The Cure of :Drunkennef. 393 9· So. Direct. 5· JYbm tfJozt art tempted to the Ale-bouje, call up thy Reafn.u, Pi1~ remember that t/)(rt Dire[l. 5· if a God tiJ.Jt [cab thee, ttnd wiU judge thee, and that thou h~t an endleji life nfJOY or torment J!;ortly to poffr[s, a1td.that tbou hall finned thM too long already, ,md that withoutfound Rrpent.;"!:e thy c:rfe u defpcratt, and tbat tlmt srt far from tr;te Repentance while thuu gncft OJt in fin. A~k tl1y ic1f,Hwe I no~ fin .. nc:d long enough already ? Hav,.: I nor long enough abu~cd mercy ? Shall I make.:: my cJ(~ rcmc.:tlitefs, and calt away all hope? Dorh not God fl:and by, and lt:e and bear all? Am I not Heppmg by death inro an cndlcfs world ? Think of thefe things, and ufc d1)' Re9fo1t if thQu be a man, and hall Rr;;a.. fon to ufc. 9· Sr. Direct. 6. Excrcife thy {elf dai!J: inRept~~tin,g for what it pajl: nud tlw. will prejiroe tlm Direa.IS, for tbt time to cbmc. Conlds thy _former hn to God With {orrow, iUld beg forgr~ends of It ~w.IC!J. rears and groans: If thou rnJke hght of all thats pail, th?u art prc~ared to commtt more: 1 hm~ 2 s thou goell about thy work, how gricvoufly thou haH tmucd, :tgamH: thy knowledge and confcJence; in the fight ofGod; againll all his mercies, and how obllinatdy thou hall gone on, and how unthankfully thou hall rejeCled mercy, and negktl:ed Chrilt, and refu[,d grace 1 Think what had become of thee if thou hadfl dyed in this cafe? and how exceedingly thou an beholden to the patience of God, that he cut thee not olf, a1·.d cafi thee not into Hell:, and that he hath provided and offered thee a Saviour, and is yet willing to pardon and accept thee through his Son, if thou wilt but refolvedly return, and Jive in faitb and boliJ1ffi· Thefe penitent thoughts an~ cxcrcifes will kill thy tin and cure thee. Fajl and humble thy fdffor what thou hall donealrcady: As the holy Apofile faith, J Pet. 4· 1, 2, 3, 4, 5· Forafmuch a! Cbrijl b~th fuffered for lt! in the flcfo, arm yottr ftlvts lik.._ewifi with tbe fame mind : for ht that harb firjfertd in the jltjlJ bath ceafld from fi'!: .That be no /.rmger .flJould live tbe rtjf of hH time in the flcjb to tbe lujf1 of nun, brtt to the will of God : For tbe timt pa{t ofour life ma,y fuffice u1 to have wr011ght the will of the Gemilu, wben we tr!llk.fd in ltzfciviuufnrJi. lu/fi, txcefl ofwine, rtvellingJ, banquetting, abominablt idol!:ltriu, Wbrrein they think it jfr(lnge that yo·u run not with tbrm to rhe f,:mt exccji of ry"t, jfeakinz evil of yoH : who jhall give account to bim that U ready to judge the quick and the dead. §. 82. Di"d:. 7· Keep from tbe place and company: Ephef. 5· 7, 1 r: Be >tct pm•kert with them. Dire<l. 7; Have no ftUon:Jhip with the u,tfruitful works of dark._n(!Ji, but rather reprove ·them. Thou cantt nor deny but thou art able to do thi1 if thou wilt. CanO: thou not ftay at home and cOme not 11ear them? If thou be wiUiug to ercapc, run not into the fnare. 9· 83. Dirtct. 