God ready to destroy them all in a moment presently fell upon their faces and obtained this answer and direction anâ— consequently sparing foâ— the present to the most oâ— the Congregation buâ— else where when once hâ— perceived the Lords anger was kindled against the people for the golden Calfe which they made and worshipped whilst he was absent from them with the Lord in the Mount Exod. 32.8.9 10 11-14 he presently as it were caught hold on the Lords hand which was lifted up against them to consume them and besought the Lord urging him with many arguments 2. Sam. 24 16.17-25 Isa 38 1.2.3-21 so that hee repented him of the evill which hee thought to doe unto his people King David smitten in his people by Pestilence did likewise so did King Hezekiah smitten therewith as is probably thought in his owne person Now why wee at this time should doe likewise I shall endeavour to shew by such arguments Why as the Text will afford and after that I shall direct generally to the Meanes and Remedies which more particularly and severally I shall handle on other grounds of Scripture 1. Why we are speedily and carefully to use all lawfull meanes to pacifie Gods wrath now gonâ— out by Pestilence against us of this place and nation Foure motives from the text the text will afford us foure Arguments whilst wee shall consider that this Pestilence is 1. Wrath or a signe of Gods displeasure 2. Wrath gone â—ut or manifested 3. Wrath gone out and as yet but gone out and begun and therefore such as first by speedy and timely repenâ—ance and reformation may bee stayed from proceeding farther or secondly being not so stayed will proue but the beginning of wrath and will not end where it begins 4. It is wrath begun and gone out from the Lord and therefore such as can no way bee withstood unlesse the Lord be â—acified 1. Because Pestilence is a signe of Gods wrath 1. Plague here is made an effect and signe of Gods wrath and anger which therefore is not to be neglected but to bee laid to heart and apprehended yea and pacified in time lest wee perish by it Here I may say Bee wise O yeâ— Kings bee instructed yeâ— Iudges of the earth serve the Lord with feare and rejoyce with trembling Psal 2.10.11.12 kisse the Sonne lest hee be angry and yee perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little blessed are all they that put their trust in him How unhappy dismall dangerous at least and fearefull is the case and condition of such as under such wrath remaine secure and continue unhumbled Is it not high time to looke out when wrath is gone out to look about us when the sparkes of Gods vengeance flie so about our eares in a word to look to our selves and to our owne safety when Gods heavy wrath is like to meet us at every turne why then doe we not in time humble our selves Which is as the sword of the Angell Is not the destroying Angell gone out and doe we not heare morning by morning concerning this house and that yea those many houses where not a night or day passeth Smiting in every house almost but some one at least or moe are struck dead in it and will wee yet bee secure what are we doing what vvill vve doe here I may say as Pharaoh his servants to him Exod. 10.7 know wee not yet that New-castle that England that such and such a Citie novv undervvrath is destroyed hovv long shall this svvord of the Angell devour And calling for our sinnes How long shall our sinnes bee a snare unto us hovv long vvill it bee erâ— vve let our sinnes goe thaâ— vve may serve the Lorâ— our God acceptably Foâ— God novv sends this Pestilence to us as formerly both the like and other judgements vvith this message Let your sinnes goe that you may serve mee and not sinne For othervvise I will at this time send all my Plagues upon thy heart and upon thy servants and for now I will stretch out mine hand that I may smite thee and thy people with Pestilence Exod. 9.13.14.15 10.3 and thou shalt bee cut off from the earth How long wilt thou refuse to humble thy selfe before me even thus may God speak to Pride vvithin us to Selfe-love let thy beloved sin goe or I will fall upon thee with Pestilence or with the sword And novv beloved thaâ— this vvrath is gone out already vvhy doe vve not part vvith and send avvay our sinnes as at length Pharaoh vvas forced to let goe the people and the Philistines the Arke of vvhom to our shame vve may learne what to doe for being forced by judgements to send backe the Arke their Priests advised not to send it away empty but in any wise to return God a trespasse offering that so they might be healed 2. Sam. 6.3 and that it might bee made knowne unto them why his hand was not removed from them Thus say they which words are also appliable to us yee shall give glory to the God of Israel peradventure hee will lighten his hand from off you and from off your land Vers 4. 