they are so crusted in their villanie that custome is become a second or new nature God that he may punish their hardnesse and excesse in sin with further obduration not only delivers them up to Satan the God of this world who so blindes their mindes and deludes their understandings that the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ shall not shine unto them 2. Cor. 4. 3 4. Eph. 2. 2. 2 Thess. 2. 9. But he gives them up even to a râ—probate judgment to the hardnesse of their hearts and to walk in their owne connsels Psal. 81. 11. 12. Rom. 1. 21 to 32. And betteâ— be given up to Satan as the incestuous Corinthian was then thus to be given up For he was thereby converted and saved as God used the matter making the Scorpion a medicine against the sting of the Scorpion the Horseleeâ—h a means to abate the vicious and superfluous bloud so ordering Satans craft and malice to ends which himself intended not Whereas these are given over as a desperate Patient is given over by his Physitian when there is no hope of his recovery As thus Because they will not receive the truth in love that they might be saved for this cause God gives them up to strong delusions that they should beleeve lyes that all they might be damned who beleeve not the truth but take pleasure in unrighteousnesse they are the very words of the holy Ghost 2 Thess. 2. 10 11 12. If any would see more touching the wofull condition of a deluded worldling and how Satan guls wicked men with a world of misprisions that he may the better cheat them of their souls Let them read The Drunkards Character and the Cure of Misprision for in this I study all possible brevity being loath either to surfeit or cloy the Swearer who is commonly short breath'd in well-doing and lest adding more should hinder him from hearing this for Satan and his corrupt heart will not condescend he shall hold out to hear his beloved sin so spoken against MEMB. 5. 1. Only I will insert a few notions aphorisms or conclusions touching the former point of Gods forbearing to punish the most flagitious sinners when they so horribly provoke him together with some pregnant examples of some that he hath executed Martiall Law upon even in this life Cornelius Gallus not to mention many nor any that every Author sets down dyed in the very act of his filthinesse as Plutarch well notes Nitingall Parson of Crondall in Kent was struck dead in the Pulpit as he was belching out his spleen agâ—inst religion and zealous professors of the Gospel It was the usual imprecation of Henry Earl of Schuartzbourg Let me be drowned in a Iakes if it be not so and such was his end You may remember one Lieutenant of the Tower was hanged it had wont to be his usuall imprecation as he confessed at his death Earl Godwin wiâ—hing at the Kings Table that the bread he eat might choke him if he were guilty of Alphrâ—ds death whom he had before slain was presently choked and fell down dead Yea his lands also sunk into the Sea and are called Godwins sands where thousands since have made shipwrack It was usuall with Iohn Peter mentioned in the book of Martyres to say if it be not tâ—ue I pray God I may rot ere I dye and God saying Amen to it he rotted away indeed A Serving-man in Lincoln-shire for every trifle used to swear Gods precious bloud and would not be warned by his friends to leave it insomuch that hearing the bell tole in the very anguish of death he started up in his bed and sware by the former oath that bell toled for him whereupon immediately the bloud most fearfully issued as it were in streams from all parts of his body not one place left free and so dyed Popiel King of Poland had ever this wish in his mouth If it be not true I would the Rats might eat me and so it came to passe for he was so assailed by them at a banquet that neither his guards nor fire nor water could deâ—end him from them as Munster mentions The Iews said Let his bloud be upon us and upon our children and what followed sixteen hundred years are now past since they wished themselves thus wretched and have they not ever since been the hate and scorne of the world Did they not many of them live to see their Câ—ty buried in ashes and drowned in bloud to see themselves no Nation Was there ever any people under heaven that was made so faâ—ous a spectacle of misery and desolation they have had what they câ—iled for to the â—ull and it 's just that they who long for a curse should 〈…〉 yet how many among us do familiarly curse their wives children c. Nor is it seldome that God payes them in their own coin men prophane Gods name and he makes their names to stinke When the pestilence rageth in our streets blasphemy and execration must confesse that they have their due wages Blasphemers live swearing and dye raving it is but their wages 2. He punisheth some in the Suburbs of hell that they might never come into the City it self The evill he now suffers uncorrected he refers to be condemned Sin knows the doom it must smart here or hereafter Outward plagues are but favour in comparison of spirituall judgments and spirituall judgments but light to eternall torments God does not punish all flagitious sinners here that he may allow some space to repent and that none may doubt his promise of a Generall Iudgment nor does he forbear all here lest the world should deny his providence and question his justice MEMB. 6. 