N01322:46
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 misery of all that are addicted to it, is discovered from the word of God. / By Increase Mather, D.D.Wo to drunkards. Two sermons testifying against the sin of drunkenness: wherein the wofulness of that evil, and the misery of all that are addicted to it, is discovered from the word of God. / By Increase Mather, D.D.
Boston: printed by Timothy Green, 1712
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.
And he that loveth to drink Wine to Excess, tho' he should seldom be Overcome thereby, is one of those Drunkards upon whom the Woe in the Text doth directly fall. Isa. 5.22. Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, & men of strength to mingle strong drink. Again, There are that will make others Drunk: Some have done this out of horrid Profaneness of spirit, & therefore its a delight to them to draw those into this Sin that make any Profession of Religion. If they can but make a Church-member ⟨p. 35⟩Drunk, then they are glad; which argueth a strange degree of Impiety. Others have done this out of Covetousness. There hath been an horrible thing done in this respect: Some amongst us (who they are the Lord knoweth) out of Covetousness have Sold intoxicating Liquors to these poor Indians, whose Land we Posses, & have made them Drunk therewith. What a fearful Sin is that! The first Fathers in this Colony, who are now the most of them in Heaven, began this Plantation, in part out of respect to the Conversion & Salvation of the Natives amongst whom we Live; but what woeful Degeneracy is this, that some should rise up amongst us, that out of love to a little filthy Lucre, shall teach them such Wickedness as before they were never acquainted with? The Indians are of themselves the saddest Spectacles of Misery, & the most woeful Remembrance of the Ruins of the Righteous & Glorious Image of God, that ever mortal Eye beheld; but therefore their Sin is not a little aggravated, that shall make such Poor Creatures more the Children of Hell than they were before. If there be any in the Congregation (as I doubt there is) whose Conscience doth accuse him of making others Drunk, let him hear the Word of the Lord which is written, Hab. 2.15, 16. Woe to him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, & makest him drunken also: The cup of the Lord's right hand ⟨p. 36⟩shall be turned unto thee. By these things then it is sadly Evident, that there is cause enough to bear Witness against this Evil.
And he that loveth to drink Wine to Excess, tho' he should seldom be Overcome thereby, is one of those Drunkards upon whom the Wo in the Text doth directly fall.