yet he must still persist and presume yea because his time was not come to perish God lets him alone in pursuing his children even to the Sea and halfe way over faire way he had and smoothly he ran on till he came to the midst not so much as one wave to wet the foote of his Horse but when he is too farre to escape then God begins to strike neither he could nor these can be quiet without their full vengeance as filching leaves not the Pilferer with raw sides but brings him to a broaken necke they have such festred and putrified hearts that ordinary stripes will not reach to the quicke their long tugging at Sathans Oares and wearing his Shackels hath so brawned their flesh that they are not sensible of an ordinary lash And this likewise is the Saylers case who although the Philosopher would not permit them to be numbred amongst the living as not amongst the dead yet for all their many and eminent dangers no men are more regardlesse of their soules § 59. CUstome of successe makes men confident in their sinnes and causes them to mistake an arbitrary tenure for a perpetuity But as the Heathen Menander could say in the like case if they were not meere strangers to themselves they could be no other then confounded in themselves their case being like that of Damocles whom Dionysius caused to sit in his chayre of State abounding with all kind of delicates when over his head hung a naked sword held up onely by a small haire yea farre worse for while they are dancing the trap-dore falls under them and they in Hell before they are aware their hope makes them jocund till the ladder turnes and then it is too late to care or crave Security is the certaine usher of Destruction neither is destruction ever neerer then when security hath chased away feare 1 Thes. 5. 3. as the Philistines were neerest their destruction when they were in their greatest height of jollity Iudg. 16. 25. to 31. Little doe sinners know how neere their jollity is to perdition how nere was Nabal to a mischiefe and perceived it not David was comming at the foote of the hill to cut his throate while he was feasting in his house without feare or wit and drinking drunke with his sheepeshearers Many a time judgment is at the threshold whilst drunkennesse and surfeit are at the board Yea this hardnesse of heart and impenitency is alwayes the harbinger to some fearefull plague Isay 6. 10. 11. When God will give over men to his judgements he first gives them over to this judgement of an hard and impenitent heart and what doth impenitency but turne all deliverances into further curses and judgements so that such a mans deliverance is a worse judgment then the judgment from which he is delivered for it argues either Gods utter forsaking of them as desperate Patients are given over by the Physitian why should yee be smitten any more for yee fall away more and more saith God to the stiffe-necked Iewes Isaiah 1. 5. or else it argues a reservation of them for some more fearefull plague if by these former judgments yee will not be reformed by me saith God but walke stubbornely against me then I will walke stubbornely against you and smite you yet seven times more for your sins Lev. 26. 18. to 40. So that an impenitent mans preservation out of one judgment is but a further reservation of him to seven judgments What did it availe Cham that he escaped drowning with the multitude he had better have perished in the waters then have lived unto his Fathers curse What did it availe Lot's wife to escape turning into ashes in Sodom when suddenly after she was turned into a pillar of salt in the plaine Or what did it availe Pharaoh that himselfe was not smitten with many of those judgements wherein others perished it was farre from being a mercy yea it was a reservation to the greatest temporall judgment of all here and to that eternall judgment also in the burning lake from which there is no redemption So that it is not simply our deliverance but our thankfulnesse for it and obedience after it that gives sufficient argument to our consciences that God delivered us in mercy and favour Yea to prosper in ill designes and ungracious courses to goe on in sinne uncontrolled is the greatest unhappinesse the heaviest curse for he that useth to doe evill and speeds well never rests till he come to that evill from which there is no redemption Ioab kills Abner and scapes againe he embrues his hands in the blood of Amasa and is not indited for it now David is old and Adoniah towardly he furthers him in the usurpation and big with prefidence of his owne command he thinkes to carry it but this carryed him to his grave Faire Absalom was proud and ambitious yet he flourisheth hee kills his owne Brother yet escapes he insinuates himselfe into the affections of the people and bold of their fidelity to him he swels even against his owne royall Father and becomes a disloyall Traytor God owes that man a grievous paiment whom he suffers to runne on so long unquestioned and his punishment shall be the greater when he comes to reckon with him for all his faults together Yea though prosperous wickednesse is one of the Devills strongest chaines yet the currant passage of ill enterprises is so farre from giving cause of encouragement that it should justly fright a man to looke backe to the Author and to consider that he therefore goes fast because the Devill drives him § 60. THere be three things which usually succeede one another in the Church great blessings great sinnes great punishments yea a fourth was wont to follow in former ages namely great sorrow of heart great lamentation and woe and upon the necke of that great favour and mercy As in the booke of Iudges and elsewhere what a continued circle doe we finde of Peace Sinnes Iudgements Repentance Deliverances the conversation of Gods people with the wicked tainted them with sinne their sinnes drew on judgments the smart of the judgment moved them to repentance upon their repentance followed speedy deliverance and upon their peace and deliverance they sinned againe thus it was ever and in every age of the world but in this her decrepit and doting age in which Religion is become contemptible and wherein it is a shame to be strict and holy in the service of God But now let God send never so many and great Iudgments one upon the neck of another as Sword Famine Pestilence yea one pestilence after another yet no repentance no reformation Witnesse these two yeares sicknesse together and the yeere 1625. for of so many millions of notorious sinners as were in this land how many or where are any who from thence hitherto have left off their drinking swearing whoreing prophaning of the Lord's day cheating c. can you name tenne yea
oft doth one commend or condemne me for one thing and another for the contrary Yea the famous Alderguts or gulpe-thirsts of our time not onely thinke excessive drinking worthy of all honour during life and so ratifie those ancient presidents but they looke their associates should not cease to honour them being dead by mâ—ntioning their rare exployts herein like Darius who caused it to be engraven upon his tombe for an honour I could drinke great store of wine and beare it well But O you sottish sensualists how hath the Devill bewitched you to magnifie honour and applaud all that are enthralled to this worse then swiniâ—h swilling and on the other side to vilifie reproach and undervalue all that hate and loath it in their judgments or else renounce it in their practice is it possible that the reasonable soule of man not professedly barbarous should be capable of such a monster certainely if I did not know the truth and probate of it by ocular and experimentall demonstrations from day to day I could hardly bring my understanding to believe that men that Christians should be of so reprobate a judgement as to affect admire adore c. so foule so base so beastly so unamiable so unfruitfull unprofitable unpleasant unnaturall a vice as this is in most mens judgements and experience Nay I cannot believe what I both see and heare in this case for it is not possible for the most corrupted heart to thinke that any should be honoured for villany and for honesty be contemned but rather that every Drunkard in his more serious cogitations thinkes of his fellow dying in this sinne a fit saint to be canonized for the Devill for not seldome are wicked mens judgments forced to yeeld unto that truth against which their affections maintaine a rebellion And so we see that what Seneca said long since when wine was sold in Apothecaries shops and dranke rather in time of sicknesse then in health namely that the time would come when honour should be ascribed unto drunkennesse and that to drinke much wine should be reputed a vertue is fulfilled in our age that very time is come Non habet â—lterius quod nostris potibus addâ—s Posteritas They drinke not for strength but lust and pride to shew how full of Sathan they be and how neere to swine O wofull glory § 43 MEn were not so temperate in former times as we read of Cyrus and many others that did never eate but of hunger nor drinke but for thirst and then but a little but they more abound in excesse at this present for he is a rare Drunkard yea a rare man in these dayes that forbeares to drinke untill hee be thirsty for as if they scorned such an occasion they drink before they are â—ry they drink untill they become dry so that thirst overtakes drunkennesse as fooles runne into the river to avoyd a shower of raine All drunkards all you who know no other calling but to visite Tavernes know that I speake true that you drinke one liquour to draw on another not to quench but to increase thirst not to qualifie but to inkindle heat in which their swinish swilling they resemble so many Froggs in a puddle or water-Snakes in a pond for their whole exercise yea religion is to drink they even drowne themselves on the dry land O what deluges of wine and strong drinke doth one true drunkard devoure and cause to bee devoured who never drinkes but double for he must be pledged yea if there be ten in company every one must drink as much as he and he will drinke untill his eyes stare like two blazing starres and Drawers or Tapsters those Sergeants of the maw will see that the pots shall neither be full nor empty They drinke more spirits in a night then their flesh and brains be worth for if it be possible they will choake rather then confesse Beere good drinke But in the meane time how many thousands which are hard driven with poverty or by the exigents of warre might be relieved with that these men spend like beasts whiles that is throwne out of one swines nose and mouth and guts which would refresh a whole family O wofull calamity of mankind saith S. Augustine how many may we find that doe urge and compell those that be already satisfied to drinke more then becometh them and yet will deny even a cup of small drinke to the poore that beg it for Gods sake and for Christs sake they pinch the hungry to pamper the full withhold drinke from the thirsty to make others drunke with too great abundance § 44. BUt O how just a punishment were famine after such a satiety and pestilence after famine for such as turne the Sanctuary of life into the shambles of death O Lord it is thy unspeakeable mercy that our land which hath beene so long sicke of this drunken disease and so often surfitted of this sinne doth not spue us all out which are the inhabitants The Lord of most glorious Majesty and infinite purity sees all heares all knowes all and yet behold we live nay the Lord still causes Heaven Earth Sea Land all Creatures to waite upon us and bring us in all due provision nay he hath not long since abounded even in that blessing and graine which hath bene most abused to drunkennesse here is patience here is mercy here is bounty O that we could stay here and suffer our selves to lose our selves in the meditation and admiration of this wonderfullnesse But what 's the reason God will not punish the righteous with the wicked Gen. 18. 25. he knoweth how to deliver the godly and to reserve the wicked these brute beasts who walke after the flesh in the lusts of uncleannesse and count it pleasure to riot unto the great day to be punished 2 Peter 2. 9. 13. whose judgement is not farre off and whose damâ—ation sleepeth not ver 3. For as surely as the word of God pronounceth many a woe unto them as woe to Drunkards saith I saith that are mighty to drinke wine and unâ—o them that are strong to powre in stroâ—g drinke that continue drinking till the wine doth inflame them Woe saith Habakuk unto him that giveth his neighbour drinke till hee be drunken Woe saith Solomon to them that tarry long at the wine to them that goe and seeke mixt wine Woe to his body which is a temporall woe woe to his soule which is a spirituall woe woe to both body and soule which is an eternall woe howle ye Drunkards saith Ioel weepe yee saith St. Iames Isaiah 5. 22. Habakuk 2. 15. Ioel. 1. 5. Iames 5. 1. 5 Yea which of Gods Servants hath not a woe in his mouth to throw at this sinne so every tittle of this word shall be accomplished God will one day hold the cup of vengance to their lips and bid them drinke their fills Yea as Drunkards are Sathans eldest Sonnes so they shall have
a double portion of vengance whereas riot in the forenoone hath beene merry in the afternoone drunke at night gone to bed starke mad in the morning of their resurrection it shall rise sober into everlasting sorrow they finde not the beginning and progresse so sweete as the farewell of iâ— shall be bitter for as sure as God is in Heaven if they forsake not their swilling which they are no more able to doe then they are able to eate a rocke the Devill hath so besotted them they shall once pay deare for it even in a bed of urquenchable flames I speake not of the many temporall judgments which God brings upon them even in this life though to mention them alone were omni-sufficient if they thirsted not after their owne ruine as I could tell them from Lâ—vit the 26. and Dent. the 28. that all curses threatned all temporall plagues and judgments which befall men in this life are inflicted upon them for sinne and disobedience But I speake of those torments which are both intoâ—lerable and interminable which can neither be indured nor avoided when once entred into If I say you persevere in this your brutish sensuallity and will needs Dives like drinke here without thirst you shall thirst hereafter without drinke yea though that fire be hot the thirst great and a drop of water be but a little yet in this hot fire and great thirst that little drop shall be denied you Luke 16. For know this that without repentence Paul will be found a true Prophet who saith that no Drunkard shall ever enter into the kingdome of Heaven 1 Cor. 6. 9. 10. And Isaiab no lesse who saith that Hell enlargeth it selfe for Drunkards and openeth her mouth without measure that all those may descend into it who follow drunkennesse and preferre the pleasing of their palats before the saving of their soules Isaiah 5. 11. 14. for as they shall be excluded and shut out of Heaven so they shall be for evermore damned body and soule in Hell Christ shall say unto them at the great day of accounts depart from me yee cursed into everlasting fire which is prepared for the Devill and his Angells Math. 25. 41. As they make their belly their god and their shame their glory so damnation shall bee their end Phil. 3. 19. yea their end is a damnation without end it is heauy and miserable that their end is damnation but it is worse and more miserable that their damnation is without end wickednesse hath but a time but the punishment of wickednesse is beyond all time Neither is the extremity of the paine inferiour to the Perpetuity of it for the paines and sufferings of the damned are ten thousand times more then can be immagined by any heart as deepe as the Sea and can be rather indured then expressed it is a death never to be painted to the life no pen nor pencill nor art nor heart can comprehend it Yea if all the land were paper and all the water inke every plant a pen and every other creature a ready writer yet they could not set downe the least peece of the great paines of Hell fire For should we first burne off one hand then another after that each arme and so all the parts of the body it were intollerable yet it is nothing to the burning of body and soule in Hell should we indure ten thousand yeares torments in Hell it were much but nothing to eternity should we suffer one paine it were enough but if we come there our paines shall be even for number and kindes infinitely various as our pleasures have bene here every sense and member every power and faculty both of soule and body shall have their severall objects of wretchednesse and that without intermission or end or ease or patience to indure it § 45. NEither let drunkards ever hope to escape this punishment except in due time they for sake this sinne for if every transgression without repentance deserves the wages of death eternall as a just recompence of reward Heb. 2. 2. Rom. 6. 23. how much more this accursed and damnable sinne of drunkennesse which both causeth and is attended upon by almost all other sinnes as hath beene shewed And yet if thou canst after all this but truly repent and lay hold upon Christ by a lively faith which ever manifesteth it selfe by the fruits of a godly life and conversation know withall that though thy sinnes have beene never so many for multitude never so great for magnitude God is very ready to forgive them and this I can assure thee of yea I can shew thee thy pardon from the great King of Heaven for all that is past the tenour whereofis Let the wicked for sake his way and the unrighteous his owne imaginations and let him returne to the Lord and hee will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Isai. 55. 7. and againe Ezec. 18. if the wicked will turne from all his sinnes which he hath committed and keepe all my statutes and doe that which is lawfull and right he shall surely â— ve and not die all his transgressions which he hath committed they shall not bee once mentioned unto him but in his righteousnesse that he hath done hee shall live because he considereth and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed he shall save his soule alive ver 21. 22. 23. 27. 28. other the like places you have oel 2. 12. 13. 14. Yea I can shew thee this very case in a president 1 Cor. 6. 10. 11. where we reade of certaine Corinthians that had bin given to this sinne of drunkennesse who upon their repentance were both washed sanctified and justified And St. Ambrose tells of one that being a spectacle of drunkennesse proved after his conversion a patterne of sobriety Yea know this that Gods mercy is greater than thy sin what ever it be thou canst not be so infinite in sinning as hee is infinite in pardoning if thou repent let us change our sins God will change his sentence God is more mercifull saith Nazianzen then man can be sinfull if hee bee sorrowfull none can bee so bad as God is good the Seed of the woman is able to bruse this Serpents head wherefore if you preferre not hell to heaven abandon this vice But withall know that if it shall come to passe that the drunkard when he heareth the words of this curse namely these threatnings before rehearsed shall Pharaoh like harden his heart and blesse himself in his wickednesse saying I shall have peace although I walk according to the stub bornnesse of mine owne heart thus adding drunkennesse to thirst the Lord will not be mercifull to that man but then his wrath and jealousie shall smoak against him and every curse that is written in his Law shal light upon him and the Lord shall put out his name from under heaven as himselfe speakes Deutero 29. 19 20. which
