A vvarning to drunkards by the sad and suddain death of John Woolman, of Sarret, in the county of Hartford. With a letter of exhortation written to the people on that sorrowful occasion. By William Jole, minister of Sarret.

A vvarning to drunkards by the sad and suddain death of John Woolman, of Sarret, in the county of Hartford. With a letter of exhortation written to the people on that sorrowful occasion. By William Jole, minister of Sarret.

Table of contents

Title page

A Short Narrative of the manner of his Death.

The Letter to the People.

§

§

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A UUarning to Drunkards BY The Sad and Suddain DEATH OF John Woolman, OF SARRET, in the County of Hartford. With A LETTER of Exhortation written to the People on that sorrowful Occasion. By WILLIAM JOLE, Minister of Sarret.

LONDON, Printed for N. P. and Sold by Rich. Ianua, in Queens-Head Court, in Pater-Noster Row, 1680.

A Short Narrative of the manner of his Death.

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JOhn Woolman Son of Iohn Woolman of Sarret, was by Trade a Taylor, a young Man of a very Intemperate Life, as some know that have kept his Company (Oh that all such may be allarmed by his fatal End to amend their Lives) Monday October the Eleventh, he was at a House near Sarret, called Michlefield-Green, where being too eager of Strong-drink, what he had before he came thither, and what he added to his Load there, grew too much for his Brain; It seems he told them, He would go upon the Barley-Mow to sleep, and being by some disswaded (in regard it was a high Mow) possibly this might make his whimsical Brain the more resolute to climb up, for when the Brain is turned with drink impossible things seem easie to such a Man, and a drunken Man will venture on that which a sober Man is afraid to look at. Up he did climb, and is supposed to sleep there all Night, but the next Morning was found stone dead upon the Flower, his Hat remained on the top of the Barley-Mow; How he fell down is unknown, because no body was in the Barn when he Fell: It was a Clay Flower, where his Head pitched on a Peble-stone, which brake a hole in his Skul, and let out much Blood and Water.

The Letter to the People.

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Loving Neighbours,

SOlomon saith, That a word fitly spoken, is like Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver, Prov. 25.11. That is to say, it hath all that may Invite our Attention. Surely then it is a fit time to speak to the Ear, when God, by any dreadful Iudgement doth speak to the Eye. Although my Mouth is stopped at present, and I am denied to Speak unto you in the Pulpit, yet no Law can hinder me from Writing unto you; and the End of my Writing at this time is to exhort you to hear God, now loudly speaking unto every one of us by the dismal Iudgment upon John Woolman, calling on every one of us to Repent and Turn from our sinful Courses, and more particularly calling upon every Drunkard to forsake his Drunkenness, beholding the Woful Effects of that Sin in this sad Example. It will not become a Minister to Aggravate the Faults of the Dead, my desire is to press upon the Living to lay his woful End to heart.

Would you not have the Iudgments of God to Cut you off in your Sins, and to stop your Breath, before you have time to ask Pardon? then be Exhorted and Perswaded to Repent, to day while it is called to day, and do not harden your Hearts any longer against such Warnings as this. We say, It is best striking while the Iron's hot, Therefore admit this Word of Exhortation while there is some Warmth remaining upon your Souls, by that which you have seen or heard of the sudden Death of this poor Wretch; Happy and wise are those who take Warning by other Mens Harms. Let me desire you to Read frequently those words, Proverbs 29.1. He that being often Reproved, hardeneth his Neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without[Page]Remedy. Mayer, on those words saith, For all sins there is forgiveness, but for hardness of Heart and Neck, there is none; and therefore, such cannot escape Destruction. And then a Man is judged to be thus Hardned, when being often Reproved, he relenteth not, but goeth on obstinately still in his Sins. Hear this, all ye Swearers, and Drunkards of Sarret; and though it is not a seemly thing to name Persons, and say, you John, or you Thomas, or you Richard; yet, I beseech the Lord, to set it home on every Soul particularly, both mine and yours, throughout the Parish, and let those Drunkards, who are so busy to erect a New Alehouse in the Town, take notice, how God threatneth such doings, and let them desist from their Enterprize, lest God mark them out to be the next Examples of his Wrath.

They sufficiently tell the World, what they are that thrust out their Minister, and endeavour to set up another Alehouse.

God has set me as your Watchman, Ezek. 33.7, 8, 9. Turn to it, and read it your selves. Therefore, that I may free my own Soul, and that the Blood of impenitent Sinners may not be required at my hands, have I written this Letter, to be read in your hearing.

Doth not God say to the wicked Drunkard, Thou shalt surely die, when he shews him a Drunkard struck dead suddenly? I beseech you therefore all my Christian Neighbours, take these following Considerations home to your Hearts, to make you hate Drunkenness.

First, Consider what a Brutish, Beastly kind of Sin Drunkenness is; and there is no Beast, that I ever read of, that will drink to be drunk, but the Swine, to which a Drunkard is most like; a Drunkard makes his Belly like a Hogshead, to be filled with Strong-Drink, his Throat is the Tunnel to let it down; until, by overbriming his Vessel, he force it to run out at his Mouth again; if once the strong Liquor begin to work in his Guts, it flies up to his Brain, and quickly drowns the Reason, and robs him of all that should bespeak him a Man, and layes a Swine in his Room, you cannot say, that now he utters, but mutters his words, [Page] his Tongue greatly labouring to speak, but lying drowned [...]nder Water, is not able to bring forth any sensible Words, you may discover an Ape in every Posture of him, and he goes, Like what? no Comparison can be vile enough, unless you will say, That he goes like himself, or like another Drunkard.

