Shlohavot, or, The burning of London in the year 1666 commemorated and improved in a CX discourses, meditations, and contemplations, divided into four parts treating of I. The sins, or spiritual causes procuring that judgment, II. The natural causes of fire, morally applied, III. The most remarkable passages and circumstances of that dreadful fire, IV. Counsels and comfort unto such as are sufferers by the said judgment / by Samuel Rolle ...

MEDITATION X. Upon the burning of Hospitals, and Rents thereunto be∣longing.

RIghteous art thou O Lord, yet let me plead with thee concerning thy Judgments. Why had the fire a Commission to burn down Hospitals? Why didst thou dry up those pools of Bethesdah? Why didst thou wither the Goards of those poor Jonas's, who had nothing else to defend them from the scorching of extream poverty? Was ever money given to better uses, or with a better intent, than what went to the maintaining those houses of Charity? Or was it ever intrusted in better and safer hands, than that which had so many persons of worth and integrity to take care of it, (and be, as it were, Overseers of, the poor)? Or what charity was ever disposed of more according to the will of the Doners, than that hath always been, which few or none would accept, but those that had need of it (and for them it was intended)? I should have thought, the Doors of those houses, above all o∣thers, would have been sprinkled, that the de∣stroying Angel might have passed over them, and that Judgment should not have entered, where onely Mercy did seem to dwell. Did not Christ say, The poor we have alwayes with us, and shall we have no Receptacles for the poor? The poor in∣crease daily, but the places of their relief are di∣minished; and where those places are yet standing, yet is not much of their Revenue impaired? Shall the Foxes have holes, and the Birds of the Aire nests, but the poor not have where to lay their heads? Came this for their sakes, whose charity

did maintain these places, or for those that were maintained in them and by them, or for the sake of others; or for all the three? Whilest some con∣tributed to those places out of pure ends and prin∣ciples, might not others do it out of superstition and conceipt of merit, others out of Ostentation? (though we may not impute those things to any in particular): And as for those who were relieved in those places, were there not sins amongst them also? Some, it may be, were not more poor than wicked; so, that though their poverty made them the Objects of Mercy from men, yet their wicked∣ness exposed them to the Justice of God.

Doubtless, men by sin, may forfeit, not only their superfluities and conveniencies, but also their ve∣ry necessaries, or such things as they cannot live without: and had not too many of these so done? Though some, whose miseries have brought them to such places, are affected with the hand of God, and fear to sin whilest his rod is upon them; yet, were there not others, who no whit appalled by all their sufferings (were it the loss of limbs or whatsoever else) would swear, and drink, and rant, at such a rate, as if they had had all the world before them, or thought scorn, that as to these things, even the greatest personages should go beyond them. Had all been such as some were, possibly the Great God had not forborn to set fire upon those Houses long ago. But in relation to others, might not this come, First, to try their sincerity, whether their hearts would serve them to give to good uses, though by this it appears, they can have no assu∣rance of raising any lasting monument to their names thereby. Or, Secondly, to try their Faith, whether they would cast their bread, as upon the

water, so upon the fire, as it were, (or that which may easily be burnt) in hope to find it after many dayes. But the probablest reason of all is, that it came to prove and exercise their Charity, and to call upon them (so many as are able) to make to themselves friends of the Mammon of unrighteous∣ness, that when they fail, they may be received into everlasting habitations. Why should the poor be al∣wayes maintained by an old stock of Charity? Why should not this Age be as charitable as former Ages were? Though many be poor at this time, yet all are not, yea, there are many rich, though not comparative to the number of such as are poor, nor have rich men ever more to do, than when there are most poor. Poor men think it a blessed thing to receive; but Christ hath told them, It is yet a more blessed thing to give. The Italians when they begge, use to say to them of whom they begge, Pray be good to your selves.

As much as iniquity doth abound, I will not believe, unlesse I see it, that Charity is grown so cold, that amongst all the rich men that are in England, Nobles, Gentlemen, and others, there will not be found enough to repair that breach which the fire hath made upon the poor Hospitals, and the revenues, formerly belonging to them. You know, (or, if I thought you did not, I can tell you) where and whence you may defaulk e∣nough to rear up those Structures again as large and fair as before, (though one of them was some∣times the Pallace of a Prince, even Bridewell it's self) and to indow them as liberally as ever, and not to misse what you have parted with, when you have done. Think how much extraordinary it useth to cost you every year upon your lusts, one or more.

