The Burning of London, Part 3 · Meditation 19 – Meditation 20
MEDITATION XIX. Upon the Conſtagration of the Univerſe.
IT is evident by Scripture, that the Heavens and the earth (which are now) are reſerved unto fire againſt the day of Judgement, 2 Pet. 3.7. And, That in the day of God (as it is called,) the heavens, being on fire, ſhall be diſſolved; and the elements ſhall melt with fervent heat, Verſ. 12. Yea, the heavens ſhall paſſe away with a great noiſe; the earth alſo, and the works that are thereof ſhall be burnt up, Verſ. 10. Some think, that fire ſhall only refine, and purifie, not conſume and deſtroy: But, beſides that the expreſſions of the heavens their being diſſolved, and paſsing away; and that of the earth, its being burnt up, ſeem to import more, than a bare purifying of both, or either of them: Why ſhould we think the World it ſelf ſhould laſt, when all the Inhabitants of it ſhall be removed into another World? Surely, the World will be of no further uſe, when there ſhall be no one Man or Woman to Inhabit it, and to adore God in, and for it: God made the World for Mans uſe, and therefore will unmake it again, when Man hath no further uſe for it; (as Men uſe to pull down Tents, when they have no further occaſion for them.) The World is but Gods Nurſery, (ſuch a thing I mean as Gardiners uſe to call by that name,) from whence he means to tranſplant all he there ſets; and, when that is done, he will pull down his ſences, and let it run to ruin: Yea, he will lett-in fire as a wild Bore, that ſhall deſtroy it. Whoſoever believes that God made the World, cannot but think he is able to deſtroy it; for that it ſeems much eaſier of the two, to bring ſomething to nothing, than to bring ſomething out of nothing. What a ſolemn time will that be, when the whole world ſhall be in flames? What a petty, puny fire was that which burnt up London, to that which ſhall conſume the whole world? For what was London to England? What is England, in compariſon of all the Earth? Or what is the whole Earth, in compariſon of the Globe of Heaven, which conſiſts of innumerable Stars, ſome one of which, is far bigger than the ſurface of the whole Earth? Surely, the fiering of one City, was but a blaze, to what the burning of the whole Fabrick of Heaven and Earth will be. We have ſeen great things, in reference to this Fire, ſuch as our Fathers never ſaw; but theſe are nothing, to what, both we, and they ſhall ſee at the Great Day. Though I cannot conceive, what kind of fire it ſhould be; that might be able to diſſolve the Heavens and melt the Elements; yet will I believe the matter of things contained in Scripture, though I cannot reach the manner, how ſuch things ſhould be. He that can withhold fire from conſuming that which is in it's ſelf Combuſtible, can make thoſe things Combuſtible, which, in their own nature are not ſo, or rather, can inable fire to conſume them. God, by ſetting fire upon the whole World, will let us ſee, He can ſpare it. He is Conſcious to his own power, that he can make another World when he pleaſeth, yea, as many Worlds as now there are Stars. He was infinitely happy before he made the World, (which, in compariſon of Himſelf was but of yeſterday, for what is ſix thouſand years to Eternity?) and He will Be ſtill, when the world ſhall be no more. He was Light to himſelf, when, as yet, there were no Sun, Moon, and Stars; yea, he was Light it's ſelf, ſo he is, and ſo he will be, when all thoſe lights ſhall be put out. We cannot better afford, to burn a Ruſh-candle till we have burnt it out, (or, when that is done, miſſe it leſſe) than he can, to burn up the Sun it's ſelf and to disfurniſh all the Stars of their borrowed light.
