then they will bow and tremble under a sense of the Soveraignty of God The Soveraignty of God is that golden Scepter in his hand which he will make all bow to either by his Word or by his Works by his Mercies or by his Judgments This Scepter must be kist and submitted to or else fire and sword desolation and destruction will certainly follow Jer. 18. 2 3 4. 6. Arise and go down to the potters house and there will I cause thee to hear my word Then I went down to the potters house and behold he wrought a work on the wheels And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter so he made it again another vessel that seemed good to the potter to make it O house of Israel cannot I do with you as the potter saith the Lord. Behold as the clay is in the potters hand so are ye in my hand O house of Israel The Jews were so stupid and sottish that verbal teaching without signs would not work upon them and therefore the Lord sent Jeremiah to the potters house that he might see by what the potter did that though he had made them a People a Nation a Church a State yet he could as easily unmake them and mar them as the potter marred the vessel that he had made God would have this people to know that he had as much power over them and all they had as the potter had power over the clay that he works upon and that he had as much both might and right also to dispose of them at his pleasure as the potter had over his clay to dispose of it as he judged meet Nay Beloved the potter has not such an God hath jus ad omnia jus in omnibus a right to all things a right in all things absolute power over his pots and clay as the Lord has over the Sons of men to make them and break them at his pleasure and that partly because that the clay is none of his creature and partly because without God give him strength he has no power to make or break one vessel God by the Prophet would have the Jews to know that 't was meerly by his good pleasure and grace that they came to be so glorious and flourishing a Nation as they were at this time yea and further to know that they were not so great and rich and flourishing and setled and built but that he could as easily break them and mar them as the potter could the Isa 64. 8. vessel that was under his hand Ah Sirs God by that dreadful fire that has destroyed our houses and burnt up our substance and banished us from our habitations and levelled our stately Monuments of Antiquity and Glory even with the ground has given us a very high evidence of his Soveraignty both over our persons and all our concernments in this world Ah London London were there none within nor without thy Walls that did deny the Soveraignty of God that did belye the Soveraignty of God that did slight the Soveraignty of God that did make head against the Soveraignty of God Were there none within nor without thy Walls that did say We are Lords and we will come no more unto thee That did say Is not this great Babylon is Jer. 2. 31. Dan. 4. 30. Lam. 4. 12. not this great London that we have built That did say the Kings of the Earth and all the Inhabitants of the World would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy the flaming and consuming fire should have entred into the gates of Jerusalem into the Gates of London That Exod. 5. 2. did say Who is the Lord that we should obey his voice That did advance a worldly Soveraignty above and against the Soveraignty of God and Christ Ah London London if there were any such within or without thy Walls then never wonder that God has in a flaming and consuming fire proclaimed his Soveraignty over thee and that he hath given such Atheists to know from woful experience that both themselves and all their concernments are in the hands of the Lord as the clay is in the hands of the potter and that the sorest Judgments that any City can fall under are but the Isa 5. 16. demonstrations of his Soveraign Prerogative Psal 9. 16. The Lord is known by the Judgments which he executeth the Power Justice and Soveraignty of God shines most gloriously in the execution of his Judgments upon the world Secondly God inflicts great and sore Judgments upon the Sons of men that the world may stand in awe of him and that they may learn to fear and tremble before him when he Consult these Scriptures Exod. 15. 14 15 16. Josh 2. 10 11. Rev. 15. 4. appears as a consuming fire he expects that the Nation should tremble and that the Inhabitants should fear before him 1 Sam. 16. 4. And Samuel did that which the Lord spake and came to Bethlehem and the Elders of the Town trembled at his coming and said comest thou peaceable Shall the Elders of Bethlehem tremble for fear that Samuel came to denounce some grievous Judgment against them and shall not we tremble when God has executed his terrible Judgments 1 Kings 21. 20 21 22 23 24 27 28 29. upon us Shall Ahab tremble and humble himself and fast and lye in sackcloth when Judgments are but threatned and shall not we tremble and fear before the great God who has actually inflicted upon us his three great Judgments Pestilence Sword and Fire Shall the Ninevites both Princes Jonah 3. 3 4. 5 6 7 8 9 10. Nobles and people tremble and humble themselves in sackcloth and ashes when God doth but threaten to over-throw their great their rich their populous City and shall not we tremble and lye low before the Lord when we see great London rich and populous London laid in ashes before our eyes When the hand of the Lord was stretched out Exod. 15. 15 16. See 2 Kings 6. 30. and Chap. 7. 6 7. 15. Jer. 4. 7 8 9. against the Egyptians the Dukes of Edom were amazed and the mighty men of Moab trembled Ah how severely has the hand of the Lord been stretched out against London and all her Inhabitants and therefore what cause have we to be amazed and to tremble before that God who has appeared in flames of fire against us Lam. 2. 3 4. He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel he hath drawn back his right hand before the enemy and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire which devoureth round about He bent his bow like an enemy and poured out his fury like fire God burnt down their City their Temple their Gates their Princely Habitations their glorious Structures in the fierceness of his anger and in the greatness of his wrath O Sirs when God falls upon burning work when he pours out
them lâ—b de superstitione Sun and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire And the men were scorched with great heat and blasphemed the Name of God which hath power over these plagues and they repâ—nted not to give him glory Vers 10. And the fifth Angel poured out his vial upon the scent of the Beast and his Kingdom was full of darkness and they gnawed their tongues for pain and blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores and repented not of their deeds The top of the Judgment that is and shall be upon the wicked is this that under the sorest and heaviest Judgments that shall come This will be the case of all the worshippers of the Beast one day Deut. 8. 2. 15 16. upon them they shall not repent nor give glory to God they shall blaspheme the Name of God and they shall blaspheme the God of Heaven and they shall be scorched with great heat and they shall gnaw their tongues for pain but they shall not repent of their deeds nor give glory to that hand that smites them The fierce and fiery Dispensations of God upon the followers and worshippers of the Beast shall draw out their sins but they shall never reform their lives nor better their souls God kept the Jews forty years in the Wilderness and exercised them with many sore and smart afflictions that he might prove them and make a more full discovery of themselves to themselves and did not the heavy tryals that they met with in their wilderness condition make a very great discovery of that pride that unbelief that hypocrisie that impatience that discontent that self-love that murmuring c. that was wrapt up close in all their souls O Sirs since God has turned our renowned City into ashes what discoveries has he made of that pride that unbelief that worldliness that earthliness that self-love that inordinate affection to relations and to the good things of the world that discontent that disquietness that faint-heartedness that has been closely wrapt up in the spirits of many thousands whose habitations are now laid in ashes We try metals by fire and by knocking and God has tryed many thousands this day by his fiery Dispensations and knocking Judgments that have been in the midst of us I believe there are many thousands who have been deep sufferers by the late dreadful Fire who never did think that there had been so much sin and so little grace so much of the Creature and so little of God so much earth and so little of Heaven in their hearts as they now find by woful experience and how many wretched sinners are there who have more blasphemed God and dishonoured Christ and provoked divine Justice and abused their best mercies and debased and be-beasted themselves since the late Fire then they have done in many years before But Sixthly God inflicts great and sore Judgments upon Persons Cities and Countries that others may be warned by his severities to break off their sins and to return to the most High Gods Judgments upon one City should be advertisements to all other Cities to look about them and to Heb. 12. 29. tremble before him who is a consuming fire The flaming Rod of correction that is laid upon one City should be a Rod of instruction to all other Cities Jer. 22. 6 7 8 9. I will make thee a wilderness and cities which are not inhabited and many nations shall pass by this city and they shall say every man to his neighbour Wherefore hath the Lord done this unto this great City Then shall they answer Because they have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord their God and worshipped other gods and served them God punisheth one City that all others Cities may take warning There is no Judgment of God be it Sword Pestilence Famine or Fire upon any People City Nation or Country but what is speaking and Mich. 6. 9. teaching to all others had they but eyes to see ears to hear and hearts to understand Thus Tyrus shall be devoured with fire saith the Prophet Ashkelon shall see it and fear Zach. 9. 