tempted with money and preferment he answered The fashion of this world passeth away as the waters of a River that runs by a City or as Basil in 40. Martyrs In Queen Maries time when some offered a certain Martyr money he refused it saying I am going to a Countrey where money will bear no price a fair picture drawn upon the Ice that melts away with it Pecuniam da quae permaneat c. Give money said he that may last for ever and glory that may eternally flourish I have read of a mortified Christian who being tempted with of fers of money to desert his Religion gave this excellent answer Let not any think that he will embrace other mens goods to forsake Christ who hath forsaken his own proper goods to follow Christ It was an excellent answer of one of the Martyrs when he was offered riches and honours if he would recant Do but offer me somewhat that is better than my Lord Jesus Christ and you shall see what I will say to you Thus you see that men that are crucified to this world don't only resist but also triumph over all the glittering temptations of a tempting and enticing world And O that such a spiriâ— might rest upon all those whose habitations are laid desolate But Tenthly and lastly Are there no burnt Câ—tâ—zens who go to the utmost of their line and liberty for the gaining of the â—hings of this world Ah how near the Pits brink how near the borders of sin how near the flames of vengeance how near the infernal fire do many venture to gain the things oâ— this world And what dos this speak out but an inordinaâ—â— love of this world O Sirs what do all these things evidence but this that though God has fired many men out oâ— their houses yet the inordinate love of this world is not fired out of their hearts O Sirs to moderate your affections to the things of this world and to put a stop to your too eager pursuit after earthly things seriously and frequently dwell upon thâ—se teâ— Maxims First That the shortest surest and safest way to be rich is to be content with your present portion The Philosopher Eccles 5. 12. could say He that is content wants nothing and he that wants content enjoyes nothing One might have riches yet be very poor One might have little yet have all and more Sâ—condly He who is contented with a little will never be satisfied with much he who is not content with pounds Much Treasure stoppeth not a Misers mouth saith the Proverb will never be satisfied with hundreds and he who is not content with a few hundreds will never be satisfied with many thousands Eccles 5. 10. He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver nor be that loveth abundance with increase Money of it self cannot satisfie any desire of Nature If a man be hungry it cannot feed him if naked it cannot clothe him if cold it cannot warm him if sick it cannot recover him A circle cannot fill a triangle no more can the whole world fill the heart of man A man may as soon fill a Chest with Grace as an heart with wealth The soul of man may be busied about earthly things but it can never be filled nor satisfied with earthly things Air shall as soon fill the body as money shall satisfie the mind There is many a worldling who hath enough of the world to sink him who will never have enough of the world to satisfie him The more an hydropical man drinketh the more he thirsteth So the more money is encreased the more the love of money is encreased and the more the love of mony is encreased the more the soul is unsatisfied 'T is only an infinite God and an infinite good that can fill and satisfie the Gen. 15. 1. precious and immortal soul of man Look as nothing fits the ear but sounds and as nothing fits the smell but odours so nothing fits the soul but God Nothing below the great God can fit and fill animmortal soul Nothing can content the soul of man but the fruition of God God never rested till he Nature hath taught all men to seek after a summum boâ—um made man and man can never rest till he enjoyes his God Every man has a soul within him of a vast capacity and nothing can fill it to the brim but he that 's fulness it self Should we knock at every creatures door for happiness they would all answer us round that it is not in them The man in Plutarch that heard the Philosophers wrangle about summum bonum one placing of it in this and another in that went to the Market and bought up all that was good hopeing among all he should not miss of happiness and yet he mist of it The soul of man is of so glorious a make that nothing below him that made it can satisfie it The summ of all that the creatures amount to according to Solomons reckoning is vanity and vexation of Spirit Vanity and vexation is the very quintescence of the creature and all that can possibly be extracted out of it Now if vanity can satisfie or if vexation can give content if you can gather Grapes of Thorns or Figs of Thistles than go on and dote upon the world still and be alwayes enamoured with a shadow of perishing beauty Oramuzes the Enchanter boasted that in his Egg all the happiness in the world was included but being broken there was nothing in it but wind and emptiness But Thirdly 'T is infinitely better to have much of God of Christ of the Spirit of Holiness and of Heaven in our hearts with a little of the world in our hands than to have much 2 Cor. 6. 10. of the world in our hands and but a little of God and Chrâ—st in our hearts 'T is infinitely better to be rich towards Gâ—d and poor towards the world than to be poor towards God and to be rich towards the world There are some very Eccles 5. 12. Prov. 11. 24. rich who yet are very poor there are others who are very poor and yet are very rich 'T is infinitely better to be poor men and rich Christians than to be rich men and poor Christians But Fourthly The best and surest way under Heaven to gain much of the world is to mind the world less and God and Christ and Grace and Heaven more 1 Kings 3. 9. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and bad for who is able to judge this thy so great a people Ver. 10. And the Speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing Ver. 11. And God said unto him because thou hast asked this thing and hast not asked for thy self long life neither hast asked riches for thy self nor hast asked the life of thine enemies but hast asked for thy self understanding to discern judgement ver 12.
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
He can't look upon iniquity and not loath it he can't behold iniquity and approve of it or delight in it God has a Soverainty over all your persons and concernments in this world and therefore he may do with you and all that is yours as he pleaseth upon this account you ought to say The Lord is righteous though he hath laid your habitations desolate and burnt up your houses before your eyes It s true God has dealt severely with London but he might have dealt more severely with it he might have burnt up Lam. 3. 22. every house and he might have consumed every inhabitant in Londons flames He might have made good that sad word upon them They shall go from one fire and another fire shall Ezek. 15. 7. devour them The Citâ—zens of London may say with good Ezra God hath punished us less than our iniquities deserve and therefore it highly concerns them to say The Lord is righteous All that God doth is good you know what Hâ—zekiah said 2 Kings 20. 19. Good is the word of the Lord. This was a hard word a sad word that all his treasure should be carried unto Babylon and his Sons also and made Servants there and yet he saith Good is the word of the Lord. What ever God doth is good God in that he is good saith One Luâ—her in Psalm 120. can give nothing do nothing but that which is good others do frequently he cannot possibly Upon this account also it concerns us to say The Lord is righteous though our See more of this in my Mute Chrâ—stiaâ— City be laid desolate 'T is better to be under a fiery Rod than to be wallowing in the mire of sin 'T is better that London should be laid desolate than that God should say England farwell That 's a Christian worth Gold who can seriously heartily and habitually say The Lord is righteous though all our pleasant things are laid desolate I would say the Lord is righteous but by this fiery dispensation Object I am turned out of house and home Now in answer to this Objection give me leave to enquire Answ First Whether your house was dedicated to the Lord by fasting and prayer or not If it were only dedicated to the Deut. 20. 5. service of sin Satan or the world no wonder if the Lord has turned it into a heap But Secondly Give me leave to enquire Whether you had set up Christ and holiness and holy orders in your house or no See Psal 101. Did you in good earnest resolve with Joshua That you and your house would serve the Lord Josh 24. 15. If not no wonder if the Lord has laid your habitations desolate But Thirdly Give me leave to enquire Whether you did labour and endeavour to the utmost of what you were able that Christ might have a Church in your house or no Col. 4. 15. Salute the Brethren which are in Lâ—odicea and Nymphas and the Church which is in his house that is saith Dr. Hammond which meets together in his house 1 Cor. 16. 19. The Churches of Asia salute you Aquila and Priscilla See Dr. Hammoâ—d on this Scripture Vâ—d Bâ—sh Dav Cottoâ— Beza Scultâ—â—us Ambros c. salute you much in the Lord with the Church that is in their house Philemon v. 2. And to our beloved Apphia and Archippus our fellow Souldier and to the Church in thy house Philemons house was a publick meeting-house where the faithful had their Assemblies and so continued for many years after as Theodoret and others witnesseth Some understand this last Scripture of the Church which kept their Assemblies in Philemons house Others understand it of his household which was as a little Church in his house Rom. 16. 5. Likewise greet the Church that is in their house Chrysostome by the Church in their house understands their Christian Family who saith he were so godly as to make their whole house the Church Origen interpreteth it of the faithful and ready Ministry of these servants of the Lord in entertaining of the Saints in their house 3. Theophylact thinketh it to be called the Church in their house because the faithfull were entertained there 4. But beside this it seemeth that their house was a place for the Saints to Assemble in there the Congregation used to come together Martyr 5. The last thing in their praise was that they had a Church in their house either for that their family for their godly order observed in it seemed to be a Church or else for the faithful gathered together in their house to celebrate their Assemblies for they might not have in most places the free use of their Christian Religion through the malice of the Jewes on the one hand and the rage of the Gentiles on the other hand Consult Acts 13. and 14. Wilson In this great City of Rome there were divers Assemblies of Believers which were held in some private mens houses where they might meet safest the state then and some hundred years after not permitting them any publick Temples or Auditories to meet in as our English Annotators observe upon the place In each particular family last cited there was a Church of Christ Now have you burnt Citizens made it your business to erect a Church of Christ in your particular families if so well it is with you though you have lost all If not do'nt wonder that God has laid your houses desolate Adam had a Church in his house so had Abraham and Jacob and Joshuah and David and Cornelius well governed Families may in some sense be well reputed Churches The house of George Prince of Anhalt for the good orders therein observed is said to have been Ecclâ—sia Academia Curia Ah London London it may be there might have been more houses standing within thy Walls than now there is if every particular house had been as a particular Church to Christ As for such houses where there were no exercises of Religion as for such houses where idleness cheating lying cursing swearing slandering gameing drunkenness uncleanness and riotousness were rampant They were rather the Devils Chappel than Christs Church and therefore it was just with God to lay such habitations desolate But Fourthly Give me leave to enquire whether you were friends or enemies to Gods house Now Gods house is his 2 Tim. 2. 20. Num. 12. 7. Josh 1. 2. Church and his Church is his house Heb. 3. 5 6. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant But Christ as a Son over his own house whose house are we 1 Pet. 2. 5. Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ So 1 Tim. 3. 15. That thou maist know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the house of God which is the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of the truth Prov. 9. 1. Wisdom hath builded her house she
office of Magistracy God charges him no less then three times in a Josh 1. 6 7. 9. breath as it were to be very couragious A Magistrate that is timorous will quickly be treacherous A Magistrate that is fearful can never be faithful Solomons Throne was supported with Lyons to shew that Magistrates should be men of metal and courage The Athenian Judges sate in Mâ—rs Acts 17. 22. street to shew that they had Martial hearts and that they were men of courage and metal The Grecians placed justice betwixt Leo and Libra to signifie that as there must be indifferency in determining so there ought to be courage in executing Where there is courage without knowledge there the eye of justice is blind and where there is knowledge without courage there the Sword of justice is blunt A Magistrates heart a Judges heart and his Robes must be both dyed in grain else the colour of the one and the courage of the other will quickly fade Why should not the Standard be of steel and the chief posts of the house be heart of Oak It hath been long since said of Cato Fabricius and Aristides that it was as easie to remove the Sun out of the Firmament as to remove them from justice and equity they were men of such couragious and magnanimous spirits for justice and righteousness No Scarlet Robe doth so well become a Magistrate as holy courage and stoutness doth As bodily Physitians so State-Physitians should have an Eagles eye a Ladies hand and a Lyons heart Cowardly and timo râ—us Magistrates will never set up Monuments of their Victories over sin and prophaneness It is very sad when we may say of our Magistrates as the Heathen did of Magistrates in his time they were very good si audeant quae sentiunt if they Cic. de Mil. durst but do what they ought to do My Lord had not the Lord of Lords put a great spirit of courage boldness and resolution Rev. 1. 5 6. Chap. 1â— 14. upon you you had never been able to have managed your Government as you have done counting the various winds that have blown upon you and the several difficulties and discouragements that have risen up before you My Lord once more give me leave to say that in a Magistrate justice and mercy justice and clemency ought to go hand Truth in Scripture is frequently put for Justice in hand Prov. 20. 28. Mercy and truth preserve the King and his Throne is upholden by mercy All justice will not preserve the King nor all mercy will not preserve the King there must be a mixture both of justice and mercy to preserve the King and to uphold his Throne and to shew that mercy is more requisite then justice the word Mercy is doubled in the Text. Justice without mercy turns into rigour and so becomes hateful Mercy without justice turns into fond pity and so becomes contemptible Look as the Rod of Aaron and King John thought to strengthen himself by gathering a great deal of money together but neglecting the exercise of mercy and justice clemency and lenity he lost his peoples affections and so after many endless turmoyls he came to an unhappy end he Pot of Manna were by Gods own Command laid up in the same Ark so must mercy and justice be preserved intire in he bosom of the same Magistrate mercy and justice mildness and righteousness leniâ—y and fidelity are a safer and a stronger Guard to Princes and people then rich Mines Munitions of Rocks mighty Armies powerful Navies or any warlike Preparations It is very observable that Christ is called but once the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah in the Book of the Revelation and that is in Chap. 5. vers 5. But he is called a Lamb no less then nine and twenty times in that Book and what is this but to shew us the transcendent mercy clemency lenity mildness and sweetness that is in Jesus Christ and to shew that he is infinitely more inclined to the exercise of mercy then he is to the exercise of justice It is true Magistrates should be Lyons in the execution of justice and it is as true that â—hey should be Lambs in the exercise of mercy and clemency mildness and sweetness and the more ready and inclinable they are to the exercise of mercy where mâ—rcy is to be shewed the more like to Christ the Lamb they are God is slow to anger he abounds in pity though he be great in power Seneca hath long Psal 68. 