Certainly those that love the Lord, that delight in the Lord, and that highly prize the Lord for those infinite perfections, beauties, glories, and excellencies that are in him, they will own him, and cleave to him, and follow after him when they have little as when they had much, yea, when they have nothing of the world as when they had all the world ; and by so doing, they put a padlock upon the lying lips of sjich, they button up the mouths of such who asperse and calumniate them as a generation that only serve God upon the account of a worldly interest.! There is nothing that doth more amuse,^ amaze, and astonish wicked men, than to see the people of God keep close to him and his ways when they are in a suffering estate, yea, when they have lost all but their God and their integrity. The fire tries the gold as well as the touchstone, and diseases try the skill of the physician, and tem- pests try the skill of the pilot ; and so do fiery trials try both the truth and the strength of a Christian's graces. Paulinus Nolanus, when his city was taken by the barbarians, prayed thus to God: Lord, let me not be troubled at the loss of my gold, silver, honour, city, &c.; for thou art all, and much more than all these to me. Here was a heroic spirit, here was grace in strength, yea, in triumph. The spirits of the men of the world usually sink under their losses. Menippus of Phenicia, having lost his goods, strangled himself.^ Dinarcus Phiton,* at a certain loss, cut his own throat to^ save the charge of a halter. Another, being turned out of his estate, ran out of his wits. And an- other, for the death of his son, threw himself headlong into the sea. Augustus C^sar, in whose time Christ was born, was so troubled and astonished at the relation of a foil and overthrow from Varus, that for certain months together he let the hair of his beard and head grow still, and wore it long ; yea, and otherwhiles he would run his head against the doors, crying out, Quintilius Varus, deliver up my legions again ; Quintilius Varus, deliver up my legions again.^ Henry the Second, who was none of the best of princes, heating that his city Mentz was taken, used this blasphemous speech : I shall never, saith he, love God any more, that suffered a city so dear to me to be taken from me. Now by all these instances you may clearly and plainly see the dif- ferent temper and carriage of wicked men uneler their losses, crosses, trials, and sufferings, from the people of God. When they are under fiery trials, what an evil spirit, what a desperate spirit, what a sullen spirit, what a proud spirit, what a satanical spirit, what a hellish spirit, do they discover ! They tell all the world that they are under the power and dominion of the god of this world ; Phil. ii. 2 and 2 Tim. ii. 26. But when the people of God are under fiery trials, they make conscience of carrying of it so as that they may convince the world that God is in them of a truth, and that they are sincere and upright before the Lord, however they are judged and censured as hypocrites, deceivers, dissemblers, and what not. Oh that all that are sufferers by this fiery dispensation would make it their business, their work, their heaven, so to carry it under their present trials, as to
^ Joshua xiiv. 15 ; Mat. xix. 27 ; Rev. xiv. 4, 5; 1 Peter iii. 16, and ii. 12, 15. <f)ifiovv properly signifies to muzzle, or halter, or tie up, or to button up their mouths, as we say. ^ = Cause to 'muse,' consider. — G. ' Diog. Laertius, ii. 99, 100.— G.
* Qu. ' Phyton of Rhegium ' ? if go, above is a myth. — G. * Suetonius.
50 London's lamentations on [Isa. XLII. 24, 25.
convince all gainsayers of the sincerity, integrity, and uprightness of their hearts, both towards the Lord, his people, his ways, his ordinances, his interest, and all his concernments in this world ! And tlius much for the gracious ends that God aims at in all those severe providences and fiery trials that of late he has exercised his people with.
The next tiling we have to inquire after is those sins for which the Lord inflicts so heavy a judgment as this of fire upon the sons Qi men. Now for the opening of this, give me leave to propose this question — viz..
Quest. What are those sins that bring the fiery dispensation, that bring the judgment of fire upon cities, nations, and countries ? Now, that I may give a full and fair answer to this necessary and important question, will you please to premise with me these four things : —
[1.] First, We need not question but that some of all sorts, ranks, and degrees of men in and about that once great and glorious city did eminently contribute to the bringing down of that dreadful judg- ment of fire, that has turned that renow^ned city into ashes. Doubt- less superiors and inferiors, ministers and peoj)le, husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants, rich and poor, honourable and base, bond and free, have all had a hand in the bringing down that judgment of fire that has turned London into a ruinous heap. But,
[2.] Secondly, Premise this with me — viz., That it is a greater argument of humility, integrity, and holy ingenuity to fear ourselves, and to be jealous of ourselves rather than others, as the disciples of Christ did: Mat. xxyi. 21, 22, ' And as they did eat, he said. Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?' It is better for every man to do his best to ransack and search his own soul, Lam. iii. 40, and to find out the Achan, Josh, vii., the accursed thing in his own bosom that has brought that dreadful judgment of fire upon us, than for men, without any Scrip- ture warrant, to fix it upon this party and that, this sort of men and that. There is no Christian to him that smites upon his own heart, his own breast, his own thigh, saying, AVhat have I done ? The neglect of this duty the prophet long since has complained of : ' No man repents himself of his wickedness, saying. What have I done?' Jer. viii. 6 — that is, none comparatively. So how rare is it to find a burnt citizen repenting himself of his wickedness, and saying. What have I done ? Most men are ready to blame others more than them- selves, and to judge others rather than themselves to be the persons that have brought down this judgment of fire upon us, Mat. vii. 1-4. It was a good saying of one of the ancients, [Augustine,] Amat Deus seipsos judicantes non judicare, God loves to judge them that judge others rashly, but not those that judge themselves religiously. But,
[3.] Thirdly, Premise this with me, In times of common judg- ments, common calamities, and miseries, other of the saints and ser- vants of God have looked upon their own sins as the procuring causes of the common calamity. Thus David did in that 2 Sam. xxiv. 15, ' So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel, from the morning even to