The Burning of London, Part 3 · Meditation 25 – Meditation 26
MEDITATION XXV. Upon thoſe that have loſt all by the Fire.
VVHat ſhall we ſay to them that have loſt all? who tell us, that before the fire, they were worth ſo many hundreds, or, ſo many thouſands, but ſince then, they are worth nothing, yea, worſe than nothing. Surely they ought not to mourn as men without hope. If they were ſometimes as rich as Job was at firſt, they cannot be poorer now than he was afterwards. Hatred in God towards men, cannot be known by ſuch Events as thoſe; for Job, who was in like caſe, was a Perſon greatly beloved of God. Do they fear that they and theirs ſhall periſh? Not ſo neither, for rather than the Iſraelites ſhould periſh in the Wilderneſs, God gave them bread from Heaven, and waters out of the Rock. Ravens ſhall feed them, if they be ſuch as put their truſt in God, rather than they ſhall famiſh. Some, have no Children; they, it is to be ſuppoſed, may make a good ſhift: others, have bad Children, and what ſhould they do with Eſtates to ſpend upon their luſts? Others, have good Children, and let not them doubt but God will provide for them. Hath the onelyonly wiſe God no wayes whereby to make up your loſſes? Did he not give to Job, double for all that which he had taken away from him? and can he not do ſo by you?
Is it your great trouble, that you have loſt all at once? I have heard of one, who having a great number of coſtly Glaſſes, did himſelf break them all at one time, that he might not be diſquieted time after time, by the accidental breaking of them one by one. Had your Eſtates been taken from you by piece-meals, now a part, and then a part, till all had been conſumed, that might have proved more grievous to you; and ſo it hath fared with many men. Will you ſay, All is loſt, becauſe your Eſtates are gone? Know, he that is a Chriſtian indeed, cannot loſe his All, yea, the beſt part of what he hath, cannot be loſt, as is ſaid of Mary, that ſhe had choſen that good part, which could not be taken from her. I have heard of a good Woman, who, when her Children died, had wont to comfort herſelf with this, to wit, that The Lord liveth; who, being more than ordinarily dejected for the death of one of her Children, that ſhe had a more particular affection for; a Child that had obſerved what ſhe had wont to ſay, and how full of heavineſs ſhe then was, came to her and ſaid, Mother, Is the Lord dead? How may the words of that Child, upbraid the carriage of thoſe Chriſtians, who mourn over their loſſes, as if they had not an Everliving God to rejoyce in? Is it ſtrange to you to be poor, who have heretofore always enjoyed riches and plenty? know, that it is one point of a Chriſtians Excellency and heavenly Skill, to be able to act ſeveral and different parts well, as Paul ſaith, I have learned how to abound, and how to want, how to be full, and how to be empty; how, in every Eſtate therewithall to be content. They are unfound bodies, that can onelyonly bear the Summer, but not alſo the Winter, Spring and Autumne. You ſay, you have nothing now, How many are there, that never had any thing, to ſpeak of? Is it no mercy or priviledge, to have enjoyed good things for a long time paſt, though we may not enjoy them alwayes? If men have had good ſight, good hearing, good health, till they come to be old, and then all of theſe begin to decay, or be quite loſt, do they, or ought they, to reckon it no mercy that they have enjoyed theſe things ſo long? If you ſay, you cannot live upon nothing (that is, nothing certain) how many hundreds, yea, thouſands, are, thorough the goodneſs of God, provided for from year to year, who have no certainty to live upon? Now you have loſt the things you had, poſſibly you will thereby be excited, to look after the things which can never be loſt, which otherwiſe, it may be, you had never done. Hath the ſire conſumed your money, or money-worth, as if it had all been but ſo much droſs, this, peradventure, may make you look after that gold, tried in the fire, which no ſire can conſume, and then, your unſpeakable loſs will prove inconceivable gain. What great difference, between the worlds leaving us, and our leaving it? You muſt ſhortly have left it, if it had not firſt left you.
