Quest. MAy a man , to hide himselfe from the Plague , for sake his place , his calling , and remove himselfe and his ?

Answ. M. Calvin answereth this question in one of his Epistles thus : A question riseth from the stupiditie of men without sense of humanitie , Whether wee may not avoyd the Plague ? They would have no man change aire , nor avoid contagious and poysoned places , nor delight in any pleasing prospect , &c. Facessant paradoxa hujusmodi , querum usus est nos exuere omni sensu . But , this answer being too short for such as desire to walke by rule , wee must consider , first , the persons ; secondly , the reasons ; thirdly , the cautions ; fourthly , the objections .

First , publick persons , whom , by vertue of their speciall calling , the Church , or Common-wealth , or the Familie , cannot want , may not flee , unlesse they by others may competently supply their owne absence .

But private persons , whose Calling the Publick may for a time want , may avoid the danger : for ,

Reason 1 First , all manifest perils ought to be avoided , if without impietie wee can shun them . Psal. 91. It is lawfull to avoid an arrow comming upon us ; and not to avoid it if we can , makes us accessary to our owne death . But this is an arrow comming on us , and by good meanes to be avoided : it cannot be lesse lawfull , than to avoid fire , or sword , or poyson .

Reason 2 Secondly , God hath given us special commandement for the care & preservation of our own lives , & to use al good means of preservation , & hath sanctified preservatives & physick to this purpose . He that hath charged us with the care of our brethrens lives , much more hath charged us without owne .

Reason 3 Thirdly , David used many caves and hiding places : in a short time he fled from Saul into twelve severall hiding places ; To King Achis , to the King of Moab , and to the King of the Philistims , into the cave of Adullam , the Grove of Hareth , the Desert of Ziph , of Maon , of Engedi , of Paran , &c. Yea , Christ and his Disciples fled oftentimes from danger : and why not we till our houre also be come , that in the meane time we may be the more serviceable to God and his Church ? Nay , God himselfe bids Elias goe flee and hide himselfe from persecution by the Brook Cherith . He could haue kept him safe from Ahab and Iezabel without his fleeing , in the midst of them ; but he teacheth us what godly men may doe in the like cases .

Ob. But this is to avoid the sword of man ; but speaketh not of the Plague , the hand and sword of God .

Answ. What wee may pray the removall of , we may lawfully avoid : but David prayed the removall of the plague , 2 Sam. 24.1 Kings 8. If thou send a Plague and pestilence , and thy people pray in this house , then heare out of heaven , &c. Num. 16.48 . So Aaron prayed , and stood between the living and dead , and the plague ceased .

Reason 4 The fruit of faith is the use of such meanes , as which God hath appointed for the effecting of his own decrees ; & the more faith , the more use of means : whereof this is one , Acts 27.31 . Not to converse with the infected , and to depart from the infected place so far as salva conscientia & charitate wee may . Paul beleeved none should perish in the ship , according to the word of God , yet must they not be saved unlesse they abide in the ship : for there must be shipmen to guide and governe the ship to land , as it came to passe .

Thirdly , the cautions or conditions in fleeing the Plague .

Caution 1 First , see no prophanenesse be in the flight , or impietie , as if we would or could avoid the hand of God : we must not intend to flee from God ; for whither shall we flee from his presence ? but first flee unto God . For as we must not neglect the means of our safetie : so we must not trust in them , but in Gods blessing , who must watch and hide , or else all comes to nought .

Caution 2 Before thou avoid the effect of Gods anger , see thou avoid the cause of it , and that is thine own sin : else can no dens , castles , or caves hide thee . Iohn Baptist wisheth men , by fleeing the cause , to flee wrath to come : 2 King . 14.19 . otherwise , Amaziah flees to Lachish ; but death flees after him , and overtakes him , because he fled not from sin the cause of his misery . For it is not change of place , but of minde ; not of bodies , but vices , which is the true refuge and sanctuary . In returning consider , that faith and repentance must be your rest . No , say they , we will flee upon horses . Esa. 30.15 . Yea , but your enemies horses shall be swifter than yours : no flight swift enough to save him that will carry his sinnes with him . The first step in fleeing , must be to flee thy selfe .

Caution 3 In fleeing from infection , be sure thou beest as beneficiall absent as present , in things spirituall , temporall . 1. Faile not by sound humilitie and godly sorrow to bewaile thy sins , which have provoked the wrath of God , and aswell absent as present seek to appease God , and avert his stroke from thy selfe and others . Even absent thou must put thy selfe into their misery , as one that hath provoked that displeasure . 2. Omit no dutie of charitie and beneficence : if thy person be removed , leave thy purse behinde thee , & thy best help , as one that knowest thou art not loosed from the common law of neighbourhood ; but art charged still to see no needfull thing wanting to the poore and needy , whether sick or sound .

Caution 4 In fleeing looke to thine affections , that no excessive feare of death moove thee : for thou must still keep a desire to be dissolved , and stand as Sarah in the doore of the Tent to entertain that messenger , and be ready for death whensoever the houre is come : nor yet incredulitie or weaknesse of faith force thee . But let faith lead thee forth , and let it be no loser . Noah by faith went into the Ark , and staid , yea , till God led him out .

Ob. 1 The plague is not contagious , nor comes from man ; but an immediate hand of God , and so is not to be avoyded .

