hand If there be so much pleasantness in a piece of bread and so much warmth in a course Suit of clothes what sweetness is there in the waters of life and what pleasantness is there in that bread of life that came down from Heaven and what warmth is there in that fine Linnen that is the righteousness of the Saints c. A righteous man looks upon his least temporals to be a strong engagement upon him to seek after eternals But now Matth 25. wicked men are so far from improving their much their riches their great riches that they either hide their Talents as that evil servant did his or else they prove Jaylors to their mercies and make them servants to their lusts as pride drunkenness uncleanness c. Compare these Scriptures together Job 21. 1 -10 Amos 6. 1 -7 Psalm 73. Hos 4. 7. Jer. 2. 31. Chap. 5. 7 8 9. Deut. 32. 13 14 15 16 17 18. James 5. 1 2 3 4 5 6. But Sixthly The few mercies the least mercies that the righteous man hath are pledges and pawns and an earnest of more mercies of better mercies and of greater mercies than any yet they do enjoy Now a farthing given as an earnest of a thousand a year is better than many pounds given as a present reward Wicked men have outward blessings as their portion their Heaven their all Son remember Psalm 17. 14. Luke 16. 25. that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things But now that little that a godly man hath he has it as a pledge of Heaven and as an earnest of eternal favours and mercies The little mercies the Saints enjoy are doors of hope to let in greater and better mercies those mercies a righteous man has are but in-lets to further mercies When Râ—â—â—el had a Son she called his name Joseph saying the Lord shall add to me another Son Every mercy that a righteous man enjoyes Gen. 30. 24. may well be called Joseph because 't is a certain pledge of some further and greater mercy that is to be added to those the righteous man already enjoyes But Seventhly The righteous man enjoyes his little with a great deal of comfort peace quiet and contentment the righteous man with his little sits Noah like quiet and still Phil. 4. 12 13. in the midst of all the hurries distractions combustions and confusions that be in the world Though the righteous Prov. 10. 22. Chap. 15. 16 17. man has but from hand to mouth yet seeing that God feeds him from Heaven as it were with Manna he is quiet and cheerful but now wicked men have abundance of vexation with their worldly abundance as you see in Haman Esther 5. 9 11 12. 13. Then went Haman forth that day joyfully and with a glad heart But when Haman saw Mordicai in the If I had an enemy saith Latâ—mer to whom I might lawfully wish evil I would chiefly wish him great store of riches for then he should never enjoy quiet Kings gate that he stood not up nor moved for him he was full of indignation against Mordicai And Haman told them of the glory of his riches and the multitude of his children and all the things wherein the King had promoted him and how he had advanced him above the Princes and servants of the King Haman said moreover yea Esther the Queen did let no man come in with the King unto the Banquet that she had prepared but my self and to morrow am I invited unto her also with the King Yet all this availeth me nothing so long as I see Mordicai the Jew sitting at the Kings gate It is seldom seen that God allows unto the greatest darlings of the world a perfect contentment Something they must have to complain of that shall give an unsavoury verdure to their sweetest morsels and make their felicity miserable It was not simply Mordicais sitting at the Kings gate but Mordicais refusing to stand up or to move either Hat head or hand or to bow any part of his body that dampt all Hamans joy and that filled him with rage and vexation of spirit The want of little things viz. a knee a hat will exceedingly vex and discompose an ambitious spirit So Ahab though a King yet when he was sick for Naboths Vineyard his heart did more afflict and vex it self with greedy longing for that bit of 1 Kings 21. 4. â—arth than the vast and spacious compass of a Kingdom could counter-comfort And so Alexander the Great in the midst of all his glory he was exceedingly vexed and discontented because he could not make Ivy to grow in his Garden in â—hâ—raulus a â—oor man was wearied out with care in keeping those grâ—at â—iâ—hes which Cyrus had bestowed upon him Babylon Contentment is a flower that dos not grow in Natures Garden All the Honors riches pleasures profits and preferments of this world can't yield a man one dayes contentment they are all surrounded with briars and thorns you look upon my Crown and my Purple Robes said that great King Cyrus but did you but know how they were lined with Thorns you would never stoop to take them up Charles the Fifth Emperour of Germany whom of all men the world judged most happy cryed out at last with grief and detestation to all his honours pleasures trophies riches Abite hinc abite longe Get you hence let me hear no mâ—re of you Who can summ up the many grievances fears jealousies disgraces interruptions temptations and Oh how sweet is it to want â—hese bitter-sweets vexations that men meet with in their very pursuit after tâ—e things of this world Riches are compared to thorns and indeed all the comforts the wicked enjoy they have more or less of