The Drunkards Character, Section 186 – Section 187
§ 186
SEcondly,2 VVise. let us be wise and cautelous to avoid their crafty allurements, take heede of beleiving their words, of trusting their promises, of yeelding to their perswasions and solicitations, when they woe us to drinke more then will doe us good: yea, let quaffers quarrell, rage, and scoffe, threaten curse, and load thee with a thousand censures; yet hold thine owne still, pledge the Devill for none of them all.
O…. Many objections answered.But I shall offend my friend, and the rest will take exceptions.
Answ. Thou art what thou art, when thou art thus tried and put to it: wherefore, if the wife of thy bosome shall tempt thee to evill, or seeke to alienate thy affection from God and his Law, she is a traytor both to thee, and to him, and therefore must be rejected. What saith St. Hierom? should my Father kneele to mee, my Mother beseech me with teares, my Brothers and Sisters seeke to entise mee to the love of this world, and the neglect of Gods worship, I would shake … my Father, tread under foote my Mother, and spurne my Brothers and Sisters, rather then they should be a meanes to keepe mee from the service of God.
Neither will the complaint of our first Parents, be taken for a good answer or plea another day:That others deceive thee, will be a poo…e plea another day. it will be fruitlesse to say, such and such a friend deceived me: Eue was perswaded by the serpent to eate the forbidden fruit, and Adam by Eue; yet that would not justifie them in the Court of Heaven, each of them had a severall curse, both tempters, and tempted.
True it is, drunkards being better acquainted with wrangling then reasoning, and deeper in love with strife then truth; what they cannot maintaine by reason, a feminine testinesse shall outwrangle, at least, if a man will be subdued with words, which is the case of none, but cowards and fooles: but as for their exceptions. If thou wouldest avoid all circumvention by these multiplied healthes, pledge the healths of none, and then none can take exceptions: he that would not be drawne to pledge many healthes, let him not admit of any upon any tearmes.
But they will be importunate above measure. Ans. A shamelesse begger must have a strong deniall. O but I shall be held unmannerly, discourteous, uncivill, &c. What, because thou wilt not hazard thy health, credit, soule, &c to gratifie a beast. But they are such as love me, and doe it in kindnesse; This kindnesse of theirs is but a dog…like kindnesse, as you shall have a Spaniell, in great love to his master, leape upon him, slabber his cloathes, lick his face; is it, I pray you, any incivili…y to beate downe such a cur? I tell thee, a dog will not more defile thee, then these drinking cattle will, unlesse thou beate them off with flat denialls.
Wherefore, though I wish thee not to be rude and uncivill, yet be sure to shake off these hold-fasts, and neither make thy stomack too heauy, nor thy head too light with answering expectation. It is better to be thought unmannerly, discourteous, or injurious towards men (especially such men) then indeed be so unto God himselfe.
As for their love and friendship, if thou but knewest whose factors thy ill companions are, thou wouldest even hate them, and either not come in their company, or hasten out of it with all possible speede; for nothing more proves them enemies, then their too much importuning thee; and they can be no other then wicked, when their very mercies are cruelty.
Neither doe these enemies ever wound so deadly, They neverwound so deadly as when they stroak with a silken handas when they stroake us with a silken hand: for by their smooth tongues, and milky language, they serve their freinds, as the Tyrannous Emperor served his servauts, whom hee stifled in a chamber filled with Roses: they are like the mistaken Lanthorne in eighty eight, for under pretence of guiding, they will draw us into hazzard and losse among our spirituall enemies, and whosoever hath put confidence in their words, have found them to resemble sincking floores, which will faile us, when our waight is on them. These cunning hypocrites, never intend so ill, as when they speake fairest: resembling some crafty cheater, who while hee holds men at gaze with trickes of jugling, picks their pockets.
But alasse! most men, not knowing this deepnesse of Sathan, or not having courage enongh to deny the requests of a seeming friend, or fearing, least they should seeme rude, know not how to deny: yea, it is the common complaint, they were not able to gainsay: and indeed, most men, in this particular, are like new wax, which admits of an easie impression: or like a light, and unballasted vessel, that is at command of every wave, of every wind: or like Vitellius, who never denyed any mans request: or lastly, like the Babylonia…s who with a little sweet musick, would be made to do any thing, Daniel 3. 7. Yea, they are so flexible, that let a tempter but hold up his finger, the creatures shall bee abused, the Lords day prophaned, the Word relinquished, and all religion suspended: so they divide themselves into three parts; God hath one part, (indeed that is onelyonly in purpose) the world hath another, the flesh another, and the divell at length will have all.
§ 187.
I Should here advise men to a double care and circumspection,Temptations on the right hand the worst. touching these flattering allurements, because temptations on the right hand have commonly so much more strength in them, above the other, as the right hand hath above the left; they are more perillous, because they are more plaufible and glorious. Many that keepe on their cloathes in the wind, yea, that hold their Cloakes the faster, when it is rough; not only lay by their Cloakes; but unbutten themselves in the Sunne. The Cannon doth not so much hurt against the wall, as a mine under the wall. Sathan winnes not so much by battery, as by treachery; presents, and parlies winne him more, then the weapon, or the dragg of a compulsive hand. The golden sword will sooner conquer, then one of steele: yea, saith one, there is no doubt of that soule, which will not bite at a golden ho…ke. When all the Philistins could not with their strength bind Sampson, Dalilah did it with her subtilty. All the spite of Ioseph's brethren was not such a croffe to him as the inordinate affection of his Mi…tresse. Every one is not a Ioab, to bee fetcht home to us, with firing his fields; as they say Witches are brought to the house, where they have done mischiefe, by casting some reliques into the fire. The divell did not appeare to Christ in a terrible forme, threatening the calamities of earth, or torments of hell, but by faire promises of many Kingdomes, and much glory. But I defer the exhortation unto the conclusion.
Though indeed a wise man unbidden will suspect the smooth streame for deepnes, A wise m…n will suspect the smooth streame for deepnesse.knowing, that no faces looke lovelier, then the painted. The Italian thinketh himself, upon the point, to be bought and sold, when hee is better used then hee was wont to bee, without manifest cause.
Too much importunity, does but teach a wise man how to deny. The more wee desire to gaine, the more do others desire that they may not loose. The earnestnesse of the requester teacheth the petitioned to bee suspicious; and suspition teaches him how to hold, and fortifie.
Againe, somtimes wee are wrought to good by contraries, foule acts, (saith Horace) keepes vertue from the charmes of vice: and not seldome doth our good God, as a wise Physitian, make this poyson of theirs medicinall, to his children; so that their meretricious offers, and Siren-like allurements, do, by his grace, but procure the good mans hate.
And good reason; for though Sathan and his instruments, like a flattering host, promise good cheare, yet the reckoning payes for all. and hee that compares the welcome with the farewell, shall finde, he had better have fasted: for if we swallow the baite, the hooke will choake us. And indeed, if we could as well see what God hath in store for us, as that the divell here offereth us; we would not regard the divels largesse.