The Diseases of the Time, Chapter 16

The Diseases of the Time · Chapter 16

p. 330CHAP. XVI. Anti-Circe. A potion that turnes Beasts into Men, being before turned from Men into aBests.

MAny are the sores that afflict the minde of corrupt and miserable Man. But of these many, there are diuers that bee contented with the hurt of one p. 331single part or faculty of the soule, as a Mote in the Eie, and a Thorne in the Foot. There is a single error in iudgement, a particular straying of the will, and a measured disordinatenesse of the Affections. In which cases the amending of that one part where the griefe lyes is sufficient.

But there is a kinde of Men (for such they were once) that will not bee contented with such small sores, but they will needes turne their minde into one whole sore; Facies dicatur an vlcus? you shall not distinguish the face of their (once-reasonable) soules, from that of the brutish and still vnreasonable soules of Beasts. They cast so much moysture on the Lampe of their vnderstanding, so much mudde vponupon p. 332their wils, that the light of their vnderstanding is put out, and the fethers of a diuine and celestiall will are vnable to mount; and so the soule in her faculties is slaine, and there remaynes nothing but the huskes and shels of Men, for the Men themselues are turned out of doores.

To such, mending will not serue the turne for they are dead. They must goe beyond mending, and had need to goe to new making. For where the principia be not only laesa, but as it were coesa, an almost indelible Character of darknesse and sensuality, being stamped on the soule, how shall the soule be new lighted, but by the first inlightner, and how shall she of sensuall bee made spirituall, but by a new-begetting p. 333of the Father of Spirits? This masse of moysture is like the first Chaos, voyde and without forme, and darknesse is vponupon the face of it.

What remedie remaynes, but that now as then the spirit moue vponupon the waters, euen vponupon this informed lumpe of Humidity; There needs another fiat, euen a voyce from Heauen, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead. But here is the difficulty, The spirit can new make him, but it is almost impossible to leade him to the thought of the spirit, much lesse to the Spirit it selfe.

If a Prophet would preach of Wine or strong drinke, he should hauehave a plentifull Audience, but the spirit to moyst men, is but a dry doctrine. Yet p. 334I will not despayre to please them, for I will also promise to bring to them the best new Wine, a Wine that will comfort and cheere their hearts aboue all the Wine in the World. And I doubt not, but if they once truly taste it, they shall tell the Master of the Feast, euen the God of consolations: Thou hast kept the Wine vntill the last. And that I may assuredly leade them in the right way to him, who will both new make them, and cherish them being new made, I will set them in the same path, where I see S. Paul a follower of Christ, leading his followers; for he long since vsed the same kind of remedie for the same disease, leading the Ephesians from the excesse of Wine to the fulnes p. 335of the quickning and renuing Spirit.

The Apostle Paul in that place sets downe a Vice and a Remedy, and hee striues to make the Vice abhorred, and the Remedy loued. To doe this he needs no other art but euidence, euen to set forthliuely the true portrature of Vice, and the true feature of Vertue, for Vice beeing truely represented, like a fury or ghast of Hell, frights away her Spectators with her owne vglines, and Vertue by her amiable & glorious aspect, rauisheth and commandeth hearts and affections.

Let vsus therefore with patience or impatience, if you wil, behold this Monster, whereof though the sight maybe offensiue, yet that offensiuenesse p. 336may perchance prooue a cure to the sicke; and as for the whole wee will recompence them againe, when the Vertue is compared with the Vice, for Contraries are a foyle to each other; And vglinesse being more vgly by the side of Vertue, Vertue will againe be the more glorious by the compared vglinesse of Vice. This Vice then is heere desciphered to vsus by three things, Heere is the matter of it, heere is the measure or vnmeasurablenesse of it, and heere is the house & residence of it.

The Matter of Drunkennesse is Wine, the Measure is Excesse, the house where it dwels, but should not dwell; is yee, euen miserable Man. But what will they say, Doth the matter of this Vice any p. 337way set forth the vglinesse of it? Is not Wine an excellent Creature? and is it not commended in the Scripture? and to say truth (reioynes one of the Throat-Gyants) it is for the excellence of it that wee take so much of it; And here if I would giuegive him the hearing, hee would gather a Doctrine out of Salomons Text, yet cleane contrary to the intent of it: That the colour is amiable, the motion sprightly, and the effect comfortable. But when thou hast spoken this, thou Sepulchre of Gods Creatures, I answere thee, that euen for these reasons thou & thy beastlinesse are most abominable.

