London's Lamentations
By Thomas Brooks, 1670
A serious discourse concerning "The Great Fire"
which recently turned our once renowned City
into a ruinous heap. Also the several lessons
that are incumbent upon those whose houses
have escaped the consuming flames.
The Epistle Dedicatory
To the Honorable Sir William Turner,
Knight, Lord Mayor of the City of London—
It is not my design to emblazon your worth, or write a eulogy of your praises. Your brighter name stands not in need of such a shadow as flattery to make it more renowned in the world. Native worth is more respected than popular applause. "Your own works praise you in the gates," Proverbs 31:31. It is London's honor and happiness, tranquility and prosperity, to have such a magistrate, who "bears not the sword of justice in vain," Romans 13:4, and who has not brandished the sword of justice in the defense of the friends of Baal, Balaam, or Bacchus. Had your sword of justice been a sword of protection to desperate swearers, or to cruel oppressors, or to deceitful dealers, or to roaring drunkards, or to cursing monsters, or to gospel despisers, or to Christ despisers, etc., might not London have lain in her ashes to this very day? yes, might not God have rained hell out of heaven upon those parts of the city that were standing monuments of God's mercy, as once he did upon Sodom and Gomorrah? Gen. 19. Woe to that sword that is a devouring sword to the righteous, to the meek, to the upright, and to the peaceable in the land, Psalm 35:19-20.
O happy sword! under which all sorts and ranks of men have worshiped God in peace, and lived in peace, and rested in peace, and traded in peace, and built their habitations in peace, and have grown up in peace. Sir, every man has sat, under your sword, as under his own vine and fig-tree, in peace. Words are too weak to express how great a mercy this has been to London, yes, I may say, to England. The ancients set forth all their gods with harps in their hands—the symbol of peace. The Grecians had the statue of Peace, with Pluto, the God of riches, in her arms. Some of the ancients were accustomed to paint peace in the form of a woman with a horn of plenty in her hands, namely, all blessings. The orator hit it on the head, when he said, "The very name of peace is sweet!" No city so happy as that wherein the chief magistrate has been as "eyes to the blind, legs to the lame, ears to the deaf, a father to the fatherless, a husband to the widow, a tower to the righteous, and a terror to the wicked," Job 31.
Certainly rulers have no better friends than such as make conscience of their ways; for none can be truly loyal but such as are truly pious. Witness Moses, Joseph, Daniel, and the three Hebrew children. [The three things which God minds most, and loves best below heaven, are his truth, his worship, and his people.] Sincere Christians are as lambs among lions, as sheep among wolves, as lilies among thorns. They are exposed more to the rage, wrath, and malice of wicked men, by reason of their holy profession, their gracious principles and practices, than any other men in all the world. If God did not raise up magistrates, and spirit magistrates, to own them, to stand by them, and to defend them in all honest and just ways—how soon would they be devoured and destroyed! Certainly the sword of the magistrate is to be drawn forth for the natural good, and civil good, and moral good, and spiritual good—of all who live soberly and quietly under it.
Stobaeus tells us of a Persian law, that after the death of their king—that every man had five days' liberty to do what he pleased, without fear of punishment, that by beholding the wickedness and disorder of those few days, they might prize government the better all their days after. Certainly had some hot-headed, and little-witted, and fierce-spirited men had but two or three days' liberty to have done what they pleased in this great city during your lordship's mayoralty, they would have made sad work in the midst of us. When a righteous government fails, then
(1.) Order fails;
(2.) True Religion fails;
(3.) Trade fails;
(4.) Justice fails;
(5.) Prosperity fails;
(6.) Strength and power fail;
(7.) Fame and honor fail;
(8.) Wealth and riches fail;
(9.) Peace and quiet fail;
(10.) All human converse and society fails.
To take a righteous government out of the world, is to take the sun out of the skies—which would leave the earth no more a beautiful structure—but a confused heap. In such towns, cities, and, kingdoms where righteous government fails, there every man's hand will be quickly engaged against his brother, Gen. 26:12. Oh the sins, the sorrows, the desolations, and destructions, which will unavoidably break in like a flood upon such a people!
Public people should have public spirits; their gifts and goodness should diffuse themselves for the good of the whole. It is a base and ignoble spirit to pity any particular sort of men more than to pity the whole. It is cruelty to the good to justify the bad; it is wrong to the sheep to animate the wolves; it is danger, if not death, to the lambs not to restrain or chain up the lions; but, Sir, from this ignoble spirit God has delivered you. The ancients were accustomed to place the statues of their princes by their fountains, intimating that they were, or at least should be, fountains of the public good. Sir, had not you been such a fountain, men would never have been so warm for your continuance. My Lord, the great God has made you a public good, a public blessing; and this has made your name precious, and your government desirable, and your person Honorable in the thoughts, hearts, and eyes of all people.
Many—may I not say most?—of the rulers of this world are, as Pliny speaks of the Roman emperors, Monsters, not men; murderers, not magistrates. Such a monster was Saul, who hunted David as a partridge, slew the innocent priests of the Lord, ran to a witch, and who was a man of so narrow a soul that he knew not how to look or live above himself, his own interests and concernments. The great care of every magistrate should be to promote the public interest more than their own interest, as you may see by comparing these scriptures together. [Exod. 32:10-11, 32; Neh. 5:6-19; Psalm 137:5-6; Acts 13:36.] It was Caesar's high commendation, his mind was so set on the public affairs, that he forgot his own private affairs. The stars have their brightness, not for themselves—but for the use of others. The application is easy.
Sir, several philosophers have made excellent and elegant orations in the praise of justice. They say that all virtues are comprehended in the distribution of justice. The force of justice is so great, that even thieves and robbers, both by sea and land, who live upon injustice and rapine—yet cannot live upon their trade without some practice of it among themselves. The very heathen could set so much divine glory in the face of a magistrate, that he styled him the living image of the ever-living God.
"Justice," says Aristotle, "is a synopsis and epitome of all virtues." All I shall say is this, the world is a ring, and justice is the diamond in that ring; the world is a body, and justice is the soul of that body. It is well known that the constitution of a man's body is best known by his pulse: if it beats not at all, then we know he is dead; if it beats violently, then we know him to be in a fever; if it keeps an equal stroke, then we know he is sound, well, and whole. Just so, the estate and constitution of a city, kingdom, or commonweal is best known by the manner of executing justice therein; for justice is the pulse of a city, kingdom, or commonwealth. If justice is violent, then the city, kingdom, or commonweal is in a fever, in a very bad estate; if it stirs not at all, then the city, kingdom, or commonwealth is dead; but if it has an equal stroke, if it is justly and duly administered, then the city, kingdom, or commonwealth is in a good, a safe, and a sound condition.
When Vespasian asked Apollonius what was the cause of Nero's ruin, he answered, that Nero could tune the harp well—but in government he did always wind up the strings too high or let them down too low. Extremes in government are the ready way to ruin all. The Romans had their rods for lesser faults, and their axe for capital crimes. Extreme right often proves extreme wrong. He who will always go to the utmost of what the law allows, will too too often do more than the law requires. A rigid severity often mars all. Equity is still to be preferred before extremity. To inflict great penalties and heavy censures for light offences, this is to kill a fly upon a man's forehead with an axe!
The great God has put his own name upon magistrates: Psalm 82:6, "I said that you are gods." Yet it must be granted that you are gods in a smaller letter: mortal gods—gods that must die like men. Magistrates must do justice impartially; for as they are called gods, so in this they must be like God, who is no respecter of persons, Deut. 1:17; Lev. 19:15. He accepts not of the rich man because of his robes, neither does he reject the poor man because of his rags. The magistrates' eyes are to be always upon causes, and not upon persons. Both the statues of the Theban judges and the statues of the Egyptian judges were made without hands and without eyes—to intimate to us that, as judges should have no hands to receive bribes, so they should have no eyes to see a friend from a foe, or a brother from a stranger, in judgment. [Every magistrate, though in ever so low a place, bears the image of God. A penny bears the image of the prince as well as a shilling. Magistrates are not immortal deities, neither have they everlasting godheads. Those gods, as they had a beginning, so they must have an end. There is a "Mene, mene" on them; their days are numbered, their time is computed.]
And it was the oath of the heathen judges: "I will hear the plaintiff and the defendant with an equal mind, without partiality and respect of persons." In the twelfth Novel of Justinian you may read of an oath imposed upon judges and justices against inclining themselves to either party; yes, they put themselves under a deep and bitter execration and curse in case of partiality, imploring God in such language as this: "Let me have my part with Judas, and let the leprosy of Gehazi cleave to me, and whatever else may astonish and dismay a man—if I am partial in the administration of justice." The poet in the Greek epigram taught the silver axe of justice which was carried before the Roman magistrates to proclaim, "If you are an offender, let not the silver flatter you; if you are innocent, let not the axe affright you." The Athenian judges judged in the night, when the faces of men could not be seen, so that they might be impartial in judgment.
Sir, your impartiality in the administration of justice in that high orb wherein divine providence has placed you, is one of those great things that has made you high and Honorable in the eyes and hearts of all who are true lovers of impartial justice. Some writers say, that some waters in Macedonia, being drunk by black sheep, change their fleece into white. Nothing but the pure and impartial administration of justice and judgment can transform black-mouthed, black-handed, and black-hearted men into white. There is nothing that sweetens, satisfies, and silences all sorts of men like the administration of impartial justice. The lack of justice brought desolation upon Jerusalem and the whole land of Jewry, Isaiah 1:23-24, and upon many other flourishing kingdoms and countries, as all know, who have but read anything of Scripture or history.
It is but an abuse of the word commonwealth, where the public good is not consulted by an impartial justice and equity; it is but a confused heap of men. Injustice and oppression makes the multitude tumultuous, and fills the people's heads with dangerous designs, as you may see by comparing these scriptures together; [1 Kings 12; 1 Sam. 8:3.] and partly because it lays a nation open and obnoxious to the wrath and vengeance of God, as might easily be made good by scores of scriptures. Impartial justice is the best establishment of kingdoms and commonwealths. "The king by judgment establishes the land," Proverbs 29:4: see Num. 25:11; 2 Sam. 21:14. Justice is the best security against desolating judgments. "Run through the streets of Jerusalem, and seek in the broad places thereof, if you can find a man, if there be any that executes judgment, and I will pardon it," Jer. 5:1.
Sir, as it is the honor of a magistrate to do justice impartially, so it is the honor and glory of a magistrate to do justice speedily. "This is what the Lord says to the dynasty of David: 'Administer justice every morning! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Do what is right, or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins." Jeremiah 21:12. [God is very speedy and swift in the execution of justice, Joel 3:4; Gen. 19; Num. 16; Ezra 7:20. In this as in other things it befits magistrates to be like to God.] After examination, execution is to be done with expedition. When men cry out for "Justice, Justice!" magistrates must not cry out, "Tomorrow, tomorrow". Magistrates must do justice in the morning. Neither noon-justice, nor afternoon-justice, nor evening justice, nor night-justice is so acceptable to God, or so honorable to magistrates, or so advantageous to the people—as morning-justice is. To delay justice is worse sometimes than to deny justice. It is a very dangerous thing for magistrates to be as long a-bringing forth their verdicts as the elephant her young. Delay of justice makes many more irreconcilable; it makes many men go up and down this world with heavy hearts, empty purses, and threadbare coats.
I have read of a famous passage of Theodoric, king of the Romans, who, when a widow came to him with a sad complaint, that she had a suit pending in the court three years, which might have been ended in a few days; the king demands of her the judges' names—which she tells him; he sends a special command to them to give all the speedy despatch that was possible to the widow's cause, which they did; and in two days determined it to the widow's favor. This being done, the king calls for the judges, and they, supposing that they should have both applause and reward for their expedition, hastened to him full of joy; but after the king had propounded several things to them about their former delays, he commanded both their heads to be struck off, because they had spun out that cause to a three years' length, which two days would have ended. Here was royal justice, and speedy justice indeed.
Psalm 101:8, "Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the Lord." That is, "I will quickly do it." Justice should be on the wing; delays are very dangerous and injurious: Proverbs 13:12, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." The Hebrew word which is here rendered "deferred," signifies to "draw out at length." Men are short-breathed and short-spirited, and when their hopes are drawn out at length, this makes their hearts sick. And, ah! what a world of such sick souls lies languishing at hope's hospital all the world over. Hope in the text is put for the good things hoped for. Now when the good things men hope for, be it justice or a quick decision, etc., are deferred and delayed, this makes the poor client sick at heart. A lingering hope always breeds in the heart a lingering consumption; the harder travail hope has, and the more strongly it labors to bring forth. The longer hope is deferred and delayed, the more deadly sick the client grows.
The speedy execution of justice is the very life and soul of justice! Amos 5:24, "But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream." The Hebrew word which is here rendered "run down," signifies to "roll down freely, plentifully, vigorously, constantly, speedily," as the great billows of the sea, or as waves roll speedily over the rocks. Judgment and righteousness, like a mighty stream, should bear down all before it. Let justice be done, whatever the outcome may be.
Deut. 16:20, "That which is altogether just shall you follow," or rather, as the Hebrew has it, "Justice, justice shall you follow," that is, all manner of justice you shall follow, and nothing but justice shall you follow, and you shall follow justice sincerely, out of love to justice; and you shall follow justice exactly, without turning to the right hand or the left; and you shall follow justice resolutely, in spite of the world, the flesh, and the devil; and you shall follow justice speedily, without delays or excuses. A magistrate who has the sword of justice in his hand must never plead, "There is a lion in the way."
Sir, this will be your honor while you live, and your comfort when you come to die, that while the sword was in your hand, you did justice speedily as well as impartially. You did justice in the morning, and justice at noon, and justice in the afternoon, and justice at night. What has been your whole mayoralty, but one continued day of justice? Who can sum up the many thousand causes that you have heard and determined, and the many thousand differences that you have sweetly and friendly composed and ended? If the lawyers please but to speak out, they must sincerely confess that your Lordship has eased them of a great deal of work.
Sir, as it is the honor and glory of a magistrate to do justice speedily, so it is the honor and glory of a magistrate to do justice resolutely, courageously, valiantly. It is observable that as soon as ever Joshua came into the office of magistracy, God charges him no less than three times, in a breath as it were—to be very courageous, Josh. 1:6-7, 9. A magistrate who is timorous, will quickly be treacherous. A magistrate who is fearful, can never be faithful. Solomon's throne was supported with lions, to show that magistrates should be men of mettle and courage. The Athenian judges sat on Mars' Hill, Acts 17:22, to show that they had martial hearts, and that they were men of courage and mettle. The Grecians placed justice between Leo and Libra, to signify that as there must be indifference 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 magistrate's heart, a judge's heart and his robes must be both dyed in grain, else the color 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 has been long since said of Cato, Fabricius, and Aristides, that it was as easy to remove the sun out of the firmament as to remove them from justice and equity; they were men of such courageous and magnanimous spirits for justice and righteousness. No scarlet robe does so well befit a magistrate, as holy courage and stoutness does. As bodily physicians, so state physicians should have an eagle's eye, a woman's hand, and a lion's heart! Cowardly and timorous magistrates will never set up monuments of their victories over sin and profaneness. It is very sad when we may say of our magistrates, as the heathen did of magistrates in his time—they would have been very good, if they dared but do what they ought to do. Sir, had not the Lord of lords put a great spirit of courage, boldness, and resolution 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 many difficulties and discouragements that have risen up before you, Rev. 1:5-6, and 17:14.
Sir, once more give me permission to say, that in a magistrate—justice and mercy, justice and clemency ought to go hand in hand. Proverbs 20:28, "Mercy and truth preserve the king, and his throne is upheld by mercy." [Truth in Scripture is frequently put for justice.] 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 show that mercy is more requisite than justice, the word mercy is doubled in the text. Justice without mercy turns into harsh rigor, and so becomes hateful. Mercy without justice turns into weak sentimentality, and so becomes contemptible. [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 people's affections, and so, after many endless turmoils, he came to an unhappy end.]
Look! as the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna were by God's own command laid up in the same ark; so must mercy and justice be preserved entire in the bosom of the same magistrate. Mercy and justice, mildness and righteousness, lenity and fidelity—are a safer and a stronger guard to princes and people than rich mines, munitions of rocks, mighty armies, powerful navies, or any warlike preparations.
It is very observable that Christ is called but once the "Lion of the tribe of Judah" in the book of the Revelation; but he is called a Lamb no less than twenty-nine times in that book. And what is this but to show us the transcendent mercy, clemency, lenience, mildness, and sweetness that is in Jesus Christ, and to show that he is infinitely more inclined to the exercise of mercy than he is to the exercise of justice. It is true, magistrates should be lions in the execution of justice, and it is as true that they 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 mercy is to be showed, the more like Christ the Lamb they are. God is slow to anger, he abounds in pity, though he is great in power, Psalm 68:18, and 103:13-14; Hosea 11:8.
Seneca has long since observed, that the custom of anointing kings was to show 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 which should be in them. Theodosius the emperor, by his loveliness and clemency, gained many kingdoms. The Goths, beholding their king's temperance, patience, and justice mixed with mercy and clemency—gave themselves up to his government.
When Cicero would praise Caesar, he tells him that his valor and victories were common with the rest of his soldiers—but his clemency and goodness were wholly his own. Nero's speech has great praise, who in the beginning of his reign, when he was to subscribe to the death of any condemned person, would say, "I wish I did not know how to write!" I know there are a thousand thousand cases wherein severity must be used; but yet I must say that it is much safer to account for mercy than for cruelty. It is best that the sword of justice should be always furbished with the oil of mercy.
Sir, in the management of your government you have been so assisted and helped from on high, that firmness and mildness, justice and mercy, justice and clemency—have like a silver thread 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 than all the rest, the interest of your own soul. Stern rigor breeds rebellion. Rehoboam by his severity, by his cruelty, lost ten tribes in one day, 1 Kings 12:16.
Sir, your prudence, justice, and moderation, your burning zeal against the horrid, hideous, heady vices of this day; your punishing of swearing, drunkenness, and injustice; your singular sobriety and temperance in the midst of all your high entertainments; your fidelity and activity, your eminent self-denial in respect of your perks; your unwearied endeavors to see London raised out of its ruins, and to see the top-stone laid; your great readiness and willingness to spend and be spent for the public good—these are the things which have made your name as a precious ointment, and which have erected for you a noble living monument in the hearts and affections of all sober, serious Christians; these are the things that have made you the darling of the people. [A self-seeking magistrate is one of the worst of plagues and judgments which can befall a people! He is a gangrene in the head, which brings both a more speedy and a more certain ruin than if it were in some inferior and less noble part of the body.]
Let all following mayors but manage their own persons, families, and government as you have done, by divine assistance, and without question, they will have a proportionable interest in the hearts and affections of the people. For it is not barely the having of a sword of justice, a sword of power—but the well management of that sword, which makes most for the interest both of prince and people, and which gives the magistrate affection in the hearts of the people. The generality of people never concern themselves about the particular persuasions of this or that magistrate in the matters of religion, their eyes are upon their examples, and upon the management of their trust and power for public good; and those who do them most good, shall be sure to have most of their hearts and voices, let their private opinions in the matters of religion be what they will.
Sir, I have not so learned Christ as to give flattering titles to men, Job 32:22. The little that I have written I have written in the plainness and singleness of my heart, and for your comfort and encouragement in all well-doing, and to provoke all others that shall follow in your place, to write after that fair copy that you have set them, which will be their honor, London's happiness, and England's interest. Plutarch said of Demosthenes, that he was excellent at praising the worthy acts of his ancestors—but not so at imitating them. The Lord grant that this may never be made good of any that shall follow you! Carus the emperor's motto was, "A good leader makes a good follower." The thought is ancient—that men live not by precept—but by example. Precepts may instruct—but examples persuade. Stories speak of some who could not sleep when they thought of the trophies of other worthies that went before them. The highest examples are very quickening and provoking. Oh, that by all who shall follow you—we may yet behold our city rising more and more out of its ashes in greater splendor and glory than ever yet our eyes have seen it, that all sober citizens may have eminent cause to call them the repairers of the breaches and restorers of our city! [58:12, and 61:4; Amos 9:14; Ezek. 36:33-36, 38.]
Concerning Jerusalem being burned and laid waste by the Assyrians, Daniel foretold that the streets and the walls thereof would be rebuilt, even in troublesome times, Dan. 9:25. Though the Assyrians have laid our Jerusalem waste—yet even to a wonder how have the buildings been carried on this last year!
The following treatise, which I humbly dedicate to you, has been drawn up some years. The reasons why it has been buried so long in oblivion, are not here to be inserted. The discourse is sober, and of great importance to all whose houses have been burnt up, and to all whose houses have escaped the furious flames. While the remembrance of London's flames are kept alive in the thoughts and hearts of men, this treatise will be of use in the world. My Lord, I do not dedicate this tract to you, as if it stood in need of your patronage; I judge it to be of age both to plead for itself and to defend itself against all gainsayers. These sermons, which here I present to your perusal, being only the blessed truths of God, I hope they need no arm but his to defend them.
Zeno, Socrates, Anaxarchus, etc., sealed the lean and barren truths of philosophy at the expense of their own blood, as you may see in the heathen martyrology. Oh, how much more should we be ready to seal all divine truths with our dearest blood, when God shall call us forth to such a service! I humbly lay this treatise at your foot, to testify that love and honor that I have in my heart for you, both upon the account of that intrinsic worth which is in you, and upon the account of the many good things and great things which have been done by you, and publicly to testify my acknowledgment of your undeserved favors towards me. This treatise should be often read over, for your own soul's sake, and for eternity's sake, and for London's sake also. I beg your pardon as to all the errors of the printing of this book. A second edition may set all right and straight.
Sir, that to your dying day you may be famous in your generation, and that your precious and immortal soul may be richly adorned with all saving gifts and graces, and that you may daily enjoy a clear, close, high, and standing communion with God, and that you may be filled with all the fruits of righteousness and holiness, and that your soul may be bound up in the bundle of life, and crowned with the highest glory in the eternal world—in the free, full, constant, and uninterrupted enjoyment of that God who is the heaven of heaven and the glory of glory—is, and by divine assistance shall be, my earnest prayer.
Thomas Brooks, 1670
The text explained and divided
"Who gave Jacob to the robber, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the Lord? Have we not sinned against Him? They were not willing to walk in His ways, and they would not listen to His instruction. So He poured out on them his burning anger, the violence of war. It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart." Isaiah 42:24-25
The Lord in this chapter, by the prophet Isaiah, foretells heavy things against the people, and marks the Lord's dealings. God always gives warnings, before he sends any plagues. He lightenings before he thunders, that the people might not say that they did not hear of it, and that the wicked might be the more inexcusable, and that the godly might make an ark to save themselves in. These words contain in them five things.
(1.) The author of this destruction or judgment.
(2.) The causes of this destruction or judgment.
(3.) The judgment itself.
(4.) Who they were on whom this judgment was inflicted.
(5.) The effects of this destruction or judgment.
Now by divine permission I will open these words in order to you.
1. First, The AUTHOR of this destruction or judgment. Now this is laid down by question and answer: "Who gave Jacob to the robber, and Israel to the plunderers?" There is the question. "Was it not the Lord?" There is the answer. God is the author of all the plagues and judgments which befall a nation.
2. Secondly, The CAUSES why the Lord did this to a people, whom he had chosen to be a special people unto himself; to a people upon whom he had set his love; to a people whom he had owned for his portion, and whom he had formerly kept as the apple of his eye, and carried as upon eagles' wings, Deut. 7:5, 8, and 32:10-12.
Now the causes are set down, first, more generally, because they have sinned against the Lord.
Secondly, more particularly, in these words, "They were not willing to walk in His ways, and they would not listen to His instruction."
3. The third thing observable in the words is, the DREADFUL JUDGMENTS themselves, which God inflicted upon his sinful people, his sinning people; and these you have in verse 25. "So he poured out on them his burning anger;" not only his anger—but "his burning anger", to show the greatness of it, the extremity of it. Mark, he does not say that God dropped down his burning anger—but he poured down his burning anger and indignation. This phrase, "he poured out," is an allusion to the clouds pouring down water violently all at once, in an instant, as they do many times in the seas, in many parts of the world; as they did in the deluge in Noah's time--when the windows of heaven were broken open, Gen. 6:11. Now, by this similitude, the Lord shows the dreadfulness, the grievousness, the suddenness, and the vehemence of the judgments, which had fallen upon them.
"The violence of war." The Lord appears in arms against them in the greatness and fierceness of his wrath; he sent in a very powerful enemy upon them, who with fire and sword overran them and their country, and destroyed them on every side, as you may see by comparing 2 Kings 33, seq., with the 24th and 25th chapters following.
"It enveloped them in flames." That is, say some, all the countries, cities, and towns round about Jerusalem were set on fire.
"Yet they did not understand." Though God had burnt them up on every hand—yet they took no notice of it, they regarded it not, they were not at all affected with the fiery dispensations of God. [Diodorus Siculus writes, that in Ethiopia there is such a sottish insensible people, that if you cut them with a drawn sword, or slay their wives and children before their faces, they are not at all affected with it, nor moved at it. Such brutes were these Jews!] Oh the dullness, the insensibleness, the sottishness of the Jews under the most awakening and amazing judgments of God!
"It consumed them." This some apply to the city of Jerusalem itself. God did not only fire the cities and towns round about Jerusalem—but he also set Jerusalem itself into a flame. Jerusalem, which was "beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth," the paradise and wonder of the world--is turned into ashes.
"But they did not take it to heart!" Oh the monstrous stupidity, insensibleness, and blockishness of this people! Though God had brought them low, though their crown was fallen from their head, though their glorious city was turned into ashes, and though they were almost destroyed by many smarting miseries and dreadful calamities—yet they were not affected with the stupendous judgments of God! They were not awakened by all the flames which God had kindled about their ears! They did not lay the judgments of God to heart, nor they would not lay the judgments of God upon their hearts.
4. The fourth thing observable in the words is, the PEOPLE who were robbed, destroyed, and consumed by fire; and they were Jacob and Israel. "Who gave Jacob to the robber, and Israel to the plunderers?" They were a praying people, a professing people, a fasting people, a peculiar people, a privileged people! And yet, for their sins--they became a destroyed people, a consumed people, a ruined people! Isaiah 58:2; Zech. 7:5; Exod. 19:5.
5. The fifth thing observable in the words is, the LITTLE EFFECT the judgments of God had upon them. Now they were under such monstrous stupidity that they were not at all awakened nor affected with the judgments of God; they regarded them not, they laid them not to heart. And just as stupid and senseless were they, when Titus Vespasian had laid their city desolate by fire and sword, and sold thirty of them for one piece of silver, as Josephus and other historians tell us. [By Titus Vespasian, their land became a stage of blood and of all kind of barbarisms; and now their so renowned city, their temple so famed all the world over--was turned into ashes and laid level to the ground!]
"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked. They all answered, "Crucify him!" "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" Matthew 27:22-23. "Him . . . you have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain!" Acts 2:23. "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!" Acts 2:36. "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you." Luke 19:41-44
O sirs, since their crucifying of the Lord of glory--the Jews have never laid their finger upon the right sore; to this very day they won't acknowledge their sin in crucifying of the Lord of glory. They realize that God has sorely afflicted them; but their cruelty to Christ, their crucifying of Christ, which ushered in the total ruin of their city and country--they cannot be brought to acknowledge to this very day, though the Lord has burnt them up on every hand, and has scattered them as dung all over the earth to this very day! A learned writer tells us that the Jews call Christ, "a bastard;" and his Gospel, "the Volume of Lies," or" the Volume of Iniquity;" and us Christians "heathen". When they greet a Christian, they call him, "Devil". They hate all Christians—but none so much as those who are converted from Judaism to Christianity, and all this after so great a burning and desolation that the Lord has made in the midst of them!
It is true the length of those heavy judgments under which they groan to this very day, has often puzzled their learned Rabbis, and has many times astonished them; and sometimes caused them to break out into a kind of confession, that surely their judgments could not last so long—but for crucifying of one who was more than a man. There was one Rabbi Samuel, who, six hundred years since, wrote a tract in form of an epistle to Rabbi Isaac, master of the synagogue of the Jews, wherein he does excellently discuss the cause of their long captivity and extreme misery. And after he had proved it was inflicted for some grievous sin, he shows that sin to be the same which Amos speaks of, Amos 2:6, "For three transgressions 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 first sin; the worshiping of the calf in Horeb, the second sin; the abusing and killing of God's 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 wandered forty years in the wilderness, for the third they were captives seventy years in Babylon, and for the fourth they are held in pitiful captivity even until this day. It is certain that the majority of the Jews are under woeful blindness and hardness to this very day. And thus much for the opening of the words.
Fire, as a symbol in Scripture
"So He poured out on them his burning anger, the violence of war. It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart." Isaiah 42:25
This 25th verse is the scripture that I intend to speak something to—as the Lord shall assist. Now the proposition which I only intend to insist upon is this, namely,
That God is the author or efficient cause, of all the great calamities and dreadful judgments which 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 which are inflicted upon cities and countries, will evidently appear to every man's understanding, that will but take the pains to read over the 26th chapter of Leviticus, and the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, with that 14th chapter of Ezekiel, from verse 13 to verse 22.
That God is the author or efficient cause of this dreadful judgment of fire, which is at any time inflicted upon cities and countries, will sufficiently appear in these following scriptures:
Amos 1:14, "I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah that will consume her fortresses amid war cries on the day of battle, amid violent winds on a stormy day." Rabbah, their capital city, was a cruel, bloody, covetous, and ambitious city; and therefore, rather than it should escape divine vengeance, God will kindle a fire in it, and burn it with his own hands!
Amos 3:6, "When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?"
Amos 4:10-11, "I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, declares the Lord." Here "I" is emphatic and exclusive, as if he should say, "I, and I alone!"
Ezek. 20:47-48, "Say to the southern forest,"—that is, to Jerusalem, "'Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says—I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north will be scorched by it. Everyone will see that I the Lord have kindled it; it will not be quenched!" Men shall see that it was God who kindled the fire, and not man, and therefore it was beyond man's skill or power to quench it, or to overmaster it.
Jer. 7:20, "This is what the Sovereign Lord says—My anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground, and it will burn and 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.
Jer. 4:4, "My wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done-- burn with no one to quench it."
Jer. 21:12, "My wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done-- burn with no one to quench it!"
Lam. 2:3-4, "In fierce anger he has cut off every horn of Israel. He has withdrawn his right hand at the approach of the enemy. He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire that consumes everything around it. Like an enemy he has strung his bow; his right hand is ready. Like a foe he has slain all who were pleasing to the eye; he has poured out his wrath like fire on the tent of the Daughter of Zion!"
Ezek. 15:7, "I will set my face against them. Although they have come out of the fire, the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the Lord!"
Ezek. 22:20-23, "I will melt you down in the heat of my fury, just as copper, tin, iron, and lead are melted down in a furnace. I will gather you together and blow the fire of my anger upon you, and you will melt like silver in fierce heat. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my fury on you!"
Thus you see that great afflictions, great judgments, are likened unto fire.
QUESTION. But in what respects are great afflictions, great judgments, like unto fire?
ANSWER. In these eight respects they are like unto fire—
[1.] First, Fire is very DREADFUL and TERRIBLE to men's thoughts, hearts, and apprehensions. How dreadful was the fire of Sodom, and the fire of London—to all who were near it, or spectators of it! It 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; of them, it is said, shall be taken up a curse, Jer. 29:21-22. When any imprecated great vengeance from the Lord upon any one, it is said, "The Lord make you like Ahab and Zedekiah, whom the kings of Babylon roasted in the fire." It 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 man's whole body to be roasted in the fire! Just so, are the judgments of the Lord very terrible and dreadful to men. "My flesh trembles for fear of you; and I am afraid of your judgments," Psalm 119:120. Hab. 3:16, "When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble." But,
[2.] 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, they put a land into great travail. Next to the pangs of conscience, and the pangs of hell, there are none compared to those pangs which are bred and fed by terrible judgments, Isaiah 26:17-18. But,
[3.] Thirdly, Fire is of a DISCOVERING nature; it enlightens men's eyes to see those things that they did not see before. Just so, do the terrible judgments of God enlighten men's minds and understandings sometimes to know the Lord, Rev. 15:4; Ezek. 21:3-7. Hence it is that, after judgments threatened, God does so often tell them that they shall know the Lord. Sometimes God, by his judgments, enlightens men's minds to see such an evil in sin that they never saw before; and to see such a vanity, mutability, impotency, and uncertainty in the creature that they never saw before; and to see such a need of free-grace, of rich mercy, and of infinite favor and goodness, that they never saw before; and to see such majesty and awesomeness in God that they never saw before, Psalm 66:3, 5. Job 37:22, "God comes in awesome majesty!" But,
[4.] 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 and hollow; whether men are real Christians or nominal Christians; whether they are thorough Christians or almost Christians; whether their graces are true or counterfeit; and whether they have much, or but a little, grace, Isaiah 1:25; Mal. 3:1-3; Acts 26:28, 29. Isaiah 31:9, "The Lord's fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem." Zech. 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 tried." 1 Pet. 4:12, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you." Stars shine brightest in the darkest night. Grapes come not to the proof until 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. Juniper smells sweetest in the fire. The application is easy. But,
[5.] Fifthly, Fire is of a CONSUMING and DEVOURING nature, as we have lately found by woeful experience! Psalm 18:8, "Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it!" Jer. 15:14, "My anger blazes forth like fire, and it will consume them!" Ezek. 22:31, "So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them in the fire of my anger. I will heap on them the full penalty for all their sins, says the Sovereign Lord!" Isaiah 66:15-16; Psalm 21:9; Jer. 17:4; Ezek. 38:19-20.
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 been able to stand before the devouring fire of divine wrath. The anger and wrath of God against wicked men is exceeding hot; it is a burning, fiery, flaming wrath, against which they are never able to stand! Isaiah 27:4, "Who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together." Briers and thorns are as well able to stand before a devouring fire—as wicked men are able to stand before the smoking wrath of that God who is "a consuming fire," Heb. 12:29.
[6.] 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 recent dreadful fire, which in a few days turned a glorious city into a ruinous heap. Just so, the judgments of God, they come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the sons of men. Witness the judgments of God which came upon the old world of Noah's time, Sodom and Gomorrah, Nadab and Abihu, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram: 1 Thes. 5:3, "For when they shall say, peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape." Carnal security is a certain forerunner of desolation and destruction. The apostle, by the similitude he uses, shows that the destruction of the wicked is—
(1.) certain,
(2.) sudden,
(3.) inevitable, Mat. 24:37-39; Gen. 19.
[7.] Seventhly, Fire is IMPARTIAL. It makes no difference between rich and poor, high and low, honorable and base, bond and free, male and female, etc. Just so, the judgments of God are impartial, they reach all sorts and ranks of people. But,
[8.] Eighthly and lastly, Fire is VIOLENT and IRRESISTIBLE. 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. Just so, are the judgments of God violent and irresistible. 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,
(2.) Secondly, Premise this with me: Fire is sometime attributed unto GOD. Heb. 12:29, "Our God is a consuming fire." Sometimes fire is attributed to Christ: Mal. 3:2, "But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appears? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap." And sometimes fire is attributed to the Holy Spirit: Mat. 3:11, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance—but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire"—that is, with that fiery Holy Spirit, that spirit of judgment and of burning wherewith the filth of the daughter of Zion is washed away, Isaiah 4:4. But,
(3.) Thirdly, Premise this with me: The word fire in Scripture is sometimes used by the Holy Spirit to set forth SIN by. Isaiah 9:18, "For wickedness burns as the fire, it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke." So the burning lust of uncleanness: Romans 1:27, "They burned in lust one towards another." So 1 Cor. 7:9, "It is better to marry than to burn." And so Sodom was first in a flame of burning lusts, before it was burned with fire from heaven. But this is not the fire that is here meant in the proposition which we are upon. But,
(4.) Fourthly, Premise this with me: Fire is sometimes taken for the blessed ANGELS. Psalm 104:4, "Who makes his angels spirits, his ministers a flaming fire," Heb. 1:7. Hence it is that the angels are called seraphim, which signifies burning or flaming ones, and they are set forth by this name to note their irresistible power, Isaiah 6:2; for as there is no withstanding of the furious flames, so there is no withstanding of these burning or flaming ones. Jerome, Musculus, and several others, are of opinion that the angel which destroyed Sennacherib's army of a hundred and eighty-five thousand in one night, that he did it by fire, burning their bodies, their garments being untouched, 2 Kings 19:35. But the fire in the proposition cannot be understood of the blessed angels, for several reasons not here to be alleged. But,
(5.) Fifthly, Premise this with me: Fire in Scripture is sometimes taken for WARS. "The fire of your enemies"—that is, the wars that shall be among the nations—"shall devour them." "You shall be visited of the Lord with a flame of devouring fire; but the nations that fight against the altar shall be a dream," Isaiah 26:11-12, etc., and 29:6-7. Now fire in this sense is not to be excluded out of the proposition. But,
(6.) Sixthly, Premise this with me: Fire sometimes notes the special presence of God in a way of special love and favor 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 church's affliction, which was then in Egypt, a house of bondage, in the midst of a fiery furnace, Deut. 4:20. 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 Deut. 32:16 you read of "the good-will of him who 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 trials God did bear them company. But,
(7.) Seventhly, Premise this with me: In the blessed Scriptures we read of supernatural fire, of fire that came down from above, and that first as a sign of God's anger. Just so, fire came down from heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah, Gen. 19:24. Also fire came down from heaven on those who offered incense in the conspiracy of Korah, Num. 16:35. And so fire came down from heaven on the two captains and their fifties, 2 Kings 1:10-12.
Secondly, we read of fire that came down from heaven as a sign and token of God's favor. And so fire came down from heaven on the sacrifice of Solomon, and on the sacrifice of Elijah, 2 Chron. 7:1; 2 Kings 18:38. God in those times did delight to show his special love and favor to his precious servants by fire from heaven. But in the proposition we are to understand not supernatural—but material fire. But,
(8.) Eighthly and lastly, Premise this with me: Fire is sometimes taken literally for that material fire which consumes houses, 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, says 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, 2:3, 2 Chron. 36:19; 2 Kings 19:18, and 21:6; Psalm 74:7; Deut. 13:16. Now this material fire is the fire which 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 that 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 would be, in inflicting this severe and heavy judgment of fire upon his poor 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 man's treachery concurring with God's severity in that dreadful calamity by fire; but rather inquire after the grounds, reasons, or ends that God aims at, by that fiery dispensation that has lately passed upon us.
Now here give me permission to say, so that far as the recent fire was a heavy judgment of God upon the city, yes, 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 profane and the holy, the good and the bad.
The ends of God in inflicting that fiery judgment—as respects the WICKED and UNGODLY, I take to be these that follow—
[1.] First, God inflicts great and severe judgments upon men—that he may evidence his sovereignty, and that they may know that there is a God. The profane atheist says in his heart, "There is no God!" But God by his dreadful judgments startles and awakens the atheist, and makes him unsay what he had said in his heart. [Psalm 14:1, 10:4-5, and 50:21; Eccles. 8:11; Psalm 24:1; Dan. 6:25-27; Isaiah 45:9; Psalm 2:9-12; Hosea 2:8, 9.] 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 is a God—yes, then they will bow and tremble under a sense of the sovereignty of God.
The sovereignty 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 kissed and submitted to, or else fire and sword, desolation and destruction, will certainly follow.
Jeremiah 18:2-6, "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the Lord. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you 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 potter's 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 fit. [God has a right to all things, a right in all things.]
Nay, beloved, the potter has not such an absolute power over his pots and clay—as the Lord has over men, to make them and break them at his pleasure; and that partly because that the clay is not man's creation; and partly because without God giving him strength, man has no power to make or break one vessel. God by the prophet would have the Jews to know that it was merely by his good pleasure and grace that they came to be so glorious and flourishing a nation as they were at this time; yes, and further to know that they were not so great, and rich, and flourishing, and settled, and built—but that he could as easily break them and mar them as the potter could the vessel which was under his hand, Isaiah 64:8.
Ah sirs! God by that dreadful fire which has destroyed our houses, and burnt up our substance, and banished us from our habitations, and leveled our stately monuments of antiquity and glory even with the ground—has given us a very high evidence of his sovereignty both over our persons and all our concernments in this world. Ah London! London! Were there none within or without your walls who denied the sovereignty of God; who belied the sovereignty of God; who slighted the sovereignty of God; who rebelled against the sovereignty of God? Were there none within or without your walls who said, "We are lords, and we will come no more unto you?" Were there none who said, "Is not this great Babylon, is not this great London that we have built?" Were there none who said, "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, could have entered into the gates of Jerusalem, into the gates of London?" Were there none who said, "Who is the Lord, that we should obey his voice?" Were there none who advanced human power above and against the sovereignty of God and Christ? Jer. 2:31; Dan. 4:30; Lam. 4:12; Exod. 5:2.
Ah London! London! if there were any such within or without your walls, then never wonder that God has in a flaming and consuming fire, proclaimed his sovereignty over you, and that he has given such atheists to know from woeful experience, that both they 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 demonstrations of his sovereign prerogative, Isaiah 5:16. Psalm 9:16. "The Lord is known by the judgments which he executes; the power, justice, and sovereignty of God shines most gloriously in the execution of his judgments upon the world."
[2.] Secondly, God inflicts great and severe judgments upon men—that the world may stand in awe of him, and that they may learn to fear and tremble before him. [Consult these scriptures, Exod. 15:14-16; Josh. 2:10-11; Rev. 15:4.] When he 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 spoke, and came to Bethlehem: and the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said—do you come peaceably?" 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 dreadful judgments upon us? Shall Ahab tremble and humble himself, and fast and lie in sackcloth when judgments are but threatened; 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, nobles, and people, tremble and humble themselves in sackcloth and ashes when God does but threaten to overthrow their great, their rich, their populous city; and shall not we tremble and lie low before the Lord when we see great London, rich and populous London, laid in ashes before our eyes? 1 Kings 21:20-24, 27-29; Jonah 3:3-10.
When the hand of the Lord was stretched out against the Egyptians, "the dukes of Edom were amazed, and the mighty men of Moab trembled," Exod. 15:15, 16; 2 Kings 6:30, and 7:6, 7, 15; Jer. 4:7-9. 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, "In fierce anger he has cut off every horn of Israel. He has withdrawn his right hand at the approach of the enemy. He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire that consumes everything around it. Like an enemy he has strung his bow; his right hand is ready. Like a foe he has slain all who were pleasing to the eye; he has poured out his wrath like fire on the tent of the Daughter of Zion." 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 his fury like fire, when like a flaming fire he devours all our pleasant things, and lays all our glory in dust and ashes—we may safely conclude that his anger is fierce, and that his wrath is great against us; and therefore what eminent cause have we to fear and tremble before him! God is a great and dreadful God: Dan 9:4, "A mighty God and dreadful;" Deut. 7:21, "A great and dreadful God," Neh. 1:5. He is so in himself, and he has been so in his fiery dispensations towards us, that the world by such remarkable severities may be kept in awe of him.
Generally fear effects more in the world than love. As there is little sincerity, so there is but little seriousness in the world; and that is the reason why many very rarely think of God—but when they are afraid of him. Many times judgments work—where mercies do not win.
That famous Peter Waldo of Lyons, the father of the Waldenses, seeing, among many met together to be merry, one suddenly fall down dead in the street—it struck so to his heart that he went home a penitent—it wrought to a severe and pious reformation of his life, and he lived and died a godly man. Though Pharaoh was not a pin the better for all the heavy judgments that God inflicted upon him—yet Jethro, taking notice of those dreadful plagues and judgments which fell upon Pharaoh and upon his people, and likewise upon the Amalekites, was thereby converted and became a proselyte; as one notes upon Proverbs 25:19.
The world is so intractable, that God's frowns will do more with them than God's smiles. That God may keep wicked men in awe and in subjection to him, he sees it very needful to bring common, and general, and overspreading judgments upon them: Rev. 15:4, "Who shall not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name? for you only are holy: for all nations shall come and worship before you; for your judgments are made manifest." O sirs! when the judgments of the Lord come to be made manifest, then it highly concerns all ranks and sorts of men to fear the Lord and to glorify his name. How manifest, how visible has the raging pestilence, and the bloody sword, and the devouring flames of London been in the midst of us! And oh that our fear, and dread, and awe of God were as manifest and as visible as his judgments have been and still are; for his hand to this very hour is stretched out against us! Isaiah 9:12. But,
[3.] Thirdly, God inflicts great and severe judgments upon men, and upon cities and countries—to express and make known his power, justice, anger, severity, and indignation against sinners and their sinful courses, by which he has been provoked. [See Jer. 14:15-16; Lam. 4:11; Jer. 4:15-19.] Deut. 23:19, "And when the Lord saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons and of his daughters." Verse 21, "They have provoked me to anger with their vanities; and I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation." Verse 22, "For a fire is kindled in my anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains." Verse 24, "They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, or with burning coals, and with bitter destruction."
There is a knowledge of God by his works as well as by his word; and by his judgment as well as by his mercies. In his dreadful judgments everyone may run and read—his power, his justice, his anger, his severity, and his indignation against sin and sinners. It is irrevocable sins, which bring irrevocable judgments upon sinners. While men hold on in committing great iniquities, God will hold on in inflicting answerable severities. When God cannot prevail with men to desist from sinning, men shall not prevail with God to desist from destroying of them, their habitations, and all their pleasant things: Jer. 2:15, "Lions have roared; they have growled at him. They have laid waste his land; his towns are burned and deserted." Verse 17, "Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the Lord your God when he led you in the way?"
When Nicephorus Phocas had built a mighty strong wall about his palace for his own security, in the night-time he heard a voice crying unto him, "O emperor, though you build the wall as high as the clouds; yet if sin is within, it will overthrow all!" Sin, like those traitors in the Trojan horse, will do cities and countries more hurt in one night, than ten thousand open enemies could do in ten years. Cities and countries might flourish, and continue as the days of heaven, and be as the sun before the Almighty—if his wrath is not provoked by their profaneness and wickedness; so that it is the loose lives, the ungracious lives, and the enormous sins of men—which lay cities and countries desolate! Jer 13:22, "And if you say in your heart, Why have these things come upon me? Why has the Lord sent plague, sword, famine, and fire to devour and destroy, and to lay all in ashes?" The answer is, "For the greatness of your iniquity." God will in flames of fire, reveal his anger and indignation against sin and sinners.
The heathen historian Herodotus observes in the ruin of Troy, that the ashes and embers of burnt Troy served for a lasting monument of God's great anger and displeasure against great sinners. The burning of Troy served to teach men that God punishes great sinners with great plagues! And certainly London's being laid in ashes is a high evidence that God knows how to be angry with sinners, and how to punish sin with the greatest of judgments. The gods of the Gentiles were senseless stocks and stones, not able to apprehend, much less to revenge, any injury done unto them. Well therefore might Martial threaten to throw his idol into the fire—if he did not protect his trees. A child may play at the hole of a dead asp, and a silly woman may strike a dead lion; but who dare play with a living serpent? who dare take a roaring lion by the beard? Oh, that Christians then, would take heed how they provoke the living God, for he is "a consuming fire," and with a word of his mouth, yes, with the breath of his mouth, he is able to throw down, and to burn up the whole frame of nature, and to destroy all creatures from the face of the earth!
Some heathen philosophers thought anger is an incorrect attribute to ascribe to God, and some heretics 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 severe and revengeful Deity. 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 know that God proclaims this attribute among his titles of honor: "The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies." Nahum 1:2.
It is the highway to atheism and profaneness, to imagine to ourselves a God made up all of mercy, to think that God cannot be angry and wrathful with sinful men. Surely those who have seen London in flames, or believe that it 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,
[4.] Fourthly, God inflicts great and severe judgments upon 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 these scriptures together. [Isaiah 26:9; Psalm 94:12; Proverbs 3:12-13, and 6:23; Job 36:8-10, and 33:19-20; Levit. 26; Deut. 28 2 Chron. 7:13-14; Amos 4:6-12; Isaiah 9:13; Jer. 5:3, and 6:29-30; Ezek. 23:25-27.] God's corrections should be our instructions, his lashes should be our lessons, his scourges should be our schoolmasters, his chastisements should be our admonishments. And to note this, the Hebrews and the Greeks both express chastising and teaching by one and the same word, because the latter is the true end of the former, according to the proverb, "Smart makes wit, and vexation gives understanding." Whence Luther fitly calls affliction, Theologiam Christianorum, "The Christian man's theology."
Jer. 6:8, "Be instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from you; lest I make you desolate, a land not inhabited." Zeph. 3:6-7, "I have cut off nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are destroyed; no one will be left—no one at all. I said to the city, 'Surely you will fear me and accept correction!' Then her dwelling would not be cut off, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did." By all the desolations that God had made before their eyes, he designed their instruction and reformation. From those words, Judges 3:20, "I have a message from God unto you, O king," said Ehud. Lo, his sword was God's message! From whence one well observes, "That not only the verbal admonitions—but the real judgments of God are his errands and instructions to the world."
God delights to win men to himself by favors and mercies; but it is rare that God this way makes a conquest upon them: Jer. 22:21, "I spoke unto you in your prosperity," says God; "but you said, I will not hear!" And therefore it is, that he delivers them over into the hands of severe judgments, as into the hands of so many 'cursed schoolmasters,' as Basil speaks—so that they may learn obedience by the things they suffer, as the apostle speaks, Deut. 32:14-17; Jer. 5:7-10; Psalm 73:1-10. It is said of Gideon, he took briers and thorns, and with them he taught the men of Succoth, Judges 8:16. Ah, poor London! how has God taught you with briers and thorns, with sword, pestilence, and fire! and all because you would not be taught by prosperity and mercy "to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humble with your God," Micah 6:8; Lam. 3:32-33; Isaiah 28:21.
God delights in the reformation of a nation; but he does not delight in the desolation of any nation. God's greatest severity is to prevent utter ruin and misery! If God will but make London's destruction England's 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 your back has been only to awaken you, and to instruct you, and to refine you, and to reform you—that after this severe desolation God may delight to build you, and beautify you, and make you an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations, Isaiah 60:15. But,
[5.] Fifthly, God inflicts great and severe judgments upon men—that he may examine them, and make a more full manifestation 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, "Why is my lord weeping?" asked Hazael. "Because I know the harm you will do to the Israelites," he answered. "You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women." Hazael said, "How could your servant, a mere dog, accomplish such a feat?" 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. It could never enter into his thoughts that ever he could do such cruel, barbarous, horrid, and inhuman acts as the prophet spoke of; but he did not know the depth of his own corruption, nor the desperateness, nor deceitfulness of his own heart, Jer. 17:9.
Isaiah 8:21, "Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God." 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 needs, 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.
Just so, those desperate wretches under the beast: "The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done." Revelation 16:8-11. The top of the judgment that is and shall be upon the wicked is this—that under the sorest and heaviest judgments that shall come upon them, they shall not repent, nor give glory to God. They shall blaspheme the name of God, and they shall blaspheme the God of heaven; and they shall be scorched with great heat, and they shall gnaw their tongues for pain—but they shall not repent of their deeds, nor give glory to that hand which smites them! [This will be the case of all the worshipers of the beast one day, Deut. 8:2, 15-16.]
The fierce and fiery dispensations of God upon the followers and worshipers of the beast shall draw out their sins—but they shall never reform their lives, nor better their souls. God kept the Jews forty years in the wilderness, and exercised them with many severe and sharp afflictions—that he might prove them, and make a more full discovery of themselves to themselves. And did not the heavy trials that they met with in their wilderness condition make a very great discovery of that pride, that unbelief, that hypocrisy, that impatience, that discontent, that self-love, that murmuring, etc., which was enrapt and closed up in all their souls?
O sirs! since God has turned our renowned city into ashes, what discoveries has he made of that pride, that unbelief, that worldliness, that earthliness, that self-love, that inordinate affection to relations and to the good things of the world, that discontent, that disquietness, that faint-heartedness, which has been closed and wrapped up in the souls of many thousands whose habitations are now laid in ashes! We test metals by fire and by knocking, and God has tested many thousands this day by his fiery dispensations and knocking judgments that have been in the midst of us. I believe there are many thousands who have been deep sufferers by the recent dreadful fire, who never did think that there had been so much sin, and so little grace, in their hearts; so much of the creature and so little of God in their hearts; so much earth and so little of heaven in their hearts—as they now find by woeful experience. And how many wretched sinners are there, who have more blasphemed God, and dishonored Christ, and provoked divine justice, and abused their best mercies, and debased and be-beasted themselves since the recent fire, than they have done in many years before! But,
[6.] Sixthly, God inflicts great and severe judgments upon people, cities, and countries—that others may be warned by his severities to break off their sins, and to return to the most High. God's judgments upon one city, should be advertisements to all other cities to look about them, and to tremble before him who is "a consuming fire," Heb. 12:29. The flaming rod of correction which is laid upon one city—should be a rod of instruction to all other cities. Jer. 22:6-9, "I will surely make you like a desert, like towns not inhabited. I will send destroyers against you, each man with his weapons, and they will cut up your fine cedar beams and throw them into the fire. "People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, 'Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?' And the answer will be: 'Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.'"
God punishes one city—that all other cities may take warning. There is no judgment of God, be it sword, pestilence, famine, or fire, upon any people, city, nation, or country—but what is speaking and teaching to all others—had they but eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to understand, Micah 6:9. Thus Tyre shall be devoured with fire, says the prophet; Ashkelon shall see it and fear; Gaza and Ekron shall be very sorrowful, Zech. 9:4-5. When Ashkelon, Gaza, and Ekron shall see the destruction of Tyre by fire, it shall make them afraid of the like judgment. London's sufferings should warn others to take heed of London's sins! London's conflagration should warn others to take heed of London's abominations. It should warn others to stand and wonder at the patience, long-suffering, gentleness, and goodness of God towards those who have deserved as severe punishment from the hand of God, as London have felt in 1665 and 1666, Romans 2:4-5.
It should warn others to search their hearts, and try their ways, and break off their sins, and turn to the Lord—lest his anger should break forth in flames of fire against them, and none should be able to deliver them, Lam. 3:40. It should warn others to fear and tremble before that power, justice, severity, and sovereignty which shine in God's fiery dispensations towards us. Ezek. 30:7-9, "And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries which are desolate, and her cities"—meaning Egypt—"shall be in the midst of the cities which are wasted. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have set a fire in Egypt. In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships, to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt; for, lo, he comes," Exod. 15:14-16; Isaiah 13:6-8. God by his secret counsel and providence would so order the matter, as that the news of the Chaldeans' inroad into Egypt, laying all their cities and towns waste by fire and sword, would be carried over into Ethiopia; and hereupon the secure Ethiopians would fear and tremble, and be in pain as a woman who is in travail; or as the Egyptians were, when they were destroyed at the Red Sea; or as they were, when the Lord smote their firstborn throughout the land of Egypt. Now shall the Ethiopians, the poor, blind heathens, fear and tremble, and be in pain—when they hear that Egypt is laid waste by fire and sword? And shall not Christians all the world over fear and tremble, and be in pain—when they shall hear that London is laid waste, that London is destroyed by fire? What though papists and atheists have warmed themselves at the flames of London, saying, "Aha! so would we have it!" Let let all who have the name of God upon them fear and tremble, and take warning, and learn righteousness by his righteous judgments upon desolate London. London's judgments should be England's warnings to awaken them, and to work them to bethink themselves, and to turn to him who is able by a flaming fire quickly to turn them out of all, Isaiah 26:8-9.
The Jews have a saying, that if war is begun in another country—yet they should fast and mourn because the war is begun, and because they do not know how soon God may bring it to their doors. O sirs! London is burnt, and it highly concerns you to fast, and mourn, and pray, and to take the alarm; for you do not know how soon a fire may be kindled in your own habitations! God has made the once famous city of London a flaming beacon before your eyes, and he expects and looks that you should all fear before him. Secure your saving interest in him, walk humbly with him, and no more provoke the eyes of his jealousy and glory. The design of Heaven by this recent dreadful fire, is not to be confined to those particular people upon whom it has fallen heaviest; but it is to awaken all, and warn all. When a beacon is fired, it gives warning as much to the whole country—as to him who sets it on fire; or as it does to him on whose ground the beacon stands.
We can neither upon the foot of reason or religion, conclude those to be the greatest sinners—who have been the greatest sufferers; for many times we find that the greatest saints have been the greatest sufferers, both from God and men. Job was a paragon in his day for holiness, uprightness, and the fear of the Lord; and yet by the wind and fire from heaven on the one hand, and by the Sabeans and Chaldeans on the other hand—he is stripped of all his children and of a great estate in one day: so that in the morning it might have been said, "Who so rich as Job?" and in the evening, "Who so poor as Job?" Job was poor even to a proverb, Job 1:1-4. Look! as wicked men are very incompetent judges of divine favors and mercies, so they are very incompetent judges of divine trials and severities. Whatever they may think or say, I dare conclude that they who have drank deepest of this cup of sorrows, of this cup of desolation and fire in London, are not greater sinners than all others in England, who yet have not tasted of this bitter cup! But more of this when I come to the application of the point.
O sirs! I beg upon the knee of my soul, that you will not slight this dreadful warning of God, that he has given to the whole nation, in turning London into ashes. To that purpose SERIOUSLY CONSIDER,
First, Divine warnings slighted and neglected, will certainly bring down the greater wrath and vengeance upon you! As you may clearly see by comparing these scriptures together. [Lev. 26:16-18,21,23,24,27,28; Amos 4:7-11; Jer. 25:4-12; Isaiah 22:12-14.]
Secondly, Slighting of God's judgments, is the greatest judgment that can befall upon a people! It speaks out much pride, atheism, hardness of heart, blindness, and desperate security, and contempt of the great God. To be given up to slight God's warnings—is a spiritual judgment, and therefore must of all judgments be the greatest judgment. To be given up to sword, famine, fire, pestilence, burning agues, and fevers—is not as great a judgment as to be given up to slight divine warnings; for in the one you are but passive—but in the other you are active.
Thirdly, Heathen have trembled, and mended, and reformed, at divine warnings! Jonah 3; and therefore for you to slight them is to act below the heathen, yes, it is to do worse than the heathen, who will certainly one day rise up in judgment against all who have been slighters of the dreadful warnings of heaven.
Fourthly, Slighting of divine warnings lays men open to such anger and wrath, as all the angels in heaven are not able to express, nor all the men on earth able to conceive! Proverbs 1:24-32.
Fifthly, Slighting and neglecting of divine warnings speaks out the greatest insincerity, stoutness, and stubbornness that is imaginable! The sincere child easily takes warning, and to an sincere Christian every divine warning is as the handwriting upon the wall, Dan. 5:5.
Sixthly, Slighting of divine warnings provokes God many times to give up men to be their own executioners, their own destroyers! Saul had many warnings—but he slighted and neglected them all; and at last God leaves him to fall on his own sword, 1 Sam. 31:4. Christ cast hell-fire often into Judas his face, "You have a devil;" and "Woe to that man by whom the Son of man shall be betrayed; it had been good for that man that he had never been born." But Judas slights all these warnings, and betrays his Lord and Master, and then goes forth and hangs himself, John 6:70-71; Mat. 26:21-25, and 27:5. Judas withstood all divine warnings from within and without, and you know how the tragedy ended; he died a miserable death, he perished by his own hands, which were the most infamous hands in all the world; "he went and hanged himself!" And as Luke has it, "he fell headlong and burst open, and all his intestines gushed out." In every passage of his death we may take notice of divine justice, and accordingly take heed of slighting divine warnings. It was but just that he should hang in the air, who, for his sin, was hated both of heaven and earth. It was but just that he should fall down headlong, who was fallen from such a height of honor as he was fallen from. It was but just that the halter should strangle that throat through which the voice of treason had sounded.
But Seventhly, By slighting divine warnings you will arm both visible and invisible creatures against you! Pharaoh slights divine warnings, and God arms the winds against him to his destruction. Sisera slights divine warnings, and the stars in their course fought against Sisera. Sennacherib slights divine warnings, and an angel of the Lord destroyed a hundred eighty-five thousand of his army in one night, 2 Kings 6:8-11, 16-17; Exod. 14; Judges 5:19-20; Isaiah 37:7-9, 36.
Eighthly, By slighting of divine warnings you will tempt Satan to tempt your souls! He who dares slight divine warnings will stick at nothing that Satan shall tempt him to; yes, he does to the utmost what lies in him to provoke Satan to follow him with the blackest and greatest temptations!
Ninthly, He who slights divine warnings dams up all the springs of mercy, and turns the streams of loving-kindness and favor another way!
Tenthly and lastly, Slighting of divine warnings will be the sword that will wound you, and the serpent that will sting you, and the worm that will be still gnawing upon you! Especially,
(1.) When your consciences are awakening;
(2.) When you shall lie upon a dying bed;
(3.) When you shall stand before a judgment-seat;
(4.) When you shall awake with everlasting flames about your ears! Psalm 81:11 to the end; Jer. 7:23-29, 34; Isaiah 13:14-16.
Upon all these considerations, take heed of slighting the warnings of God, which you are under this day! But,
[7.] Seventhly and lastly, God inflicts great and severe judgments upon people, cities, and countries—to put the world in mind of the coming final judgment. Who can think upon the recent conflagration of our glorious city, and not call to mind the great and dreadful day of the Lord? Psalm 50:3, "Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him." As God gave his law in fire, so when he comes to judgment, in fire he will require it, to show himself a judge and revenger of it, and to bring the world to a strict account for their breaking of it, Eccles. 12:13-14. In the promulgation of the law, a flaming fire was only on mount Sinai, Exod. 20:18; but when Christ shall come to execute vengeance on the transgressors of it, all the world shall become a bonfire, Heb. 12:18-21. In the promulgation of the law, there was fire, smoke, thunder, and an earthquake; but when Christ shall come in flaming fire to revenge the breaches of it, "the heavens shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat," so that not only a few cities and kingdoms—but all this lower world shall be of a flame! And therefore if any of the wicked should be so weak as to think to secure themselves by hiding from the Lord, they will but deceive themselves; for the fire shall not only devour before him—but it shall also devour round about him.
When an unquenchable fire shall be kindled above the sinner, and below the sinner, and around about the sinner—how is it possible that he should escape, though he should cry out to the rocks and the mountains to fall upon him, and to cover him from the wrath of the Lamb! Rev. 6:15-17; Jer. 5:14. Isaiah 66:15-16, "See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord!"
There is nothing more fearful or formidable either to man or beast than fire. Now when God comes to execute his judgments, and to take vengeance on the wicked in this life—or in the other life—he will come in the most terrible and dreadful manner imaginable, he will come with fire, and he will render his rebuke with flames of fire, or with fiery flames, as some say, or with flaming fire, as others say! 2 Thes. 1:7-8, "And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who know not God, and who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." Beloved, that Christ will come to judgment in flaming fire is no myth to frighten men from their pleasures. Nor is it a trick of the state devised to keep men tame and quiet under the civil powers. Nor is it a plot of the minister to make men melancholy, or to hurry them into a blind obedience. But it is the constant voice of God in the blessed Scriptures.
2 Pet. 3:10-12, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat!" Pareus is of opinion that that fire that shall set all the world in a flame at the end, will be kindled and nourished by lightning from heaven. The earth being smitten with lightning from heaven, shall be shaken and torn into ten thousand pieces, and by fire utterly consumed; now the earth shall quake, the sea roar, the air ring, and the world burn! Now you shall look no way but you shall see fire; you shall see fire above you, and fire below you; and fire around about you!
Christ's first coming was attended with a general peace, and with carols of angels: he came as rain upon the mown grass—silently, sweetly into the world, Luke 2:8-15; Psalm 71:6. Then a babe cried in the manger—but now Judah's lion will roar and thunder in the heavens! Then he came riding on an donkey's colt—but now on the clouds! Then he was attended with twelve poor and despised apostles—but now he shall be waited on with many millions of angels! At his first coming he freely offered grace, and mercy, and pardon to sinners; but now he will come in flames of fire to execute wrath and vengeance upon sinners! 2 Thes. 1:7. And it will be no small honor to Christ, nor any small comfort to the saints, nor any small torment to the wicked—for Christ to come in flames of fire when he comes to judgment.
Saul was astonished when he heard Jesus of Nazareth but calling unto him out of heaven, Acts 22:8. Herod was affrighted when he thought that John Baptist was risen again, Mat. 6:16. The Philistines were afraid when they saw David's sword, 1 Sam. 21:9. The Israelites were startled when they saw Aaron's rod, Num. 7:10. And Judah was ashamed when he saw Tamar's signet ring and staff; and Belshazzar was amazed when he saw the handwriting upon the wall, Dan. 5:5. Oh, how terrified, amazed, and confounded will wicked men be—when they shall see that Christ, whom they 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 soldiers, that coming to the valley of Jehoshaphat in Judea, and one saying to the other, "Here in this place shall be the final judgment, therefore I will now take up my place where I will then sit; and so lifting up a stone, he sat down upon it, as taking possession beforehand: but being seated, and looking up to heaven, such a quaking and trembling fell upon him, that falling to the earth, he remembered the day of judgment with horror and amazement ever after. The case of this soldier 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 who shall be found on the left hand, Mat. 25:41-46.
It is strange in this so serious a business of the day of judgment, and of Christ's appearing in flaming fire, which so nearly concerns every man—how men's wits will busy themselves in many useless inquiries. You may meet with many such questions in the schoolmen 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 jail should fall a-reasoning and debating what weather it would be at the day of their execution, or of the judge's clothing—and never bethink themselves how to answer their indictment, that they may escape condemnation.
London's flames should put us in mind of Christ's coming in flames of fire! The burning of London should put us in mind of the burning of the world, when Christ shall come to judge every man according to his works. And the terror and dread of that fire, and men's endeavors to escape it—should put us upon all those holy ways and means whereby we may escape the fury of those dreadful flames which shall never be quenched! And the houses and estates which were consumed by the devouring fire in London streets, should put us upon securing "a house not made with hands," but one "eternal in the heavens," and upon securing "durable riches," and "an inheritance that fades not away" and upon "laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust, nor thieves," and let me add, nor flames, "can break through, corrupt, or steal, or burn," 2 Cor. 5:1-2; Proverbs 8:18; 1 Pet. 1:4; Mat. 6:19-21.
The more general any temporal judgment is—the more it should put us in mind of the general day of final judgment. Now the burning of London was a general judgment, 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 severe judgments upon people, cities, and countries.
Question. But please, sir, what are those high and holy ends, in respect of the GODLY—which God aims at by his inflicting of great and severe judgments upon people, cities, and countries? I suppose they are such as follow:
Answer. (1.) First, To bring about those special favors and mercies, which God intends them. By the dreadful judgments that God inflicted upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians, 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 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 until he had overthrown him, and through his ruin, brought about the freedom and liberty of his poor people. [Exod. 5:1-2, 7:16, 8:8, 20, 25, 27, 29, 9:1, 13, 10:3, 7-8, 11, 24, 12:31.]
The Babylonians were cruel enemies to God's poor Israel, and kept them in bondage, yes, in a fiery furnace, seventy years. At last God stirs up the spirit of Cyrus of Persia, for his church's sake, and he, by fire and sword, lays Babylon waste, and takes them captive, who had held his people in a long captivity, Jer. 11:4, and Dan. 9:12. Now he, by breaking the Babylonians in pieces like a potter's vessel, brought about, as an instrument in the hand of God, the freedom and liberty of God's poor people.
God stirs up the spirit of Cyrus to put forth a proclamation for liberty for the Jews to go to their own land, and to build the house of the Lord God of Israel; and then he graciously stirs up the spirits of the people wisely and soberly to improve the liberty he had proclaimed. [Turn to Obadiah, and read from verse 11 to the end of the chapter.]
Jer. 49:1, "Concerning the Ammonites: This is what the Lord says: "Has Israel no sons? Has she no heirs? Why then has Molech taken possession of Gad? Why do his people live in its towns?" 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 says in verse 2, "But the days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah of the Ammonites [that was their chief city]; it will become a mound of ruins, and its surrounding villages will be set on fire. Then Israel will drive out those who drove her out," says the Lord." [The Ammonites. who invaded the inheritance of others had their own invaded by them.] God, by fire and sword, 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; and I will leave the prudent reader to make the application.
We have been under greater and more dreadful judgments than ever this poor nation has 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 than any yet we do enjoy? The Rabbis say of civil liberty, that if the heavens were parchment, the sea ink, and every blade of grass a pen, the praises of it could not be comprised nor expressed. May we not say more of a holy liberty? Liberty to serve and worship the Lord according to his own prescriptions and directions laid down in his blessed word, by which all worship and worshipers must be tried at last, is a pearl of great price which none can sufficiently value. The emperor Justinus' motto was, "Liberty is invaluable." The Lord give his people holy, wise, prudent, sober, humble, and understanding hearts—that they may know both how to prize and how to improve those liberties and mercies that he has handed to them through dreadful dispensations! But,
(2.) Secondly, God inflicts great trials and severe judgments upon people and places—that he may awaken his own people out of that deep security which oftentimes seizes upon them. Psalm 30:5-9; Mat. 25:5; 2 Sam. 2:7, 15, and 24:15-17; 2 Kings 14:25; Mat. 12:40; Jonah 1:1-3. What deep security had seized upon David—God made use of the bloody sword and of the sweeping pestilence to awaken him!
Jonah was a prophet, he was a servant of the Lord, he was a type of Christ, he was a godly man. His name "Jonah signifies a dove, though he had but little of the dove in him, being as passionate a man as you have likely heard of," says Luther. Now Jonah having contracted guilt upon his conscience by acting quite contrary to God's royal call, what a desperate, senseless stupidity and security had seized upon him! what a spiritual lethargy was poor Jonah in! not much unlike that of the smith's dog, whom neither the hammers above him, nor the sparks of fire falling round about him, can awake. Jonah was not in a mere slumber—but in a sound, heavy, deep, and dead sleep; and what a wonder, what a wonder was here, that in all this stir and tumult and danger, the winds whistling and roaring, the sea working, raging, swelling, frothing, foaming, and boiling like a pot, the waves mounting up to heaven and sinking down again to hell, as the psalmist speaks, the ship tumbling and tossing like a tennis-ball, the mariners, as stout fellows as they were, surprised with fear, and running up and down like men at their wits' end, like men who could not look pale death in the face; that yet Jonah should sleep, and be as secure in that dreadful danger as if he had been in his own house sleeping on a bed of down! Oh the desperate security that may seize upon the best of saints! But this security God will cure in his Jonahs by some sharp trial, or by some heavy judgment or other. The lethargy is best cured by a burning judgment.
Absalom sends once or twice to Joab to come and speak with him; but when he saw that Joab would not come, he commands his cornfields to be set on fire, and this awakens him, and fetches him with a witness, 2 Sam. 14:30. Just so, God, by fiery afflictions, and by burning up our comforts round about us, awakens us, and brings us to himself with a witness. When iron grows rusty, we put it into the fire to purify it; and so when the people of God grow rusty and secure, then the Lord brings them under fiery trials to awaken them, and to purify them. If Nero was so angry with Vespasian because he slept at his music, how much more may the Lord be angry with all such as sleep and are secure under the most amazing and awakening judgments? But my hope and prayer is, that the Lord has, and will more and more graciously and effectually awaken all the wise slumbering virgins upon whom this fiery dispensation has passed. And therefore,
(3.) Thirdly, In respect of his people's SINS, God has several special ends that he aims at by all the fiery trials and sharp providences that he exercises them with. As,
[1.] First, God by these sharp trials, designs a further and a fuller DISCOVERY of their sins. In standing waters you cannot see the mud which lies at the bottom of the pool or pond; but when once the water is drawn away, then it appears, Deut. 8:2. In times of prosperity there is a great deal of mud—a great deal of atheism, unbelief, discontent, murmuring, impatience, passion, pride, etc.—which lies at the bottom of men's hearts undiscovered. Oh, but when God shall once empty them of their estates, and burn up all their outward comforts, and set them with Job upon the ash-heap, then the mud appears, then a whole army of lusts discover themselves, as we see in many this day. You shall rarely find one without tears in their eyes, sighs in their hearts, and complaints in their mouths. Severe providences are pills made purposely to clear the eyesight: 1 Kings 17:18, "And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with you, O you man of God? are you come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?" If God had not taken away her son, her sin had not been brought to remembrance.
O sirs! if God by this recent dreadful fire had not taken away your houses, your goods, your estates, your trades—many of your sins had not been brought to your remembrance, though now you have lost most or all. You may say with the psalmist, "My sins are ever before me," Psalm 51:3. My pride is ever before me, my unbelief is ever before me, my frowardness is ever before me, my murmuring is ever before me, my discontent is ever before me, and my impatience is ever before me, etc. [Turn to the scriptures, Gen. 42:21; Jonah 4:8-9; Jer. 9:7, seq.] Godly men never come to know how bad they are, until they come to be exercised with severe providences and sharp trials. It was the speech of a holy man in a great sickness, "In this disease I have learned how great God is, and what the evil of sin is; I never effectually knew what God was before, nor what sin was before." Afflictions are a Christian's mirror, in which they may run and read the greatness of God, and the vileness of sin. But,
[2.] Secondly, By severe providences and fiery trials, God designs the PREVENTING of sin. Paul was one of the holiest men on earth, called by some an earthly angel, and yet he needed a thorn in the flesh to prevent pride: 2 Cor. 12:7, "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure." Paul was in very great danger of being exalted above measure. Witness the doubling of those words in one verse, "Lest I should be exalted, lest I should be exalted." Prudent physicians sometimes give harsh medicines to prevent diseases; and so does the Physician of souls, as you may see by comparing these scriptures together. [Job 33:19, 17, 34:31-32, and 40:4-5; Hosea 2:6-7.] The burnt child dreads the fire. Sin is but a bitter sweet, it is an evil worse than hell itself. Salt brine preserves from putrefaction; and so sharp trials, severe providences preserve the saints from spiritual putrefying, and from spiritual rotting.
The Rabbis, to keep their scholars from sin, were accustomed to tell them that sin made God's head ache; and saints under fiery trials do find by experience that sin makes not only their heads—but also their hearts ache; and by this means God preserves his people from many sins which otherwise they would certainly fall into. Beloved, God by his fiery dispensations has destroyed many or most of your outward comforts; but little do you know the horrible sins that by this means the Lord has preserved you from. A full estate lays men most open to the greatest sins, the worst of snares, and the deadliest temptations. The best of men have fallen foulest under their highest worldly enjoyments. Witness David, Solomon, Hezekiah, etc. Under your outward fullness, how low was your communion with God! how languishing were your graces! how lean were your souls! and how was your spring of inward comforts dried up! How little had God of your thoughts, your hearts, your time, your strength! O sirs! how bad would you have been by this time, if God had not removed those things, which were but fuel to your lusts, and quenchers of your grace! Well, often think of this: it is a greater mercy to be preserved from sin, yes, from the least sin—than it is to enjoy the whole world! But,
[3.] Thirdly, By severe providences and by fiery trials, God designs the EMBITTERING of sin to his people. When God shall come and burn up men's comforts round about them, then they will cry out, "Ah! what a bitter thing is sin!" Sin puts God upon burning work! Then they will speak that language to their own souls that the prophet once spoke to the Jews: Jer. 15, "They made his land waste: his cities are burnt with fire." Verse 17, "Have you not procured these things to yourself?" Verse 19, "Your own wickedness shall correct you, and your backslidings shall reprove you: know therefore and see, that it is an evil thing and bitter, that you have forsaken the Lord your God, and that my fear is not in you, says the Lord God Almighty." So chapter 4:18, "Your way and your doings have procured these things unto you: this is your wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reaches unto your heart."
