Londons Resurrection, Discourse 20
DISCOURSE XX.
That it would much conduce to the rebuilding of London, to have a through ſearch made how and by what means it was burnt.
I Charge no body with the burning of London, but him that charged it upon himſelf, that confeſſed, and died for it. But let others produce what they have to ſay: if men will confidently affirm that London was deſtroyed, by the treachery, and cruelty of more perſons than that one forementioned miſcreant, it is pity but they were puniſhed, if they can produce no probable grounds and reaſons, for what they ſay: But if they have things to alledge in the caſe, which do amount at leaſt to a ſtrong preſumption, and juſt ground of great ſuſpicion, that ſo it was, it is great pity but that ſent ſhould be followed, thoſe footſteps traced, and the utmoſt ſagacity of wiſe, and impartial men, (Magiſtrates and others) imployed to fathom and diſcover what is at the bottom. As Samuel ſaid to Saul, what meaneth then this bleating of the ſheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the Oxen which I bear? So ſay I, what meaneth that doleful cry, which is daily in our ears, ſuch and ſuch have burnt our City? That is ſoon ſaid, and may be as ſoon denyed, but proof is all in all. Some tell us There is a great cry but no wooll, a great ſmoak of accuſation, but no fire (or ſo much as a ſpark) of guilt. Still I ſay, ſub judice lis eſt: When the law hath given a perfect lot in the caſe, then, and not till then, ſhall we certainly know who is in the right. That old dilemma will never be anſwered: if it be enough to accuſe who can be innocent, if it be ſufficient to excuſe who will ever ſeem guilty? Therefore there is a third thing that muſt of neceſſity be done and that is tryal to be made, by ſufficient Juries, and the worthy Judges, what validity there is in all, and every the Allegations pro, and con, given in upon Oath, what all the Plaintiffs can ſay againſt; and all the Defendants can ſay for themſelves, do ſignify and amount to. What moment, all the circumſtances produced and proved, have, and are of in the ballance of reaſon. When that is done, there is reaſon for every man to be ſatisfied, and I hope it will be ſo. Have our Laws provided, that if the deſpicableſt perſon that can be, lye dead in the ſtreets, unknown to any body there preſent, how he or ſhe came by their death, a jury ſhall be impanel'd, and the Coroner ſhall ſit upon it, to give ſentence what the cauſe, of his or her death was? And did not God himſelf by his ſervant Moſes will, and command the Iſralites, that if one were found flain in their land, and it were not known who had flain him, Deut. 21.1. All the elders of that City which was next unto the ſlain man ſhould waſh their hands over a Heifer that was beheaded and ſay, our hands have not ſhed this bloud, neither have our eyes ſeen it, v. 6, 7. And the Prieſts the ſons of Levi ſhall come near, and by their word ſhall every controverſy and every ſtroke be tried, v. 5. which laſt words ſeem to imply, that the perſons who came to the place where the dead body lay (or the heifer inſtead of the dead body) were not acquitted by thir meer waſhing their hands, in token of innocency (as Pilate did) nor yet by profeſſing themſelves not to have ſhed that bloud, or to have known who did, but that the ſons of Levi in thoſe daies, had a ſpirit of diſcerning given them, whereby they were able upon ſeeing, and hearing ſuch paſſages, to judge whether the perſons, who appeared to purge themſelves, were guilty, or not guilty. For the text ſaith, By their word ſhall every ſtroke be tried. Did the Law of God inquire ſo ſtrictly after the death of every man (the time and manner of whoſe death was unknown) and do the laws of our land do the like at this day? and is it not highly reaſonable that the death and deſtruction of a famous City, the greater part of which lies ſlain in the ſtreets to this day, and buried in its own ruines, and aſhes, I ſay that the means and cauſes thereof ſhould be inquired into?
Nay how great a care did the Law of God take to ſatisfie thoſe husbands (one way or other) upon whom the ſpirit of jealouſie came, though there were no witneſs to prove that againſt their wives, which they were jealous of: Yea if the husband were jealous of his wife and ſhe were not defiled, Numb. 5.13, & 14. Though the thing he was jealous of could not be proved, yea though the woman was not guilty, nevertheleſs ſhe was to offer the jealouſy offering, v. 18. to purg her ſelf by an Oath, v. 19. and to drink of the bitter water, v. 18. and all this was no prejudice to the wife in caſe ſhe were innocent, nay it was an advantage to her, for v. 28. it is ſaid, If the woman be not defiled but be clean then ſhe ſhall be free, viz. Firſt from the curſe, or miſchief which the bitter water would otherwiſe have brought upon her, v. 19. If thou haſt not gone aſide to uncleanneſs be thou free from this bitter water which cauſeth the curſe, v. 19 Secondly from the jealouſy, and ſuſpicion of her huſband, which would not otherwiſe have been taken off. And one benefit more ſhe was to have by it, expreſſed, v. 28. And ſhall conceive ſeed, that is, if ſhe were barren before; ſhe ſhould after that have a Child, and if ſhe had any formerly ſhe ſhould have more. If ſo much were done to ſatisfie the jealouſy of one private man, may nothing reaſonably be expected to ſatisfie and take off the jealouſies of thouſands, if not millions of men and women, in City and country, in a matter of higher conſequence, than is that injury which a husband receiveth by the unchaſtneſs of his wife? (though that injury be very great, yet this I ſay was greater:) For this was a fault not to be pardoned if proved, whereas Joſeph though a juſt man when he ſuſpected his eſpous'd wife, to have been unlawfully with Child, thought to have paſt it by, and not to have made her an example, Mat. 1.
