the Lord should find him idle had not such as spend away much precious time at ale-houses need desist from this course for fear that the Lord when he cometh should find them idle § The plea of such as go to Taverns is drive away their sorrows and cares answered Plea 16. I go to Taverns only at such times as I meet with crosses and am burdned with cares and oppressed with grief and sorrow and when I am there I drink freely to ease my heart of my grief and cares and I hope there is no great hurt in this though I now and then take a little more than is meet A. 1. It is true that wine and strong drink moderately taken are usefull for such as are of a sorrowfull spirit for they are of a cheering nature Psal 104.15 Wine that maketh glad the heart of man and are to be given chiefly to such as are of a sorrowfull spirit Prov. 31.6 7. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish and wine unto those that be of an heavy heart Let him drink and forget his poverty and remember his sorrow no more But this doth not give a liberty to any person to drink wine or strong drink to excess And if you make use of time to chear your hearts why not at your own houses rather than alehouses 2. Wine and strong drink taken immoderately instead of driving away sorrows bring much wo and sorrow Prov. 23.29 30. Who hath wo Who hath sorrow They that tarry long at the wine Drunkenness is wickedness and wickedness bringeth a multitude of sorrows along with it Psal 32.10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked And instead of easing a man of his burden and trouble it encreaseth his burdens and troubles For excess of wine burdens the soul with the guilt of sin It leaves a load upon the Conscience And the burden that ariseth from the guilt of sin is far greater than the burden of cares Psal 38. 4. Mine iniquities are gone over mine head as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me 3. Wine and strong drink taken immoderately instead of making men merry do make them mad They swear and curse and rage and carry themselves like mad men Prov. 20.1 Strong drink is raging What Festus said to Paul Act. 26.24 Paul thou art beside thy self much learning hath made thee mad The like may be said to such a man as is overcome with wine and strong drink Thou art beside thy self much drinking hath made thee mad 4. The right way to get ease and comfort under our sorrows and cares is not to go to Taverns and Ale-houses to drown our cares and drive away our sorrows with wine and strong drink and merry company which will prove bitterness in the latter end and encrease our sorrows and burdens but the right and ready way to get ease and comfort when we are oppressed with sorrow and burdened with cares is 1. To betake our selves to Prayer Joh. 16.20 24. Ye shall weep and lament ye shall be sorrowfull but your sorrow shall be turned into joy Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full See here the way for such as weep and lament and are full of sorrow to have their sorrow turned into joy and that is to betake our selves unto Prayer for hereby we shall be filled with joy Hannah who was in great bitterness of spirit before she went to Prayer got so much comfort by Prayer that she went away and was no more sad 1 Sam. 1.13 She was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the Lord and wept sore And the woman went away and did eat and her countenance was no more sad 2. The way to get ease under our burdens and sorrows is to cast our burdens and cares upon God for if we do so he will put under his everlasting arms and bear up our spirits Psal 55.22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustein thee § The plea of Young Drunkards answered Plea 17. I am a young man and young men must have their pastimes and recreations and this is that which pleaseth me above other delights to keep jovial company and to be merry with my companions at a Tavern and I hope this is allowable in a young man and if it be not I have time enough before me I will repent when I am old and then God will be gracious unto me A. 1. Drunkenness is an abominable sin in any men either young or old and therefore not to be allowed not to be pleaded for in any Psal 5.5 Thou hatest all workers of iniquity This will not exempt a man from the hatred of God that he is a young man if he be a worker of iniquity For all the Generation of evil doers are hatefull to God the young as well as the old It is an aggravation of sin to be an old sinner Isa 65.20 The sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed Yet this will not excuse a man from drunkenness or any other sin to say I am a young man I hope it is no great offence for me now and then to be overcome with wine or strong drink 2. Vain and lose young men that give themselves to their pleasures and will not be reclaimed by the advice and counsel of Parents Friends Relations or God's Ministers they may if they think good take their own course and do whatever their own hearts prompt them to and is pleasing to their corrupt natures but yet let them know that the Lord