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two sisters, on a Monday’s morning, were found carrying the corpse of their brother on a barrow with bearing-ropes resting themselves many times and none offering to help them.
I have seen some walking about sun-setting, and next day about six o’clock in a summer morning found dead in their houses, without making any stir at their death, their head lying upon their hand, with as great smell as if they had been four days dead, the mice or rats having eaten a great part of their hands and arms.
Many had cleanness of teeth in our cities, and want of bread in our borders: and to some the staff of bread was so utterly broken (which makes complete famine) that altho' they eat, were neither satisfied nor nourished. And some of them said to me, that they could mind nothing but meat, and were nothing bettered by it; and that they were utterly unconcerned about their souls, whether they went to heaven or hell.
The nearer and sorer these plagues seized, the sader were their effects, that took away all natural and relative affections, so that husbands had no sympathy with their wives, nor wives with their husbands, parents with their children, nor children with their parents. These and other things have made me to doubt if ever any of Adam’s race were in a more deplorable condition, their bodies and spirits more low, than many were in these years.
The crowning plague of all these great and manifold plagues, was that many were cast down but few humbled; great murmuring but little mourning; many groaning under the effects of wrath but few had sight or sense of the causes of wrath, in turning to the Lord: And as soon as these judgements were removed, many were lift up but few thankful; even those who were as low as any, that outlived these scarce times, did as lightly esteem bread as if they had never known the worth of it, but the want of it. The great part turned more and more gospel-proof and judgement-proof and the success of the gospel took a stand at that time many places of the land.
King
