iniquity are afflicted If we can slight their anger who will be angry for nothing and they know not why themselves to be sure his anger is not to be slighted who is never displeased but there is a just cause and a good reason for it God would that we should be more affected with that wrath of his which is the cause of judgments than with those judgments which are the effects of his wrath As Joab doubtless was not so much troubled for the loss of his corn as for the displeasure of Absalom which was intimated thereby Surely David was grieved at Sauls throwing his javelin at him though it hit him not because it did betoken the displeasure he had against him David doth not deprecate chastisement but anger Ps 6.1 Rebuke me not in thine anger chasten me not in thy hot displeasure and it is said Be ye afraid of the sword for wrath bringeth the punishment of the sword Job 19.29 as if the wrath of God were the very edge of the sword but for which we should have no cause to fear it God sendeth judgments on purpose to make his anger known against sin and sinners therefore saith the scrip God is known by the judgments which he executeth Ps 9.16 and Rom. 1. it is said The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness of men Judgments are the revelations of Gods wrath and as such they are most of all to be taken notice of How angry was God think you when he burnt our City It is an expression that importeth much wrath when the anger of God and his jealousy is said but to smoke against a man Deut. 29.20 But in this case it did not only smoke against London but flamed out Now to be sensible of the fury of Gods anger which hath set us on fire round about and to lay it to our hearts more than any thing else like ingenious children who are more troubled at their parents frowns than at the smart of the rod I say thus to do might conduce very much towards the building of our City For saith the scripture Humble your selves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time 1 Pet. 5.6 DISCOURSE XXXIV That greatly to bewail those sins both of our own and others which helpt to burn the old City would help to build the new one WHat those sins were I have shewed at large in my Treatise concerning the burning of London whereunto for the avoiding of Tautologies I refer thee Some it may be can cry not guilty in their own persons as to several of them saying as he I thank thee O God I am not so nor so viz. no Idolater no Adulterer c. but who can wash his or her hands in innocency as to every of them or throw the first stone at another as being himself without any sin therein mentioned As the Prophet Oded said to the men of Israel who dealt severely with their brethren of Judah whom God for their sins had delivered into their hands 〈◊〉 Chron. 28.10 And now ye purpose to keep under the â—â—â—â—dren of Judah and of Jerusalem for bondmen â—â—d bondwomen to you but are there not with you 〈◊〉 with you sins against the Lord your God so say I 〈◊〉 any that shall think themselves so righteous as â—â—t they need no repentance But are there not â—ith you even with you sins against your God Let us then in the first place bewail our own sins 〈◊〉 David did that man after Gods own heart sayâ—ng as he Ps 38.18 I will declare mine iniquity I â—ill be sorry for my sin and doing as he Ps 6.6 All 〈◊〉 night make I my bed to swim I water my couch with â—â—y tears viz. of repentance for his sins whereby â—e had provoked that anger of God which in the beginning of this Psalm he deprecates Let us in the next place bewail the sins of others â—â—â—ch we were bound to do though we had none of â—ur own much more being as it were brethren 〈◊〉 iniquity with other men having been partakers in the sins of others and made our selves by one means or other accessary thereunto This did not â—ot yet vexed he his righteous Soul from day to day with the filthy conversation of the wicked Sodomites 2 Pet. 2. â— And as for David he tells us that he beheld the transgressâ—rs and was grieved and in Ps 119.136 he saith Rivers of waters run down mine eyes because they keep not thy law Thus Ezra mourned for the sin of the people in marrying Cananitish wives Ezra 9.1 though he had done no such thing himself And thus Nehemiah bewailed the sins of all sorts of men Nehemiah 9.33 Thou hast done right but we have done wickedly neither have our Kings our Priests nor our fathers kept thy law c. It is better than nothing to be affected with the judgments of God themselves not to be as if we were seared with a hot Iron or past feeling it is better than that to be affected with the displeasure of God manifested in and by those judgments but it is best of all to be grieved at the causes of that displeasure whether in our selves or others viz. our own and the sins of other men It is some ingenuity in a Child to resent a correction and to be ashamed when his Father hath as it were spit in his face it is more to resent his parents anger and frowns but it is most of all to be troubled for his faults unless it be more than that to be troubled even for the faults of others which shall never be laid to his charge A child may be sorry his father is offended and yet not be sorry for the fault as such whereby he gave him the offence Therefore to lament the causes of Gods anger which I am now exhorting to is more than to lament the effects or the anger it self But the question is how the doing of this would help to build our City Now to that I answer that our City blessed be God is in a fair way to be built if our sins hinder not neither shall they hinder it how great soever our former provocations have been if our hearts do but serve us duly to lament our own abominations and the abominations of one another Ezek. 9.4 And the Lord said unto him viz. unto the man with the inkhorn by his side Go through the midst of the City and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof This mark was for preservation and deliverance whilst others were devoted to ruin and destruction like that bloud which was sprinkled upon the posts of the Israelites that their doors might be passed over and the destroying Angel not come into their houses Exod. 12.23 Lot who vexed his soul with the â—â—thy conversation of the wicked had a Zoar a â—â—â—tle City provided for him and his when