against them And indeed if thou wert not a foole thou wouldest thinke it better to be in the small number of Christs little flocke which are to be saved then in the numerous heards of those Goates which are destinated to destruction And so your excuses are taken away and all proved vaine coverings even no better then Fig-leaves which though they may seems to cover thy nakednesse from such as thy selfe yet they will stand thee in no steede another day Wherfore drink not without thirst here that you may not thirst without drink herafter Lu. 16. 24. 25. Play not the foole as Lysimachus did who being in battell against the Scythians for the satisfying of his appetite onely and to procure a little drinke to quench his thirst gave himselfe over into his enemies hands and when he had drunke his fill and was haled and leading away captive into perpetuall misery while he saw his countrimen returne home with joy began to acknowledge his folly in these words O said he for how little pleasure what great liberty what sweet felicity have I lost and forgone Yea turne your laughter into sorrow your feasting into fasting be revenged of your selves of your lusts and meete your God and make your peace while now we call and you heare yea the Lord of his mercy awaken men out of the dead sleepe of this sinne that so seeing their danger they may be brought to confesse and forsake it that so they may be saved Pro. 28. 13. § 56. BUt what doe I admonishing or speaking sence to a drunkard this is to make him turne the deafe eare and a stone is as capable of good counsell as hee besides they have no faith in the Scriptures they will not beleeve what is written therefore they shall feele what is written In the meane time it were very fit if it pleased Authority they were debarred both of the blood of the Grape and the spirit of Barley a just punishment for consuming the countries fat for even cleere rocke water were good enough for such Gormundizers except we had the water of Clâ—torius a Well in the midst of Arcadia which causeth the drinker of it to loath wine for ever after I doe not wish them stoned to death as God commanded such ryoters and drunkards to be under the Law Deut. 21. 20. 21. nor banished the land as the Romans did all vicious and voluptuous persons that the rest might not be endangered and Lycurgus all inventers of new fashions least these things should effeminate all their young men for then I thinke the land would be much unpeopled Indeed I could wish there were Pest-houses provided for them in all places as there are for infected persons or that they were put by themselves in some City if any were big enough to receive them all as Philip King of Macedon built a city of purpose and peopled it with the most wicked gracelesse and irregular persons of all his subjects and having so done called it Poneropolis that is the City of wicked persons And certainely if it were considered how many Brokers of villany which live onely upon the spoyles of young hopes every populous place affords whose very acquaintance is destruction the like meanes of prevention would be thought profitable for our times Yea this were marvelously expedient considering the little good they doe being as so many loose teeth in the Mandible of the Common-wealth which were better out then in and the great hurt by their ill examples by devouring the good creatures of God which they never sweat for by disturbing the peace of the Church and Common-wealth by pulling downe heauy judgments upon the land and considering how small hope there is of their amendment if any at all § 57. IT may be you have not noted it but it is a very difficult and hard thing to name one habituated infatuated incorrigible cauterised Drunkard that ever was reclamed with age What said an experienced Gentleman being informed that his Sonne was given to gaming whores prodigality c There is yet hope age experience and want of meanes will cure all these but when in the last place it was added that he was poysoned with drunkennesse then hee absolutely gave him for lost and dead his case for desperately forlorne and so disinherited him because this sinne hee knew increased with age and would not part till death A Gamester will hold out so long as his purse lasts an Adulterer so long as his loynes last but a drunkard so long as his lungs and life lasts What is noted by Philosophers of every motion namely that it is swiftest toward the Center may fitly bee applyed to every drunkard and covetous wretch for as good men grow better and better so these grow worse and worse Ier. 9. 3. 2 Tâ—m 3. 13. they grow in sinne as worldlings grow in riches and honours O that we could grow so fast in grace Yea suppose the drunkard hath every day purposes to forsake his sinne as I have knowne some purpose and strive against this sinne yea so detest and bewaile it in himselfe and whomsoever that it hath been an Hazael in his eyes and thereupon indent with himselfe and his friends for the relinquishing of it and yet if he meete with a companion that holds but up his finger he followes him as a foole to the stockes and as an Oxe to the slaughter-house having no power to withstand the temptation but in hee goes with him to the tipling house and there hee continues as one bewitched or conjured with a spell out of which he returnes not till he hath emptied his purse of money his head of reason and his heart of al his former seeming grace so that in purposing he doth but imitate S. George who is alwayes on horseback but never rides or the Ostrich that hath winges but cannot fly he may make a shew of turning as the doore upon the hinges but never moves a foot from the post of his olds custom and evill society unto which hee is fast revited and so mends as sower Ale doth in Summer or like a dead hedge which the longer it stands is the rottener O this is a difficult divel to be cast out for when a man is once possest with this evill spirit a drunken divell it is a miracle if ever hee become his owne man after This sinne is like a desperate plague that knows no cure it may be called the Kings evill of the soule as Chrysostome calls the envie of wicked men against the godly for it cannot bee cured with the Balme of Gilead nor by any Phisitian there untill God himselfe sayes to the heart awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead for by a long and desperate custome they turne delight and infirmity into necessity and bring upon themselves such an insatiable thirst that they will as willingly leave to live as leave their excessive drinking As it fares with some sicke Patients touching their bodies
Gods Spirit threatens will prove the crop they will reape for God is true and all flesh is a lyer § 144. BUt God sets forth himselfe to bee incomparably gracious mercifull long-suffering abundant in goodnes c. Ezo 34. 6. and is acknowledged to bee so by David Psalm 86. 5. by Ioel Chap. 2. 13. by Ionah Chap. 4. 22. by Micha Chap. 7 18. and in many other places It is very true for it is a part of his title Exodus 34. 6. hee is mercy in the abstract 1 Iohn 4. 16. 2 Cor. 1. 3. 1 Tim. 4. 10. rich and abundant in mercy Ephesians 2. 4. 1 Pet. 1. 3. 19. his love is without height or depth or length or breath or any dimensions even passing knowledge Ephes. 3. 18. yea the Scripture advanceth God's mercy above his justice Psa. 36. 5. to 12. not in it's essence for God in all his Attributes is infinitely good and one is not greater then another but in it's expressions and manifestations It is said of mercy that it Pleaseth him Micha 7. 18. whereas justice is called his strange worke Esay 28. 21. Lamentation 3. 33. that he is slow to anger but abundant in goodnesse Exedus 34. 6. hee bestowes mercyes every day inflicts judgements but now and then sparingly and after a long time of forbearance when there is no remedy 2 Chron. 36. 15. Esay 65. 2. that he visiteth the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation onely whereas hee shewes mercy to thousands Exodus 20. 5. 6 so that by how much three or foure come short of a thousand so much doth his justice come short of his mercy in the exercise of it Againe that his love to his people outstrips a Father's love to his sonne Matth. 7. 11. and a Mothers too Esay 49. 15. for he is the Father of mercies 2 Cor. 1. 3. as being himself most mercifull and the author of mercy and compassion in others In fine he is so mercifull that the Kingly Prophet repeates it over six and twenty times together in one Psalm that his mercy endures for ever Psal. 136. But what makes this for thee except thou repentestâ— Indeed let the wicked forsake his wayes and the unrighteous his owne imaginations and returne unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he is very ready to forgive saith Esay Chap. 55. 7. and that we should not doubt of this he redoubles the promise Ezekiel 18. and confirmes the same with an oath Chapter 33. 11. Yea he is more ready to shew mercy upon our repentance then we are to beg it as appeares in that example of the Prodigal son Luk. 15 20. Do but repent and God will pardon thee bee thy sinnes never so many and innumerable for multitude never so heynous for quality and magnitude for repentance is alwayes blest with forgivnes yea sinnes upon repentance are so remitted as if they had never been committed I have put way thy transgressions as a cloud and thy sinnes as a mist Esay 44. 22. and what by corruption hath beene done by repentance is undone as abundance of examples wiâ—â—esse He pardoned David's adâ—ltery Salomon's idolatry Peter's apostacie Paul did not only deny Christ but persecuted him yet hee obtained mercy upon his repâ—â—tance Yea amongst the worst of Gods enemies some are singled out for mercy witnesse 〈◊〉 Mary Magdaâ—en the Thiefe c. many of the lewes did not only deny Christ the Holy one and the Just but crucified him yet were they pricâ—ed in heart at Peter's Sermon gladly received the word and were baptized Ast. 2. 41. And a very Gentile being circumcised was to be admitted to all priviledges and prerogatives concerning matters of faith and Gods worship as well as the children of Israel Gen. 17. 13. But on the other side unlesse we repent and amend our lives we shall all perish as Christ himselfe affirmes Luk. 13. 3. 5. § 145. FOr though mercy rejoyceth against justice Iames 2. 13. yet it deâ—troyeth not Gods justice though hee is a boundlesse Ocean flowing with mercy yet he doth not overflow he is just as well as mercifull yea saith Bernard Mercy and Truth are the two feet of God by which he walketh in all his wayes his mercy is a just mercy and his justice is a mercifull justice he is infinite in both hee is just even to those humble soules that shall be saved and he will be merciful while presumptuous sinners go to hell and therefore in his word hee hath equally promised all blessings unto those which keepe his Commandements and threatned all manner of judgments to those which break them with their severall extreames according to the measure and degree of every sin Deut. 28 Neither is salvation more promised to the godly then eternall death and destruction is threatned to the wicked and as Christ is a Saviour so Moses is an accuser Iohn 5. 45. Alasse though to all repentant sinners he is a most mercifull God yet to wilfull and impenitent sinners hee is a consuming fire Heb. 12. 29. Deut. 4. 24. doth not the Apostle say that neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor buggerers nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor railers nor extortioners to which number S. Iohn Revelation 21. 8. addeth the fearefull and unbeliveing and murtherers and sorcerers and all lyers shall not inherit the Kingdome of God 1 Corinth 6. 9. 10. Galathians 5. 21. but shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death And doth he not likewise affirme that all they shall be damned which believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnes 2 Thes. 2 12. doth not the Lord say Ier. 16. 13. that he will have no mercy for such as are desperately wicked And again Deut. 29. 19. 20. that if any man blesse himself in his heart saying I shall have peace although I walke according to the stubbornnesse of mine owne heart that he mill not be mercifull to him c. Doth not our Saviour himself say that the gate of heaven is so strait that few find it Mat. 7. 13. 14. and will hee not at his comming to judgement as well say unto the disobedient Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Divell and his Angels as to the obedient Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome c. Yes they are his owne words Matth. 25. 34. 41. and S. Iames saith that he shal have judgement without mercy that hath shewed no mercy Iames. 2. 13. In fine he that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life but he that obeyeth not the Sonne shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Ioh. 3. 36. For as mercy in the second Commandement is entailed only to believers and to those which love God and keepe his Commandements so God at the last day will reward every
goodnesse And so doing thou mayst perchance winne thy Brother even as that penitent wanton in St. Ambrosse did his old love who when she courted him according to her accustomed manner and wondred at his overmuch strangnesse saying why doe you not know who I am answered yes I know you are still the same woman but I am become another man I am not I now neither would You be You any longer if yee knew so much as I doe 4 But if yet they persist and seeme incorrigible flye their company for feare of infection least it happen with thee as once it did with a chast person among Penelopes suters who went so often with his friend till in the end he was caught himselfe for if thou keepest them company there is no possibility of thy holding out to the end though thou shouldest for a time as a man may make some progresse in a good way and yet returne before he is halfe at his journeys end as Saul kept himselfe well for two yeares Iudas for three yeares and as it is storied Nero for five yeares yet all fell into damnable wickednesse scarce three worse in the world But of this more in it's proper place Besides how hard a thing is it for thee a coward to shew thy dislike of this sin in some companies where thou shalt be scoff't at thy selfe if thou dislike their drinking and scoffing at others Fiftly another thing which I had need to advise thee of is to take heede of delayes for to leave sinne when sin leaves us will never passe for true repentance besides if the evill spirit can but perswade thee to deferre it untill hereafter he knowes it is all one as if thou hadst never purposed to leave thy sinne at all as you have it largely proved Sections 151. 152. 153. Sixtly omit not to pray for the assistance of God's spirit to strengthen thee in thy resolution of leaving this sinne St. Ambrosse calls prayer the key of Heaven yet prayer without answerable endeavour is but as if a wounded man did desire helpe yet refuseth to have the sword puld out of his wound Seventhly be diligent in hearing God's Word which is the sword of the Spirit that killeth our corruptions and that unresistable cannon-shot which battereth and beateth downe the strong holds of sinne Eighthly be frequent in the use of the Lord's Supper wherein we dayly renew our covenant with God that we will forsake the Devill and all his workes of darkenesse Ninthly ponder and meditate on Gods inestimable love towards us who hath not spared to give his Sonne to death for us and the innumerable benefits which together with him he hath plentifully bestowed upon us both in temporall and spirituall things say unto the Lord what shall I render unto thee for all thy benefits but love my Creator and become a new creature Tenthly meditate on that union which is betweene Christ and us whereby wee become members of his glorious body and so shall we stand upon our spirituall reputation and be ashamed to dishonour our Head by drawing him as much as in us lyeth into the communication of this swinish sinne consider that our bodies are the Temples of the Holy Ghost the which we shall exceedingly dishonour if by drinking and swilling we make them to become like wine vessells Eleventhly consider that the Lord beholdeth thee in all places and in every thing thou doest as the eyes of a well drawne picture are fastned on thee which way soever thou turnest much more while in a brutish manner thou liest wallowing in this sinne and consider him as a just judge who will not let such grosse vices goe unpunished Twelftly beever or at least often thinking of the last and terrible day of Iudgment when we shall all be called to a reckoning not only for this sinne but for all other our sinnes which this shall occasion to our very words and thoughts And lastly if thou receivest any power against this great evill forget not to be thankfull and when God hath the fruite of his mercies he will not spare to sow much where he reapes much § 176. More especially that thou maist master and subdue this abominabâ—e sin does but set before thee in a generall view the heinousnesse thereof and the manifold evills and mischiefes which doe accompany it of which I have already spoken as that it is a vice condemned by God and men Christians and infidells that thereby we grievously offend God by making our bellies our god by unfiting and disabling our selves for his service by abusing his good creatures which with a pleantifull hand he hath bestowed upon us the necessary use whereof many better then we want that thereby we sinne in a high degree against our neighbours generally and particularly against the whole Church and common wealth strangers and familiar acquaintance and most of all against our owne family that hereby we most grievously sinne against our selves by making us unfit for our calings and for the performance of all good duties by disgracing our profession and bringing our selves into contempt by making our selves the voluntary slaves of this vice by impovershing our estate and bringing upon us want and beggery by infatuating our understandings and corrupting our wills and affections by deforming disabling weakning and destroying our bodies and bringing our selves to untimely death by excluding our selves out of the number of Christs members by quenching the gifts of the Spirit and strengthening the flesh and lusts thereof by causing our soules to be possessed with finall impenitency which is inseparably accompanied with eternall damnation Also remember that as in it selfe it is most sinfull so it is also the cause of almost all other sinnes as of the manifold and horrible abuses of the tongue of many wicked and outragious actions and particularly of those fearefull sinnes of murther and adultery Also call to mind that as it is the cause of sinne so also of many heauy and grievous punishments as making a man lyable to a fearefull woe and Gods heauy curse subjecting his name to infamy his state to beggery his body to diseases infirmities deformities and immature death his soule to senselesse sottishnesse and deprivâ—ng the whole man of the joyes of Heaven entereth him into the possession of eternall hellish torments and this will be a good meanes to make thee moderate thy greedy desires mortifie thy carnall affections and curbe thy unruly appetite by putting a knife to thy throâ—â—e as Salomon adviseth saying I could but I will not take more then is good or fit Yea the consideration of these things and of the wofull condition that drunkards are in will provoke thee to hate their opinions to strive against their practice to pity their misguiding to neglect their censures to labour their recovery and to pray for their salvation For O how ugly doth this monster appeare to the eye of that soule which hath forsaken