For is Wine such an excellent Creature, and hath GOD giuen it such Vertues? Then p. 338art thou a very Swine to abuse so excellent a Creature, to defile that which is precious, to tread on a Pearle with thy feete; yea, thou art a true beast for debasing thy selfe by that which is excellent. Is Wine an excellent Creature, why dost thou bestow it so filthily as thou dost? thou knowest the issues of it, and I am ashamed to name them, thy deedes are too foule for my words, I only say thus: If it be so excellent, why dost thou throw it about Chimneyes, floores and corners? Is this the fruit of an excellent gift that thou shouldest cast the gifts before the giuers face on the ground; yea, by their excellence lose thy owne excellence, and by spoyling them rob thy selfe of thy selfe. The p. 339excellence of them should incite thee to an excellent vse of them, the goodnesse of God in giuing so good a gift, should rayse vp goodnesse in thee in the vse of his gift, and to say truth, if there were any good nature in thee, thou wouldest please him that hath pleased thee, by vsing the gift iust according to the will of the giuer.

Thou takest all other Grants vnderunder the Couenants of the Grantor, so shouldest thou doe this euen to the same end, and vnderunder the same measure by which he affordeth it; And if thou aske what that is, Iust so much as may make man better and not worse, as may adde to the man, and not take from him, that the lower and bodily part of man may bee p. 340so strengthened and comforted, that the higher part of man remayne sound and intyre.

If thou doe otherwise, the Wine doth accuse thee by his excellence, and makes thee the more lothsome. For if it could speake as it can take away speech, it would complaine vntounto thee that it selfe is excellent, and man is excellent, but in this beastlines both the excellencies are lost, for the excellent Wine hath spoyled the excellent man, & excellent man hath spoyled the excellēt Wine. So doth the Swallower preuent the Day of Iudgement, for then it is said: That God shall destroy both the meat and the belly, But this man will not stay so long, hee will before hand destroy both p. 341the drinke and the belly, for the occupation of this man is to destroy the Wine, by his belly, and his belly, soule and body by the Wine.

And as the vertue of this Creature hath beene one motiue to restrayne vsus from the vice of abusing it, so the vnmeasurablenesse & monstrousnesse of it in the word Excesse, is a second retractiue, & that a mighty one. There is a danger in this wine saith Paul, euen the danger of an excesse, and the excesse of Wine hath this mischiefe with it, that by how much the Wine exceeds, the man diminisheth; as much as the Wine is too much, so much the man is too little, and what losse is greater then when a man loseth his owne selfe? Therefore if any thing p. 342will moue thee, Let the greatest losse mooue thee, rather lose thy Wine then lose thy selfe: yea, indeed thou sauest thy Wine by sauing thy selfe, for in excesse you are both cast away. This thing excesse is worse then the sting of an Aspe, for by it Wine poysoneth the very Soule and Reason of Man. Hence it is that Wine is a mocker, and makes a Foole of a man, for the looke of it promiseth pleasure, the pleasure prouoketh excesse, & excesse brings a man out of his wits, and so hee becomes a Laughing-stock to Fooles, & a Lothing-stock to the Godly; And indeed as Idols are most truly called stocks and stones, so may these men also, for they hauehave eyes and see not, eares and heare not, neyther doe they p. 343perceiue any thing. Now ought not this to be a most fearefull and odious thing vntounto man, That where mans chiefest excellence and honour is the Image of God, this Vice flyes maynly at the face of this Image, and seekes to scratch it out of the soule; and so to leaue man as base and dishonorable as the Beasts, whome man despiseth most. So is this excesse a notable kinde of murder, for it kils that which is indeed the man, euen Reason and Vnderstanding. And as it is thus contrary to the Creation by defacing that Image of God, which the Creation planted in vsus, so it is also contrary to Regeneration, and the recouery of that decayed Image. So is it a murder of the second Adam in vsus as well p. 344as of the first, euen a murde… of life eternall. The new man saith Paul, is created in knowledge and true holinesse, but drunkennes (it is a foule word and an honest eare is troubled with the sound of it) quencheth the shining Lampe of knowledge, and the spirituall fire of holinesse, and leaues the soule of man as den of darkenesse and vncleannesse. It thrusts a finger into the very eye of the soule, euen the vnderstanding, and puts it out; and it leaues such a drosse and muddinesse on the will, that it growes base and downward, the fiery mountings of the spirit being quenched by the fogs and cloudes of moysture,

