The Burning of London, Part 4 · Discourse 24 – Discourse 25
DISCOURSE. XXIV. Of taking occaſion by this, to ſtudy the vanity and uncertainty of all earthly things.
IF a glorious City turned into a ruinous heap in four dayes time, when no viſible enemy was at hand to do it: if the reducing hundreds of Families to almoſt beggery, that liv'd in good faſhion in leſs than one week before, by an unexpected meanes, and in a way not poſſible to be foreſeen: if knocking a Nation out of joynt all of a ſudden (like a body that had been tortured upon a Rack) be not loud Sermons of the vanity and uncertainty of all earthly things, ſurely there will be none ſuch till that time ſhall come, that St. Peter ſpeaks of, 2 Pet. 3.10. When the Heavens ſhall paſs away with a great noiſe, and the Elements ſhall melt with ſervent heat, the Earth alſo, and the works that are therein ſhall be burnt up. What a Comment was this providence upon that Text, Pſal. 39.5. Verily every Man at his beſt ſtate is altogether vanity? How did it evince the Pſalmiſt to ſpeak right, Pſal. 62.9. Not only when he ſaith, Men of low degree are vanity, (which moſt people do believe) but alſo when he ſaith, Men of high degree are a lie, to be laid in the ballance they are altogether lighter than vanity (which few aſſent unto.) If things are called vanity (as moſt properly they are) from their aptneſs, to vaniſh and diſappear, from their taking wings and flying away from us: then ſurely the vaniſhing and flying away of a famous City upon the wings of the fire, and of the wind, (which were the bellowes inraging that fire) are a great argument of the vanity of all things here below.
Amongſt all ſublunary things, what could be thought to have more ſtability and certainty in it than the City of London had, as to the body and bulk of it? elſe why were ſo many wiſe men willing to venture all they had in the world in that one bottome? Moſt men dreampt as little of the burning of all, or the moſt of London, as of burning up the whole World before the day of Judgment: and it is like did think it not only improbable, but upon the matter impoſſible, as not doubting, but if fire did happen in any part of the City, one or more, there would be men and meanes enough to extinguiſh it (as they uſe to do) This Mountain was thought to ſtand ſo ſtrong, as that it could not be removed in ſuch a way as it was. He that had ſaid, but what if the whole City ſhould be burnt? would have been anſwered by moſt men, with the Proverb, what if the skie ſhould fall? yet have we ſeen this famous City wither like Jonah's Gourd, though not in one day, yet in a very few. May we not apply to it thoſe words of David, uſed in another caſe, we have lately ſeen it in great power, ſpreading it ſelf like a green Bay Tree: we paſſed by, and loe it was not, we ſought it, and it could not be found. Pſal. 37.35. Who can but think of the Pſalmiſt's expreſſions upon this occaſion, Pſal. 74.5. A man was famous according as he had lifted up Axes upon the thick Trees, (viz. in order to building the Temple: ſo likewiſe to build the City, or any part of it) but now they break down the carved work thereof with Axes and Hammers: ſuch execution hath the Fire done, that greater could not have been done, nor yet ſo great by Axes and Hammers, and verſ. 7. and 8. They have caſt Fire into the Sanctuary, they have burnt up the Synagogues of God in the Land. We read of Sodom's being overthrown in a moment and no hands ſtayed on her, Lam. 4.6. Was it not ſo with London? Is any Man's life ſo certain as the continuance of London was thought to be? Who did not expect that both he and his ſhould have been in their Graves before London had come to lie in aſhes? who thought not that the City, which had ſurvived many ages paſt, would alſo have ſurvived many ages to come? who would not have thought that a Leaſe for ſo long as London ſhould ſtand, had been more durable than if it had run for the lives of a hundred men? yet even in it have we ſeen thoſe words fulfilled, Iſa. 40.6. All fleſh is graſs, and all the goodlineſs thereof as the flower of the Field. Pſal. 90.6. In the morning it flouriſheth and groweth up, in the evening it is cut down and withered.
But may ſome ſay, Land is certain, though houſes be caſual, neither can moth eat it, nor ruſt corrupt it, nor theeves ſteale it, nor yet fire conſume it; for that matter, all that can be ſaid, Land is like to ſtand where it is, but that it will alwayes abide by the preſent and proper owners of it, that is as uncertain as any thing elſe. If Ahab have a minde to Naboth's Vineyard, Jezabel knowes how to get it for him, though Naboth would not part with it. It is but paper and parchment that men have to ſhow for their Lands, and are not they more eaſily conſumed than a whole City: or may they not be loſt or ſtollen, or ſo bafled by the artifice of corrupt Lawyers, that they ſhall do us no good? we ſee then that which was lookt upon by all men to be as great a certainty as this World hath any, is dried up like a deceitfull Brook in Summer. Job 6.17.