Hosea 12:14, "Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly," or "with bitternesses," as the Hebrew has it. Relations and friends may tell us that sin is a bitter thing, and conscience may tell us that sin is a bitter thing, and good books may tell us that sin is a bitter thing, and men under terrors and horrors of spirit may tell us that sin is a bitter thing, and the severe and heavy judgments of God upon others may tell us that sin is a bitter thing, and the Spirit by his secret whispers may tell us that sin is a bitter thing, and ministers may tell us that sin is a bitter thing. They may tell you that it is bitter to God, it being the only thing in all the world that he has revealed his wrath against; and that sin is contrary to the nature of God, the law of God, the being of God, the glory of God, and the grand designs of God. They may tell you that it is bitter to Christ. Witness his crying out in the bitterness of his soul, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" and witness the sorrows and heaviness of his soul, and his sweating clots of blood. When he hung upon the cross they gave him gall and vinegar to drink; but no gall was so bitter to him as your sins. They may tell you that sin is bitter to the Spirit of God; for nothing grieves him and provokes him and vexes him but sin, Gen. 6:3, and Eph. 4:29. They may tell you that sin is bitter to the holy angels. Every sin that you commit is as a dagger at their hearts: there is nothing in all the world so bitter to them as to see their Lord and Master daily, yes, hourly, crucified by sinners' sins. They may tell you that sin is bitter to the evil angels, it being the only thing for which they were banished the court of heaven, and thrown down to the lowest hell, where they are kept in chains of darkness to the judgment of the great day, Jude 6. They may tell you that sin is bitter to the worst of men; witness Adam's hiding of himself, and Judas his hanging of himself, and Cain's crying out, "My burden is greater than I am able to bear," Gen. 3:10; Mat. 27; Gen. 4:13. They may tell you that it is bitter to the creatures who "groan under their burdens, and who long to be delivered from that bondage which the sin of man has subjected them to," Romans 8:20-22. And yet for all this we will not feelingly, affectionately, experimentally say that sin is bitter—until God comes and burns us up! Lam. 4:11, "And gives us gall and wormwood to drink." Chapter 3:19-20, "Remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul has them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me."
O sirs, how bitter should sin be to you—who have seen London all in flames! Certainly God, by burning up your sweet, pleasant, and delightful things, would teach you to taste a greater bitterness in sin than ever. O happy fire—which shall render God and Christ, and heaven, and promises, and ordinances more sweet; and sin more bitter to poor sinners' souls!
Doubtless, one of God's great designs by this recent judgment of fire is to embitter sin to all sorts of men. When judgments embitter our sins to us, then they work kindly, powerfully, effectually, and then we may conclude that there was a hand of divine love in those judgments, and then we shall justify the Lord, and say with the church, Lam. 1:18, "The Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled against him," or as the Hebrew runs, because I have embittered him, he is righteous in all the severe judgments that he has inflicted upon me; for I have embittered him against me by my most bitter sins. But,
[4.] Fourthly, By severe providences and fiery trials, God designs the MORTIFYING and PURGING away of his people's sins. Isaiah 1:25, "And I will turn my hand upon you," [to correct or chastise you,] "and purely purge away your dross," [or drosses,] "and take away all your tin," or tins in the plural number. Some by dross understand gross iniquity; and by tin, glittering hypocrisy. For as tin is very like unto silver, so is hypocrisy very like unto piety. Others by dross understand people who are openly profane; and by tin, such as are inwardly unsound. The words are a metaphor taken from those who purify metals in the fire, purging from precious silver all dross and tin, Isaiah 31:9. [Dan. 11:35; Mal. 3:1-3. God's fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.] The Jews, who were once silver, were now turned into dross and tin; but God by fiery trials would burn up their dross and tin, their enormities and wickednesses, and make them as shining Christians in grace and holiness as ever they were.
Just so, Isaiah 27:9, "By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit, to take away his sin." God by the Babylonian captivity would as by fire purge away the iniquity of Jacob. And to show the certainty of it, he instances in their darling sin—namely, idolatry. Idolatry was the great sin for which God sent them into captivity. And how they were purged from this sin of idoolatry after their return out of captivity, appears by their history.
Take one instance for all: Pilate being appointed by Tiberius to be governor over the Jews, caused in the night-time the statue of Caesar to be brought into Jerusalem covered, which thing within three days after caused a great tumult among the Jews; for they who beheld it were astonished and moved as though now the law of their country were profaned, for they hold it not lawful for any picture or image to be brought into the city. At their lamentation who were in the city, there was gathered together a great multitude out of the fields adjoining, and they went presently to Pilate, then at Caesarea, beseeching him earnestly that the image might be taken away out of Jerusalem, and that the laws of their country might remain inviolated. [The Jews hated and feared idolatry as much as the burnt child dreads the fire!] When Pilate denied their suit, they prostrated themselves before his house, and there remained lying upon their faces for five days and nights, never moving. Afterwards Pilate, sitting in his tribunal-seat, was very careful to call all the Jews together before him, as though there he would have given them an answer, when suddenly a company of armed soldiers, compassed the Jews about with a triple rank. Then Pilate told them, that except they would receive the image of Caesar, he would kill them all, and to that end made a sign to the soldiers to draw their swords. The Jews, as though they had agreed thereto, fell all down at once, and offered their necks to the stroke of the sword, crying out that they would rather lose their lives than suffer their religion to be profaned. Then Pilate, admiring the constancy of the people in their religion, presently commanded the statue to be taken out of the city of Jerusalem.
All the hurt the fire did the three Hebrew children, or rather champions, was to burn off their cords, Dan. 3:23-24. Our lusts are cords of vanity—but by fiery trials God will burn them up. Zech. 13:9, "This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold." The best of men are but men at the best; they have much corruption and dross in them, and they need refining; and therefore God by fiery trials will refine them—but not as dross or chaff which are burnt up in the fire—but as silver and gold which are purified in the fire. He will so refine them as that they shall leave their dregs and dross behind them. Look! what the fire is to the gold, the file to the iron, the fan to the wheat, the soap to the clothes, the salt to the meat—that shall fiery trials be to the saints.
But what shall be the fruit of their refining? Answer: "They shall call on my name, and I will hear them. I will say, It is my people, and they shall say, The Lord is my God." By fiery trials God will purge out our dross and make virtue shine. All the fiery trials which befall the saints, shall be as a medicinal potion to purge away our soul diseases, and as cold frosts to destroy the vermin, and as a tempestuous sea to purge the wine from its lees, and as the north wind that dries up the pestilential vapors, that purges the blood, and that quickens the spirits, and as a sharp corrosive to eat out the dead flesh. The great thing that should be most in every burnt citizen's eye and heart and prayers and desires is—that the fire of London may be so sanctified as to issue in the burning up of their lusts, and in the purging away of the filth of the daughter of Zion, Isaiah 4:4. "Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says—See, I will refine and test them, for what else can I do because of the sin of my people?" Jeremiah 9:7. "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver." Malachi 3:3.
Jerome reports of Plato, how he left that famous city of Athens, and chose to live in a little ancient village almost overturned with tempests and earthquakes, that, being often minded therein of his approaching dissolution, he might get more power over his strong lusts, and learn to live a more virtuous life than ever he had lived before. O sirs! if God by this fiery dispensation shall make you more victorious over your strong lusts, and help you to live more virtuous lives—you will have cause to bless him all your days, though he has turned you out of house and home, and burnt up all your comforts round about you! But,
(4.) Fourthly, By severe providences and fiery trials, God designs these four things, in respect of his children's GRACES:
[1.] First, He designs the REVIVING, quickening, and recovering of their decayed graces. By fiery trials he will inflame that love which was ice-cold, and raise that faith which was fallen asleep, and quicken up those hopes which were languishing, and put life and spirit into those spiritual joys and comforts which were withering and dying, Rev. 2:4; James 1:2-12; 2 Cor. 12:10. God, under fiery trials, lets his poor children see how that by their spiritual decays—he has been dishonored, his Spirit grieved, religion shamed, the mouths of the wicked opened, weak saints staggered, strong saints troubled, conscience wounded, and their souls and graces impaired. And by these discoveries, he engages them to the use of all those holy and heavenly helps, whereby their decayed graces may be revived and recovered. Many creatures that have been frozen, and even dead with cold, have been revived and recovered by being brought to the fire. God by fiery trials, will unfreeze the frozen graces of his people, and put new life and spirit into them. As the air is sometimes clear, and sometimes cloudy; and as the sea is sometimes ebbing, and sometimes flowing; and as the trees of the field are sometimes flowering, green, and growing, and sometimes barren, withered, and as it were even dead: so it is sometimes with the graces of the saints. But the Lord by one fiery trial or another will revive, and recover, and raise their graces again.
Epiphanius makes mention of those who travel by the deserts of Syria, where are nothing but miserable marshes and sands, destitute of all commodities, nothing good to be had for love or money. Now if it so happens that their fire goes out by the way, then they light it again at the heat of the sun, by the means of a burning-glass. Just so, if the fire of zeal, if the sparks of divine grace, by the prevalency of some strong corruption, or by the violence of some dreadful temptation, should be put out, or dies as to its lively operations, by a burning-glass, or by one fiery dispensation or another, God will inflame the zeal, and enliven the dying graces of his poor people.
I know the saving graces of the Spirit—namely, such as faith, love, hope, etc.—cannot be finally and totally extinguished in the souls, when they are once wrought there by the Spirit; yet their luster, their radiancy, their activity, their shine and flame may be clouded and covered, while the season of temptation lasts; as living coals may be so covered with ashes, that neither light, nor smoke, nor heat may appear, and yet when the embers, the ashes, are stirred to the bottom, then live coals appear, and by a little blowing a flame breaks forth. [1 John 3:9, 11; Heb. 8; 1 Pet. 1:5; John 10:28-31.]
There are several cases wherein grace in a Christian's heart may seem to be hidden, cold, dead, and covered over; as sap in the winter is hidden in the roots of trees; or as flowers and fruits are hidden in the seeds, or roots in the earth; or as sparks of fire are hidden in the ashes; or as bits of gold are hidden in a dust heap, or as pearls may be hidden in the mire. Yes, but God by one severe providence or another, by one fiery trial or another, will blow that heavenly grace, that divine fire, into a perfect flame: he will cause their hidden graces to revive as the grain, and grow as the vine, and blossom as the lily, and smell as the wine of Lebanon, Hosea 14:5-7.
O sirs! how many Christians were there among us, who were much decayed and withered in their graces, in their duties, in their converses, in their comforts, in their spiritual enjoyments, in their communions with God, and with one another; and yet they were not sensible of their decays, nor humbled under their decays, nor industrious to recover themselves out of their withering and dying condition! and therefore no wonder if the Lord, to recover them and raise them, has brought fiery trials upon them. [As a man may take infection, or get some inward bruise, or leak in a blood vessel, and yet not know of it.] But,
[2.] Secondly, God, by severe providences and by fiery trials, designs a further exercise of his children's graces. Sleepy graces bring God no glory—nor do us any good. All the honor he has, and all the advantage we have in this world, is from the activity of our graces. Consult these scriptures. [Job 15:3; 2 Chron. 20:12-13; James 1:4, and 5:11; Hab. 2:3-4; Micah 7:7-9; Rev. 13:10 compared with chapter 14:12.] There is little difference—as to the comfort and sweet of grace—between sleepy graces, and no grace at all. A man who has millions—but does not use what he has—how is he any better, as to the comfort and sweetness of his life, than a man who has but a few pennies in the world? Eccles. 6:1-4. "How is it that you have no faith?" says Christ to his disciples, when they were in a dreadful storm, and in danger of drowning, and so stood in most need of their faith—yet they had then their faith to seek. They had faith in the habit but not in the exercise, and therefore Christ looks upon their faith as no faith, Mark 4:40. How is it that you have no faith? what is the sheath without the knife? the scabbard without the sword? the musket without the match? the cannon without the bullet? the grenade without powder? no more are all your graces when not in exercise.
The strongest creature, the lion, and the subtlest creature, the serpent, if they are asleep—are as easily surprised and destroyed as the weakest worm! Just so, the strongest saints, if grace is not in exercise, are as easily surprised and captivated by sin, Satan, and the world—as the weakest saints are. O sirs! if Christians will not stir up the grace of God that is in them, if they will not look to the daily exercise of grace, God, by some severe providence or other, by some fiery dispensation or other, will stir up their graces for them, Jonah 1:6.
Ah sluggish, slumbering Christians, who are careless as to the exercise of your graces, how sadly, how sorely do you provoke the Lord to let Satan loose to tempt you, and corruptions grow strong to weary you, and the world grow cross to vex you, and friends turn enemies to plague you, and the Spirit withdraw to discomfit you, Lam. 1:16, and fiery trials to break in to awaken you! And all this to bring you to live in a daily exercise of grace. God was glad to be a moth, a worm, a lion, yes, a young lion to Ephraim and Judah, before he could bring them up to an exercise of grace, Hosea 5:12-14; but when he was all this to them, then they fall roundly upon a lively exercise of grace.
Hosea 6:1-3, "Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." Here you see their faith, their repentance, their love, their hope, all in exercise. When a soldier's courage, mettle, and gallantry, lies as it were hidden, his captain will put him upon such hardships, hazards, and dangers, as shall rouse up his courage, mettle, and gallantry. If a scholar has excellent abilities, and will not use them nor improve them—his master will put him upon such tasks as shall draw out all his abilities to the height. Just so, when the Lord has laid into the souls of his people a stock of grace, and they grow idle and careless, and will not improve that stock for his glory and their own good—he will then exercise them with such severe providences and fiery trials, as shall put them to a full improvement of that blessed stock of grace that he has entrusted them with.
The fire that came from heaven was to be kept continually burning that it might never go out, Lev. 6:13. God loves to see the graces of his children in continual exercise. Neglect of our graces is the ground of their decrease and decay. Wells are the sweeter for drawing, and grace is the stronger for acting; we get nothing by dead and useless habits. Talents hidden in a napkin gather rust; the noblest faculties become withered when not improved in exercise: 2 Tim. 1:6, "Stir up the gift of God which is in you." It is an allusion to the fire in the temple, which was always to be kept burning. All the glory which God has from us in this life, is from the actings of grace. It was Abraham's acting of faith, which set the crown of glory upon the Lord's head. O sirs! look narrowly to it, that you fail not in the activity and lively vigor of your graces. Look to it that your graces be still acted, exercised, and blown up, so that they may be still flaming and shining.
The more you exercise grace, the more you strengthen it, the more you increase it. Repeated acts strengthen habits; it is so in sin, and it is so in grace also. The more the little child exercises, the more strong it grows by exercise. The more a man plays upon an instrument, the more dexterous he grows. Money is not increased by lying in a chest—but by trading, Mat. 25:27. The more any bodily member is used, the stronger it is. As the right hand is most used, so it is commonly strongest. "The diligent hand makes rich," Proverbs 10:4. A little stock, well nurtured, will daily increase; when a greater stock neglected, shall decay and come to nothing. The exercise of grace will best testify both the truth and the life of your graces. Grace is never more evident than when it is in exercise. When I see a man rise, and walk, and work, and exercise his arms—I know he is a real man, a living man. The more the fire is blown up the sooner it is seen to be fire. There are many precious Christians, who are full of fears and doubts that they have no love to God, no faith in God, no hope of glory, etc.—but the best way under heaven to put an end to these fears and doubts is to be fervent in exerting acts of love, of faith, of hope, etc.
The non-exercise of grace cast Adam out of paradise; it shut Moses and Aaron out of Canaan, Num. 20:12; it brought Jacob into fourteen years' hard service and bondage; for had he exercised faith, hope, patience, etc., as he should have done, he would never have got the blessing by indirect means as he did; it provoked the Lord to strike Zacharias dumb, Luke 1:18-20; it shut thousands of the Jews out of the land of Canaan, Heb. 3:17-18. I dare not be so harsh, so rash, and so uncharitable, as to think that none of those who died in the wilderness had the habits of faith, the seeds of grace in their souls; but it was their non-acting of faith which kept them out of the Holy Land, as it did Moses and Aaron, according to what I hinted but now.
Beloved, by these instances, among many others that might be produced, you see that God has dealt very sharply and severely with his choicest servants for their not exercising of their graces as they ought to have done. And though I dare not, upon many accounts, say that for the saints' not exercising and improving their graces, God has turned London into a heap of ashes; yet I dare say that this neglect of theirs may be one thing that added fuel to that fire. [Austin wrote upon that day wherein he showed no acts of grace, "I have lost a day!" Oh how many days have we lost then for which God might justly visit us!]
Well, sirs, you had not long since many outward comforts to live upon—but the Lord has now burnt them up, so that he might lead you forth to live in a daily exercise of grace upon himself, upon his power, upon his all-sufficiency, his goodness, his faithfulness, his fullness, his graciousness, his unchangeableness, his promises. And if this fiery dispensation shall be so sanctified to us as to work us to a further activity of grace, and to a further growth and increase of grace, we shall be holy Christians though we are burnt Christians. But,
[3.] Thirdly, By severe providences and by fiery trials, God designs the growth of his people in grace. "God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness." Hebrews 12:10. Usually the graces of the saints thrive best, when they are under a smarting rod. Grace usually is in the greatest flourish, when the saints are under the greatest trials, Romans 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 1:3-6. The trimming of the candle makes it burn the brighter. God beats and bruises his torches to make them burn the brighter; he bruises his spices to make them send forth the greater aromatic fragrance. Fiery trials are like the brush, which, though it is sharp and scratching, it makes the cloth more pure and clean. God would not rub so hard, were it not to fetch out the dirt and spots which are in his people. The Jews were always best when they were in their lowest condition. Well-waters arising from deep springs are hotter in the winter than they are in the summer. Stars shine brightest in the darkest nights; and so do the graces of the saints shine brightest in the darkest nights of affliction and tribulation. God will sometimes more carry on the growth of grace by a cross than by a blessing. Yes, the Lord will, sooner or later, more or less, turn all fiery trials into blessings for the helping on the growth of grace in his people's souls, Heb. 12:10; James 1:3-4; 1 Pet. 1:6-7.
Look! as in the lopping of a tree, there seems to be a kind of reduction and destruction; yet the end and outcome of it is better growth. As the weakening of the body by surgery seems to tend to death—yet it produces better health and more strength. Just so, the saints' spiritual growth in grace, is carried on by such divine methods and in such ways as might seem to deaden grace, and weaken it, rather than any ways to augment and increase it. We know that winter is as necessary to bring on harvest as the spring; and so fiery trials are as necessary to bring on the harvest of grace as the spring of mercy is. Though fiery trials are grievous—yet they shall make us more gracious. Though for the present we cannot see but that such and such severe providences and fiery trials as the loss of house, estate, trade, friends, will redound much to our harm and damage—yet in the outcome we shall find that God will turn them to the spiritual and eternal advantage of our precious souls, Heb. 12:11.
We may in a pang of passion say, as Jacob. "Joseph is not, and Simeon is not!" Gen. 42:36. [But yet as old as Jacob was, he lived to see all those things work for his good, which he concluded were against him.] "All these are against me"—children are not, honors are not, riches are not, habitations are not, credit is not. All these are against us; but in the close we shall find that promise made good in power upon us, Romans 8:28, "We know that all things shall work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose."
O sirs! all the power of heaven stands engaged to make good this promise to you; and if you would but live in the daily actings of faith upon this blessed promise, you would then be able to bear up bravely under all the troubles and trials, crosses and losses that you meet with in this world; and you would then experience the truth of Samson's riddle—"Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet." Judges 14:14. What Paul said of his fiery trials, namely, "I know that this shall turn to my deliverance," Phil 1:19, that may you safely say of all your fiery trials: "We know that they shall work for our good, we know that they shall turn to our deliverance!" Though wicked instruments might design our destruction—yet the wise God that sits at the helm will turn all into our salvation. Those severe providences which for the present may seem very harmful, in the outcome shall prove very beneficial.
Joseph's brethren threw him into a pit, afterwards they sold him, then he is falsely accused, and as unjustly cast into prison and laid in cold iron, Psalm 105:17-18. Yet all this issued in his good; his abasement made way for his advancement; for his thirteen years' imprisonment he reigned fourscore years like a king, Gen. 50:20, and 41:40. David, you know, had seven years' banishment—yet it ended in a glorious reign of forty years' continuance. Job lost all that he ever had in one day; he was a man under great calamity, he was a spectacle of the highest misery, he abounded only in boils, and sores, and rags; but all this issued in the trial of his grace, in the discovery of his grace, and in the improvement of his grace, and in the end, God did compensate his very great losses by giving him twice as much as ever he had before, Job 42:10.
Dear friends, that by all severe providences and fiery trials—God will turn your spark of grace into a flame, your mites into millions, and your drops into seas, is, and shall be the hearty desire of my soul. O sirs! if Christ is even ravished with one of his spouse's eyes, and with one chain of her neck, Cant. 4:9, with the least grains of true grace—how will he be taken with abundance of grace! how will he be ravished with the flourishing estate of your souls in grace!
Well, remember this—the more under all your fiery trials grace is increased, the more God is honored, religion adorned, the mouths of the wicked stopped, the hands and hearts of weak saints strengthened and encouraged, the smarting rod sweetened, and threatened judgments prevented. Oh, that those two prophecies might be made good in power upon all the burnt citizens of London! Isaiah 32:15, "Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field." Isaiah 35:1-2, "The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God." [Pliny speaks of a golden vine which never withers—but is always flourishing. Oh, that this might be the mercy of all those Christians who have been burnt up!] Thrice happy will the burnt citizens of London be, if under all their crosses and losses they grow into a more deep acquaintance with God, the world, and their own hearts; with God and his holiness, with the world and its vanity, mutability, impotency, and uncertainty; and with their own hearts, and the deceitfulness, vileness, baseness, and wretchedness of them. If under fiery dispensations we grow more holy than ever, and more humble than ever, and more heavenly than ever, and more meek and lowly than ever, and more tender and compassionate than ever, and more faithful and fruitful than ever, and more patient and contented than ever, then we may be confident that the grand design of God in bringing all those fiery trials upon us was for His glory, and our own spiritual and eternal good; and accordingly we may rejoice in the Lord, though we have nothing else to rejoice in, Hab. 3:17-18. But,
[4.] Fourthly and lastly, By severe providences and by fiery trials—God designs the trial of his people's graces, and the manifestation of their sincerity and integrity to the world, 1 Pet. 1:6-7; Rev. 3:18. Deut. 8:2, "And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, and to prove you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not." God knew them well enough before, without any experimental trial of them; but that he might the better make a discovery of themselves to themselves and to others, he led them up and down in the wilderness forty years.
Psalm 66:10-12, "For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance." God proves his people, not thereby to better his own knowledge of them—but to bring them to a better knowledge both of their own vices and graces. It is not known what corn will yield—until it comes to the flail; nor what grapes will yield—until they come to the press. Grace is hidden in nature as sweet water in rose leaves; but fiery trials will fetch it out. Fire and water are merciless elements, and they note variety of sharpest trials. Now through these God led his people, so that he might discover to them and others, both the strength of their graces, and the strength of their sins.
God many times exercises his dearest children with fiery trials, that he may discover the sincerity and integrity of his people to the world. The profane atheistical world, is apt very boldly and confidently to conclude that the people of God are a pack of hypocrites and dissemblers, and that they serve God for a fee, for loaves—and not for love, John 6:26; and that they are selfish in all that they do, having more in their eye—the hedge that he has made around them, and the gold and silver that he has bestowed upon them, than the honor and glory of the great God; just as the devil objected against Job, chapter 1:9. Now God, to convince these men, these monsters, of the integrity and sincerity of his people, he breaks down the hedge that he had made aroound them, and turns the wheel upon them, and breaks them with breach upon breach; he strips them of all, and turns them out of house and home, as he did Job, chapter 20:21. And yet this people, with Job, will still worship the Lord, and bless a taking God, as well as a giving God. They will still keep close to the Lord and his ways, whatever God does with them or against them. Psalm 44:17-19, "All this is come upon us," [it is a dreadful "all," as you may see from the 9th to the 17th verse;] "though we had not forgotten you or been false to your covenant. Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path. But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals and covered us over with deep darkness." In spite of all the wrath and rage of Antiochus Epiphanes, that cruel and bloody persecutor of the saints, these servants of the Lord show their sincerity by their constancy in keeping close to the Lord and his ways in the face of the greatest opposition and hottest persecution that they met with.
When the emperor sent a messenger to Basil to subscribe him to the Arian heresy, the messenger at first gave him promising speech, and promised him great preferment, if he would turn Arian; to which Basil replied, "Alas, these speeches are fit to catch little children with that look after such things; but we who are nourished and taught by the Holy Scriptures, are readier to suffer a thousand deaths than to suffer one syllable or tittle of the Scripture to be altered!"
Many of the heathens turned Christians, seeing the heroic zeal, courage, and constancy of the primitive Christians in the face of all oppositions and persecutions. Justin Martyr confesses that the constancy of the Christians in their sufferings was the chief motive that converted him to Christianity; "for I myself," says he, "was once a Platonist, and did gladly hear the Christians reviled; but when I saw they feared not death, nor any of those miseries which most frighten all other men, I began to consider with myself that it was impossible for such men to be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of piety, and that made me first think of turning Christian."
Now by these means and methods God convinces the blind world of the integrity and sincerity of his people. When they see those whom they have severely judged to be hypocrites—owning the Lord and his ways, and cleaving to the Lord and his ways, and continuing to follow the Lord and his ways, and holding on in a high honoring of the Lord and his ways, when their hedge is broken down, and God has stripped them as naked as in the day wherein they were born—oh now they begin to change their note, and to conclude, "surely these are the servants of the Most High God, Dan. 3:26, and Acts 16:17; these are no hypocrites nor dissemblers—but true Nathanaels in whom there is no deceit!" John 1:47.
How have the people of God in London been judged as hypocrites, dissemblers, deceivers, factious, and what not! Now God, by burning up their substance, and by turning them out of house and home, and destroying all their pleasant things, does certainly design to give those who have so deeply censured them, a proof of their integrity and sincerity, by letting them see that all the changes that have passed upon them can never work them to change their Master Christ, nor to change his ways for the ways of sin, nor to change his worship for the worship of the world, nor to change their religion for the religion of Rome. Certainly those who love the Lord, who delight in the Lord, and who highly prize the Lord for those infinite perfections, beauties, glories, and excellencies which are in him—they will own him, and cleave to him, and follow after him, when they have little—as when they had much; yes, when they have nothing of the world as when they had all the world! And by so doing, they put a padlock upon the lying lips of such, they button up the mouths of such who asperse and calumniate them as a people who only serve God upon the account of a worldly interest. There is nothing that does more amaze and astonish wicked men, than to see the people of God keeping close to him and his ways, when they are in a suffering estate, yes, when they have lost all but their God and their integrity.
The fire tries the gold, and diseases try the skill of the physician, and tempests try the skill of the pilot; and so do fiery trials try both the truth and the strength of a Christian's graces.
Paulinus Nolanus, when his city was taken by the barbarians, prayed thus to God: "Lord, let me not be troubled at the loss of my gold, silver, honor, city, etc.; for you are all, and much more than all these to me!" Here was a heroic spirit, here was grace in strength, yes, in triumph. The spirits of the men of the world usually sink, under their losses. Menippus of Phenicia, having lost his goods, strangled himself. Dinarcus Phiton, after a certain loss, cut his own throat to save the charge of a halter. Another, being turned out of his estate, ran out of his wits. And another, for the death of his son, threw himself headlong into the sea. Augustus Caesar, in whose time Christ was born, was so troubled and astonished at a loss, that for certain months together he let the hair of his beard and head grow, and wore it long; yes, and at other times he would run his head against the doors. Henry the Second, who was none of the best of princes, hearing that his city Mentz was taken, used this blasphemous speech: "I shall never love God any more—who allowed a city so dear to me to be taken from me!"
Now by all these instances you may clearly and plainly see the different temper and carriage of wicked men, from the people of God—under their losses, crosses, trials, and sufferings. When they are under fiery trials, what an evil spirit, what a desperate spirit, what a sullen spirit, what a proud spirit, what a satanical spirit, what a hellish spirit, do they manifest! They show all the world that they are under the power and dominion of the devil; Phil. 2:2 and 2 Tim. 2:26. But when the people of God are under fiery trials, they make conscience of behaving so as to convince the world that God is in them of a truth, and that they are sincere and upright before the Lord, however they are judged and censured as hypocrites, deceivers, dissemblers, and what not.
Oh, that all who are sufferers by this fiery dispensation would make it their business, their work, their heaven—so to behave under their present trials, as to convince all gainsayers of the sincerity, integrity, and uprightness of their hearts, both towards the Lord, his people, his ways, his ordinances, his interest, and all his concernments in this world! And thus much for the gracious ends which God aims at in all those severe providences and fiery trials, which he has exercised his people with recently.
Seven sins among professing Christians
The next thing we have to inquire after is those sins for which the Lord inflicts so heavy a judgment as this of fire upon men. Now for the opening of this, give me permission to propose this question—namely,
Question. What are those sins which bring the fiery dispensation, which bring the judgment of fire upon cities, nations, and countries? Now, that I may give a full and fair answer to this necessary and important question, will you please to PREMISE with me these four things—
[1.] First, We need not question but that some of all sorts, ranks, and degrees of men in and about that once great and glorious city, did eminently contribute to the bringing down of that dreadful judgment of fire, which has turned that renowned city into ashes. Doubtless superiors and inferiors, ministers and people, husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants, rich and poor, honorable and base, bond and free—have all had a hand in the bringing down that judgment of fire that has turned London into a ruinous heap. But,
[2.] Secondly, Premise this with me—namely, That it is a greater argument of humility, integrity, and holy sincerity to fear ourselves, and to be jealous of ourselves—rather than others, as the disciples of Christ did: Mat. 26:21-22, "And as they did eat, he said, Truly I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began everyone of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?" It is better for every man to do his best to ransack and search his own soul, Lam. 3:40, and to find out the Achan, Josh. 7, the accursed thing in his own bosom, which has brought that dreadful judgment of fire upon us; than for men, without any Scripture warrant, to fix it upon this party—or that party, this sort of men—or that sort of men. There is no Christian compared to him, who smites upon his own heart, his own bosom, his own thigh, saying, "What have I done?"
The neglect of this duty the prophet long since has complained of: "No one repents of his wickedness, saying—What have I done?" Jer. 8:6—that is, none comparatively. Just so, how rare is it to find a burnt citizen repenting of his wickedness, and saying, "What have I done?" Most men are ready to blame others—more than themselves; and to judge others—rather than themselves to be the people that have brought down this judgment of fire upon us, Mat. 7:1-4. It was a good saying of one of the ancients, [Augustine,] "God will judge those who judge others rashly—but not those that judge themselves piously." But,
[3.] Thirdly, Premise this with me, In times of common judgments, common calamities, and miseries—other saints and servants of God have looked upon their own sins as the procuring causes of the common calamity. Thus David did in that 2 Sam. 24:15, "So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died." But mark the 17th verse, "When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord—I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall upon me and my family."
And thus did good Nehemiah, chapter 1:3, 6-7, "They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." Verses 6-7, "I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses." Now certainly it is as much our glory as our duty—to write after these blessed copies that these worthies have set before us.
Alexander had somewhat a bent neck, and his soldiers thought it an honor to be like him. How much more should we count it an honor to be like to David and Nehemiah in such a practice as is honorable to the Lord, and advantageous to ourselves! But what Plutarch said of Demosthenes, that "he was excellent at praising the worthy acts of his ancestors—but not so at imitating them," is applicable to the present case, and to many who have been burnt up in our day. But,
[4.] Fourthly and lastly, Premise this with me, There were many sins among those who did profess to fear God in that great city, which may and ought to work them to justify the Lord, and to say that he is righteous in his fiery dispensations. I may well say to the burnt citizens of London what the prophet Oded said to those in 2 Chron. 28:10, "But aren't you also guilty of sins against the Lord your God?"
But you will say, What sins were there among the professing Christians in London that may and ought to work them to justify the Lord, and to say that he is just and righteous, and that he has done them no wrong, though he has burnt them up, and turned them out of all?
I answer, That there were these seven sins, among others, to be found among many of them, I say not among all of them, all which call aloud upon them to lie low at the foot of God, and to subscribe to the righteousness of God, though he has turned them out of house and home, and burnt up their substance on every hand.
[1.] First, There was among many professors of the gospel in London, a too great conformity to the fashions of the world. How many professing men in that great city were dressed up like vain worldly fellows, and women like the dolls sold at Bartholomew Fair—to the dishonor of God, the shame of religion, the hardening of the wicked, the grieving of the weak, and the provoking of divine justice! When Darius changed the fashion of his scabbard from the Persian manner into the mode of the Greeks, the Chaldean astrologers prognosticated that the Persian monarchy should be translated to them whose fashion he counterfeited. Certainly that nation may fear a scourge from that nation or nations whose fashion they follow: Zeph. 1:8, "On the day of the Lord's sacrifice I will punish the princes and the king's sons and all those clad in foreign clothes." This is a stinging and a flaming check against all fashion-mongers, against all such as seem to have consulted with French, Italian, Persian, and all outlandish monsters—to advise them of all their several modes and fashions of vice, and who are so dexterous at following of them. Certainly, if ever such wantons are saved, it will be by fire.
Worldly apparel is part of the old man, which must be put off, if ever men or women intend to go to heaven. What dreadful things are thundered out against those proud, curious dames of Jerusalem, by the prophet Isaiah, who being himself a courtier, inveighs as punctually against the noble vanity of apparel, as if he had even then viewed the ladies' wardrobes, Isaiah 38:16, seq. And those vanities of theirs brought desolating and destroying judgments upon them.
"The Lord says, "The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles. Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the Lord will make their scalps bald." In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, the earrings and bracelets and veils, the headdresses and ankle chains and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, the signet rings and nose rings, the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls. Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding. Your men will fall by the sword, your warriors in battle. The gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground." Isaiah 3:16-26
As light and slight as many make of vain apparel—yet Cypran and Augustine draw up this conclusion: "that superfluous apparel is worse than whoredom, because whoredom only corrupts chastity—but this corrupts nature." Seneca complained, that many in his time "were more solicitous of their attire—than of their good behavior, and that they had rather that the commonwealth should be troubled, than their hair should be out of place." I have read of the Grecians, that when they wished a curse upon their enemies, it was this—that they should please themselves in bad customs. There are many who lift their heads high, who seem to be under this curse this day.
God sent the pestilence in 1665, and the fiery judgment in 1666. And the Lord grant that the bloody sword, in the hands of cruel cut-throats, who are brutish and skillful to destroy, be not sent among us some other year to punish the same iniquity, Ezek. 21:31. O sirs! what was more common among many professors in London than to be clothed in worldly apparel, a la mode de France? Mark—those who imbibed the Babylonian habit were sent captives to Babylon, Ezek. 23:15. Those who borrowed the fashions of the Egyptians may get their boils and blotches. Certainly such as fear the Lord should go in no apparel—but,
first, such as they are willing to die in;
secondly, to appear before the Ancient of days in, when his judgments are abroad in the earth, Isaiah 26:8-10;
thirdly, to stand before a judgment-seat. But,
[2.] Secondly, There was among many professors of the gospel in London, much lukewarmness and coldness in the things of God. The city was full of lukewarm Laodiceans, Rev. 3:16-17. The love of many to God, to his people, to his ways, and to his instituted worship—was cold, very cold, stark cold, Mat. 24:12. God destroyed the old world by water for the heat of their lusts, and God has destroyed the city of London by fire for the coldness of their love to himself. I have read of Anastasius the emperor, how God shot him to death with a thunderbolt, because of his lukewarmness and formality. But,
[3.] Thirdly, There was a great deal of worldliness and earthly-mindedness, and covetousness among the professing people of London. O sirs! the world is all shadow and vanity. The world is like Jonah's gourd. A man may sit under its shadow for a time—but it soon decays and dies. The main reason why many professors dote upon the world is, because they are not acquainted with a greater glory. Men ate acorns until they were acquainted with the use of wheat. The loadstone cannot draw the iron when the diamond is in presence; and shall earthly vanities draw the soul, when Christ, the pearl of price, is in presence? Many of the professors of London were great worshipers of the golden calf, and therefore God is just in turning their golden calf into ashes. The world may well be resembled to the fruit that undid us all, which was fair to the sight, smooth in handling, sweet in taste—but deadly in effect and operation. The world in all its bravery is no better than the cities which Solomon gave to Hiram, which he called Cabul, that is, displeasing or dirty, 1 Kings 9:13. The whole world is circular, the heart of man triangular, and we know a circle cannot fill a triangle. If the heart of man be not filled with the three persons in Trinity, it will be filled with the world, the flesh, and the devil, 1 John 5:7.
Riches, like bad servants, never stay long with one master. What certainty is there in that which one storm at sea, one treacherous friend, one false oath, one ball of fire, yes, one spark of fire may strip us of? O sirs! if you can gather grapes off thorns, and figs off thistles, then go on, and dote upon the world still. All the things of this world are vain things—they are vanity of vanities, Eccles. 1:2. All in heaven count them vain, and all in hell count them vain; pearls are but as pebbles in their eyes. I am sure, that Lazarus in heaven is now rich enough, and happy enough; and Dives in hell is now poor enough, and miserable enough. He who makes his world his god while he is in the world, what will he do for a god when he goes out of this world? Well, sirs, remember this—inordinate love to the world will expose a man to SEVEN GREAT LOSSES—
First, To the loss of many precious opportunities of grace. Rich Felix had no leisure to hear poor Paul; and Martha, busied about many things, had no time to hear Christ preach, though never man preached as he preached, Acts 24, Luke 10, John 7. Men inordinately in love with the world have so much to do on earth, that they have no time to look up to heaven.
Secondly, To the loss of all heavenly benefit and profit by the ministry of the word. Ezek. 33:31-33; Mat. 13:22. Nothing will grow where gold grows. Where the love of the world prevails, there the ministry of the word will not prevail. If the love of the world is too hard for our hearts, then the ministry of the word will work but little upon our hearts.
Thirdly, To the loss of the face and favor of God. God does not smile upon those who are still smiling upon the world, and still running after the world, Psalm 30:6, and Isaiah 57:17. The face and favor of God are pearls of great price, which God bestows upon none but such whose heart is in heaven, Phil. 3:20, and who have the moon—namely, all things which are changeable as the moon—under their feet, Rev. 12:1-2. God never lifts up the light of his countenance upon a dunghill-spirited man. God hides his face from none so much and so long, as from those who are still longing after more and more of the world.
Fourthly, To the loss of religion, and the true worship and service of God; as you may see by comparing of these scriptures together. [2 Tim. 4:10; 1 Tim. 6:10; Jer. 5:7; Deut. 32:15; Hosea 4:7, and 13:6.] Many worldlings deal with religion as masons deal with their ladders when they have work to do, and to climb, etc. Oh then how they hug and embrace the ladder, and carry it on their arms and on their shoulders! but then, when they have done climbing, they hang the ladder on the wall, or throw it into a corner. O sirs, there is no loss, compare to the loss of true religion. A man were better to lose his name, his estate, his limbs, his liberty, his life, his all, than lose his religion.
Fifthly, To the loss of communion with God, and acquaintance with God. Deut. 8:10-11; Jer. 2:31, and 22:21; Psalm 144:15. A man whose soul is conversant with God shall find more pleasure, delight, and contentment in a desert, in a den, in a dungeon, and in death—than in the palace of a prince. Man's summum bonum—his highest good—stands in his communion with God, as Scripture and experience evidences. "God and I are good company," said Richard Sibbes. Macedonius the hermit, retiring into the wilderness that he might with more freedom enjoy God and have his heart in heaven, upon a time there came a young gentleman into the wilderness to hunt wild beasts, and seeing the hermit, he rode to him, asking him why he came into that solitary place? he desired that he might ask him the same question—why he came there? "I came hither to hunt," said the young gallant. "And so do I," says the hermit, "I hunt after my God!" They hunt best, who hunt most after communion with God. Urbanus Regius, having one day's converse with Luther, said, it was one of the sweetest days that ever he had in all his life. But what was one day's, yes, one year's converse with Luther, compared to one hour's converse with God? Now an inordinate love of the world will eat out all a man's communion with God. A man cannot look up to heaven and, look down upon the earth at the same time. But,
Sixthly, To the loss of his precious and immortal soul. Shimei, by seeking his servant, lost his life; and many by an eager seeking after this world, Mat. 16:26, and 1 Tim. 6:9, lose their precious and immortal souls. Many have so much to do on earth, that they have no time to look up to heaven, to honor their God, to secure their interest in Christ, or to make sure work for their souls. But,
Seventhly, To the loss of the world; for by their inordinate love of the world, they highly provoke God to strip them of the world. Ah, how rich might many a man have been, had he minded heaven more, and the world less! When men set their hearts so greedily upon the world, it is just with God to blast, and curse, and burn up all their worldly comforts round about them!
[4.] Fourthly, Many in London were fallen under spiritual decays, witherings, and languishings, in their graces, in their comforts, in their communions, and in their spiritual strength. They are fallen from their first love, Rev. 2:4. [The nutmeg-tree makes barren all the ground about it. Just so, does the spice of worldly love make the heart barren of grace. Ursinus observes that the sins and barrenness under the gospel in the Protestants in King Edward's days, brought in the persecution in Queen Mary's days.] The flame of divine love being blown out, God sends a flaming fire in the midst of them. Many Londoners were fallen into a spiritual consumption, and to recover them out of it, God sent a fire among them. Many in London were withered in their very profession. Where was that visible zeal, that diligence in waiting upon the Lord in his ordinances, which once was to be found among the citizens of London?
And many were withered in their spiritual converse one with another. There was not that graciousness, that holiness, that spiritualness, that heavenliness, that fruitfulness, that exemplariness, that seriousness, and that profitableness sparkling and shining in their converse one with another, as once was to be found among them.
And many were withered in their affections. Ah, what a flame of love, what a flame of joy, what a flame of desires, what a flame of delight, what a flame of zeal as to the things of God—was once to be found among the citizens of London! but how were those mighty flames of affection were reduced to a few coals and cinders! and therefore, it is no wonder if God sent a flaming fire in the midst of them, and many were withered in their very duties and services.
How slight, how formal, how cold, how careless, how remiss, how neglective were many in their families, in their closets, and in their church-communions, who heretofore were mighty in praying and wrestling with God, and mighty in lamenting and mourning over sin, and mighty in their groanings and longings after the Lord, and who of old would have taken the kingdom of heaven by violence Mat. 11:12.
There were many in that great city that had lost their spiritual taste; they could not taste that sweetness in promises, in ordinances, in Sabbaths, and in the communion of saints, that once they had tasted and found, 2 Sam. 19:35. In spiritual things, many citizens could taste no more sweetness than in the white of an egg, Job 6:6. Many in that great city had lost their spiritual appetite, they did not hunger and thirst after God and Christ, and the Spirit and grace, and the light of God's countenance, and pure ordinances, and the fellowship of the people of God—as once they did.
Now is there anything more contrary to the nature of God, the works of God, the word of God, the glory of God—than spiritual decays? Oh the prayers and the praises that God loses by decayed Christians! Ah, how do decayed Christians— grieve the strong, and stumble the weak, and strengthen the hands of the wicked, and lay themselves open to divine displeasure! Many in London did like Mandrobulus, who the first year offered to his god gold, the second year offered to his god silver, and the third year offered to his god nothing; and therefore no wonder if God sent a fire among them. But,
[5.] Fifthly, Their non-improvement of the mercies and privileges that they were surrounded with, and their non-improvement of lesser and greater judgments that God had formerly inflicted on them, and their non-improvement of their estates to that height they should have done—for the supply of them whose needs, bonds, necessities, and miseries did call aloud for supplies. Many did something, a few did much—but all should have done more.
[6.] Sixthly, Those unnatural arguments, fiery contests, violent passions, and severe divisions that have been among them, may well work them to justify the Lord in his fiery dispensations towards them; for a wolf to worry a lamb is usual—but for one lamb to worry another is unnatural; for Christ's lilies to be among thorns is common, Cant. 2:16—but for these lilies to become thorns, and to tear and rend, and fetch blood of one another, is monstrous and strange.
[7.] Seventhly and lastly, There were many in London who were so very secure, and so excessively taken up with their worldly comforts, contentments, and enjoyments, that they did not lay the afflictions of Joseph
(1.) so kindly,
(2.) so seriously,
(3.) so affectionately,
(4.) so readily,
(5.) so frequently,
(6.) so lamentingly, and
(7.) so constantly to heart as they ought to have done, Amos 6:6. Upon all these accounts, how well does it befit the citizens of London to cry out, "The Lord is righteous, the Lord is righteous in all his fiery dispensations towards us!"
But to prevent mistakes, and that I may lay no heavier a load upon the people of God who truly feared him, and who had and have a saving interest in him, than is fit, and that I may give no advantage to profane people to father the burning of the city of London wholly, mainly, or only upon the sins of the people of God, give me permission therefore to propound these FOUR QUERIES—
First, Whether all these seven sins last cited, or most of them, can be justly charged upon the body of those sincere Christians who lived then in London, and whose habitations are now burnt up?
Secondly, Whether those of the people of God, upon whom any of the aforementioned sins are chargeable, have not, before the city was burnt, daily lamented, bewailed, and mourned over those sins which might have been charged upon them either by their own consciences or others?
Thirdly, Where and how it does appear by the blessed Scriptures that ever God sent so great a judgment of fire as was poured out upon London upon the account of the sins of those who truly feared him, be it those seven that have been already specified, or any others that can be now clearly and justly proved against them?
Fourthly, Whether there are not some other men's sins upon whom in the clear evidence of Scripture light, this heavy judgment of fire may be more clearly, safely, and fairly fixed—than upon the sins of those who had set up God as the great object of their fear?
Now, in answer to this last query, give me permission to say,
[1.] First, That sin in the general brings the dreadful judgment of fire upon a people.
Mark, personal afflictions may come upon the people of God for trial, and to show the sovereignty of God, as in the case of Job, whose afflictions were for trial, and not for sin, Job 1. The same may be said of the man who was born blind, John 9.
But general judgments, such as this fiery dispensation was, never comes upon a people but upon the account of sin. This is evident in my text, Isaiah 42:24-25; God set Jacob and Israel on fire, and burnt them round about; but it was because they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law. Jer. 4:4, "Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done—burn with no one to quench it." So Psalm 107:33-34, "He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, and fruitful land into a salt waste—because of the wickedness of those who lived there." The very country of Jewry, as travelers report, which flowed once with milk and honey, is now for fifteen miles surrounding Jerusalem, like a desert, without grass, tree, or shrub. Ah, what ruins does sin bring upon the most renowned countries and cities that have been in the world! Such is the destructive nature of sin, that it will sooner or later level the richest, the strongest, and the most glorious cities in the world.
Just so, the prophet Amos tells us that it is sin which brings God's sorest punishments upon his people: Amos 1:3, "For three transgressions of Damascus," (by which we are to understand the greatness of their iniquities,) "and for four," (by which we are to understand the multitude of their transgressions,) "I will not turn away the punishment thereof." The same is said of Gaza, verse 6, and of Tyre, verse 9, and of Edom, verse 11, and of Ammon, verse 13, and of Moab, chapter 2:1, and of Judah, verse 4, and of Israel, verse 6.
Now it is very observable of every one of these, that when God threatens to punish them for the greatness of their iniquities, and for the multitude of their transgressions, he does particularly threaten to send a fire among them to consume the houses and the palaces of their cities; so he does to Damascus: Amos 1:4, "But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad." So he does to Gaza, verse 7, "But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall devour the palaces thereof." So he does to Tyre, verse 10, "But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre, which shall devour the palaces thereof." So he does to Edom, verse 12, "But I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah." So he does to Ammon, verse 14, "But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind." Just so, he does to Moab, chapter 2 verse 2, "But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kirioth; and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of a trumpet." So he does to Judah, verse 5, "But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem."
By all these remarkable instances it is evident that God, by his fiery dispensations, tells all the world that the sins of that people are great and many, upon whom the dreadful judgment of fire is inflicted in its fury; and therefore it is high folly and madness in many men, which makes them impute this heavy judgment of fire to anything rather than to their sins. O sirs, it is sin which burns up our habitations, and which turns flames of love into a consuming fire. And this the Parliament, in their Act for the Rebuilding of the City of London, well observes. The clause of the Act is this: "And that the said citizens, and their successors for all the time to come, may retain the memorial of so sad a desolation, and reflect seriously upon their manifold iniquities, which are the unhappy causes of such judgments: Be it further enacted, That the second of September (unless the same happen to be Sunday; and if so, then the next day following) be yearly forever hereafter observed as a day of public fasting and humiliation within the city—to implore the mercies of Almighty God upon the city, to make devout prayers and supplications unto him to divert the like calamity for the time to come."
So Sir William Turner, knight, in his speech to the king upon the prorogation of the Parliament: "We must," says he, "forever with humility acknowledge the justice of God in punishing this whole nation by the recent dreadful conflagration of London. We know they were not the greatest sinners on whom the tower of Siloam fell," Luke 13:4, "and doubtless all our sins did contribute to the filling up that measure, which being full, drew down the wrath of God upon that city."
So much the king, in his proclamation for a general fast on the 10th of October, observes. The words of the proclamation are these: "His majesty therefore, out of a deep and pious sense of what himself and all his people now suffer, and with a pious care to prevent what may yet be feared, unless it shall please Almighty God to turn away his anger from us, does hereby publish and declare his royal will and pleasure, that Wednesday, being the tenth of October next ensuing, shall be set apart, and kept, and observed by all his majesty's subjects of England and Wales, as a day of solemn fasting and humiliation, to implore the mercies of God, that it would please him to pardon the crying sins of this nation, those especially which have drawn down this last and heavy judgment upon us, and to remove from us all other his judgments which our sins have deserved, and which we now either feel or fear."
Thus you see that not only the blessed Scriptures—but also king and Parliament, do roundly conclude that it was for our sins, our manifold iniquities, our crying sins, that God has sent this heavy judgment upon us. His majesty also well observes, that there are some special crying sins that bring down the fiery judgment upon us. Now this royal hint leads me by the hand to say—
[2.] Secondly, Though sin in the general lays people under the fiery dispensations of God—yet if we will but diligently search into the blessed book of God, which never spoke an untruth, we shall find that there are several specific sins which bring the heavy judgment of fire upon cities and countries. As,
Though sin in the general lays people under the fiery dispensations of God—yet if we will but diligently search into the blessed book of God, which never spoke an untruth, we shall find that there are several specific sins which bring the heavy judgment of fire upon cities and countries. As,
1. Gross ATHEISM, practical atheism, is a sin that brings desolating and destroying judgments upon a people.
Atheism denies God either:
(1.) In opinion—saying there is no God; or
(2.) In affection—wishing there were no God; or
(3.) In practice—living as if there were no God, Rev. 22:12.
Psalm 14:1, "The fool says in his heart—There is no God!" Zeph. 1:12, "And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men who are settled upon their lees, that say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil." What horrid blasphemy, what gross atheism is here! How do these atheists ungod the great God! How do they deny his omnipotence and omniscience! What an idol-god do they make the great God to be, when they make him to be such a God as will neither do good nor hurt! Epicurus denied not God's essence—but only his providence; for he granted that there was a God, though he thought him to be such a one as did neither good nor evil; but certainly God sits not idle in heaven—but has a sharp and serious eye upon all that is done on the earth. And this both saints and sinners shall find by experience, when in the great day he shall distribute both his rewards and punishments according to what they have done in the flesh.
Atheism is the main disease of the soul, not only pestilent to the person in whom it is harbored—but also to the whole land where it is practiced and permitted. Atheism is worse than idolatry; for idolatry only robs God of his worship—but atheism robs God both of his attributes and being; and therefore mark what follows: verse 13, "Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation; they shall also build houses—but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards—but not drink the wine thereof."
Ezekiel 20:47-49, "Say to the southern forest: 'Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north will be scorched by it. Everyone will see that I the Lord have kindled it; it will not be quenched.'" Then I said, "Ah, Sovereign Lord! They are saying of me, 'Isn't he just telling parables?'" Here was a pack of atheists, who mocked and scoffed at the prophet and his parables; they told him that he talked like a madman, and that he spoke of such things that neither himself nor others understood; for he talked of the south, and of the forests of the south, and of fire, and of flaming fire, and of green and dry trees, and that all these things were dark and obscure to them: they put off all the prophet spoke as allegorical, as mystical, and as enigmatical, and as dark visions, and as dreams, and imaginations, and divinations of his own brain—and therefore they needed not much mind what he said. Now mark these atheists, what do they do? They provoke the Lord to kindle a fire, a universal fire, an unquenchable fire, an inextinguishable fire in the midst of Jerusalem, which is here termed a forest, by reason of its barrenness and unfruitfulness, and the multitudes that were in it; and because it was fit for nothing but the axe and the fire.
Atheism is a sin that has brought the greatest woes, miseries, destructions, and desolations imaginable upon the most flourishing kingdoms and most glorious cities in the world. Holy Mr. Greenham was accustomed to say that he feared rather atheism than Popery would be England's ruin. O sirs! were there none within the walls of London, who said in their hearts with David's atheistical fool, "There is no God!" Psalm 14:1. Caligula the emperor was such a one; and Claudius thought himself a god until the loud thunder affrighted him, and then he hid himself and cried, "Claudius is not a God!" Leo X., Hildebrand the magician, and Alexander VI., and Julius II. were all most wretched atheists, and thought that whatever was said of Christ, of heaven, of hell, of the day of judgment, and of the immortality of the soul—were but dreams, impostures, toys, and old wives' fables.
Pope Paul III., at the time of his death, said he would now be resolved of three questions that he had doubted of all his life:
(1.) Whether the soul was immortal or not;
(2.) Whether there were a hell or not;
(3.) Whether there were a God or not.
And another grand atheist said, "I know what I have here in this world—but I know not what I shall have hereafter." Now were there no such atheists within the walls of London before it was turned into ashes? The atheist in Psalm 10:11 says, "He will never see;" and in Psalm 94:7, they rise higher; they say, "The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it." They labor to lay a law of restraint upon God, and to cast a mist before the eye of his providence. And in Isaiah 29:15, they say, "Who sees us? who knows us?" And in Ezek. 9:9, they say, "The Lord has forsaken the earth, and the Lord sees not." These atheists shut up God in heaven as a blind and ignorant God, not knowing, or not regarding, what is done on the earth; they imagine him to be a forgetful God, or a God that sees not. Psalm 73:11, they say, "How does God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?" Thus they deny God's omniscience and God's omnipresence, which to do is to ungod the great God, as much as in them lies.
Now were there no such atheists within the walls of London before it was destroyed by fire? Oh how did practical atheism abound in London! How many within your walls, O London! did profess they knew God—but in their works did deny him, being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate! Titus 1:16. O sirs! some there are who live loosely under the gospel, who run into all excess of riot—and that, in the face of all promises and threatenings, mercies and judgments, yes, in the very face of life and death, of heaven and hell.
"Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think—Who sees us? Who will know?" Isaiah 29:15. And there are others who sin freely in secret, who can be drunk and filthy in the dark, when the eye of man is not upon them. Certainly those men's hearts are very atheistic, who dare do that in the sight of God—which they tremble to do before the eyes of men! How many are there who flatter themselves in their sins, and conclude that surely the bitterness of hell and wrath is past, and that they are in a fair way for heaven—when every step they take is towards the bottomless pit, and divine vengeance hangs over their heads, ready every moment to fall upon them!
Are there not many that seldom pray, and when they do, how cold, how careless, how dull, how dead, how heartless, how irreverent—are they in all their addresses to the great God? Are there not many such atheists that use no prayer, nor Bible—but make novels their Old Testament, and newspapers their New Testament? Are there not many who grant there is a God—but then it is such a God as is made up all of mercy, and thereupon they think, and speak, and do as wickedly as they please? And are there not some that look upon God as a sin-revenging God, and thereupon wish that there were no God? And are there not others who have very odd and foolish conceptions of God, as if he were an old man, sitting in heaven with royal robes upon his back, a glorious crown upon his head, and a kingly scepter in his hand, and as if he had all the parts and proportion of a man, as the papists are pleased to picture him? Some there are who are so drowned in sensual pleasures, that they scarce remember that they have a God to honor, a hell to escape, a heaven to secure, souls to save, and an account to give up. And others there are who, when they find conscience begin to accuse and terrify them, then, with Cain, they go to their fine buildings, or with Saul to their music, or with the drunkards to their cups, or with the gamesters to their sports, Gen. 4; 1 Sam. 18:6, 10; Job 31:24; Phil. 3:19.
The covetous make their gold their god. The drunkard and the glutton make their bellies their god. The ambitious make honors their god. The voluptuous make pleasures their god. The religionists make pious duties their god. The honest make their moral virtues their god, Amos 6; Mat. 23. Now what abundance of such atheists were there within the walls of London before the fiery judgment passed upon it! The Scripture attributes the ruin of the old world to atheism and profaneness, Gen. 6; and why may not I attribute the ruin and desolation of London to the same? Practical atheists are enough to overthrow the most flourishing nations, and the most flourishing cities which are in all the world.
But to prevent all mistakes in a business of so great a concernment, give me permission to say, that if we speak of atheists in a strict and proper sense, as meaning such as have simply and constantly denied all deity, then I must say that there was never any such creature in the world, who simply and constantly to deny that there is a God. It is an inviolable principle, and indelibly stamped upon man's nature, that there is a God. Those who shall deny that there is a God, must extinguish the very light of nature, by which the very heathen in all the ages of the world have acknowledged a supreme divine Being. Bion of Borysthenes was a very great atheist all his lifetime; he denied the gods, despised their temples, and derided their worship; yet when death came, he would rather have endured the greatest torment than to have died, and that not so much for fear of a natural death—but for fear of what followed after, lest God, whom he had denied, should give him up into the hand of the devil whom he had served; and therefore at the time of his death he put forth his hand, crying,"Welcome, devil, welcome!" —foolishly thinking to pacify the devil by this flattering salutation.
The stoutest atheists that ever lived cannot resolutely and constantly believe there is no God; hence heathens have condemned some to death who denied there was a God. Tully observes of Epicurus, that though no man seemed more to despise both God and death—yet no man feared more both the one and the other. The philosophers did, with one consent, affirm that there is a God—but knew him not. He who shall deny there is a God, sins with a very high hand against the light of nature; for every creature, yes, the least gnat and fly, and the basest worm that crawls upon the ground, will confute and confound that man who disputes whether there be a God or not. The name of God is written in such full, fair, and shining characters upon the whole creation, that all men may run and read that there is a God. The notion of a deity is so strongly and deeply impressed upon the tables of all men's hearts, that to deny a God is to quench the very principles of common nature; yes, it is formally, a killing of God, as much as in the creature lies.
There are none of these atheists in hell; for the devils believe and tremble, James 2:19. The Greek word which is here used, signifies properly the roaring of the sea; it implies such an extreme fear, as causes not only trembling—but also a roaring and screeching out, Mark 6:49; Acts 16:29. The devils believe and acknowledge four articles of our faith, Mat. 8:29,
(1.) They acknowledge God;
(2.) They acknowledge Christ;
(3.) They acknowledge the day of judgment;
(4.) They acknowledge that they shall be tormented then; so that he who does not believe that there is a God, is more vile than a devil. To deny there is a God, is a sort of atheism that is not to be found in hell.
"On earth are atheists many,
In hell there are not any."
Augustine, speaking of atheists, says, "That albeit there are some who think, or would persuade themselves, that there is no God; yet the most vile and desperate wretch who ever lived would not say—there was no God." Seneca has a remarkable speech, "They lie," says he, "who say they perceive not there is a God; for although they affirm it to you in the daytime—yet by night they doubt of it. Further, I have heard of some who have denied that there was a God; yet never knew the man but, when he was sick, he would seek unto God for help; therefore they do but lie who say there is no God; they sin against the light of their own consciences; they who most studiously go about to deny God—yet cannot do it—but some check of conscience will fly in their faces!"
Tully would say that there was never any nation under heaven so barbarous as to deny that there was a God. I have seen a city without walls—but never any city but acknowledged a God. Whatever you see, and whatever you see not, is God; that is, all things visible and invisible do express unto you a deity, and lead you as by the hand to contemplate heavenly, spiritual, and eternal things. God is known by his effects, though not by his essence. The creation of the world is a mirror, wherein, says Paul, we may behold his eternal power and Godhead, Romans 1.
I think Zeno hit the mark when he said, "To hear and see an atheist die, will more demonstrate that there is a God, than all the learned can do by all their arguments." That epitaph which was written upon Sennacherib's tomb, may well be written upon every atheist, "He who looks upon us, let him believe there is a God, and learn to fear him." In all the ages of the world, God has given a most severe testimony against atheists. That Assyrian who bragged at a feast that he did never offer sacrifice to a God, was eaten up by lice. And Lucian, a great atheist, going to supper abroad, left his hounds fast when he went, and as he returned home, having railed against God and his word, his dogs fell mad, met him, and tore him in pieces. I have read of some heathens who, being at sea in a very dangerous storm, where they were likely to be cast away, they each began to examine themselves what would be the reason of so dreadful a storm, and after that they had all cast up their accounts by querying with themselves, "What have I done," said one, and "What have I done," said another, "that has occasioned this storm?" At last it issued thus, they remembered that they had Diagoras the atheist on board; and rather than they would all perish for that atheist's sake, they took him by the heels and hurled him overboard, and then the storm ceased, and the sea was quiet.
It will be hard to name an atheist either in the Holy Scripture, or in ecclesiastical histories, or in heathen writings, which came not to some fearful end; and therefore no wonder if Austin would not be an atheist for half an hour for the gain of a million of worlds, because he knew not but God might in that time make an end of him. I have been the longer upon this head, because atheist and atheism did never so abound in this land as it has done these last years, and that you may the clearer see who they are, who have brought that sad judgment of fire upon that once glorious city of London. Ah London, London! it was the gross atheism and the practical atheist who have turned you into a ruinous heap!
Mark, I readily grant that there is the seeds, relics, stirring, and moving of atheism in the best and holiest of men; but then,
(1.) They disallow of it, and discountenance it;
(2.) It is lamented and bewailed by them;
(3.) They oppose it, and conflict with it;
(4.) They use all holy and conscientious means and endeavors to be rid of it;
(5.) By degrees they gain ground against it, and therefore God never did, nor ever will, turn cities or kingdoms into flames for those seeds and remains of atheism which are to be found in the best of saints.
It is that atheism that is rampant, that reigns in the hearts and lives of sinners, as a prince reigns upon his throne, that brings desolating and destroying judgments upon the most flourishing kingdoms and the most glorious cities which are in the world. But,
2. Secondly, LUXURY and INTEMPERANCE bring desolating and destroying judgments upon places and people. Joel 1:5, "Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine; wail because of the new wine, for it has been snatched from your lips." verse 19-20, "To you, O Lord, I call, for fire has devoured the open pastures and flames have burned up all the trees of the field. Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the open pastures." [In ecclesiastical history you may read of one drunkard, who, being touched with his sin, wept himself blind; but the drunkards of our days are more apt to drink themselves blind than to weep themselves blind.]
Luxury is a sin which brings both famine and fire upon a people; it brought the Chaldeans upon the Jews, who by fire and sword laid all waste. The horses of the Chaldeans destroyed their pastures, vines, fig-trees, pomegranates, etc., which grew in many places of the land, and their soldiers set their houses on fire, and so brought all to ruin. Amos 6:1, "Woe to those who are at ease in Zion;" verse 3, "That put far away the evil day." "You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end. The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself—the Lord God Almighty declares: "I abhor the pride of Jacob and detest his fortresses; I will deliver up the city and everything in it." Amos 6:4-8. Verse 11, "For the Lord has given the command, and he will smash the great house into pieces and the small house into bits."
Luxury is a sin that forfeits all a man's enjoyments, that turns him out of house and home. Samaria was a very glorious city, and a very strong city, and a very rich city, and a very populous city, and a very ancient city, etc., and yet luxury and intemperance turned it into ashes—it brought desolating and destroying judgments upon it. The rich citizens of Samaria were given up to mirth and music, to luxuries and excesses, to riotousness and drunkenness, to feasting and carousing; and by these vanities and debaucheries they provoked the Lord to command the Chaldeans to fall on and to rob them of their riches, and to lay their glorious city in ashes.
Just so, it was luxury and intemperance that provoked the Lord to rain hell out of heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah, Gen. 18; luxury turned those rich and populous cities into ruinous heaps.
Ah London! London! the luxuries and excesses, the riotousness and drunkenness, the mad feasting and carousing that have been withinbyour walls, that have been within your great halls, taverns, and other great houses—has turned you into ashes, and laid your glory in the dust. O you burnt citizens of London! what shameful spewing has been in some of your feasts! How often have many of you poured into your bodies such intoxicating drinks as has many times laid you asleep, stripped you of your reason, took away your minds, robbed you of yourselves, and laid a beast in your stead! Drunkenness is so base, so vile a sin, that it transforms the soul, deforms the body, bereaves the brain, empties the strength, defiles the affections, and metamorphoses the whole man; yes, it unmans the man. Cyrus the Persian monarch being demanded of his grandfather Astyages why he would drink no wine, answered, "For fear lest they give me poison; for yesterday, when you celebrated your birthday, I judged that somebody had poisoned all the wine they drank, because not one of all those who were present at the feast arose in his right mind!" Has it not been thus with many of you? If it has, lay your hands upon your mouths, and say, "The Lord is righteous, though he has laid your houses in ashes!"
Anacharsis used to say that "the first cup of wine was for thirst, the second for nourishment, the third for mirth, and the fourth for madness!" But what would he have said had he lived within the walls of London these last six years? Isaiah 5:22; Hab. 2:17. Ah London! London! were there none within your walls, who were strong to drink, and that gave their neighbor drink, and that put the bottle to them to make them drunk, that they might look on their nakedness? Were there none within your walls, that with Marcus Antoninus, Darius, Alexander the Great, etc., did boast, and brag, and pride themselves in their great abilities to drink down any who should come into their company? Were there none within your walls, O London! who cried out, "If you take away our liquor, you take away our lives?"
Austin brings in the drunkard, saying, "He had rather lose his life than his wine." And Ambrose speaks of one Theotimus, who being told by his physicians that much quaffing would make him blind, answered then, "Farewell sweet light, farewell sweet eyes; if you will not bear wine, you are no eyes for me!" Were there none within your walls, O London! who did abuse the good creatures of God so profusely, so prodigally, so prodigiously, as if they had been sent into the world for no other end but thus to abuse themselves, reproach their Maker, and abuse those choice blessings which God had given for more noble ends?
The custom of drunkenness has been so great within your walls, O London! that it is no wonder if the Lord for that alone has laid your glory in the dust; yes, and that shameful spewing is upon all your glory, Hab. 2:16, considering what shameful spewing have been in your streets, taverns, halls, alehouses, and other great men's houses, where temperance, righteousness, justice, and holiness should have dwelt in glory and triumph! Ah London! how many within your walls have been drinking wine in bowls, when they should have been mourning over their sins, and grieving for the afflictions of Joseph, and sighing over those distressed Christians whose drink was nothing but sorrow and blood and tears! These are the men who have kindled a burning upon all your glory.
O sirs! that you would forever remember that intemperance, luxury, is a sin, an enemy that,
[1.] First, Intemperance robs God of his glory. It denies him all service and obedience. Intemperate people are neither fit for praying to God, nor praising of God, nor receiving from God. Intemperance turns the temple of the Holy Spirit into a sepulcher, a kitchen, a hog-stye; and what glory then can God have from an intemperate person? 1 Cor. 6:19. But,
[2.] Secondly, Intemperance robs both God and man, of much precious time. Time is a precious jewel, more worth than all the world. [When Ignatius heard a clock strike, he would say, I have one hour more to answer for: so precious a jewel was time in his eye.] One called his friends thieves, because they stole time from him; and certainly there are no worse thieves than intemperance; for that robs men of their hearing-times, and their praying-times, and their reading-times. There is so much precious time spent in the tavern and in the tippling-house, that the intemperate person cannot be at leisure to spend any time in his family or in his closet, etc., to save his own or others' souls. But there will come a time, either in this or the other world, wherein all intemperate people will wish that they had spent that precious time in serving of God, and in saving their own and others' souls, which they have spent in luxury and excess, carousing and drinking; but all too late, all too late! Time is not only the fruit of God's indulgence—but also the fruit of Christ's purchase. That doom passed upon Adam, "In the day you eat thereof, you shall die the death," or dying, you shall die, would have been put in execution immediately, had not Christ interposed immediately between man's sin and God's wrath. What can there be of more weight and importance, than eternity? It is the heaven of heaven, and the very hell of hell, without which neither would heaven be so desirable, nor hell so formidable. Now eternity depends upon time. Time is the prologue to eternity; the great weight of eternity hangs upon the small wire of time! Our time, whether it be longer or shorter, is given us by God to provide for our everlasting condition, 2 Cor. 6:2; Isaiah 49:8. We have souls to save, a hell to escape, a heaven to make sure, our pardon to sue out, our saving interest in Christ to make good; and all this must be quickly done, or we undone, and that forever. Man's eternal weal or woe depends upon his good pr bad improvement of that inch of time which is allotted to him. Now what a dreadful account will such give up at last, who have wasted away their precious time in luxury and excess. But,
[3.] Thirdly, Intemperance robs men of their names. Bonosus, a beastly drunken emperor, was called a tankard; and Tiberius was surnamed Biberius for his tippling; and Erasmus was called Eccius Jeccius for the same cause, and Diotimus of Athens was called a tun-dish, and young Cicero a hog's-head. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Intemperance robs men of their health; for how many are there, that by drinking to other men's healths, have destroyed their own! Many more perish by intemperance than by violence. Intemperance is the source and nurse of all kinds of diseases. More perish by surfeiting than by suffering. Every intemperate person digs his own grave with his own mouth and teeth, and is certainly a self-tormentor, a self-destroyer, a self-murderer. I have read of a monk at Prague, who having heard the confessions of many drunkards, wondered at it, and for an experiment he would needs try his brain with this sin, so accordingly he drank himself drunk. Now after the vexation of three days' sickness, to all who confessed that sin he enjoined no other penance but this, "Go and be drunk again!" intimating thereby that there was no punishment, no torment which could be inflicted upon a drunkard so great as, "Go and be drunk again!" Besides all the other plagues which attend this sin, drunkenness is a woe to itself. Temperance is the best and noblest medicine, and those who use it commonly are most long-lived. But,
[5.] Fifthly, Intemperance robs men of their estates. It robs the wife many times of her dowry, and the children of their portion, and the husband of his inheritance, his trade, his all. The very word luxury, properly signifies the wasting of the good which at the present we enjoy. Solomon hit the mark when he said, "The drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty," Proverbs 23:21. The full cup makes an empty purse, and a fat dish makes a lean money-bag. He who draws you wine his keg, puts your money into his own pocket. Mr. Livius, when he had spent a great estate in luxurious living, jesting at his own folly, he said that he had left nothing for his heir more than air and mire. Philip king of Macedon, making war upon the Persians, understood that they were a luxurious people; he presently withdrew his army, saying it was needless to make war upon them, who by their luxury would shortly overthrow themselves. But,
[6.] Sixthly, Intemperance robs men of everlasting happiness and blessedness. Gal. 5:19-21. It shuts them out from all the glory of that upper world, and tumbles them down to the lowest hell, as you may see in that great instance of luxurious Dives, Luke 16:19-26. The intemperate man's table proves a snare to his soul. Fullness breeds forgetfulness, wantonness, blockishness, and stupidity; and therefore no wonder if God shuts the gates of glory against intemperate people. Look! as no leper might be in the camp of Israel, Num. 5; and as no Gileadite might pass over Jordan, Judges 12; and as no fearful man might enter into the wars of Midian, chapter 7; and as no bastard might enter into the sanctuary, Deut. 33; so no luxurious person shall enter into heaven. Of all sorts of sinners, the luxurious sinner is most rarely reformed. The adulterer may become chaste, the thief may become an honest man, the swearer may obtain a sanctified tongue; but how rare is it to see a luxurious person repent, break off his sins, close with Christ, and walk to heaven! Luxurious people eat and drink away their Christ; yes, they eat and drink away their souls, nay, they eat and drink away their own salvation! Mat. 21:31-32; Luke 23:43. Those who serve their own bellies, serve not the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore they shall never reign with him in eternal heaven. Certainly that man who makes his belly his god, shall be forever separated from God, "For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things." Philippians 3:18-19. All belly-gods shall at last be found in the belly of hell. The intemperate person has his heaven here; his hell is to come. Now he has his sweet cups, his merry cups, his pleasant cups. Oh, but there is a cup of shame and sorrow to come! "Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup." Psalm 11:6. The intemperate person has been a gulf to devour many mercies, and therefore he shall at last be cast into a gulf of endless miseries. In a word, intemperance is a mother sin, a breeding sin; it is a sin which is an inlet to all other sins; we may call it "Gad, for behold, a troop comes," Deut. 32:17, 24. Oh the pride, the oppression, the cruelty, the security, the uncleanness, the filthiness, the profaneness which comes trooping after intemperance, Jer. 5:7-9. And therefore Aristotle concludes, that double punishments are due to drunkards; first for their drunkenness, and then for other sins committed in and by their drunkenness.
Now seeing that intemperance and luxury is so great a sin, is it any wonder to see divine justice turn the most glorious cities in the world into a ruinous heap, when this sin of intemperance is rampant in the midst of them? Ah, London! London! the intemperance and luxury that has been within your walls, has brought the desolating judgment of fire upon you, that has laid all your glory in ashes and rubbish! How many great houses were there once within your walls, that should have been public schools of piety and virtue—but were turned into mere nurseries of luxury and debauchery! How have the rules of the Persian civility been forgotten in the midst of you Est. 1:6-7. How many within your walls did make their belly their God, their kitchen their religion, their dresser their altar, and their cook their minister, whose whole felicity lay in eating and drinking, whose bodies were as sponges, and whose throats were as open sepulchers to take in all precious liquors, and whose bellies were as graves to bury all God's creatures in!
And how have many men been forced to unman themselves, either to please some, or to avoid the anger or wrath of others, or else to gain the honorable character of being a high boy, or of one who was strong to drink among others, or to drink down others! Oh the drunken matches that have been within your walls, O London!—the Lord has seen them, and been provoked by them to kindle a fire in the midst of you.
Luxury is a sin which never goes alone; it has many other great sins attending and waiting on it. Idleness, fighting, quarreling, whoring, cheating, stealing, robbing, are the handmaids which wait on luxury, Proverbs 23:29-33; and therefore no wonder if God has appeared in flames of fire against it. I have been the longer upon this head, because luxury, intemperance, is one of the great darling sins of our age and day; it is grown to epidemic, not only in the city—but in other countries also, and it is a very God-dishonoring, and a God-provoking, and a soul-damning, and a land-destroying sin: and oh, that what I have writ might be so blessed as to put some effectual stop to those notorious public excesses and luxuries that have been and still are rampant in most parts of the land. "You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter." James 5:5. "Those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces." Luke 7:25
But now, beloved, this sin of luxury and intemperance I cannot charge with clear and full evidence upon the people of the Lord, who truly fear him and sincerely serve him, whose habitations were once within the walls of London; nay, this I know, that for this very sin among others, their souls did often mourn before the Lord in secret. And truly of such professors who live and wallow in luxury and intemperance, if we compare their lives and Christ's laws together, I think we may confidently conclude, "Either this is not Christianity, or they are not Christians." And thus Tertullian, Cyprian, Justin Martyr, and others concluded against the luxurious and intemperate Christians of their times. Salvian relates how the heathen did reproach such luxurious Christians, who by their lewd lives made the gospel of Christ to be a reproach: "Where," said the heathen, "is that good law which they do believe? Where are those rules of godliness which they learn? They read the holy Gospel, and yet are unclean; they hear the apostles' writings, and yet are drunk; they follow Christ, and yet disobey Christ; they profess a holy law, and yet do lead impure lives!" Panormitan, a heathen, having read the 5th, 6th, and 7th chapters of Matthew, and comparing the loose and luxurious lives of professing Christians with those rules of Christ; concluded that those people were not Christians.
The loose and luxurious lives of many Christians was made by the heathen, the reproach of Christ himself, "How can we think the master to be good—whose disciples we see to be so bad?" Epiphanius says that in his days many shunned the society of the Christians because of the looseness and luxuriousness of their lives. And Augustine confessed that in his time the loose and luxurious lives of many who professed the Christian religion gave a great advantage to the Manichees to reproach the whole church of God and the ways of God. The Manichees were a sort of people who affirmed that there were two principles or beginnings of things—namely, a summum bonum and a summum malum. A summum bonum, from whence sprang all good, and a summum malum, from whence issued forth all evil. Now the loose and luxurious lives of such as had a profession upon them hardened these in their errors, and caused them with open mouth greatly to reproach and deeply to censure the sincerest saints.
Chrysostom preferred brute beasts before luxurious people; for they go from belly to labor, when the luxurious person goes from belly to bed, or from belly to cards or dice, if not to something that is worse.
