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A45206
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The dreadfulness of the plague. Or A sermon preached in the parish-church of St. John the Evangelist, December 6th. being a day of public fasting. By Jos. Hunter M.A. and minister in York
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Hunter, Josiah, minister in York.
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1666
(1666)
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Wing H3766; ESTC R219103
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15,661
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32
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he puts in this for one aggravation Mat. 24. 7. there shall be Famines and Pestilences these are the beginnings of sorrows the description which the Psalmist gives of the Plague hath much of terrour in it Psal 78. 49 50. He cast upon them the fierceness of hiâ— anger wrath indignation and trouble by sending evil Angels amongâ—t them he made a way to his anger he spared not their Soul from death but gave their life over to the Peâ—â—ilence I read even of Hypoeraâ—es that he was wont to call the Plague 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a special Divine judgment a stroke of Gods own bare hand as it were these and such like instances joyned with the experience of all Ages are enough to prove the Proposition For the farther explication of it I will answer these three Questions 1. Why the Plague 〈◊〉 so dreadful 2. What is it that provokes God to inflict it upon â— people 3. If it be such a token of Gods wrath whether it doth befall good men I mean Believers and those that are in the state of justification 1. Why the Plague 〈◊〉 so dreadful a tâ—ken of Gods wrath I answer 1. Because it is so destructive you shall seldome if at all read of the Pestilence in Scripture but Consume is joyned with it we may say of every man infected with it as David said once to Jonathan concerning himself there is but a step between death and him in that Family or City where the Plagve is veâ—ement and raging we may say of them as God threatned it should be with the Jews Deut. 28. 66 67. Their lives hang in doubt before them and they fear day and night and have no assurance of their life in the morning they say would to God it was Even and at even would God it was morning for the fear of their hearts wherewith they fear and for the sight of their eyes which they do see What havocks hath this made in the earth we may mâ—re truly say of the Plague than Samson of the jaw bone wherewith he killed so mâ—ny Philistims Heaps upon Heaps Judg. 15. 16. after David had slâ—in Goliâ—h they saâ—g in Dances Saul â—ath â—lain hâ—â— thousands but David his ten thousands so it may be said here other diseases have slain their thousands but the Plague hath slain its ten thousands it is so destructive that it is called in the abstract Destruction Psal 91. 6. Nor for the Pestilenâ—e that walkesh in darkness nor for the Destruction that â—aâ—leth at noon day What the Apostle affirms of wicked men may be likewise said of this Pestilential disease misery and destruction is in its way Rom. 3. 16. All Histories both Sacred Ecclesiastical and Prophane tell of the great Desolations that the Plague hath made we read how it swept away 14000. one time Numb 16. 49. another time 24000. Num. 25. 8. another time 70000. 2 Sam. 24. 15. and yet these summs though questionless thought very great in those times fall far short of what hath been since Those that have dyed in London of this present Plague I fear amount to more than the three fore mentioned summs put together Eusebius speaking of a great plague in Alexandria hath words to this effect out of Dionysius Now all things are full of lamentation all men moâ—rn sadness and complaining fills the whole City partly for those that are dead and partly for those that are dying daeyly for it is with us now â—s it was with the Egyptians when God slew their first-born there wâ—s a great â—ry among them because not an house where there wâ—s not one dead So Evagriâ—s speaks of a plague that continued two and fifty years it spread he saith over the whole world nor any mortal man then that did escape the Conâ—agion and some Cities he reports it invaded so vehemently that it left not in Inhabitant iâ— them The Prophet bemoaning the deplorable estate of Jerusalem amongst other hath these words Lam. 1. 4. The wayes of Zion do mourn because none come to the solemn Feasts all her Gates are desolate her Priests sigh her Virgins are afflicted and she is in bitterness and it hath been known not only in other Countries but also in our own Nation when there hath been such a morrality by the Plague that the Churches the Schools the Markets the Streets the High-ways have all mourned and some of them laid so desolate that beasts might have grazed where men were wont to trade 2. That which renders the Plague yet more dreadful is the suddenness of that Destruction which it makes the dispatch of the destruction as I may call it the suddenness of an evil helps to add much to the terrour of it this is not hard to prove from Scripture I will give you but a touch and then apply them Prov. 6. 