please God to send his fearful plague of pestilence: I have thought it my bounden duty (seeing at all times I cannot comfort the sick myself) to collect or gather into some short sermon or homily a medicine and most pleasant help for all men against the plague of pestilence and in the same also to provide some present remedy for such as shall be infected with that disease. And for the better understanding of the medicine, I will use this order, that all learned physicians do use in their practice: first, I will shew the chiefest cause of their pestilence; and then, what remedy is best to be used against it, and to heal it when it hath infected any man.

And although I will speak herein somewhat as other physicians have done; yet because they have spoken already more than I can in the matter, though it be a great deal less than the matter of the disease requireth (for none of them have shewed any certain remedy, be their reason never so good), I will briefly, as by the way, somewhat speak of this disease, as they do: but as a preacher of God's word, and as a physician for the soul, rather than for the body, treat of the sickness and the remedy thereof, after the advice and counsel of God's word, who supplieth all things omitted and not spoken of, concerning this most dangerous plague, by such as have written, besides the Scripture of God, their mind touching the same. For indeed the chief cause of all plagues and sickness, is sin which, remaining within all men, worketh destruction, not only of the body, but also of the soul, if remedy be not found.

And whereas Galen saith, that "all pestilence .cometh by the corruption of the air, that both beast and man drawing their breaths in the corrupt air, draw the corruption thereof into themselves," he saith well; yet not enough. He saith also very naturally, that when the air is altered from its natural

equality and temperature to too much and intemperate heat and moisture, pestilence is like then to reign. For as he saith in the same place, that " heat and moisture distempered be most dangerous for the creatures of the world," yet that is not enough. As Ezekiel saith, where God sendeth all these distemperances, and yet if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the midst of them, they shall be safe. Even so saith David also: "Though they die at the right hand ten thousand fold, and die at the left hand ten thousand fold, the plague shall not touch him that sitteth under the protection of the Highest."

And whereas reason hath many good and probable arguments in this matter touching the cause of pestilence; as that it should come sometimes by reason of such humours as be in the body disposed and apt tó corrupt, then is the man quickly (by drawing and breathing as well the corruption of himself, as the infection of the air) infected. And that such humours, as be gross and inclined to corruption, rise of evil and immoderate diet; and that the infection taketh its original and beginning from such beasts, carrions, and other loathsome bodies as rot upon the face of the earth, not buried: or else from moorish, standing, and dampish waters, smokes, or other such unwholesome moistures, so that towards the fall of the leaf, both the air that man liveth in, as also man's body itself, be more apt and disposed to putrefaction in that time than in any other for divers natural causes.

These causes are to be considered as natural and consonant to reason: yet there be reasons and causes of pestilence of more weight, and more worthy of deep and advised considerations and advertisements than these be. And the more, because they lie within man, and be marked but by very few, and hide themselves secretly, till they have poisoned the

whole man, both body and soul. For indeed physicians that write, meddle with no causes that hurt man, but such as come unto man from without. As the humours (they say) take their infection from unwholesome meat and evil diet, or else from the corruption of the air, with such-like. But our Saviour Christ sheweth that our corruption and sickness rise from within us, as I will declare hereafter in the causes that the Scripture teacheth of pestilence and all other diseases.

I require you diligently to look upon the the same, and to read it in your churches: that the people may understand both the cause of this, God's plague of pestilence, and how to use themselves in the time of this sickness or any other that shall happen unto them by God's appointment. So that God may be glorified in them, and you and I discharged of our bounden duties and they themselves, that shall happen to be infected with the plague of pestilence, and by the same be brought to death, may be assured, through true and godly doctrine, to die in the Lord, and so be eternally blessed straightway after their death. And in case God reserve them to longer life, they may live in truth and verity unto him, with detestation and hatred of sin, the original cause of man's misery and wretchedness and with the love of mercy and grace, the original and only workers of man's quietness and everlasting salvation, given unto us from God the Father Almighty, through Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. To whom with the Holy Ghost be all honour and praise, world without end. So be it.

AN HOMILY,

TO BE READ IN THE TIME OF PESTILENCE.

Repent, and believe the Gospel." Mark, i. 15. Ir is the desire of all sick men to know what medicine and remedy hath been known most to prevail, best to remove, and soonest to cure and make whole the person diseased. And the greater and more dangerous the sickness is, the more circumspect and wise the sick man must be in knowledge and choice of the medicine, lest haply he seek a remedy inferior and too weak for the greatness and strength of his disease.

The nature and condition therefore of pestilence being so dangerous (as it is indeed), that whosoever is infected or tainted therewithal, hath need to be well instructed, and thoroughly persuaded of a sufficient remedy, stronger than the sickness itself; or else the disease shall more hurt the sick patient than the medicine can do him good: and then must needs follow the death and the destruction of the diseased person. It behoveth therefore all men, as they be mortal, to know the most general and most dangerous diseases that mortality shall be troubled withal: and then, as they see their great and necessary adversities and sickness, to know also the greatest and most necessary remedy and help against their diseases. And because sin hath so prevailed on us, that truth, persuaded unto us by the examples of others, sooner instructeth and longer tarrieth than any thing taught us by doctrine or testimony, I shall (before I enter into the causes of the pestilence) shew the strength and nature of sickness from the examples of such godly persons, as in the word of God are mentioned for our instruction..

King David (amongst other diseases) fell into the

pestilence: the greatness and danger whereof passeth all human and worldly helps, as it appeareth by his lamentable cry and complaint unto the Lord: "My soul (saith he) is sore troubled: but how long, Lord, wilt thou defer thy help?" (Psa. vi.) And the same cry and complaint he made unto the Lord when the plague of pestilence had infected his whole realm from Dan to Beersheba (2.Sam. xiv.), and saw the remedy thereof to be only in God; praying him to command his angel to strike the people no more.

Hezekiah the king saw (Isa. xxxvii.), that, besides God, all medicines and remedies were too weak, and inferior for the strength and power of the pestilence and sickness: wherefore he turned himself to the wall, and prayed God to do that for him, that no physic nor medicine was able to do.

And St. Paul in his wonderful oration (1 Cor. xv.) that he maketh concerning the resurrection of the dead, weigheth most deeply the nature and condition of man's estate in this life; burdening him with such strong adversaries, sickness and diseases, both of body and soul, that every man may see, how impossible it is for man to find deliverance from the tyranny and strength of sickness, except only by the mercy of God in Christ Jesus: numbering there six adversaries so strong, as the least of them (except Christ help) is able to destroy both body and soul.

The first is corruption: the second, mortality: the third, sin the fourth, the law, condemning sin: the fifth, death: the sixth, hell: necessary and unavoidable plagues and sickness of man in this life. Against the which he findeth no remedy, neither by Galen nor Hippocrates, neither yet by the earth of Para (Plin. lib. xxiv.), that men say cureth all wounds. But with great faith and confidence marketh and weigheth the strength of diseases (though they be never so strong), to be yet inferior to the medicine