their God deceiveth them with needlesse feares and scruples as once Rabshekâ—h would have perswaded the Iewes touching their trust and confidence 2 King 18. 22. 25 30. 32. 33. 35. The beleive what they see and feele and Know they beleeve the lawes of the Land that there be places and kinds of punishment here below and that they have bodies to suffer temporall smart if they transgresse and this makes them abstaine from Murther Fellony and the like but they beleeve not things invisible and to come for if they did they would as well yea much more feare him that hath power to cast both body and soule into Hell as they doe the temporall Magistrate that hath onely power to kill the body they would thinke it a very hard bargaine to winne the whole world and lose their owne soules Luk. 9. 25. but enough of this having proved the Drunkard an Atheist Sect. the 146. § 155. SEcondly another maine reason is ignorance yea ignorance if we rightly consider it is the cause of all sinne sinne indeed at first was the cause of ignorance but now ignorance is the cause of sinne Swearing and lying and killing and steaâ—eing and whoring I may well adde drunkennesse abound saith the Prophet because there is no knowledge of God in the Land Hosea 4. 1. 2. It is a people that doe erre in their hearts saith God why because they have not knowne my wayes Psal. 95. 10. yee are deceived saith our Saviour because ye know not the Scriptures neither the power of God Matth. 22. 29. when Christ wept over Hierusalem what was the cause even their blindnesse If thou hadst knowne saith he at the least in this thy day those things which how are hid from thine eyes Luk. 19. 42. Because men know not the wages of evill therefore they doe it and because they would securely doe it therefore they refuse to know it Oh that men knew how good it is to obay to disobay how evill then should we have a new world but the Devill takes an order for that where he can prevaile and therefore he hath the Poâ—e in one part of the world who will allow his subjects I meane the Layty no divine learning the Turke in another who denies to his any learning at all and this is no small advantage unto him for that Edict of Iulianus the Emperour whereby it was interdicted unto Christians to be admitted into Scholes Lectures and other exercises of learning was esteemed a more pernicious engine and machination against the Christiâ—n faith then were all the sanguinary perâ—ecutions of his predecessors Ob But blessed be God and our gracious Soveraigne may some say this is not our case we have plenty of light in our Horizon our Land abounds both with humane and divine learning Aâ—sw Very true and it is a blessing which we can never be sufficiently thankfull for and yet the Devill takes such an order that the odds is not much betweene our light and their darknesse for either Wizard-like he preseâ—â—s things in a false glasse or Sorcerer-like he makes things appeare other then they are by deception of our spirituall sight or Sophister-like he darkens the truth which the Word will not suffer to bee conceald with subtils distinctions as a man that puts out the candle with snuffing it or Casuistlike he fills mens heads with a world of Problemes and Paradoxes their hearts and consciences with a thousand needlesse and endlesse questions unprofitable cold and bloodlesse impertinencies whereby the sound and saving knowledge of Iesus Christ and him crucified which was the onely care and studie of St. Paul I Cor. 2. 2. is the portion but of a few even amongst us as the effect shewes for are not most men to whom the Gospell is so gloriously preach't cheifely guided according to the Rudiments of the world and not after Christ Col. 2. 8. Quest. But will any now in this cleare Sunne-shine of the Gospell be perswaded that they know not Christ crucified Answer It is too true that few know him for if they knew Christ they could not but love him and loving him they would keepe his commandements Iob. 14. 15. for hereby saith St. Iohn is it knowne that we know him if we keepe his Commandements 1 Ioh. 2. 3. but he that saith I know him and yet keepeth not his Commandements is a lyer and there is no truth in him ver the 4. Rightly a man knowes no more then he practiseth it is said of Christ 2 Cor. 5. 21. that he knew no sin because he did no sin in which sense he knowes no good that doth no good and he may know much that cannot utter much as a Martyr answered Bishop Bonner My Lord I cannot dispute for the truth but I caâ— dye for the truth a good argument to prove that he knew Christ for mens actions expresse their knowledge better then their words Vertue is ordained a wife for knowledge and where â—hese two joyne there will proceede from them a Noble prodiene a generation of good workes but they that wander in by pathes declare themselves ignorant of the right way of salvation Rom. 3. 