Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

T!:e Greatnejs of the fin of 'Drunkemzefs. thou miJfpcnddl Dn thy lin. Thy Servants. a_nd Caule that ~abour for it !hall be wirndfcs againli rhee; Thou ctf<;:rdi the creatures of God as a facr•hce to the Dev1l. for Drunkcnncfs and Tipling is h. f _ vice. le were kfs folly to do as Diogmu did, who, when they gave; him a large cup Or wine /1 5 er ic under the table, that it might do him no harm: Thou rnaketl: thy felf like Carerpillers and,F 1rew and ~voh•es, and other de~lroying crearures thar.liv,e ~o do m,ifchief, anJ co1 1fume th:n ,~hich (ho~~~J noun!h man, and there!ore are purfued a~ unht to l1ve ! Tnou art ro the comrnon-weafrh as Mice in the Gr:o11lry, or Weeds m the Corn. le IS a great part of the work of fairhful Magifiures lO weed our fuch as thou. 9· 26. 3· Tho~t rohbefi the foor,_ confu~ing that on t~y throat which fhould truinrain them: If thou have any dung to fpare, It w11l comfort (hee more at lall, eo have given it to rhe needr tha Prov. tJ. 2 ;. t~at a gr~cdy t1.1oar devoured it. ·The cov:rcus_is much betcer in this dun the Drunkard and Luxu~ Prov. 14. 21• nous : for he J~ a~atbercr, and the othc: IS a icattcrer : ~he Common-wealth maime.intrh a double & 21 . 13• or treble char~e m fuch as thou art: As tnc fame paHure wJ!l keep many Sh_ssp which will keep but & :w 'i· one Horfe:, {o the fJmc: country may keep many temperate prrfons which will keep buc a fe".V Glut- & 22 9· tons and Drunkards. The worldling makes provifion cheaper by gettinrr and [paring: but th & :.a. 17 ' Drunkard and Glutton make it clearer by walling; The coverous man that fc~aperh together for him~ felf, cloth oft-times gatber for om thut wiUpity tbe poor, when he is dud : Prt~v. :.28. 8. But the Drunkard and Ri_otous ~evo~r ir while they ?re aliv~. One is like a f!o~ that is go?d for fomcthing at laH, though hts fcedmg pcld no profit while he ltverh; The other 1s hke dcvourrne vcrmine rhu leave nothing to pay for what· they did 'onfume: The one is iikc the Pike among~he fithes' who p1yeth when he is dead for that which he devoured alive: Bur the other is like the Jink or chan~l thlt rcpaycth you with nothing but fiink and dirt, for all rhat you ca!l inro ir. 9· '7· 4· Thou drawell poverty and ruine upon thy felf: Befides the value which thou wafidl God ufually joyneth wirh the prodigal by his judgements, a~d fcattereth a: fall as h_e. Prov. 21 , 17 : Dio;msbeg- He tbt loveth ple~Jitre jhaU be a poor mtm: he that. l?vcth wme _a;Jd oyl jhail 1Jotbe_ncb. There i.t;. t)hJ.t ging cf a Pro- foattrretband yet mcre.:Jjftb, Prov. 1 I· 24• But thts IS not the 1ffue of thy fcactc:rmg. Prov. 2 -... 19~ chgli, .nkt_3 20, 21. Hear thou nry {on and be wife, aftd g11ide tby heart in the way: Be not amo~gft wim-hi%bc1 I, ~ ... ~~~dh~f:~~~1 ' amongfi- riotoJM e.itcr! of fiep,: For thtDomk._ard and tht GIMton jhaU come to poverty, a;zd drowfintji but a penny of fhall cloaJb a m.m wuh rag1. thenext: Benure :.mb he, I may oft receive of them, but God kno\'l"s whether ever I !hall have more of him. La~t. i"Diub· Prov, :a.S. r 9 • 9· 28. 5· Thou art an enemy to thy family: Thou grievefl thy friends: Thou impoverifheft thy children, and robbefl thofe whom thou art bound to make provifion for. Thou tilklt thy houle with difcoments and brawling:,, and banifhefi all quictnefs \lnd.fcar of God: Adifcontented or a brawling wifr:, and r..1.gged dij]Qlme u1tta11ght C!Jildrm, a;e often figns that a Drunkud or Riotous perfon i_s tht malier of the family. §. 