4 5. Gaza and Ekron shall be very sorrowful When Ashkelon Gaza and Ekron shall see the destruction of Tyre by fire it shall make them afraid of the like Judgment they shall be a little more concerned then some were at the Siege of Rhodes and then others were at the Ruine and Desolation of Troy by fire London's sufferings should warn others to take heed of London's sins London's Conflagration should warn others to take heed of London's abominations it should warn others to stand and wonder at the patience Rom. 2. 4 5. long-suffering gentleness and goodness of God towards them who have deserved as hard things from the hand of God as London have felt in 1665. and 1666. It should warn others to search their hearts and try their ways and break off their sins and turn to the Lord lest his anger should break forth in flames of fire against them and none should be able to deliver them It should warn others to Lam. 3. 40. fear and tremble before that Power Justice Severity and Soveraignty that shine in Gods fiery Dispensations towards us Ezek. 30. 7 8 9. And they shall be desolate in the midst Exod. 15. 14 15 16. Isa 13. 6 7 8. â—f the countries that are desolate and her Cities meaning Egypt shall be in the midst of the Cities that are wasted And they shall know that I am the Lord when I have set a fire in Egypt In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Aethiopians afraid and great pain shall câ—me upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it cometh God by his secret Instinct and Providence would so order the matter as that the news of the Chaldeans inrode into Egypt laying all their Cities and Towns waste by fire and sword should be carried over into Aethiopia and hereupon the secure Aethiopians should fear and tremble and be in pain as a woman is that is in travel or as the Egyptians were when they were destroyed at the Red-sea or as they were when the Lord smote their first-born throughout the Land of Egypt Now shall the Aethiopians the poor blind Heathens fear and tremble and be in pain when they hear that Egypt is laid waste by fire and sword and shall not Christians all the world over fear and tremble and be in pain when they shall hear that London is laid waste that London is destroyed by fire What though Papists and Atheists have warmed themselves at the flames of London saying Aha so would we have it yet let all that have the Name of God upon them fear and tremble and take warning and learn righteousness by his righteous Judgments upon desolate London Isa 26. 8 9. London's murdering-piece should be Englands warning-piece to awaken them and to work them to
to the ground to see this City sit like a desolate Widow in the dust Such a sight made Jeremiah to lament Lament 1. 1. How doth the City sit solitary speaking of Jerusalems ruine that was full of people How is she become as a widow She that was great among the Nations and Princes among the Provinces How is she become tributary Let prophane ignorant superstitious and Popish desamers of London say Jer. 9. 1 2 3. Ezek. 9. 4. 6. what they please yet doubtless God had more of his mourning ones and of his marked ones in that City than he had in a great part of the Nation beside There was a time when London was a faithful City a City of righteousness a City of Renown a City of Praise a City of Joy yea the Paradise of the world in respect of the power and purity of Gospel-Ordinances and that glorious light shined in the midst of her Who can remember those dayes of old and not mourn to see such a City buried in its own Ruines Under the whole Heavens there were not so many thousands to be found that truly feared the Lord in so narrow a compass of ground as was to be found in London and yet lâ— London is laid in the dust and the Nations round gaze and wonder at her desolation Who can but hang down hiâ— head and weep in secret for these things But Fourthly who did look upon London as the Bullwark a the Strong-hold of the Nation that can't mourn to seâ— their â—ullwark their Strong hold turned into a ruinous heap Psal 48. 12 13. Walk about Sion and tell the Towers thereof mark ye well her Bullwarks confider her Palaces that ye may tell it to the generation following Sion had her Bullwarks her Towers her Palaces but at last the Chaldeans at one â—er 52. 12 13. Luke 19. 41 45. time and the Romans at another laid them all waste So London had her Bullwarks her Towers her Palaces but they are now laid desolate and many fear and others say by male-content Villains and mischievous Forreigners of a Romish faith London was once terrible as an Army with Cant. 6. 10. Banners How terrible were the Israelites encâ—mped and bannered in the Wilderness unto the Moabites Canaanites c. Exod. 15 14 15 16. So was London more than once terrible to all those Moabites Canaanites that have had thoughts to swallow her up and to divide the prey among themselves How terrible were the Hussites in Bohemia to the Germans when all Germaâ—y were up in arms against them and worsted by them London hath been as terrible to those that have been cozen-Germans to the Germans London was once a Battel-ax and Battel-bow in the hand of the Almighty which he has wielded Jer. 51. 20 Zech. 9. 10. Chap. 10. 4. Ezek. 21. 31. against her proudest strongest and subtillest enemies Was not London the Head City the Royal Chamber the glory of England the Magazine of Trade and Wealth the City that had the Strength and Treasure of the Nation in it Were there not many thousands in London that were men of fair estates of exemplary piety of tried valour of great prudence and of unspotted Reputation and therefore why should it seem impossible that the fire in London should be The French were then drawn down to the Sea side and great were the fears of many upon that account Remember the Gun-Powder Plot. the effect of desperate designs and complotments from abroad seconded and incouraged by male-contents at home London was the great Bullwark of the Reformed Religion against all the Batteries of Popery Atheism and Prophaneness and therefore why should any English man wonder if these uncircumcised ones should have their heads and their hands and their hearts engaged in the burning of London Such whose very Principles leads them by the hand to blow up Kings Princes Parliaments and Reformed Religion to make way for their own Religion or for the good old Religion as some are pleased to call it such will never scruple to turn such Cities such Bulwarks into a ruinous heap that either stands in their way or that might probably hinder their game In all the Ages of the world wicked Dan. 11. 24 39 men have designed the ruine and laying waste of Christians Bulwarks and Strong-holds in order to the rooting out of the very name of Christians as all know that have read any thing of Scripture or History and therefore why should any men think it strange if that Spirit should still be at work Was ever England in such eminent danger of being made a prey to forreign power or of being rid by men of a forraign Religion and whose Principles in Civil Policy are very dangerous both to Prince and People as it hath been since the firing of London or since that Bullwark has been Gen. 31. 24 29. Chap. 33. 1 4. 2 Kings 19. 27 28 32. turned into a ruinous heap Had not the great God who laid a Law of Restraint upon churlish Laban and upon bloody Esau and his four hundred bloody cut-throats and upon proud blasphemous Senacherib laid also a Law of restraint upon ill-minded men what mischief might they not then have done when many were amazed and astonished and many did hang down their heads and fold their hands crying alas alas London is fallen and when many had sorrow in their hearts paleness upon their cheeks and trembling in all their joints yea when the flames of London were as Dan. 5. 5 6. terrible to most as the hand-writing upon the wall was to Belshazzar How mightily the burning of London would have retarded the supplies of men money and necessaries which would have been needful to have made opposition against an invading enemy had we been put to it I shall not here stand to dispute Whilst London was standing it could raise an Army and pay it when it had done London was the Sword and sinews of War but when London was laid in ashes the Citizens were like Sampson when his hair was cut Judg. 16. 18 19 20. Gen 34 25. off and like the Sechemites when they were sore Beloved the People of God have formerly made the firing of their strong holds matter of bitter Lamentation as you may see in 2 Kings 8. 11 12. And he setled his countenance stedfastly until he was ashamed till Hazael blushed to see the Prophet look so earnestly upon him and the man of God wept and Hazael said why weepeth my Lord and he answered because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel their strong holds wilt thou set on fire well and what will he do when their strong holds are in flames or turned into a ruinous heap why this you may see in the following words and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword and wilt dasâ— their children and rip up their women with child Other Kings of Syria had born an immortal
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
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