1. But what do I urge reason to men of a reprobate judgment to admonish them is to no more purpose then if one should speak to life-lesse stones or sense-lesse plants or wit-lesse beasts for they will never fear any thing till they be in Hell fire wherefore God leaves them to be confuted with fire and brimstone since nothing else wil doe it If there be any here that beleeve a Resurrection as I hope better things of some of you all such I would beseech by the mercies of God before mentioned that they would not be so desperately wicked as to mock their admonisher scoff at the means to be saved and make themselves merry with their owne damnations but that they would entertain this messuage as if it were an Epistle sent from God himself to invite and call them to repentance Yea consider seriously what I have said and do not Oh do not mock at Gods Word nor sport away your souls into those pains which are easelesse endlesse and remedilesse Shal we give an account at the day of judgement for every idle word we speak Mat. 12. 36. and never give a reckoning for our wicked swearing and cursing we shall be judged by our words v 37. Are you willing to be saved if you are Break off your sins by repentance Dan. 4. 27. Cease to do evill learn to doe well Isai. 1. 16. 17. Seriously grieve and bewail for the millions of times that you have blasphemed God and pierced your Saviour and never more commit the like impiety Yea doe not only leave your swearing but fear an Oath and make conscience of it resolve not to take the glorious name of God in vain nor place any other câ—eature in his roome though the Devill should say unto you as once he did to Christ All this will I give thee For it is not enough that we abstaine from evill unlesse we hate it also and doe the contrary good Sanctifie the Lord God in your heart 1 Pet 3. 15. Make a covenant with your mouth as Job did with his eyes and set a watch before the door of your lips that you thus offend not with your tongue Psal. 1413. 2. Which if you doe rightly the like care to avoid all other sins will necessarily follow because he that fears to commit one sin out of conscience and because God forbids it will upon the same ground fear all that his law forbids and as heartily and unfainedly desire that he may never The Printer to the Reader IT being observed that many meeting with some of this Authors Collections do earnestly enquire after the rest I think it not amisse to satisfie their desire and save them further labour by setting down the severals which are these The Cause and Cure of Ignorance Errour Enmity c. The Cure of Misprision or Mistake The Victory of Patience The Drunkards character with an addition The Character or Touch-stone of a true Beleever The Character of a formall Hypocrite or Civill Justiciarie Characters of the kindes of Preaching Compleat Armor against evill Societie Cordiall Counsell Gods goodnesse and Englands unthankfulnesse the second Edition that is divided into chapters and sections The first part of the Pastors Advocate An Abstract of the Drunkards Character already printed The second part of the Pastors Advocate The Arraignment and conviction of covetous cunning and cruel Governors Polititians Officers Judges Lawyers c. with the lovely and lively characters of Iustice Thankfulnesse Contentation Frugality Liberality c. The Laymans Library or the poor mans Paradise to be printed FINIS LONDON Printed by E. Cotes 1652.
think speak or do who is a just Judge and will not let this cursed sin go unpunished then would you keep a narrower watch over your thoughts then any other can do over your actions yea you would assoon stab a dagger to your hearts as let such oaths and execrations drop from your mouths whereas now you swear and curse as if he that made the ear could not hear or as if he were neither to be feared nor cared for who for sin cast the Angels out of Heaven Adam out of Paradise drowned the old world rained down fire and brimstone upon Sodome commanded the earth to open her mouth and swallow down quick Corah and his companie he who smote Egypt with so many plagues overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea destroyed great and mighty Kings giving their land for an inheritance to his people and can as easily with a word of his mouth strike you dead while you are blaspheming him and cast you body and soul into Hell for your odious unthankfulnesse yea it is a mercie beyond expression that he hath spared you so long Consider of it I beseech you lest you swear away your part in that bloud which must save you if ever you be saved yea take heed lest you be plagued with a witnesse and that both here and hereafter for God who cannot lie hath threatned that his curse shall never depart from the house of the Swearer as it is Zach. 5. 1. to 5. And I doubt not but you are already cursed though you know it not That either he hath cursed you in your bodie by sending some foul disease or in your estate by suddainly consuming it or in your name by blemishing and blasting it or in your seed by not prospering it or in your minde by darkning it or in your heart by hardning it or in your conscience by terrifying it or will in your soul by everlastingly damning it if you repent not Wherefore take heed what you do before it prove too late 7. Or if you regard not your self or your own souls good yet for the Nations good leave your swearing for the Lord as now we finde to our smart hath a great controversie with the Inhabitants of the Land because of swearing Hos 4. 