17. That is but a raw knowledge which is not digested into practise What 's the difference betweene Christianity and infidelity but holinesse For as Rhetoricke is the Art of speaking well and Logicke the art of disputing well and Magistracy the art of governing well so Christianity is the art of liveing well It is not worth the name of knowledge that may be heard onely and not seene good discourse is but the froth of wisdome the pure and solid substance of it is in well framed actions when we are wise in our hands as the Dutch are said to be These things if ye know happy are ye if ye doe them Iohn 13. 17. and in Deut. 4. 6. keepe the Commandements of God and doe them for this is your wisdome and understanding before God and men The Knowledge that saves us is more then a bare apprehension of God it knowes his power and therefore feares him knowes his justice and therefore serves him knowes his mercy and therefore trusts him knowes his goodnesse and therefore loves him c. for he that hath the saving knowledge of God hath every other grace there is a sweete correspondence betweene every one where there is any one in truth As in the generation the head is not without the body nor the body without each member nor the soule without it's powers and faculties so in the regeneration where there is any one grace in truth there is every one 2 Cor. 5. 17. but see it in particulars They that know thy name saith the Psalmist will trust in thee Psal. 9. 10. there 's saith Let him that rejeyceth rejoyce in this that he understandeth and knoweth me Ier 9. 24. ther 's joy Hee that knoweth God heareth us I Ioh. 4. 6. there is an awfull attention to the Word preach't If thou knewest me
faith and workes are equally necessary to salvation and they will understand hee meanes them both as meritorious causes whereas he acknowledgeth neither but faith as an instrument good workes as a necessary concomitant God alone the efficient and Christ alone the meritorious cause of salvation for know this that good workes cannot justifie us before the severe Tribunall of Almighty God our workes deserve nothing it is onely in Christ that they are accepted and onely for Christ that they are rewarded Neither is it faith which properly saves us but the righteousnesse of Christ whereon it is grounded by grace yee are saved through faith Ephesians 2. 8. It is the God of truth that speakes it and woe unto him that shall make God a lyer by grace effectually through faith instrumentally we are not justified for the onely act and quality of believing it is the justice of Jesus that justifies us which faith apprehends it was the brazen Serpent that healed not the eye that looked on it yet without a lookâ—â—g eye there was no helpe to the wounded party by the promised vertue It is true our Adversaries oppose this doctrine both with Pens and Tongues violently in the Schooles invectively in the Pulpets but come they once to their death-beds to argue it betweene God and their owne soules then grace and grace alone mercy and onely mercy Iesus and none but Iesus this their great Belweather is driven to confesse yea saith another give us this faith and then let our enemies doe their worst the Devill tempt the world afflict sinne menace death afright yet faith will vanquish all through the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ. Againe let a Minister speak against affectation of learning in Sermons they will say he condemnes learning let him tell such as live and allow themselves in drunkennesse adultery swearing deceiving c. that they are in a damnable condition and in a reprobate sense they will say he calls them râ—probates and judgeth them damned in all which they resemble the Sadd ces who tooke occasion to deny the Resurrection from that wholsome doctrine taught that we should neither serve God for reward nor feare of punishment but meerely out of obedience and love or the Iewes who when Christ spake of the Temple of his body understood him to meane the materiall Temple and thereupon tooke great exceptions Yea we have a world of such amongst us who seeme Malchus like to have their right eares cut off they heare so sinisâ—erly And rather then not carpe if the Minister but use a similitude for ornament and illustration sake borrowed from nature or history they will say he affirmes the matter thereof possitively to be true like as that simple fellow thought Pontius Pilate must needs be a Saint because his name was put in the Creede And so much to prove that the Drunkard hath neither wit nor memory § 42. HAve we yet done no I would we had I would we were well rid of these filthes but let us proceed in speaking as they doe in drinking By that time these gutmongers have gulped downe so many quarts as either of their names hath letters in it they have drawne in some fresh man who perhaps after the third health refuseth to drinke any more being of Diogenes his humor who being urg'd at a banquet to drinke more then he was willing emptied his glasse upon the ground saying if I drinke it I not onely spill it but it spills me so this mans unacustomed rudenesse and monstrous inhumanity begins a quarrell For it