A Christian Directory Volume I Part 81

_Quest._ I. Dost thou know that thou art a man? and what a man is?

Dost thou know that reason differenceth him from a beast that is ruled by appet.i.te and hath no reason? If thou do, let thy reason do its office, and do not drown it, or set the beast above it.

_Quest._ II. Dost thou believe that there is a G.o.d that is the Governor of the world, or not? If not, tell me how thou camest to be a man? And how came thy tongue and palate to taste thy drink or meat, any more than thy finger? Look on thy finger and on thy tongue, and thou canst see no reason why one should taste and not the other? If thou live in the midst of such a world, which he hath made and daily governeth, and yet believest not that there is a G.o.d, thou art so much worse already than drunk or mad, that it is no wonder if thou be a drunkard. But if thou do believe indeed that there is a G.o.d, hear further, thou stupid beast, and tremble! Is he the Governor of heaven and earth, and is he not worthy to be the Governor of thee? Is all the world at his disposal, and is he not worthy to dispose of thy throat and appet.i.te? Are crowns, and kingdoms, heaven, and h.e.l.l, at his disposal and will, and is he not worthy to be master of thy cup and company? wilt thou say to him by thy practice, go rule sun and moon, and rule all the world, except my appet.i.te and my cup?

_Quest._ III. Dost thou verily believe that G.o.d is present with thee, and seeth and heareth all that is done and said among you? If not, thou believest not that he is G.o.d! For he that is absent, and ignorant, and is not infinite, omnipresent, and omniscient, is not G.o.d; and if G.o.d be not there, thou art not there thyself; for what can uphold thee, and continue thy life, and breath, and being? But if thou believe that G.o.d is present, darest thou drink on, and darest thou before him waste thy time, in prating over a pot with thy companions?

_Quest._ IV. Tell me, dost thou believe that the holy Scripture is true? If thou do not, no wonder if thou be a drunkard.[445] But if thou do, remember that then it is true, that "drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of G.o.d," 1 Cor. vi. 10. And then mark what the Scripture saith, Isa. xxi. 1, "Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim." Hab. ii. 15, "Woe to him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him and makest him drunk also." Isa. v. 11, "Woe to them that rise up early in the morning that they may follow strong drink, that continue till night till wine inflame them: and the harp, and the viol, and the tabret, and the pipe, and wine, are in their feasts, but they regard not the work of the Lord, nor consider the operation of his hands." Ver. 22, "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink." Prov. x.x.xi. 4-6, "It is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes strong drink; lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted: give strong drink to him that is ready to perish, and wine to those that be of heavy hearts."

See Amos vi. 6. Luke xxi. 34, "Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." Rom.

xiii. 13, 14, "Not in gluttony and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to satisfy the l.u.s.ts thereof." Prov. xx. 1, "Wine is a mocker; strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." Prov. xxiii. 29-32, "Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling?

who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine, they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright: at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things: yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast." Hos. iv. 11, "Wh.o.r.edom, and wine, and new wine take away the heart." Joel i. 5, "Awake, ye drunkards, and weep and howl, all ye drinkers of wine," &c. If thou do indeed believe the word of G.o.d, why do not such pa.s.sages make thee tremble?

_Quest._ V. Dost thou consider into how dangerous a case thou puttest thyself when thou art drunk, or joinest thyself with drunkards? What abundance of other sins thou art liable to? And in what peril thou art of some present judgment of G.o.d? Even those examples in Scripture which encourage thee should make thee tremble. To think that even a Noah that was drunken but once, is recorded to his shame for a warning unto others. How horrid a crime even Lot fell into by the temptations of drunkenness! How Uriah was made drunk by a David to have hid his sin! 2 Sam. xi. 13. How David's son Amnon, in G.o.d's just revenge, was murdered by his brother Absalom's command, when "his heart was merry with wine," 2 Sam. xiii. 28. How Nabal was stricken dead by G.o.d after his drunkenness, 1 Sam. xxv. 36-38. How king Elah was murdered as he was drinking himself drunk, 1 Sam. xvi. 9. And how the terrible hand appeared writing upon the wall to king Belshazzar in his carousing, to signify the loss of his kingdoms, and that very night he was also slain, Dan. v. 1, 30. Thou seest G.o.d spareth not kings themselves, that one would think might be allowed more pleasure: and will he spare thee? Prov. x.x.xi. 4, 5, "It is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes strong drink;" and is it then for thee?

