ſo 'tis no Matter who is ſick or who is ſound, and ſo they run deſperately into any Place or any Company.
As it brought the People into publick Company, ſo it was ſurprizing how it brought them to crowd into the Churches, they inquir’d no more into who they ſat near to, or far from, what offenſive Smells they met with, or what condition the People ſeemed to be in, but looking upon themſelves all as ſo many dead Corpſes, they came to the Churches without the leaſt Caution, and crowded together, as if their Lives were of no Conſequence, compar’d to the Work which they came about there: Indeed, the Zeal which they ſhew’d in Coming, and the Earneſtneſs and Affection they ſhew’d in their Attention to what they heard, made it manifeſt what a Value People would all put upon the Worship of God, if they thought every Day they attended at the Church that it would be their Laſt.
Nor was it without other ſtrange Effects, for it took away all Manner of Prejudice at, or Scruple about the Perſon who they found in the Pulpit when they came to the Churches. It cannot be doubted, but that many of the Miniſters of the Pariſh-Churches were cut off among others in ſo common and ſo dreadful a Calamity; and others had not Courage enough to ſtand it, but removed into the Country as they found Means for Eſcape, as then ſome Pariſh-Churches were quite vacant and forſaken, the People made no Scruple of deſiring ſuch Diſſenters as had been a few Years before depriv’d of their Livings, by Virtue of the Act of Parliament call’d, The Act of Uniformity to preach in the Churches, nor did the Church Miniſters in that Caſe make any Difficulty of accepting their Aſſiſtance, ſo that many of thoſe who they called ſilenced Miniſters, had their Mouths open’d on this Occaſion, and preach’d publickly to the People.
