The Autumn Part from the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Letter 10
The Epistle.
EPHES. 5. 15.
Take heede therefore how yewalke circumspectly, not as vnwise, but as wise men, &c.
IT is an axiome that will abide the touch-stone, whosoeuer is a good man is a wise man, and on the countrary, whosoeuer is an irrepentant sinner is a foole. Salomon affirmes it in his fChap. 1. 7. 22. & 8. 5.Prouerbes, and Christ a greater then Salomon confirmes it in his Gospell, expressing the dangerous estate of improuident sinners by the parable of the gMatth. 25.foolish Uirgins, and terming the prodigall childs repentance hLuk. 15. 17.comming vntounto himselfe, as if he had beene out of his wits vntill his amendment, as the Greeke foreign doth import, and the Latine resipiscentia, quasi iTert…llian lib. 2. con ra Marcion, vel vt alij resipiscere q…si res…pere.receptio mentis adse. So Paul aduiseth vsus in my text to walke circumspectly-, not as vnwise: but as wise men. And to be wise men according to the doctrine of Paul is to be new menkEphes. 4. 22. to cast off our old conuersation, and to be renued in the spirit of our minde, to speake more particularly, the learned Atheist is a foole, Psalme 14. 1. The foole hath said in his heart, there is no God. The witty harlot is a foole, Prou. 9. 13. a foolish woman is troublesome, &c. The couetous (albeit the world repute him only wise, lVarrol. 4. de ling. Lat.Diues quasi Diuus, as being a petite god on earth) is notwithstanding in the Scriptures estimate but a foole, Luk. 12. 20. O foole this night will they fetch away thy soule from thee. But because the drunkard is a most apparent grosse fot, our Apostle willeth vsus heere principally to take heede of drunkennesse, be not drunken withwine, &c.
That we may walke circumspectly, mArdentin loc.three points are to be considered especially,
Quò.
Quo modo.
Qua via.
The nEcclesiastes 2. 14.wise mans eies are in his head, he therefore oHeb. 12. 2.looketh vntounto Christ, pColoss. 3. 1.seeking the things aboue, where Christ our head sitteth at the right hand of God: and he walketh vntounto the Citie which is qHeb. 13. 14.to come, in the right way with a right eye. The way to heauen is to know God and his Christ, Iohn 17. 3. a liuely faith working by louelove, Galat. 5. 6. and to walke in this right way vprightly, is to shun the mountaines of presumption and the pits of despaire, to turne neither to the right hand nor to the left, to run our race neither hastily nor slowly, but as Paul heere, circumspectly. Now the drunkard (as it is in the Prouerbe) is *Esay 28. 7.out of the way, to speake the best of him in charitie, reeling in the way, for tipling heads hauehave topling heeles. It is a popish axiome, cautè, si non castè; but the truth is, no man walkes charily, but he who walkes chastly. Our Apostles cautè, is as much as rAqui…. in loc.cauete, take heed of eueryevery thing which is an hindrance to your walking in the waies of the Lord, but especially take heed that ye bee not drunken with wine wherein is excesse.
Concerning this one sinne schoole Authors hauehave mooued many questions, as first, whether a man being sicke may be drunken medicinally for his health?
2. Whether a man taking an inebriatiue potion, not knowing the force thereof, hereby committeth any sinne?
3. Whether a man ouercharging his stomacke at a publike feast, not in any carnall delectation intemperatly carrowsing, but vponupon complement onelyonly pledging ordinarie cups of kindnesse, may iustly bee condemned of excesse?
4. Whether the courteous invitor vrging his guest in louelove, may bee said to make the riot, and if either bee thought author of misrule, whether occasionaliter, or causaliter?
5. Whether any subiect in answering his Soueraignes health, may wittingly and willingly transgresse in this kind?
6. Whether any for feare of stabbing, or any such like imminent perill, should endanger his soule to saue his bodie; and if any of these kindes are to bee excused, whether à toto, or à tanto?
