Josephs Party-Colored Coat, Sermon 5
A GLASSE FOR GLVTTONS.
ROM. 13.13.
Not in Gluttony.
THese words are a parcell of that Scripture, that converted Saint Augustine. He, (as hee confesseth of himselfe) at the first was both erroneous in his Tenets, and vicious in his life, when running on in full carreare in wickednesse, God stopt him with his voyce from Heaven, Tolle et lege; take up thy Book, and reade; and the first place which God directed his eye to, was these words in my Text, and after this time being reclaymed, hee proved a worthy Instrument of Gods glory, and the Churches good. Now as those receipts in Physicke are best, which are confirmed under the Broad Seale of Experience, and set forth with the priviledge of Probatum est; so my Text may challenge a priority, before other places of Scripture, because upon Record it hath been the occasion to convert so famous a Christian. Neither thinke, that the vertue of these words, are extracted by doing of this one Cure, or that my Text with Isaac, hath onelyonly one blessing for him that came first, no by Gods blessing it may be cordial, for the saving of our soules. To day therfore part of Samsons Riddel shall be fulfilled in your ears: Out of the Devourer came meat, Gluttony that vice, which consumeth and devoureth food. The discourse thereof by Gods assistance shall feed us at this time.
Not in Gluttony.
DoctGluttony is a dangerous sin for any Christian to be guilty of.
Rea.Because humane Laws hath provided no penalty for it. Men will be afraid to commit petty Lassony, for feare of whipping; Fellony for feare of branding, Murther, for feare of hanging; worse sins, for feare of having a Grave, whilst living. But it is too likely, that men will take leave and liberty to themselves, to be Gluttons, presuming upon hope of Impunity, because mans Laws have ordered no punishment for it; yet as those offences are accounted the greatest, which cannot be punished by a Con…, a Iustice, or Iudge of Assize; but are reserved immediatly to be punished by the King himselfe; so Gluttons must needs be Sinners in an high degree, who are not censureable by any earthly King, but are referred to be judged at Gods Tribunal alone.
Because it is so hard and difficult to discerne;Rea. 2. like to the Hecktick fever, it steales on a man unawares. Some sins come with observation, and are either ushered with a noyse, or like a snaile, leave a slime behind them, whereby they may be traced, and tracted, as Drunkennesse. The Ephramites were differenced from the rest of the Israelites, by their lisping, they could not pronounce H, which then was a heavie aspiration unto them, when it cost the lives of so many thousands. Thus Drunkards are distinguish't from the Kings sober subjects, by clipping the coyn of the tongue. But there are not such signes and Symptomes of Gluttony. This sinne doth so insensibly unite, and incorporate it selfe with our naturall appetite, to eate for the Preservation of our lives; that as Saint *Lib. 30. Marat. ca. 28. ante medium.Gregory saith; It is a hard thing to discerne, Quid necessitas petat, & quid voluptas suppetat, quia per esum voluptas necessitati miretur: what is the full charge of food, which nature requires for our sustenance, and what is that sure charge, which is heaped by superfluity.
Rea. 3.Because of the sundry dangers it brings; first to the soule, Luke 21.34. Take heed lest your hearts bee oppressed with surfetting: And indeed the soule must needs bee unfitting to serve God, being so incumbred. That man hath but an uncomfortable life, who is confined to live in a smoaky house. The braine is one of these places of the residence of the soule, and when that is filled with streames, and vapours arising from unconcocted crudities in the stomacke, the soule must needs malè habitare, dwell unchearfully, ill accommodated in so smoaky a mansion. And as hereby it is unapt for the performance of good, so it is ready for most evill, for uncleannesse, scurrulity, ill speaking; this being the reason, saith Saint Gregory, why Dives his tongue, was so tormented in Hell, because hee being a Glutton, with his tongue had most dishonoured God. Secondly, this sinne empaires the health of the body: the out-landish Proverbe saith, That the Glutton digs his Grave with his owne teeth, hastens his death by his intemperance; For if there were a conflict in Rebeckaes body, when two Twins were in her wombe, must there not bee a Battell and Insurrection in his stomack; wherein there is meat, hot, cold, sod, rost, flesh, fish; and which side soever wins, nature and health will bee overcome, when as a mans body is like unto the Arke of Noah, containing all Beasts cleane, and uncleane; but hee the most uncleane Beast, that containes them: Our Law interprets it to bee murther, when one is killed with a knife. Let us take heed wee bee not all condemned by God, for being Fellons, de se; for wilfull murthering our owne lives, with our knifes by our superstitious eating. Thirdly, it wrongs the creatures that hereby are abused: Indeed they willingly serve man, so long as hee is a King over them; but they are loath to doe it, when he turnes Tyrant: So if when the Drunkard sings, the drinke sighes; when the Glutton laughes, the Meate grieves to bee so vainely mispent by him. God saith, Hosea. 2.9. That hee will recover his Flaxe, and his Wooll from the Idolatrous Iewes, Vindicabo, I will rescue and recover them, as from slavery and subjection, wherein they were detayned against their will; and in such like tyrannie are the creatures, as Bread, Wine, and Meat tortured under the Glutton. Lastly, it wrongeth the poore; for it is the over-much Feasting of Dives, which of necessity maketh the Fasting of Lazarus, and might not the superfluous Meat of the Rich bee sold for many a pound, and given to the poore.