1 2. Yea because of oaths the whole land even the three Naâ—ions now mourneth as you may see Ier. 23. 10. Neither object that ye are so accustomed to swearing that you cannot leave it for this deâ—ence is worse then the offence as take an instance Shall a Thief or Murtherer at the Bar alledge for his defence that it hath been his use and custom of a long time to rob and kill and therefore he must continue it or if he do will not the Judge so much the rather send him to the Gallows Wherefore I beseech you by the mercies of God who hath removed so many evils and conferred so many good things upon you that they are beyond thought or imagination to leave it especially after this warning which in case you doe not will be a sore witnesse and rise up in judgment against you anoâ—her day MEMB. 2. Swearer Did I swear or curse 1. Messenger Very often as all here present can witnesse and Satan also who stands by to take notice reckon up and set on your score every Oath you utter keeping them upon Record against the great day of Assises at which time every Oath will prove as a daggers point stabbing your soul to the heart or as so many weights pressing you down to Hell Rev. 20. 13. and 22 12. As also the searcher of hearts who himself will one day be a swift witnesse against Swearers Mal. 3. 5. For of all other sinners the Lord will not hâ—ld him guilâ—lesse that taketh his Name in vain as the third Commandement tels you Exod. 20. 7. 2. But wo is me it fares with common Swearers as with persons desperately disâ—ased whose excrements and filth comes from them at unawares for as by much labour the hand is so hardened that it hath no sense of labour so their much swearing causeth such a brawny skin of senslessenesse to overspread the heart memorie and conscience that the swearer sweareth unwittingly and having sworne hath no remembrance of his Oath much lesse repentance for his Sin Swearer Alas though I did swear yet I thought no harm 3. Messenger O fool What Prince hearing himself abused to his face by the reproachfull words of his base and impotent Subject would admit of such an excuse that whatsoever he spake with his mouth yet he thought no ill in his heart And shall God take this for a good answer having told us before hand Deut. 38. 58 59. That if we do not fear dread his 〈◊〉 and â—earful Name the Lord our God he wil make our plagues wonderful and of long continuance and the plagues of our posterity Besides how frequently doest thou pollute and prophane Gods Name and thy Saviours The Iews grievously sinned in crucifying the Lord of life but once and that of ignorance but the times are innumerable that thou doest it every day in the year every hour in the day although thy conscience and the holy Spirit of grace hath checkt thee for it a thousand and a thousand times Doest thou expect to have Christ thy Redeemer and Advocate when thy conscience 〈◊〉 thee that thou hast seldome remembred him but to blaspheme him and more often named him in thy Oaths and Curses then in thy prayers Swearer Surely If I did swear it was but Faith and Troth by our Lady the Masse the Rood the Light this Bread by the Crosse of the silver or the like which is no great matter I hope so long as I swore not by God nor by my Savior 4. Messenger That is your grosse ignorance of the Scriptures for God expresly forbids it and that upon pain of damnation Iam. 5. 12. First our Saviour Christ in his own person forbids it Mat. 5 34 35 36 37. I say unto you Swearâ— not at all neither by heaven for it is Gods Throne nor by the earth for it is his footstool nor by Ierusalem for it is the City of the great King neither shalt thou swear by thine head because thou canst not make one hair white or black but let your communication be Yea Yea Nay Nay for whatsoever is more then these cometh of evill And then by his Apostle Above all things my brethren swear not neither by heaven nor by earth nor by any other oath but let your Yea be Yea and your Nay Nay lest you fall into condemnation James 5 12. where mark the Emphasis in the first words Above all things swear noâ—â— and the great danger of it in the last word condemnation 5 If the matter be light and vain we must not swear at all if so weighty that we may lawfully swear as before a Magistrate being called to it then we must only use the glorious Name of our God in
he loveth cursing Psal. 109. 17. and indeed whom can you observe to love this sin or to have their mouths full of cursing but Ruffians and sons of Belial such as have shaken out of their hearts the fear of God the shame of men the love of heaven the dread of hell not once caring what is thought or spoken of them here or what becomes of them hereafter yea observe them well and you will finde that they are mockers of all that march not under the pay of the Devill 2. And whence do these Monsters of the earth these hellish misâ—reants these bodily and visible Devils learn this their damnable cursing and swearing Are not their tongues fired and edged from Hell as Saint Iames hath it Jam. 3 6. yea it is the very language of the damned as you may see Rev. 16. 1 21. Only they learn it here before they come thither and are such proficients therein that the Devil counts them his best scholars and sets them in his highest form Psal. 1. 