Augustine well observes that God has not given to man talons and claws to rend and tear in pieces—like bears and leopards; nor horns to push—like bulls and rams; nor a sting to prick—like wasps, and bees, and serpents; nor a bill to strike—like eagles and ostriches; nor a wide mouth to devour—like dogs and lions; but a little mouth, to show that man should be very temperate both in his eating and drinking. How applicable these things are to the luxurious people that lived within the walls of London before it was turned into ashes, I shall leave the wise in heart to judge. But,
3. Thirdly, Those great and horrid sins that were to be found in many men's callings—namely, excessive worldliness, extortion, deceit, bribery, etc.—these brought the severe judgment of fire upon us. Proverbs 28:20, 22, and see Josh. 7:15, 21, 24-25. When men are so greedy and mad upon the world that they make haste to be rich by all sinful devices and cursed practices, no wonder if God burns up their substance, and turns their persons out of house and home. The coal the eagle got from the altar—the sacrifice—and carried it to her nest, set all on fire; so that estate that men get by sinful ways and unwarrantable courses sooner or later will set all they have on fire. He who resolves to be evil, may soon be rich, when the spring of conscience is screwed up to the highest pin, and is ready to crack; when religion is locked up in an out-room, and forbidden upon pain of death to look into the shop or warehouse. No wonder such men thrive and grow great in the world; but all the riches such men store up, is but fuel for the fire!
Hab. 2:9, "Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain to set his nest on high, to escape the clutches of ruin!" verse 11, "The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it." verse 13, "Has not the Lord Almighty determined that the people's labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?" ["He," says Chrysostom, "who locks up ill-gotten riches in his counting-house, locks up a thief in his counting-house, which will carry all away, and if he look not the better to it, his precious soul also!"] They had gotten great estates by an evil covetousness, and God was resolved that he would make a bonfire of all their ill-gotten goods; and though they should venture their lives to save their goods and quench the flames—yet all should be but labor in vain.
Jer. 51:58, "This is what the Lord Almighty says—Babylon's thick wall will be leveled and her high gates set on fire; the peoples exhaust themselves for nothing, the nations' labor is only fuel for the flames." Though Babylon was a city of great fame and state and riches, and deservedly accounted one of the world's nine wonders; though the length of the walls was forty-six miles, and the height fifty cubits, and of so great a breadth that carts and carriages might meet on the top of them; yes, though it was so great and vast a city; yet at last, according to the word of the Lord, it was set on fire; and though the inhabitants did weary and tire out themselves to quench the flames, and to save their stately houses and ill-gotten riches—yet all was labor in vain, and to no purpose. In the days of Pliny it was an utter desolation, and in the time of Jerome it was turned into a park, in which the king of Persia used to hunt.
Just so, Ezek. 28:18-19, "By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more." Tyre, among the sea-bordering cities, was most famous and renowned for merchandise and trade; for there resorted the merchants of all countries of Palestina, Syria, Egypt, Persia, and Assyria. They of Tarshish brought iron, lead, brass, and silver there. The Syrians brought there carbuncles, purple, broidered work, fine linen, coral, and pearl there. The Jews brought their honey, oil, treacle, cassia, and calamus there. The Arabians brought lambs, muttons, and goats there. The Sabeans brought their exquisite spices and apothecary stuff, with gold and precious stones there. Now by fraud and deceit they grew exceeding rich and wealthy; which in the close issued in their total ruin, according to that of the prophet: Zech. 9:3-4, "Tyre has built herself a stronghold; she has heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets. But the Lord will take away her possessions and destroy her power on the sea, and she will be consumed by fire!" The Tyrians did hold themselves invincible, because of their situation being round about environed by the sea; but yet the prophet tells them, that though they were compassed about with deep waters—yet they should be destroyed by fire, which was executed by Alexander the Great, as historians testify.
It is not the strength, nor riches, nor situation, nor trade, nor honor, nor fame, nor antiquity of a city—which can preserve it, when God beforehand has by fire determined the destruction of it. Tyre was a city of the greatest merchandising, it was a city of mighty trade, they were set upon heaping up of riches by hook or by crook; so riches came in, though it were at the door of oppression, violence, or injustice, Ezek. 27; Isaiah 23:5-9. The trade of Tyre was great, and the sins which attended that trade were very great, and for these God sent a devouring fire among them, which destroyed their palaces and treasuries, and reduced their glorious city to ashes. By the iniquity of their trade, they had built palaces and stately houses, and filled their shops and warehouses and cellars with rich and choice commodities; but when God brought Nebuchadnezzar upon them, what the Chaldeans could not destroy by the sword they consumed by fire, turning all their glorious palaces, and stately buildings, and costly shops, and warehouses, into ashes, as historians testify.
Just so, Nineveh, for greatness, riches, and antiquity, was one of the noblest cities in the world, it was the capital and chief city of the Assyrian empire; and though God, upon their repentance and humiliation, did spare them for a time, Jonah 3—yet afterwards, she returning to her old trade of robberies, covetousness, extortions, fraud, deceitful dealings, etc., God delivered her up as a prey into the hands of many of her enemies, who astonishingly pillaged her; and at last God gave her into the hands of the Medes, who brought her to a final and irrecoverable desolation, according to the prophecy of the prophet Nahum, chapter 2:9-10, "Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! The supply is endless, the wealth from all its treasures! She is pillaged, plundered, stripped! Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale!" Verse 13, "I am against you," declares the Lord Almighty. "I will burn up your chariots in smoke." See also chapter 3:12-15. "There the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down and, like grasshoppers, consume you."
The like judgment fell upon Sidon, and upon that rich and renowned city of Corinth, which, through the commodiousness of the haven, was the most frequented place in the world for the trade of merchants out of Asia and Europe, and great and many were their sins about their trade; and for these she was finally destroyed, and turned into cinders and ashes by the Romans!
Just so, BRIBERY is a sin which brings desolating and destroying judgments both upon people and places: Amos 5:11-12, "You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts." Bribery is one of those mighty sins, or one of those bony or big-boned sins, as the Hebrew has it, for which God threatens to turn them out of house and home. Bribery is a bony sin, a huge sin, a heinous sin, a monstrous sin, a sin which is capable of all manner of aggravations, and therefore the Lord punishes it with desolating judgments! Job 15:34, "And fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery," or the receivers of gifts, as both the Hebrew and the Septuagint may be read. When wicked men build their houses, their tabernacles, by bribery, cheating, defrauding, or overreaching others, it is a righteous thing with God to set their houses on fire about their ears! Thus Diocletian had his house wholly consumed by lightning and a flame of fire that fell from heaven upon it, as Eusebius tells us.
Upon such a generation of men as build their houses by bribery, or oppression, or deceit, etc., God many times makes good that word, Job 18:15, "Brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation;" and that word, Micah 3:11-12, "Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the Lord and say, "Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us." Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets." Bribery and covetousness had overrun all sorts of such as were in power and authority, whether civil or ecclesiastical, and for this Zion must be ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem become heaps. By these exquisite terms the total and dismal desolation and destruction of Zion, Jerusalem, and the temple, that famous house which was once worthily reckoned one of the seven wonders of the world—is set forth unto us. That Jerusalem, that God's house and temple wherein they so much trusted and gloried, should become as a mountainous forest and wilderness, was incredible to them as the jumbling of heaven and earth together, or the dethroning of God by taking the crown from his head and thrusting of him from his chair of state; and yet all this was made good according to that dreadful prophecy of Christ, "There shall not be left one stone upon another," Luke 19:43-44. These are the sad effects of bribery, covetousness, etc. Just so, Proverbs 29:4, "By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down."
Ah London! London! were there none within your walls, who took bribes to pervert the ways of justice? Proverbs 17:23; were there none whose right hands were full of bribes? Psalm 26:10; were there none like Samuel's sons, who turned aside after filthy lucre, and took bribes, and perverted justice in the midst of you? 1 Sam. 8:3; were there none within your walls, who asked for a bribe? Micah 7:3; or who with Gehazi run after rewards? or who were not ready to transgress for a piece of bread? Proverbs 28:21; or who were not like the horse-leech's daughter, still crying out, 'Give, give!' Proverbs 30:15. Themistocles caused the brand of infamy to be set upon Athmius' children, and all his posterity after him, because he brought gold from the king of Persia to corrupt, bribe, and win the Grecians. If all who were within the walls of London that received bribes, and run after rewards, had the brand of infamy set upon them, I am apt to think many of them would be ashamed to walk the streets!
Ah London! London! were there none within your walls, who had the balance of deceit in their hands, and who loved to oppress, falsifying the balances by deceit, and who had in their bags different weights, who sold by one measure—and bought by another, who had wicked balances, and the bag of deceitful weights in their hands, their houses, their shops, their warehouses? Hosea 12:7; Amos 8:5; Deut. 25:13; Micah 6:11. Well, suppose there were many such within the walls of London, what of that? why then, I would say,
[1.] First, Such run counter-cross to divine commands: Lev. 19:35-36, "'Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. Use honest scales and honest weights." Ezek. 45:10, "You shall have just balances." Deut. 25:13-16, "Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light. Do not have two differing measures in your house—one large, one small. You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly." Lev. 19:13; Mark 10:19; 1 Cor. 7:5. We have a common saying, Weight and measure, is heaven's treasure. But,
[2.] Secondly, Such people and such practices are an abomination to the Lord: Deut. 25:16, "For all who do such things, and all who do unrighteousness, are an abomination unto the Lord your God." Proverbs 11:1, "A false balance is abomination to the Lord;" chapter 20:10, "Differing weights and differing measures— the Lord detests them both." Now mark, the very weights and measures are an abomination to the Lord; how much more the men who make use of them! But,
[3.] Thirdly, Such act counter-cross to God's delight: Proverbs 11:1, "A just weight is his delight;" chapter 16:11, "Honest scales and balances are from the Lord." They are commanded by the Lord, and commended by the Lord, and they are the delight of the Lord. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Such act counter-cross to God's nature, which is holy, just, and righteous, and to all his administrations, which are full of righteousness, justice, and equity, Ezek. 18, and 33:17, 20, 29. But,
[5.] Fifthly, Such act counter-cross to the very light and law of nature, by not dealing by others as they would have others deal by them, Mat. 7:12. They are the ruiners of the land, and enemies to all civil society. But,
[6.] Sixthly, Such stir up the anger and indignation of God against themselves: Ezek. 22:13, "I will surely strike my hands together at the unjust gain you have made and at the blood you have shed in your midst." God is here said to strike his hands at their dishonest gain, to note the greatness of his anger, wrath, and indignation against them; and his readiness and resolvedness to take vengeance on them, by animating, instigating, encouraging, and stirring up the Chaldeans to destroy their persons by the sword, and to consume their riches and houses by fire, chapter 21:17. God has no physical hand to smite; but this is spoken after the manner of men, who oftentimes express the greatness of their wrath and rage by striking their hands one against another. God, to show the greatness of his spleen and rage, in a holy sense, against them for their dishonest gain, expresses it by the striking of his hands: 1 Thes. 4:6, "In this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you." Sooner or later, vengeance will reach those who make it their business, their trade, to overreach others. But,
[7.] Seventhly, Such act counter-cross to the examples of the most eminent saints. To the example of Moses: Num. 16:15, "I have not taken a donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them." Of Samuel, 1 Sam. 12:3-5; of Zacharias and Elizabeth, Luke 1:5-6; of Paul, Acts 24:16; yes, to the examples of all the apostles, Judas excepted: 2 Cor. 1:12, and 7:2, "Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man." But,
[8.] Eighthly and lastly, Such act counter-cross to their own everlasting happiness and blessedness: 1 Cor. 6:8-9, "Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers. Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?" Unrighteous people may hear much of heaven, and talk much of heaven, and set their faces towards heaven; but they shall never inherit the kingdom of heaven. God himself has locked fast the gate of blessedness against the unrighteous; and therefore all the world shall never be able to open it. Heaven would be no heaven—but a hell, if the unrighteous should inhabit there.
To sum up all: If such people run counter-cross to God's commands, if their persons and practices are an abomination to the Lord, if they act counter-cross to God's delight and to his nature, yes, to the very light and law of nature, to the best examples, and to their own happiness and blessedness—is it any wonder then to see divine justice set such men's houses on fire about their ears, and to see the flames consume such estates as were gotten either by fraud or force, by craft or cruelty, etc.?
Now the gaining of the things of this world by hook or by crook, or by such wicked courses and cursed practices that we have been discoursing on, I cannot charge upon the people of God, who did truly fear him, whose habitations were once within the walls of London, because such practices would neither stand with grace, nor with the honor of God, nor with the credit of religion, nor with the law of God, nor with the law of nature, nor with the peace of a saint's soul. Besides, it is very observable to me, that those who have the balances of deceit in their hand, are called Canaanites in that 12th chapter of Hosea, 7th verse, "He is a merchant; the balances of deceit are in his hand; he loves to oppress"—Heb., he is Canaan, that is, a mere natural man, who has no common honesty in him, a money-merchant, one who cares not how he comes by it, just so that he may have it; one who counts all good fish which come into his net, though it be through cunning contrivances or violent practices. But,
4. Fourthly, Desperate incorrigibleness and unreformedness under wasting and destroying judgments, brings the desolating judgment of fire upon a people, Lev. 25; Deut. 28; Jer. 30:23-24. Isaiah 42:24-25, "Who handed Jacob over to become loot, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned? For they would not follow his ways; they did not obey his law. So he poured out on them his burning anger, the violence of war. It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart."
"If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you. I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. I will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins!" Leviticus 26:27-33
"Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted. From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness— only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil. Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire; your fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when overthrown by strangers. The Daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a field of melons, like a city under siege." Isaiah 1:5-8
"I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me," declares the Lord. "Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, I struck them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me," declares the Lord. "I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you have not returned to me," declares the Lord. "I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me," declares the Lord." Amos 4:7-11
By all these scriptures it is most evident that desperate incorrigibleness and unreformedness under wasting and destroying judgments brings the fiery dispensations of God upon a people. Ah London, London! how long has the Lord been striving with you by his Spirit, by his word, by his messengers, by his mercies, and by lesser judgments—and yet you have been incorrigible, incurable, and irrecoverable under all! God saw to it, that the plagues, fevers, small-pox, strange sicknesses, lack of trade, and poverty which came on you like an armed man upon you, with all the lesser fires which have been kindled in the midst of you—should have awakened you to repentance; and yet under all, how proud, how stout, how hard, how obdurate have you been! God saw to it, that the bloody sword that the nations have drawn against you, should have humbled you, and brought you to his foot: and yet you have rejected the remedy of your recovery. God saw to it, that the raging, devouring pestilence that in 1665 destroyed so many ten thousands of your inhabitants should have astonished you, and have been as a warning unto you, to have affrighted you out of your sins, and to have turned you to the Most High: but yet after so stupendous and amazing judgments, you were hardened in your sins, and refused to return.
By all these divers kinds of judgments, how little did God prevail with your magistracy, ministry, and the common people—to break off their sins, to repent, and to abhor themselves in dust and ashes! Has not God spent all his rods in vain upon you? Were not all sorts of men generally seven times worse after those wasting judgments, than they were before? Jer. 24:2-3. And therefore you have cause to fear that this is that which has kindled such a devouring fire in the midst of you, and that has turned your glory into shame; and your riches, palaces, and stately houses into ashes!
When after the raging pestilence, men returned to the city, and to their estates and trades, etc., they returned also to their old sins; and as many followed the world more greedily than ever, so many followed their lusts, their sinful courses, more violently than ever; and this has ushered in your desolation, O London! The physician, when he finds that the potion which he has given his patient will not work, he seconds it with a stronger one; and thus does the surgeon too. If a gentle plaster will not serve, then he applies that which is more corroding; and to prevent a gangrene, he makes use of his knife, and cuts off the joint or member that is so badly diseased. Just so, does the great God; when men are not bettered by lesser judgments, he sends greater judgments upon them. God was first as a moth to Ephraim, which consumed him little by little. But when that would not better him, and reform him, then the Lord comes as a lion upon him, and tore him all to pieces! Hosea 5:12, 14. If the dross of men's sins will not come off, he will throw them into the refining-pot again and again, he will crush them harder and harder in the wine-press of his judgments, and lay on such irons as shall enter more deep into their souls. If he strikes, and they grieve not; if he strikes again, and they tremble not; if he wounds, and they return not—then it is a righteous thing with God to turn men out of house and home, and to burn up their comforts round about them. Now this has been your case, O London! and therefore God has laid you desolate in the eyes of the nations.
Now this desperate incorrigibleness and unreformedness under wasting and destroying judgments I cannot groundedly fix upon those who did truly fear the Lord within the walls of London, because they made it their business, according to the different measures of grace they had received, to mourn under wasting judgments, and to lament after the Lord under wasting judgments, and to be bettered and reformed under wasting judgments, and not only to understand—but also to obey the voice of the rod! Their earnest prayers, strong cries, bitter tears, sad sighs, and heavy groans under wasting judgments, may sufficiently evidence that they were not incorrigible under wasting judgments. But,
5. Fifthly, Insolent and cruel oppressing of the poor, is a sin which brings desolating and destroying judgments upon a people. God sent ten wasting judgments one after another upon Pharaoh, his people, and land, to revenge the cruel oppression of his poor people, Exod. 3:9. Proverbs 22:22-23, "Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them." To rob and oppress the rich is a great sin; but to rob and oppress the poor is a greater sin. To rob and oppress the poor, because he is poor, and lacks money to buy justice, is the top of all inhumanity and impiety. To oppress anyone is a sin; but to oppress the oppressed is the height of sin. Poverty and need and misery should be motives to pity; but oppressors make them the whetstones of their cruelty and severity, and therefore the Lord will plead the cause of his poor oppressed people against their oppressors; yes, he will plead their cause with pestilence, blood, and fire!
Gog was a great oppressor of the poor, Ezek. 38:8-14, and God pleads against him with pestilence, blood, and fire: verse 22, "And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people who are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone." Such as oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage, they take the surest and the readiest way to bring ruin upon their own houses, Micah 2:1-2. Isaiah 5:8, "Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land!" But mark what follows: verse 9, "The Lord Almighty has declared in my hearing—Surely the great houses will become desolate, the fine mansions left without occupants." This is an emphatical form of swearing; it is as if the Lord had said, "Let me not live, or let me never be owned or accounted a God, or let me never be looked upon as a God of truth, a God of my word; let me never more be believed nor trusted for a God—if I do not lay desolate the houses of oppressors, the great houses of oppressors, the fair houses of oppressors; yes, the multitude and variety of the houses of oppressors."
Just so, Amos 3:9-11, "Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod and to the fortresses of Egypt: "Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria; see the great unrest within her and the oppression among her people." "They do not know how to do right," declares the Lord, "who hoard plunder and loot in their fortresses." Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "An enemy will overrun the land; he will pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses." Now mark the 15th verse, "I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished, declares the Lord." In their palaces, and in their winter and summer houses, they stored up all the riches, preys, and spoils, which they had gotten by oppression. But God tells them that their palaces would be robbed, and that he would smite the winter-house upon the summer-house—so the Hebrew runs. God was resolved that he would dash one house against the other, and lay them all on heaps. Though their palaces and houses were ever so rich, and strong, and stately, and pompous, and glorious, and decked, and adorned, and enameled, and checkered—yet they would all come down together!
Just so, Zech. 7:10-12, "Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other. But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry." Well now, mark what follows: verse 14, "I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land was left so desolate behind them that no one could come or go. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate." Palestine was a very pleasant land—a land which flowed with milk and honey, a land which was the glory of all lands; God had made it as his paradise, and enriched it with all plenty and pleasure, and, above all, with his presence and residence in his city and temple; but they by oppressing the poor, the widow, and the fatherless, laid all desolate. Jer. 21:12, "O house of David, this is what the Lord says: Administer justice every morning; rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done— burn with no one to quench it!" Oppression lays a people open to God's fury, it provokes the Lord to turn their all, into unquenchable flames: Psalm 12:5, "Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise, says the Lord. I will protect them from those who malign them." Upon these words Chrysostom says, "Fear—whoever you are, who do wrong the poor, you have power and wealth, and the favor of the judges; but they have the strongest weapons of all, sighings and moanings, which fetch help from heaven for them. These weapons dig down houses, throw down foundations, overthrow whole nations!" Thus you see by all these clear scriptures that oppression is a sin that brings wasting and destroying judgments upon a people.
Ah, London! London! was there no oppression and cruelty to be found within your walls? Eccles. 4:1, "So I returned, and considered all the oppressions which are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter." And behold the tears of such as were oppressed. The original word signifies a tear, not tears; as if the oppressed had wept so long, and wept so much, that they could weep no longer, nor weep no more, having but only one tear left them. Were there not, O London! many of your poor oppressed inhabitants, who wept so long, that they could weep no longer; and who wept so much, that they had but one tear left? Oh, the cries and tears of the oppressed within your walls did so pierce God's ears, and so work upon his heart, that at last he comes down in flames of fire to revenge the oppressed!
Were there no rich citizens who racked their tenants, and ground the faces of the poor, who took an advantage from their poor condition to beat down the price of their commodities, so that they might raise themselves on the poor's ruin? Were there no false weights, false wares, false lights, false measures to be found within your walls by which the poor have been cheated, deceived, and oppressed? Were there none within your walls, O London, who used his neighbor without wages, and gave him no reward for his work? Who kept back the hire of the laborer, and who were the poor labourer's purse-bearers and cofferers, whether they wanted or not? Who fleeced the poor, to feather their own nests? Deut. 24:14-15; Exod. 22:22-23; Zeph. 3:3.
Oh how did the rich work upon the necessities of the poor, bringing them to such under-prices as has undone both them and their making good that word, Amos 8:4, "They trample the needy, and make the poor of the land to fail!" Oh the heavy burdens that have been laid upon the poor by their Egyptian taskmasters! what defrauding of the poor, has been within your walls, O London! Your poor, O London, did rise early and go to bed late; they did fare hard, and rest hard, and work hard; and yet by reason of the cruelty, oppression, and unmercifulness of many of your wealthy citizens, they were hardly able to have necessary supplies for themselves and their families.
Oppression turns princes into roaring lions, and judges into evening wolves: it is an unnatural sin, it is a sin against the light of nature. No creatures oppress those of their own kind. Look upon the birds of prey, as upon eagles, vultures, hawks, and you shall never find them preying upon their own kind. Look upon the wild beasts of the forest, as upon the lion, the tiger, the wolf, the bear, etc., and you shall find them favorable to them of their own kind; and yet men unnaturally prey upon one another—like the fish in the sea, the great swallowing up the small.
Oppression is a sin against that great and common rule of equity, Mat. 7:12, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." Now no man in his wits would have another to wrong and oppress; and therefore he should not wrong or oppress others; and therefore no wonder if God punishes this sin with flames of fire! It is your oppressors, O London, who has turned your glory into ashes!
Now this insolent oppressing of the poor is a sin that I cannot make good against the people of God, who did truly fear him in that great city. It is a sin they have often bewailed and lamented before the Lord in their solemn addresses to God. Where this sin is rampant, where it rules as a prince upon the throne, it is a clear evidence that the fear of the Lord is not in such men's hearts: Lev. 25:17, "You shall not oppress one another—but you shall fear your God." Those who oppress others—they do not fear God. And such as do fear God—they will not oppress others.
Amalek was a great oppressor of the poor people of God, and the Holy Spirit has set this black brand of infamy upon him, that he feared not God, Deut. 25:18. [Oppressors are people destitute of the fear of God; and the lack of the fear of the Lord, is the spring and fountain of the worst of sins, and that against which the Lord will surely visit in judgment, Mal. 3:5.] Had Amalek feared the Lord, he would have been so far from oppressing the poor people of God, that he would have comforted them, and succored them, and relieved them in the midst of their necessities, miseries, and distresses. The Jews oppressing one another is attributed to their not fearing of God, Neh. 5:9. Oppression is so crying a sin against the law of God, the law of grace, the law of nature, and the law of nations—that certainly it cannot be justly charged upon such as have set up God in their hearts as the great object of their fear.
The word for oppression in the Hebrew is mispach, which signifies a scab, a wound, a leprosy. Now oppression is such a scab, a wound, a leprosy—as is not to be found upon those who have fellowship with the Father and the Son. Oppressors may boast of their profession, and call themselves saints, or the people of God—but God accounts them worse than Scythians. Witness those dreadful woes that God has denounced against them in the blessed Scriptures: Zeph. 3:1, "Woe to the oppressing city!" Jer. 22:13, "Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his countrymen work for nothing, not paying them for their labor!" Isaiah 10:1-3, "Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches?" Micah 2:1-2, "Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning's light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it. They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellowman of his inheritance." Now by all these dreadful woes, it is further evident that this horrid sin of insolent oppression cannot be charged upon the called and chosen of God; for where do you find in all the Scriptures the vessels of glory under those woes which are denounced against the ungodly? But,
6. Sixthly, Rejecting the gospel, despising the gospel, and slighting the free and gracious offers of Christ in the gospel, brings the fiery judgments upon a people, and causes the Lord to lay their cities desolate! Matthew 22:1-7, "Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. "Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' "But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city!"
In this parable the calling of the Gentiles and the rejection of the Jews is set forth. The Jews have the honor 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 favors which are displayed in the gospel, Isaiah 25:8-9; Proverbs 9:1-6; Isaiah 55:1-3. 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 which 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, favors, and mercies of Christ which are revealed and offered 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 despise both the master of the feast and the matter of the feast, and all those servants who were sent to invite them to the feast; and hereupon the king was enraged, 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 million men, women, and children; and those who escaped fire, 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 which is rendered "gospel," signifies glad tidings, good news; and certainly salvation by Christ is the best news, it is the greatest and the gladdest tidings that ever was brought to sinners' ears. What the psalmist had long before said of the city of God, "Glorious things are spoken of you," Psalm 87:3, that I may truly say of the blessed gospel, "Glorious things are spoken of you, O you gospel of God." The gospel is called "the glorious gospel of the blessed God," 1 Tim. 1:11. The gospel is a glorious gospel in respect of the Author of it, and in respect of the penmen of it, and in respect of the glorious discoveries that it makes of God, of Christ, of the Spirit, of heaven, and in respect of its glorious effects, in turning of poor sinners "from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God," Acts 26:18, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them who are sanctified. Certainly Solomon's natural history, in which he treated of all trees, "from the cedar to the hyssop, of all beasts, fowls, and creeping things," 1 Kings 4:33, was a very rare and incomparable piece in its kind; yet one leaf, yes, one line of the gospel is infinitely more worth, and of greater importance to us, than all that large volume would have been. For what is the knowledge of trees, and birds, and beasts, and worms, and fish, compared to the knowledge of God in Christ, to the knowledge of the great things of eternity, to the knowledge of a man's sinful estate by nature, or to the knowledge of his happy estate by grace?
Doubtless to a soul that has tasted that the Lord is gracious, there is no book compared to 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 magic arts. And no wonder; for they had found the power and the sweet of a better book, even of God's book, upon their hearts. Luther, speaking of the gospel, says, "that the shortest line is more worth than 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.
How divinely did that poet speak, who said he could read God in every leaf on the tree, and that he found his name written on every green herb; and shall not we read God, and Christ, and grace, and mercy in every leaf, yes, in every line of the gospel? "The Bible," says Luther, "is the only book; all the books in the world are but waste paper compared to it," so highly did he prize it, and so dearly did he love it.
Contempt 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. "How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?" Heb. 2:3, and 10:28-29. If the book of the law happened to fall upon the ground, the Jews' custom is presently to proclaim a fast. O sirs! what cause then have we to fast and mourn, when we see the glorious gospel of God fallen to the ground; scorned, despised, disdained, 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, his grace, his kingdom, and all the glory of the eternal world. Now for men to despise and scorn these offers, is the highest ingratitude and unthankfulness imaginable; and therefore no wonder if God burns such men up, and turns 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, if slighted and despised, turn into the greatest fury and severity. Divine wrath smokes and burns against none so fiercely, as it does against those who are despisers of gospel mercies. When gold is offered, men care not how great or how base he is who offers it: neither is it important by whom the gospel is brought unto us, whether it is brought unto us by Isaiah, as some think, a prophet of the blood-royal, or by Amos the herdsman of Tekoa. Let the hand be more noble or more base that brings it, if it be slighted and despised, provoked justice will revenge it.
Such as slight the gospel, and despise the gospel—they sin with a high hand against the only remedy, against the only means of their recovery. "This is the condemnation," John 3:19, this is that desperate sin that hastens judgments upon cities and countries, as Jewry, Asia, Bohemia, and other parts of the world have sadly experienced. He who has eaten poison, and then shall despise the means of his recovery, must certainly die for it. He who, when he has committed treason against his prince, shall not only refuse—but scorn and slight his prince's favor and pardon, and fling it from him with disdain, is assuredly past all help and hope. Sins against the gospel are sins of a greater size, of a louder cry, and of a deeper dye, than sins against the law are, and accordingly God suits his judgments. Where the gospel shines in power, it will either mend a people or mar a people: it will either better them or worsen them; it will either fit them for the greatest good, or it will bring upon them the greatest evils: where it does not reform, there it will destroy. And this London has found by woeful experience.
Slighting and despising of the offers of grace in the gospel, is a sin that is not chargeable upon the greatest part of the world, which "lies in wickedness," and who "sit in darkness, and in the region and shadow of death," 1 John 5:19; Mat. 4:16; yes, it is a sin that is not chargeable upon the devils themselves, and therefore the more severely will God deal with those who are guilty of it. The gospel has for above this hundred years shined forth out of the dark and thick clouds of popery and antichristianism which had overspread the nation. And in no part of the land has the gospel been preached with more clearness, spiritualness, life, power, and purity than in London. And oh, that I had not cause to say that there was no part of the nation where the gospel was more undervalued, slighted, and despised by many—than in London! For,
[1.] First, Where the faithful and laborious ministers of the gospel are slighted and despised—there the gospel is slighted and despised, Mat. 23:37, and Luke 10:16. Now were there none within your walls, O London! that did slight, scorn, reproach, and despise the ambassadors of Christ, who were faithful to their light, their Lord, their consciences, and the souls of their hearers? But,
[2.] Secondly, Where the ministrations of the gospel, where the ordinances of the gospel are slighted and despised—there the gospel is slighted and despised; yes, where any one ordinance of the gospel is slighted and despised, there the gospel is slighted and despised. Where baptism is slighted and despised, there the gospel is slighted and despised. Where the Lord's supper is slighted and despised, there the gospel is slighted and despised. Where the offers of the gospel are slighted and despised, there the gospel is slighted and despised. Where the commands of the gospel are slighted and despised, there the gospel is slighted and despised. Where the threatenings of the gospel are slighted and despised, there the gospel is slighted and despised. Where the promises of the gospel are slighted and despised, there the gospel is slighted and despised. Where the comforts of the gospel are slighted and despised, there the gospel is slighted and despised. A man upon whom the gospel has wrought savingly, he will,
(1.) Prize all the ordinances;
(2.) Practice all the ordinances;
(3.) Praise the Lord for all the ordinances.
Now were there none within your walls, O London! that did slight and despise the ministrations of the gospel, "the ordinances of the gospel"? Luke 1:5-6. When old Barzillai had lost his taste and hearing, he cared not for David's feasts and music, 2 Sam. 19:35. There were many within the walls of London that had lost their spiritual taste and hearing, and so cared not for gospel ministrations, for gospel ordinances. There were many who, under a pretense of living above ordinances, lived below ordinances, and made light of ordinances; yes, who scorned, vilified, and despised the precious ordinances of Christ. "You are to them as a lovely song," says the prophet, Ezek. 33:31-32. In the Hebrew it runs thus, "You are to them as one who jests." The solemnity and majesty of the word was but as a dry jest unto them. Ordinances were but as dry jests to many within the walls of London; and therefore no wonder if God has been angry with those who have made but a jest of those precious ordinances, which are more worth than heaven and earth. Many came to the ordinances too much like the Egyptian dog, which laps a little as he runs by the side of Nilus—but stays not to drink. But,
[3.] Thirdly, Such as are weary of the gospel, such slight the gospel, such despise the gospel. Never were the Israelites more weary of manna, than many within the walls of London were weary of the plain and powerful preaching of the gospel, Num. 11:6; Amos 8:5. "We were better have a biting gospel than a toothless mass," said blessed Bradford. But were there not some that had rather have a toothless mass than a biting gospel? Were there not many that were willing to let God go, and gospel go, and ordinances go, and all go, so that they might greaten their relations, and have peace with all nations, and enjoy a sweeping trade, and everyone sit under his vine and under his fig-tree, eating the fat, and drinking the sweet, and enjoy liberty to dishonor the Lord, to gratify their lusts, to damn their own souls—so weary were they of the blessed gospel?
[4.] Fourthly, Such as have but a low and base opinion of the gospel, such are slighters and despisers of the gospel. Such as prefer every toy, and trifle, and fashion, and sinful custom, and base lust above the light of the gospel, the power of the gospel, the purity and simplicity of the gospel, the holiness and sweetness of the gospel, such are slighters and despisers of the gospel, 1 Cor. 1:23. Though it is better to present truth in her native plainness than to hang her ears with counterfeit pearls—yet there were many that set a greater price upon the arts, the parts, the gifts, the studied notions and seraphic expressions of their ministers, than they did upon the gospel itself; and what was this but to prefer the handmaid before the mistress, the servant before his Lord, the flowers around the dish above the food which was in the dish, the chaff above the wheat, and pebbles above the richest pearls? The gospel is the field, and Christ is the treasure that is hidden in that field! The gospel is a ring of gold, and Christ is the diamond in that ring of gold! And yet how many were there within the walls of London, who put no considerable price or value upon the gospel! But,
[5.] Fifthly, Such as willfully disobey the gospel, and live and walk in ways quite cross and contrary to the gospel, such are slighters and despisers of the gospel, and accordingly the Lord will deal with them. Take one text for all, 2 Thes. 1:6-9, "God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power."
This is a more dreadful text against all such as are either ignorant of the gospel, or that disobey the gospel, than any is to be found in all the Old Testament. In the last day Christ will take vengeance in flaming fire on those who disobey his gospel, and who walk contrary to the rules of his gospel; and therefore no wonder if before that day he lays their habitations desolate by a flaming fire, whose lives give the lie to his glorious gospel. These men above all others expose the gospel to the derision and contempt of the basest and vilest men. When some of the heathens have looked upon the loose lives of professors, they have said, "Either this is not the gospel, in which there is so much goodness, or these are not Christians, in whom there is no goodness at all." Did you never hear nor read of one who, eyeing the loose lives of professors, cried out, "Let my soul be rather with the honest philosophers—who were heathen—than with these wicked lewd men who are called Christians!" Now were there none within the walls of London who willfully disobeyed the gospel, and who walked in ways quite cross and contrary to the gospel? Surely there were! and therefore at their doors we may safely lay the burning of London. But,
[6.] Sixthly and lastly, Such as slighted, scorned, and despised the faithful, sincere, serious, gracious, and conscientious professors of the gospel—such slighted, scorned, and despised the gospel itself. When the Jews were in prosperity, it was the manner of the Samaritans to repute themselves their nearest cousins. When the Jews were in a thriving and flourishing condition, then the Samaritans could derive their pedigree from Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph; but when the Jews were in any great affliction, or under persecution, then they would deny all acquaintance with them and all relation to them. Just so—when profession was in fashion and religion was in credit, how many were there within the walls of London who pretended to be kin, to be cousins to the serious, conscientious, and sincere professors of the gospel, who since the day of their affliction have not only denied all acquaintance with them, and renounced all relation to them—but also are turned slighters, scorners, and despisers of them! If these may not be reckoned among the slighters, scorners, and despisers of the gospel—I do not know who may.
To sum up all, I have showed you that slighting, scorning, and despising of the gospel, is a sin of so high a nature, that it provokes the Lord to lay cities desolate. I have showed you the greatness of that sin, and the people who are guilty of it; so that now you may point with a finger to those people who have laid London in ashes.
But before I close up this particular, give me permission to say, that this sin of slighting, scorning, and despising of the gospel, I dare not charge upon those who truly fear the Lord, and who have found the gospel to be a gospel of power upon their own souls, turning them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to Jesus Christ, 1 Thes. 1:5-7; Acts 26:18. And I shall freely give you my reasons, that you may be the better satisfied that it was not so much their sins as your own sins—which have brought down that heavy judgment of fire upon the city, wherein once you and they had your respective habitations. My reasons are these—
[1.] First, Those who did truly fear the Lord, and that had experienced the power of the gospel in a saving way upon their own souls, they did frequently before the Lord bewail and mourn over—both together and apart—that heinous sin of slighting, scorning, and despising of the gospel which many were guilty of, Ezek. 9:4, 6. The Jews have a law which enjoins them to take up any paper which they see lying on the ground, and the reason is, lest haply the name of God be written in the paper, and ignorantly trodden under foot. Though Christians ought to be free from such superstitions—yet they ought to be very careful that the least tittle of the gospel, the least command of the gospel, be not trod under foot. Now the saints who once lived within the walls of London, who through grace have experienced the saving power of the gospel upon their own souls, how have they mourned and lamented to see that glorious gospel of Christ trodden under foot, which they have laid so near their hearts! and therefore I cannot fairly charge this sin upon them. But,
[2.] Secondly, Slighting, scorning, and despising of the gospel, is a great step towards the sin against the Holy Spirit, and a sin of so great a cry, and so deep a dye, that I cannot at present find where it is in Scripture charged upon such as truly fear the Lord, and who have really experienced the power of the gospel in a saving way upon their own souls, Heb. 2:3, and 10:28-29; and therefore I cannot fairly charge this sin upon them.
[3.] Thirdly, Next to God, the gospel is the most sweet and delightful thing in all the world to gracious souls, who have experienced the saving power of it upon themselves. [Psalm 19:10-11, and 119:72, 103, 127; Job 23:12. Austin cries, "Away with our writings, that room may be made for the book of God!"] Luther found so much sweetness in it, that it made him say, that he would not live in paradise if he might without the word—but with the word he could live in hell itself. Dolphins, they say, love music, and so do gracious souls love the music of the gospel. The gospel is like the stone garamantides, which has drops of gold within itself, enriching all who will embrace it and conform to it: and this the saints have found by experience, and therefore they cannot but delight in it, and draw sweetness from it. The saints relish that gospel best, which others distaste most; and therefore I cannot charge this sin fairly upon them. But,
[4.] Fourthly, There are none who so highly prize the gospel, and who set so high a value upon the gospel, as those do who have experienced the saving power of the gospel upon their own souls, Rev. 12:11, and 2:12-13; Heb. 11:33, 38. Such prefer the gospel before all their nearest and dearest concernments and enjoyments that they have in this world; as might be made evident from their practice in the primitive times, and in the Marian days, and in those recent years which are now passed over our heads. [Luther, speaking of the gospel, says, that the shortest line and the least letter thereof is more than all heaven and earth.] We must defend the truth of the gospel, even to the effusion of blood—and this they have made good in all the ages of the world, who have found the saving power of the gospel upon their own souls.
Tertullian concludes, that the gospel must needs be a precious thing, because Nero hated it; and indeed it was so precious to the saints in his days, that they very willingly and cheerfully laid down their lives for the gospel's sake. Now the same spirit rests upon the saints in our days, and therefore upon this ground I cannot charge that horrid sin of slighting, scorning, and despising of the gospel upon them.
[5.] Fifthly, Who were so ready and free to countenance the gospel, and to maintain the gospel, and to encourage the faithful and painful preachers of the gospel, as those who had found the sweet of the gospel, and the saving power of the gospel, upon their own souls?
Many like a religion without expense, and a gospel without charge; but if it grows costly, it is no commodity for their money. Now this was the very frame and temper of many thousands in London, who never experienced the saving work of the gospel upon their poor souls: but they were of another frame and temper of spirit in London upon whom the gospel was fallen in power; and therefore I may not charge upon them this odious sin of slighting, scorning, and despising the gospel. But,
[6.] Sixthly, Who were there within the walls of London that were so much in a hearty and serious blessing, praising, and admiring of the Lord and his goodness for bringing them forth in gospel times, as those who had a saving work of the gospel upon their own souls? When Alexander was born, his father Philip blessed such gods as he had, not so much that he had a son, as that he had him in Aristotle's days; he was thankful for natural and moral discoveries. The clearest, the choicest, the fullest, and the sweetest visions and discoveries that we have of God on this side eternity—we have in the gospel; and this they frequently experience, who have found the gospel falling in power upon their souls; and therefore they cannot but always have harps in their hands, and hallelujahs in their mouths, upon this very account, that they have lived under the warm sunshine of the gospel, Rev. 14:1-4, and 19:1-8. And therefore I shall not charge this vile sin of slighting, scorning, and despising the gospel upon them who, above all other men, were most exercised in a serious and hearty blessing and praising of God for his glorious gospel.
Some there were who blessed God for their yearly incomes, and others there were who blessed God for their prosperous relations and friends, and many there were who blessed God for their deliverance from various perils and dangers; but those who had the gospel working in power upon them, they made it their business and work above all to bless the Lord for the gospel; and therefore who dare charge upon them the contempt of the gospel? But,
[7.] Seventhly and lastly, There were none within the walls of London who have suffered so many things and such hard things, for the enjoyment of the gospel in its power and purity, as they have done, who have found the powerful and saving work of the gospel upon their own souls. Such have been as signs and wonders in Israel, in London, Isaiah 8:18. Now what folly and vanity would it be to charge them with slighting, scorning, and despising of the gospel, who have been the only sufferers for the gospel's sake. And thus much for the sixth sin that brings the fiery dispensation upon cities and people.
7. The sin that brings the fiery dispensation upon a people, and that provokes the Lord to lay their cities desolate, is a course, a trade of LYING. Nahum 3:1, "Woe to the city of blood, full of lies!" Verse 7, "All who see you will flee from you and say, 'Nineveh is in ruins—who will mourn for her?' Where can I find anyone to comfort you?" Verse 13, "Look at your troops— they are all women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has consumed their bars," that is, your strongholds; for so the word bars is frequently taken, as you may see by comparing these scriptures. [1 Sam. 23:7; 1 Kings 4:13; 2 Chron. 8:5, and 14:7; Jer. 49:31, and 51:30; Lam. 2:9; Amos 1:5.] Nineveh was a great city, a rich city, a populous city, a trading city, it was a city that was wholly made up of fraud and falsehood; it was all full of lies, or it was full of all sorts of lies; there was no truth to be found either in her private contracts or in her public transactions and capitulations with other nations; and therefore the Lord resolves to lay her desolate, and to consume her with fire.
Just so, Jer. 9:3, "They make ready their tongue like a bow, to shoot lies;" verse 5-6, "Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning. You live in the midst of deception;" verse 9-12, "Should I not punish them for this?" declares the Lord. "Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?" I will weep and wail for the mountains and take up a lament concerning the desert pastures. They are desolate and untraveled, and the lowing of cattle is not heard. The birds of the air have fled and the animals are gone. "I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals; and I will lay waste the towns of Judah so no one can live there." What man is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?" Jer. 13:23.
The Jews had so inured and accustomed their tongues to speak lies, they had got such a haunt, a habit, and custom of lying, that they could not leave it; and this was the procuring cause of that dreadful and utter devastation that befell their city and country: Hosea 4:1-3, "Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: "There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Because of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying." This people made it their common practice to lie; they were given up to a course, a trade of lying, which God here threatens to punish with an extreme and universal desolation.
A lie is a voluntary and wilful telling of an untruth, with a purpose to deceive; so that three things are required to the nature of a lie:
(1.) There must be an untruth and falseness in the thing;
(2.) This untruth must be known to be so, he must be conscious to himself that it is false;
(3.) He must have an intent and purpose to utter this falsehood with a desire or design to deceive another by it.
Augustine makes eight sorts of lies—but the schoolmen reduce all to three:
1. the sporting lie;
2. the helpful lie;
3. the pernicious and hurtful lie.
(1.) First, There is the SPORTING lie; and this is when men will lie and tell untruths to make men sport, to make men merry. Of this sin the prophet Hosea complains, chapter 7:3, "They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies." Courtiers frame fictions, and tell ridiculous stories to delight princes. Among many courtiers loud lies are esteemed ornaments and elegancies of speech; and none are accounted so sweet and pleasant in their discourse as those who can tell the most pleasing lies; but such mirth-mongers and mirth-makers may do well to remember that such a kind of mirth will bring bitterness in the end. If for "every idle word that men shall speak, they must give an account in the day of judgment," Mat. 12:36, then surely much more for every lying word. And if foolish talking and jesting be condemned, then surely lying talking and jesting shall be much more condemned, if not here—yet in the great day, when all lying jesters shall hold up their hands at Christ's bar. Now were there none within the walls of London who were guilty of merry lies, of sporting lies? But,
(2.) Secondly, There is the BENEFICIAL lie; and that is when a man lies to help himself in a pinch. When men lie, either to prevent some danger they fear, or else to bring about some good they desire, then they tell a beneficial lie. Thus the Egyptian midwives lied, and thus Rahab lied, and thus the old prophet lied, who, contrary to the command of God, persuaded the man of God to go back and eat bread with him under the pretense of a divine revelation, Exod. 1:15-20; Josh. 2:1-9; 1 Kings 13:14-27. And thus Jacob told his father a beneficial threefold lie, Gen. 27:19—but he hardly ever had a merry day, a good day after it; for God followed him with variety of troubles, and his sorrows, like Job's messengers, came hastening in one after another, even to his dying day, that both himself and others might see what bitterness is wrapped up in officious lies.
Solon, reproving Thespis the poet for lying, Thespis answered him, That it was not material, seeing it was but in sport; then Solon, beating the ground with his staff, said, If we commend lying in sport, we shall find it afterwards in good earnest. In all our bargains and dealings let us make it our wisdom and our work to remember, "That we must not do evil, that good may come," Romans 3:8; yes, we must not tell a lie to save all the souls under heaven.
The Priscillianists in Spain, a most pestilentious sect, taught in Augustine's time that it was lawful to lie for the helping of a good cause, and for the propagating of the gospel, and for the advantage of religion. But Augustine confuted them, and stoutly asserts in two books that we are not to tell a lie for good, though it were to save all the world. "Will you speak wickedly for God, and talk deceitfully for him?" says Job, chapter 13:7, to his friends. A man may as well commit fornication with the Moabites to draw them to our religion, or steal from the rich to give to the poor, as lie to do another man a good turn. Nepos reports of Epaminondas, a nobleman of Thebes, and a famous warrior, that he would never lie in jest nor in earnest, either for his own or another's gain. This refined heathen will one day rise in judgment against such kind of Christians who take a great pleasure in beneficial lies. Now were there none within the walls of London that delighted themselves in beneficial lies? But,
(3.) Thirdly, and to come closer to our work, There is the HURTFUL lie; and this of all lies is the worst, Gen. 39:13-20, and 2 Kings 5:22,23. When men will lie out of a design to hurt, to cheat, to defraud, or to make a prey of those they deal with, this is the worst of all lies. Now, how rampant was this sort of lying among all sorts of citizens before London was in flames! What a common trade of lying did many, I say not all, drive in their buying and selling! The trade of lying was got into every trade, as if there had been no living but by lying. Many sellers had their lies to set off their commodities. "It is good," "it is very good," "it is special good," "it is the best of its kind!" When it was bad, very bad, yes, stark bad!
Now, as the seller abounded with his lies, so the buyer had his lies too, and all to bring down the price: "It is bad, it is bad, it is very bad," says the buyer. "I will not give you your price," and yet gives it before he goes out of the shop or warehouse. "I have bought as good a product, yes, better product, for a lower price than what I offer you," says the buyer, when yet he had never bought of that commodity before. "Give me a good price," says the buyer, "and you shall have my trade another time," when in his heart he resolves never more to come into the seller's shop.
Ah, London! London! it is these lies and liars who have made you desolate, and who have laid your glory in the dust. O sirs! a man were better be a loser—than a liar! A man were better, much better, to keep his commodity—than to sell his conscience with his commodity. We hate the Turks for selling of Christians for slaves; and what shall we then think of those citizens, who by lying sell themselves and their precious souls for a dollar, yes, oftentimes for a penny? I have read that there was a time when the Romans wore jewels on their shoes; but liars do worse, for they trample that matchless jewel, namely, their precious souls, under feet. Doubtless the lies that were told in London, and the liars who lived in London, did more than a little help on the ruin of London. Now, that you may the better read and understand the righteousness of God in his highest acts of severity against lies and liars, premise with me briefly these four things:
[1.] First, That lying is a very great sin. It is a transgression not of one—but of many of the royal laws of heaven: Lev. 19:11, "You shall not lie one to another;" Zech. 8:16, "Speak every man the truth to his neighbor;" Eph. 4:25, "Putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another." In the body of man one member will not lie to another; the hand will not lie, in telling what it touches; the tongue will not lie, in telling what it tastes; the eye will not lie, in telling what it sees; but every member is a true witness to another, a true witness to his neighbor. Just so it should be both in the politic body and in the mystical body of Christ, seeing we are members one of another. Everyone should speak the truth with his neighbor. One member in the natural body will not mock another, nor make a fool of another; and why then should one Christian by lying mock another, or make a fool of another?
Tremellius translates it thus: Do not play the fool with him. For certainly he is the greatest fool who by lying thinks to make a fool of another. Col. 3:9, "Lie not one to another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds." God's commands are not like those which are easily reversed—but they are like those of the Medes, which cannot be changed, Dan. 6. To act or run cross to God's express command, though under pretense of revelation from God, is as much as a man's life is worth, as you may see in that sad story, 1 Kings 13. It is a dangerous thing for a man to neglect one of God's commands, who by another is able to command him into nothing, or into hell. What God commands must be put in speedy execution, without denying, or delaying, or disputing the difficulties which attend it. The great God will not endure to be called to an account by the poor creature concerning his royal commands; but expects that with all readiness and cheerfulness we should obey what he requires, even when the reason of our obedience is hidden from our eyes; for then grace shines most transparently and gloriously, Gen. 22.
I have read of one Johannes Abbas, who being commanded by his priest to go some miles every day to water a dry stick, which he accordingly did out of a pure respect to the command of his superior, without disputing the reason of it. Oh, how much more then should we readily obey divine commands, which are all holy, spiritual, just, and good, considering the authority, sovereignty, and majesty of the great God, without disputing the reasons of our obedience; for let a man's reasons, though ever so many and weighty, be put into one scale, and God's absolute command weighed against them in the other, the man may well write TEKEL, "They are weighed in the balance, and found too light!" Dan. 5:27.
O Sirs! (Psalm 103:20,) "the angels that excel in strength do his commandments;" and shall the peasant scorn that work in which the prince himself is engaged? The commands of God, both in the Old and New Testament, lie fair and full against lying; and therefore no wonder if God revenge the habitual breach of them in flames of fire. The Holy Spirit in the Hebrew tongue calls a lie aven, which also signifies iniquity, implying that all lies are iniquity, and that all iniquity is after a sort included in a lie, which does sufficiently evidence that lying is no small sin.
I might further argue thus, that which is contrary to God, who is the choicest and the chief good, yes, who is goodness and truth itself, that must needs be the greatest evil: but lying is contrary to the nature, essence, and being of God. Witness the description that he gives of himself, both in the Old and New Testament: Exod. 34:6, "And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth." So Moses in his song, "He is a God of truth, iniquity, just and right is he." Deut. 32:4. Just so, Isaiah, "He who blesses himself in the earth, shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he who swears in the earth, shall swear by the God of truth," Isaiah 65:16. Just so, the psalmist, "You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth," Psalm 31:5. Again, "You, O Lord, are plenteous in mercy and truth," Psalm 86:15.
Just so, in the New Testament, "Let God be true, and every man a liar," Romans 3:4. Again, "They themselves show how you turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God," Acts 14:15. Though God can make a world with a word of his mouth, Gen. 1, and mar a world with a word of his mouth, chapter 6—yet he can neither die nor lie: Tit. 1:2, "In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began;" yes, it is impossible for God to lie: Heb. 6:18, "That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie." Now by all these plain pregnant texts it is most evident that lying is most opposite and contrary to the very nature, essence, and being of God; and therefore no wonder if the anger and wrath of God rises high against it. But,
[2.] Secondly, Consider this, That lies and liars are very DESTRUCTIVE to all human societies, kingdoms, and commonwealths. Lying destroys all society, all commerce and converse among men. "Man," as the philosopher observes, "is a sociable creature." Speech is the means whereby men have society and commerce one with another. Now lying perverts that order which the God of truth has appointed to be among men. It is the will and pleasure of God that men, conversing together, should by their words and speeches and discourses impart and communicate their minds, designs, intentions, and meanings one to another, for the mutual good of one another, and for the profit and benefit of the whole. Now if there be nothing in men's words but lying, deceit, and fraud, instead of truth—what can follow but confusion and desolation? When the language of men was confounded, so that one could not tell what another spoke, then presently followed the dissolution of their combination; for the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city, Gen. 11:7-8. "When one asked brick," says a Rabbi, "another brought clay, and then they fell fighting, and one dashed out the other's brains; and by this means their plan was dissolved, and God brought on them the evil which they sought to prevent," verse 4. But surely a lying tongue is a far worse enemy to society than an unknown tongue; and much better it is for a man to have no society at all, than with such as he cannot believe what they say, or if he does, he shall be sure to be deceived by them. Concerning such we may well pray with David: "Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue," Psalm 120:2.
Jeremiah did so loathe and abominate the society of liars, that he had rather live in a wilderness than live among them, or have anything to do with them, Jer. 9:1-6. Liars destroy that communion and society that by the law of God, nature, and nations they ought to preserve and maintain. Lying dissolves that mutual trust that we should have with one another; for hereby all contracts, covenants, and dealings between man and man, which is, as it were, the life of the kingdom or commonwealth, are quite overthrown. When men make no conscience of lying, nor of keeping their word any further than either fear of loss, or force of law, compels them—all civil society is at an end. There can be no trust where there is no truth, nor any commerce with those who cannot be trusted. The Scythians had a law, that if any man did bind two sins together, a lie and an oath, he was to lose his head, because this was the way to take away all trust and truth among men. Had this law been put in execution in London, I have reason enough to fear that many citizens would have lost their heads long before they had lost their houses by the recent dreadful fire. Now, seeing that pernicious lying, a course, a trade of lying—is so destructive to human society, why should we wonder to see the Lord appear in flaming fire against it? But,
[3.] Thirdly, Consider, That lying is a sin which is most odious and hateful to God; yes, a sin which makes men odious and hateful to him. Lying is repugnant unto God; for God is one who cannot lie, Titus 1:2. He is the God of truth, Isaiah 65:16, and therefore lying cannot but be odious to him. God is said not only to forbid a lie—but to hate a lie. A lie—it is an abomination. Now we abominate that which is contrary to our natures. Among those things which are an abomination to the Lord, a lying tongue is reckoned: Proverbs 6:16-17, "These six things does the Lord hate: yes, seven are an abomination to him—a lying tongue," or as the Hebrew runs, "a tongue of lying," that is, a tongue that has learned the trade, and can do it automatically; a tongue that is accustomed to lying, a tongue that is delighted in lying. Just so, verse 19, "A false witness who speaks lies, and him who sows discord among brethren." Among these seven things abominated by God, lying is twice repeated, to note how great an abomination lying is in the eye and account of God.
Proverbs 12:22, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord;" not only offensive or odious—but abominable. Liars pervert the end for which God created speech, which was to give light to the notions of the mind, and therefore the Lord loathes them, and plagues them in this life with great severity, as you may see in those sad instances of Gehazi, whose lie was punished with a perpetual leprosy upon himself and his posterity, 2 Kings 5:20 to the end; and of Ananias and Sapphira, who for their lying were punished with present and sudden death, Acts 5:5-11; and of Haman, who slandering Mordecai and the Jews, and by his lies plotting their ruin, was taken in the same snare that he had laid for them, and both he and his sons hanged upon the same gallows which he had made for innocent Mordecai, Esther 3:8-11. The same liar that was feasting with the king one day was made a feast for crows the next day! chapter 7:9, and 9:13-14.
Dreadful are the threatenings that the great God has given out against liars: Psalm 5:6, "You shall destroy those who tell lies." Such as lie in jest will, without repentance, go to hell in earnest! Psalm 12:3, "The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things." God, by one judgment or another, in one way or another, will cut off all flattering lying lips, as a rotten member is cut off from the body, or as a barren tree—that it may no more cumber the ground. Psalm 120:2-4, "Save me, O Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues. What will he do to you, and what more besides, O deceitful tongue? He will punish you with a warrior's sharp arrows, with burning coals of the juniper tree." The coals of juniper burn hot and last long, some say a month and more, and smell sweet. Now upon these coals will God broil lying lips and a deceitful tongue, pleasing himself and others in the execution of his wrath upon a lying tongue!
Proverbs 19:5, "A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he who speaks lies shall not escape." Though men sometimes by lying may escape the displeasure of men—yet they shall never by lying escape the wrath and displeasure of God! Wrath is for that man, and that man is for wrath—who has taught his tongue the trade of lying: Hosea 12:1, "Ephraim daily increases lies and desolation." Desolation is the fruit and consequent of lying. Sin and punishment are inseparable companions. "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." Galatians 6:7 "When the time comes for Me to punish, I will punish them for their sin." Exodus 32:34. "I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging." Psalm 89:32. "He will punish your sin and expose your wickedness." Lamentations 4:22. Those who heap up lies hasten desolation, both upon themselves and the places where they live. Now, if lying be a sin so hateful and odious to God, no wonder if God appears in flaming fire against it. But,
[4.] Fourthly and lastly, Lying is a sin against the light and law of nature. It is a sin against natural conscience, and therefore it is that a little child will blush many times when he tells a lie. It was observed of Pomponius Atticus, Cicero's great friend, that he never used lying, neither could he with patience lend his ear to a liar. Tennes, the son of Cycnus, who was worshiped as a god, was so strict in judgment that he had an axe held over the witnesses heads, to execute them immediately, if they were taken with falsehood or a lie. Among the Scythians, when their priests foretold an untruth, they were dragged along upon hurdles full of heath and dry wood, drawn by oxen, and manacled hand and foot, and burnt to death. Aristotle says, by the light of natural reason, that a lie is evil in itself—it being contrary to the order of nature; for, says he, we have tongues given us to express our minds and meanings one to another by. Now, if our tongues tell more or less than our minds conceive, it is against nature.
It is said of Epaminondas, a heathen, that he abhorred a jesting lie. Plutarch calls lying a tinkerly sin, a sin that is both hateful and shameful. Euripides says, that he is unhappy who rather uses lies, though seemingly good, than truths when he judges them evil. To think the truth, says Plato, is honest; but a filthy and dishonest thing to lie. I could, says my author, both sigh and smile at the simplicity of some pagan people in America, who having told a lie, used to let their tongues bleed in expiation thereof,—a good cure for the squinancy [quinsy]—but no satisfaction for lying. These heathens will one day rise in judgment against such among us as make no conscience of lying. To bring things close, those who lived within the walls of London, that were given up to a trade, a course of lying, those people sinned with a high hand, not only against the light of nature—but also against as clear, as glorious a gospel-light as ever shined round a people since Christ was upon the earth; and therefore no wonder if God has laid their city in ashes. He who shall seriously dwell upon these four things—namely, (1.) That lying is a very great sin; (2.) That lies and liars are very destructive to all human societies, kingdoms, and commonwealths; (3.) That lying is a sin most hateful and odious to God; (4.) That lying is a sin against the light and law of nature,—he will see cause enough to justify the Lord in that recent dreadful fire that has thus been among us.
But before I close up this particular, give me permission to say, that this trade, this course of lying which brings that severe judgment of fire upon cities and countries, I cannot charge with any clear evidence upon those who did truly fear the Lord, whose habitations were once within the walls of London before it was turned into a ruinous heap; and that upon these grounds—
[1.] First, Because a trade, a course of lying is not consistent with the truth or state of grace, Psalm 139:23-24; 1 John 3:6-10. A trade, a course of drunkenness, of whoring, of swearing, of cursing, is as inconsistent with a state of grace—as a trade, a course of lying is. I know Jacob lied, and David lied, and Peter lied—but none of these were ever given up to a trade of lying, to a course of lying.
"No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him." 1 John 3:6. A trade, a course of sin—is inconsistent with a state of grace. The best saints have sadly miscarried as to particular actions; but he who shall judge of a man's
spiritual state by particular acts, though notorious bad, will certainly condemn, where God acquits. We must always distinguish between some single evil actions, and a serious course of evil actions. It is not this or that particular evil action—but a continued course of evil actions—which denominates a man wicked. Just so, it is not this or that particular holy act—but a continued course of holy actions—which denominates a man holy. Every man is—as his course is. If his course is holy—the man is holy. If his course is wicked—the man is wicked. No man ought to conclude, because of some particular good actions—that his spiritual state is good. No man ought to conclude, because of some particular sinful actions—that his spiritual state is bad. A course of sinning can never stand with a course of godliness. Though the needle of the seaman's compass may jog this way and that way—yet the bent of the needle will still be northward. Just so, though a Christian may have his particular sinful joggings this way or that way—yet the bent of his heart will still be God-wards, Christ-wards, heaven-wards, holiness-wards.
A trade of lying can never stand with a trade of holiness; a course of lying can never stand with a course of godliness. But,
[2.] Secondly, Such as did truly fear the Lord within the walls of London, such did in their solemn addresses to the Lord, both together and apart, lament and bewail that trade, that course of lying which was predominant among many that day; and therefore I dare not charge the trade, the course of lying upon their scores. But,
[3.] Thirdly, A lie draws its pedigree from the devil, and such as make a trade of lying, such are certainly Satan's children, 1 Kings 22:22; Acts 5:3-10; John 8:44, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." Gen. 3. Satan is the father of all sins, as well as the father of lies; but here he is said to be a liar and the father of lying, because by lying he first brought sin into the world. Satan began his kingdom by a lie, and by lies he still labors to uphold it. He is the inventor and author of all the lies which are in the world. "The devil's breasts," says Luther, "are very fruitful with lies." Liars are the devil's children by imitation. There are none who resemble him so much to the life, as liars do. They are as like him as if they were spit out of the his very mouth. Lying is a part of the devil's image. Other sins make men like beasts; but this of lying makes men like devils.
Now upon this account also I dare not charge the trade of lying upon such who feared the Lord within the walls of London. Though many who make a profession of Christ are no more like Christ than Michal's image of goats'-hair was like David; yet all such as are really united to Christ, they are like to Christ, they bear upon them the image of Christ, they resemble him to the life. Jesus Christ is such a fountain, in which whoever bathes, and of which whoever drinks, they shall be sure to be changed into the same likeness from glory to glory, that is, from a lower degree of grace to a higher degree, even as by the Spirit of the Lord, 2 Cor. 3:18. Such as truly fear the Lord have an image of righteousness and holiness stamped upon them, and do more resemble Christ than Satan, Phil. 4:23-24; and therefore the trade of lying may not be charged upon them. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Have they not chosen rather to suffer, than by lying either to free themselves from sufferings, or to secure themselves against sufferings? Jerome writes of a brave woman, that being upon the rack, bade her persecutors do their worst; for she was resolved rather to die than to lie. Has not much of this spirit been upon them? and therefore I dare not charge the trade of lying upon them. But,
[5.] Fifthly, Such as truly fear the Lord, they hate lying. Psalm 119:163, "I hate and abhor lying." David hated lying as he hated hell itself. Just so, Proverbs 13:5, "A righteous man hates lying." Lying is a detestable, stinking weed, and therefore a righteous man abhors to touch it, he hates to come near it, and can by no means endure the scent of it in others, least of all in himself. Justin Martyr, speaking of the persecuted Christians, has this memorable saying: "It is in our power, when we are sought for and examined, to deny what we are, what we believe; but we will not live speaking anything untruly." These blessed souls so hated and abhorred lying, that they would rather die than lie. "A lie," says Plato, "is odious not only to the gods—but also to every wise man." Cleobulus, another heathen, affirms that every wise prudent man hates a lie. Erasmus had such an antipathy against lying, that from his youth he world usually tremble at the sight of a noted liar. Now upon this account also I dare not charge the trade of lying upon their score that truly fear the Lord. But,
[6.] Sixthly, Lying is that sad character and black brand, which the Lord has only put upon wicked and ungodly men. Psalm 58:3, "Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies." No sooner could they do anything—but they were doing evil, lisping out lies even as soon as they were born! Isaiah 30:8-9, "Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come forever and ever." Why, what must he write? mark verse 9, "That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord." Now upon this account also I dare not charge the trade of lying upon those who feared the Lord in that great city before it was laid in ashes. But,
[7.] Seventhly, A trade of lying is inconsistent with the relation of God to his children: Isaiah 63:8, "Surely they are my people, children who will not lie: so he was their Savior." God makes this the earmark of his people, that they are children that will not lie, Col. 3:9. When the heathen philosopher was asked in what things men were most like unto God, he answered, "In their speaking of truth." Not lying is one of the choice characters by which the Lord does difference and distinguish his own peculiar people from other men: Zeph. 3:13, "The remnant of Israel shall do no iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth." In the primitive times this was a common saying, "He is a Christian—he will not lie!" Rev. 14:5, "And in their mouth was found no lie—for they are without fault before the throne of God." Now upon this account also I dare not charge the trade of lying upon those gracious souls that feared the Lord within the walls of London, before it was turned into a ruinous heap. But,
[8.] Eighthly and lastly, Liars are reckoned among the basest and the worst of sinners that you read of in all the book of God: Lev. 19:11, "You shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another." Proverbs 6:16-19, "There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers" So the apostle Paul, setting down a catalogue of the basest and worst of sinners, he ranks liars in the end of them: 1 Tim. 1:9-10, "We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers." So John numbers liars among the damned crew that shall be sent to hell, and that must perish forever: Rev. 21:8, "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur!" In this catalogue of the damned crew, the "fearful" are placed in the front, and the "liars" in the rear. See once more how the Holy Spirit couples liars: Rev. 22:15, "Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." Thus you see in all these scriptures that liars are numbered up among the rabble of the most desperate and deplorable wretches who are in the world; and therefore upon this account also I cannot charge the trade of lying upon those who feared the Lord, whose habitations were once within the walls of London.
8. The eighth sin that brings the judgment of fire, is men's giving themselves over to IMMORALITY. Jude 7, "In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire." In these words there are these three things observable—
[1.] First, The places punished—and they are Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, which were Admah and Zeboiim, Deut. 29:23; Hosea 11:8. The overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them was total, both in respect of the inhabitants, and the places themselves. Their sin was universal, and their punishment was as universal. That pride, idleness, and fullness of bread which is charged upon them by the prophet Ezekiel, did usher in those abominable wickednesses that laid all waste and desolate, Ezek. 16:49-50.
[2.] Secondly, The sins that brought these punishments—namely, "The giving themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion."
The first is, "sexual immorality." The heathen thought sexual immorality was no vice, and therefore they made it a common custom, and were accustomed to pray thus: "The gods increase the number of the harlots."
The second sin that is charged upon them is, "sexual perversion". The apostle in this modest and covert expression, does hint to us their monstrous and unlawful lusts, that were against the course, light, and law of nature. They gave themselves up to such filthiness as is scarce to be named among men; they went after other flesh than what nature or the God of nature had appointed. The great God never appointed that male and male—but only that male and female should be one flesh; it is impossible that man and man in that execrable act should make one flesh, as man and woman do: Gen. 2:21, seq. The apostle Paul expresses their filthiness thus, "God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." Romans 1:26-27. The Gentiles had left the God of nature, and therefore the Lord in his just judgment allowed them to leave the order of nature, and so to cast scorn and contempt upon the whole human nature.
Again, there is another sort of pollution by strange flesh, and that is a carnal joining of a man with a beast, which is prohibited: "Neither shall you lie with any beast," Lev. 18:23. Oh what a sink of sin is in the nature of man, the heart of man! And as this pollution is prohibited, so it is punished with death: "And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall slay the beast," chapter 20:15. The Lord, to show the horridness and the heinousness of this beastly sin, commands that even the poor, harmless, innocent beast, that is neither capable of sin, nor of provoking or enticing man to sin, must be put to death. Oh how great is that pollution that pollutes the very beasts, and that makes the unclean more unclean, and that does debase the beast below a beast! Now to this sort of pollution the beastly Sodomites had without doubt given up themselves.
[3.] The third thing observable in the words is, the severity of their punishment: "the punishment of eternal fire." We commonly say that fire and water have no mercy, and we have frequently experienced the truth of that saying. When God would give the world a proof of his greatest severity against notorious sinners and notorious sins, he does it by inflicting the judgment of fire. When the Sodomites burned in their lusts one towards another, "Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah--from the Lord out of the heavens." Genesis 19:24. Now this fiery vengeance came not from any inferior cause—but from the supreme 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 Admah and Zeboiim, for all these four cities were burned together.
God rained, not sprinkled, yes, 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 side 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 filthiness is punished with the stench of brimstone mingled with fire.
Thus God delights to suit men's punishments to their sins; yes, that temporal fire which God rained out of heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah was but a forerunner of their everlasting punishment in that lake which burns with fire and brimstone for evermore, Rev. 21:8. The temporal punishment of the impenitent Sodomites did but make way to their eternal punishments, as Jude tells us, verse 7.
The fire and brimstone that fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah was a type and figure of that eternal fire, or those eternal torments which shall be inflicted upon all impenitent sinners forever and ever. The sum of all is this, that the Sodomites, by giving themselves over to "sexual immorality and perversion", 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.
Doubtless the body of the inhabitants of that famous city, which is now laid in ashes, were as free from giving themselves over to sexual immorality and perversion, as any in any part of the nation; yes, more free than many in some parts of the nation. Also, I cannot see how these sins which are charged upon the Sodomites can be clearly or groundedly charged upon any of the precious servants of the Lord, who did truly fear him in that renowned city; and my reasons are these—
[1.] First, Because in all their solemn and secret addresses to the Lord they have seriously lamented and mourned over these crying abominations.
[2.] Secondly, Because men's giving themselves over to sexual immorality and perversion, 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 Apollo to me, who 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 sexual immorality and perversion. Aristotle calls beastiality a surpassing wickedness. By the laws of those two emperors, Theodosius and Arcadius, Sodomites were adjudged to the fire. In the Council of Vienna the ones 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 gender, nor accompanied with any but their own wives. This and such like, as Tertullian speaks, being not so much to be called offences as monsters, and not to be named without holy detestation by saints, though they are committed without shame by Sodomites. The Saxons, who of old inhabited this land, strangled the adulteress being taken, and then burnt her body with fire, and hanged the adulterer over a flaming fire, burning him by degrees until he died. Opilius Macrinus, an emperor, caused the body of the adulterer and the whore to be joined together, and so burnt with fire. Aurelianus caused the adulterer's legs to be bound to the boughs of two trees bent together, and then violently being lifted up again, his body was torn asunder. And the Julian law, among the Romans, punished adultery with death, by cutting off the heads of those who were guilty of that fact. And the Turks stone adulterers to death. Zaleucus, king of the Locrians, ordained that adulterers should have their eyes put out; and therefore, when his son was taken in adultery, that he might both keep the law and be compassionate to his son, he put out one of his own eyes to redeem one of his son's. I have read of some heathens that have punished this sin with a most shameful death, and the death was this: they would have the adulterer's or adulteress's head to be put into the paunch of a beast, where lay all the filth and uncleanness of it, and there to be stifled to death. This was a fit punishment for so filthy a sin. In old time the Egyptians used to punish adultery on this sort: the man with a thousand lashes with a reed, and the woman with cutting off her nose; but he who forced a free woman to his lusts, had his private members cut off. But,
[3.] Thirdly, Such who give themselves over to fornication, overthrow the state of mankind, while no man knows his own wife, nor no wife knows her own husband, and while no father knows his own children, nor no children know their own father. Families are the joints and sinews of the world; lose these and loser all. Now what families can there be when there is nothing but confusion of parents—the son knows not his father, nor the father the son? But,
[4.] Fourthly, These expressions of giving themselves over to sexual immorality and perversion, implies—
First, Their making constant provisions for their base lusts, Romans 13:14. Oh the time, the pains, the cost, the charge that such are at to make provision for their unsatiable lusts!
Secondly, It implies an excessive violent spending of their strength beyond all measure and bounds in all lasciviousness and Sodomite uncleanness. Pliny tells of Cornelius Gallus and Elerius two Roman knights, who died in the very action of filthiness. Theodebert, the eldest son of Glotharius, died among his whores; so did Bertrane Ferrier at Barcelona; Giachet Geneve who had both wife and children of his own, being carnally joined with a young woman, was suddenly smitten with death; his wife and children wondering why he stayed so long in his study, when it was time to go to bed called him, and knocked at his door very hard—but when no answer was made, they broke open the doors, that were locked on the inner side, and found him lying upon the woman stark dead, and her dead also. Claudus, counselor of the parliament of Paris, a desperate persecutor of the Protestants, while he was in the very act of committing filthiness with one of his waiting-maids, was taken with an apoplexy, which immediately after made an end of him. Many other instances might be produced—but let these suffice.
Thirdly, It implies their impudency and shamelessness in their filthiness and uncleanness. They had a whore's forehead; they proclaimed their lasciviousness before all the world; they were not ashamed, neither could they blush: hence it is that the men of Sodom are said to be sinners before the Lord—that is, they sinned openly, publicly, and shamelessly, without any regard to the eye of God at all, Jer. 3:3, and 6:15; Isaiah 3:10; Gen. 13:13. "Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them!" Gen. 19:5. Oh, the faces marked with impudency! they shroud not their sins in a mantle of secrecy—but proclaim their filthiness before all the world, they had out-sinned all shame: and therefore they gloried in their shame: they were so arrogant and impudent in sinning, that they proclaimed their filthiness upon the house-top. But,
Fourthly, It implies their resolvedness and obstinacy in sinning in the face of all the dreadful warnings and alarms that God had formerly given them by a bloody war, and by the spoiling and plundering of their cities, and by taking away of their food—"fullness of bread" was a part of their sin, and now "cleanness of teeth" is made a piece of their punishment in God's just judgment—and by Lot's admonition and mild opposition, Gen. 14:10-12, and 19:11. It is observable, that when they were smitten with blindness, they wearied themselves to find the door. God smote them with blindness, both of body and mind; and yet they continued groping to find the door, being highly resolved upon sodomy, though they died for it. Oh the hideous wickedness and prodigious madness of these Sodomites, that when divine justice had struck them blind, their hearts should be so desperately set upon their lusts, as to weary themselves to find the door! But what will Satan's bond-slaves and firebrands of hell not do? Sottish and besotted sinners will never tremble when God strikes! Phil. 2:12. But,
Fifthly, These expressions of giving themselves over to sexual immorality and perversion, implies the delight, pleasure, contentment, and satisfaction that they took in those abominable practices: Romans 1:32, "They have chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in their abominations." "They had pleasure in unrighteousness," Isaiah 66:3; 2 Thes. 12; 2 Pet. 2:13. Luther tells us of a certain nobleman in his country, that was so besotted with the sin of whoredom, that he was not ashamed to say, that if he might ever live here, and be carried from one whore-house to another, there to satisfy his lusts, he would never desire any other heaven. This filthy nobleman did afterwards breathe out his wretched soul between two notorious harlots. All the pleasure and heaven that these filthy Sodomites look after, was to satisfy their brutish lusts. "Hark, scholar," said the harlot to Apuleius, "it is but a bitter-sweet that you are so fond of!" And this the Sodomites found true at the long run, when God showered down fire and brimstone upon them. But,
Sixthly and lastly, These words of giving themselves over to sexual immorality and perversion, implies their great settled security in those brutish practices. The old world was not more secure when God swept them away with a flood, Gen. 6, than the Sodomites were secure when God rained fire and brimstone out of heaven upon them, Gen. 19:14. Mercury could not kill Argus until he had cast him into a sleep, and with an enchanted rod closed his eyes. No more could the devil have hurt these Sodomites, if he had not first lulled 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 soldiers among them to be cured. They let in the soldiers, and when the city was secure, the soldiers let in Pompey's army. A carnal settled 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, (verse 7,) of giving themselves over to sexual immorality and perversion, 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 which 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 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 people to lay their hands upon their loins, 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,
9. The profaneness, lewdness, blindness, and wickedness of the CLERGY, of them in the ministry, brings the judgment of fire, and provokes the Lord to lay all waste before him: "Her prophets are arrogant; they are treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law. The Lord within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame. "I have cut off nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are destroyed; no one will be left--no one at all." Zephaniah 3:4-6. Their prophets and priests were rash, heady, and unstable people—they were light, faithless men, or men of faithlessness, as the Hebrew runs. They were neither faithful to God, nor faithful to their own souls, nor faithful to others' souls. They invented and pretended prophecies of their own, and then boldly maintained them, and imposed them upon their hearers; they were profane and light in their lives, they fitted their doctrines to all fancies, humours, parties, and times; they betrayed their trust, they betrayed the lives of men into the hand of divine justice, and the souls of men into the hands of Satan; they polluted the sanctuary, they polluted the holy things of God, by managing of his worship and service in a profane carnal way, and with a light, slight, treacherous spirit, and by perverting the true sense of the law in their ordinary teaching of the people. They did violence to the law, or they despised, removed, or cast away the law, as the original runs: the Hebrew word here used signifies also to dishonor, Psalm 50:17. Their prophets and priests did dishonor the law of God by corrupting the law, and by putting false glosses upon it, and by turning of it into such shapes and senses as would best suit the times, and please the humours of the people. Now for these abominations of their prophets and priests, God denounces a dreadful woe against the city of Jerusalem in verse 1, "Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!"