Truſt God, and doubt not but he will bear your charges thorough the world, and more of this world you need not care for. What a noiſe will this make in the world, that you have loſt all, and who, that hath any thing to ſpare, if they know your caſe, will not contribute to your relief? You have yet the Love of relations and friends, the Charity of men, the Fruit of your own ingenuity, and induſtry, the Bounty of heaven, the Reſult of Divine Promiſes, all theſe things you have, beſides ſeveral others, to help and ſuccour you; therefore, ſay not, You are undone, though all be loſt for the preſent. How many have, from a fair Eſtate, been brought to a morſel of Bread, not by Caſualty, but by Crimes, ſuch as God might have left you to, as by that fire which, Job ſaith, will conſume to deſtruction, and root out all a mans increaſe, Job 31.12. Now conſider, how much better your condition is than theirs. Are you as thoſe that have nothing, think of the Apoſtles words, a Cor. 6.10. As having nothing, yet poſſeſſing all things. If, either you are true Believers, or ſhall hereafter be ſuch, thoſe words of the ſame Apoſtle will be verified in you, 1 Cor. 3.21. All things are yours, ye are Chriſts, and Chriſt is Gods.
MEDITATION XXIV. Upon thoſe that have loſt but half their Eſtates by this Fire, or ſome ſuch proportion.
VVHat a mercy is it, that you have loſt but half, when ſo many others have loſt all? How much better is half a Loaf, as our Proverb ſpeaks, than no Bread? As David ſaid to Mephiboſheth, Thou and Zibah divide; ſo hath God decided the caſe, betwixt the fire and you. You are, at moſt, but like David's Servants, the one half of whoſe Beards were ſhaven by Hanan, and their Garments cut in the middle. How much better is it, to have one Arm, than none; to have but one Eye, than to be ſtark blind? The man that was wounded, and left but half dead, recovered again, by the help and favour of the good Samaritan; and ſo may you. Poſſibly, that half or part which is left you, is more than many mens All: Your Gleanings better than the Vintage of many others. The Ancients ran much upon ſuch a ſaying as this, Dimidium plus toto, that half was better then the whole, meaning, the former with quietneſs and contentment, was much better then the latter without it. God can give you twice ſo much contentment with half ſo much Eſtate. If you ſay, and ſay truly, that you had ſcarce enough before, and now have but half ſo much as you had then; there are that have more by half then they needed, and how knoweſt thou but God may incline them to conſider thee who haſt ſcarce half enough?
But, Oh! the miſerable world in which many whoſe cup overflows will let others have nothing of theirs, if they have but ſomething of their own, though that ſomething be next to nothing. If men that have ten children have but enough to maintain one, are they no objects of pity and charity? If a man have doublet and breeches ſuch as may ſerve his turn, but neither hat to his head, nor ſhoos to his feet, will you not commiſerate him? Did the good Samaritane overlook the man he met becauſe he was but half dead? did he ſtay till he were ready to give up the ghoſt before he would do any thing for him? This is the manner of but too many men: but the comfort is, your heavenly Father he knows whereof you ſtand in need. Whether the moiety of what thou ſometimes hadſt be, or be not enough for thy occaſions, Bleſs God for it. That will be the way to have it multiplied as thoſe loaves were with which Chriſt fed five thouſand to the full. Try, what double induſtry, double frugality will do towards …eaking out that allowance that ſeems to fall ſhort; and above all concluſions, try, if doubling thy faith and confidence in God will not double thy maintenance if need require. Learn to think, that God did not grudge thee the whole, but hath therefore retrencht thee, as thou art retrencht, becauſe he knew, that but half was better for thee.
MEDITATION XXV. Upon thoſe that loſt nothing by the Fire.
HOw well came you off? not ſo much as a hair of your head ſindged, not ſo much as the ſmell of fire about you. I cannot call you brands ſnatcht out of the fire, for you were better than ſo; brands are partly burnt, ſo were not you. Fall down and adore that diſtinguiſhing-mercy, which hath ſo preſerved you, and made a hedge about you. Alas! if all had been great loſers, how ſhould one have been able to help another, whereas now ſome are able to ſuccor others, if they be but as willing. God is trying you what good Stewards you will be of thoſe Talents, which he hath continued to you full and whole, whileſt others are either totally deprived of theirs, or at leaſtwiſe much diminiſhed. He expects you ſhould make yourſelves poorer (for the preſent) by your Charity, though he hath not made you ſo by the Fire; and woe be to you, if you do it not. He could have forced all your Eſtates from you, as he did from others; but, he thought fit to prove you, as to what you would part with freely. He would ſee what influence that Text hath upon you, He that hath this worlds goods, and ſeeth his brother in want, and ſhuts up his loads of compaſſion. How dwelleth the love of God in him?