will call them to judgment for all their idle courses and sinfull pleasures and mispent time Eccl. 11.9 Rejoyce O young man in thy youth and let thy heart chear thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the ways of thy heart and in the sight of thine eyes but know thou that for all these things God will call thee to judgment 3. It is very evil and dangerous for young men to allow themselves in drunkenness or other evil practises with a purpose to repent and to become new men when they are old in hope that God will be mercifull to them whensoever they repent of their sins And that on several accounts as 1. Our young time is our choicest time and our choicest is to be given to God and not to be spent in the service of sin Eccl. 12.1 Remember now thy creatour in the days of thy youth while the evil days come not nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them The days of old age are evil days years wherein we have no pleasure and shall we spend our good days our comfortable days in the service of sin and spend our evil days only and the years wherein we have pleasure in the service of God 2. It is dangerous to spend your young time in riotous courses or other sins and think to repent when you are old because you do not know whether you shall live to be old God cuts
or Ale-house before he can conclude it and besides trading is so bad that if a new Customer come or a former Customer lay out a considerable sum of mony to engage him to come again I must go with him to the Tavern and give him a glass of wine and when I am among my Customers or driving on a bargain I forget my self and am surprized before I am aware and I hope this will excuse me A. 1. It is an evil custom and sinfull practice of many men to leave their Shops and Houses to make bargains at Ale-houses and Taverns But such as profess themselves to be the servants of Christ must not conform to the sinfull customs and practices of the men of this world Rom. 12.2 Be not conformed to this World They must break and reform and not follow evil customs 2. You may quickly lose more than you get by driving bargains at Taverns and Ale-houses For 1. You will lose your reputation among sober persons and that is a greater loss to lose your good name than to lose great riches Prov. 22.1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches If a man be counted a tipler a haunter of Taverns this is a blemish to him he hath lost his good name 2. By driving bargains at Ale-houses you will be in danger to debauch your Conscience and will lose the peace of your Conscience you will get a wound and a snare to your Soul And if a man lose a good Conscience that is a greater loss than the loss of all Riches 3. If you contract a habit of drunkenness by driving bargains at Ale-houses you will lofe your Souls and the loss of the Soul is such a great loss as can't be made up by the gaining of the whole World Mark 8.36 For what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own Soul 4. If you get a habit of drunkenness by frequenting Taverns you will lose the favour of God Psal 5.5 Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity And a man had better lose estate liberty life and all that he hath in the World than lose the favour of God 3. You do and get more hurt than you are aware of by frequenting Taverns to make bargains For your example in frequenting Taverns to make bargains encourageth others to go thither who go out of wantonness and hardens them in their evil practice And you get much hurt for by degrees your heart will be hardened and from sipping now and then you will proceed to larger draughts and from thence to drunkenness 4. There is a far better way to engage Customers than to go to taverns with him and that is by affable carriage by selling them good Commodities by dealing justly and truly with them this would invite men to deal with you Prov. 24.26 Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer When a man is known and proved to be a man of his word this doth so engage men to him that every one desireth to deal with such a man Prov. 28.20 A faithfull man shall abound with blessings Diligence in a mans Calling that also engageth Customers All men love to employ a diligent person Prov. 22.29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business he shall stand before Kings he shall not stand before mean men 5. When your necessary occasions draw you to a Tavern or Ale-house look upon it as a place of temptation and hasten away be as one that sitteth on thorns be at no ease till you are gotten away 6. It will not excuse your drunkenness to say I was surprized before I was aware whilst I was drinking with a Friend or a Customer for you ought to watch over your selves and it argues want of Wisdom to be deceived or surprized with wine or strong drink Prov. 20.1 Wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise § The plea of such as think drunkenness is no sin because they have no trouble of Conscience neither meet with any affliction for their excess Plea 12. If drunkenness were such a