N00124:42
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.
2. Drunkenness brings woe upon the Conscience. There are some sins which make deep and fearful wounds in the Conscience, and this is one of them; if the sinner have any conscience in him, this will wound it. Indeed there are some that feel not these wounds for the present, because they have drunk Conscience into a deep sleep for a while, but when their Souls shall awake in the midst of Eternal flames, all the wounds received by this sin will be felt with a witness. You know a man may be wounded sorely, and yet not feel it at first, but afterwards he'll be sensible of pain and misery enough: So it is, as to the wounds which sin doth give to the Souls of men; at present the sinner feels nothing perhaps, but at the last! at the last! at the last! sin will wound him terribly: Therefore is it said concerning this sin of Drunkenness, As the last it bi•eth like a Serpent, and stingeth like an Adder, Prov. 23. 32. Some write concerning that Serpent, that when a man is first […] the poison of it tickleth him, so as that he cannot to hear laughter, but when the venom is got to his heart, it doth torment ⟨p. 12⟩him most intolerably: So is it with sin, and especially the sin of Drunkenness, while it is in committing there's foolish pleasure in it, but at the last the venom of it will reach to the heart, and then the bitterness will be a thousand times greater then ever the pleasure was.
2. Drunkenness brings wo upon the Conscience. There are some sins which make deep and fearfull wounds in the Conscience, and this is one of them; if the sinner have any conscience in him, this will wound it. Indeed there are some that feel not these wounds for the present, because they have drunk Conscience into a deep sleep for a while, but when their Souls shall awake in the midst of Eternal flames, all the wounds received by this sin will be felt with a witness. You know a man may be wounded sorely, and yet not feel it at first, but afterwards hee'll be sensible of pain and misery enough: So it is, as to the wounds which sin doth give to the Souls of men; at present the sinner feels nothing perhaps, but at the last! at the last! at the last! sin will wound him terribly: Therefore is it said concerning this sin of Drunkenness, As the last it bi•eth like a Serpent, and stingeth like an Adder,