The Drunkards Character, Section 159
§ 159
The particulars wherein the Pol… tician is a Foole, are these six.
1 He is improvident and without foresight.The c… ning politician a foole, in 6. particulars.
2 He saith in his heart there is no God.
3 Let him be brayed in a Morter, he will not depart from his foolishnesse.
4 Uertue is in farre lesse esteeme with him then riches.
5 He proves cruell to himselfe.
6 Hee rates not things according to their true value.
FIrst, like a naturall Foole, he is improvident and without foresight, First, be is without foresight, and never thinkes of the reckoning he is to give.Matth. 7. 26. never bethinking himselfe, what a reckoning he is to give, untill it is too late, untill he is bearen with his owne Rod: for if such an one have wealth, which lasteth but for the present day of this natural life, it may be, but a day naturall, as the same Sunne saw Iob both rich and poore, to a proverbe; and as sometimes, by reason of fire or water, there hath beene but one day, betwixt a great City, and none, as Seneca observes; or an earth quake, (which this present yeare, hath in the Province of Calubria the inferiour, in the Kingdome of Naples, utterly destroyed many Cites, Townes, and Castles, kild, drowned, and suncke into the earth about fifty thousand persons, within the circuite of 70. miles compasse, in one instant of time, viz. betweene three and foure of the clock in the afternoone, being Saturday, the 17. of March, 1637.) they take no care, or thought for the morrow of eternity, how they shall fare then; yea, they runne on in sinne, and so upon score with Sathan, without feare or wit how they shall satisfie the same; yea, all that he offers them, whether it be this Orphant's good, or that Heires lands, this enemies life, or that great mans office, be the meanes never so indirect, and horrid, they will greedily embrace the same, and never thinke what a wofull reckoning will come in the end; As, Item, for falsehood; Item, for forgery; Item, for hypocrisie; Item, for bribery; Item, for sacriledge; Item, for murther and treachery: but come they once into those flames with Dives, and finde that of Samuel to Agag, 1 Sam. 15. 33. verified upon them, as thou hast done to others, so shall it be done to thee, O then I had not thought, but now I see, I have spun a faire thread, when I must answer for all my sinnes, that am not able to answer for one of the least of them; then, woe is me that ever I was borne; and then, gladly would every Ahab restore to Naboth his Vineyard, every Iudas his bribes, every Achan would willingly cast downe his gold gotten by Sacriledge, and every Gehazi his goods gotten by forgery and deceit. But which of these Fooles will beleive this, before the feeles it, and before it be too late?
Secondly, like David's Foole, 2 He will not beleeve exce…t his senses say ame… to it.he saith in his heart there is no God, Psal. 14. 1. yea, as if he were a brute beast, he will beleive nothing but what he is led to by sense. For suppose you tell such a covetous Laban, or cruell Pharaoh, that God seeth him, when he is contriving his secretest plots against his people, and withall takes notice of his oppression, Gen. 31. 12. Exodus, 3. 7. he will not regard it; for, Marius-like, he esteemes it a great point of vertue to be skillfull in cosenage, and Mammon is all the god he worships; yea, and herein he applauds his choyce no lesse, then that Popish dolt did, who having got the picture of St. Franc is curiously painted in his Closset, said, they talke of the Rhode at Rome, and our Lady of Lauretta, and Katherine of Sienna, and Iames of Compostella; but I have a picture at home, meaning yellow pictures, worth ten of them.
Thirdly, Idiot-like,3 Bray him in a morter he will not depart from his folly, viz. his … bray him in a Morter, as wheate is bray'd with a Pestell, yet he will not depart from his foolishnesse, Pro. 27. 22. for let God send never so many messengers to him, and plagues upon him, as he did upon Pharaoh, he will not depart from his sinnes; he must retaine, if not all, yet, at least, this his beloved sinne, untill he is overwhelmed in the bottomlesse Ocean of his wrath: yea, let him heare, even our Saviour himselfe say, that he shall give an account at the day of judgement, for every idle word, Matth. 12. 36. yet he will goe on in his helli…h plots, and perswade himselfe, he shall give no account at all; or let some Prophet of the Lord tell him, what traines are laid to catch his soule, and how many Principalities, spirituall wickednesses, and powers of darknesse lye in ambush against him, Ephes. 6. 12. As El sha disclosed the traines and ambushments of the King of Syria, against the King of Israel, 2 King. 6. 9. 10 which was as good a peece of service as could be, he makes nothing on't he shall speede as well as his fellowes, and indeede so he sh…ll, even as Laban, or Nabol, or Dives doe in Hell, if in due time he repent not, and so restore what he hath wrongfully gotten; as the worst of them would doe, if they were suffered to returne out of Hell, to their former riches.
Now that thou mayst repent while the day of thy life lasteth, take one motive from the damned in Hell, who would gladly repent now, but cannot. St. Augustin asketh this question, what we thinke the rich glutton in Hell would doe, if he were now in this life againe? would he take paines, or no, quoth he, would he not bestir himselfe rather then returne into that place of torment againe? yes, his teares should even strive with the sand in the hourglasse, he would doe any thing, to seeke the Lord while he may be found. Wherefore to day if ye will heare his voice, harden not your bearts. Yea, as our Saviour Christ said, to forewarne all revolters, Remember Lot's wife: so say I, to forewarne all Arch-politicians, and cunning Machevillians of the world, remember poore Naboth's Vineyard.