The Drunkards Character, Section 193 – Section 194
§ 193.
BUt to beare ill words, rather then be drunke,VVe ought not be drunke to save our lives. is not all which God requires in a Christian: he must suffer blowes even to death rather then yeild. Some (which thinke themselves both sober men, and good Christians) presume they may be drunke, so it be to drive away a disease, or to prevent a quarrell, but they reckon without their Host, for we must not doe evill, that good may come of it: that which is ill of it selfe, is not to be ventured on, for the good that commeth by accident. Better the body be debilitated, or dye by an honest disease; then be cured by a dishonest medicine (saith St. Austin) yea, admit thou wert put to this extremity, that thou must either drinke excessively, against thy stomacke and conscience, or else thou must die for it, as sometimes it falls out, either drinke, or i'le stab thee; it is farre better, saith the same Augustine, that thy sober and temperate flesh should bee slaine by a sword, then that thy soule should be overcome by this sinne of drunkennesse. And indeed, the magnanimous Christian will lose his life, rather then the peace of a good conscience, like Iohn Baptist, he will hold his integrity, though he lose his head for it.
And indeed,Death in a good cause shall pleasure, not hurt us. let a man but keepe a good corespondence with God, and his owne conscience, and then he may answer all, as he did when the Tyrant threatned him, I will take away thy house, yet thou canst not take away my peace: I will breake up thy schoole, yet shall I keepe whole my peace: I will confiscate all thy goods: yet there is no Premunire against my peace: I will banish thee thy countrey, yet I shall carry my peace with mee: so mayst thou say, take away my riches, yet I have Christ; take away friends, liberty, wife, and children, life, and all, yet I have Christ, that is to me both in life and death advantage.
Suppose thou beest kild for obeying God, rather then man: what greater honor can be done thee? Queene Anne Bolane, the Mother of blessed Queene Elizabeth, when she was to be beheaded in the Tower, thus remembred her thankes to the King. Of a private Gentlewoman, said she, he made me a Marquesse, of a Marquesse a Queene, and now having left no higher degree of earthly honour for mee, he hath made me a Martyr. And what said Iustine Martyr to his murtherers, in behalfe of himselfe, and his fellow Martyrs; you may kill us, but you can never hurt us? And Francisco Soyit to his adversaries, you deprive me of this life, and promote me to a better, which is, as if you should rob me of counters, and furnish me with gold. The sooner I die, quoth another, the sooner I shall be happy: and even in the very act of suffering, God gives courage with the one hand, and holds out a crowne with the other, 2 Cor. 1. 5. and 12. 10.
When Pyrrhus tempted Fabricius, VVhichWhich hath made many preferre it before the greatest pleasure, profit, or honour.the first day with an Elephant, so huge and monstrous a beast, as before he had not seene; the next day with money, and promises of honour: he answered, I feare not thy force, and I am too wise for thy fraud. He will never feare to be killed, who by killing is sure to be crowned. His resolution, is like that of Consalve, who protested to his souldiers, thewing them Naples, that he had rather die one foote forwards, then to have his life secured for long by one foote of retrait. And good reason; for doth not our Saviour say, whosoever shall seeke to save his life in this case, shall lose it (I, more, he shall lose both body and soule eternally, for so the words imply) but whosoeuer shall lose his life for my sake, and the Gospells, he shall save it? Mat. 10. 39. Luke, 17. 11. 33.
This priviledge hath God given to those that feare him, that they need not to feare any thing else. Yea, though every paine they suffer, were a death,; and every crosse, an Hell; they know they have amends enough, when they heare the Holy Ghost say, Apoc. 2. 10. be thou faithfull unto the death, and I will give thee the crown of life. And indeed, this promise which is added, should, me thinkes, be a notable spurre to our perseverance, should exceedingly sharpen the commandement and drive it more deepely into our minds, making us to say, with Pompey (being to cary corne to Rome in time of idearth, and the Sea tempestuous) it is necessary that I goe on, not that I live.
