388 CHRISTIAN MORALITY. lieth down in the midstof thesea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast; ver. 34: that is, " Thouwilt sottishly run thyself into the extremest hazards, without any apprehensions of danger, beingno more able to direct thy course, than a pilot who snores when a ship is tossed in the midstof the sea ; no more able to take notice of the peril thou art in, than he that falls asleep on the top of amast, where hewas set to keep the watch." They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and Iwas not sick ; they have beaten me, and I felt it not. When I shall awake, I will seek it yet again ; ver. 35. It is as if the wise man had said, " That to complete thy misery, thou shalt not only be mocked, and abused, and beaten, but thou shalt be as senseless as if no harm had be- fallen thee: And no sooner wilt thou open thine eyes, but thou wilt stupidly seek an occasion to be drunk, and be beaten again." My friends, have ye never seen a drunkardmake that odious figure, inwhich Solomon represents him ? You find humanna- ture is constant to itself : It appears now in Britain, just as it is described in the days of old at Jerusalem in all its vicious ex- cesses. There is a great degreeof likeness between our fore- fathers' intemperance, and their children of late posterity. One would think one such a spectacle as this, or the mere report of it, with an assurance of the truth, should be enough to forbid our lips the excess of liquor, and to set a guard upon ourselves in the hour of temptation. Notonly thosewho overwhelm themselves with strong drink, and forget reason and themselves, but those that are mighty to drinkwine, havea severe censure cast upon them, and a curse in the book of God : Is. v. 11. not only woe to them; that rise up early in the morning, that they may find strong drink, and conti- nue tillnight, till wine inflame them ; but woe to them that are mighty to drink wine, even though they are not utterly overcome by it, to the disorder and disgrace of their understandings, verse 22. The reason is, because nature will not bear,such a quantity of wine or strong liquors at first; and it is presumedmen have forced nature beyond its original capacity, and thus have grown up, by degrees of sin, to such a strength in drinking. These are they that call evil good and good evil, and that glory in their shame. Hearken to thy father's advice, 0 youth, and despise not thy mother's counsel ; hear thou, my son, and be wise, andguide thine heart in the way of temperance. Be not among wine- bibbers, amongst riotous eaters of flesh ; ver. 19. Youth is 'greedy of pleasure, and in danger of being corrupted by it ; therefore avoid the society of drunkards and gluttons. You see they are joined together in the prohibition and threatening of the word of 4?ed, " for the Flutton and the drunkard shall both come to po-
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