maketh poor but the hand of the diligent maketh rich Chap. 13. 4. The sluggard lusteth but his soul hath nought but the soul of the diligent shall have plency Chap. 18.9 He also that is soathful in his work is even the Brother of him that is a waster Chap. 19.15 Sloathfulness causeth to fall a sleep Chap. 20.13 Love not sleep lest thou come to poverty open thine eyes and thou shalt be satisfied with bread Fly from stoath lest thou fall a sleep and love not sleep lest thou come to poverty but open thine eyes to be obligent and thou shalt be satisfied with all things necessary for thee verse 4. The sloathful will not plow because of Winter therefore shall he beg in the Summer but have nothing Chap. 21.25 26. The desire of the sloathful slayeth him for his hands refuse to labour he thinketh to live by withing and destring all things but will take no pains to get it for saith the wife man He coveteth evermore greedily Chap. 22.13 The sloathful man saith a Lyon is without I shall be slain in the street Solomon derideth them that invent vain excuses because they would not do their duty Prov. 26.13 14 15. As the door turneth upon the hinges so doth the sloathful man upon his bed Chap. 19.24 The sloathful hideth his hand in his bosome and it grieveth him to put it again to his mouth Chap. 15.19 The way of the sloathful man is an hedge of thorns be ever findeth some let or stay and will not go forwards By sloathfulness the roof of the house goeth to decay and by the idleness of the hands the house droppeth through Eccles 10.18 I passed by the field of the sloathful and by the vineyard of the man destitute of understanding and loe it was all grown over with thorns and nettles had covered the face thereof and the stone wall thereof was broken down then I beheld and considered it well I looked upon it and received instruction Prov. 24.30 31 32. Herein appeareth one chief point of Solomons wisdom that is to consider and look upon the errours of other men and thereby learn to eschew them for to see the great loss and detriment that cometh of idleness and sloathfulness and considering of it to become diligent and laborious is surely a great sign of a wise and prudent man he is happy that by other mens faults doth learn to beware That servant which had one Talent delivered unto him Mat. 25.26 28 30. he through sloathfulness hid it and did not occupy it his Master said unto him Thou evil servant and sloathful for so he called him and he said Take the Talent from him moreover he said Cast therefore that unprofitable servant into utter darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth there is nothing but meer darkness out of the Kingdom of Heaven Here we see that sloathfulness doth not only lose all things in the world as the men of Laish did but also eternal happiness hereafter for said the Master Cast that unprofitable servant into utter darkness Now sith it is so who is it that will or dare give themselves unto idleness or sloathfulness seeing by it we do not only lose all things that are good here but also hereafter Syrach speaking of the sluggard saith Eccluf 22.1 2. A sloathful man is like a filthy stone which every man mocketh at for his shame A sloathful man is to be compared to the dung of oxen and every man that taketh it up will shake it out of his hand Like as the idle stone gathereth moss and filth so doth the sloathful both sickness of body and corruption of mind Thus in brief you have heard what idleness is and the fruits of it for first it reacheth men to do evil and it is the sink which receiveth all the filty channel of vice and with that poisoneth and infecteth the soul it 's an enemy to hertue and the very train to all wickedness it loseth time it dulls the understanding it nourisheth humours It displeaseth God it 's the mother of poverty it 's the step-mother of wisdom and the ready way to Atheism and it kindles lust Carthage was overcome and Rome came to ruine through it It causeth evil and dishonest thoughts it opens the gate to all wickedness it 's one of the sitis of Sodom and by it David committed Adultery it bringeth much evil and it causeth them be medling where it doth not concern them and so are called prattlers and buste-bodies speaking things that are not comely we must give account for every idle word through idleness we are in danger to lose all tâ—ings in this world Solomon through idleness committed great offences yea it caused the people of Laish to lose their City and their Country and the destruction of themselves too It caused the City of Troy to be all on a flame therefore flye from idleness and thou shalt soon make all sin to famish in thee for it is the sustenance that maintains it That land that lyeth idle bringeth forth nothing but bryers thorns and thistles by idleness the roof of the house droppeth through And besides all this thou art in danger thereby to be cast into utter darkness The Prophet Jeremiah saith Jer. 48.10 11. Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord negligently and in the next verse he saith Moab hath been at rest from his youth and he hath setled on his lees Zeph. 1.12 But the Lord will search Jerusalem with lights and visit the men that are frozen in their dregs and say in their heart The Lord will neither do good nor evil Thus you see what a dangerous condition the idle sloathful careless and secure ones are in First they are careless of Grace and the means of it as the Word Repentance Faith prayer c. Secondly they are fearless of Gods Judgements Thirdly they are seelingless of the beavy burthen of their sins so that the spirit of slumber is a binding up of their faculties depriving them of the exercise of grace To them grace is no care judgment is no fear sin is no sorrow their ignorance doth grow and they are negligent in matters of salbatton they are careless in Gods service like unto that careless servant that began to eat and drink and to be drunken Matthew 24. They delay repentance security soundeth it is not yet time they ever dream of felicity boasting of their own bearts desire With the Dolphin they swim in delights when destruction is nearest till at last securitles maid wofully cryed the hour is past Joleness and careless is the fore-runner either of gross sins great crossed or most terrible judgements it emptteth the heart of Grace and it sweepeth and garnisheth it for Satan God will hide his face and trouble shall follow The rich man that had much goods laid up for many years said to his soul Luke 12. 20 16. Live at case And God said unto him O fool this night will I fetch
was very drunken wherefore she told him neither less nor more until the morning arose then in the morning when the wine was gone out of Nabal his wife told him that David had bowed to destroy both him and all his house for denying of his servants that small request which they desired and the text saith when she had told him those words his heart died within him and he was like a stone about ten days after the Lord smote Nâ—bal that he died From hence we may gather how close drunkenness and destruction are linked together Wine hath as much force as fire for as soon as it overtaketh one it dispatcheth him it discloseth the secrets of his soul and troubleth the whole mind Wine is the blood of the earth and the shame of such as abuse it Mark the end of Drunkards and abhor their wickedness Isa 28.1 Woe to the Crown of pride the drunkards of Ephraim whose glorious beauty is a fading flower which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine ver 7 8. They have erred because of wine and are out of the way by strong drink the Priests and the Prophets have erred by strong drink they are swallowed up with wine they have gone astray through strong drink they fail in vision they stumble in judgment for all their tables are full of filthy vomiting no place is clean From hence we may gather this thréefold observation First there is pronounced woe to the Drunkards their glorious beginning shall have a fading or steril conclusion Secondly the drunkards they err they are out of the way They fail in vision they stumble in judgment Syrach saith Eccles 19.1 2. Wine and women lead wise men out of the way and put men of understanding to reproof A labouring man that is given to drunkenness shall never be rich saith Syrach Lots Daughters made their Father drink Wine and then lay with him Gen. 19.33 But he perceived not neither when they lay down neither when they rose up Wine had so obscured his judgement and so darkened his understanding and so be fell into that sin of incest with his own Daughters Lastly the loathsomness of drunkenness All their tables are full of silâ—y vomitings no place is clean what can be more filthy Ambrose saith the first evil of drunkenness is the danger of chastity Nothing maketh drunkenness to be more abhored than the filthy and beastly behaviour of those men whose stomachs are overcharged with excess The Lace demonians would often shew their Children such as were drunk to the end they should learn to loath that vice it is a monster with many heads as filthy taâ—k fornication wrath murther swearing cursing and such like The Spartans caused their children to behold their slaves when they were drunken to move them to the detestâ—ation of that vice Wine inflameth the liver rotteth the lungs dulleth the memory and breedeth all diseases Therefore flee from drunkennes for it is the Authour of a thousand evils it maketh wise men fools and it bringeth diseases to the body and destruction to the soul it is that vice with stirreth up lust anger grief and extremity of love it distempers the wit weakeneth the feet and overcometh the vital spirits saith Aristotle It burns up beauty and basteneth age it 's a he witching Devil a pleasant poison a sweet sin saith Augustine Drunkenness maketh of a man a Beast a strong man weak