The Carifes of Ex:cefs of Drink. when : As the thief that was told, he fhould anfwer it at the day of judgement, (aid, he would take the other Cow too, if he thould Hay unpunifhed till then ; fo thcfe Bdly·Gods think, they will take the other cup, if they Chll.l but thy till (Q long bcncc: And thus beca.uf<= t~1is temporal punifhme.nt of their guloiicy is not fpeeddy exerc•fed, the hearts of men are fully Cet 10 them ro pltafe theu ap4 petitcs. §. JS.... Another caure of 1ipling and Drtt1tk._cmufi is, a wicked Hratt that loveth the C·1111p3ny wr.' G of wickccl'men, and thefoolifh talk, and ends and dice, by which they are entertained : One fin t1fe 1 ·~P \~;r?s; ccth down another: It is a delight to prate over a pot, or rant and game, and drive away all thoughts a1'J Church– that flvour of found ReafOn or the fear of God, or the care of their falv:1rion: M1ny of them will 1\b,. :uld fay,}( is not forlovc of the drink,_ but of the Comp:my, that they uft: t~~ A L E-boufe: An excufc th:tt ~{~~~~~·(7;Y~11111 makcth their {in much worfc:, an~ ~ewcth them .to be ex.ceedmg W!cl{ed : To love the company of Er.gl:l;;d, '.ou wicked men and love to hear t.J1e1r lewd and Jdlc fooh{h talk, and to game and fport out your m:'ly fct- /.1.10. time with t'hcm, bdidcs your tipling, this Chewc:th ?-wicked fleChly heart, much woriC than if you !icgifl .. Ep. 71· loved the drink alone: ~u~h compa.ny as you love befi, fuch are your own difpolltions: If you were :~~i~!'~~?h~~no 1iplers or Dmn~1rd!, 1t ts a certam fign ofan u~g.odly p~rfon to love ungodly company becter, than 1hcns; Qli the company of wite and godly men, that may edthe you tn the fear of God. bovc~ folcnt j,. mu't~sin f:t• criliciodxmonum cii:cide~c, debet his cti:tn} (le hlc re a'iqu1 folcm11ira~ immurari, utdi~ dcdic:'ltionis w:l n:J.:Jlitii$ martyrum, tll.hern:l.n.ti1 fib 1 circa cJfJem ecddi:t•, 1 qu:t: ex fJni1 c~;mntutJt.:e funt, de ram is :lborum faciant~ & re'igtoli~ conviviis folennitlrcm ceicbrcn: : N~c [::zl"' bo!o jam ::nima'ia immolcut, fed ad budem Dei in c:U fuo 2ninulh occidanr, & tlon:aori omnium de f:Int:t:'l~e fu:l gr:ni:t~ ;~g:lnt, &c. Bur do ChnUitns nceJ tht5 3\ he~r;crt~ did, when we fee the fad dlCCh of fuch rio:mgs? LegeAtofl.l. 3· c. ~4· 9· , 9 . 4 • Another caufe of 1ipli~tg is Idimfr, when they have not the confiant employments of their callings to take them up: Some of them make it their chief excufc that rhey do it to pafs away the time: Blind wretches! that are fo n~ar eternity, and can find no better ufes tor their TimC: To thefe I fpoke before Chap. 5· Pm! I· ' ~· 20 , S: Another cauiC is, the wi~;k~d negldl of their dut)'S to their own families; making no t:oniCience of\oving their own relations, and teaching 'them the fear of God, nor following their bu... findS, and fo they takc po pleafur.s _to be at home: The company of wife and childrCn and fcrvants is no delight to them, ~dt they muT\Jgo to an A LE-hou[e or Tavcm for more fuitable company. Thus one fin bringeth on another. ~ , §• 21 , 6. Anorllcr caufc is the iUmanagement of matters at home with't:hcir own Confcienccs; when they have broug)'n the~fcl~~s inm {o ter~iblc and fad a ca{C, that they dare not be mt1ch alone, nor fobcrly think of their own ~oOd.