SERMON, I.

IN this Chapter we have the Substance of one of the Prophet Isaiah's Sermons, of which there are two parts: The first doth concern Israel, to the 4th. ver. The second hath reference to Iudah, from thence to the end of the Chapter. The words before us fall under the first part of the Chapter, wherein we have,

[Page 2]1. The Subject Persons to whom the Pro­phet speaketh; viz. The Ten Tribes of Israel, who are here called, The Crown of Pride; that is, A Proud Kingdom, and Ephraim: Often so it is, that Ephraim is put for the whole Kingdom of Israel, partly because Ephraim was an honourable Tribe, descended from Ioseph who was the best of all the Sons of Iacob; and partly be­cause Ephraim was the first Royal Tribe i [...] that Kingdom, Ieroboam who was the first King o­ver the Ten Tribes being an Ephraimite. Also the Subject that this Prophesie lights upon, is said to be the Head of the fat Valleys overcome with Wine, by which the City of Samaria is meant, which was built upon a Mountain to the which there were frui [...]ful Valleys belong­ing; thus described, because they did yield much Wine and Oyl. Now Samaria being the Royal City, the Place where the Court and Represen­tative Body of the whole People used to be, therefore it is put for all the Kingdom.

2. We have the Judgment denounc'd by the Pro­phet against this Kingdom of Israel, Wo to them; i.e. Woful Misery shall surely come upon them: Wo to the Crown of Pride, Wo to the Drunkards, Wo to Ephraim. And in the Verses following we have a more particular description of the Wo which is in this Verse generally threatned, the sum whereof is, A denunciation of speedy & utter Ruine, which was executed accordingly by Sal­man [...]sser.

[Page 3]3. We have the Causes of this Wo, viz. Their Sins; of which two are mentioned in the Text, Namely, Pride and Drunkenness. No doubt but there were many other Evils which they were guilty of; but these two were Principal, & the Causes of many others, and thence put for all the rest. The DOCTRINE therefore from the Words, is,

That Pride and Drunkenness are Two Woful Evils.

Having Discoursed at several times concern­ing the Evil of that Sin of Pride, we proceed now to speak concerning that of Drunkenness. And in the Doctrinal handling of this Point, we shall only attend Two Things: [I.] To En­quire what that Drunkenness is that the Scrip­ture denounceth Wo against. [II.] How it doth appear that Drunkenness is a Woful Evil.

What is that Drunkenness, against which the Scripture denounceth Wo?

There is a Twofold Drunkenness:

(1.) A Drunkenness which is Metaphotical & Spiritual, Isa. 51.21. O thou that art drunken, but not with wine. The Jews were in such a c [...]se, as Drunken men are wont to be in, by reason of the Wine of Divine Judgment that was gi­ven to them. And one may be Drunken with [Page 4] Error and Spiritual Delusion; therefore is it said concerning Mystical Babylon, that is Rome, That the Inhabitants of the Earth have been made drunk with the wine of her Fornication, Rev. 17.2. Antichristian Corrupt Doctrines do as it were intoxicate & inebriate the Souls of them that do imbibe or embrace them: they become Drunkard-like, vertiginous thereby. Also one may be Drunk with Security, Isa. 29.9, 10. They are drunken but not with wine, they stagger but not with strong drink: for the Lord hath poured cut upon them the spirit of deep Sleep. Delusion and Security had made them as it were dead Drunk. Some think that that is the Drunken­ness which the Text speaketh of; for Pride and Security are wont to go together, the one being the cause of the other. Wo to the Drunkards, that is (say some) to those that are secure in their Sins, & settled upon their Lees in an evil course. No doubt but that this is implied, & partly intended here, but that is not the only nor the principal Evil here aimed at. Therefore,

(2.) Drunkenness is taken in a Literal, Proper sense: There is Corporal as well as Spiritual Drunkenness, a Drunkenness which not so much the Soul as the Body is the subject of; and that is it which the Prophet here denounceth Judgment for: Therefore in the latter end of [...]is Verse he speaketh of being overcome with w [...]e. The Valleys near S [...]m [...]ria abounded with [Page 5] fruitful Vines, whence they had store of Wine, and they abused that Creature to great Intem­perance. When men abuse their Bodies by im­moderate drinking, that's the Sin the Text Con­demns. Now further; there is,

1. Drunkenness in the sight of GOD, that is, when a man doth drink more wine, or of any other inebriating drink, than the Rule alloweth of: Eph. 5.18. Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess. The Apostle mentions Wine, because that was the common drink in those days, and the great­est danger was in respect of that, by reason of the strength and pleasantness thereof: But un­der that expression of Wine, all other inebria­ting drinks are comprehended. Now if there be any Excess in the use thereof, that's Drunken­ness; if there be an inordinate affection or love to strong drink, that's Drunkenness in the sight of Him that trieth the R [...]ins and searcheth the Hearts. Hence the Apostle speaketh of the excess of wine, 1 Pet. 4.3. The Greek word (Dinophlogia,) there used noteth an inordi­nate affection and desi [...]e after Wine. And So­lomon's description of a Drunkard, is, that he is a lover of wine, Prov. 21.17. Such an one is an habitual Drunkard, and he whose practice is ac­cording to that inordinate Affection, is actually so: Yea, if a man doth but drink a cup of Wine more than is good for him, he is guilty of this woful Evil. As he that eateth more than is [Page 6] good for him, is guilty of the sin of Gluttony; so he that drinketh to any excess is justly charged with Drunkenness.

2. There is Drunkenness in the sight of Men. Sometimes this Evil is so gross and notorious, as that the wholesome Laws of men take hold of it and Punish it; Namely, when a man is so overcome with wine, as that he c [...]n neither speak nor act like a rational Creature, when Reason is disturbed thereby, & Sense & Speech & Motion fail, when neither the Head nor Hand can do their Offices aright: Prov. 16.9. A thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard. Had he his wits about him, he would not suffer thorns to be thrust into his hands. Psal. 107.27. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits end: This is palpable Drunkenness. We must know that a man may be deeply and damnably guilty of this Evil in the sight of God, though it should never proceed to those outragious out-breakings, whereby men cannot but observe it.

We come then unto the Second thing pro­pounded for the clearing of the Truth before us; viz.

How doth it appear that Drunkenness is a Woful Evil?

Several things may here be mentioned, as Demonstrations of the Doctrine.

1. If we look into the Original & Causes of this [Page 7] Sin, we shall see the Evil of it. It hath no better an Author than the Devil himself, who never was the Author of any good (except acciden­tally, besides his intention, & against his will) since he was a Devil. Drink is in it self a good Creature of God, & to be received with thank­fulness; but the abuse of drink is from Satan: The Wine is from God, but the Drunkard is from the Devil; 1 Joh. 3.8. He that committeth Sin is of the Devil; for the Devil Sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose was the Son of God manifest, that He might destroy the works of the De­vil. Therefore he that committeth Drunken­ness (for that is Sin) that is, (if in his ordi­nary course he commi [...] i [...]) is of the Devil. Drunkenness was one of the works of the Devil which Christ came to destroy. It hath also a­nother Cause, as bad, nay worse than the Devil, namely, Sin. It is a Sin, and the Cause of Sin, (as afterwards will be shewed) and also the Effect of Sin. Therefore what a woful Evil is it? That Corrupt Nature which is in sinners, causeth them to become guilty of this Evil; J [...]m. 1.14. He is drawn array of his own lust, & [...]nticed. When a sinner is drawn into Drunken­ness, his own Lust hath enticed him. Hence Drunkenness is exp [...]esly & by name mentioned amongst the works of the Flesh; Gal. 5.19 [...]1. The works of the [...]h are manifest, drunkenness, re [...]ellings, and such like. How woful must that [Page 8] Evil needs be, that hath no other Causes but such as these?

2. The very Light & Law of Nature Condemns this Practice. Drunkards sin not only against the written Word of God, but against that Light and Law which is written in their Consciences. Now those are woful Transgressions. The A­postle doth aggravate the sins of some, in that in those things which they know naturally, as bruit Beasts they corrupt themselves, Jude ver. 10. A Drunkard, tho' he be a bruit Beast, yet he know­eth Naturally that he ought not to Corrupt himself with this vile Practice. If there were no Scripture to Condemn this Evil, yet he hath that within him, a Candle of the Lord in his own Breast, which sheweth him that this is an I­niquity which the Judge will Punish. Hence even Heathens, that have had nothing but the Ligh [...] of Nature to guide them, yet have spoken against this Evil, yea, and made severe Laws to Punish it. Solon (who is accounted amongst the wisest of the Grecian Princes) made it a Law. That if a man in Publick Place should abuse himself with Drink, his Crime should be deemed Capital. If he were Drunken but once, he was Punished with Death for that Transgression: Which I mention not to justify the severity of that Law, but to shew how Odious this detesta­ble Evil hath been even to those who had nothing but the Light of Nature & Reason to guide them.