For the resolution whereof, I refer you to s22. quast. 150. art. 1. 2. & sequent.Thomas, tIn Aurea summa, fol 157Altissiodorensis, uIn Thomam vbi supra.Caietan; holding it sufficient at this time to treat of voluntarie, wicked, inordinate drunkennesse implied in our text. First, voluntarie, bee not: insinuating that it is in our owne power. Secondly, wicked, drunken with wine. For, as xArdens in loc. ebrietas sancta.Diuines are bold to speake, there is an holy drunkennesse, as that of the blessed Apostles on Whitsunday; and that of Martyrs and Saints in eueryevery age, who taking the cup of saluation into their hands are so filled with the spirit, that they are euen sicke with louelove, Cant. 2. 5. and inebriated as it were with the yPsal. 3. 68.plenteousnesse of Gods house. Thirdly, inordinate, wherein is excesse, making men absolute zLuther. Beza. Piscator.dissolute, ready to commit all vncleannesse euen with greedinesse. All these being put together, make drunkennesse a grandame in Babylon, and a very monopolie of mischiefe, transgressing eueryevery precept of the whole Law.
The first Commandement is, Thou shalt hauehave none other Gods but me. The meaning whereof Christ expounds it, Matth. 22. 37. is, thou shalt louelove the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soule, with all thy minde. Hee saith not (as Chrysostome notes vponupon the place) feare the Lord: for the most impudent Atheists hauehave trembled, often in whom there is no perfect louelove, a1. Iohn 4. 18.which expelleth feare. Neither saith hee, know the Lord: for heathen men hauehave some knowledge of God by nature: Psal. 19. 1. The heauens declare the glorie of God, and the firmament sheweth his handie worke. Neither saith hee, beleeue the Lord thy God: for the bIames 2. 19.diuels also beleeue; but hee saith expressely that which is the cRom. 13. 10.fulfilling of the Law, louelove the Lord thy God. As then our dRom. 6. 16.Apostle said, he is our master to whom we submit our selues as seruants to obey: so that is our God assuredly which wee like best and louelove most. And therefore for as much as the glutton and drunkard is totus venter (as Erasmus said of a Frier) all belly, and all for the belly: without all doubt his belly is his ePhilip. 3 19God, and his glory his shame.
The second Commandement is, Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen image, &c. thou shalt not bow downe to them, and worship them. Albeit drunkards cannot endure to kneele one halfe quarter of an houre in the temple: yet they can bee content to kneele, and that on both knees, and those bare, pressing and answering healths in the tauernes either to their good Captaine, who many times is but a swaggerer; or else to their faire Mistrisse, who sometimes is little better then a strumpet; or else forsooth vntounto their Soueraigne, vsing the diuels logicke, hee that will not be drunken for Caesar, is no friend to Caesar. fHieron. com. in Tit.Accusationis occasio est, adiuratum per Caesarem frequentius non bibisse. This vngodly gVide Ambros. lib. de Elia, c. 17deuotion and idolatrous adoration of he-saints and she-saints, as they protest vnfainedly from the bottome of their heart vntounto the bottome of the cup, is so full of scandall and scorne, that there can bee but a little difference between a drunkard in vpholding his wine-worship, and a Papist in obseruing his willworship.
As for the third Commandement: a drunkard alway blasphemeth God in his workes, ofter in his words. It is an old prouerbe, Shew me a liar, and I will shew thee a theefe: so shew me a swaggerer, and I will instantly shew thee a swearer. For when once hee begins to seeme to himselfe valde disertus, a very fine man, faecundi calices cumiam fecêre disertum: hee will talke of God most, although hee thinke of him least. It is recorded in the hMatth. 8. 31.Gospels historie that the dispossessed diuels entreated Christ that hee would suffer them to goe into swine; because the chiefe place of the diuels residence is the soule of the swilling drunkard. iMatth. 12. 43In dry places he findes no rest, kBonauent. diet. sal…t. c. 29.that is, in a sober minde hee gets no footing: hee dwels in low countries and in wet ground, in such as are filled with wine. Now when the spirit of God is gone which should direct their speech and guide their thoughts, and Satan is entred in and taken possession of their ho…se; then vndoubtedly the doore of their lips is shut vp from Gods praise, but open as hell mouth alway to sweare vainly, to forsweare villanously.
Touching the sanctifying of the Sabbath enioyned in the fourth Commandement; an Alehouse in a Parish is ordinarily the diuels chappell; while Gods congregation is chaunting in the Church, boone companions are chatting in the tauerne, hauing their letanie, gospels and epistles in derision of our common praiers, and the welsh sermon in scorne of our preaching: lChurch hom. concerning the time and place of prayer.so that they more dishonour God, and serue better the diuell on Sunday, then in all the daies of the weeke beside.
The fifth Commandement requires honour to fathers
Oeconomicall,
Parents.
Husbands.