Mark the dreadful fruits of it even to the greatest. Hos. vii. 3-5, "They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies: they are all adulterers as an oven heated--In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine: he stretched out his hand with scorners." Thou seest that be they great or small, both soul and body are cast by tippling and drunkenness into greater danger, than thou art in at sea in a raging tempest. Thou puttest thyself in the way of the vengeance of G.o.d, and art not like to escape it long.

_Quest._ VI. Didst thou ever measure thy sin by that strange kind of punishment commanded by G.o.d against incorrigible gluttons and drunkards? Deut. xxi. 18-21, "If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken to them: then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place; and they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard. And all the men of the city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put away evil from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear." Surely gluttony and drunkenness are heinous crimes, when a man's own father and mother were bound to bring him to the magistrate to be put to death, if he will not be reformed by their own correction. And you see here that youth is no excuse for it, though now it is thought excusable in them.

_Quest._ VII. Dost thou think thy drink is too good to leave at G.o.d's command? Or dost thou think that G.o.d doth grudge thee the sweetness of it? or rather that he forbids it thee for thy good, that thou mayst escape the hurt. And tell me, Dost thou love G.o.d better than thy drink and pleasure, or dost thou not? If not, thy own conscience must needs tell thee, (if thou have a conscience not quite seared,) that there is no hope of thy salvation in that state: but if thou say, thou dost, will G.o.d, or any wise man, believe thee, that thou lovest him better, and wilt not be so far ruled by him, nor leave so small a matter for his sake? 1 John v. 3, "For this is the love of G.o.d, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous." So 2 John 6.

_Quest._ VIII. Dost thou remember that thy carca.s.s must lie rotting in the grave, and how loathsome a thing it must shortly be? And canst thou make so great a matter of the present satisfying of so vile a body, and dung the earth at so dear a rate?

_Quest._ IX. Wouldst thou have all thy friends and children do as thou dost? If so, what would become of thy estate? It would be a mad world if all were drunkards. Wouldst thou have thy wife a drunkard? If she were, thou wouldst scarce be confident of her chast.i.ty. Wouldst thou have thy servants drunkards? If they were, they might set thy house on fire: and they would do thee little work, or do it so as it were better be undone. Thy house would be a bedlam if all were drunkards; and much worse than bedlam; for there are some wise men to govern and correct the mad ones. But if thou like it not in wife, and children, and servants, why dost thou continue it thyself? Art thou not nearest to thyself? Dost thou love any others better than thyself?

Hadst thou rather thy own soul were d.a.m.ned than theirs? or canst thou more easily endure it? I have wondered sometimes to observe some drunkards very severe against the same sin in their children, and very desirous to have them sober! But the reason is, because the sobriety of their children is no trouble to them, nor puts them to deny the pleasure of their appet.i.tes, as their own sobriety must do.

_Quest._ X. Wouldst thou have thy physician drunk when he should cure thee of thy sickness? or thy lawyer drunk when he should plead thy cause? or the judge when he should judge it? If not, why wilt thou be drunken when thou shouldst serve thy G.o.d and mind the business of thy soul? If thou wouldst not have thy servant be potting in an ale-house when he should be about thy work, wilt thou sit potting and prating there, when thou hast a thousand fold greater work to do for thy everlasting happiness?

_Quest._ XI. If one do but lame or spoil thy beast, and make him unfit for thy service, wouldst thou be pleased with it? And wilt thou unfit thyself for the service of G.o.d, as if thy work were of less concernment than thy beast's?

_Quest._ XII. Would it please you if your servants poured all that drink in the channel? If not, I have before proved to thee that it should displease thee more to pour it into thy belly: for thou wilt find at last that it will hurt thee more.

_Quest._ XIII. What relish hath thy pleasant liquor the next day? Will it then be any sweeter than wholesome abstinence? All the delight is suddenly gone: there is nothing left but the slime in thy guts, and the ulcer in thy conscience, which cannot be cured by all thy treasure, nor palliated long by all thy pleasure. And canst thou value much so short delights? As all thy sweet and merry cups are now no sweeter than if they had been wormwood; so all the rest will quickly come to the same end and relish. As Plato said of his slender supper, compared to a rich man's feast, Yours seemeth better to-night, but mine will be better to-morrow; so thy conscience telleth thee that temperance and holy obedience will be better to-morrow, and better to eternity, though gluttony and drunkenness seem better now.