[Page 9]3. A Drunkard is an Universal Transgressor of the whole Law of God. James saith, Chap. 2. v. 10. Whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. We cannot say con­cerning the Drunkard, that he keeps the whole Law, or that he offends in one point only; but we must say, that he is guily of all, even guilty of the breach of all the Commandments: and that not only as he that breaketh one link in a Chain may be said to break the whole Chain, but he hath broken every link, that is, every Precep [...] of that Divine Chain of the Royal Law. If the question be, Which of the Commandments is Drunkenness a Transgression of? The answer must be, Not of one alone, but it is a general Violation of the whole Law, & of every Precept therein. The Drunkard is an Idolater, for he loveth Drink as he should love God, that is, a­bove all, even above Wife & Children, & Name and Estate, and every thing that he hath in this world. And there is Robbery, Adultery, nay, Murther enwrapped in the bowels of this sin, as afterwards will appear. The Drunkard is a Transgressor against the First Table of the Moral Law, in as much as by this Sin he is rendred un­fit to Worship God in any Religious Duty: for wine taketh away the Heart, Hos. 4.11. But the Heart must be given to God in every Duty: if he Pray it must be with Understanding; and therefore when th [...] is taken away by Drink, [Page 10] what work will he make of it? Should a Vile Sinner dare to appear before God when he is in drink, he would but take the Lord's Name in Vain, and bring Wrath & a Curse upon his own Soul. Some think that Nadab and Abi [...]u were distemper'd with drink, when they offered strange Fire before the Lord; and conceive that to be the reason of their so miscarrying, because presently after the Story of their Sin & Death, the Lord saith, Do not drink wine or strong drink when ye go into the Tabernacle of the Congregation, le [...]t ye die, Lev. 10.9. But tho' that conjecture be uncertain, yet it is certain, that excess in Wine will unfi [...] for any Religious service: and he that shall ven­ture to worship God when it is so with him, will offer strange Fire; and hath more cause to fear that he shall die before the Lord, than to expect any merciful Answer to those polluted Prayers, which are but as corrupt breath, enough to stain the Heavens. If his Breath stink, by his being o­vercome with Wine in the nostrils of men, how do his Prayers stink in the Lord's nostrils? Moreover, The Drunkard is a Transgressor of the Rule of Honesty as well as of Piety; therefore saith the Scripture, Let us walk honestly, not in drunkenness, Rom. 13.13. So that the Word of God will bear us out in calling those that deserve the Name of Drunkards, Impious and Dishonest Persons.

4. Drunkenness is a wastful, destructive Evil, which is another thing which sheweth the Wo­fulness [Page 11] of it. A Drunkard is a meer stroy-good. Wherefore the Apostle saith that in Wine there is Excess, Eph. 5.18. The Greek word (Alotia,) which is there used, signifieth wastful [...]ess & prodi­gality: It is the same word which is used con­cerning the Prodigal, when tis said he wasted his Substance with Riotous Living, Luk. 15.13. There is much Prodigality, Riot, Profuseness in this sin: For thereby the good Creatures of God are wasted, which is contrary to the express charge of the Lord Jesus, who hath said, Let nothing be lost Joh 6.12. But all that is spent in Drunken­ness is wofully lost. And this Consideration proveth that a Drunkard is a woful guilty Crea­ture before the Lord, for so are they that take His Name in Vain. It is said in the Third Com­mandment, that God will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in Vain; which doth intimate that such Sinners are exceeding Guilty before the Lord. Now to abuse any of His Creatures, is to take His Name in Vain: In this respect, Drunkenness is a Breach of the Third Com­mandment. It is also a great waster of Precious Time: Men have no need to be Prodigal of their Time; they have not so much of it: For what is your Life? It is even a Vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away, Jam. 4.14. Nay, it is b [...]t a M [...]ment comparatively that a­ny one hath to be in this world: In a moment they go down into the Grave; and it is a thousand [Page 12] pities that any part of that moment should be lost; yet all is lost that is spent in Rioting and Drunkenness: For that time is lost, which a man cannot give a comfortable account concerning the spending of it unto Jesus Christ at the Last Day. Most certain it is, that all men shall be called to an account in that Solemn Great Day which is at hand, as for all Talents which they have been trusted with, so in special for that great and precious Talent of Time: But what answer can be given for the Time that hath been consumed in Lewd & Drunken Practices? When it shall be said to such sinners in the hearing of Heaven & Earth, You had such a space of Time allowed to you in the world, you Lived so many Years upon Earth, but how did you spend that Time? And when Conscience shall bring in a black Bill of Indictment, and say, There were so many days & nights spent in rioting & drunkenness, what answer can you give for this, when we shall all stand before the Son of God in that day? Yet more, Drunkenness is a great waster of a mans Estate. How common is it for those that are given to this Vice, if they gain any thing when they are Sober, to lose it again when they are in Drink? Yea, it may be to lose more in one drunken Day or Night, than they gain in many Days, Weeks, Months, Ye [...]rs perhaps? The Scripture saith, That the drunkard shall come to poverty, & drowsi­ness shall [...] be a man w [...]b rags, Prov. 23.21. And [Page 13] doth not Experience testify that this Word of God is Truth? How many have you known that once had considerable Estates, they were very well to pass in the world, but when once they have faln in with idle Company, & follow­ed drunken Courses & Consorts, their Estates have soon been consumed, and they cloathed with Rags, nay, have scarce had Rags to cover them? Often so it cometh to pass, that he that liveth a Drunkard, dieth a Beggar; but seldom is it seen, that a Drunkard keepeth an Estate long: Therefore the Holy Ghost hath said by Solomon, That he that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man, & he that loveth wine shall not be rich, Prov. 21.17. In a Book, called the Theatre of God's Judgments there is an amazing Story of a most prodigiou [...] Prodigal, who by Drunken & Debauched Courses' spent an Estate of above Thirty Thousand Pounds in Three Years time, and died a Beggar at last. In this respect, Drunkenness is a Breach of the Eighth Commandment. A Drunkard is a Thief and a Robber, yea, the worst kind of Robber in the world; for he Robbeth his own House, he Robbeth his Wife and Children, yea himself: And as Self-Murther is the most Horrid, so is Self-Robbery the greatest Villany. Nay, the Drunkard Robbeth GOD, for he maketh himself uncapable of honouring God with his Substance. Go to a miserable Drunkard, and ask him for something to relieve a Poor Body that is in [Page 14] want, or to promote some Publick & Pious Wo [...], & he hath nothing to spare; The Cursed Ho [...]e in which he hath spent his time in drinking, hath devoured his Substance, that he hath nothing left thereof, neither for God nor for himself. How wastful and how woful then doth this Evil ap­pear to be? Yea,

5. This woful Vice is every way Prejudicial, In­jurious & Destructive to him that sh [...]ll be subject to it. It is not so only in the respects which have been mentioned, but in every other respect, that may be said or thought of. A little further to instance under this Head;

(1.) It is injurious to, & brings Wo and Misery upon the Name o [...] him that shall be guilty of it. It [...] a most disgraceful, infamous Vice: Tho' a man should be but once guilty of this Sin in all his days, yet that is a biot & dishonour upon his Name, and a matter of shame and humilia­tion to him, as long as he hath a day to live; how much more when he hath been often & ordinarily guilty of it? Hence it was that the Malicious & Lying Pharisees, to the intent that they might be sure to disgrace Christ to pur­pose, said of Him, that He was a Wine-bibber, Mat. 11.19. That they might make every-body think meanly of Christ, they slanderously gave out, that He was a Drunken Companion. And of old such were look'd upon as the very Child­ren of Belial: Thence when Eli thought that [Page 15] Hannah had been Drunken, she said to him, No, my Lord, I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial, 1 Sam. 1.13, — For a Man to love to be Drunk, is horrible impiety; but if this be true concerning a Woman, there's a Daughter of Be­lial indeed. Now they were the Vilest of the Children of men who were so called: And hence it is that no man almost is willing to be called a Drunkard. They that love the practice, yet would not be thought to be as they are, because of the Disgrace that is in it. The Drunkard's Credit is crackt, and lost amongst all Sober men; and therefore Wise men carry it towards such, as they would do to a Person of no Credit, whom they dare not trust. Trust a Drunkard with an Estate, and when he is i [...] his Cups hee'll send it going: Trust him with a Secret, & when he is Drunken hee'll discover it: Trust him,— and when he is Drunken he will undo himself and his Friend too. I have read, That in some places in Spain, if a man hath been known to be Overcome with Drink, (tho' it were but once in all his Life) his Testimony must never be received in any Case; but he must be look'd upon as a Person of no Fame, or Credit in the world. Thus doth it undo the Name of the Transgress [...]r.

