CHAP. II. Of the Divine causes of an extraordinary Plague.
IT is a confirmed, constant, and received opinion in all Ages amongst Christians, that the plague and other diseases, which violently assail the life of man, are often sent by the just anger of God punishing offences.* 1.1 The Prophet Amos hath long since taught it, saying, Shall there be af∣fliction? shall there be evil in a City, and the Lord hath not done it: On which truly we ought daily to meditate, and that for two causes: The first is that we alwaies bear this in minde, that we enjoy health; five, move, and have our beings from God; and that it descends from that Father of Light; and for this cause we are alwaies bound to give him great and exceeding thanks. The other is, that knowing the calamities, by sending whereof the Divine anger proceeds to revenge, we may at length repent, and leaving the way of wickedness, walk in the paths of Godliness. For thus we shall learn to see in God, our selves, the Heaven and Earth, the true knowledg of the causes of the plague, and by a certain Divine Philosophie, teach God to be the beginning and cause of the second causes,* 1.2 which we cannot well without the first cause go about nor attempt, much less per∣form any thing. For from hence they borrow their force, order, and constancy of order; so that they serve as instruments for God, who rules and governs us, and the whole world, to perform all his works, by that constant course of order, which he hath appointed unchangeable from the begin∣ning. Wherefore all cause of a plague is not to be attributed to these near and inferiour causes or beginnings, as the Epicures and Lucianists commoonly do, who attributing too much, yea all things to Nature, have left nothing to Gods providence. On the contrary, we ought to think, and believe in all our doings, That even as God by his omnipotent Power hath created all things of nothing, so he by his eternal Wisdom preserves and governs the same, leads and in∣clines them as he pleaseth, yea verily at his pleasure changeth their order, and the whole course of nature.
This cause of an extraordinary Plague, as we confess and acknowledg, so here we will not prosecute it any further, but think fit to leave it to Divines, because it exceeds the bounds of Nature, in which I will now contain my self. Wherefore let us come to the natural causes of the Plague.