The Drunkards Character, Section 29
§ 29.
3 FRom wicked talking hee proceeds to cursed and impious s…earing, bl…spheming, &c. His cursed and impious swearing, blaspheming &c.as you seldome see a Drunkard but hee is a great swearer, and not of petty oathes, but those prodigious and fearefull ones, of Wo…ds and Blood, the damned language of ruffians, and monsters of the earth, together with, God damne me; which words many of them use superficially, if they repent not.
Yea, the Drunkards and desperate ruffians of our dayes, sweare and curse, as if Heaven were deafe to their noyse; yea, they have so sworne away all grace, that they count it a grace to sweare: and that not onelyonly when they are displeased with others, will they tare the name of their Maker in peeces, which is no better then frenzie; but in their very best moodes. Prophane Drunkards sweare, even as dogs barke, not ever for curstnesse, but mostly out of custome: neither know they that they sweare, though they nothing but sweare; as you shall heare a man, when reproved for swearing, presently rap out oathes, that he swore not, like men desperately diseased, their excrements and filth comes from them at unawares. And as by much labour the hand is so hardened, that it hath no sense of labour: so their much swearing causeth such a brawny skin of senselessenesse to overspread the heart, memory, and conscience, that the swearer sweareth unwittingly; and having sworne hath no remembrance of his oath, much lesse, repentance for his sinne.
O the numberlesse number of oathes and blasphemies that one blacke mouthed Drunkard spits out in defiance, as it were, of God, and all prohibitions to the contrary! Yea, I dare affirme it, had some one of them three thousand pounds per Annum, his meanes would hardly pay those small twelve penny multes, which our Statute imposes upon swearers, were it duly executed. And if so, to what number wil the oathes amount, which are sworne throughout the whole land, yea, in some one Alehouse, or Taverne? where they sit all day in troopes, doing that in earnest, which wee have seene boyes doe in sport, stand on their heads▪ and shake their heeles against Heaven: where even to heare how the name of the Lord Iesus is pierced, would make a dumbe man speake, a dead man almost to quake. Did you never heare how Caesar was used in the Senate house? if not, yet you know how a kennell of Hounds will fall upon the poore Hare; one, catcheth the head; another, the leg; a third, the throate; and amongst them shee is torne in peeces: even so these hellish miscreants, these bodily and visible Devills, having their tongues fired and edged from Hell, fall upon the Lord lesus; one cryes, Wounds; another, Blood; a third, Hear…; a fourth, Body; a fifth, Soule; and never leave stabbing and tearing him with their stinges, till no whole place be left.
Thus they pierce his side with oathes, and teare all his wounds open againe; whereas the … did but crucifie him below on the earth, when hee came to suffer; these crucifie him above in Heaven, where hee sits on his throne.
And (which I feare to thinke) it may bee a question, whether there bee more oathes broken or kept; for woe is mee; one, sells an oath for a bribe; another, lends an oath for favour; another, casts it away for malice &c. but the Drunkard, without any incitement, tumbleth out oathes at adventure, and is as lavish of them, as of ill language. O misery! O wickednesse! What shall I say, that ever any who weares Christs badge, and beares his name, should thus rise up against him! that ever those tongues, which dare call God Father, should suffer themselves thus to be moved, and possessed by that uncleane Spirit! that ever those mouthes, which have received the sacred Body and Blood of the Lord of life, should endure to swallow these odious morsells of the Devills carving! are these Christians, dare they shew their faces in the Temple▪ yes, they dare.