impiety and more bruitish then beasts forgetting their duty else how durst the vsurer deuour the body and thirst for the bloud of his brother when he readeth how the rich man burned in Hell Luke 16. How durst the Adulterer persist in his lasciuious enterprises when he seeth the sinne of Dauid so seuearely punished the incest of Lot so greeuously lamented and the wisedome of Salomon so foulely obscured How durst the couetuous person heape vp riches for other when he heares our Sauiour call him foole that so prouided for his soule How gracelessely dare the Glutton maintaine his delicacie when he remembers how Iobes children were flayne at their banquet How dare the Tyrant continue his crueltie if he regard the reuenge of the rigorous debtor How dare our worldlings continue their pride considering the fall of Lucifer How dare the Idolater doe reuerence to Images when he heareth the heauie curse that the God of truth pronunceth against him How dare we sweare and forsweare our selues when wée remember the wretched end of Nabal How dare greedy Man to couet his neighbours house when he thinketh how hungerly the dogges licked the bloud of King Ahab How dare the most base swynish gormondizing drunkard sit all the day and night and weeke swilling sing and prophanely abusing Gods Creatures when he heareth the holy Ghost pronounce woe vnto them that rise earely to be drunken How dare all foule offenders but to tremble and quake when they heare the fearefull noyse of the Thunder and see the dreadfull blasts of is lightning to descend from the heauens and sent from an angrie God as tokens of his fearefull indignation In a word how dareth euery obstinate sinner to delite and boaste of his wickednes when he knoweth that vpon the vngodly shall raine Snares Psal 11.7 Fier and Brimstone stormy tempest this shall be their portion to drinke But such is our vngodlines that what we should doe wée slide backe from forgetting God and calling vengeance vpon our selues haling sorrow vpon sorrow enuying those that liue well and louing those that hate goodnes Who euer read of more Royaltie in a King then we may iustly write of our learned gracious and godly King Iames whose blessed peacefull and happie raigne the Lord for his mercie long continue ouer vs. What land had euermore plenty of all things then this Realme of England and yet what country vnder the Sun may be compared with it for vnthankefulnes Wée haue the light of the glorious Ghospell set vpon an hill and yet too manie rather then they will see it will sit blind-fold in the valley of ignorance Can any Cronicles make report of a more worthie wise vertuous godly religious Prince then the late Prince Henry in whome the worthines of all the eight Henries before him met as in their confluence I may speake of him as the Apostle spake of those with whome he is now in companie The world was not worthy of him And although our sinnes no doubt were the cause why he was taken from vs yet who is the more sorrowfull And whereas God blessed be his name hath left vnto vs not onely the Sunne and Moone of our firmament but also Charles-wayne to remaine in one Horizon D. P. A Prince if Starres be of any truth like to be of long life and great learning most hopefull for his time most fruitfull for his hopes so that I hope God hath said to our Iacob as Iacob said to his Iudah Sceptrum non auferetur a Iuda the Scepter shall not be taken from our Iacob till Shiloah come againe into the world yet who I say is the more thankefull Our gratious King hath made many good lawes to cutte of Malefactors but some estéeme little of Gods ordinances lesse of his Maiesties authority and least of all of his decrees for proofe whereof we haue seene such is our gracelessnes how wickedly some haue growne to rebellion whome the earth hath swallowed as Corath Dathan and Abiram Many haue conspired the death both of his Maiestie and his posteritie but the sword hath and I trust euer shall cut them of before their wicked fruit come to diuellish ripenes Yea their owne tongues shall make them fall And let vs beseech the Lord of hosts to looke downe alwayes vpon his anoynted and to cloath his enimies with shame but vpon him and his good Lord let his Crowne flourish vpon till thou Crowne vs all in heauen Let vs learne by the consuming of Sodom and Gomorrah to flye from their sinnes and let vs leaue the wickednes of the old world least God deuise a worse end for vs let vs be warned by the sinnes of Ierusalem to be armed with the word of truth at the preaching of Ionas to Niniui let the ignorant leaue to be obstinate and the learned cease to be slothfull and labour by all meanes to make the world know that the fearefull day of the Lords comming is at hand exhorting therefore to