1. And well they deserve it with whom the language of hell is so familiar that blasphemy is become their mother tongue Besides it is the very depth of sin roaring and drinking is the horse-way to Hell whoring and cheating the foot-way but Swearing and Cursing follows â—orah Dathan and Abiram And certainly if the infernall Tophet be not for these men it can challenge no guests But see how witlesse gracelesse and shamelesse even the best are that use to curse for I passe over such as call for a curse on themselves saying God damn me Confound me The Devill take me and the like which would make a â—â—tionall man tremble to name because I were as good knock at a deaf mans door or a dead mans grave as speak to them 3. Thou art crossed by some one perhaps thy wife child or servant or else thy horse the weather the dice bowls or some other of the creatures displease thee and thou fallest a cursing and blaspheming them wishing the plague of God or Gods vengeance to light on them or some such hellish speech fals from thy foul mouth And so upon every foolish trifle or every time thou art angry God must be at thy beck and come down from heaven in all hast and become thy Officer to revenge thy quarrel and serve thy malicious humour O monstrous impiety O shamelesse impudencie to be abhorred of all that hear it not once taking notice what he commands in his Word as Blesse them that persecute you blesse I say and curse not Rom. 12. 14. And again Blesse them that curse you and pray for them which hurt you Luk. 6. 28. which is the practice of all true Christians 1. Coâ— 4. 12. 4. But this is not one half of thine offence For whom doest thou curse Alas the Creatures that displease thee are but Instruments thy sin is the cause and God the author 2 Sam. 16. 11. Psal. 39 9 10. Gen. 45. 8 Ioâ— 1. 21. from wâ—om thou hast deserved it and ten thousand times a greater crosse buâ— in stead of looking up from the stone to the hand which threw it 〈◊〉 from the effect to the cause as Gods people doe thou like a mastiff dog settest upon the stone or weapon that hurts thee But in this case Who are you angry withall Does your horse the diâ—e the rain or any other câ—eature displease you Alas they are but servants and if their Master bid smiâ—e they must not forbear they may say truly what â—abshekeh usurped Isa. 36. â—0 Are we come without the Lord and all that hear thee may say as the Prophet did to Senaâ—hâ—rib 2 King 19. 22. Whom hast thou blasphemed and against whom hast thou exalted thy self even against the Holy One of Isâ—ael 5. Besides why dost thou curse thine enemie if he be so but because thou canst not be suffered to kill him For in heart and Gods account thou arâ— a murtherer in wishing him the pox plague or that he were 〈◊〉 or damned Nor will it be any rare thing at the day of judgment for cursers to be indicted of murther For like Shimei and Goliah to David thou wouldst kill him if thou durst thou doest kill him so far as thou canst. I would be loath to trust his hands that bâ—ns me with his tongue Had David been at the mercie of either Shimei or Goliah and not too strong for them he had then breathed his last Nor is it commonly any sin committed or just offence given thee that thou cursest Who could have lesse deserved those curses and stones from â—â—imei then David Yea did not that head deserve to be tonguelesse that body to be headlesse that so undeservedly cursed such an Innocent as after it fell out For the curses and stones which Shimei threw at David rebounded upon Shimei and split his heart yea and at last knockt our his brains and the like of Goâ— iahs curses which is also thy very case For 6. What will be the issue the causâ—esse curse shall not come where the Curser meant it Prov. 26. 2. yea though thou cursest yet God will blesse Psal. 109. 28. hut thy curses shall be sure to rebound back into thine own brest Psal. 7. 14 15 16. Prov. 14. 30. Cursing mouths are like ill made Piecesâ— which while men discharge at others recoil in splimâ—rs on their own faces Their words and wishes be but whirlwinds which being breathen forth return again to the same place As hear how the Holy Ghost delivers it Psal. 109. As he loved cursing so shall it come unto him and as he loved not blessing so shall it be far from him As he cloathed himself with cursing like a garment so shall it come unto his bowels like water and like oil into his bones let it be unto him as a garment to cover him and for a girdle wherewith he shall always be girded v. 17 18 19. Hear this all ye whose tongâ—es run so fast on the Devils errand you loved cursing you shall have it both upon you about you and in you and that everlastingly if you persevere and go on for Christ himself at the last day even he which came to save the world shall say unto all such Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devill and his Angels Mat. 25. 41. Where they shall do nothing but curse for evermore for they no farther apprehending the goodnesse mercie and bounty of God then by the sense of their own torments the effects of his justice shall hate him and hating him they shall curse him Rev. 16. 11. They suffer and they blaspheme there is in them a furious malice against him being cursed of him they re-curse him they curse him for making them curse him for condemning them curse him because being adjudged to death they can never find death they curse his punishments because they are so unsufferable curse his mercies because they may never taste them curse the bloud of