Come we now to consider, wherein Gluttony doth consist. I am not ignorant of that verse in Thomas:
Praeproperè, lautè, nimìs, ardentèr, studiosè: But I will not march in Sauls heavie Armour, or confine my selfe to follow the Schooles directions herein; I will goe against this Goliah of Gluttony, with my owne Sling and Stone, and use a private and plaine Method. This sinne therefore consisteth, either in the quantity of the meate, or in the quality, or in the manner of eating. In the quantity: And here it is hard to define the Omer of Manna, for every mans belly; the proportion of meate for every mans stomacke; that quantity of raine will make a claye ground drunke, which will scarce quench the thirst of a sandy Countrey. It is thus also in men, that proportion of meat surfetteth, and surchargeth the stomacks of some, which is not enough to satisfie the hunger of others, especially of those, who being young, have hot and quick disgestion, of those who living in a cold clymate, and thereby have the heat of their stomacks intended, of those whose stomacks are strong, by reason of their labour and travell; and not to speake of the disease, called (Boulamya) mens natures being thus diverse, by what standard shall I measure them? let this be the rule, hee shall be arraigned and condemned before God, for Gluttony in the quantity of meat, who hath eaten so much, as thereby hee is disabled, either in part, or wholly, to serve God, in his generall, or particular calling, be his age, clymate, or temper whatsoever.
2. In quality, and that foure wayes, 1. When the meat is too young, Exod. 23.19. Thou shalt not seeth a Kid in his Mothers milke; that is, thou shalt not eat it before it hath age, to bee just and firme flesh: Circumcision was deferred till the eighth day; one reason rendred by Divines, is because a Child before that time, is not Caro consolidata; and sure there is a time, before which Beasts and Fowles are not sollid, fast, and lawfull to bee eaten. I must confesse, wee are to live by the creatures death, they being borne are condemned to dye, for our necessity, or pleasure; and these condemned persons desire not a pardon, but deserve a Reprive, that they may be respited, and reserved so long, till they bee good and wholesome food, and not clapt into the Gluttons bowels, before they be scarce out of their Mothers belly. Secondly, when the meat is too costly; thus Cleopatra, macerated an Vnion, a Pearle of an inestimable worth, and dranke it in a health to Marke Anthony; a deed of hers as vaine, as the other wicked, when she poysoned her selfe. Thirdly, when the meats are onelyonly incentives, and provocations to lusts, in some kind thereof; I could instance, were I not afraid to teach sin, by confuting it. Why is the Furnace made seven times hotter; then ever it was before? Is not the Devill of himselfe sufficiently mischievous? Is not our owne corruption of it selfe sufficiently forward? yea, head-long to evill? But also wee must advantage them by our owne folly. Have wee vowed in our Baptisme to fight against, and doe wee our selves, send Armour, and Munition to our Enemy? yea, many set their owne houses on fire, and then complaine they burne, Labor est inhibere volantes, parcere puer stimulis, & fortiùs utere loris. Lastly, when the Meat is such, as is onelyonly to increase Appetite; when one before is plentifully fed. Such is the cruelty of the Spanish Inquisition; that when they have brought a man to the doore of death, they will not let him goe in, when by exquisite tortures, they have almost killed him; then by comfortable Cordials they doe againe revive him: And whereas of God it is appoynted, for all men once to dye: these mens cruelty makes men to dye often. Thus men, when they have stabbed and killed hunger with plentifull eating, with sauce, and salt meats of purpose, they restore it againe to life; and for severall times, according to their owne pleasures, kill and recall, stab and revive their appetites.