contrarily that which God calls foolishnesse and madnesse they terme wisdome Gen. 41. 8. Iob. 5. 13. Pro. 28. 11. Ier. 4. 22. 1 Cor. 3. 19. Exodus 1. 10. Iosh. 9. 4. Titus 3. 9. Pro. 10. 18. 3 They thinke there is no God Psal. 14. 1. or that he is carelesse and mindeth them not Psal. 10. 11. and 94. 7. or that he is not so just as to reward every one according to his workes Psal. 10. 13. 4 They thinke the service of God which is the greatest freedome Iohn 8. 34. 36. Rom. 6. 16. 18. 22. the only bondage Psal. 2. 3 4. and to serve their owne lusts and therein the Devill whose captives they are 2 Tim. 2. 26. the only freedome Psal. 12. 4. 5 They censure true faith in the Godly to be presumption 2 Chron 32. 11. 14. Rom. 8. 38. 39. and yet thinke their wne presumption to be true faith 6 They not only thinke profession arbitrary but blame worthy when as our Saviour commands it upon paine of being denied before God and his holy Angells at the later day Matth. 10. 32. 33. Mark 8. 38. 7 They censure yea condemne us to the pit of Hell about vanities of their own devising Luk. 7. 33. 34. Mark 7. 5. and justifie heynous crimes in themselves verse 11. 12. 13. 8 They thinke if they have the worlds friendship and good opinion that they are in a passing good and happy estate when nothing more truely proves them in a cursed condition Luke 6. 26. Iames 4. 4. § 191. SEcondly touching persons First they account the sincere Christian which walkes according to the rule of Gods word an Hypocrite Iob. 4. 6. and the greatest Hypocrite who is a Christian in name only they acquit of Hypocrisie Isay. 66. 3. 2 They thinke such enemies to the state ' who are greatest friends yea props of the State and those friends who are the greatest enemies 1 King 18. 17. 18. Gen. 39. 5. 20. Iob. 22. 30. Isay 6. 13. 3 They account themselves the most valiant and couragious because they are apt to fight upon every idle quarrell be it but the lye which is the greatest pusillanimity or at most but stupid and desperate madnesse and shewes that their lives are but little worth seeing they will sell them so good cheape when they are the basest cowards and vilest white-livers in a countrey not daring to suffer for Christ or in a good cause so much as a poore Nick-name how much leâ—â—e would they burne at a stake for him as the Martyrs did even weake women which is the only true valour and yet contrarily account the righteous who are as bold as a Lyon so their cause be good Pro. 28. 1. the most hen-hearted and â—earefullest 4 They account Gods people the most dumpish and melancholy of all others when indeed they are or have cause to be the only joyfull people alive Psal. 4. 7. Heb. 10. 34. Iob. 20. 5. Eccles. 9. 7. Matth. 13. 44. Luke 1. 44. 47. and 2. 10. Iohn 16. 22. Acts 13. 52. Rom. 14. 17. and 15. 13. 2 Cor. 7. 4. Gal. 5. 22. Iames 1. 2. 1 Iohn 1. 4. c. 5 They take themselves to be wise because they are wise to doe evill and thinke the Godly simple because they are wise only to that which is good Rom. 16. 19. not considering that wisdome is as the waters of which some descend from above and some spring from beneath Iames 3. 15. 17. 6 Such as by faith and true repentance are purged from their filthinesse in the blood of Christ and walke in newnesse of life they thinke pure in their owne eyes though indeed they esteeme their very righteousnesse but as a menstruous cloth I say 64. 6. when it is themselves that are pure in their owne conceits as wanting the light of Gods Spirit and the eye of faith Thirdly touching their judgement and practise joyntly First they glory in their shame Phil. 3. 19. I meane their wickednesse Gen. 19. 34. and are ashamed of that which should be their only glory and crowne of rejoycing viz. holinesse 2 Whereas the mercy of God is the chiefe motive to make his children feare him Psal. 130. 4. they make it the only motive for them to continue in sinne Iude 4. 3 Whereas the Godly render them good for evill they againe render them the greatest evill for the greatest good Psal. 35. 12. to 16. Acts 7. 52. to 60. persecute them to the death for shewing them the way to eternall life Acts 5. 30. to 34. Ier. 18. 20. 4 Even their very mercy and kindnesse is cruelty Pro. 12. 10. witnesse the drunkards love to his friend the adulterers to her whom he defiles the pitifull man who gives or obtaines a pardon for the murtherer which not only betrayes the parties soule but makes the whole land guilty of blood and lastly he who makes offers of preferment to a Protestant so he will become a Roman Catholike these and many the like are cruell mercies 5 They reject the Commandements of God Marke 7. 8. 9. that they may observe the traditions of men and give heede unto Spirits of error and doctrines of Devills 1 Tim. 4. 1. 6 And lastly they thinke they doe God good service in wronging and killing of his children Iohn 16. 2. as Paul did in persecuting and the Iewes in executing Christ. § 192. VVHich being so namely that their judgements are directly opposite to the Word of God that they read practicall divinity with the Devills spectacles just as Schollers doe Hebrew backwards either taking the conceptions of the Holy Ghost to be an adulterous seede as once it fared with Ioseph touching Marie's being with child Matth. 1. 19. or contrarily the conceptions of Sathan viz. thoughts and affections which spring from Pride Lust Ignorance c. to be the spirituall conceptions of the Holy Ghost and to come from zeale and piety as once Ely 1 Sam. 1. 14. and those mockers Acts 2. imputed the true worke of the Spirit to drunkennesse who would not rather be dispraised then commended by them For to be praised of evill men saith Bion is to be praised for evill doing so the better they speake of a man the worse and the worse the better you shall have them maintaine with incredible impudence accompanied with invincible ignorance that if a man will not sweare drinke drunke c. that he is over precise though they may as soone finde Paradise in Hell as any Text in Scripture which makes for loosenesse or against circumspect walking Yea who would dreame that so grosse blockishnesse should find harbour in any reasonable soule as to thinke that God should like a man the worse for his being the better or for having a tender conscience or looke for lesse feare reverence and obedience from his servants then we doe from our servants and yet the same men will grant that a servant can never be too punctuall in his obedience to his Masters
added the greatest Schollers 177. let Good intentions 206. be added Example of the best men 197. no safe rule to walk by without a precept 162. Excuses of drunkards taken away 154. F FAith 653. Drunkards would flout us out of our faith 381. Feare and cowardise a cause of drunkennesse 282. Fooles the greatest polititian the greatest foole 013. in five particulars made good 621. some wise in foolish things and oolish in wise things 638 bray them in a mortar they will not leave their sinnes 624. though the Divel makes fooles of them yet he makes them wise enough to make fooles of any that will trust them 636 the voluptuous fooles 643. the greatest bousers the greatest buzzards 121. the greatest humanist without grace little better 604. Forsake none but counterfeits will forsake Christ for all they can do 534. Friends wicked men wrong none so much as their best friends to whom they owe their very lives 515. love and friendship only among good men 843 G GOd his gifts numberlesse 481. Godly what is done to them Christ challengeth as done to himselfe 508. Goodnes alone the whetstone of a drunkards envie 386. Good and bad agree together like the Harp and Harrow 821. good men must be imitated only in good things 157. good intentions cannot justifie evill acts 206. good â—ellowes who 820. reputation of goodfellowship 277. Guilty we may be of anothers sin divers wayes 825 H HAnds hatred and malice of drunkards would break out at their hands were they not manacled by the Law 391. Heart to get an humble heart 649. Hatred against the religious the most bitter and exorbitant 343. they hate none but the good 411 but they are sure of opposition 412. how their hatred vents it selfe 345. their hatred is against God and Christ 508. not to tell our neighbour of his faults is to hate him 826. to hate the vices of a wicked man but love his person 849. wee should hate evill in whomsoever 850. Hell a description of it and the last judgement 458. 461. good men draw all they can to Heaven 440. wicked men all they can to Hell ibid. none helpe to people Hell like drunkards 4â—1 they would have our company in Hell 436. and why 446. the covetous man can finde in his heart to go to Hell so his sonne may be left rich 629. Healths a shoing horne to all excesse 309. they drinke others healths their owne deaths 323. of which many examples and of the just judgement of God upon drunkards 314. healths great in measure or many in number 310. if small the liquor is stronger or the number more 311. healths upon their knees 313. not more forward to drinke healths then zealous and carefull that other pledge the same 318. the rise and originall of health drinking 313. Honesty he the soberest and honestest man that resembles the drunkard least 691. good-fellowship the utmost of a drunkards honesty 139. Honour misprision of it and reputation 322 Hope easily blown into a wicked man and as soone blowne out of him 444. Hurt drunkards would hurt and maime us for being sober and conscionable if they durst 392. I IDlenesse a cause of drunkennesse and drunkennesse a cause of idlenesse 72. an idle person good for nothing but to propagate sin 73 Ignorance of drunkards 121. 107. and all naturall men 177. 600. the cause of all sin 593. drunkards insensible of their sinne and danger because ignorant 107. Ingratitude and great folly of wicked men 526. Intention of soule-murther shall bee rewarded as if they did it 539. Ioy if true only enjoyed by good men 817. the joy of worldlings more talked of then felt 817. objections touching joy and good-fellowship answered 817. Iudge wicked men judge of things 757. and persons 759. by contraries 761 their judgement and practise cleane contrary to Gods Word ibid. how the Divel deludes the fancy and judgement of a natur all man 721. Iudgements of God what use drunkards make thereof 111. the religious keep off judgements 516. first by their innocency 516. secondly by their prayers 517. K KIll drunkards and wicked men would kil the godly if they would not yeeld 392. of which their savage disposition five reasons 402. first they must do the workes of their father the Divell 402. secondly that their deeds of darknesse might not come to light 404. thirdly they cannot follow their sinnes so freely so quietly ibid. fourthly what they could not make good with reason they would with iron ibid. fifthly their glory and credit is eclipsed by the godly 405. but they cannot do as they would though their punishment shall bee all one 399. King Sathan their King and they must seek his wealth and honour and inlarge his Kingdome by winning all they can from Christ 431. Knowledge he that hath saving knowledge hath every other grace 597. six helpes to saving knowledge 646. L LAw and precept our only rule 210. Looke Drunkards look to us not to themselves 356. Love wicked men think they love God but they doe hate him 512. Drunkards love their sinnes better then their soules 551. a Drunkard can never love thee being sober and religious 834. a wicked mans love mercenary and inconstant 835. nothing rivits hearts so close as religion 845. Lust provoked by drunkennesse 54. discard all filthy lusts and corrupt affections 646. M MEanes must be used 664. to sinne against mercy the abundance of meanes and many warnings mightily aggravates sinne 475. Melancholly Drunkards drink to drive it away 259. but this increaseth it 260. Memory Drunkards have shallow memories 132 Mercy God in mercy infinitely transcendent 550. but it makes nothing for such as will not part with their sins 551. his mercy is a just mercy 554. mercy rejoyceth against justice but destroyeth not Gods justice 553. if we forsake our sinnes God will forgive them how many and how great soever 152. wicked men apply Christs passion and Gods mercy as a warrant for their licentionsnesse 542. they are altogether in extreames either God is so mercifull that they may live how they lift or so just that he will not pardon them upon their repentance 546. Mocking some will better abide a stake then others a mock 504. Mourne in all ages the godly alone have mourned for the abominations of their time 255. Modesty in some a vice 842. Most objection that most men are of another judgement answered 589. Multitude how Sathan guls the rude multitude 293 the multitude will do what they see others do 371. of which many examples 372. Murther caused by drunkennesse 50. N NAmes we should taint our names by keeping evill company 808. to defend our neighbours good name if we can a duty 828. Naturall men called beasts in Scripture 3. O OBedience God hath equally promised all blessings to the obedient and threatned all manner of judgements to the disobedient 554. Offences Objection against offences answered 742. P PAssions and affections make partiall 352. they must be discarded 646 Peace
and Heathens have censured this vice and judged of this sinne though indeed the odiousnesse of it is beyond all expression neither have I dehortation answerable to my detestation of it onely what cannot be spoken your meditation supplying the defect of my speech may be implyed as under a curtaine which was the Painters shift in deliniating the picture of Venus and the wont of Timanthes who in each picture hee drew occasioned more to be understood then was painted § 11. THe Learned of all ages have concluded yea drunkennesse it selfe if it could speake as it can take away speech would confesse that it is a flattering Devill a sweet poyson a voluntary madnesse an invited enemy the author of outrages quarrells debates murthers the nurse of fury the mistris of pride the fountaine of all vice the originall of all diseases and bane of the soule that it is a fire whose flame is lust whose sparkes are oathes and evill words whose smoake is pride and infamy whose ashes are diseases and poverty and whose end is hell That it is a sinne which cracks mens credits consumes their estates distempers their constitutions dulls their spirits infatuates their senses intoxicateth their braines stupefies and besots their understandings perverteth their wills troubleth reason overthroweth the judgment infeebleth the memory corrupteth all the affections excludeth counsell and without Gods infinite mercy and their sound repentance damnes the soule That it is a bewitching sweete in the mouth which turnes to deadly poyson in the heart the revealer of secrets the ship wrack of chastity the shame of honesty the ruine of good manners the thiefe of time the disgrace of mankind a sinne which makes man an abomination to the Lord odious to the Angells scorned of men abandoned of all good society and above all makes men subjects and vassalls to Sathan a sinne of all others the most spreading most infectious most incurable most inexcusable a sinne which makes no difference of times places persons c. A sinne which is against the lawes of God of grace of nature and of all nations against sense and reason a sinne which brings wrath and judgment upon the whole land a sinne which is a griefe to friends a ruine to families which separates from the society and company of Gods Saints on earth excludes and shuts them out of the Kingdome of Heaven as Plutarch Solon Pittacus Boetius St. Austin St. Ierom St. Chrysoftome and others stile and define it That it is of sinnes the queene as the goute is of diseases even the most prodigall wastfull unthrifty unprofitable unnaturall unseemely insatiable unreasonable sinne the most base brutish beastly foule filthy odious execrable detestable horrible abominable state disturbing heathenish infernall prodigious damnable gracelesse and shamefull sinne of all others as some of our Moderne writers render it In fine it is a sinne odious and lothsome in any but in us who have so much light so many lawes of God and man against it most unsufferable but as it was once observed that Philosophy was taught in Athens but practised in Sparta so now temperance and sobriety is taught in England but practised in Spaine and Turky § 12. ANd as it is a most grievous and matchlesse sinne in it selfe so it is the cause of all other sinnes a monster with many heads the roote of all evill the incendiary of all vice the Magazine of all misery the mother and metropolis of all mischiefe As tell mee was there ever any sinne committed which wine hath not beene an occasion of for notwithstanding wine doth first serve and obey the drinker yet by little and little mixing it selfe with the blood in the veynes it doth rule over him and like Saules evill and controlling spirit makes him it 's vassall whereby like the Centurions servant he no sooner heares the word from Sathan doe this but instantly hee doth it whether it be to the committing of adultery with Holofernes inces◠with Lot murther with Alexander Cambyses and Philopater one of which in his drinke slew his deare and faithfull friend Clytus who was his chiefe Captaine in all his exployts though it so troubled him being sober that he would have made away himselfe the second his onely Sonne the third his deare father and mother or treason with him that confest to King Pyrrhus upon his arraignment all this wee did and spake against thee and much more should have done had not the wine failed us or blasphemy with Belshazzar and his Princes Dan. 5. 23. and what not for even to rehearse the severall examples which history affords and experience hath made knowne were endlesse Some examples I have given you and he is a very young man and unobservant that cannot adde forty out of his owne experience And doe not our reverend Judges in their severall circuits finde by experience that few brawles murthers manslaughters rapes c. are committed which arise not from this roote of drunkennesse And indeed as in Justice all vertues are couched together summarily as Aristottle affirmes so in drunkennesse all vices are lapt up together as it were in a bundle for it is a confluence or collection of all the rest and as he said of old prove a man to be ingratefull and you prove him naught all over so prove one to bee a Drunkard and you prove him guilty of every thing that is evill reprobate to all that is good for what sinne is it which a drunken man will sticke to commit when wee reade that Cyrillus his Sonne being drunke slew his Father and his Mother great with child hurt his two Sisters and defloured one of them as St. Austin affirmes when another being tempted by the Devill as Philip Lonicer witnesseth to commit some crime or other putting him to his choice either of Drunkennesse Adultery or Murther he chosing the first in his drunkennesse he abused the wife of him in whose house he was and her husband comming in the whilst he slew him and so in chosing that one he committed all three which being rightly considered me thinkes a man had neede to be drunke before hand that shall admit of more wine then enough that shall for one houres mad mirth hazard a whole age of griefe and shame together with his displeasure that is able to destroy both body and soule in Hell § 13. BUt you have not heard all for as others observe it is a queller of all good notions motions actions a sinne which decayes all a mans good parts and morall vertues which disables men from all good imployments either in Church or Common-wealth making them unprofitable which otherwise might be serviceable and indisposeth them to grace and godlinesse yea to all the meanes thereof For as by too much raine saith St. Austin the earth is resolved into dirt and made unfit for tillage so Drunkards by excessive swilling are altogether so unfitted for the spirituall tyllage that they can bring forth no good fruits of holinesse and
Citie but being hereupon confined and that upon paine of death was observed a while after to ride much abroad Sinne saith the Apostle tooke occasion by the commandement Romans 7. 11. as if mans naâ—â—re delighted in this or that evill so much the more because the Law forbids them Yea most finde it here in as in matters of bookes which being once called in and forâ—idden become more saleable and publike The Dieâ—â—tes of the law being to â—â—â—full lusts in mans heart as water to quicke lime a meanes to inkindle them and make them boyle the more fiercely But know this thou swearer that he is bottomlesly ill who loves vice because it is vice he is a desperate prodigious damnable wretch and full of the venome of the serpent that will rather then not dye anger God of set purpose and without profit procure his owne destruction which is thy case if thou usest his Name to make up idle places of a hollow or unfilled sentence or to vent and utter with some more grace and force thy choller and malice Yea this proves thee worse then an Oxe led to the slaughter for hereby thou becommest thine owne executioner Alasse thou art not of thy selfe worthy to serve or to name him how then darest thou to make him and his Name to serve thee thy prophane discourse and thy rash and untempered anger § 33. AGain supopse the Ministertels them that Swearing and Cursing is the language only of hâ—ll and no where frequent but amongst the damned spirits which shewes them to be the Divelsâ— best schollers upon earth and of his highest form with whom the language of Hell is so familiar that blasphemy is become their mother tongue and that they speake not a word of our country language the language of Canaan that they are so hardened in evill that they are past grace and past feeling that the swearer and blasphemer is like a mad dog which flieth in his masters face that keepes him That as roaring and drinking is the horse way to Hell whoreing and cheating the footway so swearing and blaspheming followes Corah Dathan and Abyram That it is a sure rule and an undoubted signe if any man does weare and curse ordinarily that he never truly feared God as it cannot be that the true feare of God and ordinary swearing should dwell together in one man yea dead are they while they live if they live in this sinne That Sathan stands ever at the swearers elbow to take notice reckon up and set on his score every oath he swâ—areth and keepes them upon record against the great day of reckoning at which time he will set them all in order before him and lay them to his charge and that then every oath shall prove as a daggers point stabbing his soule to the heart and as so many weights pressing him downe to Hell And shall further tell them that swearing is clâ—athed with death Ecclus. 23. 12. and that the swearer wounds his owne soule worse then the Baalites wounded their owne bodies that he which useth much swearing shall be filled with wickednesse and that the plague shall never goe from his house yea his house shall be full of plagues Ecclus. 23. 11. that the curse of God shall enter into the house of the swearer and shall remaine in the midst of it and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof untill the owner be destroyed Zach. 5. 2. 3. 4. that God himselfe will be a swift witnesse against swearers Mail. 3. 5. That the Almighty hath spoken it and that in thunder and lightning how hee will not hold them gâ—iltlesse which take his name in vaine and that such mighty sinners as they bee shall be mightily punished And goe on in this manner to shew them the heynousnesse of their sinne and grievousnesse of their punishment it is to no purpose for they will answer all yea confute what ever hee can say with this short sentence God is mercifull yea though the swearer hath made his soule Hell fire hot with oathes and blasphemies yet hee presumes that one short prayer for mercy at the last gaspe shall coole him they will not believe that are ordained to perish Yea the Divell and sinne so infatuates and besots them that they thinke to be saved by the same Wounds and Blood which they sweare by and so often sweare away that Heaven will meete them at their last hower when all their life long they have galloped in the beaten roade toward Hell not considering that the Devill being alwayes a lyer labours to perswade the Godly that their estate is damnable and the wicked to believe without once questioning that they are in favour with God so they spend their dayes in mirth saith Iob and suddenly they goe downe into Hell Iob. 21. 13. § 34. NEither is it strange that they should be so jocund confident and secure that they should neither be sensible of their present condition nor afraid of future Iudgments for for what the eye seeth not the heart rueth not security makes worldlings merry and therefore are they secure because are they ignorant A dunse wee know seldome makes doubts yea a foole saith Salomon boasteth and is confident Pro. 14. 16. and by a foole in all his Proverbs hee meanes the naturall man As the Spyder which kills men cures Apes so ignorance doth wonderfully profit nature which is the greatest bane to grace that can bee it is a vaile or curtaine to hide away their sinnes our knowledge saith one of the learned doth but shew us our ignorance and wisdome saith another is but one of mans greatest miseries unlesse it be as well able to conquer as to decerne the next to being free from miseries is not to be sensible of them Erasmus could spie out a great priviledge in a blockish condition Fooles saith hee being free from ambition enuy shame and feare are neither troubled in conscience nor masserated with cares and beasts we see are not ashamed of their deeds Where is no reason at all there is no sinne where no use of reason no apprehension of sinne and where is no apprehension of sinne there can be no shame Blind men never blush neither are these men ashamed or afraid of any thing because for want of bringing their lives to the rule of Gods word they perceive not when they doe well when ill the timber not brought to the Rule may easily appeare straight when yet it is not nay because they see not their owne soules they are ignorant that they have any and as little care for them as they know them they beare that rich treasure in their bodies as a Toade doth a pretious stone in her head and know it not What 's the reason a worldling can strut it under an unsupportable masse of Oathes blasphemies thefts murthers drunkennesse whoredomes and other such like sinnes yea can easily swallow these spiders with Mithridates and digest them too their
