Commentaries, Commentary on Judges · Chapter 9 · Excursus 4 – Verses 22-25
¶Of wyne and dronkennes.
BVt bicauſe very manye vntemperate men, being reproued for dronkennes, are wont by this ſentence to excuſe their ſinne, which otherwiſe is moſt filthy, ſaying that they abuſe not wyne, foraſmuche as they vſe it to that ende, for which it was inuented, and created of God, namelye that men wyth it ſhoulde make them ſelues mery:A diuiſion of that which ſhal be intreated of. therefore I thought it good to refell their wantonnes. Wherfore firſt I wil declare the iuſt vſe of wyne. Afterward I wyll ſhewe the abuſe thereof, teaching it to be againſt the law of God. Then wil I bring examples, manifeſtly to open that the abuſe of it is a thing as wel damnable as filthy and deteſtable. Moreouer I wil rehearſe the horrible effectes of this euyll. And laſtly I wil anſwer to thoſe cauillations and ſophiſtical argumentes, by which the Epicures defend dronkennes, and the abuſe of wyne.
As touching the firſt I deny not, but that wine hath excellent properties. For it quencheth thirſt,Healthful and honeſt vſes of wyne. which might alſo be done with water, but not ſo commodiouſly: bicauſe wine in quenching of thirſt, maketh a man ſtrong, and engēdreth ſpirites, whereby nature is very much recreated. Farther, it is medicinable for colde and weakenes both of the ſtomake, and alſo of the other powers, whiche ſerue for the life of man. Wherfore Paul writeth vntounto Timothe to vſe wine for the ſtomacke, and often diſeaſes thereof. It is ſometimes alſo not vnprofitably occupied outwardly for woundes. Wherefore in the .x. of Luke it is writtē, that the Samaritane bound the woundes of him whom he found halfe dead, and poured wine and oyle in them. Moreouer wyne maketh mery, and helpeth not a lytle to driue away ſadnes and heauynes of the minde. And therfore Salomon writeth in his Prouerbs the .31. chap. Geue ſtrong drinke to them which ar heauy, & wyne to them that hauehave griefe of hart. Let them drinke and forget their pouerty, and no more remember their ſorrow. And we rede in the .104. Pſalme, wine reioyceth the hart of man.
The wonderful liberality of God towardes men.For ſo great was the goodnes of God towards men, that he would geue vntounto them not onelyonly thinges neceſſary to lyue by, but alſo largely beſtow on them delicates: bicauſe properly and by himſelfe he delighteth not in the penſiuenes, ſadnes, and heauines of men, but deſireth to hauehave them liue holilye, and godlyly, with an honeſt and holy mirth of hart. Wherfore he hath graunted vntounto thē, not onelyonly the vſe of wine, but alſo oyle, and moſt pleaſant odours, alſo fleſh, and likewiſe diuers and manifold kindes of meate. Vndoubtedly the vſe of wyne is ſometimes profitable vntounto thoſe, which ar recouered of their diſeaſes, & muſt be reſtored to their old health, and as a certaine Philoſopher ſayth, a heuines & certaine bitternes of old men are by it likewiſe mitigated and lenified, as hoppes, which otherwiſe are moſt bitter, become ſwete, being ſtiped in water. But we muſt take heede that we keepe a meaſure,We muſt keepe a meaſure in drinking of wyne. otherwiſe the gladnes which by wine is ſought, is eaſely turned vntounto moſt great heauines. For the intemperance of wine doth eaſely loſe his vtility. Yea if men come to dronkennes, then is the vſe of wine a very heauy thing, and ful of daunger. Wherfore it is neceſſarye to put a difference betwene the vſe and abuſe therof.