"The Lord has given full vent to his wrath; he has poured out his fierce anger. He kindled a fire in Zion that consumed her foundations. The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the world's people, that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem. But it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed within her the blood of the righteous." Lamentations 4:11-13. God sent a consuming flame into Jerusalem, which did not only burn the tops of their houses—but also the foundations themselves, leaving no mark whereby they might know where their houses stood, nor any hopes of building them up again.
But why did God kindle such a devouring fire in Jerusalem, which was one of the world wonders, and a city that was not only strong in situation and building, and deemed impregnable—but a city that was God's own seat, the palace of his royal residence; yes, a city that the Lord had for many years, to the admiration of all the world, powerfully and wonderfully protected against all those furious assaults which were made upon her by her most potent and mighty adversaries?
Answer. For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, as God himself testifies, who can neither die nor lie. You may see this further confirmed, if you please but seriously to ponder upon these scriptures, Ezek. 22:25-26, 31; Jer. 23:11, 14-15, 39-0. Micah 2:11; Isaiah 30:10-11; Jer. 5:31; Hosea 4:9; Isaiah 9:16; Lam. 2:14; Ezek. 18.]
Look! as the body natural, so the church body cannot be long in a good constitution, whose more noble and essential parts are in a consumption. The sins and enormities of ministers have the strongest influence upon the souls and lives of men, to make them miserable in both worlds. Their falls will be the fall and ruin of many; for people are more prone to live by examples than by precepts; and to mind more what the minister does than what he says. Precepts may instruct—but examples persuade. The complaint is ancient in Seneca, that commonly men live, not by reason—but by example. The people commonly make the examples of their ministers, the rules of their actions; and their examples pass as current among them as their prince's coin. The common people are like tempered wax, easily receiving impressions from the seals of their ministers' vices. They make no bones of it to sin by prescription, and to damn themselves by following the lewd examples of their ministers. The vulgar unadvisedly take up crimes on trust, and perish by following of bad examples. I will leave the serious reader to make such application as in prudence and conscience he judges fit.
"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them. "'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them. Ezekiel 34:2-10. But,
10. Sometimes the sins of princes and rulers bring the fiery dispensations of God upon people and places. [It is a strange saying in Lipaius, namely, that "the names of all good princes may easily be engraved or written in a small ring."] Jer. 38:17-18, 23, "Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live. But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over to the Babylonians and they will burn it down; you yourself will not escape from their hands. All your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape from their hands but will be captured by the king of Babylon; and this city will be burned down;" that is, you, by your obstinacy, will be the means to procure the burning of this city, which by a rendition of yourself you might have saved.
Just so, Jer. 34:2, 8-11, compared with chapter 37:5-22. "Judges and magistrates are the physicians of the state," says Lake in his sermon on Ezra, "and sins are the diseases of it." What does it matter whether a gangrene begins at the head or the heel, seeing both ways it will kill, except this be the difference, that the head being nearer the heart, a gangrene in the head will kill sooner than that which is in the heel; even so will the sins of great ones overthrow a state sooner than those of the lowest sort, 2 Sam. 24:9-18. But,
11. The abusing, mocking, and despising of the messengers of the Lord is a sin that brings the fiery dispensation upon a people. 2 Chron. 36:15-19; Mat. 34, 37-38, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." [Turn to these two pregnant texts, and ponder seriously upon them; for they speak close in the case.] Here Jesus uses the present for the future, to note the certainty of the desolation of their city and temple, and their own utter ruins; and about forty years after the Romans came and burned their city and temple, and laid all waste before them. They had turned the prophets of the Lord out of all, and therefore the Lord resolves to turn them out of all.
O sirs! will you please seriously to consider these six things: That all faithful, laborious, conscientious ministers or messengers of the Lord, are great instruments in the hand of the Lord--
(1.) For stopping or stemming the tide of all profaneness and wickedness in a land, which bring all desolating and destroying judgments upon cities and countries, Isaiah 58:1.
(2.) For converting souls to God, for turning poor sinners from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to Jesus Christ, Acts 26:15-18, and Dan. 12:3.
(3.) For promoting of religion, holiness, and godliness in men's hearts, houses, and lives, which is the only way under heaven to render cities, countries, and kingdoms safe, happy, and prosperous.
(4.) For the weakening of the kingdom of Satan and antichrist, the weakening of whose kingdom is the glory, safety, and security of the land.
(5.) For the turning away of wrath, either felt or feared.
(6.) For the bringing down of the greatest, weightiest, and noblest of temporal favors and blessings upon cities and countries, as might be proved from scores of scripture, James 5:16-18.
And therefore never marvel if God revenges the abuses done to them in flames of fire.
12. Shedding of the blood of the just is a crying sin, that brings the judgment of fire, and lays all desolate. [See Ezek. 21:28, 31-32, and 25:3-5.] I will turn your towns into ruins and you will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 35:4-15 "'Because you harbored an ancient hostility and delivered the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their calamity, the time their punishment reached its climax, therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will give you over to bloodshed and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and cut off from it all who come and go. I will fill your mountains with the slain; those killed by the sword will fall on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines. I will make you desolate forever; your towns will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord. "'Because you have said, "These two nations and countries will be ours and we will take possession of them," even though I the Lord was there, therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will treat you in accordance with the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them and I will make myself known among them when I judge you. Then you will know that I the Lord have heard all the contemptible things you have said against the mountains of Israel. You said, "They have been laid waste and have been given over to us to devour." You boasted against me and spoke against me without restraint, and I heard it. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate. Because you rejoiced when the inheritance of the house of Israel became desolate, that is how I will treat you. You will be desolate, O Mount Seir, you and all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the Lord.'"
The Edomites were deadly enemies to the Israelites—their hatred was old and strong, and active against them; and they took hold on all occasions wherein they might express their rage and cruelty against them, both in words and works. And therefore when the Babylonians took Jerusalem, they cried, "Tear it down, tear it down to its foundations!" Psalm 137:7. When the Babylonians entered Jerusalem, many of the Jews fled to the Edomites for support, they being their brethren; but instead of sheltering them, they cruelly destroyed them, and greatly insulted over them, and were glad of all opportunities wherein they might vent all their rage and malice against them, so that they might the better ingratiate themselves with the Babylonians. Now for these cruel practices and barbarous severities of theirs towards the poor, afflicted, and distressed Israel of God, God is resolved to bring utter desolation upon them: verse 3, "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you and make you a desolate waste!" or as the Hebrew is, Shemamah Umeshammah, desolation and desolation. Now this doubling of the Hebrew word shows the certainty of their desolation, the speediness of their desolation, and the greatness and thoroughness of their desolation.
That was good counsel which Tertullian gave Scapula, a pagan persecutor: "God will surely make inquisition for our blood, therefore, if you will not spare us—yet spare yourself; if not yourself—yet spare your country, which must be responsible when God comes to visit for blood!"
"The Lord has given full vent to his wrath; he has poured out his fierce anger. He kindled a fire in Zion that consumed her foundations. The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the world's people, that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem. But it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed within her the blood of the righteous." Lamentations 4:11-13. The prophets and the priests enraged the people against them, and engaged the civil power against the just and the innocent, to the shedding of their blood. But this innocent blood could not be purged away but by fire. To shed the blood of the just, is a most crying sin, and that for which God has turned the most glorious cities in the world into ashes. Calvin upon the text well observes, "the true prophets of God are meant by the just, for whom they had prisons, dungeons, and stocks to put them into; and sometimes stoning, or otherwise tumults, which they stirred up among the people, whereby their blood was shed."
Rome has much of the blood of the saints upon her skirts, and for this very sin she shall be utterly burnt with fire, as you may see at large, if you will please to read the 18th chapter of the Revelation at your leisure, Rev. 16:6, 17:6, 19:2, and 18:24. Though Rome was a cage of unclean birds, and full of all manner of abominations—yet the sin that shall at last burn her to ashes, is the blood of the saints. Mark, though the people of God are in Babylon, and may partake of her plagues, and fall under the fiery dispensation with her, it is not the sins of the saints—but the sins of Babylon which bring the judgment of fire upon Babylon. Mark, the people of God may live in a city that may be burnt to ashes, and yet their sins may not be the procuring causes of that judgment. Lot lived in Sodom, and had his failings and infirmities as well as other saints, Gen. 19; but it was not his sins that brought the judgment of fire upon that city—but the sins of the citizens, as the Scripture assures us.
But you may say, Pray, sir, why is God so severe as to turn stately cities, rich and populous cities, great and glorious cities, into a ruinous heap, for shedding the blood of the just? Answer. Because, next to the blood of Christ, the blood of the just is the most precious blood in all the world. Mark, There are these nine things that speak out the preciousness of the blood of the just—
[1.] First, Clear and plain scriptures speak out the blood of the saints to be precious: "He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence, and precious shall their blood be in his sight." And so Psalm 116:15, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints;" Psalm 73:32-33, and 72:14. But,
[2.] Secondly, The cry of their blood reaches as high as heaven, and this speaks it out to be precious blood, Gen. 4:10-11. The blood of one Abel had so many tongues as drops, and every drop a voice to cry for vengeance, and the cry of his blood did strongly engage the justice of God to punish it: [Crying is ascribed to blood by a figurative speech.] Rev. 16:6, "Give them blood to drink, for they are worthy." But,
[3.] Thirdly, God's cursing their blessings, who have shed the blood of his saints, speaks out their blood to be precious blood: Gen. 4:10-11, "And now are you cursed from the earth, which has opened her mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand." Now this is added by the way—1. To aggravate the sin of Cain; 2. To show the fitness of the punishment: it is as if he had said the earth did, as it were, in compassion receive into her bosom that blood which you did cruelly and wickedly shed; and therefore out of the earth, which has sucked in your brother's blood, shall spring a curse that shall plague you for shedding that blood. The earth, which was created for your blessing and service, shall execute this curse against you in vengeance, not yielding you the fruits which otherwise it would have done. As is expressed in verse 12, "When you till the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto you her strength"—Heb., "It shall not go on to give you its ability." This was a second curse, whereby the earth became worse for Cain's sin than it was for Adam's. Now if this curse were not general—yet doubtless it was a particular curse upon Cain's portion, so that wherever or whensoever he should until the earth as a farmer, the earth by its barrenness should upbraid him as a murderer. But,
[4.] Fourthly, God's pouring out of the blood of the wicked as water is poured out upon the ground, to prevent the effusion of his children's blood, speaks out their blood to be precious blood, Isaiah 43:4-5. At the Red Sea, God made way not only through the sea—but also through the blood of the Egyptians, to preserve the blood and lives of his poor people, Exod. 14. God, to preserve the lives and blood of his people, destroys a hundred and eighty-five thousand of Sennacherib's army by the hand of his angel in one night, Isaiah 37:36. And you know in Esther's time, Esther 9, how God made way for the preservation of the lives and blood of his people through the blood of Haman, his sons, and the rest of their enemies who hated them. I might give you twenty other scriptures to the same purpose—but enough is as good as a feast. But,
[5.] Fifthly, The strict inquisition that God has made after the blood of the just in all ages of the world, argues the preciousness of their blood: Psalm 9:12, "When he makes inquisition for blood, he remembers them, he forgets not the cry of the humble." Did not Pharaoh, [Crying is ascribed to blood by a figurative speech.] Ahab, Jezebel, Haman, Herod, Amalek, Moab, Ammon, Sennacherib, etc., find by woeful experience that God did make a strict inquisition after the blood of the just? And so did those men of violence who shed the blood of the just in the primitive times, etc. But,
[6.] Sixthly, The speedy and dreadful vengeance of God upon such as have shed the blood of the just, speaks out their blood to be precious in his eyes: Psalm 4:23, "But you, O God, shall bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men, shall not live out half their days;" Psalm 94:21, 23, "They gather themselves together"—Heb., "run by troops, as thieves do"—"against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. He shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness: yes, the Lord our God shall cut them off." Richard III and Queen Mary were cruel princes, and shed the blood of the just, and they had the shortest reign of any since the Conquest.
Charles IX was a great shedder of the blood of the just. He had a deep hand in the massacre of the Protestants in Paris, and in other parts of his kingdom he glutted himself with the blood of the just, and gloried greatly in their ruins. In his latter days he was surprised with a great debility and tormenting pains in his body; after a great effusion of blood, which flowed out all the passages of his body, he breathed forth his wretched soul. Oh the horrid butcheries that were committed and commanded by this bloody prince his reign, throughout his whole realm! But at last divine vengeance overtook him, and he died wallowing in his own blood, etc.
The Duke of Guise, next to the king, had the greatest hand in the massacre of the Protestants. He was a most barbarous prince, and at last he falls by barbarous hands; for he being called to come to the king into his cabinet, as he lifted up the tapestry with one hand to enter, he was charged with swords and daggers—and so died by the hands of murderers. He who had murdered many thousands of the Protestants was at last murdered by men of his own religion.
Henry III, king of France, was a most cruel enemy to the Protestants, and he was by James Clemmont, a monk, stabbed in the same chamber, and on the same day wherein he had helped to contrive the French massacre. Doubtless God will one day reckon with France for all that Protestant blood that they have shed.
Maximinus was a great persecutor of the people of God; he set forth a proclamation, engraved in brass, for the utter abolishing of Christ and his religion; he was at last eaten up of lice. The same judgment befell Philip king of Spain. Thomas Blair, one of the privy counselors of the king of Scots, was a severe persecutor of the people of God in that land; when he lay on his dying-bed he fell into despair, and cried out that he was damned, he was damned: and when the monks came about him to comfort him, he cried out upon them, saying, "that their masses and other trash would do him no good; for he never believed them—but all that he did was for love of money, and not of religion, not respecting or believing that there was either a God or a devil, a hell or a heaven; and therefore he was damned, there was no remedy but he must go to hell, and in this state, without a sign of repentance he died."
A popish magistrate having condemned a poor Protestant to death, before his execution he caused his tongue to be cut out, so that he could not confess the truth. But the Lord did retaliate it upon him; for the next child he had was born without a tongue.
Cardinal Crescentius [1552] was a most desperate persecutor of the people of God. He was the pope's ambassador to the Council of Trent, and being one night busy in writing to his master the pope, a huge black dog, with great flaming eyes, and long ears dangling down to the ground, appeared to him in his chamber, and went under the table where he sat. Upon which the cardinal was amazed; but as soon as he had recovered himself, he called his servants to put out the black dog that was come into his chamber; but they looked round about his chambers, and the next chambers—but could find no black dog: upon which the cardinal fell presently brain sick, which never left him until his death, still crying out, "Drive away the black dog, drive away the black dog!" which seemed to him to be climbing up his bed; and in that sad state he died.
After the martyrdom of Gregory, the bishop of Spoleta, Flaccus the governor, who was the author thereof, was struck with a disease, and vomited up his entrails at his mouth, and died.
Mammea Agrippitus, when he was fifteen years old, because he would not sacrifice to their idols, was apprehended at Preneste, and whipped with scourges, and hanged up by the heels, and at last slain with the sword; in the midst of whose torments the governor of the city fell down dead from the tribunal-seat.
Gensericus, king of the Vandals, an Arian, was a most cruel persecutor of the orthodox Christians; he was possessed of the devil, and died a most miserable death in the year 477.
Herod the Great, who caused the babes of Bethlehem to be slain, hoping thereby to have destroyed Christ, shortly after was plagued by God with an incurable disease, having a slow and slack fire continually tormenting of his inward parts; he had a vehement and greedy desire to eat, and yet nothing would satisfy him; his intestines rotted, his breath was weak and stinking, some of his members rotted, and in all his members he had so violent a cramp, that nature was not able to bear it, and so, growing mad with pain, he died miserably.
Herod Antipas, who beheaded John Baptist, not long after, falling into disgrace with the Roman emperor, with his incestuous Herodias, the suggester of that murder, they were banished, and fell into such misery and poverty that they ended their wretched lives with much shame and misery.
Herod Agrippa was a great persecutor of the saints, Acts 12; he was eaten up of worms in the third year of his reign, as Josephus observes. The gown he was in, as the same author relates, was a gown of silver wonderfully wrought, and the beams of the sun reflecting upon it, made it so glisten, that it dazzled the eyes of the beholders; and when he had made an end of his starched oration, his flatterers extolled him as a god, crying out, "It is the voice of a god, and not of a man!" Acts 12:21-23. Whereupon he was presently smitten by the angel of the Lord, and so died with worms that ate up his entrails. The blow the angel gave him was an inward blow, and not so visible to others; and his torments more and more increasing upon him, the people put on sackcloth, and made supplication for him—but all in vain; for his pains and torments growing stronger and stronger every day upon him, they separated his wretched soul from his loathsome body within the compass of five days.
Caiaphas the high priest, who gathered the council, and suborned false witness against the Lord Christ, was shortly after put out of his office, and one Jonathan substituted in his room, whereupon he killed himself.
Not long after Pontius Pilate had condemned our Lord Christ, he lost his deputyship and Caesar's favor; and being fallen into disgrace with the Roman emperor, and banished by him, he fell into such misery that he hanged himself.
Oh the dreadful judgments that were inflicted upon the chief actors in the ten persecutions! Shall I give you a brief account of what befell them?
Nero, that monster of men, who raised the first bloody persecution, to pick a quarrel with the Christians, he set the city of Rome on fire, and then charged it upon them; under which pretense he exposes them to the fury of the people, who cruelly tormented them, as if they had been common burners and destroyers of cities, and the deadly enemies of mankind. Yes, Nero himself caused them to be apprehended and clad in wild beasts' skins, and torn in pieces with dogs; others were crucified, some he made bonfires of to light him in his night-sports. To be short, such horrid cruelty he used towards them, as caused many of their enemies to pity them. But God found out this wretched persecutor at last; for being adjudged by the senate an enemy to mankind, he was condemned to be whipped to death, for the prevention whereof he cut his own throat.
Domitian, the author of the second persecution against the Christians, having drawn a catalogue of such as he was to kill, in which was the name of his own wife and other friends; upon which he was, by the consent of his wife, slain by his own household servants with daggers in his privy-chamber; his body was buried without honor, his memory cursed to posterity, and his arms and ensigns were thrown down and defaced.
Trajan raised the third persecution against the church; he was continually vexed with seditions, and the vengeance of God followed him close. For, first, he fell into a palsy, then lost the use of his senses; afterwards he fell into a dropsy, and died in great anguish.
Adrian being vexed with great and perpetual commotions in his life, died with much anxiety.
Maximinus being declared an enemy by the senate, was killed in his own tent.
Decius, by the Goths, in their first invasion of the empire, with his whole army was cut off.
Valerianus was overcome by the Persians, and made use of by Sapor as a stirrup for his foot when he went to mount his horse.
Julian, in his height of contempt against Christ, was deadly wounded in battle against the Persians, and throwing his blood in the air, died with that desperate expression in his mouth, Vicisti tandem Galilaee.
Valentius, being a great favorer of the Arians, and a great persecutor of the orthodox—the Arians exceeding the heathens in cruelty—was in battle against the Goths in Thracia wounded, and being carried to a house that was near, it was set on fire by the enemy, in which he miserably perished.
Maxentius and his chief officers being put to flight on the other side of the river Tiber, by Constantine, was necessitated to return by a bridge, whereupon he had made devices in a secret way to have drowned Constantine, by which he and those who were with him were drowned in the river; [The Christians compared his destruction in the water to Pharaoh's drowning in the Red Sea.] upon which occasion the Christians took occasion to sing that word, Psalm 9:16, "The Lord is known by the judgments which he executes: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hand:" and that word, Psalm 7:15, "He made a pit and dug it, and he himself is fallen into it."
Diocletian being sent for by Constantine, upon suspicion, chose rather to poison himself than to see him.
Maximianus Herculeus, endeavoring again to recover his authority, was discovered in his design by his daughter, Constantine's wife: whereupon he was pursued and besieged by Constantine, and was either killed, or during the siege hanged himself, as is diversely reported by several writers.
Maximinus Jovius, through intemperance, becoming obese, was smitten with boils in the secret parts, out of which issued abundance of vermin; his physicians were either suffocated by the odious smell of his loathsome disease, or else they were killed by him because they could not cure him. One of his physicians told him that it was God's judgment on him for persecuting the Christians, which no man could cure. At last he fell under such convictions, as forced him to confess that the wrongs and injuries that he had done to the people of God were the cause of that plague; and therefore being struck with terror and horror, gave out edicts that the persecution should cease, and that churches should be built, and that in their meetings prayers should be put up for him, as formerly used to be.
The other tyrant in the east, namely, Maximinus, had been industrious to invent cruel tortures for the Christians, especially to pull out their eyes; but at last he was defeated, and made to hide himself, and afterwards he was pursued by such a sickness which made both his eyes to drop out of his head, by which judgment he was necessitated to confess that the God of the Christians was the only true God, and that he had been mistaken concerning the gods whom he chose to worship; which words were uttered by him when he was even expiring, as Eusebius testifies. By all these dreadful instances, you may run and read that heavy vengeance that has been inflicted upon those who have shed the blood of the just.
Foelix, Earl of Wurtemburg, was a great persecutor of the saints, and did swear that before he died, he would ride up to the spurs in their blood: but the very same night wherein he had thus sworn and vowed, he was choked to death with his own blood.
The judgments of God were so famous and frequent upon those who shed the blood of the saints in Bohemia, that it was used as a proverb among the adversaries themselves, That if any man be weary of his life, let him but attempt against the Christians—and he should not live a year to an end.
Sir Thomas More, once Lord Chancellor of England, was a sworn enemy to the gospel, and persecuted the saints with fire and faggot; and among all his praises he reckons this as the chiefest—that he had been a persecutor of the saints. But what became of him? he was first accused of treason, and then condemned, and at last beheaded.
Judge Morgan was a great persecutor of the people of God; but shortly after he had passed the sentence of condemnation upon that virtuous lady, the Lady Jane Grey, he fell mad, and in his mad raving fits, he would continually cry out, "Take away the Lady Jane, take away the Lady Jane from me!" and in that horror he ended his wretched life.
Drahomiza, after the death of her husband, usurped the government of Bohemia, and was a cruel persecutor of the people of God; but by a righteous hand of God it so fell out, that on that very place where the ministers' bones lay unburied, the earth opened of itself, and swallowed her up alive with her chariot, and those who were in it; which place is now to be seen before the castle of Prague. There is no end of instances of a later date. But,
[7.] Seventhly, The strange, miraculous, and wonderful preservation of the lives and blood of the just, speaks out their blood to be precious blood. [Hesiod speaks of thirty thousand demi-gods that were keepers of men; but what are so many thousand gods, compared to that one God, who neither slumbers nor sleeps—but day and night keeps his people as the apple of his eye, Zeph. 5:8; as his jewels, Mal. 3:17; who keeps them in his pavilion, as a prince his favorite! Psalm 31:20.] Who can sum up the many miracles of divine love, power, wisdom, and care, etc., that God manifested in the preservation of Joseph in the prison, Jeremiah in the dungeon, Daniel in the den, and the three children in the fiery furnace, and not say, "Surely the blood of the saints is very precious in the eyes of the Lord!"
I have read of a certain witch that sent her spirits to kill Ambrose; but they returned her this answer, that God had hedged him in, as he did Job, and therefore they could not touch him, they could not hurt him. Another came with a drawn sword to his bedside to have killed him—but he could not stir his hand, until, repenting, he was by the prayer of Ambrose restored to the use of his hand again. For Luther to stand it out against the pope and all the power of Rome, was a great miracle; and that he should prevail against all that power, was greater; and that after all he should die in his bed, was the greatest of all. There are many thousand instances more of the like nature—but enough is as good as a feast.
[8.] Eighthly, The spiritual judgments that God has given such up to, who have shed the blood of the just, speaks out their blood to be precious blood. Oh the dreadful horrors and amazing terrors of conscience that such have been given up to! Take a few instances among the many that might be given. Vaivod, who had betrayed Zegedine, a godly man, professed to Zegedine that he was so haunted with apparitions and the furies of his own conscience, that he could not rest day nor night. Dionysius, a cruel tyrant, a bitter enemy to all good men and good things, was so troubled with fear and horror of conscience, that, not daring to trust his best friends with a razor, he used to singe his beard with burning coals.
A sleepy conscience, when awakened, is like a sleepy lion; when he awakes he roars and tears his prey. It is like Prometheus' vulture, it lies ever gnawing. Conscience is God's preacher in the bosom. Conscience is a thousand witnesses for or against a man. Conscience has a good memory. Sin brings a stain and a sting. Horror of conscience meets a man in the dark, and makes him leap in the night, and makes him quake in his sleep, and makes him start in every corner, and makes him think every bush is a man, every man a devil, and every devil a messenger to fetch him quick to hell.
Because of an accusing conscience, Theodoric saw the face of a man in the mouth of a fish; Nessus heard the noise of murder in the voice of birds; Saundes ran demented over the Irish mountains. This made Cain wander, Saul stab himself, Judas hang himself, Latomus cry desperately, he was damned, he was damned; and Julian confess that he was conquered. An accusing conscience makes man, the lord of all, to be slave to all. Certainly it is better with Evagrius to lie secure on a bed of straw, than to have a turbulent conscience on a bed of down, having curtains embossed with gold and pearl. But,
[9.] Ninthly and lastly, The shedding of the blood of the just is a sin of so high a cry, and so deep a dye, that for it God is resolved, except men repent, that he will shut them out of the highest heaven, and cast them down to the lowest hell; as you may see by comparing the scriptures in the margin together; [Gal: 5:21; Rev. 21:8, and 22:15; 1 John 3:15; Mat. 22:7.] and therefore certainly the blood of the just is most precious blood. Now, seeing that the blood of the just is such precious blood, who will wonder if God sets such cities and towns and countries into a flame about their ears, upon whose skirts the blood of the just is to be found? Josephus, speaking of the desolation of Jerusalem, says, Because they have sinned against the Lord God of their fathers, in shedding the blood of just men and innocents that were within you, even in the temple of the Lord, therefore are our sorrowful sighings multiplied, and our weapons [weepings?] daily increased. It was the blood of the just, the blood of the innocents, that turned Jerusalem into ashes.
I have read of 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 does excellently discuss the cause of their long captivity and extreme misery, and after that he had proved that it was inflicted for some grievous sin, he shows that sin to be the same which Amos speaks of: "For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof, because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes." The selling of Joseph he makes the first sin; the worshiping of the calf in Horeb, the second sin; the abusing of God's 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 wandered forty years in the wilderness; for the third, they were captives seventy years in Babylon; and for the fourth, they are held in pitiful captivity even until this day.
When Phocas, that bloody cut-throat, sought to secure himself by building high walls, he heard a voice from heaven telling him, that though he built his bulwarks ever so high—yet sin within, blood within, would soon undermine all. Shedding the blood of the just is a sin that has undermined the strongest bulwarks, and that has blown up, and burnt up, the most glorious cities that have been in the world. And who can tell but that the blood of the just that was shed in the Marian days (Bloody Mary), might now come up into remembrance before the Lord? For in four years of her reign there were consumed in the heat of those flames, two hundred and seventy-seven people. I say, who can tell but that the blood of these precious servants of the Lord has cried aloud in the ears of the Lord for vengeance against that once glorious—but now desolate city? Men of brutish spirits, and who are skillful to destroy, make no more of shedding the blood of the just, than they do of shedding the blood of a swine; but yet this hideous sin makes so great a noise in the ears of the Lord Almighty, that many times he tells the world by his fiery dispensations that it cannot be purged away but by fire. And thus much for the sins which bring the fiery judgment. Our way now to the application is plain.
APPLICATION—
And thus much for the sins which bring the fiery judgment. Our way now to the application is plain. We come now to the use and application of this important point. The explanation of a doctrine is but the drawing of the bow; the application is the hitting of the mark, the bulls-eye, etc.
Is it so, that God is the author or efficient cause of all the great calamities and dreadful judgments which are inflicted upon cities and countries, and, in particular, of that of fire? Then,
Use 1. Let us see the hand of the Lord in this recent dreadful fire which has been upon us! For certainly God is the author, permissively at least, of this disaster. God is the great agent in all those dreadful judgments which befall people, cities, and kingdoms. Whoever or whatever be the rod—it is God's hand which gives the stroke! The power of bringing judgments upon cities, God takes to himself: Amos 3:6, "When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?" Whatever the judgment is which falls upon a city—God is the author of it; he acts in it and orders it according to his own good pleasure. There is no judgment that accidentally falls upon any person, city, or country. Every judgment is inflicted by a divine power and providence.
"The Lord said to him—Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord?" Exodus 4:11.
"See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand!" Deuteronomy 32:39.
"The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. 1 Samuel 2:6-7.
"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other." Ecclesiastes 7:14.
"This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them." Jeremiah 32:42.
"Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?" Lamentations 3:38.
"When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?" Amos 3:6.
"For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal." Job 5:18.
"I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." Job 42:2.
"Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him." Psalm 115:3.
"I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths." Psalm 135:5-6.
"I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things." Isaiah 45:7.
"The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me!" Ruth 1:21.
"I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this." Psalm 39:9. "He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes." 1 Samuel 3:18.
"The Lord brought all this disaster on them." 1 Kings 9:9.
"'I am going to bring disaster on you." 1 Kings 21:21.
"The Lord has decreed disaster for you." 1 Kings 22:23.
"Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle!" 2 Kings 21:12.
"The Lord works out everything for his own ends-- even the wicked for a day of disaster!" Proverbs 16:4.
"Therefore this is what the Lord says: I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them!" Jeremiah 11:11.
The Chaldeans could never have burned Jerusalem, if the Lord had not granted them a commission. Hence says the prophet, "Disaster has come from the Lord, even to the gate of Jerusalem," Micah 1:12. It was a severe disaster that Jerusalem, which was one of the world's wonders, should be destroyed by fire; but this disaster was determined at the council-board in heaven. [The soldier's firebrand, by which the famous temple of Jerusalem was burned, was commissioned by a divine command.] Jerusalem was burned by a commission signed in heaven—both when the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar, and when the Romans under Titus Vespasian, laid it in ashes.
All sorts of judgments are more at the beck of God, and under the command of God, than servants are under the commands of their masters, or soldiers under the commands of their general, or children under the command of their parents, Mat. 8:5, 11. Whatever judgment God commands to destroy a person, a city, or country—that judgment shall certainly and effectually accomplish the command of God, in spite of all that creatures can do. [Whatever miscreants made the fireballs—yet God did blow the fire, and so turned London into a ruinous heap! Certainly there was much of God's hand, whatever there was of men's heads, in this fatal fire.] God, as he is our Creator, Preserver, and sovereign Lord, has an absolute power both over our persons, lives, estates, and habitations: and when we have transgressed his righteous laws, he may do with us, and all we have, as he pleases; he may turn us out of house and home, and burn up all our comforts round about us—and yet do us no wrong. Those things which seem accidental and chance unto us—are ordered by the wise counsel, power, and providence of God. Instruments can no more stir until God gives them a commission, than the axe or the knife can cut by itself, without a hand. Job eyed God in the fire which fell from heaven, and in all the fiery trials that befell him. And therefore, as one observes, he does not say, "the Lord gave, and the devil took away!" Nor, "the Lord gave, and the Chaldeans and Sabeans took away!" But "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." Job 1:20-21.
Certainly without the cognizance and concurrence of a wise, omniscient, and omnipotent God—no creatures can move. Without his foresight and permission—no event can befall any person, city, or country: Acts 17:28, "For in him we live, move, and have our being." No man can put forth a natural action without him. Whatever the means or instruments of our misery are—the hand is God's; and this the saints in all the ages of the world have confessed. It behooves us, in every judgment, to see the hand of the Lord, and to look through visible means to an invisible God, Lev. 10:1-4, and Heb. 11:25-26; for though the Lord may, and many times does, make use of Satan and his instruments to scourge his dearest children—yet it is but His one hand, and many instruments, that he smites us with. God makes use of whatever second causes he pleases, for the execution of his pleasure. And many times he makes the worst of men the rod of his indignation to chastise his people with, Isaiah 10:5-20. Witness Pharaoh, Ahab, Haman, Herod, and the Assyrian kings, with scores of other instances that the Scripture affords. And all histories abound in nothing more than in instances of this nature, as all know that have read anything of history. The conclave of Rome, and the conclave of hell can do nothing without a commission from heaven. They cannot make a louse, nor burn a house, nor drown a pig, without a commission from God. A sparrow hops not upon the ground, nor a hair falls not from our heads, no, nor a bristle from a sow's back, says Tertullian—but by a divine providence. [Exod. 8:18; Jer. 21:10; Mat. 8:32, and 10:30; Luke 21:18.]
All created creatures, both in that upper and in this lower world, depend upon God for their being, motion, and several activities. Now in that God did not exert his power, neither to prevent nor check those furious flames, which he knew, without his interposition, would lay all in ashes; it is evident that it was his divine pleasure that London should be turned into a ruinous heap! God's not hindering the desolation of London was a tacit commissioning of the flames to burn down all who stood in their way. That such are under a high mistake that ascribe the burning of London so to second causes as that they will allow no more judgment of God in it than that which accompanies common casualty, I shall sufficiently evidence before I have finished this first use. But I hope the prudent reader will make it his business to see the signal hand of God in this recent fiery dispensation, and to remember that the scribe is more properly said to write than the pen; and he who makes and keeps the clock is more properly said to make it go and strike than the wheels and poises that hang upon it; and every workman to effect his work, rather than the tools which he uses as instruments. Just so, the Lord Almighty, who is the chief agent and mover in all things, and in all actions, may more fitly and properly be said to effect and bring to pass all judgments, yes, all things which are done in the earth, than any inferior or subordinate causes—seeing they are but God's tools and instruments, which he rules and guides according to his own will, power, and providence.
At this some of the more civilized heathen has long since taught, namely, that the same power dispenses both comforts and crosses, when they painted Fortune in two forms, with two faces of contrary colors, the foremost white, the hindermost black, to signify that both good and evil came from the goddess Fortune. When it was told prince Henry, that darling of mankind, that the sins of the people caused that affliction that was upon him; "Oh no," said he, "I have sins enough of my own to cause that." So should we all confess, that though God takes occasion by another man's sin, or by another man's hand, to burn my house—yet the cause is just that it should be so, and that I myself have deserved it, whatever the occasion or the instrument be. God had matter enough against the seventy thousand who died of the plague; though David's sin were the occasion—yet the meritorious cause was in them. Certainly there is no man who has been a sufferer by this recent dreadful fire—but upon an easy search into his own heart and life, he may find matter enough to silence himself, and to satisfy himself that, though God has turned him out of his habitation, and burnt up all his comforts round about him—yet he has done him no wrong.
Surely in the burning of the city of London there was more of the extraordinary hand of God than there was of the hand of papist or atheist, Ezek. 21:31. God, if he had pleased, could have prevented brutish and skillful men to destroy and burn, by discovering of their hellish plots before they had taken effect, as he did Ahithophel's, 2 Sam. 17:10-24; and as he did Tobiah's and Sanballat's, Neh. 4:7-16; and as he did the Jews' who took counsel to kill Paul, Acts 9:23-25, and 23:12-25. And God could have directed and spirited men to the use of the means, and then have given such a blessing to the means, as should have been effectual to the quenching of it when it was first kindled; but he would not, which is a clear evidence that he had given from heaven a commission to the fire to burn with that force and violence as it did, until all was laid in ashes.
Now that you may the better see and acknowledge the hand of the Lord in the recent dreadful fire that has been among us, consider seriously with me these ten following particulars—
[1.] First, Consider the intemperate heat, the DROUGHT of the season. Such a hot and dry summer as that was, has not been known for many years; how by this means every man's habitation was as stubble, fully dry, prepared and fitted for the burning flames. [Nahum 1:10; Joel 2:5. By this parching season every man's house was prepared for fuel.] Before God would strike fire—he made our houses like tinder. When fuel is wet and green, what puffing and blowing must there be to kindle a fire, and to make it burn! but when fuel is light and dry, it is so receptive to fire, that even the very smallest flame, puts it into a blaze. And this was poor London's case; for every man's house had lain long a-sunning under the scorching beams of the sun and much brightness of weather, which made everything so dry and combustible that sparks and flakes of fire were sufficient to set men's houses all in a flame about their ears.
Now this finger of God we are neither to overlook nor yet deny; it is our wisdom, as well as our work, to see not only the finger—but the hand of the Lord in every circumstance that relates to that severe judgment of fire that we are still sighing under, Exod. 8:19. It is God who withholds seasonable showers, and who causes it to rain upon one city and not upon another, Amos 4:7. The earth cannot yield seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, if not watered from above, 1 Kings 17:1-2; nor the heaven cannot drop down fatness upon the earth if God close it up, and withhold the seasonable showers. This the very heathens acknowledged in their fictions of Jupiter and Juno. God alone, can make the heavens as brass, and the earth as iron, and restrain the celestial influences. "Can man bind the sweet influences of Pleiades? or loose the bonds of Orion?" Job 38:31. Can any but God forbid the clouds to drop fatness? Surely not!
Beloved, drought and scantness of water upon a land, a city, etc., is a judgment of God. It is no small misery to have the streams dried up, when the fire is at our doors! [Doubtless there was much wrath in this, that the water-house which served much of the city with water should be burnt down in a few hours after the fire first began. To lack a proper remedy when we are under a growing misery, is no small calamity. It is sad with the people, who have nothing to quench the furious flames but their own tears and blood. To be stripped of water when God strikes a people with that tremendous judgment of fire, is wrath to the utmost.] Jer. 50:38, "A drought on her waters! They will dry up. For it is a land of idols, idols that will go mad with terror!" Jer. 51:36, "I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry." Now mark what follows: verse 37, "And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling-place for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant." When God comes to plead the cause of Zion against Babylon, not by words but by deeds, by blows, by dreadful judgments—when he comes to burn up the inhabitants of Babylon, and to turn them out of house and home, he first dries up her sea, and makes her springs dry. Haggai 1:11, "And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground brings forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands." It is God who brings droughts and rain, and who opens and stops the clouds, the bottles of heaven, at his pleasure: Jer. 14:2-4, "Judah mourns, her cities languish; they wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water. They return with their jars unfilled; dismayed and despairing, they cover their heads (as a token of great grief and sorrow, as mourners do.) The ground is cracked because there is no rain in the land; the farmers are dismayed and cover their heads."
There are many calamities which are brought upon us by human means, which are also avoidable by human helps; but drought and need of water, especially when a devouring fire is kindled in the midst of a people, is no small judgment of heaven upon that people. To lack water when the house is all in flames, is a high evidence of divine displeasure. We had no rain a long time before the fire, and the springs were low, and the waterworks which carried water into that part of the city was first in flames, and were burnt down the first day of the fire. And was there not wrath from heaven in this? Surely yes! Look! as it is a choice mercy to have God at hand, and the creatures at hand, when we most need them, so it is a severe judgment to have God at a distance, and the creatures remote, when they should be of most service and use unto us. Certainly God's arming of the elements of fire against us, and his denying at the same time water unto us, cannot but be a signal of his great indignation against us; and therefore it highly concerns us to see the hand of the Lord in that recent lamentable fire that has been among us. But,
[2.] Secondly, Consider the SUDDENNESS and UNEXPECTEDNESS of this judgment. Who among all the burnt citizens did ever expect to see London laid in ashes in four days' time? God's judgments many times seize upon men's persons, houses, and estates, as the soldiers did Archimedes while he was busy in drawing lines in the dust. Isaiah 64:3, "You did dreadful things that we did not expect! When the citizens saw London in flames, they might truly have said, This is a dreadful thing, which we did not expect! We were minding our business, our shops, our trades, our profits, our pleasures, our delights; we were studying, and plotting, and contriving how to make ourselves and our children great and rich, and high and honorable in the earth—and it never entered into our thoughts that the destruction of London by fire was so near at hand as now we have found it to be!"
Isaiah 47:7-9, 11, "You said, 'I will continue forever—the eternal queen!' But you did not consider these things (which things were the judgments of God which were threatened,) or reflect on what might happen. "Now then, listen, you wanton creature, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, 'I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.' Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells. Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you!" Babylon was arrogant, because of the seventy years' provision laid up beforehand to stand out a siege, and upon its strength and riches—but for all this it was taken by Cyrus.
Was not London the lady-city of our land? Did the inhabitants of London lay those judgments of God to heart that they either felt or feared? Did London remember her latter end? Were not most of the inhabitants of London given to sinful pleasures and delights? Did they not live carelessly and securely? Were they ever so secure and unapprehensive of their danger than at this very time when the flames broke forth in the midst of them? They had recently escaped the most sweeping plague which ever was in the city and suburbs—but instead of finding out the plague of their hearts, and mourning over the plague of their hearts, and repenting of the evil of their doings, and returning to the Most High, 1 Kings 8:37-38; Isaiah 9:13-15; Jer. 8:6, they returned to their sins and their trades together, from both which for a time the plague had frighted them, concluding in themselves that surely the bitterness of death was past, 1 Sam. 15:32. They thought that the worst was past, and that after so dreadful a storm they should have a blessed calm; and dreamed of nothing but peace, and quiet, and safety, and trade, striving with all their might to make up those losses that they had sustained by the pestilence. They having escaped the grave when so many thousands were carried to their long homes, were very secure; they never thought that the city, which had been so lately infected by a contagious plague, was so near being buried in its own ruins! They never imagined that the whole city should be put in flames to purge that air which their sins had infected! [In the month of September the plague was at the highest, and in the same month the flames of London were at highest. Doubtless there is some mystery in this sad providence. London thought itself judgment-proof, plague-proof in September 1665, and therefore God set London in flames in September 1666.] And therefore no wonder if desolation came upon them suddenly, in a moment, in one day. No marvel that so great a fire was kindled in the very heart of the city, and they not see the hand that kindled it, nor have any hands or hearts to quench it. Judgments are never so near—as when men are most secure! 1 Thes. 5:3.
The old world was very secure until the very day that Noah entered into the ark: Luke 17:27, "People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all!" Luther observes that it was in the spring that the flood came, when everything was in its prime and pride, and nothing less looked for, than a flood. They neither believed nor regarded Noah's preaching, nor his preparations for his own and his children's security—but merrily passed without intermission from eating to drinking, and from drinking to marriage, until the very day that the flood came and swept them all away! Their destruction was foretold them to a day—but they were drowned in security, and would take no notice of Noah's predictions nor their own peril. They had made their guts their God; they had buried their wits in their guts, and their brains in their bellies, and so were neither awakened nor bettered by anything which either Noah said or did; and so they perished suddenly and unexpectedly.
Just so, Sodom was very secure until the very day that fire and brimstone was rained from heaven about their ears, verse 28-29. "It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all!" Gen. 19:23-24. Lot was no sooner taken out of Sodom—but Sodom was as soon taken out of the world. Their fair sunshine morning had a foul dismal evening; they had a little hell on this side hell. They passed through fire and brimstone here—to an eternal fire in hell, as Jude speaks, verse 7.
Just so, the Jews were totally secure before the first and latter destruction both of their city and country by sword and fire. All the world could not persuade them that their temple and city would be laid in ashes, until the Chaldeans at one time, and the Romans at another, had set both their city and temple in a flame before their eyes. Compare these together: Amos 6:3; Lam. 4:11-12; Ezek. 12:22, 27-28; Hab. 1:7; Luke 2:19, 41-44.
Now mark—sudden and unexpected judgments do always carry a great deal of the anger and severity of God in them: Deut. 7:4, "So will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy you suddenly!" God being greatly angry with Jerusalem, Isaiah 29:1-4, he tells her that her judgment would be at an instant, suddenly, verse 5. Psalm 64:7, "But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded!" Hab. 2:7, "Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite you, and awake that shall vex you, and you will become their victim!"
Proverbs 6:14-15, "His calamity shall come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy." Here is a dismal doom; not bruised—but broken—yes, suddenly broken, when they least dream or dread the danger. And this without remedy; there shall be no possibility of piecing them up again, or putting them into a better condition: chapter 24:22, "Their calamity shall rise suddenly." When they think that they have made all cock-sure, then ruin and desolation lies at their door! Certainly there are no judgments so dreadful and amazing as those which come most suddenly and unexpectedly upon men; for these cut off all hope, they hinder the exercise of reason, they cloud men's minds, they distress men's spirits, they mar men's counsels, and they weaken men's courage, and they daunt men's hearts so, that they can neither be serviceable to themselves, nor their friends, nor the public. All this was evidently seen upon the body of the citizens when London was in flames. The more eminent cause have we to take notice of the hand of the Lord in that recent fiery dispensation that has passed upon us.
The year 1666, according to the computation of several sober, wise, learned men, should have been the Christian's jubilee. Many men's expectations were high that Rome that year should be laid in ashes; but it never entered into any of our hearts or thoughts that this very year London should be laid in ashes. O unexpected blow!
One in Germany, who in the pulpit charged the apostle Paul with a lie, was suddenly smitten with an apoplexy, while the words were yet in his mouth, and fell down dead in the place. The priest of Kent, having got a pardon from the Pope, the next Lord's day in his own parish presses all his people to do the like, with this argument, that he was now so free from all his sins, that he could die presently; and God presently so struck him in his pulpit, that he died, and never spoke more. As Bibulus, a Roman general, was riding in triumph in all his glory, a tile fell from the house in the street, and knocked out his brains. Otho the emperor slew himself with his own hands. Lepidus and Aufidius stumbled at the very threshold of the senate and died; the blow came in a cloud from heaven. Sophocles died suddenly by excessive joy, and Homer by immoderate grief. Mr. Perkins speaks of one who, when it thundered, scoffingly said it was nothing but Tom Tumbril a-hooping his tubs, and presently he was struck dead with a thunderbolt! Olympus, the Arian heretic, bathing himself, uttered heretical words against the blessed Trinity—but suddenly a threefold thunderbolt struck him dead in the same place. Attilus, king of the Huns, proudly boasted that the stars fell before him, and the earth trembled at his presence, and how he would be the scourge of all nations; but soon after he died by a flux of blood breaking out of his mouth, which choked him on his wedding-day.
King Henry the Second of France, upon the marriage of his sister with the king of Spain, was so puffed up, that he called himself by a new title, The thrice happy king. But he was slain by the captain of his guard, and not without God's determinate counsel, in the very beginning of his supposed happiness. Now everyone who is a man either of reason or religion, will certainly say that in these sudden judgments which befell these people, there was the angry and displeased hand of God to be seen.
Oh how much more, then, should we see the angry and displeased hand of the Lord in that sudden, dreadful fire, which has turned our once renowned city into a ruinous heap, Jer. 8:15. In this year 1666 many thought that there had been many great and glorious things in the womb of providence, which would have been now brought forth—but they were mistaken; for unexpectedly London is laid in ashes! But,
[3.] Thirdly, Consider the force, violence, vehemency, and IRRESISTIBLENESS of this fire—despising and triumphing over all those weak endeavors that were used. [Many authors speak much of the Greek fire, to be of amazing force. And certainly several fires which have been enkindled by Romish Jesuits have not been less furious. Stone walls and brick walls, and those noble and strong pieces of architecture, were all but fuel to those furious flames.] This fire in London, broke forth with that violence, and raged with that fury, and appeared in that dreadfulness, and spread itself with that dismalness, and continued for so long a time with that irresistibleness, which discouraged hearts and weak hands, with their buckets, engines, ladders, hooks, opening of pipes, and sweeping of channels, could give no check to it. This fire broke in upon the inhabitants like a tidal wave, and roared and raged like a bear robbed of her whelps, until it had laid our glorious city in ashes! When the fire was here and there a little allayed or beaten down—how soon did it recover its force and violence, and make the more furious onsets, burning down water-houses, engines, churches, and the more strong, pleasant, and stately houses, nothing being able to stand before its rage! How soon did the flames mount up to the tops of the highest houses, and as soon descend down to the bottom of the lowest vaults and cellars! How did they march along, Jehu-like, on both sides of the streets, with such a roaring, dreadful, and astonishing noise, as never was heard in the city of London before!
London's sins were now so great, and God's wrath was now so hot—that there was no quenching of the furious flames. The decree for the burning of London was now gone forth, and none could reverse it. The time of London's fall was now come. The fire had now received its commission from God—to burn down the city and to turn it into a ruinous heap; and therefore it defied and despised all remedies, and scorned to be suppressed by human attempts. Whoever kindled this fire, God blew the coal; and therefore no arts, counsels, or endeavors of men were able to quench it. If God commissions the sword of war to walk abroad, and to glut itself with blood, who can command it into the scabbard again? No art, power, or policy can cause that sword to lie still—which God has drawn in the nations round us, until it has accomplished the ends for which he has drawn it.
As to our present case, when I weigh things in the balance of right reason, I cannot but be of opinion that, had magistrates and people vigorously and conscientiously discharged their duties, much of London, by the blessing of God upon their endeavors, that is now ruined, might happily have been preserved. When in a storm, the ship and all the vast treasure that is in it, is in danger to be lost—it is sad to see every officer and mariner to mind more, and endeavor more the preservation of their chests, cabins, and particular interests, than the preservation of the ship, and the vast treasure which is in it. Now this was just our case. Cicero in his time laughed at the folly of those men, who imagined that their fish-ponds and places of pleasure would be safe, when the commonwealth was lost. And we may well mourn over the folly and vanity of those men who were so amazed, confounded, distracted, besotted and infatuated, if not worse—as not to improve all heads, hands, hearts, counsels, and efforts which were made for the preservation of the city. This is, and this must be for a lamentation, that in the midst of public dangers, all ranks and sorts of men should take more care for the preservation of their trifling huts—for so is any particular man's estate, though ever so great, when compared with the riches of a rich, trading, populous city—than they do for the preservation of the public good.
That there might have been rational and probable anticipations of those progress of the dreadful fire, I suppose all sober men will grant. That these were either hidden from some men's eyes, and seen by others and not improved, was London's woe. When London was almost destroyed, then some began to blow up some houses for the preservation of that little that was left, and God blessed their endeavors; but had some had encouragement, who long before were ready for that work, and who offered themselves in the case, it is very probable that a great part of London might have been preserved. But what shall I say, divine justice does as eminently sparkle and shine in the shutting of men's eyes, and in the stopping of men's ears, and in the hardening men's hearts against the visible and probable means of their outward preservation, as in any one thing. This we must seriously consider, and then lay our hands upon our mouths, and be silent before the Lord.
The force and violence of this fire was so great, that many who removed their goods once, twice, thrice, yes, and some oftener—yet lost all at last. The fire followed them so close from place to place, that some saved but little, and others lost all. Now how well does it befit us, in the rage and fury of the flames, to see the hand of the Lord, and to bow before him, as this fire being like time, which devours all before it. Jerusalem was the glory and beauty of the whole earth; and the temple was one of the world's wonders; but when Titus Vespasian's soldiers had set it on fire, it burnt with that rage and fury that all the industry and skill that ever could be used, imagined, or thought on, could not quench it. They threw both the water and the blood of the slain into it—but it burnt with that violence that nothing could extinguish it. King Herod, for eight years together, before the ruin of it, had employed ten thousand men at work to beautify it; but when once it was on fire, it burnt with that fierceness, that there was no preserving of it, the decree of heaven being gone out against it, etc. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Consider the SWIFTNESS of it. It flew upon the wings of the WIND, that it might the sooner come to its journey's end. It ran along like the fire and hail in Egypt, destroying and consuming all before it, Psalm 18:10; Exod. 9:23-24. The wind was so boisterous, that it scattered and carried the fire, the flames, sometimes one way, sometimes another, in despite of all the restraints, resistances, and barriers which the amazed citizens could have set to it. I shall not trouble you with the various notions of philosophers concerning the wind, partly because they will do no service in the present case, and partly because our work is to look higher than all natural causes. [The winds are the fan of nature to cool and purge the air. But at this time God brought the winds out of his treasury, to scatter the flames of his indignation, so that London might become a desolation.] All that either is or can be said of the wind, I suppose, may be thus summed up: that it is a creature that may be
(1.) Felt;
(2.) Heard;
(3.) Little understood.
The rise of the winds is very amazing; when it is so calm and still upon the seas, that scarce a breath of air is perceivable; then, suddenly, the wind is here and there, and everywhere: Eccles. 1:6, "The wind goes toward the south, and turns about unto the north: it whirls about continually; and the wind returns again according to his circuits." Psalm 135:7, "He brings the wind out of his treasuries." But what those treasuries are, and where they are, no man on earth can certainly tell us. The wind is one of the great wonders of the Lord, in which, and by which the Lord's name is wonderfully magnified: Psalm 107:24-25, "Those who go down to the sea, see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep." What wonders? "He commands and raises the stormy wind." Although something may be known of this creature in the natural causes of it; yet it is a wonder above all that we can know of it, John 3:8. What the wind is, and from whence it comes, and where it goes—none can tell.
God is the great general, and sovereign commander of the winds—so that a blast of wind cannot pass without his permission, license, and cognizance. Jonah 1:4, "But the Lord sent a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea." The winds are God's runners—they are sometimes messengers of mercy, and sometimes messengers of wrath: Psalm 147:18, "He causes his wind to blow." [Mat. 8:27; Num. 11:31; Isaiah 18:8; Gen. 8; Exod. 1:10, and 13.] The winds are at God's command, to come and go, and go and come at his pleasure. When there is nothing but a sweet, smooth, and silver calm on the seas, if God does but give forth a word of command, how soon are they thrown into hills and mountains, and how dreadfully do the waves dash and clash one against another! Psalm 148:8, "Fire and hail, snow and vapors, stormy wind fulfilling his word." Sometimes the word that God has to fulfill is a saving word, and sometimes it is a destroying word, a drowning word, a sinking word. Now according to the word that God has to fulfill, so do the winds always blow. The Lord has the winds at command, to be his executioners and administrators, either of destruction or preservation. What are stormy winds at sea or ashore, but the utterings of God's voice in wrath and judgment?
Sometimes God is said to "fly upon the wings of the wind," Psalm 18:10; and sometimes he is said to "ride upon the wings of the wind," 2 Sam. 22:11; and sometimes he is said to "walk upon the wings of the wind," Psalm 104:3. Now these things are spoken after the manner of men, to show that the winds are continually acted and governed by a divine power. God flies upon the wings of the tempestuous winds, speedily to execute the vengeance written; and he rides and walks upon the wings of the more soft, easy, and gentle gales of the wind, that he may make good the mercies promised, Exod. 15:10, and 14:21.
No creatures in heaven or on earth has the winds at command, but God solely and properly. Every wind that blows has a commission under the great seal of heaven to bear it out in all it does. If the winds should be examined, questioned, and required to give in a full and exact account of the many thousand mariners that they have drowned, and of the many thousand ships that they have spoiled and destroyed, and of the many ten thousand houses that they have blown down at some times, and of the many score thousand houses that, when the fire has been kindled, they have helped to consume and reduce to ashes at other times—they would show you the hand and seal of heaven for all they have done.
The sovereignty and greatness of God does eminently shine and sparkle in this, that the winds are originally in his hand. "He gathers the wind in his fist," Proverbs 30:4 God keeps the royal rights of all the creatures in his own hand. The winds are greater or lesser, of a longer or shorter continuance—according to the will and pleasure of the great God, and not according to the workings of second causes.
The more civilized heathens had this notion among them, "that the winds were under the dominion of one supreme power," and therefore, dividing the world among sundry gods, they gave the honor of the winds to Aeolus, whom they ignorantly suppose had a power to lock them fast, or to let them loose at his pleasure. These poor besotted heathens thought that their feigned god Aeolus had power to govern and bridle the winds, and to turn them this way and that way, as a man governs the chariot in which he rides. And many ignorant atheistical wretches, when the winds are boisterous and violent, they are ready to say, that there is conjuring abroad, and that the devil is at work; but they must know that the devil has not power of himself to raise one blast of wind, no, nor so much wind as will stir a feather!
I know that the devil is the "prince of the power of the air," Eph. 2:2, and that when God will give him permission, for ends best known to himself—he can then raise such storms and tempests, both at sea and ashore, as shall dash the stoutest ships in pieces, and remove mountains, and make the most glorious cities in the world a ruinous heap; he can easily and quickly raze the foundations of the fairest, the richest, the strongest, and the renownest, and the oldest buildings in the world—if God will but permit him! Job 1:19. But without divine permission, no angel in heaven, no devil in hell, nor any witch on earth, can raise or continue the winds one moment. Satan's power over the wind is only a derivative power, a permissive power; but the Lord's power over the wind is a supreme power, an absolute power, an independent power.
Now, oh what eminent cause have we to see the hand of the Lord in that boisterous wind which continued four days and nights, and which carried the fire to all parts of the city, until our glorious city was laid in ashes! Oh how great were the sins of that people! Oh how great was the anger of that God, who united two of the most dreadful elements, fire and wind—to destroy our city, and lay our glory in the dust! When the Romans put fire to the walls of Jerusalem, at first the north wind blew it furiously upon the Romans themselves—but suddenly the wind changing and blowing from the south, as it were by God's providence it turned the fire again upon the wall, and so all was consumed and turned into ashes. Suppose the Romans, or some set on by the conclave of Rome, did at first set our city on fire, by casting their firebrands, for by that means Jerusalem was set on fire, or fire-balls here and there; yet how highly does it concern us, when we consider the furious wind that helped on the fury of the fire, to lay our hands upon our loins, and to say, The Lord is righteous; and that our present ruin is but the product of incensed justice! etc.
When the Lord has any service for the wind to do, it is presently upon the march, to run and dispatch his errands, whether of wrath or of mercy. If the Lord-General of heaven and earth—the great, the supreme commander of the winds—will have them to destroy a people, and to help on the destruction of their houses, when the flames are kindled, or to break and dash in pieces their ships at sea—it shall soon be accomplished: 2 Chron. 20:37, "Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made. The ships were wrecked and were not able to set sail to trade." Boisterous winds at sea or ashore, are the arrows of God shot out of the bended bow of his displeasure; they are one of the lower tier of his wrath, which is fired upon men. Nahum 1:3, "The Lord is slow to anger and great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet."
The great Spanish Armada which came to invade our land in 1588, were broken and scattered by the winds: so that their strategy was frustrated, and they sent into the bottom of the sea, if not into a worse bottom. When Charles V had besieged Algiers, both by sea and by land, and had almost taken it—by two dreadful tempests the greatest part of his great fleet were destroyed. Ships, houses, trees, steeples, rocks, mountains, monuments cannot stand before a tempestuous wind: 1 Kings 19:11, "Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks." What more strong than rocks and mountains? and yet they were too weak to stand before the strength of a tempestuous wind. Oh the dreadful execution that God does many times—by the winds both at sea and ashore!
"The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him-- the dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning. The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them. The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of breath from your nostrils." Psalms 18:7-15
The fire in London carried the noise of a whirlwind in it: and that made it so formidable and dreadful to all who beheld it, especially those who looked upon it as a fruit of God's displeasure. The wind was commissioned by God to join with the raging fire—to lay the city desolate. I think the like dreadful instance cannot be given in any age of the world. Assuredly, if ever God was in any wind—he was remarkably in this wind. Witness the dismal effects of it among us to this very day! Had God been pleased to have hindered the conjunction of these two elements, much of London might have been standing, which now lies buried in its own ruins.
I grant that it is probable enough that those who prophesied and predicted the burning of London, before it was laid in ashes, were the prime contrivers and furtherers of the firing of it: but yet when they had kindled the fire, that God by the bellows of heaven should so blow upon it as to make it spread, and turn, like the flaming sword in paradise, every way, Gen. 3:24, until by its force and fury it had destroyed above two third of the midst of the city, as the phrase is, Ezek. 5:2, "This is, and this must be for a severe lamentation." God, who holds the winds in his fist, who is the true Aeolus, could either have locked them up in his treasury, or have commanded them to be still; or else have turned them to have been a defense to the city, Psalm 13:5; Mark 4:39. God, who holds the bottles of heaven in his hand, Gen. 7:11, could easily have unstopped them; he could with a word of his mouth have opened the windows of heaven, and have poured down such an abundance of rain upon the city, as would quickly have quenched the violence of the flames, and so have made the conquest of the fire more easy. But the Lord was angry, and the decree was gone out that London should be burnt; and who could prevent it?
To close up this particular, consider much of the wisdom, power, and justice of God shines in the variety of the motions of the wind: Eccles. 1:6, "The wind goes toward the south, and turns about unto the north; it whirls about continually, and the wind returns again according to his circuits." The wind has its various circuits appointed by God. When the wind blows southward, northward, westward, or eastward, it blows according to the orders which are issued out from the court of heaven. Sometimes the wind begins to blow at one point of the compass, and in a short time whirls about to every point of the compass, until it comes again to the same point where it blew at the first. Yet in all this they observe their circuits, and run their compass, according to the divine appointment. As the sun, so the winds have their courses ordered out by the wise providence of God. Divine wisdom much sparkles and shines in the circuits of the winds; which the Lord brings out of his treasury, and makes them serviceable, sometimes to one part of the world, and at other times to other parts of the world. It is the great God who appoints where the winds shall blow, Exod. 14:24; Jonah 1:4, and 4:8, and when the winds shall blow, and how long the winds shall blow, and with what force and violence the winds shall blow!
The winds in some parts of the world have a very regular and uniform motion, in some months of the year blowing constantly out of one quarter, and in others out of another. In some places of the world where I have been, the motions of the wind are steady and constant, which mariners call their trade wind. Now by these stated or settled winds, divine providence does very greatly serve the interest of men. But now in other parts of the world, the winds are as changeable as men's minds. The laws that God lays upon the winds in most parts of the world are not like the laws of the Medes and Persians, "which alter not," Dan. 6:8. One day God lays a law upon the winds to blow full east, the next day to blow full west, the third to blow full south, the fourth to blow full north; yes, in several parts of the world I have known the winds to change their motions several times in a day. Now in all these various motions of the winds, the providence of God is at work for the good of mankind. That there is a dreadful storm in one place, and at the same time a sweet calm in another; that a tempestuous storm should destroy and dash in pieces one fleet, and that at the same instant, and in one and the same sea, a prosperous gale should blow another fleet into a safe harbor; that some at sea should have a stiff gale of wind, and others within sight of them should lie becalmed; that some ships should come gallantly into harbor, and that others should sink down at the same harbor's mouth before they should be able to get in—is all from the decree of God, and that law which he has laid upon the winds.
That dreadful tempestuous wind, which affrighted the disciples, and which put them not only to their wits' end—but also to their faith's end, was allayed by a word of Christ's mouth: Mat. 8:26, "He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm." O sirs! when London was in flames, and when the winds were high and went their circuits, roaring and making a most hideous noise, how easy a thing had it been with Jesus by a word of his mouth to have allayed them! but he was more angry with us than he was with his disciples who were in danger of drowning, or else he would as certainly have saved our city from burning by rebuking the winds and the flames, as he did his disciples from drowning by rebuking the winds and the seas.
I have been the longer upon this fourth particular, that you may the more easily run and read the anger of the Lord in those furious flames, and in that violent wind, which has laid our city desolate. Astrologers ascribe the motions of the winds to special planets. The east wind they ascribe to the sun, the west wind to the moon, the south wind to Mars, and the north wind to Jupiter; but those who are wise in heart, by what I have said concerning the winds, may safely and groundedly conclude that God alone has the supreme power of the winds in his own hand, and that he alone orders, directs, and commands all the motions of the winds! And therefore let us look to that dreadful hand of the Lord, which was lifted up in that fierce wind, that did so exceedingly contribute to the turning of our city into a ruinous heap! But,
[5.] Fifthly, Consider the EXTENSIVENESS of it. [Within the walls of the city there were eighty-one parishes consumed. For every hour the fire lasted, there was a whole parish consumed.] How did this dreadful fire spread itself, until it had gained so great a force as that it despised all men's attempts! It quickly spread itself from the east to the west, to the destruction of houses of state, of trade, of public magistracy. It spread itself with that violence that it soon crumbled into ashes our most stately habitations, halls, chapels, churches, and famous monuments. Those magnificent structures of the city that formerly had put stops and given checks to the furious flames, falls now like stubble before the violence of a spreading fire. This fire like a flood, broke in suddenly upon us, and soon spread itself all manner of ways among us. It ran from place to place like the fire and hail in Egypt, Exod. 9:23: now it was in this street, and in a moment in that; now this steeple is on fire, and then that; now this place of judicature is laid in ashes, and then that; now this hall is in flames, and then that; now this parish is burnt down to the ground, and then that; now this town is turned into a ruinous heap, and then that; now this quarter of the city is level with the ground, and then that; now this gate of the city is demolished and consumed, and then that. "The adversary has spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things," says the prophet lamentingly, Lam. 1:10; and we may say sighingly, the fire has spread out its hand upon all our pleasant things, upon all our pleasant houses, shops, trades, gardens, walks, temples, etc.
The plague, the year before, did so rage and spread, that it emptied many thousand of houses of people; and now this dreadful fire has so spread itself that it has not left houses enough for many thousands of people to dwell in, there being more than thirteen thousand houses destroyed by the furious flames.
Sin is of a spreading nature, and accordingly it had spread itself over all parts of the city; and therefore the Lord, who delights to suit his judgments to men's sins, sent a spreading fire in the midst of us. The merciless flames spreading themselves every way, in four days' time laid the main of our once glorious city in ashes: a judgment so remarkable and beyond precedent, that he who will not see the hand of the Lord in it, may well be reckoned among the worst of atheists. But,
[6.] Sixthly, Consider the IMPARTIALITY of it. It spared neither sinners nor saints, young nor old, rich nor poor, honorable nor base, bond nor free, male nor female, buyer nor seller, borrower nor lender. God making good that word, "See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants-- it will be the same for priest as for people, for master as for servant, for mistress as for maid, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor. The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The Lord has spoken this word. The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the exalted of the earth languish. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left." Isaiah 24:1-6
In the day of the Lord's wrath, which was recently upon us, all orders, ranks, and degrees of men suffered alike, and were abased alike; the furious flames made no difference, they put no distinction between the coarse coat and the scarlet gown, the leathern necklace and the gold chain, the merchant and the tradesman, the landlord and the tenant, the giver and the receiver.
"There is no difference: fire has made
Equal the scepter and the spade."
Ezek. 20:47, "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north will be scorched by it." I have, in the former part of this treatise, given some light into these words. The fire, the flames in the text, takes hold of all sorts of people, rich and poor, lord and lad, high and low, great and small, strong and weak, wise and foolish, learned and ignorant, commanders and soldiers, rulers and ruled. Just so, did the recent lamentable fire in London take hold of all sorts and degrees of men, as the citizens have found by sad experience.
The fire, like the duke of Parma's sword, knew no difference between robes and rags, between prince and peasant, between honorable and vile, between "the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner," Eccles. 9:1-2. The judgment was universal, the blow reached us all, the flames broke into every man's house! Such a dreadful, impartial, universal fire—eyes never saw before, nor ears ever heard of before, nor tongues ever discoursed of before, nor pens ever wrote of before. Beloved, you know that it is our duty to take serious notice of the hand of the Lord in the least judgment, and in every particular judgment. Oh how much more then does it highly concern us to take serious notice of the hand of the Lord, which has been lifted up against us, in that recent dreadful, impartial, universal fire, which has burnt us all out of our habitations, and laid our city desolate! But,
[7.] Seventhly, Consider the GREATNESS of it, the DESTRUCTIVENESS of it. Oh the many thousand families that were destroyed and impoverished in four days time! Of many it might have been said the day before the fire, "Who are so rich as these?" And the very next day it might have been said of the same people, "Who are so poor as these?" They became as poor as Job; yes, poor to a proverb: Jer. 21:13-14, "Behold, I am against you [Jerusalem,] you who live above this valley on the rocky plateau, declares the Lord--you who say, "Who can come against us? Who can enter our refuge?" I will punish you as your deeds deserve, declares the Lord. I will kindle a fire in your forests that will consume everything around you!" [London was the treasury city where the riches of many nations were laid up. I would rather weep over London, than have to sum up the losses of London by this dreadful fire.] Some by the forests, understand the fair and sumptuous buildings in Jerusalem, which were built with wood which was hewn out of the forest of Lebanon, and stood as thick as trees in the forest. Others by the forests, understand the whole city of Jerusalem with the country round about it, which was as full of people as a forest is full of trees. Others understand the forests to be the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and the houses of the great princes, which were built with excellent matter from the wood of Lebanon. Jerusalem was so strongly defended by nature that they thought themselves invincible, as once the Jebusites did, 2 Sam. 5:6. They were so confident of the strength of their city, that they scorned the proudest and the strongest enemies around 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 Chaldeans to burn up their magnificent buildings in which they gloried, and to turn their strong and stately city into a ruinous heap! Though Jerusalem stood in a valley, and was environed with mountains—yet the upper part of it stood high upon a rocky rising hill, Psalm 125:2. Now the citizens of Jerusalem trusted very much in the situation of their city; they did not fear their being besieged, conquered, or burned; and therefore they said, "Who shall come down against us? Who shall enter into our habitation? Where is the enemy who 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 forest were barren of good fruit; and therefore he was resolved by the hand of the Chaldeans to hew them down, and to burn 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. 52:12-15.
How often has the citizens of London been alarmed with the cry of fire; which has been as often extinguished before they could well know where it was, and how it began! but all former fires were but small fires, compared to this dreadful bonfire which has been recently among us.
In the twentieth year of the reign of William the First, so 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 which ever happened in that city. 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 Stephen's reign, there was a fire which 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, compared to that recent dreadful fire that has been among us? London in those former times was but a little city, and had but a few people in it, Eccles. 9:14, in comparison of what it was now. The consumption of London by fire then, was nothing proportionable to the consumption of it by fire now. For this recent lamentable devouring fire has laid waste the greatest part of the city of London within the walls by far, and some part of the suburbs also. More than eighty parishes, and all the houses, churches, chapels, hospitals, and other the great and magnificent buildings of pious or public 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 weakened and shattered the strongest vaults under ground. Oh, what age or nation has ever seen or felt such a dreadful visitation as this has been!
Nebuzaradan, general to the king of Babylon, first set the temple of Jerusalem on fire, and then the king's royal palace on fire, and then by fire he levels all the houses of the great men; yes, and all the houses of Jerusalem are by fire turned into a ruinous heap, according to what the Lord had before foretold by his prophet Jeremiah, chapter 52:12-14. Now this was a lamentable fire. Some hundred years after the Roman soldiers sacked the city, and set it on fire, and laid it desolate, with their temple, and all their stately buildings and glorious monuments. Three or four towers and the wall which were on the west side, they left standing as monuments of the Romans' valor, who had surprised a city so strongly fortified. All the rest of the city they so leveled, that those who had not seen it before, would not believe that it had ever been inhabited. Thus was Jerusalem, one of the world's wonders, and a city famous among all nations, made desolate by fire, according to the prediction of Christ some years before, Luke 19:41-44. But alas! what was this fire and loss, compared to the fire of London, and the loss of the citizens in our day?
There was a great fire in Rome in Nero's time; it spread itself with that speed, and burnt with that violence, until of fourteen regions in Rome, there were but four left entire. I know there are some who would make the world believe that this fire began accidentally, as many now would persuade us that the recent fire in London did. But I rather join with those who conclude that Nero set Rome on fire, and then laid the blame upon the Christians, and thereupon based his persecution—as all know that have read the history of those times. Sixteen years later, Rome was set on fire by fire from heaven; it burned three days and nights, and consumed the capitol, with many other stately buildings and glorious monuments; it burnt with that irresistible fury, that the historian concludes that it was more than an ordinary fire. And in the time of Commodus the emperor, there happened such a dreadful fire in Rome, as consumed the temple of Peace, and all the most stately houses, princely palaces, glorious structures, and rare monuments that were in the city. But alas! what was this fire and loss, compared to the fire of London, and the loss of the citizens in our day?
In the reign of Achmat, the eighth emperor of the Turks, about the beginning of November, a great fire arose at Constantinople, wherein almost five hundred shops of wares, with many other fair buildings, were destroyed by fire; so that the harm that was then done by fire was esteemed to amount to millions. But alas! what was this fire and loss, compared to the fire of London, and the loss of the citizens in our day?
In Constantinople in A.D. 465, in the beginning of September, there brake forth such a fire by the water-side, as raged with that dread force, and fury, and violence, four days and nights together, that it burnt down the greatest part of the city—the strongest and the stateliest houses being but as dried stubble before it. It bid defiance to all means of resistance; it went on triumphing and scorning all human helps, until it had turned that great and populous city, once counted by some the wonder of the world, into a ruinous heap! This of all fires comes nearest to the recent fire of London. But what is the burning of a thousand Romes, and a thousand Constantinoples, or the burning of ten thousand barbarous cities, compared to the burning of one London, where God was as greatly known, and as dearly loved, and as highly prized, and as purely served, as he was in any one place under the whole heavens? O sirs, it is our duty and our high concernment to see the hand of the Lord, and to acknowledge the hand of the Lord in the least fires: how much more then does it behoove us to see the hand of the Lord lifted up in that recent dreadful fire, which has laid our city desolate? But,
[8.] Eighthly, Consider how all sorts, ranks, and degrees of men were terrified, bewildered, amazed, astonished, and dispirited in the recent dreadful fire that was kindled in the midst of us! When men should have been a-strengthening of one another's hands, and encouraging of one another's hearts, to fight the furious flames—how were their hearts in their heels, everyone flying before the fire, as men fly before an omnipotent enemy! What a palsy, what a great trembling had seized upon the heads, hands, and hearts of most citizens, as if they had been under Cain's curse! Most men were unmanned and bewildered; and therefore no wonder if the furious flames received no check. [When a ship is sinking, it is sad to see every man run to his cabin, when everyone should be at the pumps, or a-stopping of leaks.]
In former fires, when magistrates and people had resolved hearts and active hands—how easily, how quickly were those fires quenched! But now—Oh the feebleness, the frights, the tremblings, the distractions, which were then in every house, in every heart! But now—our rulers' minds were darkened and confused, their judgments bewildered, their souls dispirited, and their ears stopped—so that their authority did only accent their misery: and this filled many citizens' hearts with fear, terror, amazement, and bewilderment. In this great confusion—how soon was the city undone. Had the care and diligence both of magistrates and people been more for the securing of the public good, than it was for securing their own private interest, much of London, by a good hand of providence upon their endeavors, might have been standing, which is now turned into a ruinous heap!
Troy was lost by the sloth and carelessness of her inhabitants; and may I not say—that much of London was lost by the sloth and carelessness of some, and by the fears, frights, and amazement of others, and by others endeavoring more to secure their own valuables, than the safety of the whole? When London was in flames, men's courage flagged, and their spirits failed, the strong helpers stood helpless. Some stood looking on, others stood weeping, and shaking their heads, and wringing their hands, and others walked up and down the streets like so many ghosts. Psalm 76:5, "Valiant men lie plundered; not one of the warriors can lift his hands." God took away their courage, and their usual strength failed them. Just so, when London was in flames, how were high and low, rich and poor, honorable and base, robbed of their understanding and bewildered! The Lord took away all wisdom, courage, counsel, and strength from them.
"But when the column of smoke began to rise from the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the smoke of the whole city going up into the sky... and the men of Benjamin were terrified, because they realized that disaster had come upon them. So they fled..." Judges 20:40-42. These Benjamites were the very picture of our citizens; for when they saw the flame begin to arise out of the city with a pillar of smoke, when they saw the flame of the city ascend up to heaven, oh how astonished and confounded were they! Just so—all wisdom, courage, and counsel was taken away, both from magistrate and people, and none of them could find either heads, hands, or hearts to prevent London's desolation, Job 34:19-20, 24.
In Psalm 76:12, God is said "to cut off the spirits of princes;" or as the Hebrew runs, "He shall slip off the spirits of princes," as men slip off a bunch of grapes, or a flower between their fingers—easily, suddenly, unexpectedly, as he did by Sennacherib's princes, 1 Kings 19:36. Princes usually are men of the greatest spirits, and yet sometimes God does dispirit them; he slips off their spirits, as men do a flower, which soon withers in their hand.