(2.) Drunkenne [...]s is i [...]jurious to the Body of him that shall be su [...]j [...]ct to it. It brings [...] upon the [Page 16] Body, and therefore is rightly called a woful Evil. Hence are many Bodily Distempers. It is said Hos. 7.5. In the day of our King, the Princes have made him sick with bottles of wine. Whether i [...] was their King's Birth-day, or his Coronation­day, or whatever that Day of their King might be, which was observed, they kept the Day after a very Profane manner; there was much Drun­kenness & Debauchery on that Day; and Sick­ness was the Effect of that Intemperance. To this Truth also doth Solomon bear witness, Prov. 23.29, 30. Who hath wo? who hath sorrow? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine, they that go to seek mixt wine. Redness of Eyes (Blindness, and the like) is one Disease which is mentioned instead of many more, which fol­ [...]ow Drunkenness, and are amongst the Woes which attend it. Hence I say are Diseases, Dropsies, Consumptions, Feavers, Gouts, Apo­plexies, &c. Not but that a man may have these Diseases and yet Live Temperately; but by Intemperance he shall be sure to have them, or some of them. Many a man hath not Liv'd ou [...] half his days, but hath Dy'd before his Time, because he hath been Wicked over-much in respect of this Iniquity. It hath been A­verred, That Drunkenness hath Killed more than ever the Sword did. Many have been cast down Wounded, many have been Slain by it, yea Mil­lions of Millions that have been Slain, and cast [Page 17] down into the Pit for ever, by the hands of this one Woful Evil.

(3.) It is injurious to the Souls of men. How woful is that Evil, which will bring not only Temporal Wo upon the Bodies, but Everlasting Wo upon the immortal Souls of all that shall die under the Guilt of it? And that Drunkenness is injurious and wofully Prejudicial as to the Soul, is Evident;

[1.] In that it darkneth the Light of Reason. That Noble Faculty of the Soul is as it were o­verwhelmed & drowned by this Vice: Hence in ver. 7. of this Chapter it is said, concerning those wicked & shameless Ministers that would be Drunk sometimes, They are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. Whil'st a man is under the actual power of this Evil, he is like a Reasonless Creature, devoid of all Judg­ment and Understanding: Therefore the Pro­phet speaking concerning Drunkards, saith, they have no knowledge, Isa. 5.13. Q.D. They are like a Company of Bruits. Nay, Drunkenness is worse than a Brutish Sin; for a Beast will drink no more than shall do him good; and therefore a Drunkard is worse than a Beast. Reason is that whereby a man Excels a Beast; but this Sin depriveth him of his Excellency. How wo­ful is that Evil which shall deprive a man of the Image of God, and debase him below a Beast? [Page 18] It maketh one more like a Mad-man (that is berest of his Reason) than any thing else. A Philosopher being asked, What is Dru [...]kenness? Answered well & truly, It is a voluntar [...] Madness. And to the same purpose doth the Scripture speak, Jer. 51.7. The Nations have drunken of her wine, therefore the Nations are mad. If Drunkards were not Mad, they would never do as they do. Was it not madness in Esau, when he Sold his Birthright for a mess of Pottage? How much more madness is it to part with all Good for a draught of strong Drink? The Drunkard will lose his Friends, and lose his Estate, and lose his Name, and lose Heaven, and lose his Soul for ever, and all for a little Drink. Oh! What horrible Mad­ness is this? Drunkenness is a Besotting Sin: we say commonly, A Drunken Sot; it turns men into meer Sots. Some that have been of Excellent Parts, by means of excessive drinking have lost their Parts; and altho' they were once men of rare Understanding, have been Besotted so as that they have been beneath the ordinary sor [...] of men.

[2.] Drunkenness brings wo upon the Conscience. There are some Sins which make deep & fearful wounds in the Conscie [...]e, & this is one of them: If the Sinner have any Conscience in him, this will wound it. Indeed there are some that feel not, these wounds for the present, because they have drunk Conscience i [...]to a deep Sleep for a [Page 19] while, but when their Souls shall awake in the midst of Eternal Flames, all the wounds received by this Sin, will be felt with a witness. You know a man may be wounded sorely, & yet not feel it at first; but afterwards hee'll be sensible of Pain and Misery enough. So it is, as to the wounds which Sin doth give to the Souls of men; at present the sinner feels nothing per­haps, but, At the Last! At the Last! At the Last! Sin will wound him terribly: Therefore is it said concerning this sin of Drunkenness, At the Last it biteth like a Serpent, and stingeth like an Adder, Prov. 23.32. Some write that there is a Serpent, that when a man is first Stung there­with, the Poison of it tickleth him, so as that he cannot forbear Laughter; but when the venom is got to his Heart, it doth torment him most intolerably: So it is with Sin; and especially the Sin of Drunkenness; while it is in commit­ing there's Foolish Pleasure in it; but, At the Last the Venom of it will reach to the Heart, & then the Bitterness will be a Thousand times greater than ever the Pleasure was.

[3.] Without Repentance, this Sin alone will Ruine the Soul for ever. Now what a woful Evil is that, which is the Poison & Bane of an Immortal Soul? Drunkards, think of this. If you knew that there were Poison in your Cups, you would be loth to drink them off: Did you see a Spider or other Poisonful Creature in the Pot, you would [Page 20] be loth to drink it down. I have Read of a Drunkard, that when he was drinking there hapned to be a Spider in the Pot, which he not observing, was Poisoned, and dy'd immediately. Believe it so it is, there is Soul-poison in your Cups, there are Spiders in your Pots, tho' you know it not: As sometimes they said to the Man of God, O there is Death in the Pot; so I say to you that are Pot-Companions, O there is Poi­son, there is eternal Death in your Pots, drink, and your Souls will Dye. Now what a woful Evil is this, that hath slain Millions of immortal Souls, one whereof is more worth than all the World? If a Soul be shut out of Heaven, then it is Un­done: But so shall the Soul of the Drunkard be for ever, without true Repentance. If I bring not Scripture to Prove what I say, believe me not. See then, Gal. 5.21. Where the Apostle speaking concerning those that live in Drunken­ness & Revellings, & such like Evils, I tell you (saith Paul) as I have told you in times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the King­dom of God. Hearken Drunkards, hearken; in the Name of God be it spoken to you, You shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. Remember what is said of the evil drunken Servant, Mat. 24.49. with Luk. 12.45. If the Evil-servant shall smite his Fellow-servants, & eat & drink with the drunken: What if he do drink with the Drunken? What then? Then read the following Verses, where it [Page 21] is said, The Lord of that Servant shall come in a Day when he looketh not for Him, and in an Hour that he is not ware of, and shall cut him asunder, & appoint him his portion with the Hypocrites: there shall be weeping & gnashing of teeth. Will you go on still in this Trespass? Will you live & die in it? Then as sure as this Bible is the Word of God, when Death shall come and cut thee asunder, when Death shall make a separation between thy Soul & thy Body, thou shalt have thy Portion appointed thee in that Place, where there is weeping and gnashing of Teeth for e­vermore! Thus concerning the fifth Particular, demonstrating that Drunkenness is a woful Evil.

6. This Sin seldom goeth alone, but is the unhappy Parent of many other Iniquities like it self. Hence are many wicked Words uttered. When Drun­kards are in their Cups, they care not what they s [...]y, nor of whom: They will Lie, Swear, Re­vile, Scoff, Blaspheme, so as some of them, when in a Sober Mood would be loth to do. Therefore David complained, saying, I was the Song of the drunkards, Psal. 69.12. When drink is got into the brain, then out come filthy Songs, & Scoffing at the best Men, yea at Godliness it self in the Power of it. Hence are many wicked Deeds, as well as Words: Contentions arise from this. Look again into that Text, which some have not unfitly termed, The Drunkards Looking-glass, viz. Prov. 23. [...]9 Who hath wo? who hath con­tentions? [Page 22] who hath habblings? who hath wounds with­out cause? Drunkards have all these: When wine or strong drink hath raised their spirits, they will fall to Babbling, and Quarrelling, they know not about what, and Words will bring on Blows, and these will make Wounds when there is no just cause for it. That vile Sin of Un­cleanness, which he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall into, is the fruit of Drunkenness; there­fore ver. 33. saith, Thine eyes shall behold strange women. Where there is rioting & drunkenness, there is wont to be chambering & wantonness, Rom. 13.13 Yea, the most horrid & prodigious Wickednesses that the Sun ever saw, or the Earth ever heard of, do many times follow upon this Woful Cur­sed Evil of Drunkenness. I remember Lonice­rus mentions a sad Example of a miserable man, who being under some disquietment of Mind, the Devil suggested to him, that he must needs Commit one of these Three Sins, Drunkenness, Adultery, or Murther: The man thought with himself, he had better be guilty of Drunkenness, than of either of the other two. Now that was the subtilty of the Devil, who knew that if he drew him into Drunkenness, he should be likely to prevail with him to commit the other Abo­minations also: And so it came to pass, for when he was Drunken, he went & Defiled his Neigh­bours Wife, and after he had done that, he Mur­thered her Husband, left he should be Revenged [Page 23] on him for that wicked Fact. This cometh of Drunkenness.