would begin where the Fire made an end and build some whole streets together And lastly that there may be a contribution of assistance to that work from all parts of England by men or moneyes or advice or whatsoever else may promote and further it yea from all parts of his Majesties Dominions As motives thereunto I have in intire chapters shewed the great consequence and importance of the rebuilding of London and that it be done with all convenient expedition and how that not only England but also Scotland and Ireland and indeed all Christendom is concerned therein at leastwise the protestant part thereof I have discoursed how pleasant the work of building is Chap. 39. also how much more profit may probably be made of building in London at this juncture of time than of laying out money most otherwaies yea how much it would be for the honour of those that have wherewithall to have a considerable share and proportion in the building of London I have likewise set before my reader the sad face of London at this day how pitifully it looks and how the mournful visage of it doth bespeak relief from all that see or hear of it Chap. 15. I have also in the same chapter taken notice of the many houses which are already built or begun to be built up and down here and there whereby a great obligation is laid upon Londoners to go forward with the City least they incur the name of foolish builders who begin to build and cannot make an end Lastly I have shewed how the protestant Religion and the principles thereof do as much oblige to works of charity such as is the building of Churches and Schools and Hospitals as any principles in the popish religion can do though that religion upbraideth ours with a dead faith which worketh not by love and doth arrogate all the charity to it self Thus good Reader have I given thee an account first of the Authour and nextly of his design or of the book it self and what thou art to expect in it Would I be so foolish as to boast of any thing contained in this work which becometh me not to do it should be of my having written so disinteressedly as I have done so like a man addicted to no party but studious of the good of the community or of the whole Church and state or as one that were unbiassed either by fear or favour as a person of a free and uningaged mind and that had never known such a thing as Interest as it standeth in opposition to religion reason equity conscience ingenuity mercy c. In which sense we take the word when we say of this or that man that he was acted or led by Interest for we commonly add and not by conscience or against conscience It was Interest made David to murther Uriah hoping thereby to have concealed his adultery and Ahab to take away the life of Naboth that he might get his vineyard and the Jews to suborn the misreporting of Jeremiah Jer. 20.10 Report say they and we will report it Interest in the sence I here disclaim it is nothing else but disingenuous self-love dishonest self-seeking an over-weaning and unjust addictedness to a mans self and to the party which he hath espoused a gift that blinds the eyes of the wise a love so blind as that it will not suffer men to see either the evil that is in themselves and their friends nor yet any thing that is good and commendable in others it is that principle which inclines men to Deifie or make Gods or rather Idols of some men whose persons they have in admiration for advantage sake and Devils or something almost as bad of others though they be not such He that acts from Interest is one that cares not how much hurt he doth to others in their names or estates or other concerns so he can but do himself any good as he counts good by means thereof he is one that pursueth his selfish designs right or wrong per fas nefas and will trample upon every thing that stands in the way thereof Jonah was transported by Interest when it displeased him exceedingly and he was very angry because that God had repented of the evil that he said he would do unto the Ninivites and did it not Jonah 3.10.4.1 That is he had rather all Nineveh had been destroyed in which were sixscore thousand persons that could not discern betwixt their right hand and their left than that himself should have been hardly thought of through the non-accomplishment of his prophecy which infamy too might have been prevented by the Ninivites considering that the threatning was not without this known reservation viz. that in case they repented not destruction should overtake them Interest is a strong bias which suffers no man to go right on as no bowle can go straight to the mark but must wheele about if it have a great bias Now if I can wash my hands in innocency from any thing I can do it in respect of that kind of Interest which I have now described its mingling it self with this book I have not written like a Lawyer that speaks all he can for his clients and takes no notice of any thing that makes for the adverse cause but rather as a just umpire or moderator that heareth or alledgeth what can be said on both sides and having so done gives to each its due and brings the business to a fair compromise as may though possibly it doth not give full content and satisfaction to both parties Yet when all this is said and done so captious and censorious is the age we live in that some will take offence at what I have written and possibly they most of all to whom there is least appearance of any offence given for some men such is their peevishness will be more angry if you do but look over their hedg than others if you had stollen their horse as I may allude to our proverb There are some that cannot bear any thing of a reproof though as much too mild for them as was that of Eli to his wicked sons though as prudently couched as was Nathans to David in the parable wherewith he surprised him yea there are whose property it is to take a reproof most hainously from their friends as if they would have none but enemies and those they counted wicked to chide them whereas David saith let the righteous smite me or as if it were the part of an enemy and not of a friend to reprove whereas the scripture saith Thou shalt not hate thy brother thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sin upon him Levit. 19.17 A rebuke from an enemy seldom doth good because it is thought not to spring from love if then our friends must not reprove us neither we have excluded one ordinance of God which was appointed for good viz. Admonition and Reprehension We cannot indure our sawces should