the thorn in them And indeed riches may well be called thorns because they pierce both head and heart the one with care of getting and the other with grief in parting with them The world and all the glory thereof is like a beautiful Harlot a Paradise to the eye but a Purgatory to the soul A wicked man under all his enjoyments 1. Enjoyes not the peace of his conscience upon any just or solid grounds 2. He enjoyes not the peace of contentment upon any sober or righteous grounds But now a righteous man with his little enjoyes both peace of conscience and peace of contentment and this makes every better sweet and every little sweet to be exceeding sweet A dish of green Hearbs with peace of conscience and peace of contentment is a noble feast a continual feast to a gracious soul But Eighthly the righteous man sees God and acknowledges God and enjoyes God in his little Look as he that can't Job 1. 21. Gen. 27. 28. Chap. 33. 10 11. see God in the least affliction in the least judgement will never be truly humbled so he that can't see God in the least mercy will never be truly thankful nor cheerful in every crust
they that Lam. 4. 5. were brought up in Scarlet embraced dunghills They were scattered among the Heathen who did mock at their Sabbaths and Chap. 1. who trod their mighty men under foot yea they sought their bread with the peril of their lives And yet saith the Prophet Why Chap 5. 9. doth the living man complain Though City and Temple and Goods and Estates were all consumed in the flames yet some had their lives for a prâ—y And upon that very account they ought not to complain God might have â—urnâ—d them into ashes as he had turned their houses into â—shes and it was meer Grace that he did not which the Church wisely and ingeniously observes when she saith It is of the Lords mercy that we are not consumed She doth Chap. 3. â—2 not say 't is of the Lords mercy that our houses are not consumed but 't is of the Lords mercy that we are not consumed nor she doâ— not say 't is of the Lords mercy that our goods are not consumed but 't is of the Lords mercy that we are not consum d The Church saw mercy much mercy tender mercy yea bowels of mercy as the word there imports that a remnant had their lives given them when their City and Substance was turned into ashes O Sirs others have lost their goods and their lives together and 't is miraculous mercy that you haâ—'t when mens wits were puzzel'd their hearts discouraged and their industry tirâ—d out When the wind was at the highest and the fire at the hottest and the hopes of most at the lowest that then you should be as brands pluckt out of the fire was glorious mercy c. In the Reign of Achmâ—t the eighth Emperor of the Turks Knolles his General History of the Turks p. 1244. a great fire arose in the City of Constantinople wherein many both men and women perished with above five hundred Shops and Ware-houses full of rich Merchandize most of which belonged unto the Jews of whom almost two hundred are said to be burnt These lost their goods and their lives together but so have not you the greater obligâ—tion lyes upon you both to think well of God and to speak well of God and to lay out your lives to the uttermost for God Certain Tartars at Constantinople in their insolency set fire upon a certain Jews house whereof arose such a terrible Knolles pag. 1266. fire as bâ—rnt not only many houses but a great many of the Jews themselves Here lives and estates went together Though Out-landish hands have set our City our houses on fire yet God has prâ—served our lives in the midst of the flames and this is a mercy more worth than all we have lost c. There was a stately Palace in Jerusalem that Solâ—mon had built which joyned near to the Temple this Palace Josephus the Jews abundantly anointed all over with Brimstone and Pitch so that when the Romans pursued the Jews unto this Palace they entered the Palace â—fter the Jews who went ouâ— again another way and shut up the Palace and set fire on the Gates which they had before anointed with Brimstone and Pitch and straight way the side walls of the house and the whole building began to be on a light fire so that the Romans had no way to escape because the fire compassed the house on every side The Jews also stood round about the Palace with their drawn Swords to cut off any that should attempt to escape the flames Now there was two and twenty thousand of the Romans destroyed in this fire Titus hearing the lamentable cry of the Romans that were compassed about in flames of fire made speed with all his Army to come and rescue them but the fire burnt so vehemently that he could save none of them Upon which Titus and his Army wept bitterly O Sirs when London was in flames if men of a Romish faith had compassed the City round about with their drawn Swords that none should have escaped the furious flames how dreadfull would such a day have been Whether such a thing was intended or designed and by any strange Providence prevented we shall know in the fittest season Numantium a City in Spain being besieged by the Romans and after it had born the brunt of War along time and made many desperate Sallies upon their enemies and were almost consumed with famine rather than they would bow their necks to the Roman yoke they barred their Gates and set all on fire and so burned themselves in