5. Wherefore then doe you harâ—en your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharao hardned their hearts when he had wrought wonderfully among them did they not let the people goe and they departed And is it not time for us to do likewise even to give glory to God by taking shame to our selues and by offering our sinne offering no longer hardning our hearts but letting our sinnes goe when the destroying Angell thus laies about him And it is as a Messenger from God Here againe I may say our Enemy is gone out to seeke us and who a greater enemy to sinners then God him selfe and will wee cast to meet him in our sinnes here are Gods Messengers And as a storme as it were Pursevants sent out with warrant to arrest us and will wee not hide our selves here is Iudgement laid to the Line and Righteousnesse to thâ— Plummet Esay 28.17 From which wee should hide our selves and haile threatned to sweepe away the refuge of lies and waters to overflow all our owne hiding places whereby wee secure our selves against the overflowing scourge and will wee not bee so wise as most of Pharaoh his servants were who being told of stormes Exod. 9.19.20 of great haile in the field feared the word of the Lord and made their servants and their cattle flee into the houses And shall we so little regard the word and wrath of the Lord now gone out against us as not to renounce all vain confidences and refuges of our owne and to seeke forthwith by faith and Humiliation Isa 32.2 to hide our selves under the wings of Christ as under the shadow of a great rocke from the wind Zephan 2.1 2 3. As a roaring Lyon and as under a covert
grounds of it and 3. The use of all by way of Inference which we must chiefly insist upon though the former haue their speciall reasons and uses also 1 The Malady The evill is here called with respect to God Wrath or hot anger with respect to man a Plague 1 Wrath. First by wrath here we understand some judgement and effect of such anger and displeasure as is in God himselfe What is meant by wrath wherby being truely and inwardly displeased within himselfe with sinners and alienated in his loue from them for their sinn hee manifests so much by some reall tokens of the same Quest 1 Quest 1. How is wrath in God How is wrath in God Answ Answ Not properly as an affection though even so it was in Christ God Man yet without sinne or perturbation and as pure water put into a pure and cleane glasse which being jogged and moved retaines its clearenesse still and not as commonly it is with us who sin in our anger through the muddinesse which iâ— in us through natural corruption It is said to be iâ— God in regard of that truâ— displeasure and dislike oâ— our sin whereby he truly hates it and is contrary to it and to sinners ready to extirpate both sin and sinners yet without any perturbation griefe or disquiet within himselfe howsoever what God speaks after the maner of men we must understand so as becomes the high holy majestie of God Quest 2 Quest 2. How goes wrath out from God Answ Ans How goes wrath forth from God When hee manifests this his inward dislike of sin and contrariety against sinners by some outward token of his wrath wherby he would be knowen to be displeased as on the other hand Luk. 8.46 vertue was said to be gone out of Christ when his power and mercy was manifested in healing the woman which had the bloody issue of her plague Mar. 5.30 33. which thing immediately upon her touching of him was made known unto her So here therfore as men being angry shew their anger by some evill lookes words or blows deedâ— so God is said to bee â—â—gry and wrath to goe oâ— from him when especialy he inflicts some punishment or calamity wherâ—by he shews his dislike our sinne So Math. 3. Rom. 3.5 4.15 5. â— Doctr. God is truly displeased with sin and sinners why Now this may teachtâ— that sin is truly displeasiâ—â— unto God hee neither approoves of it nor of us 〈◊〉 our sinne The Reason is 1. sin is impuritie and uncleanness and therfore 〈◊〉 that regard both sinn and sinners are most contrarâ— to his most holy natureâ— immaculate essence 2. S◠〈◊〉 disobedience and so opâ—â—seth and withstandeth his holy will which is Soveraign no marvell then if God oppose and resist such proud sinners and walke contrarie to them that walke contrary to him 〈◊〉 Sin especially in these daies of grace is unthankfulnes and therefore justly hated of him 4. In a word it is dishonor to him especially such sinnes as now are sinned when all our sins are in a manner against all his attributes of goodnes mercy grace justice and against his works and manifestation of his attributes as also again the light of his Gospelâ— of our consciences c. 