Moreouer, this is to be added, that to hauehave to much drinke, or to be droonke,A diſtinction of dronkennes. Marſilius Ficinus. may be taken two wayes, either properly, or Metaphoricallye. This difference Marcilius Ficinus plainly teacheth in the argumēt of his Dialogue de Iuſto, and maketh one kinde of dronkēnes aboue the Moone, or celeſtial, ſtirred vp by drinking of heauenly drinke, wherby the minde being ſet without it ſelfe, and aboue it ſelfe, forgetteth al mortal diſeaſes, and onelye conſidereth thinges diuine, by the brightnes wherof, firſt it waxeth dimme, but after that it ſomewhat taſteth the ſauour of them, it is by a new heate chaunged from his firſt habite or quality, whereby whithin a while it clearely beholdeth ſpiritual thinges, and whileſt it healthfully taſteth them, it is with great fruit nouriſhed. Wherfore it is written in the Pſalme: we ſhal be made drōken of the plentifulnes of thy houſe.Muſaeus. Orpheus. Yea and Muſeus an auncient Poet ſaith, that the reward of vertue, is perpetual drō kennes. And Orpheus before Muſeus ſaid, that the ſame was ſignified by the ceremonies and holy ſeruiſes of Dioniſius. The other kinde of dronkēnes he ſayth is vnderunder the Moone, and worldlye, which is ſtirred vp of drinke called Letheus, that is, carnal drinke, whereby the minde being ſet without it ſelfe, and vnderunder it ſelfe, it forgetteth things diuine, and doteth. Neither is it to be doubted, but that this kinde of dronkennes is vtterly to be auoided. Of the firſt kinde of dronkennes, which is Methaphorical, there is plaine mencion made in the Prouerbs of Salomon, where wyſedome ſtirreth vp men to drinke wine, whiche ſhe hath ſet foorth on her table, plentifully and aboundantly. Yea and Chriſt alſo our Sauiour, which is the true wiſdome, promiſeth vsus ſuch a wyne in the kingdome of heauen. By Tranſlation alſo is deſcribed the wyne of compunction and furye, which God wyl geue the vngodly to drinke, wherby they ſhal become mad, and according to their deſertes be turned into furiouſnes.
But leauing theſe Methaphores,Dronkennes condemned by the holye ſcriptures. let vsus returne vntounto dronkennes properly taken, wherof we now intreate, & let vsus declare by teſtimonies of the holye ſcriptures, that ſuche abuſe of wyne is prohibited and forbidden. To the Epheſians Paul ſaith: Be ye not made dronke with wine, wherein is wantōnes. But be ye filled with the ſpirite, ſpeaking to your ſelues by Pſalmes, Himnes, & ſpiritual ſonges. VponUpon which place Ierome ſaith:Ierome. we cānot at one time be filled wt wine and the holy ghoſt: For the Apoſtle putteth theſe thinges as contraries, euen as we cannot ſerue two maiſters. He that is filled with the ſpirit, hath wyſedome, meekenes, ſhamefaſtnes, and chaſtity: and he which is filled with wyne, hath foliſhnes, furiouſnes, malepertnes, and filthy luſte. They which are not fylled with wine, can eaſely ſing Pſalmes, Himnes, and ſpiritual ſonges: which thing they cannot do, which hauehave gorged themſelues with wyne. The ſame Paul alſo writeth: HaueHave no care of the fleſh, for the luſtes thereof. And Chriſt by expreſſe woordes ſaith vntounto his Diſciples: Take heede your hartes be not ouercom with ſurfeting and dronkennes. And in the old teſtamēt in the Prouerbs the .31. chap. it is written: Geue not wine vntounto kinges. And in the .23. chap. Looke not vponupon the wine when it is red, and when it ſheweth his coulour in the cup, and goeth downe pleaſantly. And in the .2. chap of Eccleſiaſtes, Salomon ſaith, yt he thought to geue his hart to wine and pleaſant thinges, and at the length he founde that this ſtudy and purpoſe was mere vanity. Laughter (ſaith he) I thought to be errour: and I ſaid vntounto ioy, why doeſt thou in vaine deceaue? This mirth of wyne and pleaſant thinges, ought not to be often vſed of holye men, for as muche as Chriſt hath taught that they ar bleſſed which mourne: they (ſaith he in Mathew) ſhal receaue conſolation. But in Luke the .7. chapter it is added, that they ſhall laugh. And it is the ſureſt way, that we preſently want ſome ioy, to laughe perpetually. In the .v. of Eſay it is written, wo vntounto you which riſe vp carely to follow dronkēnes, and to drinke euen til night, to be inflamed with wyne: and the harpe, and viole, timbrel and pipe, and wine are in your feaſtes. &c. And againe in the ſame chap. wo vntounto you that are mighty to drinke wine, and are ſtronge men to mingle dronkennes. Ioel alſo in the firſt chapter writeth: Awake ye vp which are dronken with wine. And this is not to be paſſed ouer, that in Leuiticus, Aaron and his ſonnes are cōmaunded not to drinke wine, before they come to ſacrifice before the Lord. And Paul twiſe commaundeth that the Miniſters of the Church ſhould not be geuen to much wine. And when he counſelled his Timothe to vſe wyne for the ſtomake and diſeaſes, he addeth that it ſhould be but a litle, leaſt he ſhould let loſe the bridle to dronkennes. In the olde law alſo the vſe of wyne was forbidden the Nazarites: and the Rechabites are in Ieremy commended, bicauſe at their fathers commaundement they abſtained from wyne: at which time yet they knew that theſe thinges were written, which nowe in the hiſtory we hauehave in hand, as cōcerning wine, namely that with it both God and men ar made mery, and that alſo which is written in the .104. Pſalme, that wine maketh mery the hartes of men. Wherfore let vsus gather that theſe are not contrary, to vſe wine temperatly and moderatly, and that it was geuen of God, to make vsus mery in a due time, and in a right vſe.
