Sin Stigmatized, Part 1 · Section 63
§ 63.
NOw if you will know the reaſon, 7 Cauſes of exceſſive drinking.why their Heaven is the Taverne, whence they never depart, untill thy have caſt up the reckoning; why, like Horſes, they are onelyonly guided by the mouth; in ſhort it is moſtly, that they may drive away time and Melancholy.
Firſt, 1 To drive away melancholy which is increaſed therebythe pot is no ſooner from their heart ſo heavy, as if a milſtone lay uponit; ſomewhat reſembling the flye Pyrausta, which dyeth, if out of the fire. I call it melancholy, becauſe they call it ſo; but the truth is, they are vexed, like Saul, with an evill ſpirit, which nothing will drive away, but drinke and Tobacco, which is to them, as David's Harpe was to him, 1 Sam. 16.23. They ſo wound their conſciences with oathes, intentionall murthers, rapes, and other actuall uncleaneſſe, and ſo exceedingly provoke God, that they are, even in this life, rewarded with the ſtrappadoes of an humane ſoule, rackt in conſcience, and tortured with the very flaſhes of Hell fire; which makes them, many times, lay violent hands upon themſelves, being never well, nor in their owne place, till they be in Hell, Acts, 1.25. though moſtly they bribe conſcience to hold the peace; as Cerberus muſt be made with a ſop, by him that goes to Hell.
You know Caine having murthered his brother Abel, to put away the ſting of his conſcience, fell to building. And Ahab having kild Naboth, went to recreate himſelfe in his Vineyard, Gen. 4.17. 1 King. 21.16.19. And Saul, when God had caſt him off, would have pleaſed himſelfe with the honour of the people, 1 Sam. 15.30. ſo theſe, when the horror of their oathes, blaſphemies, thefts, whoredomes, and other prodigious uncleanneſſe, hath cauſed a dejection of ſpirit, and the worme of conſcience to ſting them, how ſhould they remedy it?
How! why (as if Sathan alone could expell Sathan) ſtraight to the Taverne, and drinke ſorrow and care away; or perhaps there is a Factor of Hell preſent, that cheares him up, as Ieſabel did Ahab when he was ſicke for want of Naboth's Vineyard, 1 King. 21.7. crying, come, you are melancholy, let us both to the Taverne and Brothel-houſe: and ſo cures all his ſadneſſe, for that time, with a charme, wherein nevertheleſſe the principall ingredient is drinke, the common refuge of melancholy ſinners, their conſtant, and never failing friend, to which alſo they are as conſtant: for when did the Sunne ever ſee ſome men ſober? and how are our Cities and Townes peſtered, and our ſtreets ſtrewed with theſe filthes? and this is the maine ground of all. For as they that have curſt and ſhrewiſh wives at home, love to ſtray abroad: ſo theſe men being moleſted with a ſcoulding conſcience, are faine continually to drinke, play, riot, goe to bed with their heads full of wine, and no ſooner awake then to it againe; ſo that their conſciences muſt knocke at the dore a thouſand times, and they are never within, or at leaſure to be ſpoke withall: indeed at laſt they muſt be met, and found by this enemy, even as Ahab was by Eliah; ſtay they never ſo long, and ſtray they never ſo farre, they muſt home at laſt; ſickneſſe will waken them, conſcience muſt ſpeake with them, as a Maſter with his truant Scholler, after a long abſence; and then there are no men under Heaven, who more neede that prayer, Lord have mercy upon them; for a wicked mans peace will not alwayes laſt, in the end his guilt will gnaw him, with ſo much a ſharper tooth; yea, they are not more jocund in proſperity, then in diſaſters they are amazed.
Whereas they ſhould eate, and drinke, and doe all things to the glory of God; they drinke, to this end onelyonly, that they may the eaſier forget God, forget him in his threats, which ſticke in their ſoules after ſome Sermon; forget him in his judgments, which have taken hold of ſome of their companions; they drinke, to the end they may drowne conſcience, and put off all thoughts of death, and Hell, and to hearten and harden themſelves againſt all the meſſages of God, and threats of the Law; as that franticke Muſition fell to tuning his Violl, when his houſe was on fire about his eares. For moſt men take no notice at all of the ſtrokes of Gods wrath, but with the mirth and madneſſe of wine and pleaſures, take away the knowledge of it, and the noyſe of conſcience when it cryes; as the Sacrificers in the valley of Hinnon, by the noyſe of Inſtruments, tooke away the cryes of their ſacrificed children: and ſo much the rather, that others may not take notice thereof; for though their conſciences be often in paine, yet they will not complaine that this ſhoe wrings them.
