A TESTIMONY AGAINST Drunkenness AND SWEARING, &c.

With a Postscript unto all such as have any Tenderness of Heart or Conscience, either Male or Female, or any Fear of God in you, and are Grieved at the ABOMINATIONS that you daily hear and see amongst your Families and Neighbours, in what COUNTRY or NATION soever.

Being the Copy of a Paper written and given forth (at Polch-Ground within the Haven of Long-Sound) in NORWAY (the 20th of the fifth Moneth, 1674.) in the KING of DEN­MARK's DOMINION.

By WILLIAM BAYLY.

Printed in the Year 1675.

To a People much given to Drunkenness AND SWEARING, &c.

A Visitation and Warning from the Lord God of Heaven and Earth, unto all you Drun­kards, who are strong to drink Strong Drink, and who drink till ye are inflamed there­with, and your Tongues utter Folly and Pervers­ness, glutting your selves with the Good Crea­tures of God, and Abusing them which are given to be received in his Fear with Thankfulness, and to be used in his Wisdom, and in Moderation, to his Glory; for which End all things were made and created,; and not to be Consumed and Wa­sted upon your Excessive Lusts, to the Dishonour of God (and the Name of Christianity), and to the Grieving his pure Spirit (his Witness in you), which you make merry o [...]er, and trample under foot the Pearl of great Price, worse then the Swine and Beasts that perish, whilst many of your poor Fellow-Creatures are ready to Starve and [Page 4]Perish for Want. Do ye think or believe there is no Just God, who will Reward every one ac­cording to his Deeds done in his Body, or that ye shall not be called to an Account for these things? How dare you take his Holy Name in your Mouthes, and profess your selves to be Christians, who are so filled with Wickedness, &c. as, Oaths, Lying, Drunkenness, Sottishness, Pride and Vanity, exceeding the Turks, Infidels and Heathens in your Abominations, who will rise up in Judgment a­gainst you in the Day of your Account?

Wo unto the DRUNKARDS of England, Holland, Norway, Sweedland and Denmark, saith the Lord God, who beholds your Sottishness, Bru­tishness, Deceit and Abominations, who have greatly Abused his tender Mercies, and make a Wrong Use of his Long-suffering and Kindness towards you by these your Doings; and ye have no Cloak for your Sins; but Condemnation is your Portion, and Wo and Misery will be your End forever, without speedy Repentance.

What Lamentation shall I take up for you, O ye Rebellious and Stiff-necked People, who live in Fulness, Pride and Aboundance of Idleness! The Sins of Sodom (whom God destroyed) do even cry against you,Isa. 20. (as Isaiah did against the Drunkards of Ephraim), Wo to the Crown of Pride, to the Drunkards of Ephraim; they shall be trodden under foot, even the Crown and Pride of the Drun­kards of Ephraim: Ye have Erred because of Wine, and are out of the Way because of Strong Drink: The [Page 5]Priest and the Prophet have erred because of Strong Drink; they are swallowed up with Wine; they have gone astray through Strong Drink; they fail in Vision; they slumber in Judgment; for all their Tables are full of filthy Vomitings; no Place is clean. Thus did that Holy Man of God declare against their Sottishness, Drunkenness, Pride, Excess and Un­cleanness, as moved of the Lord, by his holy Spi­rit, in his Day; and thus am I moved of the God of Heaven at this time to declare against you, and to warn you all, both Priests, Rulers and People, in whom the same Beastlial Life & Ungodly Pra­ctices are found: Ye are an Evil Example in your Generation, and you grieve God's Spirit, and cum­ber his Ground worse then the Fruitless Fig-tree; and a Stink you will be to Posterity, and your Me­morial will be an Abhorrence through Ages to the Upright in Heart, and your End will be Ever­lasting Destruction and Misery, if ye Repent not speedily; the Lord hath spoken it.

Postscript.

AND now unto all you that have any Ten­derness of Heart or Conscience, either Male or Female, or any Fear of God in you, and are grieved at the Abominations that you daily hear and see amongst your Families or Neigh­bours, in what Country or Nation soever you are.

This is the Counsel of the Lord unto you, Stand Still, be Still and Low in your Minds, and en­cline your Heart and Ear to that which you feel grieved in you; for its the Seed that God loveth, that is Oppressed and Burdened with the Filthy Conversation of the Wicked; its pure, and clean and holy; Defilement grieves and burdens it, as Lot in Sodom.

Therefore in Patience wait, in pure Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness, in the Fear of God, Low and Tender, and in due time Deliverance will come to his Chosen: Therefore faint not, thou Worm Jacob, thy Helper is near thee: Bles­sed are the Poor in Spirit, theirs is the Heavenly Kingdom of Everlasting Rest, Peace & Comfort.

So, believe in the True Light, which manifest­eth and reproveth Sin and Evil, and obey it, that thou mayest become a Child of Light (as Christ said) an Heir of Light and Life of the Promises [Page 7]which are all in Christ Jesus, the True Light of the World, which lighteth every one that cometh into the World; and so will the Darkness vanish away and thy Bondage, and thy Soul be freed from the Thraldom of the Power of Satan; and then thou wilt Praise the God of thy Salvation in the Land of the Living: Therefore consult not, reason not with Flesh and Blood, which must never enter God's Kingdom; neither be discouraged at Hard­ships and Tryals; look not out at any Visible Things, but to the Invisible God alone for Help, the Everlasting Hill from whence Salvation co­meth; feel it near thee, thou Tender One; for unto thee this is the Counsel and Words of the Lord, who is no Respecter of Persons, but in every Nation whosoever feareth God & worketh Righ­teousness, is accepted of him, and none else; for without Holiness no man shall see the Lord in Peace.

W. B.

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