God's terrible voice in the city

Now the Train-bands are up in Arms watching at every quarter for Outlandish men, because of the general fears and jealousies, and rumours that Fire-Balls were thrown into houses by several of them, to help on and provoke the too furious flames. Now Goods are hastily removed from the lower parts of the City; and the body of the people begin to retire, and draw upwards, as the people did from the Tabernacles of Corah, Dathan and Abiram, ¹when the earth did cleave asunder and swallow them up:² or rather as Lot drew out from his house in Sodom before it was consumed by fire from Heaven. Yet some hopes were retained on the Lords day that the Fire would be extinguished, especially by them who lived in the remote parts; they could scarcely imagine that the Fire a mile off should be able to reach their houses.

1. 1Num. 16. 27, 31, 32.
2. 2Gen. 19.

But the evening draws on, and now the Fire is more visible and dreadful: instead of the Black curtains of the night, which used to be spread over the City, now the curtains are Yellow; the smoke that arose from the burning parts, seemed like so much flame in the night, which being blown upon the other parts by the wind, the whole City at some distance seemed to be on fire. Now hopes begin to sink, and a general consternation seizeth upon the spirits of people; little sleep is taken in London this night; the amazement which the eye and ear doth effect upon the spirit, doth either dry up, or drive away the vapour which used to bind up the senses, ⟨p. 60⟩Some are at work to quench the fire with water; others endeavour to stop its course, by pulling down of houses; but all to no purpose: if it be a little allayed, or beaten down, or put to a stand in some places, it is but a very little while; it quickly recruits, and recovers its force; it leaps, and mounts, and makes the more furious onset, drives back its opposers, snatcheth their weapons out of their hands, seizeth upon the Water-houses and Engines, burns them, spoils them, and makes them unfit for service. Some are upon their knees in the night, pouring out tears before the Lord, interceding for poor London, in the day of its calamity; but alas I fear there are too few weeping Jeremiah's at the throne of grace: too few Moses's to stand in the gap, too few Jacob's to wrestle with the Lord, and hang about his arm. London's sins were too great, and Gods anger against the City was too hot, so easily & presently to be quenched and allayed; and if by the intercession of some, a mitigation be obtained, so that the Lord doth not stir up all his wrath, utterly to destroy the place, as he did Sodom and Gomorrah; yet none can prevail to call back that wrath, and reverse that decree which is gone forth against the City: The time of London's fall is come; the Fire hath received its commission from God to burn down the City, and therefore all attempts to hinder it are in vain.