The Drunkards Character, Section 122 – Section 125
§ 122.
SEcondly,2. His sins are against knowledge and conscience. the sinnes which thou committest are against knowledge and conscience, and so farre greater then the same sinnes, if another should doe them ignorantly. The servant that knowes his masters will, and if he doe it not, is a greater sinner, and shall indure a greater punishment, then hee which neglects the same, not knowing it, Luk. 12. 47. 48. to know and not obey, doth but teach God how to condemne us; the greater light wee have, the more shame it is for us to stumble. Anaxagoras that saw the Sunne, and yet denyed it, is condemned, not of ignorance, but of impiety.
The infidell disputes against the faith, the impious lives against it, both deny it; the one in termes, the other in deeds; both are enemies to the Gospell; but of the two, it is worst to kick against the thorns, wee see, then to stumble in the darke at a block, which we see not: it shall go ill with sinnefull Pagans, but worse with wicked Christians; for the Thistell in the Forrest shall not fare so ill, as the barren Figgtree in the Vineyard, the Vine fruitlesse, is of all Trees most uselesse: the daughter of Sion would never have beene so notorious an Harlot, had shee not first beene so rare a Virgin: Iulian and Lucifer had been lesse damned, if the one, had not beene a Christian; and the other, an Angell of light.
Reade wee not that the sinnes of the Iewes were greater, then the sinnes of the Gentiles? because, in Iury God was known, and his name great in Israel; it was not so, saith the Holy Ghost, with other Nations, neither have the Heathen knowledge of his wayes; so the sinnes of us Christians (other circumstances being matches) are greater, then the sinnes of the Iewes; because our knowledge is more, or may be more; they had but an aspersion, line to line, here a little, and there a little; we have an effusion, Asts 2. 17. I will powre out my spirit upon all flesh. For if simple ignorance find no mercy; what Cloak is long enough, to cover wilfull and affected ignorance? certainly, if nescience be beaten with stripes, willfull impiety shall be burned with fire; sinne, even in ignorance, is a Talent of leade; but sinne, after knowledge, is a milstone, to sinke a man to the lowest. If flaming fire be their portion that know not God, and could not; how terrible shall their vengeance be, that might know him and would not? howsoever men live, or dye, without the pale of the Church, a wicked Christian, who either doth, or may know the whole revealed will of God, shall bee sure of plagues.
O how many at that dreadfull day (when God's revenges have found them out) shall unwish themselves Christians, or wish that the Gospell and they had never beene acquainted? yea, how will they in hell curse their knowledge, and unprofitably wish, that they had beene Ideots or infidels, and never had so much as heard of Christ; when they shall find this glorious light, a meanes to promote them to a higher place in the kingdome of darknesse, and procure to them, a greater revenew of torment then others have, who know lesse? for he who is ignorant of, or neglects his owne salvation, all his knowledge tendeth to his greater condemnation: to know good, and doe evill, makes a mans owne mittimus to Hell. If with Baalam and Iudas, we have knowledge in the head, without holinesse in the heart; we shall, with Vriah and Bellerophon, but carry letters to cut our owne throates; or with that servant in the comedy, carry Sathan a speciall warrant, to bind us hand and foot, and cast us into everlasting fire.
§ 123.
THirdly,3. He sins not of infirmity but presum…ously and of set purpose. as in sin there is sundry steps and degrees, whereby one and the same sinne, may be lessened, or increased; so thou doest mightily increase the guilt of thy sinne this way. As for example. It is a fearefull thing to omit good; more fearefull, to commit evill; (as I have shewed) but worse, to delight in sinne; worse then that, to defend it; but worse then worst, to boast of it; which is an usuall thing with thee.
Or thus, hee doth bad enough, that sins through infirmity, being led captive against his will, to doe foule crimes; but thou doest incomparably worse, who sinnest presumtuously, and of se… purpose, yea, of obstinate and resolved malice against God, and his image (as I shall in due place prove) sining, not only without all shame, but not without malice; insomuch that it is thy least ill, to doe evill; for behold, thou speakest for it, joyest in it, boastest of it, enforcest to it, mockest them that dislike it; as if thou wouldest send challenges into heaven, and make love to destruction.
Fourthly,4. His sins are so open and scandalous that the Gospel is dishonoured and … God blasphemed. thy sinnes exceed and weigh downe other mens, that shall goe to the same place of torment, because they are so open and scandalous; for he that sinnes publikely, to the dishonour of God and religion, is a greater offender, then if hee did the same at home, and in private.
Sinne that is done abroad, ceaseth to be single, for it is many sinnes in one, and that in a double respect; it stumbles others, it infects others. First, it stumbles others, and this doth much to increase it. It did wonderfully aggravate David's sin, that it caused the enemies of God to blaspheme: and made the sinne of Elie's sons (whose scandalous lives, made men abhorre the offerings of the Lord) so heynous, that God even swore unto Ely, that the wickednesse of his house should not bee purged with sacrifice, nor offering for ever, 1 Sam. 3. 14.