18. Psal 103. 13 14. Hosea 11. 8. Vide Aug. de civit Dei l. 5. cap. 26. Orosius lib. 7. cap. 34. since observed that the Custom of anointing Kings was to shew that Kings above all other men should be men of the greatest sweetness and mildness their anointing being a sign of that Kingly sweetness and mildness that should be in them Theodosius the Emperour by his loveliness and clemency gained many Kingdoms The Goths after the death of their own King beholding his temperance patience and justice mixt with mercy and clemency gave themselves up to his Government When Cicero would claw Caesar he tells him that his Valour and Victories were common with the rest of his Souldiers but his clemency and goodness were wholly his own Neroes Speech hath great praise who in the beginning of his Reign when he was to subscribe to the death of any condemned person would say Uâ—inam nescirem literas I wish I did not know how to write I know there are a thousand thousand cases wherein severity is to be used But yet I must say that 't is much safer â—o account for mercy then for cruelty 't is best that the sword of justice should be always furbisht with the oyl of mercy My Lord in the management of your Government you have been so assisted and helpt from on high that stoutness and mildness justice and mercy justice and clemency hath like a silver thred run through all your Mayoralty and by this means you have very signally served the Interest of the Crown the Interest of the City the Interest of the Nation and that which is more then all the rest the Interest of your own Soul Rigour breeds rebellion Rehoboam by his severity by his cruelty lost ten Tribes in one day 1 Kings 12. 16. My Lord your prudence justice and moderation your burning zeal against the horrid hideous heady vices of this day your punishing of Oaths Drunkenness and the false Ballance your singular Sobriety and Temperance in the midst of all your high Entertainments your Fidelity and Activity your eminent Self-denial A self-seeking Magistrate is one of the worst of Plagues and Judgments that can befal a people he is a Gangrene in the head which brings both a more speedy and a more certain ruine then if it were in some inferior and less noble part of the body in respect of your Perquisites your unwearied Endeavours to see London raised out
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
the face of the Earth Some Heathen Philosophers thought anger an unseemly Attribute to ascribe to God And some Hereticks conceived the God of the New Testament void of all anger They imagined two Gods the God of the Old Testament was in their account Deus justus a Deity severe and revengeful But the God of the New Testament was Deus bonus the good God a God made up all of mercy they would have no anger in him but Christians do know that God proclaims this Attribute among his Titles of Honour Nehem. 1. 2. God is jealous and the Lord revengeth and is furious he reserveth wrath for his enemies 'T is the high-way to Atheism and Prophaneness to fancy to our selves a God made up all of mercy to think that God cannot tell how to be angry and wroth with the sons of men Surely they that have seen London in flames or believe that 't is now laid in ashes they will believe that God knows how to be angry and how to fix the tokens of his wrath upon us But Fourthly God inflicts great and sore Judgments upon the sons of men and upon Cities and Countries that they may cease from sin receive instruction and reform and return to the most High as you may evidently see by comparing the Scriptures in the Margine together Gods corrections should be our instructions his lashes should be our lessons Isa 26. 9. Psal 94. 12. Prov. 3. 12 13. Chap. 6. 23. his scourges should be our School-masters his chastisements should be our advertisements And to note this the Hebrews and the Greeks both express chastising and teaching by one the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Masar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Paideia because Job 36. 8 9 10. and chap. 33. 19 20. the latter is the true end of the former according to that in the Proverb Smart makes wit and vexation gives understanding Whence Luther fitly calls affliction Theologiam Christianorum Levit. 26. Deut. 28. 2 Chron. 7. 13 14. Amos 4. 6. to verse 12. Isa 9. 13. Jer. 5. 3. Jer. 6. 29 30. Ezek. 23. 25 26 27. The Christian mans Divinity Jer. 6. 8. Be thou instructed O Jerusalem lest my soul depart from thee lest I make thee desolate a land not inhabited Zeph. 3. 6 7. I have cut off the nations their towers are desolate I made their streets waste that none passed by their cities are destroyed so that there is no man that there is no inhabitant I said Surely thou wilt fear me thou wilt receive instruction so their dwellings should not be cut off However I punished them but they rose early and corrupted all their doings By all the desolations that God had made before their eyes he designed their instruction and reformation From those words Judg. 3. 20. I have a message from God unto thee O King said Ehud Lo his Ponyard was Gods message from whence one well observes That not only the vocal admonitions but the real Judgments of God are his Errands and instructions to the world God delights to win men to himself by favours and mercies but 't is rare that God this way makes a conquest upon them Jer. 22. 21. I spake unto thee in thy prosperity Deut. 32. 14 15 16 17. Jer. 5. 7 8 9 10. Psal 73. 1. 10. saith God but thou saidst I will not hear and therefore 't is that he delivers them over into the hands of severe Judgments as into the hands of so many curst School-masters as Basil speaks that so they may learn obedience by the things â—hey suffer as the Apostle speaks It is said of Gideon he took Judg. 8. 16. bryars and thorns and with them he taught the men of Succoth Ah poor London how has God taught thee with bryars and thorns with Sword Pestilence and Fire and all because thou wouldst not be taught by prosperity and mercy to do justice to love mercy and to walk humbly with Mich. 6. 8. â—am 3 32 33. Isa 28. 21. Schola crucis schola laciâ— â—y God God delights in the Reformation of a Nation but he doth not delight in the desolation of any Nation Gods greatest severity is to prevent utter ruine and misery If God will but make Londons destruction Englands instruction it may save the Land from a total desolation Ah London London I would willingly hope that this fiery Rod that has been upon thy back has been only to awaken thee and to instruct thee and to refine thee and to reform thee that after this sore desolation God may delight to build thee and beautifie thee and make thee an eternal excellency a joy of many generations But Isa 60. 15. Fifthly God inflicts sore and great Judgments upon the sons of men that he may try them and make a more full discovery of themselves to themselves Wicked men will never believe that their lusts are so strong and that their hearts are so base as indeed they are 2 Kings 8. 12 13. 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 and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword and wilt dash their children and rip up their women with child And Hazael said But what is thy servant a dog that he should do this great thing And Elishu answered The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be King over Syria Hazael could not imagine that he should be as fierce cruel murderous and merciless as a dog that will tear all in pieces that he can come at It could never enter into his thoughts that ever he should do such cruel barbarous horrid and inhumane acts as the Prophet spoke of but he did noâ— know the depth of his own corruption nor the desperateness nor deceitfuâ—ness of his own heart Isa Jer. 17. 9. 8. 21. And they shall pass through it hardly bestead and hungry and it shall come to pass that when they shall be hungry they shall frâ—t themselves and curse their King and their God and look upward When Judgments are upon them then their wickedness appears rampant They shall curse their own King for not defending protecting or relieving of them they shall look upon him as the cause of all their wants sorrows and sufferings and as men overwhelmed with misery and full of indignation they shall fall a cursing of him And they shall curse their God as well as their King that is say some the true God who deservedly brought these plagues upon them Their God that is say others their Melchom to whom they had sacrificed and in whom they see now that they vainly trusted So those desperate wretches under the Beast Rev. 16. 8 9. And the fourth Angel poured out his vial upon thâ— Plutarch observes that it is the quality of Tygers to grow mad and tear themselves in pieces if they hearbut Drums or Tabers to sound about
have rejected betrayed crucified scorned opposed and persecuted come in flames of fire to pass an eternal Doom upon them I have read a story of two Souldiers Holcot in lib. Sap. that coming to the Valley of Jehosaphat in Judea and one saying to the other Here in this place shall be the general Judgment wherefore I will now take up my place where I will then fit and so lifting up a stone he sate down upon it as taking possession before hand but being sate and â—ooking up to Heaven such a quaking and trembling fell upon him that falling to the earth he remembred the day of Judgment with horrour and amazement ever after The case of this Souldier will be the case of every wicked man when Christ shall appear in flames of fire to pass an eternal Sentence of Condemnation upon all the Goats that shall be found on the left hand It is strange in this so serious a business Mat. 25. 41. to vers 46. of the day of Judgment and of Christs appearing in flaming fire which so nearly concerns the sons of men how mens wits will busie themâ—elves in many nice inquiries ye may meet with many such questions in the School-men as 1. How long is it to the day of Judgment 2. In what place of the world shall the Judgment-day be held 3. What kind of fire shall then be burning 4. Whether Christ shall come with a Cross carried before him As if Malefactors in the Gaol should fall a reasoning and debating what weather it would be at the day of Assises or of the Judges habit and retinue and never bethink themselves how to answer their Indictment that they may escape condemnation London's flames should put us in mind of Christs coming in flames of fire and the burning of London should put us in mind of the burning of the world when Christ shall come to judge the sons of men according to their works and the terror and dread of that fire and mens endeavours to escape it should put us upon all those holy ways and means whereby we may escape the fury of those dreadful flames that shall never be quenched And the Houses and Estates that were consumed by the devouring fire in London-streets should put us upon securing a house not made with hands 2 Cor. 5. 1 2. Prov. 8. 18. 1 Pet. 1. 4. Mat. 6. 19 20 21. but one eternal in the Heavens and upon securing durable riches and an inheritance that fadeth not away and upon laying up for our selves treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust nor thieves and let me adde nor flames can break through corrupt or steal or burn The more general any Judgment is the more it should put us in mind of the General day of Judgment Now the burning of London was a general Judâ—ment a Judgment that reaches from one end of the Land to another as I shall more fully evidence before I close up this Discourse and therefore it should remind us of the universal Conflagration of the whole World and the works thereof And thus you see the ends that God has in respect of the wicked in inflicting great and sore Judgments upon Persons Cities and Countrieâ— But pray Sir what are those â—igh and holy ends in respect Quest of the people of God thâ—â—â—od aims at by his inflicting of great and sore Judgments upon Persons Cities and Countries I suppose they are such as follow First To bring about those speciaâ— favours and mercies Answ that God intends them By the dreadful Judgments that God inflicted upon Pharaoh and upon his people and upon his Country God brought about the freedom and liberty of his people to worship him according to his own prescriptions The great difference and contest between God and Pharaoh was who should have their wills God would have his people to worship him according to his own mind but Pharaoh Exod. 5. 1 2. Exod. 7. 16. Exod. 8. 8. 20. 25. 27. 29. Exod. 9. 1. 13. Exod. 10. 3. 7. 8. 11. 24. Exod. 12. 31. Jer. 11. 4. Dan. 9. 12. was resolved to venture his all before they should have their freedom and liberty to serve their God Upon this God follows him with plague upon plague and never leaves spending of his plagues upon him till he had overthrown him and through his ruine brought about the freedom and liberty of his poor people The Babylonians were cruel enemies to Gods poor Israel and kept them in bondage yea in a fiery furnace seventy years At last God stirs up the spirit of Cyrus for his Churches sake and he by fiâ—e and sword lays Babylon waste and takes them Captive who had held his people in a long Captivity Now he by breaking the Babylonians in pieces like a potters vessel brought about as as instrument in the hand of God the freedom and liberty of Gods poor people as you may see by comparing that 45. of Isa 1 2 3 4 5 6. with that 1. Chapter of Ezra God stirs up the spirit of Cyrus to put forth a Proclamation â—â—r Liberty for the Jews to go to their own Land and to 〈◊〉 the House of the Lord God of Israel and then he graâ—â—â—â—â—ly stirs up the spirits of the people wisely and soberty to iâ—â—â—ove Turn to Obadiah and read from vers 11. to the end of the Chapter â—he liberty he had proclaimed Jer. 49. 1. Concerâ—â—â—â— the Ammonites thus saith the Lord Hath Israel no sons hath he no heir why then doth their King inherit Gad and 〈◊〉 people dwell in his Cities When the ten Tribes were carried away captive the Ammonites who dwelt near the Tribe of Gad intruded into it and the Cities of it but mark what God saith in verse 2. Therefore behold the days come saith the Lord that I will cause 〈◊〉 â—â—arm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites that was their chief City and it shall be a desolate heap and her daughters that is lesser Towns shall be burnt with fire then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs saith the Lord. God by fire and sword Here was Lex talionis observed they that invaded the inheritance of others had their own invaded by them would lay desolate the chief City of the Ammonites and her Towns and Villages that did belong to her and by these dreadful Dispensations he would make way for his people not only to possess their own Land but the Ammonites Land also I will leave the prudent Reader to make the Application We have been under greater and dreadfuller Judgments then ever this poor Nation hath groaned under in former times and who can tell but that the Lord by these amazing Judgments may bring about greater and better mercies and blessings then any yet we do enjoy The Rabins say of Civil Liberty that if the Heavens were Parchment the Sea Ink and every pile of Grass a Pen the praises of it could not be comprised nor expressed May we
