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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	worship_n	worship_v	worthy_a	35	3	6.6890	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20760	Foure treatises tending to disswade all Christians from foure no lesse hainous then common sinnes; namely, the abuses of swearing, drunkennesse, whoredome, and briberie. Wherein the greatnes and odiousnesse of these vices is discouered; and the meanes and remedies, which may either preserue, or weane men from them, are propounded. Whereunto is annexed a treatise of anger. By Iohn Dovvname Batcheler in Diuinitie, and preacher of Gods word.	Downame, John, d. 1652.; Downame, John, d. 1652. Spiritual physicke to cure the diseases of the soule, arising from superfluitie of choller, prescribed out of Gods word. aut	1609 (1609)	STC 7141; ESTC S110222	260,958	336

as anger is cosen germane to madnesse so drunkennesse is a cohabitant and as much as it is better then madnesse because it is of shorter continuance so much it is worse in regard that it is voluntarie for whereas madnesse thrusteth in by violence this is willingly intertained CHAP. III. That the drunkard sinneth hainously against God ANd well doth the vice of drunkennesse deserue to be thus condemned both of God and men §. Sect. 1. The hainousnes of this sinne of drunkennesse and the manifold euils which it containeth seeing it hath in it all respects of euill both the euill of sinne and also the euill of punishment The euill of sinne both as it is in it selfe sinfull and also as it is the cause of other sinnes It is in it selfe sinful as may appeare by a threefold relation which it hath to diuers obiects for the drunkard grieuously sinneth 1. against God 2. against his neighbour 3. against himselfe And of these I will speake seuerally in handling whereof it is not to be expected that I should obserue a distinct proprietie in referring particulars to their generall heads for as much as manie of them are coincident one with another and in a diuers relation may diuersly be referred onely I thought good to propound this diuision that wee may proceed in some order First then the drunkard grieuouslie sinneth against God and that in diuers respects §. Sect. 2. 1. The drunkard grieuously sinneth against God Phil. 3.19 First by committing against him one of the worst kinds of Idolatrie in that he maketh his bellie his god as it is Phil. 3.19 Wherof it is that gluttons and drunkards are vsually called bellie-gods because they better loue it and more diligently serue it and more carefully please it then God himselfe Secondly §. Sect. 3. Drunkennes maketh men vnfit for Gods seruice therby they doe so oppresse the heart loade the stomacke and dull the spirits that they are altogether vnfit to performe vnto God any part of his worship and seruice for if the Lord will be worshipped in spirit and truth how farre are they from worshipping God aright who haue not so much as the vse of their reason and vnderstanding If more then accustomed sobrietie yea sometimes fasting and totall abstinence be required when we powre forth our soules vnto God in prayer that wee may be the better fitted for this holy action how ill are they disposed for this exercise whose stomackes are surcharged and braines distempered with wine and strong drinke If such bee our weakenesse and infirmitie that when we come fasting to the hearing of the word we are often ouertaken with drowsie dulnesse what can be expected of those whose heads are intoxicated with fumes and drunken vapours but blockish deadnesse and more then brutish drowsinesse The consideration whereof should make all Christians abhorre this vice for if it bee esteemed an odious thing that a subiect being to conferre with his Prince about important affaires should come vnto him in his drunkennes how abominable is his practise who being to come into Gods presence either to speake vnto him by prayer or to heare the Lord speaking vnto him in the Ministerie of the word is so oppressed with drinke that hee is more fit to sleepe then to heare or speake and to disgorge his stomack then to powre forth his soule before God Now these actions are not seldome to be performed 1. Thes 5.17 but they must be the Christians continuall exercise and therefore that hee may the better performe them he must obserue continuall temperance and sobrietie Thirdly §. Sect. 4. 