A
SHORT ACCOUNT
OF THE
YELLOW FEVER
IN
PHILADELPHIA,
FOR THE
REFLECTING CHRISTIAN.
BY      
J. HENRY C. HELMUTH,
Minister of the Lutheran Congregation.
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY
CHARLES ERDMANN.
Copy Right Secured according to Law.
PHILADELPHIA:
PRINTED BY JONES, HOFF & DERRICK,
No. 8, NORTH FIFTH-STREET.
M,DCC,XCIV.

ADVERTISEMENT.
THIS Pamphlet may be had of Tobias Hirt at
Mr. Gehrhard's, North Second-Street, next
door to the Widow Raser's Tavern, North-west
corner of Second and Race-Streets, No. 118,
and by Jacob Ritter, Front-Street, the third door
below Arch-Street, on the Bank-side, No. 67.
Price three dollars per dozen, or two shillings and
four-pence single copy. 

THE
PROPRIETOR's
PREFACE.
THE proprietor of the following pages having
read with much pleasure the original work, written
in the German Language, was very desirous to see
it in an English dress. He communicated this idea
to the author of the work, who readily granted him
permission to translate it, and generously relinquished
to him all the emolument, which might arise from
such an undertaking. The translator is only sorry
that he has not been able to do full justice to the work.
He is aware that it has not the ease or accuracy
which the author gave it in his own language. The
ideas, however, it is hoped, are materially preserved,
and the diction such as will not be found offensive.
To do good was the design of the original publication.
To render this design more extensively successful has
been the object of the proprietor; in which he trusts,
that, he will not be altogether disappointed.
TOBIAS HIRT. 


List of all the Burials in the several grave-yards of
the city and liberties of Philadelphia, as taken
from the several books kept by clergymen, sextons,
&c. from August 1st to November 9th, 1793.
Protestant
Episcopalians     
Christ Church 173
St. Peters 109
St. Paul's 70
Presbyterians  
First 73
Second 128
Third 107
Scotch 12
Seceders 33
Roman Catholics.      
St. Mary's 251
German part do. 30
Trinity 54
Friends 373
Free-Quakers, returned in gross 39
German         
Lutherans 641
Calvinists 261
Moravians 13
Swedes 75
Baptists, returned in gross. 50
Methodists do. 32
Universalists 2
Jews 2
Kensington 169
Potter's field, including 1334
the new ground                        
4031

SHORT ACCOUNT, &c.
JEREM. CH. IX. I.
Oh! that my head were waters and mine eyes a
fountain of tears, that I might weep day and
night for the slain of the daughters, of my people!
WHOEVER has seen the distress of our
deeply afflicted city; whoever has shared in it
by the loss of friends and relations and whoever
is only susceptible of human feelings, will un-
doubtedly break out in similar lamentations with
those of the Prophet, for Philadelphia in these days
of mourning.
There are few cities upon which the Lord had
poured forth richer blessings, than on this; and
there are but few indeed, that have been plunged
by his just judgment into a deeper abyss of di-
stress, than our now weeping Philadelphia.
It is true this flourishing city has experienced on
former occasions, the chastising hand of the Lord;
many of its inhabitants recollect the mortality or
the year 1762, when hundreds were swept away
by a similar fever; many will recal to their minds
the horrors of the year 1777, when this place was
the rendezvous of foreign troops, the sons of ra-
B

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pine and violence, whose trade was blood, and
whose object was the subjugation of America.
Repeatedly have our streets refounded with the
terrifying cry of fire, and particularly the year
1791 was fruitful in instances of this kind, when
several buildings were actually set on fire out of
wanton wickedness, and a general terror spread
over all parts of the city.
But never were there scenes so terrible, so di-
stressing to us, as those which our citizens ex-
perienced during the late months of mortality in
the current year 1793.
To give a short and true account of these
months, and of what has happened therein, will
probably be an agreeable undertaking to our Ger-
man brethren, notwithstanding the mournful
scenes which I shall have to lay before them. No
doubt but one and another of them will drop a
tear at the perusal of this account; and their tears
will flow the more plentifully, the nearer the facts
may concern the reader in particular; or the more
tender and susceptible the feelings of his heart may
be. If a single corpse can sometimes embitter all
our joys, and plunge our heart into the deepest
morning, what must be the effect of several
thousand deceased, and among these some tenderly
beloved friends. In sadness itself the heart finds
sometimes a kind of voluptuous satisfaction; and
and if this account should produce only here and
there such an effect, the author would not think
his trouble altogether in vain in giving it into
the hands of the mourner: But this mournful
pleasure, otherwise so delicious, would be of a short

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duration only, and very imperfect; it would after
all be a sadness of the world, which leads to death,
and real comfort would remain concealed from
the heart; and for this very reason this small and
imperfect work seeks and aims at a much better
object. The author places a firm reliance on the
grace of God, that perhaps this account, and
Oh! may God grant it! will cause not only a
sadness but a divine sadness in some of its readers;
it is at least his design, that in perusing this im-
perfect sketch some one or other may be led, fee-
lingly to exclaim "And I too have carried straw,
yea even pitch and brimstone to this fire of the
anger of the Lord; it is true it has not devoured
me as yet, but I owe my preservation to the inter-
cession of my Redeemer: and shall I continue to
provoke this my merciful Saviour any longer by the
commission even of one intentional sin? My God!
this would be the thanks of Devils and a challenge
to the Almighty to bring his judgments nearer
and more dreadful upon me. Up therefore oh
my soul! thou must quit thy former ways of sin,
sand by an immediate and true conversion of heart
throw thyself into the arms of a forbearing
God."
This short account, which I am about to com-
municate, must certainly be imperfect in many re-
spects, on account of the accumulated business,
which during the time of our extreme distress
would not permit us to pay much attention, to
matters of small moment. Our duties, indeed were
so numerous and pressing, that it was difficult to
give to each their attention which it seemed to de-
mand. I will therefore only just take a short view

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of the distressed situation of the whole city, and then
confine myself particularly in this relation to what
concerns our German-Lutheran-Congregation;
but even of this I shall not be able to mention some
things which at any other time would be looked
upon, as of very great consequence.
As early as in the middle of the month of Au-
gust we had a funeral in the above mentioned
congregation, which seemed rather suspicious, but
nobody at that time had the least idea, that the
deceased had been affected with a contagious dis-
order.
On the 19th. I was called to a man, whose
breathing was very short, but who did not shew in
his countenance the least symptoms of approach-
ing death; nevertheless to my very great surprise,
he was a corpse on the 20th.
Nobody yet suspected, that this man had died
of a contagious fever. On the 21st. a man out of
the same family was buried, out of which eleven
days before the first-mentioned corpse had been in-
terred, but even this did not make any particular
impression in those parts where these funerals hap-
pened. However on the same evening terrify-
ing accounts were reported from that part of Wa-
ter-street, which lies between Race and Arch-
streets. Experienced physicians had been called
to some sick persons, and these found the fever,
that had broken out there, of the most dangerous
complexion.
Terror was visible on every face in that part of
the town. Very few of those in health were to be

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seen who had not one thing or another before the
nose or mouth, in order to keep out infectious
air. Many of the inhabitants began to feel a
certain kind of horror at that part of the town;
and if business forced any one thither, he would
go with a trembling heart and hasten away as fast
as possible.
The sick complained of great pain in the head
and back; and all their limbs felt as if they were
bruised; some had a strong tense pulse, and these
experienced an uncommon difficulty in breathing;
they seemed to be in a constant agony; and such
usually died in three or four, some even in one
or two days, and generally in the most pitiable
conflict of nature.
Others complained likewise of pain in the head
and back; but their pulse was so weak that it
could hardly be perceived, some felt a most ex-
cruciating, others, a more tolerable pain in all
their limbs, which they could hardly move; these
lived from five to eight days and then died in a
more easy and quiet manner than the others. Both
kinds of the diseased complained of sickness at the
stomach, which occasioned them to vomit; and
they brought up a matter that appeared quite
black or rather like black coagulated blood; some
bled very much from the nose; they had a black
lengthy streake on the tongue, and when this last
appeared they were mostly the certain victims of
of death.
Some fell into fits of real madness and thereby,
as may be easily imagined, greatly augmented the
terror of their relations.