The Calvin Chrysostom Isa 25. 8 9. Prov 9. 1 2 3 4 5 6. Isa 55. 1 2 3. Jews have the honour to be first called to the Marriage-feast they are invited by the Prophets and afterwards by the Apostles to partake of Christ and of all his royal Benefits and Favours which are displayed in the Gospel God the Father was very willing and desirous to make up a match between Christ and the Jews and between Christ and the Gentiles and he is here called a King to declare his divine Majesty and to set forth the stateliness and magnificence of the Feast Marriage-feasts that are usually made by Kings are full of joy and full of state full of splendor and glory who can sum up the variety of dishes and dainties that then the Guests are feasted with The variety of the glorious excellencies favours and mercies of Christ that are discovered and tendered by God in Gospel-offers in Gospel-ordinances is the Wedding-feast to which all sorts of sinners are invited but here you see they slight and scorn and contemn both Master of the feast and the matter of the feast and all those servants that were sent to invite them to the feast and hereupon the King was wroth and sent forth his armies the Romans as most Interpreters do agree and destroyed those murderers and burnt up their City About forty years after the death of Christ the Lord to revenge the blood of his Son the blood of his servants and the contempt of his Gospel upon the Jews brought his Armies the Romans against Jerusalem who by fire demolished their Temple and City and by sword and famine destroyed eleven millions of men women and children and those that escaped fire Josephus de bell Judaic lib. 7. sword and famine were sold for slaves and scattered among all the Nations Christ and the way of Salvation by him is the subject matter of the Gospel The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is rendered Gospel signifies glad Tydings good News and certainly Salvation by Christ is the best news 't is the greatest and the gladest tydings that ever was brought to sinners ears What the Psalmist had long before said of the City of God Glorious things are spoken of thee that I may Psal 87. 3. truly say of the blessed Gospel Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou Gospel of God The Gospel is called the glorious Gospel of the blessed God The Gospel is a glorious 1 Tim. 1. 11. Gospel in respect of the Author of it and in respect of the Pen-men of it and in respect of the glorious discoveries that it makes of God of Christ of the Sâ—irit of Heaven and in respect of its glorious effectâ— in turning of poor sinners from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto Acts 26. 18. God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified Certainly Solomons natural History in which he treated of aâ—l Trees from the Cedar to the Hysop of all Beasts Fowls and creeping 1 Kings 4. 33. Some are of opinion that it was burnt by the Chaldees together with the Temple others think that it was abolished by Ezekiah because the people idolized it as they did the Brazen Serpent things was a very rare and incomparable piece in its kind yet one leaf yea one line of the Gospel is infinitely more worth and of greater importance to us then all that large Volume would have been For what is the knowledge of Trees and Birds and Beasts and Worms and Fishes to the knowledge of God in Christ to the knowledge of the great things of Eternity to the knowledge of a mans sinful estate by Nature or to the knowledge of his happy estate by Grace doubtless to a Soul that hath tasted that the Lord is gracious there is no Book to this of the Bible Acts 19. 19. When the Lord had made it the day of his glorious Power to their Conviction Conversion and Salvation they burnt their costly Books of curious Arts. And no wonder for they had found the power and the sweet of a better Book even of Gods Book upon their hearts Luther speaking of the Gospel saith That the shortest line and the least letter thereof is more worth then all Heaven and Earth he tasted so much of the sweetness of the Gospel and saw so much of the glory and excellency of the Gospel that he would often say to his friends that he would not take all the world for one leaf of the Bible Rab. Chiia in the Jerusalem Talmud saith that in his account all the world is not of equal value with one word out of the Law Israel had three Crowns as the Talmud observes 1. of the King 2. of the Priest 3. of the Law but the Crown of the Law was counted by them the chiefest of the three then what is the Crown of the Gospel to all those upon whom the Gospel is come in power 1 Thes 1. 5 6 7. How divinely did that Poet speak who said He could read God in every leaf on the Tree and that he found hiâ— Name written on every green herb and shall not we read God and Christ and Grace and Mercy in every leaf yea in every line of the Gospel The Bible saith Luther is the only Luther com in Gen. cap. 19. Book all the books in the world are but waste paper to it so highly did he prize it and so dearly did he love it Conâ—empt of the Gospel is a great indignity cast upon the great God and a great indignity cast upon Jesus Christ for though the Law was delivered by Moses yet the Gospel was delivered by Jesus Christ And if they escaped not who despised Heb. 2. 3. Chap. 10. 28 29. him that spake from earth of how much sorer punishment are they worthy that contemn him that speaks from Heaven If the Book of the Law happen to fall upon the ground the Jews custom is presently to proclaim a Fast O Sirs what cause then have we to fast and mâ—uâ—n when we see the glorious Gospel of God fallen to the ground scorned despised contemned and trampled upon by all sorts of sinners Contempt of the Gospel is a sin of the greatest ingratitude In the Gospel God offers himself his Son his Spirit Hierom reports of Vzzah that his shoulder was shrunk up and witherâ—d he carted the Ark when he should have carried it on his shoulder therefore that part was branded for it his Grace his Kingdom and all the Glory of another World Now for men to despise and contemn these offers is the highest ingratitude and unthankfulness imaginable and therefore no wonder if God burn such men up and turn them out of house and home Such justly deserve the worst of Judgments who despise the best of mercies The strongest and the sweetest wine always makes the sharpest vinegar the freest the richest and the choicest offers of mercy
by inflicting the Judgment of Fire when the Sodomites burned in their lusts one towards another Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven The Lord rained brimstone and fire from the Lord that is by an elegant Hebraism from himself it being usual with the Hebrews to put the Noun for the Pronoun as you may see by comparing the Scriptures in the Margine together Gen. 1. 27. 1 Sam. 15. 22. 2 Chron. 7. 2. 1 Kings 8. 1. Now this fiery vengeance came not from any inferior cause but from the supream cause even God himself This brimstone and material fire that was rained by the Lord out of Heaven was not by any ordinary course of Nature but by the immediate almighty power of God Doubtless it was the supernatural and miraculous work of the Lord and not from any natural cause that such showers not of water as when the Old world was drowned but of material fire and brimstone should fall from Heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah to which add Adama and Zeboim for all these four Cities were burnt together God rained not sprinkled yea he rained not fire only but fire and brimstone for the increase of their torment and that they might have a Hell above ground a Hell on this sâ—de Hell They had hot fire for their burning lusts and stinking brimstone for their stinking brutishness They burned with vile and unnatural lusts and therefore against the course of Nature fire falls down from Heaven and devours them and their stinking abominable â—â—lthiness is punished with the stench of brimstone mingled with fire Thus God delights to suit mens punishments to their sins yea that temporal fire that God rained out of Heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah was but a fore-runner of their everlasting punishment in that Lake which burns with Rev. 21. 8. fire and brimstone for evermore The temporal punishment of the impenitent Sodomites did but make way to their Jude 7. eternal punishments as Jude tells us I readily grant that the fire of Hell was typified by that fire which fell from Heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah but I cannot conceive that the Apostle Jude in the place last-cited doth intend or design to prove that the Sodomites were destroyed by Hell-fire for in the History of Genesis to which the Apostle alludes there is no mention at all of Hell-fire or of Eternal fire and doubtless the example that should warn sinners to repent of their sins and to turn to the most High is to be taken from the History in Genesis I cannot at present see how Sodom and Gomorrah can be set forth as an example to sinners by suffering the punishment of Hell-fire when the History is wholly silent as to any such fire Some to mollifie the seeming austerity of that Phrase which Jude uâ—es viz. Eternal fire read the words thus Were made an example of eternal fire suffering vengeance by which construction they gather that the fire which hath irreparably destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah was a type and figure of that fire of Hell of that Eternal fire that is reserved for wicked men and by which sinners ought to be warned Others by eternal fire understand the duration of the effects of the first temporal punishment the soil thereabout wearing the marks of divine displeasure to this very day Several Authors write that the Air there is so infectious that no creature can live there Josephus Tertullian Augustine c. and though the Apples and other fruit that grow there seem pleasant unto the eye yet if you do but touch them they presently turn into cinders and ashes The stinking Lake of Asphaltes near to Sodom is left as a perpetual Monument of Gods Vengeance killing all fish that swimmeth in it and fowls that flye over it Others by eternal fire understand an utter destruction according to that 2 Pet. 2. 6. And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow that is utterly destroyed them making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly God hangs them up in Gibbets as it were that others might hear and fear and not dare to do wickedly as they had done What though it be said that the fire wherewith these Sodomites were destroyed was eternal yet there is no necessity to understand it of Hell-fire for even that very fire which consumed those Cities may be called Eternal because the punishment that was inflicted on Sodom and Gomorrah by fire was a punishment that should last as long as the world lasted God resolved those Cities should never be rebuilt but remain perpetual desolations in all generations Now in this sense the word Eternal is often used in the Scripture Again the fire and brimstone that fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah was a type and figure of that eternal fire or those eternal torments that shall be inflicted upon all impenitent sinners for ever and ever The sum of all is this that the Sodomites by giving themselves over to fornication and by going after strange flesh did provoke the Lord to rain Hell out of Heaven upon them they did provoke the Lord to rain material fire and brimstone both upon their persons and their habitations Now give me leave to say that doubtless the body of the inhabitants of that famous City which is now laid in ashaes were as free from giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh as any in any part of the Nation yea more free then many in some parrs of the Nation yea give me leave to say that I cannot see how these sins that are charged upon the Sodomites can be clearly or groundedly charged upon any of the precious Servants of the Lord that did truly fear him in that renowned City And my Reasons are these First Because in all their solemn and secret Addresses to the Lord they have seriously lamented and mourned over these crying abominations Secondly Because mens giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh are such high and horrid sins against the Light and Law of Nature that God commonly preserves his Chosen from them He shall be an Apoâ—lo to me that can produce any one instance in the Old or New Testament of any one person that after real and through Conversion did ever give himself over to fornication and to go after strange flesh Aristotle calls beastiality a furpassing wickedness By the Laws of those two Emperors Theodisius and Arcadius Sodomites were adjudged to the fire In the Councel of Vienna the Templers who were found guilty of this sin were decreed to be burnt And among the Romans it was lawful for him who was attempted to that abuse to kill him who made the assault Tertullian brings in Christianity triumphing over Paganism because this sin was peculiar to Heathens and that Christians never changed the Sex nor accompanied with any but their own wives This and such like as Tertullian speaks
Gen. 6. with a Flood then the Sodomites were secure when God Gen. 19. 14. rained fire and btimstone out of Heaven upon them Mercury could not kill Argus till he had cast him into a sleep and with an inchanted Rod closed his eyes No more could the Devil have hurt these Sodomites if he had not first lull'd them asleep in the bed of security Carnal security opens the door for all impiety to enter into the Soul Pompey when he had in vain assaulted a City and could not take it by force devised this Stratagem in way of agreement he told them he would leave the Siege and make Peace with them upon condition that they would let in a few weak sick and wounded Souldiers among them to be cured They let in the Souldiers and when the City was secure the Souldiers let in Pompeys Army A carnal setled security will let in a whole Army of lusts into the Soul and this was the Sodomites case To sum up all those expressions in Jude vers 7. of giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh do imply or take in these six things last mentioned which things will not stand with the truth of Grace or state of Grace and therefore those sins that are specified by Jude cannot be charged with any clear fair or full evidence upon the people of God who did truly fear him within or without the Walls of London But should this Treatise fall into any of their hands who have given themselves over to fornication or to go after strange flesh then I would say that it very highly concerns all such persons to lay their hands upon their loyns and to say we are the very men the sinners the monsters that have turned a rich and populous City into a ruinous heap But The ninth sin that brings the sore Judgment of Fire upon a People is prophanation of the Sabbath Jer. 7. ult But if you will not hearken unto me to hallow the Sabbath-day and not bear a burden even entring in at the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath-day then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and it shall not be quenched In this memorable Scripture you may observe 1. A specification of the Judgment that God will punish Prophaners of his Sabbath with and that is fire 2. The specification of the object that this fire shall fall upon viz. a City not a Town a Village or any other mean place but a City a stately City a populous City a trading City a secure City 3. Here is the specification of the City viz. not Isa 52. 1. Psal 48. 1-8 Psal 87. 3. Jer. 22. 8. every City neither but Jerusalem the City of Cities the best of Cities the beloved City the joyous City the glorious City the renowned City the crowned City the Metropolitan City the City of God the wonder of the World the joy of the whole Earth yet God thâ—eatens to destroy this Jerusalem with fire and flames for prophaning of his Sabbath But did God only threaten Jerusalem No for he executed his threatnings upon it as you may see in that So 2 Chron. 36. 17 18 19. Psal 74 4 5 6 7 8. 2 Kings 25. 