[8. J Eigiithly, None but freemen may trade, and keep open shop in a city ; so none shall have anything to do in heaven, but such whose name are written in the Lamb's book of life. Rev. xxi. 27. Believers are the only persons that are enrolled as freemen in the records of the heavenly city.
[9 ] Ninthly, Cities are full of earthly riches ; and so is heaven of glorious riches : there are no riches to the riches of the heavenly Jerusalem, Isa. xxiii. 8 ; Rev. xxi. All the riches of the most famous cities in the world are but dross, brass, copper, tin, &:c., to the riches of heaven.
0 sirs, how should the consideration of these things work us all to look and long, and to prc})are and fit for this heavenly city, this con- tinuing city, this city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God ! The Holy Ghost frequently calling believers pilgrims.
IsA. XLTI. 24, 25.] the late fiery dispensation. 285
sojourners, strangers, doth sufficiently evidence that there is no abid- ing for them in this world, Heb. xi. 13; 1 Pet. ii. 11 ; Ps. cxix. 54. This world is not their country, their city, their home, their habita- tion ; and therefore they are not to place their hopes or hearts or affec- tions upon things below, Col. iii. 1, 2. Heaven is their chief city, their best country, their most desirable home, and their everlasting habitation; and therefore the hopes, desires, breathings, longings, and workings of their souls should still be heaven-ward, glory-ward, Luke xvi. 9 ; Eev. xxii. 17. Oh when shall grace be swallowed up in glory ? when shall we take possession of our eternal mansions ? John xiv. 2-4 ; when shall we be with Christ, which for us is best of all ? Phil. i. 23. The late fire hath turned all ranks and sorts of men out of the houses where they once dwelt, and it will not be long before death will turn the same persons out of their present habitations, and carry them to their long homes. Death will turn princes out of their most stately palaces, and great men out of their most sumptuous edifices, and rich men out of their most pleasant houses, and warlike men out of their strongest castles, and poor men out of their meanest cottages, Eccles. xii. 5. The prince's palace, the great man's edifice, the rich man's house, the warlike man's castle, and the poor man's cottage, are of no long continuance. Oh how should this awaken and alarm all sorts and ranks of men to seek after a city which hath foun- dations, to make sure their interest in the new Jerusalem which is above, in those heavenly mansions that no time can wear nor flames consume ! But,
16. Sixteenthly and lastly. Was London in flames on the Lord's day ? and was the profanation of that day one of those great sins that brought that dreadful judgment of fire upon London, that hath turned that glorious city into a ruinous heap ? then oh that all that have been sufferers by thoit lamentable fire^ and all others also, ivould make it their business, their luork, their heaven, to sanctify the Sabbath and to keep it holy all their days, that the Lord may be no more provoked to lay London more desolate than it is laid this day. Let it be enough that this day of tlie Lord hath been so greatly profaned by sinful omissions and by sinful commissions, by the immorality, debauchery, gluttony, drunkenness, wantonness, filthiness, uncleanness, rioting, revelling, and chambering that multitudes were given up to before the Lord appeared against them in that flaming fire that hath laid our renowned city in ashes. Let it be enough that the Lord has been more dishonoured and blasphemed, that Christ hath been more re- proached, despised, and refused, and that the Spirit hath been more grieved, vexed, provoked, and quenched on the Lord's day, than on all the other days of the week. Let it be enough that on this day of the Lord many have been a-playing, when they should have been a-pray- ing; and that many have been a-sporting, when they should have been a-mourning for the afflictions of Joseph, Amos vi. 6 ; and that many have been a-courting of their mistresses, when they should have been a-waiting on the ordinances ; and that many have been sitting at their doors, when they should have been instructing of their families ; and that many have been walking in the fields, when they should have been a-sighing and expostulating with God in their closets ; and that
286 London's lamentations on [Isa. XLII. 24, 25.
many have made that a day of common labour, which God hath made to be a day of" special rest from sin, from the world, and from their particular callini^s. Oh that all men who have paid so dear for pro- faning ot Sabbaths would now bend all their force, strength, power, and might to sanctify those Sabbaths that yet they may enjoy on this side eternity ! &c.
Quest. But you will reply upon me, How is the Sabbath to be sanctified ?
Ans. I shall endeavour to give a clear, full, and satisfactory answer to this necessary and noble question. And therefore take me thus: —
1. First, We are to sanctify the Sabbath hi/ resting from all servile labour and icorh on that day, Exod. xvi. 29, 30 ; Neh. xiii. 15-18. Exod. XX. 10, ' But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work ; thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.' Jer. xvii. 22, 'Neither carry forth a bur- den out of your houses on the sabbath- day, neither do ye any work ; but hallow ye the sabbath-day, as I commanded your fathers.' Isa. Iviii. 13, ' If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day ; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking of thine own words.' Here are three things distinctly observable in the words: —
Not doing thine own ways, that is works ; not speaking thine own words ; not finding thine own pleasure. Now mark, we have stronger reasons to engage us to a stricter observation and sanctification of the Lord's day than they had for their Sabbath ; which may be thus evinced : —
(Not to speak of their double sacrifices. Num. xxviii. 9, 10, upon their Sabbath, which, as some think, might typify our double devotion on the Lord's day ; nor yet to speak of those six lambs whereby others conjecture was fore-prophesied the abundant services in the time of the gospel, Ezek. xlvi. 1-5.)
(1.) First, Our motives are far gi-eater, and more efficacious ; for,