3. They gresly abuse Gods creatures they sinne against God in the vngratefull abuse of his creatures for whereas the Lord hath allowed vnto them a large portion and bestowed vpon them his gifts with a bountiful hand to the end that hereby he may mooue them to loue serue and praise him with greater cheerefulnesse they contrariwise abuse these benefits to surfetting and drunkennesse whereby they dishonour God destroy their bodies and soules whollie disable themselues for Gods seruice and are altogether fitted for the seruice of sinne and Satan And thus drunkards sinne directly against the Maiestie of God himselfe The which their sinne is fearefullie aggrauated by the circumstance of time if they then continue in drunkennesse and voluptuous excesse when the Lord by his iudgements and afflictions either threatned or inflicted vpon themselues or their neighbours or the whole Church and common wealth doth call them to fasting mourning and humiliation And this the Lord condemneth in the people of Israel Esa 22.12.13 Esa 22.12.13 And in that day the Lord God of hosts did call vnto weeping and mourning and to baldnes and girding with sackecloth And behold ioy and gladnes slaying oxen and killing sheepe eating flesh and drinking wine eating drinking for to morrow we shal die So Amos 6.6 Amos. 6.6 They drinke wine in bowles and anoint themselues with the chiefe oyntments but no man is serie for the affliction of Ioseph CHAP. IIII. That the drunkard sinneth grieuously against his neighbours and that both publikely and priuately BVt as the drunkard sinneth against God § Sect. 1. How the drunkard sinneth against his neighbours and against the Common-wealth so also against his neighbours and that both generally against the whole Church and common wealth and particularly against priuate persons He that is giuen to this sinne of drunkennes sinneth against the common-wealth in that he so disableth himselfe that he cannot performe any good seruice to his countrie for a drunkard can neither bee good Magistrate nor good subiect seeing hee cannot rule others that cannot rule himselfe nor yet manage well the sword of iustice seeing oftentimes he is so besotted and depriued of the vse of reason that hee can put no difference betweene the sword and the scabberd betweene the innocent and offenders And therefore not vnfitly did the poore woman who had receiued an vniust sentence from Philip King of Macedon in the time of his drunkennesse make her appeale and being demanded to whom shee appealed seeing hee was supreme Iudge I appeale said shee from thee vnto King Philip when he is sober And as he cannot rule so he cannot obey for when the drunkard is scated vpon the ale bench and hath got himselfe betweene the cup and the wall he presently becommeth a reproouer of Magistrates a controller of the State a murmurer and repiner against the best established gouernment and such an insolent pride and ouerweening conceit of his wisedome doe the spirits of wine and strong drinke infuse into him that hee thinketh a whole Court of Parliament may more easilie erre in their long deliberated decrees then he in his present and rash verdict Plutarch Apotheg To this accordeth Plutarchs storie of certaine young men who hauing bitterly inueighed against King Pyrrhus when they were amongst their cups were for this offence brought before him and when

First that Ioseph to the end he might continue vnknowne vnto his brethren tooke vpon him the custome of the Egyptians and therein sinned through infirmitie and therefore his example is no president for vs. Secondly Ioseph may be excused by the manner of his speech for he doth not say by the life of Pharaoh but Pharaoh liueth or so let Pharaoh liue as you shall not goe hence which is not properly an oath but a prayer added to an oath wherein he desireth God to grant that Pharaoh might as certainely liue as they should not depart Fourthly whatsoeuer we sweare by that we deifie in communicating vnto it Gods incommunicable attributes as his omnipresence omniscience omnipotence whereby he can powerfully protect his truth and punish al falshood al which are so peculiar to God as that they cannot be communicated with any creature But is it then simply vnlawfull to vse the name of any creature in our others §. Sect. 3. VVhether vve may vse the name of a creature in our oathes I answere that it is vnlawfull to sweare by them simply and directly neuerthelesse they may bee lawfully vsed in a compound forme of an oath when as God by them is inuocated as when wee pray for some good to befall vs or them who are deare vnto vs vpon the condition of our truth or imprecate some euill if we speake falsely or when we oblige those things of which we make greatest esteeme to Gods iustice as sureties of our truth Examples whereof we haue 1. 