The Drunkards Character, Section 30
§ 30.
BUt as the Church doth Not owne such wicked and prophane …retches for her children,Drunkards deserve (like dir… in the house of God) to be throw…e out. so, if they had their due (like dirt in the house of God) they should be throwne out into the streete, or as excrements, and bad humors in mans body, which is never at ease till it bee thereof disburthened, as St. Augu…ine speakes.
Neither could they blame any (except themselves) in case they were marked with the blacke cole of infamy, and their company avoided, as the Apostle adviseth, Rom. 16. 17. 2 Thes. 3. 6. 14. Eph. 5. 5. 7. 1. Cor. 5. 5. 11. 1 Tim. 1. 20. if they were to us, as Lepers were among the Iewes; or as men full of plague soares are amongst us: for, as the Holy Pages before quoted warrant this, so there are many good reasons for it, as.
First,1 Because they bring an ill name upon the Gospell, &… cause the enemy to blaspheme God. because even the Gospell, and the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles, and an evill scandall raised upon the whole Church, through their superlative wickednesse, Rom. 2. 24. As what else (but the unchristianlike beha…iour of such Christians) hath caused the Turkes even to detest the true Religion. And what was it that alienated the Indians from the Christian Religion, and made them refuse the Gospell brought by the Spaniards, but this, they saw their lives more savage then those savages. Yea, it made the poore Indians resolve, that what religion soever the Spaniards were of, they would be of the contrary; thinking it unpossible, that such cruell and bloody deeds could proceed from any true Religion; or that hee could be a good God, who had such evill Sonnes: and the argument is of force, for, who are Scythians, if these be Saints? who are Canniballs, if these be Catholiques.
Whereas in the primitive times, more of them were wonne to the faith by the holy lives of Christians, then by the doctrine which they taught: they made the world to reade in their lives, that they did believe in their hearts; and caused the Heathen to say, this is a good God, whose servants are so good: for thus they reasoned; these men are surely of God, and without doubt, looke for a world to come. Neither was the Gospell thus honoured by some few onelyonly, but by all that profes't it; For Tertullian witnesseth, that in his time a Christian was knowne from another man, only by the holinesse and uprightnesse of his life and conversation. But as for prime Christians, viz. the auncient Fathers, their labours, their learning, their sincerity to men, and devotion to God, was the wonder of the world: Whereas all the difference betweene these, and very infidells, is, only this; the one are infidells in their hearts, the other are infidells in their lives, as Augustine pithily. And sure I am, that in those purer times the Church would have denied her blessing to such Sonnes of Belial as these are, who make a trade of sinne, as though there were no God to judge, nor Hell to punish; and so live, as though they had no soules to save; such as have shaken out of their hearts the feare of God, the shame of the world, the love of Heaven, the dread of Hell, not caring what be thought, or spoken of them here, or what becomes of them hereafter; yea, such a monstrous, menstruous brood, that (like a certaine mountaine in Arabia) breede, and bring forth nothing but monsters, whose deeds are too fowle for my words, being such as ought not to be once named amongst Christians, as the Apostle speakes, Eph. 5. 3, 4. such as neither Moses nor Aaron, C…sar nor Paul, Minister of the word nor Minister of the sword finde reverence in their hearts, or obedience in their lives: being like mettal often fired and quenched, so churlish that it will sooner break than bow; for they contemn all authority, as boyes grown tall and stubborn contemn the rod: yea, even such as speake … vill of them that are in authority, and whose mouths utter swelling and proud words against such as are in dignity, as S. Peter and S. Iude hath it: yea, they be mockers of all, that march not under the pay of the Devill.