great sin as you would perswade us surely I should have terrors in my Conscience or be followed with some sore judgment for this sin but I have no terrors in my Conscience and I meet with no afflictions or judgments from God and therefore I can't believe that drunkenness is such an heinous and wofull sin as you have represented it to us A. 1. A man may be a greater sinner in the sight of God and yet the Lord may not set home his sin upon his Conscience or inflict his judgments upon him in this life because he reserveth him to be punished at the day of Judgment Job 24.12 Yet he layeth not folly to their charge Job speaks here of abominable sinners that oppress the poor and needy and fatherless and take away their lands and flocks and their rayment and their food insomuch that they cause men to groan and cry out like wounded men yet God layeth not folly to their charge that is doth not charge their sin upon their Consciences nor punish them for their sins 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust to the day of judgment to be punished 2. It is probable that you had some gripes in your Consciences for this sin your hearts have smitten you at one time or another though now you have by your sottish courses stifled those checks of your Consciences and your Consciences be now fallen asleep And it is very likely you have had many rebukes from God since you went on in this way but you not regarded them It is usual with those that are addicted to this sin to be regardless of God's dealings both what God doth to themselves and others Isa 5 11 12. They follow strong drink they regard not the work of the Lord nor consider the Operation of his hands 3. If you have no remorse of Conscience for this sin this doth not argue your sin to be a small sin but shews that you are an obdurate hardned sinner and so your condition is much worse than those drunkards that have trouble of Conscience for what they have done They are the worst sort of sinners that sin at an high rate and yet feel no trouble in their minds for what they have done Eph. 4.19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness It is a wofull condition to be given up to an hard heart and feared Conscience and to have no feeling of the evil of sin 4. Suppose you have met with no judgments from God for your evil courses you have known or heard of others on whom God hath sent his judgments for their sin of drunkenness some have broken their limbs some have broken their necks others have had ther sore judgments inflicted on them all which are warnings to you
and others to repent of and forsake this sin of drunkenness If some drunkards be cut of in the act of sin while you are spared you must not think that they were greater sinners than you are but by their example God calls you to Repentance Luk. 13.4 5. Those eighteen upon whom the Tower of Siloam fell and slew them think ye that they were sinners above all that dwell in Jerusalem I tell you nay but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish 5. Your prospering in a sinfull course and being free from trouble of Conscience and also your being free from the judgments of God is a sure token that God intends to destroy you for ever Psal 94.7 When the wicked spring as the grass and all the workers of iniquity do flourish it is that they may be destroyed for ever Some mens sins go before to judgment and some men they follow after 1 Tim. 5.24 The less you meet with here for your sins the more you have to come in the other World 6. If you be free from God's judgments on your outward man yet it may be he sends his plagues upon your heart Exod. 9.14 I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart If the Lord give a man up to his own hearts lusts or to an hard and impenitent heart this is a worse judgment than afflictions on the Body or Estate § The plea of such as fear reproaches if they should not drink to excess as others do answered Plea 13. I would leave off this sin of drunkenness were it not that I feared reproach and scorn my companions with whom I have used to frequent Taverns and Ale-houses will call me a precise fool and say I am turned Puritan if I should not do as they do and besides my occasions do oft times lead me into the company of Gentlemen that are great drinkers and if I should scruple drinking in their company they would reproach and scorn me now I stand much upon my honour and to avoid reproaches I am drawn to that which I am convinced is a great evil but I can't avoid it unless I should make my self a derision and scorn among my acquaintance A. 1. If you stand upon your honour then whatever scoffs are put upon you hold fast your Sobriety be not by any means drawn to excessive drinking for drunkenness is a great reproach to any man be he a great or a mean man Prov. 14.34 Sin is a reproach to any people To be reproached for our temperance or any other branch of Righteousness is a real honour 1 Pet 4.14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ happy are ye for the Spirit of Glory and of God resteth upon you Then we are reproached