The following is the presentation of a healthy sample of a much longer (and slightly more difficult, albeit welcome) compilation provided by Reformed Books Online. I do not know the companions of this site and I cannot approve all aspects of their reformed perspective, however, they know the Christian and reformed historical works, and the compilation they have provided (with others to come, they say) is very useful, the academic work here is that of a soldier and requires hours, so we can be grateful.
I’ve selected some of the quotes that I find most useful. There are many more, and if the reader wishes, you can go to the other page to see more. Still, it’s the proverbial drink of a fire hose. Did I also selectively edit and add some of my comments, without separating yours (most) from mine?I apologize beforehand.
- The full collection includes quotes approving the closure of churches during pandemics.
- Social detachment during the contagion period.
- And the temporary increase in civilian power to enforce these things.
- All from reformers such as Martin Luther and Theodore Beza.
- Westminster theologians such as George Gillespie.
- Second-generation reformers such as Johann von Ewich (German retired) and ministers of the late 19th century.
- Like Francis Grimké.
- Seems to be closer to home).
Johann von Ewich (1525?1588), retired German scholar, law school, physician and medical professor, obtained the profession of civilian physician in the city, under the direction of the mayor, of the increasingly reformed city of Bremen. This book, his great work on the subject, aimed to offer Bremen (and other cities) a comprehensive plan for additional reform in times of plague.
And first, in church meetings, this counsel must be given: that people do not come en masse, nor in crowds, neither enter nor leave, and do not gather in large numbers in a church, where they will be led to sit directly and up close, especially in a city: considering that there are more appropriate places for this purpose. , in which divine worship can be performed, that is, the ex display of the word of God and the administration of the sacraments.
Because while these things may seem, to some, of little importance, nothing should be omitted that, in any case, can help prevent infection. And what Cicero said, how to do for the good of men and serve the communion of mankind. , where nothing should be kept close, whatever goods or warehouses we have, the same in particular must happen on this shift. (The duty of a faithful and wise magistrate, to preserve and rid the Commonwealth of infection, at the time of the Plague or Plague?[London, 1583], Book 1, Chapter 6,? Order to be appointed among citizens, and to allow meetings and assemblies to be published ?, p. 27).
Von Ewich made many comments on the issues, including that, in particular, ministers visiting the sick, but also, by extension, anyone who has had the opportunity to contract the disease, should be particularly avoided and, as far as possible, quarantined. :
Because I said before, and I repeat, that not only the external and common infectious air, but also the contagious breaths and infectious breaths, or breaths, that are collected and then transmitted together: and that others who are sick by the caregivers, by those who sit by their side, by the ministers of the church who come and go here and there together with the infected , yes, often also for those who died. What a thing, when, through daily experience, they are taught and we also show that it is true, it is absolutely necessary to pay attention to it, for fear of causing this great disease in others, which we have diligently set aside, for fear of spreading ourselves.
Then it can be added, so many times we have less experience, that many patients (I do not mean those who are infected with plague), who although they do not get infected by the company of such ministers, will always reject their presence. for fear of spreading. After that, this inconvenience will also appear, but do you prefer never to receive such simple comfort at the hands of some of your own homes, most of which are not made for this purpose, or die alone and do you suffer double damage?(The duty of a faithful and wise magistrate, in the preservation and liberation of the Commonwealth from infection, in times of plague or plague?[London, 1583], Book 1, Chapter 5 ,? Ministers of the Church ?, P 19?20).
George Gillespie was a prominent member of the Westminster Assembly. His views on the Law of God (what we would now call theonomy) were probably among the most complete and precisely developed. His quote here demonstrates a knowledge of (1) infection, (2) social detachment, (3) adequacy of public worship and (4) duration for years, sometimes due to an expanding disease. These four things, known and practiced at the time, are the main and necessary, which are relevant and applicable in times of public pollution in almost all ages and situations, even in the modern era.
Arguing against congregationalism, Gillespie established that unity in church rule was essential (and discussing forms of government was also worth it, but elsewhere). However, in the process, does this show that unity remains strong, even if the assemblies of the local church are interrupted?even for years?and this may be legitimate, because of the plague:
A multitude can be a church, though it does not gather in the same place to worship God. For example, sometimes a congregation may not be able to gather in one place, but in several, and this may continue for a few years, either by persecution, or by a plague, or because it does not have such a large parish church, that it can bring everyone together, so some of them must be elsewhere; but a mob can’t be a church if it doesn’t share the same thing. government as the church, and under the governors themselves (by a church I mean an ecclesiastical republic), even if the same union under government and civil governors cooperate?(An affirmation by the government of the Church of Scotland?[Edinburgh, 1641], Part 2, Chapter 3, p. 145).
Teodoro Beza was a disciple, friend and successor of Joo Calvino in Geneva, his university degrees do not need to be presented, as they were widely recognized at the time and generally recognized by students today. He was a giant. And when he faced the plague, he gave the same advice as the others (he practiced self-quarantine to such an extent that he did not accept the visit of his closest friends, Calvin or Viret, in fact, considered them so important to the world that I would not risk infecting them!):
When do I have for myself? I fell ill with the plague in Lausanne [France], and that the others, my fellow ministers, and among others, this singular man of blessed memory, Pierre Viret, was willing to come and see me, and that Jean Calvin himself sent a letter with Letters addressed to me, with some kind of courtesy, I did not let any of them come to me, lest I think that I had foreseen the loss of the Christian community, which would have manifested itself very great with death. of such worthy men, I don’t regret having done it either, although, perhaps, if it happened to them, they wouldn’t get the same out of my hand.