Think not, that all that is left you, is leſt you for yourſelves; for it is no ſuch matter: It is, that you ſhould diſperſe and give to the poor, that your righteouſneſs may remain. You are but Feoffees in truſt for others, as to ſome good proportion of what is continued with you. I expect, God will caſt fire upon your houſes next, if you caſt not your bread upon the waters: Charity may ſecure what you enjoy, and the want of it may hazard all. It might have been your lot to have ſtood in need of receiving; and, now you are left able to give (which is a more bleſſed thing) will you not do it? All that was ſaved from the fire was given you again, and will you not lend God a part, who hath given you the whole? and what is that lending to God, but giving to the Poor? God hath been tender of your Tabernacles, and will not you be kind to his living Temples? They that were ſent to fetch the Aſs that Chriſt was to ride upon, were bid to ſay, The Lord had need of him. Now, if ever, hath Chriſt need to borrow of thoſe that are able, as in reference to his poor members; and woe to them that can, and will not lend to their Lord and Saviour. He could ſupply them otherwiſe, without being beholden to you; but it is your love he values more than your liberality, and the latter but as an Expreſſion of the former. It is not ſo much A gift which he deſireth, as fruit that may abound to your own account, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, Phil. 4.17. You may pretend you are thankful for the great Deliverance vouchſafed you, but neither God, nor Men, will believe you are ſo, unleſs you be alſo Charitable to them that were not Delivered.
MEDITATION XXVI. Upon thoſe that were Gainers by the late Fire.
VVE ſay, It is an evil wind, that blows no body any good. Some were honeſt gainers, (and much good may it do them); others diſhoneſt. Some could not let their Tenements before the fire, who have ſince, let them for moderate Rents; ſuch are honeſt gainers: Others have let their houſes at moſt exceſſive Rates and ſuch have loaded themſelves with diſhoneſt gain. But be their gains one way or another, I think no man ought, for the preſent, to pocket the money which he hath clearly gotten by the fire, (if it be ſo they can ſpare it). David would not drink of the waters of Bethlehem which were brought to him, becauſe, as he ſaid, They were the price of Blood, meaning, his Souldiers had ventured their lives for it: What men have gotten by this fire, is little leſſe than the price of Blood, conſidering how many were impoveriſhed that a few might be inriched, or rather, that the inriching of but a very few, is by the undoing of many thouſands.
Men may look upon their gains by this fire, as Deodates: Let as many as are able be their own Almoners, and give it back to God. Is it not a Sabbatical year (in a doleful ſenſe) for that the poor City now injoyeth it's Sabbath? and in a Sabbatical year that did bear a better interpretation, the rich were not ſuffered to reap, but were to leave the Crop to the poor, as appeareth, by comparing, Exod. 23.11. with Levit. 25.5. If men who have only ſaved what they had before, ought to contribute to them that have loſt; how much more ought they, who have received an Addition by this very means? To Build upon the Ruines of others, is one of the worſt Foundations that can be. Let it never be ſaid, The fire hath made you rich, whilſt ſuch multitudes continue poor, miſerably poor, whom meerly the fire hath made ſo. We uſe to ſay, Men have gotten thoſe things out of the fire, which they came hardly by. But what men got by, or out of, the late fire, was eaſily come by; well may it go leightly, for it leightly came, yet neither doth that go leightly, which goes to the uſe of Charity. When I conſider, how this fire which hath ruined many, hath raiſed ſome, it brings to mind what is ſaid, Luke 1.52. He hath put down the mighty from their ſeats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath ſent empty away. How ſtrangely, and by ſeeming contraries, doth the providence of God bring things to paſs, that when a diſmall fire hapned, ſome men ſhould be made by it! So a Priſon made way for Joſeph's preferment; and Oneſimus his running away from his Maſter, for his returning to God and to himſelf, and a better Servant to his Maſter than ever. And Eſtate caſt upon men by the deſolating Fire, ſounds like ſuch a Riddle as that of Sampſon, Out of the eater came meat, and out the ſtrong came ſweetneſs: Is it not as a Honey-comb found in the Carcaſe of a Lion? You whom God by this fire hath unexpectedly enabled more than ever, to eat the Fat and drink the Sweet (you know what I allude to) ſee that you ſend portion; to them for whom nothing is provided.