faith and workes are equally necessary to salvation and they will understand hee meanes them both as meritorious causes whereas he acknowledgeth neither but faith as an instrument good workes as a necessary concomitant God alone the efficient and Christ alone the meritorious cause of salvation for know this that good workes cannot justifie us before the severe Tribunall of Almighty God our workes deserve nothing it is onely in Christ that they are accepted and onely for Christ that they are rewarded Neither is it faith which properly saves us but the righteousnesse of Christ whereon it is grounded by grace yee are saved through faith Ephesians 2. 8. It is the God of truth that speakes it and woe unto him that shall make God a lyer by grace effectually through faith instrumentally we are not justified for the onely act and quality of believing it is the justice of Jesus that justifies us which faith apprehends it was the brazen Serpent that healed not the eye that looked on it yet without a lookâ—â—g eye there was no helpe to the wounded party by the promised vertue It is true our Adversaries oppose this doctrine both with Pens and Tongues violently in the Schooles invectively in the Pulpets but come they once to their death-beds to argue it betweene God and their owne soules then grace and grace alone mercy and onely mercy Iesus and none but Iesus this their great Belweather is driven to confesse yea saith another give us this faith and then let our enemies doe their worst the Devill tempt the world afflict sinne menace death afright yet faith will vanquish all through the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ. Againe let a Minister speak against affectation of learning in Sermons they will say he condemnes learning let him tell such as live and allow themselves in drunkennesse adultery swearing deceiving c. that they are in a damnable condition and in a reprobate sense they will say he calls them râ—probates and judgeth them damned in all which they resemble the Sadd ces who tooke occasion to deny the Resurrection from that wholsome doctrine taught that we should neither serve God for reward nor feare of punishment but meerely out of obedience and love or the Iewes who when Christ spake of the Temple of his body understood him to meane the materiall Temple and thereupon tooke great exceptions Yea we have a world of such amongst us who seeme Malchus like to have their right eares cut off they heare so sinisâ—erly And rather then not carpe if the Minister but use a similitude for ornament and illustration sake borrowed from nature or history they will say he affirmes the matter thereof possitively to be true like as that simple fellow thought Pontius Pilate must needs be a Saint because his name was put in the Creede And so much to prove that the Drunkard hath neither wit nor memory § 42. HAve we yet done no I would we had I would we were well rid of these filthes but let us proceed in speaking as they doe in drinking By that time these gutmongers have gulped downe so many quarts as either of their names hath letters in it they have drawne in some fresh man who perhaps after the third health refuseth to drinke any more being of Diogenes his humor who being urg'd at a banquet to drinke more then he was willing emptied his glasse upon the ground saying if I drinke it I not onely spill it but it spills me so this mans unacustomed rudenesse and monstrous inhumanity begins a quarrell For it is an unexcusable fault or as I may say an unpardonable crime to refuse an health or not to drinke eqâ—all with the rest or to depart while they are able to speake sense and this they can almost prove for was not Pentheus son to Echion and Agave by his owne Mother and Sister torne in peeces for contemning of Bacchus his feasts hereupon many have lost their lives because they would not drinke but happily by Gods blessing and the parties patience in bearing their fowle language he hath delivered himselfe of their company at which they are so vexed that they gnaw their owne tongues for spight and call him the basest names they can thinke of Now begin they a fresh to spice their cups one while with oathes other whiles with words of Scripture which sounds most ill favouredly in a Drunkards mouth as Salomon intimates Pro. 26. 9. now raile they against Puritans for so are all abstemious men in the Epicures words or a beasts language who hold sobriety no other thing then humor and singularity Religion and good fellowship to be termes convertible Well at length they dispute the case about his departure stoutly affirming that he can be no honest man who refuseth to pledge them and to this they all agree for the utmost of a Drunkards honesty is goodfellowship and he is of most reputation with them that is able to drinke most being of the Tartarians Religion together with the inhabitants of Cumaâ—a and Guiana who account him the greatest and bravest man and most compleate and wel accomplished gallant who is able to carrouse and swill downe most yea if they can but meete with a man that like Diotimus surnamed Funnell can gulpe downe wine through the channell of his throate conveyed by a tunnell without interspiration betweene gulpes as the Crocodile eates without moving of his nether jaw they thinke him not alone worthy to be carried to Gurmonds Hall and there made free of the wide throats or large weezands company but thinke he deserves some great preferment according to those ancient presidents read of in history Where it is recorded that in the feasts of Bacchus a crowne of gold was appointed for him that could drinke more then the rest That Alexander the great not onely provided but gave a Crowne worth a Talent for reward to Prâ—machus when he had swallowed downe foure steines or gallons of wine which none of the company could equall him in though one and forty of them dranke themselves dead also to shew their willingnesse That Tiberius the Emperor preferred many to honours in his time because they were famous whoremasters and sturdy drinkers That Tiberius Câ—sar was preferred to a Pretorship because of his excellency in drinking That amongst the drink-alians in tenterbelly he that can drinke a certaine vessell of about a gallon thrice off and goe away without indenting for this his good service is presently carried through the City in triumph to that goodly Temple dedicated to god All-paunch and there knighted Yea if they might have their wills none should refuse to be drunke unpunished or be drunke unrewarded at the common charge that I exceede not my Last each man that will not pledge their healthes can beare me witnesse though I neede no better evidence then their owne lips for how oft shall you heare them commend those actions which deserve much blame and condemne others which merit great praise how
which wine God should pledge him in upon which he takes the new wine into his hand and filling the cup therewith reacheth forth his arme as high as he could as though God should have pledged him in good earnest saying God I would faine know what wine thou likest best this wine is good enough and too good for thee if thou hadst senâ— bâ—â—ter thou shouldest have had better but such as it is take it plâ—dge me quickly and carouse it off every swoâ—p as I havâ— done to thee or else thou dost me wrong the usuall speech and phrase of our drunkards at this day but no soonâ—r had he uttered these blasphemous speeches but the Lord forthwith proceeds in judgements against him causing his Arme which he had stretched out to stand stedfast and unmoveable so that he could not pull it in and benumming his whole body so that he could not move it from the place in which agony he remained a long time after his countenance not changed rowling his eyes to and fro in a fearefull manner his breath and speech being taken from him so that he could not breath nor speake a word and yet seemed to every one to be alive after this the people who flock thick threefold to see this wretched spectacle of Gods wrath 〈◊〉 vengeance assayed to remove him from the placâ— but they could not stirre him by any strength in the end they tyed Hoâ—ses to him to draw him thence but â—hey could not move him then they assayed to burne him but no fire would take hold on him wherefore perswading themselves 〈◊〉 God had made him a spectâ—cle standâ—â—â— president or fixed statâ—â— of his wrathâ—nd vengeance to all drunkards and all 〈◊〉 ages they surceased their enterprisâ—s wishing the will of the Lord to be done and in this miserable and dolefull mannâ—â— saith my Author Mr. Sâ—â—bs in his Aâ—â—tomy of Abuses he stands to this very day as a tragicall dreadfull and prodigious spectacle of Gods heauy displeasure wrath and vengeance against drunkards the very â—ight nay the very relation or thought of which should strike the hearts and soules of all who are devoted unto this sinne with terror and amazement The other drunken beast his companion who had escaped the immâ—diate hand of God was by the just and avenging hand of the People hanged upon a Gibbet before the dore of the same house for an example unto others Now consider this all ye ryotous drunkards who forget God least he tare you in peeces and there be none to deliver § 79. BUt that it may appeare they are more zealous and charitable then either to worship Sathan their god or goe to Hell their owne place alone and to prove that their hearts desire is that others also may be damned as St. Paul's was that Israel might be saved Rom. 10. 1 they are not more forward in drinking healthes then they are carefull to see that others pledge them for a health being once begun they will looke to it precisely that every one present shall pledge the same in the same manner and measure be they thirsty or not thirsty willing or not willing able or unable for measuring other mens palates bellyes thirsts consciences constitutions and dispositions by their owne they will force them oftentimes to drinke against their wills their stomackes their healthes c. For tell them you are not a thirst which is all the answer I can vouchsafe such or that it will not agree with your constitution they will conclude you an arrant foole and ill bred Yea in their judgements Ahasuerus was none of the wisest in appointing that none should compell another to drinke Or tell them that the Goths ordained upon pain of death how none should drink an health to another nor be forced further then their owne free wills induced them O this was the basest law that ever was enacted and yet wise Plato decreed for the avoiding of excesse that no one should so much as drink to another and the Spartans law was Vt bibat arbitrio pocula quisque suo Let each mans measure of drinke bee his pleasure § 80. THeir manner is either to Intise or Enforce others to pledge them First to intise and perswade them as let but a sober and religious man fall into their company as a purse of money may fal into a stinking Privie O how they will conspire to prâ—vâ—ke his unwilling appetite with drunken healths and if they can like that Babylâ—nish Harlot make him tast poyson in a golden cup O then they will sing and rejoyce as in the division of a spoyle and bragg that they have drenched sobriety and blinded the light and ever after bee a snuffing of this Tâ—peâ— Psal. â— 3. 4. Or if they cannot perswade him they will hate and revile him perhaps stab him that will not pledge their healths as if it were an offence not to bee forgiven for now it is counted an injury not worthy alone of ill words but also of wounds and stabbs if a man will not for company grievously sin against God wrong his own body destroy his â—oule and wilfully leâ—p into hel fire yea they wil hate a man more for refusing or crossing their healths then for abjuring his faith his religion or his God and are more hot more zealous stoute and resolute in the defence or maintainance of a health then in the cause or quarrel of their Countrey and will rather adventure their blood in the field upon the refusal of or quarrell about them then for the chiefest article of their creed whence it is they are so much moved and affected that they are mighty impatient and angry with such as crosse them in this kinde but nothing so with others who hinder them in Gods service or thwart them in their greatest good § 81. THat they 'le â—ate revile and stab hâ—m who refuseth to pledge their healthes needs no other proofe then experience as how many have lost their lives because they would not be drunke though some others Vriah-like have lost theirs when they have yeelded to be drunke Neither is this in use here onely buâ— in other countries the same It was a great mercy of God that I had not my braines knockt out in the Low-countries for not drinking a great mans healthe and losing mine owne In the Dukedome of Massovia it is no more amongst health quaffers but either drinke to me or fight with me hence grow those many murthers stabs wâ—unds without cause as Salomon speakes quarrels fightings coâ—tentions and debates which we usually heare of both at home and abroad Now what 's the reason of all but this long custome and the pravity and wickednesse of men hath made it a kinde of affront indignity discourtesie and wrong both to him that begins the health to those that second it and to the person that is remembred in it to refuse or passe it by and not to pledge it as St. Austin
doe it not is a greater sinner and shall indure a greater punishment then hee which neglects the same not knowing it Luk. 12. 47. 48. to know and not obey doth but teach God how to condemne us the greater light wee have the more shame it is for us to stumble Anaxagoras that saw the Sunne and yet denyed it is condemned not of ignorance but of impiety The infidell disputes against the faith the impious lives against it both deny it the one in termes the other in deeds both are enemies to the Gospell but of the two it is worst to kick against the thorns wee see then to stumble in the darke at a block which we see not it shall go ill with sinnefull Pagans but worse with wicked Christians for the Thistell in the Forrest shall not fare so ill as the barren Figgtree in the Vineyard the Vine fruitlesse is of all Trees most uselesse the daughter of Sion would never have beene so notorious an Harlot had shee not first beene so rare a Virgin Iulian and Lucifer had been lesse damned if the one had not beene a Christian and the other an Angell of light Reade wee not that the sinnes of the Iewes were greater then the sinnes of the Gentiles because in Iury God was known and his name great in Israel it was not so saith the Holy Ghost with other Nations neither have the Heathen knowledge of his wayes so the sinnes of us Christians other circumstances being matches are greater then the sinnes of the Iewes because our knowledge is more or may be more they had but an aspersion line to line here a little and there a little we have an effusion Asts 2. 17. I will powre out my spirit upon all flesh For if simple ignorance find no mercy what Cloak is long enough to cover wilfull and affected ignorance certainly if nescience be beaten with stripes willfull impiety shall be burned with fire sinne even in ignorance is a Talent of leade but sinne after knowledge is a milstone to sinke a man to the lowest If flaming fire be their portion that know not God and could not how terrible shall their vengeance be that might know him and would not howsoever men live or dye without the pale of the Church a wicked Christian who either doth or may know the whole revealed will of God shall bee sure of plagues O how many at that dreadfull day when God's revenges have found them out shall unwish themselves Christians or wish that the Gospell and they had never beene acquainted yea how will they in hell curse their knowledge and unprofitably wish that they had beene Ideots or infidels and never had so much as heard of Christ when they shall find this glorious light a meanes to promote them to a higher place in the kingdome of darknesse and procure to them a greater revenew of torment then others have who know lesse for he who is ignorant of or neglects his owne salvation all his knowledge tendeth to his greater condemnation to know good and doe evill makes a mans owne mittimus to Hell If with Baalam and Iudas we have knowledge in the head without holinesse in the heart we shall with Vriah and Bellerophon but carry letters to cut our owne throates or with that servant in the comedy carry Sathan a speciall warrant to bind us hand and foot and cast us into everlasting fire § 123. THirdly as in sin there is sundry steps and degrees whereby one and the same sinne may be lessened or increased so thou doest mightily increase the guilt of thy sinne this way As for example It is a fearefull thing to omit good more fearefull to commit evill as I have shewed but worse to delight in sinne worse then that to defend it but worse then worst to boast of it which is an usuall thing with thee Or thus hee doth bad enough that sins through infirmity being led captive against his will to doe foule crimes but thou doest incomparably worse who sinnest presumtuously and of se◠purpose yea of obstinate and resolved malice against God and his image as I shall in due place prove sining not only without all shame but not without malice insomuch that it is thy least ill to doe evill for behold thou speakest for it joyest in it boastest of it enforcest to it mockest them that dislike it as if thou wouldest send challenges into heaven and make love to destruction Fourthly thy sinnes exceed and weigh downe other mens that shall goe to the same place of torment because they are so open and scandalous for he that sinnes publikely to the dishonour of God and religion is a greater offender then if hee did the same at home and in private Sinne that is done abroad ceaseth to be single for it is many sinnes in one and that in a double respect it stumbles others it infects others First it stumbles others and this doth much to increase it It did wonderfully aggravate David's sin that it caused the enemies of God to blaspheme and made the sinne of Elie's sons whose scandalous lives made men abhorre the offerings of the Lord so heynous that God even swore unto Ely that the wickednesse of his house should not bee purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever 1 Sam. 3. 14. O the difference between thy practise and what it ought to be Christians ought to be blameles pure and without rebuke yea to shine as lights to other men in the middest of a naughty and crooked nation Phil. 2. 15. whereas thou by thy deboyshed life and abominable licenciousnes doest scandalize the Gospell and true religion yea make it odious to Turkes and Infidels according to that of the Apostle Rom. 2. 24. Secondly it infects others in which regard saith I siodore It is a greater offence to sinne openly then secretly for he is doubly faulty who both doeth and teacheth the same To sinne before the face of God is to dishonour him but withall to sinne before the face of men whereby others are taught and incouraged to doe the like is doubly to dishonour him An exemplary offender is like a malicious man sicke of the plague that runs into the throng to disperse his infection whose mischiefe outweighes all penalty Many an Israelite committed fornication and yet upon repentance got pardon but Zimry that would doe it impudently in the face of God and man was sure to perish § 124. FIftly this aggravates thy guilt exceedingly in that thou addest sinne to sinn as first thou committest drunkennesse and then in the necke of that thou blasphemest God slanderest thy neighbour seducest thy friend committest adultery murther c. as thou best knowest the wickednesse whereunto thy heart is privie when for a lesse matter then one of these that worldling forfeited his soule Luk. 12. 20. Againe thou aggravatest thy guilt by multiplying of sinne that is by falling often into the same wickednesse and hereby Sathan makes sure worke for though the
