nearest Relations and dearest Friends so that when the Disease hath first seized upon them and they have had the greatest need of succour they have left their friends in distress and flown away from them as if they had been their Enemies 2. A Deluge by Water is a Terrible Iudgement There have been several Floods which we read of in Histories that have suddenly broken in upon some places and overwhelmed Habitations and Inhabitants together But God never did and never will speak so Terribly by a Deluge of Water as by the great Deluge in the daies of Noah when the whole world was drowned thereby excepting Noah and those which were with him in the Ark. And because the Judgement was so dreadful and the History so affecting I shall set it before your eye out of Gen. 7. from the 11th ver to the end of the Chapter In the six hundredth year of Noahs life in the second moneth and the seventeenth day of the moneth in the same day were all the Fountains of the Great Deep broken up God withdrew the bounds which he had set to the great Sea so that the waters covered the earth as they did at the beginning and the Windowes of heaven were opened out of which God looked forth in anger upon the earth and powered forth a Viol of his wrath causing it to rain forty daies and forty nights in dreadful showres accompanied as is probable with stormy winds and hideous tempest which put the world into a fright and amazement when the Element of Air seemed to be changed into water and such a Torrent flowed in upon them on every side we may guess what fear they were over-whelmed withal but Noah and his Family were got into the Ark and the Lord shut them in then the waters encreased and bare up the Ark and it was lift up above the earth and the waters encreased and prevailed greatly upon the earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Ark went upon the face of the waters so that all the high Hills and Mountains were covered fifteen Cubits Then all flesh died fowl and cattel and beast and every thing that creeped or moved on the earth and every man and Noah only remained alive and they that were with him in the Ark. God spake then terribly indeed unto the wicked world by the Flood which devoured them all together in the midst of their security and sin but God hath promised he will never speak thus by water any more 3. Fire is another terrible thing whereby God sometimes calls to contend by with a sinful People Fire is very dreadful when it hath a Commission from God and meets with much combustible matter and prevails without resistance God spake terribly by Fire unto Sodom and Gomorrah when he rained Fire and Brimstone on those Cities and consumed them See Gen. 19. from the 24th ver to the 29th The Lord rained fire and brimstone out of heaven and overthrew those Cities and the Inhabitants together and when Abraham looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and the Land of the Plain he saw the smoke of the Country go up like the smoke of a Furnace God spake terribly though not so terribly to Ierusalem when he suffered their City to be set on fire by the Babylonians and their Temple to be burnt to the ground See Ier. 52. 12 13. But the most fearful Instances of Gods Terrible Voice by Fire are yet to come Thus God will speak by Fire unto Spiritual Babylon which may easily be proved to be Rome from Rev. 17. 18. She being the then great City which reigned over the Kings of the earth Babylons burning with fire you may read Rev. 18. 8 9 10 c. Therefore shall her Plagues come in one day Death and Mourning and Famine and she shall be utterly burnt with fire for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her And the Kings of the earth who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her shall bewail her and lament for her when they shall see the smoak of her burning standing afar off for fear of her torment saying Alas alas that great City Babylon that mighty City for in one hour is thy judgement come c. God spake terribly by fire when London was in flames of which in the application but he will speak far more terribly when Babylon shall be in flames and not only in part but wholly and utterly and irreparably burnt and turned into ashes when not only the City shall be consumed but also the Whore her self shall be hated and made desolate and devoured with fire by the Kings of the earth Rev. 17. 10. The last instance of Gods speaking terribly by fire will be the last day when the Lord Jesus Christ the Judge of Quick and Dead shall come down from heaven in flaming fire to take vengeance on all those that know not God and obey not the Gospel 2 Thes. 1. 7 8. And the Apostle Peter tells us that the heavens and the earth are reserved in store for fire against this day when the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the Elements melt with fervent heat and the Earth and all the works therein shall be burnt up 2 Pet. 3. 7 10. Then God will speak terribly by fire and above all most terribly to the ungodly world when he will sentence them unto and cast them into the Fire of Hell where they must dwell with devouring fire and inhabit everlasting burnings 4. The Sword is a dreadful Iudgement whereby God speaks sometimes very terribly especially when he draws it forth against his own and his peoples Enemies Hear how terribly God speaks as in Deut. 32. 39 40 41 42. See now that I even I am he and there is no God with me I kill and I make alive I wound and I heal neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand For I lift up my hand to heaven and say I live for ever If I whet my glittering Sword and my hand take hold on Iudgement I will render vengeance to mine Enemies and reward them that hate me I will make mine Arrows drunk with blood and my Sword shall devoure flesh and that with the blood of the slain and of the Captives from the beginning of revenges upon the Enemies When God furbusheth his Sword and whets it when God girdeth his Sword upon his thigh and marcheth against his Enemies when he draweth his Sword and maketh slaughter with it when his Sword devoureth much flesh and is made drunk with the blood of the slain when God gives Commission to the Sword saying Sword go thorow such a Land as Ezek. 14. 17. And powers out his fury on the Land in blood as ver 19. So that the Sword is bathed in blood and garments are rowled in blood and the Land is soaked in blood when blood is powred forth like water and dead bodies are cast forth into the open field without burial and God makes an invitation to all