How soon did God slip off the spirit of that great, proud, debauched monarch Belshazzar, who, when he was in the midst of his cups, bravery, and jollity, with all his great princes, lords, ladies, and concubines about him—saw a hand writing upon the wall, which did so astonish him and terrify him, that his "face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way," Dan. 5:1-6. But you may say, What was the reason that so great a prince should be so greatly astonished? Answer. The text tells you, "he saw a hand." What hand? even the hand of a man. What! could one hand of a man, terrify and startle so great a monarch? Had he seen the paws of a lion, or the paws of a bear, or the paws of a dragon, there had been some cause of terror. But what need such a powerful prince fear the hand of a man so much—at whose command and beck a hundred troops of armed horsemen would presently fly to his assistance? What dreadful weapons could that one hand wield or manage? none but a pen, with which it wrote. But will any man, much less a king, be afraid of a writing pen? Had he beheld the three spears of Joab, 2 Sam. 18:14, or the fiery flaming sword of the cherub, Gen. 3:24, brandished directly against him, he had then had some reason to be astonished; but one hand, one pen, one piece of writing which he did not understood—this was that which daunted him.
Many citizens were as much amazed, astonished, terrified, and startled when they saw London in flames, as Belshazzar was when he saw the hand writing upon the wall. Ahab trembled like a shaken leaf, and so did his grandson Manasseh, he who faced the heavens, and that dared God in the day of his prosperity; when troubles came thick, and his fears rise high, he hides his head among the bushes, Isaiah 7:1-2; 2 Chron. 33:11-12. Such a fear and trembling was upon many citizens when London was in flames.
Though Tullius Hostilius, the third king of the Romans, had a great warlike spirit—yet he carried in his bosom two new gods, Pavorem and Pallorem, fear and paleness, which he could not possibly shake off. Oh the fear that was in the citizens' hearts, and the paleness that was upon the citizens' cheeks—when London was in flames!
Excessive fear fills the heart with all confusion; they strip a man of his reason and understanding, they weaken his hands, and they do so suddenly and totally dispirit and unman a man, that he is not able to encounter with those visible dangers which threaten his utter ruin; and this the poor citizens found by woeful experience when London was in flames. [Until London was laid in ashes, that effectual means of preservation, namely, the blowing up of houses, was either greatly hidden or sadly declined. When the disease had killed the patients, then the physicians agreed upon a remedy.] At the sight of this fire, how were the citizens' hearts melted, their hands feeble, their spirits faint, and their knees weak! Oh the horror, the terror, the amazement, the confusion which had now seized upon the spirits of all sorts of citizens! How were the thoughts of men now distracted, their countenances changed, and their hearts overwhelmed! Oh the sad looks, the pale cheeks, the weeping eyes, the smiting of breasts, and the wringing of hands that were now to be seen in every street and in every corner!
What a universal alarm did my eyes behold upon the minds of all men in that day of the Lord's wrath! There is no expressing of the sighs, the tears, the fears, the frights, and the amazement of the citizens, who were now compassed about with flames of fire! Oh the cries, the tumults, the hurries, and the hindrances of one another that was now in every street, everyone striving, with his pack at his back, to secure what he could from the rage and fury of the flames! Now one cries out, Five pound for a cart, another cries out, Ten pound for a cart; in one street one cries out, Twenty pound for a cart, and another in the next street cries out, Thirty pound for a cart; here one cries out, Forty pound for a cart, and there another cries out, Fifty pound for a cart. Many rich men, who had time enough to have removed their goods, their wares, their commodities, flattered themselves that the fire would not reach their habitations. They thought they would be safe and secure; but when the flames broke in upon them, oh then any money for a cart—to save some of their richest and choicest goods! Oh what fear were many parents now in, that their children would either be now trod down in the press, or lost in the crowd, or be destroyed by the flames! And what fear were many husbands now in concerning their wives, who were either weak, or sick, or aged, or newly delivered! Words are too weak to express that distraction that all men were under when the fire went on raging and devouring all before it. And this was an evident token to me that the hand of the Lord was eminent in the fire, and that the decree was gone forth that dear London must now fall. But,
[9.] Ninthly, Consider the TIME when the fire began. It began on the Lord's day, being the second of September, about one or two of the clock in the morning. Our fears fell upon us on the Lord's day, Rev. 1:10; on that day that should have been a day of joy and delight unto us, Isa, 58:13-14. On this day our singing was turned into sighing, our rejoicing into mourning, and all our praisings into tremblings. Oh the fears, the frights, the distresses that men were now under! Oh the amazed spirits, the bedewed cheeks, the faint hearts, the feeble knees, the weak hands, and the dejected countenances that were now to be seen everywhere!
O sirs! the time when this fatal fire first began was very ominous, it being at a time when most citizens were but newly fallen into a dead sleep, being wearied out in their several employments, several days before—but especially on Saturday, or the last day of the week, that being with very many the most busiest day in all the week. And of all mornings, most citizens did usually lie longest in bed Sabbath-day mornings. Such as used to rise early every morning in the week to gain the food which perishes, to make sure and to treasure up for themselves and theirs the things of this world, Psalm 127:1-2, and John 6:27; such commonly made most bold with the Lord's day, and would frequently be in their beds when they should have been either instructing of their families, or at prayers in their closets, or else awaiting upon the Lord in his public ordinances. Fire in the night is dreadful to all—but mostly to such whose spirits and bodies were tired out in the preceding day.
Wasting and destroying judgments are sad any day—but saddest when they fall on the Lord's day. For how do they disturb, distress, and distract the thoughts, the minds, the hearts, and the spirits of men! so that they can neither wait on God, nor wrestle with God, nor act for God, nor receive from God, in any of the duties or services of his day. And this the poor citizens found by sad experience, when London was in flames about their ears. Certainly the anger and wrath of God was very high and very hot when he made his day of rest to be a day of labor and disquiet—when his people should have been a-meeting, hearing, reading, praising, praying. For the Lord now to scatter them, and to deliver them, their substance and habitations, as a prey to the devouring fire, what does this speak out but high displeasure? That the fire of God's wrath should begin on the day of his rest and solemn worship, is and must be for a lamentation. In several of those churches where some might not preach—there God himself preached to the parishioners in flames of fire.
What a terrifying and an amazing sermon did God preach to his people of old in mount Sinai, when the mount burned with fire! Exod. 19:16-18. And so what terrifying and amazing sermons did God preach to the citizens on his own day, when their temples and their habitations were all in flames! Instead of holy rest, what hurries were there in every street, yes, in the spirits of men! Now relations, friends, and neighbors hastened one another out of their houses, as the angels hastened Lot out of Sodom, Gen. 19:15-17. Such were the fears and frights and sad apprehensions that had generally seized upon the citizens.
Not many Sabbaths before, when men should have been instructing of their families, what bonfires, what ringing of bells, and what joy and rejoicing was there in our streets, for burning the Dutch ships in their harbor, where many English and others were highly concerned as well as the Dutch! Little did they think, who were pleasing and warming themselves at those lesser fires, that the great God would in so short a time after kindle so great a fire in the midst of their streets as should melt their bells, lay their habitations in ashes, and make their streets desolate, so that those who were so jolly before might well take up that sad lamentation of weeping Jeremiah, "Without pity the Lord has swallowed up all the dwellings of Jacob; in his wrath he has torn down the strongholds of the Daughter of Judah. He has brought her kingdom and its princes down to the ground in dishonor. In fierce anger he has cut off every horn of Israel. He has withdrawn his right hand at the approach of the enemy. He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire that consumes everything around it. Like an enemy he has strung his bow; his right hand is ready. Like a foe he has slain all who were pleasing to the eye; he has poured out his wrath like fire on the tent of the Daughter of Zion. The Lord is like an enemy; he has swallowed up Israel. He has swallowed up all her palaces and destroyed her strongholds. He has multiplied mourning and lamentation for the Daughter of Judah." Lamentations 2:2-5
May we not soberly guess that there were as many strict observers and sanctifiers of the Lord's day who did turn away their feet from doing their pleasure on God's holy day, and who did call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, and honorable, Isaiah 58:13, within the walls of London, as in a great part of the nation besides? Now for the Lord of the Sabbath to kindle such a devouring fire in such a city, and that on his own day, oh what extraordinary wrath and displeasure does this speak out! When God by his royal law had bound the hands of his people from doing their own works, for him now to fall upon his strange work, and by a flaming, consuming fire to turn a populous city, a pious city, an honorable city, and an ancient city into a ruinous heap—what indignation to this indignation! O Sirs! it highly concerns us to take notice of the judgments of the Lord which fall upon us on any day—but especially those who fall upon us on his own day, because they carry with them more than a tincture of God's deep displeasure.
Now certainly they must be much left of God, hardened in sin, and blinded by Satan—who do not, nor will not see the dreadful hand of God that is lifted up in his fiery dispensations upon his own day! But,
[10.] Tenthly and lastly, Consider that the burning of London is a NATIONAL judgment. [When one member in the natural body suffers, all the members of the body suffer: it is so in the politic body, etc. Look! as all rivers run into the sea, and all the lines of the circumference meet in the center, so did the interests of the most eminent people in the whole nation meet in London, etc. Now London is laid in ashes, we may write Ichabod upon poor England. By the flames that have been kindled in London, God has spit fire into the face of England.] God, in smiting of London, has smitten all of England round; the stroke of God upon London was a universal stroke. The severe strokes of God, which have lately fallen upon the capital city, London, are doubtless designed by heaven for the punishment of the whole body. In the sufferings of London the whole land suffers. For what city, county, or town in England was there, that was not one way or other refreshed and advantaged, if not enriched, with the silver streams of London that overflowed the land, as the Nile river does the land of Egypt? Doubtless there are but few in the land but are more or less concerned in the burning of London. There are many thousands who are highly concerned in their own particulars; there are many thousands concerned upon the account of their friends and acquaintances: and who can number up the many score thousands employed in the manufactures of the land, whose whole dependence, under God, was upon London? What lamentation, mourning, and woe is there in all places of the land for the burning of London, especially among poor tradesmen, innkeepers, and others, whose livelihoods depended upon the safety and prosperity of London! Certainly he is no Englishman—but one who writes a Roman hand, and carries about him a Romish heart—who feels not, who trembles not under this universal blow! Many years' labor will not make up the citizens' losses to them. Yes, what below the riches of the Indies will effectually make up every man's losses to him? He shall be an Apollo to me, who can justly sum up the full value of all that has been destroyed by those furious flames, that has turned the best, if not the richest, city in the world into a ruinous heap!
Now their loss is a loss to the whole nation; and this the nation already feels, and may yet feel more and more, if God in mercy does not prevent the things that we have cause to fear. It is true, London is the center which was smitten; but what corner is there in all the land that has not more or less, one way or another, contributed to the burning of London. Not only those who lived in Jerusalem—but also those who came up to Jerusalem, and who traded with Jerusalem, they, even they did by their sins contribute to Jerusalem's ruin. They are under a high mistake, who think it was only the sins of the city of London, which brought this severe desolation upon her: doubtless, as far as the judgment extends and reaches, so far the sins extend and reach which have provoked the Lord to make poor London such an astonishing example of his justice.
How are the effects of London's ruin already felt and sighed under all the nation over! The blood and spirits which this whole nation has already lost by this recent lamentable fire, will not be easily nor suddenly recovered. The burning of London is the herald of God to the whole nation, calling it to repentance and reformation; for the very same sins that have laid London in ashes are rampant in all parts of the nation, as you may easily perceive, if you but compare that catalogue that in this book—with those sins which are most reigning and raging in all places of the land; by which you may also see that they were not the greatest sinners in England upon whom the fire of London fell, any more than they were the greatest sinners in Jerusalem upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, Luke 13:4-5.
That the burning of London is a national judgment, is evident enough to every man who has but half an eye. But if any should doubt of it, or dispute it, the king's proclamation for a general fast on that account puts it beyond all dispute. The words of the proclamation which are proper to my purpose are these, "A visitation so dreadful," speaking of the burning of London, "that scarcely any age or nation has ever seen or felt the like; wherein although the afflicting hand of God fell more immediately upon the inhabitants of this city, and the parts adjacent—yet all men ought to look upon it as a judgment upon the whole nation, and to humble themselves accordingly."
O sirs, you are to see and observe and acknowledge the hand of the Lord in every personal judgment, and in every domestic judgment. Oh how much more then in every national judgment that is inflicted upon us! And thus I have done with those ten considerations, that should not only provoke us—but also prevail with us, to see and acknowledge the hand of the Lord in that recent dreadful fire, which has laid our city desolate!
Use 2. LAMENTATION and MOURNING
"How the Lord has covered the Daughter of Zion with the cloud of his anger! He has hurled down the splendor of Israel from heaven to earth; he has not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger. Without pity the Lord has swallowed up all the dwellings of Jacob; in his wrath he has torn down the strongholds of the Daughter of Judah. He has brought her kingdom and its princes down to the ground in dishonor. In fierce anger he has cut off every horn of Israel. He has withdrawn his right hand at the approach of the enemy. He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire that consumes everything around it. Like an enemy he has strung his bow; his right hand is ready. Like a foe he has slain all who were pleasing to the eye; he has poured out his wrath like fire on the tent of the Daughter of Zion. The Lord is like an enemy; he has swallowed up Israel. He has swallowed up all her palaces and destroyed her strongholds. He has multiplied mourning and lamentation for the Daughter of Judah." Lamentations 2:1-5.
These two words, "mourning and lamentation," are joined together to note the great and eminent lamentation of the daughter of Judah upon the sight and sense of God's destroying, razing, and leveling to the ground, by the hand of the Chaldeans, etc., all the strongholds and fortresses that were built for the defense of the Israelites. Now shall the daughter of Judah greatly lament to see her strongholds laid desolate; and shall not we at all lament to see London, to see our strongholds, turned into a ruinous heap?
Is London laid in ashes? Then let us all lament and mourn that London is laid desolate. Shall Christ weep over Jerusalem, Luke 19:41-44, when it was standing in all its glory, knowing that it would not be long before it was laid even with the ground; and shall not we weep over London, whose glory is now laid in the dust? Who can look upon London as the ancient and noble metropolis of England, and not lament and mourn to see it laid in ashes? It might have been said not long since, "Walk about Zion," Psalm 48:12-13,—walk about London,—"count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation." Look upon her stately houses, halls, and hospitals, take notice of her shops, and fair warehouses, and Royal Exchange, etc., and lo, the glory of all these things is now buried in a common ruin! London, the crown of England, has lost its jewel of wealth and beauty! Oh the incredible change that a devouring fire has made in four days' time within your walls, O London so that now we may say lamentingly, Alas, poor London! "Is this the joyous city whose antiquity is of ancient days?" Isaiah 23:7-8. "Is this the crowning city, whose merchants were princes, and whose traders were the honorable of the earth? Who can but weep to see how the Lord "has made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin?" Isaiah 25:2. Who can look upon naked steeples, and useless chimneys, and pitiful fragments of ragged walls—who can behold stately structures, and noble halls, and fair houses, and see them all laid in ashes, or turned into a heap of rubbish—without paying some tears as due to the sadness of so dreadful a spectacle? Who can with dry eyes hear London thus speaking out of its ruins: "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, with which the Lord has afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger"? Lam. 1:12. Who can look upon the Lord as making London empty, as laying it waste, as turning it upside down, and as scattering abroad the inhabitants thereof, and not mourn? "See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants." Isaiah 24:1.
Beloved, under desolating judgments God does expect and desire that his people should lament and mourn: Jer. 4:7-8, "A lion has come out of his lair; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to lay waste your land. Your towns will lie in ruins without inhabitant. So put on sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned away from us." Under wasting judgments, God expects not only inward—but also outward, expressions and demonstrations of sorrow and grief. Shall our enemies rejoice over the ruins of London, and shall not we mourn over the ruins of London? Shall those who are afar off lament over London's desolation; and shall not we lament over London's desolation, who are every day a-walking up and down in London's ruins and rubbish? O sirs! as ever you would see London's breaches repaired, her trading recovered, her beauty restored, her riches augmented, her glory advanced, and her inhabitants rejoiced—make conscience of mourning over London's ruins.
O sirs, what cause have we once a year, yes, often in a year, to bewail the desolation of London! The statue of Apollo is said to shed tears for the afflictions of the Grecians, though he could not help them. Though we could not prevent the burning of London—yet let us weep over the ruins of London. The leprosy of the citizens' sins had so fretted into London's walls, that there was no cleansing of them but by the furious flames of a consuming fire, Lev. 14:35-46. In the law you know that when the plague of leprosy was so got into the house, and spread in the walls, that no scraping within or without could cleanse it away—then the house was to be pulled down. This seems to be London's case. God by former judgments labored to scrape away the leprosy of sin out of London—but that deadly leprosy was so gotten into men's hearts and houses, that there was no getting of it out—but by pulling them down! This is, and this must be for a lamentation. Now the better to work you to lament and mourn over the ruins of London, consider with me these ten following particulars—
[1.] First, Who can look upon the burning of London, as ushered in by such sad and dreadful FORERUNNERS as it was—and not lament and mourn over its ruins? By what a bloody sword, and by what a dreadful plague—was this recent judgment of fire ushered in! First, God sends his red horse among us, Rev. 6:4, 8—namely, a cruel, bloody war; and then he sends his pale horse among us—namely, a noisome, sweeping pestilence. Oh the garments that were rolled in blood! Oh the scores of thousands that were by the hand of the destroying angel sent to their long homes, to their eternal homes! Now in the rear of these judgments follows such a devouring fire, as has not been known in any ages past! Certainly when a consuming fire shall be ushered in by other dreadful judgments and amazing forerunners, it highly concerns us to sit down and mourn. But,
[2.] Secondly, Who can look upon London as an ANCIENT city, as a city of great antiquity, and not mourn over the ruins of it? Isaiah 23:7; Jer. 5:15. Our chronologers affirm that the city has stood two thousand seven hundred and seventy odd years. It is recorded by some, that the foundation of London was laid in 2862 B.C. London by some antiquaries is called Troynovant, as having been first founded by the Trojans. London is thought by some to be more ancient than Rome. That London was a very ancient city, might several ways be proved; but should I spend time to prove that which everyone is ready to grant?
It was neither the antiquity, nor the riches, nor the fame, nor the greatness, nor the beauty, nor the glory, nor the religion which was there professed, that could prevent London's being turned into a chaos in four days' time. London, which had been climbing up to its meridian of worldly greatness and glory above two thousand years, how is she made desolate in a few days, and of a glorious city become a ruinous heap! Physicians make the sixty-third year of a man's life, a dangerous climacteric year to the body natural; and statisticians make the five hundredth year of a city or kingdom as dangerous to the body politic, "beyond which," say they, "cities and kingdoms cannot stand." But Jerusalem and London, and many other cities, have stood much longer, and yet in the end have been laid desolate! Now what true Englishman can look upon London's antiquity, and not mourn to see so ancient a city turned into a ruinous heap? But,
[3.] Thirdly, What true Englishman did ever look upon London, as an honorable city, as a RENOWNED city, as a glorious city, that will not now mourn to see London laid in ashes? London was one of the wonders of the world; London was the queen city, the crowning city of the land, a city as famous as most cities for worldly grandeur and glory, Isaiah 23:8. Yes, a city more famous and glorious than any city under heaven for gospel light, and for the power of religion and real holiness: [It is an Italian proverb, He who has not seen Venice will not believe, and he who has not lived some time there does not understand what a city is. I shall leave the application to the prudent reader.] Psalm 76:1-2, "In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel. In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling-place in Zion." In London was God known, his name was great in London; and in London also was his tabernacle and his dwelling-place. And as God was known in Judah, not only by his word—but also by his glorious works; so God was known in London, not only by his word—but also by his glorious works. And as God was known in Judah, first by the multitude of his mercies—but afterwards by the severity of his judgments; so God was known in London, first by the multitude of his mercies—but afterwards by the severity of his judgments: witness the sweeping pestilence and the devouring fire that he sent among us! And as God was known in Judah, first by lesser judgments and then by greater judgments—for he first lashed them with rods, and then with scourges, and at last with scorpions; so God was first known in London by lesser judgments: witness the violent agues, strange fevers, small-pox, and small fires which broke forth in several places of the city and suburbs; but these having no effectual operation upon us, God at last made himself known in the midst of us by such a pestilence, and by such a fire, that the like was never known in that city before!
We were once the objects of his noble favors—but we made ourselves at last the subjects of his fury. As the sweetest wines become the tartest vinegar; just so, God's heavenly favors and indulgences being long abused, they at last turned into storms of wrath and vengeance. What Englishman did look upon London as the city of the great God, as a holy city, as that city wherein God was as gloriously made known, and wherein Christ was as much exalted, and religion was as highly prized—as in any part of the world besides—and not mourn over it, now that it is laid desolate? [Psalm 101:8; Isaiah 60:14; Psalm 48:1, 8, etc.; Neh. 11:1; Isaiah 18:52; Dan. 1:9, 24.] It was long since said of Athens and Sparta, that they were the eyes of Greece. Was not London the eyes of England? [Look! what the face is to the body, that London was to England—the beauty and glory of it.] And who then can but weep to see those eyes put out? Great and populous cities are, as it were, the eyes of the earth; and when these eyes are lost, who can but sit down and sigh and mourn? London was the joyous city of Christian worship, it was the royal chamber of the King of kings, it was the mart of nations, it was the lofty city, it was the epitome of all our glory. Now, who can but shed tears to see this city laid even to the ground—to see this city sit like a desolate widow in the dust? Such a sight made Jeremiah to lament: Lam. 1:1, "How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave!"
Let profane, ignorant, superstitious, and popish defamers of London say 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, Jer. 9:1-3; Ezek. 9:4, 6. 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; yes, 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 days of old, and not mourn to see such a city buried in its own ruins? Under the whole heavens there were not so many thousands to be found, who truly feared the Lord, in so narrow a compass of ground, as was to be found in London; and yet, lo, London is laid in the dust, and the nations round gaze and wonder at her desolation! Who can but hang down his head and weep in secret for these things? But,
[4.] Fourthly, Who did look upon London as the bulwark, as the stronghold of the nation—who cannot mourn to see their bulwark, their stronghold, turned into a ruinous heap? Psalm 48:12-13, "Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation." Zion had her bulwarks, her towers, her palaces; but at last the Chaldeans at one time, and the Romans at another, laid them all waste, Jer. 52:12-13; Luke 19:41, 45. Just so, London had her bulwarks, her towers, her palaces—but they are now laid desolate, and many fear, and others say, by malcontent villains and mischievous foreigners the Romish church. London was once terrible as an army with banners, Cant. 6:10. How terrible were the Israelites, encamped and bannered in the wilderness, unto the Moabites, Canaanites, etc. Exod. 15:14-16. Just so, was London more than once terrible to all those Moabites, Canaanites, which have had thoughts to swallow her up, and to divide the prey among themselves. London was once a battle-axe and battle-bow in the hand of the Almighty, which he has wielded against her proudest, strongest, and subtlest enemies, Jer. 51:20; Zech. 9:10, and 10:4; Ezek. 21:31.
Was not London the capital city, the royal chamber, the glory of England, the treasurey of trade and wealth, the city which had the strength and treasure of the nation in it? Were there not many thousands in London, who were men of fair estates, of exemplary piety, of tried valor, of great prudence, and of unspotted reputation? and therefore why should it seem impossible that the fire in London should be the effect of wicked designs and plots from abroad, seconded and encouraged by malcontents at home? London was the great bulwark of the Reformed religion, against all the batteries of popery, atheism, and profaneness; and therefore why should any Englishman 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 a traditional 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 advance, Dan. 11:24, 39. In all the ages of the world wicked men have designed the ruin and laying waste of Christians' bulwarks and strongholds, in order to the rooting out of the very name of Christians, as all know that have read anything of Scripture or history; and therefore why should any men think it strange, if that wicked spirit should still be at work? Was ever England in such imminent danger of being made a prey to foreign power, or of being rid by men of a foreign religion—whose principles in civil policy are very dangerous both to prince and people, as it has been since the firing of London, or since that bulwark has been 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 Sennacherib, Gen. 31:24, 29, and 33:1, 4; 2 Kings 19:27, 28, 32, laid also a law of restraint upon wicked-minded men, what mischief might they not then have done, when many were amazed and astonished, and many hung down their heads, and folded 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! yes, when the flames of London were as dreadful to most as the hand writing upon the wall was to Belshazzar! Dan. 5:5-6.
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. While 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 Samson when his hair was cut off, Judges 16:18-20, and like the Shechemites when they were wounded, Gen. 34:25. Beloved, the people of God have formerly made the burning of their strongholds, a matter of bitter lamentation, as you may see in 2 Kings 8:11-12, "He stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael felt ashamed. Then the man of God began to weep. "Why is my lord weeping?" asked Hazael. "Because I know the harm you will do to the Israelites," he answered. "You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women!" Other kings of Syria had borne an immortal hatred against the children of Israel, and the prophet knew by revelation from heaven, that Hazael would be king over Syria, and that he had as cruel and as bloody a mind against God's Israel as any of the former kings of Syria had.
Now to evidence this, the prophet instances in those particular excessive acts of cruelty that he would practice upon the children of Israel—"You will set fire to their fortified places." Hazael would not think it enough to enter into their strong towns, and cities, and forts, and castles, and other strongholds, and spoil and plunder them of their treasure and goods—but he would burn all down to the ground, so that he might daunt them, and weaken them, and render them the more incapable of making any resistance against him.
But now mark what follows burning work—"You will kill their young men with the sword." Such as make no conscience of burning Israel's strongholds, such will never scruple the slaying of Israel's young men with the sword. When their fortified places were set on fire, Hazael would give them no quarter for their lives—such as had escaped the furious flames should be sure to fall by the bloody sword.
"And will dash their little children to the ground," —their poor, innocent, harmless children, who never thought amiss nor never spoke amiss of Hazael, these must have their brains dashed out against the stones, Psalm 137:9. Men who are set upon burning work are men of no compassion.
"And rip open their pregnant women." He would destroy the very infants in the womb, so that he might cause to cease the very name of Israel. Such Hazaels as are resolute by fire to lay our cities and strong bulwarks desolate, such will be ready enough to practice the most barbarous cruelties imaginable upon our persons and relations when a fit opportunity shall present. When Israel was weary, and faint, and feeble—then Amalek attacked them, Deut. 25:17-19. It was infinite mercy that the Amalekites of our day did not fall upon our bewildered and astonished citizens when they were feeble, and faint, and weary, and tired out with hard labor and lack of rest.
O sirs! shall the prophet Elisha weep, foreseeing that Hazael would set Israel's strongholds on fire; and shall not we weep to see London, our stronghold, our noblest bulwark, turned into a ruinous heap? But,
[5.] Fifthly, Who did ever look upon London as a fountain, as a sanctuary, and as a city of refuge to the poor, afflicted, distressed, and impoverished people of God—who cannot weep to see such a city laid in ashes? Who can number up the distressed strangers that have been there courteously entertained and civilly treated? Exod. 22:12; 2 Sam. 16:14. Who can number up the many thousand families that have been preserved, relieved, revived, and refreshed with the silver streams which has issued from that fountain London—and not mourn to see it laid desolate? Psalm 46:4, "There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God;" Isaiah 8:6. It is an allusion to the river Siloah, which ran sweetly, softly, quietly, pleasantly, constantly, to the refreshing of all who were in need. London was a river, a fountain, whose silver streams ran sweetly, quietly, pleasantly, constantly, to the refreshing of many thousand needy ones in the land. Now who can but weep to see such a fountain, such a river, not only stopped—but dried up by a devouring fire? But,
[6.] Sixthly, Who did ever look upon London as a city advantageously situated for trade and commerce, yes, as the great mart town of the nation—who has not a heart to weep over it, now it lies in ashes? Isaiah 23:3; Ezek. 27:1; Rev. 8:11. London was the mart of the nation's trade, and the treasury of the nation's wealth. London was that great storehouse, in which was laid up very much of the riches and glory of the land. London was the very heart of England; it was as useful every way to England's security and felicity, as the heart is useful in the natural body: and therefore no wonder if such as envy at England's greatness, grandeur, and glory, have made London, England's mart-town, to bear the marks of their displeasure. Who is so great a stranger in our English Israel, as not to know how rarely well London was situated as to trade, and as not to know how London was surrounded with plentiful store of all creature-comforts? If London had not been so nobly situated and surrounded, its desolation would have not been so great a judgment; nor, it may be, the designs of men so deeply laid, as to its ruin. Those who did look upon England as rich, could not but look on London as England's treasury. But,
[7.] Seventhly, Who are those who have looked upon London as a city—which has for many hundred, yes, some thousands of years, been very strangely and wonderfully preserved by the admirable wisdom, constant care, and almighty power of God—notwithstanding all the wrath, rage, malice, plots, and designs of wicked men to lay it waste, and to turn it into a ruinous heap—and not have a heart to weep over its desolation? Isaiah 27:3-4; Psalm 121:4-5. The great preservations, the singular deliverances, which God has wrought for London, many hundred years together, renders the desolation of London the more dreadful. And accordingly it concerns all who are well affected, to weep over its ashes. But,
[8.] Eighthly, Who can look upon the ashes of London, as those ashes in which England's worst enemies, both abroad and at home—daily triumph and rejoice in, and not weep over London's desolation? Obad. 10-16. Shall the vilest of men glory that England's glory is laid in the dust; and shall not we lament, when our crown is fallen from our head? Lam. 5:16. The more wicked men rejoice in our misery—the greater obligation lies upon us to lie low and mourn at the foot of God. London, like Job, lies on its ash-heap, Job 2:8. London, like the Jews, lies in its ashes, Esther 4:3. And therefore it highly concerns all Londoners to put on sackcloth and ashes. But,
[9.] Ninthly, Surely such as have looked upon London as the city of their solemnities—such cannot but weep to see the city of their solemnities laid desolate. Isaiah 33:20, "Look upon Zion the city of our solemnities," or meetings. Zion is here called a city, because it stood in the midst of the city. The city of Jerusalem was very large, and Zion stood in the midst of it; and it is called a "city of solemnities," because the people flocked there to hear the law, to renew their covenant with God, to call upon his name, and to offer sacrifices. O sirs! was not London the city of our solemnities? the city where we solemnly met to wait upon the Lord, in the beauty of holiness? 1 Chron. 16:29; the city where we offered prayers and praises? the city where we worshiped the Lord in spirit and in truth? Psalm 29:2; the city wherein God, and Christ, and the great things of eternity, were revealed to us? the city wherein many thousands were converted and edified; walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comforts of the Holy Spirit? Acts 9:31; the city where we had the clearest, the choicest, and the highest enjoyments of God that ever we had in all our days? the city wherein we have sat down under Christ's "shadow with great delight; his fruit has been sweet unto our taste"? the city in which Christ has "brought us to his banqueting-house, and his banner over us has been love"? the city in which Christ has "staid us with flagons, and comforted us with apples"? the city in which Christ's "left hand has been under our heads, and his right hand has embraced us"? Cant. 2:3-6; the city wherein the Lord Almighty has "made unto his people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined"? Isaiah 25:6. London, the city of our solemnities, is now laid desolate! And therefore for this—why should not we be disconsolate, and mourn in secret before the Lord?
This frame of spirit has been upon the people of God of old: Zeph. 3:18, "I will gather those who are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of you, to whom the reproach of it was a burden." By "solemn assemblies" are meant their several holy days, at those set times which God had appointed them, namely, on the weekly Sabbath, the new moons, the stated feasts and fasts, which they were bound to observe, Deut. 16. Now for the lack, the loss of those solemn assemblies, such as did truly fear the Lord were solemnly sorrowful. Of all losses, spiritual losses are most sadly resented by gracious souls. When they had lost their houses, their estates, their trades, their relations, their liberties, and were led captive to Babylon, which was an iron furnace, a second Egypt to them—then the loss of their solemn assemblies made deeper impressions upon their hearts than all their outward losses did. The Jews were famous artists. They stand upon record for their skill, especially in poetry, mathematics, and music: but when their city was burnt, and their land laid desolate, and their solemn assemblies broken in pieces, then they could sing none of the songs of Zion, Psalm 137:1-5; then they were more for mourning than for music, for sighing than for singing, for lamenting than for laughing. Nothing goes so near gracious hearts as the loss of their solemn assemblies, as the loss of holy ordinances. Health, and wealth, and friends, and trade, are but mere Ichabod, compared to the saints' solemn assemblies, and to pure ordinances.
When the ark was taken, Eli could live no longer: but whether his heart or his neck was first broken upon that sad tidings, is not easy to determine, 1 Sam. 4:17-18. When Nehemiah understood that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, and that the gates thereof were burnt with fire, and that the whole city was laid desolate by Nebuzaradan and his Chaldean army—he sits down and weeps and mourns, and fasts and prays! 2 Kings 25:8-10. He did so lay the burning of the city of their solemnities to heart, that all the smiles of King Artaxerxes could not raise him nor rejoice him, Neh. 1:3-4, and chapter 2. It was on the tenth day of the fifth month that Jerusalem was burnt with fire; and upon that account the Jews fasted upon every tenth day of the fifth month, Jer. 52:12-14. Now shall the Jews solemnly fast and mourn on the tenth day of the fifth month during their captivity, Zech. 7:3, because their city and temple and solemn assemblies were on that day buried in ashes, and turned into a ruinous heap; and shall not we fast and mourn to see the city of our solemnities buried in its own ruins? But,
[10.] Tenthly and lastly, That incendiary, that mischievous villain Hubert, confessed the fact of starting the fire—though he would not confess who set him at work, and accordingly was executed at Tyburn for it. [There were some ministers, and several other sober prudent citizens, who did converse again and again with Hubert, and are ready to attest that he was far from being mad; and that he was not only very rational—but also very cunning and subtle, and so the fitter instrument for the conclave of Rome, or some wicked and subtle Jesuit, to make use of to bring about our common woe. It was never known that Rome or hell did ever make use of madmen or fools to bring about their devilish plots.] Now who can look upon the dreadful consequences, the burning of a renowned city, which followed upon starting on fire of the first house, and not mourn over London's desolations? Hubert confessed to several people of note and repute that he was a Catholic; and did further declare that he believed confession to a priest was necessary to his salvation. And being advised, by a chaplain to a person of honor, to call upon God, he repeated his Ave Maria, which he confessed was his usual prayer. Father Harvey confessed him, and instructed him, and we need not doubt but that he absolved him also, according to the custom of the Romish Church. Hubert died in the profession of the Romish faith, stoutly asserting that he was no Protestant.
I know that men of the Romish religion, and such who are one in spirit with them, would make the world believe that this Hubert, who, by order of law, was executed upon the account of his own public and private confessions, was mad, distracted, and what not. But what madmen do these make the judge and jury to be? for who but madmen would condemn to such a shameful death a madman, for confessing himself guilty of such a heinous and horrid fact, which he had never committed? Doubtless both judge and jury were men of more wisdom, justice, and conscience, than to hang a madman upon his own bare confession.
The German histories tell us what encouragement men of a Romish faith have had from Rome—to make way for their religion throughout Germany, by fire and sword; and when some of those incendiaries have been taken in setting houses on fire, they have confessed that there have been many more in combination with them, who, by all the ways they could, were to consume Silesia and other parts with firings. When the Spanish Armada came against this nation in 1588 with an invincible navy, as they counted it, they had two thousand, eight hundred and forty-three great warriors; twenty-eight thousand eight hundred and forty mariners, soldiers, and slaves, rowing in galleys, with innumerable fire-balls and granades, in order to the making of England desolate by fire and sword. Did not F. Parsons, Doleman, and Holt the Jesuit, draw other incendiaries into a concert effort to burn up the royal navy with wildfire in Queen Elizabeth's reign, for which they were stretched at Tyburn, A.D. 1595? On that very day when King James was crowned, when the generality of the people were intent upon that noble spectacle, five were suborned by the Jesuits to set London on fire in several places—but were frustrated, as is evident upon record.
Waddesworth openly stated in writing, "That the popish religion was not to be brought in here by disputing, or books of controversy—but with an army, and with fire and sword." Pope Martin the Fifth sent Cardinal Julian, who was namesake and near of kin to Julian the apostate, with an army of eighty thousand, to root out the Protestants in Bohemia, where they burnt up their towns; and at the same time Albertus, his assistant, burnt up five hundred of their villages. It was Philip the Second of Spain who said, "That he had rather lose all his provinces, than seem to grant or favor anything which might be harmful to the Catholic religion." It was the Spanish ministers of state who declared openly in 1586, "That the Protestants would be very well served, if they were stripped of all their goods, and forced to go seek new countries like Jews and Egyptians, who wander up and down like rogues and vagabonds." The Duke of Alba, a bloody papist, sitting at his table, said, "That he had taken diligent pains in rooting out the tares of heresies, having delivered eighteen thousand men in the space of only six years, to the hands of the hangman." From the beginning of the Jesuits to 1580, being the space of thirty years, there were almost nine hundred thousand Protestants put to death in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, England, and other parts of Christendom. Men of the Jesuit religion, who burnt the martyrs in Queen Mary's days, are men of such bloody, desperate principles, that they will stick at nothing that may be a means to advance the Romish religion.
Some men, besides the Romans, have practiced most wicked things, and all to raise themselves a name in the world. Servetus, at Geneva, gave all his goods to the poor, and his body to be burnt, and all for a name, for a little glory among men. The temple of the great goddess Diana, which was one of the world's wonders, was set on fire when Alexander was born, by Erostratus, a base fellow; and this he did, "that he might be talked of when he was dead." So Judas and Sadoc, with their seditious sect, burnt down the temple of Jerusalem, and all the beautiful buildings in the city.
One man who is of a cruel spirit, and of wicked principles—may do a world of mischief. Take that instance of Nero, who maliciously raised the first persecution against the Christians, pretending that they were incendiaries, and authors of the burning of Rome; whereas he himself had most wickedly done it. But this barbarous act of his was fathered upon the Christians; and accordingly they suffered severely for it. Another author says, Nero succeeded Caligula in the government, and in no less fierceness and cruelty, because he was a man in whom, if possible it might be, all the other cruelties were enclosed, and all else that could by men be imagined; for, without any regard of sanctified things, or people of noble quality—he caused the city of Rome to be set on fire, with express prohibition not to quench it. So the fire continued seven days and seven nights burning the city; and he being on a high tower some small distance off, clapped his hands, and joyed to behold this dismal spectacle, so far exceeding all humanity.
The wisest prince that ever swayed a scepter has told us, "That one sinner destroys much good," Eccles. 9:18. Who can sum up the mischief that a few wicked-minded men may do in a little time? The same devil, the same lusts, the same wrath, the same rage, the same revenge, the same ends, the same motives—which have put others upon burning work in former times, may probably have put some upon the same work in our time. Burning work is so odious and abominable, so destructive, hateful, and hurtful a thing. Was not London the glory of England? Was not London England's treasury, and the Protestants' sanctuary? Was not London as terrible to her enemies abroad, as she was joyous to her friends at home? Has not London been as dreadful to her foreign foes, as the handwriting upon the wall was to Belshazzar? Dan. 5:5-6. Was not London the great mountain that her enemies feared would be most harmful to their pernicious designs? Zech. 4:7. Was not London that great rock against which many have dashed themselves in pieces? [The French, the Dutch, the Dane, the Spaniard, etc., have at times experienced what London's treasure and force have been able to do, etc.] Was not London as briers and thorns, as goads and gulfs and two-edged swords—to all her enemies, more remote and nearer home? Had the French invaded us when London was in flames, as many feared they would, or had such risen up at that time, in the interior of the nation, whose very principles lead them by fire and sword to make way for their religion, what doleful days had we seen, and to what a low ebb might the Protestant interest have then been brought! What greater encouragement could be given to French, Dutch, Dane, and all of the Catholic religion—to make desperate attempts upon us, than the laying of the city desolate by fire? But it is the glory of divine power to daunt and overrule all hearts and counsels, and to turn that to his people's greatest good—which their enemies design to be their utter ruin, Psalm 76:5, 10; Gen. 31:24, 29, and 33:3-4.
We know papists do not change their principles; their cruel, bloody, fiery spirits and principles are still the same. [The woeful desolations that the popish party made by fire and sword among the Protestants in Ireland is written with the pen of a diamond.] Both king and parliament have taken notice how vigilant and active they have been of late, by what has been discovered, confessed, proved, printed, etc. Is it not more than probable that some influenced by the Romish church, have kindled and promoted that dreadful fire which has laid our city desolate? The statue of Apollo is said to shed tears for the afflictions of the Grecians, though he could not help them. Though none of us could prevent the desolation of London—yet let us all be so sincere as to weep over the ashes of London. Who can look upon London's glory, as now sacrificed to the flames, and made a burnt-offering to appease the wrath and fury, as many say—of a papist conclave—and not mourn?
Objection. Sir, we readily grant that it is our duty to lament and mourn over the ruins and desolations of London; yes, some of us have so lamented and mourned over London's dust and ashes, that we have almost reduced ourselves to dust and ashes; and therefore, what cordials, what comforts, what supports can you hand out to us that may help to cheer up our spirits, and to bear up our hearts, so as that we may not utterly faint and sink, either under the sight of London's ruins, nor under a deep sense of our many great and severe losses?
Now that I may be a little serviceable and useful to you in the present case, give me permission to offer to your most serious consideration these following particulars by way of support—
(1.) First, Consider, for your support and comfort, That the great God might have burned up all; he might not have left one house standing, nor one stone upon another. It is true the greatest part of the city is fallen; but it is rich mercy that the whole is not consumed, Luke 19:41, 44. Though most of the city within the walls was destroyed—yet it is a wonderful grace—that the suburbs are standing. Had not God spared some houses in the city, and the main of the suburbs, where would thousands have had a livelihood? How would any trade have been maintained? yes, how would the lives of many thousands have been preserved? It is true the fire was very dreadful—but God might have made it more dreadful! He might have laid every house level; he might have consumed all the goods and wealth which was there treasured up; and he might have refused to have plucked one man "as a brand out of the fire," Zech. 3:2. He might have allowed London to have been as totally destroyed as Jerusalem was. Mat. 24:1-2, "Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." In these words Christ foretells the utter destruction and devastation of Jerusalem, which came to pass by Titus and the Roman army; destroying all with fire and sword, and leveling with the ground that magnificent temple and city, which was the glory of the world. Though Titus, by a strict edict at first storming of the city, forbade the defacing of the temple—yet the soldiers burned it and the city. The temple was burned, say some, August 10th, when it had stood five hundred and eighty-nine years; and the city was burned September 8th, in 71 A.D.
Question. But why did Christ's disciples show him the buildings of the temple, which they knew were not unknown unto him?
Answer. To move him to mercy, and to moderate the severity of that former sentence, of leaving their houses desolate unto them, Mat. 23:38. Herod had been at work in building and beautifying the temple. Josephus tells us, that for eight whole years, he kept ten thousand men at work on the temple: and that for magnificence and stateliness it exceeded Solomon's temple. The disciples might very well wonder at these stately buildings, at these goodly, stately, fair stones, which were, as Josephus writes, fifteen cubits long, twelve high, and eight broad. Now the disciples fondly thought that Christ, upon the full sight of these stately, glorious buildings, which to see laid waste was pity, might have been so worked upon as to reverse his former sentence of laying all desolate. But here they were mistaken; for "his thoughts were not as their thoughts."
Others think that the disciples showed Christ the stately buildings of the temple, that upon a serious consideration of the strength, pomp, stateliness, greatness, and magnificence of the buildings, he might be the more careful to preserve them from destruction. Others think that the disciples showed him these strong and stately buildings, to insinuate secretly thereby how difficult, yes, impossible, it was for them to be destroyed, especially considering the strength of the city also. And hence our Savior seems to answer, "Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down"
Question. But when was this prediction fulfilled, that not one stone should be left upon another, which should not be thrown down, etc.?
Answer. This was fulfilled forty years after Christ's ascension, by Vespasian the emperor, and his son Titus, as Eusebius and Josephus do declare.
Ah London, London! this might have been your doom, that there would not have been one house standing, neither within your walls; yes, this might have been your doom, that there should not have been "one stone left upon another that should not have been thrown down." In that it is otherwise with you, you have cause, O London, to cry, "Grace, grace! To him who sits upon the throne, and is blessed forever!" etc.
Carthage was a noble city, mistress of Africa, and paragon to Rome. She made her part good against Rome for many years—but at length, by means of her own inward civil jars, she was utterly destroyed by Rome. For the inhabitants being not able to stand any longer in their own defense, were constrained to yield themselves to the mercy of their enemies—the women, to the number of twenty-five thousand, marching first forth, and after them the men, in number thirty thousand, following—all of these poor captives were sold for bond-slaves, a few only excepted. And then fire was put to the city, which burnt seventeen days without ceasing, even until it was totally consumed. This might have been your doom, O London—but God in the midst of judgment, has remembered mercy.
Athens was once the most famous flourishing city of Greece, for her fair buildings, large precincts, and multitude of inhabitants; but especially for her philosophy, by means whereof recourse was made from all parts to her, as the fountain and well-spring of arts, and the school and university of the whole world: whose policy and manner of government was so much esteemed by the Romans, that they drew from thence their laws: but now she lies dead and buried in the ashes of forgetfulness, not carrying any of her former proportion or appearance. If this had been your doom, O London, we must all have set to our seals that the Lord had been righteous; but blessed be the Lord, London is not, and I hope never shall, let Rome and hell do their worst, be buried in the ashes of forgetfulness, etc. But,
(2.) The second support to bear up the hearts and to cheer up the spirits of all who has smarted by the recent fiery dispensation, is this, namely, That God has spared them, their lives. O sirs, what a mercy is it, that though the fire has reached your houses, your shops, your goods, your commodities, your warehouses, your treasure, that yet it has not reached your lives, nor the lives of your relations or friends! though your habitations are consumed, and your losses have been great—yet that in the midst of so many deaths and dangers by the flames, and by the press of the people, and notwithstanding all the confusions that were in all parts of the city, you should save your lives, and be snatched as so many "firebrands out of the burning"! Oh how should this miraculous providence of God be owned and admired by you! The devil hit the mark when he said, "Skin for skin; yes, all that a man has, will he give for his life," Job 2:4. Men's estates in those times did lie mostly in cattle. Now, says Satan, Job is a very great life-lover, he is fond of life, and afraid of death; and therefore he will give skin upon skin to save his life: he will give many skins, abundance of skins, yes, all his skins, to save his life: he will give his cattle's skins, and his servants' skins, and his sons' skins, to save himself in a whole skin.
By this proverbial speech, "Skin for skin," etc., Satan intimates that Job cared not for the loss of his cattle, nor for the loss of his servants, nor for the loss of his children, just so that he might secure his own life. Job set a higher price upon his own life than he did upon all other lives: let others sink or swim, just so that he might escape, all was well. Natural life is a precious jewel; a man will cast all overboard, when he is in danger of drowning, to save his life. A man will hold up his arms to save his head, or suffer the loss of a limb to save his life. Men will bleed, sweat, part with an estate, yes, with some of their limbs, to preserve their lives. As he who cried out, "Give me any deformity, any torment, any misery, just so you spare my life."
"Why should any living man complain (or murmur) when punished for his sins?" Lamentations 3:39. Oh what a foolish, senseless, brutish, blockish thing is it for a man, a mortal man, a sinful man, a man on this side the grave, on this side hell—to complain or murmur against a holy and righteous God! He who is alive on this side everlasting burnings, Isaiah 33:14, on this side a devouring fire, has no just cause to complain, whatever his losses, crosses, or sufferings are. He who has deserved a hanging, if he escapes with a whipping, has no cause to complain or murmur. Men who have deserved a damning, if they escape with the loss of house, goods, estates, etc., they have no cause to complain or murmur.
Mark, at this time Jerusalem was burnt, city and temple was laid in ashes, the citizens were turned out of house and home, and stripped of all their comforts and contentments. "Those who once ate delicacies are destitute in the streets. Those nurtured in purple now lie on ash heaps." Lam. 4:5. And yet, says the prophet, "Why does the living man complain?" Though city, and temple, and goods, and estates were all consumed in the flames—yet some still had their lives; and upon that very account they ought not to complain. God might have turned them into ashes, as he had turned their houses into ashes, and it was mere grace that he did not; which the church wisely and sincerely observes, when she says, "It is of the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed," chapter 3:22. She does not say, it is of the Lord's mercy that our houses are not consumed; but it is of the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed: nor she does not say, it is of the Lord's mercy that our goods are not consumed; but it is of the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed. The church saw mercy, much mercy, tender mercy, yes, affections 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 it is miraculous mercy that you have not; when men's wits were puzzled, their hearts discouraged, and their industry tired 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 plucked out of the fire—was glorious mercy, etc.
In the reign of Achmat, the eighth emperor of the Turks, a great fire arose in the city of Constantinople, wherein many, both men and women, perished, with more than five hundred shops and warehouses full of rich merchandise, most of which belonged unto the Jews, of whom almost two hundred were said to be burned. These lost their goods and their lives together—but it hasn't been so with you; the greater obligation lies 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 insolence set fire upon a certain Jew's house, whereof arose such a dreadful fire, as burned not only many houses—but a great many of the Jews themselves. Here lives and estates went together. Though outlandish hands have set our city, our houses on fire—yet God has preserved our lives in the midst of the flames; and this is a mercy more worth than all we have lost, etc.
There was a stately palace in Jerusalem that Solomon had built, which joined near to the temple. This palace 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 after the Jews, who went out again another way, and shut up the palace, and set fire on the gates, which they had before anointed with brimstone and pitch; and straightway 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 were twenty-two thousand Romans destroyed in this fire. Titus, hearing the lamentable cry of the Romans who were compassed about in flames of fire, made speed with all his army to come and rescue them; but the fire burned 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 dreadful 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 borne the brunt of war a long 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, so that they might leave the enemy nothing but ashes for his prey and triumph. Here city and citizens are destroyed together; and it 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," Psalm 46:1. O sirs! if not only your houses, 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! Oh, what tongue can express, or heart conceive—the sighs, the groans, the cries, the tears, the ghastly looks, the horrible shrieks, the dreadful amazement, and the matchless astonishment which 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! Oh what a mercy is it that we are yet alive, though we are stripped of many comforts and contentments which formerly we have enjoyed! Now here give me permission to open myself a little in these following particulars—
[1.] First, What a mercy was this to all unregenerate and UNCONVERTED people, that they have kept their lives, when London was in flames! [Austin says 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 forever.] Had God by the flames or any other accident put an end to their natural days, they might at this time have been a-rolling up and down in unquenchable flames. Sinners, sinners, the greatest weights hang upon the smallest wires. 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, "Every man has his hour. He who overslips that season, may never meet with the like again all his days." O sirs! to have a little more time to believe, to repent, to secure your interest in 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 white stone that none knows but those who are the favorites of heaven; to have time to make sure a city that has foundations, a kingdom that shakes not, riches that corrupt not, an inheritance that fades not away, a house not made with hands—but one eternal in the heavens; to have time to make sure to yourselves a crown of righteousness, a crown of life, a crown of glory, a crown of immortality, are mercies beyond all the expressions, and above all the valuations of men! [2 Peter 1:10; Rev. 2:17; Heb. 11:10, and 12:28; 1 Peter 1:4; 2 Cor. 5:1; 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 2:10; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4.]
The poets paint time with wings, to show the rapidity and swiftness of it. "Time is of precious commodity", says Theophrastus. "Know time, lose not a minute," says Psittacus. Aelian gives this testimony of the Lacedaemonians, "That they were hugely covetous of their time, spending it all about necessary things, and allowing no citizen either to be idle or play." Titus Vespasian having spent a day without doing any man any good, as he sat at supper he uttered this memorable and praiseworthy aphorism, "My friends, I have lost a day!" O sirs! will not these poor heathen rise in judgment against all those who trifle and fool and sin away their precious time? Take heed of crying "Tomorrow, tomorrow!" Oh play not the courtier with your precious souls! The courtier does all things late: he rises late, and dines late, and sups late, and goes to bed late, and repents late. Remember that manna must be gathered in the morning. The orient pearl is generated of the morning dew.
There is nothing puts a more serious frame into a man's spirit than to know the worth of his time. It is very dangerous putting off that to another day, which must be done today, or else undone tomorrow. "Now or never!" was the saying of old. If not done now, it may never be done, and then undone for ever. Eternity depends on this moment of time. What would not many a man give for a day—when it is a day too late? While many blind Sodomites have been groping to find a door of hope, God has rained hell out of heaven upon them. The seasons of grace are not under your locks and keys. Many thousand poor sinners have lost their seasons and their souls together. Judas repented and Esau mourned—but neither timely nor truly; and therefore they perished to all eternity. The damned in hell may weep their eyes out of their heads—but they can never weep sin out of their souls, nor their souls out of hell, etc.
Oh, that the flames of London might be so sanctified to every poor sinner, who have had their lives for a prey, in that doleful day, that they may no longer neglect those precious seasons and opportunities of grace that yet are continued to them, lest God should swear in his wrath, "that they should never enter into his rest!" Heb. 2:3, and 3:18. O sirs! yet you have a world of gracious opportunities, and oh, that God would give you that heavenly wisdom, that you may never neglect one gracious opportunity, though it were to gain a whole world! God by giving you your lives in the midst of those furious and amazing flames, has given you time and opportunity to secure the spiritual and the eternal welfare of your precious and immortal souls, which is a mercy which can never be sufficiently prized or improved. But,
[2.] Secondly, What a mercy was this to poor doubting, STAGGERING Christians, that they kept their lives, when London was in flames! For by this means they have gained time to pray down their doubts, and to argue down their doubts, and to wrestle and weep down their doubts, etc. Christ ascended to heaven in a cloud, and the angel ascended to heaven in the flame of the altar, Acts 1:9-10; Judges 14:20. It is ten to one but this had been the case of many doubting, trembling Christians, had they died when London was in flames. I know it is good getting to heaven any way, though it be in a whirlwind of affliction, or in a fiery chariot of temptation, or in the flames of persecution, or in a cloud of fears, doubts, and darkness; but yet that man is more happy, who gets to heaven in a quiet calm of inward peace, and in the fair sunshine of joy and assurance. ["The whole Scripture," says Luther, "does principally aim at this thing, that we should not doubt—but that we should hope, that we should trust, and that we should believe, that God is a merciful, a bountiful, a gracious and patient God to his people."]
It is a good thing for a man to get into a safe harbor, though it be in a winter night, and through many storms and tempests, hazards, dangers, and deaths, with the loss of masts, cables, and anchors; but yet he is more happy that gets into a safe harbor in a clear, calm, fair, sunshiny day, and with colors flying and trumpets sounding. The prudent reader knows how to apply it. Oh, that all poor doubting Christians would seriously lay this to heart, namely—That for them to have time, to have their judgments and understandings enlightened, their doubts resolved, their objections answered, their consciences settled, and their souls assured that all is well, and shall be forever well between God and them—is a mercy more worth than all the world. But,
[3.] Thirdly, What a mercy was this to poor languishing, declining, and DECAYING Christians, that they kept their lives when London was in flames! There were a great many in London who were "fallen from their first love," and whose sun was set in a cloud. There were many whose graces were languishing, whose comforts were declining, whose souls were withered, and whose communion with God was greatly impaired, Rev. 2:4. Many within the walls of London had a worm gnawing at the root of their graces. They had lost their spiritual relish of God, of Christ, of ordinances, as dying men lose their relish. Dying men can relish nothing they sip, or eat, or drink. They had lost their spiritual strength, and they knew it not, as Samson had lost his natural strength and knew it not, Judges 16:20. Oh what an image of death was upon their highest professions! Now for these men to live—for these men to have time to get their graces repaired, their comforts revived, their spiritual strength restored, their souls fattened, and their communion with God raised—oh what a matchless, what an incomparable mercy is this! But,
[4.] Fourthly, What a mercy was this to poor clouded, deserted, and BENIGHTED Christians, that they kept their lives when London was in flames! Beloved, it is sad dying under a cloud; it is sad dying, when he who should comfort a man's soul stands afar off, Lam. 1:16. Some think that the face of God was clouded when David thus prayed, "O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more," Psalm 39:13. And some think Hezekiah's sun was set in a cloud, and God had drawn a curtain between Hezekiah and himself, when, being under the sentence of death, Isaiah 38:1-3, "He turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, and said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which was good in your sight. And Hezekiah wept severely;" or with great weeping, as the Hebrew runs. It is with clouded and deserted Christians as it was with Samson when his locks were cut off, "his strength was gone;" and therefore, though he thought to go out and do wonders, as he had formerly done—yet by sad experience he found himself to be but as weak as any man, Judges 16:18-21. Just so, when God does but withdraw, the best of saints have their locks cut; their strength, which lies not in their hair—but in their head Christ Jesus, Phil. 1:22-23, is gone, and they are as weak as other men. They think, they speak, they act, they walk like other men.
Christians under spiritual desertions commonly fall under severe temptations, great indispositions, barrenness, flatness, dullness, and deadness of spirit. And is this a fit season for such to die in? Christians under a cloud usually have their joys eclipsed, their comforts dampened, their evidences for heaven blotted, their communion with God impaired, and their title to heaven is by themselves, in such a day, much questioned. And is this a case for them to die in? O clouded and deserted Christians, who have kept your lives in the midst of London's flames! and ever since those flames, what a great, what a glorious obligation has the blessed God put upon you, to labor to recover yourselves from under all clouds and desertions, and to spend your days in a serious and deep admiration of that free, that rich, that infinite, and that sovereign grace that spared you, and that was active for you, in that day when you were compassed about with flames of fire on every hand! But,
[5.] Fifthly, What a mercy was this to poor solicited, TEMPTED Christians, that they kept their lives when London was in flames! For by this means they have gained time to strengthen themselves against all Satan's temptations. The daily request which were given in, to pray for poor tempted Christians, did sufficiently evidence how active Satan was to distress and perplex poor Christians with all sorts of hideous and blasphemous temptations. Were there not many tempted to distrust the power of God, the goodness of God, the faithfulness of God? Were there not many tempted to deny God, to blaspheme God, and to turn their backs upon God? Were there not many tempted to slight the Scriptures, to deny the Scriptures, and to prefer their own fancies, notions, and delusions above the Scriptures? Were there not many tempted to have low thoughts of ordinances, and then to leave ordinances, and then to vilify ordinances, and all under a pretense of living above ordinances? Were there not many tempted to presume upon the mercies of God; and others tempted to despair of the grace of God? Were there not many tempted to destroy themselves, and others tempted to destroy their relations? Were there not many tempted to draw others to sin, and to uphold others in sin, and to encourage others in sin, and to be partners with others in sin? Were there not many tempted to have hard thoughts of Christ, and others to have low thoughts of Christ, and others to have no thoughts of Christ? Now for these poor tempted souls to keep their lives, and to have precious seasons and opportunities to recover themselves out of the snares of the devil, and to arm themselves against all his fiery darts—is a comprehensive mercy—a big-bellied mercy—a mercy which has many thousand mercies in the womb of it. But,
[6.] Sixthly and lastly, What a mercy was this to all slumbering, slothful, sluggish, LAZY Christians, who had blotted and blurred their evidences for heaven, and who, instead of running their Christian race, Heb. 12:1, were either at a stand-still, or else did but halt in the way to heaven, that they have had their lives for a prey when London was in flames; and that they have had time to clear up their evidences for heaven, and to quicken up their hearts, to run the ways of God's commands! Psalm 119:32. Surely, had all the world been a lump of gold, and in their hands to have been disposed of, they would have given it for a little time to have brightened their evidences, to have got out of their sinful slumber, and to have set all reckonings even between God and their poor souls. And let thus much suffice for this second support.
(3.) The third support to bear up the hearts and to cheer up the spirits of all who have suffered by the recent fiery dispensation, is this—namely, That this has been the common lot, the common case, both of saints and sinners. God has dealt no more severely with you than he has with many others. Have you lost much? so have many others. [The commonness of our sufferings does somewhat mitigate the sharpness of our sufferings, etc.] Have you lost half? so have many others. Have you lost all? so have many others. Have you lost your trade? so have many others. Have you lost your goods? so have many others. Have you lost your credits? so have many others. Have you lost many friends, who before the fire were very helpful to you and yours? so have many others. Have you lost more than your all? so have many others.
This very cordial the apostle hands out to the suffering saints in his time: 1 Cor. 10:13, "There has no temptation taken you—but such as is common to man." By temptation, he means affliction; as the word is used, James 1:2; 1 Peter 1:6—that is, there has no affliction befallen you but that which is incident either to men as men, or to saints as saints: or thus, there has no affliction befallen you but such as is common to man—that is, there is no affliction that has befallen you but such as men may very well bear without murmuring or buckling under it.
Just so, 1 Peter 5:9, "Knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished," or finished, "in your brethren, who are in the world." Afflictions are the common lot of the saints. Whoever shrugs, repines, complains, murmurs, or faints under a common lot, it is at the sun because it scorches, etc., John 16:33; Acts 14:22. There are none of the brotherhood but, sooner or later, they shall know what the fiery trial, what the fiery furnace means. Jerome, writing to a sick friend, has this expression, "I account it a part of unhappiness not to know adversity. I judge you to be the more miserable, because you have not been miserable;" it being the common lot of the people of God to be exercised with adversity and misery. I think Bernard hit it who said, "Freedom from affliction is the mother of carnal security, the poison of religion, the moth of holiness." "There is nothing more unhappy than he who never felt adversity," said the refined heathen, Seneca. And shall not grace rise as high as nature? The calamity has been common, therefore wipe your eyes, and do not say, There is no sorrow like my sorrow, no loss like my loss, no ruin like my ruin, Lam. 1:12. Under common calamities, men should neither groan nor grumble.
Look! as no man may conclude, upon the account of common mercies, that he is really beloved by God; just so—no man may conclude, upon the account of common calamities, that he is really hated by God, Eccles. 9:1-2. And therefore bear up sweetly, bear up cheerfully, under your present trials. In the common calamity of the plague, the destroying angel, perceiving the blood of sprinkling upon the posts of your doors, and upon the doors of your hearts, passed you by, and said unto you, "Live," Exod. 12:7, 13. But by the common calamity of the fire, the Lord has turned you out of house and home, and burnt up your substance before your eyes. Now do but lay your hands seriously upon your hearts, and tell me whether you have not more cause to admire at the mercy of God towards you in sparing you in 1665, than you have cause to complain of the severities of God towards you in 1666.
(4.) The fourth support to bear up the hearts and to cheer up the spirits of the people of God who have been sufferers, deep sufferers, under the recent fiery dispensation, is this—namely, That though they have lost much as they are men, as they are citizens, merchants, tradesmen; yet they have lost nothing as they are Christians, as they are saints, as they are the called and chosen of God. Though they have lost their goods—yet they have not lost their God, Rev. 17:14. Though they have lost their shops and chests—yet they have not lost their Christ. Though they have lost their outward comforts—yet they have not lost the comforts of the Holy Spirit. Though they have lost their houses made with hands—yet they have not lost their "house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens," John 14:16, 26; 2 Cor. 5:1. Though they have lost their earthly inheritance—yet they have not lost their heavenly inheritance, 1 Pet. 1:4. Though they have lost their temporal portions—yet they have not lost their eternal portions, Psalm 73:25. Though they have lost their open public trade—yet they have not lost their secret trade, their private trade to heaven, Mat. 6:6.
I readily grant that your stately houses and your well-furnished shops are turned into ashes, and that your credit is gone, and your trading gone, and your money gone, and you utterly undone as to this world; and yet in all this, God has done you no hurt, he has done you no wrong, Gen. 18:25: and though this at first sight may seem to be a great paradox, a very strange assertion—yet I shall thus evidence it to be an unquestionable truth. The happiness of man in this life consists,
(1.) In his union with God;
(2.) In his communion with God;
(3.) In his conformity to God; and
(4.) In his spiritual fruition and enjoyment of God.
Now none of those losses, crosses, and afflictive dispensations that have passed upon you, have or can make any breach upon your happiness, or upon any one of those four things of which your happiness is made up. The apex of man's happiness in heaven, lies in his near union with God, and in the beatifical vision of God, and in his full communion with God, and in his exact and perfect conformity to God, and in his everlasting fruition and enjoyment of God. Now the more of these things any Christian enjoys in this world, the more of heaven he enjoys on this side heaven, the more happiness he has on this side happiness; and therefore I would willingly know how it is possible for any outward troubles or trials to make a breach upon a Christian's happiness.
Doubtless Job was as happy when he sat upon the ash-heap, Job 2, without a rag on his back or a penny in his purse, as he was when he sat chief, and dwelt as a king, chapter 29:25. If God is the most perfect being, then to enjoy him and resemble him is our greatest perfection. If God be the best of beings, then our communion with him and fruition of him must be our greatest glory and highest felicity. Let what will befall our outward man, as long as our union and communion with God holds good, as long as our precious and immortal souls are in a safe and flourishing condition, as long as the springs of grace, of holiness, of comfort, of assurance rises in our souls—we are happy, and no outward miseries can make us miserable!
"There are," says Augustine, "goods of the throne—such as God, Christ, the Spirit, grace, the favor of God, pardon of sin, peace of conscience, etc.; and there are goods of the footstool—such as food, raiment, house, honors, riches, trade, credit, and all bodily conveniences and accommodations." Now it was not in the power of the flames to burn up the goods of the throne; they still remain safe and secure to you. All that the flames could reach to, was only the goods of the footstool, the lumber of this world. And therefore what cause have you to bear up cheerfully, quietly, sweetly, and contentedly under all your crosses and losses, trials and troubles! "He is poor," says Gregory the Great, "whose soul is void of grace, not whose coffers are empty of money."
By these short hints, you may clearly see that the people of God are never the worse for all their losses. They are as happy now that they are houseless, moneyless, breadless, friendless, tradeless, as ever they were when they were most surrounded with all the comforts of this life. Woe, woe would be to the people of God, if their happiness should hang upon the comforts of this world, which like a ball are tossed from man to man. A ball of fire, a storm at sea, a false oath, a subtle enemy, a treacherous friend may easily deprive a man of all his earthly blessings in an instant. Now who so miserable as that man whose blessedness lies in earthly blessings? But,
(5.) The fifth support to bear up the hearts of the people of God under the recent fiery dispensation, is this—namely, That the Lord will certainly, one way or another, make up all their losses to them. Sometimes God makes up his people's outward losses by giving them more of himself, more of his Son, more of his Spirit, more of his favor, more of his grace, as he did by the disciples of Christ, John 16. When God takes away your carnals and gives you more spirituals, your temporals, and gives you more eternals, your outward losses are made up to you.
Now this was the very case of those believing Hebrews, who were turned out of house and home; and who were driven to live in holes and caves and dens of the earth, and who had lost all their goods; not having a bed to lie on, or a stool to sit on, nor a dish to drink in, and who had lost all their apparel, not having a rag to hang on their backs, and therefore clothed themselves in sheep-skins and goat-skins. "They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing in themselves that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance," Heb. 10:34. When under outward losses, God shall seal to his people a bill of exchange for better and greater things than any they have lost; their losses then are made up to them. When God takes away a Christian's estate in this world, he looks for a better and enduring estate in heaven. If a man should lose several bags of pennies, and have a bill of exchange sealed to him for the receiving of so many bags of gold, would not his loss be abundantly made up to him? When God takes away our earthly treasures, and seals up in our hearts a bill of exchange, to receive all again with interest upon interest in eternal treasures, then certainly our losses are abundantly made up to us. If men should take away your old clothes, and give you new clothes; if they should take away your rags, and give you robes; if they should take away your chaff, and give you wheat; if they should take away your water, and give you wine; if they should take away your tin, and give you silver; if they should take away your brass, and give you gold; if they should take away your pebbles, and give you pearls; if they should take away your cottages, and give you royal palaces— certainly you would have no cause to complain, you would have no cause to cry out, "Undone! undone!"
If God takes away your houses, your goods, your trades, your honors, and gives you more of himself, and more grace, and more assurance of glory, he does you no injury. It is an excellent exchange, to get eternals for temporals. If God takes away your earthly riches, and makes you more rich in grace, in spiritual comforts, in holy experiences, in divine enjoyments, then you are no losers—but great gainers. What are all the necessary comforts of this life, compared to union and communion with God, to a saving interest in Christ, to pardon of sin, to peace of conscience, and to that loving-kindness that is better than life? Psalm 63:3.
If you put many lives together, there is more excellency and glory in the least discovery of divine love, than in them all. Many a man has been weary of his life—but never was any man yet weary of the love and favor of God. The least drop of grace, the least smile from heaven, the least cast of Christ's countenance, the least kiss of his mouth, the least embrace of his arm, the least hint of his favor—is worth more than ten thousand worlds! Cant. 2:3-7. That Christian cannot be poor—who is rich in grace. That Christian cannot be miserable—who has God for his portion. That Christian cannot be unhappy—who has a mansion prepared for him in heaven, though he has not a cottage to hide his head in, in this world. That Christian has no cause to complain of lack of food for his body—whose soul is feasted with manna, with the dainties of heaven, with those rarities which are better than angels' food. [Rev. 2:8-9; Lam. 3:24; John 14:1-4; Heb. 11:37-38; Rev. 2:17; John 4: 30-31.] He who has but rags to cover his back, if his soul is clothed with the garments of salvation, and covered with the robe of Christ's righteousness, he has no reason to complain, Isaiah 61:10.
When Stilpo the philosopher had his wife, and children, and country all burnt up before him, and was asked by Demetrius what loss he had sustained, answered, "That he had lost nothing; for he counted that only his, own which none could take from him, namely, his virtues." Shall blind nature do more than grace? Shall the heathen put the Christian to a blush?
Again, sometimes God makes up his people's outward losses, by giving greater outward mercies than those which he took from them; as you may see by comparing the first chapter of Job and the last chapter of Job together. Job had all doubled to him. I have read of Dionysius, how he took away from one of his nobles almost his whole estate, and seeing him as cheerful and contented as ever, he gave him all that he had taken from him again, and as much more. God many times takes away a little, that he may give more; and sometimes he takes away all, to show his sovereignty, and then he gives them all back again with interest upon interest, to show his great liberality and noble bounty. That is a lovely loss, that is made up with so great gain.
Question. But, sir, how shall we know, or probably conjecture, whether in this world God will make up our worldly losses to us or not? If you please to speak a little to this question, it may be many ways of use unto us.
Now that I may give you a little light to the question, give me permission to put a few questions to such who have been sufferers by the recent fiery dispensation—
[1.] First, Did you make conscience of improving your estates to the glory of God, and the good of others, when you did enjoy them; or did you only make them subservient to your lusts? If you have laid out your estates for God, and for his children's good, it is ten to one but that the Lord, even in this world, will make up your losses to you, Deut. 32:15-16; Hosea 4:7; James 4:3. But if you misimproved your estates, and turned your mercies into encouragements to sin, then you have more cause to fear that the Lord may further blast you, than you have to hope that God will make up your losses to you. But,
[2.] Secondly, Did you daily and seriously labor to enjoy much of God in all those worldly enjoyments which formerly you were blessed with? If so, it is very probable that the Lord may make up all your losses to you; but if you made an idol of your worldly enjoyments—if they had more of your thoughts, and hearts, and time, than God himself had, then you have more cause to fear a further curse, than to expect a future blessing, Proverbs 3:33; Mal. 2:2. But,
[3.] Thirdly, Did your hearts commonly, ordinarily, habitually lie low under your worldly enjoyments? Abraham, under all his worldly enjoyments, was but "dust and ashes." And Jacob under his worldly enjoyments was "less than the least of all mercies," Gen. 18:27, and 32:10. And so David, under all God's royal favors, his heart lies low: Psalm 22:6, "But I am a worm, and no man." David in the Arabic tongue signifies a worm, to which he seems to allude. The word in the Hebrew for worm, signifies such a very little worm that a man can very hardly see it or perceive it. Though David was high in the world—yet he was little, yes, very little, in his own eyes. Was it commonly, mostly thus with you, when your comforts compassed you round about? If so, then it is very probable that the Lord in this world will make up all your losses to you. But if your pride did commonly rise with your outward goods, and if your hearts did usually so swell under your worldly enjoyments as to say with Pharaoh, "Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice?" Exod. 5:2; or to say with Nebuchadnezzar, "Who is that God that can deliver you out of my hands?" Dan. 3:15; or to say with those proud atheists, "Who is Lord over us?" Psalm 12:4; or to say with those proud monsters, "We are lords, we will come no more unto you," etc., Jer. 2:31, then you have great cause to fear that God that has yet some further controversy with you, and, "except you repent," will rather strip you of what you enjoy, than multiply further favors or blessings upon you. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Since God has burnt up your worldly goods, have you been fervent and frequent with God that he would burn up those lusts which have burnt up your comforts before your eyes? Have you pleaded hard with God that a spirit of burning might rest upon you, even that spirit of burning which alone can burn up your sins, your dross? Isaiah 9:2, and 4:4. Since London has been laid in ashes, have you made it your great business to treat and trade with God about the destruction of those sins, which have laid all desolate? If so, then you have cause to hope that God will turn your captivity, and make up all your losses to you, Job 42:10. But,
[5.] Fifthly, Since God has turned you out of all, are you turned nearer and closer to himself? Though you have been prodigals—yet have you in the light of London's flames seen and found your way to your Father's house? Luke 15. Then God will make up all your losses to you. When judgments are so sanctified as to bring a people nearer to himself, then God will drop down mercies upon them, Hosea 2:18, 20. But,
[6.] Sixthly, Has the fire of London been as a pillar of fire to lead you heaven-wards? Exod. 13:21-22. Has God, by burning up the good things of this world, caused you to set your hearts and affections more than ever upon the great things of the eternal world? If so, then it is a hundred to ten but that the Lord will make up all your losses to you. But,
[7.] Seventhly, Are your hearts, under this fiery dispensation, brought into such a quiet submission to the good will and pleasure of God, as that you can now be contented to be at God's allowance? Phil. 4:12-14. Can you now be contented to be rich or poor, to have much or little, to be high or low, to be something or nothing, to have all again or to have nothing but necessaries again? Are you now willing that God shall choose for you? Can you sit down satisfied with God's allowance, though it be far short of what once you had? Contentment is the deputy of outward felicity, and supplies the place where it is absent. A contented frame of heart, as to all outward occurrences, is like ballast to a ship, which will help it to sail boldly and safely in all waters. When a man's mind is conformable to his means, all is well. Augustine upon Psalm, brings in God rebuking a discontented Christian thus: "What is your faith? Have I promised you these things? What! were you made a Christian that you should flourish here in this world?"
It is an excellent expression that Bellarmine has in his Catechism: "Suppose," says he, "a king, having many children of several ages, should apparel them in cloth of gold: now he who is sixteen years old has more gold in his robe than the child that is but five or six years old—yet the child would rather have his own garment than his elder brother's, because it is fitter for him." Surely the fittest estate is the best estate for us. Look! as a large shoe fits not a little foot, nor a large sail a little ship, nor a large ring a little finger—just so, a large estate is not always the fittest for us. He who has most, lacks something; and he who has least, lacks nothing—if he lacks not a contented spirit. O sirs! let not heathens put you to a blush.
"He who can be content to be at God's allowance, as a guest at a table, who takes what is carved for him, and no more—he needs not fawn upon any man, much less violate his conscience for the great things of the world." When a man's heart is brought down to his condition, he is then temptation-proof. A man who can be contented with a little, will keep his ground in an hour of temptation.
Diogenes the cynic, housed in his tub, and making even with his victuals and the day together, being invited to a great feast, could say, "I had rather lick salt at Athens, than feast with Craterus." Diogenes had more content with his tub to shelter him from the injuries of the weather, and with his wooden dish to eat and drink in, than Alexander had with the conquest of half the world, and the fruition of all the honors, pomps, treasures, and pleasures of Asia.
"The way to true riches," says Plato, "is not to increase our heaps—but to diminish the covetousness of our hearts." And says Seneca says, "A contented man cannot be a poor man."
I have read of another philosopher, who seeing a prince going by, with the greatest pomp and state imaginable, he said to some about him, "See how many things I have no need of."
And says another, "It were well for the world if there were no gold in it." But since it is the fountain whence all things flow, it is to be desired—but only as a pass, to travel to our journey's end without begging.
When Croesus, king of Lydia, asked Solon, one of the seven wise men of Greece, who in the whole world was more happy than he? Solon answered, "Tellus, who though he was a poor man—yet he was a good man, and content with that which he had."