How deſirous were the Philiſtines that were ſmote with Emrods to know, whither God had done them that great evil, or whether it were not ſome chance that had hapned to them, 1 Sam. 6.9. Was their Plague of Emrods greater than our plague of Fire? If not, why ſhould we leſs inqure after this how it came than they after that?
To inform our ſelves how the Fire came to paſs, is not a point of curioſity, but of great uſe. For could it be made out (at leaſtwiſe with great probability) that it was the immediate hand of God, and as it were Fire from Heaven, that did conſume our City, that circumſtance would ſo much promote our humiliation, to think that (rather than ſuffer us to go unpuniſhed,) God ſhould work a miracle to deſtroy us.
And then again upon other accounts, it might make much for our comfort, to know that men had no hand in the doing of it. For if God himſelf did do it immediately, we may hope the like will not be done again, in many ages to come. For as God, after he had once drowned the world, did preſently promiſe he would do ſo no more: ſo it is ſcarcely to be paraleld amongſt the providences of God, that he ſhould burn the ſame City twice in a ſhort time. He uſeth to pauſe, and as it were to deliberate long, upon ſuch ſtrange acts of Judgment, as thoſe are, expoſtulating with himſelf, and with them as of old: How ſhall I give thee up O Ephraim? how ſhall I make thee like Admah, and like Zeboim, my bowels are turned within me, &c.
But they that ſuſpect it was burnt by men, till that jealouſie be removed, will always be in fear, that they whom they miſtruſt to have deſtroyed it once, if undiſcovered, will attempt to deſtroy it again, as ſoon and as often as they can. Now in caſe the bitter water of a through examination ſhall confirm the thing they were jealous of, viz. that London was fired by Inſtruments, and it ſhall come to light who thoſe Inſtruments were, it is all the reaſon in the world they ſhould be made examples, that others may hear, and fear, and do no more ſo wickedly. I reckon the danger would be over (for one Age at leaſt) as to that ſort of men that ſhould once be proved and owned to have burnt the City, ſo firmly as they would be bound to their good behaviour, and ſo watchful an eye as would be held over them from that time forward.
All oppoſition made to the ſifting out that buſineſs, doth vehemently encreaſe the jealouſies of men; for he that doth well cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifeſt; but they that have done evil hate the light, leſt their deeds of darkneſs ſhould be reproved. One would think that whotſoever is ſuſpected (being indeed innocent) ſhould be more earneſt than any other perſons to come to a ſtrict ſcrutiny, that themſelves might be vindicated. Methinks the chaſt Wife that had a jealous Husband, ſhould and could not but long for the bitter water, as knowing it would be ſo far from cauſing her belly to ſwell, and her thigh to rot, that it would keep her name from rotting, and make her of a ſorrowful ſuſpected Wife, to become a joyful Mother. If all men can waſh their hands in innocency, as from the burning of London, I heartily wiſh that God would bring forth their righteouſneſs as the light, and their judgement as the noon day. It is pity they ſhould ſuffer ſo much as in their names, who had no hand in it, and if any had, beſides that poor Hubart, who was executed upon that accompt (the ſtrangeſt inſtance that ever was if he burnt ſuch a City alone) to ſuffer in their names only is not ſufficient.
But now I think of it, there lately came down a Command, or Commiſſion to the City, to take examinations upon oath of all matters relating to the fire, which was done accordingly, and the injunction to do it was I know accepted with all humble thankfulneſs, and as well reſented by many, as ever any thing was. That conſidered, I muſt excuſe what I have ſaid with that of the Poet, He that recommends what is done already, thereby commends him that did it. Qui monet facias quod jam facis ille monendo laudat. What Solomon ſaith in another caſe, I ſhall allude to in this: After ſo much enquiry as hath been made already, upon the oaths of ſufficient perſons, (many of whoſe depoſitions are now extant,) and after all that are like to be hereafter made, by vertue of the Authority then granted, if there be any guilt at the bottom, Whoſoever hideth it hideth the wind, and the oyntment of his right hand which bewrayeth it ſelf, Prov. 27.16.