,libraries47            ,,modest        
,,remarks   ,,upon ,,the   ,,bishop ,,of
 ,,london',s   ,,letter ,,concerning    
,,the ,,late ,,earthquakes4    ,price   
,six pence4       ,,modest ,,remarks    
,,upon ,,the   ,,bishop ,,of ,,london',s
   ,,letter ,,concerning   ,,the ,,late 
,,earthquakes4     ,by ,one of the      
,people called ,,quakers4       ,and    
now1 ,o ye ,priests1 this ,commandment  
is     for you4 ,if ye will not hear1   
and if ye will     not lay it to ,heart1
 to give ,glory unto my     ,name1 saith
 the ,lord of ,hosts1 ,i will even      
send a ,curse upon you1 and ,i will     
curse your     ,blessings3 ,yea1 ,i have
 cursed them already     because ye do  
not lay it to ,heart4----     ,therefore
 ,i also made you contemptible and      
base before all the ,people1 as ye have 
not     kept my ,way1 but have been     
,,partial in the     ,law4              
,malachi1 ii4 #ast4 #b;d4 and #c;d4     
,verses4     ,,london3    ,printed for  
,t4 ,,howard1 at the ,pamphlet ,shop in 

the   ,temple-,exchange ,coffee ,house1 
,fleet-street4 #agej4     ,,to ,,the    
,,bishop ,,of ,,london4  ,friend        
,,thomas1  ,verily ,i have perused thy  
,letter ,addressed to the ,clergy and   
,inhabitants of the ,cities of ,london  
and ,westminster with great ,attention1 
and must acknowledge to thee with       
,concern1 that ,i am exceedingly        
disappointed in the ,expectation ,i had 
raised to myself from that ,work4 ,the  
,solemnity1 ,friend1 of the ,occasion1  
the ,seriousness and ,consequence of the
 ,subject treated of1 and the ,relation 
thou pretendest to stand in to the      
,inhabitants of these ,cities1 made me  
believe1 that ,nothing would be omitted1
 that was ,necessary to awaken the      
,conscience1 and inform the             
,understandings of all ,degrees of      
,people1 within thy ,charge4 ,but how   
vain is human ,wisdom1 and how          
infinitely short-sighted are its        
,researches1 when it relies upon itself1
 and is unassisted by that ,spirit1 to  

whom all ,events are known1 who         
searcheth the ,hearts and tryeth the    
,reins of the ,children of ,men6  ,,thy 
,letter1 ,friend1 instead of awakening  
the ,conscience of the hardened ,sinner1
 or confirming the ,faith of the        
staggering ,believer1 has confounded    
their ,understandings1 and led them into
 a ,labyrinth1 out of which it is       
impossible they should ever extricate   
themselves by the ,strength of the mere 
natural ,man4  ,,thou hast without any  
,authority1 7for thou disclaimest all   
,inspiration from the ,holy ,spirit7    
represented the two ,shocks of an       
,earthquake1 lately felt1 as a          
supernatural ,event2 and magisterially  
pronounced them the ,effects of a       
special ,providence1 threatning         
,vengeance upon a wicked and profligate 
,generation4 ,who knoweth the ,councils 
of the ,almighty8 ,strange and wonderful
 are all his ,works1 and his ,ways past 
finding out4 ,what is ,man1 that he     
should dive into the ,secrets of his    

,providence1 or the ,son of ,man1 that  
he should deal out his ,judgments       
according to his vain ,imaginations8    
,verily1 ,friend1 ,thou wast under no   
,temptation to make such an use of that 
,dispensation of his ,providence2 and   
thou mightest have found sufficient     
,matter from a natural ,effect 7as      
those1 for aught we know to the         
contrary1 certainly were7 to have       
excited thy ,readers to a sincere       
,repentance1 without arrogating to      
thyself a ,knowledge to which thou hast 
not the smallest ,claim1 or furnishing  
the ,ungodly1 in the first ,line of thy 
,work1 with ,matter of ,prejudice       
against all that thou couldst say2 since
 they could plainly discover by their   
natural ,understanding1 that without the
 ,gift of the ,holy ,spirit1 thou       
couldst not1 and oughtest not to have   
ascribed to a special ,providence1 what 
may be rationally explained by the      
general ,laws that govern ,matter and   
,motion4 ,these ,laws are1 no doubt1 in 

the ,hands of the ,almighty3 and the    
sovereign ,disposer of all ,things may1 
for the wise ,purposes of his           
,providence1 stop1 alter1 or controul   
them at his ,pleasure4 ,but1 because we 
believe and are assured1 that he hath   
reserved the ,power to himself1 must we1
 weak-sighted ,mortals1 have the        
,arrogance to conclude1 that1 on every  
,occurrence1 which appears in the least 
singular and unusual1 this special      
,power is exerted2 and that the ,order  
of ,nature is inverted1 as often as our 
gloomy ,imagination is pleased to think 
that it ought to be so8  ,we are taught 
from ,holy ,writ1 that ,cities and whole
 ,nations have been destroyed by the    
especial ,vengeance of ,god for their   
heinous ,transgressions4 ,but except we 
had been so told by an infallible       
,spirit1 and who could not deceive us by
 false ,conjectures1 we had no ,right1  
nay1 it would be impious in us so much  
as to suspect that such ,cities suffered
 for their ,sins by the ,hands of a     

