thing; which had they improved, and generally mourned for sin, which brought the plague upon the city, had they humbly and earnestly sought the Lord to turn from his fierce anger, which was kindled against London, it might have prevented the desolating judgment by fire: but alas! how many spent their time of leisure in toys and trifles, at best about feeding and preserving their bodies, but no time in serious minding the salvation of their souls; and if some were a little awakened with fear, whilst the plague raged so greatly, and they looked upon themselves to be in such danger; yet when they apprehended the danger to be over, they dropped asleep faster than before: still they are the same or worse than formerly they that were drunken, are drunken still; they that were filthy, are filthy still; and they that were unjust and covetous, do still persevere in their sinful course; cozening, and lying, and swearing, and cursing, and Sabbath breaking, and pride, and envy, and flesh-pleasing, and the like God-displeasing, and God-provoking sins (of which in the catalogue of London sins) do abound in London, as if there were no signification in God's judgments by the plague; some return to their houses, and follow their worldly business, and work as hard as they can to fetch up the time they have lost, without minding and labouring to improve by the judgment, and God's wonderful preservation of them; others return, and sin as hard as they can, having been taken off for a while, from those opportunities and free liberties for sin, which they had before; most began now to sit down at rest in their houses

when the summer was come, and the plague did not return, and they bring back all their goods they had carried into the country because of the plague; they did not imagine they should be forced to remove them again so soon.

Thus concerning the great Plague in London.

SECT. VI.

I PROCEED next to give a narration of the judgment of the Fire; in which I shall be more brief, it being dispatched in fewer days, than the plague was in months.

It was the 2d of September 1666, that the anger of the Lord was kindled against London, and the fire began: it began in a baker's house in Pudding Lane, by Fish-street Hill: and now the Lord is making London "like a fiery oven in the time of his anger," Psal. xxi. 9, and in his wrath doth devour and swallow up our habitations. It was in the depth and dead of the night, when most doors and senses were locked up in the city, that the fire doth break forth and appear abroad; and like a mighty giant refreshed with wine, doth awake and arm itself, quickly gathers strength, when it had made havock of some houses, rusheth down the hill towards the bridge, crosseth Thames Street, invadeth Magnus Church at the Bridge-Foot, and though that

church were so great, yet it was not a sufficient barricado against this conqueror; but having scaled and taken this fort, it shooteth flames with so much the greater advantage into all places round about; and a great building of houses upon the bridge is quickly thrown to the ground; then the conqueror being stayed in his course at the bridge, marcheth back towards the city again, and runs along with great noise and violence through Thames Street, westward, where, having such combustible matter in its teeth, and such a fierce wind upon its back, it prevails with little resistance, unto the astonishment of the beholders.

My business is not to speak of the hand of man, which was made use of in the beginning and carrying on of this fire. The beginning of the fire at such a time, when there had been so much hot weather, which had dried the houses, and made them the more fit for fuel; the beginning of it in such a place, where there were so many timber-houses, and the shops filled with so much combustible matter; and the beginning of it just when the wind did blow so fiercely upon that corner towards the rest of the city, which then was like tinder to the sparks; this doth smell of a popish design, hatched in the same place where the Gunpowder-plot was contrived, only that this was more successful. The world sufficiently knows how correspondent this is to popish principles and practices; those, who could intentionally blow up king and parliament by gunpowder, might (without any scruple of their kinds of conscience) actually burn an heretical

city (as they count it) into ashes: for besides the dispensations they can have from his Holiness, (or rather his Wickedness) the pope, for the most horrid crimes of murder, incest, and the like; it is not unlikely, but they count such an action as this meritorious, (in their kind of merit) which, in the issue, they will find to merit the flames of eternal fire, instead of a crown of glory, which I wonder that in their way they can have the least hopes of: I believe that the people will now take more heed of them and their ways; and instead of promoting their cause, I hope that a contrary effect is produced; and that the before indifferency of a generation more newly sprung up, who did not know them, is now turned into loathing and detestation of such a religion, as can allow of such practices. My work is not to declare what hath been proved against the papists before the honourable committee of parliament appointed to enquire into their insolencies; and the proofs which have been given in, concerning the fire, and who have been accessary thereunto.

No; I would rather endeavour to turn people's eyes from men to God; for whoever were the instruments, God was the author of this evil, which hath come upon us; there being no evil in the city (that is, evil of punishment) which the Lord as a righteous, and the supreme Judge, doth not inflict. And surely more of the extraordinary hand of God, than of any men, did appear in the burning of the City of London. God could have prevented men, by discovering their plots (as he did that of the gunpowder

treason) before they had taken effect. God could have directed and given a blessing unto means for the quenching of it when it was first kindled. God, who hath the winds in his fist, could have gathered in the wind, and laid it asleep; or so turned it the other way, that it should have been a defence to the city: or God, who hath the clouds at his command, and the bottles of heaven in his hand, could have gathered his thick clouds together, and squeezed them; opened his bottles, and poured down rain in abundance upon the city; so that if the wind had blown as it did, it should have blown water upon the fire, which would quickly have put it out. But the heavens at that time were brass, no showering clouds to be seen: the fire begins, is quickly taken notice of, though in the midst of the night; fire, fire, fire, doth resound the streets; many citizens start out of their sleep, look out of their windows, some dress themselves, and run to the place. The Lord Mayor of the city comes with his officers, a confusion there is, counsel is taken away; and London, so famous for wisdom and dexterity, can now find neither brains nor hands to prevent its ruin. The hand of God was in it: the decree was come forth: London must now fall; and who could prevent it? No wonder when so many pillars are removed, if the building tumbles; the prayers, tears, and faith, which sometimes London hath had, might have quenched the violence of the fire; might have opened heaven for rain, and driven back the wind: but now the fire gets mastery, and burns dreadfully: and God with his