7. It is a Sin that is rarely truly Repented of, & Turned from. Hence that expression of adding drunkenness to thirst, is a Proverbial Speech, de­noting one that is obstinate and resolved in an evil course, that nothing can reclaim him, Deut. 29.19. This made a Father despair concerning his drunken Son: When he was told that One of his Sons was given to Gaming, he hoped for him; and when he heard that Another of his Sons was given to Uncleanness, he hoped for him also: but when he was told that a Third Son was addicted to Drunkenness, Nay, then (saith he) alas! I have no Hope concerning him: He supposed that for those other Vices, Age & Experience might cure them, but this will grow with Age, till the sinner drop down into the Grave, and into Hell. I will not say with him▪ there is no Hope for such an one, for in & by Jesus Christ there is Hope; There is Hope in Is­rael concerning this thing. Not the vilest drunkard in all the Congregation, but t [...]ere is Help in Christ for him. There are some of you that have lived in this Sin even to gray hairs; in the Name of the Lord I speak it to you, The Spirit of Jesus Christ is able to Convert you, and the Blood of Jesus Christ is able to Cleans [...] & Sancti­fy you; but you will be Miracles of Mercy, if it should be so: Such Examples are Exceeding [Page 24] Rare. Some (in particular Ambrose) among the Ancients, have enquired into this matter, & upon diligent search have found but an Example or two in an Age, amongst Notorious Drunkards, who have been truly brought Home to God: We may say of Drunkenness, as Solomon saith of Adultery, Eccles. 7.28. That not One of a Thousand of those that are Guilty of it, do Return from it again. It doth so bewitch & besot the Com­mitters of it, as that tho' they know it hath, & will prove hurtful to them, yet they cannot be perswaded to leave it: Prov. 23 [...]25. They have stricken me, shall the drunkard say, when I awake, I will seek it yet again. Blows cannot beat him out of it; but he will to it yet again, and that too the very next day after he hath smarted for it. An old Drunkard being perswaded to leave his drunkenness, because it was prejudicial to him in respect of a disease in his Eyes, professed he had rather lose his Eyes, than not be Drunken. Forlorn Wretch! Incorrigibleness doth usually attend this Sin. We see by what is written, Deu [...]. 21.18,— That Instruction, Admonition, Correction will not Reform and Reclaim an Obstinate Drunkard. By all this then it appears, that this is a Woful Evil: So that well might the Prophet say, Wo to the Drunkards of Ephraim.

We come therefore to Infer some Vses from the Truth that hath been thus far Cleared and Proved.

SERMON, II.

USE, I. IF Drunkenness be such an Evil as hath been expressed, then the Contrary is to be affirmed, concerning that Christian Godly Sobriety which the Scripture requireth, that it is a very Ne­cess [...]ry and Profitable Virtue. There is a Moral Sobriety which is not Saving, and yet even that is Lovely & Commendable: Therefore it is said concerning the Young man in the Gospel, who having been put in mind of the Commandments by Christ, and told that he should keep them, Replied; All these have I Observed from my Youth; it is said, that then Iesus beholding him, loved him, Mark 10.20, 21. Which sheweth that Morality is a lovely thing, and well consistent with Christianity. Some among the Heathen have been Notable Moralists, such as Cato, Sene [...], Aristides, &c. And altho' we must not say th [...] their Morality saved them, yet it was not alto­gether unprofitable to them; for God did there­fore reward them with many Outward Blessings, and they did thereby escape many Temporal Judgments, which otherwise would have be­fallen them: And they had more quietness in their own spirits, than othe [...]se would have been, being freed from those i [...]ging. Accusati­ons of Conscience, which more Profane Sinners, [Page 26] that usually have an Hell in their Consciences, are daily tormented with. Moreover, Their Punishment in another World will not be so great, as of those that have been of a Vicious Conversation; for they shall Chiefly be Punished at the day of Judgment, who have walked after the Flesh, 2 Pet. 2.10. And so have all Drunkards done: But then there is a Christian Sobriety, even that Grace of Sobriety, which the Scripture speaketh of, & which differs as much from that Moral So­briety that some Heathen excelled in, as the Sun Painted on the Wall cometh short of the Real Sun in the Firmament; the one being only a common, the other a special Grace of the Spirit. Christian Sobriety doth proceed from such Prin­ciples, as no meer Moralist was ever acquainted with, &c. From a Principle of Love to Christ. When a man out of sincere Love to Christ, & desire to be like Him, doth endeavour to walk even as He walked, that's Christianity, that's an Evidence of the Grace of Sobriety: See Gal. 5.22, 23. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. So that amongst the Fruits of the Spirit, Love is mentioned first, and Temperance, which implieth Sobriety, or that Virtue which is contrary to Gluttony & Drunkenness, is last mentioned, as flowing from that Mother-grace of Love, which hath many Daughters, whereof Temperance or Sobriety is one. Also true Christian Sobriety is [Page 27] from Faith. Hence Peter faith concerning the Gen­tiles, That their Hearts were Purified by Faith, Act. 15.9. The Gentiles were much given to that defiling sin of Drunkenness, as the same Apostle elsewhere sheweth, 1 Pet. 4.3. But by Faith they were taught to see the Evil of that, as well as of other Ini­quities, & to Live Soberly as becometh the Gospel. Again, Christian Sobriety is from that Grace of Hope: A Believer hath Good Hope through Grace, that he shall be with Christ for ever in Heaven: this hope hath that blessed Effect upon his Heart & Life, as that it causeth him to abstain from all those Practices which are displeasing to the Lord, and to Purify himself, as He is Pure. Here now is Christian Sobriety. All this may be in­timated to us in that Scripture, 1 Thes. 58. Let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breast­plate of faith & love, & for an helmet the hope of sal­vation. Now this Christian Sobriety is that which is especially necessary. So it is as to the neces­sity of the Precept: The Moral Law r [...]quireth Sobriety, and this Law is confirmed by the Gospel, Rom. 3.31. Do we then make void the Law thro' Faith? God forbid: Yea, we establish the Law. The Gospel, which is the Word of Faith, doth esta­blish, tho' not the Ceremonial, yet the Moral Law: Wherefore it is said, that the Grace of God, i. e. the Gospel, which is a very Gracious Doctrine and Dispensation, which brings Salva­tion, hath appeared to all men, teaching us, that de­nying [Page 28] Ungodliness & wordly Lusts, we should live [Soberly,] Righteously, & Godly in this present world, Tit. 2.11, 12. Men under the Gospel are taught Piety towards God, Righteousness to­wards Men, & Sobriety in respect of Themselves. This Sobriety is also nece [...]ry, in ord [...] to attain­ing Eternal Life; 1 Cor 9 25,— And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible Crown, but was an incorruptible; I therefore so run: I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; l [...]st that by any means when I have Preached to others, I [...]y self should be a Cast-away. The Apostle we see w [...]s very Abstemious, even Temperate in all things, le [...]t not­withstanding all his knowledge, & gifts & service done for God, he should miss of Heaven at last. They that run a race must be very Temperate; if they be not Sober, they will never obtain the Reward: So must they that are ingaged in a Christian Course, that desire to run that Race of Christianity, live Temperately, or else they will fall short of that Crown of Eternal Life. More­over, Sobriety is necessary, that so a man may be fit for Death & Judgment. When Paul reasoned before Felix of Righteousness, Temperance, & Iudg­ment to come, Felix trembled, Act. 24.25. Well he might, for having lived Intemperately, his Con­science must needs tell him, that it would be Wo with him at the Judgment to come. It is a vain thing for any one to hope for Mercy from [Page 29] Christ at the Day of Judgment, that doth not live Soberly now. Wherefore the Apostle saith, Be sober, and hope to the end, for the grace that is to be brought unt [...] you at the revelation of Iesus Christ, 1 Pet. 1.13. Then it is not Hope, but Presumpti­on and vain Confidence in the man that shall think Christ will be Gracious to him in the Day when he shall be Revealed from Heaven, tho' Sobriety be not regarded by him: And there­fore this Grace is very Beneficial as well as Need­ful; for the Christian that hath and doth exer­cise the Grace of Sobriety, is thereby capacitated to withstand the Temptations of Satan. There­fore is that, 1 Pet. 5.8. Be sober, be vigilant, be­cause your Adversary the Devil, as a roaring Lion, walketh about feeling whom he may devour. Men that are Drunken, are not capable of defending themselves against their Enemies, that watch to destroy them. Were not the Assyrians un­done by this? N [...]h. 1.10. While they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry. A few m [...] may rout & ruine thousands of their Enemies being overcome with Drink. Was not the huge Host of Benhadad, wherein there were above Thirty Kings, Vanquished▪ by a few of the Israelites? And how came that to pass, but because Benhadad was drinking himself drunk, he & the thirty & two Kings that helped him, & thereby was incapacitated to make resistance against his Enemies? 1 King. 20.16. So it is [Page 30] Godly Sobriety that doth render Christians fit to Encounter with Spiritual Adversaries. And (not to Enlarge further here) by means of this Sobriety I am speaking of, Christians are fitted to attend the Duties of their Callings, not only Particular and Civil, but General & Heavenly. Hence is that, 1 Pet. 4.7. Be ye Sober, and watch unto Prayer. Insobriety, Drunkenness unfits for Prayer, & for every other Good Work (as was shewed in the Demonstration of the Truth before us) even so where the Grace of Sobriety is always Exercised, a Soul is fit to have to do with God in any Duty, being always Prepared to have Blessed Communion with Him; than which, what can there be more Beneficial or Desirable?

