y that great God whose name they had blasphemed
and taken in vain by cursing and swearing in a dreadful manner; and that
I believed I was preserved in particular, among other ends of his
goodness, that I might reprove them for their audacious boldness in
behaving in such a manner, and in such an awful time as this was,
especially for their jeering and mocking at an honest gentleman and a
neighbor, for some of them knew him, who they saw was overwhelmed with
sorrow for the breaches which it had pleased God to make upon his
family.

I cannot call exactly to mind the hellish, abominable raillery which was
the return they made to that talk of mine, being provoked, it seems,
that I was not at all afraid to be free with them; nor, if I could
remember, would I fill my account with any of the words, the horrid
oaths, curses, and vile expressions such as, at that time of the day,
even the worst and ordinariest people in the street would not use: for,
except such hardened creatures as these, the most wicked wretches that
could be found had at that time some terror upon their mind of the hand
of that Power which could thus in a moment destroy them.

But that which was the worst in all their devilish language was, that
they were not afraid to blaspheme God and talk atheistically, making a
jest at my calling the plague the hand of God, mocking, and even
laughing at the word "judgment," as if the providence of God had no
concern in the inflicting such a desolating stroke; and that the people
calling upon God, as they saw the carts carrying away the dead bodies,
was all enthusiastic, absurd, and impertinent.

I made them some reply, such as I thought proper, but which I found was
so far from putting a check to their horrid way of speaking, that it
made them rail the more: so that I confess it filled me with horror and
a kind of rage; and I came away, as I told them, lest the hand of that
Judgment which had visited the whole city should glorify his vengeance
upon them and all that were near them.

They received all reproof with the utmost contempt, and made the
greatest mockery that was possible for them to do at me, giving me all
the opprobrious insolent scoffs that they could think of for preaching
to them, as they called it, which, indeed, grieved me rather than
angered me; and I went away, blessing God, however, in my mind, that I
had not spared them, though they had insulted me so much.

They continued this wretched course th