The Drunkards Character, Section 178 – Section 179
§ 178.
ANd so much to make the sick whole:To keepe …ut of this … of the divell and drunkkards. now to preserve the whole from being sick of this almost irrcoverable disease. Wouldest thou keepe out of this snare of the divell and drunkards? consider in the first place,1. See the danger and know their …ime. that out of the premises ariseth this conclusion: how we live in so corrupt an aire, that wee need many Antid…tes to keepe us from being infected: for lay altogether, and the summe is, that Sathan and his instruments; are ever, and every way practising to lift us out of vertues seate, that we are compassed round with temptations, Some men age…ts for Christ, others for Sathan; but Sathansinstruments have many advantages above Gods servents is wining sou….even as the Sea compasseth the earth, watching where it may conveniently get in; here, kissing the banks with flattering waves; there, swelling against it with roring billowes; for, if the divel can not winne men to hell, as hee seemes an Angell of light, hee will strive to accomplish it, as he is a spirit of terror, and what he cannot do by himselfe, hee will by his instruments, wicked men.
More particularly. Consider that every man hath two great and importunate suters for his soule, vertue and vice, whose agents are good and evill men; those that are agents for vertue, leigers for Christ, are chiefly his faithfull Ministers; their commission, is the Word: the weapons of their warfare, their tongues; the only meanes they use, is, to intreat and beseech men, by the mercies of Christ, that they will be reconciled unto God; the only motive to induce men hereunto, is, that if they will part with the sinfull pleasures of this life, they shall have a glorious kingdome prepared for them in heaven, which few have faith to believe, and, of them which doe, fewer will undergo those grievous temptations and persecutions, which usuaully accompany the profession of the Gospell.
For though the Gospell brings remission of sinne, and remission of sinne occasions all true joy and peace internall, and eternall peace with God, and peace of conscience; yet our warre with Sathan, the World, and the Flesh, is wonderously increased thereby; wch makes divers, that seeme to be of Christs band: forsake him: for with many, like mutinous Souldiers, no longer pay, no longer fight: as that desperate mercenary said, he came not to fight for his country, he came to fight for his money; like the Law-logick, and the Switzers, they are for his service, that gives them the best ready wages: here Sathan takes his hint to usurpe upon the children of perdition, religion bri…gs crosses, Ecclesia est haeres crucis; they find their devotion answered with tribulation, and cannot be quiet, because they seeme to bee good. Now steps in the Divell, why should you buy misery with want, when as you may want misery? why will you embrace certaine cares, in hope of uncertaine comforts? why doe you take paines to bee poore, when you may be rich with case? Here they, that have not the grace, nor the face to give the divell the lye, throw the plow into the hedge, and will not waite till harvest, but lay hold on these new offers of the world, and for a messe of pottage sell their patrimony.
Whereas on the other side,, those that are agents for vice, factors for the divell, have diverse and sundry ways to prevaile; whether of policy, to allure and perswade; or of strength, to compell and enforce us to yeeld. Sathan, as you have heard, hath many strings to his bow, that if some breake the rest may hold; many traines of powder, some likely to take fire; yea, he is like some cunning Enginere, that can invent new instruments, according to the present occasion, and inventeth all he can, and puts in practice al that he inventeth; and when old tricks of cheating can doe no good, Sathan and his instruments will find out new▪ O the many advantages that Sathans instruments have, above Gods servants, both in wooing and winning to sinne by faire meanes, and in keeping such as they have wonne, and likewise in compelling and enforcing by foule! you have seene sundry of them, in the former Treatise: I will shew you yet more.
§ 179.
AS for winning by faire meanes: first, An evill suggestion is more ready at hand then a good.how ready at hand is an evill suggestion? good counsel is like unto Well-water, that must be drawne up with a Pump or Bucket; ill counsell is like to conduit-water, which if the cock be but turned, runs out alone.
Secondly,2 We are more prone to evil…en good. how easie a Rhetorick drawes us to the worse? yea, it is hard not to doe evill uninvited: even Virgil a heathen could say, that it was an easie thing in sinne to go on amaine, and with much facility, to descend into hell which is below, as a man that goeth downe a hill, cannot choose but run; or at least, one man hath more power to pull him downe, then halfe a dozen the contrary; but to goe forward in goodnesse and vertue, to ascend so steepy a hill as heaven which is above, is hard and difficult; yea, we had need be drawn by many strong helpes; for in this case we resemble the Spider, which can descend with a ladder of her owne making, be the place never so low, but cannot ascend one inch, without some prop; or rather a very stone, which descends naturally, is not raised but by violence.
—facilis descensus—
Sed revocare gradum—
down streame the Boat goes fast enough, to stop it is all the cunning, before it strike on a Shelfe. Those things which the ground naturally produceth of it selfe, she soone and easily brings forth, and that in abundance; you shall find your furrowes full of Cockle and Darnell, though you never sowe them; but what is sowen, not without much labour, and that sparingly, because she is to those a mother, to these a step-dame.
And commonly it fares with counsels as it doth with meates; those which are least wholesome, are most requested: and the faction of evill is so much stronger in our nature, then that of good, that every least motion prevailes for the one, scarce any sute for the other; and seldome shall wee see truth so successefull as falshood. Whence it was, that Theodota and Calisto, two beautiful harlots, could each of them boast, that they excelled S…crates; for that they, when they pleased, could draw away by their allurements, his disciples and auditors from him, whereas he could not, with all his great wisdome and learning, draw from them any of their lovers? whose answer was. No marvaile, for I draw, with an unpleasing hooke, to vertue, whose way is difficult and hard; whereas you draw, with a pleasing With of down to vice, which is easie, and men are naturally of themselves prone to it.