〈◊〉 regard whereof no mâ—â—â—vell if hee both threaâ—â—â— sin in his Law Gal. 3.10 annexinâ— curse to the breach of 〈◊〉 and daily even in this liâ—â—â— plague and punish sin aâ—â— sinners Vse 1 To see what wee get by sin Vse See then what 〈◊〉 doe when we sinn again God see what wee gaiâ—â— by doing our owne wiâ—â— and following our owâ— counsels contrary to God wee being our selves uâ—der his displeasure weâ—â— provoke a gracious Goâ— yea the great and dreaâ—full Majestie of Heaven and that to the confusion of our own faces At this time hee manifests much wrath against us of this pâ—ace as also in part the whole kingdom for wrath is gon out from him against as the plague is begun and renued Ann. 1625. after such havock as it hath formerly not many yeares ago made amongst us especially in the Mother citie but never the like with us to that it is like to doe now But oh the stupidity grosness 2. To bewaile mens senselesnes under wrath and senselesnesse of our hearts here I may take up Moses his complaint in like case Who knoweth thâ— power of thine anger Psal 90.11 eveâ—â— according to thy feare soâ—â— thy wrath Whose heartâ—â— smitten with feare answerable to the terriblenes 〈◊〉 thy wrath by occasion of thy feareful judgment as yet they should bee who so feares thee foâ—â— this thy wrath Deut. 13.11 Psal 119.120 Ion. 1.16 Prov. 16.6 as by it 〈◊〉 depart from evill for 〈◊〉 the feare of the Lord wherâ— it is indeed men depart 〈◊〉 evill oh that this terroâ— of the Lord wherby 〈◊〉 are even at this time some regard made to appeare before the judgement of the Lord 3. To learn true wisedom the feare of God froÌ„ it whâ— now sets our iniquities before him Psalm 90.7.8 2. Cor. 5.10.11 our secret sinnes in the light of his countenance who are now consumed by his anger and troubled by his wrath oh I say that this terrour of the Lord could drive every one of us to our dutie as the terrour of the last judgement did Paul and could bring us in time to true repentance and humiliation of soule And here let us take up Moses his Prayer also oh that wee did it with like heart and true desire Psalm 90.12 So teach us to number our dayes that wee may apply our hearts unto wisedome For indeed it is God only who by his Spirit accompaniing his Word and Iudgements can free us from this stupiditie and bring us to a due consideration of our wayes and repentance for the same then and not till then Vers 8. may wee with comfort hope and good confidence make that his next petition Vers 13. Returne O Lord his long and let it repeâ—â— thee concerning thy servants and so on as theâ—â— it followeth CHAP. 3. That this Wrath was Pestilence That Pestilence is an effect of Gods wrath and therefore not to be dallied withall yet Gods displeasure more to be looked unto and prayed against then the Pestilence it selfe NOw this Wrath in particular 2. It is a Plague which generally is a stroke and with respect to man is here called a Plague or a Stroke from a word which signifieth to smite and that to death and so it signifieth generally any judgement of God which is to death as a slaughter by the sword and by hanging Iosh 22.17 with Numb 25.3.4.5 And generally of Aegypts plagues it is said Exod. 9.14 I will send all my Plagues upon thine heart or Origen turnes the word Confraction or breaking Confraction and so the Greeke here hee hath begun to breake that is
may bee not alwayes in that fresh sense and feeling of it which he desires This made holy David in his sickness pray in this manner and after this method O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chasten mee in thy hot displeasure Have mercy upon me O Lord for I am weake O Lord heale me for my bones are vexed Where though in the second place he prayeth for healing yet firstly chiefly he praies both against Gods hot displeasure for his mercy and favour He by occasion of his sicknesse apprehends Gods displeasure heavie wrath as the just desert of his sinne if God should deale with him in rigour and accordingly is more affected in soule thorow a sense of Gods wrath then in body through the feeling of his disease or affliction and therefore he praies not so much against the sicknes or evill which troubled him in body which he tooke onely as a fatherly chastisement and which hee could well indure according to that of Christ As many as I love Revel 3.19 I rebuke and chasten as against Gods wrath caused by his sinne