Interests or Friendships govern you if it be possible admit of no Competitions much less of Pulpit-Combats which do oftner occasion lasting and fatal Divisions than end in a wise Choice Remember what a sucâ—…ssion you have had of Great and Good â—…en in this Place and let it be your ambition still to equal and out-do it if you can And now I shall conclude with one word to you my brethren of the Clergy We have lost a faithful and diligent Labourer in God's Vineyard in a time when we could ill have spared him let us then who still survive double our diligence and express a greater Zeal and Concernment in the defence of Religion and in the care of Souls Let us remember that we are all mortal and how little time we have to work in we know not but let us so improve the remainder of our days that when our Lord comes he may own us for faithful and wise Servants and bestow on us a Crown of Righteousness and Immortality Which God of his infinite mercy grant through our Lord Jesus Christ To whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be honour and glory and power now and for ever Amen SERMON III. Preach'd at Whitehall before the Queen on the 17th of Iune 1691. Being the Fast-Day Lxxvii PSALM 10 11 12. And I said This is my infirmity but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High I will remember the works of the Lord surely I will remember thy wonders of old I will meditate also of all thy works and talk of thy doings THE Psalmist at the penning of this Psalm was oppressed with very black and desponding Thoughts The state of the Church seems to have been very calamitous they had been so long and so grievously afflicted that he began to question whether God would ever be merciful to them again Will the Lord cast off for ever and will he be favourable no more Is his mercy clean gone for ever doth his promise fail for evermore Hath God forgotten to be gracious hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies But in my Text he recollects himself confesses his Wickedness and Sin in giving the least entertainment to such unworthy Thoughts of God as if he could forget his promise and Covenant which he had made to their Fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob This is my infirmity want of Faith and Trust in God's Promises and to cure this Diffidence to revive his dying Hopes and to confirm his Faith in God he calls to mind those glorious Deliverances which God had wrought for his Church and his People Israel in former Ages I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High those days when God did so visibly deliver Israel with his own right hand as it follows 14 15 Verses Thou art the God that doest wonders thou hast declared thy strength among the people Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people the sons of Iacob and Ioseph And instances in those miraculous Deliverances in Aegypt the Red Sea and the Wilderness as a reason and foundation of a firm Faith and Trust in God in all Ages these are those Works of the Lord and Wonders of Old which he will remember which he will meditate and talk of with which he will support his Spirit whatever Dangers seem to threaten the final Ruin and Desolation of the Church which is the Argument of the 80. Psalm 14 15. Return we beseech thee O God of hosts look down from heaven and behold and visit this vine and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted and the branch that thou madest so strong for thy self That God had made a Covenant with Abraham and chose his Seed and Posterity for his peculiar People that he had delivered them out of Aegypt by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm that he had given them Passage through the Red Sea and fed them in the Wilderness forty Years that he had fought their Battles for them and given them possession of the Land of Canaan as he had promised to their Fathers that he had in all succeeding Ages protected them by a viâ—…ble Providence raised up Judges and Saviours to deliver them out of the hands of their Enemies when they cried to him this was a sure foundation of their Faith and Hope that God would not utterly cast off his People but though for their sins he might deliver them into the hands of their Enemies yet when they repented of their Evil Ways and returned unto God God also would return and be merciful unto them And this is the wisest course we can take whatever Troubles we suffer whatever we fear whatever our Sins have deserved whatever our Enemies threaten To remember the works of the Lord and his wonders of old to meditate of all his works and to talk of his doings And this is what I at present intend to make such Remarks on the Providence of God towards the Iewish Church not omitting the experience the Christian Church has had of the same kind and watchful Providence as may be of present use to us both to direct us what we must do and to give us a firm Hope and Trust in God's Mercy for God is always the same under all the Dispensations of his Grace and Providence and as the Iewish Church was a Type of the Christian so God's Providence towards â—…hem assures us what we may expect â—…n like Circumstances or else the Scriâ—…tures of the Old Testament would be of very little use to us now whereas St. Paul tells us That these things happened to them for ensamples and they are written for our admonition upon whom the â—…nds of the world are come 1 Cor. 10. 