So Cato could say, "I have neither house, nor plate, nor costly garments in my hands; what I have, I can use: if not, I can lack it. Some blame me because I lack many things; and I blame them because they cannot lack." Now shall nature do more than grace? Shall the poor blinded heathen outstrip the knowing Christian? O sirs, he who can lose his will in the will of God, as to the things of this world; he who is willing to be at God's allowance; he who has had much—but can now be satisfied with a little; he who can be contented with God's allowance—he is of all men the most likely man to have all his losses made up to him. But,
[8.] Eighthly and lastly, Are your hearts more drawn out to have this fiery dispensation sanctified to you, than to have your losses made up to you? Do you strive more with God to get good by this dreadful judgment, than to recover your lost goods, and your lost estates? Is this the daily language of your souls, "Lord, let this fiery trial be so sanctified to me, as that it may eminently issue in the mortifying of my sins, the increase of my graces, the mending of my affections, the reforming of my life, the weaning of my soul from everything below You; the fixing of my heart upon eternal realities!" If it be thus with you, it is ten to one but God even in this world will make up your losses to you. But,
(6.) The sixth support to bear up the hearts of the people of God under the recent fiery dispensation, is this—namely, That by fiery dispensations, the Lord will make way for the new heavens and the new earth: he will make way for the glorious deliverance of his people. Isaiah 9:5-6; Psalm 66:12. Isaiah 66:15-16, 22, "For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For "by fire and by his sword," or by his sword of fire, "will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many. For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain." The great and the glorious things that God will do for his people in the last days are set forth by new heavens and new earth; and these God will bring in by fiery dispensations. [Isaiah 65:17; Joel 2:1-5, 30-32; Zeph. 3:8-9.] The glorious estate of the universal church of Jews and Gentiles on earth is no lower an estate than that of a new heaven and a new earth. Now this blessed church-state is ushered into the world by fiery judgments. By fiery dispensations God will put an end to the glory of this old world, and bring in the new. Look! as God by a watery deluge made way for one new world, so by a fiery deluge, in the last of the last days, he will make way for another new world, wherein "shall dwell righteousness," as Peter speaks, 2 Pet. 3:10-13.
All men in common speech call a new great change a new world. By fiery dispensations God will bring great changes upon the world, and make way for his Son's reign in a more glorious manner than ever he has yet reigned in the world, Rev. 19, 20, and 21.
The sum of that I have, in short, to offer to your consideration out of these chapters is this—"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries." Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, 'I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.' Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her." Revelation 18:2-8
"After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants." And again they shouted: "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever." The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!" Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!" Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready." Revelation 19:1-7. God, by his fiery dispensation upon Babylon, makes way for Christ's reign, and the saints' reign in the new heavens and new earth. But,
(7.) The seventh support to bear up the hearts of the people of God under the recent fiery dispensation, is this—namely, That by fiery dispensations God will bring about the ruin and destruction of his and his people's enemies, Psalm 50:3. Psalm 97:3, "A fire goes before him, and burns up his enemies round about." Hab. 3:5, "Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps." Verse 12-13, "Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear. In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations." Jer. 50:31-32, "See, I am against you, O arrogant one," declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty, "for your day has come, the time for you to be punished. The arrogant one will stumble and fall and no one will help her up; I will kindle a fire in her towns that will consume all who are around her." There is nothing more fearful or formidable, either to man or beast, than fire: and therefore by fiery dispensations God will take vengeance on the wicked. This will be the more evident, if you please but to consider to what the wicked are compared to, in Scripture.
[1.] First, They are compared to stubble and chaff, which the fire easily consumes: Isaiah 5:24, "Therefore as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust." Nahum 1:10, "They will be entangled among thorns and drunk from their wine; they will be consumed like dry stubble." Mark that word "dry stubble," and so as it were prepared and fitted for the flame.
[2.] Secondly, The wicked are compared to thorns: and how easily does the flaming fire consume them! Isaiah 27:4, "Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together." Chapter 33:12, "And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burnt in the fire." Mark, it is not said as thorns standing and rooted in the earth, and growing with their moisture about them; but as thorns cut up, as dead and dry thorns, which are easily kindled and consumed, etc.
[3.] Thirdly, The wicked are compared to the melting of wax before the fire, and to the passing away of smoke before the wind, Micah 1:4; Psalm 8:2.
[4.] Fourthly and lastly, The sudden and certain ruin of the wicked is set forth by the melting of the fat of lambs before the fire. Psalm 37:20, "But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs," (which of all fat is the most easiest melted before the fire:) "they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away." The fat of lambs in the sacrifices was wholly to be burnt and consumed, Lev. 3:15-17.
Thus you see, by the several things to which wicked men are compared, that God by fiery calamities will bring ruin and destruction upon his and his people's enemies. Such as have burnt the people of God out of house and home, may in this world have burning for burning. God loves to retaliate upon his people's enemies, Judges 1:6-7. Such as have clapped their hands at the sight of London's flames, may one day lay their hands upon their loins, when they shall find divine justice appearing in flames of fire against them. But,
(8.) The eighth support to bear up the hearts of the people of God under the recent fiery dispensation, is this—namely, That all shall end well, all shall work for good. [Consult these scriptures, Isaiah 1:25, and 27:8-11; Zech. 13:9; Heb. 12:10; Hosea 2:6; Acts 14:22; John 16:33; Jer. 29:11.] God, by this fiery dispensation, will do his people a great deal of good. God cast Judah into an iron furnace, into a fiery furnace—but it was for their good. Jer. 24:5, "Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good." Psalm 119:71, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted." Though afflictions are naturally evil—yet they are spiritually good; for by the wise, sanctifying, overruling providence of God, they shall either cure the saints of their spiritual evils, or preserve them from spiritual evils. Though the elements are of contrary qualities—yet divine power and wisdom has so tempered them, that they all work in a harmonious manner for good.
So, though severe afflictions, though fiery trials seem to work quite cross and contrary to the saints' prayers and desires—yet they shall be so ordered and tempered by a skillful and omnipotent hand, as that they shall all issue in the saints' good. In the long run, by all sorts of fiery trials, the saints shall have their sins more weakened, their graces more improved, and their experiences more multiplied, their evidences for heaven more cleared, their communion with God more raised, and their hearts and lives more amended. God, by fiery trials, will keep off from his people more trials. God loves by the cross to secure his people from the curse; and certainly it is no bad exchange, to have a cross instead of a curse.
God led the Israelites about and about in the wilderness forty years together—but it was to humble them, and prove them, and do them good in their latter end, Deut. 8:2, 16. God led them through fire and water, Psalm 66:12; that is, through variety of severe and sharp afflictions—but all was in order to his bringing them forth into a wealthy place. God stripped Job—but it was in order to his clothing of him in scarlet: he brought him low—but it was in order to his raising him higher than ever: he set him upon a ash-heap, that he might the better fit him to sit upon a throne. [Compare the first and last chapter of Job together.]
"Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and you will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me!" says old Jacob, Gen. 42:36; but yet as old as he was, he lived to see all working for his good, before he went to his long home. Under all fiery dispensations, God will make good that golden promise, Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God." Mark, the apostle does not say, we suppose, or we hope, or we conjecture—but we know, I know, and you know, and all the saints know by daily experience, that all their sufferings and afflictions work together for their good! The apostle does not say they shall work—but they do work. All second causes work together with the first cause for their good who love God, and who are called according to his purpose. Look! as several poisonous ingredients put together, being well tempered and mixed by the skill and care of the prudent apothecary, makes a sovereign medicine, and work together for the good of the patient; just so, all the afflictions and sufferings which befall the saints, they shall be so wisely, so divinely tempered, ordered, and sanctified by the hand of God, as that they shall really and remarkably work for their good. Those dreadful providences which seem to be most harmful to us, shall in the issue prove most beneficial to us!
"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good!" Genesis 50:20. Look! as vessels of gold are made by fire, so by fiery dispensations God will make his people vessels of gold, vessels of honor, 2 Tim. 2:20-21. Commonly the most afflicted Christians are the most golden Christians, Zech. 13:9, "This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.'" The fire of London was rather physic than poison. There was more of a fatherly chastisement, than there was of an extirpating vengeance in it; and therefore certainly it shall work well, it shall issue well.
(9.) The ninth support to bear up the hearts of the people of God under the recent fiery dispensation, is this—namely, That there was a great mixture of mercy in that dreadful judgment of fire that has turned London into a ruinous heap! At the final destruction of Jerusalem there was not one stone left upon another, Luke 19:41, 45. This might have been your case, O London, had not mercy triumphed over justice, and over all the plots and designs of men. Though many thousand houses are destroyed—yet to the praise of free grace, many thousand houses in the city and suburbs have been preserved from the rage and violence of the flames. What a mercy was that, that Zoar should be standing, when Sodom was laid in ashes! Gen. 19. And what a mercy was this, that your houses should be standing, when so many thousand houses have been laid desolate! Is more than a third part of the city destroyed by fire? Why, the whole city might have been destroyed by fire, and all the suburbs round about it. But in the midst of wrath, God has remembered mercy, Psalm 136:23: in the midst of great severity, God has exercised great clemency. Had the fire come on with that rage, fury, and triumph, as to have laid both city and suburbs level, we must have said with the church, "The Lord is righteous," Lam. 1:18. Had the three children their songs in the midst of the fiery furnace; and why should not they have their songs of praise, whose houses, by a miraculous providence, were preserved in the midst of London's flames?
O sirs, what a mixture of mercy was there in this fiery calamity, that all your lives should be spared, and that many of your houses should be preserved, and that much of your goods, your wares, your commodities, should be snatched as so many firebrands out of the fire! If ever there were an obligation put upon a people to cry, "Grace, grace, grace!" the Lord has put one upon you, who have been sharers in that mixture of mercy that God has extended to the many thousand sufferers by London's flames. Had this judgment of fire been inflicted when the raging pestilence swept away some thousands every week, and when the city was even left naked as to her inhabitants, and when the whole nation was under a dreadful fear, trembling, and dismayed in spirit, Josh. 2:9-11, might there not have been far greater desolations, both of houses, goods, and lives, in the midst of us? Had God contended with London by pestilence and fire at the same time, who would have lodged your persons in their beds, or your goods in their barns? Had these two dreadful judgments met, Londoners would have met with but few friends in the world.
Well, when I look upon London's sins and deserts on the one hand, and upon the principles, old hatred, plots, designs, rage, and wrath of some malicious people, on the other hand, Ezek. 25:15, instead of wondering that so much of the city and suburbs is destroyed, I rather wonder that any one house in the city or suburbs is preserved! While London was in flames, and all men under a high distraction, and all things in a sad confusion, a secret, subtle, designing, powerful enemy might have risen up in the midst of you, that might have plundered all your goods, ravished your wives, deflowered your daughters, and after all this have sheathed their swords in all your hearts! And in that it did not happen thus, what cause have Londoners to bow forever before preventing and restraining grace!
Since the creation of the world, God has never been so severe in the execution of his most dreadful judgments, as not to remember mercy in the midst of wrath. When he drowned the old world, who before were drowned in lusts and pleasures, he extended mercy to Noah and his family. When he rained hell out of heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah, turning those rich and pleasant cities into ruinous heaps, he gave Lot and his daughters their lives for a prey. And when by fire and sword he had made Jerusalem a dreadful spectacle of his wrath and vengeance—yet then a remnant did escape, Isaiah 6:11-13; Jer. 5:10, 18. This truth we citizens have experienced, or else we and our all before this day had been destroyed. Every citizen should have this motto written in characters of gold on his forehead, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed!" Lam. 3:22. God might have made London like Sodom and Gomorrah; but in the day of his anger some beams of his favor darted forth upon London. By which means the hopes of some are so far revived as to expect that London yet may be rebuilt and blessed. That is a dreadful word, "When he begins he will make an end; and the fire of his wrath shall burn, and none shall quench it," 1 Sam. 3:12; Jer. 4:4, and 21:12. These eradicating judgments had certainly fallen upon London, had not the Lord in the midst of his fury remembered mercy. "If the Lord had not been on our side," Psalm 124:1-3, may London now say, "if the Lord had not been on our side when the fire rose up against us—then the fire had swallowed us up quick, when its rage was kindled against us." Doubtless God never mingled a cup of wrath with more mercy than this.
Though the fire of London was a very great and dreadful fire—yet it was not so great nor so dreadful a fire as that of Sodom and Gomorrah was: for that fire of Sodom and Gomorrah,
[1.] First, It was a miraculous fire—a fire that was, besides, beyond and against the course of nature. [They sinned against the light and course of nature; and therefore they were destroyed against the course of nature by fire from heaven.] Gen. 19:24, "Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven." Fire mingled with brimstone has been found,
(1.) Most obnoxious to the eyes;
(2.) Most loathsome to the smell; and
(3.) Most fierce in burning.
He hit the mark who, speaking of fire and brimstone, said, "It is easily kindled, violently swelled, and hard to be extinguished." Brimstone and all that vast quantity of sulphurous fiery matter, by which those rich and populous cities were turned into ruinous heaps, were never produced by natural causes, nor after a natural manner, no ordinary fire being so speedy in its consumptions—but immediately by God's own miraculous power and almighty arm. But the fire that has laid London in ashes was no such miraculous or extraordinary fire—but such a fire which divine providence permitted and allowed to be kindled and carried on, by such means, instruments, and concurring circumstances as has buried our glory under heaps of ashes. But,
[2.] Secondly, The fire which fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah consumed not only the greater part of those cities—but the whole cities: yes, and not only Sodom and Gomorrah—but all the cities of the plain, except Zoar, which was to be a sanctuary to Lot. But the fire of London has not destroyed the whole city of London; many hundred—may I not say thousands?—houses are yet standing, as monuments of divine power, wisdom, and goodness: and the greatest part of the suburbs are yet preserved; and all the rest of the cities of England are yet compassed about with loving-kindness and mercy; and I hope will be reserved, by a gracious providence, as shelters, as sanctuaries, and as hiding-places to poor England's distressed inhabitants. But,
[3.] Thirdly, The fire which fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah consumed not only places but people, not only houses but inhabitants. But in the midst of London's flames, God was a wall of fire about the citizens, Zech. 2:5; in that day of his fiery indignation, he was very tender of the lives of his people. Though the lumber was burnt—yet God took care of his treasure, of his jewels—namely, the lives of his people. But having spoken before more largely of this particular, let this touch now suffice.
[4.] Fourthly, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire suddenly and unexpectedly; they were destroyed by fire in a moment! Sodom and Gomorrah sustained no long siege from foreign forces, neither were they kept long in sorrows and sufferings, in pains and misery—but they were quickly and suddenly and instantly despatched out of this world—into the eternal world. Men had no hand in the destroying of Sodom; no mortal instrument co-operated in that work. God by his own immediate power overthrew them in a moment! Sodom was very strangely, suddenly, and unexpectedly turned upside down, as in a moment, by God's own hand, without the help of armed soldiers: whereas the Chaldeans' armies continued for a long time in the land of Judah, and in Jerusalem, vexing and plaguing the poor people of God. Now in this respect, the punishment of the Jews was a greater punishment than the punishment of Sodom, which was overthrown as in a moment. But that fire that has turned London into a heap of ashes, was such a fire that was carried on gradually, and which lasted four days, God giving the citizens time to mourn over their sins, to repent, to lay hold on everlasting strength, and to make peace with God. But,
[5.] Fifthly and lastly, Sodom's and Gomorrah's judgment is termed eternal fire, Jude 7, which expression, as it refers to the places themselves, do import that they were irrecoverably destroyed by fire; so as that they shall lie eternally waste. Those monstrous sinners of Sodom had turned the glory of God into shame, and therefore God will turn them both into a hell here, and a hell hereafter. God will punish unusual sinners with unusual judgments! The punishment by this fire is lasting, yes, everlasting: it is a standing monument of God's high displeasure, Deut. 29:23. We never read that ever God repented of the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. Those cities are under a perpetual destruction, and so shall continue to the end of the world. It well befits the wisest and best of Christians seriously to consider how God sets forth the destruction of his church's enemies.
"For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion's cause. Edom's streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her land will become blazing pitch! It will not be quenched night and day; its smoke will rise forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever pass through it again. The desert owl and screech owl will possess it; the great owl and the raven will nest there. God will stretch out over Edom the measuring line of chaos and the plumb line of desolation." Isaiah 34:8-11. In these words you have a rhetorical description of that extreme devastation that God will bring upon the enemies of the church, in way of allusion to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
But I hope London's doom is not such; for God has given to thousands of her inhabitants a spirit of grace and supplication, Zech. 12:10; which is a clear evidence that at the long run they shall certainly carry the day with God. I have faith enough to believe that God will give London's mourners "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness," Isaiah 61:3. And that London may yet be called "a city of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified." I hope that God will one day say to London, "Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. The Lord shall arise upon you, and his glory shall be seen upon you," Isaiah 60:1-2.
By what has been said, it is evident enough that there has been a great mixture of mercy in that fiery dispensation that has passed upon London. And therefore why should not this consideration bear up the hearts of the people of God from fainting and sinking under their present calamity and misery? But,
(10.) The tenth support to bear up the hearts of the people of God under the recent fiery dispensation, is this—namely, That there are worse judgments than the judgment of fire which God might—but has not, inflicted upon you. Let me evidence the truth of this in these five particulars—
[1.] First, The bloody sword of war, is a more dreadful judgment than that of fire. Fire may consume a man's house and his estate—but the sword cuts off a man's life. Now at what a poor rate do men value the whole world, when it stands in competition with their lives. He very well knew that man was a very great life-lover, who said, "Skin for skin—and all that a man has will he give for his life," Job 2:4. God might have brought upon England, ay, and upon London too, the sword of a foreign enemy, as he did upon Jerusalem and the land of Judea. In that one only city of Jerusalem, during the time of the siege by Vespasian's armies, which were made up of Romans, Syrians, and Arabians, a million people were killed. At this time there were slain in all Judea in several places to the number of twelve hundred and forty thousand Jews. The whole city of Jerusalem flowed with blood, insomuch that many parts of the city that were set on fire were quenched by the blood of those who were slain. In seventeen years' time the Carthaginian war only in Italy, Spain, and Sicily, consumed and wasted fifteen hundred thousand men. The civil wars between Pompey and Caesar swallowed down three hundred thousand men. Caius Caesar did confess it, and gloried in it, that, eleven hundred ninety and two thousand men were killed by him in wars. Pompey the Great wrote upon Minerva's temple that he had scattered, chased, and killed twenty hundred eighty and three thousand men. Q. Fabius killed a hundred and ten thousand of the Gauls. C. Marius put to the sword two hundred thousand of the Cimbrians. Aetius, in that memorable battle of Catalonia, slew a hundred sixty and two thousand Huns. Who can number up the many thousands that have fallen by the bloody sword in Europe, from the year 1620 to this year 1667?
Ah London! London! your streets might have flowed with the blood of the slain, as once the streets of Jerusalem, Paris, and others have done. While the fire was a-devouring your stately houses and palaces, a foreign sword might have been a-destroying your inhabitants. While the furious flames were a-consuming your goods, your wares, your substance, your riches, a secret and clandestine enemy, spirited, counseled, and animated from Rome and hell, might have risen up in the midst of you, that might have mingled together the blood of husbands and wives, and the blood of parents and children, and the blood of masters and servants, and the blood of rich and poor, and the blood of the honorable with the blood of the vile. Now had this been your doom, O London! which many feared, and others expected, what a dreadful day would that have been! It is better to see our houses on fire than to see our streets running down with the blood of the slain. But,
[2.] Secondly, God might have inflicted the judgment of famine upon London, which is a more dreadful judgment than that of fire. [Gen. 45:46; Joel 1:2, and 2:3; Jer. 24:10; Ezek. 6:11; 2 Sam. 21:1.] How sad would that day have been, O London! if you had been so sorely put to it, as to have taken up that sad lamentation of weeping Jeremiah: Lam. 2:11-12, 19-20, 4:4-5, 7-10, and 5:4, 6, 9-10, "My eyes fail from weeping, I am in torment within, my heart is poured out on the ground because my people are destroyed, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city. They say to their mothers, "Where is bread and wine?" as they faint like wounded men in the streets of the city, as their lives ebb away in their mothers' arms. Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street. Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cared for? Because of thirst the infant's tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth; the children beg for bread, but no one gives it to them. Those who once ate delicacies are destitute in the streets. Those nurtured in purple now lie on ash heaps. Their princes were brighter than snow and whiter than milk, their bodies more ruddy than rubies, their appearance like sapphires. But now they are blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as a stick. Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of famine; racked with hunger, they waste away for lack of food from the field."
So great was the famine in Jerusalem, that a bushel of wheat was sold for a talent, which is six hundred crowns, and the rubbish was considered food; and such pinching necessities were they under, that they acted against all piety, honesty, humanity, etc. Women ate their children; yes, the hands of kind women did boil their own children, and men ate one another; yes, many did eat the flesh of their own arms, according to what the Lord had long before threatened: Isaiah 9:19-20, "By the wrath of the Lord Almighty the land will be scorched and the people will be fuel for the fire; no one will spare his brother. On the right they will devour, but still be hungry; on the left they will eat, but not be satisfied. Each will feed on the flesh of his own arm."
In the reign of William the First there was so great a dearth and famine, especially in Northumberland, that men were glad to eat horses, dogs, cats, and rats, and what else is most abhorrent to nature. In Honorius's reign there was such a scarcity of all manner of provision in Rome, that men were even afraid of one another; and the common voice that was heard was, Set a price on man's flesh. In Italy, when it was wasted by the Goths under Justinian, the famine was so great, that in Picene only, fifty thousand people died with hunger, and not only man's flesh was made food of—but the very excrements of men also. In the reign of Hubid, king of Spain, there was no rain for six and twenty years together, so that the drought was so great that all the fountains and rivers, except Iber and Baetis 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 not get passage over these fearful openings of the earth. Hereby Spain, especially those places nearest the Mediterranean Sea, being stripped naked of all herbs, and the glory of trees being dried up, except a few trees which were preserved upon the banks of the river Betis, men and beasts being consumed with thirst and famine, was turned by this judgment into a miserable solitude and wilderness. The royal line of the kings was by this means extinct; and the poorer sort of men, whose means were short and provision small, went into other places as they could conveniently and with all speed, not being able to stand out this six and twenty years' misery.
In the Peloponnesian war, at Potidwa, men ate one another, [Thucydides.] When Utica was besieged by Hamilcar, the father of Hannibal, men ate one another, the famine was so great among them, [Polybius.] At Antioch in Syria many of the Christians, in the holy war, through famine, devoured the dead bodies of the late slain enemies. At the siege of Scodra, horses were dainty meat; yes, they were glad to eat dogs, cats, rats, and the skins of beasts. A little mouse, and puddings made of dogs' guts, was sold at so great a price as exceeds all credit. When Hannibal besieged Casilinum, the famine was so great, that a mouse was sold for three pounds eighteen shillings and eight pence. That was a severe famine in Samaria when an donkey's head was sold for eighty pieces of silver—that is, say some, for four or five pounds, 2 Kings 6:25; others say ten, for a shekel of silver was with the Jews as much as two shillings and sixpence with us. By this account an donkey's head was sold for ten pounds sterling.
In Edward the Second's time, in 1316, there was so great a famine, that horses, dogs, yes, men and children, were stolen for food; and the thieves newly brought into the jails were torn in pieces and eaten presently, half alive, by such as had been longer there. In war, oppression, captivity, and many other calamities, much of the hand of man is to be seen; but famine is a deep, evident, and apparent judgment, which God himself brings upon men by his own high hand. Many or most of those calamities which are brought upon us by human means are avoidable by human helps; but famine is that comprehensive judgment, that the highest power on earth cannot help against: "If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you?" said the king of Israel in the famine of Samaria, 2 Kings 6:27.
Ah London, London! if the Lord had inflicted upon your inhabitants this severe judgment of famine, making "the heavens as iron, and the earth as brass;" if the Lord had cut off all your delightful and necessary provisions, and your citizens had been forced to eat one another, or everyone to eat the flesh of his own arms, and the fruit of his own body, how dismal would your condition have been! Lev. 26:19; Hab. 3:17; Deut. 28:23. 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 judgment of a famine. Doubtless famine is a greater judgment than either sword, fire, or pestilence. There are many deaths in a dearth. Famine is the apex of all human calamities, as Basil terms it. Extreme hunger has made mothers into murderers, and so turned the sanctuary of life into the shambles of death.
[3.] Thirdly, God might have overturned London and her inhabitants in a moment by some great and dreadful earthquake, as he has done several great, rich, strong, and populous cities and towns in former times, Isaiah 13:13, and Psalm 18:7. Under Tiberius the emperor thirteen cities of Asia fell down with an earthquake, and six under Trajan, and twelve under Constantine. In Campania, Ferrara in Italy, 1569, in the space of forty hours, by reason of an earthquake, many palaces, temples, and houses were overthrown, with the loss of many a man, the loss amounting to forty hundred thousand pounds. In the year 1171, there was such a mighty earthquake that the city Tripoli, and a great part of Damascus in Antiochia, and Hulcipre, the chief city in the kingdom of Loradin, and other cities of the Saracens, either perished utterly. In the year 1509, in the month of September, there was so great an earthquake at Constantinople, that there were thirteen thousand men destroyed by it, and the city miserably shattered and ruined by it. In the reign of Henry the First, the earth moved with so great a violence, that many buildings were shaken down. Also in divers places it yielded forth a hideous noise, and cast forth flames. In Lombardy there was an earthquake that continued forty days, and removed a town from the place where it stood a great way off. In the eleventh year of the reign of King Henry the Second, on the twenty sixth day of January, was so great an earthquake in Ely, Norfolk, and Suffolk, that it overthrew those who stood upon their feet, and made the bells to ring in the steeples. In the twenty fourth year of his reign, in the territory of Darlington, the earth lifted up herself in the manner of a high tower, and so remained immovable from morning until evening, and then fell with so horrible a noise, that it frighted the inhabitants thereabouts, and the earth, swallowing it up, made there a deep pit, which is seen at this day; for a testimony whereof, Leland says he saw the pits there, commonly called hell-kettles. In the year 1666, the city of Raguza 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 ruins of that city. At Berne, in 1584, near unto which city a certain hill, carried violently beyond and over other hills, covered a whole village, that had ninety families in it, one half house only excepted, wherein the master of the family, with his wife and children, were earnestly calling upon God. Oh the terror of the Lord! and oh the power of fervent prayer!
At Pleures in Rhetia, in 1618, Aug. 25, the whole town was over-covered with a mountain, which with its most swift motion oppressed fifteen hundred. In the days of Uzziah king of Judah, there was such a dreadful earthquake, that the people with fear and horror fled from it: Zech. 14:5, "Yes, you shall flee, like as you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah," Amos 1:1. This dreadful earthquake was a horrible sign and presage of God's wrath to that sinful people. Josephus tells us that by it half a great hill was removed out of its place, and carried four furlongs another way, so that the highway was obstructed, and the king's gardens utterly marred. The same author further tells us, that at that time that Caesar and Anthony made trial of their titles in the Actian war, and in the seventh year of the reign of king Herod, there happened such an earthquake in the country of Judea, that never the like was seen in any other place; so that ten thousand men were overwhelmed and destroyed in the ruins of their houses. The same author says that in the midst of the Actian war, about the beginning of the spring time, there happened so great an earthquake, as slew thirty thousand people.
Ah London, London! if the Lord had by some dreadful earthquake utterly overthrown you, and buried all your inhabitants under your ruins, as he has dealt by many cities in the past, how dreadful would your case then have been over what now it is! Certainly such earthquakes as overwhelm both cities and citizens are far greater judgments than such a fire or fires, which only consumes men's houses—but never hurts their persons. God might have inflicted this severe judgment upon you, O London—but he has not; therefore it concerns you to be still a-crying, Grace, grace! But,
[4.] Fourthly, God might have inflicted that judgment, both upon city and citizens, that he did upon Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and all that appertained to them: "As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions. They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting—The earth is going to swallow us too!" Numbers 16:31-34. Thus they all perished, leaving behind them an example of God's power and judgments! And this accident was the more miserable, in that there were no one who had compassion of them; so that all the people, forgetting those things which were past, did allow God's justice with joyful acclamations, esteeming them unworthy to be bemoaned—but to be held as the plague and perverters of the people.
Oh what a dreadful judgment was this, for people to be buried alive; for houses and inhabitants, and all their goods, to be swallowed up in a moment! What tongue can express, or heart conceive, the terror and astonishment that fell upon Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, when the earth, which God had made firm, and established by a perpetual decree to stand fast under men's feet, was weary of bearing them, and therefore opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and with everything they owned! Ah London, London! if the earth had opened her mouth and swallowed up all your houses and inhabitants, with all your goods and riches in a moment; would not this have been ten thousand thousand times a greater judgment than that fiery dispensation that has passed upon you? But,
[5.] Fifthly and lastly, God might have rained hell out of heaven upon you, as he did upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and this would have been a sorer judgment than what he has inflicted upon you, Gen. 19. If God, by raining fire and brimstone from heaven, had consumed your people, houses, riches, and relations, would not this have been the height of judgment, and infinitely more terrible and dreadful to you than that fiery dispensation that has consumed part of your estates, and turned your houses into ashes?
Now by these five things it is most evident that there are worse judgments than the judgment of fire, which God in justice might have inflicted upon you. But free mercy has so interposed, that God has not stirred up all his wrath; and though he has severely punished you—yet it is less than your iniquities have deserved, Ezra 9:13; and therefore let this consideration support and bear up your hearts under all your present sorrows and sufferings. But,
(11.) The eleventh support to bear up the hearts of the people of God under the recent fiery dispensation, is this—namely, Though your houses are burnt, and your habitations laid desolate—yet your outward condition is not worse than Christ's was when he was in the world. The estate and condition of Christ was low, yes, very low and humble in this world. Witness his own account when he was upon the earth: "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests," Mat. 8:20, or resting-places where they go to rest, "but the Son of man has no place to lay his head." He does not say, Kings have palaces—but I have none; nor he does say that rich men have houses and lands and mansions to entertain their followers—but I have none; but, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests—but the Son of man has no place to lay his head."
Christ was willing to undeceive the scribe, and to show him his mistake. You think, O scribe, by following me, that you will get riches, and honor, and preferment, and to be somebody in the world—but you are highly mistaken; for I have neither silver nor gold, lands nor lordships, no, not so much as a bed to lay my head in. When I was born, I was born in a stable and laid in a feeding trough, Luke 2:17; and now I live upon the charity of others, and am maintained by others, Luke 8:3. I am not rich enough to pay my taxes, and therefore do not deceive yourself, Mat. 17:27.
The great Architect of the world no place to lay his head—but emptied himself of all, and became poor to make us rich, not in goods—but in grace; not in worldly wealth—but in the treasures of the eternal world, Phil. 2:7; 2 Cor. 8:9. He who was heir of both worlds had not a no place of his own to lay his head. Christ lived poor and died poor. As he was born in another man's house, so he was buried in another man's tomb. Austin observes, when Christ died he made no will, he had no crown-lands, only his coat was left, and that the soldiers parted among themselves. Are you houseless, are you penniless, are you poor, and low, and base in this world? So was Christ! Remember "the servant is not greater than his Lord," John 13:16. It is good seriously to ponder upon that saying of Christ, "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master." Mat. 10:24-25.
If Joab the general is in tents, it is a shame for Uriah to take his ease at home in a soft bed. It is unfitting to see the head all begored with blood and crowned with thorns, and the members to be decked with roses and jewels, and to smell of rich spices, and perfumes. Are you in a worse condition than Christ was in this world? Oh no, no! Why then do you murmur and complain? Why do you say there is no sorrow compared to your sorrow, nor any suffering compared to your suffering? O sirs! it is honor enough for the disciples of Christ to fare as Christ fared in this world. Why should the servant be in a better condition than his Lord? Is not that servant happy enough that is equal with his Lord? Did the burnt citizens but seriously and frequently meditate and ponder upon the poverty and low estate of Christ while he was in this world, their hearts would be more calm and quiet under all their crosses and losses than now they are. But,
(12.) The twelfth support to bear up the hearts of the people of God under the recent fiery dispensation, is this—namely, Though your houses are burnt, and your habitations laid desolate, and you have no certain dwelling-place, etc.—yet your outward condition in this world is not worse than theirs was "of whom this world was not worthy." Lam. 5:2, "Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens;" Psalm 107:4-5, "They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their souls fainted within them;" 1 Cor. 4:11, "Even unto this present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place;" Heb. 11:37-38, "They wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented. They wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens, and in caves of the earth." Chrysostom well observes from these words, that they did not only wander and were removed from their own habitation—but that they were not quiet even in the woods, deserts, mountains, dens, and caves of the earth—but were hunted by their persecutors from desert to desert, and from mountain to mountain, and from den to den, and from one cave to another.
But hereupon some might be ready to object and reply, OBJECTION. "These were the very worst of the worst of men. Surely these were very vile, base, and unworthy wretches, these were the greatest of sinners, etc."
ANSWER. Oh no! They were such, says the Holy Spirit, "of whom the world was not worthy." The heathenish world, the poor, blind, ignorant, atheistical world, the profane, superstitious, idolatrous, oppressing, and persecuting world was not worthy of them—that is, they were not worthy,
(1.) Of their presence and company.
(2.) They were not worthy of their prayers and tears.
(3.) They were not worthy of their counsel and advice.
(4.) They were not worthy of their gracious lives and examples.
In this scripture you may plainly see that their wandering up and down in deserts, and on the mountains, and in dens, and in the caves of the earth, is reckoned up among those great and dreadful things that the saints suffered in that woeful day. Those precious souls that dwelt in caves and dens, and wandered up and down in sheep-skins and goat-skins, might have rustled in their silks, satins, and velvets; they might, Nebuchadnezzar-like, have vaunted themselves on their stately turrets and palaces, if they would have wounded their consciences and have turned their backs upon Christ and true religion.
Now if the burnt-up citizens of London would but seriously lay to heart the sad dispensations of God towards his choicest worthies, then their hearts would neither faint nor sink under their present losses; crosses, and sufferings. "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward." Hebrews 11:24-26.
(13.) The Thirteenth support to bear up the hearts of the people of God under the recent fiery dispensation, is this—namely, There is a worse fire than that which has turned London into a ruinous heap—namely, the fire of HELL, which Christ has freed believers from.
(13.) The Thirteenth support to bear up the hearts of the people of God under the recent fiery dispensation, is this—namely, There is a worse fire than that which has turned London into a ruinous heap—namely, the fire of HELL, which Christ has freed believers from. A frequent and serious consideration of hell-fire, and of your happy deliverance from it, may very well bear and cheer up your hearts under all your greatest sufferings.
The fire of hell is "unquenchable fire!" Mat 3:12, "He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire!" There are "everlasting burnings!" Isaiah 33:14, "The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless—Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?" Luke 3:17; Mat. 18:8. Wicked men, who are now the jolly fellows of the times, shall one day go from burning to burning; from burning in sin, to burning in hell; from burning in flames of lusts, to burning in flames of torment, except there be found repentance on their sides, and pardoning grace on God's side. O sirs! in this devouring fire, in these everlasting burnings, Cain shall find no cities to build, nor shall his posterity have any instruments of music there; none shall take up the timbrel or harp, or rejoice at the sound of the organ. There Belshazzar cannot drink wine in bowls, nor eat the lambs out of the flock, nor the calves out of the midst of the stall. In everlasting burnings there will be no merry company to pass time away; nor any dice to cast care away; nor any cellars of wine wherein to drown the sinner's grief, Gen. 4:17; Amos 6:5; Job 21:12; Dan. 5:23 Amos 6:4.
The fire is eternal! Mat. 25:41, "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!" This dreadful sentence breathes out nothing but fire and brimstone, terror and horror, dread and woe! The last words that Christ will ever speak to the ungodly will be the most tormenting and dreadful, the most killing and damning, the most stinging and wounding, "Depart from me." Here is utter rejection: "Depart from Me--Pack! Begone! Get out of My sight! Let Me never more see your faces!"
It was a heavy doom that was passed upon Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. 4:25, that he should be driven from the society of men, and, in an extremity of a sottish melancholy, spend his time among the beasts of the field; but that was nothing to this soul-killing word, "Depart from me." The remembrance of which made one to pray thus, "O Lord, deliver me at the great day from that killing word DEPART."
"This word depart, the goats with horror hears;
But this word come, the sheep to joy appears."
Basil says, "That the alienation and utter separation from God is more grievous than the pains of hell." Chrysostom says that "the torments of a thousand hells, if there were so many, comes far short of this one—to be turned out of God's presence with an, I know you not!" What a grief were it here to be banished from the king's court with Absalom, or to be turned out of doors with Hagar and Ishmael, or to be cast out of God's presence with cursed Cain! But what is all this, compared to a man's being excommunicated, and forever cast out of the presence of God? To be secluded from the presence of God is of all miseries the greatest, Heb. 12:22-23. The serious thoughts of this made one say, "Many do abhor hell—but I esteem the fall from eternal glory to be a greater punishment than hell itself; it is better to endure ten thousand thunder-claps than be deprived of the beatifical vision." Certainly the tears of hell are not sufficient to bewail the loss of heaven! If those precious souls wept because they should see Paul's face no more, Acts 20:38, how deplorable is the eternal deprivation of the beatifical vision! "Depart from me," is the first and worst of that dreadful sentence which Christ shall pass upon the ungodly at last. Every syllable sounds horror and terror, grief and sorrow, dread and astonishment to all whom it concerns.
Here is imprecation—"You who are cursed!" "But Lord, if we must depart, let us depart blessed!" "No! Depart--you who are cursed!" You have cursed others, and now you shall be cursed yourselves; you shall be cursed in your bodies, and cursed in your souls; you shall be cursed by God, and cursed by Christ, and cursed by angels, and cursed by saints, and cursed by devils, and cursed by your wicked companions. Yes, you shall now curse your very selves, your very souls, that ever you have despised the gospel, refused the offers of grace, scorned Christ, and neglected the means of your salvation! O sinners, sinners, all your curses, all your maledictions shall at last recoil upon your own souls! Now you curse every man and thing which stands in the way of your lusts, and which cross your designs; but at last all the curses of heaven and hell shall meet in their full power and force upon you! Surely that man is eternally cursed, who is cursed by Christ himself! [Cursings now are wicked men's hymns; but in hell they shall be their woes! Rev. 16:9, 11, 21.]
"But, Lord, if we must depart, and depart cursed, oh let us go into some good place!" No! Depart into the eternal fire!" ["Of this fire you had need of some devil or accursed wretch to describe," says one.] There is the vengeance and continuance of it. You shall go into fire, into eternal fire, which shall neither consume itself, nor consume you. The eternity of hell, is the hell of hell. The fire in hell is like that stone in Arcadia, which being once kindled, could never be quenched. If all the fires that ever were in the world were contracted into one fire, how terrible would it be! Yet such a fire would be but as a 'painted fire' upon the wall, compared to the fire of hell. It is a very sad spectacle to behold a malefactor's body consumed little by little in a lingering fire. But ah, how sad, how dreadful, would it be to experience what it is to lie in unquenchable fire, not for a day, a month, or a year, or a hundred or a thousand years—but forever and ever! "If it were," says Cyril, "but for a thousand years, I could bear it; but seeing it is for eternity, this frightens and horrifies me!" "I am afraid of hell," says Isidore, "because the worm there never dies, and the fire never goes out!" For to be tormented without end, this is that which goes beyond all the bounds of desperation. Grievous is the torment of the damned for the bitterness of the punishments; but more grievous for the diversity of the punishments; but most grievous for the eternity of the punishments!
To lie in everlasting torments, to roar forever in anguish of heart, to rage forever for madness of soul, to weep, and grieve, and gnash the teeth forever—is a misery beyond all expression! Mat. 25:46. Bellarmine tells of a learned man who, after his death, appeared to his friend complaining that he was adjudged to hell-torments, "which," says he, "were they to last but a thousand thousand years, I would think it tolerable; but, alas—they are eternal!"
And it is called "eternal fire," Jude 7. I have read of a prison among the Persians which was 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 paradise, compared to hell. Mark, everything that is conducible to the torments of the damned is eternal.
(1.) God who damns them is eternal, Isaiah 33:14; Romans 16:26.
(2.) The fire which torments them is eternal, Isaiah 30:33, and 66:24; Jude 7. [1 Pet. 3:19. Lucian says that it was the common opinion among them that the wicked were held in chains by Pluto, (so they call the prince of devils,) in chains, which cannot be loosed.]
(3.) The prison and chains which hold them are eternal, Jude 6-7, 13; 2 Pet. 2:17.
(4.) The worm which gnaws them is eternal, Mark 9:44. Melanchthon calls it a hellish fury.
(5.) The sentence which shall be passed upon them shall be eternal, Mat. 25:41-42.
The fire of hell is called a burning lake: Rev. 20:15, "Whoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire." You all know that fire is the most tormenting element. Oh the most dreadful impressions which fire makes upon the flesh!
It is disputed among many of the learned whether there is material fire in hell or not. That it is very probable that there is material fire in hell, and that it is most dreadful, may be thus evidenced—
[1.] First, The fire of hell is frequently mentioned in the blessed Scripture. "Whoever shall say to his brother, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell-fire." At the day of judgment the tares are burnt in the fire, Mat. 13:40. Into this fire offending members are cast, Mat. 18:18-19. To this everlasting fire the goats are adjudged, Mat. 25:41. In this fire those who 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 professors be cast: Mat. 3:10, "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees, therefore every tree which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." Mere morality will never secure a man either from the axe or from the fire. Yes, every man and woman under heaven, who lives and dies outside of Christ, and who 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. You know that it is safest for us to adhere to the very letter of the Scripture, unless evident and necessary occasion draws us away from a literal interpretation of it. But,
[2.] Secondly, To this fire is ascribed sulphur, flames, wood. "Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze." Isaiah 30:33. Tophet is an allusion to hell; those dreadful shrieks and yellings of those children who were sacrificed there, are but faint representations of the pains and miseries of the damned. Now he shall be an Apollo to me, who can show me where the Lord in his word gives such properties to immaterial fire which 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,
[3.] Thirdly, Fire is the most furious of all elements, and therefore the bodies of men cannot be more exquisitely tormented than with fire. [Water can only kill—but fire does vex, terrify, and torment in killing!] The bodies which sinned on earth 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 tried to do it before he burnt at the stake. Oh, then, how will the bodies of men endure to dwell in unquenchable fire, to dwell in everlasting burnings! The brick-kilns of Egypt, the furnace of Babylon—are but as a spark, compared to this tormenting Tophet, that has been prepared of old to punish the bodies of sinners with. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Several of the fathers and 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 amazingly exceed ours, both in degree of heat and fierceness of burning. Our earthly 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 furnaces!
OBJECTION: But if it be material fire, then it may be quenched; besides, we see by common experience that material fire in a short time will consume and spend itself. Neither can we see how material fire can make impressions upon spirits, as the devils and souls of men are.
ANSWER:
[1.] First, Do not we find that the bush burned and was not consumed? Exod. 3:2-3. Though all clothes by daily experience wax old—yet when the Israelites were in their wilderness condition, their clothes did not wear out: Deut. 8:4, "Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years." Neh. 9:21, "For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen." Their clothes were never the worse for wearing. God by his almighty power kept their clothes from wearing out for these forty years. Just so, God by his almighty power can keep the fire of hell unquenchable. But,
[2.] Secondly, Such as thus object—they draw things according to their own scant reason, which will be of dangerous consequence both to themselves and others. Certainly such as go about to make the fire of hell only spiritual fire, they go about to make it no fire at all; but a spiritual fire is greater than a natural fire. But,
[3.] Thirdly, We see in this life that bodily tortures work upon the sprits in the same bodies—why may it not be so in hell? Do not men by their daily experience find that their souls are frequently afflicted in and under physical distempers, diseases, and weaknesses? Doubtless God can by his almighty power infuse such power into material fire as to make it the instrument of his dreadful wrath and vengeance, to plague, punish, scorch, and burn the souls of damned sinners!
Bodies and souls are co-partners in the same sins—and therefore God may make them co-partners in the same punishments! Every creature is such as the great God will have it to be, and commands it to be; and therefore if the Lord shall lay a command upon the fire of hell to reach and burn the souls of damned sinners—it shall certainly do it! God is the God of nature as well as the God of grace; and therefore I can see how the fire of hell can be said now to act against its own nature, when it does but act according to the will and command of the God of nature. I readily grant that if you consider fire in itself, or in its own nature—it cannot have any power on such a spiritual substance as the soul of man is. But if you consider fire as an instrument in an almighty hand—it can act upon such spiritual beings as devils and damned souls are, and make the same dreadful and painful impressions upon them, as it would do upon physical beings!
Though spirits have nothing material in their nature which that infernal fire should work upon—yet such is the almighty power of God that he can make spirits most sensible of those fiery tortures and torments which he has declared and appointed for them to undergo. "Let them tell us," says Jackson, "how it is possible that the soul of man, which is an immortal substance, should be truly wedded to the body or material substance—and I shall as easily answer them, that it is as possible for the same soul to be as easily wrought upon by a material fire."
It is much disputed and controverted among the schoolmen how the devils can be tormented with physical fire, seeing they are spirits; and, as I suppose, it is well concluded of them thus—
1. First, That in hell there is physical fire, as appears thus: Because the Scripture affirms it, Mat. 3:10, 5:22, and 25:41. Because the bodies sinning against God are to be vexed and tormented with physical pains.
2. Secondly, They conclude that the devils are tormented in that fire because Christ says so: Mat. 25:41, "Depart from me, you cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
3. Thirdly, It being demanded, "How the devils are tormented in that fire?" They are tormented, not only with the sight of hell-fire; or with a fearful apprehension of hell-fire; but as an instrument ordained of God for punishment, for hell is a fiery region, or a region of fire. Therefore the devils being contained and included therein, must needs be tormented thereby. None must question this truth—that souls and spirits are punished by fire, seeing our Savior himself tells us that Dives, who was in hell but in soul, was tormented in the flames, Luke 16:24. But,
[4.] Fourthly, It is not safe to leave the plain letter of the Scripture to allegorize. Allegories are not to be admitted but where the Scripture itself does warrant them; and commonly where an allegory is propounded, there it is also expounded. As in Gal. 4:24, "Which things are an allegory; for these are the two testaments." But,
[5.] Fifthly and lastly, I cannot tell but that the fire by which the damned shall be punished, may be partly material, and partly spiritual; partly material, to work upon the body, and partly spiritual, to torment the soul. The fire of hell in not a consuming fire—but a torturing fire; and so far as it is physical—it torments the body; and so far spiritual—it torments the soul.
Says Bolton, "You may imagine that there is no real fire in hell. Yet I assure you this—that you shall be scorched with fire; the fire of God's wrath shall torment you more than physical fire can do! Therefore it will be your wisdom not so much to question this or that about hell-fire—as to make it your prime concern not to go there!"
Bernard gave good counsel who said, "Let us go down to hell while we are alive—that we may not go to hell when we are dead!" And so did Chrysostom who, speaking of hell, said, "Let us not seek to figure out where it is—but how we shall avoid it!" The same author gives this further counsel—namely, "That at all banquets, feasts, and public meetings, people should talk of hellish pains and torments, so that their hearts may be overawed, and they provoked to avoid them and secure themselves against them!" Surely, the serious thoughts of hellish pain while men live, is one blessed way to keep them from going into those torments after they 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." It is infinitely better to endeavor 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 hell.
OBJECTION. But what difference is there between our common fire, and hell-fire?
I answer, a mighty difference, a vast difference. Take it in these seven particulars—
[1.] First, They differ in their heat. No heart can conceive, nor any tongue can express the exquisite heat of infernal fire. Were all the fires on earth contracted into one fire; yes, were all the coals, wood, oil, flax, pitch, tar, 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 man's sense, there is nothing more dreadful and afflictive than fire; and of all fires, there is none so scalding and tormenting as that of brimstone. Now in that lake which burns with fire and brimstone forever and ever, shall the wicked of the earth be cast. [Rev. 14:10, and 21:8.]
Infernal fire far exceeds our earthly fires—in degree of heat and fierceness of burning. Our fire has not that dreadful power to scorch, burn, torment, as the fire of hell has. "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, nor 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 greatly 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 but ice in comparison of the fire of hell."
[2.] Secondly, There are unexpressible torments in hell, as well as unspeakable joys in heaven. Some that write of purgatory, tell us that the pains thereof are more exquisite, though of shorter continuance, than the united torments that the earth can invent, though of longer duration. If the pope's kitchen is so warm, how hot is the devil's furnace? A poetical fiction is but an understatement, when brought to show the nature of these real torments. The lashes of furies are but petty scourgings, when compared to the stripes of a wounded conscience. Tytius' vulture, though feeding on his liver, is but a flea-biting, compared to that worm which gnaws their hearts and dies not. Ixion's wheel is a place of rest, if compared with those billows of wrath, and that wheel of justice, which in hell is brought over the ungodly. The task of Danaus' 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 Almighty—the poison whereof does drink up their spirits.
Hell is called a furnace of fire, which speaks intolerable heat. Hell is also called a place of torment, which speaks a total privation of ease. Hell is also called a prison, which speaks restraint, Mat. 13:42; Luke 16:28; Mat. 5:22-25. Hell is also called Gehenna, from the valley of Hinnom, where the unnatural parents sacrificed the fruit of their bodies for the sin of their souls to their merciless idols. Hell is also called a lake of fire and brimstone; the torment of the fire—what more acute? the smell of the brimstone—what more noisome? But,
[3.] Thirdly, 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, "Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of burning brimstone, sets it ablaze!" and therefore the breath of all the reprobates in hell shall never be able to blow it out. [A river of brimstone is never consumed by burning.] Our fire is blown by an airy 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 God's mouth shall be both bellows and fuel to the infernal fire; and therefore, oh how dreadful 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 swim up and down in a lake or river of fire and brimstone forever and ever! Oh, what a dreadful, what an amazing, what an astonishing fire must that needs be, which is blown by God's breath, dissolved into brimstone! God's wrath and indignation shall be an everlasting supply to hell's conflagration. Ah sinners, how fearful, how formidable, how inconceivable will this infernal fire prove! Surely there is no misery, no torment, compared to that of lying in a torrent of burning brimstone forever and ever!
Mark, this infernal fire is a fire prepared by God himself, to punish and torment all impenitent people and reprobate rebels, who scorned to submit to the scepter of Christ. "Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels," Mat. 25:41. The wisdom of God has 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 forever and ever. Not as if it were not prepared also for wicked and ungodly men; but it is said to be prepared for the devil and his angels, because it was firstly and chiefly prepared for them. All impenitent sinners shall have the devil and his demons for their constant companions; and therefore they shall be sure to share with them in the extremity and eternity of their torments. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Our fire when it burns it shines, it casts a light. Our fire burns, and in burning shines; light is a natural property of our common fire—but the infernal fire of hell shines not. Yet our ordinary fire, has light as well as heat in it—and that is our comfort. But the fire of hell burns—but it does not shine, it gives no light at all. Infernal fire has no light or brightness attending of it, and therefore Christ calls it "utter darkness," or outer darkness, that is, darkness beyond a darkness. "Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 25:30
I have read of a young man who was very loose and vain in his life, and was very fearful of being in the dark, who, after falling sick and could not sleep, cried out, "Oh, if this darkness is so dreadful, what is eternal darkness?" Hell would not be so uncomfortable a prison if it were not so dark a prison. [Basil speaking of hell-fire, says, "It retains the property of burning: but it has lost the property of shining."]
Light is a blessing that shall never shine into that infernal prison. In Jude verse 6, you read of "chains of darkness." It would be a little ease, a little comfort, to the damned in hell, if they might have but light and liberty to walk up and down the infernal coasts; but this is too high a favor for them to enjoy, and therefore they shall be shackled and fettered down in chains of darkness, and in blackness of darkness, so that they may fully undergo the scorchings and burnings of divine wrath and fury forever and ever.
In verse 13 you thus read, "To whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever." The words are a Hebraism, and signify exceeding great darkness. Hell is a very dark and dismal region, and extreme are the miseries, horrors, and torments which are there. The poets described the darkness of hell by the Cimmerian darkness. There was a territory in Italy, where the Cimmerii live, which was so environed with hills and mountains, that the sun never shines on it. The darkness of Egypt was such a strong and horrid thick darkness, that it was palpable, it might be felt. "Even darkness which may be felt," Exod. 10:21. [The words are figurative, importing extraordinary black darkness.] The darkness that is here threatened is called "darkness that may be felt," either by way of a hyperbole, to signify what an exceeding great darkness it would be; or else because the air should be so thickened with gross mists and thick foggy vapors, that it might be felt; or else because this extraordinary darkness should be caused by a withdrawing of the light of the celestial bodies, or by drawing a thick curtain of very black clouds between men's eyes and them. Yet this horrid darkness was nothing to the darkness of hell. The darkness of Egypt was but as an overcasting for three days. Exod. 10:22-23, "Total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days." For three days they were deprived not only of the natural lights and lamps of heaven—but of all artificial light also. It is possible that the vapors might be so thick and moist as to put out their candles, and all other lights that were kindled by them. It is probable that they had neither light from sun, moon, or stars above, nor yet from fire or candle below; so that they were as blind men who could not see at all, and as lame men who could not move from their places; and so they sat still as under the arrest of this darkness, because they could not see what to do, nor where to go. God would teach them the worth of light, by the lack of it.
Some think that by that dreadful judgment of thick darkness, they were filled with that terror and horror, that they dared not so much as move from the places where they sat down. But after these three days of darkness were over, the Egyptians enjoyed the glorious light of the sun again. Oh—but sinners, when they are in hell, when they are in chains of darkness, when they are in blackness of darkness, they shall never more see light! Hell is a house without light. Though our fire has light as well as heat—yet the infernal fire has only heat to burn sinners; it has no light to refresh sinners; and this will be no small addition to their torment. A philosopher being asked, whether it were not a pleasant thing to behold the sun? answered, that that was a blind man's question. Surely life without light is but a lifeless life. But,
[5.] Fifthly, Our fire burns and consumes only the body, it can neither reach nor torment, the precious and immortal soul. But infernal fire burns and torments both body and soul. Now the soul of pain—is the pain of the soul. Mat. 10:28, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." If the glutton in the historical parable, who had but one half of himself in hell, namely, his soul, Luke 16:24, cried out that he was horribly tormented in that flame; what tongue can express or heart conceive—how great the damned's torments shall be in hell, when their bodies and souls in the great day shall be reunited for torture?
Beloved, it is a just and righteous thing with God, that such bodies and souls which have sinned impenitently together should be tormented everlastingly together. To this purpose, the Hebrew doctors have a very pretty parable, namely— That a man planted an orchard, and, going from home, was careful to leave such watchmen as might both keep it from strangers and not deceive him themselves; therefore he appointed one blind—but strong of his limbs, and the other seeing—but a cripple. These two in their master's absence conspired together, and the blind took the lame on his shoulders, and so gathered the fruit; their master returning and finding out this subtlety, punished them both together. Now so shall it be with those two sinful companions—the soul and the body, in the great day of our Lord, 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Thes. 1:7-10. With Simeon and Levi they have been brethren in iniquity, and so shall be in eternal misery. As body and soul have been one in sinning, so they shall be one in suffering; only remember this—that as the soul has been chief in sin, so it shall be chief in suffering. But, O sirs! if a consumable body is not able to endure burning flames for a day, how will an unconsumable soul and body be able to endure the scorching flames of hell forever? But,
[6.] Sixthly, Our earthly fire destroys and consumes whatever is cast into it. It turns flesh into ashes, it turns all combustibles into ashes. But the fire of hell is not of that nature. The fire of hell consumes nothing which is cast into it. It rages—but it does not consume or destroy either bodies or souls. Look! as the salamander is said to live in the fire, so shall the wicked live in the fire of hell forever. "They shall seek for death—but they shall not find it," Rev. 9:6. They shall desire to die, and death shall fly from them. They shall cry to the mountains to fall upon them and to crush them to nothing, Rev. 6:16-17. They shall desire that the fire which burns them—would consume them to nothing! They shall desire that the worm which feeds on them would gnaw them to nothing! They shall desire that the devils which torment them would tear them to nothing! Mark 9:44, 46, 48. They shall cry to God, who first made them out of nothing, Gen. 1:26, to reduce them to that first nothing from whence they came; but "their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor." Isaiah 27:11. They shall always be burned—but never consumed.
Ah, how well would it be with the damned, if in the fire of hell, they might be consumed to ashes! But this is their misery—they shall be ever dying, and yet never die; their bodies shall be always a-burning—but never a-consuming! It is dreadful to be perpetual fuel to the flames of hell! What misery can compare to this—for infernal fire to be still a-preying upon damned sinners, and yet never making an end of them! The two hundred and fifty men who usurped the priest's office were consumed by the fire which came out armed from the Lord against them, Num. 16:35. And the fire that Elijah, by an extraordinary spirit of prayer, brought down from heaven upon the two captains and their fifties, consumed them, 2 Kings 1:10, 12. The fierce and furious flames of hell shall burn—but never annihilate, the bodies of the damned. In hell there is no cessation of fire burning, nor of matter burned. [Hell torments punish, but not finish the bodies of men.—Prosper.] Neither flames nor smoke shall consume or choke the impenitent; both the infernal fire, and the burning of the bodies of reprobates in that fire, shall be preserved by the miraculous power and providence of God. The soul through pain and corruption will lose its happy being; but it will not lose its essential life or being. But,
[7.] Seventhly and lastly, Our earthly fires may be quenched and extinguished. The hottest flames, the greatest conflagrations have been quenched and extinguished by water. Fires on our hearths and in our chimneys often die and go out by themselves. Our fire is maintained with wood, and put out with water; but the fire of hell never goes out, it can never be quenched. It is an everlasting fire, an eternal fire, an unquenchable fire. In Mark 9 from verse 43 to verse 49, this fire is five times said to be unquenchable, as if the Lord could never speak enough of it. Beloved, the Holy Spirit is never guilty of idle repetitions; but by these frequent repetitions the Holy Spirit would awaken men, and teach them to look upon hell as a real thing, and as a serious thing, and not sport with unquenchable flames, nor go to hell in a dream! Certainly the fire into which the damned shall be cast shall be without all intermission of time or punishment. No tears, nor blood, nor time—can extinguish the fire of hell. Could every damned sinner weep a whole ocean—yet all those oceans of tears together, would never extinguish one spark of infernal fire! The damned are in everlasting chains of darkness; they are under the "vengeance of eternal fire," Jude 7; they are "in blackness of darkness forever." "The smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, and they shall have no rest day nor night," Rev. 14:11. "They will be tormented day and night forever and ever!" Revelation 20:10.
Said a poor despairing creature on his deathbed, "Oh, that word 'forever'—breaks my heart!" The damned in hell would gladly die—but they cannot. They shall be always a-dying—yet never dead; they shall be always a-consuming—yet never consumed. "The smoke of their torment rises forever and ever!" Revelation 14:11. "They shall be everlastingly punished," says Mollerus on Psalm 9:17. And Musculus on the same text says, "The souls of the ungodly shall be punished in hell with deserved torments." "Myriads of years shall not determine or put a period to their sufferings," says Augustine. Plato could say that "the profane shall go into hell to be tormented for their wickedness with the greatest, the most bitter, and dreadful punishments forever in that prison of hell." And Trismegistus could say, that "souls going out of the body defiled, were tossed to and fro with eternal punishments." Yes, the very Turks, speaking of the house of perdition, do affirm, that "those who have turned God's grace into wantonness, shall abide eternally in the fire of hell, and there be eternally tormented."
A certain religious man going to visit Olympius, who lived cloistered up in a monastery near Jordan, and finding him cloistered up in a dark cell, which he thought uninhabitable by reason of the heat and swarms of gnats and flies, and asking him how he could endure to live in such a place, he answered, "All this is but a light matter, that I may escape eternal torments! I can endure the stinging of gnats, that I might not endure the stinging of conscience and the gnawing of that worm which never dies! You think this heat is grievous—but I can easily endure it, when I think of the eternal fire of hell. My sufferings are but short—but the sufferings of hell are eternal!"
Certainly infernal fire is neither tolerable nor terminable. The extremity and eternity of hellish torments is set forth by the worm which never dies. Christ at the close of his sermon makes a threefold repetition of this worm in Mark 9:44, "Where their worm does not die—and the fire is not quenched!" and again, verse 46, "Where their worm does not die—and the fire is not quenched!" and again, verse 48, "Where their worm does not die—and the fire is not quenched!" Certainly those punishments are beyond all conception and expression, which our Lord Jesus does so often inculcate within so small a space.
"In hell there 's nothing heard but yells and cries;
In hell the fire never slacks, nor worm ever dies.
But where this hell is placed, my muse, stop there.
Lord, show me what it is—but never where!"
If after so many millions of years as there are drops in the ocean, there might be a deliverance out of hell, this would yield a little ease, a little comfort to the damned. Oh but this word, "Eternity! Eternity! Eternity!" This word, "Everlasting! Everlasting! Everlasting!" will break the hearts of the damned in ten thousand pieces!
There is scarcely any pain or torment here on earth—but there is ever some hope of ease, mitigation, or intermission, there is some hope of relief or delivery. But in hell, the torments there are all easeless, remediless, and endless! Here on earth, if one falls into the fire, he may like a brand be pulled out of it and be saved; but out of that fiery lake of hell-fire, there is no redemption. That majesty of God, which the sinner has offended and provoked—is an infinite majesty. Now, there must be some proportion between the sinner's sin—and his punishment and torment. Now the sinner being a finite creature, he is not capable of bearing the weight of that punishment or torment which is intensively infinite, because it would be his abolishing or annihilating; and therefore he must bear the weight of that punishment or torment, which is extensively infinite—that is, infinite in the continuance and endurance. What is lacking in torment, must be made up in time.
Everlasting fire and everlasting punishment in the New Testament is directly correlated to eternal life—to that blessed state of the righteous which will never have an end; and therefore, according to the rules and maxims of right reason, does necessarily import a punishment of the same duration that the reward is. Now the reward of the saints in that eternal world is granted on all hands to be everlasting, to be eternal; and therefore the punishment of the damned cannot be but everlasting and eternal too. The rewards of the elect shall never be ended; therefore the punishment of the damned shall never be ended—because as the mercy of God is infinite towards the elect, so the justice of God is infinite towards the reprobate in hell. The reprobate shall have punishment without pity, misery without mercy, sorrow without support, crying without compassion, mischief without measure, and torment without end, [Drexelius.]
All men in misery comfort themselves with the hope of an ending to their misery. The prisoner comforts himself with hope of a jail-delivery. The mariner comforts himself with the hope of his arrival in a safe harbor. The soldier comforts himself with hope of victory. The slave comforts himself with hope of liberty. But the impenitent sinner has no hope in hell! He shall have death without death, night without day, mourning without mirth, sorrow without solace, and bondage without liberty. The damned shall live as long in hell as God himself shall live in heaven! ["There is not a Christian which does not believe the fire of hell to be everlasting." Jackson on the Creed.]
Their imprisonment in that land of darkness, in that bottomless pit, is not a temporary imprisonment—but an imprisonment during the everlasting displeasure of the King of kings!
Suppose, say some, that the whole world were turned to a mountain of sand, and that a little bird should come every thousandth year and carry away one grain of sand from that heap; what an infinite number of years, not to be numbered by all finite beings, would be spent and expired before this supposed mountain would be fetched away! Now if a man should lie in everlasting burnings so long a time as this—and then have an end of his woe—it would administer some ease, refreshment, and comfort to him. But when that immortal bird shall have carried away this supposed mountain a thousand times over and over; alas! alas! man shall be as far from the end of his anguish and torment as ever he was! He shall be no nearer coming out of hell than he was the very first moment that he entered into hell.
If the fire of hell were terminable, it might then be tolerable; but being endless, it must needs be easeless and remediless! We may well say of it, as one does, "Oh killing life! oh immortal death!"
Suppose, say others, that a man were to endure the torments of hell as many years, and no more, as there are sands on the sea-shore, drops of water in the sea, stars in heaven, leaves on the trees, blades of grass on the ground, hairs on his head, yes, upon the heads of all the sons of Adam who ever were, or are, or shall be in the world, from the beginning of it to the end of it; yet he would comfort himself with this poor thought, "Well, there will come a day when my misery and torment shall certainly have an end!" But woe and alas! this word "Forever! Forever! Forever!" will fill the hearts of the damned with the greatest horror and terror, wrath and rage, dread and astonishment!
Suppose, say others, that the torments of hell were to end after a little bird should have emptied the sea, and only carry out in her bill, but one drop once in a thousand years—and so continue until the whole ocean was taken away.
Suppose, say others, that the whole world, from the lowest earth to the highest heavens, were filled with grains of sand, and once in a thousand years an angel should come and fetch away one grain of sand—and so continue until the whole heap were taken away.
Suppose, say others, if one of the damned in hell should weep after this manner—namely, that he should only weep one tear in a hundred years, and these should be kept together until such time as they should equal the drops of water in the sea. How many millions of ages would pass, before they could make up one river, much more a whole sea! And when that were done, should he weep again after the same manner until he had filled a second sea, a third sea, a fourth sea—if then there should be an end of their miseries, there would be some hope, some comfort that they would end at last! But hell shall never, never, never end! The eternity of hell—is that which sinks them under the most tormenting terrors and horrors!
Drexelius makes this observation from the words of our Savior, John 15:6, "If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned," where he observes that the words do not run in the future tense—he shall be cast forth, and shall be cast into the fire, and burned; but all in the present tense—he is thrown away, is withered; are thrown into the fire, and they are burned. This, says he, is the state and condition of the damned; they are burned—that is, they are always burning. When a thousand years are past, as it was at first, so it is still—they are burned; after a thousand thousand years more, as it was before, so it is still—they are burned. If after millions of years, the question was asked concerning those is hell, "What is now their state and condition? What are they doing? What are they suffering? How does it fare with them?" There can be no other answer returned but they are burned, continually and eternally burning!
Socinians say there will come a time when the fallen angels and the wickedest men shall be freed from infernal torments; and Origen held and taught that not only impenitent people—and even devils, after the term of a thousand years, would be released out of hell, and become as bright angels in heaven as they were before. But these dangerous fancies and ungrounded opinions fall flat before the clear evidence of those sad and serious truths that I have now offered to your consideration. And thus I have showed you the difference between our fire and hell-fire.
Now, O you citizens of London who truly fear the Lord, and who are united to Christ by faith, know for your everlasting comfort and support—that Christ has secured you from infernal fire, from everlasting fire, from unquenchable fire, from eternal fire, and from the worm which never dies, as you may see clearly and fully by comparing these scriptures together. [John 3:17-18, 36; Luke 1:68-71, 74; Romans 6:23, and 8:1, 31-35, 37; 1 Cor. 3:21-23, and 15:54-58; 1 Thes. 1:10; Rev. 20:5-6.]
Christ by his blood has quenched the violence of infernal flames—so that they shall never scorch you nor burn you, hurt you nor harm you!
Some say that Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace was a type of hell. Now look! As the three Hebrew children, or rather champions, had not one hair of their heads singed in that fiery furnace—just so, hell-fire shall never singe one hair of your heads! Your interest in Christ is a noble and sufficient security to you against the flames of hell. O sirs, Christ's blood has so quenched the flames of hell—that they shall never be able to scorch or burn those souls who are saved by him. The effusion of Christ's blood is so rich and available, says my author, that if the whole multitude of captive sinners would believe in their Redeemer, not one should be detained in the tyrant's chains.
All those sins and spots which a Christian finds in his own heart, shall first or last be washed out in the Lamb! 1 John 1:7, "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all our sins." Now such as are washed and cleansed from their sins in the blood of Jesus, such shall never experimentally know what everlasting burnings or a devouring fire means. Such as are washed in Christ's blood--need no purifying by hell's flames!
Pliny says of polium, that it is a preservative against serpents. However that may be, I am sure of this—that the blood of Christ is an effectual preservative against all infernal serpents and infernal torments! [The fable says a salamander cannot burn. Nero had a shirt made of a salamander's skin, so that if he walked through the fire in it—it would keep him from burning. O sirs! Christ is the true salamander's skin—which will certainly keep every gracious soul from burning in everlasting flames.]
You believing citizens, who have set up God as the object of your fear, and whose hearts are inflamed with love to Christ, know, for your everlasting refreshment, that Christ has freed you, and secured you from everlasting fire, from unquenchable fire, from eternal fire; and therefore bear up sweetly, bear up cheerfully under that fiery dispensation which has passed upon you. What is the burning of your houses and substance, compared to the burning of bodies and souls in hell? What was the fire of London, compared to infernal fire? What is a fire of four or five days' continuance, compared to that everlasting fire, to that unquenchable fire, to that eternal fire that you have deserved, and that free grace has preserved you from? A frequent and serious consideration of hell-fire, as I have opened it unto you, and of your happy deliverance from it—may very well bear and cheer up your hearts under all your greatest sufferings by that dreadful fire, that has turned beloved London into a ruinous heap!
Sir, you have been a-discoursing about hellish torments; but, for the further clearing up of the truth, we desire your serious answer to this sad question—namely,
OBJECTION. How will it stand with the unspotted holiness, justice, and righteousness of God, to punish a temporary offence with eternal punishments? for the measure of the punishment should be but commensurate to the evil of sin. Now what proportion is there between our finite sins—and infinite punishment? Why should the sinner lie in hellish torments forever and ever—for sinning but a short time, a few years in this world?
ANSWER. I judge it very necessary to say something to this important question, before I come to discourse of those duties which are incumbent upon those citizens whose houses are turned into a ruinous heap; and therefore follow me thus—
[1.] First—God's will is the rule of righteousness, and therefore what he does, or shall do, must needs be righteous. He is Lord of all; he has a sovereign 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 the whole world; "And shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 1 Tim. 1:15; Gen. 18:25. But,
[2.] Secondly, I answer—There is a principle in man to sin eternally; and therefore it is but just with God if he punishes him eternally. The duration of torment respects the disposition of the delinquent. If the sinner should live forever—he would dishonor God forever, and crucify the Lord of glory forever, and grieve the Spirit of grace forever, and transgress a righteous law forever; and therefore it is just with God to punish such sinners forever. If the sinner might live eternally—he would sin eternally; if he might live still, he would sin still. Though the sinner loses his life—yet he does 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, 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 it is but just with God that his punishment should be everlasting. A will to sin, is sin—in God's account. God looks more at the will than at the deed; and therefore the will to sin being lasting, the punishment must be so. The mind and intention of the sinner is to sin everlastingly, eternally. If the sinner should live always, he would sin always; and therefore as Gregory says, "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 hidden from their eyes: that patience, forbearance, long-suffering, gentleness, and goodness of God—which should have led them to a speedy repentance, 1 Pet. 3:20, 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. ["The sinner always sinned in his eternity, therefore he shall always be punished in God's eternity." Augustine.]
This is certain—wicked men left to themselves will never be weary of their sins, nor ever repent of their sins; and therefore God will never be weary of plaguing them, nor ever repent of punishing them. The sinner never leaves his sin until 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, cards, 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 up 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 sinner's 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 forever; and therefore it is a righteous thing with God to punish him forever in hellish torments. Every impenitent sinner would sin to the days of eternity, if he might but live to the days of eternity: Psalm 74:10, "O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme your name forever?" Forever and evermore; or forever and yet—for so the Hebrew language loves to exaggerate: as if the sinner, the blasphemer, would set a term of duration longer than eternity to sin in. The psalmist implicitly says, "Lord, if you do but let them alone for ever, they will certainly blaspheme your name forever and ever." I have read of the crocodile, that he he is always growing bigger and bigger, and never comes to a certain pitch of monstrosity so long as he lives. Every habituated sinner would, if he were let alone, be such a monster, perpetually growing worser and worser! But,
[3.] Thirdly, I answer—That God against whom they have sinned is an infinite and eternal good. Now a finite creature cannot bear an infinite punishment intensively, and therefore he must bear it extensively. They have sinned impenitently against an infinite majesty, and accordingly their punishment must be infinite. [Sin is against an infinite majesty.] Now because it cannot be infinite, in regard of the degree, men being but finite creatures, and so not capable of infinite torments at one time; therefore their punishment must be infinite in the length and continuance of it. What is lacking in torment, must 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 deserves an infinite punishment. Because the punishment cannot be infinite in the greatness of it, it remains that it should be infinite in respect of its duration and continuance. Mark, all punishments ought to be levied, according to the dignity of him against whom the offence is committed. Words against common people bear but common actions; words against noblemen are great scandals; but words against princes are treason. Just so, the dignity of the person against whom sin is committed, does exceedingly aggravate the sin. To strike an inferior 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 Almighty—and such poor crawling worms as we are! God is holiness—and we sinfulness! God is fullness—and we emptiness! God is omnipotency—and we impotency! God is majesty—and we vanity! God is all in all—and we nothing at all. Now to sin against such an infinite glorious majesty, deserves infinite punishment! But,
[4.] Fourthly, I answer—Though the act of sin is transient—yet it leaves such a stain upon the soul as is permanent, and continues in it evermore, and evermore it disposes the sinner unto sin, if it is 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 of pain. [As long as the guilt of sin remains, punishments and torments will remain.] The guilt and stain of sin, of its own nature and unpardoned, endures eternally upon the soul; and therefore what can follow but eternal torments? The lasting continuance of sin is remarkably described by the prophet Jeremiah, chapter 17:1, "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is engraved upon the table of their hearts:" not only written—but engraved, that no hand can deface it. Slight not the commission of any sin; it perishes not with the acting. The least vanity has a perpetuity, nay, an eternity of guilt upon it. Sin leaving an eternal blot in the soul, brings the matter of hell-fire, is eternally punished, because there is still matter for that everlasting fire to work upon. But,
[5.] Fifthly, I answer—Though death put an end to men's lives—yet not to sins. Hell is as full of sin, as it is of punishment or torment. Those in hell continue to sin; and are under obligation to the precepts of the law still. Though a man be bound only to the curse of the law, as he is a sinner—yet he is bound to the precept of the law, as he is a creature. The nature of sin remains; as they continue sinning, so it is just with God there should be a continuation of the punishment already inflicted. But,
[6.] Sixthly, I answer—It is no injustice in God to punish temporal offences with perpetual torments. God measures the punishment by the greatness of the offence, and not by the time wherein the sin was acted. Murder, adultery, sacrilege, treason, and the like capital crimes—are doomed in the judicatories of men to death without mercy, and sometimes to perpetual imprisonment, or to perpetual banishment; and yet these high offences were committed and done in a short time. Now this bears a proportion with eternal torments. O sirs, if the offences committed against God are infinitely heinous, why may not the punishment be infinitely lasting? "Sinners' offences," as Austin well observes, "are not to be measured by the length of time wherein they were done—but by the foulness of the crime." And if so, then God is just in binding the sinner in everlasting chains.
We must remember that God is a great and a glorious God, and that he is an omniscient and an omnipotent God, and that he is a mighty, yes, an almighty God, and that he is a holy and a just God, and that he is an incomprehensible, transcendent, and very awesome God, and that he is an infinite, eternal, and independent God, Heb. 12:29-30. And we must remember that man is a shadow, a bubble, a vapor, a dream; a base, vile, sinful, worthless worm. Now these things being considered, must we not confess that eternity itself is too short a space for God to revenge himself on sinners in? But,
[7.] Seventhly and lastly, I answer—Sinners only receive that punishment, which they have chosen for themselves. While they lived under the means of grace, the God of grace set before them heaven and hell, glory and misery, eternal life and eternal death; so that if they eternally miscarry, they have none to blame but themselves, for choosing hell rather than heaven, misery rather than glory, and eternal death rather than eternal life. [Deut. 11:26-27, and 30:15; Heb. 2:2-3, and 10:28-29; John 3:14-17, 36, and 1:11.] Ah, how freely, how fully, how frequently, how graciously, how gloriously, has Christ been offered in the gospel to poor sinners—and yet they would not choose him, they would not close with him, they would not embrace him, nor accept of him, nor enter into a marriage covenant with him, nor resign themselves up to him, nor part with their lusts to enjoy him!
They would not come to Christ that they might have life; they slighted infinite mercy, and despised the riches of grace, and trod under foot the blood of the everlasting covenant, and scorned the offers of eternal salvation! Therefore it is but just that they should lie down in everlasting sorrows! John 5:40; Mat. 22:2-5; 2 Cor. 4:3-4. How can that sinner be saved, who continues to refuse salvation? How can mercy save him, who will not be saved by mercy? Yes—how can Christ save such a man, who will not be saved by him? All the world cannot save that man from going to hell, who is peremptorily resolved that he will not go to heaven! Sinners have boldly and daily refused eternal life, eternal mercy, eternal glory—and therefore it is but just that they should endure eternal misery. And let thus much suffice for answer to the objection.
