A20760:564
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 professed anger is showed by the manifest fruits thereof, and they are of two sorts, evil speaking and evil doing. By evil speaking, as when men do manifest their anger in spiteful railing words which are far unbeseeming not only a Christian, but also an honest Infidel. This is condemned in the one and thirty verse of this Chapter: Let all bitterness, anger, and wrath, crying, (that is, clamorous railing) and evil speaking be put away from you. And that we may the rather be moved to abstain from this odious vice, let us consider that God made the tongue to be an instrument of his praise, and not to dishonour him by cursed speaking. And therefore he will not hold him guiltless, which makes this heavenly organ of his spirit created to show forth the Creators praise, a cursed instrument of Satan in reviling and slandering our neighbour. And this our Saviour Christ teacheth us: Whosoever (saith he) shall say unto his brother Raca; (that is, the least word of reproach) shall be worthy to be punished ⟨p. 41⟩with a council (that is,2 an assembly or senate of Magistrates) And whosoever shall say fool, shall be punished with hell fire, Matth. 5.22. Let us remember, that by our words we shall be justified, and by our words we shall be condemned: and good reason, for Verba sunt animi indices, the tongue is the hearts interpreter, and therefore our Saviour Christ saith,3 Ex abundantia cordis os loquitur: Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Yea this the wise Socrates well knew; and therefore when a certain father had sent his son to him, to the end that seeing him he might perceive his disposition, he said to the young man: Loquere adolescens, ut te videam, Speak young man that I may see thee: noting thereby that the disposition of his heart was best known by the words of the mouth. Seeing therefore God judgeth according to the heart, & seeing the heart is best discerned by the tongue, great reason it is that by our words we should be justified or condemned. Let us remember also,4