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Most of them turned yellow during their sick-
ness, which color they kept after their deaths,
though it then became of a deeper hue. But in
others, this color could hardly be perceived,
though they had shewn every other symptom of
the yellow fever, as it was generaly called.
Many of them had black, red and blue spots,
others turned quite black in the face; particularly
round the eye-lids and the nose. This black and
yellow colour shewed itself in several, whom it
has pleased the Lord to restore to health; and it
remained until nature worked off the poison by
degrees.
The attack of this sickness was very sudden;
few had any particular sensations of approaching
disease; many went to bed in the evening to all
appearance in the enjoyment of perfect health,
and at break of day they were often at death's
door. This unmerciful enemy most commonly
made his first deadly attack on the body with a se-
vere chill, which was in some of a shorter and in
others of a longer duration and then changed into
heat and pains.
From the above mentioned part of Water-street,
sixteen persons had been buried within a few days,
before the upper part of the city knew much of
the danger.
The first question now naturally was "Front
whence did this dreadful disorder take its origin?"
Water-street had been always looked upon as one
of the healthiest streets in the city, and really
 

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was so, and it was therefore the more surprising,
that just here such a destruction should take place.
The opinions of our citizens were much divided
on this question: Some believed,
This dreadful fever to have been generated in
Philadelphia itself;
Others insisted, that it had been imported by
some vessel from abroad.
Those who looked upon this child of destruc-
tion as a native of this place, supported their opi-
nion by the following circumstance:
In the house in Water-street, wherein the first
grown person died of the yellow fever, several
others died afterwards; this drawing the attenr
tion of many and the house being examined, they
found a great deal of dirt and filth and even real
ordure in it.
To this it was added, that this narrow and
closely inhabited street had been greatly injured,
by a less quantity of tar being burnt therein for
some time past than formerly; the vessels being
obliged by an Ordinance of the Corporation, to
make their repairs of this kind higher up or lower
down in the city, whereby the air in these parts
had not been purified by the healthy smell of the
tar, as had been formerly the case.
Some ascribed the originating cause of this fever
to the weather; and others again to the great
numbers of people, which for some months past, 


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had been too much thronged in the dwelling-
houses.
I for my part believe this disorder to be the off-
spring of another climate; but how it found its
way to us, has as far as I know, never yet been
ascertained; at a future day we shall undoubtedly
obtain more light upon this question, when a cool-
er and more exact investigation can take place, I
will in the mean time relate what I have heard on
the subject.
A vessel arrived here with some damaged coffee,
and near this vessel it was said, the disorder shew-
ed itself first and with the greatest violence. The
Magistracy of the city caused an investigation to
be made with respect to these imported goods,
from whence it appeared and was looked upon as
certain that this vessel and its cargo were not the
cause of this calamity; however, several persons
were taken sick in this neighbourhood and died.
It was further said, that several dead bodies had
been brought ashore from aboard a vessel that lay
outside of the before mentioned vessel, which
emitted a very offensive smell. This was done in
the night time and persons who had seen it, were
taken sick immediately, and died.
Such were the reports that circulated among the
inhabitants; but as I said before, nothing can as yet
be decided on the subject with any degree of cer-
tainty; but there is one thing which seems to cor-
roborate the presumption, just before mentioned: it
has been further said, that the vessel from whence 

(9)
the dead bodies had been carried ashore, across the
one laden with coffee was taken a few days after to
Kensington, a small town two miles north of Phi-
ladelphia, in order to be repaired; and that im-
mtdiately afterwards the ship carpenter, who had
undertaken the work, together with his people,
had been taken sick in Kensington, and that he
and several of the hands had died. (I myself con-
ducted to his grave in said Kensington, as early as
the 25th of August a young man of twenty years
of age, a ship carpenter, who had died of this fe-
ver.) This disorder soon afterwards began to
spread among others. Campington had likewise
its share of this calamity. We are more and more
confirmed in our opinion, that it was this vessel,
which brought the infection to us, when we con-
sider that that part of the neighbourhood called
the Neck, between Schuylkill and Delaware re-
mained entirely clear of this scourge; a part which
is counted at other times the most unwholesome
about this city; a part also which is as near to the
southern extremity of the city, as Kensington to the
northern: a part where the houses are not much
further asunder than in the other place, and whose
inhabitants go daily through the whole city with
milk and vegetables. It is true some have died
there, but they amount to no more than three or
four at the most, and these were persons who had 
either followed their daily labour in an infected
part of the city, or who had nurfed their relations
and acquaintances in town, laid them out when
dead, and then carried the sickness home with
them and died. Several people now fled to the
Neck in a season of the year, when at other times
they would have been afraid of remaining there
C 

(10)
only an hour after sunset, because it was deemed
to be very dangerous to people, not accustomed to
the air and vapours of that place, yet, Lo! now
they were safe in this unhealthful place; not one
of them, to my knowledge, got sick. But few
would fly to Kensington, because that part
was infected as well as the city itself.
In laying thus before the reader my opinion
about the origin of the disorder, I should be en-
tirely misunderstood, if any should suppose, that I
thereby meant to  exclude the agency of God in
exercising his holy judgments upon us; no, I re-
peat again, what I have said already in the be-
ginning, I look upon the whole as a deserved
punishment of a just, as well as merciful God.
It remains an eternal truth, of which I am fully
Convinced, when we answer the question of Amos.
III. 6. "There is no evil in the city, but what the
Lord hath done." It is the Lord who makes the
pestilence cleave unto thee. It is the Lord who smi-
teth mankind with ulcers and fevers, and heat, and
blasting, and drought, and infection, and jaundice,
Deut. XXVIII, 21. 22. The Lord sends pestilence
among the transgressors of his law, Jerem. XXIV. 10.
It is according to Isaiah XXIV. 1. The Lord of
whom it said "Behold he maketh the earth empty
and maketh it waste." And v. 3. The land shall be
utterly emptied and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath
spoken this word.
Sword, famine and pestilence are the servants
of the Lord, whom he sends or retains at his
pleasure. It would not have cost a miracle to have

(11)
turned aside the pestilential fever from Philadel-
phia; it wanted only the intervention of a trifling
circumstance, and the life of thousands would
have been preserved; but this circumstance was
not allowed to intervene at this time; It was
God's will to visit the city; and if we ask further,
"Why was it God's will?" The word of truth
itself will give us the answer; it is said in the
aforementioned 24th chap, of Isaiah, 5. & 6. The
earth is defiled under the inhabitants thereof: be-
cause they have transgrssed the laws, and changed
the ordinances and broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and
they that dwell therein are desolate; therefore the in-
habitants of the earth are burned, and few men
left, v. 7. All the merry hearted sigh, v. 8. The
mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that re-
joice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth, v. 10.
Every house in the city is shut up, that no man may
come in. And v. 17. Therefore fear and the pit are
upon thee.
It would be foreign to my intention to answer
the question. "Why has God visited this city in
particular? Are the inhabitants thereof distin-
guished above all sinners, by a long list of sins,
wherein the greatest part of the inhabitants of the
earth have sinned equally with us?" *
* It is not necessary to suppose greater criminality in
fine place, than another, in order, to vindicate the
equity of the divine procedure in punishing any guilty
part of God's dominion. It is sufficient that such 

(12)
But I hope I shall be permitted to mention a
few matters, which, long since have been very
alarming to every serious thinking man in this city,
and whereby Philadelphia has distinguished itself
before all other places in Pennsylvania. Things
which even in a natural way threatened the tem-
poral ruin of the city.
Philadelphia far exceeded most of the cities of
North-America, in luxury and dissipation among
all classes of people,
It was Philadelphia, that did not rest, until the
performing of theatrical  exhibitions was autho-
rised by law. It was Philadelphia that refined so
much on this species of vanity, as to erect one of
the largest houses upon the continent for theatri-
cal exhibitionss and engaged actors at a prodi-
gious expence; as if one house, that existed be-
fore were not sufficient to ruin our young people,
too much neglected already. It was Philadelphia
that imported from luxurious Europe, the number
of 70 or 80 actors and retainers to the stage, who
actually arrived here exactly at the time, when the
fever raged with the utmost violence. It was Phi-
ladelphia, that contained those parents who had
given willingly 300 dollars to obtain a perpetual
right of free access with wife and children to the
plays, in order to plunge themselves and their re-
latives the quicker into all kind of dissipation, and
part deserves the stroke: but perhaps he designs to
reserve those places that are more corrupt for heavier
and more desolating judgments at a proper season. 

