; even the physicians themselves were surprised
at it. Wherever they visited they found their patients better; either
they had sweated kindly, or the tumours were broke, or the carbuncles
went down and the inflammations round them changed colour, or the fever
was gone, or the violent headache was assuaged, or some good symptom
was in the case; so that in a few days everybody was recovering, whole
families that were infected and down, that had ministers praying with
them, and expected death every hour, were revived and healed, and none
died at all out of them.

Nor was this by any new medicine found out, or new method of cure
discovered, or by any experience in the operation which the physicians
or surgeons attained to; but it was evidently from the secret invisible
hand of Him that had at first sent this disease as a judgement upon us;
and let the atheistic part of mankind call my saying what they please,
it is no enthusiasm; it was acknowledged at that time by all mankind.
The disease was enervated and its malignity spent; and let it proceed
from whencesoever it will, let the philosophers search for reasons in
nature to account for it by, and labour as much as they will to lessen
the debt they owe to their Maker, those physicians who had the least
share of religion in them were obliged to acknowledge that it was all
supernatural, that it was extraordinary, and that no account could be
given of it.

If I should say that this is a visible summons to us all to
thankfulness, especially we that were under the terror of its increase,
perhaps it may be thought by some, after the sense of the thing was
over, an officious canting of religious things, preaching a sermon
instead of writing a history, making myself a teacher instead of giving
my observations of things; and this restrains me very much from going on
here as I might otherwise do. But if ten lepers Were healed, and but one
returned to give thanks, I desire to be as that one, and to be thankful
for myself.

Nor will I deny but there were abundance of people who, to all
appearance, were very thankful at that time; for their mouths were
stopped, even the mouths of those whose hearts were not extraordinary
long affected with it. But the impression was so strong at that time
that it could not be resisted; no, not by the worst of the people.

It was a common thing to meet people in the street that were strangers,
and that we knew nothing at all of, expressing their surp