special ,providence4 ,judge not1 lest ye
 be judged1 is a ,precept of universal  
,extent1 and strongly inculcated by the 
,founder of our ,holy ,religion1 who in 
a particular ,manner checked the ,jews1 
who of all ,nations were the aptest to  
explain every ,occurrence into a special
 and revengeful ,providence4 ,there were
 present at that ,season some1 that told
 him of the ,galileans1 whose ,blood    
,pilate had mingled with the            
,sacrifices2 and ,jesus answering said  
unto them1 suppose ye1 that these       
,galileans were ,sinners above all the  
,galileans1 because they suffered such  
things8 ,i tell you ,nay1 but except you
 repent ye shall all likewise perish4   
,or those ,eighteen1 upon whom the      
,tower in ,siloe fell1 and slew them1   
think ye that they were ,sinners above  
all ,men that dwelt in ,jerusalem8 ,i   
tell you ,nay1 but except you repent1 ye
 shall likewise perish4 ,luke ,ch4 xiii1
 ver4 #a1 #b1 #c1 #d1 and #e4  ,this1   
,friend1 is the ,sense of the ,son of   

,god upon a ,case almost similar to what
 your ,subject led you to treat of2 and 
how different is it from the ,sense you 
would put upon a very natural           
,occurrence8 ,how much more amiable is  
the ,picture he gives us of the ,father 
in that ,parable that immediately       
followeth the above ,verses4 ,verse #f1 
,he speaks also this ,parable4 ,a       
certain ,man had a ,fig-tree planted in 
his ,vineyard1 and he came and sought   
,fruit thereon1 and found none4 ,then   
said he unto the ,dresser of his        
,vineyard1 behold these three ,years ,i 
come seeking ,fruit on this ,fig-tree1  
and find none2 cut it down1 why         
cumbereth it the ,ground8 and he        
answering said unto him1 ,lord1 let it  
alone this ,year also1 till ,i shall dig
 about it1 and dung it3 ,and if it bear 
,fruit1 well2 and if not1 then after    
thou shalt cut it down4 ,how much more  
amiable1 ,i say1 is the ,doctrine our   
,blessed ,redeemer would inculcate by   
this short ,parable1 than the ,idea we  

conceive from explaining every natural  
,accident as the ,manifestation of the  
,wrath of an angry1 incensed1 and       
avenging ,god6 ,the ,jewish ,doctors1   
like you1 ,friend1 were willing to      
explain the ,sufferings of the          
,galileans into a special ,act of       
,divine ,vengeance for their ,sins2     
which they certainly believed very      
heinous1 as these ,people differed with 
them in some religious ,points2 and1 no 
doubt1 might from thence take some      
,occasion to preach up ,repentance to   
the rest of the ,jewish ,nation4 ,but   
he1 who could not err1 whose ,knowledge 
was infinite1 checked their uncharitable
 ,presumption1 teaches them1 that they  
are not to judge of the ,sins of a      
,people by the natural ,calamities that 
fall upon them2 nor to paint the ,deity 
as ready on every ,occasion to execute  
,vengeance against ,sinners4 ,as ,i     
live1 saith the ,lord1 ,i take no       
,pleasure in the ,death of a ,sinner1   
but rather that they should repent and  

turn from their ,evil ,ways4  ,now1     
,friend1 without supposing the ,shocks  
we felt any other than the ,result of   
,natural ,causes1 thou mightst from     
thence have found sufficient ,matter to 
have roused the most hardened ,sinner   
from the ,lethargy of ,sin and ,death1  
by observing1 that1 besides the many    
infinite ,casualties to which ,life is  
exposed1 there are yet more terrible    
,accidents that may sweep them off      
without a moments ,warning1 and plunge  
them into ,eternity1 loaded with the    
,weight of their ,iniquities4 ,by       
supposing such ,events never to happen1 
but as particular instances of ,god's   
,vengeance against ,sinners1 the        
atrocious ,sinner is rather led into    
,despair1 than ,repentance4 ,whereas1   
when we believe them the ,result of a   
natural ,cause1 that may take ,effect   
every moment of our ,lives1 of which we 
can have no ,foreknowledge1 nor the     
least possible ,means of ,prevention1 a 
rational ,creature1 whose ,understanding