whether thou wilt bring forth the fruit of repentance and new obedience yet presume not for as when men give long day they expect larger payment so does God or for default thereof conferres a heavier doome the first fellony may sâ—ape in hope of amendment but the second much more the seventh meetes with as well it deserves a halter Yea of this be sure if Gods long suffering workes no reformation this silent Judge will at last speake home The Elephant suffers many injuries from the inferiour beasts but warre being too farre provoked his revenge is more extreame then his patience was remisse and the higher the Axe is lifted up the deeper it cuts But what doe I nominating particulars when thou hast had more warnings and invitations then thou hast haires on thy head Gods benefits offered thee in Christ and they all solicit thee to repent are without number though thy sinnes strive with them which shall be more If thou couldest count the numberlesse number of creatures they would not be answerable to the number of his gifts though the number of thine offences which thou returnest in liew of them are not much inferiour Not to enter into particulars which were endlesse but to give you the summe or epitomy of them for I had rather presse you with weight then oppresse you with number of Arguments The Lord Christ hath not onely ransomed thee from infinite evills here and everlasting torments hereafter but also purchased every good thing thou dost enjoy whether for soule or body even to the very bread thou eatest and that with the price of his owne precious blood and as if all this were too little he reserveth for thee such pleasures at his right hand as never entred into the heart of man to conceive and to the end onely that thou shouldest serve and set forth the praise of his Name who hath done all this As he descended into Hell that we might never come thither so he ascended into Heaven to prepare a place for us which we have no right unto What should I say If we looke inward we finde our Creator's mercies if we looke upward his mercy reacheth unto the Heavens if downeward the earth is full of his goodnesse and so is the broad Sea if we looke about us what is it that he hath not given us Ayre to breath in Fire to warme us Water to coole and cleanse us Cloathes to cover us Foode to nourish us Fruits to refresh us yea Delicates to please us Beasts to serve us Angells to attend us Heaven to receive us and which is above all his owne Sonne to redeeme us whithersoever we turne our eyes we cannot looke besides his bounty O consider of these his mercies you that forget God and then though there were no Hell no punishment for sinne yet you would not transgresse Hast thou any braines or heart to conceive what it is he hath bestowed what thou hast received what thou hast deserved No surely for if thou hadst braines and wert a wise man it would make thee mad as Salomon speakes in another sense Eccl. 7. 7. or if thou hadst a heart not like a stone or an Adamant the consideration of Gods love and thy odious unthankefulnesse would make it split and breake in peeces But heare it againe First thou wert created by him a man and not a beast in England not in Aethiopia in this cleare and bright time of the Gospell not in the darkenesse of Paganisme or Popery Secondly thou wert redeemed out of Hell by his precious blood he spared not himselfe that his Father might spare thee Oh thinke what flames the damned endure which thou mayst escape if thou wilt thy selfe me thinkes this should melt a heart of Adamant Thirdly he hath preserved thee here from manyfold dangers of body and soule Fourthly he hath all thy life long plentifully and graciously blessed thee with many and manifold good things And lastly promised thee not onely felicity on earth but in Heaven if thou wilt serve him § 127. BEsides as these mercies are great in themselves so our unworthinesse doth greater them more being shewed to us who are no lesse rebellious to him then he is beneficiall to us And is all this nothing to move thee dost thou thus requite him art thou so farre from loveing and fearing him that thou hatest others which doe O monstrous ingratitude oh foolish man to looke for other then great then double damnation O that such soveraigne favours as these should not onely not profit thee but turne to thy destruction through thy wilfull blind and perverse nature He is thy Lord by a manifold right his tenure of us is diversly held and thou his servant by all manner of obligations indeed our tenure of him is but single he is ours onely by faith in Christ Gal. 3. 26. First he is thy Lord by the right of creation thou being his workmanship made by him Secondly by the right of redemption being his purchase bought by him Thirdly of preservation being kept upheld and maintained by him Fourthly thou art his by uocation even of his family having admitted thee a member of his visible Church Fifthly his also if it be not thine owne fault by sanctification whereby he possesseth thee Sixtly and lastly he would have thee of his court by glorification that he might crowne thee every way his Yea he hath removed so many evills and conferred so many good things upon thee that they are beyond thought or imagination for if the whole Heaven were turned to a booke and all the Angells deputed writers they could not set downe all the good which Christ hath done us Now favours bestowed and deliverances from danger binds to gratitude and the more bonds of duty the more plagues for neglect Hath God contrived so many wayes to save us and shall not we take all occasions to glorifie him Hath he done so much for us and shall we deny him any thing that he requires though it were our lives yea our soules much more our lusts we have hard hearts if the blood of the Lambe cannot soften them stony bowells if so many mercies cannot melt us Was he crucified for our sinnes and shall we by our sinnes crucifie him againe Doe we take his wages and doe his enemy service Is this the fruit of his benificence of our thankfulnesse Is this thâ— recompence of his love to doe that which he hates and hate those whom he loves O for shame thinke upon it and at his instance be perswaded by whose blood you were redeemed from all these evills and interrested in all these good things The Apostle could not finde out a more heart-breaking argument to enforce a sacrificing of our selves to God then to conjure us by the mercies of God in Christ Rom. 12. 1. and indeed we could not be unthankefull if we thought upon what the Lord gives and what he forgives but if the thought of these things will not move thee Lord have
slander his equall it is an offence and may beare an action of the case but if a Noble man it is Scandalum Magnatum deserving sharper punishment and if the King it is Treason and worthy of death then how foule must that sinne be which is a trespasse committed directly against God the King of Kings 1 Sam. 2. 25. and how fearefull the punishment Wherefore take heede what thou dost for as verily as Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords so will he dash all those peeces of earth which rise up against him as a potters vessell § 134. TRue it is they are so blind that though they doe hate God and his graces where everthey finde them and desperately fight against the most high yet they thinke they love God or at least doe not hate him yea what one is there of them not ready to call for a Bason with Pilate and to wash his hands from this foule evill with many faire pretences yea if they had no answer to frame no false plea to put in we might well say that Sathan were turned foole and that his schollers had no braines left but let the sacred truth of holy Scripture be judge and all the powers of their soules and bodies doe fight against him not a â—inew nor a veine of theirs but it wars against their Creator Iohn 15. 23. 24. which at last shall appeare for though they may dissemble it for a time yet when vengeance shall seize upon them then shall they openly and expressely blaspheme him to his face Revel 16. 9. 11. common eyes may be cheated with easie pretexes but he that lookes through the heart at the face will one day answer their Apologies with scourges yea if a man could but feele the very pulse of these mens soules he should find that the foundation of their hatred and enmity to 〈◊〉 is their hatred against God and Christ the chiefe of the Womans seede even as when Sathan slew Iob's servants his malice was against Iob or as when Saul darted a Speare at Ionathan his spite was against David 1 Sam. 20. 33. or as when Sampson burnt the corne vineyards and Olives of the Philistins his quarrell was against his Father in Law who was a Citizen of Timnah Iudg. 15. He that loves not the Members was never a friend to the Head he that wrongs the wife is no friend to the husband he loves neither that vilifies either lip-love is but lying love if thou lovedst God heartily thou wouldest love the things and persons that he loves vertue is the livery of the King of Heaven and who would dare to arrest one that weares his cloth if he were not an Arch-Traytor and Rebell if we loved him we would love one another When David could doe the Father Barzillay no good by reason of his old age he loved and honoured Chimham his Sonne 2 Sam. 19. 38. And to requite the love of Ionathan he shewed kindnesse to Mephiboâ—heth so if thou bearest any good will to God whom it is not in thy power to pleasure thou wilt shew thy thankefulnesse to him in his children who are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh Is our Ionathan gone Yet we have many Mephibosheths and he that loves God for his owne sake will love his Brother for Gods sake especially when he hath loved us as it were on this condition that we should love one another whereas thou hatest the children of God even for their very graces and vertues for thou couldest love their persons well enough if they were not conscionable And so much of the eighth aggravation § 135. NInthly againe touching the party wronged thy sinne is incomparably greater in as much as thou makest that the subject of thy derision which is the onely meanes of thy preservation Knowest thou not or mayst thou not know how the wicked owe their lives unto those few good whom they hate and persecute It were bad enough to wrong enemies but to wrong such by whom thou art preserved alive is abominable but see it proved for this may seeme incredible to thee The religious whom thou persecutest keepe off judgements from thee and the whole land 1 By their innocency 2 By their Prayers First by their innocency The Innocent saith Elâ—phas shall deliver the Iland and it shall be preserved by the purenesse of his hands Iob. 22. 30. Runne to and fro by the streets of Hierusalem saith God to Ieremiah and behold now and know and enquire in the open placâ—s thereof if ye can find a man or if there be any that executeth judgment and seeketh the truth and I will spare it Ier. 5. 1. to which testimonies I could add a world of examples even all Noah's family were preserved from drowning in the generall Deluge for Noah's sake In the destruction of Sodom if ten righteous persons could have beene found the whole City had beene spared ten had saved ten thousand Gen. 18. 29. 32. yea when there was no remedy but destroyed it must be the Angels promised Lot whomsoever he brought forth should escape for his sake Againe God saved Zoar a City belonging to Sodom for Lot's saâ—e Gen. 19. 21. Now Zoar might happily be as bad as Sodom but here was the difference Zoar had a Lot within it Sodome had none Potiphar was a Heathen yet his house shall be blessed because Ioseph is in it a whole family yea a whole Kingdome shall fare the better for one despised traduced imprisoned Ioseph though he were sold for a slave Laban was cruell churlish wicked yet he shall be blessed for Iacob's sake Gen. 30. 27. Among two hundred three score and sixteene soules there was but one Paul yet behold saith the Angell God hath given thee all that saile with thee Acts 27. 24. 44. Zacheus alone beleeved yet this brought salvation to his whole house Luk. 19. O the large bounty of God which reacheth not to us onely but to ours § 136. SEcondly good men by their prayers keepe off judgements from them The Saints are like Sampsons haire the strength of the Land and the very pillars of a State even such pillars that ten of them would have supported Sodom from falling and their prayers would have cried lowder in Gods eares for mercy then the sinnes of those thousands did for vengeance the prayer of a righteous man availeth much saith St. Iames if it be fervent Chap. 5. 16. I need not tell you what prayer hath done as that it hath shut up the Heavens from rayning and opened them againe made the Sunne stand still in the firmament one while goe backe another devided the Sea and made it stand as a wall fetch fire and hailestones from Heaven throwne downe the wales of Ierico subdued Kingdomes stopt the mouthes of Lyons quenched the violence of fire raised the dead let out of prison c. onely see what it hath done in this very case Was not Abraham's prayer so powerfull that
What though none of Christs owne band can be diminished When thou dost the utmost of thy power and so farre as in thee lyes flout men out of their faithes and slay them with death eternall and when the intention and offer of this mischiese shall be judged as if thou hadst done the mischiefe God regards not so much what is performed as what was intended and measures what we doe by what we meant to doe He that shot at a Marke and kild a man by the Law of God was not held a murtherer but he that shall purpose to kill a man though he be prevented is as guilty of his blood as if he had actually killed him One man wills the knowledge of anothers wife he never attaines it perhaps never attempts it yet he is an Adulterer A man would steale if he durst he is a Thiefe though he have stolne nothing A strang thing saith Augustine wittily the man is still alive and yet art thou a murtherer the woman is still chast and untouched and yet art thou an Adulterer Good and evill thoughts and desires in Gods account are good and evill workes and as mostly he accepts the will for the deed so usually hee mesures the deed by the will Men indeed looke on the outward appeareance 1 Sam. 16. 7. and so measure the will by the worke but God beholdeth the heart Ier. 11. 20. and measures the worke by the will for though our persons shall be judged according to our workes yet our workes shall be judged according to our hearts as was the widdowes Mite Marke 12. 43. the Lord accepts affecting for effecting willing for working desires for deeds purposes for performances Abraham had onely an intention to offer Isaac and yet the Holy-Ghost tells us that Abraham did offer Isaac and 't was rewarded as done Neither had David beene lesse guilty of Vriah's death in that he wrot to Ioab to put him in the fore-front of the battell that he might be smitten and dye although he had escaped the sword then he was it being performed 2 Sam. 11. 15. nor Iesabel of Naboth's in that she sent her Letters to the Elders of his City to that purpose 1 King 21. 10. 19. so he that murthers soules intentionally is as guilty as if he had done the same actually and shall speed thereafter for God who pnnisheth or rewardeth nothing but the will will even arraigne and condemne thee for doing the same in fact § 141. TO which may be added as another aggravation belonging to this circumstance the extention of it And herein thou dost out-strip almost all other sinners in the heynousnesse of thy offence for whereas other sinnes viz. swearing theft murther c. may be compared unto a single Bullet which kills but one at once namely the party offending one of thy sinnes viz. drunkennesse may be compared to chaine-shot which sends men by clusters to Hell the other I meane thy scandalizing the way of truth and turning good into evill is like that plot of the gunpowder Treason which if it had taken effect would have destroyed a multitude at one blow Yea thereby thou dost not onely thy utmost but even sufficient without Gods great mercy to murther and destroy all that heare of thy milicious slanders and bitter invectives make them ashamed of their holy profession and flye from Christs standard backe to the world Now injuries are so much the more intollerable as they are dilated unto more those offences which are of narrow extent may receive an easie satisfaction the amends are not possible where the wrong is universall as may be collected from the story of Queene Vashti Esther 1. 16. 17. 18. And thou dost not inveigh against this or that particular person or congregation but against all the faithfull throughout the land wherein thou more then resemblest a mad Dog who spareth none but bites at all that come neere him for this thy ill report of the way of truth like poyson disperseth it selfe into every veine of the body politicke Now he is monstrously malicious and deserveth grievously to be punished that casts poyson into one cup with an intention to poyson one alone but he more which throweth it into the whole vessell whereof all the family drinkes with a purpose to speed every one in the house but he is desperatly and prodigiously wicked beyond expression who hurleth deadly poyson into the fountain whence the whole City is served as once the Iewes served this City and even such and no other is thy case it differs not a haires breadth only thou poysonest soules the other bodies and therein transcendest Now as this is an heinous offence above any I can think upon so great offences if ever they obtaine forgivenesse had need of answerable satisfactions notorious offenders may not thinke to sit downe with the taske of ordinary services the retributions of their obedience must bee proportionable to their crimes as was that of Paul's who as he had done more evill to the Saints then all the rest of the Apostles so he laboured more then they all in adding to the Church such as should be saved yea faith God to Ananias I will shew him how many things hee must suffer for my Names sake Act. 9. 16. § 142. THus I have unfolded thy severall and superlative sinnes and laid before thee the punishment due unto them single I have also shown thee how they are greatned and aggravated by sundry circumstances which will also adde weight to thy torment and without repentance double thy doome All which me thinks being put together and duely considered should make thee loath and abhorre thy present condition and not onely awaken thy conscience but fetch blood from thy secure heart yea if thou wishest or carest to bee saved or ever hopest for entrance into Gods Kingdome thou wilt with Ephraim strike thy selfe upon the thigh Ier. 31. 19. smite thy breast with the Publican Luk. 18. 13. and with amazement and indignation say what have I done◠what shall I doe to be saved◠at least if it be possible But as there is no hole to bee found in all the Barke of Popery but some popish Proctor or other will finde a peg to stop it so though this Pot hath so wide a mouth that as one would thinke no Pot-lid could bee found big enough to cover it yet thou hast a shift for thy persevering or rather the enemy of mankind hath furnished thee with an evasion for that he may make smooth the way to perdition hee will tell the procrastinator that the Thiefe upon the Crosse was heard by our Saviour at the last howre and that God is mercifull therefore he may go on boldly aud let the worst that can come repentance at the last howre and saying Lord have mercy upon me which the common people make their necke-verse will make all even otherwise God is not so good as his word who saith at what time soever a sinner