God looks upon this world, as that which is too good for wicked men alwayes to enjoy, but not good enough for his Children alwayes to continue in (Of whom the world is not worthy, Heb. 11.) and ſo being not fit, to be the eternal Manſion, either of the one, or of the other, hath reſolved, that when it hath ſerved to the end, for which it was made, it ſhall be burnt: His Friends ſhall have better Manſions, his Enemies ſhall not have ſo good: How ſoon the Conflagration of the World ſhall be, Who can tell? God prefixed the time in which he would deſtroy the firſt World, viz. within a hundred and twenty years after warning given, but hath not done ſo by this. Of that day and hour knows no man; no, not the Son of man (viz. as man.) It may be nearer at hand, than we are aware of: The ends of the world ſeem to be upon us: If Saint John, and others contemporary with him, called the time wherein they lived, The l…ſt time, 1 John 2.18. Heb. 1.2. 2 Pet. ….…. What, may this be called? Well might the Pſalmiſt ſay, This their way is their folly, of them, whoſe inward thought was, that their Houſe and Lands ſhould continue for ever, Pſalm 49.11. whereas, alas, the world it ſelf ſhall not do ſo. Were they ſecure, that were told, The world ſhould be drowned, at the end of a hundred and twenty years, and would not regard; and are not we, that know the world ſhall be burnt, and that, for ought we know, within half that time, or leſs, and yet are not affected with it? Ought not the very thoughts of that burning, to be as a fiery Chariot, to convey our minds from earth to heaven? Ought it not to quench our affections to the world, as one heat puts out another; ſo the heat of the Sun puts out the Fire. I obſerve Saint Peter to ſay, that The earth and the works that are thereof, ſhall be burnt, by which, I ſuppoſe, he means the works of Art (becauſe he ſpeaks of none of the works of heaven, which are all natural) ſuch as are, ſtrong Towers, ſtately Pallaces, famous Cities, and ſuch like. Now the day in which that ſhall be done (ſaith he) ſhall come upon the world as a thief in the night, that is, ſuddenly, and unexpectedly. Nor know I, what better uſe can be made of the doctrine of the Worlds intended Deſtruction by fire, than that which we read, 2 Pet. 3.11. Seeing then, that all theſe things ſhall be diſſolved, What manner of perſons ought we to be, in all holy converſation and godlineſs?
MEDITATION XX. Upon the Fire of Hell.
VVHo can think on the late dreadfull fire without ſome ſerious reflections on the more dreadful fire of hell? If that Tophet which is ſpoken of, Iſa. 30.33. be the ſame with Hell, methinks the deſcription of it is ſuch, as doth not a little agree with our late fire, The pile thereof (ſaith the Prophet) is much wood, the breath of the Lord, like a ſtream of brimſtone, doth kindle it. Was not the pile of our late fire much wood, of Churches, Houſes, and other Structures? and did not the wind (which may be called the breath of the Lord) ſo kindle it, or rather, increaſe it, as if it had been a mighty ſtream of Brimſtone poured in upon it? Some are not more hard to believe there is a Hell (a Lake that burneth with fire and brimſtone, which is, The ſecond death) than they would have been, to believe, that any ſuch fire, ſhould, or could have fallen upon London, as that which lately did. If more dreadful things than we could imagine, do happen unforetold, (as the late Judgement for one); Why ſhould we think thoſe incredible, which the Scripture plainly ſpeaks of, though they far tranſcend our imagination, and what we ſhould otherwiſe expect? Nothing can make the burning of London, and the miſery attending it, ſeem ſmall, but, to conſider the fire of Hell, and the miſery of the damned; and that conſidered, this doth even vaniſh and diſappear before it. For, What is a fire of four days continuance, to that which ſhall laſt more millions of millions of Ages, than there are minutes in the ſpace of four dayes and nights? Or, What is a fire, preying upon Houſes and Goods, to that, which ſhall prey upon Bodies and Souls; as Chriſt hath commanded us, to Fear him, who can caſt ſ…ul and body into hell. If one Soul be (as it is) more worth than many worlds, how much leſſe is one City worth than many thouſand ſouls? Neither is Hel an uncompounded torment, conſiſting of fire onelyonly; but there are other ingredients, to make the miſery of it more unſufferable: There is the worm that ſhall never die, there it the darkneſſe that ſhall never end. There is the heat of fire to Torment, but not the light of fire to Refreſh. Oh the demerit of ſin, that, fire, which of it's ſelf is ſo intolerable a torment, ſhould not be thought ſufficient to puniſh it! Shall I dread fire alone (ſuch as that which befell the City) and ſhall I not dread more ſcorching flames than thoſe, accompanied with a gnawing worm and a perpetual night? I can heartily ſay with that good man, Hic ure, hic ſee…, Domine; ſed in aeternum p…rce, Here, O Lord, cut and burn, and do what thou wilt with me; onelyonly ſpare in Eternity. May the conſideration of Hell-fire, not onelyonly deterr me from ſin, but alſo kindle love to Chriſt within me, who is therefore called Jeſus, becauſe he ſhall ſave his people from the wrath to come.