is an unexcusable fault or as I may say an unpardonable crime to refuse an health or not to drinke eqâ—all with the rest or to depart while they are able to speake sense and this they can almost prove for was not Pentheus son to Echion and Agave by his owne Mother and Sister torne in peeces for contemning of Bacchus his feasts hereupon many have lost their lives because they would not drinke but happily by Gods blessing and the parties patience in bearing their fowle language he hath delivered himselfe of their company at which they are so vexed that they gnaw their owne tongues for spight and call him the basest names they can thinke of Now begin they a fresh to spice their cups one while with oathes other whiles with words of Scripture which sounds most ill favouredly in a Drunkards mouth as Salomon intimates Pro. 26. 9. now raile they against Puritans for so are all abstemious men in the Epicures words or a beasts language who hold sobriety no other thing then humor and singularity Religion and good fellowship to be termes convertible Well at length they dispute the case about his departure stoutly affirming that he can be no honest man who refuseth to pledge them and to this they all agree for the utmost of a Drunkards honesty is goodfellowship and he is of most reputation with them that is able to drinke most being of the Tartarians Religion together with the inhabitants of Cumaâ—a and Guiana who account him the greatest and bravest man and most compleate and wel accomplished gallant who is able to carrouse and swill downe most yea if they can but meete with a man that like Diotimus surnamed Funnell can gulpe downe wine through the channell of his throate conveyed by a tunnell without interspiration betweene gulpes as the Crocodile eates without moving of his nether jaw they thinke him not alone worthy to be carried to Gurmonds Hall and there made free of the wide throats or large weezands company but thinke he deserves some great preferment according to those ancient presidents read of in history Where it is recorded that in the feasts of Bacchus a crowne of gold was appointed for him that could drinke more then the rest That Alexander the great not onely provided but gave a Crowne worth a Talent for reward to Prâ—machus when he had swallowed downe foure steines or gallons of wine which none of the company could equall him in though one and forty of them dranke themselves dead also to shew their willingnesse That Tiberius the Emperor preferred many to honours in his time because they were famous whoremasters and sturdy drinkers That Tiberius Câ—sar was preferred to a Pretorship because of his excellency in drinking That amongst the drink-alians in tenterbelly he that can drinke a certaine vessell of about a gallon thrice off and goe away without indenting for this his good service is presently carried through the City in triumph to that goodly Temple dedicated to god All-paunch and there knighted Yea if they might have their wills none should refuse to be drunke unpunished or be drunke unrewarded at the common charge that I exceede not my Last each man that will not pledge their healthes can beare me witnesse though I neede no better evidence then their owne lips for how oft shall you heare them commend those actions which deserve much blame and condemne others which merit great praise how
confesse that was a separation of a higher nature the power of the keyes being added they were delivered up to Sathan shut out of heaven herein it is not so but this serves to the same end and is done only in cases of like fact The cause was weighty for which the gates of heaven were to be locked great in the thing done or great in the wilfulnesse of the doer and this not without reason for the doome was heavie and fit for the back of a strong and mighty evil it was a short damnation a temporall hell a shutting out of heaven upon earth yea heaven in heaven even the joyes and comforts of the spirit of consolation Neither could it be but an excellent remedy for besides that it was Gods institution the remedy was fitted to the disease a degree of presumption was encountered with a degree of despaire the Scorpion was made a medicine against the sting of the Scorpion Sathan was set on worke to take him downe by terror unto salvation whom before hee animated and puffed up to destruction he that said at first sin boldly for ye shall not dye at all now hee changeth his voyce and saith thy sinne is greater then can be forgiven thee But the wisdom of dispensation suffered this roring Lion no longer to terrifie but untill his terror did mollifie hee aimed indeed at despaire and destruction but the Church aimed at humiliation and conversion yea at consolation and salvation And indeed humiliation for sinne is the only way to conversion from sinne conversion from sin the only way to the consolations of the Spirit and the comfortable spirit is both the guide and the way to life eternall therefore when the man is humbled Sathan is casheired the