repenteth c. for hee can take liberty to continue his sensuall lusts by a warrant of Scripture what is written for his consolation hee turnes to poyson making of his restorative Physicke a drinke to intoxicate him to desperatenesse yea he can apply Christ's Passion as a Warrant for his licentiousnesse not as a remedy and takes his Death as a Licence to sin his Crosse as a letters Patent to doe mischiefe so they not only sever those things which God hath joyned together sin and punishment and joyne together what God hath severed sinne and reward but even turn the grace of God into want onnesse as if a man should head his Taber with his pardon Wherein the Divell deales with them as once with our Saviour Cast thy selfe downe headlong for the Angels shall beare thee up so plung your selves into this or that sinne the mercy of God shall helpe you out poyson thy selfe here is a counterpoyson break thy head here is a plaister surfeit here is a Physitian Upon which ground the most impudent and insolent sinners Drunkards Adulterers Swearers Mammonists c. presume that though they live like Swine all their life long yet a cry for mercy at last gasp shal transform them into Saints as Circe's charmes transformed Men into Swine We are all willing to believe what we wish The Divell makes large promises and perswades his they shall have what they desire but ever disappoinrs them of their hopes as what a liberty what wisdome did hee promise our first Parentsâ— when indeed hee stole from them that liberty and wisdome they had even as Laban promised Iacob beautifull Rachel but in the dark gave him bleare-ey'd Leah or as Hamor promised the Sechamites that by their circumcision all the goods of the house of Israel should be theirs wheras in deed the goods of the Sechamites fell to the house of Israel Diabolus â—entitar â—t fallat vitam pollicetur â—t periâ—at saith S. Cyprian The condition of an inconsiderate worldling is much like as Alchymists who projecting for the Philosophers stone distils away his estate in Limbecks not doubting to find that which shall do all the World good yea hee dares promise his friends before hand Gold in whole Scuttles but at last his glasse breaks and himselfe with it Thus when Agag was sent for before Samuel he went pleasantly saying the bitternesse of death is past but his welcome was immediately to be heâ—en in peeces 1 Sam. 15. 33. The rich man resolves when he hath filled his Barnes then soule rest but God answers no then soule come to judgement to cverlasting unrest Luk. 12. 19. 20. The hope of an hypocrite is easily blown into him and as soone blowne out of him because his hope is not of the right kind yea it is presumption not confidence viz. hope frighted out of it's wits an high house upon weak pillars which upon every little change threatens ruine to the inhabitant for a little winde blowes down the Spiders-web of his hope wherby like the foolish builder he comes short of his reckoning That heart which Wine had even now made as light as a feather dyes ere long as heavie as a stone 1 Sam. 25. 36 37. § 143 IT is Sathans method first to make men so senselesse as not to feele their sins at all and then so desperate that they feele them too much In the first fit men live as if there were no Hell in the last they dye as if there were no Heaven While their consciences are asleepe they never trouble them but being stirred by Sathan who when he sees his time unfolds his Ephemerides and leaves not the least of all theit sinfull actions unanatomized but quoats them like a cunning Register with every particular circumstance both of time and place they are fierce as a mastive Dog and ready to pul out their throats This Serpent may bee benummed for a time through extreamity of cold but when once revived it will sting to death The Divell is like Dalilah who said to Sampson the Philistims be upon thee when it was too late and she had taken away his strength Iudges 16. Wicked men are altogether in extreams at first they make question whether this or that be a sin at last they apprehend it such a sin that they make question whether it can bee forgiven either God is so mercifull that they may live how they list or so just that hee will not pardon them upon their repentance no meane with them betweene the Rocke of presumption and the Gulfe of despaire now presumption encourageth it selfe by one of a thousand and despaire will not take a thousand for one If a thousand men be assured to passe over a Foord safe and but one to miscarry desperation sayes I am that one and if a thousand Vessels must needs miscarry in a Gulfe and but one escapes presumption sayes I shall be that oneâ—as we read of but one sinner that was converted at the last howre of millions that had lesse iniquity yet have found lesse mercy But see further the strength of their argument The Thiefe was saved at the last howre and therefore I shall Thou maist as well conclude the Sunne stood still in the dayes of Ioshua therfore it shall doe so in my dayes for it was a miracle with the glory whereof our Saviour would honour the ignominy of his Crosse and wee may almost as well expect a second crucifying of Christ as such a second Thiefes conversion at the last howre Hee were a wise man that should spurre his Beast till hee speake because Baalams Beast did once speake yet even so wise and no wiser is hee that makes an ordinary rule of an extraordinary example Againe the Thiefe was saved at the very instant of time when our Saviour triumphed on the Crosse tooke his leave of the world and entered into his glory Now it is usuall with Princes to save some heinous malefactors at their Coronation when they enter upon their Kingdomes in triumph which they are never knowne to doe afterwards Besides the Scripture speaks of another even his fellow in that very place and at that very instant which was damned There was one faith S. Augustine that none might despaire there was but one that none should presume That suddaine conversion of one at the last howre was never intended in Gods purpose for a temptation neither will any that have grace make mercy a Cloak or warrant to sinne but rather a spurre to incite them to godlinesse well knowing that to wait for Gods performance in doing nothing is to abuse that Divine providence which will so worke that it will not allow us idle and yet by Sathans policie working upon wicked mens depraved judgements and corrupt hearts in wresting this Scripture it hath proved by accident the losse of many thousand soules The flesh prophesies prosperity to sin yea life and salvation as the Pope promised the Powder traitors but death and damnation which
repent when thou art sicke though indeed the farthest end of all thy thoughts is the thought of thy end and to make thy reckoning at the last day the last and least thing thou makest reckoning of But hark in thine eare Oh secular man thy life is but a puff of breath in thy nosthrils and there is no trusting to it yea the least of a thousand things can kill thee and give thee no leasure to be sicke Surges may rise on suddaine ere wee think And whiles we swim secure compel us sink Sâ—ul being minded to aske counsell of the Lord concerning the Philistins was prevented for want of time 1 Samuel 14. 19. And commonly wee never have so much cause to feâ—re as when we feare nothing When Sampson was sporting wâ—th his Dal lah he little thought that the Philistins were in the chamber lying in waite for his life Ind 16. Full little doe sinners know how neare their jollity is to perdition judgement is often at the threshold while drunkennesse and surfeit are at the table § 152. BUt admit what thou imaginest namely that death be not suddaâ—ne much the better for is it not commonly seene that the purpose of proroging for a day or a weeke doth not onely last for a yeare as the suspension of the Councell of Trent made for two yeares lasted tenne but as ill debtors put off their creditors first one weeke then another till at last they are able to pay nothing so deale delayers with God they adjourn the time prefixt from next yeare to next yeare whereby they and that good howre never meet as you shall observe one Coach wheele followes another one minute of a Clock hastens after another but never overtake each other In youth men resolve to afford themselves the time of age to serve God in age they shuffell it off to sicknesse when sicknesse comes care to dispose their goods lothnesse to dye hope to escape c. martyres that good thought and their resolution still keepes before them Or else it fares with them as with many an unthrifty Trades-man who is loth to turne over his books and cast up his debts least it should put him into sad dumps and fill him with melancholly cares When Christ went about to cast out divels they said he tormented them before the time Matthew 8. 29. so whensoever thou goest about to dismisse thy sinnes and pleasures though thou stay till thou be an old man yet they will still say thou dismissest them before the time but then is the time when the divell saith the time is not yet for the divell is a layer Alasse how many men post off their conversion and at twenty send Religion before them to thirty then put it off to forty and yet not pleased to overtake it they promise it entertainment at three score at last death comes and will not allow them onehowre and perchance when their soule sits on their lips ready to take her slight then they send for the Minister to teach them how to die well But as in such extremity the Apothecary gives but some opiate Physick so the Minister can give but some opiate Divinity a cordiall that may benum them no solid comfort to secure them here is no time to ransack for sins to search the depth of the ulcer a little balme to supple but the core is left within for though true repentance is never too late yet late repentance is seldome true But here is great hope thou wilt say as it is the Divinity of diverse let men live as they list in ignorance and all abominable filthinesse so they call at last and but say Lord have mercy upon me we must infallibly conclude their estate as good as the best as though the Lord had not said you shall cry and not bee heard Prov. 1 I know the mercy of God may come inter pontem fontem inter gladium jugulum betwixt the bridg and the brook betwixt the knife and the throate and repentance may bee suggested to the heart in a moment in that very instant but this only may bee there is no promise for it many threatnings against it little likelihood of it it were madnesse for thee to break thy necke to try the skil of a Bone-setter But how many on the other side dye in Spira's caseâ— who being willed in his sicknesse to say the Lords prayer answered I cannot find in my heart to call him father whereas not one of many leave a certaine testimony or sure evidence behind them that their repentance is true and sound And indeed how is it likely they should dispatch that in half an howre which should be the busines of our whole lifeâ— For as hee which never went to Schole will hardly when he is put to it reade his neck-verse so hee that never learn'd the doctrine of repentance in his life will find it very hard if not impossible at his death Let men therefore repent while they live if they would rejoyce when they dye let them with Noah in the dayes of their health build the Arke of a good conscience against the floods of sicknesse yea if they have spent a great part of their time in the service of sinne as Paul did let them for the residue of their life make the world amends by their double yea treble endeavour to redeeme that time by a holy life and godly conversation for else we may justly suspect the truth and soundnesse of their repentance and conversion We seldome reade of any that were long barren either in soule or wombe but they had the happiest issue afterwards witnesse Sarah Manodh's Wife Hannah Elizabeth Saul Mary Magdalen c. As for the purposes of repentance which men frame to themselves at the last hourâ— they are but false conceptions that for the most part never come to bearing and indeed millions are now in hell which thought they would repent hereafter not being wise enough to consider that it is with sinne in the heart as with a Tree planted in the ground the longer it groweth the harder it is to be pluck'd up it is too late to transplant Trees after two seaven years or a Nayle in a Post which is made faster by every stroke or a Ship that leaketh which is more easily emptied at the begining then afterwards Or a ruinous house which the longer it is let runne the more charge and labour will it require in the repairing Yea sinne out of long possession will plead prescription custome of any evill makes it like the lawes of the Medes and Persians which may not be altered or removed an old vice is within a degree of impossible to be amended which maketh the Lord say by his Prophet Can the Black-more change his skin or the Leepard his spots then may ye also doe good that are accustomed to do evill ler. 13. 23. All other men have but three enemies to encounter with the Divel the World and the Flesh but
he that hath long continued in the practise of any evill hath a fourth which is worse then the worst of them even custome which is a second or new nature § 153. BUt suppose after many yeares spent in the service of sinne and Sathan thou art willing to relinquish thy lusts and offer thy seruice and best devotions at the last gasp to God will he accept themâ— no in al probability he will not for heare what himself saith Pro. 1. Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out mine hand and ye would not regard but despised all my counsell and would none of my correction I wil also laugh at your destruction and mocke when your feare commâ—th when your feare commeth like suddaine desolation and your destruction like a whirlewind When affliction and anguish shall come upon you then shall you call upon me but I will not answer you shall seâ—ke me early but you shall not find me because you hated knowledge and did not choose the feare of the Lord. You would none of my counsell but despised all my corrections therefore you shall eat the fruit of your owne way and bee filled with your owne devises ver 24. to 32. And this is but justice if God be not found of those that were content to loose him if he heare not them that would not heare him if he regard not them that disregarded him if he shut his eare against their prayer crying to him for pardon that stopt their eares against his voyce calling upon them for repentance as Salvian speakes Alasse no child would bee whipt if he might scape for crying but hee onely findes helpe in adversity that sought it in prosperity and ther can be no great hope of repentance at the houre of death where there was no regard of honesty in the time of lifeâ— God useth not to give his heavenly and spirituall graces at the houre of death to those who have contemned them all their life yea it is sensles to think that God should accept of our dry bones when Sathan hath suckt out all the marrow that he should accept of the lees when we have given to his enemy all the good Wine But heare what himselfe saith by the Prophet Malachy c. 1. 8. and S. Ierome upon the place it is a most base and unworthy thing to present God with thâ—t which man would disdaine and thâ—nk scoâ—â—e to accept of Wherefore as you tender your owne soule even to day heare his voyce set upon the work presently he that begins to day hath the lesse work for to morrow And proroge not your good purposes least ye saying unto God in this life with those wicked ones in Iob depart thou from mee for a time God say unto you in the life to come depart from me ye cursed and that for ever Hee hath spared thee long and given thee already a large time of repentance but he will not alwayes wait for denyals his patience at length wil turn into wrath Time was when hee stayed for the old world an hundred and twenty yeares he stayed forâ— a rebellious Nation forty yeares he stayed for a dissolute City forty dayes but when that would not serve his patience was turned into fury and so many as repented not were cast into hell If in any reasonable time wee pray hee heares us if we repeâ—t he pardons us if we amend our lives he saves us but after the houre prefixt in his secret purpose there is no time for petition no place for Conversion no meanes for pacification The Lord hath made a promise to repentance not of repentance if thou convertest tomoâ—row thou art sure of grace but thou art not sure of to morrowes conversion so that a fit and timely consideration is the onely thing in every thing for for want of this Diâ—es prayed but was not heard Esau wept but was not pitied the foolish Virgins knockt but were denied and how many at the houre of death have offered their prayers supplications and services unto God as Iuo as offered his money to the Priests and could not have acceptance but they died as they lived and went from despaire unto destruction § 154. BUt thou wilt say unto me if this be so that all the promises are conditionall that mercy is entayled onely to such as love God and keepe his Commandements that none are reall Christians but such as imitate Christ and square their lives according to the rule of Gods word that of necessity we must leave sinne before sinne leaves us and that God will not heare us another day when we call to him for mercy if we will not heare him now when he calls to us for repentance how is it that so few are reformed that most men minde nothing but their profits and pleasures yea count them fooles that doe otherwise I answer there be two maine reasons of it though one be the cause of the other 1 Ignorance 2 Vnbeleife First few men beleive what is written of God in the Scripture especially touching his justice and severity in punishing sinne with eternall destruction of body and soule for did they really and indeed beleive God when he saith that his curse shall never depart from the house of the swearer Zack 5. they durst not sweare as they doe Did they beleive that neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers nor Theeves nor Murtherers nor Drunkards nor Swearers nor Raylers nor Lyers nor Covetous persons nor Extortioners nor Vnbeleivers nor no Vnrighteous men shall inherit the Kingdome of Heaven but shall have their part in the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death 1 Cor. 6. 9. 10. Rev. 21. 8. they durst not continue in the practise of these sinnes without feare or remorse or care of amendment Did they beleive that except their righteousnesse doe exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees they shall in no case enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Matth. 5. 20. and that without holinesse no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12. 14. with many the like it were impossible they should live as they doe Yea if they did in good earnest beleive that there is either God or Devill Heaven or Hell or that they have immortall soules which shall everlastingly live in blisse or woe and receive according to that they have done in their bodies whether it be good or evill 2 Cor. 5. 10. they could not but live thereafter and make it their principall care how to be saved But alas they are so farre from beleiving what God threateneth in his Word against their sinnes that they blesse themselves in their heart saying we shall have peace we shall speede as well as the best although we walke according to the stubâ—ornnesse of our owne wills so adding drunkennesse to thâ—rst Deut. 29. 19. yea they preferre their condition before other mens who are so abstemious and make conscience of their wayes even thinking that