One mans Drunkennesse costs him an hundred pounds in a year extraordinary, another mans Uncleannesse twice so much, a third mans Game∣ing no lesse, and so it is like to do from year to year: Yea possibly some men have spent, as much of their time upon one lust, as would have built an Hospitall. Now as God saith, that he would famish all the gods of the Heathen; so do you famish those lusts which you have ido∣lized, cut off those right hands, that they may grasp no more of your money, for time to come, and let the poor receive it in their stead. Is it not better lending to the Lord, than giving to the Devil? Why will you buy repentance so dear, when you might put your money to so much better uses? Some that have fallen into very hainous sins, have built Hospitals, for the relief of their own Con∣sciences.

God may please to leave you to the same sins, and so extort that out of you, by the same means, if it will not come freely. Some, though free from notorious vices, yet do manifestly exceed in diet, and in apparel. What if you should lessen your Table by one or two dishes every day? What if you should spare something of that superfluous cost, which you use to give yourselves in every gar∣ment; and resolving so to do, should contribute all that, to the rebuilding and reindowing the con∣sumed Hospitals, which, you reckon, that good husbandry would save you every year: What if Gentlemen should keep fewer hounds and hawks, or none at all, in order to so good a work? Yea, What if you should put two horses lesse into your Coaches, which had wont to be drawn with four or six? You may think yourselves at liberty in

this case, but pardon me, if I think you are bound. It is not matter of choice, but duty, to minister to the necessities of others, out of our superfluities, and to their extremities, out of our very conveniences. He, that is unmercifull or uncharitable, is also un∣just, because he doth not use the talent, wherewith his Lord hath intrusted him, for those ends for which it was put into his hands: He doth not ful∣fill the just will of the Donor: Let it never be said, that God gave you Estates to do good with, but you spent them upon your lusts, that you can find so many pounds, or hundreds of pounds, to consume in Taverns and Tippling-houses, so much treasure wherewith to keep Mistresses (otherwise called whores) so much gold and silver, wherewith to treasure up to yourselves wrath against the day of wrath, but nothing, wherewithal to rebuild, or help for∣ward the rebuilding of ruinated Hospitals.

Break off your sins, by repentance, and your ini∣quities by shewing mercy to the poor, as Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar. All the good you do sincere∣ly will be your own another day: Therefore said Paul, Phil. 4.17. I desire fruit that may abound to your account. The same Apostle, speaking of the Churches of Macedonia, saith, That their deep po∣verty had abounded to the riches of their liberality, 2 Cor. 8.2. and, Shall not your riches amount to as much as did their poverty? Christ became poor to make u••rich: and, Shall we think much to be somewhat lesse rich, that we may relieve those that are extreamly poor? Look not to receive, that joyfull Sentence from Christ, Come ye blessed, &c. unlesse he may say of you, For you saw me hungry and fed me; naked, and clothed me, meaning his Members, which are himself, mystically; (so

the Church is called Christ.) Let not the ashes of, sometimes greatly usefull, Hospitals cry to Heaven, against your want of bowels, He that hath this worlds goods, and shutteth up his bowels against those that are in want, How dwelleth the love of God in him? The worse uses, that any have formerly put their money to, the greater obligation lies upon them to put it to good uses (as they are called) for time to come. Not onely the ill getting of money calls for extraordinary charity (which made Zacch••us say, The one half of my E∣state I give to the poor) but also, our having ill spent it, in times past; for it is with money as with time, by how much the worse we spent it formerly, by so much the better, we should spend it for the future. Princes have laid these foun∣dations, and will it not be an honour, for Sub∣jects to build upon them? your work may pos∣sibly stand hundreds of years (as some of those houses, yet in being, have done) whereas theirs is fallen to the ground. In a word, next unto the honor of building a Temple for Gods house (as Solomon did, and David was ambitious to have done) is that of building a house for Gods Temples, and such are all true believers, how poor and mean soever.