A20760:207
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.
Secondly,1 the drunkard disgraceth himself and his profession, and exposeth his name and person to the just contempt and reproach of all: for whereas he professeth that he is a Christian, who hath his part in Christ and his merits, in this his practise he clearly proveth that he is nothing less; for a true Christian is a child of the light, and walketh in the light: 21. Thes. 5.5. But the drunkard is the child of darkness, and the works which he worketh are works, not of the day but of the night, vers. 7. A true Christian is religious and full of piety, but the drunkard is so far from this, that he hath not ⟨p. 93⟩so much as common honesty; for they who walk honestly, as in the day, they do not walk in gluttony and drunkenness, Rom.313.13. The true Christian hath forsaken and mortified the lusts of the Gentiles, for Christianity and Paganism can never agree together; but the drunkard still walloweth in them, for the lusts of the Gentiles wherein they walked, were wantonness, uncleanness, drunkenness, gluttony, drinkings, and in abominable idolatries. As it is, 1. Pet. 4.3.4 Those unto whom the grace of God hath appeared, are taught thereby to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts,5 and to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world; and therefore they who spend their time in intemperance, surfeiting, and drunkenness, have not had so much as a glimpse of this grace which bringeth salvation shining unto them. Whosoever then professeth Christianity, and yet liveth in drunkenness, he proveth himself a plain dissembler, in making show of that he is not, and his profession doth not grace him, but he disgraceth his profession; for whatsoever show he may seem to make of piety and honesty, when he is in his devouter kind of drunkenness, yet no wise man esteemeth his words of any credit, seeing he is an inordinate person in his whole carriage, who hath no rule over himself, and is ready to bless & curse, to pray and blaspheme, to utter holy speeches, and filthy ribaldry with the same breath.