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 XX. Upon the Fire of Hell.

VVHo can think on the late dreadfull fire without some serious reflections on the more dreadful fire of hell? If that Tophet which is spoken of, Isa. 30.33. be the same with Hell, methinks the description of it is such, as doth not a little agree with our late fire, The pile thereof (saith the Prophet) is much wood, the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it. Was not the pile of our late fire much wood, of Chur∣ches, Houses, and other Structures? and did not the wind (which may be called the breath of the Lord) so kindle it, or rather, increase it, as if it had been a mighty stream of Brimstone poured in upon it? Some are not more hard to believe there is a Hell (a Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which is, The second death) than they would have been, to believe, that any such fire, should, or could have fallen upon London, as that which lately did. If more dreadful things than we could imagine, do happen unforetold, (as the

late Judgement for one); Why should we think those incredible, which the Scripture plainly speaks of, though they far transcend our imagina∣tion, and what we should otherwise expect? No∣thing can make the burning of London, and the misery attending it, seem small, but, to consider the fire of Hell, and the misery of the damned; and that considered, this doth even vanish and dis∣appear before it. For, What is a fire of four days continuance, to that which shall last more millions of millions of Ages, than there are minutes in the space of four dayes and nights? Or, What is a fire, preying upon Houses and Goods, to that, which shall prey upon Bodies and Souls; as Christ hath commanded us, to Fear him, who can cast s••ul and body into hell. If one Soul be (as it is) more worth than many worlds, how much lesse is one City worth than many thousand souls? Neither is Hel an uncompounded torment, consisting of fire onely; but there are other ingredients, to make the misery of it more unsufferable: There is the worm that shall never die, there it the darknesse that shall never end. There is the heat of fire to Tor∣ment, but not the light of fire to Refresh. Oh the demerit of sin, that, fire, which of it's self is so in∣tolerable a torment, should not be thought suffi∣cient to punish it! Shall I dread fire alone (such as that which befell the City) and shall I not dread more scorching flames than those, accompanied with a gnawing worm and a perpetual night? I can heartily say with that good man, Hic ure, hic see••, Domine; sed in aeternum p••rce, Here, O Lord, cut and burn, and do what thou wilt with me; onely spare in Eternity. May the consideration of Hell-fire, not onely deterr me from sin, but

also kindle love to Christ within me, who is therefore called Jesus, because he shall save his people from the wrath to come.