better than your plaster, will you chose rather to be in the hand of a wounding, kill Devil, then in the hand of a healing, recovering, curing Christ; will you choose rather to be damned and go to Hell, then to be eternally saved and put into the possession of eternal Mansion above; you are subject to a bodily Plague which may seize you, and it may be hath, know you not there is a worse Plague, the Plague of the heart, you must die how soon you know not; oh look after an interest in Christ which is the best interest, look for Faith and free Justification, Repentance and Renovation, seconded with Real and Universal Reformation; get the blood of Christ which is the blood of sprinkling upon your Consciences, which will purge away your Gild, bring in Peace, and kill the Worm, which if not killed, will killingly gnaw on you to all Eternity; I say again, you must die once, take heed of dying twice; there is a second death and that is the most formidable, you must die, but look to this, that death do not kill you, do you kill sin, and you will kill death too; you must die, but let it be your seeing of death as it is said of Simeon, Luke 2. Let not death see you with a Mortifferous kill sight; you must die, let it be but a tasting of death as the Scripture phraseth it, let it not devouringly feed on you as it shall upon some, Psalm 49. Once more you must die, I beseech you for God's sake, for dear Jesus sake, for your souls sake, let this be your greatest care, oh that it may be mine as well as yours, see to it that you live before you die, that you live the life of Grace, before you die the death of Nature, and then it matters not when, where, how, by what Disease you die; you shall not die to die, but die to live again, and live to die no more, but live in the uninterrupted Vision and interminable fruition of him who is the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise God, the Resurrection and the Life, the I am, the infinite Being, the All in All. Oh my Friends, let Master Bakters Counsel and this of mine seconding his, let it be acceptable to you and be not so cruel to your own souls as to neglect such a God, such a Christ, such a Gospel, such a Covenant, and such an Inheritance as is laid up in store for the Saints in Light; who but fools would live without God, without Christ, without Faith and Fear, and forgo him and his Christ to all Eternity, and be eternally miserable with Devils and Damned souls. After you are dead you must have the searchers to view your bodies, be you who you will; be you searchers to yourselves and your own Souls, and see to it that there be no spiritual Fever Spots, or Plague Spots upon you; If any spots, look to it that they be no other than the spots of God's Children; and if you have spots, look to it that you be not spots, such as Judas speaks of; And if the Marks of the Lord Jesus be upon your souls, and not the Mark of the Beast and Dragon, whatever Marks and Spots may be found on your Bodies, they may prove M●rk● of death, but shall never prove the Marks of Hell and Damnation. For my part while I am continued o● this side the Grave, and in Praying work, my earnest Prayer for you all shall be; that though you may be judged according to men in the Flesh, yet you may live according to God in the Spirit; and that though your outward▪ Man perish, that your inward Man may be renewed daily; that though there be a destroying of the outward Man, your Souls may be saved in the day of out Lord Jesus.  