the flames of their City that so they might leave the enemy nothing but ashes for his prey and triumph Here City and Citizens are destroyed together and 't is infinite mercy that this was not the fate the doom of the Citizens of London They and their City might have fallen together but God was good and a very present help in time of trouble O Sirs if not only your houses Psal 46. your shops your goods your wares but also your persons had been enclosed with flames and no possibility of escape how dreadful would the fire have been then O what tongue can express or heart conceive the sighs the groans the cryes the tears the gashful looks the horrible shrieks the dreadful amazement and the matchless astonishment that would have been upon all sorts and ranks of people that had been compassed round about with flames and could see no door of deliverance open to them O what a mercy is it that we are yet alive though we are stript of many comforts and contentments which formerly we have enjoyed Now here give me leave to open my self a little in these following particulars First What a mercy was this to all unregenerate and unconverted persons that they have had their lives for a Austin saith that he would not be a wicked man one half hour for all the world because he might die in that half hour and then he was undone for ever prey when London was in flames Had God by the flames or any other accident put an end to their natural dayes they might at this time have been a Rolling up and down in unquenchable flames Sinners Sinners the greatest weights hang upon the smallest Wyars Eternity Eternity depends upon your improvement of that time that life and those seasons and opportunities of Grace that yet you do enjoy That Rabbi hit it who said Nemo est cui non sit hora suâ— Every man hath his hour He who overslips that season may never meet with the like again all his dayes O Sirs to have a little more time to believe to repent to secure your interest iâ— Christ a changed nature a sanctified frame of heart a pardon in the bosom is a mercy more worth than ten thousand worlds To have a little more time to make your calling and election sure and to get the New Name and 2 Pet 1. 10. Rev. 2. 17. Heb. 11. 10. Chap. 12. 28. 1
like the Bells that ring as pleasantly at a Funeral as at a Wedding They should be as thankful when it goes ill with them as when it goes well with them Cicero complained of old that it was a hard thing to find a thankful man Oh how hard a thing is it to find burnt Citizens really cordially frequently and practically thankful that they are alive that they are out of the grave out of Hell and that yet they have bread to eat and clothes to wear though their habitations are laid in ashes and all their pleasant things destroyed But The eighth Duty that lyes upon those who have been burnt up is to keep in their hearts a constant Remembrance of the late dreadful conflagration God expects that his children should commemorate his Judgements as well as his mercies The sore Judgement that God inflicted upon Isa 26. 8 9. Psal 119. 30. 120. Sodom is mentioned thirteen times in the blessed Scripture and all to work us to mind it and to abhorr those sins that laid that City desolate The Lord looks that his people should keep up fresh in their memories such Judgements that have been long before executed Jer. 7. 12. Go to my place which was in Shilo where I set my name at the first and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people The Ark 1 Sam. 4. 10 11. of old stood at Shilo but after it was taken and carried away by the Philistins it was never brought back and from that time Shilo lay ever after desolate And this the Lord would have engraven upon their memories and upon their hearts Though stony hearts are bad yet Iron memories are good Luke 17. 32. Remember Lots wife Consider her sin and her punishment that so fearing the one you may learn to take heed of the other 2 Pet. 2. 6. And turning the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly There is much in those words That after should live ungodly Why hath God turned those rich and populous Cities into ashes and set them up as burning Beaconâ— but to warn all the world that they live not ungodly and to work them to keep alive in their memories the desolating Judgements of God The Rabbins say that the Jews at this day when they are to boild an house they are to leave one part of it unfinished and lying Rude in remembrance that Jerusalem and the Temple are at present desolate Oh let the remembrance of Londons desolation by fire be for ever kept up in all your hearts To this purpose consider 1. That the burning of London is a very great Judgement as I have formerly proved now great Judgements like great mercies should be alwayes kept up fresh in our memories 2. The burning of London is a National Judgement as I have formerly proved now National Judgements should be alwayes fresh in our memories 3. 'T is a Judgement that câ—rries much of the wrath and anger of the Lord in it Amos 3. 