1. Sam. 1.26 and 25.22 Sam. 1.26 and 25.22 In respect then of the obiect we sweare lawfully §. Sect. 4. Our oathes are vnlavvfull vvhen vve svveare by any thing besides the true God or ioyne any thing vvith him when we sweare by the true Iehouah onely and consequently our oathes are vnlawful when as we sweare directly by any other thing In which regard there are two kindes of vnlawfull oathes first when as we sweare by any thing besides the true God secondly when as in our oathes wee ioyne any other with him They who vse the former kinde of swearing commit the most impious kinde of theft robbing God of his glorie to bestow it vpon an Idoll the other shew their gracelesse follie in making base Idols and sillie creatures corriuals in honour and compeeres in the throne of iustice vnto the Lord who is the Creator of heauen and earth and the supreame Iudge and sole Monarch of all the world Of the former the Lord accuseth the people of Iuda Ier. 5.7 Ier. 5.7 Thy children haue forsaken me and sworne by them that are no Gods Whereby is plainely implied that they who sweare by any thing besides the Lord doe renounce him and his true worship Zeph. 1.4.5 and for the latter he threatneth destruction Zeph. 1.4.5 I will cut off them that worship and sweare by the Lord. and sweare by Malcham For the Lord being the peerelesse soueraigne of heauen and earth cannot indure that any other should haue Esa 48.11 or share with him in his glorie as himselfe also professeth Esa 48.11 Here therefore are condemned all oathes which are not by the name of the true God §. Sect. 5. Pettie and childish oathes vnlavvfull of which there are many kinds first those pettie diminutiue and childish oathes which are so much in vse in these dayes bodikin lakin by cocke by my fey and such like all which are the fruites of ignorance and superstition for men seeing the vnexcusable euill of prophaning the glorious name of God in their ordinarie communication vpon euerie trifling occasion and hauing so inured their tongues to swearing that they thinke there is a kinde of necessitie of vsing some kind of oathes either for ornament of speech or to gaine more credit to their words they imagine that God will excuse them if they doe not directly take his name in vaine but vse onely these trifling and pettie oathes in their ordinarie speech But what is this but to iest with holy things and to mocke the Lord who will not be mocked As though he regarded the pronunciation and outward sound more than the oath it selfe or being displeased to haue his titles and attributes commonly vsed should be contented to haue them nick-named in a ridiculous manner What is it but quite to ouerthrow the lawfull vse of an oath which is ordained by God onely for the confirmation of a waightie and necessarie truth and not to be vsed ordinarilie and vpon euerie trifling occasion so that if the matter be light and vaine we must not sweare at all if so waightie that we may lawfully sweare then likewise is it lawfull to vse the glorious name of God in an holy and religious manner Secondly §. Sect. 6. Svvearing by the creatures condemned Matth 5. and 23 here is condemned swearing by the creatures as by the Sunne light fire bread and such like which kind of oathes were in vse among the Pharisies as our Sauiour sheweth Matth. 5. and 23. and are commonly vsed amongst ignorant worldlings in these dayes wherein as they rob God of his glorie and as it were spoile the Creator to enrich the creature so doe they hereby exceedingly dishonour themselues in that being their superiours by creation they make themselues inferiour vnto them in swearing by them for as the Apostle speaketh men sweare by him that is greater then themselues Heb. 6.16 and make them their Iudges whom God hath made their seruants Of this kinde also are Papisticall oathes §. Sect. 7. Papisticall oathes condemned as vnlavvfull by the Angels Saints and their reliques by their Idols the Masse Roode and such like for as they worship the Saints by inuocation oblations pilgrimages c. so also by swearing by them the which their practise is impious and vaine the impietie hereof is manifest in that they rob God of his glorie and deifie the creatures by ascribing vnto them diuine worship the vanitie of such oathes herein appeareth in that they are idle and bootlesse for in vaine it is and to no purpose to inuocate any to beare witnesse of our truth and to punish falshood vnlesse we acknowledge them present euerie where the beholders of the most secret actions yea euen the searchers of the heart and reines and almightie to patronise truth and to inflict deserued punishments vpon periured persons but all these are Gods proper and peculiar attributes which are not communicable vnto anie Saint or Angell for neither are they omnipresent omniscient nor omnipotent and therefore it is idle and vaine to inuocate them by an oath as witnesses of truth and reuengers of falshood Thirdly §. Sect. 8. Elasphemous oathes condemned here is condemned those blasphemous oathes by the seuerall parts of Christs bodie which are commonly vsed by impious men euen in ordinarie communication wherewith as much as in them lyeth they teare the precious body of Iesus Christ in peeces and crucifie him afresh or if these