(13)
to obliterate in their hearts all taste for what is
serious and useful, I will not say godly and hea-
venly.
Many a one looked upon 300 dollars as a trifle
to gratify vanity and levity, who would have been
afraid of being ruined, were he to lay out so many
shillings for widows and orphans.
This was the very autumn in which the new
house was to be opened, which numbers waited for
with joyful expectation; but this was likewise the
very autumn, when these newly arrived sons of
levity found this poor city in the deepest mourn-
ing, and fled with horror from the long wished
for place to New-York and other places. And
may they never tread on Philadelphia ground
again in that character! May all the inhabitants of
this city of sorrow, particularly those who re-
mained here in those days of death and terror join,
and with united endeavours labour for that pur-
pose, that the fathers of our country may repeal
that certainly injurious act, which has rendered
this folly lawful among us.
For my part it was horrid to hear that notwith-
standing the great calamity which we have recently
experienced, I say, that notwithstanding this, it
has been said, I am told, that in the course of this
winter the new play-house was yet to be opened; yea,
that, in order to deceive the public or rather to
deceive Omniscience itself, the proceeds of the 

(14)
first night were intended for the benefit of the
widows and orphans.*
Away with these horrid benefits and the money
of sin! Keep your sinful wages, for this is all you
have to expect for your pains here and in eternity;
God knows how to gladden the heart of the widow
and orphan in a better manner; he does not want
for this purpose your wages of vanity; leave these to
them for whom they were intended; our widows
and orphans stand in no need thereof, for the
Lord himself is their protector and father; and
he will find means, without this money earned in
levity, that the forsaken shall not suffer want.
It was Philadelphia, that during the whole of
last summer was so eager to see the rope-dancing
and other shews exhibited in the city, that one
hardly knew how to pass along, for the immense
number of people, who were either going to these
diversions or returning therefrom. Many a one
carried thither, that money which he wanted ex-
ceedingly for the support of his family. Most
of them distracted their hearts, there in such a
manner, that on the following Sunday they ei-
* This is a very superficial pretext. If they who
attend upon such occasions intended a charity to the
poor, why would they not rather select the objects
themselves, than make use of such almoners as play-
ers? If it were possible that players possessed sensibi-
lity in their proper character; why not distribute
their alms from the remnant of their dissipations and
their usual profits, instead of calling upon the world,
to admire their charity by public advertisements!

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ther did not go to church at all, or else could
have no benefit from the explanation of the word
of God, every part of their minds being so filled
with those follies, that it was impossible, that any
thing serious could find room therein.
After such a merry, sinful summer, by the just
judgment of God, a most mournful autumn fol-
lowed, which commenced when the much esteem-
ed and celebrated Circus was hardly closed.
How striking must this circumstance be to every
contemplating mind, that this very circus was the
place, whither the very first sick were brought, in
a most deplorable situation, who on account of
poverty, and want of friends, could find shelter
no where else! This place, which a few weeks be-
fore resounded with the noisy acclamations and
clappings of levity, was now filled with the la-
mentations and groans of the dying, and re-
sounded with the wringing of hands by those for-
saken wretches, that were sent thither, three where-
of died in extreme misery, and where no one
recovered.
Philadelphia was the place that seemed to strive
to exceed all other places in the breaking of the
sabbath. It may be said with propriety, that our
sundays and holy-days were our most sinful days.
Immediately at break of day, the rattling of the
carriages began through allthe streets. They hurried
into the country with their families as early as pos-
sible, in order by no means to approach the Deity
in public worship, along with other citizens and
sincere christians. 

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Here the whole day was spent in extravagance
and dissipation; Father, Mother, and Children
formed together with the servants, a whole groupe
to proclaim to the Most High, We care not for
thy commandment about keeping holy the day of the
Lord. When evening came on they returned, and
gave no small interruption to those before whose
places of worship they rattled along.
But, oh! my God! how suddenly, how mourn-
fully, was this scene altered! the rattling bustle of
carriages, which used to carry the despisers of the
institutions of religion far away from the worship
of Jesus, particularly on Sundays, to vanity and
the joys of the world; was now changed into the
slow melancholy movement, from morning till
night, of those carriages, which certainly have
conveyed many of those Sabbath-breakers, to their
silent graves; whilst their souls have been obliged
to appear before the tribunal of that God who
himself had given the strictest command, "Re-
member the Sabbath-day to sanctify it;" and who
has virtually renewed the same by his apostles in
the New Testament, when he causes them to re-
mind us Not to forsake the assembling of ourselves
together—Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
A great many who had not the means to ride
out into the country on the Lord's day frequented
the taverns and beer-houses in the city and vicini-
ty, and there spent their time in the most frivolous
discourse, backbiting their neighbours, or even
coarsely ridiculing the word of God itself; or they
gamed, drank to excess, and frequently quarrelled
and fought. 

(17)
During these last months many of these tipplers
and sabbath-breakers, became delirious; their
levity was changed into the terrors of death, and
their mockery into whining and lamentations.
Just God! what scenes of this kind have we seen!
scenes which for a long time will convey images
of horror to the neighbourhoods which saw them!
My pen is not able to give a description of that
agony, which was but too visible in the last mo-
ments of such persons.
If I had never before been convinced, of the
advantages, which the christian has over the infi-
del; the instances which I have seen of the dying
condition of both, would have been more than
sufficient, to produce such a conviction in my
mind.
Oh! Philadelphia! Philadelphia! how often
would thy Jesus have gathered thy children to-
gether, even as a hen gathereth her chickens
under her wings, and thou wouldest not! Sun-
days were in particular the sacred days on which
thy Saviour carried on his work of love in thee;
on those days he frequently called thee powerfully
towards him; but it is deplorable to say, hardly
one third, yea! hardly one fourth of all thy nu-
merous inhabitants, would vouchsafe to hear the
call of the Lord, much less suffer themselves to be
gathered under his wings. Under these circum-
stances was it then to be wondered at, that thou
was laid waste.
Philadelphia was the unfortunate place, where
cursing, swearing and perjury had fixed their resi-
D

(18)
dence; one needed only to walk the streets on Sa-
turday evenings and Sundays in particular to hear
the most horrid imprecations from men, and
sometimes from women and youths, nay even
from children.
Philadelphia was the place where a certain class
of people, had associated themselves for the avow-
ed purpose of blaspheming our blessed Saviour. It
was gone even so far about two years ago, that a
certain preacher had hired a room, wherein he set
before his hearers, what he called sermons, or
rather poison of seduction, from which many
were to imbibe an aversion against the doctrine of
Jesus Christ. It was even said, that money had
been collected for the purpose of building a pro-
per meeting-house, for this new teacher, who de-
nied the God-head of Christ.
In order to give a better idea of the frivolity of
these people. I will relate but one instance, which
will shew at once, how deeply some of the inha-
bitants of this city were fallen: On a certain
morning when this frivolous meeting had broken
up to a person, passing by and asking; What
all these people had been doing in the dancing-
school on a Sunday? it was answered, "We have
just now heard a sermon, wherein it has been proved
to us, that your supposed God was nothing but a
bastard of Maria.
I here give the story as it was related to me, the
whole excited in me an unspeakable horror, and
must be a sufficient proof to any of my readers,
that such a place, if it should not go quite to de- 

(19)
struction, wanted a visiation like that which it has
experienced.
Were I to  close here the enumeration of the
particular sins of our city, it might be objected to
me with justice, that I had omitted mentioning a
subject, on which I was bound to speak, particu-
larly at this time. The tears of the widow and the
sighs of the orphan have had always, alas! too
much reason to rise against people who have
wronged them out of their property; and as there
have been numbers of such interested harpies in
our city, I am well convinced, that the judg-
ment we have lately been afflicted with, was the
completion of the threats, which the word of
God has denounced against such a city and such a
country. The great Luther used to say, "I would
rather see the Turkish Emperor with his whole army
march against me, than have a single sigh of a wi-
dow appear against me in God's judgment."
Widows and orphans are under the particular
protection of the Almighty, and whoever wrongs
them, or imposes upon, or cheats them, has to do
with the Almighty power itself, and often by such
crying sins draws the most dreadful judgments of
the Most High on a whole country and city.
Attend to this, ye guardians! be careful! for
God's sake and for your soul's sake be exact
to the least trifle, with respect to every thing you
have in your hands, and for which you are to ac-
count with widows and orphans. It is you, who may
easily cause a recurrence of a more dreadful visit-
ation; as there are now so many more widows and
orphans, in this city than ever before. For God's 