 is not intirely blinded1 or whose      
,conscience is not judicially seared1   
must be awakened to ,repentance1 and    
prepare himself for the great ,change1  
by his forsaking evil ,ways1 and turning
 to the ,lord his ,god with all his     
,heart and ,strength4 ,thou mightest    
from thence have availed thyself of all 
the ,instances1 that ,history1 sacred   
and prophane1 furnishes thee with1 of   
,cities and whole ,nations1 being       
destroyed by dreadful ,calamities1      
without teaching thy ,flock that        
uncharitable ,doctrine1 that such       
natural ,disasters were the ,effect of  
the peculiar ,sins of these unhappy     
,people4 ,a very dreadful ,earthquake   
happened in ,jamaica1 in the ,year #ib1 
that destroyed a great part of that     
,colony1 and almost totally ruined the  
,city of ,port-,royal4 ,another within  
these few years swallowed up the        
greatest ,part of the ,capital of ,peru2
 and scarce a ,year passes1 but we hear 
of the dreadful ,effects of ,earthquakes

 in ,italy4 ,dost thou1 like the ,jewish
 ,doctors above-mentioned1 think1 that  
these ,people were ,sinners above all   
others that escaped that dreadful       
,visitation8 ,and yet1 by supposing the 
two slight ,shocks we have lately felt  
the ,effects of a special ,providence1  
that uncharitable ,doctrine is fairly   
inferred2 a ,doctrine diametrically     
opposite to the ,spirit of our ,holy    
,religion4 ,but ,i have said enough to  
convince thee1 that1 in thus explaining 
that ,event1 thou hast followed too much
 the ,devices of worldly ,wisdom2 and   
that thou thyself hast fallen into a    
greater ,error than those ,philosophers1
 whose little ,knowledge thou takest    
upon thee to despise4  ,but thou hast   
not only1 ,friend1 mistaken the proper  
,use of thy ,text1 but in the           
,improvement of it thou hast left unsaid
 many things that ought naturally to    
have occurred to thee1 whether thou     
supposedst the ,shocks to be the ,effect
 of a special or a general ,providence4 

,verily1 ,friend1 on such an awful      
,occasion1 ,i expected1 that thou       
wouldest have enumerated1 without any   
palliation or disguise1 the many heinous
 ,sins1 that in this wicked ,age are    
even a ,disgrace to ,human ,nature1 and1
 after such an ,enumeration1 thou       
wouldest candidly1 and without ,respect 
of ,persons1 have pointed out the real  
,source of all these ,iniquities that   
overwhelm the ,land1 and have directed  
thy ,flock to the natural ,means of     
freeing themselves from the ,thraldom of
 ,sin and ,death4 ,but in all this      
verily thou hast fallen short3 ,for in  
the ,list of the ,crimes1 with which    
thou hast charged the ,people1 thou hast
 forgot the most atrocious1 and taken   
notice of the most trivial of our       
,transgressions1 and hast missed        
intirely of the true ,source of our     
growing ,impiety1 and left us altogether
 in the dark as to the ,practical       
,method of amending our ways1 and       
turning again unto the ,god of our ,fore

 fathers4  ,the ,first ,sin thou takest 
,notice of1 and what1 by the ,order in  
which thou hast placed it1 and the      
,conclusion thou hast drawn from it1    
would appear in thy ,sense the ,source  
of all our publick and private          
,transgressions1 is the ,number of bad  
,books with which the ,town swarms4     
,this indeed is a crying ,sin1 and much 
to be lamented3 but1 great as it is1 it 
does not deserve to lead the ,van in a  
,list of ,national ,sins1 capable of    
drawing down the special ,vengeance of  
the ,almighty upon a whole ,people4 ,nor
 is its ,influence so great1 as to      
corrupt the ,morals of the ,generality  
of the ,nation4 ,nine ,parts in ,ten    
never read ,books of any ,sort2 and     
those1 that do1 would make but a small  
,proficiency in ,vice1 if they had no   
other ,school to learn it in1 but ,books
 and unclean ,pictures4 ,it is true1    
,friend1 there are a great many impious 
,books1 and indecent ,prints1 publickly 
sold in our ,streets2 and they may have 

their ,share in debauching the ,morals  
of the ,people3 but ,i would have thee  
to reflect1 that there have been        
,periods of ,time1 when that ,evil was  
more to be complained of than at        
present4 ,i verily believe1 that there  
are not the ,hundredth ,part of         
irreligious ,books now printed1 as were 
in the ,reign of ,charles ,,ii4 ,there  
is so little of the ,spirit of ,religion
 now prevailing1 that the ,subject1 even
 when spoken of in ridicule1 is         
disagreeable to the ,polite of the      
present ,age4 ,but when thou wast       
speaking of bad ,books1 there is one    
thing thou mightest have mentioned with 
as much ,propriety as ,part of the ,sins
 of the ,times2 that is1 the ,want of   
good ,books1 the only proper ,antidote  
against the ,venom of those thou so     
bitterly complainest against3 ,the ,age 
has not only produced fewer bad ,books1 
than some former2 but it has been       
likewise remarkably deficient in        
producing any thing fit to improve the  

