Sin Stigmatized, Part 2 · Section 193 – Section 194
§ 193.
BUt to beare ill words, rather then be drunke, VVe ought not be drunke to ſave our lives.is not all which God requires in a Chriſtian: he muſt ſuffer blowes even to death rather then yeild. Some (which thinke themſelves both ſober men, and good Chriſtians) preſume they may be drunke, ſo it be to drive away a diſeaſe, or to prevent a quarrell, but they reckon without their Hoſt, for we muſt not doe evill, that good may come of it: that which is ill of it ſelfe, is not to be ventured on, for the good that commeth by accident. Better the body be debilitiated, or dye by an honeſt diſeaſe; then be cured by a diſhoneſt medicine (ſaith St. Auſtin) yea, admit thou wert put to this extremity, that thou muſt either drinke exceſſively, againſt thy ſtomacke and conſcience, or elſe thou muſt die for it, as ſometimes it falls out, either drinke, or i'le ſtab thee; it is farre better, ſaith the ſame Auguſtine, that thy ſober and temperate fleſh ſhould bee ſlaine by a ſword, then that thy ſoule ſhould be evercome by this ſinne of drunkenneſſe. And indeed, the magnanimous Chriſtian will loſe his life, rather then the peace of a good conſcience, like Iohn Baptiſt, he will hold his integrity, though he loſe his head for it.
And indeed, Death in a good cauſe ſhall pleaſure, not hurt us.let a man but keepe a good coreſpondence with God, and his owne conſcience, and then he may anſwer all, as he did when the Tyrant threatned him, I will take away thy houſe; yet thou canſt not take away my peace: I will breake up thy ſchoole, yet ſhall I keepe whole my peace: I will confiſcate all thy goods: yet there is no Premunire againſt my peace: I will baniſh thee thy countrey, yet I ſhall carry my peace with mee: ſo mayſt thou ſay, take away my riches, yet I have Chriſt; take away friends, liberty, wife, and children, life, and all, yet I have Chriſt, that is to me both in life and death advantage.
Suppoſe thou beeſt kild for obeying God, rather then man: what greater honor can be done thee? Queene Anne Bolane, the Mother of bleſſed Queene Elizabeth, when ſhe was to be beheaded in the Tower, thus remembred her thankes to the King. Of a private Gentlewoman, ſaid ſhe, he made me a Marqueſſe, of a Marqueſſe a Queene, and now having left no higher degree of earthly honour for mee, he hath made me a Martyr. And what ſaid Iuſtine Martyr to his murtherers, in behalfe of himſelfe, and his fellow Martyrs; you may kill us, but you can never hurt us? And Franciſco Soyit to his adverſaries, you deprive me of this life, and promote me to a better, which is, as if you ſhould rob me of counters, and furniſh me with gold. The ſooner I die, quoth another, the ſooner I ſhall be happy: and even in the very act of ſuffering, God gives courage with the one hand, and holds out a crowne with the other, 2 Cor. 1.5. and 12.10.
When Pyrrhus tempted Fabricius, VVhichWhich hath made many preferre it before the greatest pleaſure, profit, or honour.the firſt day with an Elephant, ſo huge and monſtrous a beaſt, as before he had not ſeene; the next day with money, and promiſes of honour: he anſwered, I feare not thy force, and I am too wiſe for thy fraud. He will never feare to be killed, who by killing is ſure to be crowned. His reſolution, is like that of Conſalvo, who proteſted to his ſouldiers, ſhewing them Naples, that he had rather die one foote forwards, then to have his life ſecured for long by one foote of retrait. And good reaſon; for doth not our Saviour ſay, whoſoever ſhall ſeeke to ſave his life in this caſe, ſhall loſe it (I, more, he ſhall loſe both body and ſoule eternally, for ſo the words imply) but whoſoeuer ſhall loſe his life for my ſake, and the Goſpells, he ſhall ſave it? Mat. 10.39. Luke, 17.11.33.
This priviledge hath God given to thoſe that feare him, that they need not to feare any thing elſe. Yea, though every paine they ſuffer, were a death,; and every croſſe, an Hell; they know they have amends enough, when they heare the Holy Ghoſt ſay, Apoc. 2.10. be thou faithfull unto the death, and I will give thee the crown of life. And indeed, this promiſe which is added, ſhould, me thinkes, be a notable ſpurre to our perſeverance, ſhould exceedingly ſharpen the commandement and drive it more deepely into our minds, making us to ſay, with Pompey (being to cary corne to Rome in time of dearth, and the Sea tempeſtuous) it is neceſſary that I goe on, not that I live.