(20)
sake do not augment by your unkindness, by your
imposition and selfishness, their distress which is
so great already; and know, that the Lord will
prove himself especially in this respect, a severe
judge and avenger, not only on yourselves but
purticularly on your own posterity.
It would be easy to recite numerous instances of
sinners, who, having defrauded the widow and
the orphan experienced in a visible manner the
avenging hand of the Almighty upon themselves
or upon their descendants and it would not be 
very difficult to find out persons, who, during these
last months, gave up their terrified souls, with
a reproaching conscience, and with the torment-
ing thought, "I too have defrauded the widow and
the orphan."
It were to be wished, that no other sins pre-
vailed in Philadelphia, than those above specified;
but unfortunately this city, in common with all
other large cities, was remarkable for drunken-
ness, lewdness, fraud, pride, avarice, uncharita-
bleness, quarrelling.—and where would the cata-
logue end? all these and far more had attained
the highest summit among us.
Numbers came indeed to hear the word of God,
but the majority of those denied its efficacy. Repen-
ance has been preached in the usual way, to our
city these many years; but when this had no ef-
fect, God took upon himself this business in an
unusual but dreadful manner. Hundreds, yea
thousands of corpses were made to call to every one
of us: "Turn ye; turn ye!—And oh! how would 

(21)
all good men, how would even the crucified Savi-
our rejoice, if this call of God, had produced a
general echo among the inhabitants of Philadel-
phia. "Oh! my God! Turn thou me; turn thou
me!"
[What kind of people were particularly swept
away by the Yellow-fever?]
Having made mention before of dying youths,
and girls, I will only add to this short account of
this deadly fever that generally people, between
fourteen and forty years of age were swept away
by it. But few  children or old people were at-
tacked by it; among those who appeared to be the
healthiest and strongest the instances of recovery
were fewest. Men who seemed to have made a co-
venant with death, and an agreement with the
grave for a number of years to come; whose ex-
terior appearance seemed to warrant the hopes of
a healthy and advanced age, were laid in the dull
in a few days by this fever.
Further, people who made their belly their
God, those in particular who had given them-
selves to drunkenness, or in other respects to a
loose and abandoned way of living, when attack-
ed by this disorder, were most commonly the sure
victims of death. Several physicians, to whom
the way in which such people live was known,
when called upon to attend them, were very loath
to go, or would not go at all, because they ex-
pected beforehand, that their remedies would have
no effect for the recovery of the sick.

(22)
The disorder likewise raged with much more vi-
olence among the men, than upon persons of the
other sex.
Many a widow bewails now a husband, who to
all appearance, would have been the support of an
inereasing family, for many years to come. How
many uneducated children are now fatherless or-
phans; in how many houses do we hear the cry:
My son—Alas! he is no more—My beloved
daughter—Ah! my God, they are, these dear
children are in the dull of the grave!—And woe to
the father, woe to that careless mother, in whose
bosom the excruciating thought arises: "The poor
creatures died, but they died comfortless perhaps
through my fault: I never sought after Jesus, and
therefore never could earnestly awaken the darlings of
my heart, to seek their Saviour; My God, what is
become of them, whither are they gone, and what is
to become of myself and those of the children who
remain."
My soul shudders at this thought; and probably
very few fathers and mothers can read this alto-
gether without feeling. And is not this the place
where something in particular, ought to be said to
parents? certainly it is: and nobody can take it
amiss to find the following reflections in this small
pamphlet.
Our children were intrusted to us for the pur-
pose of educating them in the knowledge and fear
of the Lord; early or late he will demand this
trust at our hands. When death disolves the tie
between us and them; and especially in the day
of judgment, we shall have to answer for the man-

(23)
ner in which we have executed our duly, and it
will be solemnly decided, whether in this weighty
concern, we have paid due obedience, with all up-
rightness, to his commands or not.—Every parent
need only read the single history of the unfortun-
ately Eli, which is found in I. Sam. II. 23. 25. 30.
34. and IV. 11. 18; and if he read it really with
attention, I am very sure he will make the follow-
ing observations:
Eli neglected the education of his children, and
on account of this neglect, a dreadful judgment
came upon him, and in this judgment were in-
volved, not only the sons of this unfortunate fa-
ther, but his whole posterity, yea, a whole nation.
Eli was far from being that indifferent much
less that quite wicked father, of whom there are,
alas! so many among our present fathers and mo-
thers, and nevertheless he suffered that dreadful
judgment which made the ears of thousands ring! 
But certainly God is not unjust nor partial; he
never suffers one to go unpunished, when he visits
others so severely; and therefore certainly a more
dreadful judgment must await those parents, who
who have been less attentive to the welfare of their
children than Eli was; or who perhaps have been
themselves the seducers of these comparatively in-
nocent victims to temporal and eternal destruc-
tion.
I might extend these observations to a very
great length; I could make here a just complaint,
that there are too many parents found in this city,
from whom, nothing but the most dreadful curses       

(24)
and many other abominable things are heard or
seen by their children; so that it must be really a
miracle, if these poor creatures do not go down
to everlasting destruction.
I would propose here the following questions,
and leave them to every father and mother who
reads them, to answer them faithfully to their own
consciences. Do you pray with your children,
and do you pray heartily and earnestly for them?
How is it about family worship? Do you keep
morning and eyening prayers? Does the word of
Christ dwell richly among you? Do you read the
Holy Scriptures with your family? Do you ad-
monish them to serve God in spirit and in truth?
Are you acquainted with the signs of a true Con-
version of heart, and do you instruct your family
therein? How is it at your table? Do you pray
before you eat? Do you take your victuals with
thanksgiving, or does not this complaint lie against
you? "The people sat dawn to eat and to drink
and rose up to play." How do you make your
children keep the Lord's-day?
Here I will cease; Make good use of the above
questions dear readers, and let serious reflection at
a silent hour originate a greater number of such
necessary questions in your own hearts.
One word more to parents, who have lost sons
or daughters during the late disorder, whose spiri-
tual state at the time of their dicease was rather
equivocal, and where there is no full conviction
of a happy meeting again. 

(25)
All the advice that can be given to you, in your
present mournful situation, is contained in these
few words; Return unto the Lord! acknowledge
with contrition that you have neglected your poor
children—consider the dreadful indifference for
the religion of Christ, which has prevailed in
your family; your neglect of prayer—but alas!
where shall one begin and where end the catalogue
of all that has been deficient in this respect in
most families! remember, at the same time, the
dying groans—the last agonies of the departing
spirit—the lonely melancholy funeral of your de-
ceased fon or daughter; to these reflections add the
question, have not I perhaps neglected my child?
Was not I perhaps the cause that it died fo com-
fortless, as was to all appearance the case? and
if this consideration will not induce you, to look
with horror on your dangerous condition, and to
long for being converted to Jesus Christ—then no-
thing—nothing can move you; you are hardened,
hardened beyond conception—and the deepest
abyss of hell is justly your due.
[The disorder was contagious.]
The most dreadful circumstance in this terrible
disease was that few, very few, who approached
any person afflicted with it, could escape the in-
fection; and that all those, who were infected,
could generally trace the place where they had
taken the seeds of the disease.
In some, this deadly poison shewed its effects
immediately; in others, by slower degrees. I have
known instances, of persons, to appearance hearty 
F

(26)
and, strong attending the sick, who within a few
days were buried; when sometimes the sick per-
sons, whom they attended, began to recover and
were actually restored.
Frequently a husband infected his wife, a brother
the sister, parents their children, and children their
parents; and the heart-piercing wounds which
such scenes must have given, is much more easily
felt, than described.
When the idea was once deeply impressed on
the mind that approching the sick might be dan-
gerous and even fatal, it had in one respect a very
advantageous, but in another a very melancholy
effect. The consequence in the first case was, that
people were more cautious, and did not crowd the
sick-rooms with unnecessary visits, whereby the
spreading of the disorder was greatly prevented;
hundreds, yea, thousands more would have been
swept away, if it had not been that this apprehen-
sion had taken possession of the minds of the in-
habitants, and in this respect it was a fortunate
circumstance for the city. But this very circum-
stance was the cause, as may easily be imagined,
of increasing the terror in several instances, and
became injurious in the highest degree; a person
hardly complained, but he was deserted by every
body; the sick were left frequently in a dreary so-
litude in a house intirely alone; and numbers un-
doubtedly have perished through such desertion,
and have been hurried into eternity, when their re-
covery was not only possible, but perhaps might
have been easily accomplished. There are numer-
ous instances of parents shunning their children 

(27)
and husbands their wives, like death itself, and
being prevented as it were by a secret power from
approaching the sick, otherwise so dearly beloved.
But, for the comfort and preservation of many of
the sick, there were likewise those, whom the
Lord had inspired with fortitude, in such a man-
ner that they went without fear to the forsaken,
and by their attention saved their lives. I have
been an eyewitness of numerous instances of this
kind; I have seen persons, who without any re-
gard to reward or relationship exposed their lives to
the greatest danger, out of mere christian charity;
in attending the sick, night after night, and fre-
quently performing offices of the most undesirable
kind about them. And I am very sorry to add,
that not a small number of these well meaning
people, fell the victims of their zeal. But again
my heart rejoices, when I can count likewise a
great number, who have been preserved through
all these dangers and at present enjoy a perfect
state of health.
It was a great comfort to my deeply afflicted
mind, to find such christian minded persons at the
death bed of their acquaintances; to see their cou-
rage, their careful attention, their unremitted as-
siduity, and their disinterested conduct, and it
strengthened this thought in me: The Lord in the
midst of his wrath is yet among us, and has his work
of mercy in our congregation.
This dreadful infection was so general, that
the most of the physicians with all their skill and
precaution, were attacked with it, and not a few
of them brought to the grave, which greatly 

