The Drunkards Character, Section 168 – Section 170
§ 168.
WHereas nothing will do good upon thee;What small hope of the dr…n kards yeelding. for albeit, I have informed thee how dangerous thine estate is, that thou mightest plainly see it, truly feare it, and timely prevent it; yet I have not the least, or, at most, very little hope of thy yeelding. For first, these lines to thee, are but as so many characters written in the water, which leaves no impression behind them; thou being l…ke one, that beholdeth his natural face in a glasse; who when he hath considered himselfe, goeth his way, and forgetteth immediately what manner of one he was, Iames 1. 23. 24. or like some silly flie, which being beat from the candle an hundred times, and often …inged there in, yet will returne to it againe, untill shee bee consumed. If thou wilt behold thy case in another person, look 2 King. 8. 12 to 16. Proverbs 23. 35. All those Beasts which went into the Arke uncleane, came likewise out uncleane.
Secondly, though these sparks of grace may kindle piety in others, yet not in thee: for what is light, to him that will shut his eyes against it? And men of thy condition do on purpose stop their eares, and wink with their eyes, least they should see with their eyes, and heare with their cares, and understand with their hearts, and so should bee converted, as our Saviour shewes, Matth. 13. 15. and Saint Paul, Acts 28. 27. O, if these Adders had not stopt their eares, how long since had they beene charmed!
And indeed, it were an unreasonable motion in me, if I should request minds, preposessed with prejudice, to heare reason: there is no disputing with him that denies Principles, if they believe not Moses, and the Prophets, they would never be perswaded, although one should bee sent unto them from the dead, to testifie what a place of torment they are going unto, Luk 16. 31. A brute beast is as capeable of good counsell, as a drunkard, once became a scorner; for like Salomons foole, braying in a mo…ar will not alter him: yea, a very stone, (to which Ezeki…l compares a hard heart, Chapter 11. 19.) is not more insensible, then such a sinner; for he will neither be softned, with benefits, nor broken, with punishments; neither God's severity, can terrifie him; nor his kindnesse, mollifie him; yea, the more these anvills are beaten upon, the harder they are: the change of meanes, whether the Word, Judgements, Mercies, &c. do… but obdure their hearts instead of melting them; as we see in the example of Phara…h. We know the same Sunne which procuretha sweet savour from flowers, makes carrion to stink. And as the same water, which washes other things cleane, makes clay more dirty: so this, which hath been collected out of the Word, instead of diminishing their sinne, will (as may bee feared) increase it: like as Physick, if it worketh not upon choller, turneth into choller; their nature being serpentine, in lapping this sweet milk, they turn it forthwith into poyson.
Let one charme never so sweetly, these Adders will not onelyonly stop their owne eares, but stop the charmers mouth too, if they can.
At least, if we play upon David's harp, to drive away the evill spirit, from these Saul's; they will let flie the darts of reproach, and the arrowes of …lander at us, yea, whereas I offer them Wine, as Christ did to the Iewes; they will returne me Vineger, as the Iewes did to Chri…, or they have lost their old wont.
What should I say? if thou beest a drunkard, and a sco…er, thou art dead in sinne (only thy sinne is alive) and not only dead, as Iairu's daughter was, Matthew 9. 25. nor onelyonly dead, laid out, and coffind, as the Widowes Sonne of Nau… was, Luke 7. 14. but dead, coffind, and buried, as Lazarus was, Iohn 11. 39. even tell thou stinkest in the nosthrils of God, and all good men. And what rubing can fetch heat in such a dead body?
So that to admonish thee, were as if a man should knock at a deaf mans doore: yea, it were almost as ridiculous, as that Ceremony, which the Mahometans use, of flinging stones to stone the divell with.
If you would have a president, to make good what hath beene spoken, see Matth. 27. where when Iesus cried with a lowd voice, and yeelded up the Ghost; the vaile of the Temple rent in twaine, from the top to the bottome, the earth did quake, the graves did open themselves, and the dead Saints came forth, and went into the holy City, the Sunne was forsaken of his light, &c. as if all were sensible of their Maker's suffering; when as the generality of the people, yea, those great Clarkes, the Scribes, and Pharisees, were altogether insensible, and worse then all the rest of the creatures; the very stones of the Temple were soft, in comparison of their stony hearts, and they which were dead in their graves, were alive to those which were dead in their sinnes.
So that I have no other message to deliver unto thee, then that which the vigilant captaine delivered, together with a deaths wound, to his fleeping watchman; dead I found thee, and dead I leave thee.
OnelyOnly thou, O Father, (to whom nothing is hard) if it be thy good pleasure (as why not? seeing it will make much for the glory of thy great Name, to save such a mighty sinner, who, Manasses-like, hath multiplied offences, above the number of the sand of the Sea, and is bound downe with many Iron bands) say unto his soule, live. It's true, thy angry threatning towards sinners is importable, but thy mercifull promise is unmeasurable, and unsearchable: thou therefore that art able to quicken the dead, and make even of stones children to Abraham, mollifie these stony hearts, with the blood of the Lambe, and make of these children of the Devill, members of thy Sonne Iesus Christ.
§ 169.