watch continuing in prayer For assuredly this fearefull accident I meane the burning of this man and childe by fire from Heauen ought not to be attributed to any naturall cause but it is euen the Finger of God threatning greater plagues to ensue without our earnest and hearty repentance Neither may we thinke that this iudgement lighted vpon them for their owne proper sinnes which might be greater then ours but rather that our sinnes are farre greater then were theirs and God whose mercy is greater then all hath sent this for our example to call vs to repentance wherefore let vs not thinke that those one whome the Tower in Siloam fell were greater sinners then all those that dwell in Ierusalem but rather let vs assure our selues that vnlesse we repent we shall also perish And to speake of the life and conuersation of the man I cannot finde or by any meanes vnderstand no not by reports of the nearest or the worst affected of his neighbours but that he behaued himselfe euery way in the iudgement of the world as an honest poore man and a painefull laborer in his vocation The manner of the accident is as followeth He hauing bene on Saterday the 26. of Iune last at worke at the house of one Iohn Deane of Parly-Court where he truely and painefully labored at his trade being a Carpenter and hauing ended his dayes-worke went home to his house as an honest man to comfort his Familie with the money which he had painefully gotten and went not as too many Trades-men vse to doe to be drunken and carelesse of their poore housholds at home wherein he shewed and gaue testimony to the world of a Religious care And after his comming home betooke himselfe to his rest and being in bed with his wife and childe in the deepe of the night the lightning came on so fiercely that an old woman named Agnes Russell mother to the wife of the said Iohn Hitchell hauing receaued a terrible blowe on her chéeke by
to remaine within the Towne God open our eyes that we may behold these things aright and mollifie our hearts good Lord we beseech thee that we may repent as we ought And although I will not particularize the vnaturall proportions of that Monster yet I obserue that it wanted lippes to teach vs as I suppose that we want sanctified lippes to glorifie the powerfull name of our gratious God Moreouer it wanted the place of euacuation by meanes whereof the body could not be exonerate or clensed of the excrements To teach that whatsoeuer pretence or shew we make of Religion outwardly yet the filth of sin remaineth still within because there wanteth true Repentance in vs whereby our soules might be clensed in the bloud of Iesus Christ Truly I am perswaded that in this Towne and the parts adioyning where these Iudgements fell there is as much sinne raigning as there is in a greater parte of the kingdome besides but I beseech God of his infinite mercy that his long suffering of our sinnes be not an occasion that we plucke his feirce wrath vpon our heads which we daylie goe about prouoking him to anger that will not be tempted so vngratefull are we and so gratious is he I doubt the same sentence wil be pronounced against vs which our Sauiour vsed saying Woe vnto Carazaine woe vnto Bethsaida it is better for Tire and Sidon then for them at the dreadful day of the Lord. A seueare sentence pronounced by a mercifull Iudge who will doubtles in a more dreadfull time not onely vtter the like words against vs but will cast vs into vtter darkenes where shal be weeping and gnashing of teeth except that of his infinite goodnes and great mercie he call vs home to repentance Could the people of Israel tremble at the voice of the Lord when he talked with Moses insomuch that they accorded to all his lawes and ordinances which were giuen them so that they might not indure his presence and dare we the off-scum of the earth rebell against our Creator so obstinately that neither signes the word nor wonders can conuert vs doe we not remember the benigne blessings which he promiseth that our land shal be fertile our fruites shall increase our foes shall flye before vs c. if we please him serue him and keepe his commandements neither doe we feare his heauie wrath and horrible curse which he threatneth to the contrarie if we transgresse his precepts and breake his ordinances saying thy Wife shal be widdow thy land barren thou shalt flie when none followe thee and feare without cause famine shall confound thee warre shall waste thy countrie and hunger so assaile thee that the after-birth of thy wife shall serue for thy foode O terrible dreadfull and heauie wrath of God but more monstrous filthie and vglie hearts haue we that imbrace the blessings when we deserue cursings reape good where we sowe euill and yet cannot afforde