which he well knew to be intolerable it being such as when it lay upon Christ the eternall Son of God in our nature who as our suretie and in our stead tooke it upon him made him cry out My God why hast thou forsaken mee Many of us never looke so farre as to the inward affection of anger in God though it bee not properly in him if they had but the outward evill removed as now this of Plague they little regard Gods wrath and displeasure froÌ„ whence it comes or how contrary God is unto them though they should utterly in soule and eternally be consumed by it for they would returne presently to yea doe still continue in those sinnes which bring them under his curse and wrathful displeasure making light account thereof with Pharao sometimes desiring a removal of the evil which was upon him and his people but never of the displeasure of God or of the hardnesse of his heart and sin provoking God unto which he presently returned Such may haue the plague kept or removed from theÌ„ now and yet remaine under and perish in Gods wrath and hot Displeasure temoprally and eternally as did Pharao Here wee may try our selvs Triall of our selves hence whether at this time the Pestilence outward evill which is amongst us or Gods displeasure trouble us most To make light of Sin to continue in it now without due search and examination of our waies or otherwise to justifie our selves in apparant evils and not to reforme them to the uttermost of our power is to make light of Gods wrath and not to feare it but to procure new wrath or at least the conâ—inuance of the old But how many such now have wee Oh say they the Plague and the evils accompanying it are intolerable and oh that this fire were once queÌ„ched But in the mean time the Sins which have provoked God to displeasure are loved pleaded for at least not forsaken or put away so much as in purpose of heart Do such men feare Gods displeasure doth his wrath trouble them or doe they see groane under his wrath whilest they complaine of the outward evils and pray for healing no alas this Plague is not seene as an effect token of Gods wrath but onely as crosse and contrarie to us in our health life friends goods to our sinful associations companying one with another whereas wee should look more to Gods wrath in the Plague than to the Plague it selfe or in any other respect and in our praiers and by our indeavours pray against wrath and beg and seeke mercie and forgivenes of our Sins more than life it selfe craving still and crying for mercie Mercie mercie good Lord nothing but mercie give and shew mâ— mercie or else I die what will health freedom from pestileÌ„ce what wil wealth or life it selfe availe me 〈◊〉 for want of mercie I periâ—â— eternallie Nay I may have these and perish Psam 92.6 7. yea these may be given me iâ— I still persist in my old sin that I may more certainlie perish Now ô holie God in wrath remember mercie and give us thy servants first aright to apprehend thy wrath now gone out against us whilest the Plague is begun that wee may be fitted and prepared both to beg and to receive mercie that thou maist be glorified by shewing mercie whilest we are ashamed abashed and truly humbled in the apprehension and acknowledgment of thy just wrath gone out against us and manifested thus by Plague and Pestilence Amen CHAP. IV. That Pestilence is from Gods Iustice and Wisedome and not to bâ—â— ascribed to any other author or instrument neither much to be fearedâ— the Godlie to whom 〈◊〉 may be a mercie Pestilence is onely from the Lord as Author Exod. 4.11 Isa 45.7 Amos 3.6 NExt wee have to consider that this wrath and this Pestilence is goâ— out from the Lord. The Lord then both wil be known to be thâ— author and inflicter of thâ— as of all other like evill 1. Threatning It is the Lord who threaneth it as wee may seâ— Exod. 9.16 Numb 14.12 and Levit. 26.25 Deut. 28.21 When yee are gathered together within your Cities I will send the Pestilence among you And saith Moses to the disobedient The Lord shall make the Pestilence cleave unto thee untill hee have consumed thee It is the Lord also who sends it and inflicts it 2. Inflicting it as of Davids people it is said So the Lord sent Pestilence upon Israel 1 Chron. 