his fury like fire when like a flaming fire he devours all our pleasant things and lays all our glory in dust and ashes we may safely conclude that his anger is fierce and that his wrath is great against us and therefore what eminent cause have we to fear and tremble before him God is a great and dreadful God Dan. 9. 4. A mighty God and terrible Deut. 7. 21. A great and terrible God Nehem. 1. 5. He is so in himself and he has been so in his fiery Dispensations towards us that the world by such remarkable severities may be kept in awe of him Generally fear doth more in the We are worthy saith Chrysostom of Hell if for no other cause yet for fearing Hell and the evil of punishment more then Christ Chrys Hom. 5. in Epist ad Rom. world then love As there is little sincerity so there is but little ingenuity in the world and that is the reason why many very rarely think of God but when they are afraid of him Many times Judgments work where Mercies do not win That famous Thomas Waldo of Lions the Father of the Waldenses seeing among many met together to be merry one suddenly fall down dead in the street it struck so to his heart that he went home a penitent it wrought to a severe and pious reformation of his life and he lived and dyed a precious man Though Pharaoh was not a pin the better for all the heavy Judgments that God inflicted upon him yet Jethro taking notice of those dreadful Plagues and Judgments that fell upon Pharaoh and upon his people and likewise upon the Amalekites was thereby converted and became a Proselyte as Rabbi Solomon noteth upon that 19. of Prov. 25. The world is so untractable that frowns will do more with them then smiles That God may keep wicked men in awe and in subjection to him he sees it very needful to bring common and general and over-spreading Judgments upon them Rev. 15. 4. Who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy Name for thou only art holy for all Nations shall come and worship before thee for thy Judgments are made manifest O Sirs when the Judgments of the Lord come to be made manifest then it highly concerns all ranks and sorts of men to fear the Lord and to glorifie his Name How manifest how visible has the raging Pestilence and the bloody Sword and the devouring Flames of London been in the midst of us and O that our fear and dread and awe of God were as manifest and as visible as his Judgments have been and still are for his hand to this very hour is stretched out against us Isa 9. 12. But Thirdly God inflicts great and sore Judgments upon the Sons of men and upon Cities and Countries to express and make known his Power Justice Anger Severity and Indignation against sinners and their sinful courses by which See Jer. 14. 15 16. Lam. 4. 11. Jer. 4. 15. to verse 19. he has been provoked Deut. 32. 19. And when the Lord saw it he abhorred them because of the provoking of his sons and of his daughters Vers 21. They have provoked me to anger with their vanities and I will provoke them to anger with a foolish Nation Vers 22. For a fire is kindled in my anger and shall burn unto the lowest Hell and shall consume the earth with her increase and set on fire the foundations of the mountains Vers 24. They shall be burnt with hunger and devoured with burning heat or with burning coals and with bitter destruction There is a knowledge of God by his Works as well as by his Word and by his Judgments as well as by his mercies In his dreadful Judgments every one may run and read his Power his Justice his Anger his Severity and his Indignation against sin and sinners 'T is irrevocable sins that bring irrevocable Judgments upon sinners whilst men hold on in committing great iniquities God will hold on in inflicting answerable severities When God cannot prevail with men to desist from sinning men shall not prevail with God to desist from destroying of them their habitations and all their pleasant things Jer. 2. 15. The young Lions roared upon him and yelled and they made his Land waste his Cities are burnt without Inhabitant Vers 17. Hast thou not procured this unto thy self in that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God when he led thee by the way When Nicephorus Phocas had built a mighty strong Wall about his Palace for his own security in the night time he heard a voice crying out unto him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. O Emperour though thou buildest the wall as high as the clouds yet if sin be within it will overthrow all Sin like those Traitors in the Trojan Horse will do Cities Countries more hurt in one night then ten thousand open enemies could do in ten years Cities and Countries might flourish and continue as the days of Heaven and be as the Sun before the Almighty if his wrath be not provoked by their prophaneness and wickedness So that it is not any divine Aspect of the Heavens nor any malignant Conjunction of the Stars and Planets but the loose manners the ungracious lives and the enormous sins of men that lay Cities and Countries desolate Jer. 13. 22. And if thou say in thine heart wherefore come these things upon me wherefore hath the Lord sent plague sword famine and fire to devour and destroy and to lay all in ashes The Answer is For the greatness of thine iniquity God will in flames of fire discover his anger and indignation against sin and sinners The Heathen Herodotus Historian observes in the ruine of Troy that the sparkles and ashes of burnt Troy served for a lasting monument of Gods great anger and displeasure against great sinners The burning of Troy served to teach men that God punisheth great sinners with great plagues and certainly Londons being laid in ashes is a high evidence that God knows how to be angry with sinners and how to punish sin with the sorest of Judgments The Gods of the Gentiles were senseless stocks and stones not able to apprehend much less to revenge any injury done unto them Well therefore might the Philosopher be bold with Hercules to put him to his thirteenth labour in seething of his dinner and Martial with Priapus in threatning him to throw him into the fire if he looked not well to his Trees A child may play at the hole of a dead Asp and a filly woman may strike a dead Lyon but who dare play with a living Serpent who dare take a roaring Lyon by the beard O that Châ—istians then would take heed how they provoke the living God for he is a consuming fire and with a word of his mouth yea with the breath of his mouth he is able to throw down and to burn up the whole frame of Nature and to destroy all Creatures from
men under their losses crosses tryals and sufferings from the people of God When they are under fiery tryals what an evil spirit what a desperate spirit what a sullen spirit what a proud spirit what a Satanical spirit what a hellish spirit do they discover they tell all the world that they are under the power and dominion of the God of this Phil. 2. 2. 2 Tim. 2. 26. World But when the people of God are under fiery tryals they make conscience of carrying of it so as that they may convince the world that God is in them of a truth and that they are sincere and upright before the Lord however they are judged and censured as Hypocrites Deceivers Dissemblers and what not O that all that are sufferers by this fiery Dispensation would make it their business their work their Heaven so to carry it under their present tryals as to convince all gain-sayers of the sincerity integrity and uprightness of their hearts both towards the Lord his people his ways his Ordinances his interest and all his concernments in this world And thus much for the gracious Ends that God aims at in all those severe Providences and fiery Tryals that of late he has exercised his people with The next thing we are to inquire after is those sins for which the Lord inflicts so heavy a Judgment as this of Fire upon the Sons of men Now for the opening of this give me leave to propose this Question Viz. What are those sins that bring the fiery Dispensation that Quest bring the Judgment of Fire upon Cities Nations and Countries Now that I may give a full and fair Answer to this necessary and important Qâ—estion will you please to premise with me these four things First We need not question but that some of all sorts ranks and degrees of men in and about that once great and glorious City did eminently contribute to the bringing down of that dreadful Judgment of Fire that has turned that renowned City into Ashes doubtless Superiors and Inferiors Ministers and People Husbands and Wives Parents and Children Masters and Servants Rich and Poor Honourable and Base Bond and Free have all had a hand in the bringing down that Judgment of Fire that has turned London into a ruinous heap But Secondly Premise this with me viz. That 't is a greater Argument of humility integrity and holy ingenuity to fear our selves and to be jealous of our selves rather then others as the Disciples of Christ did Mat. 26. 21 22. And as they Math. 26. 21 22. did eat he said Verily I say unto you that one of you shall betray me And they were exceeding sorrowful and began every one of them to say unto him Lord is it I 'T is better for every man to do his best to ransack and search his own Soul and to find out the Achan the accursed thing in his own bosom Lam. 3. 40. Joshua 7. that has brought that dreadful Judgment of Fire upon us then for men without any Scripture-warrant to fix it upon this party and that this sort of men and that There is no Christian to him that smites upon his own heart his own â—â—east his own thigh saying What have I done The neglect of this duty the Prophet long since has complained of No man repents himself of his wickedness saying Jer. 8. 6. What have I done that is none comparatively So how rare is it to find a burnt Citizen repenting himself of his wickedness and saying What have I done Most men are ready to blame others more then themselves and to judge Math. 7. 1 2 3 4. others rather then themselves to be the persons that have brought down this Judgment of Fire upon us 'T was a good Saying of one of the Ancients Amat Deus seipsos judicantes Augustine non judicare God loves to judge them that judge others rashly but not those that judge themselves religiously But Thirdly Premise this with me in times of common Judgements common Calamities and Miseries other of the Saints and Servants of God have lookt upon their own sins as the procuring-causes of the common Calamity Thus David did in that 2 Sam. 24. 15. So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed and there dyed of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men but mark the 17. verse And David spake unto the Lord when he saw the Angel that smote the people and said Lo I have sinned and I have done wickedly but these sheep what have they done let thy hand I pray thee be against me and against my fathers house And thus did good Nebemiah Nehem. 1. 3 6 7. 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 burnt with fire Both I and my fathers house have sinned we have dealt very corruptly against thee and have not kept thy commandments nor the statutes nor the judgments which thou commandest thy servant Moses Now certainly 't is as much our glory as our duty to write after these blessed Copies that these Worthies have set before us Alexander had somewhat a wry neck and his Souldiers thought it an honour to be like him How much more should we count it an honour to be like to David and Nehemiah in such a practice as is honourable to the Lord and advantagious to our selves But what Plutarch said of Demosthenes That he was excellent at praising the worthy Acts of his Ancestors but not so at imitating them is applicable to the present case and to many who have been burnt up in our day But Fourthly and lastly Premise this with me there were many sins amongst them that did profess to fear God in that great City which may and ought to work them to justifie the Lord and to say that he is righteous in his fiery Dispensations I may well say to the burnt Citizens of London what the Prophet Oded to them in that 2 Chron. 28. 10. But are there not with you even with you sins against the Lord your God But you will say What sins were there among the professing people in London that may and ought to work them to justifie the Lord and to say that he is just and righteous and that he has done them no wrong though he has burnt them up and turned them out of all I answer That there were these seven sins among others Answ to be found amongst many of them I say not amongst all of them all which call aloud upon them to lye low at the foot of God and to subscribe to the Righteousness of God though he has turned them out of house and home and burnt up their substance on every hand First There was among many Professors of the Gospel in London too great a conformity to the fashions of the
