N00124:61
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. Know, that this sin will certainly be bitterness in the latter end. Suppose the best that can be supposed, suppose the Lord should give you Repentance, and so forgive this iniquity, yet then it will cost you much bitterness of Soul. Extraordinary cases must always be excepted, but otherwise, God is not wont to pardon great sins, without bringing first to great sorrows, and heavy breakings of heart for them. Now Drunkenness is a great sin, and therefore conclude thou mayest, that if ever the Lord pardon it to thee, he will first break all thy bones and heart for it: or if the sin be not mourned for, and turned from then bitter destruction will be the end of it. The Scripture saith of those whole God is their belly, that their end will be destruction, Phil. 3. 19. Now the Drunkards belly is his God, unto which he offers a Drink-offering. What bitter and lamentable ends have many Drunkards come to? Hath not the Lord been wont to make such persons awful Examples of divine Vengeance at last? What a sad end did Nabal come to, after he had been very drunken? 1 Sam. 25. 36. And what a lamentable end did Amnon come to at last, who was murdered by his own Brother at that very instant when his heart was merry with wine? 2 Sam. 13. 28. And yet he was the Child of a godly Father, who no doubt had wept and prayed for the Salvation of his Children full many a time. And what a lamentable end did Elah come to at last? Whose servant Zimri conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, and smote him, and killed him, 1 King. 16. 9. 10. It may be because thou are given to this sin, God will suffer thee to die drunken at last, ⟨p. 25⟩and to go down into eternal darkness in that condition: or it may be, God will leave then to that which is worse then any death, even sometime when thou art drunk, to fall into some horrid sin for which, it may be, the Sword of Justice shall cut thee off at last. I could produce many direful instances to this purpose. But I will only mind you of one dismal Example, which Austine (g)