Nam que affigit hums diuinae particulam Aurae;

p. 345Such lamentable effects of excesse you shal ordinarily see in these thirsty men, or men-fishes (for their life is only in liquido) they hauehave commonly rebated and dull vnderstandings, and base, grosse and muddy affections. They louelove base company, base places, and base courses.

But if it be not yet odious enough, behold the Monster it selfe as you go in the streets (for you can hardly misse him) and that will best affright you; A certaine thing it is that perchance was lately a man, but now hath nor soul nor body; That little mouth of his hath swallowed downe his whole selfe, he is intombed in his owne bowels, and that which is buried in him is his Sepulchre. Hee is now only p. 346Belly, Foolishnesse and Sicknesse; his panch hath buried the Wine, and in the Wine is his wit buried, his soule, his hands, his feet, and perchance his last wealth.

Thete can be nothing sayd of him now, but that hee is a meere Caske, the shell of wine, yet worse then that, a Caske that marres the Wine, and it selfe is marred by it. You may strike him if yee will, he feeles it not, for he is dead as well as buried, and whosoeuer would speake with him, he must stay till hee come home; for the drinke hath turned him out of doores. But to what end doe I cast away my words? If I speake to such a one, I speake to the dead, and how can hee heare? And if I speake to the liuing, He is not such, and hee p. 347hath no need of my speaking? Surely I will here take vp the saying of Salomon, of the other generall death, That it is good to see the house of death, because the liuing shall lay it to his heart. So though I hauehave small hope of the dead in excesse. A Lazarus of that kinde being very seldome raysed vntounto life, yet let the liuing behold this house of death, and hee may lay it to his heart.

Let those that stand by the falne take heed least they fall, Let the vglinesse which they see & abhorre in others, make them striue not to bee that which they doe abhorre. Beware of Wine, because it tempts to excesse, and therefore handle it with feare (I speake now chiefly to them that excuse themselues by being p. 348ouertaken) because it hath a sting in it: But especially beware of excesse, for without this sting the wine will hurt thee. Be an equall Iudge betweene thy taste and thy whole selfe, euen thy body, thy soule yea Grace the soule of thy soule. Bee not partiall to thy base sensuality, but rather … thy selfe, and fauour those excellent things, Gods Grace, thy owne soule and bodie; Abate that which would abat… thee, and lose any thing rather then thy selfe.

A third dehortatiue is th… consideration of persons, for the persons whom hee dehorteth, are men and Christians and such of all other it worst becommeth. A Swine, o… a Heathen, or (a Heathens fellow) a Swa…geret it becomes p. 349somewhat kindly; But men of vnderstanding, seruants & members of Christ Iesus it fits by no meanes; yea, it is a miserable incongruity. A man that hath some remnant of Gods Ima…e, yea, which is more, that hath Gods Image renued in him: yea, is bought and brought to the wearing of this Image by the preciou… bloud of the Sonne of God that such a one should defile and deface Gods Image in himselfe, this is a great absurditie.

Therefore hee coniureth them by their Manhood, and by their Christanity, that they would not put on this wilfull madnes, by which both Manhood and Christianitie may be lost. Christ hath dyed for thee, doe not spoyle him with thy p. 350drinke for whom Christ dyed. Doe not thou defile with thy Wine that which Christ hath washed with his bloud, and where Christ indured so great a paine as accompanyed the shedding of his bloud, and nayling on the Crosse for thy saluation, doe not thou shed thy Wine vponupon thy selfe to procure thy owne damnation. Surely thou preferrest Wine before the bloud of Christ, and before the Spirit of Christ. Thou art not a Christian but a Gadaren, or rather the Hogge of the Gadarens, now in carrying by the Deuill into the Deepe, if thou preferre a Swinish pleasure before the most precious bloud of the Sauiour of the World.