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
that he in his instruments Rev. 2. 10. makes against the strictest observers of that day and witness his constant prompting and spurring such on to the prophanation of the Sabbath whose examples are most dangerous and encouraging to wicked men as Magistrates Ministers Parents and Masters c. and witness his strong endeavours constant attempts crafty devices and deep policies that he has made use of in all the Ages of the World to keep people off from a religious observation of the Sabbath yea and to make them more wicked on that day then on any other day of the week May I not say then on all other days of the week I have been the longer upon this ninth Particular partly because of the weightiness of it and partly to encourage the Reader to a more close and strict observation of the Sabbath and partly to justifie those that are conscientious observers of it and partly to justifie the Lord in turning London into ashes for the horrible prophanation of his day The Sabbath-day is the Queen of days say the Jews The The Sabbath-day differs as much from the rest of the days as the wax doth to which a Kings Great Seal is put from ordinary wax Sabbath-day among the other days is as the Virgin Mary among Women saith Austin Look what the Phenix is among the Birds the Lyon among the Beasts the Whale among the Fishes the Fire among the Elements the Lilly among the Thorns the Sun among the Stars that is the Sabbath-day to all other days and therefore no wonder if God burn such out of their habitations who have been prophaners of his day Ah London London were there none within nor without thy Walls that made light of this Institution of God and that did offer violence to the Queen of days by their looseness and prophaneness by their sitting at their doors by their walking in Moor-fields by their sportings and wrestlings there and by their haunting of Ale-houses and Whore-houses their tossing of Pots and Pipes when they should have been setting up God and Christ and Religion in their Families and mourning in their Closets for the sins of times and for the afflictions of poor Joseph How did the wrath and rage of King Ahasuerus smoak against Haman Esth 7. 8 9 10. when he apprehended that he would have put a force upon the Queen And why then should we wonder to see the wrath of the Lord break forth in smoak and flames against such a generation that put a force upon his day that prophaned his day the Queen of days Ah Sirs you have greatly prophaned and abused the day of the Lord and therefore why should any marvel that the Lord has greatly debased you and laid your glory in dust and ashes In these late years how has prophaneness like a flood broke in upon us on the Lords day and therefore it highly concerns all the prophaners of the day of the Lord to lay their hands upon their hearts and to say the Lord is righteous the Lord is righteous though he has laid our habitations desolate Who is so great a stranger in our English Israel as not to know that God was more dishonoured on the Sabbath-day within and without the Walls of London then he was in all the other six days of the week and therefore let us not think it strange that such a fire was kindled on that day as has reduced all to ashes What Antick habits did men and women put on on this day what frothy empty airy discourses and intemperance was to be found at many mens Tables this day How were Ale-houses Stews and Moor-fields filled with debauched sinners this day No wonder then if London be laid desolate Now this abominable sin of open prophaning the Sabbaths of the Lord I cannot with any clear evidence charge upon the people of God that did truly fear him within or without the Walls of London For first they did lament and moâ—rn over the horrid prophanation of that day Secondly I want eyes at present to see how it will stand either with the truth of Grace or state of Grace for such as are real Saints to live in the open prophanation of Gods Sabbaths Thirdly because an ordinary prophaning of the Lords Sabbaths is as great an Argument of a prophane heart as any that can be found in the whole Book of God Fourthly because Sabbath-days are the Saints Market-days Prov. 10. 5. Prov. 17. 16. Isa 25. 6. Math. 5. 47. the Saints harvest-days the Saints summer-days the Saints seed-days and the Saints feasting-days and therefore they will not be such fools as to sleep away those days much less will they presume to prophane those days or to toy and trifle away those days of Grace Fifthly what singular thing do they more then others if they are not strict observers and conscientious sanctifiers of the Lords day â—ixthly and lastly of all the days that pass over a Christians head in this world there are none that God will take such a strict and exact account of as of Sabbath-days and therefore it highly concerns all people to be strict observers and serious sanctifiers of that day Now upon all these accounts I cannot charge such throughout Saints as lived within or without the Walls of London with that horrid prophanation of the Sabbath as brought the late fiery Dispensation upon us and that turned a glorious City into a ruinous heap Whatever there was of the hand of man in that dreadful Conflagration I shall not now attempt to divine but without a peradventure it was Sabbath-guilt which threw the first Ball that turned London into flames and ashes When fire and smoaking was on Mount Sinai God was there but when London was in Exod. 19. 18. flames and smoak Sabbath-guilt was there Doubtless all the power of Rome and Hell should never have put London into flames had not Londons guilt kindled the first coal But We come now to the Use and Application of this important Point Tenthly The prophaneness lewdness blindness and 10. wickedness of the Clergy of them in the Ministry brings the Judgment of Fire and provokes the Lord to lay all waste before him Zeph. 3. 4-6 Her Prophets are light and treacherous persons her Priests have polluted the Sanctuary they have done violence to the law I have cut off the nations their towers are desolate I have made their street wâ—ste that none passeth by their cities are destroyed so that there is no man that there is none inhabitant Their Prophets and Priests were rash heady and unstable persons they were light faithlâ—ss men or men of faithlesness as the Hebrew runs They were neither faithful to God nor faithful to their own Souls nor faithful to others Souls they invented and feigned Prophesies of their own and then boldly maintained them and imposed them upon their Hearers they were prophane and light in their carriages they fitted their Doctrines to all fancies humours parties and times
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
body suffers all the members of the body suffer 't is so in the Politick body c. Look as all Rivers run into the Sea and all the lines of the circumference meet in the center so did the interests of the most eminent persons in the whole Nation meet in London c. Now London is laid in ashes we may write Ichabod upon poor England By the flames that have been kindled in London God hath spit fire into the face of England an universal stroke The sore strokes of God which have lately fallen upon the head City London are doubtless designed by Heaven for the punishment of the whole body In the sufferings of London the whole Land suffers For what City County or Town in England was there that was not one way or other refreshed and advantaged if not enriched with the silver streams of London that overflowed the Land as the River Nilus doth the Land of Aegypt Doubtless there are but few in the Land but are more or less concerned in the burning of London There are many thousands that are highly concerned in their own particulars there are many thousands concerned upon the account of their inward friends and acquaintance and who can number up the many score thousands imployed in the Manufacture of the Land whose whole dependance under God was upon London What Lamentation mourning and wo is there in all places of the Land for the burning of London especially among poor Tradesmen Inn-keepers and others whose livelihoods depended upon the safety and prosperity of London Certainly he is no English man but one who writes a Roman hand and carries about him a Romish heart who feels not who trembles not under this universal blow Many years labour will not make up the Citizens losses to them Yea what below the Riches of the Indies will effectually make up every mans losses to him He shall be an Apollo to me that can justly summ up the full value of all that have been destroyed by those furious flames that has turned the best if not the richest City in the world into a ruinous heap Now their loss is a loss to the whole Nation and this the Nation already feels and may yet feel more and more if God in mercy dos not prevent the things that we have cause to fear 'T is true London is the back that is smitten but what corner is there in all the Land that hath not more or less one way or another contributed to the burning of London Not only those that lived in Jerusalem but also those that came up to Jerusalem and that Traded with Jerusalem they even they did by their sins contribute to Jerusalems ruine They are under a high mistake that think it was only the sins of the City which brought this sore desolation upon her doubtless as far as the Judgement extends and reaches so far the sins extend and reach which have provoked the Lord to make poor London such an astonishing example of his justice How are the effâ—cts of Londons ruine already felt and sighed under all the Nation over The blood and spirits which this whole Nation hath already lost by this late lamentable fire will not be easily nor suddenly recovered The burning of London is the Herald of God to the whole Nation calling it to repentance and reformation for the very same sins that have laid London in ashes are rampant in all parts of the Nation as you may easily perceive if you please but to compare that Catalogue that in this Book I put into your hands with those sins that are most reigning and raging in all places of the Land by which you may also see that they were not the greatest sinners in England upon whom the fire of London fell no more than they were the greatest sinners in Jerusalem upon whom the Tower of Siloam fell That the burning Luke 13. 