Many have thought health worthy to be purchaſed with the price of Cauthers and Inciſions, how painefull ſoever; but alaſſe! eternall life is a precious pearle, which a wiſe Merchant will purchaſe, though it coſt him his life, (yea, had he a thouſand lives) and all that he hath, Mat. 13. The women told Naomy that Ruth was better unto her then ſeven Sonnes, Ruth. 4. but Christ is better then ſeventy times ſeven lives: for what is life, together with a perpetuated fame, from Adam till doomes day, in reſpect of ſalvation for eternity? or what are they, that can only kill the body, to Him, that after he hath kild the body, can caſt both body and ſoule into Hell?
But as warme cloathes to a dead man: But others preferre the worlds favour before Gods.ſo are the motions of valour to a fearefull heart: ſay what can be ſaid, cleare mens judgements, cure their prejudice; many will yet feare the worlds opinion more then Gods diſpleaſure; which is to runne into the fire, to avoid the ſmoake; and more dread the mockes and flouts of men on earth, then they doe the grinning mockes of the Devills in Hell; which makes them ceaſe to be good Chriſtians, that they may be thought good companions: wherein they put downe Aeſop's fooliſh fiſhes, that leapt out of the warme water, into the burning fire for eaſe: or Timocrates, who, as Thucydides relates, kil'd himſelf for feare, leaſt he ſhould be drowned.
Wherefore, ſeeing all men cannot receive this gift of fortitude, ſave they to whom it is given; I will yet ſhew you, if not a more excellent, yet a more ſafe way to avoid this danger, and all other their allurements.
§ 194.
IF thou wouldeſt neither bee intiſed nor enforced to pledge them, VVe muſt refraine their company, and not diſpute with them o… we ſhall not hold out.in any of their wicked cuſtomes, divorce thy ſelfe from all acquaintance and ſociety with the vicious, yea, entertaine no parly with them.
There are ſome vices of that nature, that they cannot be vanquiſhed but by avoiding; ſuch is fornication, fly fornication, ſaith the Apoſtle, 1 Corinth. 6.18. that is, flee the company of fornicators; for to be in a lewd womans company, ſaith Salomon, and depart innocent; and to take fire in a mans boſome, and not ſinge his cloaths; or go upon live coles, and his feet not be burnt, are equally poſſible, Prov. 6.27, 28. ſuch is the frailty of mans nature, that if the eye but ſee, or the eare heare, or the hand but touch a whoriſh woman, the heart will goe nigh to catch, and take fire, verſe 29. And thus is fares with this ſinne, bid a man conſort a while with drunkards, and depart from them innocent, you may as well put a match to dry powder, and forbid it to take fire, except he be very well ſtayed, and of better governd affections then ordinary. It is not ſafe to commit a little Wherry to the Seas violence. A ſticke that hath once been in the fire, much more a Torch newly extinguiſht, being forth with put to the flame, will ſoone be kindled again. Wherfore keep out of the reach of thy vicious acquaintance, and if they becken thee one way, be thou ſure to take the contrary, at leaſt entertaine no parley with them. When Caſtles once come to a parley, there is great feare they will yeeld: and gates that are alwayes open, will ſometimes admit an enemy. No diſputing with Sathan, or his deputies: when our firſt Parents fell to arguing the caſe with that old Serpent, though in the ſtate of innocencie, when they had wit at wil, and their reaſon at command, they found him too hard for them: how much more too weak ſhall we find our ſelves, that now are as we are? ſurely, we are like to loſe all, if once wee enter into diſputation with that old Sophiſter, and crafty Fox, after the experience of ſix thouſand yeares almoſt, and when our ownfleſh (which is the greateſt both deceiver and diſſembler in the world) is become his cunning ſolicitour.
Alaſſe! he deſires no more then to be heard ſpeak; for grant him but this, and he will perſwade thee to believe, even contrary to thine own knowledge: as how eaſily did he perſwade Eve, by himſelf; and Adam, by her, (when they gave but eare to him,) to believe what he ſpake, though they had heard God himſelf ſay the contrary, but a little before? Gen. 2.17. and if innocency found no meanes of reſiſtance, what hope have we ſo extreamely degenerated? And indeed, why doe we pray not to be led into temptation, if we lead our ſelves into temptation? If we will not keepe our ſelves from the occaſion; God will not keepe us from the ſinne: and if God doe not keep us, we cannot be kept: we cannot, wee will not chooſe but fall. Wherefore ſhun the ſociety of evill men, as Ioſeph ſhunned the ſociety of his Miſtreſſe, and leave them that leave God, as Noah did the old World, and that by God's commandement, Gen. 7.1.7. and Abraham the Cananites, Gen. 12.1. and Lot the Sodomites, Gen. 19.17. and Iſrael the Egyptians, Exod, 12.37.41. and Moab and Ammon, Numb. 27.1.2.3.16.17.