God's soveraignty displayed from Job 9. 12. : Behold he taketh away, who can hinder him? &c., or, A discourse shewing, that God doth, and may take away from his creatures what hee pleaseth, as to the matter what, the place where, the time when, the means and manner how, and the reasons thereof : with an application of the whole, to the distressed citizens of London, whose houses and goods were lately consumed by the fire : an excitation of them to look to the procuring causes of this fiery tryal, the ends that God aims at in it, with directions how to behave themselves under their losses / by William Gearing ...

SECT. VI.

A sixt end is, that you may bee the [ VI] better fitted to compassionate others in the like condition: it may be many of you, when you were full, and knew the want of nothing, and had all things a∣bout you according to your hearts desire, you were then so blinded with your own self-love, with your pleasures and inordinate lusts, and desires of your own ease and profits, that the distressed saints might starve and sigh and mourn, and yet you consider'd it not; whether others did dance for joy, or mourn for grief of heart, it was all one to you; so long as you could hear the melodi∣ous noise of the viol, and drink wine in bowls, you regarded not the afflictions of Joseph; so long as you had your backs clothed with rich apparrel, and your bellies filled with variety of dain∣ties, and could dwell in your stately edifices, and warm ceiled houses, you never thought upon the hunger and cold of the poor and needy, and the mise∣ries of those that scarce have a hole to put their heads in; you were of∣ten acquainted with the pinching wants

of your miserable brethren, yet per∣haps your hearts were nothing affected with pitty and compassion toward them; you had hearts of stone, who could hear the cries of the oppressed, and look upon the pale-wrinckled faces of famished persons, and hear them sigh∣ing and bemoaning their extremities and yet your bowels yearned not over such; how many Nabals are there that could see David in hunger, and yet their hearts dead within them? cursed Edomites, who could behold the ruine of Zion, and mourn not over it? How many were there among you, that had abundance of this worlds goods, and yet were niggardly in releiving and refreshing the bellies of the poor: as for themselves, they felt no hunger, but had their full tables every day, yet suf∣fered they poor Lazarus to go away without crumbs; they had changes of apparel, and some of them lay by till they were moth-eaten, yet suffered they Christ in his members to go naked: cursed Chams, that would not cover their brothers nakedness. How many among you, had abundance of all things, and yet gave poor pittances, God know∣eth, and that with murmuring and re∣pining

hearts? parting with their Alms, as narrow-mouth'd pots do with li∣quor, with much bubling, who like Grapes, yield no liquor unless they be pressed. Oh how dwelleth the love of God in such, saith the Apostle? what a Sun in the Heavens, and not light? what a fixed Star, and not shine? what fire, and not give heat? these are strange things in nature. So I may say, what love to Christ, and no compassi∣on to his members, no relief, no boun∣ty? it is as strange as to see the Sun full of darkness; certainly the love of God dwelleth not in such flinty hearts. Therefore doth the Lord take away our houses, our goods, our dearest out∣ward comforts sometimes, for this end, that we may have a fellow-feeling of others miseries. They are usually the most pittiful to others, who have suffer∣ed great losses and miseries themselves. He that hath been pinched with pover∣ty, will easily be brought to pitty those that are poor and needy: he that hath been sick and weak, will be ready to commiserate those that are visited; He that hath lost all his goods, been tossed from post to pillar, and stripped out of all his estate, will presently relent at

others grieved in the same kinde. Be∣ing diversly afflicted and distressed, we learn with that Tyrian Queen to say,

* 1.1Non ignara mali, miseris succurrere disco

The sense of evils makes me to bemone, And succour them who under suffrings groan.

You may plainly see there was such bowels of compassions in the Saints in Scripture. What is the whole book of Lamentations, but a large Com∣mentary, or description of Jeremiah's compassion toward Jerusalem? though God had provided well for the parti∣cular comfort of him, yet Jerusalems miseries did embitter his comforts, and turned all his wine into water. How tenderly affected was Job, with every particular mans distress? When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, then it gave witness to me; because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I caused the widdows heart to sing for joy. I was eyes to the blind,

and feet was I to the lame, I was a father to the poor, &c. Job 29.11, 12, 13, 15, 16. This the Apostle calls a re∣freshing of the bowels of the Saints; which is a Metaphor taken from such, as being almost faint with a great heat, do finde some shady place to cool them; such is relief to our needy bre∣thren. Till we have been in misery and necessity our selves, we shall scarce af∣ford our distressed brethren, any more than lip-compassion: Alas poor man! he is in great wants, he is in a misera∣ble condition, it grieveth me to see him, this is all; this is that which the Apo∣stle James taxeth, Jam. 2.15.16. If a brother or sister be naked, and desti∣tute of daily food: and one of you say unto them, depart in peace, be you warm∣ed and filled, notwithstanding you give them not those things which are need∣ful to the body, what doth it profit him? Your lip-love, and your lip-compassi∣on, is no comfort at all to him; Christ will throw such compassionate Hypo∣crites into hell: where there is no relief from the hand, there is no pitty nor compassion in the heart; A niggardly hand is the Index of an iron heart: this compassion is no other than paint∣ed

fire to a cold hand; it is true what a very Reverend man said; Miseratio divitum sine benignitate, est illusio mi∣serorum. Rich mens pitty without bounty, is a mocking of the poor in their distresses.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Virgil. Aeneid. 5.