blasphemies proceede from superstitious ignorance then this their practise is idolatrous in that they deifie the members of Christ by ascribing vnto thē whilest they sweare by thē Gods incommunicable attributes For howsoeuer wee may lawfully sweare by Christ man yet it is not lawfull to sweare by his humanitie and much lesse by the parts of his bodie Lastly §. Sect. 9. Heathenish oathes condemned Exod. 23.13 Hos 2.17 Gen. 31.13 Iere. 14.16 here is condemned Heathenish oathes by the gods of the Gentiles which wee are forbidden so much as to remember by their names as appeareth Exod. 23.13 Hos 2.17 An example whereof wee haue in Laban Gen. 31.53 in the Israelites Ierem. 14.16 and in many schollers amongst our selues who affecting the Latine elegancie vse in their orations and exercises Heathenish oathes as aedipol mehercule per Iouem immortalem c. But accursed be that elegancie which is ioyned with idolatrie and robbeth God of his glorie to bestow it vpon Idols And so much concerning the obiect of our oathes §. Sect. 10. Of the end of a lavvfull oath Now wee are briefly to speake of the end in regard whereof it is required that our oath doth principally respect the glorie of God and secondarily our owne or our neighbours good We glorifie God in our oath when as confirming thereby a necessarie truth we magnifie his omniscience iustice and power we benefit our selues when as we maintaine our owne right or defend our owne innocencie our neighbour either when we perswade him to beleeue a necessarie truth or take away the causes of discord and contention In respect therfore of the end we sweare vnlawfully §. Sect. 11. Hovv an oath is vnlavvfull in respect of the end when in taking our oath wee doe not respect either the glorie of God or our owne or our neighbours good as when through rage and anger men burst out into swearing as though they would reuenge themselues vpon God for the iniuries they haue receiued of men When in ordinarie dealing they countenance a profitable lie by a false oath and when as by stuffing their ordinarie talke with vaine oathes they affect the praise of a generous and couragious spirit or seeke for their oathes sake to haue all their words credited But that is but a weake proofe either of Gentilitie or Nobilitie which is a manifest argument that wee are the slaues of Satan it is no true courage desperatly to leape into hell fire and ordinarie swearing is no signe of truth seeing it vsually proceedeth frō a gulitie conceit of their owne want of credit for if they thought their word worthie respect to what purpose should they vse oathes Nay rather vsuall swearing is a signe of the swearers falsehood for therefore they sweare because their simple word is of no credit And when they haue done all they can an honest mans word is better to be esteemed then al their oathes nam qui deierat peierat he that often sweareth often forsweareth CHAP. IIII. Of the properties of a lawfull oath ANd so much for the end of our oathes In respect of the manner wee sweare lawfully when wee sweare in trueth iustice and iudgement all which are required vnto a lawfull oath by the Lord himselfe Iere. 4.2 And thou shalt sweare the Lord liueth Iere. 4.2 in truth in iudgement and in righteousnesse First §. Sect. 1. 1. VVe must sweare in truth it is required that we sweare in truth that is first that in our oath our speech agree with the thing and secondly our minde with our speech And contrariwise we sweare vnlawfully when we faile in either of these that is whē we sweare a thing that is false or falsely A thing false when as wee sweare an vntruth the speech disagreeing with the thing which is done purposely or vnaduisedly Falsely when as wee sweare the truth but deceitfully and with a purpose to deceiue the heart and tongue not agreeing together the which sinne is forbidden and condemned Leuit. 19.12 and punished with Gods fearefull curse Leuit. 