I have now promised to pray for you, and it is my daily work; but be sure you pray for yourselves, and make use of Christ's name in your prayers, only take heed of resting in a meet Form as commonly men do, that have learned to say, for Jesus Christ's sake▪ do thus and thus; when as (poor souls) in the mean time, they know nothing of Christ, never closed with him in a believing way, never knew any need of him, never had any sense of the burdens of fin pressing heavily on their souls, and so made to cry out after that ease and rest, which he is so willing to afford to poor, burdened and heavy laded souls, Mat▪ 11. ●8. Such poor ignorant ones, Christ may say to them, upon what account do you make use of my name, what hath passed between you and me? you and I are yet to begin our acquaintance together, you know not me, nor I you, what have you then to do to take my name into your lips? This then is that which I would persuade and press you to, acquaint your selves with Christ and be at peace, as was the counsel given to Job, chap. 22. The Father is angry, and there is no coming at him but by the the son, Oh kiss the son lest he be angry, as is advised, Psal. 2. Kiss him with a kiss of Faith, a kiss of Love, a kiss of ●eal and Cordial Subjection. Oh do in a spiritual way, as the poor woman the sinner did in a bodily way, but with her heart too, Luke 7. Get to the feet of Christ and pray, that if you may not have the kisses of his mouth, you may have the kisses of his feet, hang fast about him, and touch him with a touch of faith. Marry Magdalen was bid not to touch him, and Christ gave the reason, For (saith he) I am not aseended. She doted too much upon his bodily presence, but now he is ascended, touch him and spare not: get you an interest in Christ's person, and then use his name and improve it to the utmost, you have his warrant for it, John. 16▪ 24. and you may be bold upon it, and this encouragement you have, That what you ask in his name, the Father will give it. It is, as a precious, so a prevailing name: The case may so stand with a people, or person, that though Noah, Daniel, and Job; though Moses and Samuel who were God's Favourites, very potent, and prevalent with him, yet could not God's heart be toward such a people or person, nor should they prevail, Jeremiah 15. 1. Ezek 14. 14. And it did appear in Saul's case, on whose behalf Samuel did very passionately intercede but could not prevail, 1 Sam. 16. 1. But it was never said by God, nor never shall; though Jesus my Son should stand up and plead in the behalf of such or such a sinner, he should not prevail with me.  
This Paper of mine, either in the whole complex, or in the extract, which principally I have wished to you may come, and knock at your doors, and may find them shut upon you, and you shut up within them, that Friends cannot come to you; If it come, take it in, entertain it friendly; what know you, but Christ who stands at the door and knocks, may come along with it? Oh, let him be entertained into your Houses, into your Hearts; you will have cause to bless God to eternity, that ever such a guest came under your Roofs▪ And so that your hora ●ovissima, prove but hora salutifera saluifica, your last hour may prove an hour of salvation: I wish you no more, no better. And now, my Brethren, I had down, but, that one only thing more is to be done. If this paper should be published, as haply it may (but if so, it shall be your act, as much as, if not more than mine: It will be perhaps animadverted upon, and Objected against. I would therefore willingly animadvert upon it myself, and anticipate, prevent what Objections may be made against it.  
It may be said first, That for all my time past, I have been quiet, and appeared little in a way of Printing; How comes it to pass that now I appear?  
I Answer, It's true, I have appeared little, very ittle in this way; two or three things have passed in my Name and under my Hand, poor inconsiderable things; yet found good acceptance and encouragement, for such minutula: They take up little room, and are had on easy terms, less than Twelve pence, I think, will buy them all.  
Why may I not appear, when the occasion is so pressing, the Arguments so material, and momentous? The Lion hath roared, who will not tremble? The Lord hath spoken, who can Prophesy? Besides let my main design I drive plead for me, which is, Non ad captundam sed ad exprimendam benevolentiam promovendam fidem & resipiscentiam; not to catch at man's respect and esteem, others know how little I deserve it; and I know it as well as they. My Reverend Brethren can give me my price, and so can I of myself: its low by agreement on all hands; only I have this to say for myself, I am of a self-discouraging Spirit and disposition; and cannot put forth myself amongst my betters, as some can; I think I have been a little disadvantaged upon that accounts but it matters not: And if I be a fool in thus expressing myself; I say, as Paul, Bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed, bear with me. It may be further said, that I prefix a Title, which the following discourse Answers not▪ till toward the last: other matters are agitated first, and that that suits the Title, comes up in the rear? To that I say, 'tis true, but most of the matters held forth, refer to the present sad Providence, and have a tendency, to promote a due improving, and a happy removing of the Plague; Besides, the Title Page signifies that there are sundry other things