Masters.
Politicall,
Betters in office.
Elders in yeeres.
Ecclesiasticall,
Tutors.
Pastors.
Prelates.
Now the drunkard in this habit of sinne dishonoureth all at once, disobeying the counsell of his Parent, commandement of his Master, statutes of his Prince, direction of his Elder, lesson of his Tutor, exhortation of his Preacher, discipline of his Prelate. Scandalizing also by these leaud courses his mother the Colledge, his mother the Vniuersitie, his mother the Church.
Against the sixth Commandement a drunkard offends more principally two waies: first, in mVide Ambros. lib. ae Elia, c. 16…uinating the state of his owne bodie by disorder and intemperance.
nOwin Epigram: vt Venus eneruat vires, sic copia …acchi. Virgil.Una salus sanis nullam potare salutem,
Non est in pota vera salute salus.
Secondly, being apt in this humour to stab other, according to that of Uirgil: Bacchus ad armavocat. And as another ancient oHorat.Poet, in praelia trudit inermem. pChurch …om. against drunkennesse.Alexander the great being drunken killed his deare friend Clitus, for whose life when he was sober hee would hauehave giuen halfe his Empire. The records of our Courts afford innumerable presidents in this kinde, in so much as the common epithete to quarrelling is drunken, as a drunken fight, or a drunken fray, ne que enim faceret haec sobrius vnquam, for no man in his right wits admitteth of any such desperate courses.
The drunkard is occasioned to breake the seuenth Commandement by his large commons, and leaud companions. For the first, qRom. 13. 13.after drunkennesse ensueth chambering, after chambering wantonnesse, rHieron. epist. Amando.pro membrorum ordine or do vitiorum est: and as sLoc. com. tit. de libidinibus.Luther excellently, gula soror est, immo irritamentum & procus, & minister luxuriae, For temetum, tPerottus in Cornucop.some conceit, is so called, eo quod tentet, and uIsidor. etym. lib. 20. c. 32.vinum ab implendo venas: examples heereof in Scriptures are the Sodomites, Herod, Lot, Dauid, and in our xPolydor. Anglican. hist. lib. 3. pag. 56.Chronicle Uortigerius.
Secondly, the drunkard is inticed to the sinne of incontinence by leaud company: for although an Inne was called in old time yIsidor. etym. lib. 15. cap. 2.propina, and of late corruptly popina of the Greeke foreign, signifying hunger, because Tauernehouses were first erected onelyonly for the necessary refection of trauellers and strangers, and not for idle meetings of neighbours: yet afterward they became places of notorious riot and excesse, in so much that the zEcclesiasticus 26. 30.Wiseman said expresly, Two things are hard and perilous, a Merchant cannot lightly keepe him from wrong, and a Uictualler is not without sinne. And it is well obserued out of the second chapter of Iosua, verse 1. that the word in Hebrew vsed for an hostesse signifieth an harlot also, the messengers of Iosua went into an harlots house, that is, saith our English glosse, into a Tauerne-house, and in Latine stabulum is an Inne, and prostibulum a whore. Now the filthy communication and vncomely gestures vsuall in such places and among such persons are so great motiues vntounto sinne, that as Martin Luther was won… to say, It is as strange a miracle for a man to conuerse with such and not to burne with lust, as it was for the three children to be in the fiery furnace and not to be …corched. aPro. 6. 27. 28For can a man take fire in his bosome and his clothes not be burnt? or can a man goe vponupon coales and his feete not hurt? bAmbros. de poe…it. li. 1. c. 14.Pascitur libido conuiuijs, nutritur delicijs, vino accenditur, ebrietate flammatur. In these two respects I may pronounce with cCom. in Tit. 1.Hierome, Nunquam ego ebrium putabo castum. Adulterers and drunkards are of such affinity, dHeliodor. Aethio…. hist. lib. 13.that in ebrietatem amans, & in amorem eb…ius procliuis admodum, a wanton will easily turne drunkard, and a drunkard as soone become wanton.
