' The wliole Scripture, saith Luther, doth principally aim at this thing, that we should not doubt, but that we should hope, that we should trust, and that we should believe, tiiat God is a merciful, a bountiful, a gracious antl patient (Jod to ha people.
TsA. XLII. 24, 25.] the late fiery dispensation. 173
[3.] Thirdly, What a mercy was this to poor languishing, declining, aiid decaying Christians, that they have had their lives for a prey when London was in flames! There were a great many in London who were ' fallen from their first love,' and whose sun was set in a cloud. There were many whose graces were languishing, whose comforts were declining, whose souls were withered, and whose communion with God was greatly impaired, Eev. ii. 4. Many within and without the walls of London had a worm gnawing at the root of their graces. They had lost their spiritual relish of God, of Christ, of ordinances, as dying men lose their relish. Dying men can relish nothing they f>\\), or eat, or drink. They had lost their spiritual strength, and they knew it not, as Samson had lost his natural strength and knew it not. Judges xvi. 20. Oh what an image of death was upon their highest profes- sions ! Now for these men to live, for these men to have time to get their graces repaired, their comforts revived, their spiritual strength restored, their souls fattened, and their communion with God raised, oh what a matchless, what an incomparable mercy is this ! But,
[4.] Fourthly, What a mercy ivas this to poor clouded, deserted, and benighted Christians, that they have had their lives for a prey when London luas inflames! Beloved, it is sad dying under a cloud; it is sad dying, when he who should comfort a man's soul stands afar off. Lam. i. 16. Some think that the face of God was clouded when David thus prayed, ' 0 spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more,' Ps. xxxix. 13.. And some think Heze- kiah's sun was set in a cloud, and God had drawn a curtain between Hezekiah and himself, when, being under the sentence of death, Isa. xxxviii. 1-3, ' He turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, and said, Kemember now, 0 Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which was good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore ;' or with great weeping, as the Hebrew runs.^ It is with clouded and deserted Christians as it was with Samson when his locks were cut off, 'his strength was gone;' and therefore, though he thought to go out and do wonders,, as he had formerly done, yet by sad experience he found himself to be but as another man, Judges xvi. 18-21. So when God does but withdraw, the best of saints have their locks cut ; their strength, which lieth not in their hair, but in their head Christ Jesus, Phil. i. 22, 23, is gone, and they are but hke other men. They think, they speak, they act, they walk like other men. Chris- tians under real desertions commonly fall under sore temptations, great indispositions,, barrenness, flatness, dulness, and deadness of spirit. And is this a fit season for such to die in ? Christians under a cloud usually have their joys eclipsed, their comforts damped, their evidences for heaven blotted, their communion with God impaired, and their title to heaven, is by themselves, in such a day, much ques- tioned. And is this a case for them to die in ? 0 clouded and deserted Christians, who' have had your lives for a prey in the midst of London's flames ! and ever since those flames, what a great, what a glorious obligation has the blessed God put upon you, to labour to
^ See more of this in my 'Mute Christian under the Smarting Rod,' pp ''79-304 [Vol. i. pp. 385-397.— G.]
174 London's lamentations on [Isa. XLII. 24, 25.
recover yourselves from under all clouds and desertions, and to spend your days in a serious and deep admiration of tliat free, that rich, that infinite, and that sovereign grace tliat spared you, and that was active for you, in that day when you were compassed about with flames of fire on every hand ! But,
[5.] Fifthly, JVhat a mercy icas tJiis to i:)Oor solicited, tempted Christians, that they have had their lives for a prey ivhen London ivas in flames!'^ For by this means they have gained time to strengthen themselves against all Satan's temptations. The daily bills that were given in, to pray for poor tempted Christians, did suf- ficiently evidence how active Satan was to distress and perplex poor Christians with all sorts of hideous and blasphemous temi)tations. Were there not many tempted to distrust the power of God, the good- ness of God, the faithfulness of God ? Were there not many tempted to deny God, to blasi)heme God, and to turn their backs upon God ? Were there not many tempted to slight the Scriptures, to deny the Scri^itures, and to prefer their own fancies, notions, and delusions above the Scriptures ? Were there not many tempted to have low thoughts of ordinances, and then to leave ordinances, and then to vilify ordinances, and all mider a pretence of living above ordinances? Were there not many tempted to presume upon the mercies of God ; and others tempted to despair of the grace of God ? Were there not many tempted to destroy themselves, and others tempted to destroy their relations ? Were there not many tempted to draw others to sin, and to uphold others in sin, and to encourage others in sin, and to be partners with others in sin ? Were there not many temi)ted to have hard thoughts of Christ, and others to have low thoughts of Christ, and others to have no thoughts of Christ? Now for these poor tempted souls to have their lives for a prey, and to have precious sea- sons and opportunities to recover themselves out of the snares of the devil, and to arm themselves against all his fiery darts, is a compre- hensive mercy, a big-bellied mercy, a mercy that has many thousand mercies in the womb of it. But,
[6.] Sixthly and lastly. What a mercy iras this to all slumbering, slothful, sluggish, lazy Christians, luho had blotted and blmred their evidences for heaven, and ivho, instead of running their Christian race, Heb. xii. 1, tvere either at a stand, or else did but halt in the ivay to hedven, that they have had their lives for a prey when London was in flames ; and that they have had time to clear up their evidences for heaven, and to quicken tip their hearts, to run the ways of God's com- ' mands ! Ps. cxix. 32. Surely, had all the world been a lump of gold, and in their hands to have been disposed of, they would have given it for a little time to have brightened their evidences, to have got out of their sinful slumber, and to have set all reckonings even between God and their poor souls. And let thus much suffice for this second sup- port.