The Burning of London, Part 1 · Discourse 1
DISCOURSE I. Of the great duty of Conſidering in an evil time.
HE that would ſee my Commiſſion for engaging in the work of meditation at ſuch a time as this (in which few men know what to do, or ſay, or think) may read it in thoſe words of Salomon, Eccleſ. 7.14. But in the day of Adverſity conſider. Times of extraordinary trouble, as they afford moſt matter to the Pen of an Hiſtorian, ſo likewiſe to the mind and heart of an obſerving Chriſtian. Not conſidering in ſuch times, is called, not ſeeing the hand of God when it is lifted up, or refuſing to ſee it, (For the word tranſlated here conſider, is in the Hebrew foreign that is, ſee.) Now ſaith the Prophet, They will not ſee when thy hand is lifted up: but they ſhall ſee, and be aſhamed, &c. Yea th… fire of thine enemies ſhall devour them. Iſa. 26.11. Wherefore is it that God doth call upon his people to enter into their chambers, ſhut their doors upon them, hide themſelves till the indignation be overpaſt, for the Lord commeth out of his place to puniſh the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquities. Iſa. 26.20. Is it not that men might then and there conſider what God hath done, and is doing? He can do little in his chamber, as a chriſtian (that might not be done elſewhere) that knows not how to meditate and pray there: nor can the latter be well performed without the former. Therefore the Pſalmiſt doth well joyn thoſe two together, Pſal. 19.14. ſaying, Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy ſight, O Lord. Sure I am, Affliction calls for a great deal of ſeriouſneſs, even to a degree of ſadneſs. James 5.1. Go to now you rich men, weep and houl for your miſeries which ſhall come upon you. And ſhould they not weep as much for thoſe that are come upon them already, and can no waies be prevented? Now great ſeriouſneſs there cannot be, where there is no muſing, and conſidering; and whereſoever conſidering is (ſuch as ought to be) there muſt needs be ſeriouſneſs. I ſhall think that man deſpiſeth the chaſtening of the Lord (which is ſtrictly forbidden Heb. 12.5.) who is not thereby put upon conſidering ſuch things as are behooveful for him, and ſuteable to the circumſtances under which he is. So much is hinted to us by theſe words, Iſa. 5.12. They regarded not the work of the Lord, neither conſider the operation of his hands. Methinks the puniſhment threatned in that caſe, ſeems to ſpeak that there is contempt of God in the ſin (ſaid I only threatned, yea executed.) For there is not only a woe to ſuch v. 11. but in the 13. verſe is added, Therefore my people are gone into captivity. And v. 14. Therefore hell hath inlarged her ſelf, and their glory, and their multitude ſhall deſcend into it. Doubtleſs it is a great ſin in Gods account that procures ſo great a puniſhment. Who can perform the grand duties of an afflicted ſtate without conſidering? who muſt not of neceſſity conſider (and as the Poet calls it, in ſeſe deſcendere, go down into himſelf) if he will ſearch and try his wales, and turn to the Lord, as that afflicted Church is exhorted to do, Lam. 3.40. But ſurely that proof is ex abundanti, which is more than the expreſs command in the firſt cited text, and in others parallel with it. Deut. 8.5. Thou ſhalt conſider, that as a man chaſteneth his ſon, ſo the Lord chaſteneth thee: where both the matter and manner of their chaſtiſement ſeemeth to be propoſed to their conſideration, viz. that God had puniſhed them, and how. But I have produced theſe proofs rather as motives to excite our wills and affections to ſo hard a work, than as arguments to prove ſo eaſie and manifeſt a truth.
If the queſtion be put, what are the things we ſhould conſider of in an evil day? it muſt here receive but a general anſwer, for to anſwer it particularly, and with reference to that amazing judgment by fire, which lately befell the great City, will be the drift and ſubſtance of all our enſuing Meditations and Diſcourſes? Yet I ſhall venture ſo far forth to prevent my ſelf, and anticipate what is behind, as to ſay, that it is our duty in an evil day to conſider, firſt, what may make for our own humiliation, and principally theſe two things, viz. the greatneſs of our own ſins. Lam. 3.8. Jeruſalem hath grievouſly ſinned, therefore ſhe is removed. Alſo the greatneſs of the judgments of God that are upon us. (For as ſins, ſo judgments ought not to be extenuated.) Lam. 4.6. The puniſhment of the daughter of my people, is greater than the puniſhment of the ſin of Sodom, that was overthrown in a moment. Secondly, what may make for the vindication of God, as juſt and righteous in all that he hath done againſt us. To that purpoſe are the enſuing expreſſions of Scripture, Job 34.23. God will not lay upon man more than is right, that he ſhould enter into judgment with him. Pharaoh himſelf could ſay, The Lord is righteous, but I and my people are wicked. And this was when God rained down baile and fire upon him. Exod. 9.27. and ſo ſaid Rehoboam, when Shiſhak came againſt him, 2 Chron. 12.2. Shall ſuch as they juſtifie God, and ſhall not we? ſaying with the Prophet Jeremy, Lam. 1.18. The Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled, &c. And as he elſewhere, Man for the puniſhment of his ſin. And then the cauſes of our Afflictions, thoſe we ſhould alſo conſider of, remembring that trouble ſprings not out of the duſt. We ſhould look at God as the efficient cauſe of all out miſeries. Lam. 2.17. The Lord hath done that which he hath deviſed, he hath thrown down, and hath not pitied; and in that Chapter we finde the hand of God owned in every verſe for ten verſes together.