6. Shall a Trumpet be blown in the City and the people not be afraid Shall there be evil in a City and the Lord hath not done it V. 8. The Lion hath roared who will not fear The Lord God hath spoken who can but prophesie Now the more anger and wrath we read in any Judgement the more highly it concerns us to remember that Judgement 4. A serious commemoration of Gods Judgements is a thing that is highly pleasing to the Lord. God delights as much in the glory of his Justice as he dos in the glory of his Mercy or Grace Now when we commemorate his Judgements we glorifie his Justice that has inflicted them 5. Severe Judgements contribute much to the enlightning Hos 5. 14 15. Chap. 6. 1 2 3. Jer. 24. 1 2 3 4 5 6. Chap. 22. 8 9. of mens understandings and to the awakening of their consciences and the reforming of their lives and to work men to judge them and justifie the Lord. And therefore it highly concerns you to keep up the Remembrance of Londons Desolation by fire alwayes fresh and flourishing in your souls 6. Smart Judgements are teaching things All Gods Rods have a voice Hear ye the Rod and him that hath appointed Mich. 6. 9. it Look as Gideon taught the men of Succoth by Thorns and Bryars So God by piercing Judgements teaches both sinners and Saints to take heed of despising his patience and long-suffering and to cease from doing evil and to learn to do well And to fear and fly from all such sinful courses oâ— Isa 1. 16 17. practices that bring destructive judgements upon the mosâ— glorious Cities in the world And upon this account how deeply dos it concern us to have alwayes the late fiery dispensation in our thoughts and upon our hearts 7. All Gods Judgements are his Messengers they are all at his command The Centurion had not such a Soveraign power over his servants as the great God hath over all sorts Ezek. 14. 13 15 17 19. Maâ—th 21. 8. Isa 7. 18 19. of Judgements If the Lord do but hiss for the Fly of Egypt and the Bee of Assyria they shall come and do their office Now all Gods messengers as well as his mercies should still be kept in our eye But 8. and lastly Consider a serious commemoration of the Judgements of God will difference and distinguish you from all prophane persons and unsound Professors Psal 10. 5. Thy judgements are far above out of his sight Thy Judgements that is the plagues and punishments that thou layest upon the ungodly are high above his sight that is he fears them not he thinks not of them he minds them not he dos not seriously consider of them he is not kindly or deeply affected with them he regards them no more than a tale that is told or than Forreign Wars wherein he is not concerned Others carry the words thus He câ—steth thy Judgements out of his sight he will not so much as once mind them they are too high for him to set them before him they are hidden before him they are above the reach of his understanding and apprehension both mercies and judgements have much of God in them They speak and speak aloud but wicked men can neither see nor hear nor understand the voice of God either in the one or in the other I have read of such a Pestilential disease once at Athens as took away the memories of those who were infected with it so that they forgot even their own names One Pestilential disease or another usually so seizeth upon wicked men that they easily and usually forget the Judgements of God If God set in with these eight Arguments they will contribute more to the enabling of you to keep the late fâ—ery dispensations of God fresh in your memories than all the Pillars of Brass or Stone in the world Yet I am far
crum drop and â—ip of mercy that a righteous man enjoyes he sees much of the love of his God and the care of his God and the wisdom of his God and the power of his God and the faithfulness of his God and the goodness of his God in making the least provision for him I have read of the Jews how that when they read the little Book of Esther they let fall the Book on the ground and they give this reason for that Ceremony because the name of God is not to bâ— found in all that History So a righteous man is ready to leâ— that mercy drop out of his hand out of his mouth wherein he can't read his God and see his God and taste his God and enjoy his God But now wicked mâ—n may say as Elisha did in another case Here is the mantle of Elijah but where is the God of Elijah 2 Kings 2. 4. Here is abundance of riches and honours and dignities c. but where is the God of all these comforts But alas they mind not God they see not God they acknowledge not God in all they have in all they enjoy as you may see by comparing the Scriptures in the Margent together Hos 2. 5 8 9. Isa 1. 3 4. Jer. 2. 6. Esther 5. 10 11 12. Luke 12. 19. Wicked men are like the Horse and the Mule that drinks of the brook but never think of the spring They are like to the Swine that eats up the Mast but never looks to the Tree from whence the Mast falls They are like such barren ground that swallows up the seed but returns nothing to the sower A dunghill spirited fellow in our dayes being by a neighbour excited to bless God for a rich crop of Corn he had standing on his ground Atheistically replyed Thank God! Nay rather thank my Dung-Cart I have read of a great Cardinal who writing down in his Diary what such a Lord did for him and how far such a Prince favoured him and what encouragement he had from such a King and how such a Pope preferred him but not one word of God in all One reading of it took his Pen and wrote underneath here God did nothing But Ninthly The little the righteous man hath is enough enough to satisfie him enough to content him enough to Psal 23. 1 2. Phil. 4. 