Therefore, behold thy dignity and that may suffice thee. p. 351Thou art elect according to the fore-knowledge of God, by the sprinkling of the bloud of Christ and the sanctification of the Spirit; and is there a greater excellencie then this, to bee a sonne of God so freely elected, so preciously redeemed, so diuinely sanctified? And now put this filthinesse by the side of it (a lothsome and odious comparison, I confesse, but profitable by the lothsomenesse) and can any man indure to loose the Trinity, that hee may gaine Sensuality, to leaue to be a Saint, that hee may be a Beast, to lose Heauen, that he may gaine Hell? Me thinkes a man had neede bee drunke before-hand, in this case to make a choice of Drunkennesse.

And now Paul passeth from p. 352the Vice to the Remedie. An admirable fit and soueraigne Remedie, as which helpeth it three wayes. First by a contrariety, for cures are most commonly by contraries, and as excessiue wine hath bin shewed to be contrary to the spirit, so is the spirit to it. Secondly, by a conformitie with it, but excelling it, and so the eminence of it calleth vsus away, from that which is meaner to that which is more precious, as the offer of gold calls vsus from siluer or brasse. Thirdly, by a priuiledge wherein it differs from it, as not hauing the danger of wine, which is excesse; for there is no excesse in the spirit, but excesse is a vertue in it, and the greater measure the more comm…ndation. Now that thou mayst be p. 353glad to b…e cured of this Vice by the contrariety of the Spirit, see wherein the contrariety consists. The surfet of wine makes darknesse in thy Vnderstanding, and the Spirit light: It makes brutish sensuality, strong and heauy vponupon the Will and affections, and the Spirit exalts and purifies the Will by a cleane and celestiall grace. Now if I leaue it to thy choyce whether thou wilt come out of Darknesse into Light, from a seruile sensuality, a true equality with Beasts, into the glorious liberty of holy cleane and heauenly Minds; I know thou wilt tell mee that there is no doubt in this choyce, but that Light is farre better then Darknesse, and a heauenly Mind is farre better then a sensuall. Then p. 354doe but beleeue what thou sayest, and doe what thou beleeuest, and thou art cured. Preferre in thy workes as well as thy words, the light of the Deity shining on thy Soule, before the darknesse of excesse sent vp from the grosse vapors of Moysture. Bee thou farre more glad to hauehave thoughts of Purity, thoughts of Felicity, thoughts of Eternity, then the beastly imaginations of filthy Lusts, inflamed in thy Soule by the Lake of Brimstone that lies in thy Bowels. Let neither the colour nor the tast of Wine be thought a fit counterpoyse to those excellencies of the Spirit, but when Wine would tempt thee by them, call him Mocker, and tell him that pleasure is but a pretence, but darknesse, sensuality, p. 355and eternall death is the drift of it. Tell it thou hast a Light in thee more precious then the light of the Sunne (the Father of Wine) yea more excellent then any Creature, and thou wilt not change this excellent light into darknesse, for so small a price as a sight and a tast. Say thou hast a quickening and purifying flame of heauenly Fire sent downe into thy heart, and thou wilt not quench it for the World, by the inundation of a brutifying Moysture. And hauing chased away this tempting Ammonite, that will not make peace with thee but by pulling out thy best eye, retire into the Light and Vertue of the Spirit, inflame it, blowe it, kindle it by Meditation, by Prayer, by Reading, and the p. 356increase of this Light and Vertue, wi… increase in thee lo…hing of the Darknesse and Beastlinesse of excesse. The Light of the Spirit and the graces therof, will bee so highly precious in thy sight, that thou wilt wonder that any man should goe downe from that Heauen of the Soule, into the darke and miry Dungeons of a stupi…ied sightlesse, filthy, sensuall and sencelesse Mind. Thou wilt admire that a man should wilfully put out so glorious a Lampe as the Light of the Spirit, and that a man should quench that fire by which in some measure he is partaker of the Diuine Nature, and all this to get into him the nature, habite and condition of a Swine, an Ape, a Goat, or a Lyon. Wherefore take heed to the p. 357new Creature of God, created in knowledge and holinesse, which is farre more glorious then all the old Creatures; Let that by all meanes bee preferred in its dignitie and supremacie, let all Creatures serue it, for so the Creator allowes, but let it selfe bee brought in bondage to nothing. Let it be kept bright and pure for the seruice and pleasure of the Creator, who therefore beautified Man with a likenesse to his owne Heart, that his heart might take pleasure in that likenesse. And if the chiefe pleasure which God takes on Earth be this Beauty of Man, then man himselfe should take his chiefest pleasure in pr…eruing and adorning this Beauty; Otherwise hee is an vngratefull Wretch, not ca…ing p. 358to gratifie the Creator with the pleasure of his owne Gifts, and hee is an ignorant Foole, for not taking a chiefe pleasure in that wherein the highest Wisdome is especially delighted. But whosoeuer is the truly begotten sonne of that supreme Wisedome, cannot but louelove and cherish the Wisdome and Graces of the inner Man, wherein stands the beautifull Image and likenesse of the most glorious Father. And whosoeuer loueth and cherisheth it, cannot but hate and abhominate that Excesse, that casts blacknesse and filth on so bright rauishing and celestiall a Beauty.