USE, II: If Drunkenness be such a Woful Evil, as hath been Proved; then they that have been kept from Falling into this Sin, and much more they in whom it is Mortified, have abundant cause of Thank­fulness unto God, because of His Preventing and Sanctifying Grace in this respect Vouchsa [...]ed. If we ought to Pray (as Christ in that Platform of Prayer given to His Disciples hath Taught us) that God would not lead us into Temptation, but deliver us from Evil, then when the Lord doth so, we ought to Praise Him: And if Delive­rance from Outward Temptations be matter of Praise & Thanksgiving to the Lord, how much more is this true concerning Deliverance from [Page 31] Sinful Temptations? For a man had better see many Afflictions, than one Sin: Yea, there is more evil in the least Sin, than in any Affliction; Nay, than in all the Everlasting Burnings of the Bot­tomless Pit. Therefore they who have been preserved from falling into Sin, have the greatest cause of Thankfulness that may be. I doubt not but that there are many here this Day, that were never guilty of this Sin (at least-wise not in sight of men) in all their Lives: But unto whom are you Beholden for this Preservation, but unto the Preventing Grace of GOD? Will you say that there is a Principle of Inherent Grace within you, whereby you have been kept from this, & other the like Enormities? Suppose so, yet that Principle of Grace is from God: Neither will Inherent, without Vpholding, Preserving, Pre­venting Grace keep from this, or any other Evil. Tho' its impossible to live in this Sin, where there is true Grace: He that hath the least spark of true Grace in his Heart, it is not possible that he should live in this Sin, yet there may be a falling into it. Therefore Christ has Charged even His own Disciples to take heed of this Sin, Luk. 21.34 Which sheweth that a true Christian may pos­sibly be overtaken with it. And we read in Scripture of Godly men that have been stained with this Iniquity; As Noah, Lot, Vriah, &c. Yea, there is not a Godly man on the Earth, but hath that in his own Heart, which would soon lead [Page 32] him to the Commission of this and all other A­bominations, if God should but leave him a little to himself: Wherefore it was that the Holy Martyr Bradford, when he heard of any one that was Guilty of Drunkenness, Uncleanness, or the vilest Wickedness, would smite upon his Breast, and say, In this Heart of mine is that which would have made me commit the same Evil, if the Grace of God had not prevented. Oh! Therefore be hum­bly Thankful to the God of all Grace. But much more have they cause to be for ever Thankful, who are Mortified unto this Sin: For a man may possibly never Commit this Evil outwardly, and yet the Sin not Mortified in him; it may be he may not have an Opportunity to practise this Iniquity; or fear of Punishment, or Shame may deter him, & yet he is not Mortified to it. This Sin is Mortified, when a man doth forsake and abhor it more than Death or Hell, because God is thereby Offended, & Dishonoured; they that do so shall not Dye, but Live; Rom. 8.13. If ye live after the Flesh, ye shall a [...]e: but if you through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Drunkenness is one of the deeds of the Body & of the Flesh; I do not say that he that doth not Commit that Sin shall Live, but he that doth Mortify it shall Live: For as he that Repenteth truly of One Sin, Repents of All; so he that indeed is Mortified to One Sin, is so to All: Such then shall Live, & therefore have abundant cause of Rejoycing & Thankfulness before the Lord.

[Page 33]USE, III. This Text and Doctrine is like a Thunderbolt, enough to shake the Soul, & split the Heart of every Drunkard under Heaven. I could be glad if there were no need to speak by way of Terror & Awakening to such Sinners. And time was, when there was not need for Ministers to Preach much against this Sin in New-England: Oh! that it were so now. But we may say, as some­times the Prophet Oded spake in another case to the Host of Israel, You have (saith he) Slain your Brethren with arage that reacheth up to Heaven: But are there not with you, even with you, Sins against the Lord your God? 2 Chron. 28.9, 10. So I say, This Sin is amongst us, even amongst us also; Yea, & the Rage of it begins to reach up to Heaven; it crieth for Judgment. It is sad, that ever this Serpent should creep over into this Wilder­ness, where Three-score Years ago he never had had any footing, but now it is come, and I fear will hardly ever out again, altho' it hath already devoured many. If we speak of that which God & Scripture calls Drunkenness, Namely, when there is a drinking of Wine or Strong Drink to any Excess, how many are there who have cause to lay their hands upon their mouthes, & to Cry Guilty before the Lord? I have heard some say, That there is more Wine & Strong Drink drunk in this Town, than in most Towns not greater than this in the Christian World. We may then fear that [Page 34] there hath been much Excess herein, that any should have cause so to speak or think. And how many are there that must be reckoned a­mongst woful Drunkards, that nevertheless do not believe any such thing of themselves? There are that flatter themselves in their Iniquity, and think that they are hardly guilty of this sin, be­cause they are not wont to be subject to such, worse than Beastly Drunkenness, as not to be a­ble to understand what they do or say; when as it may be the reason of it is, because by using themselves to Excess in Drinking, they are able to bear a great deal. Now that's worse than to be meerly Drunken; for it is to be a Drun­kard: One may be Drunken, that is not a Drun­kard; and one may be a Drunkard, that is sel­dom Drunken. He that abhors the Sin of Drun­kenness, yet may be overtaken with it, and so Drunken; But that one Act is not enough to denominate him a Drunkard: And he that loveth to drink Wine to Excess, tho' he should seldom be Overcome thereby, is one of those Drunkards upon whom the Wo in the Text doth directly fall. Isa. 5.22. Wo unto them that are mighty to drink wine, & men of strength to mingle strong drink. A­gain, There are that will make others Drunk: Some have done this out of horrid Profaneness of spirit, & therefore its a delight to them to draw those into this Sin that make any Profes­sion of Religion. If they can but make a Church-member [Page 35] Drunk, then they are glad; which ar­gueth a strange degree of Impiety. Others have done this out of Covetousness. There hath been an horrible thing done in this respect: Some a­mongst us (who they are the Lord knoweth) out of Covetousness have Sold intoxicating Li­quors to these poor Indians, whose Land we Pos­ses, & have made them Drunk therewith. What a fearful Sin is that! The first Fathers in this Colony, who are now the most of them in Hea­ven, began this Plantation, in part out of respect to the Conversion & Salvation of the Natives a­mongst whom we Live; but what woful Dege­neracy is this, that some should rise up amongst us, that out of love to a little filthy Lucre, shall teach them such Wickedness as before they were never acquainted with? The Indians are of themselves the saddest Spectacles of Misery, & the most woful Remembrance of the Ruines of the Righteous & Glorious Image of God, that ever mortal Eye beheld; but therefore their Sin is not a little aggravated, that shall make such Poor Creatures more the Children of Hell than they were before. If there be any in the Congre­gation (as I doubt there is) whose Conscience doth accuse him of making others Drunk, let him hear the Word of the Lord which is writ­ten, Hab. 2.15, 16. Wo to him that giveth his neigh­bour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, & makest him drunken also: The cup of the Lord's right hand [Page 36] shall be turned unto thee. By these things then it is sadly Evident, that there is cause enough to bear Witness against this Evil.

