' Such vir^'ins tb.Tt had been deflowered, the heathen buried alive, accounting that tlie •crest of all puuibhineuta. « Josephus, Antiq., lib. iv. cap. 3.
Is A. XLII. 24, 25.] THE LATE FIERY DISPENSATION. 195
height of judgment, and infinitely more terrible and dreadful to you than that fiery dispensation that has consumed part of your estates, and turned your houses into ashes ? Now by these five things it is most evident that there are worse judgments than the judgment of fire, which God in justice might have inflicted upon you. But free mercy has so interposed, that God has not stirred up all his wrath ; and though he has severely punished you, yet it is less than your iniquities have deserved, Ezra ix. 13 ; and therefore let this considera- tion support and bear up your hearts under all your present sorrows and sufferings. But,
(11.) Eleventhly, Though your houses are hurnt, and your hahifa- iions laid desolate, yet your outward condition is not loorse than Christ's loas when he loas in the loorld. The estate and condition of Christ was low, yea, very low and mean in this world. Witness his own relation when he was upon the earth : ' The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests,' Mat. viii. 20, — or resting-places where they go to rest, as under a tent, like as the Greek word properly im- ports,— ' but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.' He doth not say, Kings have palaces, but I have none ; nor he does not say that rich men have houses and lands and lordships to entertain their followers, but I have none ; but, ' The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.' Christ was willing to undeceive the scribe, and to shew him his mistake. Thou thinkest, 0 scribe, by following of me to get riches, and honour, and preferment, and to be somebody in the world, but thou art highly mistaken ; for I have neither silver nor gold, lands nor lordships, no, not so much as a house to put my head in. When I was born, I was born in a stable and laid in a manger, Luke ii. 17 ; and now I live upon others, and am maintained by others, Luke viii. 3. I am not rich enough to pay my tribute, and therefore do not deceive thyself, Mat. xvii. 27. The great Architect of the world had not a house to put his head in, but emptied himself of all, and became poor to make us rich, not in goods, but in grace, not in worldly wealth, but in the treasures of another world, Phil. ii. 7; 2 Cor. vhi. 9.1 He that was heir of both worlds had not a house of his own to put his head in. Christ lived poor and died poor. As he was born in another man's house, so he was buried in another man's tomb. Austin observes, when Christ died he made no will, he had no crown-lands, only his coa,t was left, and that the soldiers parted amongst themselves. Are you houseless, are you penniless, are you poor, and low, and mean in this world ? So was Christ. Kemember 'the servant is not greater than his lord,' John xiii. 16. It is good seriously to ponder upon that saying of Christ, ' The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord,' Mat. x. 24, 25. If Joab the lord-general be in tents, it is a shame for Uriah to take his ease at home in a soft bed. It is unseemly to see the head all begored with blood and crowned with thorns, and the members to •be decked with roses and jewels, and to smell of rich odours, spices, and perfumes. Art thou in a worse condition than Christ was in this ^ Christi pauperta? meum est patrimonium. — Avibrose.
196 London's lamentations on [Isa. XLII. 24, 25.
■world ? Oil no, no ! Why then dost thou murmur and complain ? Wiiy dot^t thou say there is no sorrow to thy sorrow, nor no sutfering to thy suffering H O sirs ! it is honour enough for the disciples of Chiist to fare as Christ fared in tliis world. Why should the servant be in a better condition than liis lord ? Is not that servant hai)py enough that is equal with his lord ? Did the burnt citizens but seri- ously and frequently meditate and ponder upon the poverty and low estate of Christ wliilst he was in this world, their hearts would be more calm and quiet under all their crosses and losses than now they are. But,
(12.) Twelfthly, Though your houses are burnt, and your hahita- tions laid desolate, and you have no certain diuelling-jjlace, dec, yet your outward condition in this ivorld is not ivorse than theirs ivas ' of whom this world was not worthy : ' Lam. v. 2, ' Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens ; ' Ps. cvii. 4, 5, ' They wan- dered in the wilderness in a solitary way ; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their souls fainted in them ; ' 1 Cor. iv. 11, * Even unto this present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place ; ' Heb. xi. 37, 38, ' They wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented. They wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens, and in caves of the earth.' Some of the learned, by their wandering up and down in sheep-skins and goat- skins, do understand their disguising of themselves for their better security. One well observes from the words, [Chrysostom,] that they did not only wander and were removed from their own habitation, but that they were not quiet even in the woods, deserts, mountains, dens, and caves of the earth, but were hunted by their persecutors from desert to desert, and from mountain to mountain, and from den to den, and from one cave to another.
But hereupon some might be ready to object and reply,
OhJ. These were the very worst of the worst of men. Surely these were very vile, base, and unworthy wretches, these were the greatest of sinners, &c.
Ans. Oh no; they were such, saith the Holy Ghost, ' of whom the world was not worthy.' The heathenish world, the poor, blind, ignorant, atheistical world, the profane, superstitious, idolatrous, oppressing, and persecuting world was not worthy of them — that is, they were not worthy, (1.) Of their presence and com])any. (2.) They were not worthy of their prayers and tears. (3.) They were not worthy of their counsel and advice. (4.) They were not worthy of their gracious lives and exam])les. In this scripture you may plainly see that their wandering up and down in deserts, and on the mountains, and in dens, and in tlie caves of the earth, is reckoned up amongst tliose great and dreadful tilings that the saints suffered in that woeful day. Those precious souls that dwelt in caves and dens, and wandered up and down in sheep-skins and goat-skins, might have rustled in their silks, satins, and velvets ; they might, Nebu- chadnezzar-like, have vaunted themselves on their stately turrets and palaces, if they would have wounded their consciences and have turned their backs upon Christ and religion. Now if the burnt-up