11. But what difference there is between their State and ours and how far we are concerned in the Examples I shall distinctly observe under the several Particulars as there is occasion for it 1. First then I observe as St. Paul did That the gifts and calling of God are without repentance 11. Rom. 29. God having made a Covenant with Abraham and chosen his Seed for his peculiar People whatever their Provocations were he would never wholly cast them off he many times very severely punished them delivered them into the hands of their Enemies who oppressed them the Aramites and Moabites and Aegyptians and Assyrians and at last into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar who destroyed their City and Temple and carried them captive into Babylon where they continued seventy Years and then they returned into their own Country and rebuilt their Temple and City and so continued till in punishment of their great Sin in crucifying their Messias and for their obstinate Infidelity they were finally destroyed by the Romans and dispersed into all Nations and have never been a Nation since that is till Christ came who was the promised Seed in whom all the Nations of the World are blessed as St. Paul proves 3. Gal. 16. To Abraham and his seed were the
Calamities upon Nations but for the Punishment of some Publlick and National Sins And therefore a Christian Nation which professes the True Faith and Worship of Christ preserves the Reverence of Religion corrects and suppresses Vice may expect to be blessed with all external Prosperity for righteousness exâ—…alteth a nation it does so in its natural tendency and effects and it does so by the Blessing of God and therefore when God brings any Publick Judgments upon a Nation professing the true faith of Christ we have reason to take notice of God's Anger and Displeasure to enquire what is amiss among us what that accursed thing is which hath provoked God to Jealousy and made him take the Rod into his hand We have then reason to humble our selves before God to deprecate his Anger and Displeasure to turn from all the evil of our ways that hem ay return and be merciful to us But there is one thing worth observing which may be matter of Hope and Comfort to us at this time That God never delivered the Iewish Church into the hands of their Enemies to oppress them never carried them away into captivity excepting the last Destruction of Ierusalem in Punishment of their Sin in Crucifying their Messias but only when they were guilty of Idolatry A Corruption of Manners might bring other Judgments upon them but it was generally and I think always for their Idolatry that God made their Enemies rule over them and carried them captive into a Strange land This we have a summary account of Iudges 2. how that after the Death of Ioshua and those Elders who had seen all that God did for them they forsook the Lord and served Baal and Ashtaroth and the anger of the Lord was kindled against them and God deliver'd them into the hand of spoilers who spoiled them v. 11 12 c. For this Sin of Idolatry the Ten Tribes were carried away into a Perpetual Captivity and Iudah carried captive to Babylon which they were threatned with by the Prophets for their Whoredoms that is their Idolatries 2 4 5. ch of Hosea and this is the account the Prophet Ieremy gives of it Like as ye have forsaken me and served strange gods in your land so shall ye serve strangers in a land which is not yours 5. Jer. 19. Now in proportion to God's dealâ—…g with the Iewish Church we have â—…ason to hope That though a Church â—…nd Nation which professes the true â—…aith and Worship of Christ may be â—…everely punished for their other Sins â—…et while they preserve themselves â—…lean from Spiritual Fornication from all Antichristian Idolatries God will not Un-Church them nor deliver them finally up into the Power of Idolatrous Oppressors I am sure we of this Nation ever since the Reformation of Religion among us though God has made us smart severely for our other Sins have yet always found a watchful Providence defending us from all Attempts though contrived with Art and Skill and backed with Power to reduce us again under the Roman Yoke May the same Good Providence still watch over us and defend us and neither suffer our Popish Enemies to rejoice over us nor deluded Protestants to make dangerous and fatal Experiments 3dly When God did think fit to correct his People he always kept the Rod in his own hand and prescribed the Measures and Continuance of their Sufferings This is so plain from all the Promises and Threatnings of the Law and from the Examples of God's Providence towards Israel that there is no need to multiply particular Instances There was no Good not Evil befel Israel but by a particular Providence God inflicted Judgments on them when he saw fit and he removed them again He gave the Commission to Plague and Sword and Famine which they could not exceed In the 26. Levit. we may observe That God proportion'd his Judgments to their Sins When their Sins were grown so Publick and National as to deserve some Publick Judgments yet at first God threatens them with some more light and gentle Punishments but if they continued incorrigible he tells them he had more terrible Judgments in reserve for them which proves That God determines the Kinds Degrees and Continuance of his Judgments When David for his sin in Numbring the People had that hard Choice given him of seven years famine or to flee three months before his enemies or three days pestilence he answers Let me fall now into the hands of the Lord for his mercies are great and let me not fall into the hand of man 〈◊〉 Sam. 24. 