4 5. of London is a National Judgement is evident enough to every man that has but half an eye But if any should doubt of it or dispute it the Kings Proclamation for a General Fast on that account puts it beyond all dispute The words of the Proclamation that are proper to my purpose are these A Visitation so dreadful speaking of the burning of London that scarce any Age or Nation hath ever seen or felt the like wherein although the afflicting hand of God fell more immediately upon the inhabitants of this City and the parts adjacent yet all men ought to look upon it as a Judgement upon the whole Nation and to humble themselves accordingly O Sirs you are to see and observe and acknowledge the hand of the Lord in every personal Judgement and in every Domestâ—cal Judgement O how much more then in every National Judgement that is inflâ—ctâ—d upon us And thus I have done with those ten Considerations that should not only provoke us but also prevail with us to see and acknowledge the hand of the Lord in that late dreadful fire that has laid â—ur City desolate The second Use is a Use of Lamentation and mourning Vse 2 Is London laid in ashes Then let us all lament and mourn that Lâ—ndâ—n is laid desolate Shall Christ weep over Jerusalem Luke 19. 41 42 43 44. when 't was standing in all its glory knowing that it would not be long before it was laid even with the ground and shall not we weep over London whose glory is now laid in the dâ—st Who can look upon London as the Anâ—ient and Noble Metropolis of England and not lament and mourn to see it laid in ashes It might have been said not long since Psalm 98. 12 13. London the Crown of England haâ—h â—ost its Jewel of Wealth and Beauty Walk about Sion walk about London and go round about â—er tâ—ll the Towers thereof mark ye well her Bulwarks considâ—r her Pâ—laces look upon her stately Houses Halls and Hospitals take notice of her Shops and fair Ware-houses and Royal Exchange c. and lo the glory of all â—hese things is now buried in a common ruine O the incredible change that a devouring fire hath made in four dayes time within thy Walls O London So that now we may lamentingly Alas poor London Is this the joyous City whose antiquity is of ancient dayes Is this the crowning City Isa 23. 7 8 whose Merchants were Princes and whose Traffickers were the honourable of the Earth Who can but weep to see how the Lord hath made a City an heap and a ruine of a defenced City and a Pallace to be no City Who can look upon Chap. 25. 2. naked Steeples and useless Chimneys and pittiful fragments of ragged walls Who can behold stately Structures and noble Halls and fair Houses and see them all laid in ashes or turned into a heap of Rubbish without paying some tears as due to the sadness of so dreadful a spectacle Who can with dry eyes hear London thus speaking out of its râ—ines Is it nothing
saith Plato is not to encrease our heaps but to diminish the covetousness of our hearts And saith Seneca Cui cum paupertate bene convenit pauper non est A contented man cannot be a poor man I have read of another Philosopher who seeing a Prince going by with the greatest pomp and state imaginable he said to some about him See how many things I have no need of And saith another It were well for the world if there were no Gold in it But since its the fountain whence all things flow it s to be desired but only as a pass to travel to our journeys end without begging When Croesus King of Lydia asked Solon one of the seven wise men of Greece who in the whole world was more happy than he Solon answered Tellus who though he was a poor man yet he was a good man and content with that which he had So Cato could say as Aulus Gelâ—ius reports of him I have neither House nor Plate nor Garments of price in my hands what I have I can use if not I can want it Sâ—me blame me because I want many things and I blame them because they cannot want Now shall Nature do more than Grace Shall the poor blinded Heathen outstrip the knowing Christian O Sirs he that can lose his will in the will of God as to the things of this world he that is willing to be at Gods allowance he that has had much but can now be satisfied with a little he that can be contented to be at Gods finding he is of all men the most likely man to have all his losses made up to him But Eighthly and lastly Are your hearts more drawn out to have this fiery dispensation sanctified to you than to have your losses made up to you Do you strive more with God to get good by this dreadful Judgement than to recover your lost goods and your lost estates Is this the daily language of your souls Lord let this fiery calamity be so sanctified as that it may eminently issue in the mortifying of our sins in the encrease of our Graces in the mending of our hearts in the reforming of our lives and in the weaning of our souls from every thing below thee and in the fixing of them upon the greathings of Eternity If it be thus with you 't is ten to one but God even this world will make up your losses to you But The sixth Support to bear up the hearts of the people of God under the late fiery diâ—pensation is this viz. That by fiery dispensations the Lord will make way for the new Heavens and the new Earth he will make way for the glorious deliverance of his people Isa 66. 15. 16. 22. For behold the Lord will come with fire and with his Chariots like Isa 9. 5 6. Psalm 66. 12. â— whirle-wind to render his anger with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire For by fire and by his sword or by his sword of fire will the Lord plead with all flesh and the slain of the Lord shall be many For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before me saith the Lord so shall your seed and your name remain The great and the glorious things that God will do for his people in the last dayes are set forâ—h by new heâ—vens and new earth and Isa 65. 17. Joâ—l 2. 1 2 3 4 5 30 31 32. Zeph. 3. 8 9. these God will bring in by fiâ—ry diâ—pensations The glorious dstatâ— of the universal Church of Jâ—ws and Gentiles on earth is no lower an estate than that oâ— a new heâ—vâ—n and a new earth Now thâ—s blessed Church-State is usheâ—â—d into the world by fiâ—ry Judgements By fiâ—ry dispensations God 2 Pet. 3. 10 11 12 13. will put an end to the glory of tâ—â—s old wâ—rld and bring in the new Look as Gâ—d by a waâ—â—ry Dâ—luge made way for one new world so by a fiery Dâ—luge in the last of the last Gen. 9. â—ee our new Anotationists oâ— Isa 65. Isa 17. oâ— Chap. 66. 15 16 22. and on Rev. 21. 1. dayes he will make way for another new world wherein shall dwell righteousness as Peter speaks All men â—n common speech call a new great change a new world By fiery dispensations God will bring great changes upon the world and make way for his Sons reign in a more glorious manner than ever he has yet reigned in the world Rev. 18 Chap. 19. Chap. 20. and Chap. 21. The summ of that I havâ— in short â—o offer to your consideration out of these Chapters is this Babylon the great is fallen is fallen How much she hath glorified her self so much sorrow and torment shall be given her Her plagues come in one day death and mourning and famine and she shall be utterly burnt with fire Rejoyce over her thou heaven and ye holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath avenged you on her And after these things I heard a great voice of much people c. Saying Alleluiah salvation and glory and honour and power unto the Lord our God for truâ— and rightâ—ous are thy judgements for he hath judged the great Whore that hath corrupted the earth and hath avenged the blood of his Saints And again they said Alleluiah And the four and twenty Elders said Amen Alleluiah And I heard as it were the voyce of a great multitude and as the voyce of many waters and as the voyce of mighty thunderings saying Alleluiah for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth And the Beast and the false Prophet were cast into the lake of fire And the rest were slain with the sword But the Saints reigned with Christ a thousand years in the new Heavens and new Earth to whom the Kings of the earth and Nations of the world bring their honour God by his fiery dispensation upon Babylon makes way for Christs Reign and the Saints Reign in the New Heavens and new Earth But The seventh Support to bear up the hearts of the people of God under the late fiery dispensation is this viz. That by fiery dispensations God will bring about the ruine and destruction Psalm 50. 3 of his and his peoples enemies Psal 97. 3. A fire goeth before him and burneth up his enemies round about Heb. 3. 5. Before him went the Pestilence and burning coals went forth at his feet Ver. 7. I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction and the curtains of the Land of Midian did tremble Ver. 12. Thou didst march through the Land in indignation thou didst thresh the Heathen in anger Ver. 13. Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people even for salvation with thine anointed thou woundest the head out of the house of the wicked by discovering the foundation even to the neck Sâ—lah Jer. 50. 31 32. Behold I am against thee O thou most proud saith the Lord God of Hosts for thy day is come the time that I will
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.