There are certaine tymes wherin myrthe is not cōueniēt.Neither ought we to be ignoraunt of this, that ſome ſuche tymes chaunce, wherein it is not meete for Chriſtian & godly men to geue them ſelues to mirth: ſometimes we muſt mourne for the ſynnes which we hauehave committed. And ſomtimes we are troubled with very grieuous miſeries: and when we are vnderunder the hand of the rod of God, we muſt pray more vehemently, wherunto faſtings and chaſtning of the body much helpeth: which thing Paul declareth in his firſt Epiſtle vntounto the Corrinthians, when he ſaith, that it is lawful ſomtimes for the huſband and wife to depart one from an other for a ſeaſon, but yet with the mutual conſent of them both, that they may geue themſelues to faſtings and praiers: although we muſt not for ſuch abſtinence appoint any certain dayes of the yere, but leaue the time to the prudence of the ſpirite. Howbeit this reaſon maketh much againſt thoſe, which contend that we muſt continually drinke, that at no time we may want mirth. Yea and the ſame Apoſtle ſayd of him ſelfe: I chaſten my body, and bring it in to bondage. By which ſaying he admoniſhed the Corrinthians by his example to bridle the luſtes. Ther might be manye more examples rehearſed out of the holy ſcriptures, manifeſtly to declare, that both dronkennes, and alſo to much vſe of wyne are prohibited. But theſe ſhal be ſufficiēt at this time. And this onelyonly wyl I adde, that euen the verye Ethnikes knewe this thing alſo.Plato. Teſtimonies of the Ethnikes. Seneca. Plato in his .7. booke de Legibus, toward the ende writeth, that Minos by his lawes prohibited the Cretenſes, that they ſhoulde not drinke together to dronkennes. And Seneca ſaith in his .84. Epiſtle: Dronkēnes is nothing els then a voluntary madnes. And ſtraight way after: The quality of dronkennes continuing many daies, is furiouſnes. Moreouer, they which ſtriue wyth cuppes, although they ouercome other in taking much wine, yet wil they or nyl they, they are ouercome of the tonnes. And it is filthy for a man to take in more then he is able to receaue, and not to know the meaſure of his ſtomake.
Hitherto we hauehave ſufficiently declared, that the abuſe of wine is both againſt the holy ſcriptures, and alſo humane reaſon. Now let vsus proue the ſame by examples: that they which wil not beleue by the ſentences before alledged, maye yet at the leaſt be taught by theſe examples. Noah a great man, iuſt, and loued of God,The dronkennes of Noah. who ſaw two conſtitutions of the world (for he liued both before and after the flood) is ſet foorth vntounto vsus, as an example vtterly to auoid dronkennes, when as he hauing droonke more wyne then was meete, laye in the tabernacle moſt filthely naked, and his priuy partes, which wer wont to be couered, he left bare and vncouered: and he which was wont to bee a ſchoolemaſter of vertues, was a great offence vntounto his children. Cham mocked him: the other two ſonnes of a better and holier nature, were ſory, and very much aſhamed of their fathers filthines. By this act it is ſufficiently declared, that ſhame, deriſion, and offence follow dronkennes.