Question. But, sir, What are those DUTIES which are incumbent upon those whose houses have been burnt up, and laid in ashes? I answer,
1. First, See the hand of the Lord in this recent dreadful fire. Acknowledge the Lord to be the author of all judgments, and of this in particular, Lev. 26:41, and Micah 7:9. It is a high point of Christian prudence and piety to acknowledge the Lord to be the author of all personal or national sufferings that befall us. "What man is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross? The Lord said, "It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their fathers taught them." Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water." Jeremiah 9:12-15
It is very great wisdom to know from whom all our afflictions come, and for what all our afflictions come upon us. God looks that we should observe his hand in all our sufferings. "Heed the rod and the One who appointed it!" Micah 6:9. God claims all sorts of afflictions as his own special administration: Amos 3:6, "When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?" "I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things," Isaiah 45:7. God takes it very heinously, and looks upon it as a very great indignity which is put upon his power, providence, and justice—when men will neither see nor acknowledge his hand in those severe afflictions and sad sufferings that he brings upon them. Of such the prophet Isaiah complains, chapter 26:11, "Lord, when your hand is lifted up, they will not see." The hand, the power of the Lord was so remarkable and conspicuous in the judgments which were inflicted upon them, as might very well wring an acknowledgment out of them—that it was the Lord who had stirred his wrath and indignation against them; and yet they willfully and desperately shut their eyes against all the severities of God, and would not behold that dreadful hand of his, which was stretched out against them.
O sirs! God looks upon himself as reproached and slandered by such who will not see his hand in the amazing judgments that he inflicts upon them: Jer. 5:12, "They have lied about the Lord; they said—He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine." Such was the atheism of the Jews, that they slighted divine warnings, and despised all those dreadful threatenings of the sword, famine, and fire, which should have led them to repentance, and so tacitly said, "The Lord is not God." Such who either say, that God is not omniscient, or that he is not omnipotent, or that he is not so just as to execute the judgments that he has threatened—such belie the Lord—such deny him to be God. Many feel the rod, that cannot hear it; and many experience the smart of the rod, that do not see the hand which holds the rod; and this is sad.
How can the natural man, without faith's prospective, look so high as to see the hand of the Lord in wasting and destroying judgments? By common experience we find that natural men are mightily apt to father the evil of all their sufferings upon secondary causes. Sometimes they cry out, "This is from a disorder in nature!" And at other times they cry out, "This is from bad luck!" Sometimes they cry out of the malice, plots, envy, and rage of men; and at other times they cry out of chance and bad fortune—and so fix upon anything rather than the hand of God.
But now a gracious Christian under all his sufferings, he overlooks all secondary causes—and fixes his eye upon the hand of God. You know what Joseph said to his vicious brethren, who sold him for a slave: "It was not you—but God who sent me into Egypt!" Gen. 45:7. Job met with many severe losses and sad crosses—but under them all he overlooked all instruments, all secondary causes; he overlooks the Sabeans, and the Chaldeans, and Satan, and fixes his eye upon the hand of God: "The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!" Job 1:21. Judas, and Annas, and Caiaphas, and Pilate, and Herod, and the bloody soldiers, had all a deep hand in the sufferings of Christ—but yet he overlooks them all, and fixes his eye upon his Father's hand. "The cup which my Father has given me, shall I not drink it," John 18:11. This cup was the cup of his sufferings. Now in all his sad sufferings, he had still an eye to his Father's hand. Let us in all our sufferings write after this copy that Christ has set before us. But of this I have spoken very largely already, and therefore let this touch suffice here.
2. Secondly, Labor to justify the Lord in all that he has done. Say, "the Lord is righteous, though he has laid our city desolate!" When Jerusalem was laid desolate, and the wall thereof broken down, and the gates thereof were burned with fire, Nehemiah justifies the Lord: chapter 9:33, "Howbeit you are just in all that is brought upon us; for you have done right—but we have done wickedly." [Neh. 1:4. Just so, Mauricius the emperor justified God when he saw his wife and children butchered before his eyes by the traitor Phocas, and knew that himself should soon after be stewed in his own broth, cried out, "Just are you, O Lord, and just are all your judgments!"] The same spirit was upon Jeremiah: Lam. 1:1, 4, 18, "How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave. The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to her appointed feasts. All her gateways are desolate, her priests groan, her maidens grieve, and she is in bitter anguish. The Lord is righteous!"
The same spirit was upon David: Psalm 119:75, "I know, O Lord, that your judgments are right, and that you in faithfulness have afflicted me." So Psalm 145:17, "The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works." This maxim we must live and die by, though we do not always see the reason of his proceedings. It is granted on all sides, that the will of God is the chief, the most perfect and infallible rule of divine justice, and that God is a law to himself: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Gen. 18:25. In this negative question is emphatically implied an affirmative position, which is—that God, above all others, must and will do right; because from his judgment there is no appeal. Abraham, considering the nature and justice of God, was confidently assured that God could not do otherwise but right.
Has God turned you out of house and home, and marred all your pleasant things, and stripped you naked as the day wherein you were born? Why, if he has, he has done you no wrong; he can do you no wrong; he is a law to himself, and his righteous will is the rule of all justice. God can as soon cease to be, as he can cease to do that which is just and right.
Just so, Psalm 97:2, "Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne." Clouds and thick darkness imply the mysteriousness and the dreadfulness of God's administrations. Though God is very dreadful in his administrations—yet righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. It has been a day of God's wrath in London, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasting and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as it was once in Jerusalem, Zeph. 1:15; yet righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne! God's seat of judgment is always founded in righteousness and justice.
Just so, Dan. 9:12, "You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem." Verse 14, "The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him." God is only righteous, he is perfectly righteous, he is exemplarily righteous, he is everlastingly righteous, he is infinitely righteous, and no unrighteousness dwells in him, Psalm 92:15; Job 36:23. There are four things that God cannot do:
(1.) He cannot lie;
(2.) He cannot die;
(3.) He cannot deny himself;
(4.) He cannot look upon iniquity and not loathe it; he cannot behold iniquity and approve of it or delight in it.
God has a sovereignty over all your persons and concerns in this world, and therefore he may do with you and all that is yours as he pleases. Upon this account you ought to say, "The Lord is righteous, though he has laid our habitations desolate, and burned up our houses before our eyes!" It is true, God has dealt severely with London; but he might have dealt more severely with it, Lam. 3:22. He might have burnt up every house, and he might have consumed every inhabitant in London's flames. He might have made good that sad word upon them, "They shall go from one fire—and another fire shall devour them," Ezek. 15:7. The citizens of London may say with good Ezra, "God has punished us less than our iniquities deserve!" and therefore it highly concerns them to say, "The Lord is righteous. All that God does is good!" You know what Hezekiah said: 2 Kings 20:19, "The word of the Lord you have spoken is good." This was a hard word, a sad word, that all Hezekiah's treasure should be carried into Babylon, and his sons also, and made servants there, and yet he says, "The word of the Lord you have spoken is good." Whatever God does, is good. "God, in that he is good," says Luther, "can give nothing, do nothing—but that which is good. Others do evil frequently, he cannot possibly do anything evil." Upon this account also it concerns us to say, "The Lord is righteous, though our city is laid desolate!" It is better to be under a fiery rod, than to be wallowing in the mire of sin! It is better that London should be laid desolate, than that God should say, "England, farewell!" That is a Christian worth gold who can seriously, heartily, and habitually say, "The Lord is righteous, though all our pleasant things are laid desolate!"
OBJECTION. I would say, The Lord is righteous; but by this fiery dispensation I am turned out of house and home.
Now, in ANSWER to this objection, give me permission to inquire—
[1.] First, Give me permission to inquire—Whether your house was dedicated to the Lord by fasting and prayer or not? Deut. 20:5. If it were only dedicated to the service of sin, Satan, or the world—it is no wonder that the Lord has turned it into a heap! But,
[2.] Secondly, Give me permission to inquire—Whether you had set up Christ and holiness and holy rules in your house or not? See Psalm 101. Did you in good earnest resolve with Joshua, "That you and your house would serve the Lord," Joshua 24:15. If not, it is no wonder if the Lord has laid your habitations desolate! But,
[3.] Thirdly, Give me permission to inquire—Whether you did labor and endeavor to the utmost of what you were able, that Christ might have a church in your house or not? Col. 4:15, "Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house." That is, the church which meets together in her house. 1 Cor. 16:19, "The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house." Phil. 2, "And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the church in your house." Philemon's house was a public meeting-house, where the faithful had their assemblies; and so continued for many years after. Some understand this last scripture of the church which kept their assemblies in Philemon's house. Others understand it of his household, which was as a little church in his house.
Romans 16:5, "Likewise greet the church that is in their house." Chrysostom by the church in their house understands their Christian family, who were so godly, as to make their whole house the church. Origen interprets it of the faithful and ready ministry of these servants of the Lord, in entertaining of the saints in their house. Theophylact thinks it to be called the church in their house, because the faithful were entertained there. It seems that their house was a place for the saints to assemble in. "There the congregation used to come together," says Justin Martyr. 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, was 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 Jews 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 men's houses, where they might meet safest—the state then, and some hundred years after, not permitting them any public temples or buildings 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 not wonder that God has laid your houses desolate! Adam had a church in his house, so had Abraham, and Jacob, and Joshua, and David, and Cornelius. Well governed families may in some sense be well reputed churches.
Ah London, London! it may be there might have been more houses standing within your 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, gaming, drunkenness, uncleanness, and riotousness were rampant—they were rather the devil's chapel than Christ's church! And therefore it was just with God to lay such habitations desolate. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Give me permission to inquire—Whether you were friends or enemies to God's house, 2 Tim. 1:20; Num. 12:7; Joshua 1:2. Now God's house is his church, and his church is his house: Heb. 3:5-6, "And Moses truly 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, "You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." Just so, 1 Tim. 3:15, "That you may know how you ought to behave yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." Proverbs 9:1, "Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars." Wisdom—the Hebrew word is plural, wisdoms; wisdoms has built her a house. By wisdoms some understand the trinity of persons; but most conclude that by wisdoms is meant our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, Col. 2:3. The word is plural for honor's sake. As princes write, 'We command;' the Lord Jesus Christ is said to be wisdoms in the plural number, to note that he is the sovereign and supreme wisdom, and that he is instead of all wisdoms, and comprehends all wisdoms in himself, all the world being fools in comparison of him. "Wisdoms has built her a house"—
(1.) Some take this house to be the human nature of Christ—which was not then built;
(2.) Others understand it of the work of grace in man's soul—but this the Spirit commonly works in this house by the ministry of the word, Gal. 5:22-23;
(3.) Others by this house understand heaven, that upper house, that house of state in which Christ says there are many mansions—but this cannot be the meaning, because the house in the text is such a house to which wisdom does immediately invite and call all her guests; but
(4.) and lastly, Others by house understand the church of Christ on earth, for the church militant is a house built up of many lively stones, 1 Pet. 2:5.
Now by these scriptures it is very plain that God's house is his church, and his church his house. Now if you were enemies to God's house, if you hated his house, and designed and endeavored to pull down his house, no wonder that the Lord has laid your houses desolate, Mat. 23:37-38; Zech. 12:2-3, 6, 9. Such who cry out concerning his house, "Raze it, raze it even to its foundation!" Psalm 137:7, may one day lack a house to live in.
It is observable that Christ his apostles, and particular churches, and primitive Christians, frequently used to meet in private houses: John 20:19, "On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said—Peace be with you!" Verse 26, "A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said—Peace be with you!" Luke 24:33. This was the usual manner of salutation among the Jews, whereby they wished one another all happiness and prosperity. The doors of the room where they were together were shut for the more secrecy and security, to avoid danger from the Jews. Acts 1:13-14, "And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room . . . These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren." Acts 20:7-8, "On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting."
Acts 5:42, "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." Acts 12:12, "And when he had considered the things, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying"—or where many thronged to pray, as it runs in the original. Acts 20:20, "And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you—but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house." Acts 28:30-31, "And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all who came in unto him: preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence." Luke 10:38-39, "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said."
Beloved, by these scriptures it is most evident and clear that our Lord Jesus Christ, and his disciples and apostles, and those Christians that lived in their times, frequently met in private houses, and there performed acts of public worship—namely, such as preaching, hearing, praying, breaking of bread, etc. How the primitive Christians in those hot times of persecution met in the nights, and in woods, and houses, and obscure places, they best understand who have read the writings of Tertullian, Cyprian, Chrysostom, Theodoret, Austin, Eusebius, Justin Martyr, Pliny, etc. But this to some being an unpleasing theme, I shall not enlarge myself upon it. Only remember this—that there was never yet any town, city, or country, kingdom or commonwealth, which did ever fare the worse for a holy praying people. Frequent and fervent prayer, be it in public or in private, in a synagogue or in an upper room, never did, nor ever will, bring misery or mischief upon those places where such exercises are kept up, James 5:17-18.
Such conventicles of 'jolly fellows,' as some call them—where there is nothing but swearing and cursing, and carousing and gaming, and all manner of filthiness and profaneness—are the only conventicles that bring desolating judgments upon princes, people, and nations, as is most evident throughout the scriptures. [Several hundred scriptures might be produced to make good the assertion. Remember what one Achan did, and what one Manasseh did, 2 Kings 21:11-12; Eccles. 9:18. "One sinner destroys much good." Oh, then, what a world of good will a rabble of sinners destroy!] Take two texts for all: 1 Sam. 1:12, 25, "But if you shall still do wickedly, you shall be consumed, both you and your kings." When princes and people continue to do wickedly together, then they shall be consumed together. Zeph. 1:12-13, "At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, 'The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.' Their wealth will be plundered, their houses demolished. They will build houses but not live in them; they will plant vineyards but not drink the wine." verse 17-18, "I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord's wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth."
Now, if any of you whose houses are laid desolate, have had your spirits embittered and engaged against the poor people of God, for practicing as Christ and his apostles did, then lay your hands upon your mouths, and say, "The Lord is righteous, though he has turned us out of house and home, and laid all our pleasant things desolate!"
O sirs, this is and this must be for a lamentation, that there are so many ale-houses, and gaming-houses, and whore-houses, which are usually stuffed with vain people, yes, with the very worst of the worst of men. Certainly these houses are the very suburbs and seminaries of hell. "Where have you been?" "In hell," said Erasmus merrily— comparing ale-houses to hell. Doubtless they are the nurseries of all sin, and the synagogue of incarnate devils. In the above-mentioned houses, how notoriously is the name of God blasphemed, and how shamefully are the precious fruits of the earth abused! and how many hundred families, are there impoverished! and how many thousand children, are there impoisoned! and how is all manner of wickedness and lewdness, are there encouraged and increased!
But when, oh when shall the sword of the magistrate be turned against these conventicles of hell? Certainly the horrid wickednesses which are daily committed in such houses, if not prevented by a faithful, zealous, and constant execution of the laws in force, will arm divine vengeance against the land. Magistrates should not bear the sword of justice in vain; for they are ministers of God to revenge and execute wrath upon those who do evil. By their office they are bound to be a terror to evil-doers, and encouragers of those who do well; and oh, that all in power and authority would forever resolve against being Satan's drudges!
Rev. 2:10, "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." [The devil in Diocletian, say some; the devil in Trajan, say others—for he reigned next after this book of Revelation was written, and was very cruel against the Christians, delivering them over to prisons and death, and all to drive them through fear from the profession of Christ.] The devil by his imps and instruments whom he acts and agitates, the devil by engaging the civil and the military power of the world against the people of God, should so far prevail as to clap them up in prison. The prison in this text notes, by a synecdoche, the adjuncts and consequences—as namely, torments, punishments, and all sorts of martyrdom. This one punishment, imprisonment, says Brightman, contains confiscation of goods, banishments, slaughters, fires, rankings, or whatever exquisite torment beside, as the history teaches. The heathen emperors, with those wicked governors, officers, and soldiers that were under them, were the great instruments in Satan's hand, to practice the greatest cruelties upon the saints in those days. Some they cast into prisons, some they banished, multitudes they slew with the sword; some of the precious servants of Christ they beat with stripes to death, others they branded in their foreheads, others were tortured and racked. Yes, and many holy women in that day had their breasts cut off, and others of them had their breasts burnt with a hot iron, and sometimes with eggs roasted as hot as could be. These, with many other torments, the people of God were exercised with, as all know, who have read the lamentable stories of those sad times.
OBJECTION 1. I would justify the Lord, I would say he is righteous, though my house be burnt up: but I have lost my goods, I have lost my estate, yes, I have lost my all as to this world; and how then can I say the Lord is righteous? how can I justify that God which has even stripped me as naked as the day wherein I was born? etc.
To this I ANSWER.
[1.] First, Did you gain your estate by just or unjust ways and means? If by unjust ways and means, then be silent before the Lord. If by just ways and means, then know that the Lord will store up in himself, and in his Son, and inf his Spirit, and inf his grace, and in heaven's glory—that shall make up all your losses to you. But,
[2.] Secondly, Did you improve your estates for the glory of God, and the good of others, or did you not? If not, why do you complain? If you did, the reward that shall attend you at the long run, may very well bear up your spirits under all your losses. Consult these scriptures: 1 Cor. 1:15; 2 Cor. 9:6; Eccles. 11:1; Gal. 6:7-8; Isaiah 32:20, and 55:10; Proverbs 11:18; Rev. 22:12. But,
[3.] Thirdly, What trade did you drive Christ-wards, and heavenwards, and holiness-wards? [The stars which have least circuit are nearest the pole—and men who are least perplexed with business are commonly nearest to God.] If you did drive either no trade heavenwards, or but a slender or inconstant trade heaven-wards, and holiness-wards, never wonder that God by a fiery dispensation has spoiled your civil trade. Doubtless there were many citizens who did drive a close, secret, sinful trade, who had their by-ways and back doors—some to uncleanness, others to merry-meetings, and others to secret gaming. Now if you were one of those who did drive a secret trade of sin, never murmur because your house is burnt, and your trade destroyed—but rather repent of your secret trade of sin, and wonder that your body is not in the grave, and that your soul is not a-burning in everlasting flames!
Many there were in London, who had so great a trade, so full a trade, so constant a trade—that they had no time to mind the everlasting concerns of their precious souls, and the great things of eternity. [There were many who sacrificed their precious time either to Morpheus the god of sleep, or to Bacchus the god of wine, or to Venus the goddess of beauty—as if all were due to the bed, the tavern, and the brothel house.] They had so much to do on earth—that they had no time to look up to heaven. Sir Thomas More says, "There is a devil called business, which carries more souls to hell than all the other devils in hell!" Many citizens had so many irons in the fire, and were cumbered about with so many things, that they wholly neglected the one thing necessary; and therefore it was but just with God to visit them with a fiery rod.
Look! as much earth puts out the fire, so much worldly business puts out the fire of heavenly affections. Look! as the earth swallowed up Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, so much worldly business swallows up so much precious time, that many men have no time to secure their interest in Christ, to make their calling and election sure, to lay up treasure in heaven, to provide for eternity! And if this have been any of your cases who are now burnt up, it highly concerns you to justify the Lord, and to say he is righteous, though he has burnt up your habitations, and destroyed your trade, Num. 22:32, and 2 Pet. 1:10.
It is sad when a crowd of worldly business, shall crowd God and Christ and duty out of doors. Many citizens drove so great a public trade in their shops, that their private trade to heaven was quite laid by. Such who were so busy about their farm and their merchandise, see Luke 14:16, 22, that they had no leisure to attend their souls' concernments, had their city set on fire about their ears: Mat. 22:5, "But they paid no attention"—that is, of all the free, rich, and noble offers of grace and mercy that God had made to them—"and went off--one to his field, another to his business." Verse 7, "But when the king heard thereof, he was enraged; and he sent forth his armies"—that is, the Romans—"and destroyed those murderers, and burnt up their city."
It is observable that the Jews, who were commanded six days to labor, were also commanded to offer morning and evening sacrifice daily, Exod. 20:9; Exod. 29:38-39; Num. 28:3; Deut. 6:6-8. They had their morning sacrifice when they entered upon their work, and they had their evening sacrifice when they ended their work. Their particular callings did not steal away their hearts from their general devotions. The Jews divided the day into three parts, the first, to prayer; the second, for the reading of the law; the third, for the works of their lawful callings. Although they were days appointed for work—yet they gave God his part, they gave God a share of every day. God, who is the Lord of all time, has reserved to himself a part of our time every day. And therefore men's particular callings ought to give way to their general calling. But alas! before London was in flames, many men's—Oh, that I could not say most men's!—particular callings swallowed up their general calling. The noise is such in a mill, as hinders all fellowship between man and man: so many of the burnt citizens had such a multitude of worldly businesses lying upon their hands, and that made such a noise, as that all fellowship between God and them was hindered. Seneca, one of the most refined heathens, could say, "I do not give—but only lend myself to my business." I am afraid this heathen will one day rise in judgment against those burnt citizens who have not lended themselves to their business—but wholly given up themselves to their business, as if they had no God to honor, no souls to save, no hell to escape, nor no heaven to make sure. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Job lost all, and recovered all again: he lost a fair estate, and God doubles his estate to him. [Compare the first and last chapters of Job together.] So David lost all, and recovered all again: 1 Sam. 30:18, "And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away; and David rescued his two wives." Verse 19, "And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor anything that they had taken to them." David recovered all. Here the end was better than the beginning; but the contrary befell the Amalekites, who a little before had framed comedies out of poor Ziklag's tragedies. In the beginning of the chapter you may see that David had lost all that he had, verse 1-5. All the spoil that he had taken from others were gone—his corn gone, his cattle gone, his wives gone, and his city burnt with fire, and turned into a ruinous heap, so that he had not a house, a habitation in all the world to put his head in; he had nothing left him but a poor, grieved, maddened, and enraged army. The people spoke of stoning of him, verse 6: but what was the outcome? Why, David recovers all again. O sirs, when a Christian is in greatest distress, when he has lost all, when he is not worth one penny in all the world—yet then he has a God to go to at last. David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. A Christian's case is never so desperate but he has still a God to go to. When a Christian has lost all, the best way to recover all again is to encourage himself in the Lord his God. God sometimes strips his people of outward mercies, and then restores to them again those very mercies that he had stripped them of. If God has taken away all—yet remember that God has a thousand thousand ways to make up all your losses to you, which you know not of; therefore do not murmur, do not fret, do not faint, do not limit the Holy One of Israel.
If you made no improvement of your house, your estate, your trade, then it is your wisdom and your work rather to be displeased with yourself for your non-improvement of mercies, than to be discontented at that hand of heaven that has deprived you of your mercies. Remember, O you burnt citizens of London, that you are not the first that have lost your all. Besides the instances already cited, you must remember what they suffered in the tenth and eleventh chapters of the Hebrews; and you must remember that in the ten persecutions many thousands of the people of God were stripped of their all; and so were very many also in the Marian days. Who shrugs or complains of a common lot? It was by grace, that you enjoyed your house, your estate, your trade so long; and therefore it concerns you to be rather thankful that your mercies were continued so long unto you, than to murmur because you are now stripped of all. But,
[5.] Fifthly, When all is gone—yet mercy may be near, and you not see it. When Hagar's bottle was empty, the well of water was near, though she saw it not, Gen. 21:19. Mercies many times are never nearer to us than when, with Hagar, we sit down and weep because our bottle is empty, because our streams of mercy are dried up. The well was there before—but she saw it not, until her eyes were opened. Though mercy is near, though it is even at the door—yet until the great God shall irradiate both our eyes, and the object—we can neither see our mercies, nor suck the breasts of mercy. Christ, the spring of mercy, the fountain of mercy, was near the disciples, yes, he talked with the disciples, and yet they knew him not, Luke 24:15. Look! as dangers are nearest to wicked men when they see them not, when they fear them not—As Haman was nearest the gallows when he thought himself the only man who the king would honor, Esther 6. And so when Sisera dreamed of a kingdom, Jael was near with her hammer and her nail, ready to fasten him to the ground, Judges 4. And so when Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is past, Samuel stood ready with his drawn sword to cut him in pieces in Gilgal," 1 Sam. 15:32-33. Just so, when Pharaoh said, "They are entangled in the land, the wilderness has shut 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," Exod. 14:3, and 15:9-10; 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 letter to king Hezekiah, "the angel of the Lord went forth and smote in the camp of the Assyrians, a hundred and eighty-five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses," Isaiah 37: and within five and fifty days after, Sennacherib himself was butchered by his own sons, Tobit 1:21. No sooner had the people applauded Herod, and given him the honor due to God—but he was smitten by the angel of the Lord, or eaten up with worms, or with vermin—with lice, as his grandfather Herod had been before him, Acts 12:22-23. Roffensis had a cardinal's hat sent him; but his head was cut off before it came: the axe was nearer his head than his hat. The heathen historian could not but observe, that as soon as Alexander the Great had summoned a world parliament before him, 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 Jehoshaphat's time, and in Pharaoh's time, and in Hezekiah's time, and in Esther's time, and in the time of the judges, as is evident throughout the book of Judges. [Psalm 126:2-3; 2 Chron. 14, and 20; Exod. 15; 2 Kings 19; Esther 6:8; 1 Kings 17:12-16.]
When there was but a handful of meal in the barrel, and a little oil in the cruse, supply was at hand. Her barrel and cruse had no bottom, who out of a little gave a little. In all the ages of the world God has made that word good: Isaiah 41:17, "When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue fails 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." Chrysostom observes, That it 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! As many times the mother's breasts are drawn, and near the child, though the child sees them not; so God's breasts of mercy are many times drawn, and near his people, and yet they see them not. Geographers write that the city of Syracuse, in Sicily, is so curiously situated, 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 cannot see their mercies, though they are near them, yes, though they stand before them. But,
[6.] Sixthly, I answer, That God many times, by taking away some outward mercies, comforts, and contentments, does but make way for greater and better mercies to come in the room of those he has taken away. He took from David an Absalom, and gave him a Solomon, Psalm 71:20-21; he took from him a scoffing Michal, and gave him a prudent Abigail, 1 Sam. 25; he took away from Isaac his mother Sarah, and made up his loss by giving of him Rebekah to wife, Gen. 24:67; he took away much from Job—but laid twice as much in the room of all the mercies that he had stripped him of. 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, yes, the greatest of mercies. But,
[7.] Seventhly and lastly, Though you have lost all your outward comforts in this world—yet if you are a believer, there are ten choice jewels that you shall never, that you can never lose—
[1.] That you shall never totally or finally lose your God, Hosea 2:19-20.
[2.] You shall never lose your saving interest in Christ. Whatever your outward losses are—yet your interest in Christ still holds good, Rom 8:33, seq.
[3.] You shall never lose the Spirit of grace: John 14:16, "And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever."
[4.] You shall never lose the seed of grace, the habits of grace: 1 John 3:9, "Whoever is born of God, does not commit sin"—that is, does not give himself over to a voluntary serving of sin; he does not make a trade of sin; he sins not totally, finally, maliciously, habitually, studiously, resolutely, willfully, delightfully, deadly; he does not make it his work to sin, he cannot follow his lusts as a workman follows his trade, "for his seed remains in him." The seed of God, the seed of grace, is an abiding seed, 1 Cor 1:8; Luke 22:32.
[5.] You shall never lose the forgiveness of your sins, though you may lose the sense and assurance of your forgiveness: Jer. 31:34, "For I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more;" Micah 7:19.
[6.] You shall never lose your interest in the covenant of grace, Psalm 89:30, 35; Jer. 31:31, 38; Isaiah 54:10. Once in covenant—forever in covenant.
[7.] You shall never lose your 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 divorce, Mal. 2:16. Sin may for a time seemingly separate 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; it turns the nature of the dough into itself: 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, [Luther.] Christ and believers are so incorporated as if Christ and they were one lump. Our union with the Lord is so near and so glorious, that it makes us one spirit with him. In this blessed union, the saints are not only joined to the graces and benefits which flow from Christ—but to the person of Christ, to Christ himself, who is first given for us and to us, and then with him we receive all other spiritual blessings and favors, 1 Cor. 6:17; Romans 8:32; 1 Cor. 3:21-23.
[8.] You shall never lose your inward peace, either totally or finally. It is true, by sin, and Satan, and the world, and divine withdrawings, your peace may be somewhat interrupted—but it shall never be finally lost. The greatest storms in this life, which beat upon a believer, will in time blow over, and the Sun of righteousness, the Prince of peace, [Psalm 30:5; Mal. 4:2; Isaiah 9:6. shalom; under this word the Jews comprehend all peace, prosperity, and happy success.] will shine as gloriously upon him as ever: John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you,"—it is a good inheritance,—"my peace I give unto you; not as the world gives, give I unto you." "My peace I give unto you"—that is, that peace with God and peace with conscience that I have purchased with my blood I give unto you. Men may wish me peace—but it is only Christ who can give me peace. The peace that Christ gives is founded upon his blood, upon his imputed righteousness, upon his intercession, and upon a covenant of peace; and therefore it must needs be a lasting peace, an abiding peace.
When a tyrant thus threatened a Christian, "I will take away your house," the Christian replied, "You can not take away my peace." When the tyrant threatened to break up his school, the Christian answered, "I shall still keep whole my peace." When the tyrant threatened to confiscate all his goods, the Christian answered—"you cannot rob me of my peace." When the tyrant threatened to banish him out of his own country, the Christian replied—"yet I shall carry my peace with me."
[9.] You shall never lose your title to heaven. Luke 12:32, "Fear not, little flock,"—here are two diminutives in the original; the word translated flock signifies a little flock; but that the exceeding littleness of it might appear, Christ adds another word, so that the words in the original run thus, "Fear not, little little-flock." And indeed in all the ages of the world the flock of Christ have been but little in their own eyes, and little in the world's eyes, and little in their enemies' eyes, and but little in comparison of that world of wolves that has still surrounded them,—"for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." You need neither fear the loss of earthly things or the lack of earthly things, for you have a kind, a tender, a loving Father, whose pleasure it is to give you the kingdom—that is, the heavenly kingdom that is prepared and reserved for you.
[10. and lastly], You shall never lose your crown of life, your crown of glory, your incorruptible crown, your crown of righteousness, Rev. 2:10; James 1:12; 1 Pet. 5:4; 1 Cor. 9:25. 2 Tim. 4:8, "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." A crown is the top of royalty. Here it notes that everlasting glory that is laid up for the saints. Now this crown is called a crown of righteousness: partly because it is purchased by the righteousness of Christ; and partly because he is righteous that has promised it; and partly because it is a just and righteous thing with God to crown them with glory at last, who have for his honor, been crowned with shame and reproach in this world; and partly because they come to this crown in the use of righteous ways and means. And this crown is said to be stored up, to note our sure and certain enjoyment of it, as the Greek word does import.
And let thus much suffice for answer to this second objection.
OBJECTION 2. I would justify the Lord, I would say he is righteous though my house be burnt up, and I am turned out of all; but this troubles me—I have not an estate to do that good that formerly I have done. I was once full—but the Lord has made me empty. I was once Naomi, that is, beautiful—but now God has made me Marah, i.e bitter, Ruth 1:20-21. The Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me, and consumed me on every hand. I have fed the poor, I have clothed the naked, I have received those who were in bonds: the blessing of him who was ready to perish came upon me. But now I can do little or nothing for others; and this troubles me, Job 29:13.
[1.] I answer, Firstly, Your condition is no lower than was the condition of Christ and his apostles in this world. "Silver and gold have we none," Acts 3:6. Salvian says that Christ was mendicorum maximus—the greatest beggar in the world, as one who shares in all his saints' necessities. Both Christ and his followers, when they were in world, they were maintained by the charity others. They had no lands nor lordships—but lived upon others' charity. But of this before; therefore let this touch suffice here. But,
[2.] Secondly, God many times in this life returns his people's charity with interest upon interest, Mat. 19:27-30; 2 Cor. 9:6-14; Heb. 6:10. Their scattering is their increasing, their spending is their lending, their layings out are but layings up for themselves: Proverbs 11:24, "There is who scatters, and yet increases;" verse 25, "The liberal soul shall be made fat; he who waters shall he watered also himself." It is fabled of Midas, that whatever he touched he turned it into gold. This is most true of charity; whatever the hand of charity touches it turns it into gold, be it but a cup of cold water, Mat. 10:42. More—it turns into heaven itself. I have read of one who, having given to a poor man, and considering with himself whether he had not injured himself by giving beyond his ability, presently corrected himself with those thoughts, that he had lent it to one who would pay well again; and within an hour after he had it restored above sevenfold, in a way which he never thought of. However God may carry it towards his people in this world—yet he will be sure to repay their charity in the eternal world.
This is certain, namely, that one day's being in heaven will make us a sufficient recompense for whatever we have given, or do give, or shall give in this world. But,
[3.] Thirdly, If the constant frame and disposition of your hearts be to do as much good as ever you did, or more good than ever you did, then you may be confident that the Lord accepts of your will for the deed: 2 Cor. 8:12, "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man has, and not according to that he has not." God prefers a willing mind before a worthy work. God measures all his people, not by their works—but by their wills. When the will is strongly inclined and biased to works of charity, so that a man would gladly be a-giving to the poor, and a-supplying the needs and necessities of the needy—but cannot for lack of an estate; in this case God accepts of the will for the deed. David had a purpose and a will to build God a house, and God took it so kindly at his hands, that he despatches an ambassador to him to tell him how highly he received with pleasure, his purpose and good-will to build him a house, 2 Chron. 6:8.
The widow's will was in her two mites which she cast into God's treasury, and therefore Christ sets a more honorable value upon them than he does upon all the vast sums that others cast in, Mark 12:41-44. Many princes and queens, lords and ladies are forgotten, when this poor widow, who had a will to be nobly charitable, has her name written in letters of gold, and her charity put upon record for all eternity. The king of Persia did lovingly accept of the poor man's handful of water, because his good-will was in it, and put it into a golden vessel, and gave the poor man the vessel of gold. And do you think that the King of kings will be outdone by the king of Persia? Surely not! But,
[4.] Fourthly and lastly—there are more ways of doing good to others, than one. If you can not do so much good to others as formerly you have done by your purse—yet you may do more good to others than ever yet you have done by your pen, your services, your prayers, your gifts, your graces, your examples. Though you are less serviceable to their bodies—yet if you are more serviceable than ever to their souls, you have no reason to complain. There is no love, no compassion, no pity, no charity, no mercy, compared to that which reaches immortal souls, and which will turn most to a man's account in the great day of our Lord Jesus.
OBJECTION 3. I would justify the Lord, I would say he is righteous, though my house be burned up, and I am turned out of all; but God has punished the righteous with the wicked, if not more than the wicked. This fiery rod has fallen heavier upon many saints than upon many sinners, etc. How, then, can I justify God? How, then, can I say that the Lord is righteous? etc.
Answer.
[1.] Firstly, In all ages of the world, God's dearest children have been deep sharers with the wicked in all common calamities. Abraham and his family were by famine driven into Egypt as well as others, and Isaac and his family were by famine driven into the Philistines' country as well as others, and Jacob and his family by famine were driven into Egypt as well as others, and in David's time there was a famine for three years, and in Elijah's time there was a severe famine in Samaria, Gen. 26, and 42; 2 Sam. 21:1; 1 Kings 18:2; Mat. 5:4-5. The difference which God puts between his own and others, is not seen in the administration of these outward things: Eccles. 9:2, "All share a common destiny--the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them." The privileges of the saints do not lie in temporals—but in spirituals and eternals; otherwise, religion would not be a matter of faith—but sense: and men would serve God not for himself—but for the mirthful and gallant things of this world. But,
[2.] Secondly, There are as many mysteries in providences as there are in prophecies; and many texts of providence are as hard to understand as many texts of Scriptures are. God's "way is in the sea, his paths are in the great waters, and his footsteps are not known;" "His judgments are unsearchable, and his ways are past finding out." And yet when clouds and darkness are round about him, "righteousness and justice are the habitation of his throne," Psalm 77:19; Romans 11:33; Psalm 97:2, and 36:6. When his judgments are a great deep—yet then his righteousness is like the great mountains. There are many mysteries in nature which we are ignorant of; and why, then, should we wonder that there are many mysteries in providence that we do not understand? Let a man but seriously consider how many possible deaths lurk in his own bodies, and the innumerable hosts of external dangers which beleaguers him on every side; how many invisible arrows fly about his ears continually, and yet how few have hit him, and that none hitherto have mortally wounded him; and it will doubtless so far affect his heart, as to work him to conclude, that great, and many, and mysterious are the providences which daily attend upon him.
I have read of a father and his son, who being shipwrecked at sea, the son sailed to shore upon the back of his dead father. What a strange, mysterious providence was this! Vives reports of a Jew, that having gone over a deep river on a narrow plank in a dark night, and coming the next day to see what danger he had escaped, fell down dead with astonishment. Should God many times but open to us the mysteriousness of his providences, they would be matter of amazement and astonishment to us. I have read that Marcia, a Roman princess, being great with child, had the babe in her killed with lightning, she herself escaping the danger. What a mysterious providence was this! God's providence towards his servants is as a wheel in the midst of a wheel, whose motion, and work, and end in working, is not discerned by a common eye, Ezek. 1:16. The actings of divine providence are many times so dark, intricate, and mysterious—that it will confound men of the most raised parts, and of the choicest experiences, and of the greatest graces, to be able to discern the ways of God in them. There are many mysteries in the works of God—as well as in the word of God. But,
[3.] Thirdly, Sometimes God's own people sin with others, and therefore they smart with others. Thus Moses and Aaron sinned with others, and therefore they were shut out of Canaan, and their carcasses fell in the wilderness as well as others, Num. 20. Psalm 106:35-36, "but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them." verse 40, "Therefore the Lord was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance." Jer. 9:25-26, "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh-- Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the desert in distant places. For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart." See Romans 2:28-29. Such as were outwardly—but not inwardly, circumcised, should be sure to be punished in the day of God's wrath, with those who were neither inwardly nor outwardly circumcised.
When the good and the bad join in common provocations, no wonder if they suffer in common desolations, Ezek. 9:6; Rev. 18:4; 1 Peter 4:17. Though gross impieties, like pitch or gunpowder, enrages the fire—yet the sins, the infirmities of God's people add to the flame. Not only Manasseh his bloodshed—but also good Hezekiah's pride and vanity of spirit, boasting and glorying in his worldly riches, brought on the Babylonish captivity upon the Jews, 2 Chron. 32. But,
[4.] Fourthly, The people of God many times suffer in common calamities, as they are parts and members of that public body that is punished, 2 Sam. 24:10-18. The sins of a city, a society, a company, or a nation, may involve all the members in the same judgment. Though Lot was not guilty of the sins of Sodom—yet Lot was carried away in the captivity of Sodom, as residing with them, Gen. 14:12, 16. [Common calamities make no discrimination between persons and persons, or houses and houses. All common judgments work according to their commission and according to their nature, without distinguishing the righteous from the wicked.] And so though many of the precious servants of the Lord in London were not guilty of those gross impieties that their neighbors were guilty of—yet, residing either with them or near them, they were burnt up and destroyed with them: Achan's family were not guilty of Achan's sacrilege, and yet Achan's family were destroyed for Achan's sacrilege. The burning of London was a national judgment, and this national judgment was a product of national sins, as I have formerly proved.
Now mark, though the people of God may be personally innocent—yet because they are members of a guilty body, they are liable to undergo the temporal smart of national judgments. Doubtless a whole city may be laid desolate for the wickedness of one man, or of a few men, who dwells in it: Eccles. 9:18, "One sinner destroys much good." But,
[5.] Fifthly, When godly men who cannot be justly charged with public sins, do yet fall with wicked men by public judgments, you must remember that God has several different ends in inflicting one and the same judgments, both upon the good and upon the bad. The metal and the dross go both into the fire together—but the dross is consumed, and the metal refined, Zech. 13:9; Eccles. 8:12-13. The stalk and the ear of corn fall upon the threshing-floor under one and the same flail; but the one is shattered in pieces, the other is preserved. From one and the same olive, and from under one and the same press is crushed out both oil and dregs—but the one stored up for use, the other thrown out as unserviceable. The same judgments that befall the wicked may befall the righteous—but not upon the same account. The righteous are cast into the furnace for trial—but the wicked for their ruin. The righteous are signally sanctified by fiery dispensations—but the wicked are signally worsened by the same dispensations, Jer. 24:1-3, 5. The very self-same judgment that is as a loadstone to draw the righteous towards heaven, will be as a millstone to sink the wicked down to hell. The pillar of fire that went before Israel had a light side and a dark side; the light side was towards God's people, and the dark side was towards the Egyptians, Exod. 14:20. The flames of London will prove such a pillar both to the righteous and the wicked. That will certainly be made good upon the righteous and the wicked, whose habitations have been destroyed by London's flames, that the Greek epigram speaks of the silver axe, the ensign of justice—
"That sword that cuts the bad in twain,
The good does wound and heal again."
Those dreadful judgments that have been the axe of God's revenging justice, to wound and break the wicked in pieces, shall be righteous men's cures and their golden restoratives. But,
[6.] Sixthly and lastly, God sometimes wraps up his own people with the wicked in desolating judgments, that he may before all the world wipe off that reproach which atheists and wicked men are apt to cast upon him, as if he were partial, as if he were a respecter of people, and as if his ways were not just and equal, Ezek. 18:25, 29, and 33:20. God, to stop the mouth of iniquity, the mouth of blasphemy, has made his own people as desolate as others by that fiery calamity that has passed upon them. Such men who have been eyewitnesses of God's impartial dealing with his own people in those days when London was in flames, must say that God is neither partial nor unjust. And let thus much suffice, by way of answer to this objection.
3. The third duty which lies upon those whose houses have been burnt up, is for them in patience to possess their own souls, and quietly to acquiesce in what the Lord has done. Luke 21:19. O sirs! hold your peace, and bridle your passions, and quietly submit to the stroke of divine justice. When Aaron's sons were devoured by fire, Aaron held his peace. [Lev. 10:2-3. The Hebrew word signifies silence or stillness; it signifies a staying of the heart, a quieting of the mind. Aaron's mind was quiet and still; all his unruly affections and passions were stilled and allayed. Oleaster observes that Joshua, in speaking to the sun, "Stand still in Gibeon," uses the same word, that is here used, Joshua 12:10. Just so, that this phrase, "Aaron held his peace," imports thus much, That Aaron stood still, or kept from further vexing, or troubling, or disquieting of himself; though at first his heart was in a strange violent motion—yet he recovers himself, and stands still before the Lord.] And will not you hold your peace, now your houses are devoured by fire? What were your houses, compared to Aaron's sons? All the houses in the world are not so near and dear to a man—as his children are. In this story concerning Aaron and his sons, there are many things remarkable. As,
[1.] That he had lost two of his sons, yes, two of his eldest sons, together at a clap.
[2.] These two were the most honorable of the sons of Aaron: as we may see, Exod. 24:1, in that they alone, with their father and the seventy elders are appointed to come up to the Lord.
[3.] They were cut off by a sudden and unexpected death, when neither themselves nor their father thought their ruin had been so near. What misery to that of being suddenly surprised by a doleful death?
[4.] They were cut off by a way which might seem to testify God's hot displeasure against them; for they were devoured by fire from God. They sinned by fire, and they perished by fire. Look! as fire came from the Lord before in mercy, so now fire is sent from the Lord in judgment. Certainly the manner of their death pointed out the sin for which they were smitten. Now what father had not rather lose all his children at once, by an ordinary stroke of death, than to see one of them destroyed by God's immediate hand in such a dreadful manner?
[5.] They were thus smitten by the Lord on the very first day of their entering upon that high honor of their priestly function, and when their hearts were doubtless full of joy. Now to be suddenly thunderstruck in such a sunshine day of mercy, as this seemed to be, must needs add weight to their calamity and misery.
[6.] They were cut off with such great severity for a very small offence, if reason may be permitted to sit as judge in the case. They were made monuments of divine vengeance, only for taking fire to burn the incense from one place, when they should have taken it from another. And this they did, say some, not purposely—but through mistake, and at such a time when they had much work lying upon their hands, and were but newly entered upon their new employment. Now notwithstanding all this—Aaron held his peace. It may be, at first, when he saw his sons devoured by fire, his heart began to wrangle, and his passions began to work; but when he considered the righteousness of God on the one hand, and the glory that God would get to himself on the other hand, he presently checks himself, and lays his hand upon his mouth, and stands still and silent before the Lord.
Though it be not easy in great afflictions, with Aaron, to hold our peace—yet it is very advantageous; which the heathens seemed to intimate in placing the image of Angeronia, with the mouth bound, upon the altar of Volupia—to show that those who prudently and patiently bear and conceal their troubles, sorrows, and anxieties, they shall attain to comfort at last. What the apostle says of the distressed Hebrews, after the confiscation of their goods, "You have need of patience," Heb. 10:34, 36, the same I may say to you, who have lost your houses, your shops, your trades, your all—You have need, yes, you have great need of patience! Though your mercies are few, and your miseries are many, though your mercies are small, and your miseries are great—yet look that your spirit be quiet, and that you sweetly acquiesce in the will of God.
Now that God has laid his fiery rod upon your backs—it will be your greatest wisdom to lay your hands upon your mouths, and to say with David, "I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this." Psalm 39:9. To be patient and silent under the sharpest providences and the sorest judgments, is as much a Christian's glory as it is his duty. The patient Christian feels the lack of nothing. Patience will give contentment in the midst of need. No loss, no cross, no affliction will sit heavy upon a patient soul. Dionysius says that this benefit he had by the study of philosophy—namely, that he bore with patience all those alterations and changes that he met with in his outward condition. Now shall nature do more than grace? shall the study of philosophy do more than the study of Christ, Scripture, and a man's own heart? But,
4. The fourth duty which lies upon those whose houses have been burnt up, is to set up the Lord in a more eminent degree than ever, as the great object of their fear. Oh how should we fear and tremble before the great God, who is able to turn the most serviceable and useful creatures to us—to be the means of destroying of us! Heb. 12:28, "Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear;" verse 29, "For our God is a consuming fire." Here are two arguments to work the saints to set up God as the great object of their fear. The first is drawn from the dreadfulness of God's majesty, "He is a consuming fire." The second is drawn from the relation which is between God and his people, "Our God." What a strange title is this of the great God, that we meet with in this place! and yet this is one of the titles of God, expressing his nature, and in which he glories, that he is called "a consuming fire." These words, "God is a consuming fire," are not to be taken properly—but metaphorically. Fire, we know, is a very dreadful and dreadful creature; and so may very well serve to set forth to us the dreadfulness and dreadfulness of God. Now God is here said to be a consuming or devouring fire. The word in the original is doubly compounded, and so the signification is augmented and increased, to note to us the exceeding dreadfulness of the fire that is here meant.
When God would set forth himself to be most fearful and dreadful to men, he does it by this resemblance of fire, which of all things is most dreadful and intolerable: Deut. 4:24, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God." The Hebrew word, that is here rendered consuming, does properly signify devouring or eating; it comes from a word which signifies to devour and eat; and by a metaphor, it signifies to consume or destroy. God is a devouring fire, an eating fire; and sinners, and all they have, are but bread and food for divine wrath to feed upon!
Deut. 9:3, "But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the Lord has promised you." See Psalm 50:3; Isaiah 33:14; Deut. 28:58. What more violent, what more irresistible, what more dreadful—than fire! Oh how much therefore does it concern us to set up that God as the great object of our fear, who has armed and commanded this dreadful creature, the fire, to destroy us in many or in most of our outward concernments as to this world! Jer. 10:11, "At his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation." Job 13:11, "Would not his splendor terrify you? Would not the dread of him fall on you?" Psalm 119:120, "My flesh trembles in fear of you." Hab. 3:5, "Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet;" verse 16, "When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble."
Ah London, London! it highly concerns you to tremble and quiver, and stand in awe of that great and glorious God, who has sent so many thousands to their long homes by a sweeping pestilence, and who has by a dreadful fire turned your ancient monuments and your stately buildings into a ruinous heap! That Christian is more worth than the gold of Ophir, who fears more the hand that has laid on the fiery rod, than the rod itself. That prudent and faithful counsel which the prophet Isaiah gives, should always lie warm upon every burnt citizen's heart: Isaiah 8:13, "The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread." But,
5. The fifth duty which lies upon those whose houses have been burnt up, is to be contented with their present condition. [The poets bring in their idols, each one content with his own office and estate—Mars with war, Minerva with sciences, Mercury with eloquence, Cupid with love, Jupiter with heaven, and Pluto with hell.] When a man's mind is brought down to his means—all is well. Contentment of mind under all the turns and changes of this life, makes a believer master both of the world of unruly desires within himself, and of temptations in the world outside of himself. Contentment in a man's present condition—will yield him a little heaven in the midst of all the great hells, which he meets with in this world. Contentment is a hidden treasure, which the believer will carry with him to the eternal heaven, where an exceeding weight of glory and contentment, with full satisfaction to his desires, will be added to that little stock of contentment that he has obtained in this world. Contentment in every condition, is no other but the house of God, and the gate of heaven, as Jacob once speaks of that gracious manifestation of God, Gen. 28. God dwells in a contented heart, and a contented heart dwells in God. Contentment is that porch wherein the believer waits for an entrance into a house not made with hands—but one eternal in the heaven, 2 Cor. 5:1.
Oh labor much with God, that your hearts may be brought fully under the power of these divine commands—"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that." 1 Timothy 6:6-8. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said—Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 So Beza and others, "Be content with things present." The believing Hebrews had been plundered of all they had in this world, Heb. 10:34, when the apostle gave forth this royal command; and yet the apostle requires them to be content. It is as much the duty of a Christian to be content when he has nothing, as when all the world smiles upon him. Christians are soldiers, strangers, travelers, pilgrims—and therefore it concerns them to make do with little things, yes, with anything in this world. The Israelites had no mirthful clothes, nor no new clothes in their wilderness condition; but God made their old clothes to be all clothes to them, and that was enough. Jacob did not ask God for dainties or ornaments—but for food and clothing. Gen. 28:20, "Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear, then shall the Lord be my God."
Nature is content with a little, grace with less; though nothing will satisfy those men's hearts, whose lusts are their masters. We shall never lack a penny in our purses, for our necessities, until we get to heaven; and therefore let us be content with our present portion in this world.
"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Philippians 4:11-12. In these words you have first the vicissitude of Paul's outward condition: at one time he abounds, at another he is abased: at one time he is full, and at another time he suffers need. You have the sweet and gracious composure of his spirit, and this is expressed in two singular acts. The first is his contentment of mind in all conditions: "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation." The second is his prudent and pertinent behavior with his present condition: "I know both how to be abased, and how to abound." You have the way how he attained this contentment of mind in all conditions: "I have learned," says he, "I am instructed;" this lesson of contentment he did not learn at the feet of Dr. Gamaliel—but in the school of Jesus Christ. Contentment in every condition is too high a lesson for any effectually to teach—but Jesus Christ.
O Sirs! in the grave it is all the same—to one who has had all, and to another who has had none. What folly is it to lay up goods for many years, when we cannot lay up one day for the enjoyment of our goods! Christ, who never miscalled any, calls him "fool!" who had much of the world under his hands—but nothing of God or heaven in his heart.
Zopyrus the Persian was contented to sustain the cutting off his nose, and ears, and lips, to further the enterprise of king Darius, against proud Babylon. Just so, Christians should be contented to be anything, to do anything, or to suffer anything, to further or promote the glory of God in this world.
All this whole world is not proportionable to the precious soul. All the riches of the Indies cannot pacify conscience, nor secure eternity, nor prevent death, nor bring you off victorious in the day of judgment; and therefore be contented with a little. All the good things of this world, are but cold comforts: they cannot stretch to eternity, they will not go with us into the eternal world; and therefore why should the lack of such things either trouble our thoughts, or break our hearts? The whole world is but a paradise for fools; it is a beautiful but deceitful harlot; it is a dreamed sweetness, and a very ocean of gall. There is nothing to be found in it that has not mutability and uncertainty, vanity and vexation stamped upon it. And therefore he cannot be truly happy who enjoys it; nor can he be miserable who lacks it. And why then should not he be contented, who has but a little of it? The greatest outward happiness is but honeyed poison; and therefore do not mutter or murmur because you have but little of the world.
All your crosses and losses shall be so tempered by a hand of heaven, as that they shall become wholesome medicines. They shall be steps to your future glory. All your present trials are your only hell; your heaven is to come. And therefore be contented in the midst of all your sorrows and sufferings. Remember that many times they who have most of the world in their hands, have least of God, of Christ, of the Spirit, of grace, of heaven in their hearts. [It is only an infinite good and infinite God, which can fill and satisfy the soul of man.] And remember, that a man were better to have much of God—with a little of the world; than to have much of the world—with a little of God. God alone is a thousand thousand felicities, and a world of happiness, the only life and light.
Algerius the martyr, being swallowed up in a sweet fruition of God, found more light in his dungeon, than with all which was in the world. O sirs! if upon casting up of your accounts for the eternal world, you find that heaven is your home; the world your footstool; the angels your attendants; your Creator your father; your Judge your brother, the Holy Spirit your comforter; if you find that God is ever with you, ever before you, ever within you, ever round about you, and ever a-making of necessary provision for you—why should you not be contented with your present condition, with your present proportion, be it more or be it less? But,
6. The sixth duty which lies upon those whose houses have been burnt up—is to mourn, to lie low, to keep humble under this dreadful judgment of fire, under this mighty hand of God. When Ziklag was burnt by the Amalekites, "David and the people lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no power to weep," 1 Sam. 30:1-4. They wept their utmost; they wept themselves even blind. They did not stoically slight that fiery rod—but prudently laid it to heart. Tears are called the blood of the soul. Now a shower of tears, a shower of blood, they poured out to quench those flames that the Amalekites had kindled. When they saw their city laid desolate by fire, their sorrow was so great that they were over burdened with the weight of it; and therefore they sought ease in venting their sorrow in a shower of tears.
Just so, when Nehemiah understood that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down, and the gates thereof were burnt with fire, he sat down and wept, and mourned, certain days, Neh. 1:3-4. Some authors report that the Jews to this day come yearly to the place where Jerusalem, the city of their fathers, stood, which was by Titus and Adrian destroyed by fire and sword, and upon the day of the destruction of it weep over it. Oh how well does it befit all burnt citizens to stand and weep over the ashes of London, and greatly to abase themselves under that mighty hand of God, which has been lifted up against them! [Deut. 8:16; Lev. 26:40-42; Luke 14:11; Dan. 5:22.
Augustine says that the first, second, and third virtue of a Christian, is humility. "If I were asked," says he, "what is the readiest way to attain true happiness, I would answer, The first, the second, the third thing is, humility, humility, humility." Humility does not only entitle to happiness—but to the highest degree of happiness, Mat. 18:4.] 1 Pet. 5:6, "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time." Ah London, London! how has the mighty hand of the Lord been lifted up against you! how has he by flames of fire laid all your glory in the dust! The Lord, by fire, sword, and pestilence, has greatly humbled you. And oh, when shall it once be that you will be humble under the mighty hand of God! It is one thing to be humbled by judgments; it is another thing to be humble under judgments. There have been many nations, cities, and particular people, who have been greatly humbled by amazing and astonishing judgments, who yet never had so much grace as to lie humble under those judgments. When God's hand is lifted up very high, he expects that our hearts should fall very low. To be poor and proud is to be doubly miserable. If men's spirits are high when their estates are low, the next blow will be more dreadful.
God has laid our habitations in dust and ashes, and he expects that we should even humble ourselves in dust and ashes. The only way to avoid cannon shot, is to fall down flat on the ground: the application is easy. Humility exalts: he who is most humble shall be most honorable. Moses in his wilderness-condition was the meekest man on earth, and God made him the most honorable, calling him up unto himself in the mount, and making of him the leader of his people Israel. Gideon was very little in his own eyes, "the least in his father's house" in his own apprehension; and God exalted him, making him the deliverer of his Israel. He who is little in his own account, is always high in God's esteem. When one asked the philosopher what God was a-doing? he answered, that his whole work was to lift up the humble and cast down the proud. Those brave creatures, the lion and the eagle, were not offered in sacrifice unto God—but the poor lamb and dove were offered in sacrifice: to note to us, that God regards not your brave, high, lofty spirits, and that he is all for such who are of a dove-like and a lamb-like spirit.
They say if dust is sprinkled upon the wings of bees, their noises, humming, and risings will quickly cease. The Lord, in the recent fiery dispensation, has sprinkled dust and ashes upon us all. And oh, that our proud noises, hummings, and risings of heart might cease from before the Lord, who has risen out of his holy place! Ah London, London! you have been proud of your trade, and proud of your strength, and proud of your riches, and proud of your stately buildings and edifices—but God has now laid all your glory in dust and ashes; and therefore it highly concerns you to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. God has abased you, and therefore make it your work to be base in your own eyes.
When Nehemiah understood that the Chaldeans, who were a generation of idolaters, had made Jerusalem desolate by fire, he greatly humbled himself under the mighty hand of God. [There is nothing more evident in history than this—namely, that those dreadful fires that have been kindled among the Christians have been still kindled by idolatrous hands.] He looked through all active causes to the efficient cause, and accordingly he abased himself before the Lord: as you may see Neh. 1:3-4, "They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven." When Nehemiah heard that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down, and that the gates thereof were burnt with fire, his grief was so great that he could not stand under it, and therefore he sits down and weeps. Who is there who is a man, who is an Englishman, who is a Christian, who is a Protestant—who can behold the ruins of London, and not—at least the frame of his spirit—sit down and weep over those ruins?
The way of ways to be truly, yes, highly exalted, is to be thoroughly humbled. The highest heavens and the lowest hearts do both alike please the most high God, Isaiah 57:15. God will certainly make it his work to exalt those who make it their great work to abase themselves. Such who are low in their own eyes, and can be content to be low in the eyes of others, such are most high and honorable in the eye of God, in the esteem and account of God. The lowly Christian is always the most lovely Christian. Now God has laid your city low, your all low, he expects that your hearts should lie low under his mighty hand. All the world cannot long keep up those men who do not labor to keep down their hearts under judgments inflicted or judgments feared. Remember the sad catastrophe of Herod the Great, of Agrippa the Great, of Pompey the Great, and of Alexander the Great. If your spirits remain great under great judgments, it is an evident sign that more raging judgments lie at your doors. But,
7. The seventh duty which lies upon those whose houses have been burnt up—is to bless a taking God as well as a giving God; it is to encourage themselves in the Lord their God, though he has stripped them of all their worldly goods. Thus did Job when he had lost his all: "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord," Job 1:21. One brings in holy Job standing by the ruined house, under whose walls his ten children lay dead and buried, and lifting up his heart and hands towards heaven, saying, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there: the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Behold a spectacle—a spectacle worthy of God himself, were he never so intent upon his work in heaven—yet worthy of his cognisance!
When Ziklag was burnt with fire, and David plundered by the Amalekites, and his wives carried captive—yet then he "encouraged himself in the Lord his God," 1 Sam. 30:1-3, 6. "His God" notes:
[1.] His nearness and dearness to God. Saints are very near and dear to God.
[2.] "His God" notes his relation to God. God is the saint's Father.
[3.] "His God" notes his rights to God. The whole of God, is the believer's. All God has, and all he can do, is the believer's, Psalm 148:14; Eph. 2:13; 2 Cor. 6:18.
From these, and such other like considerations, David encouraged himself in the Lord his God when all was gone; and so should we.
"You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions." Hebrews 10:34. And to this duty James exhorts: chapter 1:2, "Count it all joy, my brethren, when you fall into divers temptations," or tribulations, or afflictions. A Christian in his choicest deliberation ought to count it all joy when he falls into divers tribulations. The words are emphatic; the apostle does not say, "be patient or quiet when you fall into divers temptations or afflictions" —but "be joyful." Nor the apostle does not say, "be joyful with a little joy" —but be "joyful with exceeding great joy;" the words are a Hebraism. All joy is full joy; all joy is perfect joy. And this befits the saints when they fall, or are begirt round, not with some—but with divers, that is, with any kind of affliction or tribulation. An omnipotent God will certainly turn his people's misery into felicity; and therefore it concerns them to be divinely merry in the midst of their greatest misery. Oh, that all burnt citizens would seriously consider of these three things—
[1.] That this fiery rod has been a rod in a father's hand.
[2.] That this fiery rod shall sooner or later be like Aaron's rod. Choice fruit will one day grow upon this burnt tree! No man can tell what good God may do England by that fiery rod which he has laid upon London.
[3.] That this fiery rod that has been laid upon London has not been laid on,
1. According to the greatness of God's anger; nor
2. According to the greatness of his power; nor
3. According to the strictness of his justice; nor
4. According to the demerits of our sins; nor
5. According to the expectations of men of a Romish faith; who, it is to be feared, did hope to see every house laid desolate, and London made an Aceldama, a field of blood, Acts 1:19; nor
6. According to the extensiveness of many of your fears; for many of you have feared worse things than yet you feel.
Now, upon all these considerations, how highly does it concern the people of God to be thankful and cheerful; yes, and to encourage themselves in the Lord under that fiery dispensation that has lately passed upon them!
QUESTION. But what is there considerable in GOD, to encourage the soul under heavy crosses, and great losses, and fiery trials?
ANSWER.
[1.] First, There is his gracious, his special, and peculiar PRESENCE. Dan. 3:24-25. Psalm 23:4, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 91:15, "He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble." Oh, the precious presence of God with a man's spirit will sweeten every fiery dispensation, and take off much of the bitterness and dreadfulness of it. In the gracious presence of God with our spirits lies,
(1.) Our greatest happiness.
(2.) Our greatest honor.
(3.) Our greatest profit and advantage.
(4.) Our greatest joy and delight.
(5.) Our greatest safety and security.
The bush, which was a type of the church, consumed not all the while it burned with fire, because God was in the midst of it. The gracious presence of God with a man's spirit will make heavy afflictions light, and long afflictions short, and bitter afflictions sweet, 2 Cor. 4:16-18. God's gracious presence makes every burden light, Psalm 55:22. He who has the presence of God with his spirit, can bear a burden without a burden, Deut. 33:27, 29. What burden can sink that man, who has everlasting arms under him, and over him, and round about him? But,
[2.] Secondly, There is WISDOM in God to encourage them under all their trials. Jer. 24:5; Romans 8:28. There is wisdom in God so to temper and order all judgments, afflictions, crosses, and losses—as to make them work kindly and sweetly for their good. While God is near us, wisdom and counsel is at hand. God is that wise and skillful physician, who can turn poison into cordials, diseases into remedies, crosses into crowns, and the greatest losses into the greatest gains. What can hurt us, while an infinite wise God stands by us? But,
[3.] Thirdly, There is strength, POWER, and omnipotency in God to encourage them. Proverbs 18:10; Psalm 46:1-2; Isaiah 26:4; Psalm 3:17. There is nothing too high for him, nor anything too hard for him: he is able easily and speedily to bring to pass all his wise plans and purposes. You read of many who have been mighty—but you read but of one Almighty: Rev. 4:8, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty." Chapter 11:17, "We give you thanks, Lord God Almighty." Chapter 15:3, "Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God Almighty." Chapter 16:7, "And I heard another out of the altar say, etc., even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments." Under all your fiery trials an almighty God can do mighty things for you. And therefore it concerns you to encourage yourselves in him, even when you are stripped of all.
O Christians, it highly concerns you to bear all your losses cheerfully and thankfully, "In everything give thanks," says the apostle; "for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you," 1 Thes. 5:18. Chrysostom speaks excellently: "This," says he, "is the very will of God, to give thanks always;" this argues a soul rightly instructed. Have you suffered any evil? if you will, it is no evil. Give thanks to God, and then you have turned the evil into good. Say as Job said when he had lost all, "The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
What evil have you suffered? What! is it a disease? This is no strange thing to us, seeing our bodies are mortal and naturally born to suffer. What! do you lack money? this may be gotten here, and lost here. Whatever evils or losses therefore do oppress you, give thanks, and you have changed the nature of them. Job then did more deeply wound the devil, when, being stripped out of all, he gave thanks to God, than if he had distributed all to the poor and needy. For it is much more to be stripped of all, and yet to bear it patiently, generously, and thankfully, than for a rich man to give alms, as it here happened to righteous Job. But has fire suddenly taken hold upon your house, destroyed your house, and consumed your whole substance? Remember the sufferings of Job. Give thanks to God, who could, though he did not, have hindered that affliction; and you shall be sure to receive as equal a reward, as if you had put all into the bosom of the indigent. This he repeats over again, and says your reward, being thankful, is equal to his who gave all he had to the poor.
To wind up your hearts to thankfulness and cheerfulness under this recent desolating judgment, consider,
(1.) God might have taken away all. It is good to bless him for what he has left.
(2.) He has taken away more from others than he has taken away from you— consequently, be thankful.
(3.) You are unworthy of the least mercy, you deserve to be stripped of every mercy; and therefore be thankful for anything that is left. God has a sovereign right over all you have, and might have stripped you as naked as the day wherein you were born.
(4.) God has left you better and greater mercies than any those were that he has stripped you of—namely, your lives, your limbs, your friends, your relations, yes, and the means of grace, which is better than all, and more than all other mercies— consequently, be thankful.
(5.) The Lord has given those choice things to you, as shall never be taken from you—namely, himself, his Son, his Spirit, which shall abide with you forever; his grace, which is an abiding seed; and his peace, which none can give to you nor take from you— consequently, be thankful, though God has laid all your pleasant things desolate, John 16; 1 John 3:9.
(6.) Thankfulness under crosses and losses, speak out much integrity and sincerity of spirit. Hypocrites and profane people are more apt to blaspheme than to bless a taking God— consequently, be thankful. Ingratitude is a monster in nature, a solecism in manners, a paradox in grace, damming up the course of donations divine and human. If there be any sin in the world against the Holy Spirit, said one—it is ingratitude. The laws of Persia, Macedonia, and Athens, condemned the ungrateful to death; and unthankfulness may well be styled the epitome of vices. Ingratitude was so hateful to the Egyptians, that they used to make eunuchs of ungrateful people, that no posterity of theirs might remain. Well, sirs, remember this—the best way to get much, is to be thankful for a little. God loves to sow much where he reaps much. Thankfulness for one mercy, makes way for another mercy—as many thousand Christians have experienced. The Lord's payment for all his blessings, is our thankfulness. Our returns must be according to our receipts. Godly men should be like the bells, which 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,
8. The eighth duty which lies upon those whose houses have been burnt up—is to keep in their hearts a constant remembrance of the recent dreadful conflagration. God expects that his children should commemorate his judgments, as well as his mercies. The severe judgment that God inflicted upon Sodom is mentioned thirteen times in the blessed Scripture, and all to work us to mind it, and to abhor those sins that laid that city desolate, Isaiah 26:8-9; Psalm 119:30, 120. The Lord looks that his people should keep up fresh in their memories such judgments that have been long before executed: Jer. 7:12, "Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel." The ark of old stood at Shiloh—but after it was taken and carried away by the Philistines it was never brought back, and from that time Shiloh lay ever after desolate, 1 Sam. 4:10-11. And this the Lord would have engraved upon their memories, and upon their hearts. Though stony hearts are bad—yet iron memories are good!
Luke 17:32, "Remember Lot's wife." Consider her sin and her punishment; so that fearing the one, you may learn to take heed of the other!
2 Pet. 2:6, "He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly." Why has God turned those rich and populous cities into ashes, and set them up as burning beacons—but to warn all the world that they live not ungodly, and to work them to keep alive in their memories the desolating judgments of God? The Rabbis say that the Jews at this day, when they are to build a house, they are to leave one part of it unfinished and lying crude, in remembrance that Jerusalem and the temple are at present desolate. Oh let the remembrance of London's desolation by fire be forever kept up in all your hearts. To this purpose consider,
[1.] That the burning of London is a very great judgment, as I have formerly proved. Now great judgments, like great mercies, should be always kept up fresh in our memories.
[2.] The burning of London is a national judgment, as I have formerly proved. Now national judgments should be always fresh in our memories.
[3.] It is a judgment that carries much of the wrath and anger of the Lord in it: Amos 3:6, "When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?" Verse 8, "The lion has roared—who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken—who can but prophesy?" Now the more anger and wrath we read in any judgment, the more highly it concerns us to remember that judgment.
[4.] A serious commemoration of God's judgments is a thing that is highly pleasing to the Lord. God delights as much in the glory of his justice, as he does in the glory of his mercy or grace. Now when we commemorate his judgments, we glorify his justice which has inflicted them.
[5.] Severe judgments contribute much to the enlightening of men's understandings, and to the awakening of their consciences, and the reforming of their lives, and to work men to judge them, and justify the Lord. And therefore it highly concerns you to keep up the remembrance of London's desolation by fire always fresh and flourishing in your souls, Hosea 5:14-15, and 6:1-3; Jer. 24:1-6, and 22:8-9.
[6.] Sharp judgments are teaching things. All God's rods have a voice. "Hear the rod, and him who has appointed it," Micah 6:9. Look! as Gideon taught the men of Succoth by thorns and briers, so God, by piercing judgments, 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, Isaiah 1:16, 17; and to fear and fly from all such sinful courses or practices that bring destructive judgments upon the most glorious cities in the world. And upon this account, how deeply does it concern us to have always the recent fiery dispensation in our thoughts and upon our hearts!
[7.] All God's judgments are his messengers; they are all at his command. The centurion had not such a sovereign power over his servants, as the great God has over all sorts of judgments. If the Lord does but hiss for the fly of Egypt and the bee of Assyria, they shall come and do their office, Ezek. 14:13, 15, 17, 19; Mat. 21:8; Isaiah 7:18-19. Now all God's messengers, as well as his mercies, should still be kept in our eye. But,
[8.] and lastly, Consider a serious commemoration of the judgments of God will difference and distinguish you from all profane people and unsound professors: Psalm 10:5, "Your judgments are far above out of his sight." Your judgments, that is, the plagues and punishments which you lay upon the ungodly, are high above his sight; that is, he fears them not, he thinks not of them, he minds them not, he does 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 foreign wars wherein he is not concerned. Others carry the words thus: He casts your judgments 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 judgments 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 seizes upon wicked men, that they easily and usually forget the judgments of God. If God sets in with these eight arguments, they will contribute more to the enabling of you to keep the recent fiery dispensations of God fresh in your memories, than all the pillars of brass or stone in the world. But,
9. The ninth duty which lies upon those whose houses have been burnt up—is to see the vanity, mutability, and uncertainty of all worldly comforts and enjoyments, and accordingly to sit loose from them, and to get their affections weaned from them. 1 Tim. 6:17; 1 John 2:17; Heb. 11:25. Behold, in four days' time a glorious city is turned into a ruinous heap, and a little world of wealth is laid in ashes, and many hundreds of families almost reduced to beggary. And are not these loud sermons of the vanity, mutability, and uncertainty of all earthly things? That is good advice Solomon gives: Proverbs 23:4-5, "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle." [He says not, they take wing—but they sprout them; and not the wings of a hawk, to fly away and to come again to a man's fist—but the wings of an eagle, to fly quite away.]
The only thing certain about riches—is that they are uncertain. Riches, like bad servants, never stay long with one master. Did not the citizens of London see their riches flying away from them upon the wings of the fire and of the wind, when their own and their neighbors' habitations were all in flames? O sirs, what certainty can there be in those things which balls of fire, storms at sea, false oaths, or treacherous friends may in a few days, yes, in a day, an hour, deprive us of? God can soon clap a pair of wings upon all a man has in this world. And therefore he acts safest and wisest, who sits most loose from the things of the world. "Riches are not forever; and the crown does not endure to every generation," Proverbs 27:4. This, Adoni-bezek, Belshazzar, and many other great princes have found by experience, as Scripture and histories do sufficiently testify.
In all the ages of the world the testimony of Solomon holds good: Eccles. 1:2, "Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." The things of this world are not only vain—but vanity in the abstract. They are excessive vanity; vanity of vanities; yes, they are a heap of vanity; vanity of vanities. [All in heaven write 'vanity of vanities' upon all worldly things; and all in hell write 'vanity of vanities' upon all worldly things: and why should not all on earth write 'vanity of vanities' upon all worldly things? 1 Kings 9:13; Gen. 3.] And this the burnt citizens have found by sad experience. The world is all shadow and vanity. The world is like Jonah's gourd, a man may sit under its shadow for a while—but it soon withers, decays, and dies. He who shall but weigh man's pains with his pay, his miseries with his mercies, his sorrows with his joys, his crosses with his comforts, his needs with his enjoyments, etc., may well cry out, Oh the vanity and uncertainty of all these earthly things!
Thus the world in all its bravery is no better than the cities which Solomon gave to Hiram, which he called 'Cabul,' that is, displeasing or dirty. All the great, the mirthful, the glorious things of the world, may fitly be resembled to the fruit that undid us all, which was fair to the sight, smooth in handling, sweet in taste—but deadly in operation.
A man may be happy that is not wealthy; witness Lazarus, and those worthies of whom this world was not worthy, Heb. 11. But how hard a thing is it for a man who is wealthy to be happy: Mat. 19:24, "It is easier for a camel,"—or a thick cable-rope, as some render it—"to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." There are several expositions upon these words.
[1.] First, Some say that there was a little gate in Jerusalem called the Needle's-eye, which was so low and little that it was impossible for a camel to enter in at it with his burden, and therefore when camels came that way they took off their loads, and the camels themselves were forced to stoop before they could pass through the gate. Some think that our Savior alludes to this. But,
[2.] Secondly, Others interpret it of a cable-rope or cord, and then thus they expound the words: A man cannot by any means possible put a cable through a needle's eye—but if he untwist it, he may by thread and thread put it through.
[3.] Thirdly, Others say these words are a proverbial speech, for the Talmud had a proverb, "Are you of Pambeditha, who can cause an elephant to go through a needle's eye?" Those of Pambeditha were great braggers; they would boast to others that they could do very great things and very strange things. Hence came that proverb among them, It is easier to cause an elephant to go through a needle's eye, than to do thus or thus. Now our Savior uses the word camel because he was better known to them. It was usual, say others, with the Jews to say, when difficult matters were promised, Have you been at Pambeditha, where camels go through the eyes of needles? But,
[4.] Fourthly and lastly, The plain and simple meaning of this proverbial speech is doubtless this—namely, that it is as impossible for such a rich man to be saved, who trusts in his riches, and who set a higher price upon his riches than upon Christ, and who will rather part with Christ than part with his riches, and who will rather go to hell rich than to heaven poor—as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. The proverbial speech, say others, notes the difficulty of rich men's being saved.
Hab. 2:6, "Woe to him who ladens himself with thick clay." Thick clay will sooner break a man's back—than satisfy his heart. And oh what a folly and madness is it for a man to be still a-loading of himself with the clay of this world! In Gen. 13:2, it is said that Abraham was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold; the word signifies—he was very heavy, to show that riches, that gold and silver—which is the great God of the world, the paradise, the all in all, the great Diana that all the world magnifies and worships—are but heavy burdens, and rather a hindrance than a help to heaven and happiness. Though the rich man in the Gospel fared and lived like a gentleman, a noble, a knight; yet when he died he went to hell, Luke 16. Though mammon, as Aretius and many others observe, is a Syriac word, and signifies riches—yet Irenaeus derives mammon of mum, that signifies a spot, and hon, that signifies riches; to show that riches have their spots: and yet, oh how in love are men with these spots! how laborious, how industrious are men to add spots to spots, bags to bags, houses to houses, and lands to lands, and estates to estates—as if there were no hell to escape, nor any heaven to make sure of! Isaiah 5:8.
