THe Sinnes of Man are so great, and cry to the Lord so loud for venge­ance upon all Man-kind, that God must bee infi­nitely mercifull to spare us crawling wormes.

O England, take thou warning from this Judgement of Gods; look to thy selfe, God sees thy Iniquities, and re­cords thy Transgressions, and will be [Page]avenged on thee for thy sinnes; he h [...] offered thee much of his Mercies, a [...] hath spared thee in the height of t [...] Rebellion against him; beware tho [...] and repent, and amend thy wicked­nesse. Let not the Custome of sinne take away the Conscience of sinne; for God hath bent his Bow like an E­nemie, and stands with his right hand like an Adversarie, and will slay all that is pleasant to the eye, and will poure out his Furie like fire. God threatens all impenitent sinners, and will not spare them if they long con­tinue in their sinnes: How many years hath God spared this Nation, who hath lived under the blessed meanes of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, when wee have not brought forth any thing but sinnes and misdeeds, he hath with patience waited the spring and growth of grace in us, but wee have proved barren and dry Trees, broken Cesternes which [Page]have held no water: and may not God justly deale with us as with Sodome and Gomorrah? Nay, with us as with Male­travis, consume us with Fire and Brim­stone as he did these? Nay, with the least breath of his nosthrills; and if one sinne divided amongst ten thou­sand be able to damne them all, how shall this Nation ever be able to an­swer all those abominable sinnes that it hath committed? No sinne but de­serves punishment, and man was ne­ver punished but for sinning; there­fore remember, O England, how wil­full thou hast beene in despising the Mercies of God from time to time, he would have gathered thee as a Hen would have gathered her Chickens, and thou would not: Woe to thee Eng­land, thou hast destroyed thy selfe; if thou deferre thy repentance, God will be sure to be avenged on thee; God will bruise thee with an Iron Rod, and [Page]breake thee in pieces like a Potters Vessell; But if thou call upon him in the day of trouble, he will have mercy on thee; If thou callest on him in the day of trouble he will heare thee, and divert those Judgements which hang over thy head from thee. Had Sodome repented, God had not punished; had Comorrah considered her Iniquities, God had not destroyed her; and had Maletravis remembred her Transgres­sions, and sorrowed for them, God had nor punished her Iniquites. God hath destroyed those Cities and many more for sin, and undoubtedly will de­stroy thee (London) if thou returne not to the Lord thy God with speed, lay hold on those things which concerne thy everlasting peace and comfort whilst it is to day, least God take this opportunitie from thee.

Ah, but some will say, That Sodome sinned against God, and in a larger [Page]measure then wee: But O thou mista­ken Soule; compare the sinnes of So­dome and Gomorrah, with the finnes of London and England, and see whether the sinnes of London were not greater then the sinnes of Sodome; Have wee not carryed our selves proudly against our God? Despised his Ordinance? Contemned is Goodnesse? Abused his Patience, and turned our backs upon his Mercies? Have wee not po­luted our Land with Blood, Blasphe­mie, and Oppression? And may not God as justly destroy us as hee did them?

Ah, but some will say, This Male­travis were all Papists and Idolaters: [...]t is true, they were, so much the worse for us; they worshipped God with more fervencie of spirit in their way then wee, considering the measure of know­lege they had; God expects no more from a man then what he hath received. [Page]Had the Gospel of Jesus Christ beene so purely preached amongst them as us, undoubtedly they would have brought forth better fruits.