But of thys ſynne wee hauehave a notable example in Lot, The dronkennes of Lot.who vndoubtedlye dranke not immoderately, to the end he would abuſe his daughters, and to commit inceſt, but to put away cares and griefes which hee had taken, for the ouerthrow of the .v. Cities, for the loſſe of his deare wyfe, and alſo of his ſubſtaunce. Hee woulde alſo comforte hys Daughters, that they ſhoulde not take to muche thought, ſpecially for the loſſe of their mother: although he ought to hauehave inuented other wayes of comforting. But this I ſpeake onelyonly, leaſt any man ſhoulde thinke that he did with his will drinke to muche, to pollute him ſelfe with moſt fylthy luſtes: Yet for all that, to muche aboundaunce of drinke was the cauſe of hys moſt vyle inceſt, being otherwyſe an olde man, and in a tyme farre oute of purpoſe, for aſmuche as the iudgementes of God were declared agaynſte the fylthy luſtes of the fyue Cities. And which is wonderfull, wyne ſo alienated Lot from hym ſelfe, that he vnderſtoode not with what women hee had companyed. Wherfore rightly ſayth Seneca in his .84. Epiſtle before alledged:Seneca. They whych are droonke doo many thinges, which afterward when they are ſober, they are aſhamed of. Lot ſought to make hym ſelfe mery by wine, and he incurred a perpetuall heauynes. Let them therefore which ſeeke to be made mery with ouermuche wyne, remember that they put them ſelues in to a moſte preſent daunger, and by that meanes may eaſely throw them ſelues headlong into moſt greuous wycked actes.
Neither is yt to be allowed which ſome alledge for an excuſe, that ſuch euents are vncertaine, ſo that a man cannot tel for certain, whether he which drinketh to much ſhal fal into theſe filthy thinges or no: bicauſe the thing is ſo ſurely knowen, that euen the daughters of Lot being yet virgins, vnderſtoode it, namelye that the olde man by wyne, might be driuen to fylthye luſt, and ſo be deceaued, that alſo he had to doo euen with his daughters. Who wil therfore ſay that he knoweth not that which they vnderſtoode? Lot was deceaued and ſnared by his daughters, but ſuch as louelove to muche mirth, that is, dronken men, ſnare themſelues, & openly fight againſt them ſelues.God puniſheth drōkēnes wi…h moſt grieuous puniſhmentes. Why the holye ſcriptures ſe… forth the hiſtory of Lot. Neither thinke they with themſelues that God with moſt grieuous puniſhmentes, taketh vengeaunce of dronkēnes, and ſuffreth the abuſe of his gift moſt precious, long vnpuniſhed. Theſe bibbers are wont ſomtimes to bring forth Lot as a patrone of their intemperance, Neither doo they marke, that the holy ſcriptures do ſet foorth the hiſtorye of him as an horrible, and in a maner tragical example. God did not meanely puniſh that mans dronkennes: for he had to doo with his daughters, they conceaued by him, and the thing coulde not bee diſſembled: inceſtious chyldren were borne, Ammon and Moab, of whom came the Nations of the Ammonites and Moabites, which were both hated of God, and enemyes vntounto the Iſraelites. Lot him ſelfe (as it is to be thought) was alwayes ſory for the crime which he had committed, and was talked of, of euerye man.
And ſeyng that the teſtimony of the holy Scriptures is extant, and ſhall remayne vntounto the ende of the world: as often as they are red, ſo often is noted and ſpreade abroade hys infamy. If ſo be that God ſpared not a man, otherwiſe holy, the Neuew of Abraham, and harborer of Aungels: what will hee doo to thoſe glottons and Hogges, which hauing no vertue, day and night, eyther lye or ſyt dronken? That whych we reade happened once vntounto Lot, theſe men euerye daye exerciſe it.
But that which our dronkards alledge of Lot, Dronkēnes obiected to Cato.the Romanes in the old time alledged of Cato, excuſing their dronkēnes, bicauſe that moſt graue mā ſomtymes in the night recreated his minde, not vndoubtedlye in bolling and bibbing immoderatly, but in ſipping and drinking a litle, adding therwithall muche honeſt talke. Neither conſidered they, that that good man was ſober al the whole day, labored muche in determining and iudging of cauſes, in conſulting with other Senatours concerning the publike wealth, in hauing to do with the people, in executing the office of a Magiſtrate, in reading and writing. Theſe ſhould hauehave imitated theſe good and honeſt ſtudies.
But let vsus go on in rehearſing examples. Ammon Dauids ſonne was ſlayne of Abſalon, not aſſuredly when he was ſober, but when in the banket hee was more mery then was meete, by drinking of to much wyne. And as it is declared in the latter end of the .1. boke of Machab. Simon the high prieſt was with his .2. ſonnes Mattathias & Iudas ſlayne of his ſonne in law, when in the feaſt they wer in a maner dronken with ouermuch wine. And the hiſtory of Iudith (although it be not found in the Canon of the Iewes) ſheweth that Holofernus, otherwyſe a moſt fierce Captain of an hoſt, was ſo ouerwhelmed with wine, that wt ſmal a doo he was behedded of a woman. I might adde how Siſera being dronken, was ſlaine of Iahel, although his drinke was milke, and not wine.
