ALETTERFROM THELORD BISHOPOF_LONDON_, TO THECLERGY and PEOPLEOF_London_ and _Westminster_;On Occasion of the LateEARTHQUAKES. 

_LONDON_:Printed for JOHN WHISTON in _Fleetstreet_. MDCCL. 

[Price Three-Pence. ]

TO THECLERGY and InhabitantsOF THECities of _London_ and _Westminster_. 

_My Brethren and Friends_, The Relation I stand in to you, is a daily Call upon me to consider thespiritual State of these great Cities; and tho' I doubt not but GOD hasmany faithful and chosen Servants among you, yet the general View ofthe Wickedness and Corruption that abound, and are spreading far andwide, gives me, and must give to every serious Christian very painfulReflexions: It is hardly possible to think of the History ofProvidence, recorded in Holy Writ, and the many Examples of DivineJustice exercised, sometimes in punishing, sometimes in utterlydestroying wicked Nations, or Cities, without being sensibly affectedwith Apprehensions for ourselves: But more especially have we Reason tofear, when we see the _Beginning of Sorrows_, and the Displeasure ofthe Almighty manifested in the Calamities we suffer under, and in theSigns and Tokens given us to expect a far more dreadful Judgment. 

It is every Man's Duty, and it is mine to call upon you, to giveAttention to all the Warnings which God in his Mercy affords to asinful People: Such Warning we have had, by two great Shocks of anEarthquake; a Warning, which seems to have been immediately andespecially directed to these great Cities, and the Neighbourhood ofthem; where the Violence of the Earthquake was so sensible, tho' indistant Parts hardly felt, that it will be Blindness wilful andinexcusable not to apply to ourselves this strong Summons, from God, toRepentance. 

Thoughtless or hardened Sinners may be deaf to these Calls; and LittlePhilosophers, who see a little, and but very little into naturalCauses, may think they see enough to account for what happens, withoutcalling in the Aid and Assistance of a special Providence; notconsidering, that God who made all Things, never put any Thing out ofhis own Power, but has all Nature under Command to serve his Purposesin the Government of the World. But be their Imaginations tothemselves, the Subject is too serious for trifling; and calls us offto other Views. 

If we consider the general Government of the World by God, and uponwhat Reasons and Motives he acts, when he brings Calamities and Plaguesupon any People: Or if we recollect from History sacred and profane, what State and Condition with respect to Religion and Morality, thePeople were in, who have been Examples of Justice: And then compare ourown Case with the general Reason by which Providence acts, and with theCircumstances of those by whose Example we ought to take Warning, weshall soon discover whether there be just Reason for our Apprehensions. If those who have been destroyed by Fire from Heaven, or swallowed upby the Earth were _Sinners_, and we are _righteous_, let us fearnothing, nor be dismayed though the _Foundations_ of the Earth beremoved: But if our Consciences tell us, that we have sinned aftertheir Example, what Consolation is there to be had against the justExpectation of suffering after their Example also?

The same Conclusion will arise from a Contemplation of God's generalProvidence; which tho' it is not daily exerted in punishing all Men, orall Vices that deserve it; yet is always armed with Power to stopoutrageous Wickedness; and he has told us in his holy Word, what we mayexpect from his Justice, when we are grown hardened and obdurateagainst his Mercy. 

Upon these Principles let your own Case be examined: But who shall beyour Accuser? Shall I? God forbid, _My Heart's Desire and Prayer to Godfor you is, that you may be saved_. Hear me then with Patience, not asyour Accuser, but as your faithful Servant and Monitor in Christ Jesus, warning you to flee from the Wrath that is to come. 

Had this Part of the World had less Knowledge and less Light, theymight have some Excuse, and some Hope that GOD would wink at the Timesof their Ignorance: But they have had the Light, and have lovedDarkness: The Gospel of Christ in which all the Goodness and Mercy ofGOD are display'd through the Redemption purchased by the Blood ofChrist; in which the Aid and Comfort of the Holy Spirit of GOD isoffered to all who diligently seek it; in which the Hopes and Fears ofEternity are display'd to guard us against the Temptations of Sin; hasbeen not only rejected, but treated with a malicious Scorn; and all ourHopes in Christ represented as Delusions and Impositions upon theWeakness of Men. How has the Press for many Years past swarm'd withBooks, some to dispute, some to ridicule the great Truths of Religion, both natural and revealed. I shall mention no particular Cases, thereis no need for it; the Thing is notorious. I wish the Guilt in thisInstance was confined to the Authors only, and that no body else wasanswerable for it: But the Earnestness with which these Books weresought after, the Pleasure and Approbation with which they werereceived, are too strong Indications of the general Taste to bedissembled; and the Industry used to disperse these Books at home andabroad, and especially to our Plantations in _America_; to which greatNumbers, and at a great Expence have been conveyed; are Proofs of suchMalice against the Gospel and the Holy Author of it, as would not beborn even in a _Mahometan_ Country. In this Branch of Trade, this greatCity beats all the World; it is become even the Mart for Infidelity. 