12 13. 1 Tim. 6. 6. bear his charges till he gets to Heaven Gen. 33. 11. I have enough saith Jacob to Esau Gen. 45. 28. And Israel said it is enough Joseph my Son is yet alive Though the righteous man hath but little yet he hath enough for his place and calling in which God has placed him and enough for his charge whether it be great or small he has enough to satisfie Prov. 30. 8. nature enough to preserve natural life Hagar is but for food If thou live â—ccording to nature thou wilt never be â—oor if accordâ—ng to opinion â—hou wilt neâ—er be rich convenient convenient for his life not for his lusts he prayes for enough to satisfie necessity convenience not concupiscence he begs for Bread not for Quails he begs that naâ—ure may be sustained not pampered Though it be true that nothing will satisfie a wicked mans lusts yet 't is as true that a little will satisfie nature and less will satisfie Grace Jacob vows that the Lord should be his God if he would but give him bread to eat and rayment to put on This was the first holy Vow that ever we read of Hence Jacob is called the Father of Vows He begs not Gen. 28. 20 21. dainties to seed him nor Silks nor Sattins to clothe him but bread to feed him though never so course and clothes to cover him though never so mean Job is only for necessary food A little will satisfie a temperate Christian Luther made many a meal of Bread and a Red Herring and Job 23. 12. He is rich enough that lacketh not bread and high enough in dignity that is not forced to serve Jerom. John 6. 9. to the 15. 1 Kings 17. 12. v. 3 4 5 6. Junius made many a meal of Bread and an Egg. Nature laps only like those three hundred Souldiers Judges 7. 6. When Christ fed the people graciously miraculously he fed them not with Manchets and Quails or Phesants c. but with Barley Loaves and Fishes a frugal temperate sober diet If the handful of meal in the Barrel and the Oyle in the Cruize fail not and if the brook and the running water fail not Elijah can be well enough contented But now wicked men never have enough they are never satisfied They are like those four things that Solomon speaks of that are never satisfied viz. The Grave the barren Womb the Prov. 30. 15 16. Psal 17. 14. earth and the fire That is an observable passage of the Psalmist Thou fillest their bellies with thy hid treasures To a worldly wicked man all these outward things are but a bâ—lly-full and how soon is the belly emptied after 't is once filled Though many rich men have riches enough to sink them yet they have never enough to satisfie them Like him that wisht for a thousand Sheep in his flock and when he had them he wisht for other Cattel without number When Alexander had all the Crowns and Scepters of the Princes of the world piled up at his Gates he wishes for another world to conqâ—er The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor Eccles 1. 8. the ear with hearing He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver nor he that loveth abundance with increase Chap. 5. 10. There is enough and enough in silver in abundance of silver to vex and fret the soul of man but not to satisfie the soul of man God himself is the only centre of centers and as the soul can never rest till it return to him as the Dove Gen. 8. 9. The poor Heathen could say I desire neither more nor less than enough For I may as well dye of a surfeit as of hunger to the Ark so it can never be filled stilled or satisfied but in the enjoyment of him All the beauty of the world is but deformity all the brightness of the world is but blackness all the light of the world is but bitterness and therefore 't is impossible for all the bravery and glory of this world to give absolute satisfaction to the soul of man Solomon the wisest Prince that ever sate upon a Throne after his most diligent curious critical and impartial search into all the creatures give this as the summa totalis and product of his enquiries Vanity of vanities all is vanity And how then can any of these things yea all these things heaped up together satisfie the soul of man Hâ—b 2. 5. He enlargeth his desire as Hell and is as death and cannot be satisfied but gathereth unto him all Nations and heapeth unto him all people
ye shall certainly drink ver 29. For lo I begin to bring evil on the City which is called by my name and should ye be utterly unpunished ye shall not be unpunished I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth saith the Lord of Hosts When Jerusalem hath drunk of the cup if God be God the Nations round shall certainly drink of it God hath begun with London poor London hath drunk deeply of the cup of Gods fury and therefore let the Nations round repent or prepare to drink of Londons cup. Most of those sins that bring the fiery Rod if not all are to be found in all the great Cities of the world And therefore let all the great Cities in France Spain Italy Germany Holland England Ireland Scotland c. take warning by Londons desolation and prepare to meet the Lord in the way of his fury let them cease from doing evil and learn to do well let them repent in dust and ashes lest they are laid in dust and ashes Let them break off their sins lest God throws down their walls and habitations by furious and devouring flames Let all those whose habitations are still standing remember that the same sins the same wrath and the same malicious hands that has laid so many thousand habitations desolate can lay theirs also desolate except they reform and turn to the Most High Fifthly It highly concerns you whose houses are standing monuments of Gods mercy to shew much love bowels pity Gen. 18. Psal 102. 