And if that we wyl beſides theſe reade ouer the hiſtories of the Ethnikes, we ſhal finde many and notable examples of thoſe, which wer moſt grieuouſly hurt by dronkēnes.Alexander of Macedonia. Alexander of Macedonia, the Conqueror of the world, was moſt filthely ouercome with wine, and being dronke, ſlew Clitus his friend, moſt valiant and faithful, whoſe diligence, induſtry, labour, prudence, and ſtrength, he had in warres long time vſed, to his great commodity. Wherfore when he had ſlept after his wine, and being awaked, and remembring the wicked act that he had committed, he was ſo aſhamed and ſory, that he wiſhed himſelfe dead. But yet he amended not the vice of dronkennes: yea once afterwarde hee droonke ſo much wine in one night, that he fel into a feuer, and for that he would not temper himſelfe from wine, within a while after he died. Wherefore Seneca in his 84. Epiſtle already alledged, writeth that Alexander, which had eſcaped ſo many daungers, and vanquiſhed thinges moſt dificile, by intemperaunce of drinking,M. Antonius. and by that herculaue and fatall cup, periſhed. M. Antonius, otherwyſe a ſtout and valiant Emperour, a vanquiſher in many battailes, ſo laded hymſelf ſometimes with wine, that euen in the Tribunall ſeate in the morning, before the people of Rome, whileſt he was ſitting to geue iudgement, he was compelled to vomite. And in Egipt he vſed much drinking, wherby he could do nothing noblye,The feaſt of the Lapithares & Centaures. but was by Octauian driuen moſt filthylye to flight. What the Poetes write of the feaſte of the Lapithares and Sentaures, it is better knowen, then I ſhall neede now to recite. And I thinke I hauehave nowe brought ſufficient examples: whych beyng diligently conſidered, ſerue muche to the deteſtation of dronkenneſſe.
The effectes of dronkennes.But they which are not feared from the filthynes thereof by the woords of God, which we hauehave firſt ſet, and doo not abhorre it, being perſwaded by the examples now alledged: ſhall peraduenture be wonne, and led from it, by conſidering of thoſe euyls, which ſpring of the abuſe of wyne. It is expedient that the tree be knowen by his fruites. And vndoubtedly ſuche a thing is dronkenneſſe to be counted, as the fruites are knowen, whych ſpring of it. But that we may ſpeake orderlye,The hurtes & damages comming of dronkennes. wee wyll deuide the euyls thereof by their ſubiectes: for it hurteth the body, vexeth alſo the mynde, waſteth the goods, and is hatefull to our neighbours.
As touching the body, by dronkēnes come oftentimes ſodaine deathes, diſſolucions of the members,Apoplexia is, when mans ſē ſes are taken a way. the diſeaſe called Apoplexia, and ſundry and miſerable chaunces. For the ſmoothe and plaine ground is vntounto dronkardes a denne: for they fall, breake their legges, their armes, and ſometimes their neckes: and are burnt when they fall into the fyre. The liuer is inflamed with to much drynke, the head is pained, the members are made weake and tremble, the ſenſes ar corrupted, the natural heate is ouerwhelmed with ouermuche wyne, the ſtomake which is ouer largely diſtended, is ſicke with crudity or rawnes, and with intollerable paines: the whole body is in a maner inflamed, and the thirſt is augmented. Dronkardes lye groueling like blockes, and ſo are beriued of their ſtrength, that neither head nor foote can do their office. Wherfore it is written in the .23.Prouerb. 33. chap. of the Prouerbs: To whom is wo? to whom is ſorrow? to whom is ſtrife? to whom is ſighing? and to whom are woundes without cauſe? Or to whom is the rednes of the eyes? Euen to them that tary long at the wine, and to thē that go and ſeeke largely to poure in wine. Looke not vponupon the wine when it is red, and when it ſheweth his coulour in the cup, and goeth downe pleaſantly: in the ende thereof it wil bite like a Serpent, and put out his ſting lyke a Cockatrice. Thine eyes ſhal looke vponupon ſtraunge thinges, and thine hart ſhall ſpeake leude thinges. And thou ſhalt be as one that ſleepeth in the middeſt of the ſea, and as he which ſleepeth in the top of the maſt of a ſhyp. They hauehave ſtriken me, and it payned me not, they hauehave bruſed me, and I felt it not. When I awake, I wyll ſeeke it againe. &c. And behold with how many puniſhments God afflicteth drō kardes. Eſay in his .v. chapter, agreeth with Salomon: For he alſo ſaith,Eſay 5. wo vntounto thoſe which are mighty and ſtrong to drinke wine. And in the ſame v. chap. hee ſaith that dronkardes regarde not the woorke of the Lorde, neither conſider the woorke of his handes. Moreouer, to ſuche men is wo:Ierome. bicauſe (as Ierome vponupon that place writeth) they are moſt vnhappye, who being from morning to night occupied in dronkēnes, glotony, and ſundry pleaſures, they vnderſtande not the woorkes of the Lord in them: and not conſidering wherfore they were created, ſlepe out in a maner their whole life. Wherfore Ioel cryed out vntounto them:Ioel. 1. awake vp ye dronkards, weepe and howle all ye that drinke wine. But dronkardes are not by theſe cryes ſtirred vp, for they do not onelyonly ſleepe, but ſeme to be in a maner buryed. Wherefore Vergil aptly ſaith of a Citye,Virgil. that it was buryed wyth ſleepe and wyne.