It required no great Sagacity to foresee what the Consequence would beof the Pains taken to unsettle all Principles of Religion. Infidelityand Immorality are too nearly allied, to be long separated; and thoughsome have pretended to preserve a Sense of Virtue without the Aid ofReligion, yet Experience has shewed that People who have neither Hopesnor Fears with Respect to _another_ World, will soon abuse _this_ byindulging the worst of their Passions, and will not regard Man, whenonce they have learn'd to disregard GOD. 

Whether this be our Case, let every Man judge by what he hears andsees; by what, indeed, he _must_ hear and see, if he lives amongst us. Blasphemy and horrid Imprecations domineer in our Streets, and poorWretches are every Hour wantonly and wickedly calling for Damnation onthemselves and others, which may be ('tis much to be feared) too nearthem already. Add to this the Lewdness and Debauchery that prevailamongst the lowest People, which keeps them idle, poor, and miserable, and renders them incapable of getting an honest Livelihood forthemselves and Families; the Number of lewd Houses, which trade intheir Vices, and which must at any rate be paid for making Sinconvenient to them; and it will account for Villainies of another Kind, which are growing so fast as to be insupportable, and almost incurable:For, Where is the Wonder that Persons so abandoned should be ready tocommit all Sorts of Outrage and Violence?--A City without Religion cannever be a safe Place to dwell in. 

The unnatural Lewdness, of which we have heard so much of late, issomething more than brutish, and can hardly be mentioned withoutoffending chaste Ears, and yet cannot be passed over entirely inSilence, because of the particular Mark of Divine Vengeance set upon itin the Destruction of _Sodom_ by Fire from Heaven. Dreadful Example!

But these Vices are so enormous, that 'tis to be hoped the Generalityof our People are not guilty; I hope in God they are not, I trust theyare not. But how unhappy is it for this Country, that there should beany Ground even for Suspicion that these Vices are growing to becommon!

But to go one Step further--

When Men, not content with indulging their own brutish Passions, takePains to corrupt others, they act with such cool and diabolical Malice, as outdoes former Examples, and seems to be a Challenge to the Powerand Justice of God--Have not all the Abominations of the publick Stewsbeen opened to View by lewd Pictures exposed to Sale at Noon-day? Havenot Histories or Romances of the vilest Prostitutes been published, intended merely to display the most execrable Scenes of Lewdness;Lewdness represented without Disguise, and nothing omitted that mightinflame the corrupt Passions of the Youth of the Nation! What was theEncouragement for Men to dare giving such an Affront not only to thecommon Sense, but to the common Law of the Country? Was it not thequick Sale these Pictures and these Books had? And is not this adeplorable Circumstance, and sad Instance of the corrupt Disposition ofmany among us?

Is it to be wondered at, after so much Pains taken to corrupt theReligion and Morals of the People, that they should be indisposed toattend to any thing serious, or that they grow sick of Religion, whichhas no Comforts for them; that they fly from the Church and crowd tothe Playhouse: That they are tired of themselves, and their ownThoughts, and want to lose themselves in Company from Morning to Night?It is this unhappy, unsettled State of Mind that has introduced a Kindof general Idleness among the People, and given Rise to almost infinitePlaces of Diversion in and about this Town; it were well if they werePlaces of Diversion only; but they are often Places for carrying onworse Business, and give Opportunities to the Profligate to seduce theInnocent, who often meet their Ruin, where they only came forPleasure--While I was writing this I cast my Eye upon a News-Paper ofthe Day, and counted no less than fifteen Advertisements for _Plays_, _Operas_, _Musick_, and _Dancing_, for Meetings at _Gardens_, for_Cock-fighting_, _Prize-fighting_, &c? Should this Paper, (as many ofour News-Papers do) go abroad, what an Idea must it give to all theChurches abroad, of the Manner in which _Lent_ is kept in thisProtestant Country? What our Saviour said to the _Jews_ upon anotherOccasion, _You have turned the House of Prayer into a Den of Thieves_, may with a little Variation, be applied to Ourselves, We have turnedthis Season appointed for serious Reflexions, and Humiliation of Bodyand Spirit, into a Time of Mirth and Jollity, of Musick, Dancing, andriotous Living. 

How far this Spirit of Indolence and Idleness has gone, and to whatExcess, may be seen in all Orders among us; friendly Visits forConversation are become insipid Things, and are degenerated intoMeetings for Gaming, where People hardly known to each other, areinvited by one Tye only, the Love of Play: Which seems now to be, notan Amusement or Diversion, but a serious Business of Life, and onewould think a _necessary_ one, by seeing how some Children are trainedup to it. 