Now to speak something further, and more particularly by way of Conviction & Awakening to those [...]at love and live in this Sin of Drun­kenness, Know and Believe;

1. That woful Iudgments have ever followed this Sin. The Text saith it, and woful Experience proveth it. What hath been formerly said con­cerning the wofulness of the Sin of Pride, may here be applied to this of Drunkenness. Personal Miseries come from hence upon the Estates, Names, Bodies & Souls of Guilty ones, as has been more fully shewed. And this Sin brings Family-Judgments: Thousands of Families have been bro't to Ruine thereby. Drunkards bring a Curse upon their Children, and poor Posterity after them: Nay, it may be one act of Drunken­ness, and that committed by a Good man, shall bring a Curse upon some of his Children to the worlds End. Do we not see it in Noah? He was a Righteous man, & was Drunken but once in all his Life, that we read of; and much might be said to Excuse him, in that probably he knew not that there was an inebriating Quality in Wine, Nevertheless, that Drunkenness bro't a Curse upon one of his Children, which continu­eth to this Day, altho' it be Four Thousand Years since that Sin was Committed. Whose Heart [Page 37] then is it that doth not Tremble to live in such an Evil? Yea, and this Sin is the woful procu­ring Cause of many Publick Calamities in the world. Was not this one principal Cause of the Babylonian Captivity? See also, Isa. 56.9. All the Beasts of the Field come to devour, yea all the Beasts of the Forest. Here now the Ravenous Babylo­nians are call'd upon to make a Prey of the Iews: And the reason of it we may see, ver. 12. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, & we will fill our selves with strong drink. So that the Luxury & Drun­kenness which abounded amongst the Iews, espe­cially considering that their Watchmen, their Mi­nisters. who should have been Examples of So­briety & Mortification to all round about them, were some of them given to this Iniquity, was one principal Cause of their Enemies coming to devour them. The like we may see, Chap. 5. v. 11 We unto them that rise up early in the morning that they may follow strong drink, that continue until night, till wine inflame them. Now mind what followeth, Ver. 13. Therefore my People are gone into Captivity. And this Sin also was in a special manner the procuring cause of that Assyrian Captivity, wherein the Ten Tribes were carried away, & never restor'd to this day, altho' it be now above Two Thousand Years since that Judgment [...]el them: There­fore is it said to the Drunkards of Ephraim, in the next words to the Text, Behold, the Lord hath a mighty & strong one. They boasted, & were con­fident [Page 38] in their Outward Strength & Fortificati­ons, &c. Well, but saith the Lord, be not Proud of your Strength, for I will bring a Strong one upon you, as a tempest of hail & destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the Earth with the hand. The meaning is, that the Assyrians should break in upon them, & fall upon them as thick as hail-stones, & de­stroy them, because of their Drunkenness and other Sins they Lived in. And hath not the Christian World drunk deep of the Cup of Divine Judgments for this Sin? What Woes hath it bro't upon Christendom, so called? Some have observed, that it hath been in special for this Sin, that God hath let loose the Barbarous Na­tions upon those that call themselves Christians, to scourge them, & to destroy them. The Turks (who are meant by the Second of those Woes in the Revelation, when it is said, Wo, wo, wo, to the Inhabiters of the Earth, Rev. 8.13.) Providence hath raised them up, & sent them like a storm of hail upon the European Nations, not only (tho' principally) to Punish them for their Idolatry & Superstition, in worshipping Graven Images, but also to Plague the Nations, even the Christian Na­tions, for all their Profaneness, Luxuries, Drun­kennesses. Poor Miserable Germany hath Bled for this Sin! Hath not God made the Sword Drunk with Blood? Yea, at this Day, is not the Sword made Drunk with Christian, & with Pro­testant [Page 39] Blood for This Sin? My Text sayes, Wo to the Drunkards of Ephraim: Even so, Wo to the Drunkards of England; and, Wo to the Drunkards of Holland. Is not Salmanasser at this Day coming against the Fat Valleys for this Sin? And if we look nearer Home; What sad Harvests have we in New-England had of late Years? And doubtless the prevailing of this Iniquity hath been One Cause of it: The good Creatures of God have been greatly Abused by many amongst us, unto much Sensuality and Intemperance, therefore doth the Lord take away Creature-comforts from us. This last Summer, what Excessive Rains have there been? Since that Drunkards are to be seen up & down in almost every Town; no won­der that the Lord in Judgment maketh the Earth Drunk. Nay, come yet nearer Home, & look upon this great Town, How hath God Threat­ned us for This, as well as Other Sins? Remem­ber the sad Fire that was here in this Part of the Town about Three Years ago▪ And where did that Fire break forth? Began it not at the Ale-house? As if the Lord should from Heaven Point with the Finger, and say, Behold, I am Displeased with you, because of your mispending your Precious Time in such Houses. Boston! Boston! Take heed of this Sin, lest thou become Desolate.

2. Know, that this Sin will certainly be Bitterness in the Latter End. Suppose the best that can be sup­posed; Suppose the Lord should give you Re­pentance, [Page 40] & so forgive this Iniquity, yet then it will cost you much Bitterness of Soul. Extraor­dinary cases must always be excepted; but o­therwise, God is not wont to Pardon great Sins, without bringing first to great Sorrows, & heavy Breakings of Heart for them. Now, Drunken­ness is a great Sin, and therefore conclude thou mayest, that if ever the Lord Pardon it to thee, He will first break all thy Bones & Heart for it: Or if the Sin be not Mourned for, and Turned from, then bitter Destruction will be the End of it. The Scripture saith of those whose God is their Belly, that their End will be Destruction, Phil. 3.19. Now, the Drunkards Belly is his God, unto which he offers a Drink-offering. What bitter & lamentable Ends have many Drunkards come to? Hath not the Lord been wont to make such Persons awful Examples of Divine Vengeance at last? What a sad End did Nabal come to, after he had been very Drunken? 1 Sam. 25.36. And what a lamentable End did Amnon come to at last, who was Murthered by his own Brother at that very instant when his Heart was merry with Wine? 2 Sam. 13.28. And yet he was the Child of a Godly Father, who no doubt had Wept & Prayed for the Salvation of his Children full many a time. And what a lamentable End did Elah come to at last? Whose Servant Zimri con­spired against him, as he was in Tirzah drinking him­self drunk in the house of Arza, & smote him & killed [Page 41] him, 1 King. 16.9, 10. It may be because thou art given to this Sin, God will suffer thee to Dye Drunken at last▪ & to go down into Eternal Dark­ness in that Condition: Or it may be, God will leave thee to that which is worse than any Death; it may be, some time when thou art Drunk, thou will be left to fall into some horrid Sin, for which the Sword of Justice shall Cut thee off at last. I could produce many direful Instances to this purpose: But I will only mind you of one dis­mal Example, which Austin mentions, who saith. That in Hippo (the Town where he was Minister) there was a Citizen whose Name was Cyril, who had but one only Son, to whom he was extremely Indulgent; and as Austin saith, Loved him above God Himself: This Son, as he grew up, fell in with Bad Company, and became a Drunkard, & once coming Home much Distempered with Drink, he attempted to Ravish one of his own Sisters & Killed two other of his own Sisters, & Murthered his own Father that begat him, and his own Mother that bare him, who was then great with Child: For which Monstrous Impie­ [...]ies he was Condemned & Executed. Now say, Was not this Young mans Drunkenness Bitterness in the Latter End? For the present, this Iniquity may be Sweet to you; but what will it be upon a Death-bed, think you? It may be Conscience will Roar for it then. Some Notorious Drun­kards, when they have been upon Death beds, [Page 42] have cried out in Hellish horror of heart, Ale-houses are Hell-houses: The Ale-house hath bro't my Soul down to the house of Hell for Ever. Shall I tell you what I am able upon my own per­sonal Knowledge to testify? I will tell you, that there have been some in this very Congregation, who upon Sick-beds & Death-beds have sent for me, desiring that I would Cry to the Lord for them, & give them the best Advice I could for their Souls: Seeing them in miserable distress of Conscience, I have said to them; Tell me now, what is that Sin that doth most of all torment & perplex your Conscience? O my Company-keep­ing, & my Drunkenness, saith one; and, O my Compa­ny-keeping, & my Drunkenness, saith another. These have been the lamentable Cryes of poor dying Sinners in this Place, when they have seen them­selves upon the borders of Eternity. And after Death this Sin will be bitter indeed: Then (as one speaketh) the Drunkard for every Cup of plea­sure, will receive a Gallon of wo. Yea, for every Drop of pleasure which he enjoy'd whilst living & sinning, he shall have a Tun of wo. After Death comes Iudgment, and then the truth of this will be felt and believed. For,

3. Know for certain, that who ever liveth & dieth in this Sin, shall Perish to Eternity. It will be a folly for any such Sinner to expect Salvation. Can you be Saved without an Interest in Christ? This Lust alone, if lov'd or liv'd in, will keep Christ [Page 43] out of the Soul. It is reported, that a great man once said to Luther, Sir, we would all willingly be Christians, but we cannot find in our hearts to leave that custom of drinking to Excess. But a man must leave that Custom, or Die & Perish a Christ­less Sinner for ever. It was partly shewed the last time, That Drunkenness is such an Evil as will assuredly Exclude the Sinner out of Hea­ven: Therefore the Lord hath commanded Churches to Exclude such out of their Commu­nion; 1 Cor. 5.11. If any man that is called a Brother, be a Drunkard, with such an one, no, not to eat. What, a Church-member, and a Drunkard? Ah! Vile: Ah! Vile. Wo to that Church that shall know such amongst them, as make a practice of this Iniquity, and yet not make them to know the Terror of a Censure. How plain & peremptory is that Expression, Chap. 6. ver. 10. Where it is said in so many words, Drunkards shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. And if not, it must needs follow, that Hell and Destruction will be the Eternal Portion of every Drunkard, so living, so dying. Wherefore the Evangeli­cal Prophet Isaiah, speaking of Drunkards, yet saith, Hell hath enlarged her self, and opened her mouth without measure, Isa. 5.14. Drunkards, Tremble at this! Do you not see Hell gaping for you, and opening her mouth wide to receive your Souls, when once they are out of your Bodies? Yea, verily, tho' a man should reform [Page 44] his Life in many things very much; tho' he should be swept & garnished never so, having at­tained to great Gifs, practising many Duties, for­saking many Sins, yet if there be but this one Lust of Drunkenness, which still his Heart hath a secret love and liking to, there is no remedy, but Dying in his present Estate, he must be a Damned Wretch to all Eternity. Oh! That you would think sadly between God and your own Souls, on the words of the Lord Jesus, Mat. 5.29, 30. If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, & not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, & cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Tho' this Sin of Drunkenness may be as dear to thee as Life and Limbs; tho' it may be as hard to part with, as to pluck out a Right Eye, or to cut off a Right Hand, yet away with it, away with it, as ever thou wouldst Escape Hell-fire.

