A20760:262
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.
More especially that we may be brought into a true hatred and detestation of this sin,1 let us set before us in a general view the heinousness thereof, and the manifold evils and mischiefs which do accompany it, of which I have already spoken; as that it is a vice condemned by God and men, Christians and Infidels; that thereby we grievously offend God, by making our bellies our god, by unfitting and disabling our selves for his service, by abusing his good creatures, which with a plentiful hand he hath bestowed upon us, the necessary use whereof, many better then we want; that thereby we sin in a high degree against our neighbours, generally, and particularly, against the whole Church and common-wealth, strangers, and familiar acquaintance, and most of all against their own family; that we hereby most ⟨p. 125⟩grievously sin against our selves, by making us unfit for our callings, and for the performance of all good duties, by disgracing our profession, and bringing our selves into contempt, by making our selves the voluntary slaves of this vice, by impoverishing our state, and bringing upon us want and beggary; by infatuating our understandings, and corrupting our wills and affections; by deforming, disabling, weakening, and destroying our bodies, and bringing our selves to untimely death; by excluding our selves out of the number of Christs members, and of those who are regenerate; by quenching the gifts of the spirit, and strengthening the flesh and the lusts thereof; by causing our souls to be possessed with final impenitency, which is inseparably accompanied with eternal damnation. Let us also remember, that as in it self it is most sinful, so also it is a cause of other sins, and a fruitful mother of all wickedness: as of the manifold and horrible abuses of the tongue, of many wicked and outrageous actions, and particularly of those fearful sins of murder and adultery. Let us also call to mind, that as it is the cause of sin, so also of many heavy and grievous punishments; for it maketh a man liable to a fearful woe, and Gods heavy curse; it subjecteth his name to infamy and reproach, his state to beggary, his body to diseases and immature death, his soul to senseless sottishness, and depriving the whole man of the joys of heaven, entereth him into the possession of eternal hellish torments.
More especially that we may bee brought into a true hatred and detestation of this sinne,