There is a great and a grievous Evil among us, which naturally springsfrom the Disorders beforementioned: I mean the great Increase of Poperyin this Kingdom. When Men have lost all Principles of Religion, and arelost to all Sense of Morality, they are prepared to receive anySuperstition, whenever the Decay of Health, or the cross Accidents ofLife revive the Fears of Futurity; which may be stifled, but cannot beextinguished; such Persons not able to digest the wholesome Food ofRepentance, by which their spiritual Condition might be graduallymended, greedily swallow the high Cordial of Absolution, which likeother Cordials gives some present Ease, but works no Cure. And withrespect to People of a serious and religious Turn of Mind, the manifestand almost general Contempt, or at least Neglect, of the Duties ofReligion gives a great Advantage to the Emissaries of _Rome_ to imposeon their Weakness, and to persuade them that they can have no Hopes inthe Religion of a Church, where Religion itself is hardly to be found. 

Lay these Things together; and what more your own Observation andReflexion may furnish, and much more they may furnish; and then askyour Heart, whether you have not Reason to fear, that God will visitfor these Things. If your Heart misgives you, and forebodes the Time oftaking Vengeance for these Iniquities to be drawing near, considerfurther, how graciously you have been dealt with by having had Warningof your Danger; and remember that the long _Sufferance of God is a Callto Repentance_. 

It is purely for the Sake of this Reflexion, that I now address myselfto you: I have no Pleasure in laying open the Shame of my Country, orin exposing its Nakedness either to Friends or to Foes; and when Iconsider my own Situation, 'tis a Prospect void of all Comfort to me tosee the Condition of the People, over whom I have a Charge; and, Godknows my Heart, these Considerations are a Pain and Grief to my Mind. 

But, let us not despair; there is still one Remedy left, and whateverReason we have to condemn ourselves, yet of this we may be sure, thatGod has not _forgotten to be gracious_. To him then let us turn, withhearty Repentance for our Sins; and with a Resolution to do, each of usin his proper Station, what lies in our Power to stem the Torrent ofIniquity which threatens our Ruin. 

As to You my Brethren of the Clergy, who share with me the Care of theSouls in these populous Cities, let me exhort You, (though I trust youwant not to be exhorted) to awaken the People, to call them from theLethargy in which they have too long lived, and make them see their ownDanger. Speak to them, _perswade them as knowing the Terrors of theLord_. --Speak to their Hearts and Consciences with such Plainness asbecomes the Ministers of the Gospel; tell them in _Season and out ofSeason, that unless they repent, they must perish_. If the Warnings wehave had are a Call on the People to Repentance, remember they arestill stronger Calls on us, to _preach_ Repentance, and to dischargethe Duty we owe to God and his Church, and to the Flock of Christ, overwhom we are placed. May this Work of God prosper in our Hands!

I should be wanting to the Duty I owe to the highest as well as thelowest, should I omit on this Occasion to remind those who areentrusted by their Country, with the Government of these populousCities, how much the Welfare of the People depends upon the faithfulExecution of the Law. I pretend not to accuse _them particularly_ ofNeglect, a _general Neglect_ of this Kind is one of the worst Symptomsof the Time; every Man is left to do what is right in his own Eyes, onewould think _there was no King in Israel_. Could the vile abominablePictures of Lewdness have been offered to Sale in the most frequentedParts of the City; could Books for the Instruction of the Unexperiencedin all the Mysteries of Iniquity have been publickly cried in ourStreets; had not the Laws, and the Guardians of the Laws, beenasleep?--But surely it is high Time to awake; and to let People oncemore know, (what seems to be almost forgotten) that Laws are made forthe _Punishment of Wickedness and Vice, and for the Maintenance of trueReligion_. 

Government is a great Trust, and the Powers of it are not intendedmerely to do Honour to those who have them, but must be used for theGood of the Community. This is a Truth sufficiently known, it has beenfounded in the Ears of the Nation, without Ceasing; but the Misfortuneis, that this Doctrine has been applied so constantly to the _Supreme_Magistrate only, that those who have _subordinate_ Powers derived fromhis Authority, forget, or are not accustomed, to make the Applicationto themselves. And yet surely, there is not a Constable but has, inProportion to the Power the Law gives him, a Trust reposed in him inBehalf of his King and his Country: Those who are in higher Offices, have still greater Reason, as more depends upon the due Exercise oftheir Authority, to be watchful for the Community. The Good of Societymust be influenced by their Conduct and Example, one Way or other. Great Officers of Justice cannot be _useless_, without being_pernicious_. 