Murder Incest and the like It is not unlikely but they count such an action as this meritorious in their kind of merit which in the issue they will finde to merit the flames of eternal Fine instead of a Crown of Glory which I wonder that in their way they can have the least hopes of I believe that the people will now take more heed of them and their waies and instead of promoting their cause I hope that a contrary effect is produced and that the before Indifferency of a generation more newly sprung up who did not know them is now turned into loathing and detestation of such a religion as can allow of such practises My work is not to declare what hath been proved against the Papists before the Honourable Committee of Parliament appointed to enquire into their insolencies and the proofs which have been given in concerning the Fire and who have been accessory thereunto No I would rather endeavour to turn peoples eyes from men to God for whoever were the instruments God was the Authour of this evil which hath come upon us there being no evil in the City that is evil of punishment which the Lord as a righteous and the supream Judge doth not inflict And surely more of the extraordinary hand of God than of any men did appear in the burning of the City of London God could have prevented men by discovering their plots as he did that of the Gun powder-treason before they had taken effect God could have directed and given a blessing unto means for the quenching of it when it was first kindled God who hath the winds in his Fist could have gathered in the Wind and laid it asleep or so turned it the other way that it should have been a defence to the City or God who hath the Clouds at his command and the Bottles of Heaven in his hand could have gathered his thick Clouds together and squeez'd them opend his Bottles and poured down Rain in abundance upon the City so that if the wind had blown as it did it should have blown water upon the fire which would quickly have put it out But the Heavens at that time were Brass no showring Clouds to be seen the Fire begins is quickly taken notice of though in the midst of the night Fire Fire Fire doth resound the streets many Citizens start out of their sleep look out of their windows some dress themselves and run to the place The Lord Maior of the City comes with his Officers a confusion there is councell is taken away and London so famous for wisdom and dexterity can now find neither brains nor hands to prevent its ruine The hand of God was in it The Decree was come forth London must now fall and who could prevent it No wonder when so many Pillars are removed if the Building tumbles the prayers tears and faith which sometimes London hath had might have quenched the violence of the fire might have opened Heaven for rain and driven back the winde but now the fire gets mastery burns dreadfully and God with his great Bellows blowes upon it which makes it spread quickly go on with such force and rage overturning all so furiously that the whole City is brought into jeopardy of desolation That night most of the Londoners had taken their last sleep in their houses they little thought it would be so when they went into their beds they did not in the lest suspect when the doors of their ears were unlockt and the casement of their eyes were opened in the morning to hear of such an enemies invading the City and that they should see him with such fury enter the doors of their houses break into every room and look out of their casements with such a threatning countenance As it is said Lam. 4. 12. The inhabitants would not have believed that the adversary should have entered the gates of Ierusalem so the Inhabitants of the City would not have believed that the Fire should have entred and prevailed to burn London to the ground That which made the ruin the more dismall was that it was begun on the Lords day morning never was there the like Sabbath in London some Churches were in flames that day and God seems to come down and to preach himself in them as he did in Mount Sinai when the Mount burned with Fire such warmpreaching those Churches never had such Lightning dreadful Sermons never were before delivered in London In other Churches Ministers were preaching their Farewel Sermons and people were hearing with quaking and astonishment Instead of a holy Rest which Christians have taken on this day there is a tumultuous hurrying about the streets towards the place that burned and more tumultuous hurrying upon the spirits of those that sat still and had only the notice of the eare of the quick and strange spreading of the Fire Now the Train-bands are up in Arms watching at every quarter for Outlandish men because of the general fears and jealousies and rumours that Fire-Balls were thrown into houses by several of them to help on and provoke the too furious flames Now Goods are hastily removed from the lower parts of the City and the body of the people begin to retire and draw upwards as the people did from the Tabernacles of Corah Dathan and Abiram when the earth did cleave asunder and swallow them up or rather as Lot drew out from his house in Sodom before it was consumed by fire from Heaven Yet some hopes were retained on the Lords day that the Fire would be extinguished especially by them who lived in the remote parts they could scarcely imagine that the Fire a mile off should be able to reach their houses But the evening draws on and now the Fire is more visible and dreadful instead of the Black curtains of the night which used to be spread over the City now the curtains are Yellow the smoke that arose from the burning parts seemed like so much flame in the night which being blown upon the other parts by the winde the whole City at some distance seemed to be on fire Now hopes begin to sink and a general consternation seiseth upon the spirits of people little sleep is taken in London this night the amazement which the eye and ear doth effect upon the spirit doth either dry up or drive away the vapour which used to binde up the senses Some are at work to quench the fire with water others endeavour to stop its course by pulling down of houses but all to no purpose if it be a little allayed or beaten down or put to a stand in some places it is but a very little while it quickly recruits and recovers its force it leaps and mounts and makes the more furious onset drives back its opposers snatcheth their weapons out of their hands seiseth upon the Water-houses and Engines burns them spoils them and makes them unfit for service Some are upon their knees in the