8 9 10. And in the fifth month on the seventh day of the month which is the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylen came Nebuzar-adan captain of the guard a servant of the King of Babylon to Jerusalem And â—e Those Chaldeans that set Jerusalem on fire came from literal Babylon and whether those Chaldeans that first set London inflames came not from mystical Babylon I shal not here enquire nor dispute burnt the house of the Lord and the Kings house and al the houses of Jerusalem and every great mans house burnt he with fire And all the army of the Chaldees that were with the captain of the guard brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about The same you have Jer. 52. 12 13 14. The Jews were great prophaners of the Sabbath Nehem. 13. 15 16 17 18. In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine-presses on the sabbath and bringing in sheaves and lading asses as also wine grapes and figs and all manner of burdens which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath-day and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victualâ— There dwelt men of Tyre also therein which brought fish and all manner of ware and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah and in Jerusalem Then I contended with the nobles of Judah and said unto them What evil thing is this that ye do and prophane the sabbath-day Did not your fathers thus and did not our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this city yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by prophaneing the sabbath Now this is observable that as they had prophaned the Sabbath so Nebuzaradon set their Temple on fire and their Noble mens houses on fire and all the considerable mens houses in Jerusalem on fire on their Sabbath day I know Jeremy saith it was on the tenth day Jer. 52. 13. which several of the Learned thus reconcile viz. That on the seventh day which was their Sabbath Nebuzaradon kindled a fire in their habitations and burnt them all quite down on the tenth Now Calvin upon the Text gives these Reasons of Gods severity against them for prophaning his Sabbath First because it was an easie Precept to cease from labour one day in seven and therefore they that would not herein obey were worthy of all severity as Adam for eating the forbidden fruit 2. Because the Sabbath was a sign of Exod. 31. 13. 17. Gods people by him peculiarly chosen and therefore not to rest now was a gross neglect of upholding the memorial of the greatest Priviledge that ever was bestowed upon mortal men 3. Because the Lord would by their keeping of a rest now from servile works draw them to a rest from the servile works of sin as he rested from the works of Creation To which others add a fourth viz. That it might always be remembred that the whole World was created by God that we might acknowledge his infinite Power and Wisdom herein appearing And others add a fifth viz. Because by keeping the Sabbath-day it being the day wherein all religious Duties were done all the exercises of Religion is meant which if it had been purely upheld both Princes Nobles Priests and People should have flourished for ever and never have known what 't was to have their houses set on fire about their ears Now is not famous London the sad Counterpane of desolate Jerusalâ—m a sore and unquenchable Fire hath turned Englands Metropolis into ashes and rubbish But That the Lord may appear most just and righteous in inflicting this dreadful Judgment of Fire upon those that prophaned his Sabbaths in London consider seriously with me these twelve things First That God hath fenced this
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
nor ears never heard of before nor tongues never discoursed of before nor Pens never writ of before Beloved you know that 't is our duty to take serious notice of the hand of the Lord in the least Judgement and in every particular Judgement Oh how much more then dos it highly concern us to take serious notice of the hand of the Lord that has been lifted up against us in that late dreadful impartial universal fire that has burnt us all out of our habitations and laid our City desolate But Seventhly Consider the greatness of it the destructiveness of it Oh the many thousand families that were destroyed and impoverished in four dayes time Of many it might have been said the day before the fire who so rich as London was the Lady-City where the Riches of many Nations were laid up I would rather be bound to weep over London than be bound to summ up the losses of London by this dreadful fire these and the very next day it might have been said of the same persons who so poor as these as poor as Job yea poor to a Proverb Jer. 21. 13 14. Behold I am against thee O inhabitant of the valley and rock of the plain saith the Lord which say who shall come down against us or who shall enter into our habitations But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings saith the Lord. And I will kindle a fire in the forrest thereof and it shall devour all things round about it Some by the Forrest understand the fair and sumptuous buildings in Jerusalem that were built with wood that was hewen out of the Forrest of Libanon and stood as thick as Trees in the Forrest Others by the Forrest understand the whole City of Jerusalem with the Countrey round about it that was as full of people as a Forrest is full of Trees Others by Forrest understand the house of the Lord and the Kings house and the houses of the great Princes which were built with excellent matter from the Wood of Lebanon Jerusalem was 2 Sam. 5. 6. so strongly dâ—fended by nature that they thought themselves invincible as once the Jebusites did they were so confident of the strength of their City that they scorned the proudest and the strongest enemies about them But sin had brought them low in the eye of God so that he could see nothing eminent or excellent among them and therefore the Lord resolves by the Chaldees to fire their magnificent buildings in which they gloried and to turn their strong and stately City into a ruinous heap Though Jerusalem Psalm 125. 2. stood in a Vale and was environed with Mountains yet the upper part of it stood high as it were upon a rocky rising hill Now the Citizens of Jerusalem trusted very much in the scituation of their City they did not fear their being besieged straitned conquered or fired and therefore they say Who shall come down against us Who shall enter into our habitation Where is the enemy that has courage or confidence enough to assault our City or to enter into our habitations but God tells them that they were as barren of good fruit as the Trees of the Forrest were barren of good fruit and therefore he was resolved by the hand of the Chaldeans to hew them down and to fire their most stately Structures and to turn their glorious City in which they greatly trusted and gloried into a ruinous heap All which accordingly was done not long after by Nebuzaradan and his Army as you may see in Jer. 52. 12 13 14 15. How often hath the Citizens of London been alarm'd with the cry of fire which hath been as often extinguished before they could well know where it was and how it began but all former fires were but small fires but Bon-fires to this dreadful fire that has been lately amongst us In the twentieth year of the Reign of William the first so Sir Richard Bakers Chronicle p. 31. 47. great a fire happened in London that from the West-gate to the East-gate it consumed houses and Churches all the way This was the most grievous fire that ever happened in that City saith my Author And in the Reign of King Henry the first a long tract of buildings from West-cheap in London to Aldgate was consumed with fire And in King Stephens Reign there was a fire that began at London Stone and consumed all unto Aldgate These have been the most remarkable fires in London But what were any of these or all these to that late dreadful fire that has been amongst us London in those former times was but a little City and had Eccles 9. 14. but a few men in it in comparison of what it was now London was then but as a great Banqueting-house to what it was now Nor the consumption of London by fire then was Can. 2. 4. nothing proportionable to the consumption of it by fire now For this late lamentable devouring fire hath laid waste the greatest part of the City of London within the walls by far and some part of the Suburbs also More than fourscore Parishes and all the Houses Churches Chappels Hospitals and other the great and magnificent buildings of Pious or Publick use which were within that circuit are now brought into ashes and become one ruinous heap This furious raging fire burnt many stately Monuments to powder it melted the Bells in the Steeples it much weakned and shattered the strongest Vaults under ground O what Age or Nation hath ever seen or felt such a dreadful visitation as this hath been Nebuzaradan General to the King of Babylon first sets the Temple of Jerusalem on fire and then the Jos Aâ—t p. 255. A. M. 3356. Kings Royal Palace on fire and then by fire he levells all the houses of the great men yea and all the houses of Jerusalem are by fire turned into a ruinous heap according to Jer. 52. 12 13 14. what the Lord had before foretold by his Prophet Jeremiah Now this was a lamentable fire Some hundred years after the Roman Souldiers sackt the City and set it on fire and Jos Aâ—t p. 741. A. M. 4034. laid it desolate with their Temple and all their stately buildings and glorious monuments Three or four Towers and the Wall that was on the West side they left standing as monuments of the Romans valour who had surpized a City so Jos Aâ—t p. 745. strongly fortified All the rest of the City they so plained that they who had not seen it before would not believe that it had ever been inhabited Thus was Jerusalem one of the worlds wonders and a City famous amongst all Nations Luke 19. 41 42 43 44. Tacit. Aâ— 15. made desolate by fire according to the prediction of Christ some years before There was a great fire in Rome in Nero's time it spread it self with that speed and burnt with that violence till of fourteen
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
that the drought was so great that all the Fountains and Rivâ—rs except Iber and Beâ—is were dried up so that the earth gaped in several places that whole fields were parted and that many who had thought to have fled into other parts were hindered and could noâ— get passage over these fearful openings of the earth Hereby Spain especially those places nearest the Mediterranean Sea being stripped naked of all Herbs â—nd the glory of Trees being dâ—yâ—d up exâ—ept a fâ—w Tâ—ees which were preserved upon the banks of the River Betis men and Beasts being consumed with thirst and famine was â—urned by this Jâ—dgement into a misâ—rable solitude and Wilderness The Royal line of the Kings was by this means All these things do the Histories of Spain report extinct and the poorer sort of men whose means were â—hort and provision small went into other places as they could conveniently and with all spâ—ed not being able to stand or stay out this six and twenty years misery In the Thâ—cyd Pelâ—ponnâ—sâ—an War at Potidea men eat one another When Vtica was besieged by Amilcar the Father of Hâ—nnibal men Polâ—b at one another the famine was so great amongst them At Antioch in Syria many of the Christians in the Holy War Turk Hist Fol. 18. through famine devoured the dead bodies of the late slain enemies At the siege of Scodra Horses were dainty meat yea thâ—y were glad to eat Dogs Cats Rats and the skins of beasts sod A little Mouse and Puddings made of Dogs Ibid. 4â—6 guts was sold at so great a price as exceeds all credit When Hâ—nnibal besieged Cassilinum the famine was so great that Val. Max. l 7 â—ap 6. Turk Hist a Mouse was sold for two hundred groats that is for three pound eighteen shillings and eight pence That was a sore famine in Samaria when an Asses head was sold for 2 Kings 6. 25. eighty pieces of silver that is say some for four or five pound Others say ten for a shekel of silver was with the Jews as much as two shillings six pence with us by this account an Asses head was sold for ten pound sterling In Edward the Seconds time Anno 1316. There was so great a famine that horses dogs yea men and children were stoln for food and the Thieves newly brought into the Parch Pilgrim p. 289. Spâ—ed 6. 4 Gaols were â—orn in pieces and eaten presently half alive by such as had been longer there In War Oppression Capâ—ivity and many other calamities much of the hand of man is to be seen but Famine is a deep evident and appâ—renâ— Judgement which God himself brings upon the sons of men by his own high hand Many or most of those calamities that are brought upon us by humane means are avoidable by humane helps but famine is that comprehensive Judgâ—ment that the highest power on earth cannot help against If the Lord do not help thee whence shal I help thee 2 Kings 6 27 out of the barn flâ—or or out of the Wine-press said the King of Israel in the famine of Samaria Ah London London if the Lord had inflicted upon thy inhabitanâ—s this sore Judgement of fâ—mine making the Heavens as Iron and the Earth as Brass Lev. 26. 19. Hab. 3. 17. Deut. 28. 23. If the Lord had cut off all thy delightful and necessary provisions and thy Citâ—zens had been forced to eat one another or every one to eat the flesh of his own arms and the fruit of his own body how dismal would thy condition have been Certainly such as have been swept away by the raging Pestilence ashore and such as have been slain by the bloody sword at Sea might very well be counted happy in comparison of those who should live and die under that lingering Judgement of a famine Doubtless famine is a sorer Judgement than either Sword Fire or Pestilence There be many deaths in a Dearth Famine is the top of all humane calamities as Bâ—sil termeth it extream hunger hath made Mothers Murtherers and so turned the Sanctuary of life into the Shambles of death Thirdly God might have overturned London and her inhabitants in a moment by some great and dreadful Earthquake as he hath done several great rich strong and populous Isa 13 1â— Psalâ— â—8 7. Cities and Towns in former times Under Tiberius the Emperour thirteen Cities of Asia fell down with an Earth-quake and six under Trajan and twelve under Constantine In Campania Ferraria in Italy 1569. in the space of forty hours by reason of an Earthquake many Palaces Fardentiâ—s Temples and houses were overthrown with the loss of many a man the loss amounting to forty hundred thousand pâ—unds In the year 1171. there was such a mighty Earthquake that the City Tripolis and a great part of Damascus in Antiochia and Hulâ—ipre the chief City in the Kingdom of Loradin and other Cities of the Saracâ—nâ— either perâ—shâ—d utterly or were wonderâ—ulâ—y defacâ—d In the year 1509. in â—he monâ—â—h of September theâ—e was so gâ—eat an Earthquake at Bodiâ— Constantinople thaâ— there were thâ—rtâ—â—â— thousand men destroyed by it and 〈◊〉 City mâ—sâ—râ—bly shattered and â—uâ—ned by it In tâ—e 〈◊〉 â—f Henâ—y the first the earth moved with so great a 〈…〉 many â—uildings were shaken down Sr. 〈◊〉 Bakers Chrâ—nocâ—e p. 47. and Mâ—lmâ—sbuâ—◠〈◊〉 â—hat the house wherein he sate was lifeed up wiâ—â— a 〈…〉 and at in third time settled again in the pâ—â—pâ—r plaâ—e Aâ—so in divers places it yiâ—lâ—ed forth a hidâ—oâ—â— no iâ— and cast â—â—rth flâ—mes In Lâ—mbardy there was â—n Earthquake that continued forty dayes and removed a Town â—â—to the place where it stood a great way off In Hoâ—eden the elevâ—nâ—â— year of the Reign of King Henry the second on the six and twentiâ—th dâ—y of January was so great an Earthquake Sr. Richaâ—d Baâ—â—rs Chronâ—cle p. 65. in Ely Nâ—rfolk and Suffolk that it overthrew them that stood upon their feet and made the Bells to ring in the Steeplâ—s In the four and twentieth year of his Reign in the Territory of Derlington in the Bishopwrick of Durham the earth lifted up her self in the manner of an high Tower and so remâ—iâ—ed unmoveable from morning till evening and then fell with so horrible a noise that it frighted the inhabitants thereâ—bouts and the earth swallowing it up made there a deep pit which is seen at this day for a testimony whâ—reof Leyland saith he saw the Pits there commonly calâ—ed See the Relation in Print Hell-Keitles In the year 1666. the Câ—ty of Raguzâ— was overthrown by a most dreadful Earthquake and all the inhabitants which were many thousands except a few hundred were destroyed and buried in the ruines of that City At Bâ—rn Anno 1584. near unto which City a certain Hill carried violently bâ—yond and over other Hills is reported by Polanus who lived in those parts to have covered a whole Polan Syntag. â—41 Village that had