But now let vsus ſee how muche the ſoule or mynde is hurt with dronkennes.How much the mynde is hurte with wyne. Dronkardes are oftentimes ſtriken with the ſpirite of amaſednes, and are turned in a maner into furiouſnes: they become like brute beaſtes, ſo that there ſeemeth to remaine in them no vnderſtanding. It is a grieuous thing wythout doubt for a man to wounde himſelfe, or to depriue himſelfe of any member, but of his own free wyll to take away his minde from himſelfe, it is an euyll intollerable. In Hoſea the .4. chap. it is woorthely written, that wyne and dronkennes take away the hart. And in the .xix. of Eccleſiaſticus it is written: wyne and women make wiſe men to apoſtatate, that is, to depart from right inſtitutions, ſo that they are no more their own men: for they are withdrawen from their office and vertue, & alſo fal from the right trade of life. And in the ſame booke the 31. chap. it is written, wine dronken with exceſſe, engendreth bitternes of mind with braulinges and ſkeldinges. Dronkennes encreaſeth the courage of a foole tyl he offend: but it diminiſheth his ſtrength. In theſe woords ther is an elegant Antitheſis, namely that wine increaſeth the courage & ſpirits, & cauſeth greater audacitye, but it diminiſheth and weakeneth the ſtrength.Plato. Wherefore Plato in his .vi. Dialogue de Iuſto, at the beginning: A dronkard (ſaith he) hath a tirrannical hart, for he would rule all men as he luſt, and not by any reaſon or lawe. Dronkennes alſo bringeth obliuion of lawes and ryghte. Wherefore Salomon ſaith in his Prouerbes, that wine muſt not be geuen vntounto kinges, leaſt peraduē ture they drinke, & forget the law ordained, & change the iudgement of al ye children of the poore. Plato alſo writeth in his .3. booke de Repub. ye dronkēnes may be ſuffred in any mā, rather then in a Magiſtrate.Plato. For a dronkē man knoweth not the groūd wheron he is. And if a Magiſtrate be dronk, thē hath ye keper nede of a keper. This is moreouer to be added, yt ther is nothing kept ſecret wher drō kēnes raigneth. Bicauſe it openeth not onelyonly the ſecrete partes of the body, but alſo of the minde. And in drinking ar poured out woordes vnſhamefaſt, fooliſh, vnapt,Horace. and wycked. Wherefore Horace deſcribing the effectes of dronkennes, ſayth: What is it that dronkennes committeth not? It diſcloſeth thinges ſecrete, it eſtabliſheth hope, and thruſteth foorth the vnarmed man into the battaile. It taketh away the burthen from careful mindes, it teacheth artes. Whō hauehave not full cups made eloquent? and whom being in extreme pouertye, hauehave they not made careles?Plato. And Plato in his firſt booke de Legibus, toward the ende ſaith thus: When a man drinketh wine, at the firſt it maketh him cherefullyer: afterward the more he drinketh, the greater and better hope he is in, and feeleth him ſelfe ſtronger. Then, as though he were wyſe, the man is fylled wyth that confidence, liberty and audacity, that without feare he both ſaith & doth whatſoeuer pleaſeth him. The ſame Plato in his .vi. Dialogue de Legibus, ſayth: He which is fylled wyth wine, is ſtirred vp with a woodnes, both of mynde and body, and both draweth, and is drawen eueryevery where. And a dronkard is as a man out of hys wyt.