4. Know, that if any of You that are here before the Lord this day, shall continue under the Guilt of this Sin, Your Iniquity will be hainously Aggravated: For you call your selves Christians. If an Indian be Drunk, that's bad; but for a Christian to be a Drunkard, is a thousand times worse. If E­phraimites (that is to say, such as Profess that [Page 45] they are the Lord's People) be Drunkards, surely the Lord will Judge them as those that break Wedlock, that break Covenant with Him are Judged. Yea, and you Sin in the Day, that is against Gospel-light. What saith the Scrip­ture? 1 Thes. 5.7, 8. They that be drunken, are drunken in the night: but let us who are of the day, be sober. For men that live in Gospel-Days, and under Gospel-Ordinances, to practise deeds of Darkness, is shameful and horrible. And this Sin is aggravated from the Place where you. Live: What? To be a Drunkard in New-England, where there are severe and wholsome Laws to Punish this Iniquity, and some are put to Sh [...]me f [...] it! Time was, when it was a strange thing to see or hear of a man Overcome with [...]ong drink in New-England; and is this Sin now become Common in New-England? The Lord Help! Will you be Sinners in Zion? Will you be Fools in Israel! You have moreover been told of the Judgments following this Transgression; You have been sadly & solemnly Warned against this Evil, and that not in a Word or two; but by Sermon after Sermon. I remember I had occasion to Preach a whole Ser­mon, that I might Testify against the Sin of Drunkenness in this Place, it is now above Nine Years ago. I am grieved at my Heart, that there should be Cause for me now to Preach more Sermons than One, further to bear Wit­ness [Page 46] against the same Evil, whereby the Eyes of God's Glory are Provoked, and His Blessed Name is highly Dishonoured amongst us. Take heed how you resist the Spirit of God. I might tell you; that an Author worthy of Credit, Relates that a Minister having Preached a Sermon against Drunkenness, a Profane Drun­kard that was in the Congregation, went out & Scoffed and Mocked at what he had heard; and God smote him by a strange Providence, that he Died forthwith, even whilest he was deri­ding at the Sermon which he had newly heard. Will you Provoke the Lord to Jealousie? Are you stronger than He? But if there be any Drunkards in the Congregation so desperate, as to go on still in the Commission of this Tres­pass against the Lord, be it known to you, That your Blood shall be upon your own Heads. I remember what God said to His Prophet Eze­kiel, Chap. 33. ver. 7, 8. Son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak, to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand. O Lord, I Tremble to think of that! That the Blood of any Poor Soul shall be Required of me: I trust in Christ that it shall not be so. I trust that none amongst you shall [Page 47] be able to say to me, when we shall all appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ, Had you that Taught us the word of God, told us the evil of our ways, had you faithfully warned us of our danger, we would not have gone on therein. I remember also what the Lord further saith, Ver. 9. Ne­vertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way, to turn from it: if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. Now then, I call Heaven and Earth to Record against you this Day, that I have Warn­ed you of this Sin to turn from it: Let Men & Angels that are here present, bear me witness at the Last Day, that I have not shunned nor spared to declare unto you the Woes that will certainly follow upon continuance in this Evil. Therefore if there be any Drunkard that will be a Drunkard still, he shall die in his Iniquity; but I have delivered my Soul.

USE, IV. Let it be of EXHORTATI­ON; and that in Three words.

1. Let every one Endeavour the Suppression and Extirpation of this Evil. This we should do, by Labouring to Pray it down. When we are taught to Pray that the Name of God may be Hallowed, therein is implied, That we must Pray that this and such like other Evils, whereby His Glorious Name is much dishonoured, may be [Page 48] suppressed. And there are some that ought to do more than meerly to Pray against it; Ministers must bear Witness against it in their way: And it concerns those that have any Civil Power in their Hands, to bear Witness against it in their way. If there were Magistrates in this Assembly, I would speak to them in His Name by whom Kings Reign, and Princes decree Iustice, and all the Iudges of the Earth, and Exhort them to draw forth the Sword of Justice against this Evil.

The [...] are sundry of you that stand in some Publick Capacity, Townsmen, Constables, Grand-Iury-men, &c. Behold the Word of the Lord is unto you in Particular this Day; I lay the Solemn Charge of GOD upon you, that you do your Utmost towards the Suppression of this Abounding Iniquity: Kill this Serpent before it be grown too Big for you. And therefore take heed that there be not thro' your Means, or thro' your Neglect, that which is the Fountain of this Evil; I mean, that there be not a Mul­tiplication of Taverns, and Ale houses, or the like, more than there is Need for. I know, that in such a great Town as this, there is Need of such Houses, and no Sober Minister will speak against the Licensing of them; but I wish there be not more of them than there is any Need of▪ Especially, see that you keep a Vigilant Eye over these Private, Dark Houses, where wicked [Page 49] Persons Sell Drink and Destroy Souls to get a little Money; and which do more Mischief, than all the Publick Houses do Good, as being the very Sinks of Sin, whereby Youth is wofully Corrupted among [...] us. And if you find out any that have made a Trade of this Iniquity, and that have got part of their Living by the Blood and Destruction of Precious Souls, see that you bring them forth to Condign Punish­ment; and as they have been Exemplary in Sinning, so let them be brought under Exem­plary Punishment, that All Israel may Hear, and Fear, and do no more so Wickedly.

2. Much more, Let every one be Exhorted to beware of being Subject to, or coming any way under the Dominion of this Iniquity. For Motives, Re­member what was said in the last Use, as also formerly concerning the Wofulness of this Evil. By way of Direction here, I shall only say Two things.

(1.) Take heed of the Occasions & Temptations leading unto this Evil. Some there are that will Pray against this Sin, and yet they will cast themselves upon Temptations to it, which is to take God's Name in Vain; Even as if a man should put his hand into the Fire, and then Pray that he might not be Burnt: Would you not say that such a one did Mock the Lord? And what do they do less, who Pray that they [Page 50] may not be Drunk, and yet will not avoid Temptations that lead unto it. As now, Idleness is a Temptation leading unto Drunkenness: When Vile Persons have nothing else to do, then they must go to the Tavern, and drink till they be Drunken. Idleness & fulness of Bread; so Idleness and fulness of Drink are wont to go together, Ezek. 16.49. Therefore take heed of Idleness, If you would escape Drunkenness. And take heed of Company-keeping with those that would draw you unto this Evil: My Son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not: walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path. Take the Counsel which the Holy Ghost giveth by Solomon, Prov. 23.20. Be not amongst wi [...]e-bibbers. Avoid familiar Fellowship with Drunkards: Avoid them as you would do men that have the Plague upon them; yea, a Plague that will Infect, and be the Death of your pre­cious and immortal Souls. Remember that Scripture, Prov. 13.20. He that walketh with wise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. And take heed of being more, than you have any just Cause or Call to be, in Places where a Temptation unto this Sin is set before you: Go not to, Tarry not in Taverns or Or­dinary's, or in Houses where Strong Drink is Sold, without sufficient reason to bear you out in such a Practice. It is a sad thing, that Pro­fessors and Church-members should many of [Page 51] them be guilty of Scandalizing the world in this respect. A Carnal Creature Excuseth him­self, saying, Why should not I go frequently to the Tavern? Such an one is a Church-member, and I see him there often; such an one is esteemed a Godly Man, and yet I have seen him sit for Hours together there; and why should not I do so as well as be? Thus doth the abuse of your Lawful Liberty become a Snare, and Ruine to many a poor Soul. Doth not the Scripture say, Look not upon the wine? Prov. 23.31. The meaning of which is, that men must avoid all Temptations unto Drunken­ness, as much as possibly may be. Drunken­ness is like the Basilisk, of whom they say, That if a man do but look upon it, he is thereby In­fected, and mortally Poisoned. Therefore it will be your wisdom to keep out of the sight of this Evil, and far away from what ever shall tend, and tempt unto it. One thing more I shall mention, as a great Occasion and Cause of this Sin, which therefore you ought to avoid, Namely, that Heathenish Custom of Health-drinking. It is an Heathenish, nay an Idolatrous Rite; witness those Ceremonies of putting off the Hat, yea, of Kneeling, (a gesture of Adoration) which are Customary amongst profane Health-drinkers. But the Word of God saith, Learn not the way of the Heathen; for the Custom of the [Heathen] People are Vain, Jer. 10.2, 3. And that Christians are Redeemed from [Page 52] their vain Conversation received by Tradition from fore-fathers, 1 Pet. 1.18. What should Christians do with the Mysteries and Ceremonies of Bac­chus? Do not think that only a few Puritan [...] or Precisians, have been against this Custom of drinking Healths: For tho' Papists indeed Plead for the Lawfulness of it, yet Protestants gene­rally Condemn it: And the Ancient Doctors in the Church have Thundred against this Pra­ctice; and that because it is (as they were wont to Express it) A Shoe-ing-horn to draw on Drunkenness: It is a Bacchean Artifice, which Satan hath devised for that end. The Scripture likewise doth plainly enough Reprove it, when Banquettings are Condemned, 1 Pet. 4.3. The Greek word (Potois,) which is there used, properly noteth a drinking by Number and Measure, as is usual amongst Health-drinkers. But especially when any shall be so Vile, as not only to drink Healths themselves, but to force others to do the like, their Practice is very Sin­ful and Abominable. Is there any in this Con­gregation that hath done thus, that hath com­pelled others to drink Healths, and will you go on to do so still? I testify from the Lord against that man, whoever he be, that an Heathen shall rise up in Judgment against him, and Condemn him at the Last Day: Witness else what is Written, Est. 1.8. It is there said, That the drinking was according to the law, none did compel; [Page 53] for the king h [...]d appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every mans pleasure. So that those Heathens would not force any man to drink more than he had a mind to. Therefore beware of that Evil Practice.