deep and wide and dark and out of which the Prisoners could never get and therefore it was called by them Lethe Forgetfulness this Prison was a Paradice to Hell Mark every thing that is conducible to the torments of the damned is eternal 1. God that damns them is eternal Isa 33. 14. Rom. 16. 26. 2. The fire that torments them is eternal Isa 30. 33. Cap. 66. 24. Jude 7. 3. The Prison and Chains that holds them are eternal Jude 6 7 13. 2 Pet. 2. 17. 4. The Worm that 1 Pet. 3. 19. Lâ—cian saith that it was the common opinion among them that the wiâ—ked were held in chains by Pluto so thâ—y call the Prince of Devils in chainâ— which cannot be loosed gnaws them is eternal Mark 9. 44. Melancthon calls it a Hellish fury 5. The sentence that shall be passed upon them shall be eternal Matth. 25. 41 42. The fire of Hell is called a Burning Lake Râ—v 20. 15. Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire You shall know that fire is the most tormenting Element Oh the most dreadful impressions that it makes upon the flesh The Schoolmen distingish thus of fire they say there is ignis ardoris foetoris terroris fire of heat of stench and of terror of heat as in Mount Aetna of stench as in Mount Heda of terror and fear as ignis fulguris the fire of lightning in America All these fires they say are in Hell But to let the Schoolmen pass It is disputed among many of the learned Whether there be material fire in Hell or no. That 't is very probable that there is material fire in Hell or that which is full as terrible or more terrible may I suppose be thus evidenced First The fire of Hell is frequently mentioned in the blessed Scripture Who shall say to his Brother thou Fool shall be in danger of Hell fire At the day of Judgement the tares are Matth. 5. 22. Chap. 13. 40. burnt in the fire Into this fire offending members are cast Matth. 18. 18 19. To this everlasting fire the Goats are adjudged Matth. 25. 41. In this fire those that worship the Beast are tormented Rev. 14. 10. And the Sodomites at this very day suffer the vengeance of eternal fire Jude 7. Into this fire shall all barren and unfruitful Christians be cast Matth. 3. 10. And now also the Ax is laid unto the root of the trees therefore every tree which bringeth forth not good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire Negative goodness will never secure a man either from the Ax or from the fire Yea every man and woman under Heaven that keeps off from Christ and that lives and dies out of Christ and that are never entered into a marriage union with Christ they shall all be cast into this fire John 15. 6. If a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch that is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned Thus you see how the Scripture runs Now you know that ' t ist safest for us to adhere to the very letter of the Scripture unless evident and necessary occasion draw us from a literal interpretation of it But Secondly To this fire is ascribed Sulphur flames wood Isa 30. 33. For Tophet is ordained of old that iâ— Hell those 2 King 23. 18. terrible allusions to Tophet to the shrieks and yellings of those children that were sacrificed there are but dark representations of the pain and miseries of the damned yea for the King it is prepared If Princes be wicked 't is neither their Power nor their Policy their dignity or worldly glory that can secure them from Tophet he hath made it deep and large the pile thereof is fire and much wood the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it Now he shall be an Apollo to me that can shew me where the Lord in his Word gives such properties to immaterial fire that are here given in the Text. But yet remember this that that God that makes the damned live without food is able to maintain this fire without wood But Thirdly Fire is the most furious of all Elements and therefore the bodies of men can't be more exquisitely tormented than with fire The bodies that sinned on earth Water doth only kill but fire doth vex terrifie and torment in killing Act. Mon. shall be punished and tormented in Hell Now what can be more grievous and vexatious more afflicting and tormenting to the bodies of men than material fire Bilney the Martyr could not endure to hold his finger in the flame of a Candle for a little while for a quarter of an hour though he tryed to do it before he burnt at the stake O then how will the bodies of men endure to dwell in unquenchable fire to dwell in everlasting burnings The Brick-kilns of Aegypt the Furnace of Babel are but as the glowing sparkle or as the blaze of a Brush-faggot to this tormenting Tophet that has been prepared of old to punish the bodies of sinners with But Fourthly Several of the Fathers Schools generally agree that the fire which shall torment the wicked in Hell shall be material fire but yet they say that this material fire shall wonderfully Zaach Austia Peter Lumbard Tho. Aqu. Gregory c. exceed ours both in degree of heat and fierceness of burning Our Elementary or Culinary fire is no more to be compared with the fire of Hell than fire painted upon the Wall is to be compared with fire burning in our Chimneys Si igne damnabit reprobos quare non in igne cruciabit damnatos sayes one of the Antients If he will judge the reprobates in fire why not condemn them to fire But if it be material fire then it may be quencht besides we Object see by common experience that material fire in a short time will consume and spend it self Neither can we see how material fire can make impressions upon Spirits as the Devils and souls of men are First Don't we find that the Bush burned and was not consumed Answ Though all cloaths by daily experience wax old Exod. 3. 2 3. yet when the Israelites were in their wilderness condition their clothes did not wax old Deut. 8. 4. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee neither did thy foot swell these forty years Neh. 9. 41. Yea forty years didst thou sustain them in the Wilderness so that they lacked nothing their clothes waxed not old and their feet swelled not Their clothes were never the worse for wearing God by his Allmighty Power kept their clothes from waxing old and so God by his Allmighty Power can keep the fire of Hell unquenchable But Secondly Such as thus object draw things to the scantling of their own Reason which may be many wayes of a dangerous consequence both to themselves and others Certainly such
and they provoked to avoid them and secure themselves against them Doubtless the serious thoughts of hellish pain while men live is one blessâ—d way to keep them from those torments when they come to die Another gives this pious counsel Let us earnestly importune the Lord that this knowledge whether the fire of Hell be material or not be never manifested to us by experience 'T is infinitely better to endeavour the avoiding Hell fire than curiously to dispute about it Look as there is nothing more grievous than Hell So there is nothing more profitable than the fear of it But what difference is there between our common fire and Hell Obj. fire I answer a mighty difference a vast difference Take it Answ in these six particulars First They differ in their heat no heart can conceive nor no tongue can express the exquisite heat of infernal fire were all the fires under Heaven contracted into one fire yea were all the Coles Wood Oyle Hemp Flax Pitch Tarr Brimstone and all other combustibles in the world contracted into one flame into one fire yet one spark of infernal fire would be more hot violent dreadful amazing astonishing raging and tormenting than all that fire that is supposedly made up of all the combustibles the earth affords To mans sense there is nothing more terrible and afflictive than fire and of all fires there is none so scalding and tormenting as that of brimstone Now into that lake Rev. 14. 10. Chap. 21. 8. The fire in a Lantskip is but ignis pictus a painted fire and the fire of Purgatory is but ignis fictus feigned fire Now what are these to Hell fire which burns with fire and brimstone for ever and ever shall the wicked of the earth be cast Infernal fire far exceeds ours that are on our Hearths and in our Chimneyes in degree of heat and fierceness of burning Our fire hath not that terrible power to scorch burn torment as the fire of Hell hath Our fire as Polycarpus and others say compared to Hell fire is but like painted fire upon the Wall Now you know a painted fire upon the Wall will not hurt you nor burn nor affright you not torment you but the fire of Hell will beyond all your conception and expression hurt burn affright and torment you The fire of Hell for degrees of heat and fierceness of burning must wonderfully surpass our most furious fires because it is purposely created by God to torment the creature whereas our ordinary fire was created by God only for the comfort of the creature The greatest and the hottest fires that ever were on earth are Alsted but Ice in comparison of the fire of Hell Secondly There are unexpressible torments in Hell as well as unspeakable joyes in Heaven Some who write of Purgatory tell us that the pains thereof are more exquisite though of shorter continuance than the united torments Bâ—llarm de Parg. l. 2. c. 14 Bâ—llâ—rm de Aeâ—â—r Faeli Saâ—â—â— l. 1. c. 11. that the earth can invent though of longer duration If the Popes Kitchin be so warm how hot is the Devils Furnace A Poetical Fiction is but a Meiosis when brought to shew the nature of these real torments the lashes of Furies are but petty scourgings when compared to the stripes of a wounded conscience Tytius his Vulture though feeding on his Liver is but a Flea-biting to that Worm whick gnaweth their hearts and dieth not Ixion his Wheel is a place of rest if compared with those Billows of Wrath and thaâ— Wheel of Justice which is in Hâ—ll brought over the ungodly the task of Danaus his Daughter is but a sport compared to the tortures of those whose souls are filled with bitterness and within whom are the arrows of the Alâ—ighry the poison whereof doth drink up their spirits Hell is called a Furnace of fire which speaketh intolerable heat a Matth. 13. 42. Luke 16. 28. Matth. 5. 25. 5. 22. place of torment which speaketh a total privation of ease A Prison which speaketh restraint Gehenna from the valley of Hinnom where the unnatural Parents did sacrifice the fruit oâ— their bodies for the sin of their souls to their merciless Idols the which word by a neighbour Nation is retained to signifie a Rock than the torture of which what more exquisite It is called a Lake of Fire and Brimstone than the torment of the former what more acute than the smell of the latter what more noisome But Secondly Our fire is made by the hand of man and must be maintained by continual supplies of fuel take away the Coals the Wood the combustible matter and the fire goes out but the infernal fire is created and tempered and blown by the hand of an angry sin revenging God Isa 30. 33. For Tophet is ordained of old yea for the King it is prepared he hath made it deep and large the pile thereof is A River of Brimstone is never consumed by burning fire and much wood and the breath of the Lord like a stream of Brimstone doth kindle it and therefore the breath of all the Reprobates in Hell shall never be able to blow it out Our fire is blown by an aiery breath but the infernal fire is blown by the angry breath of the great God which burns far hotter than ten thousand thousand Rivers of Brimstone The breath of Gods mouth shall be both Bellows and fuel to the infernal fire and therefore Oh how terrible and torturing how fierce and raging will that fire be If but three drops of Brimstone should fall upon any part of the flesh of a man it would fill him so full of torment that he would not be able to forbear roaring out for pain and anguish Oh how dreadful and painful will it be then for damned sinners to swimm up and down in a Lake or River of Fire and Brimstone for ever and ever There is no proportion between the heat of our breath and the fire that it blows O then what a dreadful what an amazing what an astonishing fire must that needs be which is blown by a breath dissolved into brimstone Gods wrath and indignation shall be an everlasting supply to Hells conflagration Ah Sinners how fearful how formidable how unconceivable will this infernal fire prove Surely there is no misery no torment to that of lying in a torrent of burning Brimstone for ever and ever Mark this infernal fire is a fire prepared by God himself to punish and torment all impenitent persons and reprobate rebels who scorned to submit to the Scepter of Christ Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared Matth. 25. 41. for the Devil and his Angels The wisdom of God hath been much exercised in preparing and devising the most tormenting temper for that formidable fire in which the Devil and his Angels shall be punished for ever and ever Not as if it were not prepared also for wicked and ungodly men but it
hath a Soveraign Right and an absolute Supremacy over the creature he is the only Potentate King of Kings and Lord of Lords he is the Judge of 1 Tim. 1. 15. Gen. 18. 25. the whole world And shall not the Judge of all the earth do right But Sâ—condly I answer There is a Principle in man to sin eternally and therefore it is but just with God if he punish him eternally The duration of torment respects the disposition of the delinquent Poenae singulorum inaequales intentione Aqain poenae omnium aequales duratione If the sinner should live ever â—e would dishonor God ever and crucifie the Lord of Glory ever and grieve the Spirit of Grace ever and transgress a righteous Law ever and therefore 't is just with God to punish such sinners for ever If the sinner might live eternally â—t si pâ—ccatoâ—â— aeternum viâ—â—â—â—t in aeterâ—â—m pâ—ccaret he would sin eternally if he might live still he would sin still Though the sinner loses his life yet he dos not lose his will to sin Sinners sin as much as they can and as long as they can and did not the grave put a stop to their lusts 〈◊〉 si vâ—li◠〈…〉 their hearts would never put a stop to their lusts The sinner sins in his eternity and God punishes in his eternity The sinner never loses his will to sin his will to sin is everlasting and therefore 't is but just with God that his punishment should be everlasting A will to sin is sin in Gods account God looks more at the will than at the deed and therefore that being lasting the punishment must be so The mind and intention of the sinner is to sin everlastingly eternally if the sinner should live alwayes he would sin alwayes and therefore as one saith Quia mens in hac vita Gregory nunquam voluit carere peccato justum est nunquam caret supplicio Because the mind of man in this life would never be without sin it is just that it should never be without punishment in the life to come Many of the men of the old world lived eight or nine hundred years and yet faith and repentance was hid from their eyes that patience forbearance long-suffering gentleness and goodness which should 1 Pet. 3. 