Sin Stigmatized, Part 1 · Section 168 – Section 170
§ 168.
WHereas nothing will do good upon thee; for albeit, What ſmall hope of the drunkards yeelding.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 like one, that beholdeth his natural face in a glaſſe; who when he hath conſidered himſelfe, goeth his way, and forgotteth 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 ſinged 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 Maſes, 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 mortar will not alter him: yea, a very ſtone, (to which Ezekiel 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. doe but obdure their hearts inſtead of melting them; as we ſee in the example of Pharach. 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 S…ul's; they will let flie the darts of reproach, and the arrowes of ſlander at us, yea, whereas I offer them Wine, as Chriſt did to the Iewes; they will returne me Vineger, as the Iewes did to Christ, or they have loſt their old wont.
What ſhould I ſay? if thou beeſt a drunkard, and a ſcorner, 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 Naum 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 ſleeping 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, Manaſſet-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 ſpoken, 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 toſſe-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 headsariſing, one, after the cutting off of another: and as in Ezekiel's Viſion, after the ſight 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 ſaltneſſe 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, constrained 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 care, 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 adverſary.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 liſe 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 o… my booke, viz. the Drunkards Char… cter, 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.