London's lamentation, or, A serious discourse concerning the late fiery dispensation that turned our…

for thou art all, and much more then all these to me. Here was an 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 Phoenicia 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 another for the death of his Son, threw himself head-long into the Sea. Augustus Caesar (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 ¹he 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 II. (who was none of the best of Princes) hearing 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, ⟨p. 53⟩to be taken from me. Now by all these instances you may clearly and plainly see the different temper and carriage of wicked men under 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 ²World. 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. O 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 convince all gain-sayers 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 thus 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.