,morals or ,understanding of the        
,people4 ,and this is not owing to the  
want of ,encouragement for such         
,labours3 ,for1 bad and wicked as the   
,age is1 ,i never heard of a good ,book1
 either of ,science1 ,religion1 or      
,morality1 but what met with proper     
,encouragement from the ,publick3 but a 
,spirit of ,lukewarmness1 in ,matter of 
,religion and ,devotion1 in those1 who  
are well paid for being its ,guardians1 
prevails so much1 that they cannot be   
induced to enter the ,lists with ,error 
and ,infidelity2 but satisfy themselves 
with exclaiming1 in general ,terms1     
against the immoral ,writings of others1
 without giving themselves the ,trouble 
to impugn their ,errors1 or to furnish  
the ,people with ,preservatives against 
their mischievous ,effects4 ,and if1 at 
any ,time1 they are tempted to take up  
the ,pen in ,defence of some favourite  
,doctrine1 the ,controversy is handled  
with so little ,charity or ,decency1    
that an honest1 well-meaning1           

,christian1 throws aside the ,book1     
disgusted at a ,spirit so unbecoming the
 ,followers of ,christ ,jesus4 ,in a    
,word1 ,friend ,thomas1 ,i think this   
,laziness in those1 endued with all the 
,advantages of ,light and ,knowledge1   
and whose ,time ought to be chiefly     
employed in such ,labours1 to be a much 
greater ,grievance1 and a more          
infallible ,sign of the total ,decay of 
the true ,spirit of ,christianity1 and a
 greater ,reason for the ,increase of   
,infidelity and ,prophaneness1 than all 
the bad ,books1 obscene ,prints1 and    
,histories of ,prostitutes1 that have   
been published for this ,century past4  
,and to shew thee1 that if good ,books  
are compiled1 there is no fear of       
,encouragement even from this profligate
 ,generation1 ,thou needst only         
recollect1 that thy little ,letter has  
brought more ,money to thy ,bookseller1 
than all the ,impressions of prophane   
,books1 of any ,kind1 have brought to   
the whole ,trade for this ,twelvemonth  

past4  ,after that thou hast finished   
thy melancholy ,declamation against     
prophane ,books and ,prints1 the ,excess
 of our publick ,diversions takes the   
next ,place in the ,list of deadly      
,sins4 ,this is exaggerated by an       
,instance of fifteen or sixteen         
,advertisements1 even in the ,holy      
,season of ,lent2 and thou goest piously
 on to mention ,idleness1 ,gaming1 c4   
,these are terrible ,crimes indeed1     
,friend4 ,but does not thee think1 that 
there are many others of a deeper ,dye1 
and of which these are only trivial     
,consequences8 ,yes1 thou knowest there 
are2 thou couldst not forget them1 being
 too glaring to have escaped thy        
,penetration4 ,yet1 thou hast skipped   
them over1 or taken but very slight     
,notice of them4 ,for thou hookest in   
but one ,crime more1 before thou seemest
 to finish thy grand ,charge1 and to    
begin thy ,application4 ,verily1 ,i     
could have wished in ,charity1 that thou
 hadst left that one ,crime out of thy  

,list on this ,occasion4 ,the ,crime1 ,i
 mean1 is the ,mention thou makest of   
the ,increase of ,popery4 ,thou art to  
remember1 ,friend1 that thou hast       
supposed the ,almighty justy offended at
 the ,number and ,heinousness of our    
,national ,transgressions1 and that thou
 art giving a ,list of the              
,transgressions1 that thou thinkest     
capable of drawing down upon us the     
special ,judgments of the ,divine       
,being4 ,now1 canst thou in ,charity1 as
 a ,christian1 think1 that ,popery could
 be numbered amongst these deadly ,sins8
 ,the ,errors of that superstitious     
,church are many2 but ,god forbid1 that 
we should imagine1 that their ,errors1  
in ,point of ,faith1 are such1 as to    
merit these special ,marks of the       
,divine ,wrath4 ,had that been the      
,case1 this ,island1 and all ,europe1   
must many ,centuries ago1 have felt the 
most dreadful ,effects of these         
,calamities4 ,if thou meanest in that   
,paragraph those1 who continue obstinate

 in ,error1 in spite of ,conviction1 and
 the ,dictates of their own ,conscience1
 thou sayest right1 and mightst have    
mentioned all such of every ,persuasion 
in this ,island4 ,but1 if thou meanest  
the gross ,body of the ,catholicks1 whom
 we are bound in ,charity to believe to 
act from ,principle and ,conviction1    
7and1 indeed1 they must be strangely    
infatuated if they do not27 thou hast   
verily been exceedingly to blame1 to    
mention them on this ,occasion4 ,for    
remember1 that from a ,principle common 
to all ,protestants1 if they act from   
rational ,conviction1 or what appears to
 them as such1 they are as much entitled
 to the gracious ,mercies of a good     
,god1 as thee1 or ,i1 is2 and1          
consequently1 the ,increase of their    
,tenets1 however erroneous they may     
appear to us1 cannot1 with any ,colour  
of ,justice1 be reckoned amongst the    
,list of ,sins1 capable of drawing down 
special ,judgements upon this ,land4    
,the ,divisions1 that are amongst the   

