Satan and Antichrist the weakning of whose Kingdom is the glory safety and security of the Land 5. For the turning away of wrath either felt or feared 6. For the bringing down of the greatest weightiest and noblest of James 5. 16 17 18. temporal favours and blessings upon Cities and Countries as might be proved from scores of Scripture And therefore The first on the 24. of August and the other on the 2. of September never marvel if God revenges the abuses done to them in flames of fire It was on a Sabbath that the publick liberty of the painful faithful Ministers of London was terminated and came to an end and it was on a Sabbath that London was burnt Thirteenthly Shedding of the blood of the Just is a crying sin that brings the Judgment of Fire and lays all desolate Ezek. 35. 4 5. 7. I will lay thy cities waste and thou See Ezek. 21. 28. 31 32. And Chap. 25. 3 4 5. shalt be desolate and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred or hatred of old and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity in the time that their iniquity had an end Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth Vers 10. Because thou hast said these two nations and these two countries shall be mine and we will possessit whereas the Lord was there Vers 11. Therefore as I live saith the Lord God I will even do according â—o thine anger and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them and I will make my self known among them when I have judged thee Vers 12. And thou shalt know that I am the Lord and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel saying They are laid desolate they are given us to consume or devour Vers 13. Thus with your mouth you have boasted against me and have multiplied your words against me I have heard them Vers 14. Thus saith the Lord God when the whole earth rejoyceth I will make thee desolate Vers 15. As thou didst rejoyce at the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate so will I do unto thee Thou shalt be desolate O mount Seir and all Idumea even all of it and they shall know that I am the Lord. The Edomites were deadly enemies to the Israelites their hatred was old and strong and active against them and they took hold on all occasions wherein they might express their rage and cruelty against them both in words and works And therefore Psal 137. 7. when the Babylonians took Jerusalem they cryed Rase it Rase it even to the foundation thereof When the Babylonians entred Jerusalem many of the Jews fled to the Edomites for succour they being their brethren but instead of sheltring them they cruelly destroyed them and greatly insulted over them and were glad of all opportunities wherin they might vent all their rage and malice against them that so they might the better ingratiate themselves with the Babylonians Now for these cruel practices and barbarous severities of theirs towards the poor afflicted and distressed Israel of God God is resolved to bring utter desolation upon them Vers 3. Thus saith the Lord God Behold O mount Seir I am against thee and I will stretch out my hand against thee and I will make thee most desolate Or as the Hebrew is Shemamah Vmeshammah desolation and desolation Now this doubling of the Hebrew word shews the certainty of their desolation the speediness of their desolation and the greatness and throughness of their desolation Jer. 26. 14 15. See vers 8 9. 11. As for me behold I am in your hand do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you But know ye for certain that if you put me to death ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon your selves and upon this city and upon the inhabitants thereof That was good counsel which Tertullian gave Scapula a Pagan Persecutor God will surely make Inquisition for our blood therefore saith he if thou wilt not spare us yet spare thy self if not thy self yet spare thy Country which must be responsible when God comes to visit for blood So Lam. 4. 11. 12 13. The Lord hath accomplished his fury he hath poured out his fierce anger and hath kindled a fire in Zion and it hath devoured the foundations thereof The Kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the world would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entred into the gates of Jerusalem For the sins of her Prophets and the iniquities of her Priests that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her The Prophets and the Priests enraged the people against them and ingaged the Civil Power against the just and the innocent to the shedding of their blood But this innocent blood could not be purged away but by fire To shed the blood of the Just is a most crying sin and that for which God has turned the most glorious Cities in the World into ashes Jerom upon the Text saith that the Prophets and Priests shed the blood of the Just in the midst of Jerusalem by drawing them into errour which is to the destruction of the Soul But Calvin upon the Text well observes this cannot stand because just men are not so destroyed but the wâ—cked only that take no heed to their false teaching Therefore saith he the true Prophets of God are meant by the just for whom they had Prisons Dungeons and Stocks to put them into and sometimes stoning or otherwise tumults which they stirred up among the people whereby their blood was shed Rome has much of the blood of the Saints upon her skirts and for this very sin she shall be utterly burnt with fire as you may see at large if you will please to read the 18. Chapter Rev. 16. 6. Rev. 17. 6. Rev. 19 2. Rev. 18. 24. of the Revelations at your leisure Though Rome was a Cage of unclean Birds and full of all manner of abominations yet the sin that shall at last burn her to ashâ—s is the blood of the Saints mark though the people of God are in Babylon and may partake of her Plagues and fall under the fiery Dispensation with her it is not the sins of the Saints but the sins of Babylon that bring the Judgment of Fire upon Babylon Mark the people of God may live in a City that may be burnt to ashes and yet their sins may not be the procuring causes of that Judgment Lot lived in Sodom and Gen. 19. had his failings and infirmities as well as other Saints but it was not his sins that brought the Judgment of Fire upon that City but the sins of the Citizens as the Scripture assures us But
we then put off God with a part of a day Shall we be worse than the Heathens Shall we act below Heathens Shall nature shall blind devotion do more than Grace The Lord forbid But Thâ—rteenthly You must sanctifie the Sabbath by such an abstinence or moderate use of all your lawful comforts conâ—entments and enjoyments as may tender you most apt and fit for the sanctification of the Sabbath Let your moderation â—e known among all men alwayes but especially on the Lords day be moderate in your eating drinking entertainments Phil. 4. 5. c. Oh how do many by their immoderate use of lawful comforts on this day indispose and unfit themselves for the duties of the day It is a Christians duty every day to eat and drink soberly Titus 2. 11 12. The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared to us teaching us to live soberly in this present world It is both the duty and the glory The Greeks call Sobriety the Keeper and Guard of Wisdom of a Christian to be temperate in his diet A little will satisfie nature less will satisfie Grace though nothing will satisfie mens lusts Sobriety is a gift of God whereby we keep a holy moderation in the use of our dyet Prov. 23. When thou sittest to eat c. consider diligently what is before thee and put the knife to thy throat That is be very careful and circumspect in taking thy food bridle thine appeâ—iâ—e take heed thou dost not exceed measure He may endanger his health his life his soul that gives way to his greedy appetite Some read the words thus For thâ—u puttâ—â—t a knife to thy throat if thou be a man given to appetite Thou shortnest thy life and diggest as it were thine own grave with thine own teeth Meat kills as many as the Musket the Board as the Châ—ysost Sword I know that the bodies stomacks callings constitutions and climates wherein men live differ and therefore In the hot Eastern Countreys men have lived long with parâ—hed Corn and a Cake but their example is no rule for us Phil. 3. 18 19. no such particular Rules as to eating and drinking can be laid down as shall be binding to every one Yet this is certain that a man that eats or drinks so much on the Lords Day as oppresses nature and as unfits him for praying working or hearing work or reading work or closet work that man is guilty of intemperance Such who feed till they unfit themselves for service are Belly-Gods Paul wept over such in his day and so should we in ours Thou shouldst use thy food O Christian as a help and not as a hinderance to thee in thy Christian course A full belly never studies well nor never prayes well nor never hears well nor never reads well nor never repeats well nor never doth any thing well either on the Lords day or any other day What a shame is it to see a Christian a slave to his palate on any day but especially on the Lords day I may use the creatures so as to support and chear nature but not so as to clog it and weaken it and debase it I may use the creatures as my servants but I must never suffer them to be my Lord. Daniel was very temperate in his diet Though there was not a greater born of a woman than John the Baptist yet his Dan. 1. 8. Matth. 11. 11. fare was but Locusts and wild-honey A little bread was Basils provision Hilarion did seldom eat any thing till the Sun went down and then that which he did eat was very mean Jerom lived with cold water and a few dry'd Figgs And Augustine hath this expression concerning himself Hoc Lâ—b 10. Confessionum me docuisti Domine c. Thou Lord hast taught me this that I should go to my meat as to a medicine his meaning was that he went to his meat not to satisfie his appetite but to repair nature And Luther made many a meal with Bread and â— Heâ—ring Socrates Anacharsis Cyrus Caesar Herodicus Augustus and many other Heathens were very temperate in â—hâ—ir diet The old Gaules were very sparing in their diet â—nd used to fine them that out-grew their Girdles These Hâ—athens will one day rise in judgement against those nominal Christians who are intemperate both upon the Lords day and other dayes also But Fourteenthly and lastly You must sanctifie the Sabbath â—y abstâ—ining from speaking your own words The Spouses lips are like a thread of Scâ—rlet they are red like a thread of Cant. 4 3. scarlet in discoursing of a crucified Christ and they are thin like a thred of scarlet and not swelled with frothy empty worldly discourses on the Lords dayes or on other dayes Such words as will neither profit a mans own soul nor better â—thers are not to be spoken on the Lords day It is Gods express pleasure that we should not speak our own words on his day Isa 58. 13. Nâ—r speaking thine own words Caesar passing through the streets of Rome and seeing many of the Ladies Pluta ch in the life of Peâ—icles playing with little Dogs Monkies and Baubones askt them if the women in that Countrey had no children So when men spend the Lords day in playing sporting toying or talking of this or that trifle of this or that person of this or that fashion of this or that vanity we may ask them whether they have no God no Christ no Heaven no Promisâ—s no Experiences no Evidences to talk of There are Matth. 12. 36. Alexander forgave many sharp swords but never any sharp tongues c. many idle talkers of every idle word that men shall speak they shall give an account at the day of Judgement An idle word is a profuse or needless word used rashly or unadvisedly wanting a reason of just necessity bringing neither honor to God nor edification to others nor conducing to any profitable end And as there are many idle talkers so there are many over-talkers and they are such who spend a hundred words when ten will serve the turn And as there Eccles 5. 2 3. are many over-talkers so there are many that are only talkers that can do nothing but talk To fall under the power Prov. 14. 23. or scourge of these mens tongues is to fall under no easie persecution And as there are many that are only talkers so there are many that are unprofitable talkers The beginning of the words of their mouth is foolishness and the end of his Eccles 10. 13. talk is mischievous madness And as there are many unprofitable talkers so there are many unseasonable talkers that place one word where another should stand A wise man Eccles 8. 4. discerneth time and judgement And as there are many unseasonable talkers so there are many rash talkers who speak Chap. 5. 2. first and think afterwards God hath set a double bar about the tongue the teeth and
of the tongue Now if these last have hit the mark how highly doth at concern us all to set a watch before the door of our lips at all times but especially on the Lords day Now considering how wonderful apt and prone Christians are to be speaking their own words Yea foolish vain worldly and unprofitable words on the Lords day Give me leave â—o offer to your serious consideration these four things First Where the Lord hath commanded the whole man to rest from servile works there he commands the hand to rest from working the foot from walking and the tongue from talking But in the fourth Commandment Thou shalt do no manner of work the Lord hath commanded the whole Exod. 4. 10. man to rest from servile works And therefore the tongue from talking of this or that worldly business But Secondly Those things which as lets hinder the duties of the Lords day are forbidden But worldly words as lets hinder the duties of the Lords day therefore worldly words are forbidden But Thirdly Where bodily works are forbidden there those things are forbidden which hinder the sanctifying of the Sabbath as much or more than bodily works do but bodily works are forbidden in the fourth Commandment therefore worldly words which hinder more the sanctifying of the Sabbath than bodily works do are forbidden in the same Commandment That worldly words do hinder the sanctifying of the Sabbath as much or more than bodily works is evident by this among other arguments that might be produced that a man may work alone but he cannot talk alone But Fourthly That Commandment which tyes the outward man from the deed done that Commandment ties the tongue from talking of the same But the fourth Commandment ties the outward man from worldly works and therefore that Command ties the tongue from worldly words Certainly all those persons that make the Lords day a reckoning-day with workmen as some do or a directing-day what shall be done the next week as others do or a day of idle talk about this worldly business or that or about this person or that or about this fashion or that or about this mans matters or that or about this pleasure or that or about this profit or that or about this mans calling or that or about this Gossips Tale or that c. All such persons are prophaners and no sanctifiers of the Lords Day I have been the longer upon this particular to confute and recover those Christians who give their tongues too great a liberty on the Lords Day Now in these fourteen particulars I have shewed you how the Sabbath is to be sanctified O Sirs as you desire to see London rebuilt as you desire to see London in as great or greater prosperity and glory as she hath been in as you desire to see her once more the Bulwark of the Nation As Psaâ— 48. 12 13. Cant. 6. 4. Isa 60. 15. you desire to see her a shield and shelter to her faithful friends at home and a terror and dread to her proudest enemies abroad As you desire that she may be an eternal excellency Zech. 2. 5. a joy of many Generations As you desire the Lord to be for ever a wall of fire about her and a glory in the midst of her Mâ—ke conscience of sanctifying the Sabbath in a right manner Make it your great business and work to sanctifie the Sabbath according to those fourteen Rules which I have now laid down I know there is a desperate opposition and contrariety in the hearts of carnal men to the strict observation of the Sabbath When Moses had first received a Commandment Exod. 16. 25. 31. concerning the observation of the Sâ—bbath his Authority could not so prevail with the Jews but that some of them would be gâ—dding abroad to seek Manna on the Sabbath day contrary to an express prohibition yea when it was death Chap. 31 13 14 15 16. to gather sticks on that day yet in contempt of Heaven it self one ventures upon the breach of the Law How sadly and frequently the Prophets have lamented and complained of the breach of the Sabbath I have in this Treatise already discovered and therefore need say no more of it in this place The horrid prophanation of this day in France Holland Germany Sweden and in thâ—se three Nations England Scâ—tland and Ireland and among all Protestants every where else is and must be for a sore lamentation The Sabbath in all Ages hath been more or less crucified between prophaneness and superstition as Christ the Lord of the Sabbath was crucified between two Thieves When the observation of the Sabbath came to be more sacred and solemn in publick performances which was about Nehemiahs time as is conceived presently after Satan stirred up some Hypocrites who â—un into such an extream of superstition that they held that they might not stir out of their places nor kill a flea and a thousand such like fooleries Yea some dangerous fooleries they laboured to distill into the people as that they might not draw a Sword to defend themselves in a common Invasion c. For a close remember this that there are no Christians in all the world comparable to those for the power of godliness and heighths of grace holiness and communion with God who are most strict serious studious and conscientious in sanctifying of the Lords day Such as are careless remiss light slight formal and carnal upon the Sabbath day they will be as bad if not worse on every other day in the Week The true reason why the power of godliness is fallen to so low an ebb both in this and in other Countreys also is because the Sabbath is no more strictly and conscientiously observed in this Land and in those other Countreys where the name of the Lord is made known The Jews were never serious in the observation of their Sabbaths till they smarted seventy years in Babylon for their former prophanation of it And who can look upon the ashes of London and not see how dearly the Citizens have paid for their prophaning of the Lords day And Oh that all these short hints might be so blest from Heaven as to work us all to a more strict serious and conscientious sanctifying of the Lords day according to those Directions or Rules that I have in this Treatise laid before you And thus I have done with those Duties that are incumbent upon those who have been burnt up by that late dreadful fire that hath turned London into a ruinous heap I come now to those Duties that are incumbent upon those whose habitations are yet standing as monuments of divine Wisdom Power and Grace O Sirs the flames have been near you a devouring fire hath consumed many thousand habitations round about you and you and your habitations have bâ—en as so many brands pluckt out of the fire O how highly doth it concern you seriously and freqâ—ently to lay to heart the singular goodness
set him on fire round about yet he knew not and it burned him yet he laid it not to heart THE Lord in this Chapter by the Prophet Esay doth foretell heavy things against the people and by the way marks the Lords dealings he ever gives warnings before he sends any plagues he lightens before he thunders that the people might not say they did not hear of it and that the wicked might be the more inexcusable and that the godly might make an Ark to save themselves in These words contain in them five â—â—veral things 1. The Author of this Destruction or Judgment 2 The Causes of it 3. The Judgment it self 4. Wâ—â— they were on whom this Judgment was inflicted 5. The Effect of it Now by Divine permission I will open these wordâ— in order to you For thâ— first the Author of it Now this is laid down by Quâ—stion and Answer Who gave Jacob to the spoil and Israel to the Robbers there 's the Question Did not I the Lord there the Answer God is the Author of all the Plagues and Judgments that befal a Nation Secondly The Causes why the Lord did this to a people that he had chosen to be a special people unâ—o himself to a people upon whom he had set his love to a people that he Deut. â— 5. 7. 8. Deut. 32. 10 11 12. had owned for his portion and that he had formerly kept as the Apple of his Eye and carried as upon Eagles wings Now the causes are set down fiâ—st more generally in these words Because they have sinned agaâ—nst the Lord. Secondly more particularly in these words For they would not walk in his ways neither were they obedient to his Law The third thing observable in the words is the dreadful Judgments themselves that God inflicted upon his sinful people his sinning people and these you have in vers 25. Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger not only his anger but the fury of his anger to shew the greatness of it the extremity of it Mark he doth not say that God did drop down his anger but he poured down hiâ— anger and indignation This Phrase he poured out is an allusion to the clouds pouring down of water violently all at once in an instant as they do many times in the Levant Seas in Egypt at the Indies and in several other parts of the Gâ—n 6. 11. world as they did in the Deluge when the windows of Heaven were broke open Now by this similitude the Lord shews the dreadfulness the grievousness the suddenness and the vehemency of the Judgments that were fallen upon them And the strength of Battel The Lord appears in Arms against them in the greatness and fierceness of his wrath he sent in a very powerful Enemy upon them that with fire and sword over-ran them and their Country and destroyed them on every side as you may see by comparing the 2 Kings 23. 33. ult with the 24. and 25. Chapters following And hath set him on fire round about That is say some all the Countries Cities and Towns round about Jerusalem were set on fire Yet be knew not Though God had burnt them up on every hand yet they took no notice of it they regarded it not they were not at all affected with the fiery Dispensations of Diod orus Siculus writes that in Aethiopia there is such a sottish insensible people that if you cut them with a drawn sword or slay their wives and children before their faces they are not at all affected with it nor moved at it Such brutes were these Jews God O the dulness the insensibleness the sottishness of the Jews under the most awakning and amazing Judgments of God! And it burned him This some apply to the City of Jerusalem it self God did not only fire the Cities and Towns round about Jerusalem but he also set Jerusalem it self into a flame Jerusalem which was beautiful for situation the joy of the whole Earth the Paradise and Wonder of the world is turned into ashes Yet be laid it not to heart or upon his heart as the Original runs O the monstrous stupidity insensibleness and blockishness of this people Though God had brought them low though their Crown was fallen from their head though their gloriâ—us City was turned into ashes and though they were almost destroyed by many smarting miseries and dreadful calamities yet they were not affected with the stupendious Judgments of God they were not awakned by all the flames that God had kindled about their ears they did not lay the Judgments of God to heart nor they would not lay the Judgments of God upon their hearts The fourth thing observable in the words iâ— the persons the people that were spoiled destroyed and consumed by fire and they were Jacob and Israel Who gave Jacob for a Isa 58. 2. Zach. 7. 5. Exod. 19. 5. spoil and Israel to the Robbers They were a praying people a professing people a fasting people a peculiar people a priviledged people and yet for their sins they became a destroyed people a consumed people a ruined people The fifth thing observable in the words is the little Effect the Judgments of God had upon them Now they were under such monstrous stupidity that they were not all awakned nor affected By Tiâ—us Vespasian their land became astage of blood and of all kind of barbarisms and now their so renowned City their Temple and Sanctum Sanctorum so fam'd all the world over was turned into ashes and laid level to the ground Buxtorf Synag Judaica cap. 5. c. 36. with the Judgments of God they regarded them not they laid them not to heart And as stupid and senseless were they when Titus Vespasiâ—n had laid their City desolate by fire and sword and sold thirty of them for one piece of silver as Josephus and other Historians tell us O Sirs since their crucifying of the Lord of Glory they have never laid their finger upon the right sore to this very day they wo'nt acknowledge their sin in crucifying of the Lord of Glory They confess they have sinned more then ever and therefore 't is that God hath more sorely afflicted them then ever but their cruelty to Christ their crucifying of Christ which ushered in the total ruine of their City and Country they cannot be brought to acknowledge to this very day though the Lord hath burnt them up on every hand and hath scattered them as dung all over the earth to this very day A Learned Writer tells us that they call Christ Bar-chozab the Son of a Lye a Bastard and his Gospel Aven Gilaion the Volume of Lyes or the Volume of Iniquity and us Christians Goiiâ—n that is Gentiles Edomites when they salute a Christian they call him Shed that is Devil They hate all Christians but none so much as those that are converted from Judaism to Christianity and all this after so great a burning and desolation that