29· 6. Thcu art a heynous confumer of thy prctious Time: This is far worfc than the wafring of thy dlatc: 0 that thou didlt but know, as.tthou !hale know at lafi, what thofc hours are worth~ which thou wallell over thy pots! and how much greater work thou hadfi ro lay it one upon? How many thoufands in Hell are wifi1ing now i"n vain, that they had thofi: hours again to fper.d in pnyer and repentance, which they fpent in the A L E-houfe, and fenfelefly cafi away with thtir companions in fin. Is chc glafs turned upon thee, and death polling towards thee, to put an end to all thy time, and lay thee where thou mun dwell for ever; and yet canfi thou fit tipling and prating away thy time, as if this were all that thou hadfi to do with it? 0 what a wonder of fottifhnefs and fiupidiry is a hardned finncr, that can live fo much below his reafon! The fcnfes negletl of thy fouls concernmenr) and greater maltcrs, is rh~rcat part of thy fin, more than the drunkennefs it felt: §. 30· 7· How bafe a Price dolt thou fer upon thy SJviour and falvation, that wilt not forbear fo much as a cup of driok for them. The fmaU•ifi of the thing fheweth the fmaU~tefi of thy Love to God, and thefmaU~tcfi of thy regard to his word and to thy !ou}. Is that loving God as God, when thou loveli: a cup of drink better ! Art thou not afhamed of thy I-Iypocrifie, when thou faidl thou lo– ve!I God above aU, when thou lovcil him not fo well as thy Wine and Ale 1 Surely he that loveth him not aboveAle, loveth him not above aU! Thy choice thcwcth what thou /.o-veft btji-, more certainly than Joh. 14 I$- . thy tongue cloth. Jr is the di{h that a man greedily eateth of that he lovrzh, and not th2t which he 1 Joh !· :z., 3· comrnendcth but will not meddle with. God tryeth mens Love to Him, by their keeping his com~ mandmcnts : It was the aggravation of the tirfl tin, that they would not deny fo fmall a thing as rhe forbiddLn fruit, in obedience to God~ And fo it is of thine) that wilt not leave a forbidden cup for him ! 0 mifLrable wtetch ! doll thou not know thou canfl not be Chril\: Difciple, if thou forfake not aU for him, and bte not even thy life in comparikln ofhim, and wouldH not rather die than forfake him, Luk.: 14-.26, 33• And arr thou like to lay down thy life for him that wilt not leave acup of drink for him ? CanH thou burn at a flake "for him, that canfi not leave an A LE-houfe, or vain compmy, or cxcefs for him! What a fcnrence: of condemnation dofl thou pafs upon thy fdf; Wilt thou fdl thy God and thy foul for fo fmall a matter as a cup of drink? Never delude thy felf, to fay, · I hope I do not fo, wl en t!--ou lmoweH that God hath told thee in his word, rhar Dm:1~rdf jhaO not inh(rit the Ki1 glum ofGyd: 1 Cor. 6. IO· Nay~God hath commanded thofethat will come to Heaven, ro have no familiarity with thee upon caHh, no 1101 fo much M to cat with thee! I Cor. 5· 1 I· Read whal Chrilt himfdf faith, Matth. 24. 4-8, 49• 50, 51. Bul ~f that evil ferv.mt"jhaU fay in hiJ hemt My Lord del..zyrtb his C!Jmillg, and j!J.,JJ btgiu to finite hi1 feliuw jer.vaJttl, and tu. eat and to drin"- with the dnmk$11,

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