O Lord, when I remember theſe things, I cannot but pour out my ſoul in me, and my ſupplication unto thee, ſaying. O Lord, give me not my portion in theſe things, which may ſo eaſily be taken away, ſuffer me not to ſet my heart upon things, of which it is ſaid, they are not, becauſe they take wings & flie away, but give me to inherit durable ſubſtance, (or that which is, as thou haſt called it, Heb. teſh. Prov.) Fire me out of the love of the World, by what thou haſt done to the City, and give me to minde what thou haſt ſaid, 1 John 2.15. Love not the world, nor the things of the world, for the world paſſeth away, &c. Give me to conſider how miſerable I am, if I have intereſt in no good things, but thoſe which one nights fire, or one daies trial at law may take away from me? I ſee we are all tenants at will, as to all we have in this world, and thou ſealeſt a leaſe of ejectment when thou pleaſeſt: but there is an inheritance incorruptible, and that fadeth not away, reſerved for thy people in the heavens. Oh give us here an abundant entrance into it, and hereafter the endleſs poſſeſſion of it. And as experience ſheweth us the vanity of all things here below, let us by means of faith, which is the ſubſtance of things hoped for, and evidence of things not ſeen, foreſee the reality, and in part fore-enjoy the ſweetneſs of thoſe better things that are above.
DISCOURSE XXV. Of not being too eager upon the world, after this great loſs.
I Am jealous over ſome men (pardon me, a godly jealouſie) leſt they ſhould verefie that Proverb, which ſaith, that Faſting from two meales, makes the third a glutton. Trading hath been twice interrupted of late; once by the Plague, and ſince by the Fire; and now it is much to be feared leſt men ſhould fall too eagerly to it again, like thoſe that having been almoſt ſtarved, when they come at meat again, are apt to ſurfeit. Now God hath burnt your former houſes, take heed of burning your own fingers, in hiring new ones at too great Fines and Rents. Remember the words of God to Baruch, Jer. 45.4. Behold that which I have built will I break down; and ſeekeſt thou great things for thy ſelf? See the world better, before you have more to do with it than you needs muſt; Children that draw a breaſt too hard, that hath but little in it, what do they but fill themſelves with wind? Truſt not your ſelves too far with the world, for it is a ſlippery thing, and may ſerve you ſuch another trick: who would toile, as in the Fire, to lay up treaſure for another Fire to conſume? Ought they that have wives (and not much more they that have trades) to be as though they had none? 1 Cor. 7.30. Becauſe the faſhion of the world paſſeth away. A moderate care to recruit ſome part of our loſſes is not to be blamed: but an immoderate, will do more hurt than good. They that will be rich (be it after great loſſes) fall into temptation and a ſnare, 1 Tim. 6.9. It is not for us to ſay we will be rich, then of all times, when God hath ſaid in effect that he will have us poor: though wait upon his providence we may and muſt, for a convenient ſubſiſtance.
O Lord, thou haſt given us fair warning not to ſet our hearts upon this world, or flie too faſt after that which flies ſo faſt away from us. Sin and the world are two enemies we are not bound to love; yea, we are bound not to love the firſt at all, the laſt, much. Seeing it is the pleaſure of God to take the world from us, let us take off our hearts from it. If God withdraw ſpiritual mercies, it is to make us purſue them more eagerly; but if he withdraw temporal, it is that we ſhould proſecute them more indifferently. It being one of thy deſigns, O Lord, in taking part of this world from us, to make us mind this leſs, and the next, more; far be it from us upon that account to minde this world more, and that which is to come, leſs; or to rob our general calling, to recruit our particular; when we ſhould rather borrow time from our particular callings which thou haſt diminiſhed, to add to our general. O Lord, teach us neither to deal with a ſlack hand (which thou haſt ſaid, tends to poverty) not yet to be ſo hot upon it, as if we were reſolved by the fire of our zeal for the world, certainly to repair what thou haſt impaired by the fire of thine anger: but give us rather to ſtudy how contentedly and comfortably we may live for leſs, than how we may regain and repoſſeſs as much as ever.