the Lord has made in the midst of them 'T is true the length of those heavy Judgments under which they groan to this very day hath often puzled the Intellectuals of their Rabbies and hath many times put them to a stand and sometimes to break out into a kind of confession That surely their Judgments could not last so long but for crucifying of one that was more then a man There was one Rabbi Samuel who six hundred years since writ a Tract in form of an Epistle to Rabbi Isaac Master of the Synagogue of the Jews wherein he doth excellently discuss the cause of heir long captivity and extream misery And after that he had proved it was inflicted for some grievous sin he sheweth that sin to be the same which Amos speaks of For three transgressions Amos 2 6. of Israel and for four I will not turn away the punishment thereof because they sold the righteous for silver The selling of Joseph he makes the fiâ—st sin the worshipping of the Calf in Horeb the second sin the abusing and killing of Gods Prophets the third sin and the selling of Jesus Christ the fourth sin For the first they served four hundred years in Egypt for the second they wandred forty years in the wilderness for the third they were Captives seventy years â—n Babylon and for the fourth they are held in pitiful Captivity even till this day 'T is certain that the body of that people are under woful blindness and hardness to this very day And thus much for the opening of the words The 25. verse is the Scripture that I do intend to speak something to as the Lord shall assist Now the Proposition which I only intend to insist upon is this Viz. That God is the Author or Efficient cause of all the great Doct. Calamities and dreadful Judgments that are inflicted upon Cities and Countries and in particular of that of fire Now that God is the Author or Efficient cause of all the great Calamities and dreadful Judgments that are inflicted upon Cities and Countries will evidently appear to every mans understanding that will but take the pains to read over the 26. Chapter of Leviticus and the 28. Chapter of Deuteronomy with that 14. of Ezekiel from vers 13. to vers 22. That God is the Author or Efficient cause of this dreadful Judgment of Fire that is at any time inflicted upon Cities and Countries will sufficiently appear in these following Scriptures Amos 3. 6. Shall a Trumpet be blown in the City and the people not be afraid shall there be evil in the City and the Lord hath not done it This is to be understood of the evil of punishment and not of the evil of sin Amos 4. 11. I have overthrown some of you as God overthrâ—w Sodom and Gomorrah and ye were as a fire-brand pluckt out of the burnings yet have ye not returned unto me saith the Lord. Here I is emphatical and exclusive as if he should say I and I alone Amos 1. 14. But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah that is in the Metropolis or chief City of the Ammonites and it shall devour the Palaces thereof Rabbah their head-City was a cruel bloody covetous and ambitious City vers 13. And therefore rather than it should escape divine vengeance God will kindle a fire in the wall of it and burn it with his own hands Ezek. 20. 47. And say to the forrest of the South that is to Jerusalem that did lye South-wards from Chaldea hear the Word of the Lord. Thus saith the You will find this Scripture fully opened in the following Discourse Lord God Behold I will kindle a fire in thee and it shall devour every green tree in thee and every dry tree the flaming flames shall not be quenched and all fuel from the South to the North shall be burnt therein verse 48. And all flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it it shall not be quenched Men shall see that 't was God that kindled the fire and not man and therefore 't was beyond mans skill or power to quench it or to over-master it Jer. 7. 20. Therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place upon man and upon beast and upon the trees of the field and upon the fruit of the ground and it shall burn and shall not be quenched The Point being thus proved for the further opening of it premise with me these things 1. First That great afflictions dreadful Judgments are likened unto fire in the blessed Scriptures Psal 66. 12. We went through fire and water Jer. 4. 4. Circumcise your selves to the Lord and take away the fore-skins of your heart ye men of Judah and Inhabitants of Jerusalem lest my fury come forth like fire and burn that none can quench it because of the evil of your doings Jer. 21. 12. O house of David thus saith the Lord execute Judgment in the morning and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor lest my fury go out like fire and burn that none can quench it because of the evil of your doings Lam. 2. 3 4. He hath cut off in his anger all the horn of Israel he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy and burned against Jacob like a flaming fire which devoureth round about he hath bent his bow like an enemy he stood with his right hand as an adversary and slew all that was pleasant to the eye in the Tabernacle of the Daughter of Zion he poured out his fury like fire Ezek. 15. 7. And I will set my face against them they shall go out from one fire and another fire shall devour them and ye shall know that I am the Lord when I set my face against them Ezek. 22. 20 21 22. As they gather Silver and Brass and Iron and Lead and Tin into the midst of the furnace to blow the fire upon it to melt it so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury and I will leave you there and melt you yea I will gather you and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you Thus you see that great afflictions great Judgments are likened unto fire But in what respects are great Afflictions great Judgments Quest like unto fire In these seven respects they are like unto fire Answ First Fire is very dreadful and terrible to mens thoughts spirits and apprehensions how dreadful was the fire of Sodom and the fire of London to all that were near it or spectators of it 'T is observable that some are set out in the blessed Scriptures as Monuments of most terrible and dreadful Vengeance whom the Kings of
Babylon roasted in the fire Jer. 29. 21 22. of them 't is said shall be taken up a curse when any imprecated sore vengeance from the Lord upon any one 't is said The Lord make thee like Ahab and Zedekiah whom the Kings of Babylon roasted in the fire 'T is very dreadful and terrible for a man to have the least member of his body frying in the fire but how terrible and dreadful must it be for a mans whole body to be roasted in the fire so are the Judgments of the Lord very terrible and dreadful to the children of men My flesh trembleth for fear of thee and I Psal 119. 120. am afraid of thy Judgments Hab. 3. 16. When I heard my belly trembled my lips quivered at the voice rottenness entred into my bones and I trembled in my self that I might rest in the day of trouble But Secondly Fire is very painful and tormenting in which respects Hell-torments are compared to fire so are great Afflictions and Judgments they are very painful and tormenting Isa 26. 17 18. they put a Land into sore travel next to the pangs of Conscience and the pangs of Hell there are none to those pangs that are bred and fed by terrible Judgments But Thirdly Fire is of a discovering nature it enlightens mens eyes to see those things that they did not see before so do the terrible Judgments of God enlighten mens minds and Rev. 15. 4. Ezek. 21. 3 4 5 6 7. understandings sometimes to know the Lord. Hence 't is that after Judgments threatned God doth so often tell them that they shalâ— know the Lord Sometimes God by his Judgments enlightens mens minds to see such an evil in sin that they never saw before and to see such a vanity mutability imporency and uncertainty in the Creature that they never saw before and to see such a need of free-grace of â—ich mercy and of infinite favour and goodness that they never saw before and to see such Majesty and terribleness Psal 66. 3. 5. in God which they never saw before Job 37. 22. With God is terrible Majesty But Fourthly Fire is probatory and refining and so are the Judgments of God they will try what metal men are made of they will try whether men are sound and sincere or hypocritical Isa 1. 25. Mal. 3. 1 2 3. Acts 26. 28 29. and hollow whether men are real Christians or nominal Christians whether they are throughout Christians or almost Christians whether their graces are true or counterfeit and whether they have much or but a littâ—e grace Isa 31. 9. The Lords fire is in Zion and his furnace in Jerusalem Zacha. 13. 9. And I will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as silver is refined and will try them as gold is tryed 1 Pet. 4. 12. Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery tryal which is to try you Stars shine brightest in the darkest night Torches are the better for beating Grapes come not to the proof till they come to the press Spices smell sweetest when pounded young Trees root the faster for shaking Vines are the better for bleeding Gold looks the brighter for scouring and Juniper smells sweetest in the fire The Application is easie But Fifthly Fire is of a consuming and devouring nature as we have lately found by woful Experience Psal 18. 8. There went out a smoak out of his nostrils and fire out of his Isa 66. 15 16. Psal 21 9. Jer. 17. 4. Ezek. 38. 19 20. nouth devoured Jer. 15. 14. A fire is kindled in my anger which shall burn upon you Ezek. 22. 31. Therefore have I poured out my indignation upon them I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath Natural fire is a great devourer but mystical fire the fire of divine wrath is infinitely a greater devourer men may stand before a natural fire but no man has ever bin able to stand before the devouring fire of divine wrath The anger and wrath of God against wicked men is exceeding hot 't is a burning fiery flaming wrath against which they are never able to stand Isa 27. 4. Who would set the bryars and thorns against me in battel I would go through them I would burn them together Bryars and thorns are as well able to stand before a devouring fire as wicked men are able to stand before the smoaking wrath of that God which is a consuming fire Heb. 12. 29. Sixthly Fire breaks out suddenly and unexpectedly in an hour in a moment when no man thinks of it when no man looks for it as you see by that late dreadful fire that in a few days turn'd a glorious City into a ruinous heap So the Judgments of God they come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the sons of men witness the Judgments of God that came upon the old world Sodom and Gomorrah Nadab and Math. 24. 37 38 39. Gen. 19. Abihu Corah Dathon and Abiram 1 Thes 5. 3. For when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travel upon a woman with child and they shall not escape Security is a certain fore-runner of desolation and destruction The Apostle by the similitude he uses shews that the destruction of the wicked is 1. certain 2. sudden 3. inevitable But Seventhly Fire is impartial it makes no difference between rich and poor high and low honourable and base bond and free male and femaâ—e c. So the Judgments of God are impartial they reach all sorts and ranks of persons But Eighthly and lastly Fire is violent and irresistable we have had as dreadful a proof of this in the late dreadful Conflagration of London as ever any people have had since the Lord Jesus was on earth So are the Judgments of God violent and irresistable witness the raging Pestilence and the bloody Sword that in 1665. and 1666. has sent many score thousands to their long homes And thus you see how that Metaphorically or Typically great and sore Judgments do resemble fire But Secondly Premiâ—e this with me fire is sometimes attributed unto God Heb. 12. 29. Our God is a consuming fire sometimes fire is attributed to Christ Mal. 3. 2. But who ray abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth for he is like a refiners fire and like fullers sope And sometimes fire is attributed to the Holy Ghost Mat. 3. 11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but he that cometh after me is mightier then I whose shoes I am not worthy to bear he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire that is with that fiery Holy Ghost that Spirit of Judgment and of burning wherewith the filth of the Daughter of Zion is washed away Isa 4. 4. But Thirdly Premise this with me the word Fire in Scripture is sometimes used by the Holy Ghost to set forth sin by Isa 9. 18. For wickedness burneth as the fire it
shall devour the bryars and thorns and shall kindle in the thickest of the forrest and they shall moont up like the lifting up of smoak So the burning lust of uncleanness Rom. 1. 27. They burned in lust one towards another So 1 Cor. 7. 9. It s better to marry then to burn And so Sodom was fiâ—st in a flame of burning lusts before it was burnt with fire from Heaven But this is not the fire that is here meant in the Proposition that we are upon But Fourthly Premise this with me fire is sometimes taken for the blessed Angels Psal 104 4. Who maketh his Angels Spirits his Ministers a flamâ—ng fire Hence it is that Heb. 1. 7. the Angels are called Seraphims which signifies burning or flaming ones and they are set forth by this name to note Isa 6. 2. their irresistable power for as there is no withstanding of the furious flames so there is no withstanding of these burning or flaming ones Jerom Musculus and several others are of opinion that the Angel that destroyed of Sennacheribs Host 2 Kings 19. 35. a hundred and fourscore and five thousand in one night that he did it by fire burning their bodies their garments being untoucht But the fire in the Proposition cannot be understood of the blessed Angels for several reasons not here to be alledged But Fifthly Premise this with me fire in Scripture is sometimes taken for Wars The fire of thine enemies that is the Wars that shall be amongst the Nations shall devour them Isa 26. 11 12. Chap. 29. 6 7. Thou shalt be visited of the Lord with a flame of devouring fire but the Nations that fight against the Altar shall be a dream Now fire in this sense is not to be excluded out of the Proposition But Sixthly Premise this with me fire sometimes notes the special presence of God in a way of special love and favour to his people in Exod. 3. 2. you read how the Lord appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a Bush and he looked and behold the bush burned with fire and the bush was not consumed here was a representation of the Churches affliction that was then in Egypt a house of bondage Deut. 4. 20. in the midst of a fiery furnace But now the Lord was in the bush while the bush the dry bush or the Bramble-bush as the Hebrew word signifies was in a flaming fire In Seneh that Deut. 33. 16. you read of the good will of him that dwelt in the bush God was there in a way of merciful protection and preservation they were in the fire but the Lord was with them in the fire in all their fiery tryals God did bear them company But Seventhly Premise this with me in the blessed Scriptures we read of supernal fire of fire that came down from above and that 1. as a sign of Gods anger so fire came down from Heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah Gen. 19. 24. Also fire Numb 16. 35. came down from Heaven on them that offered incense in the conspiracy of Korah And so fire came down from Heaven 2 Kings 1. 10 11 12. 2 Chron. 7. 1. 2 Kings 18. 38. on the two Captains and their Fifties Secondly we read of fire that came down from Heaven as a sign and token of Gods favour And so fire came down from Heaven on the Sacrifice of Solomon and on the Sacrifice of Eliah God in those times did delight to shew his special love and favour to his precious servants by fire from Heaven But in the Proposition we are to understand not supernal but material fire But Eighthly and lastly Premise this with me fire is sometimes taken literally for that material fire that consumes Houses See 2 Chron. 36. 19. 2 Kings 19. 18. Chap. 21. 6. Psal 74. 7. Deut. 13. 16. Towns Cities and the most stately Structures Jer. 21. 10. For I have set my face against this City for evil and not for good saith the Lord it shall be given into the hand of the King of Babylon and he shall burn it with fire 2 Chron. 35. 13. And they roasted the Passover with fire Nehem. 1. 3. And they said unto me the remnant that are left of the Captivity there in the Province are in great affliction and reproach the Wall of Jerusalem also is broken down and the Gates thereof are burnt with fire Chap. 2. 2 3. Wherefore the King said unto me why is thy countenance sad seeing thou art not sick this is nothing but sorrow of heart then I was very sore afraid and said unto the King Let the King live for ever why should not my countenance be sad when the City the place of my fathers sepulchres lyeth waste and the gates thereof are consumed with fire Now this material fire is the fire that is meant in the Proposition O Sirs God is as much the Author or Efficient cause of this Judgment of fire as he is the Author or Efficient cause of Sword Famine and Pestilence This I have in part proved already but shall more abundantly make it good in â—hat which follows But you will say Sir we know very well that God is the Author or Efficient cause of this dreadful Judgment of Fire as well as he is the Author or Efficient cause of any other Judgment that we have either felt or feared But we earnestly desire to know what the ends of God should be in inflicting this sore and heavy Judgment of Fire upon his â—oor people and in turning their glorious City into ashes This we are sure of that whoever kindled the fire God did blow the coal and therefore we shall not now consider what there was of mans treachery concurring with Gods severity in that dreadful Calamâ—â—y by Fire but rather inquire after the grounds reasons or ends that God aims at by that fiery Dispensation that has lately past upon us Now here give me leave to say that so far as the late Fire was a heavy Judgment of God upon the City yea upon the whole Nation the ends of God in-inflicting that Judgment are doubtless such as respect both sinners and Saints the righteous and the wicked the prophane and the holy the good and the bad Now such as respect the wicked and ungodly I take to be these that follow First That he may evidence his Soveraignty and that they may know that there is a God The prophane Atheist saith in his heart there is no God but God by his terrible Judgments Psal 14. 1. Psal 10. 4 5. Psal 50. 21. Eccle. 8. 11. Psal 24. 1. Dan. 6. 25 26 27. Isa 45. 9. Psal 2. 9 10 11 12. Hos 2. 8 9. startles and awakens the Atheist and makes him unsay what he had said in his heart When God appears in flames of fire devouring and destroying all before him then the proudest and the stoutest Atheists in the world will confess that there iâ— a God yea
not say more of a holy Liberty Liberty to serve and worship the Lord according to his own prescriptions and directions laid down in his blessed Word by which all worship and worshippers must be tryed at last is a pearl of price that none can sufficiently value Justinus the second Emperors Motto was Libertas res inaestimabilis Liberty is unvaluable The Lord give his people holy wise prudent sober humble and understanding hearts that they may know both how to prize and how to improve those liberties and mercies that he has handed to them through terrible Dispensations But Secondly God inflicts great Tryals and sore Judgments upon Persons and Places that he may awaken his own people out of that deep security that oftentimes seizeth upon Psal 30. 5 6 7 8 9. Math. 25. 5. 2 Sam. 2. 7. 15. and Chap. 24 15 16 17. 2 Kings 14. 25. Math. 12. 40. Jonah 1. 1 2 3. them What deep security had seized upon David so that God was forced to make use of the bloody Sword and of the sweeping Pestilence to awaken him Jonah was a Prophet he was a Servant of the Lord he was a Type of Christ he was a good man his name Jonah signifies a Dove though he had but little of the Dove in him being as passionate a man of an honest man as you have lightly heard of saith Luther Now Jonah having contracted guilt upon his conscience by acting quite contrary to Gods royal Call what a desperate senseless stupidity and security had seized upon him what a spiritual lethargy was poor Jonah in not much unlike that of the Smith Dog whom neither thâ— hammers above him nor the sparks of fire falling round about him can awake Jonah was not in a slumber but in a sound heavy deep and dead sleep and what a wonder what a prodigie was here that in all this stir and tumult and danger the winds whiâ—â—ling and roaring the Sea working raging swelling frothing foaming and boiling like a pot the waves mounting up to Heaven and sinking down again to Hell as the Psalmist speaks the ship tumbling and tossing like a Tennis-ball the Mariners as stout fellows as they were surprized with fear and running up and down like men at their wits end like men that could not look pale death in the face with blood in their cheeks that yet Jonah should sleep and be as secure in that dreadful danger as if he had been in his own house sleeping on a bed of doune Oh the desperate security that may seize upon the best of Saints but this security God will cure in his Jonas's by some smart Tryal or by some heavy Judgment or other The Lethargy is best cured by a burning Ague Absolon 2 Sam. 14. 30. sends once or twice to Joab to come and speak with him but when he saw that Joab would not come he commands his corn-fields to be set on fire and this awakens him and fetches him with a witness So God by fiery afflictions and by burning up our comforts round about us awakens us and brings us to himself with a witness When Iron grows rusty we put it into the fire to purifie it and so when the people of God grow rusty and secure then the Lord brings them under fiery tryals to awaken them and to purifie them If Nero was so angry with Vespasian because he slept at his Musick how much more may the Lord be angry with all such as sleep and are secure under the most amazing and awakning Judgments But my hope and prayer is that the Lord has and will more and more graciously and effectually awaken all the wise slumbring Virgins upon whom this fiery Dispensation has past And therefore Thirdly In respect of his peoples sins God has several special ends that he aims at by all the fiery Tryals and smart Providences that he exercises them and others with As First God by these means designs a further and a fuller discovery of their sins In standing waters you cannot see the mud that lyes at the bottom of the Pool or Pond but Deut. 8. 2. when once the water is drawn away then it appears In times of prosperity there is a great deal of mud a great deal of Atheism unbelief discontent murmuring impatience passion pride c. that lyes at the bottom of mens hearts undiscovered Oh but when God shall once empty them of their Estates and burn up all their outward comforts and set them with Job upon the dunghil then the mud appears then a whole army of lusts discover themselves as we see in many this day whom you shall rarely find without tears in their eyes sighs in their hearts and complaints in their mouths Severe Providences are pills made purposely to clear the eye-sight 1 Kings 17. 18. And she said unto Elijah What have I to do with thee O thou man of God art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance and to slay my son If God had not taken away her son her sin had not been brought to remembrance O Sirs if God by this late dreadful Fire had not taken away your houses your goods your estates your trades many of your sins had not been brought to your remembrance though now you have lost most or all You may say with the Psalmist My Psal 51. 3. Turn to the Scriptures Gen. 42. 21. Jon. 4. 8 9. Jer. 9. 7. ult sins are ever before me my pride is ever before me my unbelief is ever before me my frowardness is ever before me my murmuring is ever before me my discontent is ever before me and my impatience is ever before me c. Good men never come to know how bad they are till they come to be exercised with severe Providences and smart Tryals It was the speech of a Holy man in a great sickness In thiâ— disease I have learned how great God is and what the evil of sin is I never knew to purpose what God was before nor what sin was before Afflictions are a Christians Glass in which they may run and read the greatness of God and the vileness of sin But Secondly By severe Providences and fiery Tryals God designs the preventing of sin Paul was one of the holiest men on earth called by some an earthly Angel and yet he needed a thorn in the flesh to prevent pride 2 Cor. 12. 7. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations there was given to me a thorn in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet me lest I should be exalted above measure Paul was in very great danger of being exalted above measure witness the doubling of those words in one verse Lest I should be exalted Lest I should be exalted Prudent Physicians sometimes give Physick to prevent diseases and so does the Physician of Souls as you may see by comparing the Scriptures in the Margine together The Job 33. 19-17 Chap. 34. 31 32. Job 40. 4