Their conſciences would faine ſpeake with them, but they will by no meanes heare them; whereas if they had wit, and were not paſt grace, they would both invite, and welcome this Angell, or meſſinger of the Lord, ſo ſoone as the waters be troubled, with ſackcloth, aſhes, faſting, going into the houſe of mourning, and pouring forth whole Buckets of water, as is the manner of Gods people, 1 Sam. 7.6. But many a time is poore Chriſt (offering to be new borne in thee) thruſt into the Stable; while lewd companions, by their drinking, playes, and jeſts, take up all the beſt roomes in the Inne of thine heart.
Indeed, blind worldlings and beſotted ſinners, may call it melancholy, or what they will; but in Gods Dictionary (the holy Scriptures) it hath no ſuch name. And they may thinke to drive it away with carnall delights, but this will not doe it: yea, letten Conſorts of muſicke be added, it ſhall not drowne the clamorous cryes of conſcience. Theſe are but miſerable comforters, and Phyſitians of no value, and no way a fit expiation for a griefe of this nature; neither can the world afford an expurgation of this melancholy.
Alaſſe! this is but like ſome ſpritly muſicke, which though it advanceth a mans mind while it ſounds; yet leaves him more melancholy, when it is done, as Euripides obſerves. Yea, I'le appeale from your ſelves in drinke, to your ſelves in your ſober fits, whether it fares not with you, as it did with Menippus, who went downe into Hell to ſeeke content: for what is this other (in mitigating the pangs of conſcience) then as a ſaddle of gold, to a gal'd Horſe; or a draught of poyſon, to quench a mans thirſt.
Alaſſe! Let being expuls't Sodom, dranke ſomewhat freely to drive away melancholy (as we may conjecture) but what came of it? the wine made him commit inceſt, whereby he became ten times more melancholy, then he was before. And ſurely, they which ſtrive to cure their preſent miſery, with preſent mirth; have not their miſery taken away, but changed, and of temporall, made eternall; thou hast taken thy pleaſure, ſaith Abraham to Dives, therefore art thou now tormented, Luke 16.25. I love no ſuch change; I love not to cure one evill by another, yea, by a worſe miſchiefe: as Empiricks in curing one diſeaſe, cauſe another which is worſe. And let them looke to it, for ſurely if men call for pleaſure, to pleaſe the conſcience, as the Philistins did for Sampſon to make them ſport, it will but pull downe the houſe upon their heads. No ſooner were the bellies of Adoniah's gueſts full of meat, and their heads full of wine; but their eares were full of clangor, their hearts of horror, the Trumpets at once proclame Salomon's Triumph, and their confuſion: the feaſts of the wicked end in terror, as it fared with Belſhazzar, Daniel chap. 5. v. 1. to 7. after the meale is done, ever comes the reckoning. Wherefore let my ſpirit never come and enter into their Paradiſe, yea ever abhor to partake of their brutiſh pleaſures, leſt I partake of their endleſſe woes. And indeed who would buy repentance and miſery ſo deare? as Demoſthenes anſwered Lais the harlot, when ſhe asked him ten thouſand Drachmes of money, for her company but one night; who would pay ſo deare for ſo ſhort a leaſe? as the Country man replyed, ſeeing the great preparation, labour, coſt, and ſtudy for a great triumph, when they told him it was to laſt but an houre: for could they have Nectar and Ambroſia to ſwallow, yea, could they drinke, with Cleopatra, the riches of Egypt at a draught, and that upon free coſt, (which as Diogines conceived, did adde ſweetneſſe to the wine) yet it is but a draught, and quickly downe the throat.
Yea, as vaine and comfortleſſe are all worldly joyes, when they are uſed to mitigate the panges of conſcience, as it was for Callico to ſtuff his pillow (a braſſe pot) with ſtraw to make it ſoft.
Indeed, your charmes may, with their pleaſantneſſe, bring conſcience into ſome ſhort ſlumbers; but it waketh eftſoones, and in ſpite of all your ſpells, rageth as before. Yea, if but ſickneſſe come, theſe carnall delights will runne from you, affrighted like Rats from a houſe on fire: pleaſure, like Orpah, kiſſes, but parts; only griefe, like Ruth, weeps, and tarries with you: no joy will downe till there be hope of a pardon; ſo that no hand can heale you, but the very ſame which wounded you: the wounds of the mind can only be cured by the word of God, which teacheth what may bee ſaid, what is to bee known, what to bee believed, what to bee avoyded, yea, and what not.
Thus inſtead of repenting, and labouring in a lawfull calling, which is the only cure of Melancholy (Fulgentius aptly terming exerciſe, the death of diſeaſes, the deſtruction of all vices, and only cure of Melancholy) they adde ſinne to ſinne, leaving Gods remedies, to ſeeke remedy of the divel; whoſe office is not to quench fire, but to kindle it, even the fire of luſt, with the fire of drunkenneſſe here, and with thoſe two the fire of hell hereafter.