to be good our selves He that is proud of what he hath let me put the Apostles question to him 1 Cor. 4.7 Who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it He that gave thee any good thing which thou injoyest could have with-held it from thee given it to him from whom it is with-held Prov. 22.2 The rich and poor meet together the Lord is the maker of them all If thou art a rich man he that made thee a man made thee rich and he that made thee rich and thy neighbour poor could and yet can have made thee poor and him rich I suppose thou hast received evil things from the hands of God as well as good the evil thou hast received was deserved so was not the good why then should undeserved good make thee proud and not deserved evil rather keep thee humble Art thou proud of the good and worthy things which thou hast done in one kind and in another no reason for that because it was not thou that didst them as it is not the young scribler that writes a fair copy but his master that guideth his hand but God who performeth all things for thee heare S. Paul 1 Cor. 15.10 I laboured more abundantly than they all saith he yet not I but the grace of God that was with me And Phil. 2.13 It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure If we instance but in temporal things see Deut. 8.18 The Lord thy God it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth If thy good deeds which yet are not properly thine be apt to lift thee up think of thy evil doings and of thy wayes which have not been good Thy good deeds may be like the basons and ewers which are sometimes drawn in lotteries but very sew of them but they evil ones like the small plate or rather like the meer blanks there drawn which are far the greater number Some hours thou hast spent well but how many more hast thou mispent some warm and affectionate prayers thou hast poured out to God but how many more that were cold and heartless set one against the other and see how little cause thou hast to be proud any more than a miser of his liberality who makes a great feast but once or twice a year and pincheth his family all the time besides Think but of the good thou hast left undone that is which thou mightest have done and hast not and then if thou canst be proud of the good which thou hast done or shew cause why thou shouldst be so Some good thou hast done with thy time parts estate power c. But possibly thou couldst have done ten times more if thy heart had serv'd thee Is not then boasting excluded if thou hast done but the tithe of that good which thou hadst power to do whose evil deeds besides are like the stars of Heaven which cannot be numbred Neither hast thou just cause to boast of thy sufferings if thou hast been a great sufferer even for righteousness sake considering first what the Apostle speaketh Phil. 1.29 To you it is given in the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his sake We should not take the honour of our sufferings to our selves or be proud thereof fith God hath given us the grace whereby we suffer It is he that hath made us sufferers for his name sake I mean willing to be such and not we our selves We should never have been called to honor God by suffering any more than glorious Saints and Angels had we not dishonoured him by sinning What any of us suffer for Christ is no ways comparable to what he hath suffered for us nay it is far short of what we have suffered for sin or upon the account of sin for upon that accompt are all or the most of our other sufferings and afflictions which are generally more than those that go by the name of persecutions what we suffer for the truth is usually much less than what the truth hath suffered by us viz. by our uneven and uncircumspect walking so that our sufferings may be lookt upon as meer restitution made to the truth and that but in part All which things considered I see no cause any man hath to be proud of his sufferings and if not of what he hath suffered nor of what he hath done nor of what he hath nor of what he is as I have proved particularly then no man hath cause to be proud of any thing whatsoever Admit then a man should take himself to be much better than he is every way better yet from thence no just cause would be ministred to him to sacrifice to his own net which all proud men do Sith the best man in the world is indebted to God for all that good which he either is or hath or hath done or hath suffered and it is thought an unreasonable thing for a man to be proud of his debts especially when he hath not wherewithall to make satisfaction Having then proved that every man hath great cause to be humble and no man hath any cause to be proud from those premises I draw this conclusion viz. That he who thinks soberly of himself and not more highly than he ought to think must needs be an humble person and that the formalis ratio or essence of humility doth consist in knowing and owning our selves to be as mean vile and unworthy as indeed we are and that from that fountain do issue all those streams which are commonly and properly counted the expressions of Humility I may but assign the reasons why God may build a City for those that are humble rather than for those that are proud and so pass on to another Chapter It may well be expected that God should do more for those whom he loves than for those whom he hates Now the text saith Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord Prov. 16.5 and Prov. 8.15 Pride and arrogancy do I hate Six things doth the Lord hate yea seven are an abomination to him and the first of them is a proud look God hath put a strang enmity into men against the sin of pride so far as it discovers it self in others in so much that the real worth of a proud person is seldom owned and others do what they can to eclipse him just as neighbouring Princes do to weaken any Kingdom or State that grows too great and threatens to overtop them Some bigger stars to us appear less because of their great height and distance from us and those that are less than they as the Moon for one to us appear bigger because they are lower seated and come nearer to us The proud person is as the former who keeping too great a distance from