will send a fire on the Wall of Tyrus which shall devour the Palaces thereof So he doth to Edom verse 12. But I will send a fire upon Teman which shall devour the Palaces of Bozrah So he doth to Ammon verse 14. But I will kindle a fire in the Wall of Rabbah and it shall devour the Palaces thereof with shouting in the day of battel with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind So he doth to Moab Chap. 2. vers 2. But I will send a fire upon Moab and it shall devour the Palaces of Kirioth and Moab shall dye with tumult with shouting and with the sound of a trumpet So he doth to Judah vers 5. But I will send a fire upon Judah and it shall devour the Palaces of Jerusalem By all these remarkable Instances t is evident that God by his fiery Dispensations tells all the world that the sins of that people are great and many upon whom the dreadful Judgment of Fire is inflicted in its fury and therefore 't is high folly and madness in many men that makes them impute this heavy Judgment of Fire to any thing rather then to their sins O Sirs 't is sin that burns up our habitations and that turns flames of love into a consuming fire And this the Parliament in their Act for the Rebuilding of the City of London well observes the Clause of the Act is this And that the said Citizens and their Successors for all the time to come may retain the Memorial of so sad a desolation and reflect seriously upon their manifold iniquities which are the unhappy causes of such Judgments Be it further Enacted That the Second of September unless the same happen to be Sunday and if so then the next day following be yearly for ever hereafter observed as a day of publick Fasting and Humiliation within the said City and Liberties thereof to implore the mercies of Almighty God upon the said City to make devout Prayers and Supplications unto him to divert the like Calamity for the time to come So Sir Edward Turnor Knight in his Speech to the King upon the Prorogation of the Parliament We must saith he for ever with humility acknowledge the Justice of God in punishing this whole Nation by the late dreadful Conflagration of London We know they were not the greatest sinners on whom the Tower of Siloam fell Luke 13. 4. and doubtless all our sins did contribute to the filling up that measure which being full drew down the wrath of God upon that City So much the King in his Proclamation for a General Fast on the Tenth of October observes The Words of the Proclamation are these His Majesty therefore of out a deep and pious sense of what Himself and all His People now suffer and with a Religious care to prevent what may yet be feared unless it shall please Almighty God to turn away his anger from us doth hereby Publish and Declare His Royal Will and Pleasure That Wednesday being the Tenth of October next ensuing shall be set apart and kept and observed by all His Majesties Subjects of England and Wales and the Town of Berwick upon Tweed as a day of solemn Fasting and Humiliation to implore the mercies of God that it would please him to pardon the crying sins of this Nation those especially which have drawn down this last and heavy Judgment upon us and to remove from us all other his Judgments which our sins have deserved and which we now either feel or fear Thus you see that not only the blessed Scriptures but also King and Parliament do roundly conclude that 't was for our sins our manifold iniquities our crying sins that God has sent this heavy Judgment upon us His Majesty also well observes that there are some special crying sins that bring down the fiery Judgment upon us Now this Royal Hint leads me by the hand to say Secondly That though sin in the general lays people under the fiery Dispensations of God yet if we will but diligently search into the blessed Book of God which never spoke Treason nor Sedition we shall find that there are several sins that brings the heavy Judgment of Fire upon Cities and Countries As First Gross Atheism practical Atheism is a sin that brings desolating and destroying Judgments upon a people Zeph. 1. 12. And it shall come to pass at that time that I will Atheism denieth God in either 1. in opinion saying there is no God or 2. in affection wishing there were no God or 3. in conversation living as if there were no God Rev. 22. 12. search Jerusalem with candles and punish the men that are setled upon their lees that say in their heart the Lord will not do good neither will he do evil What horrid Blasphemy what gross Atheism is here How do these Atheists ungod the great God How do they deny his Omnipotency and Omnisciency What a God of Clouts what an Idol-god do they make the great God to be when they make him to be such a God as will neither do good nor hurt Epicurius denied not Gods Essence but only his Providence for he granted that there was a God though he thought him to be such an one as did neither good nor evil but certainly God sits not idle in Heaven but has a sharp and serious Eye upon all that is done on the Earth and this both Saints and sinners shall find by experience when in the great day he shall distribute both his rewards and punishments according to what they have done in the flesh Atheism is the main disease of the Soul not only pestilent to the person in whom it is harboured but also to the whole Land where 't is practised and permiâ—ted Atheism is worse then Idolatry for Idolatry only robs God of his Worship but Atheism robs God both of his Attributes and Being and therefore mark what follows verse 13. Therefore their God shall become a booty and their houses a dâ—solation they shall also build houses but not inhabit them and they shall plant vineyard but not drink the wine thereof So Ezek. 20. 47 48 49. And say to the forest of the South Hear the Word of the Lord thus saith the Lord God Behold I will kindle a fire in thee and it shall devour every green tree in thee and every dry tree the flâ—ming flâ—me shall not be quenched and all faces from the South to the North shall be burnt therein And all flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it it shall not be quenched Then said â— Ah Lord God they say of me doth he not speak parables Here was a pack of Atheists that did mock and scoff at the Prophet and his Parables they told him that he taâ—kt like a mad man and that he spoke of such things that neither himself nor others understood for he talkt of the South and of the forest of the South and of fire and of flaming fire and of
declares made by the Heathen the reproach of Christ himself Quomodo bonus magister cujus tam pravos videmus discipulos How can we think the Master to be good whose Disciâ—les we see to be so bad Epiphanius saith that in his days many shuâ—'d the society of the Christians because of the loosness and luxuriousness of their lives And Augustin confesseth that August de moribus Ecclesiae cap. 34. in his time the loose and luxurious lives of many who profest the Christian Religion gave a great advantage to the Manichees to reproach the whole Church of God and the ways of God The Manichees were a sort of people who affirmed that there were two principles or beginnings of things viz. a summum bonum and a summum malum A summum bonum from whence sprang all good and a summum malum from whence issued forth all evil Now the loose and luxurious lives of such as had a profession upon them hardned these in their errours and caused them with open mouth greatly to reproach and deeply to censure the sincerest Saints And Chrysostom preferred brute beasts before luxurious persons for they go from belly to labour when the luxurious person goes from belly to bed or from belly to Cards or Dice if not to something that is worse And Augustine well observes that God hath not given to man talons and claws to rent and tear in pieces as to Bears and Leopards nor horns to push as to Bulls and Unicorns nor a sting to prick as to Wasps and Bees and Serpents nor a bill to strike as to Eagles and Ostriches nor a wide mouth to devour as to Dogs and Lyons but a little mouth to shew that man should be very temperate both in his eating and drinking How applicable these things are to the luxurious persons that lived within and without the Walls of London before it was turned into ashes I shall leave the wise in heart to judge But Thirdly Those great and horrid sins that were to be found in maâ—y mens Callingâ— viz. excessive worldliness Prov. 28. 20. 22. See Josh 7. 15. 21. 24. 25. extortion deceit bribery c. these brought the sore Judgment of Fire upon us When men are so greedy and mad upon the world that they make haste to be rich by all sinful devices and cursed practices no wonder if God burns up their substance and turns their persons out of house and home The coal the Eagle got from the Altar the Sacrifice and carried it to her nest set all on fire So that Estate that men get by sinful ways and unwarrantable courses first or last will set all they have on fire He that resolves to be evil may soon be rich when the spring of conscience is screwed up to the highest pin that it is ready to crack when Religion is lock'd up in an out-room and forbidden upon pain of death to look into the Shop or Ware-house no wonder such men thrive and grow great in the world but all the riches such men store up is but fuel for the fire Hab. 2 9. Wo to him that coveteth an evil covetousnâ—ss to his house that he He saith Chrysostom that locks up ill-gotten riches in his counting-house locks up a Thief in his countenance which will carry all away and if he look not the betteâ— to it his precious Soul also may set his nest on high that hâ— may be delivered from the power of evil Verse 11. For the stone shall cry out of the wall the beam out of the timber shall answer it Verse 13. Behold is it not of the Lord of Hâ—sts that the people shall labour in the very fire and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity They had got great Estates by an evil covetousness and God was resolved that he would make a bon-fire of all their ill gotten goods and though they should venture their lives to save â—heir goods and quench the flames yet all should be but labour in vain according to that word Jer. 51. 58. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts the broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken and her high gates shall be burnt with fire and the people shall labour in vain and the folk in the fire and they shall be weary Though Babylon was a City of great same and state and riches and deservedly accounted one of the worlds nine wonders though the compass of the Walls was 365 furlongs or 46 miles according to the number of the days in the year and the heighth 50 cubits and of so great a bredth that Carts and Carriages might meet on the top of them yea though it was so great and vast a City that Aristotle saith that it ought rather to be called a Country then a City adding withal that when the City was taken it was three days before the furthest part of the City could take notice of it Yet at last according to the Word of the Lord it was set on fire and though the Inhabitants did weary and tire out themselves to quench the flames and to save their stately houses and ill-gotten riches yet all was labour in vain and to no purpose In the days of Pliny it was an utter desolation and in the time of Hierom it was turned into a Park in which the King of Persia did use to hunt So Ezek. 28. 18. Thou hast defiled thy Sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities by the iniquity of thy traffick therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee it shall devour thee and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee Verse 19. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee thou shalt be a terrour and never shalt thou be any more Tyruâ— among the Sea-bordering Cities was most famous and renowned for Merchandise and Trade for thither resorted the Merchants of all Countries for Traffick of Palestina Syria Egypt Persia and Assyria They of Tarshis brought thither Iron Lead Brass and Silver The Syrians brought thither Carbuncles Purple broidered Work fine Linnen Coral and Pearl The Jews brought thither their Honey Oyl Treacle Cassia and Calamuâ— The Arabians brought thither Lambs Muttons and Goats The Sabeans brought thither their exquisite Spices and Apothecary-stuff with Gold and precious Stones Now by fraud and deceit they grew exceeding rich and wealthy which in the close issued in their total ruine according to that of the Prophet Zacha. 9. 3 4. And Tyrus did build her self a strong hold and heaped up silver as the dust and fine gold as the mire of the streets Behold the Lord will cast her out and he will smite her power in the sea and she shall be devoured with fire The Tyriâ—ns did hold themselves invincible because of their siâ—uation being round about environed by the Sea but yet the Prophet tells them that though they were compassed about with deep waters yet they should be destroyed by
will not speak the truth they have taught their tongue to speak lyes and weary themselves to commit iniquity Verse 9. Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this Verse 10. For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation because they are burnt up so that none can pass through them neither can men hear the voice of the cattel both the fowl of the heavens and the beasts are fled they are gone Verse 11. And I will make Jerusalem heaps as London is this day and a den of dragons and I will make the cities of Judah desolate without an inhabitant Verse 12. Who is the wise man that may understand this and who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken that he may declare it for what the land perisheth and is burnt up like a wilderness that none passeth through The Jews had so inured and accustomed Jer. 13. 23. their tongues to speak lyes they had got such a haunt a habit and custom of lying that they could not leave it And â—his was the procuring cause of that dreadful and utter devastation that befel their City and Country Hes 4. 1 2 3. Hear the Word of the Lord ye children of Israel for the Lord hath a controversie with the inhabitants of the land because there is no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the land By swearing and lying and killing and stealing and committing adultery they break out and blood touchâ—th blood Therefore shall the land mourn and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven yea the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away This people made it their common practice to lye they were given up to a course a trade of lying which God here threatens to punish with an extream and universal desolation A lye is a voluntary and wilful telling of an untruth with a purpose to deceive so that three things are required to the nature of a lye 1. There must be an untruth and falseness in the thing 2. This untruth must be known to be so he must be conscious to himself that it is false 3. He must have an intent and purpose to utter this falshood with a desire or design to deceive another by it Augustine makes eight sorts of Lyes but the School-men reduce all to three 1. Is jocosum the sporting Lye 2. Is officiosum the helpful Lye 3. Is perniciosum the pernicious and hurtful Lye First There is mendacium joâ—osum the sporting Lye and this is when men will lye and tell untruths to make men sport to make men merry Of this sin the Prophet Hosea complains Chap. 7. 3. They make the King glad with their wickedness and the Princes with their lyes Courtiers frame It is a received opinion in these days that Qui nescit dissimulare nescit vivere fictions and tell ridiculous stories to delight Princes Among many Courtiers loud lyes are esteemed ornaments and elegancies of speech and none are accounted sosweet and pleasant in their discourse as those that can tell the most pleasing lyes but such Mirth-mongers and Mirth-makers may do well to remember that such kind of mirth will bring bitterness in the end If for every idle word that men shall speak Math. 12. 36. Phil. 5. 4. they must give an account in the day of Judgment then surely much more for every lying word And if foolish talking and jesting be condemned then surely lying talking and jesting shall be much more condemned if not here yet in the great day when all lying Jesters shall hold up their hands at Christs Bar. Now were there none within nor without the Walls of London that were guilty of merry lyes of sporting lyes But Secondly There is mendacium officiosum the officious lye the helpful lye and that is when a man lyes to help himself or others at a pinch at a dead lift When men lye either Exod. 1. 15. to the 20. Josh 2. 1. to vers 9. 1 Kings 13. 14. to 27. to prevent some danger they fear or else to bring about some good they desire then they tell an officious lye Thus the Egyptian Midwives lyed and thus Rahab lyed and thus the old Prophet lyed who contrary to the command of God perswaded the man of God to go back and eat bread with him under the pretence of a divine Revelation And thus Gen. 27. 19. Jacob told his father an officious threefold lye but he hardly ever had a merry day a good day after it for God followed him with variety of troubles and his sorrows like Jobs Messengers came posting in one after another even to his dying day that both himself and others might see what bitterness is wrapt up in officious lyes Solon reproving Thespis the Poet for lying Thespis answered him that it was not material seeing it was but in sport then Salon beating the ground with his staff said If we commend lying in sport we shall find it afterwards in good earnest In all our bargains and dealings let us make it our wisdom and our work to remember That we must not do evil that good may come yea we Rom. 3. 8. must not tell a lye to save all the Souls under Heaven The Prisciallanists in Spain a most pestilentious Sect taught in Augustines time That it was lawful to lye for the helping of a good cause and for the propagating of the Gospel and for the advantage of Religion But Augustine consuted them and stoutly asserts in two Books That we are not to tell an officious lye to tell a lye for no hurt but for good though it were to save all the world Will ye speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him saith Job to his Job 13. 7. friends A man may as well commit fornication with the Moabites to draw them to our Religion or steal from the rich to give to the poor as lye to do another man a good turn Nepos reporteth of Epaminondas a noble man of Thebes and a famous Warriour that he would never lye in jest nor in earnest either for his own or anothers gain This refined Heathen will one day rise in Judgment against such kind of Christians who take a great pleasure in officious lyes Now were there none within nor without the Walls of London that delighted themselves in officious lyes But Thirdly and to come closer to our work There is mendacium perniciosum the pernicious and hurtful Lye and Gen. 39. 13. to the 20. 2 Kings 5. 22 23. this of all lyes is the worst When men will lye out of a design to hurt to cheat to defraud or to make a prey of those they deal with this is the forest of all lyes Now how rampant was this sort of Lying among all sorts of Citizens before London
himself both in the Old and New Testament And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed the Lord the Lord God merciful and Exod. 34. 6. gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth So Moses in his Song He is a God of truth and without iniquity Deut. 32. 4. Isa 65. 16. just and right is he So Esay He who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth So the Psal 31. 5. Psal 86. 15. Psalmist Thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth Again Thou O Lord art plenteous in mercy and truth So in the New Testament Let God be true and every man a lyar Again They themselves shew how ye turned to God from Idols to serve the living and true God Though God can make a Rom. 3. 4. Gen. 1. Chap. 6. world with a word of his mouth and mar a world with a word of his mouth yet he can neither dye nor lye Titus 1. 2. In hope of eternal life which God that cannot lye promised before the world began yea it is impossible for God to lye Heb. 6. 18. That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lye Now by all these plain pregnant Texts 't is most evident that lying is most opposite and contrary to the very Nature Essence and Being of God and therefore no wonder if the anger and wrath of God rises high against it But Secondly Consider this that pernicious Lyes and Lyars are very destructive to all humane Societies Kingdoms and Common-wealths Lying destroys all Society all Commerce and Converse among the Sons of men Man as the Philosopher observeth is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sociable Creature Speech is the means whereby men have society and commerce one with another Now lying perverts that order which the God of truth hath appointed to be among the Sons of men 'T is the will and pleasure of God that the Sons of men conversing together should by their words and speeches and discourses impart and communicate their minds designs intentions and meanings one to another for the mutual good of one another and for the profit and benefit of the whole Now if there be nothing in mens words but lying deceit and fraud instead of truth what can follow but confusion and desolation When the language of men was confounded so that one could not tell what another spake then presently followed the dissolution of their combination for the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the Earth and they left off to build the City when Gen. 11. 7 8. one asked brick saith a Rabbin another brought clay and R. Sal. The Hebrew Doctors say that at this dispersion there were seventy Nations with seventy sundry languages Gen. 49. 6. Psal 120. 2. Jer. 9. 1. to the 6. then they fell together by the ears and one dashed out the others brains and by thls means their communion was dissolved and God brought on them the evil which they sought to prevent vers 4. But surely a lying tongue is a far worse enemy to Society then an unknown tongue and much better it is for a man to have no society at all then with such as he cannot believe what they say or if he do he shall be sure to be deceived by them Concerning such we may well take up the words of Jacob O my soul come not thou into their secret unto their assembly mine honour be not thou united And pray with David Deliver my soul O Lord from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue Jeremiah did so loath and abominate the society of Lyars that he had rather live in a Wilderness then live among them or have any thing to do with them Lyars destroy that Communion and Society that by the Law of God Nature and Nations they ought to preserve and maintain Lying dissolves that mutual trust that we should have with one another for hereby all Contracts Covenants and Intercourse of dealings between man Mendax hoc lucratur ut cum vera dixerit ei non credatur and man which is as it were the life of the Kingdom or Common-wealth are quite overthrown When men make no conscience of lying nor of keeping their word any further then either fear of loss or force of Law compelleth them all Civil communion is at an end There can be no trust where there is no truth nor no Commerce with those that cannot be trusted The Scythians had a Law that if any man did duo peccata contorquere bind two sins together a lye and an oath he was to lose his head because this was the way to take away all faith and truth among men Had this Law been put in execution in London I have reason enough to fear that many Ciâ—izens would have lost their heads long before they had lost their houses by the lâ—te dreadful Fire Now seeing that pernicious lying a course a trade of lying is so destructive to humane Society why should we wonder to see the Lord appear in flaming fire against it But Thirdly Consider that lying is a sin that is most odiouâ— and hateful to God yea a sin that makes men odious and hateful to him Lying is repugnant unto God for God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that cannot lye He is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the God of Titus 1. 2. Isa 65. 16. truth and therefore lying cannot but be odious to him God is said not only to forbid a lye but to hate a lye A lye 't is an abâ—mination Now we abominate that which is contrary to our natures Amongst those things that are an abomination to the Lord a lying tongue is reckoned Prov. 6. 16 17. These six things doth the Lord hate yea seven are an abomination to him A proud look a lying tongue or as the Hebrew runs a tongue of lying that is a tongue that hath learned the trade and can do it artificially a tongue that is accustomed to lying a tongue that is delighted in lying So Verse 19. A false witness that speaketh lyes and him that soweth discord among brethren Among these seven things abominated by God lying is twice repeated to note how great an abomination lying is in the eye and account of God Prov. 12. 22. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord not only offensive or odious but abominable Lyars pervert the end for which God created speech which was to give light to the notions of the mind and therefore the Lord loaths them and plagues them in this life with great severity as you may see in those sad instances of Gehazi whose lye was punished 2 Kings 5. 20. to the end Acts 5. 5. to the 11. Esth 3. 8 9 10 11. with a perpetual leprosie upon himself and his posterity and of Ananias and Sapphira who for their lying were punished with present and