(28)
heightened the distress. It was in the most dread-
fnl stage of the sickness, that some of the most
famous among them died, others from terror had
fled out of the city, and others again were dan-
gerously ill; and as those who remained were not
able to attend one half of the sick, to whom they
were called, certainly a great number remained
without assistance.
How much the distress was increased by this
circumstance no body can imagine, who has not
witnessed it. At the first attack of this disorder
the thought would fall mountain-like on every
one's mind.—I must inevitably die. If then no-
body could be found to give some relief by pro-
per remedies, and thereby raise a spark of hope of
recovery in the drooping mind, the fear of death
overpowered many and actually killed them. The
relations of the sick, full of terror, wandered
about the house, or flood at a distance from the
unhappy victim; some perhaps would approach
his bed, but with visible reluctance, in order to
hand him some refreshment, or to administer some
remedies of their own prescription.
And I do not know, where this distress would
have ended, if some persons had not interfered,
who at other times did not properly make it their
business to attend the sick. I mention this circum-
stance so much the more, as it was precisely such
a man, who not only recovered a number of high-
ly esteemed members of our congregation, but
likewise by the use of his remedies under the bless-
ing of God, restored a colleague to me, and a
Pastor to the congregation.

(29)
[Interment of the dead.]
The dread of this disorder soon became so great,
that it was impossible to find carriers of the dead,
as numbers of those who had carried at first such
as had died with this disorder, were infected
thereby and fell sick; it therefore became necessary
to make use of carriages,
The number of attendants at a funeral was
greatly diminished, every body retired at the ap-
proach of a herse; windows and doors were shut
as they passed. Frequently nobody but the driver
of the herse or chair shafts and the inviter accom-
panied a coffin, which hundreds would have fol-
lowed at other times. Here one man justly de-
serves to be mentioned in particular; this is our
inviter; he not only took care of funerals as for-
merly, but in the most dangerous instances always
assisted with his own hands to put the corpses into
the coffins:* by his intrepidity the driver of the
herse was encouraged to do the same; and I do
not know, how a number of corpses of our con-
gregation would have been conveyed to the
grave, if God had not endowed these men with
such courage.
The day frequently would not suffice to bury all
* The Sexton and Clerk of the 2d English Presby-
terian church were remarkably useful in the same
way, and have been mere fully preserved. The first
never had the disorder at all and the second not till
its prevalence was greatly abated. 

(30)
the dead, because no assistance was to be had in
digging graves, and it was impossible for our usu-
al grave diggers, to make from twenty to twenty-
six graves in a day; it became in several instances
therefore necessary to take the night to it. Me-
lancholy for all and dreadful for many, as these
scenes were in the streets of the city, yet, (to
the praise of my gracious Redeemer I record
it) this nightly silence amongst the tombs, when I
was waiting for funerals, and wandering, quite   
alone, among the newly raised hills, was some-
times sweetly solemn.
How comfortable to me in this situation, O
thou my once buried Saviour! the remembrance of
thy grave; How did the thought force itself upon
me, that my Jesus also wandered amongst the tombs;
and whom did he seek there? the unfortunate possess-
ed, and to the possessed he there gave the most sub-
stantial relief; lo! here wandereth a spiritually
possessed; but Jesus too is here and brings me like-
wise relief from my distress whilst among the tombs! 
Such thoughts as these, Oh! how reviving were
they to my soul! how many silent tears have they
forced from mine eyes! Ye, who were present at
such nightly funerals, every hour of your life re-
member the grave.                    
Our grave diggers were not exempted from this
disorder; both were laid up with it and one of
them died. A young man who had faithfully as-
sisted the latter, was also seized, and in the very
prime of life, fell a prey to death. Another as-
sistant was at death's door, but is now recovered. 

(31)
Under such circumstances it cannot be sur-
prising, that thousands of the inhabitants fled
away. Nearly one third left the city; some of
these carried the infection along with them; sick-
ened in the country, and were brought back to us
dead.
The streets of the city looked quite empty;
most of the stores and a great many houses were
shut up; many of those, who remained in the city
kept themselves pent up in the back part of their
houses, and even cut off all communication with
the neighbourhood. Night appeared to me, at
least sometimes, most melancholy. Such a deep
silence reigned in the streets between nine and ten
o'clock at night, as at other times was scarcely to
be found at twelve or one in the morning. I per-
fectly recollect several visits of the sick, which I
had to make, intirely alone, at that time of the
night and that at a considerable distance from my
dwelling. Houses shut up to the right and left,
deserted by their inhabitants, or containing per-
sons struggling in death at that very time, or
whose former inhabitants were all dead already,
formed a part of the melancholy scene! In two
or three squares hardly a living soul was to be met
with, where twenty or thirty people would else be
passing and repassing at that time of night; at one
house and another the remembrance of the lamen-
tations and the dreadful pangs of death, which
the rooms thereof had witnessed a few days, ago,
and the—but I'll break off here, I will not
retrace this image, I should only renew the pain,
which often has pierced my very soul.
Advantageous as the flight of our fellow-citi-


(32)
zens was, in many respects, yet their taking leave
was distressing. I have met several that were hur-
rying away; in tears they would take my hand,
and with sobs some would cry, Oh God! grant that
we may see one another alive again. Tears would
start into my eyes; I hurried away and felt, what
at such scenes one must naturally feel.
The infection spreading in a few weeks not only
through the whole city, but likewise filling the sub-
urbs with terror, our frightened inhabitants pursued
their flight into more distant parts. The inhabi-
tants of Philadelphia will certainly never forget
the instances of humanity and hospitality they ex-
perienced in different places, and their hearts will
certainly never cease to glow with the warmest
wishes for the happiness of these generons friends
of mankind. Whereas the unfriendly conduct,
sometimes even inhuman brutality, of some will
remain a stain upon humanity.
Kensington, as has been mentioned above, ex-
perienced the violence of the disorder at its very
commencement, and lost a great many of its in-
habitants; Campington, between Kensington and
the city, had likewise a great number of dead;
the Neck, as it is called, fared best of all, and
hither a number of families fled for refuge. In
the city itself, one street suffered certainly more
than another, but few, I believe, remained quite
free.
Narrow streets were the most dangerous, and
here the greatest number were swept away. In
Apple-tree alley alone (a street only one square 
long,

(33)
long, and not all along inhabited as it contained
a number of stables) near forty persons died,
whereas Market-street did not loose near as many
in eight or nine squares.
The mere sight of the great number of deaths,
which is annexed to this book, will excite with-
out doubt different emotions in the minds of dis-
tant readers, and they will certainly wish to read
what impressions these mournful months have
made upon the minds of the inhabitants of the
city itself. But it would require a much abler
hand to paint the whole extent of these senti-
ments.
[Sufferings of the Sick.]
I want words to express the incredible suffer-
ings of some of the sick; the visible anxiety,
the violent struggles, the labour of nature, the
most dreadful concussions of the whole frame,
which manifested themselves in many of the dying.
Some, it is true, sunk tranquil into the arms of
death, for it was the nature of this disorder, to
assume different shapes; but to speak in the language
of scripture and in that sense in which the following
expressions ought perhaps to be taken, I must say—
The far greater part died the death. All the powers
of death seemed to assail them, and they mostly
experienced a dreadful end.
[Melancholy situation of the Healthy.]
Those who were still well among us, generally
shewed how much the fear of death oppressed their
F
                      

(34)
terrified minds. When death had robbed them of
some relation or acquaintance; there was such a
mixture of melancholy, of pain, of sadness, and
also of an anxious fear of the disorder, that it
was impossible to distinguish the one from the
other; in ome, these emotions would break out in
loud lamentations, yea, shrieks, which were heard
in our grave-yards by day and by night at those
funerals, where fear would permit some of the
nearest relations or acquaintances to be present.
Many of the dearest relations were hurried out
of the house as quick as possible, perhaps even
before they were cold; coffins and graves were
bespoken beforehand for some; every one wanted
to be the first to have his dead buried out of his
sight; for immediately after the death of a sick
person, the body would turn to putrefaction, and
would increase the cadaverous smell considerably,
which had been spread through the house and
neighbourhood during the sickness. The whole
neighbourhood generally insisted very earnestly
upon it, that the danger should be removed as
quick as possible. Very few had the courage to
approach a house where any lay dead, much less
to enter it.
Having spoken of the houses wherein people di-
ed, and likewise of the sick, and described the
feelings of those who, still in health, were present
at these scenes, it will undoubtedly not be disa-
greeable, nor may it perhaps be without a blessed
effect, if I add something more on this subject.
[State of mind of the Sick.]
I have been called to several sick persons, who
till that time, had looked upon the religion of Je-

