The Devils Banket Described, Dedication 4
TO THE VERY VVORTHY GENTLEMAN, Mr. FRANCIS CRAVVLEY: sauing Health.
SYR:
There are foure sorts of Bankets, which I may thus distinguish: Laetum, letiferum; bellum, belluinum. The first is a ioyfull Feast: Such was the Breake-fast of the World, in the Law, or the Dinner, in the Gospell, or (yet the future more fully, the Lambes Supper of Glory: this is a delicate Feast. Yet not more, then the next is deadly; the blacke Banket, which is prepared for the wicked in Hell. Which consists of two Dishes, sayth the Schoole: Poena damni, and poena sensus; or as the Philosopher distinguisheth all miserie, into copiam & inopiam: copia tribulationis, inopia consolationis. Or after some, of three: amissio coeli, priuatio terrae, positio inferni: the missing of that they might hauehave had, the priuation of that they had, the position of that they hauehave, and would not hauehave, torment: or according to others, of foure: Mercilesse miserie, extremitie, vniuersallity, eternitie of anguish. Our Sauiour abridgeth all into two, or rather one, (for they are homogenea) weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is a bloody Banket, where (crosse to the festiuall prouerbe, the more the merrier) the multitude of guests shall adde to the horror of miseries; so afflicting one another with their ecchoing and reciprocall grones, that it shall be no ease socios habuisse doloris. This is a lamentable, but the third a laudeable Feast. It is that the Christian maketh, eyther to man (which is a Feast of Charitie) or to God, (which is a Feast of Grace.) Whereunto God hath promised to be a Guest, Reuel. 3 20.and to suppe with him. The last is a beastiall Banke… ▪ wherein either man is the Symposiast, and the Deuill the discumbent; or Sathan the Feastmaker, and man the Guest. Sinne is the food in both. The dye… is not varied, but the Host. Sathan feasts the wicked, whiles they feed on his temptations to surfet. The wicked feast Satan, whiles their accustomed sinnes nourish his power in their hearts. S… S…. Hierome, Daemonum cibus ebrietas, luxuria, fornicatio & vniuersa vitia. Our iniquities are the very dyet & dainties of the Deuils. With this last onelyonly hauehave I medled, endeuouring to declare it, to disswade it; (according to the dichotomiz'd carriage of all our Sermons,) by explication, by application. Sin is the white (or rather the blacke marke) my arrow flies at. I trust, he that gaue ayme to my tongue, will also direct, leuell, and keepe my Penne from swaruing. But since reproofes are as Goads, and Beasts will kicke when they are touched to the quicke; and he that speaks in Thunder, shall bee answered with Lightning; by which consequence, I may suspect stormes, that hauehave menaced stormes: therefore, behold, it runnes to you for shelter; not to instruct your knowledge, who can giuegive so exquisite counsell to others in the Law, to your selfe in the Gospell; being qualified, as that perfect Rhetorician should be, vir bonus, dicendi peritus: but that through your Name, I might offer (and adde) this poore Mite into the treasurie of the Church: ascribing the Patronage to your selfe, the vse to the world, the successe to God. Accept then this poore testimonie of my gratitude, who hauehave vowed my selfe
Your VVorships in all faithfull seruice THOMAS ADAMS.