,followers of ,christ ,jesus1 is indeed 
,part of the enormous ,wickedness of    
this ,age4 ,these we ought to lament in 
general2 but its being greatly wanting  
to that ,charity1 which is the          
distinguishing ,badge of ,christianity1 
to mark out any one of the several      
,sects1 that profess the same essential 
,doctrines1 with such a dreadful        
,distinction4 ,but thou hast not only   
placed the ,catholicks as the immediate 
,objects of ,god's avenging ,judgments1 
but thou hast represented some of their 
,doctrines in a ,light which they do not
 deserve4 ,thou wouldst insinuate1 that 
the ,cordial1 as thou callest it1 of    
,absolution1 is believed by the         
,catholicks1 to be of ,effect1 without a
 thorough and sincere ,repentance4 ,we  
ought1 thou knowest1 ,friend1 ever to   
speak ,truth3 which ,truth never stands 
in need of the ,aids of ,falshood4 ,now1
 the ,catholicks1 in all their          
,writings1 lay it down1 and teach it as 
a ,tenet of their ,church1 that         

,absolution1 however solemn1 or by      
whomsoever pronounced1 is so far from   
being of any ,effect without            
,repentance1 ,amendment1 and            
,retribution1 if in their ,power1 that  
the thus accepting it is adding the     
heinous ,sin of ,sacrilege to all their 
other ,sins4 ,now1 by what ,means canst 
thou suppose1 that this ,cordial of     
,absolution1 however ineffectual thou   
and ,i may think it1 could be greedily  
swallowed by ,persons averse to the     
wholesom food of ,repentance1 by which  
their spiritual ,condition might be     
gradually mended8 ,if they swallow it1  
they must already have digested the     
,food of ,repentance2 if they have not1 
they know1 as well as thee1 that they   
have swallowed a ,poison instead of a   
,cordial4 ,if thou must needs1 at a     
,time when thou oughtest1 instead of    
awakening ,christian ,divisions1 to have
 done all in thy ,power to ,unite all   
its ,followers in one ,bond of ,peace   
and charitable ,union2 if thou must     

needs1 ,i say1 at such a ,time1 employ  
thy ,rhetoric against the ,errors of    
that ,church1 sure thou mightst have    
pitched upon some one founded in ,truth1
 and not have mentioned as ,fact a      
,thing so easily red-argued4 ,at other  
,times ,zeal for the ,cause of ,truth   
may1 tho' preposterously enough1 prompt 
a ,man to blacken his ,adversary with   
imaginary ,crimes1 in order1 by a kind  
of pious ,fraud1 to prepossess the      
,people against the ,errors in his      
,doctrine and ,practice4  ,but on such  
an ,occasion as this1 and from so       
distinguished a ,hand1 we had ,reason to
 expect1 ,friend1 that every ,fact      
advanced should have been literally and 
manifestly true4 ,i remember an         
,instance known all over ,europe1 that  
might have set thee right1 if thou wert 
really ignorant of the ,nature of       
,romish ,absolution4 ,that is1 that1    
notwithstanding the great ,powers of    
that despotic ,king1 ,lewis the         
,x,i,vth1 all his ,authority could not  

prevail over any one ,priest in his     
,dominions to give him ,absolution1 or  
administer to him the ,sacrament whilst 
he lived in a state of ,uncleanness with
 ,madam ,maintenon4 ,he was so far from 
resenting their supporting an           
,authority1 he thought them legally     
possessed of1 that for the faithful     
,discharge of their ,duty1 he loaded his
 ,confessors with ,bishopricks2 and at  
last at their ,instances privately      
married his ,mistress2 and then1 and not
 till then1 received ,absolution4 ,i1   
for my part1 ,friend1 think the         
,absolution pronounced by thy ,church1  
and that by the ,church of ,rome1 or by 
any human ,creature alive1 to be vain   
and useless1 and the ,product of        
spiritual ,pride and ,vanity4 ,but the  
,spirit of ,truth1 that is within me1   
would not permit me to pass over so     
gross a ,misrepresentation of ,fact1    
without a proper ,reprehension4  ,this1 
with a very gentle ,touch upon the want 
of a due ,execution of the ,laws1 7for  

which thou dost not forget to ask       
,pardon7 finishes the ,bead-toll of     
,national ,sins1 that are to draw down  
the immediate ,vengeance of the most    
,high4 ,thou then proceedest to hint    
that a due ,execution of the ,laws      
already in ,being1 and the particular   
,care of ,masters of ,families1 may     
bring about a ,reformation1 and avert   
those ,judgments thou supposest to be   
threatened by the two very terrible     
,shocks of an ,earthquake4 ,strange     
,chimra1 to think that ,wickedness1     
grown to such a height as to merit the  
special ,notice of the ,divine ,being1  
and interwoven as it were with our very 
,nature1 should be rooted out by such   
weak ,means6 ,how amazing is it1 that a 
,physician should pretend to cure a     
complicated ,malady1 without once       
touching at the ,source of the          
,disorder1 by slightly tickling the     
outwards ,parts1 and leaving the ,vitals
 to perish under a mortal ,gangrene4    
,every ,man's ,knowledge1 yea1 verily1  