14. That is he chose Peâ—…ilence before the Sword for Pestiâ—…ence is God's immediate hand and â—…ho the Sword be God's Judgment too â—…et it is put into the hands of men who gratify their own Lust and Rage and Revenge with it And yet tho God leaves more to man in this than â—…n any other Judgments he does not â—…ut the Sword wholly out of his own hands when he puts it into the hands of men but gives Laws to it as appears from the example of the King of Assyria whom God sent against Ierusalem To take the spoil and to take the prey and to tread them down like the mire in the street Howbeit he meaneth not so neither doth his heart think so but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few wherefore it shall come to pass that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion what he himself not what the King of Assyria intended to do I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of his high looks 10. Isa. 5 6 7 12. Now God has the same tender care of a Christian Nation that he had of Israel He mingles our Cup for us he prescribes what we shall suffer and how long and he corrects as a Father not to destroy but to reform and this is a mighty comfort that whatever men threaten we are in the hands of God who has the Winds and Seas aâ—… his command who giveth Salvation 〈◊〉 Kings who delivereth David his Servaâ—… from the hurtful Sword Psal. 144. 10. The most powerful Oppressors are but the Rod of God's Anger the more fierce and savage Instruments God employs to correct us we may conclude the more angry God is but whatever the Rod is it is God that strikes whâ—… knows when to strike and when to spare We never have any reason to be afraid of men whatever their Power how great soever their Rage and Vengeance be but ought to pray to God as the Prophet does O Lord correct me but with judgment not in thine anger lest thou bring me to nothing Jer. 10. 24. O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy sore displeasure have mercy upon me O Lord for I am weak O Lord heal me for my bones are vexed Psal. 6. 1 2. or as it is in Psal. 56. 1 2 3. Be merciful to me O
â—…hird is open and bare-faced The Devil in express words tempts him to â—…dolatry with the Promise of all the Kingdoms of the World and the Glory of them which he had drawn a beautiful Landskip of and shew'd him from a high Mountain All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me Or as St. Luke relates it All this power will I give thee and the glory of them for it is delivered unto me and to whomsoever I will I give it Which in some sense was true at that time not that the Devil had the Supreme and Absolute disposal of Kingdoms for St. Paul assures us that all the Powers even of the Pagan World were of God and ordained by 13 Rom 1. God But yet he was at that time the God of this World and had a more visible Kingdom than God himself The true Worshippers of God were aâ—… that time chiefly confined to Iudea aâ—… very little spot of Earth but all the Power and Glory of the World was in the hands of Idolaters who Worshipped the Devil and wicked Spirits And the force of the Argument is as if he had said to our Saviour You call your self the Son of God and Worship him but will God do that foâ—… you which I can and will do if you Worship me You your self see that he has no Kingdom but Iudea to bestow on you and that also is at present in the hands of my Worshippers but what is that to all the Kingdom of the World which are at my disposal and which you see your self are mine and under my Government But our â—…aviour without disputing the value of â—…is World or what Power the Devil â—…ad in the disposal of it chides away â—…e Tempter with Indignation Be gone â—…atan For it is written Thou shalt worâ—…ip the Lord thy God and him only shalt â—…ou serve But though Christ refused â—…is proffer his pretended Vicar has â—…ken it and revived the old Pagan â—…olatry for the Kingdoms of the â—…orld and the Glory of them This is the prevailing Temptation 〈◊〉 this day to corrupt Religion the â—…aith and Worship of God for some â—…mporal Advantages too many Men â—…ink That the best Religion which â—…ill best serve a secular Interest â—…nd we have reason to think that â—…o many do this and know â—…hat they do that their furious â—…eal for a false Religion is not all â—…gnorance and Mistake but an undisâ—…mbled Love of this World For can â—…e think that the Devil never temptâ—… any Man but Christ knowingly â—…d willingly to renounce the true Reâ—…gion and the true Worship of God â—…r this World No doubt he does â—…d very often prevails too and these knowing Idolaters who make a downright bargain to Worship the Devil for the Kingdoms of the World and the Glory of them are those who abuse the Ignorant and Credulous with a false and hypocritical Zeal But let us remember that we musâ—… Worship the Lord our God and him only must we serve Let us remember what our Saviour tells us What shall it proâ—… a man if he gain the whole world aâ—… lose his own soul Or What shall a maâ—… give in exchange for his soul Let us â—…member that the end of Religion 〈◊〉 to please God to Glorify him to 〈◊〉 like him and to enjoy him for everâ—… and this will give us a secure Victoâ—… over the World and the Devil Whiâ—… God of his infinite Mercy grant throug our Lord Iesus Christ To whom