and of a wise man a fool saith Origen Where drunkenness is mistris there secresie beareth no mastery Steal is the glass of beauty end wine is the glass of the mind it is a root prover to every disease saith the heathen man Plato It hath drowned more than the Sea hath drowned Drunkenness makes a man more bruitish than Balaams Ass be could walk and talk but many times a drunkard can do neither Anâ—charsis saith the first draught that a man drinks is for thirst the second for nourishment the third for pleasure and the fourth for madness O what a voluntary madness do drunkards run into when four draughts will not satisfie their unsatiable desires no notten times four Surely surely they are more frantick than those in Bedlam Drunkenness darkens the wit it perverts the Imagination and it stirs up choler Plato bade drunken and angry men to behold themselves in a glass and if they will do so here is one wherein they may behold themselves most clearly Drunkenness is nothing else but a voluntary madness What is more vile and loathsome than is the drunkard whose mouth is the lodge of poisonous savoure-whose body through excess doth tremble and shake whose promises are large whose tongue bewrayeth secrets whose mind is spon changed whose countenance is transformed for commonly when the head is full of wine the tongue is set at liberty neither is be content with many sorts of wine but he drowneth himself or his senses in variety of liquor making himself the monste of excess it 's the nursery to all contention it kindles the coals of wrath and is the root of all mischief and the ready road to ruine Gen. 9. Drunkenness did discover the privy parts of Noah and caused Lot to commit incest 2 Sam. 13.28 Drunkenness slew Amnon King Davids Son and murdered Holosernes chief Captain of the Army for it is said that he drank more wine that day than he had in any day ever since he was born Judith 12.20 and 13.2 be was filled with wine and Judith slew him in his drunkenness The Leopard cannot so soon be taken by any thing as by wine for being drunk be falleth into the topis Be not drunken with wine for wine turneth a mans understanding away from the truth and kindleth in him the fire of lust leading his eyes into errour it 's a servant to lust and it turneth the mind to filthy thoughts and sin is wrought without shame a drunken man is ashamed of nothing therefore he that drinketh wine had need of discretion that be do not over-drink himself for drunkenness causeth him to talk filthily and to do wickedly not to be ashamed but to boast of his lewdness thinking it to be very good Wine is a cause of War and sedition but being soberly drunken it 's profitable for the life of man Eccles 31.27 28 29 30. What is his life that is overcome with wine wine was made from the beginning to make men glad not for drunkenness Wine drunken with excess maketh bitterness of mind with brawlings and scoloings Drunkenness increaseth the rage of a fool till he offend it diminisheth strength and maketh wounds St. James saith James 3.16 Where envying and strife is there is sedition and all evil works Thus you see that all manner of evil that is under the Sun is caused or cometh by drunkenness Of all vices drunkenness is the worst and of all sinners the drunkard is the most hainous it being a compendium an epitome of all other offences and
the sinner by it is made fit for any for all enormities Man when he is at y best is good for little but when he is drunk he is good for nothing he is then made such light stuff that the Devil may carry him whither he lisleth at a every blast which we may plainly see if we do but consider how every breath he draws in drives him from one side of the street to another The Lacedemonians to make this vice odious to their children Would show them their servants when they were drunk Though I commend not their act yet I cannot dislike their and. Though to make their Servants drunk were a fault in the act yet by it to make their children shun that Swinish vice was vertue in the end but we are otherwise taught not to do evil that good may come there of Since then God hath created me with a reasonable soul that I might follow observe and embrace vertue and goodness I will never so much degenerate from the end of my creation as to make my body which was created a vessel of purity to be a sink of iniquity and turn a vessel of vertuous things into a tun to hold drink The drunkard can neither rule himself nor others he is a disturber of peace a devourer of good creatures a corrupter of manners his wit foot and hand goeth palste like his belly buryeth his drink and his drink burieth his wit his least enemy may overtake him he is like a drunken Trojan he disgraceth his profession and disableth his calling be stumbleth in judgement nothing is left of a man but a shape he is proud furious passionate vain foolish quarrellous offensive a railer a revealer of secrets he will scoff and scold he will play the tyrant or the fool the Lyon or the ape he hath an inflamed face and reeling eyes stinking breath staggering legs and stammering tongue It goeth like the sails of a wind-will Drunkenness makes shameless but truly soberness makes them be a shamed of their beastly behaviour The drunkard is hardly cured be finds his disease so pleasant and suffers his malady to become come habitual he regards not the work of the Lord neither considers the works of his hands he contemneth all correction Prov. 23.35 They have stricken me shalt thou say but I was not sick they have beaten me but I knew it not when Iâ— wake therefore will I seek it still Drunkenness is the mother of all vices saith Augustine It is a flaming fiend a sweet poison a pleasant sin who doth it doth not stâ—â— but is altegether siâ— Ovid saith I will never esteem a drunken man chast for saith Hierom It bringth forth vener by it doth beget the mind rolt Gen. 19.32 Examples hereof are the Sodomites and as David thought to have done with Uriaâ— Sam. 11.13 Drunkenness is the neurishment of lust St. Austine saith he is to be punished for that he serveth the â— evil willingly By Pictacus law he that doth evil in drunkenness should be twice punished By Solons law a drunken Pr. should dye The Indians allowed a woman to kill a drunken King and for ber reward to have his successour to her bushand The' drut kard by Moses law was lo be stoned to death Deut. 21.20 The Drunkard defaceth himself it besotteth the wit as young Cyrus gave his answer to his Grand father Astyage ' why be resused to drink wine because said he I toâ— kit to be poison for I have seen it spoil bath men of wiâ— and sense as Origen said of Lot Drunkenness deceived him whom whole Sodom could not deceive And Augustine said Wine is a wild wrestler A exâ—â— ander the victor of all was overcome with wine It turneth strength to weakneso and health to sickness Drunkenness saith Seneca doth recompence the merry madness of one hour with the wearisomness of long time Gal. 5.21 Oftimes drunkaros grow soon old and besides all this he depriveth himself of regeneration and of Christ Rom. 6.16 The spirit is quenched the flesh and body of sin is strengthued and the soul is made like a City broken down and without malls Eph. 5.18 He incurreth shame the examples whereof in Lot Noah and Nabal 1 Pet. 2.11 and poverty and famine Prov. 21. 17. and 25.18 Wine in youth turneth to water in age The Prophet Jocl saith Joel 1.5 Awake yeâ— drunkards and weep and howl all ye drinkers of Wine because of the new wine for it shall be pulled away from your mouth The Prophet Habakkuk pronounces woe to drunk ards Hab. 2.151 6. Thou art filled with shame and shameful spewing shall be for thy glory The Drunkard is exposed to all danger and hath no skill to prevent any nor feel them Prov. 23.34 35. For he is as oâ—e that sleepeth in the midst of the Sea and as he that sleepeth on the to of the mast It bringeth on sisdden death it so weath the seeds of deadly and veritable sicknesses more perish by surfeit than the sword Ehiah â— of Israel as he was in Terzah drinking till be was drunken 1 Kings 19.9 10. his servant Zimiri Captain of his chariots came and smote him and killed him c. Thus you see what dangerous effects drunkenness doth produce Belshazzar was stain in his drunkenness Amnon King Davids Son was stain in his drunkenness Holofernes was murdered in his drunkenness and Elijah was killed in his drunkenness Cambyses in his drunkenness killed his own Son and Alexander in his drunkenness killed his most loving friend Châ—us and besides all this as Esau sold bis birth-right for a mess of pottage so the Drunkard his grace and glories right for a belly full of drink for the which he is excluded out of Heaven Gal. 5.21 so that when that shall be so fearfully accomplished he may miserably say thus O God for how short a pleasure have I given over so great a felicity when with the rich glutton in his stery torments he shall not be piried with one drop of water to quench his endless and unquenchable thirst What will the drunkards say when that hand-writing shall appear against them which appeared against Belshâ—zzar in his drunkenness Dan. 5. and shy Mene Mene Tekel upharsin God hath numbred thy Kingdom and finished it and thou art weighed in the balance and found too light c. What wilt thou say if God should call thee to an account for thy â—â—e wardship Luke 16. even in the midst of thy drunkenness and say thou shalt he no longer steward because thou hast wasted thy Masters goods yet for all this it is hard to cure a man that is given to drunkenness it is difficult to speak to the belly which hath no ears it is folly to rebuke a drunken man 1 Sam. 25.36 Lycurgus to cure drunkenness caused all the vines to be cut down Diogenes when he was urged to drink beyond measure did cast the drink on the ground saying If I do drink all this not then the