As for the eighth Commandement: he that is drunken with wine first is a theefe to himselfe in his excessiue riot, and then being in neede is occasioned to steale from others also. Drunkennesse is eBonauent. diet. salut c. 8.regius morbus, a costly sin, for he that draweth his patrimony through his fChurch h…m. against drunkennesse.throate, eating and drinking more in an houre then hee is able to earne in a whole weeke, must in fine come to beggery: Prouer. 23. 21. the drunkard and the glutton shall be poore, and the sleeper shall be clothed with rags. He doth cast his house so long out of the window, that as gLuscinius in salibus & iocis.Diogenes said, at the last his house doth cast him out of the doore, hauing left nothing rich except a rich nose. The prodigall child wastfull in the beginning of his iourney, was in the end so needy, that he was desirous to be fellow commonor with hLuke 15. 16.swine. Diogenes derided a yong riotous gallant, who spent so much at dinner that hee had nothing but a Radish roote for his supper. In a word, the most ordinary progresse of a meane man giuen ouer to tipling is nothing else but this, from luxury to iforeign quia perditus & nihil si…i & suis seruans. Zanch. in loc.beggery, from beggery to theeuery, from Holborne to Tyburne, from the alehouse to the gallowes.
As for the ninth Commandement: kLib. de men. da…. ad consent. cap. 14.Augustine makes eight kindes of lies, which lLombard. sent. l 3. dist. 38. & gloss… Psal. 5.other hauehave reduced vntounto three, mendacium officiosum, iocosum, malitiosum. And these may be contracted into two, to wit, a merrie verie lie. All which a drunkard hath at his fingers ends: for the merry lie, cogging and iesting are the chiefe props of his tottering estate. And as for malicious lies, if he be on his Ale-bench, and sit downe in the seat of the scornfull, he will, as mLuke 2. 1.Augustus Caesar once, tax the whole world, pratling of Priest and Clerke, yea Prince and people, censuring all hee knoweth, often more then he knoweth. Hee will not spare his other selfe, his best selfe, his owne selfe. Bacchus is painted by the Poets vsually naked: n…ulgentius mytholog. l. 2. …ab de Dionysio.heereby signifying that a drunkard reueales all the secrets of his heart, oPlutarch. l. de garrulitate.quicquid est in corde sobrij, est in lingua ebrij. The which is a most odious fault in ciuility: for who will familiarly conuerse with such a dolt as can neither keepe his owne, nor his friends counsell? In vino veritas helpes him not a whit; for seeing all truthes are not to bee told at all times, he may beare false witnesse when he makes a true report, because the meaning of the commandement is, that we should not mooue any tales either false or true, whereby the credit of our neighbour is lost or lessened: but that on the contrary wee should endeuour by all meanes possible to maintaine his honest reputation among vsus. And therefore the gabling drunkard in mouing many false prattles, and so making many foule quarrels, offendeth against the ninth Commandement especially.
The naming of the last Commandement is enough, he that is guilty of the fact, of necessity must be accessary to the motion. And therefore to conclude this euidence, euen as a Generall that besiegeth a City, laboureth especially to gaine the Tower or the Castle, knowing that if hee possesse it, he shall instantly command the whole Towne: so likewise the diuell who daily doth assault our little citie, plots how he may be possessed of our Capitoll and Sconce, being assured that if our head be tipling, our eyes will bee wanton, our tongue blasphemous, our throate an open scpulchre, our hands ready to stab, our feete swift to shed blood: in briefe, all our members at his seruice to become pRom. 6. 13.weapons of vnrighteousnesse, to commit all manner of sinne euen with greedinesse. And so the drunkard is like mare mortuum, as no fish can liue in the one, so no vertue in the other, qAugustin.abominatur à Deo, despicitur ab angelis, deridetur ab hominibus, destituitur virtutibus, confunditur à daemonibus, conculcatur ab omnibus.
But the foulenesse of this vnhappy sinne will appeare yet to be greater, if wee consider it according to our seuerall estates, as we are
Men.
Ciuill men.
Christian men.
Collegiate men.
Clergie men.
If we consider our selues as men, we shall easily see that drunkennesse maketh vsus no men. rVirgil. epigramide venere & vino.Demens ebrietas, it is a voluntary madnesse, whereby men depriued of their vse of reason are like horse and mule without vnderstanding. Hanc qui habet, seipsum non habet, he that hath this sinne hath lost himselfe, and is become sChrysost. in Act. hom. 27.rather a beast then a man, nay tDadraeus lo…. com. tit. …brie. tas.worse then a beast, for we can not enforce a beast to drinke more then he neede: uChrysost. ad pop. Antioch hom. 1.est voluntarius daemon, a drunkard, as it is in our English prouerbe, will play the diuell.
xBez…epigram.Quaeris quis sit homo ebriosus? atque
Nullus est homo Maeuole ebriosus.