8. Stop at tht fi~l cup: be not drawn on by little and little: As the fluggard faith, Direli. s. Tct a little more Jlup; {o the drunJtard faith, yet a litt.le more drink : 1 will take but one cup mo'ft:. UnderHand thy due meafitre that thou maift know what is cxccfs: To an ordi.nary hcalthful body, that doth not very much labour and fweat, a quut in a day is ehough: To cold and fl.egrnatick per– ions it is too much: The old Rule was, Prima ad fitim, fectt'l!lda ad iJilaritattm, tertia "d voltljJtatem, qut~rta ad i.n[4niam. The firfi Cup is for thirft, the fecond for mirth, the third for finfual plca[ure, the fourth for madnefs. Efpecialiy you that have drunk too much to long, lhould rather drink._ left than other men: Your flul rcquircd1 it for peNitence and for prtVemi~n; Your budie1 require ir,to cure the crJ,ditiu already hcapt'd up. §. 84. DireC:\'. 9· Avoid the tempting cercmoniu of drtmk,.lrdJ, focb tU dtinkin.~ bulths, or urging Direll• 9~ otbcrJ to J!fedge tbtm, (Jr drink more. Plutatcb faith, that when Agcfilaru was tna.de the MaHer of a t~ean, and was to prefcribc the Laws for drinking, his Law was ; If there be 1Vine enough, give tJcry one wb:zt he IH~etb for; if not eno:tgh, divide t.t equaL): By which means none were tc:mpted or urged to drink, and the intemperate were aflnml:d to ask fOr more than others.. As among JVitcbu, fo among Drunkard!, the Devil hath his Laws ar.d Ceremonies, and its dan.. gerous to pr.aC.tilc them. · 9· Ss· Dm:d::. 10. Go tu thy finful comp~tni.ons to their boufes, and trU them pl:zinly and feriorif!y Dlrttl• to; that thou t·epeutcft of wbt t~l!" l?a)t d.Jnc alr(ady, and t.hat" thou art ajha~t~ed. to remember it, aJtd that "'IOW thou percrivtj~ tbat there Ma rigbttouJ.G9d, and a d,zy•of judgp1:t111, and an endleji punijhment to.be thouf!..bt on; and that thou art re{olv(d thou wilt be volunt:;rily m:zd 110 more : a1rd that thou ~vilt 1tot jelt thy jiml and Saviour for a merty cHp: And befeec1J them fur the {tzl{e of Chrift, and of t/uir fouls; tojo)'h witiJ thee in reprntdnce and rtformation; hHt let them k,.norv, tb.:zt if the)• 1"\Jill hot, tbu" comejt to t.a~ thy le.1ve o/ tbcm, and art rtfolved thou wilt no more be their co'mpanion in fi;z, lejf tbtJu be thur .comptmion in Hc/1. If thou art wiUing indeed to Rcpeht and be faved, d-o rhis pretently and P.lamly; and Hick not at their difpleafure or reproach; If tHou Wilt 1Jot, fay tbou wilt not,_ and ~ay no more thou canji not; but fay, I will "-etp my fin and be dam·,ud; Fer thats the Engh01 of H. ~· 86. DireCl. 11. SHppofe wbtn the Cup of txctfs it offered thtt, that thot< [aweft tbt[e word; Direli. ul [ StJJ and 1:1cUJ. wrttte~ upon tJJt Cup, and fowcft tiJe Devil offerihg it tbcr, and ur;,idg tbte to drin~, ' and faweft Chrift bltedrng on.tht Cro[s, and caUi•g to thre, @ d,ink._ not tiJat w!.ich c'!ftetb fo dear a price a1 my blood. Strongly imprinr this fuppofition on thy mind : And it is not UnreafOnabte: For certainly fin is in thy Cup, and Hell is next to fin ; and it is the Devil that puts thee on and its Chrifi untfen that would diif\tade thee. · ' §. 87· Direll. 12. Sztppofe that there weft morlal poyfo• in t'ht Cup that ii offered thee : Ask thy Dire/1. 12l felt; W,ztld I drink._ it if thert were poyfon in it l If nor, why lhould 1drink it when fin is in ir and HcU is near it ( And1the fuppofition,. is not vain. Its written of. Cyrus, that when Ajliage; obfetvcd that at a Featl ho drank no .wmer, and asked him the reafon, he anfwerc:d, becau'fc: he thought there was poy[o11 in tb{ c•p; for be bad obferved {ome· that drHnlr,. our of it, ·loft their f}uc/1 Eee 2 £?:
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