N00124:40
Woe to drunkards. Two sermons testifying against the sin of drunkennessWo to drunkards. Two sermons testifying against the sin of drunkenness
Woe to drunkards. Two sermons testifying against the sin of drunkenness: wherein the woefulness of that evil, and the mystery of all that are addicted to it, is discovered from the word of God. / Preached by Increase Mather, teacher of a church in Boston in New-England. ; [Ten lines of Scripture texts]Wo to drunkards. Two sermons testifying against the sin of drunkenness: wherein the wofulness of that evil, and the mistery of all that are addicted to it, is discovered from the word of God. / Preached by Increase Mather, teacher of a church in Boston in New-England. ; [Ten lines of Scripture texts]
printed by Marmaduke Johnson. 1673., 1673
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.
3. It, is injurious to the Souls of men. How woeful is that evil, which will bring not only temporal Woe upon the Bodies, but ever fasting Woe upon the Immortal Souls of all that shall die under the guilt of it? And that Drunkenness is injurious and woefully prejudicial as to the Soul, is evident:
3. It, is injurious to the Souls of men. How woful is that evil, which will bring not onely temperal Wo upon the Bodies, but ever fasting Wo upon the Immortal Souls of all that shall die under the guilt of it? And that Drunkenness is injurious and wofully prejudicial as to the Soul, is evident:
1. In that it darkeneth the Light of Reason. That noble Faculty of the Soul is as it were over whelmed and drowned by this Vice: Hence in the 7th Verse of this Chapter it is said, concerning those wicked and shameless Ministers that would be drunk sometimes, They are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink, they err in vision, they stumble in judgement. Whilst a man is under the actual power of this Evil, he is like a Reasonless Creature, devoid of all judgement and understanding: therefore the Prophet speaking concerning Drunkards, faith, They have no knowledge, Isa. 5. 13. g. d. they are like a company of brutes. Nay, Drunkenness is worse then a brutish sin; for a Beast will drink no more then shall do him good, and therefore a Drunkard is worse then a Beast. Reason is that whereby a man excels a Beast, but this sin depriveth him of ⟨p. 11⟩his excellency. How woeful is that Evil which shall deprive a man of the Image of God, and debase him below a Beast? It maketh one more like a Mad man (that is bereaved of his Reason) then any thing else. (h)One being asked What is Drunkenness? Answered well and truly, It is a voluntary Madness. And to the same purpose doth the Scripture speak,