for the name of Christ when we are reproached for our obedience to any of the Commandments of Christ of which this is one Take heed to your own selves least at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfitting and drunkenness Luk. 21.34 And therefore if any man reproach you because you will not overcharge your selves with drunkenness this is your happiness this is your glory for the Spirit of glory rests upon those that are reproached for the name of Christ 2. None but fools will mock at you for refusing to drink to excess Prov. 14.9 Fools make a mock at sin And who will regard what fools say As for all good men if you live in the fear of God they will honour you It is mentioned as a Character of a good man He honoureth them that fear the Lord. Psal 15.4 Yea if you abstain from drunkenness out of Conscience to the command of Christ the Lord himself will honour you Joh. 12.26 If any man serve me him will my Father honour 3. If you are ashamed to keep your sobrietp because of the scoffs and jears of sottish men the Lord Jesus Christ will disown you and be ashamed of you before the Holy Angels and before his Heavenly Father Mark 8.33 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this sinfull and adulterous Generation of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his father with the Holy Angels 4. If you will not turn from your sottish courses at the call and command of God the Lord himself will laugh at you and mock you in the day of your calamity Prov. 1.23 24 26. Turn ye at my reproof Because I have called and ye refused I also will laugh at your calamity and mock when your fear cometh And that is very dreadfull to have God instead of helping us in our distress mock and laugh at us in our calamity Yea the Devils also who tempted you to sin will laugh at you in Hell for your folly in parting with Heaven for such a poor matter as a pot of drink 5. You have slighty thoughts of sin and low thoughts of your immortal souls and of the joys of Heaven and the torments of Hell if you will commit such an horrible sin as drunkenness and cast away your immortal souls and deprive your selves of the joys of Heaven rather than bear the scoffs and jears of foolish and sottish men § The plea of rich men whereby they would excuse their drunkenness answered Plea 14. If I were a poor labouring man and should lye at the Ale-house and spend what I earned and my Family be in want I should be greatly to be blamed but I am a rich man and have a great Estate I can spend freely at Taverns and Ale-houses and not feel any want of what I spend there and therefore I hope I may be excused A. 1. It is indeed a very great crime for labouring men or any others to wast their Estates at Ale-houses whereby their Families are brought to want for such are worse than infidels 1 Tim. 5.8 If any provide not for his own and especially for those of his own house he hath denyed the Faith and is worse than an Infidel 2. The rich drunkard shall find no more favour with God than the poor man yea than the begger For the Lord is no respecter of persons but will render to every man according to his works Riches avail nothing to keep off the wrath of God Prov. 11.4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath Job 36.19 Will he esteem thy riches No not Gold nor all the forces of strength Yea it will go worse with rich drunkards at the day of judgment than with poor men that have been addicted to this sin For they sin against greater mercy and abuse greater Talents than poor men What is said of the rust and canker which is on the Gold and Silver of rich men that are covetous and hoard up their Riches and do no good with them Jam. 5.3 Your Gold and your Silver is cankered and the rust of them shall be a witness against you and shall eat your flesh as it were fire ye have heaped treasure together
their sinfull courses and say in their hearts they shall have peace though they go on to add sin to sin 1. The Lord will not spare him No excuses no pleas no entreaties no tears shall prevail with God to spare such a man The Lord will not spare him that is the Lord will shew him no mercy he will not spare him from destruction here Jer. 13.14 I will not spare but destroy them Nor spare him from eternal torments in the other world Not sparing implyes a casting down to Hell 2 Pet. 2.4 God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down to Hell 2. The anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against that man If the Lord's anger be kindled but a little they are happy that are secured from it Psal 2.12 And therefore that man is in a wofull condition against whom God's anger and his jealousie waxeth hot and sinoaketh The jealousies of a man is dreadsull Prov. 6.34 35. But the jealousie of God is far more dreadfull that burns like fire Psal 79.5 Shall thy jealousie burn like fire 3. All the curses that are written in this book shall lye upon him The curses written in this book that is the curses of God denounced in the Scripture and they are more dreadfull than the curses of any men they shall not