The Drunkards Character, Section 174
§ 174.
FIrst,3 Believe their state dangerous and that there is n… way to …elp, …ut by chang to the cou… trary. believe thine estate dangerous, and that there is but one way to helpe thee, viz. to repent what thou hast done, and never more to doe what thou hast repented, not fostering one knowne sin in thy soule▪ for the only way to become good, is, first, to believe that thou art evill; and by accusing our selves, we prevent Sathan; by judging our selves, we prevent God. And lastly, one hole in a Ship may sinke her, one Bullet may kill a man, aswel as twenty: neither is repentance without amendment any more then to pump, and never stop the leake.
2. Secondly, if thou beest convinced, and resolvest upon a new course,4. Be constant and peremptery in their resolution. let thy resolution bee peremptory and constant. If with these premonitions, the Spirit vouchsafes to stirre in thy heart, by good motions, and holy purposes to obey God, in l…tting thy sinnes go, as once the Angel in the Poole of Bethesda, take hold of opportunity, and having eares to heare, harken what the Spirit faith, and take heed you harden not againe, as Pharaoh and the Philistins did. Thou knowest Pharaoh had many purposes to obey God, in letting the children of Israel goe, but still hardens againe, as often as he purposed, untill God had almost destroyed the whole Land; yea, after hee had stood out nine plagues, when death entred within his Palaces, he dismissed the people, but presently after, in all hast makes after them to fetch them back againe; yea, he could seeme religious, when the fit tooke him; every great plague put him into a Feaver, and then he was godly of a sudden, O pray for me now, but when the fit was over, Phara…h was Phar…h againe, as prophane as ever; nine times hee began to relent, and nine times againe hee hardened his heart; but he was never good egg nor bird, his beginning was naught, his proceeding worse, and who could looke for better at his later end: and the Philistins being five times punished, five times repented themselves, and at last returned to their old by as againe, in which they remained constant, 1 Samuel 5. and 6. Chapters.
Againe, Pilate had strong purposes and desires to let Christ goe, yet at lenght condemned him, to content the people, Luke 23. 22. to 25. The young man in the Gospel resolved verily to follow Christ, but turned backe and went away sorrowfull, when hee heard the condition propounded, of giving that he had to the poore, Mat. 19. 22. Iudas was grieved for murthering Christ, yet no change ensued, hee after murthered himselfe; all these conceptions dyed, before they came to the birth: therfore take heed, least it should fare so with thee. How many thousand good motions of the Holy Ghost prove stillborne and abortive, through our negligence, or be over-laid with our vanities? we use them, as Iulius Caesar did the Paper that concerned his owne life, all the other petitions he read, only that he put in his pocket, and never look'd on it.
Men commonly regard the songs of Sion, as they doe musicke, which they heare at night in the streets, whiles they are in bed; perhaps they will step to the window, and listen to it awhile, as if they lik'd it, but presently to bed againe.
O doe not like the Israelites, who are said to heare God, and, in the same Chapter, to worship the Calfe; quench not the Spirit, 1 Thes. 5. 19. If thou be upon the mountaine, looke not backe againe upon Sodome, as Lot's wife did. If thou be within the Arke, fly not out againe into the world, as N…ah's Crow did. If thou bee well washed, returne not againe to the mire, as the Hog doth. If thou beest clean purged, turne not againe to thy filthy vomit, as the Dog doth. If thou be going towards the land of Canaan, think not of the flesh-pots of Egypt. If thou have set thy hand to the plow, looke not behind thee; for better not begin, then leave off having begun; better remaine cold, then first bee hot, then luke-warme, and after key-cold againe. For as in naturall things, as water that which hath beene a little warmed, becommeth more cold, then if it had never had any heat in it: so in spirituall, the evill spirit having once forsaken a man, if he returnes to that house, after it is empty, swept, and garnished, he bringeth with him seven more spirits, worse then himselfe, and the latter end of that man is worse then his beginning, Matth. 12. 43. 45. Thus it fared with Iulian the apostate, and Iudas the traitor, who suffering the divell to enter into him, when he had newly received the Sacrament, he could never afterward be driven out againe: so if the divell enter intothee, after thouhastreceived this warning, had these good purposes, and made these holy resolutions, he will possesse thee, like Iudas, stronger then he did before. Oh, it is a fearefull thing to receive the grace of God in vaine; and a desperate thing, being warned of a Rock; wilfully to cast our selves upon it.
Wherefore, resemble not the Chelidony stone, which retaineth his vertue no longer, then it is rub'd with gold; nor the Iron, which is no longer soft, then it is in the fire. Be not like those which are Sea-sicke, who are much troubled, while they are on ship-board, but presently well againe, when they come to shore; for that good, saith Gregory, will doe us no good, which is not made good by perseverance.