O Make not a tush at a plague: sleight it not too much. 1If we account the lives of men, women and children to be precious, (how precious a thing life is, hath been *before declared) we may well think that that which taketh away the lives of many, is to be accounted a terrible thing. I deny not but that in some respects war, in other respects famine is more terrible then pestilence: which made eDavid choose it, rather then either of them. Yet is a plague, if once it grow to any strength, a fearful and terrible judgement. By it, parents that have had many children like Olive plants round about their table, have been soon made childless. By it parents, children, husbands, wives, masters, servants, whole households have been in a very short time swept away. Yea streets, and villages, and cities have thereby been made desolate. On some it cometh more mildly, and taketh them away without any pain, or extraordinary fervour: on others it falleth more violently, casting them into extreme burning fits, troubling the brain, disturbing the understanding, making them that are affected therewith, rage and rave, and seek all ways to make away themselves. Lamentable experience hath given too evident ⟨p. 120⟩proofs hereof. Besides, by reason of the contagion and infection of this disease, dear friends are kept one from another, and they that are visited therewith, deprived of many outward helps, and inward comforts that otherwise they might have. Finally, they that die of this disease are for the most part deprived of the honour of that decent and solemn funeral which otherwise they might have: a matter iwhich God himself hath threatened as a judgement: but kpromised an honourable, and comely burial as a blessing. In these and many other respects a plague is justly to be accounted a fearful judgement: which should make us more fearful of provoking his wrath that hath the power over plagues, to send them when he will, to continue them as long as he will; and to make them as fierce and violent as he will. See more of this point, § 48, 50.
O Make not a tush at a plague: sleight it not too much. 1If we account the lives of men, women and children to be precious, (how precious a thing life is, hath beene *before declared) we may well thinke that that which taketh away the lives of many, is to be accounted a terrible thing. I deny not but that in some respects warre, in other respects famine is more terrible then pestilence: which made eDavid choose it, rather then either of them. Yet is a plague, if once it grow to any strength, a fearefull and terrible judgement. By it, parents that have had many children like Olive plants round about their table, have beene soone made childlesse. By it parents, children, husbands, wives, masters, servants, whole housholds have beene in a very short time swept away. Yea streets, and villages, and cities have thereby beene made desolate. On some it commeth more mildly, and taketh them away without any paine, or extraordinary fervour: on others it falleth more violently, casting them into extreme burning fits, troubling the braine, disturbing the understanding, making them that are affected therewith, rage and rave, and seeke all wayes to make away themselves. Lamentable experience hath given too evident ⟨p. 120⟩proofes hereof. Besides, by reason of the contagion and infection of this disease, deare friends are kept one from another, and they that are visited therewith, deprived of many outward helpes, and inward comforts that otherwise they might have. Finally, they that die of this disease are for the most part deprived of the honour of that decent and solemne funerall which otherwise they might have: a matter iwhich God himselfe hath threatned as a judgement: but kpromised an honourable, and comely buriall as a blessing. In these and many other respects a plague is justly to be accounted a fearefull judgement: which should make us more fearefull of provoking his wrath that hath the power over plagues, to send them when he will, to continue them as long as he will; and to make them as fierce and violent as he will. See more of this point, § 48, 50.
- 1Why a plague is not to be made light of.
- *§ 63. Lege Flavij Josephi Antiquit. Jud. lib. 7. cap. 13. Descriptionē peslis quae contigit sub David. Terrorem istius morbi ad vivum exprimit.§ 63. Lege Flavij Iosephi Antiquit. Iud. lib. 7. cap. 13. Descriptionē peslis quae contigit sub Davide. Terrorem istius morbi ad vivum exprimit.
- e2 Sam. 24. 14.
- iEccl. 63. Jer. 22. 18. 19.Eccl. 63. Ier. 22. 18. 19.
- k1 King. 14. 13 Jer. 34. 5.1 King. 14. 13 Ier. 34. 5.