19.12 Zach. 5.4 Zach. 5.4 Neuerthelesse howsoeuer this be condemned as a great sinne in Gods word and abhorred as a detestable practise euen amongst the ancient Heathens yet it is iustified as lawfull by the Papists both in their practise and writings who auouch that a man may vse in his oathes equiuocations and mentall reseruations wherein oftentimes the mind tongue are opposed to one another in flat contrarietie And this is that false swearing which in the word of God is principally condemned and therfore to be of all Christians auoided as being a mother sinne who in her fruitfull wombe containeth diuers impieties and a compound wickednesse comprising in it diuers enormous transgressions as hereafter shall appeare The second propertie required to a lawfull oath §. Sect. 2. 2. VVe must sweare in iustice is that we sweare in iustice which propertie hath his speciall place in a promissorie oath which when we make wee are carefully to take heede that that which by oath wee promise be iust and lawfull otherwise we are not to sweare it or hauing sworne not to performe it for an oath ought not to be the bond of iniquitie and as one saith those oathes are laudably broken which are vnlawfully made In this respect therefore our oath is vnlawfull when as thereby we promise any thing which is vniust and vnhonest whether it appeare vnto vs presently when we make the oth or afterwards For this is a horrible wickednesse when as we make God not only a witnesse but also our suertie that wee will performe an vniust or vnhonest action And such was the oath of Dauid 1. Sam. 25.21 of Gehezie 1. Sam. 25.21 2. Kin. 5.20 2 Kin. 6.31 Act. 23.12 2. King 5.20 of Achab 2. King 6.31 of the Iewes Act. 23.12 And such is the oath of the Popish Clergie who hauing not the gift of continencie vow virginitie and of those who being young sweare themselues to the Cloisters against their parents will c. So if after the oath is made wee finde that there is impietie and iniustice in it which wee did not discouer at the making thereof then such an oath is rather to be broken then obserued for we sinne not in breaking but in making of it Whereas he that performeth such an oath addeth sinne vnto sinne that is to say vnto rashnes in swearing wickednesse in performing as we may see in the example of Herod who after he had made a wicked oath Mar. 6.23 did performe it with greater wickednesse And this Dauid knew well and therefore hee made no conscience of breaking that vnlawfull oath which he had vnconscionably made as appeareth 1. Sam. 25.21.3 The third propertie required to a lawfull oath is §. Sect. 3. 3. VV must sweare in iudgment that wee sweare in iudgement that is that we vse the name of God in our oathes reuerently and holily conscionably and with great deliberation

booke to shew the swiftnesse of Gods vengeance against this sin and the quicke dispatch he will make in destroying of them though they be scattered far and wide vpon the face of the earth So he threatneth Deut. 28.58 Deut. 28. that those who will not feare this glorious and feareful name The Lord our God shall be punished with wonderfull plagues both in themselues and in their posteritie great in quantitie grieuous and sore in qualitie and in respect of time of long continuance To the same purpose the sonne of Syrach saith that a man which vseth much swearing shall be filled with wickednesse and the plague shall neuer goe from his house Eccles 23.11 Ecclesi 23.11 But well were it with blasphemers if they had their whole portion of punishment in this life and that they might die like beasts without any future sense of weale or woe but they shall finde it farre otherwise for they who in their ordinarie communication in stead of yea yea nay nay vse vaine swearing and bloodie oathes Iam. 5.12 shall fall as the Apostle telleth vs into eternall condemnation and as they haue blasphemed God in earth so they shall continue their wicked blasphemies in hell torments with the damned spirits as they haue dishonored God by abusing and prophaning his holy name in their accursed oathes so the Lord will glorifie it againe in their fearfull and eternall punishments And these are the reasons which may mooue vs to hate and auoide this sinne in our selues §. Sect. 11. VVe must not onely reforme our selues but those who are vnder our gouernment the which may bee also effectuall to make all men carefull in reforming this vice in those that belong vnto them and are vnder their gouernment especially Magistrates in the common wealth and housholders in the familie And the rather let all in authoritie be perswaded hereunto first because where one is tainted with this leprosie if separation be not made hee will likewise infect those that are about him As therefore Magistrates and housholders in the time of common sicknesse are verie carefull to stay the infection by keeping the sicke from the whole so the like or much greater care must bee had in keeping