Neyther doth here the Spirit of God bid vsus to our losse, but (which is the second Remedie) euen in those things p. 359wherein Wine is desirable, the Spirit offers vsus aduantage. If the Wine bee pleasant to the eye, the sights of the Spirit are farre more excellent, for they are such as eye hath not seene. The Spirit of God reueales sights vnvtterable, and our soules anoynted with that eye-salue, Looke into heauen and see him that is inuisible. Glorious and delectable are the Contemplations of the Saints, euen such, that they grow rapt by the sights which they behold, and are loth to come downe from that high Tabor of Vision, into the low and base valley of outward and grosse conuersation. The light of the body is the eye, but the eye of Man is the Soule; The Spirituall sight is mans most excellent Sight, and Spirituall p. 360obiects are his most excellent obiects. When we see outward things, wee see but that which beasts may see with vsus, but when we see Spirituall things, we see that which none but Men and Angels can see wherefore be thou filled with the Spirit, wherby thou mayst see the true and kindly obiects of Men and Angels, and dwell not in thy outward eies wherin Beasts may excell thee. By thy inward sight thou shalt in some measure behold God, thy chiefe Felicity, the louelove of God in Christ Iesus giuen for our Ransome, the admirable Graces and Vertues of a holy and sanctifying Spirit. In summe, thou shalt see such diuine Sights, that thou wilt not giuegive thy Contemplations for a Kingdome. For at what p. 361price will a heauenly Soule sell his Meditations? aaGregor. in ps. p… ni…. 4.Sion is by interpretation a Watch-towre, and Sion is a type of the Church. The Church of God stands on a Watch-towre, and it sees more then seuen men on a Watch-towre; and as her height is exalted on the towre of contemplation, so her foundation is setled beneath on the Rocke of stability. So as shee sees farre by her height, shee is also stable by her foundation; which amounts to this, That Sion is a Watch-towre, that cannot be remooued from her Contemplation. Now if this heauenly Sight bee the most excellent Sight of Man, dwell no longer in thy outward eies, to behold eyther the colour, spright, or motion of Wine, or of any earthly obiect; But p. 362in the stedfast Watch-towre of diuine Contemplation, behold sights worthy of a Creature indued with a heauenly Soule. Scorne to dwell in an equality with Beasts, when thou mayst come into a parity with Angels, and if thou wilt needs looke on Wine, Looke on the new Wine of the kingdome of Heauen, which Christ now drinkes aboue, and for which hee hath left the old, hauing professed that hee will drinke no more of it. But of this Wine more hereafter.