thankes to the sender of all thinges who giueth liberallie and casteth no man in the teeth Doe we not know that he is of power to turne our Heauen into brasse and our earth into Iron or are we ignorant that if it please him not to bring foraine force vpon vs yet he can plague vs by our freinds send Grashoppers to spoile our groundes Frogs to fellow vs whethersoeuer we flie Caterpillers to consume our fruite in the blossome or Raine to rot our Corne and Grasse when it is readie for the haruest or that he can send Lice to liue by our flesh and Mice in such multitudes that neither power nor pollicie can keepe them from vs for thereby he shewes his omnipotencie not in a huge armie of enemies but in a mightie arme with the weakest of his creatures Hath he not sent famine to Samaria so that a little Doues doung was worth fiue pence an Asses head sold for fourescore shillings destruction to Ierusalem so sharpe that the mother was faine to eate her Babe to satisfie her hunger Fier and Brimstone to Sodome and Gomorrah a deluge ouer the olde world with infinite other Citties that he hath iustlie plangued for their iniquities and we thinke to escape that haue not onlie practised to be perfect in their sinnes but dailie studie to deuise new offences The times we sée haue almost changed their natures and our Sommer become euen a Winter yet nothing can prouoke vs to repent O stife-necked people put on sackcloth with Nineuie leaue pride and fall to prayers let Saule become Paule cease to oppresse and turne to preach let euerie man amend one so shall we all doe well at the last and seeing the spirit in the faithfull is willing but the flesh weake and blinde in heauenly thinges let vs beseech our heauenlie Father in continuall prayers that by his holie spirit he will daylie more and more increase and strengthen our weake and féeble faith And therefore we heartely desier thee O eternall Father that thou wilt not vtterlie breake vs though we bowe not as we should neither deale with Iustice though we doe not our duties according to thy will but keepe vs good Lord in thy wel beloued sonne illuminate our mindes with thy holie spirit by which we may be prepared to all good workes in the holinesse and newenesse of life that so with Paule wée may desire to leaue this wicked world and to be with Christ and so in the comming of the Lord being found readie with Oyle in our Lampes and adorned with our wedding garmentes we may finde entrance into the Lords marriage which thou for thy deare sonne and his beloued spouse the Church hast prepared and appointed from the beginning of the world To thee therefore O holy Father and to thine onlie begotten Sonne Iesus Christ and to the Holy Spirit our comforter be all praise honour and glorie for euer and euer Amen LAVS DEO Hereunto is anexed THE LAMENTABLE AND FEAREFVLL BVRNING OF THE TOWNE OF DORchester vpon the 6. of August last 1613. IF this dolorous discourse aforesaid of Gods fiery iudgement written by master Hilliard late hapning in Hampshire haue any whit penetrated the reader with remorse I am here presumingly bolde without disparagement to the Author to adde vnto his booke a second sorrow to our country a sodaine calamity late befalne vpon the towne of Dorchester in the West of England the heauy newes whereof euen strikes trembling hearts of people that so famous a Towne and the onely store-house of those parts for Marchantly commodities should in lesse then foure and twentie houres be ruinated by this great commaunding Element cosuming fier Dorchester as it is well knowne is one of the principall places of traffick for westerne marchants by which meanes it grew rich and populous beautified with many stately buildings and faire streetes flourishing full of all sorts of tradesmen and artificers plenty with aboundance reuelled in her boasom maintained with a wise and ciuill gouerment to the well deseruing commendation of the
Fire from Heauen Burning the body of one Iohn Hittchell of Holne-hurst within the parish of Christ-church in the County of South-hampton the 26. of Iune last 1613. who by the same was consumed to ashes and no fire seene lying therein smoaking and smothering three dayes and three nights not to bequenched by water nor the help of mans hand VVith the lamentable burning of his house and one childe and the grieuous scorching of his wife with the birth of a Monster and many other strange things hapning about the same time the like was neuer seene nor heard of Written by Iohn Hâ—lliard Preacher of the word of life in Sopley Reade and tremble With the fearefull burning of the towne of Dorchester vpon friday the 6. of August last 1613. Printed at London for Iohn Trundle and are to be sold at his shop in Barby can at the signe of