praise of his wit then the profit of his soule and feares not more an affront from his superiour then he feares hell Againe let any strong brain'd Achitophel tell me whether hee had not rather seeme wicked thâ—â— simple Any unrighteous Judge or Lawyer whether his whole ayme bee not the purchasing of land without either feare of God regard of men or the discharge of his duty and office Briefly so many as are puft up with their knowledge or doe not part with their sinnes shew that they never sought it for Gods glory but for their own honour and glory and certainly if we seeke nor Gods glory in doing his worke hee will give us no wages at the latter end But to apply what hath beene spoken If it be so that God reveales himselfe savingly to none but his children the godly and that none are soule wise but such as digest their knowledge into practise and imploy their wisdome to his glory that gave it and the good of themselves and others then your objection of what the world thinks like a childs bubble blowne into the aire is fallen to the ground and dissolved to nothing Alasse the world is no more fit to judge of cases of conscience then a blind man is fit to judge of colours Wherefore as the Orator would admit none but Rhetoricians to judge of his Orations so henceforward admit none but spirituall men to sway thee in spiritual matters and follow our Saviours counsell seeke to justifie thy judgement and practise to the children of wisdome of whom wisdome is justified and not to fooles by whom shee is daily crucified Only condole these blind mens disasters and drop some teares in pity and compassion for their great and greivous misery And so much for the objection § 167. NOw that I may fasten againe the thread of my discourse where I brake it and fall in where I left off let your thoughts return with me to the Law I meane to the Law of Christ and to the testimony alleadged and explained from § 142. to § 154. and you will easily confesse that Sathan hath hitherto gulled you and all in your case that he holds a paire of false spectacles before the eyes of wicked men and thereby perswades their deceitfull hearts that the bridge of Gods mercy is farre larger then it is and they give such credit therunto that while they thinke they are upon the bridge they go besides and so are sure in the end to fall and be drowned in the waters of eternall destruction Wherefore if thou meanest to fare better make not Christ a bolster for siâ—â—ne least the plaister prove worse then the sore nor Gods mercy a warrant for thy continuing in an evill course for this is to sin with an high hand or with a witnesse as we use to say which if thou doest thou shalt also perish with a witnesse Deuteronomy 29. 19 20 21. I have heard of a woman that presumed so much upon her husbands love that if he should find her in the bed of incontinency he would not harme her but it proved farre otherwise to her shame and ruine and so it will fare with thee in the end for hee that deliberately resolves to sinne doth what he can to make himselfe uncapeable of forgivenesse yea how should the crosse of Christ be a friend to them that are enemies to his crosse Philip. 3. 19. and trample upon him with their feet because hitherto hee hath borne the contumelies of their tongues and excesses of their lives O what a blasphemous imagination is this against Jesus Christ to think that he came into the world to bee a patron of sinne or a bolster whereupon we may more securely sleep in sensuallity and not to destroy the workes of the divell 1 Iohn 3. 3. 8. 9. 10. Oh that Christians should so live as if the practise of the Gospell were quite contrary to the rule of the Law but such men shew what they are for none but base minds and perverse dispositions saith Saint Bernard will therefore be evill because God is good and those that belong to Gods election wil never make that liberty which Christ hath purchased for them with his precious blood a cloak to cover their wickednesse but rather a spur to incite them to godlinesse they for whom Christ dyed will not presumptuously lavish on his score not caring what they spend because he is able to pay for all no they will live as though there were no Gospell dye as though there were no Law and nothing so soone leades an ingenuous mind to repentance as when hee considers Gods bountifulnesse and long suffering towards him Rom. 2. 4. there is mercy with thee saith David what that thou mightest be despised blasphemed c. no if you take him so you mistake him but that thou mightest be feared Psalm 130. 4. and the love of Christ constrained Paul to duty 2 Cor. 5. 14. § 168. WHereas nothing will do good upon thee for albeit I have informed thee how dangerous thine estate is that thou mightest plainly see it truly feare it and timely prevent it yet I have not the least or at most very little hope of thy yeelding For first these lines to thee are but as so many characters written in the water which leaves no impression behind them thou being lâ—ke one that beholdeth his natural face in a glasse who when he hath considered himselfe goeth his way and forgetteth immediately what manner of one he was Iames 1. 23. 24. or like some silly flie which being beat from the candle an hundred times and often â—inged there in yet will returne to it againe untill shee bee consumed If thou wilt behold thy case in another person look 2 King 8. 12 to 16. Proverbs 23. 35. All those Beasts which went into the Arke uncleane came likewise out uncleane Secondly though these sparks of grace may kindle piety in others yet not in thee for what is light to him that will shut his eyes against it And men of thy condition do on purpose stop their eares and wink with their eyes least they should see with their eyes and heare with their cares and understand with their hearts and so should bee converted as our Saviour shewes Matth. 13. 15. and Saint Paul Acts 28. 27. O if these Adders had not stopt their eares how long since had they beene charmed And indeed it were an unreasonable motion in me if I should request minds preposessed with prejudice to heare reason there is no disputing with him that denies Principles if they believe not Moses and the Prophets they would never be perswaded although one should bee sent unto them from the dead to testifie what a place of torment they are going unto Luk 16. 31. A brute beast is as capeable of good counsell as a drunkard once became a scorner for like Salomons foole braying in a moâ—â—ar will not alter him yea a very stone to which Ezekiâ—l compares a
170. IF any shall thinke I have beene too bitter let them pardon this holy impatience and blame the foulnesse of this sinne not my just vehemency considering that the medicine is but fitted to the disease the wedge but proportionable to the timber or as I rather feare my expressions have too little heate in them to unwarpe these crooked boards The harder and more knotty our hearts are the harder and stronger must be the blowes that shall cleave them That vvood vvhich a single Iron vvill not rive must have a double wedge to split it Nothing but a Diamond vvill cut a Diamond and nothing but Gunpovvder vvill blovv out some kinde of flame Cold diseases must have hot remedies Wounds more dangerous require more dolorous plaisters Neither is my ayme so much to stroake the eare as to stricke the conscience Besides here is honey as vvel as a sting and those invectives vvhich are most keene and sharpe doe but resemble Ionathan's Arrovves vvhich vvere not shot to hurt but to give vvarning vvhereas their scoffes and slanders may fitly be resembled to Saul's Speare vvhich vvas darted on purpose not to hurt only but to murther and destroy More I might have said lesse I could not Indeed it is a sinne more vvorthy the sword of justice then the pen of an adversary vvhich had almost persvvaded mee as one did Luther vvhen he began to preach against the Popes usurpation and Tyranny to desist so soone as I began for mine ovvne Reason suggested unto me as Luther's carnall friend to him you had as good hold your peace this vice is so incurable this disease so epidemicall that you will never prevaile against it get you to your study and say Lord have mercy upon us and procure your selfe no ill will But I considered that all hearts are so in the hand of God that Saul may become an Apostle and that there is no sinne but some have beene reclaimed from it which gave me some hope And when I had got into it with much adoe like a man into a croud I could as hardly get out againe matter representing it selfe like those waters in Ezekiel Chap. 47. which at the first were but ancle deepe and then knee deepe and then up to the loynes which afterwards did so rise and flow that they were as a River which could not be passed over yea it fared with me herein as once it did with Elias his Servant who at the first and for a great while saw nothing at the length a little cloud as big as a mans hand but by and by the Heavens were blacke with clouds and wind after which followed an exceeding great raine 1 Kings 18. For as St. Augustin said of the two Mites a little money but a great deale of charity so may I of the title of my booke viz. the Drunkards Character the words are few but the matter contained in them is infinite in which respect I may liken them to Gold which is so ductile that an ounce of it will be made to cover an Aker of land § 171. NOw why have I unmasked their faces is it in hope to humble them no for I have acknowledged yea proved that all the water in the Sea will not wash one of these Black-mores white and therefore to expect this were to make my selfe ridiculous like him that carried his saddle to shame his horse Alasse the flesh unto them that shall perish will be stronger then all my reasons But I have done it for their sakes who are not yet infected with this drunken good-fellowship and that the others purpose may be infatuated for vices true picture makes us vice detest I have done my best to increase your detestation of evill company that you may the rather love and make choice of good company the end why I declame against drunkennesse is but as the Orator once said to keepe men sober And what though some will mocke a these threatnings with those Sodoâ—ites Gen. 19. 9. 14. haply some one Lot or other will follow my counsell A reproofe saith Solomon enters more into him that hath understanding then an hundred stripes into a foole Pro. 17. 10. And what though every plant that is watered proveth not fruitfull yet if God who it may be hath bidden me speake but accompany his word to the hearts of some if but a few if but one even thy selfe be perswaded insteed of loving this vice to hate it the labour is not in vaine the gaine of one soule is greater then the Indies Yea it shall comfort me that I have done my best to plucke up this infectious deadly weed that I have hopefully and administred unto hem whom I cannot cure and that I have brought water enough to wash these Ethiopians white if it were in the power of water to doe it Physicians say if the disease be once knowne the cure is halfe done so if we could see corruption in the true forme we would loath it But as the conjured Devill appeares not to the Necromancer in hidious and frightfull shapes but in some familiar representation so vice ever shrouds and shewes it selfe in formes most delectable to flesh and blood whereas here you have drunkennesse in part disapparelled of her robes at least her face is unvailed to the end the sight of it may cause a loathing and that loathing a forsaking that thou maist know abhorre and beware their allurements strive againe the sinne shun all occasions of it bewaile their cases that are led captive to it c. And nothing as Anacharsis holds will sooner reclaime a man from drunkennesse then the seeing and remembring of a drunkards odious condition and beastly behaviour which made the Spartans ever bring their Slaves when drunk before their children that by beholding them they might learne to detest the vice Yea the Persians and Parthians to this end kept one the picture of an Epicure the other the picture of a Strumpet alwayes in their houses and found by experience that nothing was so opperative against ebriety and whoredome as the continuall seeing of those ugly and deformed descriptions which yet were amiable to this monster in the judgement of an understanding clarified Quest But thou wilt aske how thou shalt use and apply this so soveraigne a remedy for thy best advantage Answ Vpon every occasion examine what the drunkard here set forth does and doe thou the contrary as Domitian was answered demanding how he might rule to be no lesse loved of the people then his Predecessors in the Empire were hated for he is the most sober and honest man that resembles this Drunkard least as Demaratus replied to an ill liver that demanded of him who was the honestest man in Sparta he that is most unlike thee Doe but conne this lesson t' is enough Neverthelesse least I should imitate those who kindle a fire under greene wood and leave it so soone as it but begins to flame turne over the leafe you have
our case would be far worse if wee had the worlds peace 390. not strange that wicked men should agree so well 414. agreement of wicked men not worthy the name of peace 832. Persecute wicked men persecute not the evil but the good 499. Petitions God may grant them in anger 659. Plague be it never so hot drunkards are the same 137. it hath wrought little or no reformation 245. many the worse for it 247. Taverns fullest when the streets emptiest 248. Pledge the originall of the word 327. Practise how the godly and wicked differ in their practise 249. wee know no more then wee practise 595. Pray Gods people count it a sinne not to pray for their greatest enemies 523. pray not for knowledge without putting difference 658. when we cannot pray what 663. Presumptuously do drunkards sin 471. Prejudice makes many resolve against yeelding 724. Pride and reputation of good-fellowship a cause of drunkennesse 277. pride of wit 280. Promises entailed to believers and limited with the condition of faith and repentance 560. Profession of religion 382. 532. look Scoffs Punishment wicked men complaine of their punishment but of their sin they speake not 539. R REason as it is clouded with the mistes of original corruption a blind guid 202. once debauched is worse then brutishnesse 693. Reckoning worldlings never think of the reckoning they are to give 621. Regeneration what and how we may know our selves to be regenerate 565. Repentance what and how we may know whether we have repented 570. not to deferre it 588. sicknesse no fit time for it 79. God wil not accept our dry bones when Sathan hath suck't out all the marrow 586. the several wayes whereby God cals to repentance 478. in a judgement so many as repent are singled out for mercy 257 if any would repent of and relinquish this sin of drunkennesse let them first lay to heart the things delivered 695. secondly refraine the causes ibid. thirdly believe their state dangerous and that there is no way to helpe but by a chang to the contrary 696. fourthly be peremptory in their resolution ibid. fifthly shame not to confesse their dislike of it in themselves and others 700. sixthly fly evill company 701. seventhly take heed of delayes 702. eightly omit not to pray for divine assistance ibid ninthly be diligent in hearing 703. tenthly frequent in the use of the Lords Supper ibid. eleventhly meditate what God hath done for them ibid. twelfthly think on the union we have with Christ ibid. thirteenthly consider that God ever beholds them 704. 14ly often think of the day of judgement ibid. fifteenthly consider the hainousnesse of this sin and the â—vills which accompany it 705. sixteenthly abstaine from drunken company 709. for all depends upon this seventeenthly abstaine from drinking-places 710. Report of necessity we must be evill spoken of by some 756 the evill report of evill men an honour 763 Reputation hee of most reputation that can drinke most 139. Reward of drunkards 146. and swearers 104. they shall have a double portion of vengeance to other men 464 Righteous the civilly righteous have hell for their portion 465. S SAthan hath all worldlings under his command 21. 402. 432. and they must do what he will have them 379. by degrees he works men to the heighth of impiety 423. Saints falls should make us beware not presume 157. Scoffes beate off many from their profession 532. the scoffer commonly worse then the scoffed 367. none but fooles will be scoffed out of their religion 754. yet few that will not offend God and their conscience rather then be scoft at 749. Scripture he must be studious therein and follow that rule who will know Christ savingly 664. Security the certaine usher of destruction 242. Separate Drunkards and swearers deserve like dirt in the house of God to be throwne out 93. of which five reasons 94. happy if they were kept by themselves 230. Shame Drunkards would mitigate their owne shame by discrediting the good 374. Singularity a vertue when vice is in fashion 225. Sinnes against knowledge and conscience 467. open and scandalous sinnes how evill 472. to multiply the same sinnes often 473 to commit one sin on the neck of another 473. how one mans sin may extend it selfe to millions yea after ages 539. Drunkards not only sin but make others sin too 493. the Divell shewes the sweet of sin but hides the bitter of punishment untill afterward 734. custome of sinne takes away the sense of sinne 427. Slander Drunkards raise slanders of the godly 358. of which seaven reasons 366. how apt men are to believe slanders of the godly and to spread them 360. what delight wicked men take in hearing evill of the good 361. a slander once raised will scarce ever dye 377. how they mitigate their owne shame by slandering others 368. and often prevaile against the good hereby 370. the condition of a slanderer set out 363. his sinne and punishment 378. Smiting God will not leave smiting untill we smite that which smites at his honour 253. Soule Drunkards guilty of Soule murther 443. 530. nothing but our Soules will satisfie the Serpent and his seed 436. covetous man cares more for his outward estate then for body or soule 626. Spirit saving knowledge not attain'd without the Spirits help 655. Straite what a straite the godly are in 383. Striking 392. Subtilty and wisdome two different things 641. Successe custom of it makes men confident 241 Suffer our Saviour suffered two and twenty wayes of hisâ— enemies 397. Suggestion evill moreready at hand then a good 717 Superlative some men strive to bee superlative in sinne 415. severall examples of superlative sinners 416. Suspition ignorance the cause of it 351. Swearing the most in excusable sin 100. of which 2 reasons 101. that of all others the swearer shall bee sure of plagues 104. three wayes to make men leave their swearing 112. T TAle-bearing the receiver as bad as the tale-bearer 380. Tempting Sathan the Tempter wicked men his Apprentises or Factors under him 298. the many wayes that Sathan hath to set upon us 297. aswell reckon up the motes in the Sunne as all sorts of Seducers 304. all wicked men resemble the Divell in Tempting 286. how politick they are in Tempting 288. Drunkards Sathans principle agents in this businesse 306. the Drunkards chiefe delight is to infect others 286. Temptations on the right hand the most dangerous 746. A wise man will suspect the smooth streame for deepnesse 747. they never wound so deadly as when they stroke us with a silken hand 745. to bee a Tempter the â—asest office 330. their seduceing of others will adde to the pile of their torments 450. how greedy most men are of temptation 295. Sathan needs but say the word 295. or suggest the thought 296. the minde of man not capeable of a violation either from man or Sathan 303. it will bee a poore plea an other day to pretend that such and
such deceived us 743. he whom the Lord loves shall be delivered out of their snares and he whom the Lord hates shal fall into them 341. Sathan disturbes not his own 387. no greater temptation then not to be tempted 388. Theefe objection of the thiefe upon the crosse answered 548. Thoughts of wicked men touching the religious not the same in distresse as in prosperity 524. Time they drink to drive it away 267â— if times be bad wee should be more carefull 223. Tongues that drunkards use their tongues only a frivolous excuse 503. a lewd tongue a lowd one and a lowd tongue a lewd one 86. Traduce us because they cannot otherwise hurt us 376. V VErtue and vice can never accord 409. Victory Drunkards in conquering are most overcome 329. Vice every vice hath a title given it and every vertue a disgrace 293. Violence when by gentle perswasions they cannot prevaile they use violence 726. W VVIcked nothing will doe good upon a wicked heart 691. whereof many examples ibid. a continual warre betweene the wicked and the godly in all ages 432. Watchfulnesse 740. we must be Watchfull Wise and Valiant if we will not be overcome by their allurements 739. Where 's the Divel much beholding to whores but farre more to drunkards 451. Wine the drunkards high esteeme of it about making wise 45. Wine lawfull if used lawfully Winne wee should be as zealous and industrious to win soules to God as they are to Sathan 455. Wisdome no wicked man a wise man 189 how wise the drunkard is in his owne conceit 118. of which two reasons 119. drunkards purblind to worldly wisdome starke blind to heavenly 133. they not alwayes the wisest which know most 604. the religious man wiser then the most profound humanist 608. or the cunningest Politician 613. severall misprisions of wisdome 609. worldly men account folly wisdome and wisdom folly 601. objection that the strictest livers are seldome the wisest men answered 600. Witnesse every invitation to repentance will bee a witnesse against us 484. Word to believers is all in all 213. Words he would never endure blowes that cannot concoct evill words 767. wee should read their words backward 763. World begins with milke ends with an hammer 720. whereas Christ keeps back the good wine untill afterwards ibid. many prefer the worlds favour before Gods 772. Worldlings have more peace with 1. Sathan 731. 2. the world 731. 3. themselves 732. then Gods people they may satisfie their lusts to the full 727. have free scope and liberty to do or say what they please 729 whereas Gods people are restrained in their very thoughts ibid. whence they thinke themselves more happy in serving the Divell then others in serving of God 733. they profit more in sinne then the godly in grace 734. they are penny wise and pound foolish 634. but it is otherwise with the godly ibid. Wounds those prove deepe wounds to weake Christians that would be balm and physick unto abler judgements 765. Z ZEale a compounded affection of love and anger 848 we should be as zealous in good as they are in evill 455. FINIS The Introduction Drunkards not to be reckoned amongst men Other sinners Beasts Drunkards worse then Beasts wherein they equall Beasts Why so tart Beasts know when they have enough Beasts remaine the same they were crealed but Drunkards shame their creation Drunkards deprive themselves of sense and motion They subvert reason and prove cruell to themselves They transforme themselves into the condition of evill Angells what the learned say of this sin Drunkennesse both a matchlesse sin in it selfe and the cause of all other sins Drunkennesse disables and indisposeth men to all good yea to all the meanes thereof The rooâ—e of all evill the rot of all good The Drunkards heart a Mare Mortuum The Drunkard cut up and anatomized His outward dâ—â— formiti His inward infirmities An objection answered The Drunkard his own executioner Aâ—ward pot-valiant will kil and â—lay Drunkennesse the cause of murther No admonishing a drunkard Drunkennesse the cause of adultery Drunkennes Beastiates the soule Drunkennes brings poverty Drunkennesse defames a man Drunkeâ—nesse and Ide esse of each other both the cause and effect Idlenesse the most corrupting Fly that can blow in any humaâ—e â—inde All the drunkards labour is to satisfie his Eusts 〈…〉 One drunkard hath tongueenough for twenty men Drunkennesse discovers all secreâ—s His vaine babling scnrriloâ—s jeâ—â—ing 〈◊〉 talking His cursed and impious swearing blaspheming c. Drunkards deserve like dirâ— in the house of God to be throwâ—e out 1 Because they bring an ill name upon the Gospell â— cause the enemy to blaspheme God Because they infect almost all that come neere them Because the whole land fares the woâ—se for their sakes To make them looke into themselves 5 Because they contemne all admonition Swearing the most 〈◊〉 excusable 〈◊〉 Of which two realons That of all otheâ— the swearer shal be sure of plogues Drunâ—ards iâ—sensible of their 〈◊〉 and daâ—ger because ignorant Why they are so jocund and confident Three wayes to make them leave their swearing Their discourse and behaviour on the Alebeâ—â—h How wise the drunkard is in his 〈◊〉 conceil Of which 2. reasons The greatest Bowzers prâ—ved the greatest Buzzards 〈◊〉 sect 42. Drunkennesse either fiâ—des them fools or makes them fooles thâ—t â—se it Aâ— objection answered Many examples of driâ—k besâ—â—ling meâ— 2. That drunkards have shallâ—w memoriâ—s As drunkards are purblind to worldly wisdome so thâ—y are stâ—rk blind tâ— heavenly An unpardonâ—ble crime not to drinke as they dâ—e The utmoâ—â— of a Drunkards honesty is good fellowship He of most reputation that can drinke most He a rare man now that forbeares to drinke untill he be thirsty They devoure whole dâ—luges of strong dâ—inke They devoure whole deluges of strong drinke It is Gods uâ—speakable mercy that wee have not a famine or that the land dâ—th not spue out ber inhabitants for this sin But Drvn kards are reserved uâ—to the great day The judgments of God â—pirituall temporall and eternall which in Scripture are threat ned against Drunkards Yet if they can repent and leave their siâ— God is very ready to forgive 4. Excuses which drunkards usually make taken away If they can bare their drink they are no drunkards 2. Their alleadging the examples of some â—oly men 3 They are not drunke with wine 4 That it is the usuall custome of the place and common practise of the people with who they are couversant and by whom they live That wee ought not to follow the example either 1 of the greatest number or 2 Of the greatest men or 3 Of the greatest schollers That no wicked man is a wise man 4. The best and holiest men no certaâ—ne rule to walk by 5. Neither is reason as now it is clouded with the mists of originall nor ruption 6 Neither are good and holy intentioâ—s enough That onely Law and precept must be our rule Vse and
