Baxter - BX5207 B3 A2 1696

Part Il. Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter. l § 32. It was a fightthat might have given any Man a lively fence of the Vanity of this World, and all theWealth and Gloryof it, and of thefuture conflagration ofall the World. To fee the Flames mount uptowards Heaven, and proceed fo f arionf- ly without reltraint: To fee thetreets filled withpeople aftonilhed, that had farce fente left them to lament their owncalamity.. To fee the fields filled with heaps of Gods, ari fi mptuons Buildings, curious Rooms, coftlyFurniture and Houlhold-Stnfeè Yea, Warehoafesand furnifhed Shops andLibraries; &c. all on a flame, and hone durf come Hoar to receive any thing. To fee the King and Nobles ride about the treets, beholding all thefeDefolations, and none could afford the leaf Relief. To fee the Air, as far as could he beheld, fo filled with the fntoak, that the Sun fhinedthrough it, with acolour like Blood ; yea even when it was fetting in the Weff, it fo appearedto them thatdwelt onthe WeJf fide of the City. But the dolefalleí't fight of all was af- terwards, to fee whata ruinous confufed place the City was, by Chimneys and Stee- ples onlyLanding in the midi of Cellars and heaps of Rubbtm ; fo that it washard to know where the treetshad been, and dangerous, of a long time to paf through the Reines, hecaufe of Vaults, and firein them. No man that feeth not fach a thing, can have a right apprehenlonof the dreadfulnefs of it. § 33. The Extent of the Fire (confüming the City within the Walls) calleth to my remembrance, that a Fortnight before, one Mr. Caril, a Gentleman of a great Elate in Suffix, and faid to be one of the molt underftanding and fober fort of Pa- pifts, firftfent; and then come to have vifited me, as earnetlydefiring my Acquaint- ance; and then fent me a Paper to anfwer, being Exceptions againft the Preface to my book, called, The efe Religion; written by one that profeffed great Refpedt to me, and adelire to debate thofe Controverfies with me; (and it proved to be Cref/y, theChampion that at that timewas moltforward and fuccefsful in Difputes.) And in that Paper, fpeakingof the Pope's LicenfingWhore-houfes atRome; he faith, that it is werfe in London, where are.whole Erects that have not fo much as the Rebuke of any Penalty, but when they die, the Churchmen bury themas the refs, with confi- dence, that God in mercybath taken to himfelf the Sauls of tbofe dear Brethren and Sifters departed. I anfwered his Paper, and tothat 'mirage faid, That I was not acquainted in theSuburbs (towards the Court) : but I never heard of any fuch thing ; and if he knew it, he would dowell to tell the Magiftrates (who know it not) whatItreets thofe be: But for the City, within the Walls, my Acquaintance more enabled me to fay, that I did not believe that therewas inall the World filch a City for Piety, Sobriety and Temperance. And about a Fortnight after, that part was burned, and the rat; that he accufed, did efcape. § 34. And this is the Third terrible Judgment which London fuffered, fence the King's Return. Firft, many fcoreof their Faithful Teachers were filenced, and cat out, and afterwards hanilhed, or confined Five Miles fromtheCity: And next, in 1665: the Plagueand other ficknefs confomed about an Hundred Thoufand : And when they beganto be fetled in their Habitations again, the Flames devoured their Hodes and their fübitance. And it is not hard for the Reader here to imagine how many Thonfands this molt needs cat intoutter Want and Beggary : And how many Thonfands of theformerlyRichwere difabled from relieving them. And how dole- ful the Cafe then mutt needs be, whengood people, that werewont to relieve others, were call into filchdiftrefs, and few able tohelp them And at the fame time fo ma- ny HundredFamilies of filenced Minifters to be relieved, that looked to London molt for Help. And after the Fire the Charitableweredifabled ; and alfowere lit no finali traits cvheo they had a little to give, between the Minifters and the diltrelfedCiti- zens, whomto giveit to : filch are eafilier heard of than felt. And it was not the leaf part of theCalamity, that when people faw the Number of the indigent to be fo great, that when they had done their bet, it formed as if theyhad done nothing; and alfa that on this pretence, other lyingBeggars pretended themfelvestobe London- ers, it difcoeraged many from doing what theycouldand ought. § 35. Amongothers, the Famoufet Perfon in the City, who pnrpofely addi$ed himfelf to works of Mercy, was my very dear Friend, Mr. Henry .Jhurft, a Dra- per (a man of the Primitive fort of Chritians for Humility, Love, Blamelefsnefs, Meeknefs, doing good to all as he wasable, efpecially needy filenced Minters (to whom, inLancafhire alone, he allowed coo 1. perAnn. and inLondon wasmolt famous for their forcconr), and doing hurt to none. His care now was to folicit the Rich a- broad for the relief of the poor honet Londoners : And Mr. Thomas Gouge (the fi- lencec? Miniter of Sepulchres Parifh, Son to Dr. Will. Gouge, and fuch another man, Ce c e who

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