sabbaths to be a sign between me and them that they may know that I am the Lord that sanctifie them The singular blessings that the right sanctifying of the Sabbath will bring upon us are 1. Spiritual they that conscientiously sanctifie the Sabbath they shall see and know the work of God the work of Grace upon their own Souls There are many precious Christians that have a work of God a work of Grace upon their own Souls who would give ten thousand worlds were there so many in their hands to give to see that work to know that work Oh but now they that sanctifie the Sabbath they shall both see and know the work of God upon their own Souls And they shall find â—he Lord carrying on the work of Grace and Holiness in their Souls they shall find the Lord destroying their sins and filling their hearts with joy and with a blessed assurance of his favour and love Isa 56. 6 7. Also the sons of the stranger that joyn themselves to the Lord to serve him and to love the Name of the Lord to be his servants Every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it and taketh hold on my Covenant Even them will I bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon my Altar for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people So Isa 58. 13 14. If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my holy day and call the sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not doing thine own ways nor finding thine own pleasure nor speaking thine own words then shalt thou delight thy self in the Lord. Now in the second place the other blessings that the right sanctifying of the Sabbath will invest us with are temporal blessings for so they follow in the Scripture last cited And I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth here is honour and esteem and safety and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father Now the Land of Canaan was the Inheritance Gen. 28. 13. And Chap. 48. 4. which God promised to Jacob. Hereby is noted that comfortable provision that God would make for them that sanctified his Sabbaths Such as make the Sabbath their delight they shall never want protection nor provision God will be a Wall of fire about them and a Canaan to them But Fifthly Consider that our Lord Jesus who is the Lord of the Sabbath and whom the Law it self commands us to Math. 12. 8. Deut. 18. 18 19. hear did alter it from the seventh day to the first day of the week which we now keep For the holy Evangelists note that our Lord came into the midst of the Assembly on the two first days of the two weeks immediately following his Resurrection and then blessed the Church breathing on them the Holy Ghost Joh. 20. 19-26 Then the same day at evening being the first day of the week when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews came Jesus and stood in the midst and saith unto them Peace be unto you And after eight days again his disciples were within and Thomas with them then came Jesus the doors being shut and stood in the midst and said Peace â—e unto you Look as Christ was forty days instructing Moses in Sinai what he should teach and how he should govern the Church under the Law so he continued forty days teaching his Disciples what they shoult preach and how they should govern the Church under the Gospel Acts 1. 2 3. Vntil the day in which he was taken up after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the Apostles whom he had chosen To whom also he shewed himself alive after his Passion by many infallible proofs being seen of them forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God And it is not to be doubted but that within those forty days he likewise ordained on what day they should likewise keep the Sabbath and 't is observable that on this first day of the week he sent down from Heaven the Holy Ghost upon his Apostles Acts 2. 1-4 And when the day of the Pentecost was fully come they were all with one accord in one place And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance So that on that day they first began and ever after continued the publick exercise of their Ministry Christ who was Lord of the Sabbath Mark 2. 28. had a soveraign right to change and alter it to what day he pleased But Sixthly Consider that according to the Lords mind and Commandment and the direction of the Holy Ghost the Apostles in all the Christian Churches ordained that they should keep the holy Sabbath upon the first day of the week 1 Cor. 16. 1 2. Now concerning the collection for the Saints as I have given order to the Churches â—â— Galatia Even so do ye upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him that there be no gathering when I come In which words you may observe these five things First That the Apostles ordained this day to be kept holy therefore 't is of a Divine institution Secondly That the day is named the first day of the week therefore not the Jewish seventh or any other Thirdly Every first day of the week which sheweth its perpetuity Fourthly That it was ordained in the Churches of Galatia as well as of Corinth and he setled one uniform in all the Churches of the Saints therefore it was universal 1 Cor. 14. 33. For God is not the Author of confusion but of peace as in all Churches of the Saints Fifthly That there should be collections for the poor on that day after the other Ordinances were ended Now why should the Apostles require collections to be made on the first day of the week but because on that day of the week the Saints assembled themselves together in the Apostles time And in the same Epistle he protesteth that he delivered them no other Ordinance or Doctrine but what he had received from the Lord 1 Cor. 11. 23. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread 1 Cor. 14. 37. If any man think himself to be a Prophet or spiritual let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the Commandments of the Lord. Now mark he wrote to them and ordained among them to keep their Sabbath on the first day of the week therefore to keep the Sabbath on that day is the very Commandment of the Lord. But Seventhly Consider the Apostles on that day ordinarily dispensed the holy Ordinances
Joh. 20. 19-26 Acts 20 7. And upon the first day of the week when the disciples came together to break bread Paul preached unto them ready to depart on the morrow and continued his speech until midnight 1 Cor. 16. 1 2. 1 Cor. 11. 23. But Eighthly Consider such things as are named the Lords in Scripture are ever of the Lords institution As the Word of the Lord 1 Tim. 6. 3. The Cup of the Lord 1 Cor. 11. 27. The Supper of the Lord 1 Cor. 11. 20. And so the Lords Day Rev. 1. 10. I was in the Spirit on the Lords day Now why does John call it the Lords day but because it was a day known to be generally kept holy to the honour of the Lord Jesus who rose from death to life upon that day throughout all the Churches which the Apostles had planted which St. John calls the Lords day that he might the better stir up Christians to a thankful remembrance of their Redemption by Christs Resurrection from the dead But Ninthly Consider that a right sanctifying of the Sabbath is one of the best signs in the Bible that God is our God and that his sanctifying work is past in power upon us Ezek. 20. When the primitive Christians had this question put to them Servasti Dominicum Hast thou kept the Lords day answered Christianus sum omittere non possum I am a Christian I cannot but keep it 20. And hallow my sabbaths and they shall be a sign between me and you that ye may know that I am the Lord your God So Exod. 31. 13. Speak thou also unto the Children of Israel saying Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctifie you Look as Circumcision and the Passeover were signs that the Jews were in Covenanâ— with God so likewise was the Sabbath Ezek. 31. 13. and because it was a sign of the Covenant between God and them Vers 16. Wherefore the Children of Israel shall keep the sabbath to observe the sabbath throughout their generations for a perpetual Covenant God tells them that they must observe it for a perpetual Covenant and hence it was that when they violated the Sabbath God accounted it the violation of the Covenant between him and them The sanctifying of the Sabbath in the primitive times was the main Character by which sincere Christians were differenced from others they judged of mens sanctity by their sanctifying of the Sabbath And indeed as there cannot be a greater argument or evidence of a prophane heart then the prophaning the Sabbath so there cannot be a greater argument or evidence of a gracious heart then a right sanctifying of the Sabbath But Tenthly Consider a right sanctifying of the Sabbath will 10. be a most sure and certain pledge pawn and earnest of our keeping of an everlasting Sabbath with God in Heaven Heb. 4. 9. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God Gr. a sabbatism an eternal rest a sabbath that hath no evening Now mark if this Sabbath be a sign and pledge of Heaven then we must keep it till we come there For if we lose the pledge of a benefit we lose the evidence of that benefit whereof it is a pledge A man that is in the Spirit on the Lords day Rev. 1. 10. he is in Heaven on the Lords day there cannot be a more lively resemblance of Heaven on this side Heaven then the sanctifying of the Sabbath in a heavenly manner What is Heaven but an eternal Sabbath And what is a temporal Sabbath but a short Heaven a little Heaven on this side Heaven Our delighting to sanctifiâ— Gods Sabbath on Earth gives full assurance to our faith grounded upon Gods infallible promise that we shall enter into Gods eternal Rest in Heaven for so runs the promise Isa 58. ult Then shalt thou delight thy self in the Lord and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it The former part of the verse relates to earthly blessings but these words I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father that is with a heavenly inheritance for what is the heritage of Jacob but Canaan in the Type and Heaven it self in the Antitype But should I thus sanctifie the Sabbath should I be sure of going to Heaven yes for so it roundly follows in the next words The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it But Eleventhly Consider that of all days God hath put the highest honour upon his Sabbaths by appointing his precious Ordinances in a special manner to be used on those days The Sabbath is a gold Ring and the Ordinances are as so many costly sparkling Diamonds in that Ring All the works of the new Creation are commonly wrought on this day this is the joyful day wherein ordinarily God gives spiritual sight to the blind and spiritual ears to the deaf and spiritual tongues to the dumb and spiritual feet to the lame That Exod. 12. 42. is here applicable It is a night to be much observed to the Lord for bringing them out from the Land of Egypt this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the Children of Israel in their generation Those that are new-born are commonly new-born on this day and therefore 't is a day to be much observed to the Lord. Those that are converted are ordinarily converted on this day and therefore 't is that day of the Lord that ought to be observed by all the converted Israel of God Those that are edified are commonly most edified on this day O the sweet communion O the choice converse O the singular discoveries O the blessed manifestations O the excellent enjoyments that Christ vouchsafes to his people on this day O the discoveries of Grace O the exercise of Grace O the increase of Grace the progress in Grace O the comforts of Grace that God vouchsafes to his Chosen on this day Experience shews that the right sanctifying of the Sabbath is a powerful means under Christ to sanctifie us and to increase our faith and raise our hope and inflame our love and to kindle our zeal and to enlarge our desires and to melt our hearts and to weaken our sins But Twelfthly and lastly Consider this that a right sanctifying of the Sabbath will cross Satans grand design it will spoil his plot his master-piece Satan is a deadly enemy to the right sanctifying of the Sabbath witness the many temptations that many Christians are more troubled with on this day then they are on any other day in the whole week and witness the many vain wandring and distracting thoughts that many precious Christians are more afflicted with on this day then they are on all the days of the week beside and witness that high and hot opposition
they betrayed their trust they betrayed the lives of men into the hand of divine Justice and the Souls of men into the hands of Satan they polluted the Sanctuary they polluted the Holy things of God by managing of his Worship and Service in a prophane carnal way and with a light slight perfidious spirit and by perverting the true sense of the Law in their ordinary teaching of the people They did violence to the Law or they contemned removed or cast away the Law as the Oriâ—inal runâ— the Hebrew word here used signifies also to ravish Their Prophets and Psal 50. 17. Priests did ravish the Law of God by corrupting the Law and by putting false glosses upon it and by turnâ—ng of it intâ— such shapes and senses as would best suit the times and please the humours of the people Now for these abominations of their Prophets and Priests God denounces a dreadful Wo against the City of Jerusalem in vers 1. Wo to her that is filthy and polluted to the oppressing city Lam. 4. 11-13 The Lord hath accomplished his fury he hath poured out his fierce â—nger and hath kindled a fire in Zion and it hath devoured â—he foundation thereof For the sins of her Prophets and the iniquity of her Priests that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her God sent a consuming flame into Jerusalem which did not only burn the tops of their houses but also the foundations themselves leaving no mark whereby they might know where their houses stood nor any hopes of building them up again But why did God kindle such a devouring fire in Jerusalem which was one of the World wonders and a City that was not only strong in situation and building and deemed impregnable but a City that was Gods own Seat the Palace of his Royal residence yea a City that the Lord had for many years to the admiration of all the world powâ—rfully and wonderfully protected against all those furious â—ssaults that were made upon her by her most potent and mighty Adversaries Answ For the sins of her Prophets â—nd the iniquities of her Priests as God himself testifies who can neither dye nor lye You may see this further confirmed if you please but seriously to ponder upon these Scriptures Mich. 2. 11. Isa 30. 10 11. Jer. 5. ult Hos 4. 9. Isa 9. 16. Lam. 2 14. Ezek. 3. 18. Ezek. 22. 25 26. 31. Jer. 23. 11. 14 15. 39 40. Look as the body Natural so the body Politick cannot be long in a good constitution whose more noble and essential parts are in a consumption The enormities of Ministers have the strongest influence upon the souls and lives of men to make them miserable in both worlds Their falls will be the fall and ruine of many for people are more prone to live by Examples then by Precepts and to mind more what the Minister does then what he says Praecépta docent exempla movent Precepts may instruct but Examples do perswade The Complaint is ancient in Seneca That commonly men Seneca de vita beata cap. 1. live not ad rationem but ad similitudinem The people commonly make the Examples of their Ministers the Rules of their Actions and their Examples pass as current among them as their Princes Coyn. The Common-people are like tempered Wax easily receiving impressions from the Seals of their Ministers vices They make no bones of it to sin by prescription and to damn themselves by following the lewd Examples of their Ministers The Vulgar unadvisedly take up crimes on trust and perish by following of bad Examples I will leave the serious Reader to make such Application as in prudence and conscience he judges meet But Eleventhly Sometimes the sins of Princes and Rulers bring the fiery Dispensations of God upon Persons and Places Jer. It is a strange saying in Lipsius viz. That the names of all good Princes may easily be engraven or written in a small Ring Lips de Constantia lib. 2. cap. 25. 38. 17 18 23. Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah Thus saith the Lord the God of Hosts the God of Israel if thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the King of Babylons Princes then thy soul shall live and this city shall not be burnt with fire and thou shalt live and thine house But if thou wilt not go forth to the King of Babylons Princes then shall this city be given into the hands of the Chaldeans and they shall burn it with fire and thou shalt not escape out of their hand but shalt be taken by the hand of the King of Babylon and thou shalt cause this city to be burnt with fire Oâ— as the Hebrew runs Thou shalt burn this city with fire that is thou by thy obstinacy wilt be the means to procure the burning of this City which by a rendition of thy self thou mightest have saved So Jer. 34. 2. 8 9 10 11. compared with Chap. 37. 5. to vers 22. Judges and Magistrates are the Physitians of the State saith B. Lake in his Sermon on Ezra and sins are the diseases of it what skills it whether a Gangrene begins at the head or the heel seeing both ways it will kill except this be the difference that the head being nearer the heart a Gangrene in the head will kill sooner then that which is in the heel Even so will the sins of great Ones overthrow a State sooner then those of the meanest sort 2 Sam. 24. 9. to vers 18. But Twelfthly The abusing mocking and despising of the Messengers of the Lord is a sin that brings the fiery Dispensation Turn to these two pregnant Texts and ponder seriously upon them for they speak close in the case upon a People 2 Chron. 36. 15 16 17 18 19 Math. 23. 34. 37 38. Behold your house is left unto you desolate Here is used the present for the future to note the certainty of the desolation of their City and Temple and their own utter ruines and about forty years after the Romans came and burnt their City and Temple and laid all waste before them They had turned the Prophets of the Lord out of all and therefore the Lord resolves to turn them out of all O Sirs will you please seriously to consider these six things First that all faithful painful conscientious Ministers or Messengers of the Lord are great Instruments in the hand of the Lord for stopping or steming the tide of all prophaneness and wickedness in a Land which bring all desolating Isa 58. 1. and destroying Judgments upon Cities and Countries 2. For converting Souls to God for turning poor sinners from Acts 26. 15 16 17 18. Dan. 12. 3. darkness to light and from the power of Satan to Jesus Christ 3. For promoting of Religion Holiness and Godliness in mens hearts houses and lives which is the only way under Heaven to render Cities Countries and Kingdoms safe happy and prosperous 4. For the weakning of the Kingdom of
he fell into a Dropsie and dyed in great anguish Adrian being vexed with great and perpetual Commotions in his life dyed with much anxiety Maximinus being declared an Enemy by the Senate was killed in his own Tent. Decius by the Goths in their first Invasion of the Empire with his whole Army was cut off Valerianus was overcome by the Persians and made use of by Sapor as a Stirrup for his foot when he went to take Horse Julian in his height of contempt against Christ was deadly wounded in Battel against the Persians and throwing his blood in the Air dyed with that desperate expression in his mouth Vicisti tandem Galilaee Valentius being a great Favourer of the Arrians and a great Persecutor of the Orthodox the Arrians exceeding the Euseb Hist lib. 9. cap. 8. The Christians compared his destruction in the water to Pharaoh's drowning in the Red Sea Heathens in cruelty was in Battel against the Goths in Thracia wounded and being carried to a house that was near it was set on fire by the Enemy in which he miserably perished Maxentius and his chief Officers being put to flight on the other side of the River Tyber by Constantine was necessitated to return by a Bridge whereupon he had made devices in a secret way to have drowned Constantine by which he and those that were with him were drowned in the River upon which occasion the Christians took occasion to sing that word Psal 9. 16. The Lord is known by the judgments which he exceuteth the wicked is snared in the work of his own hand And that word Psal 7. 15. He made a pit and digged it and he himself is fallen into it Dioclesian being sent for by Constantine upon suspicion chose rather to poyson himself then to see him Maximianus Herculeus endeavouring again to recover his Authority was discovered in his design by his Daughter Constantines Wife whereupon he was pursued and besieged by Constantine and was either killed or during the Siege hanged himself as is diversly reported by several Writers Maximinus Jovius through intemperance becoming corpulent was smitten with boils in the secret parts out of which issued abundance of vermine his Physitians were either suffocated by the odious smell of his loathsom disease or else they were killed by him because they could not cure him One of his Physitians told him that it was Gods Judgment on him for persecuting the Christians which no man could cure At last he sell under such convâ—â—tions as forced him to confess that the wrongs and injuries that he had done to the people of God were the cause of that plague and therefore being struck with terror and horror gave out Edicts that the Persecution should cease and that Churches should be builded and that in their Meetings prayers should be put up for him as formerly used to be which Edict is to be found in Eusebius The other Tyrant in the East to wit Maximinus who Euseb Hist lib. 8. cap. 29. was called Caesar had been industrious to invent cruel tortures for the Christians especially to pull out their eyes but at last he was defeated and in a base habit made to hide himself and afterwards he was pursued by such a sickness which made both his eyes to drop out of his head by which Judgment he was necessitated to confess that the God of the Christians was the only true God and that he had been mistaken concerning the gods whom he chose to worship which words Euseb de vita Constantini lib. 2. cap. 52. were uttered by him when he was even expiring as Eusebius testifies By all these dreadful Instances you may run and read that heavy Vengeance that has been inflicted upon those who have shed the blood of the Just Foelix Earl of Wartenburge was a great Persecutor of the Saints and did swear that ere he dyed he would ride up to the Spurs in the blood of the Lutherans but the very same night wherein he had thus sworn and vowed he was choaked with his own blood The Judgments of God were so famous and frequent upon those that did shed the blood of the Saints in Bohemia that it was used as a Proverb among the Adversaries themselves That if any man be weary of his life let him but attempt against the Picardines so they called the Christians and he should not live a year to an end Sir Thomas Moor once Lord Chancellor of England was a sworn Enemy to the Gospel persecuted the Saints with fire and faggot and among all his praises he reckons this is the chiefest That he had been a Persecutor of the Lutherans i. e. the Saints but what became of him he was first accused of Treason and then condemned and at last beheaded Judge Morgan was a great Persecutor of the people of God but shortly after he had passed the Sentence of Condemnation upon that vertuous Lady the Lady Jane Grey he fell mad and in his mad raving fits he would continually cry out Take away the Lady Jone take away the Lady Jane from me and in that horror he ended his wretched life Drahomiza after the death of her Husband usurped the Government of Bohemia and was a cruel Persecutor of the people of God but by a righteous hand of God it so fell out that on that very place where the Ministers bones lay unburied the earth opened of it self and swallowed her up alive with her Chariot and those that were in it which place is now to be seen before the Cast'e of Prague There is no end of Instances of a later date But Seventhly The strange miraculous and wonderful preservation of the lives and blood of the Just speaks out their Hesiod speaks of thirty thousand Demi-Gods that were keepers of men but what are so many thousand Gods to that one God that neither slumbers nor sleeps but day and night keeps his people as the apple of his eye Zeph. 5. 8. As his Jews Mal. 3. 17. that keeps them in his Pavilion as a Prince his Favourite Psal 31. 20. blood to be precious blood Who can sum up the many Miracles of divine Love Power Wisdom and Care c. that God manifested in the preservation of Joseph in the Prison Jeremiah in the Dungeon Daniel in the Den and the three Children in the fiery Furnace and not say surely the blood of the Saints is very precious in the eyes of the Lord I have read of a certain Witch that sent her Spirits to kill Ambrose but they returned her this Answer That God had hedged him in as he did Job and therefore they could not touch him they could not hurt him Another came with a drawn Sword to his Bed-side to have killed him but he could not stir his hand till repenting he was by the prayer of Ambrose restored to the use of his hand again For Luther saith my Author a poor Fryar to stand it out against the Pope and all the Power of Rome was
had set both their City and Temple in a flame before their eyes Now mark sudden and unexpected Judgements do alwayes carry a great deal of the anger and severity of God in them Deut. 7. 4. So will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you and destroy thee suddenly God being greatly angry with Jerusalem Isa 29. 1 2 3 4. He tells her that her Judgement should be at an instant suddenly ver 5. Psal 64. 7. But God shall shoot at them with an arrow suddenly shall they be wounded Hab. 2. 7. Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee and awake that shall vex thee and thou shalt be for booties unto them Prov. 6. 14 15. Frowardness is in his heart be deviseth mischief continually he soweth discord Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly suddenly shall he be broken without remedy Here is a dismal doom not bruised but broken yea suddenly broken when they least dream or dread the danger And this without remedy there shall be no possibility of piecing them up again or putting them into a better condition Chap. 24. 22. Their calamity shall rise suddenly when they think that they have made all cock-sure then ruine and desolation lyes at their door Certainly there are no judgements so dreadful and amazing as those which come most suddenly and unexpectedly upon the sons of men for these cut off all hope they hinder the exercise of reason they cloud mens minds they distress mens spirits they marr mens councils and they weaken mens courage and they daunt mens hearts so that they can neither be serviceable to themselves nor their friends not the publick all this was evidently seen upon the body of the Citizens when London was in flames The more eminent cause have we to take notice of the hand of the Lord in that late fiery dispensation that has past upon us The year 1666. according to the computation of several sober wise learned men should have been the Christians Jubilee many mens expectations were high that Rome that year should be laid in ashes but it never entered into any of our hearts or thoughts that this very year London should be laid in ashes O unexpected blow Berlin in Germany who in the Pulpit Scultet Aâ—â—aâ— charged the Apostle Paul with a lie was suddenly smitten with an Apoplexy while the words were yet in his mouth and fâ—ll down dead in the place The Parson of Chrondal in Kent having got a Pardon from Cardinal Pool as the Popes Substitute in that work the next Lords Day in his own Parish presses all his people to do the lâ—ke with this Argument that he was now so free from all his sins that he could die presently and God presently so struck him in the Pulpit that he died and never spoke more As Bibulus a Roman General was riding in triumph in all his glory a Tyle fell from the house in the Street and knockt out his brains Otho the Emperour slew himself with his own hands but slept so soundly the night before that the Grooms of his Chamber heard him snort And Plutarch reporteth the like of Cato Lepidus and Aufidius stumbled at the very threshold of the Senate and died the blow came in a cloud from Heaven Sophocles died suddenly by excessive joy and Homer by immoderate grief Mr. Perkins speaks of one who when it thundered scoffingly said it was nothing but Tom Tumbril a hooping his Tubs and presently he was struck dead with a Thunderbolt Olympus the Arrian Heretick bathing himself Theatre of Gods Judgements lib. 1. ap 9. p. 64. uttered sad words against the blessed Trinity but suddenly a threefold Thunderbolt struck him dead in the same place Attilus King of the Huns proudly gave out that the Stars fell before him and the earth trembled at his presence and how he would be the scourge of all Nations but soon after he died by a flux of blood breaking out of his mouth which choaked him on his wedding-day King Henry the Second of France upon the Marriage of his Sister with the King of Spain was so puffed up that he called him self by a new Title Tres-heurâ—use Roy The thrice happy King But to confute him in solemnizing that Marriage he was slain at Tilt by the Captain of his Guard though against his will but not without Gods determinate counsel in the very beginning of his supposed happiness Now every one that is a man either of reason or Religion will certainly say that in these sudden Judgements that befell these persons there was the angry and displeased hand of God to be seen O how much more then should we see the angry and displeased hand of the Lord in that sudden dreadful fire that has turned our once renowned City into a ruinous heap Jer. 8. 15. In this year 1666. many thought that there had been many great and glorious things in the womb of Providence that would have been now brought forth but they were mistaken for unexpectedly London is laid in ashes But Thirdly Consider the force violence vehemency and irresistibleness of it despising and triumphing over all those Many Authors speak much of the Greek Fire some of which burnt the Saracens Fleet to be of such force that the Ancients accounted no other means would extinguish it but Vinegar And certainly several firâ—s that have been enkindled by Romish Jesuits have not been less turious weak endeavours that were used This Fire broke forth with that violence and raged with that fury and appeared in that dreadfulness and spread it self with that dismalness and continued for so long a time with that irresistibleness that discouraged hearts and weak hands with their Buckets Engines Ladders Hooks opening of Pipes and sweeping of Channels could give no check to it This fire broke in upon the Inhabitants like an Arm of the Sea and roared and raged like a Bear robbed of her Whelps until it had laid our glory in ashes When the fire was here and there a little allayed or beaten down or put to a stand how soon did it recover its force and violence and make the more furious onsets burning down Water-houses Engines Churches and the most strong pleasant and stately houses nothing being able to stand before its rage How soon did the flames mount up to the tops of the highest houses and as soon descend down to the bottom of the lowest Vaults and Cellars Stone walls and Brick-walls and those noble and strong Pieces of Architecture were all but fuel to those furious flames How did they march along Jehu-like on both sides of the Streets with such a roaring dreadful and astonishing noise as never was heard in the City of London before Londons sins were now so great and Gods wrath was now so hot that there was no quenching of the furious flames The Decree for the burning of London was now gone forth and none could reverse it The time of Londons fall was now come The fire had