Secondly, if we consider our selues as ciuill men, this one sinne ouerthroweth all the foure cardinall and chiefe vertues. As Iustice, for how shall any man doe right vntounto other, who cannot doe reason vntounto himselfe? Prudence, which is often drowned in this sincke, and especially maintained by moderate diet, as the yAristot. ethic. lib. 6.Philosopher intimates in the word foreign to be quasi foreign. Temperance, for foulnesse of body followeth ordinarily zEzech. 16 49.fulnesse of bread. Fortitude, for as S. aLib. de Elia cap. 13.Ambrose notably, Quos mane insignes armis spectaueras, vultu minaces, eosdem vesperi cernas etiam à puerulis rideri, sine ferro vulneràtos, sine pugna interfectos, sine host… turbat…s, sine senectute tremulos, bIudith 13. 2. 8.Holofernes hauing lost his wit in wine, lost his head also by the hand of a silly woman. And that of a moderne Poet is memorable, de duce Dipontino.
Pons superauit aquas, superarunt pocula pont…m,
Febre tremens peri…t, qui tremor or bis erat.
Thirdly, if wee consider our seiues as Christian men, c1. Tim. 5 6.he that liueth in pleasure is dead while he liueth: ergo, saith dEpist. Oceano tom. 2. fol. 324.Hierome, a drunkard is not onelyonly dead, but buried in his sinne also. There be many eEsay 5. 11. Ioel 1. 5. Prou. 23. 29.woes denounced against him in this, and moe woes executed on him in the next life. For I tell you (saith our Apostle) that they who doe such things shall not inherit the kingdome of God, Galath. 5. 21. foreign, fPhauorinus apud Zanch. in loc.quòd non possit foreign seruari.
Fourthly, if we consider our selues as schollers, our honourable founders in great wisedome foreseeing the manifold inconueniences of tipling in Students, ordained that we should hauehave but a spare diet in the Colledge, and forbad all excessiue riot and inordinate commessation in the towne. A Gentleman hearing that his sonne at Vniuersitie was giuen to dicing, answered, that want of money would occasion him happily to leaue that fault. Afterward vnderstanding that hee was giuen to whoring, said, that either mariage or old age would one day cure that folly. But when he was informed of his gMorall vponupon Ariost. Or ando surioso, lib. 35.wine bibbing, out vponupon the villaine (said the father) I will surely disinherit him, for that fault will encrease with his yeeres. A gamester will continue so long as his purse lasts, an adulterer so long as his loynes last, but a drunkard so long as his lungs and life last.
Fifthly, if wee consider ourselues as Clergiemen, he that is giuen to h1. Tim. 3. 3.wine should not be made Bishop, and if any Prelate or Priest after consecration become a winebibber, ebrietatibus vacans, aut cesset aut deponatur, as it is in the 42. Canon of the Apostles, according to the computation of Theodorus Balsamon. And by the seuenth Iniunction of Queene Elizabeth, Ecclesiasticall persons are forbidden haunting of Alehouses and Tauernes. I know Paul may meet his acquaintance at the market of Appius, and at the three Tauernes, Acts 28. 15. but this ought to bee for his honest necessities, as the former Iniunction intimates, and not to keepe ranke riot at vnlawfull houres. Hee that is irregular in this kinde, after admonition and warning, is worthy to be suspendediVide Balsam. in Apost can. 42. & Photium. Tit. 9. cap. 27. & 35. ab officio & beneficio. A great gallant hauing prouided a great feast for his neighbours, desired the parish Priest to wash first and to sit downe last: hereby signifying (saith mine kMensa philosophica fab. de milite.author) that Clergie-men ought to be primo mundi, sed postremo ebrij. Thus as you see, by surfetting and excesse lAmbros. de Elia, cap. 14.vina are made venena, that is, in the words of holy mDeut. 32. 33.Scripture, the wine of drunkards is so bitter as the poyson of Dragons, and the cruell gall of Aspes. In some respect worse, saith nVbi supra.Ambrose, then any venome; for the most deadly poyson hath holpen many, whereas the drunkards potion heales none, but hurts all, a root of much euill, a rot of eueryevery vertue.
Preached at S. Maries in Cambridge on Whitsunday anno 1602. The remnant of this text concerning Psalmes, and Hymmes, and spirituall songs, is expounded Epist. Sund. 5. after Epiphanie.