every old ,woman's ,knowledge1 in this  
,kingdom1 might have picked out a       
,multitude of ,instances1 and those much
 more flagrant than any thou hast       
mentioned1 of the general ,wickedness   
and ,depravity of the ,age we live in4  
,that was no ,secret2 and we needed     
neither ,bishop1 ,prophet1 nor          
,earthquake1 to remind us1 that the ,cup
 of our ,iniquity is near full1 and that
 nothing but the superabundant ,mercy   
and long-suffering ,patience of the     
,almighty1 could hinder us from falling 
a sacrifice to his offended ,justice4   
,for it is one of the ,sins peculiar to 
this ,age1 that we have been industrious
 in finding out new ,species of         
,wickedness1 and that we never commit an
 old ,fault1 but for want of ,invention 
to diversify the ,crime1 and heighten   
the ,relish of ,iniquity by the horrid  
,novelty of it2 and that we are so far  
from pretending to act thro' ,ignorance 
or want of ,knowledge of our ,duty1 that
 the greatest ,pleasure of our          

,iniquities consists in our ,knowledge  
of their being prohibited by ,god1 and  
destructive of our future and eternal   
,happiness4 ,an universal ,depravation  
of ,manners reigns thro' all ,sorts of  
,people in this sinful ,land2 and an    
utter ,abhorrence and ,detestation of   
every ,thing1 that bears but the        
smallest ,resemblance of ,virtue and    
,piety1 have possessed the ,hearts and  
,minds of this profligate ,generation4  
,the ,kingdom of ,god is not among the  
wicked ,inhabitants of this ,island4    
,the ,kingdom of ,satan prevails and    
reigns triumphant in our debauched      
,streets4 ,our ,nobles frequent         
anti-christian ,diversions1 and forget  
the ,lord their ,god1 and walk every    
,man according to the ,devices of his   
own ,heart3 ,while a venal ,contagion   
has seized the whole ,body of the       
,people1 who worship ,money as their    
,god1 and have said unto ,silver and    
,gold1 ye are our ,deliverers1 and our  
sure ,help in ,time of ,need4 ,there is 

nothing so sacred1 but what they        
willingly barter for filthy ,lucre4     
,justice1 ,honesty1 ,right and ,wrong1  
are no longer understood in this sinful 
,land2 but every thing is weighed in the
 ,scales of ,gain4 ,their very ,souls   
they bring to the ,account of ,profit   
and ,loss1 making light of ,futurity1   
and laughing at ,hell ,torments1 as the 
,invention of ,priests and ,statesmen4  
,whoredom1 ,adulteries1 ,fornications1  
and all manner of beastly ,uncleanness1 
are openly avowed2 and he who does not  
plunge himself into all the             
,debaucheries of the ,stews1 with a high
 and open ,hand1 is looked upon as a    
poor narrow-spirited ,creature unworthy 
of the ,company of ,men of a noble and  
exalted ,genius4 ,luxury1 ,drunkenness1 
and ,gluttony1 have overspread the      
,tables and ,dwellings of all ,degrees  
of ,people4 ,we seek the ,bowels of the 
,earth for ,jewels to adorn us1 and     
travel to the most distant ,quarters of 
the ,world in ,quest of whatever may    

gratify our vicious ,appetites1 and yet 
never think of the ,god1 that furnishes 
our unnatural ,wants4 ,our ,women are   
ashamed of ,modesty4 ,they deck         
themselves in gorgeous ,apparel1 and    
expose half their ,persons naked to     
allure the ,eyes of the ,wicked4        
,murder1 ,robberies1 and the most       
barefaced ,perjuries1 are every ,day to 
be met with in our ,streets2 even       
,crimes that would shock ,modesty but to
 mention are as common as ,petty        
,larceny4 ,yet we are spared1 and the   
sinful ,land stands a ,monument of the  
long-suffering ,patience of the         
,almighty4  ,this1 ,friend1 is a        
,supplement to the ,list of thy deadly  
,sins2 and dost not thee think1 that it 
makes a most dreadful ,appearance1 and  
that some of them merited to be         
mentioned in a more serious ,manner than
 thou hast done8 ,and yet there is one  
,evil under the ,sun1 which ,i have not 
hitherto descanted on2 and that ,evil is
 as great1 perhaps1 as all the rest put 

together3 ,and the ,spirit moveth me to 
think1 and deliver unto thee1 that this 
,evil1 ,i am now going to expose1 is the
 ,spring1 ,source1 and ,fountain ,head1 
of all the black ,crimes ,i have        
rehearsed1 and of many more1 that could 
not come within the ,compass of my      
,knowledge4  ,i would willingly1 if ,i  
durst1 prevaricate1 and conceal this    
fatal ,evil2 but as the ,eyes of the    
,people are upon us1 as their ,fears are
 awakened1 and they seem in some        
,measure willing to find out a ,way to  
rid them of this ,load of ,sin1 that    
stands as a ,wall of ,brass between them
 and the ,mercy of their ,god1 it is    
necessary1 since we have pointed out the
 ,malady1 that we should display the    
,source1 in order to direct them to a   
,cure4  ,thou wouldst have a            
,reformation begin in ,private          
,families3 but alas6 thou art fatally   
mistaken4 ,the ,thing is impossible4 ,it
 is building downwards4 ,a great many   
,people in this ,island are so unhappily