3. In the manner of eating. 1. Greedily without giving thankes to God: Like Hogs, eating up the Maske, not looking up to the hand that shaketh it downe. It is said of the Israelites, Exod. 32.6. The people sate downe to eate and to drinke; there is no mention of Grace before Meate; and rose up to play, there is no mention of Grace after. Secondly, Constantly, Dives fared deliciously every day; there was no Friday in his weeke, nor Fast in his Almanack, nor Lent in his yeare: whereas the Moone is not alwayes in the full, but hath as well a wayning, as a waxing; the Sea is not alwayes in a Spring-tide, but hath as well an Ebbing, as a Flowing; and surely the very Rule of Health will dictate thus much to a man, not alwayes to hold a constant tenure of Feasting, but sometimes to abate in their dyets. Lastly, when they eat their meats studiously, resolving all the powers of their mind upon meat, singing Requiems in their soul, with the Glutton in the Gospel, Soule take thine ease, &c. And whereas we are to eat to live, these only live to eat. Let us therfore beware of the sin of Gluttony, and that for these Motives.
1. Because it is the sin of England;Mot. 1. for though without Vsurpation, we may intitle our selves to the pride of the Spanish, Jealousie of the Italian, Wantonnesse of the French, Drunkennes of the Dutch, and Lazinesse of the Irish; and though these out-landish sins have of late bin naturalized and made free Denisons of England Yet our ancientest Carte, is for the sinne of Gluttony.
Mot. 2.It is the sinne of our age, our Saviour saith, Mat. 24.37. But as it was in the dayes of Noah, so likewise shall the comming of the Sonne of Man be, They did eate and drinke, &c. That is, excessively; for otherwise they did eate in all ages. It is said of old men, that they are twise children; the same is true of this old doting World, it doth now revert, and relapse into the same sinnes, whereof it was guilty in the Infancy, wee on whom the ends of the World are come, are given to the sinnes of Gluttony, as in the dayes of Noah.
Mot 3.The third Motive is from the time, These seven full Eares, these seven fat Kine; these seven weekes of Feasting, betweene Christmas and Shrovetide are past; these seven leane Eares, these seven leane Kine, the seven Fasting Weeks in Lent, are now begun: Practise therefore the counsell, which Salomon gives, Prou. 23.1. When thou sittest to eate with a Ruler, consider diligently what is before thee, and put thy knife to thy throat, if thou beest a man given to thy appetite. This is thy throat, that narrow passage of Importance, guard it with thy knife, as with a Halbert, that no superfluous meat passe that way, to betray thy soule to Gluttony. But it is to be feared, that wee will rather turne the backs of our knifes, then the edges; I meane we will use little violence to represse and restraine our owne Greedinesse, that our knifes may therefore bee the sharper; let these Whet-stones set an edge on them.
1. Consider the Bread that thou eatest, is the Bread that perisheth: And our Saviour saith, Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that which endureth to everlasting life: Biscate is but perishing Bread, though it may laste two yeares; for what is two yeares to Eternity?
2. We shall perish that eate the meat, but God shall destroy both it and that: And then the Glutton which hath playd the Epicure on meat, whist he lived, the wormes shall play the Epicures on him when he is dead; and whilst the temperate Man shall give them but ordinary commons, the larded Glutton shal afford them plentifull exceedings. To conclude this point, wary was the practise of Iob, Iob 1.5. Who after the dayes of his sons feasting, were gone about, offered burnt Offerings to God for them; for he said, it may be my sonnes have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.
So sith Gluttony is so subtill a sinne, and so hard to be discerned, when we have beene at a great Feast in the day; Let us sacrifice our prayers to God, and sue out a Pardon from him, lest peradventure in the heart of our mirth, without our knowledge, and against our will we have inseverably been overtaken with the sin of Gluttony.