(35)
sus as a matter of the utmost indifference, but to
whom that truth now gave the greatest comfort,
which teaches that Jesus of Nazareth can and
will save sinners; real sinners—sinners, who have
nothing to bring him but sin, because he is the
Lamb of God, which bore the sins of the world.
Oh! how often have I seen tears of the bitterest
grief, roll down the cheeks of the most hardened
sinners at this truth. Not deeming this a proper
time further to distress the poor terrified creatures
by the threats of judgment, when they were di-
stressed already beyond their power to bear; this
was therefore the truth which in the execution of
this mournful duty, I always made use of to the
sick and dying; Jesus may yet save thee sinner too;
give him what is his; what he has not; what he
has purchased for thee; purchased with his blood;
give him all thy sins; Oh how full of love thy Jesus
is! lo! he is willing to take thy sins from thee;—
how was it possible that thou couldst offend the friend
of thy soul for so long a time? But take also what is
thy own; the justice of Christ in his blood; remission
of sins and the peace of God; take eternal life from
the hand of crucified love, without reward, without
merit, &c.
As I have said before, tears of distress flowed
from the dying eyes of some who had been very
unconcerned sinners. Many of those who were
spectators both such as were in health, and such
as were diseased, were sometimes moved in the
highest degree; aud I—the most unworthy of
the servants of the Lord, who had been so unpro-
fitable, so little useful, during the whole time of
my office, I may cherish the unmerited hope, that 


(36)
the Lord graciously made use of me, to lead ma-
ny a soul to salvation, who else would have strayed
and been lost—and oh! my God what happiness!
to be instrumental in saving a soul! not for a
world, would I barter the personal advantage
which I have derived from the mortality in Phila-
delphia. Forget not oh my soul! what the Lord
has conferred upon thee, unworthy as thou art!
[Consequences with some respecting the Sacra-
ment.]
Several, who had long thought but very little
about the use of the Lord's supper, now shewed an
ardent desire to partake of it. Young people,
advanced towards maturity, who had been neg-
lected by their parents, requested with the great-
est eagerness to be baptized, confirmed, and to be
admitted to the Lord's table: in consequence
whereof, two young men were actually baptized
after a short instruction; one of them recovered,
but the other died the very next day. Not long
after, a boy of thirteen, and one of nine years of
of age, together with a girl of eleven years, were
baptized in the same family, wherein the above-
mentioned youth died, and that in presence of
another brother who was then dying.
[Instances of such as died happy.]
I hope I shall be permitted to add, that in those
days of mourning, I have found some real, sincere
Christians among our so much defamed Lutherans.
I will select a few instances, which have diffused
through my soul a most lively joy. 

(37)
Nearly at the beginning of the disorder, I was
called to a young man dying; he was very low;
but my visit seemed to give him a great deal of
pleasure; he answered the questions respecting the
state of his mind with the greatest alacrity, and
with the full conviction, that he knew in whom
he believed. So sweet a smile diffused itself over
the already livid features of his face, as often as
the merits of his crucified Lord were mentioned,
that it might have been taken, rather, for the
smile of an angel, than that of a sinful mortal—
he found an unfailing life in the death of Jesus.
Two very valuable and virtuous married wo-
men, who died almost at the same time, were
blessed in a similar manner. Oh what humble,
yet ardent, expressions of the heart, flowed from
their dying lips! They lay there as sinners at the
footstool of mercy;—as sinners they waited for
salvation, and they found the sweetest peace in the
arms of the friend of their souls.
A young woman suffered for some weeks the
most excruciating pains, but she bore them with
the patience of a lamb; a few days before her
death, when she was hardly able to move her lips,
she brought out the following words with, a great
deal of difficulty, yet so that I distinctly heard them.
"Oh! I suffer much, but here (pointing at her
heart) here, I have a friend, who comforts me,
my dear, dear Jesus."—here she was obliged to
rest—she then wanted to tell me a great deal about
an inward struggle, but I could not rightly under-
stand it; afterwards she began again to speak a
little more intelligibly, and added very distinctly:

(38)
"But this is nothing, when I close mine eyes, oh then
I shall be in Paradise, before the throne of my dear,
dear Lord Jesus, and that will be soon, very
soon!" She then reached me her dying hand,
and I went away rejoiced and strengthened in my
mind, having first with praises and thanksgivings
recommended her in my prayers to the care of the
good shepherd—she died two days after.
A very young person, who had suffered a great
deal during the short time she had been married,
lay sick with the fever but a few days, and shewed
in that situation, what she had shewed in many
other circumstances, the greatest composure; when
ine was very low she asked, "Is it not Friday to
day?" and being answered in the affirmative, she
replied with visible joy of mind: Oh how good that
is, then I shall die on the same day, whereon my
Saviour died for me; and shortly after she expired
on that very day.
It would be easy to fill a whole book with an-
ecdotes of the deceased, if the extraordinary
interruption and the great fatigue of going and
riding backward and forward to the sick and dy-
ing, had not rendered one at times, almost totally
thoughtless; but these few instances will show the
reader how well prepared some of the dying were,
for their great change.
[Instances of frivolity in some of those who were
in health.]
In general, more seriousness, modesty, human-
ity, and brotherly love was observed among the in- 


(39)
habitants of the city, than ever before. It is true,
this was not the general character of all the citizens,
for some of those very persons of whom the wise
king says, "they bring the city into a snare" Prov.
XXIX, 8. "and who do not mind the punishment"
chap. XII, 1.—the scornful could not, even now
refrain, here and there, from their scorn. A well
meaning Christian was seriously reproving one of
those on account of his levity; she shewed him,thathe
and his companions, particularly,had been carrying
straw to this fire, by their profligate conduct; where-
upon he answered laughing, "That is all nonsense;
if this was the case I certainly shouid burn in the same
fire; but you see how healthy I am, the flame will not
touch me; what the priests say is all a farce; God does
not trouble himself about these judgments; they have
their natural causes." He was only answered "Be
not deceived, God is not mocked." And lo! in two
or three days after, the wretch was buried.
Another turned into jest what he had heard in
church about this visitation, a few days before his
sickness. In the last night of his life an inexpressi-
ble anguish seized him: he cried for a minister,
whom nobody could bring on account of the great
distance,and it being in the night; at last his distrac-
tion affrighted his nurses, and they fled out of the
room and left him alone: next morning at four
o'clock he was found out of his bed, and dead on
the floor.
Another foolishly offered to lay a wager, that
he would not get the fever, and in two days af-
ter was buried. 

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And where would the narration end, were one
to put down all that has happened of this kind
among us?
[What increased the terror of the Inhabitants.]
The terror which this disorder had spread every
where, was in some instances greatly heightened
by its breaking out into real madness—Some of
these unfortunate creatures jumped out of their
beds, escaped in the night time and would run
sometimes a great distance from their dwelling in-
to another street, and sometimes into a strange
house if they found one open.
Add to this the groans and lamentations of some
of the dying, which sometimes became so loud as
to be heard distinctly in several adjoining houses
and in the street.
The external appearance moreover of those who
met one another in the street, increased the alarm.
They generally had spunges or handkerchiefs be-
fore their mouths and noses, and some even had the
mouth entirely covered. They shunned each other
through fear of being infected. Besides, the deep
mourning which appeared in dress, and the dis-
tress in the countenance, the constant going back-
ward and forward of the dead-cart, especially its
doleful noise in the night time; rendered the situ-
ation of the city deplorable beyond description.
[Public Worship.]
Great as the distress was, which under these cir-
cumstances, pervaded the whole city, there were

