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

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

Now the grave doth open its mouth without measure; multitudes! multitudes! in the valley of

the shadow of death thronging daily into eternity; the church-yards now are so stuffed with dead corpses, that they are in many places swelled two or three feet higher than they were before; and new ground is broken up to bury the dead.

Now "Hell from beneath is moved" at the number of the guests that are received into its chambers; the number of the wicked which have died by the plague, no doubt, hath been far the greatest, as we may reasonably conclude, without breach of charity; and it is certain, that all the wicked which then died in sin were turned into hell; how then are the damned spirits now increased! some were damning themselves a little before in their oaths, and God is now damning their souls for it, and is passing the irreversible sentence of damnation upon them. Some were drinking wine in bowls a little before, and strong drink without measure; and now God hath put another cup into their hands, a cup of red wine, even the wine of the wrath and fierceness of the Almighty. Some were a little before feasting their senses, pleasing their appetite, satisfying the desires of the flesh, and being past feeling, had given themselves up to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness; but now their laughter is turned into mourning, and their joy into howling and woe; and they have recovered their feeling again, but instead of the pleasures which they felt, and their sensual delights, which took away the feeling of their consciences, they are made to feel the heavy hand of God; and to endure such anguish and horror, through the sense of God's wrath, as no tongue can express

Now the atheists believe there is a God, and the anti-scripturists are convinced of the truth of God's word, by the execution of God's threatenings in the Word upon them. Now the covetous and unjust, the malicious and cruel, the scoffers and profane, begin to suffer the vengeance of eternal fire: and the ignorant person with the civil, who are acquainted with Jesus Christ, are not excused; yea, the hypocrites, with all impenitent and unbelieving persons, are sent down to the place of weeping: and surely Hell wonders to see so many come amongst them from such a city as London, where they have enjoyed such plenty of such powerful means of grace; and place is given to them, even the lowest and hottest, where Judas and others are of the chiefest

note.

Yet Hell doth not engross all that die by the visitation; some there are (though not the first or most) who have room made for them in the mansions which are above. The plague makes little difference between the righteous and the wicked, (except the Lord by a peculiar providence do shelter some under his wing, and compass them with his favour, as with a shield, hereby keeping off the darts that are shot so thick about them,) yet as there is little difference in the bodies of the righteous, and of others; so this disease makes little discrimination, and not a few fearing God are cut off amongst the rest; they die of the same distemper with the most profane, they are buried in the same grave, and there sleep together till the morning of the resurrection; but as there is a difference in their

spirits whilst they live, so there is a difference, and the chiefest difference, in their place and state after their separation from the body. Dives is carried to hell, and Lazarus to Abraham's bosom, though he died with his body full of sores: devils drag the souls of the wicked after they have received their final doom at the bar of God, into utter darkness, where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth; but angels convey the souls of the righteous into the heavenly paradise, the New Jerusalem which is above, where God is in his glory; and the Lord Jesus Christ at his right hand, and thousand thousands stand before him, and ten thousand times ten thousand administer unto him, even an innumerable company of angels; and where the spirits of all just men and women made perfect, were before gathered; where there is fulness of joy, and rivers of eternal pleasures running about the throne of God, the streams of which do make glad all the inhabitants of New Jerusalem. Now the weak prison-doors of the body are broken down, and the strong everlasting gates of their Father's palace are lifted up, and the saints are received with joy and triumph, into glory; and they come with singing into Zion, and everlasting joy in their hearts, and all sorrow and sighing doth fly away like a cloud, which never any more shall be seen. Now the veil is rent, and they enter the Holy of Holies, where God dwells, not in the darkness of a thick cloud, as in the temple of old, but in the brightness of such marvellous light and glory, as their eyes never did behold, neither

could enter into their heart to conceive; there they have the vision of God's face without any eclipse upon the light of his countenance: there they have the treasures of God's love opened, and his arms to receive them with dearest and sweetest embracements; which kindles in their hearts such a flame of love, so ravishing and delightful, as words cannot utter: there they are entertained by the Lord Jesus Christ, whom in the world they have served; and he that showed them his grace, which they had wondered at when they were in the body, doth now show them his glory, which they wonder at much more. There they are welcomed by angels, who rejoice, if at their conversion, much more at their coronation, there they sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of their Father: there they find Moses, and David, and Samuel, and Paul, and all the holy martyrs and saints, which have died before them, amongst whom they are numbered and placed, who rejoice in their increased society.

And as there is a great difference between the condition of the souls of the righteous and the wicked, who died by the same disease of the plague, after their death and separation; so there is a great difference between the carriage of their spirits at their death, and upon their sick-bed. Some wicked men are stupid and senseless, and are given up to a judiciary hardness, and die in a sleep of carnal security, out of which they are not awakened, till they are awakened in the midst of flames: others more sensible, and considering what hath been, and what is coming