But now to come to the Story, which is both Lamentable and true; It is a great mercie that God hath gi­ven us of this Nation, so long and large a time of our repentance; God hath shewed himselfe a loving God, a mercifull God, a long-suffering God, otherwayes wee had beene consumed as the stubble upon the earth, and have caused the earth to open and swallow us up, as he did Korah, Dathan, and A­biram. It is not our fighting for Re­formation that God is taken with, it must be our practicall parts of duty which must establish us in the favour of our God; It not going twice a day to the Church that will make God in love with us; no, it must be a Charita­ble and Pious Conversation that must [Page]make Gods face to shine upon us; It is not our Fasting-dayes from victualls that will gage God to be reconciled with us; no, it must be a true and live­ly faith in Christ, and an obstaining from Envie, Oppression, Covetous­nesse, Pride, Murder, Drunkennesse, Blasphemie and Prophanenesse, which must ingage God to be at peace with us. If any of these sinnes predominate in our Land, wee must looke for the Vi­alls of Gods Wrath, and be sure to drinke the dregs of his Indignation for them. And now let us turne to the Lord our God with all our hearts and soules, and seeke him whilst it is yet time; which if wee doe, wee may find mercie and acceptance in the sight of our God, and quit our Land from de­solation, which will inevitably fall upon us. It is good to take warning by such Judgements, and make our peace with God, that he may turne his wrath [Page]from us, and take us into his favour. Let us prize these golden opportuni­ties, and not thinke those of Male­tra [...]is were greater finners then wee; for assuredly, if wee doe not repent and a­mend, wee shall all likewise perish. This Storie is unparalell'd, the Judge­ment of God hath appeared as much upon this poore Citie of Maletravis, as upon any wee read on in any Histo­ry, if we look but at what a sudden God appeared against them, it will make us all tremble to goe to our beds with the guilt of sinne upon us, least God appeare in wrath as upon them. Was it not a Judgement unparalell'd, when above two hundred and fifrie thousand Soules had their lives taken out of the Land of the living in one night, be­sides all manner of living creatures; as well Horses, Cattell, Sheepe, Dogs, Cats, Rabbets, Mice and Rats? Thus you see, God did not spare the sense­lesse, [Page]but destroyed them for the sakes of the sinnefull.

Once more I say, O England, consi­der the things which belongs to thy happinesse, and turne to the Lord thy God, for he can as easily destroy thee as he did this Maletravis.

And now to the truth of the Story, I shall referre thee to a Letter, sent by a Merchant in Maligo, to a Merchant in Creed-Church Parish London, which here I give you verbatim.

UPon the second day of September, God did show the wonderfullest Judgement upon the Towne of Maletravis that any eares hath heard; for there was not a man, woman, or child, that escaped the anger of God: Nay, the verie Cattell, and all the li­ving creatures in the Towne were not exempted from death, five men onely excepted; which feeling the Dampe come so violently, got downe into a Vault, which was made from the Cathe­drall up to a Nunerie, which is some two miles or thereabouts from the Towne: They think­ing themselves in danger, seeing the little chil­drens breath taken from them as they lay at their mothers brests, got downe, and so escaped. This Damp or Fog, began at twelve of the clock at night, and continued till betwixt one and two in the morning; In which time were destroyed above two hundred and fiftie thousand Soules, besides brutts. The next morning, being [Page]Market day, these five men came neere the Citie to see who went in, and whether any were left alive to buy of them; but the Coun­trey-people comming in, and seeing all the streets lying full of dead men, women, and children, were much astoxished, and ran away and left them, with what speed they could; But these five men, seeing them goe in and out with safetie, and without danger, went in, and found all dead, and their owne wives and children lying in the streets and gardens, breath­lesse and life-lesse. And when they had seene this sad Spectacle, they went as fast as they could to the Governour of this Countrey, and told him of it, and hee commodiously summo­ned a Court of Councell, and they immediate­ly commanded in the Countrey to burie them, and sent a considerable partie of Souldiers to keepe the Countrey from Sacking their houses. This being done, Proclamation was made, That if any one had any kindred in that Towne, they should come and make it appeare by some of the neighbours upon Oath, and then they should goe in and take possession of their decea­sed Friends Goods. Likewise to Merchants, they were to make Oath, and produce Letters, [Page]and then they should goe in and receive the like. And then they commanded all the poore to goe in and to be set at worke, at such things as they could doe. Thus have I given you as full a Relation as I can touching the busi­nesse, and shall remaine,