 situated1 that they must continue to be
 wicked1 and to administer to ,vice1 or 
cease to eat4 ,in short1 their          
,circumstances are so connected with the
 prevailing ,vices1 that they have no   
other ,choice left1 but either to starve
 here1 or submit to be damned hereafter4
 ,this is a dreadful ,case1 ,friend1 and
 hardly credible3 yet a little          
,knowledge of the ,world1 and           
,acquaintance with the present ,times1  
will furnish innumerable ,instances of  
,wretches in this unhappy ,dilemma4     
,what must such ,people do8 ,dost think 
a ,sermon1 or a ,pastoral ,letter1 can  
persuade them to starve here for the    
sake or an happy ,hereafter8 ,no6       
,appetites are strong2 and as this      
,class of ,men have many great ,examples
 to follow1 they are no ways intimidated
 by what either ,thou hast1 or ,i could 
utter unto them on this tremendous      
,occasion4 ,before then the ,body of the
 ,people can be reformed without a      
,miracle1 it is necessary1 that these   

,publick ,vices should be plucked up by 
the ,roots2 and that the ,reformation   
should begin amongst those of higher    
,rank1 amongst our ,rulers1 and the     
,grandees of the ,land3 but more        
especially1 amongst that ,order of ,men1
 the worldly and dissolute ,example of  
some of whom have most contributed to   
taint the ,morals1 and pervert the      
,judgment of the ,community4 ,i mean1   
,friend1 thy ,brethren1 the ,clergy4    
,start not1 my ,brother6 ,i am not going
 to bring a railing ,accusation against 
thee in ,person1 or to ,accuse thy      
,fraternity in a ,lump4 ,i verily       
believe there may be a great ,number of 
thy ,profession1 who make a ,conscience 
of their ,duty2 and as much as lyeth in 
their ,power1 both by ,precept and      
,example1 endeavour to stem the ,torrent
 of ,vice and ,immorality4 ,but thou    
knowest as well as ,i1 that there are   
many in the ,world1 who are ,wolves in  
,sheeps ,cloathing1 who destroy the     
,flock they should feed1 and poison by  

their ,example the pure ,streams of the 
,gospel1 with which they ought to water 
the ,vineyard of the ,lord4 ,its not to 
be concealed1 nor palliated1 that there 
is no ,vice1 however odious1 practised  
by the blind ,laity1 but what is        
likewise committed by some of their more
 enlightened ,teachers3 ,this1 ,friend1 
is the great ,evil ,i hinted at above4  
,this is the ,source of all our ,woes1  
and here1 and no where else1 the        
,reformation must begin4  ,how is it    
possible for thee to think1 that though 
the ,clergy were to preach as with the  
,voice of ,angels1 that their           
,discourses should have any ,effect upon
 the ,minds or ,morals of the ,people1  
as long as they see these very ,clergy1 
or a great ,number of them1 acting      
diametrically opposite to the ,doctrines
 they teach2 and living in such a       
,manner1 as if they themselves did not  
believe one ,word of the sacred ,truths 
they are inculcating4  ,an inordinate   
,love of ,money is a reigning ,sin of   

the ,age4 ,now1 let all the ,clergy of  
this ,island join with one ,voice in the
 ,pulpit to preach it down1 dost thee   
think the ,playing of their ,lungs would
 be of any ,significancy1 as long as the
 ,people see1 that these ,men set as    
great a ,value upon the ungodly ,mammon1
 as the meanest of them can possibly do8
 ,when they see these pretended pious   
,preachers1 like ,simon ,magus1         
purchasing and selling the ,holy ,ghost 
for ,money2 swallowing ,oaths for the   
,sake of ,preferments1 that for ,years  
they had declared to be against their   
,consciences2 hunting eargerly after fat
 ,livings1 ,tithes1 and ,pigs1 and      
heaping up ,pluralities1 and            
,commendams1 to gratify their ,pride and
 ,avarice3 ,when at the same ,time they 
grudge the least ,indulgence to the     
,drudges1 to whose ,care they commit the
 ,souls of the ,people4 ,with what ,face
 can they preach against ,luxury1 and   
,sensuality1 when they themselves wallow
 in the ,fat of the ,land1 and loll     