If a Regard for the Publick is not a Motive strong enough in this Case, let every Magistrate consider that there is another of infiniteImportance to himself; for if all Power be the _Ordinance_ of God, Hewill undoubtedly demand an Account of the Exercise of it: And who ishe, that has so little to answer for on his own Account, as willinglyto subject himself to be answerable for the Sins of others, whicheither by his Encouragement, or his Connivence he makes his own? Pardonthe Freedom of this Address; I honour and reverence _your_ Office, andI hope I give you no Occasion to despise _mine_. 

Next to those in publick Offices of Power and Trust, the Happiness ofthe Publick depends upon those who have the Government in privateFamilies. Here it is that the Youth of the Nation must be formed, andif they are suffered to be corrupted in their Religion or Morals beforethey come into the _World_, there is little Hope that the _World_ willreform them. All wise Men, Legislators, and Princes, have acknowledged, not only the Use, but the Necessity of an early Education to form theMind, whilst tender, to the Principles of Honour and Virtue; and whatis more, the wisest of all, the Writers inspired by the Holy Spirit, have required it as a Duty from Parents, and as Part of the Obediencethey owe to God: Even our Unbelievers have seen how far Religiondepended on this Care; and under a Pretence of maintaining the Libertyof the human Mind, and guarding it against early Prejudices, they haveendeavoured to persuade the World, that Children should be taughtnothing of Religion, but be left to form Notions for themselves. Theyhave had but too great Success, and we begin to see the Fruits of it. The Children of this Age, grow soon to be Men and Women, and areadmitted to be Partners, and Witnesses to the Follies and Vices oftheir Parents. Thus trained and educated, when they come to be Mastersand Mistresses of Families, they answer fully what was to be expectedfrom them; they are often a Torment to each other, and to themselves, and have Reason to bemoan themselves for the Indulgence shewn them intheir early Days. 

Would you see the Effects of this Education in all Orders among us, look into the many Publick Assemblies; sometimes you may see Old Ageaffecting the Follies of Youth, and counterfeiting the Airs of Gaiety;sometimes Men lying in wait to seduce Women, and Women to seduce Men;and even Children seriously employed at the Gaming Table, as if theirParents were concerned to form them early to the Taste of the Age, andwere afraid that they should not soon enough, of themselves, find theWay to their Ruin. 

Look near Home: See the Temptations of this Sort which surround theseCities, and are indeed so many Snares to catch your Sons and Daughtersand Apprentices. Can you look on, and be unconcerned? For God's Sake, and for the Sake of your Children and your Country take the Courage toact like Parents and Masters of Families: Reformation must begin inprivate Families; the Law and the Magistrate can punish your Childrenwhen they become wicked; but it is you, who must make them good, byproper Instruction and proper Government. If you suffer them to meetTemptation, where Temptation is sure to meet them, never complain ofhim who corrupts your Child, you are the Corrupter yourself; to you heowes it, that he is undone. And perhaps there is not a more provokingCircumstance, nor a greater Call for Divine Vengeance on a wickedNation, than this; that the Youth are prepared and brought up toinherit all the Vices of their Fathers, which cuts off all Prospect ofReformation; and stands as a Bar between us and Mercy. 

On you therefore, Fathers and Mothers, your Country, and the Church ofGod call for Assistance; your Endeavours may go a great Way towardssaving us, and this wicked Generation may be spared, for the Hope ofseeing the next better. 

In a word, let every Man, whatever his Station is, do his Part towardsaverting the Judgments of God: Let every Man reform himself, and othersas far as his Influence goes: This is _our_ only proper Remedy; for thedissolute Wickedness of the Age, is a more dreadful Sign andPrognostication of Divine Anger, than even the Trembling of the Earthunder us. 

To our own Endeavours, let us add continual and fervent Supplicationsto the Almighty, that he would _spare us, and not deal with usaccording to the Multitude of our Sins_; that he would give us theGrace of Repentance, and open our Eyes to see, before it is too late, _the Things which belong to our Salvation_. 

May the God of all Mercy hear you, in this Day of your Distress! To hisProtection, and the Grace of our Lord _Jesus_ I earnestly recommendyou. I am, _Your Affectionate Brother, andServant in Christ Jesus_, THO. LONDON. 

_Printed_ for JOHN WHISTON _in_ Fleetstreet. 

_The Fifth Edition, on a fine Paper_, Price 5_s. _ bound:

I. The Use and Intent of Prophecy, in the several Ages of the World: InSix Discourses, delivered at the _Temple Church_; To which are added, Four Dissertations, and an _Appendix_, being a farther Enquiry into the_Mosaick_ Account of the _Fall_. 

_By_ THOMAS SHERLOCK, _D. D. _

Master of the _Temple_, now Lord Bishop of _London_. 

_N. B. _ The _Appendix_ may be had alone to compleat former Editions. Price 1_s. _

II. The Tryal of the Witnesses of the Resurrection of JESUS. TheTwelfth Edition, corrected. Price 1_s. _ 6_d. _