times so dark intricate and mysterious that it will pose men of the most raised parts and of the choicest experiences and of the greatest Graces to be able to discern the wayes of God in them There are many mysteries in the works of God as well as in the word of God But Thirdly Sometimes Gods own people sin with others and therefore they smart with others Thus Moses and Aaron sinned with others and therefore they were shut out of Canaan and their Carkasses fell in the Wilderness as well as Numb 20. others Psal 106. 35. They were mingled among the Heathen and learned their works Verse 40. Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people insomuch that he abhorred his inheritance Jer. 9. 25 26. Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised Egypt and Judah and Edom and the children of Ammon and Moab and all that are in the utmost corners that dwell in the Wilderness for all these Nations are uncircumcised Vid. Rom. 2. 28 29. and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart Such as were outwardly but not inwardly circumcised should be sure to be punished in the day of Gods wrath with those who were neither inwardly nor outwardly circumâ—ised When the good and the bad joyn in common provocations Ezek. 9. 6. Rev. 18. 4. 1 Pet. 4 17. no wonder if they suffer in common desolations Though gross impieties like Pitch or Gunpowder enrages â—he fire yet the sins the infiâ—mities of Gods people add to the flame Not only Manâ—ssâ—s his blood-shed but also good Hâ—zâ—kiahs pride and vanity of spirit boasting and glorying in his wâ—rldly riches brought on the Babylonish Captivity 2 Chron 32. upon the Jâ—ws But Fourâ—hly The people of God many times suffer in common calamities as they are parts and members of that Politick 2. Sam. 24. 10. 10 18. body that is punished The sins of a City a Society a Company oâ— a Nation may involve all the membâ—rs in the same Judgement Though Lot was not guilty of the sins of Gen. 14. 12 16. Common caâ—amities make no discrimination between persons and persons or houses and houses All comâ—on Judgements work according to their commission and according to their nature without distâ—nguishing the righteous from the wicked Sodom yet Lot was carried away in the Captivity of Sodom as co-habiting with them And so though many of the precious Servants of the Lord in London were not guilty of those gross impieties that their neighbours were guilty of yet co-habiting either with them or near them they were burnt up and destroyed with them Achans Family were not guilty of Achans Sacriledge and yet Achans Family were destroyed for Achans Sacriledge The burning of London was a National Judgement and this National Judgement was the product of National sins as I have formerly proved Now mark though the people of God may be personally innocent yet because they are members of a nocent body they are liable to undergo the temporal smart of National Judgements Doubtless a whole City may be laid desolate for the wickedness of one man or of a few men that dwelleth in it Eccles 9. 18. One sinner destroyeth much good But Fifthly When good men who can't be justly charged with publick sins do yet fall with wicked men by publick judgements you must remember that God has several different ends in inflicting one and the same Judgements both upon the good and upon the bad The mettal and the dross go Zech. 13. 9. Eccl. 8. 12 13. both into the fire together but the dross is consumed and the mettal refined The stalk and the ear of corn fall upon the threshing floor under one and the same Flayl but the one is shattered in pieces the other is preserved From one and the same Olive and from under one and the same Press is crushed out both Oyl and dâ—egs but the one is tunn'd up for use the other thrown out as unserviceable The samâ— Judgements that befall the wicked may befall the righteous but not upon the same accompt The righteous are cast into the Furnance for tryal but the wicked for their ruine The righteous are signally sanctified by fiery dispensations Jer. 24. 1 2 3 5. but the wicked are signally worsened by the same dispensations The very self same Judgement that is as a Load-stone to draw the righteous towards Heaven will be as a Mill-stone to sink the wicked down to Hell The Pillar of fire that went before Israel had a light side and a dark side Exod. 14. 20. the light side was towards Gods people and the dark side was towards the Egyptians Thâ— flames of London will prove such a Pillar both to the righteous and the wicked That will certainly be made good upon the righteous and the wicked whose habitations have been destroyed by Londons flames that the Greek Epigramm speaks of the Silver Ax the Ensign of Justice That Sword that cuts the bad in Twain The good doth wound and heal again Those dreadful Judgements that have been the Ax of Gods revenging Justice to wound and break the wicked in pieces shall be righteous mens cures and their Golden restoratives But Sixthly and lastly God sometimes wraps up his own people with the wicked in desolating Judgements that he may before all the world wipe off that reproach which Atheists and wicked men are apt to cast upon him as if he were partial as if he were a respecter of persons and as if his wayes Ezek. 18. 25. 29. Chap. 33. 20. were not just and equall God to stop the mouth of iniquity the mouth of blasphemy hath made his own people as desolate as others by that fiery calamity that has past upon them Such men that have been eye witnesses of Gods impartial dealing with his own people in those dayes when London was in flames must say that God is neither partial nor fond And let thus much suffice by way of Answer to this Objection The third Duty that lyes upon those that have been burnt up is for them in patience to possess their own souls and Luke 21. 19. quietly to acquiesce in what the Lord has done O Sirs hold your peace and bridle your passions and quietly submit to the stroke of Divine Justice When Aarons Sons were devoured by fire Aaron held his peace And will not Lev. 10. 2 3. The Hebrew word Damam â—ignifies sience or stilâ—ess it signifies a staying of the heart a quieting of the mind Aarons mind was quiet and still all his unruly affections and passions were stilled and allayed Oleaste observes that Joshuah in speaking to the Sun Staâ—d still in Gibeon useth the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is here used Joshua 12. 10. So that this Phrase Aaâ—on hâ—ld his peace imports thus much That Aaâ—oâ— stood still or stayed from further vexing or troubling or disquieting of
will certainly look upon them when he comes to die O with what a disdainful eye with what a contemptible eye with what a scornful eye and with what a weaned heart and cold affections do men look upon all the pomp state bravery and glory of the world when their soul sits upon their trembling lips and there is but a short step between them and eternity He that looks upon the world whilst he has it under his hand as he will assuredly look upon it when he is to take his leave of it he will 1. Never sin to get the world Nor 2. He will never grieve inordinately to part with the world Nor 3. He will never envy those who enjoy much of the world Nor 4. He will never dote upon the world he will never be enamoured with the world I have read of a man who lying in a burning Feaver profest that if he had all the world at his dispose he would give it all for one draught of Beer at so low a rate do men value the world at such a time as that is King Lysimachus lost his Kingdom for one draught of water to quench his thirst If men were but so wise to value the world at no higher a rate in health than they do in sickness in the day of life than they do at the hour of death they would never be fond of it they would never be so deeply in love with it Now O that these ten Maxims may be so blest to the Reader as to crucifie the world to him and him unto the world Gal. 6. 14. He gave good counsel who said O man if thou be wise let the world pass lest thou Austâ—n pass away with the world Fix thy heart on God let him be thy portion fix thy affâ—ctions upon Christ he is thy redemption on Heaven let that be thy Mansion O take â—hat counsel Love not the world nor the things of the world 1 John 2. 15. Mark he doth not say have not the world nor the things of the world but love not the world nor the things of the world nor he doth not say use not the world nor the things of the world but love not the world nor the things of the world nor he doth not say take no moderate care for the world nor the things of the world but love not the world nor the things of the world But to prevent all mistakes give me leave to premâ—se these three things First 'T is lawful to desire earthly things so far as they may be furtherances of us in our journey to Heaven As a As Mr. Tindal the Martyr said I desire these earthly things so far as they may be helps to the keeping of thy commandments passenger when he comes to a deep River desires a Boat but not for the Boats sake but that he may pass over the River for could he pass over the River without a Boat he would never cry out a Boat a Boat or as the Traveller desires his Inn not for the Inns sake but as it is a help a furtherance to him in his journey homewards or as the Patient desires Physick not for Physick sake but in order to his health So a Christian may lawfully desire earthly things in order to his glorifying of God and as they may be a help to him in his Christian course and a furtherance to him in his heavenly race Heb. 12. 1. But Secondly We may desire earthly things in subordination to the will of God Lord if it be thy pleasure give me this and that earthly comfort yet not my will but thy will be done Lord thou art the wise Physitian of bodies souls and Nations if it may stand with thy glory give thy sick Patient life health and strength yet not my will but thy will be done But Thirdly We may desire such a measure of earthly things and such a number of earthly things as may be suitable to the Prov. 30. 8 9. 1 Tim. 6. 