21.24 and there fell of Israell seventie thousand men And King Hezekiah being so smitten as most thinke saith Hee hath both spoken unto mee when hee said Thou shalt die Isa 38 1-14 and not live and himselfe hath done it So Amos 4.10 I have sent among you the Pestilence c. And Psal 78.50 51. This is one of the foure sore judgements which God specially sends Eze. 14.19 21. It is one of Gods arrowes of which he saith I will spend mine arrowes upon theÌ„ Deut. 32.23 24. Psa 91.5 that arrow which flieth by day That flieth both swiftlie and fetcheth or reacheth those that would flie in their Sins farthest from it The Chaldee calleth it The arrow of the Angell of death Yea Homer Iliad 1. the Poet Homer an Heathen cals it an Evill arrow And Euripides tels us that it is a Plague 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 calamitie or destruction sent of God The Prophet Habakkuck trembling at Gods Majestie saith Before him went the pestilence Habak 3.5 and burning coales or burning diseases went forth at his feet Yea little children and prophane cursers wil tel you this plague is from God whilest in the streets and elswhere you may heare them curse and bid the plague of or from God yea the hot plague of God goe with such as they wish ill unto
the text iâ— briefly to bee considereâ— from the Authour of thâ— wrath which is here saiâ— to bee gone foorth from thâ— Lord. It is the Lord theâ— we have to deale withall and who now hath to deâ—â— with us therfore it is noâ— to dally with him Wee may perhaps presume oâ— impunity from men wheâ—â— we offend them and hope by gifts friends flatteries and fained submission to asswage their displeasure or it may bee when Gods faithfull servants discover â—ur sins Who confirmes the word of his Servants denounce judgâ—ents against us for the â—â—me though they doe it â—ccording to Gods word â—et wee can count their â—ords but winde and â—â—eÌ„selves lying Prophets â—r otherwise to speake as â—et on by those wee alike â—â—ate or we threaten and â—ome even with them for â—heir boldnes sauciness â—â—r at least wee can withâ—raw our selves froÌ„ them â—nd heare them no more â—nd so at once seeke their â—isgrace as not vvorthy â—o be heard and keep our â—elves as wee thinke out â—f the lash of their words But what can we thus dâ— with the Lord himselfe when he comes to perform the word of his servants Psal 149.7 8 9. 〈◊〉 execute vengeance upon thâ— heathen and punishmenâ— upon the people to bind theâ—â— Kings with chaines anâ— their Nobles with fetters 〈◊〉 yron to execute upon theâ—â— the judgmeÌ„t written who as he will do nothing in thâ— kind but hee revealeth hâ— secret unto his servants tâ—â— Prophets Amos 3.7 so he confirmeâ—â— the word of his servanâ—â— both in good and evil aâ—â— performeth the counsell 〈◊〉 his Messengers Men maâ— then belie the Lord Isa 44.26 anâ— say it is not he neither shâ—â—â— evill come upon us neither â—â—all wee see sword nor faâ—ine Ier. 5.12 13 14. And the Prophets 〈◊〉 all become wind and the â—ord is not in them But what saith the Lord for the â—ncouragement of his serâ—ant Ieremy And will bee acknowledged to bee the author as of other evils Because yee â—â—eake this word behold I â—ill make my words in thy â—outh fire and this people â—ood and it shall devoure â—hem Loe I will bring a naâ—ion upon you c. It is good for us then if wee â—ave neglected the word of Gods servants formerâ—y not to neglect the performance of it by God himselfe but to become wise for after times who among you will give eares this Isay 42.23 24 25. who will hearken aâ—â— heare for the time to comeâ—â— who gave Iacob for a spoileâ— and Israel to the robbers did not the Lord he againâ—â— whom wee have sinned Therfore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger c. Oh let it not be saiâ— of us as there it followeth And it hath set him on fire round about So of Pestilence yet hee knew not and it burned him yeâ— hee laâ—d it not to heart Far bee this stupidity from uâ— at this time Let us consider then that this wrath iâ— gone out from the Lord. 〈◊〉 is hee against whom wee haue sinned and whom vvee haue provoked and â—â—erefore there is no dalâ—ing with him as is said 〈◊〉 is hee himselfe that â—â—mes against us Habak 3.5 Before â—m goes the Pestilence and â—â—â—rning coales or diseases â—â—e forth at his feet Now â—â—e we stronger then hee â—â—e wee able in our sinnes 〈◊〉 stand in his way hee â—â—th already often before â—â—d now also sent the Peâ—â—lence among us after the â—anner of Egypt yea he â—â—th overthrowne some of 〈◊〉 as God overthrew Soâ—om and Gomorrah and â—ee were as a fire-brand â—uckt out of the burning â—t have yee not returned to me Who is mighty in strength and not to be dallied withall or withstood saith the Lord Noâ— heare vvhat God saith us as once to Israel Theâ—â—fore thus will I doe unâ—â— thee O Israel O Englan◠ô citie ô tovvne hovv even as unto Sodom thâ— was overthrowne as in moment and because I wiâ—â— doe this unto thee Amos 4.10 11 12 13. prepareâ— meet thy God O Israel Thâ—â— is our duty then