Seneca.Seneca in his third booke of Natural queſtions, the .20. chap. ſaith, that dronkennes tyl it be dryed vp, is madnes, and with ouermuch heauines is brought on ſleepe. And in his .60. Epiſtle to Lucillus toward the end: One houres dronkennes recompenſeth his long madnes, with the wearynes of a long time. And in the .84. Epiſtle: Dronkennes draweth out al vice, and kindleth it, and detecteth it. It putteth awaye all ſhamefaſtnes, whoſe nature is to reſiſt euyll endeuours. Where to much power of wyne poſſeſſeth the minde, whatſoeuer euyll lay hidden, burſteth foorth. Dronkennes maketh not vices, but brinketh them to light. In dronkennes, he that is proude, his pride encreaſeth, crueltye in the cruel man, malice in the enuious man, & all vices ar detected & brought to light. By it a man forgetteth himſelfe, ſpeaketh doubtful and ſtamering woordes, it cauſeth vnconſtant eyes, a reeling pace, diſines in the hed, and the houſe to ſeme to go round about, tormentes in the ſtomake, when the wyne boyleth, & it diſtē deth euen the bowels. Cruelty for the moſt part followeth dronkennes, for M. Antonius, wonderfully reioyced at the heades and members of the baniſhed mē, that wer brought him at a feaſt. Alſo in the .20. chap. of the Prouerbes it is written: Wine maketh a mocker, and ſtrong drinke a troubleſome fellow. Whoſoeuer erreth in it, ſhal neuer be wyſe. But bicauſe there are ſome which boaſt that they can drinke a great deale of wine and be ſtil ſober, & of a ſound iudgement, I deſire them to harken vntounto Seneca in the Epiſtle now alledged, who ſayth: Let ſuch men alſo ſay that by drinking of poyſon they ſhal not dye, and by takyng of poppy they ſhal not ſleepe,Barefoote. and by drinking of Elleborne they ſhal not caſt forth and purge whatſoeuer is in the inward partes.
The diſcōmodities of wine when it is exceſſiuely dronken, which we hauehave hitherto rehearſed,Dronkēnes wa…eth the goods pertaine both vntounto the bodye and vntounto the mynde. But nowe muſt we adde, how it bringeth hurt vntounto our ſubſtance & goods. In the Prouerbes the .21. chap. it is written: He which loueth wine and fat thinges, ſhal not be riche. And in the ſame booke the .23. chap. it is thus written: Keepe not company with wine bibbers, and thoſe that deuour fleſh. For the bybber and the glotton ſhall be brought vntounto pouertye, and he which geueth himſelf to much ſleeping, ſhal be clothed wyth torne garmentes.
Dronkards diſcommodious to the…e neighborsAnd how muche diſcommodious dronkardes are vntounto their neighbours, it is eaſye to ſee. They are iniurious, and rayle vponupon thoſe whom they meete. And being in their fury, they fal into filthy luſtes, and ſo eaſelye polute other mens Spouſes and wiues. And by horrible meanes they rage againſt the famelies of their neyghbours. They are an euyll example, yea and offence vntounto other Citizens. And whileſt they ſpend and conſume their ſubſtaunce vponupon wyne & dronkennes, they hauehave no regarde to prouide thinges neceſſary for their own houſe. Yea, whileſt they are in their dronken fury, they handle their innocent wife and children euilly, and defraude the poore of their almes, whiche if they lyued more ſparingly, they might be able to beſtow vponupon them. They make them ſelues vnprofitable for the publike wealth, when as dronkardes can neither execute the office of a Magiſtrate them ſelues, nor yet wel ar they able to obey thoſe that gouerne. They trouble alſo and infame the Church, wherefore they are ſeperated from it. For Paul in the .1. to the Corrin. the .5. chap. nombreth dronkardes with thoſe, with whom we ought not ſo much as to eate. There is ſcarce anye euyll which cannot be adioyned vntounto the effectes of dronkennes.