ANd so much of the Drunkards Character,Much of him hath beene spoke…, but nothing neere all. though I might expatiate; for he is a creature made up of many ingredients, to which every vice contributes something, as the gods did to Vulcan, toward the making of his Pandora; for as many vices challeng part in him, as Cities did of Homer: the true toffe-pot is deficient in no evill under the Sunne, though few, or scarce any, sufficiently discerne and deplore the same, by reason of custome, and the commonnesse of this sinne.
Much of him hath beene said: O how much more might be said! I could carry you a great way farther, and yet leave more of him before, then behinde: for he is like some putrid Grave, the deeper you digge, the fuller you shall find him, both of smitch and horror. Yea, as in Hercule's Monster, there was still fresh heads arising, one, after the cutting off of another: and as in Ezekiel's Vision, after the fight of some abominations, still more: so, as the Lord said to his Prophet, I should yet shew you more abominations in him, then these; but that it would crave a longer time, then I am willing to afford him, or my Reader me, with patience.
If any marvell at this which hath been discovered, he would marvell much more, if all should be told; and say, it was a true report that we heard of his sin, of our danger, of the Churches losse, but the one halfe was not told us. Yea, if halfe so much were knowne to man, as God knowes of him, how would all drunkards hang downe their heads for shame? or if we had but a window into his breast (which Momus would have had in Vulcan's man) or that he had written on his forehead what he thinkes (as Tully so much wisht) or that himselfe might discerne unpartially in an instant (as Mercury made Charon, in Lucian, by touching of his eyes) what strange monsters would there appeare to be? what ugly, odious, hiddious feinds would represent themselves? O what swarmes, what litters, what legions of noysome lusts are couched in the stinking stye of a drunkards heart? which I may rather wish, then hope to unbowell, or anatomize: for man, saith St. Augustin, is a great deepe: one may better tell the haires of his head, then the thoughts of his heart; and God only hath reserved it, as a prerogative Royall to himselfe, exactly to search it to the bottome. Iem. 17. 9. 10.
Then what am I, that I should attempt to empty the same? when the Well is not more deepe, then my pitcher is narrow, little, brittle, my plummet light, my line too short, and weake to sound it. For if I cannot see it, how should I describe it? if I cannot know it, how should I make you know it?
Yet, as well as I can, I have deliniated this monster, given you (as in a small Map) the Drunkard set forth in his colours, together with his skill, will, and power in seducing, and by this you may guesse at the residue: for as huge as the Sea is, we may tast the faltnesse of it in a drop. If these be their words and actions, what thinke you are the secrets of their hearts? certainely, if all their thoughts did but breake forth into action, they would not come farre short of the Devills them selves.
§ 170.
IF any shall thinke I have beene too bitter; The foulenes of this sin, const…ained me to be so bitter.let them pardon this holy impatience; and blame the foulnesse of this sinne, not my just vehemency; considering that the medicine is but fitted to the disease; the wedge but proportionable to the timber; or (as I rather feare) my expressions have too little heate in them, to unwarpe these crooked boards.
The harder and more knotty our hearts are, the harder and stronger must be the blowes that shall cleave them. That vvood vvhichwhich a single Iron vvill not rive, must have a double wedge, to split it. Nothing but a Diamond vvill cut a Diamond; and nothing but Gunpovvder vvill blovv out some kinde of flame.
Cold diseases, must have hot remedies. Wounds more dangerous, require more dolorous plaisters. Neither is my ayme, so much to stroake the eare, as to stricke the conscience.
Besides, here is honey, as vvel as a sting; and those invectives, vvhichwhich are most keene and sharpe, doe but resemble Ionathan's Arrovves, vvhichwhich vvere not shot to hurt, but to give vvarning: vvhereas their scoffes and slanders, may fitly be resembled to Saul's Speare, vvhichwhich vvas darted on purpose, not to hurt only, but to murther and destroy. More I might have said, lesse I could not.
Indeed, it is a sinne more vvorthy the sword of justice, It is more worthy the sword of justice, then the pen of an ….then the pen of an adversary: vvhichwhich had almost persvvaded mee (as one did Luther, vvhen he began to preach against the Popes usurpation and Tyranny) to desist, so soone as I began: for mine ovvne Reason suggested unto me (as Luther's carnall friend to him) you had as good hold your peace; this vice is so incurable, this disease so epidemicall, that you will never prevaile against it; get you to your study, and say, Lord have mercy upon us, and procure your selfe no ill will.
But I considered, that all hearts are so in the hand of God, that Saul may become an Apostle; and that there is no sinne, but some have beene reclaimed from it; which gave me some hope.
And when I had got into it, with much adoe (like a man into a croud) I could as hardly get out againe: matter representing it selfe, like those waters in Ezekiel, Chap. 47. which at the first were but ancle deepe, and then knee deepe, and then up to the loynes, which afterwards did so rise and flow, that they were as a River, which could not be passed over: yea, it fared with me herein, as once it did with Elias his Servant, who at the first, and for a great while, saw nothing; at the length a little cloud as big as a mans hand, but by and by the Heavens were blacke with clouds and wind, after which followed an exceeding great raine, 1 Kings, 18. For, as St. Augustin said of the two Mites, a little money, but a great deale of charity: so may I of the title of my booke, viz. the Drunkards Character, the words are few, but the matter contained in them is infinite: in which respect, I may liken them to Gold, which is so ductile, that an ounce of it will be made to cover an Aker of land.