Nobody 1613. To The VVorshipfull his very louing Cosen Mr. Nicholas Hillyard his Maiesties seruant in ordinary Io H. wishes all the graces of this life and the glory of the life to come VVOrshipfull and worthy Cosen my end in publishing this Pamphlet is not popular ostentation for you well know it becommeth neither the season nor the subiect The only purpose I haue is to rouse vp the sloathfull carelesse and instruct the filthy forgetfull to behold the wonderfull workes of the Lord and thereby to grow more thankefull for his great mercy in sparing them And to the end that we may all in true humility imbrace these mercifull warnings of our gracious God and speedily appeale to the Throne of mercy preparing our selues to meet the Bridegroome of our soules who commeth in maiestie to iudge both quick and dead For we must all appeare before the Iudgement Seat of Christ 2. Cor. 5.10 that euery man may receaue the things which are done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or euill For the plainenesse and rudenes of my style if you duly consider the manner of my writing I trust you will acknowledge that the power of the spirit is best seene in weaknes and that plaine lines doe best ansâ—ere a straight leuell the euidence of the spirit is best seene in plainenes Wherefore if our Gospell be hid it is hid in them that perish But I perswade my selfe better things of you euen such as accompanie saluation Yf you accept of these my paines according to mine intent you shall happily ease your selfe of the Mother and the Daughters forgetfullnesse and vnthankfulnes and burthen me willingly with greater labor for the further building you vp in Christ Iesus To whose protection I commit you Christ-church this 10. of Iuly 1613. Your louing kins-man Iohn Hilliard Fier from Heauen or A TRVMPET SOVNDING TO IVDGEMENT CALLING VS TO REPENTANCE BY THE FEAREFVL and lamentable burning of Iohn Hitchell carpenter to ashes together with his house and one child and the grieuous scorching of his wife by lightning as also by the burning of another house sithence and the birth of a Monster All within the Towne and Parish of Christ-church in Hampshire IT was the saying of Cambises that Citties would flourish well in prosperity if the Inhabitants were watchefull and still imagined their enemies to be at hand That which he said for the prosperous estate of a common-weale our Sauiour said for the happy successe of all Christians And both tend to shew that whether we respect the saftie of our bodies here on earth or the saluation of our soules in the kingdome of Christ we may not be in our callings either idle carelesse or secure But yet such is our nature we rather respect the words of Cambises for temporall prosperity then the warning of Christ for eternall felicity Whereby it comes to passe that wee haue commonly fayrs bodies but soule soules much goods but little goodnesse seeming glorious in the sight of men outwardly but odious inwardly in the sight of God According to that of the Psalmist Psal 10.6 The vngodly hath said in his heart tush I shal neuer be cast downe there shall no euill happen vnto me But the fayrest Oke is soonest cut downe the fattest Oxe is readiest for the slaughter and the felicity of fooles is their owne distruction Pro. 1. Psal 73. For how soone doe they consume perish and come to fearefull ende Yea euen as a dreame are they when one awaketh Annos 6.8.9 Though the Lord hath sworne by himselfe that he doth abhor the excellency of Iacob and hate his Pallaces and therefore will deliuer vp the Citty with all that is therein and if there remaine ten men in one house they shall all dye Yet still such is our security that we say with the vnthriftie seruant tardat Dominus Venire Our Lord doth deferre his comming thinking we may repent when we please and that we shall haue leasure inough not remembring with our selues That like as God is mercifull Eccl 5.6 so goeth wrath from him also and his indignation cometh downe vpon sinners Therefore let vs make no tarrying to turne to the Lord and not put of from day to day for sodainely doth his wrath come and in the time of vengeance he will distroy vs. Semper vigilemus bené viuendo ne nouissimus dies cuiusque nostrum inueniat nos imparatos Let vs watch and wayte for his comming in honest conuersation of life that the latter day of euery one of vs find vs not vnprepared For he is not slacke as they count slackenesse 2. Pet. 3.9 but he is patient to vs-ward because he would haue mercy of all and none to perish There is not one among vs so iust as Iacob was nor scarce one on whome the Lord will pronounce the like sentence so lamentable is our time and so detestable our iniquities Our eyes haue beheld such signes as Ierusalem did