What Can We Learn From Epidemics In Reformation History?

Martin Luther survived an epidemic and advised others on ethical and public health precautions during it, which can be helpful to the coronavirus www.kcbi.org

Revivalist David Brainerd died of TB epidemic in the home of revivalist and theologian Jonathan Edwards. Edwards daughter died nursing Brainerd and was buried next to him. While slowly weakening from TB Brainerd remained focused on prayer for revival especially among the American Indians. That revival did come with mass repentance and conversion of Indians and Europeans. His diary published after his death is one of the most influential books in Christian history and awakened America and Europe of the need to evangelise the world. His priority was saving the lost who never heard of Jesus from hell as a priority above his life or health. (Read The diary of David Brainerd on Google books ) books.google.co.za

Edwards died in a later epidemic of a different disease not having completed his planned theological magnum opus. He nevertheless remains Americas greatest philosophical intellectual.

William Kiffin founding leader of the Reformed Baptists and principal author of the 1689 confession was orphaned as a child by bubonic plague and his guardians spent his inheritance on themselves. As a penniless orphan he prayed for God to help him in his poverty. He did so well in business, despite starting with nothing, and working as a bi vocational unpaid pastor and giving much to the poor that in later life the king of England asked him for a loan and his business partner founded the Bank of England. (Read his autobiography available free on Google books: remarkable passages from the life of William Kiffin). books.google.co.za

One of Kiffins pastor friends was believed to be dying and he and a third reformed Baptist friend went to visit him. The other pastor prayed for the sick pastor to be given another fifteen years like Hezekiah. He recovered and lived exactly fifteen more years.

There are many examples or catastrophic war, earthquakes, which were used by God to bring about spiritual revival. But many others where no revival followed. Earthquakes before revival included the American great awakening and two Cape Town awakenings. In the first, massive rocks rolled down table mountain causing the fear of God.

These examples confirm:

• God’s ultimate sovereignty to choose our life or death, despite our plans
• Epidemics have been a normal part of most generations of human history and we are privileged to have been spared till now
• That godly men are not immune from epidemics
• God can use those in weak health for his great purposes
• How we should act in an epidemic
• How God can care for our children though his sovereign purposes, despite catastrophe and human failure
• That God can use catastrophes for good.