13. 2 Cor. 11. 29. and compassion to those who are burnt up and turned out of all who are houseless harbourless and pennyless this day God takes it well at our hands when we pity those whom he thinks meet to punish One of Gods great ends in punishing of some is to stir up pity and compassion in others towards them It should melt your hearts to see other mens substances melted in the flames God hath threatned an Obad. 12. 13. evil an only evil without the least mixture of mercy to such as shew no mercy to those in misery Whoever have James 2. 13. behâ—ld London in its former prosperity and glory that cannot lament to see London laid desolate The ashes of London seems to cry out have pity upon me O my friends They that Jâ—b 6. 14. will not lament upon the burnt Citizens as the greatest objects of their pity may one day be ingulfed under the greatest misery He was a Nâ—bal a sapless fellow who shut up all bowels of pity against David in his misery They were cursed â— Sam. 25. 10 â—â— â—salm 137. 6 7 8. Edomites who did behold the râ—iâ—e of Zion and noâ— mourn over it Let all burnt Citizens remember that usually God pities them most whom men pities least but burnt Citizens are not to be mocked or menaâ—ed but mourned over Sixthly It highly concerns you whose houses are standing monuments of Gods mercy to lift up a prayer for all those as are fallen under this heavy judgement of fire When Numb 11. 1 2 3. 2 Kings 19. 4. you are in the Mount be sure you bear the sad condition of the burnt Citizâ—ns upon your hearts Nehem. 1. 3. And they said unto me the remnant that are left of the captivity there in the Province are in great affliction and reproach the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down and the gates thereof are burnt with fire Well what doth Nehemiab do Answ He lifts up a prayer for them verse 5 6 7 8 9 10 11. O Sirs your prayers must not be penâ— or confined to your own private interests but extended to the benefit of all Gods suffering servants Philo the Jew discoursing of Aarons Ephod which he put on when he went to pray saith it was a representation of the whole world having in it all colours to represent the condition of all states of all people whatsoever 'T is brave when we are in the Mount to bear the conditions of others upon our hearts as well as our own especially theirs whom the hand of the Lord hath severely reacht The best of men Rom. 1. 9. 2 Tim. 1. 3. have been much in prayer for others witness Moses David Job Jeremiah Daniel Paul And it is very observable that our Lord Jesus Christ who is our great pattern was very much in this noble work for you shall find in John 17. that he puts up but one petition for himself in verse 1. which petition is repeated again in verse 5. And all the rest of his time he spent in praying both for the converted and unconverted Now shall our Lord Jesus Christ put up many requests for others and but one for himself and shall we put up all our requests for our selves and not one for others Among the Persians he that offered Sacrifice prayed for all Herodot lib. 1. his Countrey men These Persians will one day rise in Judgement against many who are called Christians and yet make no conscience of lifting up a prayer for those that are under the afflicting hand of God He that prayeth for himself and not for others is fiâ—ly compared by some to an Hedge-hogg who laps himself within his own soft down and turns his Brissels to all the world besides The Jews have a saying That since the destruction of Jerusalem the door of prayer hath been shut up Oh that we had not cause to fear that since the burning of London the door of prayer both for our selves and one another hath bâ—en too much shut amongst us O that all you whose habitations are standing would seriously consider 1. That none need prayer more than the burnt Citizens 2. You do not know how soon their case may be yours the same hand or hands that hath made them desolate may make you desolate also 3. Else what do you more than others Matth. 5. 47. 4. To pity and pray for those that are in misery is honourable and commendable 5. 'T is one of the most compendious wayes in the world to prevent all those calamities and miseries that now you fear and that you think you shall shortly feel 6. To lift up a prayer for those whose sufferings have been sore is no costly nor chargeable duty and therefore buckle to it But Seventhly It highly concerns you whose houses are standing monuments of Gods mercy seriously to consider that some mens escaping of very great Judgements is not properly a preservation but a reservation to some greater destruction witness those Kings who escaped the edge of the Gen. 14. and Chap. 19. compared Exod. 14. 28. 1 Kings 19. Sword and were afterwards destroyed by fire and brimstone from Heaven and witness Pharaoh who escaped all the ten plagues of Egypt in order to his being buried with his Host in the red Sea And witness Sennacherib who escaped the Sword of the destroying Angel in order to his falling by the swords of his own Sons Upon what discontentment