but we esteeme them as fantasies descanting whence they come but not remembring wherefore they were sent Our eares haue heard many Ionasses threatning death distruction and damnation to Niniui crying ouer vs with teares for our abhomination yet wee rather desire silkes then sackecloth and when wée should repent wée study to increase our pride We haue them which cry daylie with the prophet Esay woe is me Esay 16. woe is me the transgressors greeuously haue offended threatning that feare the Pit and the snare is vpon the inhabiters of the earth he that flyeth from the noise of the feare shall fall into the Pit and he that commeth out of the Pit shal be taken in the snare for the windowes of Heauen are open and the foundations of the earth doe shake c. Can we reade this of our selues can wée learne this of others can we see the daily proofe of these Prophesies come to effect and dare we continew still rocked in the cradell of Security like Epicures caring for nought but the belly O monstrous time full of deformity O reprobate people deleting in
what meanes I knowe not was therewith awakened and cryed to the said Iohn Hitchell and his wife to helpe her but they not answering the poore old woman start out of the bed and went vnto the bed where they lay and awakened her daughter who was vpon the sodaine most lamentably burnt all one side of her and her husband and childe dead by her side yet neuertheles his poore wife when shee sawe her husband and childe had thus strangely finished their dayes shee as it seemeth thought not so much of the hurt she had receaued her selfe as shee was carefull to haue preserued the life of her husband if by any meanes possibly shee could and therefore notwithstanding all her grieuous wounds shee dragd him out of the bed into the streete and there by reason of the vehemency of the fier shee was inforced to her no small greese to forsake him where he lay burning vpon the ground for the space of three dayes after or thereabouts not that there was any appearance of Fyer outwardly to be séene on him but only a kinde of smoake ascending vpwards from the Carcas vntill it was consumed to ashes except only some small shewe of parte of his bones which were cast into a pitte made by the place O fearefull iudgement Hearken to this O ye that forget God least he teare you in peeces and there be none to deliuer you If this happened vnto a man of so vpright a conuersation who laboured painefully all day in a lawfull calling O what may befall you which fit day and night at the Tauerne whose prophane mouthes are filled with impious oathes and filthie Ridawdrie whose whole liues and conuersations are nothing els but sinkes of impietie What Christian heart can chuse but greeue to see the horrible wickednes which not only before but euery day sithence this wofull spectacle hath bene vsed in the very next adioyning-Towne where it happened O you that beare office and haue the gouernment of the place I beseech you looke into your selues that no filthie conuersation ofts may giue into you aragement to the meaner sort to commit the vgly sinnes wherewith our gracious God is so highly offended O remember remember I say the soule taynt wherewith Ieroboam is branded in the booke at God namely that his example made Israel to sinne your painfull Pastor hath euen worne out as his dayes so his strength and body in exhorting you to repentance and perswading you to flye from the Vengeance to come I assure you it shall be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah in the great day of the Lord then for those Townes and persons which haue heard remission of sinnes preached in Iesus and yet haue not repented For The seruant that knoweth his Masters will doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes If the reuerend and childish feare of God cannot winne vs to eschew euill and to the good yet let the seruile and slauish feare of punishment stay and make vs afraid to perseuer in our euill least according to the righteousnes of the same in our selues at last we receaue double damnation in our bodyes But to our purpose if I say this hapned in a greene tree what shall become of vs that are drie and withered and sith it lighted vpon some of vprighter conuersation then our selues O what shall become of vs vile wretched creatures that delight in nothing but sinne and haue as it were sold our selues to worke wickednes in the sight of God The Lord giue vs grace to iudge our selues that we be not iudged of the Lord. Now let vs consider the Time when this fearefull iudgement happened surely about Mid-night The like we may reade in the booke of Exodus where the Lord saith at Midnight he will goe forth into the middest of Egypt and all the first borne in the land