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not wanting such occurrences as afforded comfort
particularly to our congregation, and which were
highly acceptable to the teachers as well as several
of its well disposed and considerate members. Se-
veral of these have been mentioned already in the
preceeding pages, particularly how the power of
the religion of Jesus had manifested itself in many
particular examples.
We have to add still, that the pre-eminence of
the Christian above the infidel was visible every
where throughout the city: the Christian is a lover
of the word of God; he loves to hear it dispensed;
and hundreds expressed in these days of distress, a
wish to be Christians in reality. They who despised
the doctrine of Jesus formerly, and perhaps even
blasphemed and mocked, now came frequently to
attend upon the preaching of the divine word,
which was still continued with us. Though a num-
ber of the members of our congregation had fled
into the country with their families, and a great
many of those who remained in the city, were
afraid of coming to church;—though a good deal
had been said, with a good intention, in the news-
papers against the assembling for public worship;
though a great many were sick themselves, or had
sick or dead persons in their houses and families,
and therefore at such times could not appear; and
though the number of the deceased was not in-
considerable, yet, notwithstanding all this, our
meetings were often crouded, as if nothing of
the kind had taken place!
We saw now on Sundays and week-days people
attending service, whom we had never seen in our
G


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church, or at least very seldom seen there, before.
And the silence, the attention, the emotion, which
were observed in our hearers!—Ah! what a sight,
what a scene otherwise so rare! even during the
singing, tears began to flow in various instances,
which increased during the sermon to a soft sobbing;
and then after the sermon—the humble supplica-
tions throughout our blessed Zion—the sighs—
the groans and the increased gust of tears—the
contrite humble confession of sinfulness in the Mi-
nisters, who from conviction, ranged themselves
foremost amongst the poorest sinners; acknowledge-
ed a heartfelt register of sins, and then threw
themselves in the name of Jesus, into the arms of
a reconciled father—My God! what hours were
these! what comfort pervaded our otherwise di-
stressed congregation! for me it is impossible to
describe what the Lord hath done among us.
To these blessings must be added moreover how
the Lord used to deal commonly with his minister-
ing servants; these saw and felt very plainly the
confidence, the filial love of their hearers; they
feared not any insidious spy, who had come to draw
poison from their discourses; no supercilious des-
piser or scorner; and this sentiment gave them a
warm and loving heart and an open mouth.
Here prevailed not the stiffness of an accurately
arranged and methodically divided sermon; here
the friend, the lover, the father was speaking to
his children the sentiments of an upright heart;
never during the time of our office, was preach-
ing a more welcome and blesed duty, than
what we found it during this calamity, and never,
we sincerely believe, were we so useful in the vine-

(43)
yard of the Lord, as in thoze days. But here we
are obliged to add with great concern, that we
find ourselves brought in guilty in a thing which
we had looked upon as having produced many
blessed effects; we are charged of having done
considerable damage by our public worship: in
evidence of this charge they alledge the great num-
ber of deaths, in our congregation, above all
others in the city; and what is of the greatest con-
sequence, they attempt to prove our guilt from
Scripture.
[Answer to the charge respecting the holding of
Public Worship.]
This charge having repeatedly been made against
us, it is our duty to give a short answer to it in
these sheets. Take it as follows:
We know that the Most High doth not dwell
in temples made with men's hands; but that he
dwells in a contrite and humble mind; but we
know likewise, that few people have a contrite and
humble heart at the time of the judgments of God,
and that the Lord makes use of his word, to pro-
duce in them this blessed disposition: we know
that the public preaching of the Gospel, and com-
mon means of edification, promote the same very
much; we know that the Lord dwells with
such really contrite souls particularly then, when
they unite in a church or in any other house for
his worship; for has he not said, "The Lord lov-
eth the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling-places
of Jacob." Has not our Blessed Saviour given

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this promise? Where two or three are gathered in
my name, there am I in the midst of them. Has he not
called to us through his Apostle, Let us not for-
sake the assembling of ourselves together. Has there
been any exception made in any part of Scripture
with respect to sickness, or the time of the plague?
Do we blame the first Christians, when they assem-
bled together for the common adoration of Jesus
Christ at the utmost hazard of their of lives?
was it not in these meetings where the blessed
martyrs gathered courage and strength, joyfully to
shed their blood for Christ's sake? Do we believe
that the law of self-preservation would have excused
them if they had for that reason neglected the op-
portunities, which prepared the way for them to a
glorious death? The narrow compass of this small
pamphlet will not allow us to say any more of the
blessings of God upon such associations of his peo-
ple; and even of the Scriptural necessity of such
meetings in times of calamity; we will only add a
few remarks concerning our meetings themselves,
from whence it will appear that we were extreme-
ly cautious, and endeavoured to render them not
only harmless, but even useful.
Very soon in the beginning of the disorder we
left off our evening prayers, as we thought that
they might perhaps be hurtful on account of the
evening air; and because many would perhaps not
change their clothes in the evening which they had
worn all day in sick-rooms. We fixed our meet-
ings in the morning, and we came together in our
large church and no longer in the small one, as be-
ing too near the grave-yard. This roomy building
was opened long before the time of meeting, in

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order that the fresh morning air might pervade
it; afterwards all the doors and windows were
shut and a strong smoke of juniper berries and ni-
tre was made throughout the whole house. Then
the people gathered; when all were met, many or
few, or perhaps all of the windows and doors were
opened, according as the weather required.
Those who had sick people at home, or did not
feel well themselves, were particularly requested
not to come to our meetings; all who attended
were advised to sit as far apart as the numbers of
the hearers would permit. The service itself lasted
seldom longer than half or three quartes of an
hour.
In our discourses we did not confine ourselves
to truths concerning salvation, but frequently in-
terspersed other necessary matters according to cir-
cumstances; among these we reckon:
A repeated injunction, that the disorder was
contagious and that nobody ought to go near the
dead or into the sick-rooms without occasion:
A recommendation of certain necessary and
harmless preservatives:
A caution against all that might be hurtful and
might promote the infection, such as intemperance
in eating and drinking; uncleanliness of dress and
body; immoderate use of strong liquorss; catching
cold; overheating; fatigue, &c.
Directions how to conduct themselves in the 


(46)
rooms where the sick lay; what was to be done
With the cloathing and bedding of the dead, and
several other particulars of the like nature. We
are well persuaded that these and other directions
have been the means of saving the lives of many;
but these we could not have given, if the said
meetings had not been held.
We preached moreover Jesus, the friend of the
poor sinner; the ready and Almighty physician
and assistant in the greatest distress; we tried to
banish all excessive fear out of the minds of our
hearers, and inspire them with courage and con-
fidence in God; we recited instances of persons of
our congregation who had given up their spirits in-
to the hands of their heavenly Father with faith
and joy. We may safely appeal to the evidence of
a number of those, who were then our hearers,
that we say not too much when we assert, that for-
getting almost entirely the distress that surrounded
us, and banishing all fear from our minds (and ex-
perience has shewn how hurtful fear has been to
the inhabitants of this city) we could and really
did yield ourselves into the hands of the Almighty
Father, with filial, penitent, but likewise compos-
ed confidence.
Such were the purposes of our meetings, and
that these could be any ways injurious, will only
be asserted by those who do not know the power
of religion, or who form to themselves an idea of
the danger of infection from the disorder which pre-
vailed here, far above the poison of the real plague.
But here the question will be asked, From whence 


(47)
proceeded that very great and disproportionate
number of burials in your congregation?
To this question we give the following satisfac-
tory answer—
First. The number is not so greatly out of pro-
portion as some people may think, for our congre-
gation was always the most numerous in births and
burials, of any in the city, according to the bills
of mortality, of which, every one may easily con-
vince himself, by having recourse to the said bills
for a few years past; and therefore, now, without
any thing extraordinary, the number would natu-
rally exceed that of the other congregations.
Secondly. It has been generally observed, that
this fatal disorder, made a much greater havock
among the poor, than among the rich; and a
great number of the members of our congrega-
tion, are of the poorer class.
Thirdly. For this very reason, more persons of
our congregation, remained in town than of any
other; consequently were in greater numbers ex-
posed to the danger and swept away by it.
Fourthly. It must be striking to every body, as
it was to us, that from the first of August, until
the fifteenth of September, the number of burials,
in our grave-yards, was smaller than what it ought
to have been in proportion to other congregations,
and even to their own in former years, when a cal-
culation is made according to the lists of burials;
and yet, in those days we held as usual, our meet-

