A20760:390
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.
The fifth means is that we turn away our eyes from wanton and lascivious objects; and that according to Jobs example we make a covenant with them, that we will not in any lustful manner look upon a woman. For the eyes are the ordinary windows, whereat these fleshly lusts, like ⟨p. 196⟩thieves, enter to rob us of our chastity, and he who hath a wanton, wandering, and an adulterous eye, will soon after also have an adulterous heart. And therefore as their folly is to be laughed at, who keep their pelf and trash under lock and bolt, and leave an open passage to their chief treasury, whereby every thief may easily enter; so is their behaviour much more ridiculous, who keep their earthly riches, and transitory pelf under lock and key, and leave open the passages of the heart unregarded, by which the arch-thief Satan may cause his slavish lusts to enter and spoil us of our chief jewels, the purity and chastity of the heart and soul. Manifold examples of this folly we have recorded in the Scriptures to make us more carefully to avoid it. Shechem looking upon Dinah with lustful eyes was entangled in her love,1 and thereby moved to defile her. David idly gazing upon Bathsheba, Uriahs wife, was caught with her beauty, and committed adultery with her.2 So Amnon beholding the beauty of his sister Tamar, was thereby moved to an incestuous rape. And therefore the son of Sirach giveth good counsel for the avoiding of this mischief,3 chap. 9 5. Gaze not on a maid, that thou fall not by that which is precious in her. Vers. 8. Turn away thine eye from a beautiful woman, and look not on others beauty: for many have perished by the beauty of women, for through it love is kindled as a fire. To the same purpose one saith fitly:4 Non licet intueri, quod non licet concupisci, It is not lawful too earnestly to behold that, which it is not lawful to covet, because the sight is the ordinary means to inflame the concupiscence.
The fifth meanes is that we turne away our eies from wanton and lasciuious obiects; and that according to Iobs example we make a couenant with them, that we will not in any lustfull manner looke vpon a woman. For the eies are the ordinarie windowes, whereat these fleshly lusts, like