But to conclude the matter,An aunſwer to thoſe which defend ouermuch drinkyng. firſt we graunt vntounto thoſe (which doo naughtely vſurpe this place which we hauehave nowe in hand, and lay it for a coulour to defend the vice of dronkennes) that it is lawful to vſe wine for neceſſity, for medicine, and alſo for mirth, but yet it muſt be tempered with ſobriety, neither maye it excede a meane, yea it muſt agree with time, place, degree, age, and kinde. After this maner let the ſaintes reioyce before their God, namely with geuing of thankes, and celebrating diuine prayſes. Neither Salomon in the .23. chapter of the Prouerbs, ſaith wo vntounto thoſe which drink wine, but vntounto thoſe which in it conſume their time, which geue them ſelues to nothing but to drinking, contending who can drynke moſte, prouoking one an other, and compelling others to drinke. Theſe are reprehended, and not thoſe whiche modeſtlye vſe the gyft of God. Let men ſo make them ſelues mery with wine, that afterward they maye be more chereful to obey God, and to ſuffer heauy thinges, if neede bee. And let men beware they forget not them ſelues, that they ouerwhelme not their ſenſes, and choke vp their ſtrength. Neither is the holy ſcripture vngodlye and violently to be drawen vntounto the licence of the fleſh. Yea we ought ſo to bee readye that we may obey the Apoſtle, who ſayd: It is good not to eate fleſh, and not to drinke wine, if it ſhould turne to the offending of the weake brethren. Let vsus alſo remember that the kingdome of God is not meate and drinke, neither ar they commended of God, which can drinke more wyne, then the reſt. The woorde of God is no defence for dronkennes, yea it deteſteth it. We wil pleade therfore againſt theſe, with the doctrine of Eccleſiaſticus, the .31. chap. where it is ſaid: ſhew not thy ſelfe a man in wine, that is, ſhew not thy ſtrength in drinking. For ther are ſome which try how ſtrong and mighty they are in this intemperaunce, and alſo with ouermuch drinking of wine, do oppreſſe al the powers, both of the body and of the minde. The wiſe man goeth forward and ſayth: for wine hath deſtroyed many. As the fornace proueth the hardnes of the ſwoorde in the tempering: ſo doth wine the hartes of the proude when they are dronke. Wine moderately dronken, is profitable for the life of man. What is his lyfe that is ouercome with wine? But it was created to make men mery: Wyne meaſurablye dronken, and in time, brinketh gladnes and cherefulnes of the minde. &c. Theſe thinges may eaſely teache and anſwer thoſe men, which vnderunder the pretence to make them mery, labour to defend and maintaine dronkennes.
Let them conſider with them ſelues, that the gyftes of God ſhoulde neuer be ſeperated from the rule of modeſty and temperaunce. Let them not forget that the Apoſtle in the Epiſtle to the Galathians, reckoned dronkennes among the woorkes of the fleſhe. He alſo admoniſhed the Romanes that they ſhoulde not be conuerſaunt in Chambers, in eatynges and dronkennes. And to the Theſſalonians he ſheweth the filthineſſe of thys vyce, when he ſayth it pertayneth vntounto the nyght. They which are droonke (ſayth he) are dronke in the night: as though he would affirme it to be a thing vnwoorthy, to be ſeene by the light of the day. But as concernyng this thing, theſe are ſufficient: Let vsus now returne vntounto the hiſtory. We hauehave alredy ſaid what the Oliue and vine trees anſwered vntounto the trees which woulde hauehave promoted them to a kingdome, and wee hauehave manyfeſtlye ſhewed how the Olyue and Vine trees ſerue, both for God, and for men. Of the fig tree there is no queſtion: for he maketh no mencion of God, but onelyonly ſaith, that he wyl not forſake hys ſweetenes.
22 And Abimelech raigned .3. yeares ouer Iſrael.
23 And God ſent an euyll ſpirite betwene Abimelech and the men of Sechem: and the men of Sechem brake their promyſe to Abimelech.
24 That the iniury of the .70. ſōnes of Ierubbaal, and their bloud might come and be layde vponupon Abimeleche their brother, whyche had ſlayne them: and vponupon the men of Sechem, whyche had ayded hym to kyll hys brethren.
25 So the men of Sechem ſet men in wayte for him in the toppes of the mountaynes: who robbed all that paſſed that waye. And it was tolde Abimelech.
Tirannye is of no long time.Abimelech exerciſed his tiranny three yeares, and no longer: for violence cā not be either perpetual, or of any long time. He iudged not the Iſraelites in ſetting them at liberty, neither did he them any good, but onelyonly raygned. God at the length tooke vengeaunce, and made the bloode of the ſonnes of Ierubbaal to redound vponupon Abimelech and the Sechemites.
And he ſent an euyl ſpirite betwene them, to reuenge the murther, which not onelyonly Abimelech, but alſo the Sechemites committed. Abimelech was annointed king onelyonly by the Sechemites, but (as the hiſtory here declareth) he vſurped his tiranny ouer all the Iſraelites.
God required the bloud of the ſonnes of Ierubbaal at the handes of Abimelech and of the Sechemites. Vnles men do with iuſt puniſhmentes puniſh murthers, God by himſelfe puniſheth them.