the Sea The winds are Gods Posts they are sometimes messengers of mercy and sometimes messengers of wrath Psal 147. 18. He causeth his wind to blow The winds are at Gods command to come and go and go and come at his pleasure When there is nothing but a sweet smooth and silver calm on the Seas if God dos but give forth a word of command how soon are they thrown into Hills and Mountains and how dreadfully do the waves dash and clash one against another Psal 148. 8. Fire and Hail Snow and Vapours stormy Wind fulfilling his word Sometimes the word that God has to fulfill is a saving word and sometimes 't is a destroying word a drowning word a sinking word Now according to the word that God has to fulfill so do the winds alwayes blow The Lord hath the winds at command to be his Executioners and administrators either of destruction or preservation What are stormy winds at Sea or a Shore but the utterings of Gods voice in wrath and judgement Sometimes God is said to fly upon the wings of Psal 18. 10. 2 Sam. 22. 11. Psal 104. 3. the wind and sometimes he is said to ride upon the wings of the wind and sometimes he is said to walk upon the wings of the wind Now these things are spoken after the manner of men to shew that the winds are continually acted and governed by a Divine Power God flies upon the wings of the tempestuous winds speedily to execute the vengeance Exod. 15. 10. Exod. 14. 21. written and he rides and walks upon the wings of the more sâ—â—t easie and gentle gales of the wind that he may make good the mercies promised No creatures in Heaven or on Earth hath the winds at command but God solely and properly Every wind that blows has a commission under the Great Seal of Heaven to bare it out in all it dos If the winds should be examined questioned and required to give in a full and exact account of the many thousand Marriners that they have drowned and of the many thousand Ships that they have spoyled and destroyed and of the many ten thousand houses that they have blown down at some times and of the many score thousand houses that when the fire has been kindled they have helpt to consume and reduce to ashes at other times they would shew you the hand and seal of Heaven for all they have done The Soveraignty and greatness of God doth eminently shine and sparkle in this that the winds are originally in his hand He gathereth the wind in his fâ—st God keeps the Prov. 30. 4. royaltie of all the creatures in his own hand The winds are greater or lesser of a longer or shorter continuance according to the will and pleasure of the great God and not according to the workings of second causes The more civilized Heathens had this notion amongst them That the winds were under the Dominion of one Supream Power and therefore dividing the world among sundry Gods they gave the honor of the Winds to Aeâ—lus whom they ignorâ—ntly suppose had a power to lock them fast or to let them loose at his pleasure These poor besotted Heathens thought that their feigned God Aeâ—lus had power to govern and bridle the winds and to turn them this way and that way as a man governs the Charâ—ot in which he ridâ—th And many ignorant Atheistical wretches when the winds are boisterous and violent they are ready to say that there is conjuring abroad and that the Dâ—vil is at work but they must know that the Devil has not power of himself to raise one blast of wind no nor so much wind as will stir a sea ther. I know that the Devil is the Prince of the power of Ephes 2 2. the air and that when God will give him leave to play Râ—x for ends best known to himself he can then raise such storms and tempests both at Sea and a Shore as shall dash the stoutest Ships in pieces and remove Mountains and makâ— the most glorious Cities in the world a ruinous heap he can easily and quickly raze the foundations of the fairest the Job 1. 19. richest the strongest and the renownest and the oldest buildings in the world if God will but permit him But without Divine permission no Angel in Heaven no Devil in Hell nor no Witch on Earth can raise or continue the winds one moment Satans power over the wind is only a derivative power a permissive power but the Lords power over the wind is a supream power an absolute power an independant power Now O what eminent cause have we to see the hand of the Lord in that boisterous wind that continued four dayes and nights and that carried the fire to all points of the Compass to all parts of the City if I may so speak till our glorious City was laid in Ashes Oh how great were the sins of that people Oh how great was the anger of that God who united two of the most dreadfullest elements Fire and Wind to destroy our City and lay our glory in the dust When the Romans put fire to the Walls of Jerusalem at first the North Wâ—nd blew it furiously upon the Josâ—phus Aniq l. 7. c. 28. Romans themselves but suddenly the wind changing and blowing from the South as it were by Gods Providence saith my Author it turned the fire again upon the wall and so all was consumed and turned into ashes And this Eleazâ—r in his Oration to his companions takes special notice of where he saith Neither hath our Castle by nature inexpugnable Page 75 8. any thing profited us to our preservation but we having store of victuals and armour and all other necessaries have lost all hope of safety God himself opâ—nly taking it from us For the fire that once was carried against our enemies did not of it self return against us and unto the wall we built Suppose the Romans or some set on by the Conclave of Rome did at first â—et our City on fire by casting their fire-brands for by that means Jerusalem was set on fire or fire balls here and there yet how highly dos it concern us when we consider the furious wind that helpt on the fury of the fire to lay our hands upon our loynes and to say the Lord is righteous â—nd that our present ruine is but the product of incensed Justice c. When the Lord hath any service for the wind to do it is presently upon the march to run and dispatch his errands whether of indignation or of mercy If the Lord General of Heaven and Earth the great the supream Commander of the winds will have them to destroy a people and to help on the destruction of their houses when the flames are kindled or to break and dash in pieces their Ships at Sea it shall soon be accomplished 2 Chron. 20 37. Because thou hast joyned thy self with Ahaziah the Lord hath broken thy
works and the Ships were broken that they were not able to go to Tarshish Bâ—â—stâ—roâ—s winds at Sea or a shore are the arrows of God shâ—t out of the bended bow of his displeasure they are one of the lower tier of his indignation that is fired upon the â—â—ildren of men Nahum 1. 3. The Lord hath his way in the whirle wind and in the storm and in the clouds are the dust of â—is feet The great Spanish Armado that came to invade our Land in 88. were broken and scattered by the winds So that their dice games were frastrated and they sent into the bottom of the Sea if not into a worse bottom And when Charles the V. had besieged Algier that Pen of Thieves both by Sea and by Val. Max. Christiae page 132. Land and had almost taken it by two terrible Tempests the greatest part of his great Fleet were destroyed as they did lye in the Harbour at Anchor Ships Houses Trees Steeples Rocks Mountains Monuments can't stand before a tempestâ—ous wind 1 Kings 19. 11. A great strong wind rent the Mountains and brake in pieces the rocks What more strong than Rocks and Mountains and yet they were too weak to stand before the strength of a tempestious wind Oh the terrible execution that God doth many times by the winds both at Sea and ashore Psal 18. 7. The earth shook and trembled the foundations of the Hills moved and were shaken because he was wroth ver 8. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils and fire out of his mouth devoured coals were kindled by it ver 10. He rode upon a Cherub and did flie yea he did flie upon the wings of the wind ver 12. His thick Clouds passed hailstones and coals of fire verse 13. The Lord also thundred in the Heavens and the highest gave his voice hail stones and coals of fire c. The fire in London carried the noise of a whirle-wind in it and that made it so formidable and terrible to all that beheld it especially those that lookt upon it as a fruit of Gods displeasure The wind was commissionated by God to joyn issue with the raging fire to lay the City desolate I think the like dreadful instance can't be given in any age of the world We can't say of the wind that blew when London was in flames that God was not in the wind as 't is said in that 1 Kings 19. 11. For assuredly if ever God was in any wind he was remarkably in this wind witness the dismals effects of it amongst us to this very day Had God been pleased to have hindered the conjunction of these two Elements much of London might havâ— beâ—n standing which now lyes buried in its own ruines I grant that 't is probable enough that those that did so long before prophesie and predict the barning of London before it was laid in ashes were the prime contrivers and furtherers of the firing of it but yet when they had kindled the fire that God by the bellows of Heaven should so blow upon it as to make it spread and turn like the flaming Sword in Paradise Gen. 3. ult every way till by its force and fury it had destroyed above two third parts in the midst of the City as the phrase â—s Ezek. 5. 2. This is and this must be for a sore lamentation God wbo holds the winds in his fist who is the true Aeâ—lus Psalm 13. 5. Mark 4. 39. could either have lockt them up in his treasures or have commanded them to be still or else have turned them to have been a dâ—fence to the City God who holds the bottles of Heaven in his hand could easily have unstopt them Gen. 7. 11. he could with a word of his mouth have opened the windows of Heaven and have poured down such an abundance of rain upon the City as would quickly have quencht the violence of the flames and so have made the conquest of the fire more easie But the Lord was angry and the Decree was gone out that London should be burnt and who could prevent it To close up this particular consider much of the Wisdom Power and Justice of God shines in the variety of the motions of the wind Eccles 1. 6. The wind goeth toward the South and turneth about unto the North it whirleth about continually and the wind returneth again according to his circuits The wind hath its various circuits appointed by God when the wind blows Southward Northward Westward or Eastward it blows according to the Orders that are issued out from the Court of Heaven Sometimes the wind begins to blow at one point of the Compass and in a short time whirles about to every point of the Compass till it comes again to the same point where it blew at the first yet in all this they observe their circuits and run their compass according to the Divine appointment As the Sun so the winds have their courses ordered out by the wise Providence of God Divine Wisdom much sparkles and shines in the circuits of the winds which the Lord brings out of his treasure and makes them serviceable sometimes to one part of the world and at other times to other parts of the world Exod. 14. 24. Jonah 1. 4 Chap. 4. 8. 'T is the great God that appoints where the winds shall blow and when the winds shall blow and how long the winds shall blow and with what force and violence thâ— winds shall blow The winds in some parts of the world have a very regular and uniform motion in some moneths of the year blowing constantly out of one quarter and in others out of another In some places of the world where I have been the motions of the wind are steady and constant which Marriners call their Trade-wind Now by these stated or setled winds Divine Providence dos very greatly serve the interest of the children of men But now in other parts of the world the winds are as chaâ—geable as mens minds The Laws that God layes â—pâ—n thâ— winds in most parts of the world are not like the Laws of the Medes and Persians which alter not One day God layes Dan. 6. 8. a Law upon the winds to blow full East the next day to blow full West the third to blow full South the fourth to blow full North yea in several parts of the world I have known the winds to change their motions several times in a day Now in all these various motions of the winds the Providence of God is at work for the good of mankind That there is a dreadful storm in one place and at the same time a sweet calm in another that a temâ—â—â—tuous storm should destroy and dash in pieces one fleet and that at the same instant and in one and the same Sea a prosperous gale should blow another fleet into a safe harbour That some at Sea should have a stiff gale of wind and others within sight of them
should lye becalmed That some Ships should come into harbour top and top gallant and that others should sink down at the same harbours mouth before they should be able to get in is all from the Decree of God and that Law that he has laid upon the winds That terrible tempâ—stuous wind that affrighted the Disciples and that put them not only to their wits end but also to their faiths end was allayed by a word of Christs mouth Matth. 8. 26. He arose and rebuked the winds and the Sea and there was a great calm O Sirs when London was in flames and when the winds were high and went their circuits roaring and makeing a most hideous noise how easie a thing had it been with Jesus by a word of his mouth to have allayed them but â—e was more angry with us than he was with his Dâ—â—ciples who were in danger of drowning or else he would as cerâ—ainly have saved our City from burning by rebuking the winds and the flames as he did his Disciples from drowning by rebuking the winds and the Seas I have bâ—en the longer upon this fourth particular that you may the more easily run and read the anger of the Lord in those furious flamâ—s and in that violent wind that has laid our City desolate 'T is true Astrolâ—gers ascribe the motions of the winds to special Planets The Eâ—st wind thâ—y ascribe to the Sun the West wind to the Moon the South wind to Mars and the Nâ—rth wind to Jupiter but those that are wise in heart by what I have said concerning the winds may safely and and groundedly conclude that God alone hath the Sâ—pream power of the winds in his own hand and that he alone orders directs and commands all the motions of the winds And therefore let us look to that terrible hand of the Lord that was lifted up in that fierce wind that did so exceedingly contribute to the turning of our City into a ruinous heap Bâ—t Fifthly Câ—â—â—ider the extensiveness of it How did this dreadful fire spread it self both with and against the wind Within the Walls of the City there were eighty one Parishes consumed For every hour the fire lasted there was a whole Parish consumed â—ill it had gained so great a force as that it despised all mens attempts It quickly spread it self from the East to the West to the destruction of houses of State of Trade of Publick Magistracy besides Mynes of Charity it spread it self with that violence that it soon crumbled into ashes our most stately Habitations Halls Chappels Churches and famous Monuments Those Magnificent Structures of the City that formerly had put stops and given châ—cks to the furious flâ—mâ—s falls now like stubble before the violence of a spreading fire This fire like an Arm of the Sea or like a Land-flood broke in suddenly upon us and soon spread it self all manner of wayes amongst us it ran from place to place like the fire and haâ—l in Aegypt now 't was in this Street and anon in that Now this Steeple is on fire and then that Exod. 9. 13 Now this place of Judicature is laid in ashes and then that Now this Hall is in flames and then that Now this Parish is burnt down to the ground and then that Now this Ward is turned into a ruinous heap and then that Now this Quarter of the City is level wiâ—h the ground and then that Now this Gate of the City is demolished and consumed and then that The adversary hath spread out his band upon Iam. 1. 10. all her pleasant things saith the Prophet lamentingly and and we may say sighingly the fire hath spread out its hand upon all our pleasant things upon all our pleasant Houses Shops Trades Gardens Walks Temples c. The Plague the year before did so rage and spread that it emptied many thousand houses of persons and now this dreadful fire hath so spread it self that it has not left houses enough for many thousands of persons to dwell in there being more than 13000. houses destroyed by the furious flames Sin is of a spreading nature and accordingly it had spread it self over all parts of the City and therefore the Lord who delights to suit his Judgements to mens sins sent a spreading fire in the midst of us The merciless flames spreading themselves every way in four dayes time laid the main of our once glorious City in ashes a Judgement so remâ—â—kable and past president that he that will not see the hand of the Lord in it may well be reckoned amongst the worst of Atheâ—sts But Sixthly Consider the impartiality of it It spared neither Sinners nor Saints young nor old rich nor poor honourable nor base bond nor free Male nor female buyer nor seller borrower nor lender God making good that word Isa 24. 1 2. Behold the Lord maketh the earth empty and maketh it waste and turneth it upside down and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof And it shall be as with the people so with the Priest or with the Prince for the Hebrew word signifies both as with the servant so with his Master as with the maid so with the Mistris as with the buyer so with the seller as with the lender so with the borrower as with the taker of usury so with the giver of usury to him In the day of the Lords wrath that was lately upon us all orders ranks and degrees of men suffered alike and were abased alike the furious flames made no difference they put no distinction between the Russet Coat and the Scarlet Gown the Leathern Jacket and the Gold Chain the Merchant and the Tradesman the Landlord and the Tenant the Giver and the Receiver There is no difference Fire hath made Equal the Scepter and the Spade Ezek. 20. 47. Behold I will kindle a fire in thee and it shall devâ—ur every green Tree in thee and every dry Tree the flaming flâ—me shall not be quenched and all faces from the South to the North shall be burnt therein I have in the former part of this Treatise given some light into these words The fire the flames in the Text takes hold of all sorts of people rich and poor Lord and Lad high and low great and small strong and weak wise and foolish learned and ignorant Commanders and Souldiers Rulers and ruled So did the late lamentable fire in London take hold of all sorts and degrees of men as the Citizens have found by sad experience The fire like the Duke of Parma's Sword knew no difference ' twiâ—â— Robes and Rags 'twixt Prince and Peasant Eccles 9. 1 2. 'twixt honourable and vile 'twixt the righteous and the wicked the clean and the unclean 'twixt him that sacrificed and him that sacrificed not 'twixt him that sweareth and him that seareth an oath The Judgement was universal the blow reacht us all the flames brake into every mans house such a dreadful impartial universal fire eyes never saw before
Regions in Rome there were but four left entire I know there are some who would make the world believe that this fire began casually as many now would perswade us that the late fire in London did but I rather joyn issue with them who conclude that Nero set Rome on fire and when he had done he laid it upon Aâ—no 64. the Christians and thereupon grounded his Persecution as all know that have read the History of those times Anno 80. Rome was set on fire by fire from Heaven say some it burned three dayes and nights and consumed the Capitol with many other stately Buildings and glorious Monuments it burnt with that irresistible fury that the Historian concludes that it was more than an ordinary fire And in the time of Commodius the Emperour there happened such a dreadful fire in Rome as consumed the Temple of Peace and all the most stately Houses Princely Palaces glorious Structures and rare Monuments that were in the City In the Reign of Achmat the eighth Emperour of the Turks Knolâ—'s General History of the Turks pag. 1275. about the beginning of November a great fire arose at Constantinople wherein almost five hundred Shops of Wares with many other fair Buildings were destroyed by fire so that the harm that was then done by fire was esteemed to amount to above two Millions of Gold But alas what was this fire and loss to the fire of London and the loss of the Citizens in our day In Constantinople in A. D. 465. in the beginning of September there brake forth such a fire by the water side as raged with that dread force and fury and violence four dayes and nights together that it burnt down the greatest part of the City the strongest and the stateliest houses being but as dried stubble before it It bid defiance to all means of resistance it went on triumphing and scorning all humane helps till it had turned that great and populous City once counted by some the wonder of the world into a ruinous heap This of all fires comes nearest to the late fire of London but what is the burning of a thousand Romes and a thousand Constantinoples or the burning of ten thousand Barbarous Cities to the burning of one London Where God was as greatly known and as dearly loved and as highly prized and as purely served as he was in any one place under the whole Heavens O Sirs 't is our duty and our high concernment to see the hand of the Lord and to acknowledge the hand of the Lord in the least fires how much more then does it become us to see the hand of the Lord lifted up in that late dreadful fire that has laid our City desolate But Eighthly Consider how all sorts ranks and degrees of men were terrified amused amazed astonished and dispirited in the late dreadful fire that was kindled in the midst of us When men should have been a strengthning of one anothers hands and encouraging of one another hearts to pull down and blow up such houses as gave life and strength to the surious flames how were their hearts in their heels every one flying before the fire as men flye before a victorious enemy What a Palsie what a great trembling had seized upon the heads hands and hearts of most Citizens as if they had been under Cain's curse most men were unman'd and amazed and therefore no wonder if the furious flames received no check In former fires when Deut. 28. 65. 1 Sam. 13. 7. 14 15. Acts 1 12 Why stand ye gazing O the feebleness the frighâ—s the tremblings the distractions that was then in every house in every heart When a Ship is sinking 't is sad to see every man run to his Cabin when every one should be at the Pump or a stopping of Leaks Magistrates and People had resolved hearts and active hands how easily how quickly were those fires quenched But now our Rulers minds were darkned and confused their Judgements infatuated their souls dispirited and their ears stopped so that their Authority did only accent their misery and this filled many Citizens hearts with fear terror amazement and discontent these things being done the City quickly was undone Had the care and dâ—ligence both of Magistrates and People been more for the securing of the publick goâ—d than 't was for securing their own private interest much of London by a good hand of Providence upon their endeavours might have been standing that is now turned into a ruinous heap Troy was lost by the sloth and carelesness of her inhabitants and may I not say that much of London was lost by the sloth and carelesness of some and by the fears frights and amazement of others and by others endeavouring more to secure their own Packs and Patrimonies than the safety of the whole When London was in flames mens courage did flag and their spirits did fail the strong helpers stood helpless Some stood loking on others stood weeping and shaking their heads and wringing their hands and others walkt up and down the Streets like so many Ghosts Psal 76. 5. The stout hearted are spoiled or as the Hebrew runs the stout hearted have yielded themselves up for a prey which the Rabbins thus expound They are spoiled of their understandings and infatuated and none of the men of might have found their hands or as some read the words none of the men of riches that is rich men have found their hands or as others carry the words God took away their courage and their wonted strength failed them So when London was in flames how were high and low rich and poor honorable and base spoiled of their understanding and infatuated The Lord took away all wisdom courage counsel and strength from them So Judges 20. 40. But when the flamâ—s began to arise out of the City with a pillar of smoke the Benjamites looked behind them and behold the flame of their City ascended up to Heaven and when the men of Israel â—urned again the men of Benjamin were amazed for they saw that evil was come upon them These Benjamites were the very picture of oâ—r Citizens for when they saw the flame began to arise out of the City with a Pillar of smoke when they saw the flame of the City ascend up to Heaven O how amazed and consounded were they All wisdom courage and council was taken away both from Magistrate and People and none of them could find either heads hands or hearts to prevent Job 34. 19 20 24. Londons desolation In Psal 76. v. ult God is said to cut off the Spirits of Princes or as the Hebrew runs He shall slip off the Spirits of Princes as men slip off a bunch of Grapes or a Flower bâ—tween their fingers easily suddenly unexpectedly as he did by Senacheribs Princes Princes usually are men 1 Kings 19 36. of the greatest spirits and yet sometimes God dos dispirit them he slips off their spirits as men do a