horse-leech is taken away when he hath sufficiently abated the vicious and superfluous blood Thus were men healed by wounding exalted by humbling O admirable use and command of Sathan hee is an enemy to God and yet doth him service he is an adversary to man and yet helpes him A strange thing that Sathan should help the incestuous Corinthian to the destruction of his flesh his concupiscence and the edification of his soule A strange thing that Sathan should teach Hymeneus and Alexander not to blaspheme he is the author of blasphemies and yet he teacheth not to blaspheme But is Sathan contrary to himselfe and is his kingdome divided in it selfe no surely â—ut one that is stronger then hee both in wisdome and power manageth both his craft and malice to ends which himselfe intendeth not The divell is one and the same still even purely malicious but God suffers him to go on in his temptations just so farre as temptation is profitable and no further therefore while Sathan is driving the offender to despaire God stops his course when the sinner is come to due humiliation and then as it was with Christ in the wildernesse so is it with the humbled sinner Sathan is dismissed and the Angels come and minister unto him This was the nature manner and end of publike excommunication private hath relation to it both touching cause and end First publike had respect to the cause that it was to be used only in case of scandalous open and notorious impiety so hath the private wee do not breake off society with any for weaknesses and sinnes of infirmity Secondly that did only aime at their amendment conversion and salvation so doth this we desire only to have them looke into themselves where the fault lyes and seeke to amend their course and certainly nothing will sooner make the adulteresse or drunkard bethink themselves then when they see all that are honest and sober even their neighbours and old associates shun their company and despise them as if they were not worthy of humane society and if they have the least desire to be reputed honest and sober againe and admitted their familiar converse without which they are as it were banished into exile they will do what possibly lyes in them to redeeme their credit and merit their good opinion by a more sober honest and holy demeanour the disparity lyeth only in the power and severity of the agents we cannot we doe not we desire not to deliver them up to Sathan but heartily pray that they may bee delivered from him and all evill § 197. THat we may not be infected by them nor partake of their sinnes It is a true Proverb Evill company corrupts good manners and He that will not evill do must keep from all that longs thereto To be safe from evill workes is to avoid the occasions especially he that will keepe himself from iniquity and have no fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darknes must have no fellowship with wicked persons the workers of darknesse Ioseph thought no weapon comparable for the beating off his Mistresses assaults to running away The first thing that God did after hee created Heaven and Earth was to separate light from darknesse probably to shew that the good should first of all separate from the evill if they meane not againe to become evill It is not more hard to finde vertue in evill company then to misse vice They were mingled among the Heathen saith the Psalmist and what followes they learned their works Ps. 106 35. Peter had never denyed and forsworn his Master if hee had not beene in company with Christ's enemies but then how soone was he changed Now saith one If such a Cedar fell how shall I stand I will not therefore hazard the fraile potsheard my flesh upon the rock of evill company for any thing David had never dissembled if he had not beene among the Philistins which made him after that hee might wisely shun that occasion say depart from mee all yee workers of iniquity for I will keepe the commandements of my God Psal. 119. 115. intimateing that hee could not otherwise nay how many thousands have confest at the Gallowes I had never come to this but for evill company which drew me to these courses yea the truth is wee can not come amongst these vipers and not bee stung by them for even to heare them speake will make us either angry or guilty and not to bee intemperate with them for company is a great discourtesie if not a quarrell Many a man had beene good that is not if hee had but kept good company There is a pliable disposition in all men naturally to evill we follow it as Iron doth the Loadstone by a naturall and hidden propensity our corrupt nature is like fire which if there be any infection in the roome drawes it streight to it self or like Jet which omits all precious objects and attracts nothing but straws and dust or if a man hath both good and bad in his nature either of them will fortifie as they meet with their like or decline as they finde a contrary as Sampson did in his strength who at first being hard enough for all the Princes of the Philistins