held forth, besides a Check given to the Plague. One thing more, in Nature (as we say in Schools) that which is Primum in intention, is Vltimum in executione; that which is first in intention and purpose prove last in execution and performance; why not so here? Again, it may be, you seem to discover a male-contented spirit, with respect to the present Times and administrations? To that, I say, I am better known, then to be ill affected to Magistratical Government; I have all along pleaded and pressed submission to Kings and Magistrates, and such as are in Authority over us, and that for Conscience sake: only wish that the greatest severity might not proceed against such as desiring to act according to a judicious and well informed Conscience, cannot, and that merely out of tenderness, come up in all circumstantials to answer magistratical impositions▪ I meddle not at all with the Laws and Statutes, but touch with gentleness upon the executive part, and those who are betrusted therewith; who possibly may not act from that culmnesse and composedness of Spirit, and with that gentleness and tenderness that were to be wished; especially toward such as would be glad with all their hearts to come up to the most full and complete subjection that is required, and have otherwise learned Christ, then to allow themselves, in any turbulence or Seditiousnesse of Spirit, any immoriterousnesse, and refractoriness contrary to the word of God, and inconsistent with a good conscience▪ ●f it be said, that I take upon me to deal with persons in the public Ministry, and others also, and to advise and counsel them; and am I not too busily meddling this way, too much assuming? I say, I have been a public Preacher as well as they, and I could give account what approbation I have found from such as have been of highest rank in their way, and of their persuasion, but I forbear. And though I am far, very far short of their Parts and Abilities, yet I may compare with them for years, being now an aged man, and why may I not be permitted to suggest somewhat to them in a way of Counsel and Advise. Job would not despise the Counsel of a Servant; If it be said I plead the cause of meekness, and earnestly press it, but discover a sharp and tart Spirit, etc. I say, that meekness and sharpness as the occasion may be are not, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, but may very well consist together: Moses and Paul were Eminent and most Exemplary for their Meekness, but yet could be hot and quick, and did as the Cause required, show themselves men of mettle, full of zeal. And who would not be zealous, very zealous, when Athiesme and Profaneness do so Impetuously break in upon us as a Flood? When there is so much dishonour done to God, such indignities offered to Christ and his Grace, such a spirit of Malignity and desperate Opposition, made and manifested against the power of Godliness. Once more it may be said, I appear too friendly to fanatics; I say, there are, that are so called, that are not so indeed: I would the definition of such a one, were genuinly and properly draw up and given out according to truth, and let them wear the Coat, that it best fits; Let me ever be a Cordial friend to such as fear God, honour the King, mind real godliness, and study to express the power of it, walk circumspectly; labour to keep Faith and a good Conscience, and their Garments of holy Profession, close about them, clean upon them, not being spotted by the world▪ that make it their daily care, to walk with God as Enoch and Abraham did, to approve themselves to Christ, to keep clear of sin, and closely to the ways of holiness; making it their design when others shall be found to shame and dishonour, they may be found to praise and glory, in the appearing and Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ; and such as these the world will hate, Malign, Persecute, and judge the scum offscouring of men, so Paul and his companions were accounted, 1 Cor. 4. 13. We are made the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the Purganienta, the Excrementa, as Erasmus renders the Word. Thus I say the World will count them, and it cannot do no otherwise, blind, besotted World as it is. But it matters not, God will love them, Christ will own them and honour them, their Consciences will befriend them, and if God love, it matters not who hate; if Christ be for us, it matters not who be against us; if the Scriptures be on our side, it matters not who rise up in opposition; if Conscience be a friend, we need not pass, though the World be our enemy, and all the devils of hell too, as to be sure they will. They are in the saddest condition, that have God, and Christ, and Conscience, and Scriptures against them. I have often thought and said, it were better for a man to have an Army of Ten Thousand men in Battle array against him, then to have one Text of Scripture against him, and so might I say of a Saints Prayer. My Brethren and Friends I have Done, 'tis a poor Do, such as it is accept; I told you in the beginning, ●he desire of a man is his kindness; If I have done anything tending to the glory of my dearest God, my Sweetest and most Precious Jesus, any thing that may conduce to the promoting any benefit to your Souls or any other, it's enough: Now to him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his Glory, with exceeding Joy to the only wise God our Saviour; be Glory, and Majesty, Dominion, and Power, now and ever,  
Amen.  
FINIS.