flower which soon withereth in their hand How soon did God slip off the Spirit of that great proud debauched Monarch Belshazzar Dan. 5. 1 2 3 4 5 6. who when he was in the midst of his Cups bravery and jollity with all his great Princes Lords Ladies and Concubines about him saw a hand writing upon the wall which did so amaze him and terrifie him that his countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled and the joints of his loins loosed and his knees dashed one against another But you may say What was the reason that so great a Prince should be so greatly astonished An. The Text tells you he saw a hand What hand we the hand of a man what could one hand of a man saith One terrifie and startle so great a Monarch Drexellius's School of Patience p. 150 151 152. Had he seen the Paws of a Lion or the Pawes of a Bear or the Paws of a Dragon there had been some cause of terror But what need such a Puissant Prince fear the hand of a man so much at whose command and beck an hundred Troops of Armed Horse would presently flye to his assistance What terrible Weapons could that one hand wield or manage none but a Pen with which it wrote But will any man much less a King be afraid of a writing Pen Had he beheld the three Darts of Joab or the fiery flaming Sword 2 Sam. 18. 14. Gen. 3. 24. of the Cherâ—b brandished directly against him he had then had some argument of astonishment But one Hand one Pen one piece of Writing which he understood not this was that which daunted him Many Citizens were as much amazed astonished terrified and startled when they saw London in flames as Belshazzar was when he saw the hand-writing upon the wall Ahab trembled like a shaken leaf and so did his Grand son Manasseh he that faced the Heavens Isa 7. 1 2. 2 Chron. 33. 11 12. and that dared God in the day of his Prosperity when troubles came thick and his fears rise high he hides his heaâ— among the bushes Such a fear and trembling was upâ—â— many Citizens when London was in flames Though Tuâ—liw Hostilius the third King of the Romans had a great warlike Spirit as Lactantius notes yet he carried in his bosom twâ— new Gods Pavorem and Pallorem fear and paleness which hâ— could not possibly shake off Oh the fear that was in Citizens hearts and the paleness that was upon Citizens cheeks when London was in flames Now excessive fear fills the heart with all confusion they strip a man of his reason and understanding Till London was laid in Ashes that effectual means of preservation viz. The blowing up of houses was either greatly hid or sadâ—y gainsaid When the Disease had killed the Paâ—ients than the Physitians agreed upon a Remedy When the Ladder was turned than the Pardon came they weaken his hands and they do so suddenly and totally dispirit and unman a man that he is not able to encounter with those visible dangers that threaten his utter ruine and this the poor Citizens sound by woful experience when London was in flames At the sight of this fire how were the Citizens hearts melted their hands feeble their spirits faint and their knees weak Oh the horror the terror the amazement the confusion that had now seized up on the spirits of all sorts of Citizens How were the thoughts of men now distracted their countenances changed and their hearts overwhelmed O the sad looks the pale cheeks the weeping eyes the smiting of breasts and the wringing of hands that were now to be seen in every Street and in every corner What an universal consternation did my eyes behold upon the minds of all men in that day of the Lords wrath there is no expressing of the sighs the tears the fears the frights and the amazement of the Citizens who were now compassed about with flames of fire O the cryes the tumults the hurries and the hinderances of one another that was now in every Street every one striving with his Pack at his back to secure what he could from the rage and fury of the flames Now one cries out five pound for a Cart another cries out ten pound for a Dray in one Street one cries out twenty pound for a Cart and another in the next Street cries out thirty pound for a Cart here one cries out forty pound for a Cart and there another cries out fifty pound for a Cart. Many rich men that had time enough to have removed their goods their wares their commodities flattered themselves that the fire would not reach their habitations they thought they should be safe and secure but when the flames broke in upon them O then any money for a Cart a Coach a Dray to save some of their Richest and Choicest goods Oh what fear were many Parents now in that their Children would either be now trod down in the press or lost in the crowd or be destroyed by the flames And what fear were many Husbands now in concerning their Wives who were either weak or sick or aged or newly delivered Words are too weak to express that distraction that all men were under when the fire went on raging and devouring all before it And this was an evident token to me that the hand of the Lord was eminent in the fire and that the Decree was gone forth that Dear London must now fall But Ninthly Consider the time that the fire began It began on the Lords Day being the second of September about one or two of the clock in the morning Our fears fell upon us on the Lords Day on that day that should have been a day Rev. 1. 10. Isa 58. 13 14. of joy and delight unto us On this day our singing was turned into sighing our rejoycing into mourning and all our praisings into tremblings O the fears the frights the distresses that men were now under O the amazed spirits the bedewed checks the faint hearts the feeble knees the weak hands and the dejected countenances that were now to be seen every where O Sirs the time when this fatal fire first began was very ominous it being at a time when most Citizens were but newly fallen into a dead sleep being wearied out in their several employments Several dayes before but especially on Saturday or the last day of the week that being with very many the most bufiest day in all the week And of all mornings most Citizens did usually lye longest in Bed Sabbath Day mornings Such as used to rise early every morning in the week to gain the meat that Psal 127. 1 2 John 6. 27. perisheth to make sure and to treasure up for themselves and theirs the things of this world Such commonly madâ— most bold with the Lords Day and would frequently be in their beds when they should have been either instructing of their families or at prayers in their Closets
or else a waiting upon the Lord in his publick Ordinances Fire in thâ— night is terrible to all but mostly to such whose spirits and bodies were tired out in the preceding day Wasting and destroying Judgements are sad any day but saddest when they fall on the Lords Day For how do they disturb distress and distract the thoughts the minds the hearts and the spirits of men So that they can neither wait on God nor wrestle with God nor act for God nor receive from God in any of the duties or services of his day And this the poor Citizens found by sad experience when London was in flames about their ears Certainly the anger and wrath of God was very high and very hot when he made his day of rest to be a day of labour and disquiet When his people should have been a meeting hearing reading praising praying For the Lord now to scatter them and to deliver them their substance and habitations as a prey to the devouring fire what dos this speak our but high displeasure That the fire of Gods wrath should begin on the day of his rest and solemn Worship is and must be for a lamentation In several of those Churches where some might not preach there God himself preacht to the Parishioners in flames of fire And such who loved darkness rather than light John 3. 19. Exod. 19. 16 17 18. because their deeds were evil might now see their Churches all in a flaming fire What a terrifying and an amazing Sermon did God preach to his people of old in Mount Sinai when the Mount burned with fire And so what terrifying and amazing Sermons did God preach to the Citizens on his own day when their Temples and their habitations were all in flames Instead of holy rest what hurries were there in every street yea in the spirits of men Now instead of takeing up of Buckets men in every Street take up arms fearing a worse thing than fire The Jealousies and Rumors that fire balls were thrown into several houses and Churches by such that had no English tongues but out-landish hands to make the furious flames flame more furiously were so great that many were at a stand and others even at their wits end Now relations friends and neighbours hastened one another out of their houses as the Angels hastened Lot out of Sodom Gen. 19. 15 16 17. Such were the fears and frights and sad apprehensions that had generally seized upon the Citizens Not many Sabbaths before when men should have been instructing of their families what bonfires what ringing of Bells and what joy and rejoycing was there in our Streets for burning the Dutch Ships in their Harbour where many English and others were highly concerned as well as the Dutch little did they think who were pleasing and warming themselves at those lesser fires that the great God would in so short a time after kindle so great a fire in the midst of their Streets as should melt their Bells lay their habitations in ashes and make their Streets desolate So that those that were so jolly before might well take up that sad lamentation of weeping Jeremiah The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob and hath not pittied he hath thrown down in his Lam. 2. 2 3. wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Jâ—dah he hath brought them down to the ground He burned against Jacob like a flaming fire which devoureth round about May we not soberly guess that there were as many strict observers and sanctifiers of the Lords Day who did turn away their feet from doing their Isa 58. 13. pleasure on Gods holy day and that did call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord and honourable within the Walls of London as in a great part of the Nation besides Now for the Lord of the Saâ—bath to kindle such a devouring fire in such a City and that on his own day O what extraordinary wrath and displeasure dos this speak out When God by his Royal Law had bound the hands of his people from doing their own works for him now to fall upon his strange work and by a flaming consuming fire to turn a populous City a pious City an honourable City and an Ancient City into a ruinous heap what indignation to this indignation O Sirs it highly concerns us to take notice of the Judgements of the Lord that fall upon us on any day but especially those that fall upon us on his own day because they carry with them more than a tincture of Gods deep dâ—splâ—asure In the Council of Paris every one labouring to perswadâ— unto a more religious keeping of the Sabbath Day When Concil Paris lio 1. cap. 50. they had justly complained that as many other things so also the obsâ—rvation of the Sabbath was greatly decayed through the abuse of Chrâ—stian lâ—bâ—rty in that men too much followed the deligâ—â—s of the world and their own worldly pleasures both wicked and dangerous They further add For many of us have been eye witnesses many have intelligence of it bâ— the relation of others that some men upon this day being about their husbandry have been strucken with Thunder some have been maimed and made lame somâ— have had their bodies even bones and all burnt in a moment with visible fire and have consumed to ashes and many other Judgements of God have been and are daily inflicted upon Sabbath Breakers Stratford upon Sluon was twice on the same day twelve moneth being the Lords Day almost consumed with fire The Theatre of Gods Judgements pag. 419 420. chiefly for prophaning the Lords Day and contemning his word in the mouth of his faithful Minister Feverton in Devonsâ—ire whose remembrance makes my heart bleed saith my Author was oftentimes admonished by her godly Preachers that God would bring some heavy Judgement on the Town for their horrible prophanation of the Lords Day occasioned châ—efly by their Market on the day following Not long after his death on the third of April 1598. God in less than half an hour consumed with a sudden and fearful fire the whole Town except only the Church the Court-house and the Alms-houses or a few poor peoples dwellings where a man might have seen four hundred dwelling houses all at oâ—â—e on â—ire and above fifty persons consumed with the flames And on the fifth of August 1612. fourtâ—en years since the former fire the whole Town was again fired and consumed except some thirty houses of poor people with the School-house and Alms-houses Now certainly they must be much left of God hardned in sin and blinded by Satan who do not nor will not see the dreadful hand of God that is lifted up in his fiery dispensations upon his own day But Tenthly and lastly Consider That the burning of London 10. is a National Judgement God in smiting of London has smitten England round the stroke of God upon London was When one member in the natural
Faâ—illime incenditur pertinacissime fervet c. Dâ—ffiâ—â—lâ—ime extinguitur It is easily kindled violently fuellâ—d and hardly exâ—inguished Brimstone and all that vast qâ—antity of sulphureous fiery matter by which those rich and popâ—lous Ciâ—ies were â—urned into ruinous heaps were never produced by naturâ—l causes nor after a natural manner no culinaâ—y fire being so speedy in its consumptions but immedâ—ately by Gods own miraculous power and allmighty aim But thâ— fire that has laid London in ashes was no such miraculous or extraordinary fire but such a fire which Divine Providence permitted and suffered to be kindlâ—d and carrâ—ed on by such means instruments and concurring circumstances as hath buried our glory under heaps of ashes But Secondly The fire that fell upon Sodom â—â—d Gomâ—rrah consumed not only the greater part of thosâ— Cities but the whole Cities yea and not only Sodom and Gomorrah but all the Cities of the Plain except Zoar which was to be a Sâ—nctuary to Lot but the fire of London has not destroyâ—d the whole City of London Many hundred may I noâ— say thousands houses are yet standing as monuments of Divine Power Wisdom and goodness and the greatest part of the Suburbs are yet preserved and all the rest of the Cities of England are yet compassed about with loving kindnâ—ss and mercy and I hope will be reserved by a gracious Pâ—ovidence as shelters as Sanctuaries and as hiding places to poor Englands distressed inhabitants But Thirdly The fire that fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah did consume sume not only places but persons not only houses but inhabitants but in the midst of Londons flames God was a Zech. 2. 5. wall of fire about the Citizens in that day of his fiery indignation he was very tender of the lives of his people Though the Lumber was burnt yet God took care of his Treasure of his Jewels to wit the lives of his people But having spoken before more largely of this particular let this touch now suffice Fourthly Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire suddenly and unexpectedly they were destroyed by fire in a moment Lam. 4. 6. For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my peâ—ple is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment and no hands The Judgemenâ—s of God upon the Jews were so great that they exceeded all credit amongst their neighbour Nations stayed on her Sodom and Gomorrah sustâ—ined no long siege from forreign forces neither were they kept long in sorrows and sufferings in pains and misery but thâ—y were quickly and suddenly and instantly dispatched out of this world into another world Men had no hand in the destroying of Sodom no mortal instrument did co-operate in that work God by his own immediate power overthrew them in a moment Sodom was very strangely suddenly and unexpectedly turned upside down as in a moment by Gods own hand without the help of armed Souldiers Whereas the Chaldeans Armies continued for a long time in the Land of Judah and in Jerusalem vexing and â—laguing the poor people of God Now in this respect the punishment of the Jews was a greater punishment than the punishment of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment But that fire that has turned London into a heap of ashes was such a fire that was carried on gradually and that lastâ—d four dayes God giving the Citizens time to mourn over their sins to repent to lay hold on everlasting strength and to mâ—ke peace with God But Fifthly and lastly Sodoms and Gomorrahs Judgement is termed Eternal fire which expression as it refers to thâ— Jude 7. places themselves do import that they were irrecoverablâ— destroyed by fire so as that they shall lye eternally waste Those monstrous sinners of Sodom had turned the glory of God into shame and therefore God will turn them both into a Hell here and a Hell hereafter God will punish unusual sinners with unusual Judgements The punishment by this fire is lasting yea everlasting 't is a standing monument Deut. 29. 23 of Gods high displeasure We never read that ever God repented himself of the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah those Cities are under a perpetual destruction and so shall continue to the end of the world if we will give credit to Authors of great credit and reputation It well Strabo Solinus Tacitus Plinius Josâ—phus c. becomes the wisest and best of Christians seriously to consider how God setteth forth the destruction of his Churches enemies Isa 34. 8 9 10 11. For it is the day of the Lords Vengeance and the year of recompences for the controversie of Zion And the streams thereof shall be turned into Pitch and the dust thereof into Brimstone and the Land thereof shall become burning Pitch It shall not be quenched night nor day the smoke thereof shall go up for ever from generation to generation it shall lye waste none shall pass through it for ever and ever But the Cormorant and the Bittern shall pâ—ssâ—ss it the Owle also and the Raven shall dwell in it and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion and the stones of emptinâ—ss In these words you have a rhetorical description of that extream devastation that God will bring upon the enemies of the Church in way of allusion to the destruction of Sodom and Gomoâ—rah But I hope Lâ—ndons doom is not such for God has given to thousands of her inhabitants a Spirit of Grace and Supplication Zech. 12. 10. which is a clear evidence that at the long run they shall certainly carry the day with God I have faith enough to believe that God will give Londons mourners beauty for ashes the oyle of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness And that London may yet be called Isa 61. 3. a City of righteousness the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified I hope that God will one day say to London Arise shine for the light is come and the glory of the Lord is Isa 60. 1 2. risen upon thee the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory shall be seen upon thee By what has been said 't is evident enough that there has been a great mixture of mercy in that fiery dispensation that has past upon London And therefore why should not this consideration bear up the hearts of the people of God from fainting and sinking under their present calamity and misery But The tenth Support to bear up the hearts of the people of 10. God under the late fiery dispensation is this viz That there are worse Judgements than the Judgement of fire which God might but has not inflâ—cted upon you Let me evidence the truth of this in these five particulars First The bloody Sword is a more dreadful Judgement than that of fire Fire may consume a mans house and his estate but the Sword cuts off a mans life Now at what a poor
6. 5. Job 21. 12. Dan. 5 23. Amos 6. 4. burning from burning in sin to burning in Hell from burning in flames of lusts to burning in flames of torment except there be sound repentance on their sides and pardoning Grace on Gods O Sirs in this devouring fire in these everlasting burnings Cain shall find no Cities to build nor his posteriâ—y shall have no instruments of Musick to invenâ— there none shall take up the Timbrel or Harp or rejoyce at the sound of the Organ There Belshazzar cannot drink Wine in Bowls nor eat the Lambs out of the flock nor the Calves out of the midst of the Stall In everlasting burnings there will be no merry company to pass time away nor no Dice to cast care away nor no Cellars of Wine wherein to drown the sinners grief There is everlasting fire Matth. 25. 41. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for thâ— Devil and his Angels This terrible sentence breaths out nothing but fire and brimstone terror and horror dread and wo. The last words that ever Christ will speak in this world will be the most tormenting and amazing the most killing and damning the most stinging and wounding Depart from me there iâ— rejection Pack begone get you out of my fight let me never see your faces more It was a heavy doom that was past upon Nebuchadnezzar that he Dan. 4. 25. should be driven from the soâ—iâ—ty of men and in an extremity of a sottish melancholly spend his time amongst thâ— Beasts of the fiâ—ld but that was nothing to this soul killing word depart from me It was nothing to mens being cast out of the presence of Chrâ—st for ever The remembrance Berâ—ard in Psal 91. of which made one to pray thus O Lord deliver me at the great day from that killing word Depart And what saith another This word Depart the Goats with horror hears Sphynx But this word Come the Sheep to joy appears Basil saith That an alienation and utter separation from God Basil Asc Etic c. 2. Chrysost in Mal. Hom. 24. is more grievous than the pains of Hell Chrysostome saith That the torments of a thousand Hells if there were so many comes far short of this one to wit to be turned out of Gods presâ—nce with a Non novâ— vos I know you not What a grief were it here to be banisht from the Kings Court with Aâ—solom or to be turned out of doors with Hagar and Ismael or to be cast out of Gods presence with cursed Cain But what is all this to a mans being excommunicated and cast out of the presence of God of Christ of the Angels and out of the general Assembly of the Saints and Congregâ—tion of the first born to be Heb. 12. 22 23. secluded from the presence of God is of all miseries the greatest The serious thoughts of this mâ—de one say Many do abhor Hell but I esteem the fall from that glory to be a greater punishment than Hell it self 't is better to endure ten thousand Thunder-claps than be deprived of the beatifical vision Certainly the tears of Hell are not sufficient to bewail the loss of Heaven If those precious souls wept because they Acts 20. 38. should see Pauls face no more how deplorable is the eternal deprivation of the beatifical vision Depart from me is the first and worst of that dreadful sentence which Christ shall pass upon sinners at last Every syllable sounds horror and terror grief and sorrow amazement and astonishment to all whom it doth concern Ye cursed there is the malediction But Lord if we must Cursings now are wicked mens Hymns but in Heâ—l they shall be their woes Rev. 16. 9. 11 21. depart let us depart blessed No depart ye cursed you have cursed others and now you shall be curst your selves you shall be curst in your bodies and curst in your souls you shall be curst of God and curst of Christ and curst of Angels and curst of Saints and curst of Devils and curst of your companions Yea you shall now curse your very selves your very souls that ever you have despised the Gospel refused the offers of Grace scorned Christ and neglected the means of your salvation Oh sinners sinners all your curses all your maledictions shall at last recoyle upon your own souls Now thou cursest every man and thing that stands in the way of thy lusts and that crosses thy designs but at last all the Curses of Heaven and Hell shall meet in their full power and force upon thee Surely that man is cursed with a witness that is cursed by Christ himself But Lord if we must depart and depart cursed Oh let Of this fire you had need of some Devil or accursed wretch to descant saith One. us go into some good place No Depart ye into everlasting fire There is the vengeance and continuance of it You shall go into fire into everlasting fire that shall neither consume it self nor consume you Eternity of extremity is the Hell of Hell The fire in Hell is like that stone in Arcadia which being once kindled could never be quenched If all the fires that ever were in the world were contracted into one fire how terrible would it be Yet such a fire would be but as painted fire upon the Wall to the fire of Hell If it be so sad a spectacle to behold a malefactors flesh consumed by piece-meales in a lingering fire Ah how sad how dreadful would it be to experience what it is to lie in unquenchable fire not for a day a moneth or a year or a hundred or a thousand years but for ever and ever If it were saith One but for a thousand years I could bear it but Cyril seeing it is for eternity this amazeth and affrighteth me I am afraid of Hell saith Another because the Worm there Isâ—dor clar Orat. 12. never dies and the fire never goes out For to be tormented without end this is that which goes beyond all the bounds of desperation Grievous is the torment of the Dionys in 18. Apocaâ—yps Fol. 301. damned for the bitterness of the punishments but it is more grievous for the diversity of the punishments but most grievous for tâ—e eternity of the punishments To lye in everlasting torments to roar for ever for disquietness of heart to rage for ever for madness of soul to weep and grieve and gnash the teeth for ever is a misery Matth 25. ult beyond all expression Bellarmine out of Barocius tells of De arte moriendi a learned man who after his death appeared to his friend complaining that he was adjudged to Hell torments which saith he were they to last but a thousand thousand years I should think it tollerable but alas they are eternal And it is called eternal fire Jude 7. I have read of a Prison among the Persians which was