O sirs, the voice of God in that fiery dispensation that has lately passed upon us seems to be this, "O you citizens of London, whose habitations and glory I have laid in dust and ashes, sit loose from this world, and set your affections upon things above! Live in this world as pilgrims and strangers. Remember this is not your resting-place; never more be inordinate in your love to the world, nor in your delight in the world, nor in your pursuit of the world! Col. 3:1; Heb. 11:13; Jer. 1:6; Micah 2:10. Never spend so many thoughts upon the world, nor ever send forth so many wishes after the world, nor ever spend so much precious time to gain the world, as you have formerly done. Take off your thoughts, take off your hearts, take off your hands—from all these uncertain things. Remember it will not be long before you must all go to your long home, and a little of the world will serve you, until you get to heaven. Remember I have burnt up your city, I have poured contempt upon your city, I have stained the pride and glory of your city; so that seeing you have here no continuing city, you may seek one to come, Heb. 13:14. Remember I have destroyed your houses, so that you may make sure a house not made with hands—but one eternal in the heavens, 2 Cor. 5:1. I have taken away your uncertain riches, so that you may make sure more durable riches, Proverbs 8:18. I have spoiled many of your thriving trades, so that you might drive a more thriving trade towards heaven, Phil. 3:20. Oh, that I had no just grounds to be jealous that many who have been great losers by the fire are now more mad upon the world, and more eagerly carried after the world, than ever they have been! as if the great design of God in setting them on fire round about was only to enlarge their desires more after the world, and more effectually to engage them to moil and toil as in the fire, to lay up treasure for another fire to consume. Before I close up this particular, let me offer a few things to your consideration—
[1.] First, Are there none of the burnt citizens who seek the world in the first place—and Christ and heaven in the last place? who are first for earth—and then for heaven? first for the world—and then for Christ? Mat. 6:33; John 6:27; first for the food which perishes—and then for the food which endures unto everlasting life? The old poet's note was, first for money and then for Christ. But,
[2.] Secondly, Are there none of the burnt citizens whose love, and hearts, and affections are running more out after the world than they are after God, and Christ, and the great things of eternity? 1 Tim. 6:9, and Jer. 17:11. Are there none of the burnt citizens who are peremptorily resolved to gain the world, whatever it costs them?
The Gnostics were a sort of professors who made no use of their religion but to their secular advantages, and therefore when the world and their religion stood in competition, they made no scruple, no bones of renouncing their profession to enjoy the world. Oh the deadness, the barrenness, the listlessness, the heartlessness to anything that is divine and heavenly--which always attends such professors who are resolved to be rich, or great, or somebody in the world! Oh the time, the thoughts, the strength, the spirits that these men spend upon the world--while their souls lie a-bleeding, and eternity is posting on upon them! Men who are highly and fully resolved to be rich--will certainly forget God, undervalue Christ, grieve the Spirit, slight ordinances, and neglect such gracious opportunities as might make them happy forever. Rich Felix had no leisure to hear poor Paul, though the hearing of a sermon might have saved his soul, Acts 24:24-25. But,
[3.] Thirdly, Are there none of the burnt citizens who spend the first of their time, and the best of their time, and the most of their time about the things of the world, and who ordinarily put off Christ and their souls with the least, and last, and worst of their time? The world shall freely have many hours, when Christ can hardly get one. Are there none who will have their eating times, and their drinking times, and their sleeping times, and their buying times, and their selling times, and their feasting times, and their sporting times, yes, and their sinning times—who yet can spare no time to hear, or read, or pray, or mourn, or repent, or reform, or to set up Christ in their families, or to wait upon him in their closets? Are there not many who will have time for everything but to honor the Lord, and to secure their interest in Christ, and to make themselves happy forever?
Look! as Pharaoh's lean cows ate up the fat cows, so many now are fallen into such a crowd of worldly business, as eats up all that precious time which should be spent in holy and heavenly exercises.
[4.] Fourthly, Are there none of the burnt citizens who daily prefer the world before Christ; yes, the worst of the world before the best of Christ? The Gergesenes preferred their swine before a Savior; they had rather lose Christ than lose their hogs, Mat. 8:28-34, seq. They had rather that the devil should still possess their souls, than that Jesus should drown their pigs. They preferred their swine before their salvation, and presented a wretched petition for their own damnation. "For they besought him"—who had all love, and life, and light, and grace, and glory, and fullness in himself, Col. 1:19, and 2:3—"that he would depart out of their coasts." Though there is no misery, no plague, no curse, no wrath, no hell, compared to Christ's departure from a people—yet men who are mad upon the world will desire this. [Hosea 9:12. The Reubenites preferred the country that was commodious for the feeding of their cattle, though it were far from the temple, far from the means of grace, before their interest in the land of Canaan.]
Bernard had rather be in his chimney-corner with Christ, than in heaven without him, at so high a rate he valued Christ. There was a godly man who once cried out, "I had rather have one Christ than a thousand worlds!" Another mourned because he could not prize Christ enough. But how few burnt citizens are of these men's minds! It was a sweet prayer of one, "Make your Son dear, very dear, exceeding dear, only dear and precious to me, or not at all." But do all burnt citizens lift up such a prayer? I suppose you have either read or heard of that rich and wretched cardinal who professed that he would not leave his part in Paris, for a part in paradise. But,
[5.] Fifthly, Are there no burnt citizens who follow the world so close, that they gain no good by the word? like Ezekiel's hearers, and like the stony ground, Ezek. 33:31-33, and Mat. 13:22. Some say that nothing will grow where gold grows. Certainly, where an inordinate love of the world grows, there nothing will grow that is good. A heart filled either with the love of the world, or with the profits of the world, or with the pleasures of the world, or with the honors of the world, or with the cares of the world, or with the business of the world—is a heart incapacitated to receive any divine counsel or comfort from the word!
The poets tells us of Lycaon's being turned into a wolf; but when a worldling is wrought upon by the word, there is a wolf turned into a man; yes, an incarnate devil turned into a glorious saint. Therefore the Holy Spirit, speaking of Zaccheus, whose soul was set upon the world, brings him in with an Behold! Luke 19:2, as if it were a wonder of wonders that ever such a worldling should be subdued by grace, and brought in to Christ. But,
[6.] Sixthly, Are there no burnt citizens who are very angry and impatient when they meet with opposition, disappointments, or procrastination in their earnest pursuing after the things of the world? Are there no burnt citizens who are so intent and mad upon the world, that they will hotly seek the world, though the Lord draws, and conscience draws, and the Scriptures draw them away from the world? But,
[7.] Seventhly, Are there no burnt citizens who are grown cold, very cold, yes, even stark cold, in their pursuit after God, and Christ, and heaven, and holiness, who once were for taking the kingdom of heaven by storm, who were so eagerly and earnestly set upon making a prey or a prize of the great things of that upper world, that they were highly and fully resolved to make sure of them, whatever pains or perils they run through? [Mat. 11:12. As a castle or town is taken by storm.] Aristotle observes, that dogs cannot hunt where the smell of sweet flowers is, because the sweet scent diverts the smell. Ah, how has the scent of the sweet flowers of this world hindered many a forward professor from hunting after God and Christ and the great things of eternity! The Arabic proverb says, "That the world is a carcass, and those who hunt after it are dogs." Ah, how many are there who once set their faces towards heaven, who now hunt more after earth than heaven; who hunt more after terrestrial than celestial things; who hunt more after nothingnesses and emptinesses, than they do after those fulnesses and sweetnesses which are in God, in Christ, in the covenant, in heaven, and in those paths which lead to eternal happiness! When one desired to know what kind of man Basil was, there was presented to him in a dream, says the history, a pillar of fire, with this motto, "Basil is such a one, all on a-light fire for God." Before London was in flames, there were some who for a time were all on a-light fire for God, who now are grown either cold, or lukewarm, like the lukewarm Laodiceans, Rev. 3:14, 19. But,
[8.] Eighthly, Are there no burnt citizens whose hearts are filled with solicitous cares, and who are inordinately troubled, grieved, dejected, and overwhelmed upon the account of their recent losses? And what does this speak out but an inordinate love of these earthly things? 2 Cor. 7:10. When Jonah's gourd withered, Jonah was much enraged and dejected, Jonah 4:6, seq. It is said of Adam that he turned his face towards the garden of Eden, and from his heart lamented his fall. Ah, how many are there in this day who, turning their faces towards their recent lost mercies, their lost shops, trades, houses, riches, do so bitterly and excessively lament and mourn, that with Rachel, they refuse to be comforted, Jer. 31:15, and with Jacob, they will go down into the grave mourning! Gen. 37:35. [One cries out, "How shall I live, now that I have lost my trade?" Another cries out, "What shall I do when I am old?" Another cries out, "What shall I and my six children do?" Another cries out, "I have but a handful of meal in the barrel, and a little oil in the cruse, and when that is spent I must lie down and die!" 1 Kings 17:12, etc.]
Heraclitus the philosopher was always weeping; but such a frame of spirit is no honor to God, nor no ornament to religion. (1.) There is a holy sadness, which arises from the sense of our sins and our Savior's sufferings: this is commendable. (2.) There is a natural sadness, which sometimes arises from sickness; weakness, and indisposition of body; this is to be pitied and cured. (3.) There is a sinful sadness, which usually is very furious, and has no ears, and is rather cured by miracle than precept. This usually flows from the loss of such near and dear comforts upon which men have inordinately set their hearts, and in the enjoyment of which they have promised themselves no small felicity. Oh, that such sad souls would seriously remember that there is nothing beyond remedy—but the tears of the damned! A man who may, notwithstanding all his losses and crosses, be found walking in the way to paradise, should never place himself in the condition of a little hell. And he who may or can hope for that great-all, ought not to be excessively sad for any losses or crosses which he meets with in this world. But,
[9.] Ninthly, Are there no burnt citizens who, to gain the world, do very easily and frequently fall down before the temptations of the world? And what does this speak out—but their inordinate love to the world? That man who is as soon conquered as tempted, vanquished as assaulted by the world—that man is doubtless in love with the world, yes, bewitched by the world. Num. 22:15-23; Josh. 7:20-22; Jude 11. The champions could not wring an apple out of Milo's hand by strong hand—but a fair maid by fair means got it immediately. The easy conquests that the temptations of the world make upon many men, is a fair and a full evidence that their hearts are greatly endeared to it. Luther was a man weaned from the world; and therefore when honors, preferments, and riches were offered to him, he despised them. Just so, when Basil was tempted with money and preferment, he answered, "The fashion of this world passes away, as the waters of a river that runs by a city, or as a fair picture drawn upon the ice, that melts away with it." "Give money," said he, "that may last forever, and glory that may eternally flourish." [In Queen Mary's time, when some offered a certain martyr money, he refused it, saying, "I am going to a country where money will be worthless."]
I have read of a godly Christian, who being tempted with offers of money to desert his religion, gave this excellent answer, "Let not any think that he will embrace other men's goods to forsake Christ, who has forsaken his own proper goods to follow Christ." It was an excellent answer of one of the martyrs, when he was offered riches and honors if he would recant, "Do but offer me something that is better than my Lord Jesus Christ, and I will consider your offer." Thus you see that men who are crucified to this world do not only resist—but also triumph over all the glittering temptations of a tempting and enticing world. And oh, that such a spirit might rest upon all those whose habitations are laid desolate But,
[10.] Tenthly and lastly, Are there no burnt citizens who go to the utmost of their line and liberty, for the gaining of the things of this world? Ah, how near the pit's 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 of this world! And what does this speak out—but an inordinate love of this world? O sirs, what do all these things evidence—but this, that though God has fired many men out of 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 these ten maxims—
[1.] First, That the shortest, surest, and safest way to be rich, is to be content with your present portion, Eccles. 5:12. The philosopher could say, "He who is content lacks nothing; and he who lacks contentment enjoys nothing."
"One might have riches—yet be very poor;
One might have little—yet have all and more."
[2.] Secondly, He who is not contented with a little, will never be satisfied with much. He who is not content with pounds, will never be satisfied with hundreds; and he who is not content with a few hundreds, will never be satisfied with many thousands: ["Much treasure stops not a miser's mouth," says the proverb.] "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income." Ecclesiastes 5:10. Money of itself, cannot satisfy 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 a 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 satisfy the mind. There is many a worldling who has enough of the world to sink him, who will never have enough of the world to satisfy him. The more a hydropical man drinks, the more he thirsts. Just so, the more money is increased—the more the love of money is increased; and the more the love of money is increased—the more the soul is unsatisfied. It is only an infinite God, and an infinite good, which can fill and satisfy the precious and immortal soul of man, Gen. 15:1.
Look! as nothing fits the ear but sounds, and as nothing fits the smell but odors, so nothing fits the soul but God. Nothing below the great God can fit and fill an immortal soul. Nothing can content the soul of man, but the fruition of God. Nature has taught all men to seek after a summum bonum—a highest good. God never rested until he made man; and man can never rest until he enjoys his God. Every man has a soul within him of a vast capacity, and nothing can fill it to the brim but he who is fullness itself. Should we knock at every creature's door for happiness, they would all answer us, "that happiness 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, hoping among all he should not miss of happiness; and yet he missed of it. The soul of man is of so glorious a make, that nothing below him who made it can satisfy it. The sum of all that the creatures amount to, according to Solomon's reckoning, is vanity and vexation of spirit. Vanity and vexation is the very quintessence of the creature, and all that can possibly be extracted out of it. Now if vanity can satisfy, or if vexation can give contentment; if you can gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles, then go on and dote upon the world still, and be always enamored 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,
[3.] Thirdly, It 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 of the world in our hands, and but a little of God and Christ in our hearts, 2 Cor. 6:10. It is infinitely better to be rich towards God, and poor towards the world, than to be poor towards God, and to be rich towards the world. There are some very rich, who yet are very poor; there are others who are very poor, and yet are very rich, Eccles. 5:12; Proverbs 11:24. It is infinitely better to be poor men and rich Christians, than to be rich men and poor Christians. But,
[4.] 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. "So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for--both riches and honor--so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings." 1 Kings 3:9-13. This is more generally and fully expressed in 2 Chron. 1:11-12, "God said to Solomon, "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have." Solomon desired wisdom of the Lord, and the Lord granted him his desire—and cast in riches, and wealth, and honor to boot—which he did not so much as once desire.
God won't be lacking to them in temporals, who in their desires and prayers are most carried out after spirituals! [The short cut to riches is by their contempt: it is great riches not to desire riches. "He has most that covets least," say Socrates and Seneca.] Mat. 6:33, "First seek the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be 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 to boot—as an extra handful into the sack of grain, or an extra inch to an ell of cloth, or as paper and packthread is thrown 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 raiment as well as righteousness; and the lower springs as well as the upper springs—to be found in the precious promises, 2 Pet. 1:4. Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph, and Job, and Nehemiah, and Mordecai, and David, and Hezekiah, and Josiah, and Jehoshaphat, 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 glorify God—and you know how the Lord heaped up the good things and the great things of this world upon them. I truly believe, that 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 carried out in seeking after the great things of this world, it is just with God to blast their endeavors, and to curse their mercies to them, Jer. 45:5; Mal. 2:2. But,
[5.] Fifthly, It is better to get a little of the world, than to get much of the world; it 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 blessed by God—is better than much of the world cursed by God. Solomon's dinner of green herbs, Daniel's vegetables, barley loaves, and a few fishes, and John's rough garment—blessed; are better and greater mercies than Dives' riches, purple robes, and dainty fare—cursed, Gen. 22; Proverbs 3:33, and 15:17; Dan. 1. But,
[6.] Sixthly, The greatest outward gain cannot offset the least spiritual loss, Psalm 30:6-7; be it but a grain of grace, or a cast of God's countenance, or an hour's communion with him, etc. Suppose a man could heap up silver as the dust, and gold as the streams of the brook, that he could gain as much as the devil promised Christ—namely, all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; yet all these could not make up the least spiritual loss, Job 22:24, and 27:16; Mat. 4:1-11. He who shall exchange the least spiritual favor for the greatest outward good, shall but, with Glaucus and Diomedes, exchange gold for copper; he shall, with the rooster in the fable, part with a diamond for a grain of barley. Chrysostom compares such to workers in mines, who, for a little wages, do always hazard, and sometimes lose their lives. Menot, a French preacher, compares them to a huntsman, who ruins an expensive horse, in pursuit of a worthless rabbit. Pareus compares them to a man who with much ado wins 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 has gained and what he has lost, he will certainly conclude that he has but a miserable bargain of it. But,
[7.] The seventh maxim is this—namely, A little that a righteous man has, is better than the riches of many wicked, Psalm 37:16, "Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked." The righteous man's mite is better than the wicked man's millions. "A little," that is, a necessary and lowly portion, though yet but very little; one little piece of gold is more worth than a bag of pennies; one little box of diamonds is more worth than many loads of pebbles. And so a little that a righteous man has 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, Luke 16:9, 11, 13. The little that the righteous man has, 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 man's portion, and the wicked man's portion, as to this world; the righteous man has but little, the wicked has much.
(2.) The righteous man has but little—but the wicked has riches.
(3.) The righteous man's little, is a better portion than the riches of the wicked.
(4.) The righteous man's little, is better than the multitude of riches that the wicked have.
(5.) The righteous man's 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—
[1.] First, The righteous man has a better tenure to his little, than wicked men have to their multitude of riches. The righteous man holds his tenure by virtue of his marriage-union with Christ, who is the heir of all things, Heb. 1:2. We had an 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 enjoys: Romans 8:32, "How shall he not with him, also freely give us all things?" 1 Cor. 3:21, "All things are yours! whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future--all are yours!" But how come they to be interested in this large charter? the apostle answers it in verse 23, "You are Christ's; and Christ is God's." All comes to us by Jesus Christ. All the grain in Egypt came through Joseph's hands, Gen. 41. Just so, all we have, be it little or much, we have it through Christ's hands, upon the account of our marriage-union with Christ. We may say, as Hamor and Shechem said to their people, "Shall not all their cattle, and substance, and every beast of the field, be ours?" Gen. 34:23. Just so, being married to Christ, and become one with him, all comes to be ours, through him who is the heir of all. By virtue of our marriage-union with Christ, our title to the creatures is not only restored—but strengthened.
That little we have, is bestowed upon us by Christ, in a more firm and better way than ever. In the first Adam our tenure was lower, and baser, and more uncertain than now it is; for our title, our tenure by Christ, is more honorable, and stronger, and sweeter, and more lasting than ever it was before. For now we hold all we have in Christ. Christ is our head and husband, and by him we hold all we have.
[2.] Secondly, That little a righteous man has, he has through the covenant and through precious promises, 2 Peter 1:4. Now a little mercy reached out to a man through the covenant, and as a fruit of the promise—is more worth than a world of blessings which flow in upon a man merely by a general providence. There are no mercies so sweet, so sure, so firm, so lasting—as those which flow in upon us through the covenant of grace. Oh, this sweetens every drop, and sip, and crust, and crumb of mercy, which a godly man enjoys: "All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to such as keep his covenant," Psalm 25:10. This is a sweet promise, a precious promise, a soul-satisfying promise, a promise more worth than all the riches of the Indies. Mark, all the paths of the Lord to his people are not only mercy—but they are mercy and truth; that is, they are sure mercies that stream in upon them through the covenant. [Consult these scriptures: Joshua 23:14-15, and 1 Tim. 4:8.]
Well, sirs, you must remember this—that the least mercy, the least blessing flowing in upon us through the promise, is more worth than a thousand blessings that flow in upon us from a general providence. The least blessing flowing in upon us through the covenant, is better than ten thousand blessings which are the mere products of a general providence. For,
First, Such as enjoy all they have only from a general providence, they enjoy their mercies from that common source or spring that feeds the birds of the air and the beasts of the field, Psalm 145:15-16. The same common bounty of God which feeds and clothes the wicked—feeds the birds and beasts which perish. But,
Secondly, There is no certainty of the continuance of such mercies which are only the product of a common providence, Isaiah 33:16; but now the mercies which flow in upon the saints through the covenant of grace, they shall be sure to us—so long as the continuance of them may be for our good and God's glory, chapter 55:3. Now the least mercies held by covenant are infinitely better than the greatest riches in the world, which only drop upon us out of the hand of a common providence.
Thirdly, The righteous man has his little, from the special love and favor of God. All his little flows in upon him from that very same love which moved the Lord to bestow Christ upon him, Psalm 146:8, and Proverbs 15:17. All the righteous man's little, comes from a reconciled God as well as a bountiful God; from a tender Father as well as a merciful Creator. A dinner of green herbs, Daniel's vegetables, barley loaves, a few fishes, yes, Lazarus' scraps, crusts, and rags, and John's garment of camel's hair—from the love of a reconciled God—is infinitely better than all the riches and dainties of the wicked, which are all mixed and mingled with crosses and curses. All the mercies and abundance which wicked men have—is in wrath and from wrath; there is wrath in every cup they drink in, and in every dish they eat in, and in every bed they lie on, and in every stool they sit on, Proverbs 3:33; Mal. 2:2; Psalm 78:30-31. But the little the righteous man has, flows from the sweetest springs of divine love; so that they may well say as Gideon did, "The gleanings of the grapes of Ephraim, is it not better than the vintage of Abiezer?" Judges 8:2. The very gleanings of the righteous, are better than the greatest vintages of the wicked. The abundance of the wicked, flows in upon them from the bitter streams of divine wrath. A little water flowing from a sweet spring is much better than a great deal that flows from the salt sea. The loving-kindness of God does raise the least estate above the greatest estate in the world; yes, it raises it above life itself—which is the best of all temporal blessings, Psalm 63:3. Ten pounds given by a king out of favor and respect, is a better gift than a thousand given in wrath and displeasure. But,
Fourthly, The little that the righteous man has, is blessed and sanctified to him, as you may see by comparing these scriptures together. [Deut. 28:8-9; P. 3:8; Gen. 22:17, and 26:12; Proverbs 10:22; Deut. 28:16-20; Proverbs 3:33; Mal. 2:2.] A little blessed unto a man, is better than all the world cursed unto him. Now all the blessings and mercies that the wicked do enjoy, though they are materially blessings—yet they are formally curses; as all the crosses that befalls a righteous man, though they are materially crosses—yet they are formally blessings. The habitations, relations, honors, riches, etc., of the wicked are all cursed unto them. There is poison in every cup the wicked man drinks, and snares in every dish he puts his fingers in, the plague in all the clothes he wears, and a curse upon the house in which he dwells: Zech. 5:3-4, "Then he said unto me, "This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished. The Lord Almighty declares, 'I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. It will remain in his house and destroy it, both its timbers and its stones.'" So Job 24:18, "Their portion is cursed in the earth." Ps 106:15, "He sent leanness into their souls." All the blessings of the wicked have their but, as the cup in Benjamin's sack, which proved a snare to him rather than a mercy. Oh the curses and vexations which attend all the blessings of the wicked!
It may be said of the "little that a righteous man has," Proverbs 3:33, as it was once said of Jacob's garment, "It is like a field which the Lord has blessed. He blesses the habitations of the just." Esau had a fair estate left him, and Jacob a less; yet Jacob's was a better estate than Esau's, because his little was blessed to him, when Esau's much was cursed to him. One little draught of clear water, is better than a sea of brackish salt water. The application is easy. But,
Fifthly, A little improved and well improved, is better than a great deal which is either not improved or but ill improved. Every estate is as it is improved. A little farm well improved, is much better than a great farm which is either not improved or ill improved. A little money, a little stock in a shop well improved, is better than a great deal of money, a great stock, that is either not improved or ill improved. Now here give me permission to show you briefly how a godly man improves his little. Take me thus—
FIRST, A godly man improves his little to the stirring up of his heart to thankfulness, and to be much in admiring and blessing of God for a little. Every drop the dove drinks he lifts up his head to heaven. Every bird in his kind, says Ambrose, does chirp forth thankfulness to his Maker. Just so, the righteous man will bless God much for a little; yes, he will bless God very much for a very little, Psalm 103:1-3, and 116:12-13. But,
SECONDLY, A righteous man improves his little to the humbling and abasing of himself before the Lord, as one who is much below the least of mercies: Gen. 32:10, "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies which you have showed unto your servant," 2 Sam. 7:18. A righteous man labors to have his heart lie low under the sense of the least sin, and under the smart of the least rod, and under the sight of the least mercy. But,
THIRDLY, A righteous man improves his little to the arming and fencing of himself against sinful temptations. Little mercies are many times great arguments to keep a gracious soul from sin, Gen. 39:7-10. But,
FOURTHLY, A righteous man improves his little to the relief and refreshing of others who are in need, and whose pinching necessities call for supplies, 2 Cor. 8:1-4; Heb. 6:10. A poor man begging at a Christian's door who was very poor, he spoke to his wife to give him something; she answered that she had but threepence in the house; says he, "give him that, for if we never sow, we shall never reap." There was another Christian who having given a little of his little to a man, began to think whether he had injured himself; but presently he corrected himself with these thoughts, that he had lent it one that would pay all again with advantage, with interest upon interest; within an hour after he had it restored above sevenfold, in a way which he never thought of. But,
FIFTHLY, A righteous man improves his little to the stirring up and provoking of his own heart to look after better and greater mercies—namely, spiritual and eternal favors. "Oh," says the righteous man, "if there be so much sweetness in a few drops, and sips, and small draughts, and crusts, and scraps—what is in those everlasting springs of pleasure and delight which are at God's right hand!" Psalm 16:11; John 4:10-11, 14, and 6:4; Rev. 19:8. "If there be so much pleasantness in a piece of bread, and so much warmth in a coarse 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 linen, that is the righteousness of the saints!" etc. A righteous man looks upon his least temporals to be a strong engagement upon him to seek after eternals. But now 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, Mat. 25, or else they prove jailers to their mercies, and make them servants to their lusts, pride, drunkenness, uncleanness, etc. Compare these scriptures together: Job 21:1-10; Amos 6:1-7; Psalm 73; Hosea 4:7; Jer. 2:31, and 5:7-9; Deut. 32:13-18; James 5:1-6. But,
SIXTHLY, The few mercies, the least mercies which the righteous man has, are pledges of more mercies, of better mercies, and of greater mercies than any which they now enjoy. Now a farthing given as a pledge 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 that you in your lifetime received your good things," Psalm 17:14; Luke 16:25. But now that little that a godly man has, he has it as a pledge of heaven, and of eternal favors 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 inlets to further mercies. When Rachel had a son, she called his name Joseph, saying, "The Lord shall add to me another son," Gen. 30:24. Every mercy that a righteous man enjoys may well be called Joseph, because it is a certain pledge of some further and greater mercy, which is to be added to those which the righteous man already enjoys. But,
SEVENTHLY, The righteous man enjoys his little, with a great deal of comfort, peace, quiet, and contentment. The righteous man with his little, sits Noah-like, quiet and still in the midst of all the hurries, distractions, dilemmas, and confusions which are in the world, Phil. 4:12-13; Proverbs 10:22, and 15:16-17. Though the righteous man has but necessities from hand to mouth—yet seeing that God feeds him from heaven as it were with manna—he is quiet and cheerful. But wicked men have abundance of vexation with their worldly abundance: as you see in Haman, Esther 5:9-13, "Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king's gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home. Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. "And that's not all," Haman added. "I'm the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king's gate!" Esther 5:9-13. [If I had an enemy, says Latimer, to whom I might lawfully wish evil, I would chiefly wish him great store of riches; for then he would never enjoy quietness.]
It is seldom seen that God allows contentment unto the greatest darlings of the world. They always have something to complain of, which shall give an unsavory taste to their sweetest morsels, and make their felicity miserable. It was not simply Mordecai's sitting at the king's gate—but Mordecai's refusing to stand up, or to move either hat, head, or hand, or to bow any part of his body, which damped all Haman's joy, and which filled him with rage and vexation of spirit.
The lack of little things—such as a pin or a hat—will exceedingly vex and discompose a worldly spirit. Just so, Ahab, though a king—yet when he was sick for Naboth's vineyard, his heart did more afflict and vex itself with greedy longing for that bit of earth, than the vast and spacious compass of a kingdom could counter-comfort, 1 Kings 21:4. 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 Babylon.
Contentment is a flower which does not grow in nature's garden. All the honors, riches, pleasures, profits, and preferments of this world cannot yield a worldly man, one day's contentment; they are all surrounded with briers 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, emperor of Germany, whom of all men the world judged most happy, cried out at last with grief and detestation to all his honors, pleasures, trophies, riches: "Get you hence; let me hear no more of you!"
Who can sum up the many grievances, fears, jealousies, disgraces, interruptions, temptations, and vexations—which men meet with in their very pursuit after the things of this world! Oh how sweet is it to lack these bitter-sweets! 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 its glory, is like a beautiful harlot: a paradise to the eye—but painfulness to the soul. A wicked man under all his enjoyments,
(1.) Enjoys not the peace of his conscience upon any just or solid grounds.
(2.) He enjoys not the peace of contentment upon any sober or righteous grounds. But a righteous man, with his little, enjoys both peace of conscience and peace of contentment; and this makes every bitter sweet, and every little sweet to be exceeding sweet. A dish of green herbs, 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 enjoys God in his little, Job 1:21; Gen. 27:28, and 33:10-11. Look! as he who cannot see God in the least affliction, in the least judgment, will never be truly humbled; so he who cannot see God in the least mercy will never be truly thankful nor cheerful. In every crust, crumb, drop, and sip of mercy which a righteous man enjoys, 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 be found in all that history." So a righteous man is ready to let that mercy drop out of his hand, out of his mouth, wherein he cannot read his God, and see his God, and taste his God, and enjoy his God. But now wicked men may say, as Elisha did in another case, "Here is the mantle of Elijah—but where is the God of Elijah? Here is abundance of riches and honors and dignities, etc.—but where is the God of all these comforts?" 2 Kings 2:14. 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 these scriptures together. [Hosea 2:5, 8-9; Isaiah 1:3-4; Jer. 2:6; Esther 5:10-12; Luke 12:19.]
Wicked men are like the the mule which drinks from the brook—but never think of the spring. They are like to the swine which eats up the fruit—but never looks to the tree from whence the fruit falls. They are like such barren ground that swallows up the seed—but returns nothing to the sower. I have read of a great cardinal, who, writing down in his diary what such a noble did for him, and how far such a prince favored 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 has is enough; enough to satisfy him, enough to content him, enough to meet his necessities until he gets to heaven, Psalm 23:1-2: Phil. 4:12-13; 1 Tim. 6:6: Gen. 33:11, "I have enough," says Jacob to Esau: Gen. 45:28, "Israel said, it is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive." Though the righteous man has but little—yet he has enough for his place and calling in which God has placed him, and enough for his necessities, whether it be great or small; he has enough to satisfy nature, enough to preserve natural life. [If you live according to nature, you will never be poor. If you live according to popular opinion, you will never be rich.]
"Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread." Proverbs 30:8. Agur asks only for daily bread, necessary for his life--not for his lusts. He prays for enough to satisfy necessity--not luxury. He asks for bread--not for delicacies. He begs that nature may be sustained--not pampered. A little will satisfy nature, and less will satisfy grace; yet nothing will satisfy a wicked man's lusts!
Jacob vows that the Lord should be his God, if he would but give him bread to eat, and raiment to put on. This was the first holy vow that ever we read of; hence Jacob is called the father of vows, Gen. 28:20-21. He begs not dainties to feed him, nor silks nor satins to clothe him; but bread to feed him, though never so coarse, and clothes to cover him, though never so mean. Job is only for necessary food, ["He is rich enough—who lacks not bread; and high enough in dignity—who is not forced to serve." Jerome. John 6:9-15; 1 Kings 17:12, and 3:4-6; Proverbs 30:15-16; Psalm 17:14.] Job 23:12. A little will satisfy a temperate Christian. Luther made many a meal of bread and a red herring; and Junius made many a meal of bread and an egg. Nature laps only, like those three hundred soldiers, Judges 7:6. When Christ fed the people graciously, miraculously--he did not feed them with delicacies. He fed them with barley loaves and fish--a frugal, temperate, sober diet. If the handful of meal in the barrel, and the oil in the cruse does not fail, and if the brook and the running water do not fail, Elijah can be well enough contented.
But wicked men never have enough, they are never satisfied. They are like those four things that Solomon speaks of, which are never satisfied—namely, the grave, the barren womb, the earth, and the fire. That is an observable passage of the psalmist, "You fill their bellies with your hidden treasures." To a worldly wicked man all these outward things are but a bellyful; and how soon is the belly emptied after it is once filled! Though rich men have riches enough to sink them—yet they have never enough to satisfy them. Like him who wished for a thousand sheep in his flock, and when he had them, he wished for other cattle 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 conquer: "The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing." "He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance with increase," Eccles. 1:8, and 5:10.There is enough in silver and abundance, to vex and fret the soul of man--but not to satisfy the soul of man.
God himself is the only center of centers, and as the soul can never rest until it returns to him, as the dove to the ark, so it can never be filled, stilled, or satisfied—but in the enjoyment of him. [The poor heathen could say, "I desire neither more nor less than enough. For one can as well die from excess—as from hunger."] 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 it is impossible for all the pleasure and glory of this world to give absolute satisfaction to the soul of man.
Solomon, the wisest prince who ever sat upon a throne, after his most diligent, critical, and impartial search into all the creatures, gives this as the sum total of his inquiries, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." And how then can any of these things, yes, all these things heaped up together, satisfy the soul of man! Hab. 2:5, "He is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples." This is spoken of the king of Babylon, who had gathered to him all nations and people, yes, and all their vast treasures also, Isaiah 10:13, "By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings. As one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations; as men gather abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp." And yet for all this, he could not be satisfied. The desires of worldlings are boundless and endless, and there is no satisfying of them. It is not all the gold of Ophir, or Peru, nor all the pearls or mines of India; it is not Joseph's chains, nor David's crowns, nor Haman's honors, nor Daniel's dignities, nor Dives' riches—which can satisfy an immortal soul.
TENTHLY, The little that the righteous man has is more stable, durable, and lasting, than the riches of the wicked; and therefore his little is better than their much, his mite is better than their millions, Job 5:20-22. Psalm 34:9-10, "Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." Those who are separated from the world's lusts—can live with a little. Such as set up God as the object of their fear, have no cause to fear the lack of anything. When David was a captive among the Philistines, he lacked nothing. Paul had nothing, and yet possessed all things, 2 Cor. 6:10. A godly man may lack many good things that he thinks to be good for him—but he shall never lack any good thing that the Lord knows to be good for him, Heb. 13:5, 6; Proverbs 10:3.
We do not esteem of tenure for life as we do of freehold, because life is a most uncertain thing. Ten pound a year forever is better than a hundred in hand. All the promises are God's bonds, and a Christian may put them in suit when he will, and hold God to his word; and that not only for his spiritual and eternal life—but also for his natural life, his temporal life; but the wicked cannot do so. The temporal estate of the wicked is seldom long-lived, as you may see by comparing these scriptures together. [Proverbs 10:3; Psalm 37:34-36; Jer. 17:11; Job 20:20, seq.]
Alexander the Great, conqueror of the world, caused to be painted on a table a sword in the compass of a wheel, showing thereby that what he had gotten by the sword was subject to be turned about the wheel of providence. There is no more hold to be had of riches, honors, or preferments, than Saul had of Samuel's lap. They do but like the rainbow show themselves in all their dainty colors, and then vanish away. There are so many sins, and so many crosses, and so many curses, which usually attend the riches of the wicked, that it is very rare to see their estates long lived. Hence their great estates are compared to the chaff, which a puff of wind disperses; to the grass, which the scorching sun quickly withers; to the tops of corn, which are soon cut off; and to the unripe grape: Job 15:33, "He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree shedding its blossoms." Every day's experience confirms us in this truth. But,
ELEVENTHLY and lastly—The little that the righteous man has, is better than the riches of the wicked, in respect of his last reckoning, in respect of his last accounts. God will never call his children in the great day, either to the book or to the bar, for the mercies that he has given them, be they few or be they many, be they great or be they small. Though the clothier brings his customer to the book for what he has, and for what he wears—yet he never brings his child to the book for what he has and for what he wears. Though the innkeeper brings his guests to the bar for the provisions they have—yet he never bring their children to the bar for the provisions they make for them. In the great day, the Lord will take an exact account of all the good that his children have done for others, Mat. 25—but he will never bring them to an account for what he has done for them. Christ in this great day will,
(1.) Remember all the individual offices of love and friendship that has been showed to any of his members.
(2.) He will mention many good things which his children did, which they themselves never realized, verse 37.
(3.) The least and lowest acts of love and pity that have been showed to Christ's suffering servants, shall be interpreted as a special kindness showed to himself, verse 40.
(4.) The recompense that Christ will give to his people in that day shall be exceeding great, verse 44, 46. Here is no calling of them to the book or to the bar, to give an account for the mercies that they were entrusted with. But oh the sad, the great accounts that the wicked have to give up for all their lands and lordships, for all their honors, offices, dignities, and riches! "To whom much is given, much shall be required," Luke 12:48. Christ in the great day will reckon with all the grandees of the world for every thousand, for every hundred, for every pound, yes, for every penny that he has entrusted them with. All princes, nobles, and people who are not interested in the Lord Jesus, shall be brought to the book, to the bar, in the great day, to give an account of all they have received and done in the flesh, Rev. 6:15-17; Luke 16:2; Eccles. 12:14. But Christ's darlings shall then be the only welcome guests: Mat. 25:34, "Then shall the King say to them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Before the world was founded the saints were crowned in God's eternal counsel. Here is no mention made of the book or the bar—but of a kingdom, a crown, a diadem.
Now by these eleven arguments it is most evident that the little that the righteous man has is better than the riches of the wicked. The righteous man's mite is better than the wicked man's millions. [Some of the more refined heathen have had some kind of dread and fear in their spirits upon the consideration of a day of account, as the writings of Plato and Tully, etc., do sufficiently evidence.] But,
[8.] The eighth maxim that I shall lay down, to put a stop to your too eager pursuit after the things of this world, is this, namely—That the life of man consists not in the enjoyment of these earthly things, which he is so apt inordinately to desire. Luke 12:15, "And he said unto them—Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Whether we consider man's life in the length and continuance of it, or in the comfort of it—it consists not in riches; for no man lives a day longer or merrier for his riches. Though possessions are useful to sustain life—yet no man is able to prolong his life, or to make it anything more happy or comfortable to him, by possessing more than he needs or uses. It is not the golden crown which can cure the headache, nor the velvet slipper which can ease a man of the gout, nor the purple robe that can fray away a burning fever. Mark, the life of man is so far from consisting in the enjoyment of these earthly things, that many times they hasten a man to his eternal home, Jer. 17:11. Many a man's coffer has hastened him to his coffin; and as many a man has lost his finger for his ring's sake, so many a man has lost his life for his purse's sake.
In all the ages of the world many a man has deeply suffered for his means. Naboth lost his life for his vineyard's sake, 1 Kings 21. Quintus Aurelius, in the days of Sylla, lost his life by reason of his lands. Many a man's means have hanged him. Many a man has deeply suffered for his means' sake. The Romans ripped up the bellies of the Jews to search for gold. When Zelimus, emperor of Constantinople, had taken Egypt, he found a great deal of treasure there; and the soldiers asking of him what they should do with the citizens of Egypt, having found a great treasure among them; "Oh," says the emperor, "hang them all up, for they are too rich to be made slaves!"] The American Indians would have been more safe, had they had less gold: they thought gold was the Spaniards' God. But how the Spaniards played the devil to get their gold, I shall not at this time take pleasure to relate.
Now if our temporal life consists not in any of these earthly things, then certainly our spiritual life consists not in any of these earthly things. For what pious duty is there that a believer cannot do, though he has neither money in his bag nor dainties on his table. And as our spiritual life consists not in any of these earthly things, so our eternal life consists not in any of these earthly things: for as all the treasures of this world cannot bring a soul to heaven, so they cannot keep a soul from dropping down to hell. But,
[9.] The ninth maxim that I shall lay down to put a stop to your too eager pursuit after the things of this world, is this—namely, That there is no rest to be found in any earthly enjoyments. Rest is the center at which all intellectual natures, as well as natural bodies, aim at. A man who is inordinately in love with the world can never be at rest. The drunkard sometimes rests from his cups, and the unclean person from his filthiness, and the swearer from his oaths, and the idolater from his idols—but the worldling is never at rest; his head and heart are still a-plodding and a-plotting how to get, and how to keep, the things of this world.
Eccles. 5:12, "The sleep of the laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep." [He who is rich in conscience, says Austin, sleeps more soundly than he who is richly clothed in purple, Luke 12:20.] These three vultures—care of getting, fear of keeping, and grief of losing—feed day and night upon the heart of a rich and wretched worldling, so that his sleep departs from him. Sometimes his abundance lies like a lump of lead heavy upon his heart, so that he cannot rest. Sometimes his conscience does so lash, and lance, and gall him for what he has got by indirect ways and means, that he cannot sleep. Sometimes God himself will not allow him to sleep. Sometimes God shows him the handwriting upon the wall, Dan. 5:5-6; sometimes he terrifies him with dreams, and sometimes he throws handfuls of hell-fire in his face, as once he did into Judas's, Mat. 26:24; and this hinders his rest. Sometimes by their excessive eating and drinking, their gluttony, their delicious fare, they overcharge nature, which causes indigestion and malignant vapors, whereby sleep is wholly removed, or else much disturbed. Earthly riches are an evil master, a treacherous servant, fathers of flattery, sons of grief, a cause of fear to those who have them, and a cause of sorrow to those who lack them; and therefore what rest is there to be found in the enjoyment of them? [Augustine.]
All the good things of this world have more or less of the thorn in them; and therefore what rest can they give? Achan's golden wedge proved a wedge to cleave him, and his garment a garment to shroud him. In Spain they lived happily until fire made some mountains vomit gold; but what miserable discords have followed ever since! It is only heaven, which is above all winds and storms and tempests. God has not cast man out of one paradise, for him to think to find out another paradise in this world. But,
[10.] The tenth and last maxim that I shall lay down to put a stop to your too eager pursuit after the things of this world, is this—namely, That it is a very high point of Christian wisdom and prudence, always to look upon the good things and the great things of this world as a man will certainly look upon them when he comes to die. Oh, 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 who looks upon the world while 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 enamored with the world.
I have read of a man, who, lying in a burning fever, professed 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, oh, that these ten maxims may be so blessed to the reader as to crucify the world to him, and him unto the world! Gal. 6:14. Fix your heart on God, let him be your portion; fix your affections upon Christ, he is your redemption; fix your affections on heaven, let that be your mansion. Oh take that counsel, "Love not the world, nor the things of the world," 1 John 2:15. Mark, he does 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 does 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 does 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 permission to premise these three things—
[1.] First, It is lawful to desire earthly things, so far as they may be furtherances of us in our journey to heaven. [As Mr. Tyndale the martyr said, "I desire these earthly things so far as they may be helps to the keeping of God's commandments."] As a passenger when he comes to a deep river desires a boat—but not for the boat's sake—but that he may pass over the river; or as the traveler desires his inn, not for the inn's sake—but as it is a help, a furtherance to him in his journey homewards; or as the patient desires medicine, not for medicine's sake—but in order to his health. Just 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,
[2.] Secondly, We may desire earthly things in subordination to the will of God. "Lord, if it is your pleasure, give me this and that earthly comfort; yet not my will—but your will be done. Lord, you are the wise physician of bodies, souls, and nations: if it may stand with your glory, give your sick patient life, health, and strength; yet not my will—but your will be done." But,
[3.] Thirdly, We may desire such a measure of earthly things, and such a number of earthly things, as may be suitable to the place, calling, relation, and condition wherein the providence of God has set us, Proverbs 30:8-9, and 1 Tim. 6:8. A few of these earthly things, may be sufficient to the order, place, calling, and of life wherein some men are placed—but not sufficient for a king, a noble, a magistrate, a general, etc. These must have their counselors, their guards, variety of attendance, and variety of the creatures, etc. 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 master, the child than the father, the peasant than the prince, etc. The too eager pursuit of most men after the things of this world, to make up the losses that they sustained by the fire, has been the true cause why I have insisted so largely upon this ninth duty which we are to learn by that fiery dispensation that has passed upon us.
10. The tenth duty which lies upon those whose houses have been 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 hearts, that you do not charge the Lord foolishly, because he has brought you under his fiery rod, Mal. 2:15.
Job 1:16, "While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and has burnt up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them, and I only am escaped alone to tell you;" verse 22, "In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." The fire of God, that is, a great, fierce, and dreadful fire that fell from heaven and consumed Job's sheep and servants, was a more dreadful judgment than all the former judgments 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 anything 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 foul liar. For Job sinned not in thought, word, or deed; Job did neither speak nor do anything that was dishonorable to God, or a reproach to his religion, or a wound to his conscience. Under this fiery trial 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 behaves well towards God. Certainly Job had a great deal of God within him, which kept him from sinning under such great and grievous sufferings.
O sirs, it is a far greater mercy to be kept from sinnings under our sufferings, than it is to be delivered from the greatest sufferings. Job's heart was so well seasoned with grace, that he would admit of no insolent or unsavory thoughts of God, or of his severest providences: "In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly," or with folly. Some refer the former part of this verse to the mind, and the latter to the mouth; showing that Job, though he had lost all, neither thought in his heart, nor uttered with his mouth, anything unfit and unworthy of God. The meek, humble, patient, and gracious behavior of Job under all his severe losses and crosses is here owned, renowned, crowned, and chronicled by God himself. [Proverbs 6:16-17; Jer. 49:4; Romans 1:18; Heb. 6:6; Eph. 4:30; Mat. 26:15; Psalm 30:6-7; 49:1-2; Mal. 2:2; Jer. 4:18.]
O sirs, sinning is worse than suffering; it is better to see a people bleeding than blaspheming, burning than cursing; for by men's sins God is dishonored—but by their sufferings God is glorified. Oh, that the Christian reader would seriously consider of these twelve things—
(1.) That there is nothing that the great God hates—but sin.
(2.) That there is nothing that God has revealed his wrath from heaven against—but sin.
(3.) That there is nothing that crucifies the Lord of glory afresh—but sin.
(4.) That there is nothing that grieves the Spirit of grace—but sin.
(5.) That there is nothing that wounds the conscience—but sin.
(6.) That there is nothing that clouds the face of God—but sin.
(7.) That there is nothing that hinders the return of prayer—but sin.
(8.) That there is nothing that interrupts our communion with God—but sin.
(9.) That there is nothing that embitters our mercies—but sin.
(10.) That there is nothing that puts a sting into all our troubles and trials—but sin.
(11.) That there is nothing that renders us unserviceable in our places, stations, and conditions—but sin.
(12.) That there is nothing that makes death the king of terrors, and the terror of kings, to be so formidable and dreadful to men—as sin.
And therefore under all your sorrows and sufferings, crosses and losses, make it your great business to arm yourselves against sin, and to pray against sin, and to watch against sin, and to turn from sin, and to cease from sin, and to get rid of sin, and to stand forever in defiance of sin, 2 Chron. 7:14; Isaiah 16:17, and 55:7; Hosea 14:8; Isaiah 30:22. Assuredly every gracious heart had rather be rid of his sins than of his sufferings: Job 7:21, "And why do you not take away my iniquity?" Though Job had many loads, many burdens upon him—yet none lay so heavy upon him as his sin. Hosea 14:2, "Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously." It is not, take away our captivity, and receive us graciously—but take away our iniquity, and receive us graciously; nor is it to take away this or that particular iniquity, and receive us graciously—but take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously; take away the stain and sting of sin, the crime and curse of sin, the power and punishment of sin—that we may never more hear of it, nor ever more feel of it, nor ever more be troubled any with it. Though their bondage was great, very great, yes, greater than any people under heaven were exercised with—yet their sins were a more unsupportable burden to their spirits than their bondage was, Dan. 9:11-13. And therefore they cry out, "Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously."
And this was the usual method of David; [See Psalm 79:1, 5, 8, 25:7, 32:4-5, and 38:3-4.] when he was under severe troubles and trials, he was more importunate with God to be purged and pardoned, than he was to be eased under his troubles, or delivered from his troubles: Psalm 51:2, "Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." Verse 7, "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Verse 9, "Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity." Verse 14, "Save me from bloodguilt, O God." When Pharaoh was under the hand of the Lord, he was all for removing of the plagues, the frogs, the locusts, etc., Exod. 10. But when David was under the hand of the Lord, he was all for the removing of his sins, and for the cleansing, purging, and washing away of his sins.
Oh, that all the burnt citizens of London would be more earnest and importunate with God to pardon, and purge, and take away all those iniquities that have brought the fiery rod upon them, than they are studious and industrious to have their credits repaired, their houses rebuilt, their trades restored, and all their losses made up to them! Oh, that they might all be driven by what they have felt, seriously to consider what they have done! "No man says, What have I done?" Jer. 8:6; Hosea 6:1-3; Isaiah 56:6; Ezek. 36:33, 37. Oh, that they would all blame themselves more, and their sins more, and turn to him who has so sorely smitten them, and lay hold on his strength, and make peace with him, so that he may yet build up their waste places, and make up their breaches, and repair their losses, and never turn away from doing of them good! Jer. 32:41-44. But,
11. The eleventh duty which they are to learn that have been burnt up, is to prepare and fit for greater troubles and trials. The anger of the Lord is not yet turned away—but his hand is stretched out still, Isaiah 9:12; Rev. 11:18. The nations are angry, the face of the times seems sorely to threaten us with greater troubles than any we have yet encountered with. Ah London, London! ah England, England! the clouds that hang over you seem every day to be blacker and blacker, and thicker and thicker! You have suffered much, and you have cause to fear that you may suffer more; you have been brought low, yes, you are this day brought very low in the eyes of the nations round about you, and yet you may be brought lower before the day of your exaltation comes. [Deut. 28:43; 2 Chron. 28:18-19; Deut. 32:36; Pa. 79:8, 136:23, and 142:6; lea. 26:10-11.] When God intends to raise a person, a city, a nation high, very high, he then usually brings them low, very low; and when they are at lowest, then the day of their exaltation is nearest. It is commonly darkest a little before break of day. The hand of the Lord has been lifted up high, yes, very high, over us and against us; but who repents? who reforms? who returns to the Most High? who smites upon his thigh? who says, 'What have I done?' Jer. 8:6; who finds out the plague of his own heart? who ceases from doing evil? who stirs up himself to take hold of God? who stands in the gap? who wrestles and weeps, and weeps and wrestles to turn away those judgments that this day threaten us? Isaiah 1:16-18; Psalm 106; Hosea 12:4.
Just so long as sin remains rampant, and men continue impenitent, there is reason to fear a worse scourge than any yet we have been under. Pharaoh's stubbornness did but increase his plagues, Exod. 9:17; the more stout and unyielding we are under judgments, the more chains God will still put on, Eccles. 5:8. When his hand is lifted up, we must either bow or break. Such as have been under the sharp rebukes of God, and will not take Christ's warning to go their way and sin no more, John 5:14, have reason to fear that a worse thing will come upon them. The face of present providences looks dismal; dreadful sufferings seem to be near, very near, even at our very doors. Yet to prevent fainting, we must remember that God never lacks chambers to hide his people in until his indignation is past, Isaiah 26:20. God has ways enough to preserve his wheat, even when the whirlwind carries away the chaff. God can find an ark for his Noahs, when a flood of wrath sweeps away sinners on every hand; and God can provide a Zoar for his Lots, when he rains fire and brimstone upon all round about them.
Look! as God many times by lesser mercies fits his people for greater mercies; so God many times by lesser judgments fits his people for greater judgments: and who can tell—but that the design of God by the recent judgments of fire, sword, and pestilence, is to prepare and fit his people for greater judgments? That God might have inflicted greater judgments than any yet he has inflicted upon us, I have already proved by an induction of particulars. That greater judgments may be prevented, and our present mercies continued and increased, it highly concerns us to repent, and to turn to the Most High.
There are seven sorts of men who have high cause to fear worser judgments than any yet have been inflicted upon them—
(1.) Such who scorn and deride at the judgments of God, Isaiah 5:19; Jer. 17:15, and 20:8; 2 Pet. 3:3-5.
(2.) Such who put off the judgments of God to others, who cry out, Oh! these judgments concern such and such—but not us.
(3.) Such who are no ways bettered nor reclaimed by judgments.
(4.) Such as grow worser and worser under all the warnings and judgments, as Pharaoh and Ahaz did, Isaiah 1:5; Jer. 5:3; 2 Chron. 28:22-23.
(5.) Such as make no preparations to meet God when he is in the way of his judgments, Amos 4:12.
(6.) Such who are careless Gallios, that do not so much as mind or regard the warnings of God, the judgments of God, Isaiah 5:12-13.
(7.) Such as put the evil day far from them, as they did in Isaiah 22:12-13, and as they did in Amos 6:3, and as the inhabitants of Jerusalem did a little before their city was laid desolate. Some writers tell us, that though the Jews had a great many warnings, by prodigious signs and fearful apparitions, before Jerusalem was besieged and the city destroyed—yet most of them expounded the meaning of them in a more favorable sense to themselves than ever God intended, until the dreadful vengeance of God overtook them to the utmost. It is the greatest wisdom and prudence in the world—to prepare and fit for the worst. The best way on earth to prevent judgments from falling upon us, or if they do fall, to sweeten them to us—is to prepare for them. But,
12. The twelfth duty which lies upon those whose houses have been burnt up, is to secure the everlasting welfare of their precious and immortal souls. O sirs, London's ashes tell you to your faces that you cannot secure your houses, your shops, your estates, your trades; but the eternal well-being of your souls may be secured! Every burnt citizen carries a jewel, a pearl of great price, a rich treasure about him—namely, a divine soul, which is worth more than all the world, Mat. 16:26. There is much of the power, wisdom, majesty, and glory of God stamped upon the stately fabric of this world, Psalm 19:1-2; but there is more of the power, wisdom, majesty, and glory of God stamped upon an immortal soul. The soul is the glory of the creation. What Job speaks of wisdom is very applicable to the precious soul of man, chapter 28:13, 16-17. "Man knows not the price thereof: it cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal cannot equal it; and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold." The soul is a beam of God, a heavenly spark, a celestial plant; it is the beauty of man, the wonder of angels, the envy of devils, and the glory of God. [Epictetus, and many others of the more refined heathens, have long since said that the body was but the organ, the soul was the man.]
Oh how richly and gloriously has God embroidered the soul. "The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold," Psalm 45:13. The soul is divinely inlaid and enameled by God's own hand. The soul is of an angelic nature, it is of a divine offspring; it is a spiritual substance, capable of the knowledge of God, and of union with God, and of communion with God, and of an eternal fruition of God. The soul is an immortal substance, and that not only by the grace and favor of God, as the body of Adam was in the state of innocency, and as the bodies of saints shall be at the resurrection—but by its own nature, having no internal principle of corruption, so as it cannot by anything from within itself cease to be; neither can it be annihilated by anything from without. "Fear not them which kill the body—but are not able to kill the soul." Mat. 10:28.
O sirs, the soul being immortal, it must be immortally happy, or immortally miserable. Certainly there is no wisdom, compared to that of securing the everlasting welfare of your souls. All the honors, riches, greatness, and glory of this world are but chips, feathers, trifles, pebbles, compared to your precious and immortal souls; and therefore before all, and above all other things, make sure work for your souls! If they are safe, all is safe; but if they are lost, all is lost, and you undone in both worlds. Chrysostom observes, that whereas God has given many other things double, two eyes to see with, two ears to hear with, two hands to work with, and two feet to walk with, to the intent that the failing of the one might be supplied by the other, he has given us but one soul; if that is lost, have you another soul to give in recompense for it? If you save your souls, though you should lose all you have in this world, your loss would be a gainful loss; but if you lose your precious souls, though you should gain all the world—yet your very gains will undo you forever!
You have found, by the recent dreadful fire, that there is no securing of the things of this world; and therefore make it your business, your work, to get a Christ for your souls, grace for your souls, and a heaven for your souls, so that, though all goes to wreck here on earth—yet your souls may be saved in the day of Christ. What desperate madness and folly would it have been in any, when London was in flames, to mind more and endeavor more to save their pillows than their jewels; their goods in their shops, than their children in their cradles, or their wives in their beds! But it is a thousand times greater madness and folly for men to mind more and endeavor more to secure their temporal estates, than they do to secure their eternal estates. But,
13. The thirteenth duty which is incumbent upon those whose houses have been burnt up, is to get a God for their portion. Psalm 16:5, and 63:26. You have lost your earthly portion, your earthly possessions; oh, that you would now labor with all your might to get God for your portion! Psalm 119:57; Jer. 10:16; Lam. 3:24. If the loss of your earthly portions shall be so sanctified to you as to work you to make God your portion, then your unspeakable losses will prove inconceivable gain unto you. O sirs, God is the most absolute, needful, and necessary portion. The lack or the loss of earthly portions may afflict and trouble you—but the lack of God for your portion will certainly damn you. It is not absolutely necessary that you should have a portion in gold, or silver, or jewels, or goods, or houses, or lands, or estates; but it is absolutely necessary that you should have God for your portion. Suppose that, with the apostles, you have no certain dwelling-place, nor any gold or silver in your purses, 1 Cor. 4:11; Acts 3:6; suppose, with Lazarus, you have never a rag to hang on your backs, nor ever a dry crust to put in your bellies, Luke 16:20-21; suppose, with Job, you should be stripped of all your worldly comforts in a day; yet if God be your portion, you are happy, you are really happy, you are remarkably happy, you are greatly happy, you are unspeakably happy, you are eternally happy. However it may go with you in this world—yet you shall be sure to be glorious in the eternal world. To have God for your portion, O man, is the one thing necessary; for without it you are forever and ever undone. If God is not your portion, you can never enjoy communion with God in this world; if God is not your portion, you can never be saved by him in the eternal world. Will you consider a little what an excellent transcendent portion God is—
(1.) He is a present portion; he is a portion in hand, he is a portion in possession.
(2.) God is an immense portion; he is a vast large portion, he is the greatest portion of all portions.
(3.) God is an all-sufficient portion.
(4.) God is a pure and unmixed portion; God is an unmixed good, he has nothing in him but goodness.
(5.) God is a glorious, a happy, and a blessed portion; he is so in himself, and he makes them so too who enjoy him for their portion.
(6.) God is a special portion—a portion peculiar to his people.
(7.) God is a universal portion, he is a portion that includes all other portions.
(8.) God is a safe portion, a secure portion, a portion that none can rob a believer of.
(9.) God is a suitable portion; no object is so suitable and adequate to the heart as he is.
(10.) God is an incomprehensible portion.
(11.) God is an inexhaustible portion; a portion that can never be spent, a spring that can never be drawn dry.
(12.) God is a soul-satisfying portion; he is a portion that gives the soul full satisfaction and contentment.
(13.) God is a permanent portion, an indeficient portion, a never-failing portion, a lasting, yes, an everlasting portion.
(14 and lastly.) God is an incomparable portion, God is a portion more precious than all those things which are esteemed most precious. Nothing can make that man miserable, who has God for his portion; nor can anything can make that man happy, who has not God for his portion. O sirs, why do you think that God, by his recent fiery dispensations, has stripped you of your earthly portions—but effectually to stir you up to make him your only portion? etc. But,
14. The fourteenth duty which is incumbent upon those whose houses have been burnt up, is to make God their habitation, to make God their dwelling-place. Psalm 90:1, "Lord, you have been our dwelling-place," or place of retreat, "in all generations," or in generation after generation, as the Hebrew runs. It is a Hebraism, setting forth God to be the dwelling-place of his people in all generations, before the flood and after the flood. [Ponder seriously on these scriptures, Psalm 91:2, 9-10, 71:3, and 57:1; 2 Cor. 6:8-10; Ezek. 11:16.] Israel, in all their troubles and travels in their wilderness condition, were not houseless nor harborless. God was both their hiding-place and their dwelling-place. He who dwells in God cannot be unhoused, because God is stronger than all. A Christian takes up in God, as in his mansion-house. It was a witty saying of that learned man, Picus Mirandola, namely, that God created the earth for beasts to inhabit, the sea for fishes, the air for fowls, the heavens for angels and stars; and therefore man has no place to dwell and abide in—but God alone.
Now that the great God has burnt up your dwelling-places, make him your dwelling-place, your habitation, your shelter, your place of retreat, your city of refuge. Certainly they dwell most safely, most securely, most nobly, most contentedly, most delightfully, and most happily—who dwell in God, who live under the wing of God, and whose constant abode is under the shadow of the Almighty. Let the loss of your habitations lead you by the hand to make choice of God for your habitation. There is no security against temporal, spiritual, and eternal judgments—but by making God your dwelling-place. How deplorable is the condition of that man who has neither a house to dwell in, nor a God to dwell in! Who can neither say, "This house is mine!" nor, "This God is mine!" Who has neither a house made with hands, nor yet one eternal in the heavens! It is a very great mercy for God to dwell with us—but it is a far greater mercy for God to dwell in us, and for us to dwell in God, 2 Cor. 5:1-2; 1 John 4:13, and 3:24. For God to dwell with us, argues much happiness—but for we to dwell in God, this argues more happiness, yes, the height of happiness.
There is no study, no care, no wisdom, no prudence, no understanding, compared to that which works men to make God their habitation. No storms, no tempests, no afflictions, no sufferings, no judgments can reach that man, or hurt that man, who has made God his dwelling-place. He who has God for his habitation can never be miserable; and he who has not God for his habitation can never be happy. That God who has once burnt you out of your habitations, can again burn you out of your habitations; and if he should, how sad would it be that God has once and again burnt you out of your habitations, and yet you have not made him your habitation etc. But,
15. The fifteenth duty which is incumbent upon those whose houses have been burnt up, is to make sure an abiding city, a city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. "For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come." Hebrews 13:14. These words are a reason of his former exhortation to the believing Hebrews to renounce the world, verse 13, and to take up Christ's cross and follow him; as is clear by this causal particle "for." It is a probable conjecture made by some, as Estius observes, that Paul speaks prophetically of the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, which was then at hand, and which in a short time neither that city, nor the country about it, would be an abiding place for them; but driven from thence they should be, and be forced to wander up and down; and therefore they were to look for no other abiding place but heaven. "Here we have no continuing city." The adverb translated "here," is sometimes used for place, and this more strictly for the particular place where one is. In this instance, the reference is to earth, for it is opposed to heaven. For the present we have no abiding city—but there is an abiding city to come, and that is the city which we seek after. This earthly Jerusalem is no abiding city for us; this old world, the glory of which is wearing off, is no abiding city for us; but Jerusalem that is above, the heavenly city, the city of the great King, the city of the King of kings, Rev. 21:2, and 1:5-6.
This world is a wilderness, and believers, as pilgrims and strangers, must pass through it to their heavenly Canaan. This world is no place for believers to continue in; they must pass through it to an abiding city, to a continuing city, to a city which has foundations: "For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." Hebrews 11:10. The plural number is here used, foundations, for emphasis sake; this city is said to have foundations, to show that it is a firm, stable, immovable, and enduring city, which the apostle opposes to the tabernacles or tents wherein Abraham and the other patriarchs dwelt while they were on earth, which had no foundations—but were movable, and carried from place to place, and easily pulled down, or overthrown, or burnt up; but heaven is an immovable, firm, stable, and everlasting city.
(1.) Heaven is a city which is built upon the foundation of God's eternal good-will and pleasure.
(2.) Heaven is a city which is built upon God's election to eternal glory.
(3.) Heaven is a city which is built upon the foundation of Christ's eternal merits and purchase.
(4.) Heaven is a city which is built upon the foundation of God's everlasting covenant of free, rich, infinite, sovereign, and glorious grace.
(5.) Heaven is a city which is built upon the immutable stability of God's promise and oath. [Eph. 1:3-6; 2 Tim. 2:10; 1 Pet. 1:2-5; Romans 9:11, and 11:5, 7; 2 Pet. 1:4; Heb. 6:17-20.] Heaven is built upon the foundation of great and precious promises, and upon his oath who is faithfulness itself and cannot lie.
Now, oh what a strong city, what a glorious city, what a continuing city, what a lasting, yes, what an everlasting city must heaven needs be—which is founded upon such strong and immovable foundations as they are! Heaven has foundations—but the earth has none: the earth hangs upon nothing, as Job speaks, chapter 26:7; Nineveh, Babylon, Jerusalem, Athens, Corinth, Troy, and those famous cities of Asia, were strong and stately cities in their times; but where are they now? Both Scripture and history does sufficiently evidence that in all the ages of the world there has been no firm, stable, or continuing city to be found: and the divine wisdom and providence has so ordered, and that partly to work men to put a difference between the things of this world and the things of the world to come; and partly to wean them from the world, and all the glory thereof; and partly to awaken them and stir them up to make sure of a kingdom which cannot be shaken, riches which cannot corrupt, an inheritance which cannot fade away—a house not made with hands—but one eternal in the heavens; and a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God, Heb. 2:5; Col. 3:1; Heb. 12:28; 1 Pet. 1:4; 2 Cor. 5:1-2.
Heaven is styled a city, to set out the excellency, glory, and benefits thereof. The resemblance between heaven and a city holds in these respects among others—
[1.] First, A city is a place of safety and security; so is heaven a place of the greatest safety and security, Neh. 3:1; Jer. 35:11. A soul in heaven is a soul out of gun-shot. No devil shall there tempt, no wicked men shall there assault, no fire-balls shall be there cast about to disturb the peace of the heavenly inhabitants.
[2.] Secondly, A city is made up of many habitations; so in heaven there are many habitations, many mansions, John 14:2. In our common cities, many times the inhabitants are much shut up and straitened for lack of room; but in heaven there is elbow-room enough, not only for God and Christ and the angels, those glistening and shining courtiers—but also for all believers, for all the elect of God.
[3.] Thirdly, A city has sundry degrees of people appertaining unto it, as chief magistrates and other officers of sundry sorts, with a multitude of commoners; so in heaven there is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and an innumerable company of angels and saints, Heb. 12:22-23.
[4.] Fourthly, In a city you have all manner of provisions and useful commodities; so in heaven there is nothing lacking that is needful or useful.
[5.] Fifthly, A city has laws, statutes, and orders for the better government thereof. It is so in heaven; and indeed there is no government, compared to the government that is in heaven. Certainly there is no government that is managed with that love, wisdom, prudence, holiness, and righteousness, etc., as the government of heaven is managed with.
[6.] Sixthly, Every city has its peculiar privileges and immunities; so it is in heaven. Heaven is a place of the greatest privileges and immunities, Rev. 3:12.
[7.] Seventhly, Cities are commonly very populous; and so is heaven a very populous city, Dan. 7:10; Rev. 5:11, and 7:9.
[8.] Eighthly, None but freemen may trade, and keep open shop in a city; so none shall have anything to do in heaven—but such whose name are written in the Lamb's book of life, Rev. 21:27. Believers are the only people who are enrolled as freemen in the records of the heavenly city.
[9.] Ninthly, Cities are full of earthly riches; and so is heaven of glorious riches: there are no riches, compared to the riches of the heavenly Jerusalem, Isaiah 23:8; Rev. 21. All the riches of the most famous cities in the world are but dross, compared to the riches of heaven.
O sirs, how should the consideration of these things work us all to look and long, and to prepare and fit for this heavenly city, this continuing city, this city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God! The Scriptures, by frequently calling believers pilgrims, sojourners, strangers, does sufficiently evidence that there is no abiding for them in this world. "And they admitted that they were strangers and pilgrims on earth." Hebrews 11:13. "To God's elect, strangers in the world," 1 Peter 1:1. "Live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear." 1 Peter 1:17. "Dear friends, I urge you, as strangers and pilgrims in the world," 1 Peter 2:11. This world is not their country, their city, their home, their habitation; and therefore they are not to place their hopes or hearts or affections upon things below, Col. 3:1-2. Heaven is their chief city, their best country, their most desirable home, and their everlasting habitation; and therefore the hopes, desires, breathings, longings, and workings of their souls should still be heaven-ward, glory-ward, Luke 16:9; Rev. 22:17.
Oh, when shall grace be swallowed up in glory? when shall we take possession of our eternal mansions? John 14:2-4; when shall we be with Christ, which for us is best of all? Phil. 1:23. The recent fire has turned all ranks and sorts of men out of the houses where they once dwelt, and it will not be long before death will turn the same people out of their present habitations, and carry them to their long homes. Death will turn princes out of their most stately palaces, and great men out of their most sumptuous edifices, and rich men out of their most pleasant houses, and warlike men out of their strongest castles, and poor men out of their poorest cottages, Eccles. 12:5. The prince's palace, the great man's edifice, the rich man's house, the warlike man's castle, and the poor man's cottage, are of no long continuance. Oh how should this awaken and alarm all sorts and ranks of men to seek after a city which has foundations, to make sure their interest in the new Jerusalem which is above, in those heavenly mansions which no time can wear nor flames consume!
And thus I have done with those duties which are incumbent upon those whose houses have been burnt up by that recent dreadful fire that has turned London into a ruinous heap!
I come now to those duties which are incumbent upon those whose habitations are yet standing, as monuments of divine wisdom, power, and grace. O sirs, the flames have been near you, a devouring fire has consumed many thousand habitations round about you, and you and your habitations have been as so many brands plucked out of the fire! Oh how highly does it concern you seriously and frequently to lay to heart the singular goodness 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 hazards and dangers! Oh, 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!
QUESTION. But you will say, What are they?
ANSWER. These that follow—
[1.] 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 neighbors out of house and home. 2 Pet. 2:6; Luke 17:32; Jer. 7:12; 1 Sam. 4:11; Psalm 78:60. What they are, I have already declared at large. If those sins that have brought the fiery judgment upon your neighbors are to be found among you, you have cause to fear the fiery rod, or else some other judgment 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 God's. The Lord has punished your neighbors with that judgment of judgments,—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 worse judgments will certainly befall you! Because Edom made no good use of Jerusalem's sufferings, therefore the Lord threatens her that shame should cover her, and that she should be cut off forever, Jer. 3:8; Obad. 11-14. God expects that the judgments that he has 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,
[2.] Secondly, It highly concerns you not to think those who are burnt up to be greater sinners than yourselves who have escaped the consuming flames. Isaiah 5:22-24, and 51:17, 22-23; Jer. 25:15, 30. Some there were, who told Christ of certain Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices—an argument of God's severe displeasure in the eye of man, to be surprised with a bloody death even in the act of God's service—"Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." Luke 13:1-5. And Christ confirms it by another parallel to it, of the men upon whom the tower in Siloam fell: Luke 13:4-5, "Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." Doubtless there are many in London whose habitations are laid desolate, who were more righteous than many of those whose houses have escaped the consuming flames.
Judgments many times begin at the house of God: the hand of God is many times heaviest upon the holiest of people, 1 Pet. 4:17; Ezek. 9:6. Job was stripped of all his earthly comforts, and set upon an ash-heap to scrape his sores with potsherds, Job 1; and yet Job had not at that time his equal in all the east country 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 neighbors round about him enjoyed their all without disturbance. Doubtless many of those whose houses are turned into a ruinous heap were godly people—people of unblamably lives, people of exemplary lives, yes, 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 those to be greater sinners than yourselves, who have not escaped the fiery rod as well as yourselves. You who have escaped the consuming flames should make other men's lashes your lessons, and their burnings your warnings. You should not so much eye what others have suffered—as what yourselves have deserved. But,
[3.] 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.) Real; (2.) Great; (3.) Cordial; (4.) Practical; and, (5.) Constant. No thankfulness below such a thankfulness will befit such whose habitations are standing monuments of God's free mercy. I have largely pressed this duty before, and therefore a touch here must suffice. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Do not be carnally secure. Do not say, "The bitterness of death is past," as Agag did when he came before Samuel, stately and haughtily, with the garb and gait of a king, 1 Sam. 15:32. 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 lies under? Answer. 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 has drunk of, or of a worse? Ponder seriously and frequently upon these scriptures: Isaiah 51:17, "Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes men stagger." Verse 22-23, "This is what your Sovereign Lord says, your God, who defends his people: "See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger; from that cup, the goblet of my wrath, you will never drink again. I will put it into the hands of your tormentors, who said to you, 'Fall prostrate that we may walk over you.' And you made your back like the ground, like a street to be walked over."
"This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them." So I took the cup from the Lord's hand and made all the nations to whom he sent me drink it: Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin and an object of horror and scorn and cursing, as they are today." Jeremiah 25:15-18. Verse 28-29, "But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, tell them, 'This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword upon all who live on the earth, declares the Lord Almighty.'"
When Jerusalem has drunk of the cup, if God be God, the nations round shall certainly drink of it. [The particular kings and kingdoms that must drink of this cup are set down from ver 19 to verse 28. See Lam. 4:21, and Ezek. 23:31-34.] God has begun with London: poor London has drunk deeply of the cup of God's fury; and therefore let the nations round repent, or prepare to drink of London's 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, etc., take warning by London's 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.
[5.] Fifthly, It highly concerns you whose houses are standing monuments of God's mercy, to show much love, affections, pity, and compassion to those who are burnt up and turned out of all—who are houseless, harborless, and penniless this day. Gen. 18; Psalm 102:13; 2 Cor. 11:29. God takes it well at our hands when we pity those whom he thinks meet to punish. One of God's 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 men's substances melted in the flames. God has threatened an evil, and only evil, without the least mixture of mercy—to such as show no mercy to those in misery, Obad. 12-13; James 2:13. Who ever have beheld 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!" Job 6:14. Those who will not lament upon the burnt citizens as the greatest objects of their pity, may one day be engulfed under the greatest misery themselves! He was a Nabal, a heartless fellow—who shut up all affections of pity against David in his misery, 1 Sam. 25:10-11. They were cursed Edomites who did behold the ruin of Zion and not mourn over it, Psalm 137:6-8. Let all burnt citizens remember, that usually God pities those most, whom men pity least. Burnt citizens are not to be mocked or menaced—but mourned over.
[6.] Sixthly, It highly concerns you whose houses are standing monuments of God's mercy, to lift up a prayer for all those as are fallen under this heavy judgment of fire. Num. 11:1-3; 2 Kings 19:4. When you are in the mount, be sure you bear the sad condition of the burnt citizens upon your hearts: Neh. 1:3, "And they said unto me—Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire!" Well, what does Nehemiah do? Answer. He lifts up a prayer for them, verse 5-11. O sirs, your prayers must not be pent or confined to your own private interests—but extended to the benefit of all God's suffering servants.
Philo the Jew, discoursing of Aaron's ephod, which he put on when he went to pray, says it was a representation of the whole world, having in it all colors, to represent the condition of all states of all people whatever. It is noble, 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 has severely reached. The best of men have been much in prayer for others; witness Moses, David, Job, Jeremiah, Daniel, Paul, Romans 1:9; 2 Tim. 1:3. 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 ourselves and not one for others? Among the Persians, he who offered sacrifice prayed for all his countrymen. These Persians will one day rise in judgment against many who are called Christians, and yet make no conscience of lifting up a prayer for those who are under the afflicting hand of God. He who prays for himself and not for others, is fitly compared by some to a hedgehog, who laps himself within his own soft down, and turns his bristles to all the world besides. The Jews have a saying, "That since the destruction of Jerusalem, the door of prayer has been shut up." Oh, that we had not cause to fear that, since the burning of London, the door of prayer both for ourselves and one another has been too much shut among us! Oh, 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 has made them desolate, may make you desolate also.
(3.) Else what do you more than others? Mat. 5:47.
(4.) To pity and pray for those who are in misery, is honorable and commendable.
(5.) It is one of the most compendious ways 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 severe, is no costly nor chargeable duty, and therefore buckle to it. But,
[7.] Seventhly, It highly concerns you whose houses are standing monuments of God's mercy, seriously to consider that some men's escaping of very great judgments is not properly a preservation—but a reservation to some greater destruction, Gen. 14 and 19 compared; Exod. 14:28; 1 Kings 19. Witness those kings who escaped the edge of the 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 army 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. Certainly this was a far greater judgment than if he had fallen by the sword of the destroying angel. And witness those very people who escaped pestilence, were now 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 judgments you may be reserved to; and therefore be not secure—but be wakeful and watchful, and provide for the worst. Unexpected judgments many times seize upon people, and slay them, as the soldier slew Archimedes, while he was busy in drawing lines in the dust. Take heed of saying, "surely the worst is past!"
[8.] Eighthly and lastly, Do not rejoice in the fiery calamity which has passed upon others. Do not glory in your neighbors' ruins. The fire-fly leaps and dances in the fire; and so do many wicked men rejoice in the sufferings of others, Proverbs 24:17-18. [Seriously ponder upon chapter 25 and 35 of Ezekiel, and Lam. 1:21; 2 Sam. 16:17, 25; and Lam. 3:14, 45.] Such as rejoice in the sufferings of others, are sick of the devil's disease; but from that disease the Lord deliver all your souls! It is sad to insult over those whom God has humbled; it is high wickedness to triumph over those to whom God has given a cup of astonishment to drink. Such as make the desolations of their neighbors 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. It is bad playing upon the harp, because others have been put to hang their harps upon the willows. There cannot be a greater evidence of a wicked heart, than for a man to be merry because others are in misery. Just so, without repentance such may one day dance in infernal flames, who have sung and danced at the remembrance of London's flames: Proverbs 17:5, "He who 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 who are in misery, and not to rejoice over them, because of their miseries. O sirs, do not make others' mourning your music, do not make others' tears your wine, as you would not be made drunk at last with the wine of astonishment.
The Righteous Aren't Always As Bold As A Lion. Lol
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