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

God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth, and is furious, he reserveth wrath for his enemies. 'Tis the high-way to Atheism and Profaneness, to fancy to our selves a God made up all of mercy, to think that God cannot tell how to be angry and wroth with the sons of men. Surely they that have seen London in flames, or believe that 'tis now laid in ashes, they will believe that God knows how to be angry, and how to fix the tokens of his wrath upon us. But,

God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth, and is furious, he reserveth wrath for his enemies. 'Tis the high-way to Atheism and Prophaneness, to fancy to our selves a God made up all of mercy, to think that God cannot tell how to be angry and wroth with the sons of men. Surely they that have seen London in flames, or believe that 'tis now laid in ashes, they will believe that God knows how to be angry, and how to fix the tokens of his wrath upon us. But,

Fourthly, God inflicts great and sore Judgments upon the sons of men, and upon Cities and Countries, that they §4may cease from sin, receive instruction, and reform and return to the most High; as you may evidently see by comparing the Scriptures in the Margin together. Gods corrections should be our instructions, his lashes should be our lessons, ¹his scourges should be our School-masters, his chastisements should be our advertisements: And to note this, the Hebrews and the Greeks both express chastising and teaching by one & the same word ([Greek or Hebrew] Masar, [Greek or Hebrew] Paideia) because ²the latter is the true end of the former, according to that in the Proverb, Smart makes wit, and vexation gives understanding. Whence Luther fitly calls affliction, Theologiam Christianorum, ³The Christian mans Divinity.