feathered fowl to gather themselves together and feast themselves upon the carkasses of the slain as Ezek. 39. 17 18 19 20. When God comes with died garments from Bozrah Isa. 63. 1. When he gathereth the Nations and brings them into the valley of Jehoshaphat and thither causeth his Mighty Ones to come down against them Ioel 3. 2. 11. When the day of Gods indignation doth come and he makes such slaughter amongst his Enemies that the Earth doth stink with their carkasses and the Mountains do melt with their blood Isa. 34. 2 3. When God treadeth the Wine-press of his wrath without the City and the blood comes out of the Wine-press even to the horses bridles Rev. 14. 20. In a word when the Lord shall come forth upon his White Horse with his Armies and shall destroy the Beast and all the Powers of the earth that take part with him as Rev. 19. from the 11th ver to the end Then God will speak terribly indeed against his Enemies by the Sword then he will roar out of Zion and utter his voice from Ierusalem and that in such a manner as will make both the heavens and the earth to tremble Ioel 3. 16. And indeed God speaks with a Terrible Voice where-ever he sends the Sword and makes the Alarm of War to be heard as sometimes he sends it amongst his own people for their sin 1 Kings 8. 33. When God brings into a Land a people of another Language and Religion of a fierce countenance and cruel disposition and gives them power to prevail and bring the Land under their feet so that the Mighty Men are cut off by them and the Men of Valour crushed in the gate the young men fly and fall before them and there is none to make any resistance when they break in upon Cities plunder houses ravish Women and Maids strip and spoil and put all to the sword the young with the grey-head cruelly rip up women with-childe and without any pity on little Infants dash them against the stones God speaks more terribly by such a Judgement than by Plague or Fire 5. The Famine is a dreadful Iudgement whereby God speaks sometime unto a people very terribly when God stretcheth upon a place the lines of confusion the stones of emptiness as Isa. 34. 11. When God sendeth cleanness of teeth into Cities as Amos 4. 6. When God shooteth into a Land the evil Arrows of Famine and it becomes exceeding sore this is one of the most dreadful Judgements of all Judgements in this world far beyond Plague or Fire or Sword See how pathetically the Famine amongst the Iews is described by Ieremiah in his Lamentations Chap. 4. from the 4th ver unto the 12. The tongue of the sucking Childe cleaveth to the roof of his mouth fâ—r thirst the young Children ask for bread and no man breaketh it unto them They that feed delicately are desolate in the streets They that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghils For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown in a moment and no hand stayed on her The Nazarites were purer than snow whiter than milk they were more ruddy in body then Rubies their polishing was of saphire their vtsage is blacker than a coal they are not known in the streets their skin cleaveth to their lones it is withered it is become like a stick They that be slain with the sword are better than they which be slain with hunger for these pine away stricken through for want of the fruits of the Earth The hands of the pittiful women have sodden their own Children they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people The Lord hath accomplished his fury he hath poured out his fierce anger 6. The sixth terrible Iudgment is a Famine of the Word which is threatned Am. 8. 11 12. Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will send a Famine in the Land not a Famine of Bread nor a thirst for Water but of hearing the words of the Lord And they shall wander from Sea to Sea and from the North to the East and they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord and shall not finde it A Famine of the Word is a worse judgment than a Famine of Bread indeed few do really think so because the most judge according to sense but that it is so is evident to a Man of faith and consideration for as the soul is more excellent than the body and the concernments of the other life far beyond the concernments of this life so the provisions for the soul are more excellent than the provisions for the body and the means of getting eternal life to be preferred before the means of preserving temporal life and therefore by consequence the dearth scarcity of provisions for the soul must needs be a greater judgment than a scarcity of provisions for the body Unto which I might add that the Famine of the word doth usually bring with it many temporal judgments The burning of the Temple at Ierusalem and the failing of Vision was accompanied with slaughter by the sword and captivity of the Land 7. And lastly God speaks most terriblie unto a people when he sends divers of these Iudgments together as Lam. 1. 20. Abroad the sword bereaveth at home there is death when enemies without Plague and Famine within God speaks terribly when Fire and Sword goeth together or Sword and Famine or Famine and Plague or Famine of Bread and Famine of the Word These are some of the terrible things by which God doth sometimes speak SECT III. Why is it that the Lord doth speak unto a people 3. by such terrible things THe reason is because people don't hearken unto him speaking any other way God speaketh once yea twice but men perceive it not Iob 33. 14. Gods gentle voice is not heard or minded therefore he speaks more loudly and terribly that people might be awakened to hear Particularly God speaks thus terribly 1. Because People do not hearken to the voice of his word and messengers God speaks audibly by Ministers and when they are not regarded he speaks more feelingly by judgments he speaks first by threatnings when they are slighted he speaks by executions God first lifts up his voice and warns by his word before he lifts up his arme and strikes with his Rod when men grow thick of hearing the sweet calls of the Gospel God is even forced to thunder that he may peirce their ear when God speaks to the ears and they are shut God speaks to the eyes and other senses that his mind may be known especially when men obstinately refuse to hear God is exceedingly provoked to execute his terrible judgments upon them see Zach. 8. 11 12. But they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their ears that they should not hear yea