4ly. If there be mercy with the Lord in the time of a plague, if God be ready to be entreated, & to receive atonement, and to show mercy unto his people, why then should not you trust in the Lord in the time of a Plague? Now I pray look upon the story of David's time, and you may see how ready God was to show mercy in the day of a Plague. First of all, upon that ground God told David where the Temple should be built, which he never told him before: but 2ly. look into the story, and you shall see what abatement there is; how God threatened, & abates. There was threatened seven years famine, and observe two abatements; first Chron. 21. 12. God came to David, and said, thus saith the Lord, choose thee either 3. years famine. In the 2 Samuel 24, 'tis 7. years famine• in the 13. v. ⟨p. 21⟩God came to David and told him, and said unto him, shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land, or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies: seven years of famine, says one place; three years of famine says the other: why? because God abates. Well, but there is a great abatement if you look upon the business of the Plague. The Lord gave David his choice; Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land, or wilt thou fly three months before thine enemies, or that there be three days pestilence in thy land? well, at the 15th verse, 2 Sam. 24. 15. So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel, from the morning even to the time appointed: the time Appointed, how long was that? what, three days? no, there was abatement; how doth that appear? So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel, from the morning even to the time appointed; even to the Evening Sacrifice, for so it signifies: but how do you prove that it did not last three days? by two reasons, says Peter Martyr; one, because 'tis said, The Lord repented him of the evil; and another, because (says he) at the 16. verse, When the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him: why if the three days had been at an end, the Angel would not have stretched out his hand to have destroyed Jerusalem: therefore the Angel still putting forth his hand to destroy, shows that the three days were not at an end; so that there was an abatement. I speak it to show Gods readiness to abate, and to show mercy in the time of a Plague.
4ly. If there be mercy with the Lord in the time of a plague, if God be ready to be intreated, & to receive atonement, and to shew mercy unto his people, why then should not you trust in the Lord in the time of a Plague? Now I pray look upon the story of David's time, and you may see how ready God was to shew mercy in the day of a Plague. First of all, upon that ground God told David where the Temple should be built, which he never told him before: but 2ly. look into the story, and you shall see what abatement there is; how God threatned, & abates. There was threatned seven years famine, and observe two abatements; first Chron. 21. 12. God came to David, and said, thus saith the Lord, chuse thee either 3. years famine. In the 2 Samuel 24, 'tis 7. years famine• in the 13. v. ⟨p. 21⟩God came to David and told him, and said unto him, shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land, or wilt thou flee three moneths before thine enemies: seven years of famine, sayes one place; three years of famine sayes the other: why? because God abates. Well, but there is a great abatement if you look upon the business of the Plague. The Lord gave David his choice; Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land, or wilt thou fly three months before thine enemies, or that there be three days pestilence in thy land? well, at the 15th verse, 2 Sam. 24. 15. So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel, from the morning even to the time appointed: the time Appointed, how long was that? what, three dayes? no, there was abatement; how doth that appear? So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel, from the morning even to the time appointed; even to the Evening Sacrifice, for so it signifies: but how do you prove that it did not last three dayes? by two reasons, says Peter Martyr; one, because 'tis said, The Lord repented him of the evil; and another, because (says he) at the 16. verse, When the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him: why if the three days had been at an end, the Angel would not have stretched out his hand to have destroyed Jerusalem: therefore the Angel still putting forth his hand to destroy, shews that the three days were not at an end; so that there was an abatement. I speak it to shew Gods readiness to abate, and to shew mercy in the time of a Plague.