But if, in such calamities, the magistrate, in time, has, as far as possible, legal means that do not repudiate Christian charity, that infection can be mitigated and that the afflicted are not lacking, he must answer many questions. which, according to this argument, must be asked, but there must be a special agreement on this: that our sins are the root and true cause of the plague, so it is the only appropriate remedy against it, if the shepherds do not discuss the infection (which is of the doctors), but both with words and with the example of life , awaken your flocks to sincere repentance, love, and charity toward others, and for the sheep to hear the voices of their shepherds. ( A brief scholarly and concise treatise on the plague, which addresses these two issues: one, whether the plague is infectious or not; the other, whether And to what extent Christians can be avoided from leaving and to what extent [London, 1580], pp. . 68-70).
Richard Baxter (1615–1691), a famous Anglican Puritan, wondered whether or not a civilian government could close churches during pandemics, and does so in his classic style of strict logical control and scattered phrases, which somehow seem tedious and verbous. are well-founded and written, and are worth reading several times:
Question 109: Can we skip church assemblies on the Lord’s Day if the magistrate forbids them?
Answer: 1. It is one thing to ban them for a period of time, for a particular cause (such as a plague, fire, war, etc. ), and it is another thing to ban them declared or profane.
2. It is one thing to skip them for a while and another thing to do it normally.
3. It is one thing to omit them by formal obedience to the law; and another thing is to omit them out of caution or necessity, as we cannot observe them.
4. The assembly and the circumstances of the assembly must be distinguished: 1. If the magistrate, for a greater good (such as common security) prohibits church assemblies in times of plague, assault of enemies or fire, or similar need, It is a Because the positive task gives way to great natural duties that are its end. Thus Christ justified himself and his disciples regarding the violation of the external rest on the Sabbath, because the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. . 2. Because affirmations are not always linked and off-season homework becomes sin. 3. Because one Lord’s day or assembly should not be preferred to many, which by default should be obtained.
2. Si the princes desecrately forbid holy meetings and public worship, either openly or by renounting Christ and our religion, it is not legal to formally obey them.
3. But it is legal and prudent to deal secretly with the current need, which we cannot do publicly, and to do with a smaller number what we cannot do with larger assemblies, yes, and omit assemblies for a while, so that we can have the possibility of more, which is not formal obedience, but only material.
4. But if we are only prohibited from certain circumstances of the assembly, it is another matter to be resolved.
Question 110: Should we obey the magistrates if they forbid us to worship God in such a place, country, or in such a number, or something similar?
Answer: It is necessary to distinguish between a determination of circumstances, modes or accidents, if we are only prohibited from place, numbers, etc. , it clearly destroys worship or end, and other things that do not do that.
1. He who says, “He will never meet, only once a year, or never before midnight, or never for six or seven minutes in a row, etc. “, will determine the circumstances regarding the time, he does so to destroy the cult, which cannot be done in a manner consistent with his purposes. “But he who says, “They will not meet until nine o’clock, they will not spend the night, etc. “does no such thing.
2. No you need to stop at the application. In the latter case, we must formal obedience; in the first, you have to suffer and not obey.
Because if it is to obey, is it obedience to abandon worship of God?(The Christian Directory, or the sum of practical theology?[London, 1673], 870-872).
Ashbel Green (1762–1848) was an American Presbyterian minister and president of Princeton University. The quote below is related to the yellow fever outbreak, which spread to Philadelphia. I want you to know that while you were asking people to flee, you stayed. in the city to help.
[I] decided to go preach and tell all my people that they could get out of town, to save their lives, that’s what I’ve done, and to a large extent it’s probably because of this, that under God’s blessing. , very few members of my congregation have been victims of the plague this year.
For those under my responsibility who knew they could not leave the city, I said everything I could to consciously dispel their fears, urging them to trust in God, because, in the order of His providence, it was impractical for them to leave their I told them explicitly that I saw no call to meet for public worship, or that they should participate in the work of preaching , as long as the city remained in its current state (Joseph Jones, ed. Ashbel Green, VDM [London, 1849], p. 281).
Francis J. Grimké was a Presbyterian pastor in Washington, D. C. He wrote in the context of Spanish influenza from 1918-1920. (See Andrew Myers, “Reflections by Francis J. Grimké on the ” Spanish Flu of 1918″).
Another thing that struck me about this epidemic is the fact that conditions can arise in a community, justifying the extraordinary exercise of powers that would not be tolerated under ordinary circumstances. This extraordinary exercise of power has been used by [civil] commissioners to shut down theaters, schools, churches, prohibit all gatherings of a considerable number of people inside and outside, and restrict the number that must be present even at funerals. The basis for the exercise of this extraordinary power was the imperative duty of the officers to safeguard, as far as possible, the health of the community, avoiding the spread of the disease we suffered.
I know that there have been many complaints from some, especially regarding the closure of churches, however, it seems to me that in a case like this, it is always prudent to submit to these restrictions for a period of time. In fact, it was dangerous to find yourself in theaters and schools, it certainly wasn’t any less dangerous to find yourself in churches. The fact that churches are places of religious gathering and others are not would not affect the health problem in question. reduces the risk of becoming infected, it was prudent to take precautions and not take the risk unnecessarily, and to expect God to protect us.
And, as impatient as I was about to return to work, I waited patiently until I got the order. I began to worry at first as it seemed to alter all our plans for the fall job, but I quickly regained my composure. I said to myself, why worry? God knows what you’re doing. Your work won’t suffer. In the end, he’ll help her. I think this will give you a great asset. All the churches, as well as the community at large, will be stronger and better for this moment of anguish that we are going through. (Some reflections on the recent flu epidemic that affected our city, [Washington D. C. , 1918], p. 6).
A big thank you to the editors of Reformed Books Online, for this large number of jobs growing.