hath a Soveraign Right and an absolute Supremacy over the creature he is the only Potentate King of Kings and Lord of Lords he is the Judge of 1 Tim. 1. 15. Gen. 18. 25. the whole world And shall not the Judge of all the earth do right But Sâ—condly I answer There is a Principle in man to sin eternally and therefore it is but just with God if he punish him eternally The duration of torment respects the disposition of the delinquent Poenae singulorum inaequales intentione Aqain poenae omnium aequales duratione If the sinner should live ever â—e would dishonor God ever and crucifie the Lord of Glory ever and grieve the Spirit of Grace ever and transgress a righteous Law ever and therefore 't is just with God to punish such sinners for ever If the sinner might live eternally â—t si pâ—ccatoâ—â— aeternum viâ—â—â—â—t in aeterâ—â—m pâ—ccaret he would sin eternally if he might live still he would sin still Though the sinner loses his life yet he dos not lose his will to sin Sinners sin as much as they can and as long as they can and did not the grave put a stop to their lusts 〈◊〉 si vâ—li◠〈…〉 their hearts would never put a stop to their lusts The sinner sins in his eternity and God punishes in his eternity The sinner never loses his will to sin his will to sin is everlasting and therefore 't is but just with God that his punishment should be everlasting A will to sin is sin in Gods account God looks more at the will than at the deed and therefore that being lasting the punishment must be so The mind and intention of the sinner is to sin everlastingly eternally if the sinner should live alwayes he would sin alwayes and therefore as one saith Quia mens in hac vita Gregory nunquam voluit carere peccato justum est nunquam caret supplicio Because the mind of man in this life would never be without sin it is just that it should never be without punishment in the life to come Many of the men of the old world lived eight or nine hundred years and yet faith and repentance was hid from their eyes that patience forbearance long-suffering gentleness and goodness which should 1 Pet. 3. 20. have lead them to aspeedy repentance to a serious repentance to a thorough repentance to that repentance that was never to be repented of was only made use of to patronize their lewdness and wickedness This is certain wicked men left to themselves will never be weary of their Peccant iâ— aeterâ—o sâ—o ergo pâ—â—iâ—â—tâ—r in aeterâ—o Dei Augustâ—ne The sinner alwayes sinned in his eternity therefore he shall alwayes be punished in Gods eternity sins nor never repent of their sins and therefore God will never be weary of plaguing them nor never repent of punishing thâ—m The sinner never leaves his sin till sin first leaves him did not death put a stop to his sin he would never cease from sin This may be illustrated by a similitude thus A company of Gamesters resolve to play all night and accordingly they sit down to Chess Tables or some other Game their Candle accidentally or unexpectedly goes out or is put out or burnt out their Candle being out they are forced to give over their Game and go to bed in the dark but had the Candle lasted all night they would have played all night This is every sinners case in regard of sin did not death put out the candle of life the sinner would sin still Should the sinner live for ever he would sin for ever and therefore it is a righteous thing with God to punish him for ever in hellish torments Every impenitent sinner would sin to the dayes of eternity if he might but live to the dayes of eternity Psal 74. 10. O God how long shall the adversary reproach Shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever For ever and evermore or for ever and yet for so the Hebrew loves to exaggerate as if the sinner the blasphemer would set a term of duration longer than eternity to sin in The Psalmist implicitely saith Lord if thou dost but let them alone for ever they will certainly blaspheme thy name for ever and ever I have read of the Crocodile that he knows no Maximum quod sic he is alwayes growing bigger and bigger and never comes to a certain pitch of Monstrosity so long as he lives Quam diu vivit crescit Every habituated sinner would if he were let alone be such a Monster perpetually growing worser and worser But Thirdly I answer That God against whom they have sinned is an infinite and eternal good Now a finite creature can't bear an infinite punishment intensively and therefore he must bear it extensively They have sinned impenitently against an infinite Majâ—sty and accordingly their Sin is 〈◊〉 Deâ—m 〈◊〉 against an infiâ—ite Majesty punishment must be infinite Now because it cannot be infinite in râ—gard of the degree men being but finite creatures and so no capâ—ble of infinite torments at one time therefore their punishment must be infinite in the length and continuance of it What is wanting in torment mâ—st be made up in time Every sin is of an infinite nature because of the infinite dignity of the person against whom it is committed and therefore it deserveth an infinite punâ—shment which bâ—cause it can't be infinite secundum intentionem in the intention and greatness of it It râ—maineth that it should be infinite secundum durationem in râ—spect of the dâ—ration and Vâ—de August l. 21. c. 11. de Câ—vâ—tate De. â—ontinuance of the same Mark all punishments oâ—gâ—t to be levied according to the dignity of him against whom the offence is committed Words against common persons bear but common actions words against Noble men are scandala magnatum great scaâ—dals but words against Princes are Treason So the dignity oâ— the peâ—son against whom sin is committed dos exceedingly aggravate the sin To strike an inferiour man is matter of Arrest but to strike a King is matter of death Now what an infinite distance and disproportion is there between the Lord of Hosts and such poor crawling Worms as we are he being holiness and we sinfulness he fulness and we emptiness he omnipotency and we impotency he Majesty and we vanity he instar omnium all in all and we nothing at all Now to sin against such an infinite glorious Majesty deserves infinite punishment But Fourthly I answer Though the act of sin be transient yet it leaveth such a stain upon the soul as is permanent and continueth in it evermore and evermore it disposeth the sinner unto sin if it be not pardoned and purged out by mercy and Grace and therefore it is but just that this perpetual purpose of sinning should be punished with perpetuity Aâ— long as the guilt of sin remains punishments and torments will remain of pain The
of them that it was the Lord that had stirred his wrath and indignation against them and yet they wilfully and desperately shut their eyes against all the severities of God and would not behold that dreadful hand of his that was stretched out against them O Sirs God looks upon himself as reproached and slandered by such who will not see his hand in the amazing Judgements that he inflicts upon them Jer. 5. 12. They have belied the Lord and said it is not he or as the Hebrew runs he is not Such was the Atheism of the Jews that they slighted divine warnings and despised all those dreadful threatnings of the Sword Famine and Fire which should have lead them to repentance and so tacitely said the Lord is not God such who either say that God is not omniscient or that he is not omnipotent or that he is not so just as to execute the Judgements that he has threatned Such belie the Lord such deny him to be God Many feel the rod that cannot hear it and many experience the smart of the rod that don't see the hand that holds the rod and this is sad How can the natural man without faiths prospective look so high as to see the hand of the Lord in wasting and destroying Judgements By common experience we find that natural men are mightily apt to father the evil of all their sufferings upon secondary causes sometimes they cry out this is from a distemper in nature and at other times they cry out this is from a bad Air Sometimes they cry out of the malice Plots envy and rage of men and at other times they cry out of Stars Chance and Fortune and so fix upon any thing rather than the hand of God But now a gracious Christian under all his sufferings he overlooks all secondary causes and fixes his eye upon the hand of God You know what Joseph said to his unnatural Brethren who fold him Gen. 45. 7. for a slave Non vos sed Deus 'T was not you but God that sent me into Aegypt Job met with many sore losses and sad crosses but under them all he over-lookt all instruments all secondary causes he over-looks the Sabeans and the Chaldeans and Satan and fixes his eye upon the hand of God The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away blessed be Job 1. 21. the name of the Lord. Judas and Annas and Caiaphas and Pilate and Herod and the bloody Souldiers had all a deep hand in the sufferings of Christ but yet he over-looks them all and fixes his eye upon his fathers hand The cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it This cup was John 18. 11. the cup of his sufferings Now in all his sad sufferings hâ— had still an eye to his Fathers hand Let us in all our sufferings write after this Copy that Christ has set before us But of this I have spoken very largely already and therefore let this touch suffice here Secondly Labour to justifie the Lord in all that he has done Say the Lord is righâ—eous though he hath laid your City desolate When Jerusalem was laid desolate and the Wall thereof broken down and the Gates thereof were burnt with fire Nehemiah justifies the Lord Chap. 9. 33. Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us for thou Nâ—hâ—m 1. 4. So Maâ—â—â—câ—us the Emperour justified God when he saw his Wife and Children butchered before his eyes by the Trayâ—or Phocas and knew that hâ—mself should soon after be stewed in his own Broth cryed out Just art thou O Lord and just are all thy Judgements hast done right but we have done wickedly The same Spirit was upon Jeremiah Lam. 1. 1 4 8. How doth the City sit solitary that was full of people Hâ—w is she become as a Widow She that was great among the Nations and Princâ—ss among the Provinces How is she become tributary The wayes of Zion do mourn because none come to the solemn feasts all her Gates are desolate her Priests sigh her Virgins are afflicted and she is in bitterness The Lord is righteous for I have rebelled against his commandment The same Spirit was upon David Psal 119. 75. I know O Lord that thy Judgements are right and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me So Psal 145. 17. The Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his works This Maxim we must live and dye by though we don't alwayes see the reason of his proceedings 'T is granted on all hands that voluntas Dei est summa perfectissima infallibilis Regula divinae justitiae Deus sibi ipsi lex est The will of God is the chiefest the most perfect and infallible Rule of Divine Justice and that God is a Judge to himself Shall Gen. 18. 25. not the Judge of all the earth do right In this Negative question is emphatically implyed an Affirmative Position which is that God above all others must and will do right because from his Judgement there is no appeal Abraham considering the Nature and Justice of God was confidently assured that God could not do otherwise but right Hath God turn'd you out of house and home and marred all your pleasant things and stript you naked as the day wherein you were born yes Why if he hath he hath done you no wrong he can do you no wrong he is a Law to himself and his righteous Will is the Rule of all Justice God can as soon cease to be as he can cease to do that which is just and right So Psa 97. 2. Clouds and darkness are round about him Righteousnâ—ss and Judgement are the habitation of his throne Clouds and darâ—nâ—ss notes the terribleness of Gods administrations though God be very terrible in his administrations yet righteousness and judgâ—ment are the habitation of his Throne It hath been a day of Gods wrath in London a day of trouble and distress a day of wasting and desolation a day of darkness and gloominess a day of clouds Zeph. 1. 15. and thick darkness as it was once in Jerusalem yet righteousness and judgement are the habitation of his Throne or as it may be translated are the foundation of his Throne Gods Seat of Judgement is alwayes founded in righteousness So Daniel 9. 12. And he hath confirmed his words which he spake against us and against our Judges that judged us by bringing upon us a great evil for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem Ver. 14. The Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doth for we obeyed not his voice God is only righteous he is perfectly righteous he is exemplarily righteous he is everlastingly righteous he is infinitely righteous and no unrighteousness dwells in him There are four things that God can't do Psal 92. 15. Job 36. 23. 1. He can't lie 2. He can't die 3. He ca'nt deny himself Nor 4.
He can't look upon iniquity and not loath it he can't behold iniquity and approve of it or delight in it God has a Soverainty over all your persons and concernments in this world and therefore he may do with you and all that is yours as he pleaseth upon this account you ought to say The Lord is righteous though he hath laid your habitations desolate and burnt up your houses before your eyes It s true God has dealt severely with London but he might have dealt more severely with it he might have burnt up Lam. 3. 22. every house and he might have consumed every inhabitant in Londons flames He might have made good that sad word upon them They shall go from one fire and another fire shall Ezek. 15. 7. devour them The Citâ—zens of London may say with good Ezra God hath punished us less than our iniquities deserve and therefore it highly concerns them to say The Lord is righteous All that God doth is good you know what Hâ—zekiah said 2 Kings 20. 19. Good is the word of the Lord. This was a hard word a sad word that all his treasure should be carried unto Babylon and his Sons also and made Servants there and yet he saith Good is the word of the Lord. What ever God doth is good God in that he is good saith One Luâ—her in Psalm 120. can give nothing do nothing but that which is good others do frequently he cannot possibly Upon this account also it concerns us to say The Lord is righteous though our See more of this in my Mute Chrâ—stiaâ— City be laid desolate 'T is better to be under a fiery Rod than to be wallowing in the mire of sin 'T is better that London should be laid desolate than that God should say England farwell That 's a Christian worth Gold who can seriously heartily and habitually say The Lord is righteous though all our pleasant things are laid desolate I would say the Lord is righteous but by this fiery dispensation Object I am turned out of house and home Now in answer to this Objection give me leave to enquire Answ First Whether your house was dedicated to the Lord by fasting and prayer or not If it were only dedicated to the Deut. 20. 5. service of sin Satan or the world no wonder if the Lord has turned it into a heap But Secondly Give me leave to enquire Whether you had set up Christ and holiness and holy orders in your house or no See Psal 101. Did you in good earnest resolve with Joshua That you and your house would serve the Lord Josh 24. 15. If not no wonder if the Lord has laid your habitations desolate But Thirdly Give me leave to enquire Whether you did labour and endeavour to the utmost of what you were able that Christ might have a Church in your house or no Col. 4. 15. Salute the Brethren which are in Lâ—odicea and Nymphas and the Church which is in his house that is saith Dr. Hammond which meets together in his house 1 Cor. 16. 19. The Churches of Asia salute you Aquila and Priscilla See Dr. Hammoâ—d on this Scripture Vâ—d Bâ—sh Dav Cottoâ— Beza Scultâ—â—us Ambros c. salute you much in the Lord with the Church that is in their house Philemon v. 2. And to our beloved Apphia and Archippus our fellow Souldier and to the Church in thy house Philemons house was a publick meeting-house where the faithful had their Assemblies and so continued for many years after as Theodoret and others witnesseth Some understand this last Scripture of the Church which kept their Assemblies in Philemons house Others understand it of his household which was as a little Church in his house Rom. 16. 5. Likewise greet the Church that is in their house Chrysostome by the Church in their house understands their Christian Family who saith he were so godly as to make their whole house the Church Origen interpreteth it of the faithful and ready Ministry of these servants of the Lord in entertaining of the Saints in their house 3. Theophylact thinketh it to be called the Church in their house because the faithfull were entertained there 4. But beside this it seemeth that their house was a place for the Saints to Assemble in there the Congregation used to come together Martyr 5. The last thing in their praise was that they had a Church in their house either for that their family for their godly order observed in it seemed to be a Church or else for the faithful gathered together in their house to celebrate their Assemblies for they might not have in most places the free use of their Christian Religion through the malice of the Jewes on the one hand and the rage of the Gentiles on the other hand Consult Acts 13. and 14. Wilson In this great City of Rome there were divers Assemblies of Believers which were held in some private mens houses where they might meet safest the state then and some hundred years after not permitting them any publick Temples or Auditories to meet in as our English Annotators observe upon the place In each particular family last cited there was a Church of Christ Now have you burnt Citizens made it your business to erect a Church of Christ in your particular families if so well it is with you though you have lost all If not do'nt wonder that God has laid your houses desolate Adam had a Church in his house so had Abraham and Jacob and Joshuah and David and Cornelius well governed Families may in some sense be well reputed Churches The house of George Prince of Anhalt for the good orders therein observed is said to have been Ecclâ—sia Academia Curia Ah London London it may be there might have been more houses standing within thy Walls than now there is if every particular house had been as a particular Church to Christ As for such houses where there were no exercises of Religion as for such houses where idleness cheating lying cursing swearing slandering gameing drunkenness uncleanness and riotousness were rampant They were rather the Devils Chappel than Christs Church and therefore it was just with God to lay such habitations desolate But Fourthly Give me leave to enquire whether you were friends or enemies to Gods house Now Gods house is his 2 Tim. 2. 20. Num. 12. 7. Josh 1. 2. Church and his Church is his house Heb. 3. 5 6. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant But Christ as a Son over his own house whose house are we 1 Pet. 2. 5. Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ So 1 Tim. 3. 15. That thou maist know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the house of God which is the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of the truth Prov. 9. 1. Wisdom hath builded her house she
hath hewen out her seven pillars Wisdom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chakmoth the Hebrew word is Plural wisdoms Wisdoms hath built her a house By Wisdoms some understand the Trinity of persons but most Col. 2. 3. conclude that by wisdoms is meant our Lord Jesus Christ in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge The word is Plural for honour sake As Princes write we command the Lord Jesus Christ is said to be Wisdoms in the Plural number to note that he is the soveraign and supream wisdom and that he is instead of all wisdoms and comprehends all wisdoms in himself all the world being â—ools in comparison of him Wisdoms hath built her a house 1. Some take this house to be the Humane nature of Christ but that was not then built 2. Others understand it of the work of Grace in mans soul but this Gal. 5. 22 23. the Spirit commonly works in this house by the Ministry of the word 3. Others by this house understand Heaven that upper house that house of State in which Christ saith there are many Mansions but this can't because the house in the Text is such a house to which Wisdom doth immediately invite and call all her guests But 4. and lastly Others by house understand the Church of Christ on earth for the Church Militant is a house built up of many lively stones 1 Pet. 2. 5. and with these I close Now by these Scriptures it is very plain that Gods house is his Church and his Church his house Now if you were enemies to Gods house if you hated his house and designed and endeavoured to pull down his house no wonder that the Lord has laid your Mat. 23. 37 38. Zech. 12. 2 3 6 9. houses desolate Such who cry out concerning his house rase it rase it even to the foundation thereof Psal 137. 7. may one day want a house to live in It is observable that in private houses Christ his Apostles and particular Churches and Primitive Christians frequently used to meet when the times were dangerous Joh. 20. 19. Then the same day at evening being the first day of the week Luke 24. 33. when the doors were shut where the Disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews came Jesus and stood in the midst and saith unto them Peace be unto you Verse 26. And after eight dayes again his Disciples were within and Thomas with them then came Jesus the doors being shut and stood in the midst and said Peace be unto you This was the usual manner of salutation among the Jews whereby they wâ—shâ—d one another all happiness and prosperity The doors of the room where they were together were shut for the more secrecy and security to avoid danger from the Jews saith Dâ— Hammond on the words Acts 1. 13 14. And when they were come in they went See the Dutch Annotations up into an upper room where abode both Peter and James and John and Andrew Philip and Thomas Bartholomew and Matthew James the Son of Alpheus and Simon Zâ—lotes and Judas the brother of James These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary thâ— Mother of Jesus and with his brethren Acts 20. 7. And upon the first day of the week when the Disciples came together tâ— break bread Paul preached unto them ready to depart on thâ— morrow and continued his speech until midnight Verse 8. And See the Dutch Annotations and Diodation on Acts 20. 7 8 9 10 11 12. here were many lights Gr. many Lamps in the upper chamber whither they were gathered together Verse 9. And there sate in a window a certain young man named Eutychus being fallen into a deep sleep and as Paul was long preaching he sunk down with sleep and fell down from the third loft and was taken up dead Verse 10. And Paul went down and fell on him and embracing him said trouble not your selves for his life is in him Verse 11. When he therefore was come up again and had broken bread and eaten and talked along while even till break of day so he departed Verse 12. And they brought the young man alive and were not a little comforted Acts 5. 42. And daily in the Temple and in every house they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ Acts 12. 12. And when he had considered the See Dr. Hammond on the words the English Annotations things he came to the house of Mary the Mother of John whose surname was Mark where many were gathered together praying or where many thronged to pray as it runs in the Original Acts 20. 20. And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you but have shewed you and have taught you publickly and from house to house Acts 28. 30 31. And Paul Vide Dr. Hammond of Acts 28. 30 31. dwelt two whole years in his own hired house and received all that came in unto him Preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence no man forbidding him Luke 10. 38 39. Now it came to pass as they went that he entered into a certain Village and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house And she had a sister called Mary which also sate at Jesus feet and heard his word Beloved by these Scriptures â—is most evident and clear that our Lord Jesus Christ and his Disciples and Apostles and those Christians that lived in their times did frequently meet in private houses and there performed acts of publick Worship viz. such as preaching hearing praying breaking of bread c. How the primitive Christians in those hot times of persecution met in the nights and in woods and houses and obscure places they best understand who have râ—ad the writings of Tertullian Cyprian Chrysostome Theodoret Austin Eusebius Justin Martyr Pliny c. But this to some being an unpleasing Theam I shall not enlarge my self upon it Only remember this that there was never yet any Town City oâ— Country Kingdom or Common-wealth that did ever fare the worse for an holy praying people Frequent and fervent prayer be it in publick or in private in a Synagogue or in an upper Room never did Jam. 5. 17 18. nor never will bring misery or mischief upon those places where such exercises are kept up Such Conventicles of good fellowship as some call them where there is nothing but swearing and cursing and carousing and gaming and all manner of filthiness and prophaneness are the only Conventicles that bring desolating Judgements upon Princes People and Nations as is most evident throughout the Scriptures Take two texts for all 1 Sam. 12. 25. But if ye shall still do wickedly ye shall be consumed both ye and your Kings When Several hundred Scriptures might be produced to make good the Assertion Remember what one Achan did and what one Manasseh did 2 Kings 21. 11