Secondly, If thy tast delight thee, how much is that exceeded by the delights of the Spirit? The Church confesseth, that the kisses of Christ Iesus (who kisseth his Church by the Spirit) are pleasanter then Wine. Quam dulcia faucibus p. 363meis eloquia tua, sayth Dauid. Hee is fayne to aske how sweet, because he cannot tell nor expresse the sweetnesse of it; What is sweeter then hony, sayth Samson, and yet Dauid sayth, The Word of God, being tasted by the Spirit is sweeter then hony. How many Saints hauehave left their meat and drinke for the Wine of the Spirit? How many hauehave beaten downe their bodies by abstinence, that they might the more fully tast the Sweetnesse of God? Wherefore if thou wilt indeed tast sweetnesse, get thee a Spirituall tast, & receiue the Wine of heauen giuen by Christ Iesus the Wisdome of God: For he it is that (Pro. 8.) calleth the sonnes of men, promising to fill them with delights (vers. 31.) And surely p. 364those must needs be the chiefe delights which issue from the taste of the Deity, which is the vppermost Sweetnesse. Wherfore desire thou rather to taste God in himselfe then in his Creatures, for that is the highest pleasure of tasting, which flowes from the taste of the sweetnesse of the Highest.

Thirdly, If thou desire Wine for the cheerfulnesse and ioy which it breedeth, know that the Spirit of God is the Fountaine of Consolation; and then chuse thou whether thou wilt drink of the streame or of the fountaine. The Spirit of God hath in it the ioy and comfort of Wine. Yea, Wine hath his ioy and comfort from the Spirit, for the Spirit of God, as once by miracle, so still by course of Nature p. 365turnes water into Wine. But there is another, euen a new Wine in the kingdome of God, and this is the best wine. A new Wine it is to vsus, but not in it selfe; new to vsus, because wee were first filled with the old Wine of our fall, and secondly with this Wine of excesse, and after wee come to drink this wine of regeneration and glorification. So it is new to vsus, but it is old in it selfe, as flowing eternally from an eternally from an eternall Deity. This is the true Wine which recoyceth the heart, not of the body onelyonly but of the soule also, to which the outward Wine connot reach. This is the Wine of blessed Spirits, the drinking whereof is the cause of those vnvtterable ioyes which dwel in the dwellers, p. 366with God. In this the Spirit giues not some grosse and bodily relish, thereby to become comfortable to the bodily part of Man, but in this the Spirit communicates the sap, tast and relish of its owne primitiue sweetnesse, vigour and cheerfulnesse, so that wee doe not so much tast comfort, as the Comforter himselfe. In the drinking of this Wine shew thy manhood, Drinke deep and true healths, for with this drinking is ioyned true and eternall health. The more thou drinkest of this, the wiser, the holyer, the more sober thou art, for in the same Spirit wherein is cheerfulnesse, is also Wisdome and Vertue. The tast of this Wine is a bequeath of dying Christ Iesus to his beloued Spouse p. 367the Church, whom he comforteth and supporteth, with the flagons thereof in his absence before the Day of his great Marriage, where it shall bee giuen in fulnesse. And the comforts of it are sufficient to strēgthen vsus against all sorts of griefe, yea they make vsus cheerfully to scorne and despise the pleasures of sinne; they make vsus to looke on death with disdayne, as vponupon a Snake whose fling and teeth are pulled out, Death where is thy sting, Graue where is thy victory? They make vsus to long for heauen, and stirre vp the stomacke of the soule by these measured tastes of God, to tast him perfectly in a most blessed, full, and eternall fruition. But perchance thou wilt tell mee that thou tastest no such sweetnesse p. 368in God; thou hast heard him spoken of in Churches and Pulpits, and thou sayest thy prayers as others doe, and yet thou perceiuest no such matter as I talke of. Surely I must confesse, This Wine is not for eueryevery mouth, neyther is eueryevery mouth for this Wine. The holy Wine must be put into holy Vessels, for it is farre holyer then the shew-bread, for the receiuing whereof Abimelech would that the young mens Vessels should be cleane. The corrupt and lustfull Flesh, as it tasteth not this Wine, no more doth this Wine indure to be tasted by it: this fruit of the tree of Life cannot be receiued, but where the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and euill is spit out and denyed. The louers of Egyptian p. 369Onions, are no true tasters of celestiall Manna: therfore striue to cast out the old Man, corrupt with deceiuable Lusts, which makes thy taste grosse and earthly, and then thou shalt taste the sweetnesse of God and his consolations. And hauing tasted it, thou shalt despise the tast of thy former gluttonies and drinkings, and thou shalt say with Dauid, Thou hast put more ioy into my heart, then formerly there was when the Oyle and Wine were plentifull. This is a priuiledge of Saints: bee thou a Saint, and inioy the priuiledge.