20. have lead them to aspeedy repentance to a serious repentance to a thorough repentance to that repentance that was never to be repented of was only made use of to patronize their lewdness and wickedness This is certain wicked men left to themselves will never be weary of their Peccant iâ— aeterâ—o sâ—o ergo pâ—â—iâ—â—tâ—r in aeterâ—o Dei Augustâ—ne The sinner alwayes sinned in his eternity therefore he shall alwayes be punished in Gods eternity sins nor never repent of their sins and therefore God will never be weary of plaguing them nor never repent of punishing thâ—m The sinner never leaves his sin till sin first leaves him did not death put a stop to his sin he would never cease from sin This may be illustrated by a similitude thus A company of Gamesters resolve to play all night and accordingly they sit down to Chess Tables or some other Game their Candle accidentally or unexpectedly goes out or is put out or burnt out their Candle being out they are forced to give over their Game and go to bed in the dark but had the Candle lasted all night they would have played all night This is every sinners case in regard of sin did not death put out the candle of life the sinner would sin still Should the sinner live for ever he would sin for ever and therefore it is a righteous thing with God to punish him for ever in hellish torments Every impenitent sinner would sin to the dayes of eternity if he might but live to the dayes of eternity Psal 74. 10. O God how long shall the adversary reproach Shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever For ever and evermore or for ever and yet for so the Hebrew loves to exaggerate as if the sinner the blasphemer would set a term of duration longer than eternity to sin in The Psalmist implicitely saith Lord if thou dost but let them alone for ever they will certainly blaspheme thy name for ever and ever I have read of the Crocodile that he knows no Maximum quod sic he is alwayes growing bigger and bigger and never comes to a certain pitch of Monstrosity so long as he lives Quam diu vivit crescit Every habituated sinner would if he were let alone be such a Monster perpetually growing worser and worser But Thirdly I answer That God against whom they have sinned is an infinite and eternal good Now a finite creature can't bear an infinite punishment intensively and therefore he must bear it extensively They have sinned impenitently against an infinite Majâ—sty and accordingly their Sin is 〈◊〉 Deâ—m 〈◊〉 against an infiâ—ite Majesty punishment must be infinite Now because it cannot be infinite in râ—gard of the degree men being but finite creatures and so no capâ—ble of infinite torments at one time therefore their punishment must be infinite in the length and continuance of it What is wanting in torment mâ—st be made up in time Every sin is of an infinite nature because of the infinite dignity of the person against whom it is committed and therefore it deserveth an infinite punâ—shment which bâ—cause it can't be infinite secundum intentionem in the intention and greatness of it It râ—maineth that it should be infinite secundum durationem in râ—spect of the dâ—ration and Vâ—de August l. 21. c. 11. de Câ—vâ—tate De. â—ontinuance of the same Mark all punishments oâ—gâ—t to be levied according to the dignity of him against whom the offence is committed Words against common persons bear but common actions words against Noble men are scandala magnatum great scaâ—dals but words against Princes are Treason So the dignity oâ— the peâ—son against whom sin is committed dos exceedingly aggravate the sin To strike an inferiour man is matter of Arrest but to strike a King is matter of death Now what an infinite distance and disproportion is there between the Lord of Hosts and such poor crawling Worms as we are he being holiness and we sinfulness he fulness and we emptiness he omnipotency and we impotency he Majesty and we vanity he instar omnium all in all and we nothing at all Now to sin against such an infinite glorious Majesty deserves infinite punishment But Fourthly I answer Though the act of sin be transient yet it leaveth such a stain upon the soul as is permanent and continueth in it evermore and evermore it disposeth the sinner unto sin if it be not pardoned and purged out by mercy and Grace and therefore it is but just that this perpetual purpose of sinning should be punished with perpetuity Aâ— long as the guilt of sin remains punishments and torments will remain of pain The
Maâ—k 16. 11. And Secondly There was a place where the Priests executed their Ministry which was holier than that that the people stood in and is therefore called the Holy Place Lev. 16. 30. And Thirdly There was a place which the High Priest might only enter into and that but once a year anâ— that is called the Holy of Holies the holiest place of all Heb. 9. 3. But now since the death of Christ there is no place in the world that is holier than other The prayer of faith is as powerful and as prevalent with God in one place as in another Paul describes the faithful to be such as call upon 1 Cor. 1. 2. 1 Tim. 2. 8. Matth. 18. 20. God in every place And I will saith he that men pray every where And where two or three saith Christ are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them That every place should be free for the people of God to worship the Lord in was foretold by the Prophets as a singular privâ—lâ—dge that should come to the Church in the dayes of the Gospel Zeph. 2. 11 And men shall worship him every one from his place even all the Isles of the Heathen That is all Countâ—â—ys though not encompassed with the Sea for the Jews â—aâ—lâ—d â—ll Lâ—â—ds Islands whither they could not come but by Waâ—â—r Mâ—n should worship not only at Jerusalem as oâ—â—â— but in all plâ—ces They should lift up pure hands and hearts without wrath or doubting both in Church and 1 Tim. 2. 8. Chamber any place whatsoever shall be a sufficient Oratory so that God be worshipped in Spirit and in truth Mal. 1. 11. For from the rising of the Sun even to the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles and in every place not in Judaea only incense shall be offered unto my name Here thâ— Prophet frames his words to the capacity of the peoâ—le and by the Altar and Sacrifices he meaneth the spiritual service of God which should be under the Gospel when an end shall be put to all these Legal Ceremonies by Christs only Sacrifice and a pure offering for my name shall be great among the Heathen saith the Lord of Hosts The poor blâ—nd bâ—sotted Jews thought that God was so tyâ—d to them that if they did not worshâ—p him at Jerusalem he would have no service nor worship in the world But God tâ—lls them that they were under a very high mistake for he would take care of his own name and glory For from the rising of the Sun even to the going down of the same my name shall be great that is the knowledge of it and of the right worship of it among the Gentiles this is an excellent Prophesie of the cutting off the Gentiles and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name My Worship saith God shall not be confined to Judaeâ— or Jerusalem See Isa 66. 19 20. Chap. 60. 8. and Chap. 19. 19. or the Temple but in every place I will have a people that shall worship me and that shall be still offering of prayers and praises and thanksgivings to me Christ by his death hath taken away all difference of places And indeed it was but necessary that when the body was come the shadow should cease Yea since Christs death all difference of persons is taken away For in every Nation under heaven such Act. 10. 34 35. Gal. 3. 28. as fear God and work righteousness are accepted of him There is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither bend nor free there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ Jesus And therefore all difference of places must needs also be taken away for this difference of places was as a partition wall between the Jews and the Gentiles Now mark since the Ephes 2. 14 15. destruction of the Temple and City of Jerusalem the Lord hath not sanctified any other place in the world or consecrated it to a more holy use than the rest and it is only Gods institution and word that can make any thing or any 1 Tim. 4 4 5. place holy Nothing can make any place or any thing else holy but the Ordinance and institution of God It is Judaisme it is a denying of Christ to be come in the flesh to hold or affirm that one place is holier than another I know the Papists put more holiness in some placâ—s than thâ—y do in others for they hold that it is more advantagioâ—s 〈◊〉 the dead to be buried in the Church-yard than out of it And in the Church more than in the Church-yard and in Chancel more than in the Church and nâ—ar the high Alâ—ar more than in any other place of the Câ—ancel and all out of a superstitious conceit that these places are consecrated and hallowed that they are holier then other places are But Christians that live undâ—r a bright shining Gospel understand the folly and vanity of these mens spirits principles and practices Such as are wise in heart know that since Christ by his death hath taken away all religious difference of places England is as holy as Canaan and London as Jerusalem and our houses as the Temple Ne. 12 27 28. Psal 30. Title A Psalm aâ—d Soâ—g at the Dâ—dication of the housâ— of David While the Ark brought the Plague every one was glad to be rid of it but when it brought a blessing to Obed-Edom they looked upon it as worthy of entertainment Many will own a blessing Ark a prosperous truth but he is an Obâ—d-Edom indeed that will own a persecuted tossed banished Ark. Under the Law they were wont to dedicate their houses and consecrate them to God before they dwelt in them Deut. 20. 5. And the Officers shall speak unto the people saying what man is there that hath built a new house and hath not dedicated it by Prayers Hymns and other holy solemnities let him go and return to his house lest he dye in the battel and another man dedicate it Now thouâ—h this were done in those times with sundry ceremonies which are now abolished yet the equity of the duty still remains And doubtless the best way for a man to bring down a blessing upon himself and his house is to dedicate himself and his house to God 2 Sam. 6. 11. And the Ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obed-Edom the Hittite three moneths and the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his houshold Versâ— 12. And it was told King David saying the Lord hath hlessed the hâ—use of Obed-edom and all that pertaineth to him because of the Ark of God In this Scripture you see that when men do any thing to the advancement of Religion or to the furtherance of Gods Worship and Service he takes it kindly at their hands The meanest service that is done to Christ or his Church hath a Patent of eternity Again in this Scripture you may run
them in I will pursue I will overtake I will divide the spoil my lust shall be satisfied upon them I will draw my Sword my hand shall destroy them But presently God blows with his Wind and the Sea covered them and they sank as Lead in the mighty Waters Soon after Sennacherib had sent a Blasphemous Leâ—ter to King Hezâ—kiah The Angel of the Lord went forth and smote in the Camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand and when they arose early in the morning behold Isaiah 37. they were all dead corpse and within five and fifty dayes after Sennacherib himself was butchered by his own Sons No Tobit 1. 21. sooner had the people as prophane Sycophants applauded Herod and given him the honour due to God but he was smitten by the Angel of the Lord or eaten up of Worms or with Vetmin with Lice as his Grand-father Herod had Act. 12. â—2 23. been before him Roffâ—nsis had a Cardinâ—ls Hat sent him but his head was cut off bâ—fore it came the Ax was nearer his head than his Hat The Heathen Hâ—storian could not but observe that as soon as Alexander the Great hâ—d summoned a Parliament before him of the world he was summoned himself by death to appear before God in the other world Now as you see by these instances that dangers are nearest the wicked when they see them not when they fear them not So mercies are very near to the people of God when they see them not when they expect them not The Israelites found it so in Asa his time and in Jebasaphats time Psal 126. 2 3. 2 Chron. 14. Chap. 20. Exod. 15. 2 Kings 19. Esther 6. 8. 1 Kings 17. 12 13 14 15 16. and in Pharaohs time and in Hezekiahs time and in Esthers time and in the time of the Judges as is evident throughout the Book of Judges When there was but a handful of Meal in the Barrel and a little Oyl in the Cruze supply was at hand Her Barrel and Cruze had no bottom who out of a little gave a little In all the Ages of the world God has made that word good Isa 41. 17. When the poor and needy seek water and there is none and their tongue saileth for thirst I the Lord will hear them I the God of Israel will not forsake them Verse 18. I will open Rivers in high places and Fountains in the midst of the Valleys I will make the Wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water Chrysostome observes That 't is very delightful to the Mother to have her breasts drawn Oh how much more then is it delightful to God to have his breasts of mercy drawn O Sirs look as many times the Mothers breasts are drawn and near the Child though the Child sees them not so Gods breasts of mercy are many times drawn and near his people and yet they see them not Geographers wriâ—e that the City of Syracuse in Sicily is so curiously scituated that the Sun is never out of sight Certainly the mercies of God are never out of sight though sometimes the people of God are so clouded and benighted that they can't see their mercies though they are near them yea though they stand before them But Sixthly I answer That God many times by taking away some outward mercies comforts and contentments dos but make way for greater and better mercies to come in the room of those he has taken away He took from David an Psa 71. 20 21. Absalom and gave him a Solomon he took from him a scoffing Michal and gave him a prudent Abagail He took Gen. 24. 67. away from Isaac his Mother Sarah and made up his loss by giving of him Rebeckah to wife He took away much from Job but laid twice as much in the room of all the mercies that he had stript him off The Lord many times takes away small mercies to make room for greater mercies and many times takes away great mercies to make room for greater mercies yea the greatest of mercies But Seventhly and lastly Though thou hast lost all thy outward comforts in this world yet if thou art a believer there are ten choice Jewels that thou shalt never that thou canst never lose 1. Thou shalt never totally or finally lose thy God Hosea 2. 19 20. 2. Thou shalt never lose thy interest in Christ Whatever thy outward losses are yet thy interest in Christ still holds good Rom. 8. 33. ult 3. Thou shalt never lose the Spirit of Grace John 14. 16. And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever 4. Thou shalt never lose the seed of Grace the habits of Grace 1 John 3. 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin that is doth not give himself over to a voluntary serving 1 Cor. 1. 8. Luke 22. 32. of sin he dos not make a Trade of sin he sins not totally finally maliciously habitually studiously resolutely wilfully delightfully deadly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he dos not make it his work to sin he cannot follow his lusts as a work-man follows his Trade for his seed remaineth in him The seed of God the seed of Grace is an abiding seed 5. Thou shalt never lose the forgiveness of thy sins though thou maist lose the sense and assurance of thy forgiveness Jer. 31. 34. For I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more Mich. 7. 19. 6. Thou shalt never lose thy interest in the Covenant of Grace Psal 89. 30. 35. Jer. 31. 31. 38. Isâ— 54. 10. Once in Covenant and for ever in Covenant 7. Thou shalt never lose thy union with Christ John 15 1. 6. In John 17. Christ prayed that we might be one as he and his Father are one not essentially nor personally but spiritually so as no other creature is united to God There can be no Divorce between Christ and the believing soul Christ hates putting away Sin may for a time seemingly separate Mal. 2. 16. between Christ and the believer but it can never finally separate between Christ and the Believer Look as it is impossible for the Leaven that is in the Dough to be separated from the Dough after it is once mixed for it turneth Luther the nature of the Dough into it self so it is impossible for the Saints ever to be separated from Christ for Christ is in the Saints as nearly and as really as the Leaven is in the very Dough. Christ and believers are so incorporated as if Christ and they were one lump Our nature is now joyned to God by the indissolvable tye of the Hypostatical Union in the second Person and we in our persons are joyned to God by the Mystical indissolvable bond of the Spirit the third Person Our union with the Lord is so near and so glorious that it makes us one Spirit with him In this blessed union the
