The Burning of London, Part 3 · Meditation 35
MEDITATION XXXV. Of the Fire, its not exceeding the Liberties of the City.
VVHen I conſider the Compaſs this fire took, how far it went, and where it ſtopt, I ſee cauſe to wonder at ſeveral things; Firſt, That it did burn much-what about the Proportion of the whole City, within the Walls; that is to ſay, look how much was left ſtanding within the Walls, (as if it had been by way of exchange and compenſation,) ſo much, or thereabouts it burnt without, Secondly, That though it threw down the Gates, and got without the Walls, yet it no where went beyond the Liberties of the City of London; as if the Bars had been a greater fence againſt it, (which indeed were no ſence at all) than the Gates and Walls could be. Had the Cittizens gone in Proceſſion, or had the Lord Mayor and his Brethren took a Survey of the Bounds and Limits of their Juriſdiction, they could not have kept much more within compaſs than the Fire did. Did not he who ſets bounds to the Sea, and ſaith to the proud waves thereof, …hitherto ſhalt thou go and no further; I ſay, did not he ſay the ſame thing to thoſe proud ſtames? How admirable is the work of God, in cauſing Creatures that are without Reaſon, yea, without Life, to act, as if they well underſtood what they did? Doth he not cauſe the day-ſpring to know its place, Job 38.12. and the Sun to know its g…ing down, Pſalm 104.19. The Storck in the heavens, knoweth her appointed time, and the Turtle, and the Crane, and the Swallme, obſerve the time of their comming, Jer. 8.7. When I conſider, how the fire took juſt ſuch a proportion, as if it had been markt out, it brings to mind that uſual ſaying, That God doth all things in weight and meaſure, and makes me think of ſuch paſſages of Scripture, as where God ſaith, Iſaiah 28.16. that He would lay Judgment to the Line, and Righteouſneſs to the Plummet. Alſo, where God ſpeaks of a people meted out (viz. for deſtruction, Iſ…. 18.2. and 7.) and trvden under fo…t: Alſo, where it is ſaid of God, that He weighed out a path to his anger, Pſalm 78.50. Which we tranſlate, that He made a way to his anger, the meaning is, He did proportion it, as if he had diſpenſed it by weight.
How great a Mercy was it, that the Suburbs were ſpared, conſidering, how great, how populous, and how poor they were? Being ſo great and capacious, they can contain all the exiles of the City; but, it had been impoſſible for the City, if it had ſtood, and they had been burnt, to have contained all the out-caſts of the more ſpacious Suburbs. Conſidering their populouſneſs, if the fire had fallen to their lot, poſſibly, five times ſo many perſons as now are, had been undone; and ſo many families had been reduced to utmoſt penury, as all England had ſcarce been ſufficient to relieve. Laſtly, conſidering, their Poverty they had much more generally been unable to bear their loſſes than Citizens, or thoſe within the Walls were. Neither was the ſparing of the Suburbs, a thing more deſirable, than it was improbable, when the fire was in its Meridian or Zenith, if I may ſo call it. For, as the Sun, which ſets out in the Eaſt, finiſheth not its race, till it come about to the Weſt: ſo did this dreadfull Fire threate… not to ſtop, till it had run thorough the Suburbs as well as the City its ſelf. But God, who cauſeth it to rain upon one City, and not upon another, and, who kept that Storm of fire from falling upon Zoak, which deſtroyed Sodom and three other Cities, of that which was called Pentapolis, He thus divided the flames of fire, that moſt parts of the City ſhould have their ſhare, but the Suburbs, though in great danger, ſhould have none. I think, if men had deſigned, to have burnt ſo far… and no further, as eaſy as it was to kindle, it was hard to extinguiſh ſuch a fire, when, and where they would: But if any malicious perſons, did conduct it ſo far, and there leave it, VVhat they have done ſecretly, will one day be proclaimed upon the Houſe-top.