8. place calling relation and condition wherein the Providence of God has set us As a Master Magistrate Prince Lord Gentleman c. A little of these earthly things and a few of these earthly things may be sufficient to the order place calling and condition of life wherein some men are placed but not sufficient for a King a Lord a Magistrate a General c. These must have their Counsellors their Guards variety of attendance and variety of the creatures c. A little portion of these earthly things is sufficient for some and a great and large portion of these earthly things is but sufficient for others Less may serve the Servant than the Mâ—ster the Child than the Father the Pesant than the Prince c. The too eager pursuit of most men after the things of this world to make up the losses that they sustained by the fire hath been the true cause why I have insisted so largely upon this ninth Duty that we are to learn by that fiery dispensation that hath past upon us The tenth Duty that lyes upon those who have been 10. burnt up is to be very importunate with God to take away those sins that have laid our City desolate and to keep off from sin for the time to come and to look narrowly to your spirits that you do not charge the Lord foolishly because he Mal. 2. 15. has brought you under his fiery rod. Job 1. 16. While he was yet speaking there came also another and said the fire of God is fallen from heaven and hath burnt up the sheep and the servants and consumed them and I only am escaped alone to tell thee v. 22. In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly The fire of God that is a great fierce and terrible fire that fell from Heaven and consumed Jobs sheep and servants was a more terrible Judgement than all the former Judgements that befell them because God seemed to fight against Job with his own bare hand by fire from Heaven as once he did against Sodom In all this Job sinned not that is in all this that Job suffered acted and uttered there was not any thing that was materially sinful Satan he said that if God would but touch all that he had Job would curse him to his face but when it came to the proof there was no such thing For Job had a fair and full victory over him and Satan was proved a loud lyar For Job sinned not in thought word or deed Job did neither speak nor do any thing that was dishonourable to God or a reproach to his Religion or a wound to his conscience under this fiery tryal Job did not so much as entertain one hard thought concerning God nor let fall one hard word concerning God under all the evils that befell Job Job still thinks well of God and speaks well of God and carries it well towards God Certainly Job had a great deal of God within him
which kept him from sinning under such great and grievous sufferings O Sirs it is a far greater mercy to be kept from sinnings under our sufferings than it is to be delivered from the greatest sufferings Jobs heart was so well seasoned with Grace that he would admit of no insolent or unfavoury thoughts of God or of his severest Providences In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly or with folly Some refer the former part of this Verse to the mind and the latter to the mouth shewing that Job though he had lost all neither thought in his heart nor uttered with his mouth any thing unmeet and unworthy of God The meek humble patient and gracious bâ—haviour of Job under all his sore losses and crosses is here owned renowned crowned and chronicled by God himself O Sirs sinning is worse than suffering it is better to see a people bleeding than blaspheming burning than cursing for by mens sins God is dishonoured but by their sufferings God is glorified O that the Christian Reader would seriously consider of these twelve things 1. That there is nothing that the great God hates Prov. 6. 16 17. Jer. 49. 4. Rom. 1. 18. Heb. 6. 6. Ephes 4 30. Matth. 26. ult Psal 30. 6 7. Isa 49. 1 2. Mal. 2. 2. Jer. 4. 18. but sin 2. That there is nothing that he has revealed his wrath from Heaven against but sin 3. That there is nothing that crucifies the Lord of Glory a fresh but sin 4. That there is nothing that grieves the Spirit of Grace but sin 5. That there is nothing that wounds the conscience but sin 6. That there is nothing that clouds the face of God but sin 7. That there is nothing that hinders the return of prayer but sin 8. That there is nothing that interrupts our communion with God but sin 9. That there is nothing that imbitters our mercies but sin 10. That there is nothing that puts a sting into all our troubles and tryals but sin 11. That there is nothing that renders us unserviceable in our places stations and conditions but sin 12. That there is nothing that makes Death the King of terrors and the terror of Kings to be so formidable and terrible to the Sons of men as sin And therefore under all your sorrows and sufferings crosses and losses make it your great business to arm your selves against sin and to pray against sin and to watch against sin and to turn from sin 2 Chron. 7. 14. Isa 16 17. Chap. 55. 7. Hos 14. 8. Isa 30. 22. and to cease from sin and to get rid of sin and to stand for ever in defiance of sin Assuredly every gracious heart had rather be rid of his sins than of his sufferings Job 7. 21. And why dost thou not take away mine iniquity or lift up as the Hebrew runs to note that though Job had many loads many burthens upon him yet none lay so heavy upon him as his sin Hos 14. 2. Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously 'T is not take away our captivity and receive us graciously but take away our iniquity and receive us graciously nor it is not take away this or that particular iniquity and receive us graciously but take away all iniquity and receive us graciously take away stain and sting crime and curse power and punishment that we may never hear more of it nor never feel more of it nor never be troubled any more with it Though their bondage was great very Dan. 9. 11 12 13. great yea greater than any people under Heaven were exercised with yet their sins were a more unsupportable burden to their spirits than their bondage was And therefore they cry out Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously And this was the usual method of David when he was under sore troubles and tryals he was more importunate with See Psal 79. 1 5 8. Psal 25. 7. Psal 32. 4 5. Psal 38. 3 4. God to be purged and pardoned than he was to be cased under his troubles or delivered from his troubles Psal 51. 2. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin verse 7. Purge me with Hysop and I shall be clean wash me and I shall be whiter than Snow ver 9. Hide thy face from my sinâ— and blot out all mine iniquities ver 14. Deliver me from blood guiltiness O God When Pharaoh was under the Exod. 10. hand of the Lord he was all for removing of the Plagues the Frogs the Locusts c. But when David was under the hand of the Lord he was all for the removing of his sins and for the cleansing purging and washing away of his sins O that all the burnt Citizens of London would be more earnest and importunate with God to pardon and purge and take away all those iniquities that have brought the fiery rod upon them than they are studious and industrious to have their credits repaired their houses rebuilded their Trades restored and all their losses made up to them O that they might all be driven by what they have selt seriously to consider what they have done No man saith what have I done O that they would all blame themselves more and their sins more and to turn to him who has so sorely Jer. 8. 6. Hos 6. 1 2 3. Isa 56. 6. Ezek. 36. 33 37. smitten them and lay hold on his strength and make peace with him that so he may yet build up their waste places and make up their breaches and repair their losses and never turn away from doing of them good Jer. 32. 41 42 43 44. But The eleventh Duty that they are to learn that have been burnt up is to prepare and fit for greater troubles and tryals The anger of the Lord is not yet turned away but his hand is stretched out still The Nations are angry the Isa 9. 12. Rev. 11. 18. face of the times seem sorely to threaten us with greater troubles than any yet we have encountered with Ah London London Ah England England the Clouds that hang over thee seem every day to be blacker and blacker and thicker and thicker thou hast suffered much and thou hast cause to fear that thou mayest suffer more thou hast been brought low yea thou art this day brought very low in the eyes of the Nations round about thee and yet thou mayest be Deut. 28. 43. 2 Chron. 28. 18 19. Deut. 32. 36. brought lower before the day of thy exaltation comes When God intends to raise a person a City a Nation high very high he then usually brings them low very low and wheâ— Psal 79. 8. Psal 135. 23. Psal 142. 6. Isa 26. 10 11. Jer. 8. 6. they are at lowest then the day of their exaltation is nearest 'T is commonly darkest a little before break of day Thâ— hand of the Lord has been lifted up high yea very high over us and against us but who repents who
and kindness of God towards you manifested in the mighty preservations protections and salvations that he has vouchsafed to you when you were surrounded with all manner of hazzards and dangers O that you would strive as for life to come up to duties which are certainly incumbent upon all those who have escaped the burning flames But you will say What are they Quest These that follow Answ First It highly concerns you who have escaped the fiery dispensation to take heed of those sins which bring the fiery Rod and which have turned many of your neighbours out of house and home What they are I have already declared 2 Pet. 2. 6. Luke 17. 32. Jer. 7. 12. 1 Sam. 4. 11. Psalm 78. 60 at large If those sins that have brought the fiery judgement upon your neighbours are to be found among you you have cause to fear the fiery Rod or else some other judgement that shall be equivalent to it If you sin with others you shall suffer with others except there be found repentance on your side and pardoning grace on Gods The Lord hath punished your neighbours with that judgement of judgements the fire and he expects that you should take notice thereof and be instructed thereby to take heed of those sins that they have been judged for else the same or worser judgements will certainly befall you Because Jer. 3. 8. Obad. 11 12 13 14. Edom made no good use of Jerusalems sufferings therefore the Lord threatens her that shame should cover her and that she should be cut off for ever God expects that the judgements that he hath executed upon all round about you should awaken you out of security and work in you a holy dread of his name and provoke you to repentance for what is past and engage you to a more exact walking with him for the time to come But Secondly It highly concerns you not to think those who are burnt up to be greater sinners than your selves who have Isa 5. 22. 23 24. Chap. 51. 17 22 23. â—er 25. 15. 30. escaped the consuming flames Some there were that told Christ of certain Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their Sacrifices an argument of Gods sore displeasure in the eye of man to be surpised with a bloody death even in the act of Gods service But Jesus answered suppose Luk. 13. 