with tâ—… Father and the Holy Ghost be Honoâ—… Glory and Power now and for ever Amen SERMON V. â—…each'd before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor at St. Bridget's Church on Tuesday in Easter-Week 1692. IV. LUKE 35. â—…t love ye your enemies and do good and lend hoping for nothing again and your reward shall be great and ye shall be the children of the Highest for he is kind to the unthankful and to the evil OUR Conformity to the Death and Resurrection of our Saviour consists in dying to 〈◊〉 and walking in newness of life â—…ich St. Paul tells us is represented 〈◊〉 the External Ceremony of Bapâ—…m the baptised Person being buried with Christ in Baptism and rising out of his watry grave a new born Creature 6. Rom. 3 4. For in that he died he died unto sin once but in that he liveth he liveth unto God Likewise reckon ye also your selves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Iesus Christ our Lord 9 10. And the principal Exercise of this Divine Life which is our conformity to the Resurrection of Christ is a Divine Conversation If ye then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth 3. Col. 1 2. And to set our affections on things above does not only signify to think sometimes of Heaven and to desire to go to Heaven when we dye which very worldly-minded men may do but to lay up for our selves Treasures in Heaven which are durable and eternal in opposition to those perishing Treasures on Earth which are subject to Thieves to Moths and Rust 6. Matth. 19 20 21. To make to our selves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness that when we fail they may receive us into everlasting habitations 16. Luke 9. Now ye all know what this means viz. To purge our minds from the love of Riches and from all covetous Desires to improve â—…r Estates in Acts of Piety and Chaâ—…ty for the Service of God and to â—…pply the wants of the poor and miâ—…rable to return our Money into the â—…ther World where it will encrease â—…to Eternal Life and Glory for this 〈◊〉 truly to have our Conversation in â—…eaven to live above this World to â—…t loose from all the Enjoyments of it â—…o live to God and another World â—…o improve every thing we enjoy here â—…o secure and advance our future Hapâ—…iness when men are Charitable upon â—…hese Principles and these Designs they â—…ust live a very heavenly Life For where our Treasure is there our hearts will be also This our Ancestors who appointed this Annual Solemnity seem to have been very sensible of That there is no particular Grace or Virtue the exercise of which is a more visible demonstration of a Divine and purified Mind which is risen with Christ and lives to God as Christ doth than the Grace of Charity and therefore that there was no time more proper to exercise Charity and to exhort Christians to Charity and to show Charity in all its Pomp and humble Bravery than the Feast of the Resurrection wherein we commemorate the Love of our Lord in dying for us and his triumph over Death and in full assurance of a blessed Immortality of which the Resurrection of our Saviour was an ocular Demonstration send our Hearts and our Eyes after him to Heaven and contemplate that Glory to which he is advanced
Gospel denounces against â—…penitent Sinners every thing else 〈◊〉 it is a true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 glad tidings 〈◊〉 great joy to Mankind It gives us 〈◊〉 many signal Tokens and Pledges of â—…e divine favour and such expresse â—…romises of Gods care of good Men 〈◊〉 this World and of the glorious reâ—…ards of the next as meer nature at â—…ost affords but very imperfect conâ—…ectures of that the Deist if he have â—…ny generous hopes of immortality â—…eft should be glad to have some betâ—…er assurance of immortal happiness â—…han nature gives and can think it no advantage that the Punishments of the next life are uncertain when the Rewards of it are as uncertain too if we will allow no other Evidence but the Light of Nature But I shall consine my self at present but to one thing which all Mankind are equally concerned in and which we can never be assured of but by Revelation and that is the certain pardon and forgiveness of Sin If God be holy and just a Sinner as all Mankind are must be punished except he be pardoned and therefore can have no good hopes towards God till he is assured of his pardon Now the meer light of nature gives us no absolute assurance of the pardon of Sin no not so much as it does that God will punish Sinners and therefore a Deist who rejects the Gospel Revelation cannot possibly be so certain that his Sins shall be pardoned as that he shall be punished for them The Holiness and Justice of God makes him an irreconcileable Enemy to all Sin and the only refuge Sinners have is in the Goodness of God but Goodness does not so necessarily prove that God will forgive Sin as Justice does that he will punish it For Goodness in its own nature must give place to Justice that is Goodness cannot pardon while it is unjust to pardon for an unjust Goodness is no divine Perfection So that the Goodness of God how great soever we conceive it to be and we cannot conceive it greater than it is does not necessarily prove that God must or will pardon Sinners but only that he will pardon Sinners when it is wise and just to do so but who can tell when God will think it wise and just to do so without a Revelation or who can tell what it is that makes it wise and just for a good God to