about in their ,leathern ,conveniencies1
 in sadly unedifying ,pomp1 ,pride1 and 
,vanity8 ,chastity1 ,sobriety1 and      
,temperance1 are ,virtues1 perhaps as   
much ,strangers in the ,tents of ,levi1 
as in the ,tabernacles of the ,tribe of 
,nepthali4 ,but ,pride1 ,spiritual      
,pride1 the worst of ,pride1 and the    
,itch of ,domination have taken full    
,possession of the ,cassock1 and left   
the ,laity but a faint ,mimickry of that
 ugly ,habit of the ,soul2 ,and as for  
,charity1 and ,christian ,benevolence1  
those seem to be no ,part of the ,creed 
of a modern ,priest4 ,instead of healing
 the ,divisions amongst ,christians1    
bearing with the ,weakness and          
,infirmities of their ,brethren1 and1   
like the ,apostle1 becoming all ,things 
to all ,men1 that by all ,means some may
 be saved2 instead of yielding in       
,matters of ,indifference1 and          
endeavouring to bring about a ,christian
 ,coalition1 they are obstinate in      
,trifles1 tenacious of the ,rags1       

,fringes1 and ,patches of ,religion1 and
 damn all that won't go to ,heaven by   
the direct ,path that they have marked  
out for them1 but which they themselves 
seem resolved by their daily ,practice  
never to travel4  ,when the ,people1    
,friend1 observe1 7and their ,eyes are  
quicker than their ,understanding7 that 
the ,parson of the ,parish winks at the 
,immorality of his ,patron1 because he  
has great ,livings in his ,gift2 when   
they see him join in his sensual        
,excesses1 and administer to him the    
most ,holy ,rites of their ,religion1   
tho' he knows him to live in open       
,uncleaness1 perhaps in ,adultery1 and  
to betray1 sell1 and ruin his ,country1 
,i say1 ,friend1 when a ,flock sees this
 ,shepherd thus prostituting his        
,profession1 and casting holy ,things   
before ,swine1 and this only for the    
,hopes of a ,plurality1 or ,commendam1  
or ,dignity to feed his spiritual ,pride
 with1 is it possible for them to       
conclude those ,sins so heinous8 ,does  

not his ,example influence those of his 
,family1 and the ,examples of these     
those of the ,village1 till the         
dreadful1 black1 ,contagion spreads1    
like a ,pest1 over a whole ,county8 ,who
 then are to blame for this8 ,why1      
verily1 none but the profligate venal   
,clergyman4 ,for if he exerted his      
,ecclesiastical ,power1 with as much    
,zeal against ,vice and ,prophaneness1  
as he does in the ,recovery of his      
,tythes1 the ,great would be obliged to 
quit their open ,sins1 and the little   
ones would not be led astray by his     
scandalous ,example4  ,but1 it is time1 
my ,friend ,thomas1 to draw towards a   
,conclusion4 ,a ,reformation is         
certainly necessary4 ,for whether we are
 punished by an ,earthquake or not1 the 
natural ,tendency of ,vice is such1 that
 a few ,years longer ,continuance of it 
must bring along with it ,plagues enow  
to punish us grievously here1 as we     
shall certainly meet a dreadful ,reward 
hereafter4 ,let me advise thy ,brethren1

 the ,clergy1 in all ,charity and       
,meekness1 to begin the great ,work     
themselves4 ,purge and make clean the   
,house of the ,lord1 and drive all      
,pollution from his ,sanctuary4 ,let the
 ,priesthood that are proud become      
humble1 meek1 and lowly1 even as was    
,jesus1 whose ,servants they are4 ,let  
them put away the false ,gods from      
amongst them1 and destroy the ,idol they
 have set up in their ,hearts2 that is1 
let them banish the ,love of ,money1 the
 ,itch of ,power and ,dominion1 either  
over the ,minds or ,temporalities of the
 ,people4 ,let him1 that has two        
,livings1 give one to his poor ,brother2
 let him1 that performeth the ,labour of
 the ,vineyard1 receive also the ,wages2
 and let not the ,drone eat up the ,meat
 of the ,industrious ,servant4 ,let them
 exert their ,power without respect of  
,persons1 yet with all ,humility and    
,meekness1 not out of ,malice1 or to    
gratify their ,spleen1 but for the ,love
 of ,truth and ,purity4 ,in a ,word1    

,friend1 when they believe what they    
have sworn at their ,ordination to      
believe1 and maintain2 when they teach  
only what they believe1 and act as they 
teach1 then without the ,gift of        
,prophecy ,i can foretell1 that this    
,land will return to the ,lord1 and his 
,wrath will be turned from this         
,generation1 and his ,blessings         
multiplied upon our ,childrens'         
,children1 even unto the latest ,ages of
 the ,world4 ,but1 ,friend1 till either 
thy ,brethren do this of themselves1 or 
are compelled to it by their            
,superiours1 nothing less than a divine 
,miracle can redeem this ,land from the 
,slavery of ,sin4 ,may ,somebody begin a
 thorough ,reformation somewhere1 that  
we may have ,peace in our ,days4 ,the   
,god of ,peace be with thee1 ,friend6   
,amen4   ,,finis4     ,transcriber's    
,notes3  ,passages in italics are       
indicated by underscore4  ,long s has   
been modernized4