Behold I have done according to thy words Lo I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart so that there was none like thee before thee neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee v. 13. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked both riches and honours so that there shall not be any among the Kings like unto thee all thy dayes This is more generally and fully expressed in 2 Chron. 1. 12. Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee and I will give thee riches and wealth and honour such as none of the Kings have had before thee neither shall there any after thee have the like Solomon desired wisdom of the Lord and the Lord granted him his desire and cast in riches and wealth and honour as an over plus which he did not so much as once desire God won't be wanting to them in Temporals who in their desires and prayers are most carried out after spirituals Matth. 6. 33. First seek the The shorter cut to riches is by their contempt it is great riches not to desire riches and he hath most that covers least saith Socrates and Seneca Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall he added to you or over-added He who before all and above all other things seeks Grace and Glory shall have the things of this world cast in as an over-plus as a handful to the sack of grain or as inch of measure to an Ell of Cloath or as paper and pack-thred is given into the bargain 1 Tim. 4 8. Godliness is profitable unto all things having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come There is Earth as well as Heaven Bread as well as Grace and Rayment as well as Righteousness and the lower springs as well as â—e upper springs to be sound in the precious promises Abraham 2 Pet. 1. 4. and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and Job and Nehemiah and Mordicai and David and Hezekiah and Josiah and Jehosaphat and Daniel and the three Children or rather Champions made it their business to be holy to walk with God to maintain communion with God and to exalt and glorifie God and you know how the Lord heaped up the good things and the great things of this world upon them I verily believe if men were more holy they would be more outwardly happy if they did but more seriously and earnestly press after the great things of that upper world the Lord would more abundantly cast in the things of this lower world upon them But when men are immoderately carryed out in seeking after the great things of this world 't is just with God to blast their endeavours and to curse their mercies to them Jer. 45. 5. Mal. 2. 2. But Fifthly 'T is better to get a little of the world than to get much of the world 't is better to get a little of the world justly and honestly than to get much of the world unjustly and dishonestly A little of the world blest is better than much of the world curst Solomons Dinner of Gen. 22. Prov. 3. 33. Chap. 15. 17. Dan. 1. green Hearbs Daniels Pulse Barly Loaves and a few Fishes and Johns rough Garment blest are better and greater mercies than Dives his Riches Purple Robes and dainty fare curst But Sixthly The greatest outward gain cannot counter-vail the least spiritual loss Be it but a dram of Grace oâ—â— Psal 30. 6 7. cast of Gods countenance or an hours communion with him c. Suppose a man could heap up Sâ—lver as the dust Job 22. 24. Chap. 27. 16. Matth. 4. and Gold as the streams of the Brook that he could gain as much as the Devil promised Christ viz. all the Kingdoms of the world and the glory of them yet all these could not make up the least spiritual loss He that shall exchange the least spiritual favour for the greatest outward good shall but with Glaucus and Diomedes exchange Gold for Copper he shall with the Cock in the Fable part with a Pearl for a Bâ—rley Corn. Chrysostom compareth such to workers in Mines who for a little wages do alwayes hazard and sometimes lose their lives Menot a French Preacher compareth them to a Hunts-man that spoileth a Horse worth many pounds in pursuit of a Hare not worth so many pence Pareâ—â— compares them to a man that with much ado winneth Venice and as soon as it is won is hanged up at the Gates of the City When such a one shall at last compute what he hath gained and what he hath lost he will certainly conclude that he hath but a miserable bargain of it But The seventh Maxim is this viz. A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked the Psalm 37. 16. righteous mans mite is better than the wicked mans millions A little that is a competent and mean portion though yet but very little one little piece of Gold is more worth than a bagg of Counters one little Box of Pearls is more worth than many loads of Pâ—bbles And so a little that a righteous man hath is better than the abundance of the wicked Is better than the riches of many wicked Hamon which is the word here used is from Hamah which signifies multitude of riches or great plenty or store of riches from this Hebrew word Hamon Riches are called Mammon The Luke 16. 9 11 13. little that the righteous man hath is better than the multitude or store of riches that the wicked have Out of these words you may observe these following particulars 1. Here is the righteous mans portion and the wicked mans portion as to this world the righteous man hath but little the wicked has much 2. The righteous man hath but little but the wicked has riches 3. The righteous mans little is a better portion than the riches of the wicked 4. The righteous mans little is better than the multitude of riches that the wicked have 5. The righteous mans little is better than the multitude of riches that many wicked men enjoy Now for their sakes who have been burnt up and have but little of the world left them I shall make good this blessed truth by an induction of these eleven particulars First The righteous man hath a better tenure â—o this little than wicked men have to their multitude of riches The righteous man holds his Tenure by vertue of his marriage union with Christ who is the heir of all things We had an Heb. 1. 2. equal right in the first Adam to all the good things of this world but in his fall we lost our original right to the good things of this world But now the righteous man by the second Adam has recovered his right to all he enjoyes Rom 8. 32. How shall he not with him a so freely give us all things 1 Cor. 3. 21. All things are yours v. 22.
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
Hearbs sweep the house cleave wood and kindle the fire and do such like things c. Sâ—condly The Heathens did use to prepare themselves by a strict kind of holiness before they would offer Sacrifices to several of their Gods They had as Authors write their stone pots of water set at the doors of their Temples where they used to wash before they went to Sacrifice Thirdly The works of the day are great and glorious and what excellent works are there in nature but requires some previous preparation c. Fourthly Consider the Dignity Majesty Authority and Purity of that God with whom you have to do in all the duties of the day When men are to converse and treat with earthly Princes or to give them entertainment how do they prepare and make ready And will you carry it worse towards 1 Tim. 6. 15 16. the King of Kings and Lord of Lords than men do carry it towards mortal Princes whose breath is in their nostrils and whose glory shall assuredly be laid in the dust c. Fifthly Consider if you do not prepare your selves beforâ— hand for that day of the Lord and all the duties of that day what difference will there be between you and the worst of Hypocrites Formalists Superstitious or prophane persons who rush upon holy duties as the Horse rusheth into the Battel Dost thou dress up thy house thy Husband thy self thy children so do the worst of persons If you do not prepare for the dutiâ—s of the day and to meet with God in those duties what singular thing do ye Matth. 5. 27. Sixthly Consider what blessed yearnings you have made on those Sabbaths wherein you have been prepared to meet with the Lord and to manage the duties of those dayes O the joy the peace the comfort the communion the satisfaction the enlargements that you have then met with and on the other hand consider what poor yearnings you have made of it when you have been careless and rash and have not prepared your selves for the duties of the day and for the enjoyment of God in those duties Oh how flat how cold how dull how dead how straitned have you been on those Sabbâ—ths wherein you have not prepared to meet with the Lord c. But you may say Wherein doth our preparation for the Sabbath Quest consist In these three things Answ First In a holy care so to order all our worldly business and affairs on the day before that they may not encrease upon us on the Lords Day to trouble us or distract us in the duties of that day Secondly In putting iniquity far from you in laying aside all superfluity of naughtiness that you may receive the ingrafted Job 11. 14 15. James 1. 12. word with meekness which is able to save your souls When the vessel is unclean it sowres quickly the sweetest liquors that are poured into it And so when the heart is filthy and unclean it loses all the good it might otherwise gain by Ordinances If the stomach be foul it must be purged before it be fed or else the meat will never nourish and strengthen nature but encrease ill humours So the souls of men must be purged from soul enormities and gross impieties or else they will never gain any saving good by Ordinances 2 Tim. 2. 21. If a man therefore purge himself from these he shall be a vessel unto honour sanctified and meet for the Masters use and prepared unto every good work c. Thirdly In acting your graces in all the duties of the day Sleepy habits will do you no good nor bring God no glory all the honour he hath and all the comfort and advantage Isaiah 50. 10. you have is from the active part of grace and therefore you must still be a stirring up the grace of God that is in you 2 Tim. 1. 6. Stir up the gift of God that is in thee I know the Apostle speaks of the Ministerial gift but it is as true of the work of grace for the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies grace as well as gift Stir up the grace of God in thee Mark the phrase it is a remarkable phrase for in the Original it is to blow up thy grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 just as a man blowes up a fire that growes dull or is hid under the ashes blow up the grace of God in thee Some think that it is a Metaphor taken from a spark kept in ashes which by gentle Calvâ—n and others blowing is stirred up till it take a flame Others say it is an allusion to the fire in the Temple which was alwayes to be kept burning Look as the fire is encreased and preserved by blowing so are our graces preserved and encreased by our acting of them We get nothing by dead and useless habits Talents hid in a Napkin gather rust Look as the noblest faculties are imbased when they are not improved when they are not exercised So the noblest graces are imbased when they are not improved when they are not exercised Grace is bettered and made more perfect by acting neglect of our graces is the ground of their decrease and decay Wells are the sweeter for drawing and so are our graces for acting We had need pray hard with the Spouse Cant. 4. ult Awake O North wind and come thou South blow upon my garden that the spices thereof may flow out let my beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruit Satans grand design is not to keep men from going the round of duties nor yet to keep men from attending on Ordinances but his grand design is to hinder the exercise of grace All other exercises without the exercise of grace will do a Christian no good as you may see Luke 22. 31 32 33. 1 Tim. 4 8 Isa â—â— 1 -8 Neh. 7. 4 5. 6. by comparing the Scriptures in the Margent together The more grace is exercised the more corruptions will be weakned and mortified As one buâ—ket in the Wâ—ll rises up the other goâ—s down so as grace rises higher and higher corruptions fall lower and lower There was two Lawrâ—ls at Rome and when the one flourished the other withered so where grace flourishes corruptions wither As the house 2 Sam. 3. 1. of David grew stronger and stronger so the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker So as grace in its exercise grows stronger and stronger So sin like the house of Saul will every day grow weaker and weaker If you keep not grace Mark 4. 40. in exercise it may most fail you when it should stand you most in stead If a man uses a knife but now and then he may have his knife to seek when he should use it That Sword grows rusty in the scabbard that is used but now and then You know how to apply it But Thirdly You must sanctâ—fie the Sabbath by looking upon the enjoyment of Sabbaths and Ordinances as your great happiness by
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
his Sons rose up to slay him is uncertain Some say it was because he preferred their younger Brother Esharhaddon to Castalâ—oâ— the Kingdom who was the last of the Assyrian Monarchs for after him the Monarchie was translated from the Assyrians to the Babylonians R. Solomon as Lyra cites him saith Lyâ—a If Tobâ—t may be credited he lived not fifty five days after his return to Nâ—neveh Tob. 2. 24 that the great men of the Countrey having lost each one his Son Brother or friend in that expedition against Jerusalem were so provoked that they meant to destroy him which he hearing fled to the Idols Temple and prayed and vowed that if his God would deliver him from this danger he would give these two Sons for Sacrifice to him then they hearing of this came and slew him there I shall leave you to your choice whether you will give credit to this relation or look upon it as a Rabinical invention In this Judgement that fell upon Sennacherib there are these things remarkable 1. That he should see so great and well prepared an Army Isa 37. 36. The mighty Monarchs of Assy ia used to go forth to war with 500000. and sometimes with 1000000. men and therefore this slaughter may well be understood of the Grandees of his Army Wherefore Joseâ—hus saith he fled with his Army so suddenly destroyed 2. That the storm should mainly fall upon the great ones of his Army 2 Chron. 32. 22. And the Lord sent an Angel which cut off all the mighty men of valour and the Leaders and Captains in the Camp of the King of Assyria From whence we may easily gather that some of the weaker sort some of the refuse of the Army were spared the prime men and great Officers of his Army being only smitten Upon which account the King and his ragged Regiments became contemptible 3. That he should be forced to fly into his own Countrey with shame and contempt his General and great Officers being destroyed he had no heart to keep the field having none to order the Battel and the dread and terror of the Lord and his Judgements abiding upon him and his Army he provides for his own safety by fleeing home with his routed scattered troops 4. That himself should be slain and that in the Temple of his Idol and in the very act of his Idolatry and that by his own Sons that came out of his own bowels as the Holy Ghost observes 2 Chron. 32. 21. And when he was come into the house of his God they that came forth of his own Bowels slew him there with the sword Certainly this was a far greater Judgement than if he had fallen by the sword of the dâ—stâ—oying Angel And witness those very persons who escaped Pestilence but were not burnt in the very flames as well as their houses and estates O Sirs though you have escaped the burning flames yet you do not know what other Judgements you may be reserved to and therefore be not secure but be wakeful and watchful and provide for the worst Unexpected Judgements many times seise upon persons and slay them as the Souldier slew Archimedes whilst â—e was basie in drawing lines in the dust Take heed of saying surely the worst is past Eighthly and lastly Do not rejoyce in the fiery calamity that hath past upon others do not glory in your neighbours ruines The Fire-flye leaps and dances in the fire Prov. 24. 