1 2 3. ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered such things I tell you nay but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish And Christ confirmeth it by another parallel to it of the men upon whom the Tower in Silâ—am fell Luke 13. 4 5. Or those eighteen upon whom the Tower in Siloam fell think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwell in Jerusalem I tell you nay but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Doubtless there are many fifties in London whose habitations are laid desolate who were more righteous than many of those whose houses have escaped the consuming flames Judgements many times begin at the house of God The hand of God is many times 1 Pet. 4. 17. Ezek. 9. 6. Job 1. heaviest upon the holiest of people Job was stript of all his earthly comforts and set upon a Dunghill to scrape his sores with Potsheards and yet Job had not at that time his fellow in all the East Countrey for a man fearing God and eschewing evil Job was a perfect peerless man and yet had his habitation laid in ashes and his substance destroyed when his neighbours round about him enjoyed their all without disturbance Doubtless many of them whose houses are turned into a ruinous heap were good people people of unblameable lives people of exemplary lives yea earthly Angels if compared with many of those who have escaped the fiery Rod. Many have drunk deep of this cup of wrath who are a people of his choicest love and therefore do not judge all them to be greater sinners than your selves that have not escaped the fiery Rod as well as your selves You who have escaped the consuming flames should make other mens lashes your lessons and their burnings your warningâ— You should not so much eye what others have suffered as what your selves have deserved But Thirdly It concerns you to be much in blessing of God that your habitations are standing when others habitations are laid desolate round about you But here look that your thankfulness is 1. Reall 2. Great 3. Cordial 4. Practical and 5. Constant No thankfulness below such a thankfulness will become such whose habitations are standing Monuments of Gods free mercy I have largely prest this duty before and therefore a touch here must suffice Bâ—t Fourthly Be not secure do not say the bitterness of death is past as Agag did when he came before Samuel stately and 1 Sam. 15. 32. haughtily with the garb and gate of a King Many times when wicked men are in the greatest security they are then nearest the highest pitch of misery Is there not guilt enough upon all your hearts and upon all your habitations to expose them to as great a desolation as London lyes under Ans Yes yes Why then do not you get off this guilt by frequent exercises of faith in the blood of Christ or else prepare to drink of the same cup that London hath drunk off or of a worse Ponder seriously and frequently upon these Scriptures Isa 51. 17. Awake awake stand up O Jerusalem which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling and wrung them out Verse 22. Thus saith thy Lord the Lord and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people behold I have taken out of thy hand the cup of trembling even the dregs of the cup of my fury thou shalt no more drink it again Verse 23. But I will put it into the hands of them that afflict thee which have said to thy soul bow down that we may go over and thou hast laid thy body as the ground and as the street to them that went over Jer. 25. 15. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me take the wine cup of this fury at my hand and cause all the Nations to whom I send thee to drink it Verse 17. Then took I the cup at the Lords hands and made all the Nations to drink unto whom the Lord had sent me Verse 18. To wit Jerusalem and the Cities of Judah and the Kings thereof and the Princes thereof to make them a desolation an astonishment an hissing and a curse as it is this day Verse 28. And it shall be if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink then shalt thou say unto The particular Kings and Kingdoms that must drink of this cup are set down from verse 19. to verse 28. See Lam. 4. 21. Ezek. 23. 31 32 33 34. them thus saith the Lord of Hosts
ye shall certainly drink ver 29. For lo I begin to bring evil on the City which is called by my name and should ye be utterly unpunished ye shall not be unpunished I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth saith the Lord of Hosts When Jerusalem hath drunk of the cup if God be God the Nations round shall certainly drink of it God hath begun with London poor London hath drunk deeply of the cup of Gods fury and therefore let the Nations round repent or prepare to drink of Londons cup. Most of those sins that bring the fiery Rod if not all are to be found in all the great Cities of the world And therefore let all the great Cities in France Spain Italy Germany Holland England Ireland Scotland c. take warning by Londons desolation and prepare to meet the Lord in the way of his fury let them cease from doing evil and learn to do well let them repent in dust and ashes lest they are laid in dust and ashes Let them break off their sins lest God throws down their walls and habitations by furious and devouring flames Let all those whose habitations are still standing remember that the same sins the same wrath and the same malicious hands that has laid so many thousand habitations desolate can lay theirs also desolate except they reform and turn to the Most High Fifthly It highly concerns you whose houses are standing monuments of Gods mercy to shew much love bowels pity Gen. 18. Psal 102. 13. 2 Cor. 11. 29. and compassion to those who are burnt up and turned out of all who are houseless harbourless and pennyless this day God takes it well at our hands when we pity those whom he thinks meet to punish One of Gods great ends in punishing of some is to stir up pity and compassion in others towards them It should melt your hearts to see other mens substances melted in the flames God hath threatned an Obad. 12. 13. evil an only evil without the least mixture of mercy to such as shew no mercy to those in misery Whoever have James 2. 13. behâ—ld London in its former prosperity and glory that cannot lament to see London laid desolate The ashes of London seems to cry out have pity upon me O my friends They that Jâ—b 6. 14. will not lament upon the burnt Citizens as the greatest objects of their pity may one day be ingulfed under the greatest misery He was a Nâ—bal a sapless fellow who shut up all bowels of pity against David in his misery They were cursed â— Sam. 25. 10 â—â— â—salm 137. 6 7 8. Edomites who did behold the râ—iâ—e of Zion and noâ— mourn over it Let all burnt Citizens remember that usually God pities them most whom men pities least but burnt Citizens are not to be mocked or menaâ—ed but mourned over Sixthly It highly concerns you whose houses are standing monuments of Gods mercy to lift up a prayer for all those as are fallen under this heavy judgement of fire When Numb 11. 1 2 3. 2 Kings 19. 4. you are in the Mount be sure you bear the sad condition of the burnt Citizâ—ns upon your hearts 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 Well what doth Nehemiab do Answ He lifts up a prayer for them verse 5 6 7 8 9 10 11. O Sirs your prayers must not be penâ— or confined to your own private interests but extended to the benefit of all Gods suffering servants Philo the Jew discoursing of Aarons Ephod which he put on when he went to pray saith it was a representation of the whole world having in it all colours to represent the condition of all states of all people whatsoever 'T is brave when we are in the Mount to bear the conditions of others upon our hearts as well as our own especially theirs whom the hand of the Lord hath severely reacht The best of men Rom. 1. 9. 2 Tim. 1. 3. have been much in prayer for others witness Moses David Job Jeremiah Daniel Paul And it is very observable that our Lord Jesus Christ who is our great pattern was very much in this noble work for you shall find in John 17. that he puts up but one petition for himself in verse 1. which petition is repeated again in verse 5. And all the rest of his time he spent in praying both for the converted and unconverted Now shall our Lord Jesus Christ put up many requests for others and but one for himself and shall we put up all our requests for our selves and not one for others Among the Persians he that offered Sacrifice prayed for all Herodot lib. 1. his Countrey men These Persians will one day rise in Judgement against many who are called Christians and yet make no conscience of lifting up a prayer for those that are under the afflicting hand of God He that prayeth for himself and not for others is fiâ—ly compared by some to an Hedge-hogg who laps himself within his own soft down and turns his Brissels to all the world besides The Jews have a saying That since the destruction of Jerusalem the door of prayer hath been shut up Oh that we had not cause to fear that since the burning of London the door of prayer both for our selves and one another hath bâ—en too much shut amongst us O that all you whose habitations are standing would seriously consider 1. That none need prayer more than the burnt Citizens 2. You do not know how soon their case may be yours the same hand or hands that hath made them desolate may make you desolate also 3. Else what do you more than others Matth. 5. 47. 4. To pity and pray for those that are in misery is honourable and commendable 5. 'T is one of the most compendious wayes in the world to prevent all those calamities and miseries that now you fear and that you think you shall shortly feel 6. To lift up a prayer for those whose sufferings have been sore is no costly nor chargeable duty and therefore buckle to it But Seventhly It highly concerns you whose houses are standing monuments of Gods mercy seriously to consider that some mens escaping of very great Judgements is not properly a preservation but a reservation to some greater destruction witness those Kings who escaped the edge of the Gen. 14. and Chap. 19. compared Exod. 14. 28. 1 Kings 19. Sword and were afterwards destroyed by fire and brimstone from Heaven and witness Pharaoh who escaped all the ten plagues of Egypt in order to his being buried with his Host in the red Sea And witness Sennacherib who escaped the Sword of the destroying Angel in order to his falling by the swords of his own Sons Upon what discontentment