O the difference between thy practise, and what it ought to be: Christians ought to be blameles, pure, and without rebuke, yea, to shine as lights to other men, in the middest of a naughty and crooked nation, Phil. 2. 15. whereas thou by thy deboyshed life: and abominable licenciousnes, doest scandalize the Gospell and true religion, yea, make it odious to Turkes and Infidels, according to that of the Apostle Rom. 2. 24.
Secondly, it infects others, in which regard, saith I siodore, It is a greater offence to sinne openly then secretly; for he is doubly faulty, who both doeth, and teacheth the same. To sinne before the face of God, is to dishonour him; but withall to sinne before the face of men, whereby others are taught and incouraged to doe the like, is doubly to dishonour him. An exemplary offender, is like a malicious man sicke of the plague, that runs into the throng to disperse his infection, whose mischiefe outweighes all penalty: Many an Israelite committed fornication, and yet upon repentance got pardon; but Zimry that would doe it impudently, in the face of God and man, was sure to perish.
§ 124.
FIftly,5 He commits many sins one in the… eck of another, and multiplies the same sins often. this aggravates thy guilt exceedingly, in that thou addest sinne to sinn; as first, thou committest drunkennesse, and then in the necke of that thou blasphemest God, slanderest thy neighbour, seducest thy friend, committest adultery, murther, &c. as thou best knowest the wickednesse, whereunto thy heart is privie: when for a lesse matter then one of these, that worldling forfeited his soule, Luk. 12. 20.
Againe, thou aggravatest thy guilt, by multiplying of sinne, that is, by falling often into the same wickednesse; and hereby Sathan makes sure worke, for though the Devill be the father, lust the mother, consent the midwife, sinne the child, and death the portion; yet all is like to miscarry, if custome become not an indulgent nurse, to breede up the …ame till it come to an habit.
Sathan first twines certaine small threads together of seeming profit, pleasure, &c. and so makes a little cord of vanity, therewith to draw us unto him; and afterwards composeth of such lesser cords twisted together, that cart-rope, or cable (custome of iniquity) and therewith he seekes to bind men fast unto him for starting; for when …inne, by custome and long practice, is growne to an habit, this is sinne in perfection, or the perfection of sinne; because custome in sinne, brings hardnesse of heart; hardnesse of heart, impenitency; and impenitency, damnation.
Yet this by the way is to be noted and remembred, that men of yeares liveing in the Church, are not simply condemned for their particular sinnes, but for their continuance and residence in them: sinnes committed make men worthy of damnation, but liveing and abiding in them, without repentance, is that which brings damnation upon them: such as live within the precincts of the Church, shall be condemned for the very want of true faith and repentance.
§ 125.
SIxthly,6 He sins against mercy, the abundance of meanes, and the many warnings, which others never had. thy judgment shall not onelyonly be increased, according to thy sinnes; but God will therefore adjudge thee, to so much the f…rer and severer condemnation, by how much thy meanes of repentance hath beene greater.
If I had not come and sp…ken unto them (saith our Saviour) they should not have …ad …; but now have they no cloake for their sinne, Iohn, 15. 22. Ordinary disobedience in the time of grace; and wilfull neglect of Gods call, in the abundance of meanes, is a great deale more damnable, then the commission of sinne in the dayes of ignorance and blindnesse, when the like meanes are wanting. Those Gentiles, the Ninivites, were more righteous then the Iewes, in that they repented at the voice of one Prophet, yea, and that with one Sermon; whereas the Iewes refused and resisted all the Prophets, which God sent among them; but the Iewes who resisted our Saviour Christ's doctrine, and put him to death, were more righteous then such as amongst us are scoffers at Religion, and Antipodes to the power of grace, they were never convinced that he was the Messias, sent from God to redeeme the world, as all, or almost all are, that call themselves Christians, because they professe themselves members of Christ, and Protestants, in token that they are ready to protest against, and resist all such as are professed enemies to, and opposers of Christs Gospell.
As for the Heathen Philosophers, who knew not God in Christ, they are more righteous then wicked Christians beyond compare, for they beleeved as Pagans, but lived as Christians: wheras such beleeve as Christians, but live like Pagans: yea, many of them would have beene ashamed to speake that, which many of these are not ashamed to doe: and though we are unworthy to be called Christians, if we professe him in name, and be not like him in workes; yet the most part of men amongst us proclaime to the world, that they have never thought whether they are going to Heaven or Hell.
There be many professed Christians, but few imitaters of Christ: we have so much science, and so little conscience; so much knowledge, and so little practise; that to thinke of it, would move wonder to astonishment, had not our Lord told us, that, even amongst those that heare the Gospell, three parts of the good seede falls upon bad ground.
The common Protestant is of Baalam's Religion, that would dye the death of the righteous: but no more, Ioshua's resolution; I and my house will serve the Lord, is growne quite out of credit with the world: and there are more banquerupts in Religion, then of all other professions: but let men take heede, least by their disobedience they lose their second Paradise, as our originall Parents did their first. If we are commanded to exceede Scribes and Pharisees in our righteousnesse, then those that come short of the Ethnick Pagans, what torments shall they suffer? Ierusalem is said to justifie Sodom; yet were the Sodomites in Hell; now if we justifie Hierusalem, sure we shall lye lower in Hell, then either the Sodomites, or the Iewes; for we are so much the worse, by how much we might have beene better.