(48)
ings for worship, without observing all those pre-
cautions which we made use of afterwards; and
there were as many members of our congregation
living in that part of the city, where the mortali-
ty began and spread during the first weeks, as
where it raged afterwards. Nevertheless the num-
ber of our burials encreased after the fifteenth of
September, in that disproportionate manner, in
which we now find it stated. Every reader will
naturally suppose, that there must be a particular
reason for this, and herein he is not mistaken.—
This reason we trust, we can give to every body's
satisfaction: Among the brethren who left the
city, was likewise the member, who had been ap-
pointed by our corporation, to grant the licenses for
burial; no one of the corporation would now
take this office upon himself; we were therefore
obliged to transfer it to our inviter, and that
under this injunction (which for good reasons was
highly necessary at this time) that he should give
leave for the interment of the dead to every one
gratis and without any particular enquiry; the in-
viter himself was most of his time at funerals, and,
therefore, could not always personally attend to
this business, but was obliged to leave it, to a
child of eight or nine years old, who gave tickets
to the grave-digger, to any one that came.
This circumstance was soon generally known;
there was not a burying-ground in the whole city,
whither people could bring their dead with less
trouble than to ours; and, besides all this, our
inviter and driver put the deceased in the coffin
themselves, and their friends had no occasion to
look for any other assistance, numbers of people

(49)
came from all quarters on account of this consi-
derable advantage. Among these a great many
who had never before called themselves members
of our congregation, applied to have their
dead buried in our grave-yards. I do not know
exactly how many we scan reckon in our list of the
dead whose names wrere not even known to us
before; but their number is certainly very great.
And now, who can be surprised any longer, that
the number of our dead was so very great, during
the abovementioned time? certainly nobody, who
considers all these circumstances, will contend that
the reason is to be found in our meeting for wor-
ship.
The number of those who attended divine ser-
vice, and sickened or died, is proportionably small
compared with the number of those, who never or
at least very seldom attended our meetings and ne-
vertheless were buried with us; I never heard of a
single one of whom it could be supposed with any
degree of certainty, that he had taken the seeds of
the disorder in church; and in regard to whom a
different and more probable cause of the infection
could not be assigned.
Being very much concerned to shew every rea-
der, that the public worship of God, has contri-
buted nothing to the mortality, we will add the
following circumstance: Out of the poor society
of our congregation twenty-four have died during
these fatal months; one of them died four hun-
dred miles from hence; five of them frequented
the church constantly. Three of these were in-
fected, by their close attendance on the sick; of
H 

(56)
the two others we cannot say this with such a de-
gree of certainty, the other eighteen could not
have taken the infection in church, as they ac-
cording to the testimony of several of our mem-
bers, (probably from fear) seldom or never at-
tended in those days. If time permitted us to
enter into a more minute enquiry, we certainly
should find a different cause of infection in the
above-mentioned two persons, than that of going
to church. We add moreover, that the list of our
burials was kept with great accuracy; whether the
same strict attention has been observed in other
religious societies, we do not pretend to say; but this
I hope we shall be permitted to say; that from seeing
the dead carts and hearses travelling up and down
every street daily, we should have supposed the
amount of the dead considerably larger than what
it has been published. Perhaps there were not
wanting some, who looked upon this judgment as
falling only upon the wicked, and were sorry to
find so many people of this class in their congre-
gations; but we rather believe that the Lord
makes no difference in his general judgments; we
believe that as so many pious souls have been
called off, this mortality has proved a harvest for
heaven. We could besides mention the names of
several, belonging to another religious society,
which pretended at a distance, that none of their
members had died; who have been buried in our
grave-yards.
[Comfort during these weeks of Mourning.]
Disagreeable as it was to us to make this di-
gression from the more pleasant path, wherein we 

(51)
wished to conduct our readers, it was nevertheless
neceary to add this short apology for our meet-
ings of worship. We shall now return to the
narration of that, which supported our minds and
instilled much comfort into them, amidst all the
distress which we witnessed.
[Domestic Service or Family Worship.]
It was in these days of mortality that domestic
worship, which had been so long and generally
neglected, had a blessed revival in several families,
and presented scenes which some of them will
never forget. I will, for the encouragement of our
youth, mention in this place, one circumstance,
only: A young woman one evening encouraged the
whole family to sing certain hymns with her,
which she herself had collected and transcribed
with her own hand into a book, and which all
pointed to Jeus, and in some places treated of an
happy death; she with great alacrity led the whole
company in singing, and continued this edifying
exercise with much life and zeal until eleven
o'clock at night, and behold! this was the last
evening of life, wherein she was able to sing in
this world; for a few days afterwards she was a
corpse. But this exercise was without a doubt a
blessed preparation through the grace of Jesus
Christ to so near a dissolution.
[Comfort out of the Calamity itself.]
We reckon among the blessings of these days,
those solacing sensations which faith sometimes
produced in the midst of this great distress; sen-

(52)
sations, which the Lord usually instilled first by
the instrumentality of his word into the teachers,
and which were by their frequent discourses com-
municated to their hearers—and I shall not be
blamed perhaps, if from my journal of one day,
I put down in a few words, what on that day I
felt; I will select a day, which brought us nearly
to the highest pitch of distress; it was the 5th of
October, the very Saturday before that week,
wherein our congregation lost one hundred and
thirty of its members. The reader may easily
imagine, that under these circumstances our poor
congregation must be full of sick, and that the
distress and the agonies of the sick, must have ne-
cessarily taken away the courage of the ministers
at their visits, if the Lord had refused them his
support; but to the praise of his mercy we here-
with humbly acknowledge that the Lord did not
forsake us; He assisted us. In the abovementioned
journal, it is recorded on the 5th of October as
follows:
"Early awake—manifold anxieties of mind—
my prayer was barren, more barren than it has
been for a long time. My heart as cold as the air
of the morning is abroad.
"Text: Teach me to do thy will—Meditated
on Isa. LXVI, 2. To this man I will look even to
him that is poor"—Went towards the church with
a heavy heart—On my way the distress of a fa-
mily very dear to me was greatly increased by the
relation given of it by a female friend, and this
augmented my uneasiness which was great already.
Preached on Isa. LXVI, 2.—During the discourse
my poor heart was enlarged—Oh! how I could evan

(53)
gelize! Thanks to thee, my blessed Redeemer!
Rode down into the Neck—Afterwards visited the
following sick in the city—"
Here follow about thirty names of sick persons,
twelve whereof were buried a few days after—
Then it says further:
"Blessed evening—blessed awful solitude—
The thought: The city is distressed—so many fa-
milies are distressed—but the Lord looks down
upon the distressed, and who would not willingly be
in a place on which the Lord looks down in mercy?
This thought had so much comfort for me, that I
forgot all the calamity around me—
"Oh! dear, blessed Philadelphia, now more
blessed than ever, for the Lord looks down upon
thee—Happy I—and so the Lord looks down up-
on me too in mercy, through Christ—This look-
ing down comprehends the whole blessing of the
Old, as well as the New Testament, in it is compri-
sed the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love
of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost—
"Happy art thou! oh my soul! thou hast a
blessed portion! here and there I behold persons
kneeling, as soon as I begin to speak, in sick-
rooms and in the adjoining apartments—Ah! what
a thirst after the word of God; praised be our
good Lord!"
The sympathy that was shewn every where at
our distress, was a matter of great comfort; it has
been mentioned already in other general accounts,

(54)
how this sympathy from different parts was extend-
ed to all the poor of the city; and how the committee
appointed here for that purpose was supported by
liberal contributions, to take care of the poor sick
at Bush-Hill, and to provide for the widows and
orphans; in this account we will only mention
what concerns our own congregation in particular,
and here we reckon,
First, The charitable donations which were sent
to our widows and orphans—The Lancaster Con-
gregation was the first and most generous; never
will the ministers of the Evangelic Congregation
in Philadelphia forget the comfort which they de-
rived at that time in the midst of their distress from
these tokens of love; and never ought our whole
congregation to loose the remembrance of the sis-
terly treatment which they have experienced in
this respect; Germantown followed this Christian
example, and to both these congregations the
warmest acknowledgments of their expressions of
affection are offered in the name of our poor wi-
dows and orphans.
Secondly, It was a great comfort to us whenever
we heard from our brethren in the country; and
this consolation was frequently so encreased by
their letters, that we were enabled to raise our-
selves above our distress, and instead of lamenta-
tions appear before the Lord with praise and
thanksgiving. May Jesus Christ grant to these
ministers" and other brethren, that comfort in the
hour of death, which by their letters they have
conveyed to us in the greatest danger of life. 

(55)
Thirdly, The blessing of the fervent prayers of
so many pious souls, was a great support to our
minds; we could, as one may say, feel that ma-
ny others, even far distant brethren, assisted us in
bearing the burthen which sometimes would be-
come too heavy for us. And how much more
will eternity discover of all this to our mutual joy.
Good God! how will our hearts, then no longer
bleeding at thy judgments, there mix in pure ce-
lestial exstacy, and even for these very afflictions
praise thee in eternal strains, for "our light afflic-
tions which are but for a moment, work out for
us a far, more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory." Amen, Hallelujah!
FINIS.