Downame - BV4500 D67 1613

?'he exe°ufei ofdriinkards take!: away. I I y take heed lea whileft wee labour to mainraine friendfhip withmcn,we doe not proclaime enmityagainf God. They are but bad feruants who will keepe company w ith their maftersenemies,and ioyne with them in theirleaud comics, efpecially after he hash ferioufly warned them to furftke it; but we profeffc our (clues the fcruanrs of God,and he bath flraitly charged vs to leaue the fcllowfliipofwickcd«orld- lings, and efpeciallyof fuch as line in drunkenneffc, becaufc their fellowship will corrupt vs andallure vs by their exam- ple and inricements, to thecommitting of the lamefinne . Thus thewifeSalomonchatgeth vs fromGod,that 1 C./hot/Id not keepe company withdrunkards andgluttons, Prou.2 3.20. Pro 23.20. So the Apoflle inioyneth vs that wee fhould not haue any fellowfhip,nor fo muchas Batewith a drunkard, r. Cor.S.i I. rCor.5.Ir, and that we fhould haue zoo fellowfhip with thefe vnfruitfull workpofdarkeneffe ;or if unwittingly and vnwillìogly we be thruf} into any fuch fociety , wee mull not imitate but re- proouethem.Eph.ç.rt. E Sh.5.ir. Secondly,theyalleage for their excufe, thatthis excefilue drinking is thevfuall cuflotne of thecountry , and thecorn- Thefifth ex- mon pradifeofthepeople where they dwell; and therefore cufe, that it is theyare the rather to beexcufed, if theybehaue themfelues ¡be cußome of likeother men,feeing fingularitywould make themodious, the country. and bring them tocontempt . To which I anfwere, that cu- forne, norgrounded vpon either seafon or religion, is the worft kindeofbarbarous tyrannie; that a common fafhion diffenant from Gods word is nobetter then a common fin, which bringethvpon whole nationsvniuer(all iudgements; and thereforewee muff not ioync with them in their firmes, ifwe would be difioyned from them in their punifhments; that as community commendeth that which is good,fo it aggrauateth that which is cuill ; that Chriflians mull not line byprophanecxamples,hut by Godsholy preceprs;that weare expre flychargedby God not tofollow amultitude to doeeuill,Exod.23.2. That we muff notfafhionourfelues ¡Ike Exod.23.z. vnto the world, but labour tofinde out Gods willthatweemay conforme our lines thereunto,Rom.I 2.2.That ifwe wil needs Rom,12.2. line by example, we mull propound for our imitation thole Q,3 who

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