only come and fall but they shall lye upon that man that adds drunkenness to thirst and that not only some but all of them To have any one of the curses of God come upon a man is dreadfull but to have them all not only to fall but to lye upon a man is unspeakable misery 4. And the Lord shall blot out his name from under Heaven That is the Lord shall give him no part no portion in the Kingdom of Heaven and the Lord shall root out his posterity and leave him no name of Son or Daughter and shall cause his name the memory and remembrance of him to perish 5. The Lord shall separate unto evil out of all the Tribes of Israel according to all the curses that are written in the book of this Law As much as to say God will separate such a man from the rest of mankind to make him an object of his wrath and a monument of his displeasure to pour out all his wrath upon him and to bring upon him all the plagues and all the curses threatned in his word against impenitent sinners Let such drunkards and other impenitent sinners as go on still in their sins and yet hope for Salvation when they dye consider and lay to heart what dreadfull judgments are here denounced against such as add drunkenness to thirst and yet bless themselves in their hearts and say they shall have peace § The plea of such as have a secret hope God will spare them either because of some excellency or because Christ dyed for sinners or because they confess their sin Plea 21. I do verily believe that some yea many drunkards shall be shut out of Heaven but I have a secret hope that God will spare me because of those excellencies he hath put upon me and because Christ dyed to save sinners and when ever I am drunk as soon as I am come to my self I confess my sin and make vows and promises to leave my sin A. 1. It is folly and self-flattery makes thee think God should spare thee for that sin for which God will condemn others For God is no respecter of persons but will execute vengeance upon every impenitent sinner of what Nation rank or condition soever they be upon the rich as well as the poor the honourable as well as the base the great as well as the mean man Act 10.34 Of a truth I perceive God is no respecter of persons Rom. 2.6 9 Who will render to every man according to his deeds Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Centile 2. Let such as fancy that God will spare them and not cast them to hell for their drunkenness and their other sins because of some excellency they have above others as because they are great men or Learned men honourable men or the like consider that God did not spare the Angels when they sinned but cast them into Hell 2. Pet. 2.4 God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down to Hell Yet the Angels are wiser than the greatest Scholars and most Learned Men in the World and more glorious Creatures than the greatest Gentlemen Knights Noblemen yea more glorious than Kings and Princes And if God did not spare the Angels when they sinned against him but cast them down to Hell why shouldest thou think that he will spare thee and not cast thee to Hell for thy drunkenness because thou art a Learned or an Honourable man seeing all thine Excellencies whatever are inferiour to the Excellency of Angels Obj. But Christ died to save Sinners but he did not dye to save Angels and therefore I hope God will save me though I go on still in my Sins A 1. Jesus Christ who came into the World to save sinners came also to call sinners to Repentance Luk. 5.32 I came not to call the Righteous but sinners to Repentance He came not to save Sinners in their sins I mean to let Sinners live as they list and yet to save their Souls but he came to save sinners from their sins Matth. 1.21 Thou shalt call his Name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins 2. Jesus Christ who came to save Sinners tells us expresly that he will not save one sinner without Rrepentance but that all who do not repent shall perish and that he will shut out of Heaven at the day of Judgment all workers of Iniquity Luk. 13.3.5 I tell you nay but except you repent ye shall all likewise perish I tell you nay but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish He speaks the same words twice that they may sink the deeper into our hearts See also Luk. 13.27 Depart from me all ye workers of Iniquity Obj. I do believe may some say such as do not repent of their sins shall not be saved by the death of Christ but I repent of my Drunkenness when I have been overcome with Wine or strong Drink one day the next day when I am sober I am grieved for my sin and I confess my sin to God and make vows that I will not be drunk any more and therefore I hope God will spare and pardon me though he condemn other Drunkards A. 1. If you so repent of are grieved for and confess your sin as to forsake your Drunkenness you shall find mercy with God and he will pardon your sin though you have been a very vile and wicked person and have committed abundance of sin Isa 55.7 Let thē wicked for sake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will