these who are infected with this contagious sinne of vaine swearing from those who are not yet tainted either till they be reformed and cured or if they be vncurable by banishing them out of the common wealth and excluding them out of the familie or at least by inflicting vpon the offenders such seuere punishments as may vtterly discountenance this sinne and discourage and deterre others from following their leaud example Secondly § Sect. 12. The impunitie of one sinner bringeth Gods iudgements vpon the whole familie because where any one enormous sin raigneth in any member of a societie which is not suppressed and reformed or at least corrected and sharply punished that sinne will bring Gods vengeance and fearfull iudgements not only vpon the offender but also vpon the whole bodie of that societie For in respect of that neere communion which is betweene the diuers members of the same bodie politicke it commeth to passe oftentimes that both their prosperitie and aduersitie benefits and punishments are communicated So that as for the sakes of some few godly men the whole societie fareth the better so for the sinnes of some few which are either defended wincked at or not punished Gods temporarie iudgements are inflicted vpon the whole body whether it be a priuate familie or the whole common wealth Of the former we haue an example in Elies house ruined and subuerted through the vncorrected finnes of Hophni and Phinees 1. Sam. 3.13 of the latter in the Beniamites whose whole tribe was neere rooted out for not punishing the abominable filthinesse of the inhabitants of Gibeah Iud. 19. and 20. Ios 7. and in the Israelites who for the sinne of Achan fell before their enemies If then wee would not haue Gods curse light vpon the whole common wealth or familie let the blasphemous swearer be reformed or banished or at least by some other meanes seuerely punished for he that hauing power and authoritie giuen him of God to punish a sinne doth wincke at it becommeth an accessarie in the fault and shall be a partner in the punishment CHAP. VI. Excuses alleaged for vaine swearing taken away ANd thus haue I set downe such reasons and arguments as may perswade those who haue any sparke of grace to leaue this vaine sinne and those also who are in authoritie to punish seuerely such as are gracelesse and incorrigible Now in the next place I will take away those excuses no lesse vaine then cōmon which are obiected either in the defence or excuse of this sin §. Sect. 1. Their reasons vvho defend their swearing answered For some there are who by long custome being hardened in this sinne are growne to that height of impudencie that they dare not only excuse their vaine swearing as veniall but also defend it as commendable and to that high degree of impietie that they audaciously presume to turne the point of Gods owne weapon against himselfe and to vse the sword of the Spirit the word of God as their instrument to wound Gods glorious name and as it were to stab our Sauiour Christ by making way for their hellish blasphemies Doth not say they the Lord himself inioyne swearing as a part of his worship and seruice Deut. 6.13 and doth not the Psalmist tell vs Psal 63.11 that all who sweare by the Lord shall reioyce before him the more therefore we sweare the better seruice we doe vnto God and the greater cause of true reioycing we procure vnto our selues To this I answere that if they would examine themselues aright their owne consciences would tell them that in their vaine swearing they do not propound vnto themselues as their ends Gods glorie and their spirituall reioycing but rather sweare to despite God in their rage when they cannot haue their will or in a brauerie to grace themselues with this hellish ornament And therefore when by these ends they defend their swearing they doe but play the gracelesse hypocrites couering their foule sin vnder this faire vizard But though we leaue the ransacking of their hearts vnto the Lord who is the only searcher of them and take their reasons as they propound them yet will they make little for their vaine swearing but rather much against it For as when the Lord inioyneth his true worship hee doth not thereby approue of all manner of worship which is done vnto him but only that which himselfe prescribeth yea rather thereby forbiddeth and condemneth all humane inuentions will-will-worship and superstitious meanes of his seruice and restraineth vs both for the matter and manner vnto his reuealed will so when the Lord commandeth and commendeth vnto vs a lawfull oath that hereby his name may be glorified the truth cleered and defended and we discerned from Heathens Pagans