15. His calamity shall come suddenly suddenly shall he be broken without remedy Eccles 9. 11. The Sons of men are snared in an evil â—â—me when it falleth suddenly upon them Isa 29. 18. this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall swelling out in an high wall whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant This is that which God threatens to Babylon Isa 47. 11. Evil shall come upon thee thou shalt not know from whence it riseth and mischief shall fall upon thee thou shalt not be able to put it off and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly which thou shalt not know well this is of the nature of the plague to slay suddenly it surprizeth men whilst they are eating and drinking walking and trafficking and sends them speedily from a state of health and soundness to take their portion among them who have laid long silent in the dust If you observe the Text with what follows you shall find how quickly the Plague swept away 14000. it is very likely in less than an hour in the 2 Sam. 24. we read of 70000. that dyed of it in three days where the plagus comes it doth not only make great but sudden breaches how quickly it makes a sad change not only in a Family and lesser societies but even in Cities and greater Corporations insomuch that sometimes places of the greatest concourse have had cause to bewail themselves in the language of the Prophet Lam. 1. 1. How doth the City sit solitarily that was full of people how is she become as a widow to day it may be you have children rejoycing under the wing of their Parents taking care for nothing but even to drive away care and before to morrow perhaps vou shall hear them crying out lamentably as Elisha when the Prophet Elijah was taken from him My Father my Father to day perhaps Parents are rejoycing in their Children delighting to behold them stand like Olive-plants round about their table promising unto themselves I know not what felicity in their well-doing and before to morrow it may be you shall have them like Rachel weeping for their
hard to say whether we have more cause to tremble at Gods judgment in this plague or to admire at his goodness in the abatâ—ment of it when it once threatned the whole Nation as though the Lord had purposed to make a full end that affliction should not rise up the second time Now mark what the Prophet saith The Lion hath roared who will not fear Amos 3. 8. when Gods hand is lifted up he expects that we should see it and express a sense of it the People of Nineveh believed God and proclaimed a Fast and put on sackcloath Jon. 3. 5. and did we verily believe that God is wroth with us we should busy and bestir our selves towards the appeâ—sing of it This day would be observed with more solemnity our Prayers sent up to Heaven with more devotion the Word listen'd unto with more attention Almâ— given with more freeness and abundance All tokens and testimonies of Humiliation are little enough when God shews such tokens of his wrath as the plague is this is not a time to addict our selves to pride or dâ—lliance or luxury The Romans punished one severely that in a time of common calamity was seen looking out at a window with a Crown of Roses on his head God delights to see a People shew themselves affected with his displeasure mâ—rk what he said once to the Isrâ—elites after they had made the Golden Calf Exod. â—3 5. I will come into the â—â—ast of thee in a moment and consume thee it is not an absoluâ—e determination but a conditional coâ—â—inaâ—ion therefore now put off thy Ornaments from thee that I may know what to do uâ—to theâ— that is humble thy self give some testimony of the awe â—hat thou standeâ—â— in of my Wrath of thy sorrow for the sin that hath incensed it thaâ— though I be highly provoked yet I may be â—â—ved to have pity on and shew some favour to theâ— 2. If the Plague be so dreadful a judgment what cause have we of this City to bless God for our preservation from it especially considering how many dangers we have been exposed to some through the necessity of State others through our own improvidence and some through the corrupt and covert dealings of Passengers and Traders to be preserved from danger is a mercy at any time but especially then when we see others overtaken and our selves encompossed with it What may we attribute this our preservation to shall we impute it to our own diligence and care no certainly for if our watchfulness had been ten times more yet we read in Psal 127. 1. Except the Lord keep the City the Watchmâ—n â—aketh but in vain shall we ascribe it to any merit or desert of ours nay that would be far worse as Job saith Job 9. 