of Egypt shall die but that we may learne how as well in the Night as in the Day the Lord executeth both Iudgement and mercy Iudgement as we see in Ioshua his direction against Ai Ioshua 8.5 whereby their fearfull ouerthrow followed many thousands of them being deuoured by the sword and their Citty consumed with fyre So when they slept the wrath of God awaked and marched towards them speedily So againe the fiue Kings came vpon them sodainly and destroyed them with a great slaughter Thou foole the Night shall they take away thy Soule and in the Night God directed his seruant against them Who then whose are all these c. Other Kingdomes and Countries about vs what fearefull Night-cries they haue had when we slept in peace wisedome and thankfulnes should consider Then for mercies receaued in like manner you see the Scriptures â— Reg. 3.5 Solomon had that comfortable conference with God in the Night wherein God granted him the thing he sought for appearing to him in a dreame Daniel in the Night found mercy with God Dan. 2.19 â—cts 18 8. to haue the Kingsdreame reuealed vnto him Peter in the Night was deliuered from danger Paul and Silas in the Night singing Psalmes sound the comfort there spoken of So both Iudgement and Mercy wake and walke in the Night The vse whereof vnto vs should be euer to stir vs vp both to goe to bed as wée ought and to vse the night as the godly haue done For the first we may take Dauids example I will lay me downe and take my rest for it is thou Lord only that makest me dwell in safetie â—salme 4.8 and for the second he also in many Psalmes may instruct vs for euery night saith he wash I my bed and water my couch with teares â—alme 6 6. which Dauid did not for any pusillanimitie or weakenes for we knowe he was a man of a valiant courage but only out of a sweete feeling that he had in his night Meditation of the great goodnes of God towards him many wayes and his owns to great inability to doe to him againe for the same as he desired And what better time can we take to plow vp the fallow ground of our hearts before him and to consider his fauors and our faultes opening euen all our woes and griefes vnto him that as the night naturally is moyst and shewry more then the day so we likewise may raine downe abundance of teares praying for our sinnes and thanking him for his goodnes knowing it is a most assured truth that no dewe of the night can so glad the earth as this sweete moysture of thy wet eye in these respects doth please thy God Psal 119.62 At Midnight saith Dauid will I rise to giue thankes to thee because of thy righteous iudgements In the night I commune with mine own heart Psalme 77.6 serch out my spirits Therfore I say again sith mercy 〈◊〉 iudgement thus stir in the night the one for Gods children the other for his enemies awake thou that sleepest in most dull security going to the bed as the dogge to
his kennell without any thought either of God or Diuell Full little dost thou know what may happen to thee before it be day It may be with thee as with the first borne of Egypt with the fiue Kings with the Citty Ai with this poore though now rich man and his Child thy selfe may be dead as he is thy house on fier as his was thy goods spoyled and Children destroyed as his were and as many wofull miseries vpon thy wife and friends as there are vpon his Wherefore goe to bed with prayer awake with prayer and rise with prayer Let God and grace be in thy first thoughts and not malyce and wrath not Shéepe and Oxen not mony and mucke which all perish with thée when God is angrie We see what hath happened before our eyes God giue vs all grace to bée warned What shal we now be vnmindefull of these things vnthankefull to God and vnfaithfull to our owne soules shall we continue in lyes lusts oathes aspiring proiects or malitious trappes No we will make and obserue this vow We will not suffer our eyes to sleepe nor our eielids to slumber we will neither continue our tongue to betray our brother nor our bodies to betray our soules we will endeuour to leade a iust and holy and sober life this we desire for this we hunger and thirst this we vowe for this we pray the Lord heare and graunt vs this petition Eze. 9.4 O then let vs mourne and weepe for our offences and for all the abhominations so shall we be marked in the foreheads to be preserued from the euill to come nay so shall wee be blessed for so the mouth of truth hath pronounced we shal be comforted Mat. 7. Our sinnes are the vnfruitfull thornes that choake the good seede of vertue and grace the corrupters of Iudgement the seducers of will the betrayers of vertue the flatterers of vice the vnderminers of courage slaues to weakenes infection of youth madnes of age the curse of life and the reproach