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

For this gird you with Sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the Lord is not turned back from us. Under wasting Judgements, God expecteth, not only inward, but also outward expressions and demonstrations of sorrow and grief. Shall our enemies rejoice over the Ruins of London, and shall not we mourn over the Ruins of London! Shall they that are afar off lament over London's desolation, and shall not we lament over London's desolation, who are every day a walking up and down in London's Ruins and Rubbish! O S•rs, as ever you would see London's breaches repaired, her Trading recovered, her beauty restored, her riches augmented, her glory advanced, and her inhabitants rejoiced, make conscience of mourning over London's Ruins. After Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, many of the Jews obtained leave of the Roman Emperors, once a year (viz. on the tenth of August, which was the day whereon their City was taken) to enter into Jerusalem, and bewail the destruction of their City, Temple and People, bargaining with the Soldiers who waited on them, to give ¹so much for so lo•g abiding there, and if they exceeded the time they conditioned for, they were to stretch their purses to a higher rate: which occasioned Hierom to say, That they who bought Christs blood, were then glad to buy their own tears. O Sirs, what cause have we, once a year, yea, often in a year, to bewail the desolation of London! The Statue of Apollo, is said to shed tears, for the afflictions of the Grecians, though ⟨p. 40⟩he could not help them. Though we could no• prevent the burning of London, yet let us weep over the Ruins of London. The Leprosy of the Citizens sins, had so fretted into London's Walls; that there was no cleansing of them, but by the furious flames of a consuming fire. In the Law you know, that when the old fretting Plague of Leprosy, was ²so got into the house, and spread in the Walls, that no scraping within or without, could cleanse it away, then the house was to be pulled down: this seems to be London's case. God by former Judgements, laboured to scrape away the Leprosy of sin out of London, but that deadly leprosy was so got into mens hearts and houses, that there was no getting of it out, but by pulling them down. This is, and this must be for a lamentation.