Secondly, Consider what heinous Aggravations this Sin admitts of; As,

First, The mispending that precious Time in bad Company, and Tippling-Houses, which he ought to redeem, to work out his Salvation; a Saint may be distinguished from a Sinner by this Character, as well as others. The Saint is desirous to redeem Time, the Sinners great Study is, how to drive away Time; the Saint spends his time in Duty and Lawfull Busyness, the Sinner mispends his time in drinking and unlawful Sports; so that a Drunkard wilfully throws away his precious Time, as if it were a Burthen to him, and seeks for Damnation in that Time which is allotted him to seek for Salvation; and how inexcusable is that Sinner that will not be saved.

Secondly, Consider how one Drunkard makes many more Partakers of his Sin. Drunkenness is a sociable Vice, and the Drunkard calls himself a Good Fellow. It is very rare, that a Man should drink himself drunk alone; love of the Company makes many drunk, who say they do not love Drink. And the Devil hath found a rare Expedient to help forward this Sin, by Drinking of Healths. If any one begin a Health, it is now reckoned a great Piece of Rudeness, not to stay to pledge it; yes, and not to drink all that is filled unto you; the Healths forsooth, must go round by any means. If the Devills in Hell be capable of Laughing, surely this might make them Laugh, to see how eagerly Drunkards are working out their own Damnation, and by this Stratagem, drinking away the Health of Soul and Body both, and pulling many others into Hell with them by this Diabolical Stratagem.

Thirdly, Consider what a wasting Sin Drunkenness is? the Drunkard consumes, that Money on his Vice, which should maintain [Page] his Family, and how many good Estates have been wasted by this Sin? How many have drunk Ale so long, until they have been forced to sell Ale for a Livelyhood?

The Drunkard poures it in by whole Flagons, while his Wife and Children would be glad of a Draught of Small Beer [...]o quench their Thirst, so he Feeds his Sin, by that which should relieve his Family.

Fourthly, Consider that this Sin of Drunkenness exposeth to every Sin, I have formerly told you a remarkeable Story, which I read in a Book called (Tragica) Page 117. in Latine, he begins thus: Quidam cum Pietate sedulo studeret, assiduis Diaboli Tentationibus infestabatur, suadentis ut ex tribu [...] Peccatis unum quod perpetraret sibi eligeret, &c. which I thus English, A certain Man very studious of Piety, was dayly infested by the Temptations of the Devil, to choose which of these three Sins he would commit, either to be once drunk, or to defile his Neighbours Wife once, or to commit Murther (victus tandem consensit in Primum Peccatum says my Author) at last being overcome, he yielded to be drunk, because he judged that to be the lest Sin of the three, but in his Drink he defiled his Neighbours Wife, who coming in, and seeking to Revenge the Injury, him he murthered, and so was by his Drunkenness guilty of all the three Sins.

Fi [...]thly, Consider Drunkenness is a Heathenish Sin; Bacchus was a heathen God; what doth the Drunkard, but sacrifice his Estate and Time to Bacchus?

Sixthly, Consider how Drunkenness incapacitates a Man for all Duties, and for all Cevil Actions; Brawling, and Quarrelling, and Fighting, and often Murder, have been the Woful Fruits of Drunkenness.

Lastly, Consider how often the Lord doth punish some Drunkards with sudden Death, to warn others; how many have fallen into the Water, and have been drowned? some have tumbled down Stairs (as I knew one in London came in Drunk, and instead of going up Stairs, fell down into his Cellar, and never [Page] spake more. Others falling from their Horses, have broke their Necks; and how this poor Sinner perished, you all know better perhaps chan I can tell you.

Let me close up this Exhortation with these Words, Psal. 50.22. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

I hope you will take this kindly from your poor Seque [...]tred Minister, who still lookes on you as his Charge, and earne [...]y desireth your Salvation; if the Lord be pleased to set home this sad Dispensation upon your Consciences, it may do you more good than many Sermons; and how happy shall I be if his Grace make use of my poor Endeavours by this Letter to make such an Impression upon you, that may stick and abide, and not wear out again. Amen, Good Lord, So let it be, on Me and all my Flock. Amen, Amen.

From my Study, October the 13th. 1680.

FINIS.

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Information about this book

Title statement

A vvarning to drunkards by the sad and suddain death of John Woolman, of Sarret, in the county of Hartford. With a letter of exhortation written to the people on that sorrowful occasion. By William Jole, minister of Sarret.

Jole, William, d. ca. 1702.

Edition statement

1680

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Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

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Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2003-09 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A46993

ID [STC]

Wing J888

ID [STC]

ESTC R216580

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99828306

ID [PROQUEST]

99828306

ID [VID]

32733

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(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A46993)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 32733)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1950:14)

Source

— A vvarning to drunkards by the sad and suddain death of John Woolman, of Sarret, in the county of Hartford. With a letter of exhortation written to the people on that sorrowful occasion. By William Jole, minister of Sarret., Jole, William, d. ca. 1702..

Extent

8 p.

printed for N.P. and sold by Rich. Janua, in Queens-Head Court, in Pater-Noster Row,. London :: 1680.. (Reproduction of the original in the British Library.)

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