A20760:196
Four treatises tending to dissuade all Christians from four no less heinous then common…Foure treatises tending to disswade all Christians from foure no lesse hainous then common…
Four treatises tending to dissuade all Christians from four no less heinous then common sins; namely, the abuses of swearing, drunkenness, whoredom, and bribery. Wherein the greatness and odiousness of these vices is discovered; and the means and remedies, which may either preserve, or wean men from them, are propounded. Whereunto is annexed a treatise of anger. By John Downame Bachelor in Divinity, and preacher of Gods word.Foure treatises tending to disswade all Christians from foure no lesse hainous then common sinnes; namely, the abuses of swearing, drunkennesse, whoredome, and briberie. Wherein the greatnes and odiousnesse of these vices is discouered; and the meanes and remedies, which may either preserue, or weane men from them, are propounded. Whereunto is annexed a treatise of anger. By Iohn Dovvname Batcheler in Diuinitie, and preacher of Gods word.
London: printed by Felix Kyngston for William Welby, 1609
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
CHAP. IIII. That the drunkard sinneth grievously against his neighbours, and that both publicly and privately.
CHAP. IIII. That the drunkard sinneth grieuously against his neighbours, and that both publikely and priuately.
But as the drunkard sinneth against God;1 so also against his neighbours; and that both generally against the whole Church and common wealth, and particularly against private persons. He that is given to this ⟨p. 88⟩sin of drunkenness, sinneth against the common-wealth, in that he so disableth himself that he cannot perform any good service to his country: for a drunkard can neither be good Magistrate, nor good subject, seeing he cannot rule others that cannot rule himself, nor yet manage well the sword of justice, seeing oftentimes he is so besotted, and deprived of the use of reason, that he can put no difference between the sword and the scabbard, between the innocent and offenders. And therefore not unfitly did the poor woman who had received an unjust sentence from Philip King of Macedon in the time of his drunkenness, make her appeal, and being demanded to whom she appealed, seeing he was supreme Judge; I appeal, said she, from thee unto King Philip when he is sober. And as he cannot rule, so he cannot obey; for when the drunkard is scatted upon the ale bench, and hath got himself between the cup and the wall, he presently becometh a reprover of Magistrates, a controller of the State, a murmurer and repiner against the best established government: and such an insolent pride and overweening conceit of his wisdom do the spirits of wine and strong drink infuse into him, that he thinketh a whole Court of Parliament may more easily err in their long deliberated decrees, then he in his present and rash verdict.2 To this accordeth Plutarchs story of certain young men, who having bitterly inveighed against King Pyrrhus, when they were amongst their cups, were for this offence brought before him; and when they could make no apology for themselves, seeing they could neither deny the fault, nor defend it; one of them stepped forth and confessed the truth in this manner: It is true, said he, O King, that we spoke all this against thee, & much more bitterly should we have exclaimed, had not our wine failed us. Again, he offendeth against the whole common-wealth, as he is a disordered person, a disturber of the peace, a common corrupter of manners;