application of the for mer doâ—â—riâ—e That drunkards have no faith in the Scriptures Wherefore politicall physicke the fiâ—est for them No dispossessing of a drunken Devill purpose the drunkard never so oft Commoly such as a mans delights and câ—res are in health such are both his thoughts and speeches on his death-bed Were there any possibility of their leaving it they would abstaine in the heate of the plague VVere they not â—eere strangers to themselves they could be no other then confounded in themselves Security the certaine usher of destruction The Plague hath wrought 〈◊〉 or nâ— reformation Yea many are the worâ—e The Tavernes fnilest when â—e 〈◊〉 are emptiest The difference betweene their practise and the godâ—es Exhortation to the sober touching this time of visitation In all ages the godly alone have mourned for the abominations of their time So many aâ— repent shall be singled out for mercy 7 〈◊〉 of excessive drinking 1 To drive away meâ—ancholy which is increased thereby 2. To drive away time 3. Cause is lust That they drinke not for love of drink is either false or makes their sinne double 4 Cause covetousnesse 5 Cause reputation of good â—ellowship Or pride of wit 6 Is sotrish feare and base cowardise The last cause is evill company The drunkards chief delight is to infect others A digression proving that all wicked men resemble the divell in tempting to sinn drawing to perditio How politick to fit their temptations to every mans huâ—our How Sathan guls the rude multitude in giving every vice a title â—nd each vetue a disgracefull name Many so greedy of â—emptation that Satan needs but cast out 〈◊〉 angle Or suggest the thought The many wayes which Sathan hath to set upon us Sathan the great sedâ—cer wicked men are Apprentises or factors under him The Devil speakes in and works by them as once he did by the Serpent Sathan more meâ— on earth to fight for him then the Trinity which made us The minde of man not capeable of a violaâ—ion either from man or Sathan As impossible to rec kon up all sorts of seducers as to tell the moates in the Sun Of drunkards who are sathans principall agents in this busines Drunkards to turne others into beasts â—â— make them selves diâ—vells They practile nothing but the art of debauching men Drinking 〈◊〉 forceing of â—ealâ—â—s their priâ—cipall sâ—râ—tageme Their â—ealtâ—s either great in â—easâ—re â—r â—â—ny in number 1 Of great â—ealtâ—s 2 If tâ—eiâ—â—ealtâ—s be 〈◊〉 the liqâ—â—â— iâ— stronger or the number 〈◊〉 Least Sathan should want of 〈◊〉 due 〈◊〉 drinke the◠〈◊〉 their kâ—ees The rise and originall of health dâ—inking Basil ser. de â—â—riet Aâ—gustiâ— de temp Serm. 231 Exâ—â—ples of Gods vengance on â—ealtâ— drinkers Not more forward to drinke healthes then zealous and â—arefull that others pledge the sâ—â—e 1 How they will iâ—tise 2 How they wil inforce How impatient of deniell Their misprision of â—onour and reputation Examples of some that have drunke other mens healthes and their owne deaths Original of the word pledge In câ—â—quering they are â—â—st overcome To bee a â—â—â—pter â—he basest office â—en have 〈◊〉 objection answered To damâ—â— their owne soules the least part of their mischiefe What a multitude of drunkards one true drunkard â—akes If the Devill would surrender his place it should be to some good fellow or other How drunkards swarme in every corâ—er â— Hall Drâ—nkards like lulian who never did a man a good â—urn but it was to damn his soule He whoâ— the Lord loves shall be deliveâ—ed frâ—m their meretricious allureâ—eâ—ts If they 〈◊〉 not seduâ—e uâ— they wil envie and â—ate 〈◊〉 1. Hâ—w drunkardâ— eâ—vie the sober and 〈◊〉 2 How they wiâ—â— hate them VVhich hatred is the most bitter and exorbitant of all otherâ— How their envy and haâ—red vents it selfe at the â—outh and haâ—ds At their mouthes first by censureing the sober VVâ—ereof foure reasons first they judge others by themselves 2 Their ignorance makes them suspicious 3 Their pâ—ssions and affections make them partiall 4 They see and look to us not to themselves How drunhards will raise slanders of the conscionable How apt others are to believe their slanders and afterwards to spread them How pleasant it is to wicked men to â—eare ill of the religious The manner of their dealing in this case 7 Reasons why they slander us Ever such as scoffe at and traduce others have greater faults themselves First reason of their raising slanders to divert mens thoughts from minding their villany 2 By depraving the godly themselves passe for indifferent honest men 3 Drunkâ—rds censure and slander 〈◊〉 godly to â—acite and stirre up other â— to doe the like And the multitude like a flock of sheepe if they see but one take a wrong way all the rest will folloâ— Of which many examples 4 That they may mitigate their owne shamewith our discredit 5 They Iraduce us because they cannot otherwise burt us A slander once raised will scarce ever dye Yea the slander is increased The sinne and pâ—ntsh ment of a slanderer 6 They must doe what Sathan will hnve them The receiver as bad â— as the tale-bearer They will flout us out of our faith have our company here in sin herafter in torment 1 They would have our company in fiâ—ne vvhat a strait the godly are in Let us turn openlyprophane theirquarrell is at â— end Sathan disturbs not his ownâ— No greater tâ—mptation then not to be tempted Our case would be 〈◊〉 worse 〈◊〉 should be 〈◊〉 peace 〈◊〉 them 2. There malice and enviâ— would breake out at their hands if they were not mâ—nacled by the Law First they would combine together aâ—d lay 〈◊〉 pâ—â—â—s to destroy uâ— 2 They would deliver us up â—nto the Magistrat 3 Give deâ—ilish counsell against 〈◊〉 cause 〈◊〉 to be 〈◊〉 â— strike us 5 â—urt and maâ—me us Lastly drunkards would kill us for being so resâ—actory The same prooved by Scripture 2 By experience of former ages 3 By the experience of our Saviour who suffered twenty two wayes oâ—ely for his goodnessâ— But they cannot doe as they would thougâ— their punishment shall be the same as if they did it 5 Reasons of their savage disposition They must doe the workes of their father the Devill 2 That theâ—r deeds of darknes may not come to lâ—ght 3 otherwise they cannot follow their sinnes so freely nor so quietly 4 VVhat they cannot make good by arguments of reason they would by arguments of steele â—nd iron 5 Their glory and â— edit is eâ—lipsed The ground of all their tempting and enforceing to â—â—ane Drunkards children of the Devill and partake of his nature Those whom they hate and persecute the children of God and partake of the Divine nature Vertue and vice can never accord They can brooke all conditions of men â—ave practisers of piety But the Religious shall be sure of opposition Not strange that wicked men should aâ—reesâ— well They strive tâ— be supâ—rlative
in sinne Many examples of monsters and superlative sinners Sathan works men by degrees to this height ofimpiety and not all at once Cuâ—tâ—me of sin takes away the â—ense of sin Againe God hath proclaimed an enmity betweene the wicked and the godly for so long as the world endures Sathan is their King and they must seeke his wealth 〈◊〉 honour all they can and strive to enlarge his kingdome by winning all they can from Christ by a continuall wâ—rre and skirmish As they have not bene waiting 〈…〉 in any age They would have our company in torments No thiâ—g hut our 〈…〉 the herpenâ— and is â—eede Good men draw all they can 〈◊〉 heaven wicked all they can to â—ell They shall answer for soule-murther Reve. 2. 14 Other reasons why they would have our company in the burning lake 1 Being out of hope themselves they are loth others should fare better then they 2 They thinke it will be some ease and comfort in misery to have companions But this will ad to the pile of their torments The Devil beholding to whores but farre more to drunkards for none helpe to people hiâ— inferanall kingdome like them VVe should be as zealous and industrious to win soules to God Their punishment A description of the last judgement and of hell The same further amplified Drunkards shal have a double portion of vengeance to other men The drunkards sinns aggravated by the circumstances First the civily righteous have hel for their portion buâ— drunkards are notoriously wicked 2. His sins are against knowledge and conscience 3. He sins not of infirmity but presumâ—â—ously and of set purpose 4. His sins are so open and scandalous that the Gospel is dishonoured and 〈◊〉 God blasphemed 5 He commits many sins one in theâ— eck of another and multiplies the same sins often 6 He sins against mercy the abundance of meanes and the many warnings which others never had The severall wayes whereby God calls to repentance The same further amplified Even this booke will be a witnesse against them when their consciences are awakened And then perhaps the gate of mercy wiâ—â— be shâ—t Want of consideration the cause of all impiety neglect of obedience 7. He not onely commits foule crimes but drawes others into the same sinnes 8. They abuse and persecute not the evill but the good who are to God as the Apple of his eye That the use their tongues only a frivâ—lous excuse Some can better abide ast ake then others ascoffe â—hat is done to the godly Christ takes as done to himselfe And well bâ— may for their hatred is against God and Christ. Though they are so blind that they think they love God â—â—â—hom they wrong aâ—e their best friends to whom they owe their very lives 1 By their iâ—nocency The â—eligious keeps off judgementâ— fâ—om them â— by their prayers In their 〈◊〉 they will sue to the godly and desire them a loâ—e to pray for them Of which many examples â—ho count it a sin to cease praying for their greatest enemies Wicked mens thoughts touching the religious not the same in distresse as â— prosperity Their ingratitude and great â—olly 10 Their siâ— is not against the â—fe of body or estate but agaiâ—st she soules of men Aâ—objection answered None â—ut counterseits wil be beaten from Christs standard by their scoffes and reproacâ—es Their intention of soule murther shall be rewarded as if they â—ed doâ—e the same actually 11. Their sin doth not extend it se fe tâ—â— this or thâ—t person only but to milions yea after ages But the drun kard hath â— shift to evade al this and what else can be spoken 1. He can apply Christs passion and Gods mercy as a war rant for his liâ—â—ntiousâ—â—sse The hope of an bypocrite is easiâ—y blowne into him and as sooneblown out of him VVicked men are altogether in eâ—treames either God is so mercifull that they may live how they list or so just that be will not pardon them upon their repentance Objection of the thief upon the crosse answered Object God in mercyis in finitly transcendent Answ. But this makes nothing for such as love their si is better â—hen their soules His mercy rejorceth against justice but destroyeth not his justice His mercy is a just mercy And therefore hath equally promised all blessiâ—gs to thosewhich keepe his commande ments and threatned all manner of judgements to those that break them VVicked men believe no part of Gods word really and in deed All the promises in tailed to believers and limited with the condition of faith repentance One part of the covenanâ— of grace is that we â— wil forâ—ake the Divell and all his workes constantly believe c. Mark 61. 16. Object What it is to be born againe Answ. What to repeâ— and bel eve how we may know whether we have or not Corruption wilmix with our purest devotion But he can repent when sicknes comes Death may be sudden and give â— maâ— no leaâ—â—e to be sickâ— 2 Or if death be not sudden repentance is no easie worke and late repentance is seldome true 3 Or suppose thou offer thy best devotions to God wil be accept of thy dry bones wheÌ„ Sathan bath suk'd out all the â—arrow Admonition not to deferâ—e repentance Objection that most men are of a contrary judgement and practics VVhere of a double reason First few men beleeve the whole written word 2 Ignorance is thâ—cause of all sinne Râ—ghtly a â—anknows no more then be practiseth He that hath saveing knowledge bath every other grace Ob. That the strictest lovers are â—eldome the â—sest men â—â—swered Worldly men count wisdome felly and folly wisdoâ—e They not alwayes the wiseâ— which know most The religious man wiâ—er than the bâ—maâ—iâ—t Several misprâ—sions of wisdome 2. Wiser then the most cuuning â—oliâ—â—â—â—s The câ—â—ning politician a foole in 6. particulars First be is without foresight and never thinkes of the reckoning he is to give 2 He will not beleeve exceâ—t his senses say ameâ— to it 3 Bray him in a morter he will not depart from his folly viz. his 〈◊〉 4. He cares more for a little muck to leave behind him then for soule or bedy 5. Hee caâ— finde in his heart to goe to Heâ— so his son 〈◊〉 be left rich 6 H◠〈…〉 trifles before things of greatest worth Worldly men are penny wise and pound â—oolish But it is otherwise with the godly Iudeed though the divell makes fooles of them yet he makes them wise enough to make fooles of any that will trust them They are wise men in foolish things and foolish men in wise things They may be called subtile persons but not wise men except we take the greatest â—olly for the greatest wisdome And even such fooles are the voluptioâ—s 6. Helpes to saving knowledge First discâ—rdâ—al fiâ—â—hy lusts and affections 2 Get an humble heart 3 Procure the eye of a lively faith 4 Be conâ—stant in prayer for the spirits helpe But pray not
for knowledge without putting difference For God mâ—y grant our 〈◊〉 in judgment 2 Objections answered â—â— Vse the â— meanes Be sâ—udious in the Scriptures and follow that rule 6. Go to counsell The application of what hath beene spokeâ— Admonition not to make mercy a â—olster for continuing in â—in What small hope of the drâ—n kards yeelding Much of him hath beene spokeâ— but nothing neere all The foulenes of this sin constâ—ained me to be so bitter It is more worthy the sword of justice then the pen of an 〈◊〉 Written rather to keepe men from drunkennesse then in hope to reclaime any from it He the soberest and honestest man which resembles this drunkard least 〈◊〉 drunkarâ—â— hath beene too long sick to be recouereâ—â— Nothing wil do good upon a wisked â—eart VVhereof maâ—s 〈◊〉 Reason once debaâ—ched is worse then brutishnes The tranâ—ccendey of the sin of drunken nesse If any would reâ—â—n quish this sin let â—hem 1 Lay to heart the things delivered 2. Avoid the causes formerly hâ—â—dled 3 Believe their state dangerous and that there is nâ— way to â—elp â—ut by chang to the couâ— trary 4. Be constant and peremptery in their resolution 5 Shame not to confessâ—t by dislike of it in thy selfe and others 6 Fly evill company 7 Take heede of delayes 8 Omit not to pray for divine assistance 9 Be diligent in hearing 10 frequent in the use of the Lords-Supper 11 Meditate what God hath done for thee 12 Meditate on that union we have with Christ c 13 Consider that the Lord beâ—oldeth thee whersoever thou art 14 often thinke of the day of judgment 〈…〉 the heinousnesse of this sin and the evills which accompany it 16 Abstaine from drunken coâ—pany for all depends upon tâ—â—â— 17 abstaine from drunken places Adâ—onition to sellers of drinke Church-wardens Constables c. Adâ—â—nition to sellers of drinke Church-wardens Constables c. To keepe â—ut of this 〈◊〉 of the divell and drunkkards 1. See the danger and know their â—ime Some men ageâ—ts for Christ others for Sathan but Sathansinstruments have many advantages above Gods servents is wining souâ—â— An evill suggestion is more ready at hand then a good 2 We are more prone to evilâ—â—en good 3. The world begins with milk ends with a bammer Christ keeps back the good wine until afterwards 4. The divell can delude their fancy and judgement of natural men 5. Forestal them see with prejudice that they shall resolve against being religious 6. If gentle perswasions wil no◠〈◊〉 they will compâ—d by violence Againe as in getting so in keeping such â—s they have got 1 In regard of pleasure 2 In regard of freedome 3 In regard of peace and that 1 With Sathâ—â— 2 VVith the VVorld 3 VVith themselves They think themselves more happy in serving the Devill then others in serving of God 3 They are better proficients then Gods people 1 Because the Devill blinds them and 〈◊〉 shewes the sweetnesse of fin hides the thought of punishment Not to â—e overcome by their alurements we must â—e Watchful 2 VVise. Many objections answered That others deceive thee will be a pooâ—e plea another day They neverwound so deadly as when they stroak with a silken hand Temptations on the right hand the worst A wise mâ—n will suspect the smooth streame for deepnesse 3 Valiant Few men but wil sin against God and their owne consciences ratherthen be scoft at But it is base blood that blushes to doe well And they are â—ooles who wil be sense 〈◊〉 of their reâ—iâ—â—ioâ— Of necessity we must 〈◊〉 â—vil spoâ—â— of â—â—y 〈◊〉 And wiâ—ked men juâ—ge by conâ—rarâ—es â— Of â—â—ings 2 Of persons 3 Their judgement practise is quite contrary to Gods word VVe should read their words backward But those prove deep wounds to weake Christians which are balme ond physicke unto abler judgments He would never endure blows who cannot conâ—â—ct evill words VVe ought not be drunke to save our lives Death in a good cause shall pleasure not hurt us VVhich hath made many preferre it before the greatest pleasure profit or honour But others preferre the worlds favour before Gods VVe must refraine their company and not dispute with them oâ— we shall not bold out Quest. That it is lawfull 〈◊〉 wiâ—hdraw our selves from â—heiâ— sociâ—ty and â—ow Answ. Five reasons of breaking off society with our vicious consorâ—â— First that they may â—oke into themselves 2. That we may not be iâ—fected by them nor partake of their sins Object Many objections answered 3 That we may not be infeoffed in their punishments 4. Because their company will bereave us of much comfort whichother wise we should enjoy Object Oâ—jâ—ction of joy and goodfellowship answered Answ. 5 That we may be at peace with all which is not possible if wee kâ—ep them company Objections answered The agreement of wicked men not worthy the name of peace A dâ—unkard caâ— never love him that is sober and religiouâ— A wicked manâ— love mercenary inconstant and not worth the having Objections answered Change in the vicious were a raâ—e veâ—tue Even modesty in some is a vâ—ce True love and friend ship only among good men Nothing riviâ—s hearts so close as religion Object Another â—bjection answered Answ. Object Another objection answered Answ. 2 Vse of the former reasons 2 Vse 3 Vse 2 Excuses taken away