\IIJIOn, nor fenoufly look towards another world ; but fly from rhem– felves and feck a place to hide them from their confciences, forgetting that fin will find them our: The/nm to an A L E-houfc, as Sattl to his rnufii:k, to drink away melancholy, and drown the noife of a guilty felf.accding mind : and to drive aWa)i all thoughts ot God, and Heaven, and fin, aud Hell and death, and judgement~ it be too-late. As it they were rcfolvc:d to be damned, and' thcr;fore rcfolved not to think of their mifhy nor"'the remedy; But though they dare venture upon Hell it/elf, the tOts ~rrot venture upon t~e f~rious::~J.?ht~ of i't! .Eeithcr ther~ is a HeU, or there is noJte: If there be HOJ!t, why nlouldlt thou be afr.1t4 t0',1htnk of 1t? If there be a Hell (as thou wilt tind it if thou hold on but a little longer ) will not tRC [eeli1rg be more intollcrable than the thoughts of it? And is not the fi!rt~blu~i.;tg pn it a necc~ary and cheap prevention of the feeling? 0 how much wi[cr a ccurfe were 1t to retuc._~our felvcs m (ccret, j'nd there to look before you re · eternity, and hc:ar what confcicncc hath · ~O to fay t· o~·u concerni,lg ljiur Ji e pafi, your fin and mi– fcry, and then what God hath to fay tO'YO\l-6i:,J~ re cdy): Y,cffi'll "'Jl find, that this was a more ncceffJty work, than any that you had at the A ~ptC', ....tft -you had greater bufinefs with God and Confcience, th:m with YOUf idle comptnions.' • i ~ ; . , §. 2 2. 7• Another c:Iu{e i~ t1_1c cuflom of pledgi~g· thofe thit d.rihls:-to yo .;.· .a·na ofdriuking healths, by which the Laws of the Dml and the AL E.-hj>ufe do impo(e uj:>on tbem Jhe mcafures of exc<fs and make it their duty to difrcgan:l their duty to GOO.: So lamCI}tablc a thiQ~t is, tQ be the ·trad-a: ble flaves of men, and intractable rebe~s againft God ! Plutarck,_mentions One that""~being invited to a feafi, made a flop when he heard that th.ey compelled rp.en to drink ;ftcr meat, and askt whethtf they·' compelled them ro rat too l Apprehendmg that he went in danger of his belly : And it feerns to be but cufiom that maketh it appear ldS tidiculous or odious to confirain men to drinking than to eating. ~· 23· S. Another great caufe of cxcrfs is the Devils way of drawing them on by degrees: He doth not tempt them directly to be drunk, but to drink one cup more, and then another and another, fo that the wodl: that he feemeth to defire of them is, but to dri1zl(_a little mare: And thus as SolQmon faith of the fornicacor they yield to the flatterer and go on as the Ox to the flau~hter, ami. a; the Fool to the corre~io~ of th~ fl~cks, tiU a dart Jlrik,_e through his liver, \Qf a bird h11_fttth ta tbe [r.are, and ~110n; .. etbnotthatJtuforhultfc: Prov.7.2 1,22,23· P ~- 24 • I I 1. The Greatnefs of this fin appcareth in what is faid before of Gluttony: More fpecially I· Think how bafe a mafier thou dofi ferve, being thus 3 flave to thy throat : what a beafily thing it is, and worfe than bcafily : for few beafis but 3 fwine will be forced to drink more than cloth thtm good. How low and poor is that mans rcafon that is not able to command his throat? §. 2 5. T hink how thou confumefi th~ creatures of God that .arc given for Jervice and not for gulo– Ji'Y and luxury. The earlh fhall be a w1tnefs agam(l thee, that It bore that fruit for better ufes, wliicli Dd d thou
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