body of a nation to help forward with it Such men are certainly the Chariots of a Nation and the horsemen thereof as was said of Elijah They that have a great interest of their own they and they only can make a considerable interest for others also if obliged thereunto They that are really holy can do much with God and men they that have but a great name to live or for holiness can do much with men they that can do either are or may be of great use to them that shall imploy them but they that can do both will where they take be incomparably serviceable If any shall object and say that they of all men are most dangerous if touched with the least dissatisfaction who for their piety and parts are had in great veneration with the people and that ubi mali nemo pejus is most applicable to them that if they have an ill resentment of things none can do worse things than they nor yet so bad to that objection I reply We ought not to look at what men can do and to use them accordingly but at what men will or are inclined to do Doubtless God himself could do more hurt to the world than all the Devils in Hell put together in respect of his omnipotency but because of his unchangable holiness righteousness and goodness he can do the world no injury at all Good men will not dare to do the hurt they could yet neither should they be tempted to do it if they durst Ministers that are pious and capable of doing worthy service should be treated as friends and to be sure they will never hurt their friends who are taught of God to love their very enemies they will never render evil for good who make conscience of rendring good for evil Paul and Apollo and Cephas are yours if you be Christs use them as your own and you will never have cause to fear them nor much cause to do it howsoever they be used sith they have learnt to pray even for them that use them despightfully Good men have a power to do mischief but no will but to do good they have both will and power therefore the mischief they can do is not so much to be feared as the good they are able to do is to be hoped for and incouraged Surely a blessing from Heaven is wont to attend the labours of a good Ministry and the incouraging of those labours as well as a curse to wait upon the contrary And if the blessing of God will not help to build the City I know not what will Time was that David himself was afraid of the Ark of God and therefore would not remove it unto him into the City of David but carried it aside into the house of Obed-Edom 2 Sam. 6.10 but in three months time he saw that he was worse scared than hurt v. 11. It was told King David saying the Lord hath blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that pertaineth is him because of the ark of God So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom into the City of David with gladness He concluded that that which had blessed the house of Obed-Edom would bless his City and doubtless so it did That building work may be promoted by good prophets or ministers I shall prove by one text more and so conclude this Chapter viz. Ezra 5.2 Then rose up Zerubbabel and Jeshuah and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem and with them â—ere the prophets of God helping them DISCOURSE XXXIII That to be deeply affected with the hand of God in burning the City is one good way to have it built again TO be affected with the burning of the City is one thing and to be affected with the hand of God in burning it is another They may lament the City with a great lamentation who take no notice at all of the hand of God that was stretched out against it but altogether cry out upon men as if evil instruments could have burnt such a City without the great God concerning himself in it more or less Whereas the truth is if men were instruments in the burning of it which for me shall rest upon proof yet God had the principle hand in it for wicked men are but Gods hand and sword Ps 17.14 Deliver my soul from the wicked which are thy sword from men which are thy hand Now God would that his hand should be taken notice of for he loves to be acknowledged as the authour of those judgments that are inflicted by him Who gave Jacob for a spoil and Israel to the robber did not the Lord Isa 42.24 Is there any evil in the City and the Lord hath not done it Amos 3.6 That passage Isa 26.11 sheweth us that God cannot indure to be overlooked when he smiteth Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed yea the fire of thine enemies shall consume them That we may be duly affected with the burning of the City there are several things to be taken notice of besides that which I have suggested in the first place viz. that God did it Now that such a God should burn such a City a God slow to anger gracious merciful long suffering abundant in goodness I say that such a God should burn so antient so famous so professing a City is a very affecting consideration Another is this viz. that God did never burn any City but when he was greatly angry God did never burn a City in cool blood if I may so speak of him after the manner of men Isa 42.25 He hath poured upon him the fury of his anger and it hath set him on fire round about yet he knew not and it burned him yet he laid it not to heart I knew a good gentlewoman who beholding the flames of London by which she lost not one pounds worth of her estate did thereby receive so great an impression of the wrath of God against he City as her self told me that she presently fell into a languishing distemper though before of a healthful chearful constitution and in despight of all the remedies which her loving husband one of the most eminent Physicians in England could supply her withall which the bills I have seen have assured me to have been as effectual as could be used she out-ran her husband to the grave whose many infirmities made it probable he would have arrived there many years before her If she were too much affected with the manifestation of Gods wrath I doubt that most others are but too little Another affecting consideration is this that God is never angry without a cause nor yet above the cause given or more than he hath cause for There is never anger on Gods part but there is provocation on ours and provocation proportionable to that anger Ps 107.17 Fools because of their transgression and because of their