Thirdly (for drunkennesse had need to be haled out with a three-fold cord) behold a benefit of this Spirituall wine, which the other wanteth; yea, p. 370behold the same thing commendable in the one, & damnable in the other, and that is excesse. Thou must drinke too much of the outward wine, but canst not drinke too much of the inward, and therfore if thou louelove safety better then danger, louelove the wine of the Spirit rather then the fruit of the Vine. If thou knowest a Physitian that heales all that he meddles with, and another that hath killed as many as he hath vndertaken, doest thou not shew thy folly to preferre the killer before the sauer.

Surely the spirit saues all that it vndertakes, and wine hath slaine many soules and bodies by excesse, O louelove life, and seeke not death by the errours of this life. Drinke the Spirit without feare, but drink p. 371wine still in feare; thou mayst not feare in the drinking of the spirit except thou wilt feare increase of comfort, of light, of holinesse. Thou canst not drinke freely of wine without feare, except thou do not feare the losse of light, the losse of reason, of goodnesse, of thy whole selfe.

The spirit by how much it groweth in thee the wiser, the better, the more larger thou art; But by how much more thou drinkest the wine of excesse, the foolisher, the wickeder, the lesser thou art. Therefore when thou takest the Cup of Saluation, open thy mouth wide that it may bee largely filled, but when thou takest thy cup of wine, know it is a cup of danger, and let in danger as sparely as thou mayst. p. 372It is the saying of a Wiseman, Hee that loueth danger shall perish in it, and surely hee that loueth wine, loueth danger, and therefore hee that lowine, is likely to perish by it. While thou fitst at thy wine, the wine seemes to thee to be still the same, because it is still of the same colour, and the same taste, and taken out of the same Vessell; but I tell thee that the wine at the fourth or fifth draught is not the same that it was at the first or second. The wine at the first or second draught perchance was comfortable or physicall, but at the fourth or fifth it is furious and vnholsome. It refresheth thy spirits at first, but it destroyes them at last, and so the same wine which was at first thy comfort, p. 373is at last thy poison. Therfore hold thy hand from wine when it beginnes to bee poyson, know the time when it changeth, and take heed thou keepe thy selfe on this side of the Change.

On this side, thou art Master both of it & thy selfe, and thou mayst rule both thy selfe and it; beyond, the wine will be thy Master, and thou shalt doe what it pleaseth. Then shall thy mouth speake lewd things, and by speaking or not speaking it shall proclayme thy shame. Wherefore if thou louelove thy liberty, if thou louelove the possession of thy selfe, stop thy appetite betweene the wine that refresheth and the wine that destroyeth. And that thou mayst bee the more strong in this power of Abstinence, p. 374with a purified soule thirst after the wine of the Spirit, with which they that thirst shall be filled, and with which they that are filled, doe scorne both the thirst and fulnesse, & especially the excesse of earthly wine.

Thus hauehave I made a Whip of a twice threefold Cord out of this exhortation of S. Paul, there withall to whip these deuourers of drink not out of the Temple, but into the Temple from the Chappels of Satan. I wish they would in this point bee Papists, and whip themselues also, if not withall, yet with some of these cords, that so by such wholsome wounds, their euill might be purged. I confesse, I hauehave left out one word of this verse, which word seemes to be the occasion p. 375of the whole Verse, and it is the word (drunken.) I might say for an Answer, that I wish it were wholly left out in deeds as it is heere in words, but if that will not serue for an Answere, Let it be this. The matter of the word is the subiect of this Discourse, and the word excesse reacheth close vntounto it.

But for the word it selfe, as I hauehave for the most part auoyded the lothsome naming of it, So I desire that the lothsomenesse of the name may make the owners leaue it, and intreat them to this end, to preach sometimes to themselues, and their Sermon shall bee only an houres repetition of this word, Drunken. I doubt not but the beastly sound of it in the eare, the p. 376muddie cadence of it on the tongue will bee so fulsome, so odious to them, that in the vglinesse of the word, beholding the lothsomenesse of the deed, they will hate and anoyde the deed, whereof the word is so abominable.