forgive Sins A good Man does not always think himself bound to forgive those Personal injuries and affronts which are offered him much less is a kind and merciful Prince who is entrusted with the Administration of Justice and the Sacred Authority of Government bound to forgive every Malefactor out of pure good nature which would soon dissolve Government and make Authority contemptible and if we consider God as the Supreme Governour of the World it will satisfy us that to forgive Sins is not the immediate effect of goodness but must be tempered and accommodated to the Justice and Wisdom of Government which we understand so little of that we can never certainly learn from the meer light of nature when and upon what terms God will forgive Sin The general hope and expectation of Mankind is that God will forgive all humble penitent Sinners and yet I cannot find that any Man ever thought that meer Repentance was sufficient to obtain our Pardon for all Religions had some instituted Rites to appease their Gods which seems to argue that Natural Sense they all had that some Atonement and Expiation as well as Repentance was necessary to pardon Nor can Reason prove the contrary Repentance renders Men fit objects of mercy when no other reason hinders but the reasons of Government may supersede the Inclinations to shew mercy How often does a merciful Prince hang a penitent Malefactor without any blemish to the Mercy of his Government and if good Men and good Princes are not always bound to forgive Penitents then Repentance it self alone cannot entitle us to Mercy So that we can have no Security of the pardon of our Sins but by the Gospel of Christ wherein God has expresly promised the remission of Sins to all true Penitents in the Name and through the Merits and Mediation of Christ. Good God! what a consolation is this to Sinners who would be without the certain hopes of Forgiveness for all the World How terrible is it to believe that there is a just God who will punish Sinners without knowing or believing a Saviour did these Men duly consider Things they would think Deism to be the most dangerous State in the World which has no Covenant no Promise no Priest no Sacrifice which might be the Religion of the State of Innocence but is no Religion for Sinners Secondly Let us now consider the unreasonableness of Deism and how inconsistent it is with it self For to deny all Divine Revelation does extreamly weaken the belief of a God and to acknowledge the Being of a God makes it highly reasonable to believe a Revelation First That to deny all Divine Revelation does extreamly weaken the belief of a God A Deist indeed has this visible World for the Proof of a God as St. Paul argues The invisible things from the Creation of the World are clearly seen being understood by the Things that are made even his Eternal Power and Godhead Rom. 1. 20. And this I grant is a very good Argument but loses very much of its Strength in the Mouth of a Deist For though it be highly reasonable to think that the World was made by that Supreme and Sovereign Being whom we call God yet had we no other notice of the being of a God but from this visible Creation had there never been any Commerce or Intercourse between God and Men had he never since the making of the World given any Signs or Tokens of his Power and Presence it would have been a very strong Praesumption that there is no God notwithstanding all the Arguments from the Frame of this visible World that there is one For it seems as unreasonable to think that there should be a God in the World and Mankind hear nothing of him see no visible Marks of his Care and Providence in matters of the greatest Consequence as the Worship and Glory of God and the Salvation of Mens Souls certainly are that they should receive no Notices of his Will what Homage he expects from them and what he will accept that there should be no Communication between Reasonable Beings and the Supreme Mind as it is to think that the World could be made without a God For what end did God make reasonable Creatures but to make himself known to them which is the highest happiness and Perfection of Reasonable Beings and can we then imagine that when God had made the World and made Man he should withdraw himself into Silence and Obâ—…curity and take no farther notice of Mankind nor make any other Discoveries of himself to them than what they can imperfectly
particular Occasion of this Day 's Solemnity though possibly some may think that this Application comes too late it might have been very seasonable one or two and thirty Years ago while the Marks of this terrible Vengeance were fresh and visible when the Ruins of our Houses and Churches could only tell us where London stood and shew us its Funeral Pile where its Glory lay in the Dust When so many thousand Families felt the smart of their ruined Fortunes and were either forc'd to begin the World again or sunk irrecoverably under it This fiery Vengeance had a Voice then and a very terrible Voice enough to awaken the most stupid and Lethargick Sinners But when we see our City rebuilt more beautiful than ever as the little poor Remains of the old one witness When our Riches and Glory are increased beyond the Example of most former Ages it seems too late to lament over the Ashes and Rubbish of our fired City when there are no visible Remains of these Ruins to move our Pity or Sorrow And indeed were this the only Design of this Annual Fast it were high