Many have thought health worthy to be purchased with the price of Cauthers and Incisions, how painefull soever; but alasse! eternall life is a precious pearle, which a wise Merchant will purchase, though it cost him his life, (yea, had he a thousand lives) and all that he hath, Mat. 13. The women told Naomy that Ruth was better unto her then seven Sonnes, Ruth. 4. but Christ is better then seventy times seven lives: for what is life, together with a perpetuated fame, from Adam till doomes day, in respect of salvation for eternity? or what are they, that can only kill the body, to Him, that after he hath kild the body, can cast both body and soule into Hell?
But as warme cloathes to a dead man:But others preferre the worlds favour before Gods. so are the motions of valour to a fearefull heart: say what can be said, cleare mens judgements, cure their prejudice; many will yet feare the worlds opinion more then Gods displeasure; which is to runne into the fire, to avoid the smoake; and more dread the mockes and flouts of men on earth, then they doe the grinning mockes of the Devills in Hell; which makes them cease to be good Christians, that they may be thought good companions: wherein they put downe Aesop's foolish fishes, that leapt out of the warme water, into the burning fire for ease: or Timocrates, who, as Thucydides relates, kil'd himself for feare, least he should be drowned.
Wherefore, seeing all men cannot receive this gift of fortitude, save they to whom it is given; I will yet shew you, if not a more excellent, yet a more safe way to avoid this danger, and all other their allurements.
§ 194.
IF thou wouldest neither bee intised nor enforced to pledge them,VVe must refraine their company, and not dispute with them o… we shall not bold out. in any of their wicked customes, divorce thy selfe from all acquaintance and society with the vicious, yea, entertaine no parly with them.
There are some vices of that nature, that they cannot be vanquished but by avoiding; such is fornication, fly fornication, saith the Apostle, 1 Corinth. 6. 18. that is, flee the company of fornicators; for to be in a lewd womans company, saith Salomon, and depart innocent; aud to take fire in a mans bosome, and not singe his cloaths; or go upon live coles, and his feet not be burnt, are equally possible, Prov. 6. 27, 28. such is the frailty of mans nature, that if the eye but see, or the eare heare, or the hand but touch a whorish woman, the heart will goe nigh to catch, and take fire, verse 29. And thus is fares with this sinne, bid a man consort a while with drunkards, and depart from them innocent, you may as well put a match to dry powder, and forbid it to take fire, except he be very well stayed, and of better governd affections then ordinary. It is not safe to commit a little Wherry to the Seas violence. A sticke that hath once been in the fire, much more a Torch newly extinguisht, being forth with put to the flame, will soone be kindled again. Wherfore keep out of the reach of thy vicious …equaintance, and if they becken thee one way, be thou sure to take the contrary, at least entertaine no parley with them. When Castles once come to a parley, there is great feare they will yeeld: and gates that are alwayes open, will sometimes admit an enemy. No disputing with Sathan, or his deputies: when our first Parents fell to arguing the case with that old Serpent, though in the state of innocencie, when they had wit at wil, and their reason at command, they found him too hard for them: how much more too weak shall we find our selves, that now are as we are? surely, we are like to lose all, if once wee enter into disputation with that old Sophister, and crafty Fox, after the experience of six thousand yeares almost, and when our ownflesh (which his the greatest both deceiver and dissembler in the world) is become his cunning solicitour.
Alasse! he desires no more then to be heard speak; for grant him but this, and he will perswade thee to believe, even contrary to thine own knowledge: as how easily did he perswade Eve, by himself; and Adam, by her, (when they gave but care to him,) to believe what he spake, though they had heard God himself say the contrary, but a little before? Gen. 2. 17. and if innocency found no meanes of resistance, what hope have we so extreamely degenerated? And indeed, why doe we pray not to be led into temptation, if we lead our selves into temptation? If we will not heepe our selves from the occasion; God will not keepe us from the sinne: and if God doe not keep us, we cannot be kept: we cannot, wee will not choose but fall. Wherefore shun the society of evill men, as Iosoph shunned the society of his Mistresse, and leave them that leave God, as Noah did the old World, and that by God's commandement, Gen. 7. 1. 7. and Abraham the Cananites, Gen. 12. 1. and Lot the Sodomites, Gen. 19. 17. and Israel the Egyptians, Exod, 12. 37. 41. and Moab and Ammon, Numb. 27. 1. 2. 3. 16. 17.