20. Our own mouths would condemne us and prove us perverse I would it might not be said of us as it was once of Ahaz that in this time of distress we have trespassed yet more and more sure it is vice and profaneness are grown to that height of impudence as hath not been known in former years those vices which heretofore were scarce once named amongst us are become common what said God once concerning Judah Jer. â— 8. When she saw that God had given back sliding Israel a â—ill of Divorce and put her away for her adulâ—eries yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not but went and played the Harlot also it is easie to apply it here though we saw what God had doâ—â— to London â—et we have not feared but gone on to corrupt our selâ—es and do so wickedly as if we intended to justific them or as if we thought that the sins of the Nation could not be soon enough filled up unless we added more measure to them Our preservation therefore can be attributed â—o nothing but the merciful and gratioâ— protection of Almighty God And therefore let us magnify the Lord and let us exalt his name together let us bless him at all times and let â—iâ— praise be continually in our months for he i◠〈◊〉 that hath held our souls in life and not suffered our feet to be moved he hath hitherto delivered us from all our fears and put a new song into our month eveâ— praise unto our God Only let us fear the Lord and serve him in truth and with all our hearts for consider how great things he hath done for us but if we shall still do wickedly sin lies at the door and judgment will find us out 3. And lastly if the Plague be so dreadful a judgment then it calls upon us loudly to pity those whom God hath been pleased to exercise with so heavy a visitation think that you hear the great City of the Land thus bewailing her misery and begging your commiseration as the City Jerusalem once I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath surely against me is 〈◊〉 turned he turneth his hand against me all the day be hath bent his â—â—w and set me as a mark for the arrow I envy not your immunity only desire you to commiserate my Calamity Have pity upon me have pity upon me O ye my friends for the hand of God hath touched me Job 19. 21. We have no hasty and fearful fleeing out of our City whole families made desolate miserere dâ—uâ— upon our doors we hear not that doleful voice bring out your dead Eusebins faith that in the Plague at Alexandria the Christians were as careful of one another visited those that were infected provided for them converted with them buryed them as at other times but the Heathen regarded not their Neighbours and friends but fled from them suffered them to starve and afterwards to lye unburied I acknowledge there is much difference between the spirits of Christians now from what was in those Ages for then they were willing upon all occasions to hazard yea to lay down their lives for the Brethren I blame not the Christians at Alexandria for what they did because I know not what Heroick principle they might have to induce them to it perhaps they did it for to set a pattern and example to the Heathen among whom they lived to let them see that they were not afraid of death and that their love to each other was so great that nothing could separate them But it is not safe to tempt God and run our selves upon hazards where we have no warrant we cannot we may not in a time of infection converse so freely with and do those offices to the infected as we would at another time yet it behoves us however to do all we can safely there is no danger sure in pitying them in praying for them in contributing toward their necessities these we may safely do we cannot salvâ conscientiâ omit them And now that I have mentioned Contribution I cannot but I must tell you that there is no reality in our commiseration without it St. James declares against such as say to one that is in wanâ— Be ye filled and be ye warmed but give them not those things that are needful for the body Jâ—â—â— 2. 16. St John is yet sharper 1 John 3. 17. whoso hath this worlds goods and seeth his Brother have need and â—hâ—ttâ—th up his bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him Giving of Alms is one of the man ingredients into an acceptable Fast The Fast that God hath chosen is â—o deal our bread to the hungry â—loath the naked and not to hide our selves from our own flesh Isa 58. â— 7. we cannot â—ell whether it may please God to visit us but if he should happy that man then who hath not been defective in his duty to the infected whose bowels have melted and turned within him for their Calamity whose Prayers have been dayly poured ouâ— for their redreâ—â— whose hands have been stretched out wide and without grudging for their Relief and lastly whose conversation hath been ordered aright that they and the whole Land might see the salvation of God FINIS â—ob 39. 22. 2 Cor. 1. 3. 10 Dâ—â—emb 6th 1665. 1 â—am 2â— 3. 1 Sam. 18. 8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. lib. 7 ca. 17. Exoâ— 12. 30. Neque quisque mortalium qâ—â— ejus â—ffugerit contagionâ—m c. lib. 3. ca 28 2 King 2. 12. Psal 128. 3. Jer. 31. 15. Psal 84. â— â—lâ—â—d Râ—m 82. 17. 1. Kings 22. 2. Chro 35. 2. Sam. 1 23. Jer. 5. 4. Rom. â— 1 Math. 16. 24. Acts 14. 21. Rom. 8. 28. Luk. 23. 31 Dan. 9. 4. Rss Prov. 18. 14. Mat. 16. 2â— 1 Pet. 1 1â— Luk. 12. 4 Rev. 9. 6. Nahu 1. 9. Is 26 9 10 11 2 Chr. 28. 2â— Eph. 5. 3. Psal â—4 â— 2 3 4. Psal 66. 9. Psal 40. 3. 1 â—aâ— 12. â—4 Geâ— 4. 7. Num. 32. 23. Lament 3. â— Joh. 3. 16. Mat. 4. 7. Pâ—â—l 50. 23.