of death the least of our bosome-sinnes is fier in the hand and a Serpent in the heart a Cancer a Spider â—sa 3. an euill Spirit and the fruite thereof is death O ye then that with those Mincing dames in Ierusalem are loath that the soles of your feete should treade vpon the earth ye may be hurryed betweene Heauen and Earth but neuer will be carried as Elias vnlesse in a fiery-Chariot Ye that set more by Agar then Sara more esteeme your bodies then your soules feare and tremble at the Lords Iudgements O that blindenes of mans minde and that madde doubting of Gods diuine promises of eternall life O that hardened and flynty heart of ours which is not moued no not with these horrible threats of Gods heauie displeasure but continuing securely in all impiety neuer asketh pardon for his willfull offending and amendeth euen as though the Scripture were but lyes and the diuine Oracles prophane fables For by those things which haue come to passe and by true demonstration of Gods holy spirit it is apparant that nothing is more certaine then that the end of all thinges hangeth on our shoulders Truly great is the force of sinne and maruelous is the rage of Sathan in these latter dayes who endeuoreth by all meanes that possibly he can to bring the whole world into a desperate security of liâ—e that so he may haue many partakers of his torments in Hell from whence there is no redemption But how much better had it bene for vs we had either neuer béene borne or at the least beene voide of reason with beast and Serpents or béene dispatched so soone as we were horne if either we â—â—iâ— not that place for which we were created or come not to the celestiall Paradice and to the marriage of our spouse our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ where shall be the full abundance of all delights and perfection of all pleasure Wherefore let vs cast from vs our careles security and mistrust of the promises of God Let vs renounce the deuill and all the workes of the flesh which are not sufferable by the word of God and let vs listen to the freindly admonition of our Sauiour Christ warning vs to be watchfull at all times Luke 21. Mat. 25. because we know not the hower when our Lord will come praying that we may escape al these things which are to come and may stand before the sonne of man For if the comming of Theiues and stealers of our earthlie goods be to be feared with how great diligence and watchefulnes should we seeke to escape those enemies which would spoile vs of our eternall riches and kingdome of Heauen Here we vse great heed and wisedome to preserue our mortall bodies from hurt and danger but to saue our soules which are immortall from eternall paines in Hell we are altogether carelesse and nothing circumspect And yet more would it beseeme the children of light to be more carefull in séeking and kéeping those things which are Celestiall then the worldlings are painefull in enriching themselues with such thinge as they are neither sure to enioy while they are aliue nor can assure them of any ioy when they are dead Yea let vs think and perswade our selues that in the sight of God it is not shamefull but abhominable that the elect or chosen people of God which should be wise and circumspect shall in this care be surpassed of wicked worldlings and the more highly we displease our God by how much the things which we so little estéeme are more excellent then that which they so hunt after betweene which so surpassing is the treasure prepared for the godlie there is no comparison This erhortation though it pertaine to all men at all times yet now speciallie in these dangerous daies in which we sée so many by sodaine and strange death to be taken out of the world and because euery man shall die though the certaine time none knoweth and shall either woefullie be sent among the Diuels to Hell or ioyfullie to be receaued into the fellowship of the faithfull in Heauen And to come a little nearer vnto our selues hath not the Lord shaken once more néere our Towne his rod of Correction sithence this lamentable accident namely by the burning of one Edward Burtons house and all his substance whilest they were in their beds it is an old saying that when our neighbours house is on fier it is high time to looke to our owne Gods Iudgements we see haue lighted on both sides of vs alreadie and shall wee be still carelesse Moreouer it is not vnworthie the noting that as on both sides of the Towne these fearefull iudgements haue happened so likewise vpon the first day of May last within the Towne was borne a Monster which may well teach vs that although these things haue hapned without the Towne yet the Monsters for whose vglie sinnes sake these iudgements haue come to passe may seeme