Firft Commandment. of them not to dcfire any thing to their detriment and prej~dicc:, aJK!.fhould. threaten us ,;ith PuniThments in cafe of Difobedicnce? bi.Jt_the Law of G~ comes into our Confcicnces with Authority, and in the Name of the Great God, requires his Peace to be kept among our tUmultuous and fcditious Affeaions, beats down their carnal Wca.pons, and gives Confcicnce a power eithe_r t? fi1pprefs all rebellious Infurre&ipns againft the Majcfty of Heaven, or clfe .to mdltc, accufc, _and torment Men for them. And therefore the Word of God IS by the Apa:ftle fa1d to be quirk FM. 4 , t: ; 11nd powerful, andflutrpcr than any two-edged Sword, pio-cinz even to t#e dividing a(l!.nder of foul and fpirit, and of rhc joints and marrow, and is a difccrncr of t/,c thoughts and mtm'ts of the heart. , T hat is therefore a fourt h Rule for the r ight ui1derll:artding of the Extent and Latitude of the Cominands. Fifthly, . Another general Rule is this, 'J;hat the C01t1mand doth riot only forbid V. the Sin that is expreOy mentioned, but all Occafions and lndnce_ments leading unto that Sin; and therefore we may obferve, that there arc many Sms that are not exprefiy forbidden in any one Commandment, but yet arc redudively forb idden in every one, towards the Violation of which they may ptove Occafions. And as fame one Sin may be an occafion to all others, fo it may be \Vell faid to be forbidden in every PreCept of the Decalogue; I fhall inftance only in two of this kind, and thex are, Fainiliarity v.,\jth evil Perfons, or keeping of evil Company; and that reigning Sin of DrunkenncfS. For the firft of thefe it is evident, that though it be not exprefiy and in rerm~nis forbidden in any one Commandment, yet as it is a ftron~ Temptation and lnduCc7 ment tO .tlie Violation of each of them, .fa it is a Sin agamft them an. There are no fitch fitre FaCtors for the Dc\'il, as wicked Company, who ~ill ll:rive to rub their Vkcs upon Js many as they can infeCt: and therefore thou who delightell: in the company either of Atheifl:s, or Idolaters, or Swearers, or Sabbath-break.ers, or Difobedicnt Rebels, or Murthcrcrs, or \Vhoremongers, or Thieves, or Perjured Perfans, or Covetous Muck-worms, thou art guilty of the breach of each of thefe Commandments; for thou runneft thy felf into the very Snare of the Dev il, and takeft the fame courfc to make thy felf fa; wh ich made them fi.1ch . And therefore we arc all forbidden to keep Company with fi.1ch prOphane and profligate Wretches, by the ye\·y fame Commandment which forbids their lirtpieties, \Vh<itfoevcr they be. And as for the fecond Sin l mentioned, DrunkennCfs, it is now-a...d.ays grown to .fi1ch an heigh t of Impudence, that it confronts the Sun- : And whereas in the Apoftles days, c\rcn among the Henhens thcmfclves, fuame fo far preva(Jed upon Vice and Debauchery, that it left Sobriety the J.?ay, an~ took only the Night to itfclf, fnr they tilJt would be drunk were drunk m the Night ; yet now among us Chriftians, \Vickednefs is grown fo profligate, that we meet the Drunkard reeling and ftagg;ering even at Noon...d.ay, and ready to difcha1·gc his Vomit in our Faces or our Bofoms. Poflibl y forilc, who arc befotted wltl1 this loathfomc Vice, rn~y think it no great \Vickcdncfs, becaufc it is not cxprcOy forbidden in this Summary of the Law; and fa they cry,Peacc, Peace tothemfelvcs, altho'they go on to add Drunkcnncfs to Thirll:. But of this Common Sin I fay, that it is not aga inrt any one particular Command: mcnt of the Law, but againft all; for fince the Moi·al Law·is the L1w and Rule o( right Rcafon, the whole of if mnft needs be broken, when Rcafon it felf is t:>enr~rtcd by Riot and Intemperance; t he Man turned ant of Doors, and the BeaU fa ken in. So that i ndeed Drunkennefs)s not fo much any One Sin, as it is all; hevc"rwcre all the Commandments more !if rely broken, wheil Mofes caft the two Tables out of his hands, than they arc, 'in anothCr fenfc, broken by the DrunkarCJ.. For llC bath -put off the Man and hath put on the Swine; and into fuch Swine it is that the Devil enters, as furcly as ever he cntred into the Herd of the Gddnrenes; and drives them furiouny down the Precipices of all manner of Sins and Vices, t ill at length he plungcth and drowns them in the Lake of Fire and BrimftOnC, and there let them drink their fill . A~d therefore whatfocver is commanded, or whatfoever is forbiddc'ri, Drunkennefs ts forbidden, as being _the greatcft Advantage that the Devil hath to prompt Men to thofe Abominations, that were they in their right Senfes, they would abhor and detefr. ls he, think you, fit to worlhip God, and to take him for his own T God
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