17 18. Seriously ponder upon Chap. 25. and Chap. 35. of Ezekiâ—l and Lam. 1. 21. 2 Sam. 16 17 25. and Lam. 3. 14 45. and so do many wicked men rejoyce in the sufferings of others Such as rejoyce in the sufferings of others are sick of the Devils disease but from that disease the Lord deliver all your souls 'T is sad to insult over those whom God hath humbled 't is high wickedness to triumph over those to whom God hath given a cup of astonishment to drink Such as make the desolations of their neighbours to be the matter either of their secret repast or open exultation Such may fear that the very dregs of divine wrath is reserved for them 'T is bad playing upon the Harp because others have been put to hang their Harps upon the Willows We must not pray with him in the Tragoedie that it may rain calamities nor with Clemens his Gnostick give me calamities that I may glory in them There cannot be a greater evidence of a wicked heart than for a man to be merry because others are in misery So without repentance such may one day dance in infernal flames who have sung and danced at the remembrance of Londons flames Prov. 17. 5. He that is glad at calamities that is at the calamities of others shall not be unpunished If God be God such as congratulate our miseries instead of condoling them shall be sure to be punished with the worst of punishments for such do not only sin against the Law of Grace but also against the very Law of Nature the Law of Nature teaching men to sympathize with those that are in misery and not to rejoyce over them because of their miseries O Sirs do not make others mourning your musick do not make others tears your wine as you would not be made drunk at last with the wine of astonishment FINIS These Books following are to be sold by Nathaniel Ponder at the Peacock in Chancery-Lane Exercitations on the Epistle to the Hebrews also concerning the MESSIAH WHerein the Promises concerning him to be a Spiritual Redeemer of Mankind are Explained and Vindicated His Coming and Accomplishment of his Work according to the Promises is proved and confirmed The Person or who he is is declared The whole Oeconomy of the Mosaical Law Rites Worship and Sacrifices is explained And in all the Doctrine of the Person Office and Work of the Messiah is opened The nature and demerit of the first sin is unfolded The Opinions and Traditions of the Antient and Modern Jews are examined Their Objections against the Lord Christ and the Gospel are answered The time of the coming of the Messiah is stated And the great fundamental Truths of the Gospel vindicated With an Exposition and Discourses on the Two First Chapters of the said Epistle to the Hebrews By J. Owen D. D. in Folio Times of the Bible Veyled in Cubits Shekels Talents Furlongs Chapters Verses Letters of the Scripture With the Dayes Hours Watches Weeks and Moneths of the Jewish Year By J. S. in Quarto A Practical Exposition on the 130th Psalm Wherein the Nature of the Forgiveness of Sin is declared the truth and reality of it asserted And the Case of a Soul distressed with the Guilt of Sin and relieved by a discovery of Forgiveness with God is at large discoursed By John Owen D. D. John 5. 39. Search the Scriptures in Quarto Books Printed and are to be sold by John Hancock at his Shop over against Gresham Colledge in Bishopsgate-street next
the Lord has made in the midst of them 'T is true the length of those heavy Judgments under which they groan to this very day hath often puzled the Intellectuals of their Rabbies and hath many times put them to a stand and sometimes to break out into a kind of confession That surely their Judgments could not last so long but for crucifying of one that was more then a man There was one Rabbi Samuel who six hundred years since writ a Tract in form of an Epistle to Rabbi Isaac Master of the Synagogue of the Jews wherein he doth excellently discuss the cause of heir long captivity and extream misery And after that he had proved it was inflicted for some grievous sin he sheweth that sin to be the same which Amos speaks of For three transgressions Amos 2 6. of Israel and for four I will not turn away the punishment thereof because they sold the righteous for silver The selling of Joseph he makes the fiâ—st sin the worshipping of the Calf in Horeb the second sin the abusing and killing of Gods Prophets the third sin and the selling of Jesus Christ the fourth sin For the first they served four hundred years in Egypt for the second they wandred forty years in the wilderness for the third they were Captives seventy years â—n Babylon and for the fourth they are held in pitiful Captivity even till this day 'T is certain that the body of that people are under woful blindness and hardness to this very day And thus much for the opening of the words The 25. verse is the Scripture that I do intend to speak something to as the Lord shall assist Now the Proposition which I only intend to insist upon is this Viz. That God is the Author or Efficient cause of all the great Doct. Calamities and dreadful Judgments that are inflicted upon Cities and Countries and in particular of that of fire Now that God is the Author or Efficient cause of all the great Calamities and dreadful Judgments that are inflicted upon Cities and Countries will evidently appear to every mans understanding that will but take the pains to read over the 26. Chapter of Leviticus and the 28. Chapter of Deuteronomy with that 14. of Ezekiel from vers 13. to vers 22. That God is the Author or Efficient cause of this dreadful Judgment of Fire that is at any time inflicted upon Cities and Countries will sufficiently appear in these following Scriptures Amos 3. 6. Shall a Trumpet be blown in the City and the people not be afraid shall there be evil in the City and the Lord hath not done it This is to be understood of the evil of punishment and not of the evil of sin Amos 4. 11. I have overthrown some of you as God overthrâ—w Sodom and Gomorrah and ye were as a fire-brand pluckt out of the burnings yet have ye not returned unto me saith the Lord. Here I is emphatical and exclusive as if he should say I and I alone Amos 1. 14. But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah that is in the Metropolis or chief City of the Ammonites and it shall devour the Palaces thereof Rabbah their head-City was a cruel bloody covetous and ambitious City vers 13. And therefore rather than it should escape divine vengeance God will kindle a fire in the wall of it and burn it with his own hands Ezek. 20. 47. And say to the forrest of the South that is to Jerusalem that did lye South-wards from Chaldea hear the Word of the Lord. Thus saith the You will find this Scripture fully opened in the following Discourse Lord God Behold I will kindle a fire in thee and it shall devour every green tree in thee and every dry tree the flaming flames shall not be quenched and all fuel from the South to the North shall be burnt therein verse 48. And all flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it it shall not be quenched Men shall see that 't was God that kindled the fire and not man and therefore 't was beyond mans skill or power to quench it or to over-master it Jer. 7. 20. Therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place upon man and upon beast and upon the trees of the field and upon the fruit of the ground and it shall burn and shall not be quenched The Point being thus proved for the further opening of it premise with me these things 1. First That great afflictions dreadful Judgments are likened unto fire in the blessed Scriptures Psal 66. 12. We went through fire and water Jer. 4. 4. Circumcise your selves to the Lord and take away the fore-skins of your heart ye men of Judah and Inhabitants of Jerusalem lest my fury come forth like fire and burn that none can quench it because of the evil of your doings Jer. 21. 12. O house of David thus saith the Lord execute Judgment in the morning and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor lest my fury go out like fire and burn that none can quench it because of the evil of your doings Lam. 2. 3 4. He hath cut off in his anger all the horn of Israel he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy and burned against Jacob like a flaming fire which devoureth round about he hath bent his bow like an enemy he stood with his right hand as an adversary and slew all that was pleasant to the eye in the Tabernacle of the Daughter of Zion he poured out his fury like fire Ezek. 15. 7. And I will set my face against them they shall go out from one fire and another fire shall devour them and ye shall know that I am the Lord when I set my face against them Ezek. 22. 20 21 22. As they gather Silver and Brass and Iron and Lead and Tin into the midst of the furnace to blow the fire upon it to melt it so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury and I will leave you there and melt you yea I will gather you and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you Thus you see that great afflictions great Judgments are likened unto fire But in what respects are great Afflictions great Judgments Quest like unto fire In these seven respects they are like unto fire Answ First Fire is very dreadful and terrible to mens thoughts spirits and apprehensions how dreadful was the fire of Sodom and the fire of London to all that were near it or spectators of it 'T is observable that some are set out in the blessed Scriptures as Monuments of most terrible and dreadful Vengeance whom the Kings of
Babylon roasted in the fire Jer. 29. 21 22. of them 't is said shall be taken up a curse when any imprecated sore vengeance from the Lord upon any one 't is said The Lord make thee like Ahab and Zedekiah whom the Kings of Babylon roasted in the fire 'T is very dreadful and terrible for a man to have the least member of his body frying in the fire but how terrible and dreadful must it be for a mans whole body to be roasted in the fire so are the Judgments of the Lord very terrible and dreadful to the children of men My flesh trembleth for fear of thee and I Psal 119. 120. am afraid of thy Judgments Hab. 3. 16. When I heard my belly trembled my lips quivered at the voice rottenness entred into my bones and I trembled in my self that I might rest in the day of trouble But Secondly Fire is very painful and tormenting in which respects Hell-torments are compared to fire so are great Afflictions and Judgments they are very painful and tormenting Isa 26. 17 18. they put a Land into sore travel next to the pangs of Conscience and the pangs of Hell there are none to those pangs that are bred and fed by terrible Judgments But Thirdly Fire is of a discovering nature it enlightens mens eyes to see those things that they did not see before so do the terrible Judgments of God enlighten mens minds and Rev. 15. 4. Ezek. 21. 3 4 5 6 7. understandings sometimes to know the Lord. Hence 't is that after Judgments threatned God doth so often tell them that they shalâ— know the Lord Sometimes God by his Judgments enlightens mens minds to see such an evil in sin that they never saw before and to see such a vanity mutability imporency and uncertainty in the Creature that they never saw before and to see such a need of free-grace of â—ich mercy and of infinite favour and goodness that they never saw before and to see such Majesty and terribleness Psal 66. 3. 5. in God which they never saw before Job 37. 22. With God is terrible Majesty But Fourthly Fire is probatory and refining and so are the Judgments of God they will try what metal men are made of they will try whether men are sound and sincere or hypocritical Isa 1. 25. Mal. 3. 1 2 3. Acts 26. 28 29. and hollow whether men are real Christians or nominal Christians whether they are throughout Christians or almost Christians whether their graces are true or counterfeit and whether they have much or but a littâ—e grace Isa 31. 9. The Lords fire is in Zion and his furnace in Jerusalem Zacha. 13. 9. And I will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as silver is refined and will try them as gold is tryed 1 Pet. 4. 12. Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery tryal which is to try you Stars shine brightest in the darkest night Torches are the better for beating Grapes come not to the proof till they come to the press Spices smell sweetest when pounded young Trees root the faster for shaking Vines are the better for bleeding Gold looks the brighter for scouring and Juniper smells sweetest in the fire The Application is easie But Fifthly Fire is of a consuming and devouring nature as we have lately found by woful Experience Psal 18. 8. There went out a smoak out of his nostrils and fire out of his Isa 66. 15 16. Psal 21 9. Jer. 17. 4. Ezek. 38. 19 20. nouth devoured Jer. 15. 14. A fire is kindled in my anger which shall burn upon you Ezek. 22. 31. Therefore have I poured out my indignation upon them I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath Natural fire is a great devourer but mystical fire the fire of divine wrath is infinitely a greater devourer men may stand before a natural fire but no man has ever bin able to stand before the devouring fire of divine wrath The anger and wrath of God against wicked men is exceeding hot 't is a burning fiery flaming wrath against which they are never able to stand Isa 27. 4. Who would set the bryars and thorns against me in battel I would go through them I would burn them together Bryars and thorns are as well able to stand before a devouring fire as wicked men are able to stand before the smoaking wrath of that God which is a consuming fire Heb. 12. 29. Sixthly Fire breaks out suddenly and unexpectedly in an hour in a moment when no man thinks of it when no man looks for it as you see by that late dreadful fire that in a few days turn'd a glorious City into a ruinous heap So the Judgments of God they come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the sons of men witness the Judgments of God that came upon the old world Sodom and Gomorrah Nadab and Math. 24. 37 38 39. Gen. 19. Abihu Corah Dathon and Abiram 1 Thes 5. 3. For when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travel upon a woman with child and they shall not escape Security is a certain fore-runner of desolation and destruction The Apostle by the similitude he uses shews that the destruction of the wicked is 1. certain 2. sudden 3. inevitable But Seventhly Fire is impartial it makes no difference between rich and poor high and low honourable and base bond and free male and femaâ—e c. So the Judgments of God are impartial they reach all sorts and ranks of persons But Eighthly and lastly Fire is violent and irresistable we have had as dreadful a proof of this in the late dreadful Conflagration of London as ever any people have had since the Lord Jesus was on earth So are the Judgments of God violent and irresistable witness the raging Pestilence and the bloody Sword that in 1665. and 1666. has sent many score thousands to their long homes And thus you see how that Metaphorically or Typically great and sore Judgments do resemble fire But Secondly Premiâ—e this with me fire is sometimes attributed unto God Heb. 12. 29. Our God is a consuming fire sometimes fire is attributed to Christ Mal. 3. 2. But who ray abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth for he is like a refiners fire and like fullers sope And sometimes fire is attributed to the Holy Ghost Mat. 3. 11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but he that cometh after me is mightier then I whose shoes I am not worthy to bear he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire that is with that fiery Holy Ghost that Spirit of Judgment and of burning wherewith the filth of the Daughter of Zion is washed away Isa 4. 4. But Thirdly Premise this with me the word Fire in Scripture is sometimes used by the Holy Ghost to set forth sin by Isa 9. 18. For wickedness burneth as the fire it