time to put an end to it or to turn it into a Thanksgiving Festival For it is in vain to expect that after three and thirty Years the return of this Day should revive and renew our Sorrows and Lamentations when our Ruins are removed our Losses repaired and those frightful Impressions which the sight of that devouring Fire made on us forgot and little left to put us in mind that our City was burnt but the Inscription upon the Monument and the sight of a New City with the several Dates of its Resurrection which must needs qualifie all melancholy and sorrowful Reflections on what is so long past But though the Design of this Solemnity is not to represent and act over again a new doleful Scene of Horror Confusion and Amazement which neither Nature nor Art can imitate as we saw it once on this Day without such another amazing Sight which God grant we may never see again till the General Conflagration yet it is of great use to keep up a lively Sense of such Judgments upon our Minds which become the Subject of Reason of cool Thoughts and wise Consideration when the Terror and Frightfulness of them is over Judgments could never make a lasting Reformation in the World were we concerned to remember them no longer than we feel their Smart but they are intended both for Punishment and Instruction the Punishment ends with the Smart and that puts an end to all whining and tragical Complaints but this alone is the Discipline of Fools or Brutes The Instruction is for Men and this is to last as long as Memory and Thought and Reason last What could the Fire of London teach us thirty three Years ago which it does not teach a wise Man still And what Thoughts and devout Passions became us then which are not still on this Day the proper Exercise of our Devotion When we saw our Churches and Houses in Flames when we saw those furious Torrents of Fire rowling down our Streets and despising all the Opposition that Humane Art or Strength could make as if they had known by what a Divine and Irresistible Commission they acted there were few Men to be found who did not express a great Fear and Reverence of the Power and Justice and terrible Majesty of God who did not see and own the Hand of God and the visible Tokens of his Displeasure and begin in good earnest to think of reforming their Lives and making their Peace with God who had now taken the Rod into his own Hand When we saw our Riches make to themselves Wings and fly away as an Eagle towards Heaven when we saw all our Pride and Glory the Toil and Labour of our whole Lives the Food and the Instruments of our Lusts vanish into Smoke and Dust this effectually taught us the Uncertainty of all present things and made us seriously consider what an ill State those were in who had nothing to trust to but such vanishing Treasures and how reasonable our Saviour's Command is Not to lay up for our selves Treasures on Earth where Moth and Rust do corrupt and where Thieves break through and steal but to lay up for our selves Treasures in Heaven which are not subject to such Casualties which will make us bear such Losses better when they come and secure our eternal Interest When Men saw their Riches and Treasures vanish in a Cloud it naturally made them consider how much of this they owed to the Poor how much they daily spent upon their Lusts and how much they had unjustly got that is how much of what God had taken from them was not their own and how much they had abused the Gifts of God Very wise and pious Thoughts had they lasted and yet too plain to be missed by those who thought at all when they saw these Lessons written in bright Characters of Fire Now was all this do you think calculated only for Sixty six Is not God the same still a Just and Righteous Judge who is angry with the wicked every day though he do not every day bend his Bow and let fly his Arrows though he do not every day make the Earth tremble and quake and the very Foundations of the Hills to shake because he is angry though we do not every day see a Smoke go out of his Presence and a consuming Fire out of his Mouth though he do not upon every Provocation appear in his terrible Majesty riding upon the Cherubins and flying upon the Wings of the Wind. Methinks one such Example might serve us for some Ages without expecting or desiring to be summoned again to Repentance by new Terrors God is gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness He delights more to display his Glory in Acts of Goodness and Bounty to his Creatures but Judgments are his strange Work which makes the signal Execution of them so very rare and the way to have them rare is not to forget them to learn Righteousness by the things which we have suffered to fear and tremble before that God who is so terrible in his Doings towards the Children of Men. But if the Fire of London was too long since to work upon our Fears at this distance though I confess I wonder how any Man who saw that Sight should ever forget it or remember it without a just Awe and Reverence of God but I say if these Impressions of Fear and Terror are lost let the Beauty and Glory of our New City our increasing Riches our flourishing Trade our Ease and Plenty teach us to Love and Reverence and Worship and Praise that God who in the midst of Iudgment hath remembred Mercy who hath pluck'd us as a Firebrand out of the Fire and hath not suffered our Enemies to triumph over us who said Down with it down with it even to the Ground This is the way to