them in I will pursue I will overtake I will divide the spoil my lust shall be satisfied upon them I will draw my Sword my hand shall destroy them But presently God blows with his Wind and the Sea covered them and they sank as Lead in the mighty Waters Soon after Sennacherib had sent a Blasphemous Leâ—ter to King Hezâ—kiah The Angel of the Lord went forth and smote in the Camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand and when they arose early in the morning behold Isaiah 37. they were all dead corpse and within five and fifty dayes after Sennacherib himself was butchered by his own Sons No Tobit 1. 21. sooner had the people as prophane Sycophants applauded Herod and given him the honour due to God but he was smitten by the Angel of the Lord or eaten up of Worms or with Vetmin with Lice as his Grand-father Herod had Act. 12. â—2 23. been before him Roffâ—nsis had a Cardinâ—ls Hat sent him but his head was cut off bâ—fore it came the Ax was nearer his head than his Hat The Heathen Hâ—storian could not but observe that as soon as Alexander the Great hâ—d summoned a Parliament before him of the world he was summoned himself by death to appear before God in the other world Now as you see by these instances that dangers are nearest the wicked when they see them not when they fear them not So mercies are very near to the people of God when they see them not when they expect them not The Israelites found it so in Asa his time and in Jebasaphats time Psal 126. 2 3. 2 Chron. 14. Chap. 20. Exod. 15. 2 Kings 19. Esther 6. 8. 1 Kings 17. 12 13 14 15 16. and in Pharaohs time and in Hezekiahs time and in Esthers time and in the time of the Judges as is evident throughout the Book of Judges When there was but a handful of Meal in the Barrel and a little Oyl in the Cruze supply was at hand Her Barrel and Cruze had no bottom who out of a little gave a little In all the Ages of the world God has made that word good Isa 41. 17. When the poor and needy seek water and there is none and their tongue saileth for thirst I the Lord will hear them I the God of Israel will not forsake them Verse 18. I will open Rivers in high places and Fountains in the midst of the Valleys I will make the Wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water Chrysostome observes That 't is very delightful to the Mother to have her breasts drawn Oh how much more then is it delightful to God to have his breasts of mercy drawn O Sirs look as many times the Mothers breasts are drawn and near the Child though the Child sees them not so Gods breasts of mercy are many times drawn and near his people and yet they see them not Geographers wriâ—e that the City of Syracuse in Sicily is so curiously scituated that the Sun is never out of sight Certainly the mercies of God are never out of sight though sometimes the people of God are so clouded and benighted that they can't see their mercies though they are near them yea though they stand before them But Sixthly I answer That God many times by taking away some outward mercies comforts and contentments dos but make way for greater and better mercies to come in the room of those he has taken away He took from David an Psa 71. 20 21. Absalom and gave him a Solomon he took from him a scoffing Michal and gave him a prudent Abagail He took Gen. 24. 67. away from Isaac his Mother Sarah and made up his loss by giving of him Rebeckah to wife He took away much from Job but laid twice as much in the room of all the mercies that he had stript him off The Lord many times takes away small mercies to make room for greater mercies and many times takes away great mercies to make room for greater mercies yea the greatest of mercies But Seventhly and lastly Though thou hast lost all thy outward comforts in this world yet if thou art a believer there are ten choice Jewels that thou shalt never that thou canst never lose 1. Thou shalt never totally or finally lose thy God Hosea 2. 19 20. 2. Thou shalt never lose thy interest in Christ Whatever thy outward losses are yet thy interest in Christ still holds good Rom. 8. 33. ult 3. Thou shalt never lose the Spirit of Grace John 14. 16. And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever 4. Thou shalt never lose the seed of Grace the habits of Grace 1 John 3. 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin that is doth not give himself over to a voluntary serving 1 Cor. 1. 8. Luke 22. 32. of sin he dos not make a Trade of sin he sins not totally finally maliciously habitually studiously resolutely wilfully delightfully deadly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he dos not make it his work to sin he cannot follow his lusts as a work-man follows his Trade for his seed remaineth in him The seed of God the seed of Grace is an abiding seed 5. Thou shalt never lose the forgiveness of thy sins though thou maist lose the sense and assurance of thy forgiveness Jer. 31. 34. For I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more Mich. 7. 19. 6. Thou shalt never lose thy interest in the Covenant of Grace Psal 89. 30. 35. Jer. 31. 31. 38. Isâ— 54. 10. Once in Covenant and for ever in Covenant 7. Thou shalt never lose thy union with Christ John 15 1. 6. In John 17. Christ prayed that we might be one as he and his Father are one not essentially nor personally but spiritually so as no other creature is united to God There can be no Divorce between Christ and the believing soul Christ hates putting away Sin may for a time seemingly separate Mal. 2. 16. between Christ and the believer but it can never finally separate between Christ and the Believer Look as it is impossible for the Leaven that is in the Dough to be separated from the Dough after it is once mixed for it turneth Luther the nature of the Dough into it self so it is impossible for the Saints ever to be separated from Christ for Christ is in the Saints as nearly and as really as the Leaven is in the very Dough. Christ and believers are so incorporated as if Christ and they were one lump Our nature is now joyned to God by the indissolvable tye of the Hypostatical Union in the second Person and we in our persons are joyned to God by the Mystical indissolvable bond of the Spirit the third Person Our union with the Lord is so near and so glorious that it makes us one Spirit with him In this blessed union the
Saints are not only joyned to the Graces and 1 Cor. 6. 17. benefits which flow from Christ but to the Person of Christ Rom. 8. 32. 1 Cor. 3. 21 22 23. to Christ himself who is first given for us and to us and then with him we receive all other spiritual blessings and savours 8. Thou shalt never lose thy inward peace either totally or finally 'T is true by sin and Satan and the world and divine withdrawings thy peace may be somewhat interrupted but it shall never be finally lost The greatest storms Psalm 30. 5. Mal. 4. 2. Isa 9. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shalom Under this Word the Jews comprehend all Peace Prosperity and happy Success in this life that beats upon a believer will in time blow over and the Sun of Righteousness the Prince of Peace will shine as gloriously upon him as ever John 14. 27. Peace I leave with you its bonum haereditamentum a good inheritance my peace I give unto you not as the world giveth give I unto you My peace I give unto you that is that peace with God and peace with conscience that I have purchased with my blood I give unto you Men may wish me peace but 't is only Christ that can give me peace The peace that Christ gives is bottom'd upon his blood upon hâ—s imputed righteousness upon his Intercession and upon a Covenant of Peace and therefore it must needs be a lasting peace an abiding peace When a Tyrant thus threatned a Christian I will take away thy house the Christian replyed Thou canst not take away my peace When the Tyrant threatned to break up his School the Christian answered I shall still keep whole my peace When the Tyrant threatned to confiscate all his goods the Christian answered yet there is no premunire against my peace When the Tyrant threatned to banish him out of his own Countrey the Christian replyed yet I shall carry my peace with me 9. Thou shalt never lose thy Title to Heaven Luke 12. 32. Fear not little flock 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here are two Diminutives in the Original the word translated Flock signifieth a Little Flock but that the exceeding littleness of it might appear Christ adds another word so that the words in the fountain run thus Fear not little little flock And indeed in all the Ages of the world the flock of Christ have been but little in their own eyes and little in the worlds eyes and little in their enemies eyes and but little in comparison of that world of Wolves that has still surrounded them for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom You need neither fear the loss of earthly things or the want of earthly things for you have a kind a tender a loving Father whose pleasure 't is to give you the Kingdom that is the Heavenly Kingdom that is prepared and referved for you 10. and lastly Thou shalt never lose thy Crown of Life Rev. 2. 10. James 1. 12. 1 Pet. 5. 4. 1 Cor. 9. 25. thy crown of Glory thy incorruptible crown thy crown of righteousness 2 Tim. 4. 8. Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day and not to me only but unto all them also that love his appearance A Crown is the top of Royalty Here it notes that everlasting glory that is lâ—id up for the Saints Now this Crown is called a Crown of Righteousness partly because 't is purchased by the righteousness of Christ and partly because he is righteous that hath promised it and partly because it is a just and righteous thing with God to crown them with glory at last who have for his honour been crowned with shame and reproach in this world and partly because they come to this Crown in the use of righteous wayes and means And this Crown is said to be laid up to note our sure and certain enjoyment of it as the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dos import And let thus much suffice for Answer to this second Objection I would justifie the Lord I would say he is righteous though Object 3 my house be burnt up and I am turned out of all but this troubles me I have not an estate to do that good that formerly I have done I was once full but the Lord hath made me empty I was once Naomi i. e. beautiful but now God has made me Ruth 1. 20 21. Marah i. e. bitter the Lord hath testified against me and the Almighty hath afflâ—cted me and consumed me on every hand I have fed the poor I have clothed the naked I have received them that were in bonds The blessing of him that was ready to perish Job 29. 13. came upon me but now I can do little or nothing for others and this troubles me I answer Thy condition is no lower than was the condition Answ of Christ and his Apostles in this world Silver and Gold have we none Acts 3. 6. Salvian saith that Christ is Mendicorum maximus the â—reatest Beggar in the world as one that shareth in all hiâ— Saints necessities Both Christ and his followers when they were in this world they were maintained by others They had no Lands nor Lordships but lived upon others costs But of this before therefore lâ—t this touch suffice here But Secondly God many times in this life repairs his peoples charity with interest upon interest Their scattering Matth. 19 27 28 29 30. 2 Cor. 9. 6. to 14 Heb. 6. 10. is their encreasing their spending is their lending their layings out are but layings up for themselves Prov. 11. 24. There is that scattereth and yet increaseth Verse 25. The liberal soul shall be made fat and he that watereth shall be watered also himself It is fabled of Midas that what ever he touched he turned it into Gold This is most true of Charity what ever the hand of Charity toucheth it turneth it into Matth. 10. 42. Gold be it but a cup of cold water nay into Heaven it self I have read of one who having given somewhat to a poor man and considering with himself whether he had not injured himself by giving beyond his ability presently corrected himself with those thoughts that he had lent it to one that would pay well again and within an hour after he had it restored above sevenfold in a way which he never thought of However God may carry it towards his people in this world yet he will be sure to repay their charity in that other world It is storied of one Evagrius in Cedrenus a rich man who lying upon his death-bed and being importuned by Sinesius the Bishop to give something to charitable uses he yielded at last to give three hundred pounds but first took Bond of the Bishop that it should be payed him in another world according to the promise of our Saviour with a hundred fold
Son nor thy Daughter thy man-servant nor thy maid-servant nor thy cattel nor thy stranger that is within thy gates Jer. 17. 22. Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath Day neither do ye any work but hallow ye the Sabbath Day as I commanded your fathers Isa 58. 13. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my holy day and call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not doing thine own wayes nor finding thine own pleasure nor speaking of thine own words Here are three things distinctly observable in the words 1. Words 2. Works 3. Pleasure Not doing thine own wayes that is works not speaking thine own words not finding thine own pleasure Now mark we have stronger reasons to engage us to a stricter observation and sanctification of the Lords Day than they had for their Sabbath which may be thus evinced Not to speak of their double Sacrifices upon their Sâ—bbath Numb 28. 9 10. which as some think might typifie our double devotion on the Lords Day nor yet to speak of those six Lambs whereby others conjecture was fore-prophesied the abundant services in the time of the Gospel Ezek. 46. 1 -5 First Our Motives are far greater and more efficacious For First Our day hath many priviledges above theirs witness the honourable Tâ—tles given to it by holy and learned men As the Queen of dayes Princess Principal Primate a Royal day higher than the highest the first fruits of the days yea saith Hierom The Lords Day is better than any other common day than all Festivals New-moons and Sabbaths of Moses By these Titles 't is evident that the Ancients had the Lords Day in very hâ—gh esteem and veneration Sirs look what Gold is among inferiour Mettals and what among other Grain c. the same is the Lords Day above all other dayes of the week Secondly Their Sabbath was celebrated for the memorial of the Creation ours for the great work of Redemption But Thirdly Theirs was celebrated for their deliverance out of Aegypt ours for our deliverance from Hell Now if the Jews were bound and that for a whole day not to do their own works nor speak their own words nor find their own pleasure how much more solemnity belongs to our Lords Day O what a day is the Lords Day and how solemnly and devoutly ought it to be observed and sanctified But Sâ—condly We have greater means and helps for the sanctification of the Sabbath than the Jews had for a long time or than the Primitive Christians had for three hundred years Mark the holy observation of the Sabbath among them came in by degrees long after the day was settled and the reason was this because for a good while they had no word written to be read nor no Synagogues built to read it in It was well nigh a thousand years or above a thousand years after the giving of the Law before the reading of the Law in Synagogues came up For a long time they had no Books among them but the five Books of Moses and those Books neither were not well understood by the common people And it is further observable that the children of Israel being in Aegypt under sore pressures afflictions and cruel bondage c. neither did nor could keep the Sabbath in any solemn manner not being permitted either to rest or enjoy any solemn assemblies And when they were in their wilderness condition they had many stations diversions and incursions of enemies so that they could not keep the Sabbath in any solemn publick manner as afterwards they did when they were setled in peace and safety in the Land of Canaan And so the Primitive Christians for three hundred years liveing undâ—r very great and violent Persecutions they neither did nor could keep the Lords Day with that solemnity that they should or would but as for place they met not openly but secretly in Woods and Desarts and Holes and Caves and Dens of the earth and so for time sometimes they met in the day and often they met in the night But as for us who have lived and do live in these dayes of the Son of man what rare means and helps what abundance of means and helps what choice and precious means and helps have we had and still have in spite of all oppositions from high or low to enable us to sanctifie the Sabbath And O that all the means and helps that we yet enjoy may be signally blest to that purpose But Thirdly The Heathens by the very light of nature held it but reasonable that the dayes consecrated to their Gods should totally be observed with rest and sanctity the Flamins which were their Priests affirmed that the Holy-dayes were polluted if any work were done upon the solemn dayes besides it was not lawful for the King of the Sacrifices Macrobâ—us l. 1. c. 16. and the Flamins their Priests to see a work done on the holy dayes and therefore by a Cryer it was proclaimed that no such things should be done and he that neglected the Precept was fined and besides the fine he which did ought unawares on such dayes was to offer Sacrifices for expiation And Scaevòla the High Priest affirmed that the wilful offendor could have no expiation Now shall Heathens be so strict in the observation of their holy dayes and shall not Christians be as strict in their observation of the Lords Day These Heathens will one day rise in judgement against the slight observers and the gross prophaners of the Lords Day But Secondly We must sanctifie the Sabbath by preparing ouâ— selves before hand for that day and all the duties of that day Eccles 5. 1 2. Hence it is that God hath fixt a Memorandum upon this Command more than he hath upon any other Command Exod. 20. 8. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy Sabbath dayes are our Market-dayes Now men that are worldly wise they consider before hand what to buy and what to sell The Husband-man dungs dresses plowes harrows and all to prepare it for seed I will saith holy David Psalm 26. 6. wash my hands in innocency so will I compass thine Altar O Lord. Signifying that to holy performances there ought to be holy preparations When the Temple was to be built the Stones were hewen and the Timber squared and fitted before they were brought to the place where the Temple stood The Application is easie First The Jews had their preparations Mark 15. 42. And now when the Even was come because it was the preparation that is the day before the Sabbath c. Their preparation began at three a clock in the after-noon which the Hebrews called the Sabbath Eve The Jews as I have read were so careful in their preparation for the Sabbath that to further it the best and wealthiest of them even those that had many servants and were Masters of Families would chop
staff nor shoes nor to spit in it nor when they went away to turn their backs upon it but go sidelong But doubtless the great thing God points at and expects from his peoples hands on this day is that they do worship him with inward reverence seriousness and spiritualness All other Worshâ—p abstracted from this will neither pleasure God nor profit us 1 Tim. 4. 8. For bodily exercise profiteth little Oh labour to be very spiritual in all the duties of this day Christ the Luke 1. 35 36. Matth. 3. 16. John 1. 32. Chap. 6. 36. Heb. 7. 26. Chap. 9. 14. 1 Tim. 3. 16. Lord of the Sabbath was spiritual in his conception in his life and conversation in his death and passion in his resurrection and ascension he was spiritual in his words in his works in his wayes and in his worship and therefore let us labour to be very spiritual in all we do on that day Again all the Ordinances of the day are spiritual viz. the Word Prayer Sacraments singing of Psalms c. and therefore we had need to be spiritual in all the services of that day Again the ends for which the Lords Day was appointed are all spiritual viz. the glory of God the illumination conversion and salvation of sinners and the edification confirmation consolation of Saints And therefore we had need be spiritual Ephes 6. 12. in all the duties of the day Again the grand enemies that we are to encounter with on this day are spiritual sin within and Satan without and therefore we had need be spiritual in all we do For there is no way to conquer spiritual enemies but by spiritual weapons and by spiritual 1 Cor. 10. 13. exercises Again grace thrives most and flourishes best in their souls who are most spiritual in their duties on the Lords Day Again the more spiritual any man is in his duties on the Lords Dayes the more secured and armed he will be against all spiritual judgments which are the sorest and dreadfullest of all judgements Again the more spiritual any man is in the duties of the Lords Day the more that man acts like the Angels in Heaven and like the Spirits of Heb. 12. 22 23. just men made perfect Again this will dâ—fference you from hypocrites formalists and all prophane persons An external observation of the Sabbath will difference you from Heathens but a spiritual spending of the Sabbath will difference you from hypocrites An hypocrite never rises so Luke 13. 14 15. high as to be spiritual in the Sabbaths of God Mark Sabbaths spiritually spent are a sure sign of a sincere heart and of a saving estate Now Oh that all these considerations Exod. 31. 13. might greatly provoke you and mightily encourage you to be very spiritual on the Lords Day and in all the duties of that day But Tenthly You must sanctifie the Sabbath by being spiritual 10. tual in all natural actions and holy and heavenly in all 1 Cor. 10. 13. earthly enjoyments It is reported of a Scotch Minister that he did eat drink and sleep eternal life Luther tells us that though he did not alwayes pray and meditate but did sometimes eat and drink and sometime sleep yet all should further his account That 's a Christian worth Gold that hath learned that heavenly art so to spiritualize all his natural actions as that they shall turn to his account in the great day Zach. 14. 20 21. In that day shall there be upon the Bells Calâ—â—â— renders it stables of hoâ—ses which are the most stinking and contemptible places and yet these should be holily used or Bridles of the Horses Holiness unto the Lord. And the pots in the Lords house shall be like the bowls before the Altar Yea every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of Hosts Here is holiness written upon the bridles of the horses they ride on and holiness written upon the cups and pots they drink in A holy and heavenly heart will be holy in the use of the meanest things that are for common use Something of sanctity should run through every piece of your civility Something of the spirit life and power of Religion you should shew in all parts of your common conversation on every day but especially on the Lords Day Tâ—rtullian speaking of the carriage of the Primitive Christians Teâ—tul Apollog at their meals saith 1. Our Table resembleth an Altar and our Supper a Sacrifice 2. Our Table hath nothing savouring of baseness sensuality or immodesty we feed by measure we drink by the rules of temperance 3. We speak and converse as in the presence of God every one repeateth what he knoweth out of the holy Scriptures and his own invention to the praise of God 4. As prayer began the Banquet so prayer concludes it If you beheld us you would say that we were not at Supper but at a Lecture of holiness Should not the practice of these Primitive Christians put all such Christians to a blush in our day who on the Lords Day are so carnal in the use of spiritual things and so earthly in the use of heavenly things That is a memorable expression that you have in Exod. 18. 12. And Aaron came and all the Elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses Father-in-law before God Now mark in See Deut. 12. 5 7. 1 Chron. 29. 21 22. The word Bread is used for all meat Gen. 3. 19. Chap. 31. 14. these words you have 1. The greatness of their courtesie for though Jethro was a stranger and no Israelite yet the Elders honoured him with their company And Aaron and all the Elders came to eat bread with Moses his Father-in law 2. The graciousness of their carriage They came to eat bread with him before the Lord. That is saith Calvin on the Texâ— in gloriam honorem Dei to the honor and glory of God Grace must spice every cup and be sauce to every dish or nothing will rellish well with him whose heart is set to sanctifie the Sabbath Aaron and all the Elders of Israel eat bread before the Lord that is they eat bread as in the presence of God Whilst they were eating of bread their hearts were under a reverential awe of God Dianâ—es Temple was burnt down when she was busie at Alexanders birth and could not be at two places together But God is present both in Paradice and in the wilderness at the same time he is present both at board and bed both in the family and in the Closet at the same time O that in all your natural civil Psalm 139. and common actions you would carry it as becomes his eye his presence that fills Heaven and earth with his glory But Eleventhly You must sanctifie the Sabbath by managing all the duties of the Sabbath with a spirit of holy joy and delight There is no garment that so well becomes the upright Psalm