Answ. 1. It follows not , because it is the hand of God , that it is not contagious . Was not the leprosie a rod & scourge of God ? and yet was it not infectious ? 2. It follows not , because it is the hand of God , wee must not use lawfull meanes to avoid it : for so is famine , sword , fire , warre , the hand of God ; and yet who can deny we may use lawfull means to avoid them all ? Beside , it was the law of God most carefully to avoid the Leprosie , and not to come neere persons infected ? and why not the plague or other contagious diseases ? Balaam's Asse , seeing the drawne sword of the Angell , will shun it .

Ob. 2 But none can resist the providence of God . Hee hath numbred whom he will smite with the plague , and who shall not be touched : and none of them whom he hath appointed to fall , shall escape ?

Answ. 1. The providence of God , being the first cause , takes not away the second causes , but stablisheth them , because he stablisheth and executeth his decrees by means and second causes : and it were a tempting of God , to refuse the lawfull and allowed meanes of preserving life , by which God ordinarily saveth whom he will save . 2. God indeed knows how many shall be smitten : and if we knew the secret will of God concerning our selves , then were our wils to be surrendred to Gods will : and an heart affected with Gods glory , will be readier for death than life , if God reveale to it , that to die is better than to live . But not knowing this , we are not loosed from the use of lawfull means for the preservation of our lives , till we see our houre to be come . 3. God knows and hath decreed how many shall fall by the sword in war , and yet who will say it is unlawfull to use weapons to defend our selves , and fight for our lives ? So God knows how many shall fall by famine , in time of dearth and scarcity : but is it therefore unlawfull to buy food to preserve our lives ? Did not he command Iacob to goe and buy food in Egypt , whom he could have preserved without meanes , but would not , because meanes were then , though far off .

Ob. 3 But the plague is good to the good , so not to be avoided .

Answ. It is not simply good neither . It is not good in it selfe , nor as a cause ; but as an occasion of humilitie , repentance , feare of God : neither is it so , but by the work of the Spirit . But it will not follow , that it is not to be avoided . For our sins are occasionally good to humble us , and work in us feare of God , and yet are to be avoided . So all miseries are turned to good to the good , but yet wee may lawfully avoid them .

Ob. 4 But we have callings in which we must abide , and we have promise of protection while we are in our way , and therefore must not avoid them .

Answ. We must abide in our callings , unlesse we be necessarily thrust out : but this is no willing desertion , but a suspending of the exercise of it for a greater and higher reason . For if for some occasions a man may leave his calling many moneths , as for health , profit , pleasure ; much more to save his life . 2. We have promises to be kept in our way : but promises make not men slothfull , nor foolishly rash and temerarious , to thrust themselves into probable and certain danger ; for that is not our way .

Ob. 5 But charity seeks not her own , but Gods , the Churches , and our neighbors : and by our flight or feare our brother may not perish for whom Christ dyed .

Answ. 1. Charity seeks not it selfe wholly or onely , but yet destroyes not it selfe . Ordinarie charity , in saving himselfe , seeketh Gods glorie , and the Churches good , and not himselfe onely . 2. Charity so respecteth the sick , as the sound be not neglected : to comfort one , we may not hazard many ; nor so look forth , as forgetting our own home . 3. Charity seeks the good of severall persons , but so as it prefers the safetie of the Vniversall . That is inordinate charity , when other good means may be used for the comfort of the afflicted : a man casts himself into manifest danger , and with himselfe , his family , if he be private , and the Church and Common-wealth , if he be publick .

This question was excellently beaten out between Zanchius and a godly pastor named Curiensis . This pastor held it unlawfull to separate from the Infected , or to leave the places infected ; and commended M. Bullinger , who being sent for by a woman infected , went to her , and brought home the infection into his family , and presently lost his wife and two daughters . Now M. Zanchie commended the charitie of M. Bullinger , but did not altogether approove his fact , because the woman might have been otherwise comforted , than by his going to her bed side , and setteth downe some directions , after long debating . That good pastor , being too ventrous , was taken with the plague ; and when he was neare death , cried out , O utinam Zanchij consilium secutus essem , Would to God I had followed M. Zanchius his counsell .

Quest. But is every prudent man hid from the evill , as this Text seemeth to say ? Come not all things alike to all men ? Doth not judgement begin sometimes at the house of God ? and are not the godly wrapped sometimes in the common danger of sword , fire , plague ? and who more afflicted than they ?

Answ. Godly men suffer evill with wicked men ( for Abraham and Iacob are in the famine with the Canaanites . The good Israelites as well as the bad are under the oppressions of the Egyptians . Caleb and Ioshua bare the sinne of Israel fortie yeares with the murmurers . Elias was afflicted in the hard times procured by Ahab and Ieazhel , ) but are ever hid . For , 1. Distinguish of punishments . Some are revenges ; some , remedies , exercises of grace , vertues keepers , as Aquinas calleth them . The prudent are ever hid from the former : but it were not good to be free from the latter . 2. Distinguish of persons punished . Some are vessels of wrath , to whom even benefits are plagues : some are vessels of mercy , to whom all evils work to good . These are ever so far hid , as that the Lord never hides his face from them , but for a moment , but that to imbrace them with everlasting compassion . 3. Distinguish the manner of hiding . The prudent cannot so hide himselfe , as to be free from feeling of trouble : but he is freed so , as that he shall not fall in them ; or if he fall , God puts under his hand for a seasonable deliverance . But how are they that are slain with the sword , or dy of the plague , delivered ?

Many are the troubles of the godly , and great : but the Lord delivers them out of all . But deliverance is threefold .