A20760:334
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.
But that we may descend to more particulars,1 the sin of fornication is punished by God both in this life, and in the life to come. In this life the Lord inflicteth on it both private and public punishments. The punishments which are imposed upon private men are either temporal or spiritual: The fornicator is punished with temporal punishments both in his state, person and posterity; in his state he is punished with poverty and extreme beggary; for this burning lust is as a consuming fire, which devoureth all the substance, and bringeth men of great wealth to such extreme penury,2 that they are (as the Wife man saith) glad to beg a piece of bread. And this cometh to pass first and principally, because the curse of God is upon his state and labours for this sin,3 so that nothing he hath doth prosper, nothing he doth well succeedeth under his hand:4 and partly because his mind is so besotted with his filthy lusts, that he neglecteth his state not caring which end goes forward, so he may enjoy his beastly pleasure, and partly by reason that this sin is exceeding costly, and though it be most base and brutish, ⟨p. 163⟩yet is compassed and bought at the highest prices. For much is spent upon filthy bawds and panders, which are their instruments and factors which they use for the compassing of their desires; much is consumed upon their harlots in gifts and rewards, as money, apparel, jewels, ornaments, in music, dancing, revelling, feasting and banqueting, all which is bestowed to please their strumpets, and to inflame their own lusts, which naturally would soon languish and faint, if they were not revived, and anew reinforced by these incitements and provocations, which are the fuel of lust whereby it is kindled and nourished. In all which respects the harlot is like unto a bottomless gulf, into which men being carried with the tempestuous storms of their own lusts and passions, do make shipwreck of their whole estate, they in the mean time being never the richer upon whom it is bestowed. And this the Wise man observed in his time: