The Drunkards Character, Section 130
§ 130.
SEventhly,7. He not onelyonly commits foule crimes, but drawes others into the same sinnes. this will above measure aggravate thy doome, and adde to thy torment, that thou seducest, yea, enforcest others to sinne, and drawest them to perdition with thee; for the infection of sinne, is much worse than the act; and misleades into evill sinne more, and shall suffer more, then the actors; and although to commit such things as thou doest, single, and alone, were enough, yea, too much to condemn thee; yet because thou drawest others with thee to the same sins, thy damnation shall be farre greater.
For they whom thou hast taught to doe ill; increase thy sinne, as fast as they increase their owne. Now if their reward in heaven be so great, that save one soule from death, Dan. 12. 3. how great shall their torment bee in Hell, that pervert many soules to destrustion? Matth. …. 19. they shall bee maximi in inf…rm, greatest in the kingdome of hell: he that can dam… many soules, besides his owne, supererogates of Sathan, and hee shall give him a double fee, a double portion of hell fire for his paines. Who then, without a shower of teares, can think on thy deplorable state; or without mourning meditate thy sad condition?
Yea, if Ely was punished with such fearefull temporall judgements, onelyonly for not admonishing, and not correcting others which sinned; what mayest thou expect, that doest intise others▪ yea, enforce them? though to intise others were wicked enough. Let me say, to the horror of their con…rences that make merchandize of soules, that it is a question, when such an one comes to hel, whether Iudas himself would change torments with him.
How fearefully think you, do the seducer and seduced greet one another in hell? me thinks I heare the Dialogue between them, wher the best speaks first, and saith; Thou hast beene the occasi… of my sinne; and the other, thou art the occasun of my more grievous torment, &c. Evill men delights to make others so; one sinner maketh another, as Eve did Adam: but little doe they thinke how they advance their owne damnations, when the blood of so many soules as they have seduced, will be required at their hands: and little doe sinners know their wickednesse, when their evill deeds, infect by their example, and their evill words infect by their perwasion; and their looks, infect by their allure ments; when they breath nothing but infection; much lesse do they know their wretchdnesse, till they receive the wages of their unrighteousnesse, which shall not be paid, till their work be done; and that will not be done, in many yeares after their death.
For let them dye, they sinne still. For, as if we sowe good works, succession shal reape them, and we shall be happy in making them so: so, on the contrary, wicked men leave their inventions and evill practises to posterity, and, though dead, are still tempting unto sinne, and still they sin in that temptation; they sinne as long as they cause sinne. This was Ieroboam's case, in making Israel to sinne; for let him bee dead, yet so long as any worship his Calves, Ieroboam sinned; neither was his sinne soone forgotten; Nadab his sonne, and Basha his successor, Zimry, and Omry, and Ahab, and Ahaziah, and Iehoram all these walked in the wayes of Ierob…am which made Israel to sinne; and not they alone, but the people with them. It is easie for a mans sinne to live; when himselfe is dead; and to leade that exemplary way to hell, which, by the number of his followers, shall continually aggravate his torments. The imitaters of evill, deserve punishment; the abetters, more; but there is no hell deepe enough, for the leaders of publike wickednesse: he that invents a new way of serving the divell, hath purchased for himselfe a large patrimony of unquenchable fire.
Though few men will confesse their sinnes; yet many mens sins will confesse their master. To beget a president of vice, is like the setting a mans own house on fire, it burnes many of his neighbours, and he shal answer for al the ruines. Alas! while I live, I sinne too much; lerme not continue longer in wickednesse; then life.
Sin hath an ubiquity; one sinners example infects others, and they spread it abroad to more; like a man that dyes of the Plague, and leaves the infection to a whole City; so that hee must give an account even for the sinnes of a thousand; yea, they have so much to answer for, that have thus occasioned so much ill, that it had beene happy for them, if they had never beene at all, then being, to be laden with the sinnes of so many.
O what infinite torments doth Mahomet endure, when every Turke that perisheth by his jugling, doth daily adde to the pile of his unspeakable horrors! And so each sinner, according to his proportion, and the number of soules, which miscarry through the contagion of his evill example; for they shall speed at last, like him that betrayed a City to a Tyrant; who when he had conquered it, first hanged up the party that help'd him to it.
Yea, perhaps God will even in this life make them an example of his just vengeance, and provoked indignation; as he did Pharaoh and Iulian as their sinne hath perverted many, so their fall and ruine may perchance convert many: the life of Iulian, made many Infidels; the death of Iulian, made many Christians: God will teach men to feare him; even by their ruine, that taught them not to feare him. Yea, the D vell, who now is their good master, will in the end reward these his subjects, as that Emperor, which Plutarch speakes of, did by one that kild a great man, who first crowned him, for his valour; and then caused him to bee executed, for the murther: or as the Wolf does by the Ewe, who sucks her, while she is a little one; and devours her, when she is growne a great one: Nutritus per me, sed tandem saevtiet in me. So that it were happy for all seducing drunkards, whors, &c. if they were prevented of doing this great mischiefe, and in their non-age throwne alive into the Sea, as the Citizens of Rome threw Heleogabalus into the river of Tiber, with his mother Sem…a, to bear him company, for that she bear and brought forth such a gulfe of mischiefes, as Lampridius reports: yea, the whole State should fare the better for such riddance, for so they should become (though not profitable) yet infinitely lesse hurtfull, to such as should remaine.