Neither is it leſs needful to conſider what are the meritorious and procuring cauſes of all our miſeries. So Lam. 3.42. We have tranſgreſſed and rebelled, thou haſt not pardoned. And Lam. 1.6. Jeruſalem remembred not her laſt end, therefore ſhe came down wonderfully. Nor may we forget the final cauſe, or Gods primary end in ſending them (which is of all the reſt moſt comfortable to conſider.) So ſaith Moſes to the Iſraelites, Deut, 8.2. Thou ſhalt remember the way which the Lord thy God led thee, this forty years in the Wilderneſs to humble thee, and to prove thee, &c. Alſo, Heb. 12.10. But he chaſteneth us for our profit, that we might be made partakers of his holineſs. Again, we ought to conſider, what are the duties that are incumbent on us in a time of Adverſity; what is the Law, and the Decorum of that condition; and how we ought to behave our ſelves under the rod of the Almighty, viz. Humbly, Patiently, Circumſpectly, &c. of which we ſhall have occaſion to diſcourſe more fully hereafter. The next thing to be conſidered at ſuch a time, is, how and wherewithall we may be able to ſupport and bear up our own hearts, and the hearts of others in an evil day. David ſaith, Pſal. 119.50. This is my comfort in my affliction, for thy word hath quickned me. Which may be thus conſtrued, that it was a comfort to him in his afflictions, to think that the Word of God had been a quickning and inlivening word to him, which to many others is but as a dead letter. One end of Gods vouchſafing us his Word, is ſaid to be, that we through patience and comfort in the Scripture might have hope, Rom 15.4. and that we ſhould endeavour to comfort others, is evident, from 2 Cor. 1.4. where God is ſaid, to comfort his people in all their tribulations, that they may be able to comfort others that are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith themſelves are comforted of God. One thing more I think of, that ſhould be conſidered by us in a time of adverſity; but ſhall not preſume to ſay that and the reſt I have mentioned, are all; and that is, how and by what means we may in Gods way, and without ſin, in Gods due time obtain deliverance, as Paul in another caſe cries out, who ſhall deliver? we read in 1 Cor. 10.13. that God will together with the temptation alſo make a way to eſcape. How to finde out a way of eſcaping, is the care of all men, or of the moſt, but how to finde out that way which God hath made for our eſcape (which is alwaies a lawful and a regular way,) that ſhould fall under our conſideration; as alſo how to avoid and ſhun all other waies of eſcaping, though ever ſo eaſie to us. Now have we ſo many things to conſider of in an evil day? then O my ſoul here is work for thee, as much as ever thou canſt turn thy ſelf to; Gird up thy loines and ſet about it. Now if ever, is a time for ſerious conſideration, for who knows not that it is a time of great adverſity and rebuke, and needs it muſt, when the moſt famous City in theſe three Kingdoms (that was lately ſuch) is become a very ruinous heap, Now London, the glory of three renowned Kingdoms, is made almoſt like unto Sodom and to Gomorrah. Surely that man hath loſt his thinking faculty, that cannot think of this; and he that is not ſenſible of it, is paſt all feeling, and ſeared as with a hot Iron. O my ſoul, I ſcarce know what to think of thee, that thou haſt conſidered this no more: Much leſs know I what to think of thoſe that have not conſidered it ſo much, as ſeeming to think of nothing elſe, but how they may make proviſion for the fleſh, to fulfil the luſts thereof. How many thought they could have ſaid when time was, If I forget thee O London, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, which yet have almoſt forgotten poor London? and now God hath burned it round about, ſcarce lay it to their hearts. Methinks we are in an age in which are more Pharaohs than of any other ſort of men; infinite wiſdome, can ſcarce invent judgments that will awaken and make us look about us, and conſider. The Iron age is a name too good for us. Fire with the addition of ſome ſmall matter beſides, as vinegar, &c. will melt Iron, but will not melt us, it will make that capable of any impreſſion, or to be caſt into any mould, but it will not do ſo by us.
Lord I ſee the heart of man will yield to nothing but thy ſelf. It can play with judgments and plagues, though they were greater than thoſe which came upon Pharaoh, and ſo far forth contemn them as ſcarce ſeriouſly to conſider of them, at leaſtwiſe when paſt and gone. Nor yet whilſt preſent, and incumbent as they ought to do. Thou who haſt created a day of great adverſity, ſuch as we never lookt for, create I beſeech thee in me, and in others, a heart duly to conſider it, and together with it, the things that do belong both to our preſent, and future, to our temporal and eternal peace.