(2.) There is another Rule, which if it be observed, you shall never be under the Domi­nion of this Iniquity, and if it be neglected, all other Precepts will be in Vain: It is this, Make sure of an Interest in JESUS CHRIST, by Faith unfeigned in His Name. There are some, that in giving Directions tending to the Mor­tification of this Sin of Drunkenness, say to those that are guilty of it, That they must Pray, and add Fastings to their Prayers, and Vows to their Fastings; all which things are good, and see that you attend them in their due Order. But alas! The main thing of all is left out, if an Interest in Christ be not sought after, and made sure of. All Prayers, Tears, Resolutions, Fastings, and Vows against this Sin, will never subdue it without CHRIST. Go to Jesus Christ for Power against this, and all Corruptions: If thou art once in Christ, thou mayest by Faith obtain Power from the Blood of Christ, for the Killing of this Sin: If thou art in Christ, His Spirit also will Mor­tify it. Therefore the Scripture saith, That if you thro' the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the Body, Rom 8, 13. Make sure then of an Interest [Page 54] in Jesus Christ, and His Spirit will Subdue and Mortify every Lust in thy Heart.

3. The last Word of Exhortation shall be unto those that have been Guilty of this Woful Sin of Drunkenness; Be this day Excited and Perswaded to Repent and Turn from this Transgression. Some of you have through Temptation been drawn into this Evil. How many Guilty, Accusing Consciences are there here before the Lord? Oh! Repent of what you have done, if ever you have given way to Temptation, so as to be overtaken with this so Vile an Abomination. Others (and many too) live in this Sin; in their ordinary Course they Co [...]mit it, and therefore are Servants to it: Oh! Repent, Re­pent, before it be too Late. Remember, that ere long Repentance for it will be too late. Did not Dives Repent when it was too late? When his Soul was dropt down into the Place of Tor­ment, and he was Crying for one drop of Wa­ter to cool his Tongue, then he bitterly Re­pented of all the Drunken Merry-meetings, which in his Life time he had seen; but then Re­pentance was too Late. Think seriously on that Scripture, Rom. 13.11, 12, 13. Now it is high time to wake out of sleep, the night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, — Let us walk honestly, not in rioting & d [...]unkenness, not in chambering & wan­tonness. [Page 55] Do not delay your Repe [...]tance, but NOW Practise it. Austin I remember Con­fesseth, That he Lived in scandalous Impieties, in his Vain Youthful Days, before his Conver­sion, and he had many secret Convictions upon his Conscience, thinking with himself that To­morrow, or some time Hereafter, he would Repent of, and Turn from those Vanities: But on a certaim Time it seemed to him as if he heard a Voice from Heaven, saying to him, Tolle & Lege, Take up and Read; a Bible be­ing by him, he taketh it up, and goeth to read­ing in it, and the First place which his Eyes fixed on, was this Scripure last mentioned, and the Lord set in with it upon his Heart, so as that he Cried out, And why not Now, Lord? I have said, That Hereafter I would leave my Chambering and Wantonness, but let me do it Now, Lord. Do you that are Drunkards, say and do the like; Resolve upon Present Re­pentance, without delaying one Day or one Hour longer. And know for your Encourage­ment, That in case you do truly Repent of this Ini­quity, God will forgive you. Do not think that I love to Scare you, with the dark Visions of that Eternal Night which is hastening upon your Souls. Do not think, My Brethren, That I de­light in Terrifying you, with the sad Tidings of Hell and Death. Indeed sometimes I am forced to it. Knowing the Terror of the Lord. I [Page 56] seek to Pe [...]swade you by those Arguments; Nevertheless, I take no Pleasure to Tell you thereof. But now that I am speaking to you of the Pardoning Grace of GOD, Me-thinks I could be glad to stay and dwell here, and en­large my self much to you, would Time and Strength permit me. But I can only say thus much. We read in Scripture of those that have been grievously Guilty of this Sin, many & many a time; of such as have Walked in it, yet when they have truly Repented of it, the Gracious Blessed GOD has freely Forgiven them; and in Jesus Christ looked upon them as if they had never Committed this Sin. To Encourage to Repentance, and to break the Heart of the Vilest Drunkard, I'll put you in mind of Two Scrip­tures: The one is that, 1 Pet. 4.3. The time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lascivious­ness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquettings, &c. So that those Christians had afore their Con­version been wofully Guilty of this Iniquity, but upon true Repentance they were sprinkled with the Blood of Jesus Christ; as the beginning of the Epistle sheweth: That is to s [...]y, The Blood of Jesus Christ Cleansed them from the Guilt of this Sin, and obtained Pardoning Mercy for them. Another Scripture to Encourage you to Repentance is that, 1 Cor. 6.11. Where the Apostle having said to the Co [...]i [...]thian, that [Page 57] no Drunkard (that is, so Living and Dying without Repentance) shall inherit the Kingdom of God; he addeth withal, Such were some of you: But ye are Washed, you are Sanctified, you are Iustified in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. Know therefore, that altho', thou hast been Guilty of this great Sin, it may be an Hundred & an Hundred times, yet thou mayest be Justified from it in the Name of the Lord Jesus, if indeed thou dost Repent of it. But then your Repentance must be thus Quali­fied;

(1.) You must Mourn before the Lord, that ever you Dishonoured His Name by this Transgression. Let me speak to you in the words of the Pro­phet Joel, Joel 1.5. Awake ye drunkards, and weep and howl, all ye drinkers of wine. O thou Drunkard, Now let Tears be thy drink; Go Home, and appear before the Lord in Secret, and there Lament with a sorrowful Heart, that ever thou hast thus Sinned against Him. Do as David did, who saith, Psal. 38.18. I will declare mine Iniquity, I will be sorry for my Sin. What Sin was that? Truly, his Sin in making Vria [...] Drunk. So do thou be sorry that ever thou hast made thy self Drunk.

(2) You must also Forsake this Sin: That's implied in true Repentance. And I speak this the rather, because I know there have been some Drunkards that would Bewail their Sin with [Page 58] many Tears, and yet it may be, go & be Drunk again the next Week: That's no true Repen­tance. Thy Heart must be so broken For this Sin, as to be broken From it; Otherwise tho' a man should Confess his Sin till his Tongue be worn to the stumps, tho' he should Pray against it till Heaven and Earth shake; tho' he should Weep Seas of Tears for it, yet if he will not Forsake it, all his Confessions, Prayers, and Tears shall never Save him. Yea, he must For­sake it not only as to his Conversation, or Out­wardly; but Inwardly, so as to have no Af­fection, or secret Love and Liking to this Abo­mination. O therefore say as once Ephraim did; What have I to do any more with Idols? So sa [...] thou, What have I to do any more with my wicked Companions in Sin? What have I to [...]o do any more with Drunkenness; or any other Iniquity that I have in Times past Loved and Lived in? And then thou mayest hope to [...] Pardoning Mercy from the Lord; accord­ing to that Gracious Word, Prov. 28.13. Whose Confesseth and Forsaketh shall have Mercy.