of vvhicâ— vvee also formerly heard but vvhy are vvee thus tâ— prepare that follovves For loe he that formeth thâ— mountaines and createâ— the wind or spirit and dâ—clareth unto man what is hâ— thought that maketh thâ— morning darkenesse anâ— treadeth upon the high places of the earth the Lord the God of hosts is his name Where hee invests himselfe vvith many titles of greatnesse povver yea and terrour and all to inforce the aforesaid duty of repentance and humiliation upon us letting us knovv vvho it is that â—hreatens us vvho it is that â—s gone out against us no â—ther then this mighty God this Lord of hosts who hath all creatures in â—eaven and earth at his â—ommand and ready to â—xecute his vengeance â—nd righteous judgements â—n all impenitent sinners so that when once hee shewes his displeasure it s in vaine either to seeke shelter or help from them or not to feare vengeance from them as instruments of his wrath whose are the mountaines the wind and all other creatures so that the mountaines shall noâ— save nor hide from hiâ— wrath when it is onâ—â— gone forth in fury as iâ— Noah his flood Neither is there any fleeing from him when the highest hils and moâ—â— towring mountaines coulâ— not shelter them that fleâ— thither for refuge but thâ—â— the waters of his wraâ—â— did overtake and sweeâ— them all away and 〈◊〉 wind which God sent out shall meet with disobedient Ionas who would have fled from Gods presence and the storme shall teach him obedience Nay we know God can and often doth arme base and weake creatures against proud and impenitent sinners yea their owne friends and confederates in whose helpe and assistance they trust nay sometimes their owne selues against themselues as * On Amos 4.12.13 p. â—26 c. 156. c. In l. 3. Iob. 9.4 elswhere I shew more largely He is mighty in strength who hath hardned himselfe against him and hath prospered And it would be observed God to humble us shewes his power that when God calls men to humiliation for their sinnes hee often shewes his power and terriblenesse by some not onely description of it as when he humbled Iob by asking him Iob 40 6.7-9 Hast thou an arme like God canst thou thunder with a voice like him and by shewing him his great power in the Behemoth and Leviathan Both by words and workes or in the Elephant and Whale the effect whereof in Iob was an humble submission of himselfe unto God Iob 42.1.2.3.4 5 6. but by workes oâ— his power as by sending thunder stormes greaâ— raine by which heâ— brought his people of old to confesse their sinne in asking them a King in distrust and with rejection of Gods government 1. Sam 1â— 16.17.18.19 so by a great raine which hee sent the better to prepare the people to repentance and reformation
agree with our owne liking and fancies I shall strive to give satisfaction in this point both negatively and affirmatively 1. Let us generally know that the meanes of pacifying Gods wrath Difference of meanes are no meanes of our owne prescribing or which mans wisedom directs unto There are meanes I know which may ought be used in case of Pestilence as of other publick evils but ought not to be rested in there are againe Meanes which are meerly of mans devising and therefore such as may neither be rested in nor so much as used especially so as man prescribes them being in that regard lesse or more sinfull and unlawfull Lastly there are meanes of pacifying Gods wrath and of avoyding his judgements or at least of escaping the evill sting or hurt of them which may and ought bee used yea being rightly used may be rested in so far as a blessing by vertue of Gods promise may be expected froÌ„ God one way or other 1. Some meanes may be used but not rested in 1. The common rule of the world as also of Physicians in case of Pestilence is to flee or to withdraw a mans selfe quickly from places infected Pestis tempore fuge citò procul â—ardè revertaris Marsil Ficin Epidem antidot cap. 1. yea to remove farre off and not to returne hastily but at leisure This I deny not to be lawfull yea necessary where and so far as mens callings especially publicke will permit them How farre publicke persons especially Ministers who take themselues charged with cure of soules whether from God alone or from man also may withdraw themselues in case of grievous and raging Pestilence Flight oâ— removall from plaâ—â— infected I rather leave to casuists and their owne consciences to determin Conscience I suppose will not so farre and so soone dispence with some in this case as man will Yet how farre God and conscience will dispence with humane fears where hee either denies such a measure of faith or would