I speak not of those three scourges of which God gave the choice to David, to wit, Plague, War, and Famine. The question is cleared, 2 Sam. 24. But there are an infinite number of other scourges, general and particular, where oft-times we are constrained to chuse the one, that we may escape the other, or at least, we desire the one rather then the other; it concerneth us that our desire be lawful. We set aside that which dependeth not at all on our choice, or of which there can be no dispute but in vain, as, which is worse to be born deaf, or to be born blinde? Or which is more grievous, Leprosie, or perpetual Infamy? But for example, A man guilty of a capital offence who is permitted to chuse the kinde and fashion of his punishment; or a dangerous [Page 36] labour of a woman, where the life of the mother cannot be saved with that of the childe; and many other occurrences or different afflictions that encounter one another in the front, and reduce us to a necessity of chusing one: I conceive that it behoveth to chuse that in which God is lesse offended. The choice of David was judicious, preferring the Pestilence before the other two scourges, not onely for the reason by him expressed, but also because in War and Famine there are committed more sins, and more enormous, then in a Pestilence. War ordinarily is a torrent of villanies, and Famine produceth unnatural horrours, so far, as to induce a mother to eat her own childe. Now concerning other kindes of adversities in which it is requisite that we make a choice, we ought to look well upon every one with their circumstances, to take notice of that which affordeth the least occasion to offend God.