overcome al feares and yet not presume or where hee both opens a way â—â—w far a â—â—ister â—â—ing â—eerly a Lecturer may flee and some other way cals a man out and restraines him for a season from the ordinary and appointed place of Gods worship and exercise of his function or how farr such an one having otherwise no pastorall charge may both with faith and a good conscience during apparant hazard to his person withdraw himself and so reserve himselfe to better times meerely out of respect to their good who for the present seeme a while neglected I leave this also to others judgement least in mine owne case I may seeme too partiall who hitherto have been as much if not more guided by the judgement yea importunitie also of many godly and unpartial Christians and so I take by direction from God then by mine owne either judgement or will at the first Onely Davids case is made by many heere considerable of all Christians whether Teachers or others who in time of pestilence was directed by God to purchase Ornans threshing floore 1 Chron. 21 14-18 19 26-28 29 30. and there to build an Altar and there to sacrifice for the present and that acceptably whilst that hedg or breach is not made up it s in vaine to think by bodily flight to escape or flee from Gods wrath when it is once gone out We must either humble our selves for our Sins Which is to leave their Sins behind them or never account our selves safe by fleeing Pestilence is sent for our sins to separate betweene us and them therefore if yee will flee either leave your Sin behind you as a Sacrifice to that destroying Nemesis or to Gods vengeance or looke not to escape Redeeme the life both of body soule by parting with your Sins even such as are dearest most delightsome most gainefull or otherwise advantageous to you in worldly respects And imitate herein the wisdom of the Beaver which hunted for his stones which formerly have beene accounted of more price than his skinne or wooll now and finding himselfe hotly pursued bites off the same and leaves them to the Huntsman as a ransome of his life Now it is not our life which this Nimrod and pursuer the Pestilence comes for it is only our right eye of offence or our right hand or foot that is som sin or lust yet unmortified which is as deare to us as our right eye or as gainefull as our right hand or as usefull otherwise in our sinfull aymes as our right foot Let us but mortifie these and utterly in purpose of heart resolution of will and in a true hatred abandon them then may wee with more comfort and confidence flee from the contagion of pestilence and more securely cast our selves into the armes of Gods providence but not till then It will little avayle us to be spared and respited a while seeing God when we thinke all perils past Otherwise there is no fleeing froÌ„ Gods wrath can either call us to an after reckoning in the same kinde or in some other Looke we into the same Chapter and wee shall see this verified The whole Congregation of the children of Israel had made themselves some way guilty in the rebellion of Korah insomuch as God was ready to have consumed then in a moment Numb 16.21 22 had not Moses and Aaron interceded and prevailed for many of them Well the Congregation according to Gods appointment get them up from about the Tabernacle of Korah 24 26 Dathan and Abiram 27 on every side after which the earth opened her mouth and swallowed these up who perished from among the Congregation 32 33 34 Now all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them for they said lest the earth swallow us up also Thus they flee further off and seeme more safe then before Yea but they repented not of their sinne by which they had deserved like destruction they left not their rebellion behind them when they fled and therefore though thus farr they were safe yet obserue what presently followes And there came out a fire from the Lord 35 and consumed the two hundred and fiftie men who were Princes of the assembly men of renowne that offered incense verse 2. Loe these gained but little but even a little time by their fleeing from the former judgment And what did many of the rest of them who also fled from the opening of the earth and escaped this fire first it is said verse 41. On the morrow all the Congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron Loe they carry their old sinne of murmuring with them and this brought new wrath upon many of them al deserving it even the Plague in my text 45 in which there died foureteene thousand and seven hundred 49. after which the rest returning to their murmurings and other sinnes were all destroyed in the wildernesse