_Quest._ XIV. Dost thou consider how dear thou payest for h.e.l.l? and buyest d.a.m.nation at a harder rate than salvation might be attained at?

What shame doth it cost thee! What sickness is it like to cost thee!

What painful vomitings or worse dost thou undergo! How much dost thou suffer in thy estate! And is h.e.l.l worth all this ado?

_Quest._ XV. Dost thou not think in thy heart, that sober, temperate, G.o.dly men do live a more quiet and comfortable life than thou, as well as an honester and safer life? If thou do think so, why wilt thou not imitate them? It is as free for thee to choose as them. If thou think they do not, consider, that as they have none of thy forbidden cups, so they have none of thy thirst or desire after them. Abstinence is sweeter much to them.[446] They have none of thy sour belchings, or vomitings, nor shame, nor danger, nor thy reckoning to pay. They have none of thy gripes of conscience, and terrors under the guilt of such a sin. They live in the love of G.o.d and the forethoughts of heaven, while thou art in the alehouse. And dost thou not think in thy conscience, that to a heart that is suited and sanctified thereto, it is not a sweeter thing to live in the love of G.o.d, than in the love of thy sensuality? Darest thou say (whatever thou thinkest) that G.o.d, and heaven, and holiness are not so lovely and fit to be delighted in, as a cup of wine or ale? Sure thou darest not say so! If it were for no more than the different aspects of death and eternity to them and to thee, I account thy life in the midst of thy pleasures incomparably more sad than theirs. They look at death as at the time of hope, and the day of their deliverance, as the a.s.sizes are to the innocent or pardoned man: but thou lookest on death with terror, as the end of all thy mirth, as the guilty malefactor thinketh on the a.s.sizes; or else with senselessness or presumption, which is worse. They look unto eternity as their endless, unspeakable felicity; and thou darest scarce seriously think of it, without the delusory ease of unbelief or of false hopes: thou darest not seriously look beyond death, unless through the devil's cheating spectacles. I tell thee, a sober, G.o.dly man would not have thy merry life (as thou accountest it) one day, for all thy wealth, or for any worldly gain: he had rather lie in jail, or sit in the stocks that while, than drink and swagger with thee. Keep thy merriment to thyself, for no wise man or good man will be thy partner. If thou wert their enemy, they would not wish thee so much misery as thou choosest. As the story goeth of a confessor, that hearing many confess the sin of drunkenness, would needs try himself what pleasure was in it: and having vomited and slept it out, the next drunkard that came to him in confession, he appointed him for penance to be drunk again, and told him, he need no sharper penance.

_Quest._ XVI. How cometh it to pa.s.s that thy very pride doth not cure thy drunkenness?[447] Pride is so natural and deep-rooted a sin, that I dare say thou hast not overcome it, if thou have not overcome thy sensuality. And is thy credit no more worth with thee? wilt thou for a cup of drink be made the talk of the country, the scorn of the town, the sport and laughing-game of boys, and the pity of sober persons? If thou be a great man among them, and they dare not speak it to thy face, and thou hearest not what they say of thee, yet in private they make bold with thy name, to talk of thee as of a filthy beast. Canst thou think that sober men do honour thee? What honour may accidentally be due to thee from thy place, is another matter; but thou takest a course to keep them from honouring thee for thy worth, and dost thy worst to bring thy rank and place into contempt. It is said that in Spain a drunkard is not allowed for a witness against any man: and sure he is not a credible person. Regard thy reputation if thou carest not for thy soul.

_Quest._ XVII. Dost thou not love the flesh itself which thou so much pamperest? If thou do, why wilt thou drown it, and choke it up with phlegm and filth? Ask physicians whether drunkenness be wholesome.

Mark how many drunkards live to be old: _Ennius podagricus_, is a proverb. The sickness is longer than the sweetness of thy cup. If thou fearest not h.e.l.l, fear the consumption, gout, or dropsy.

_Quest._ XVIII. Why shouldst thou not take more pleasure in the company of thy family, and in the company of people fearing G.o.d, that worship him in truth of heart, and will do their best to help to save thee? Canst thou give any reason for it, why such company should not be more pleasant to thee than thy pot companions? and why it should not be pleasanter to talk of the way to heaven, and the pardon of sin, and the love of Christ, and of eternal happiness, than to prate a deal of idle nonsense in an alehouse? There is no reason for it but thy filthy mind, that is suitable to vanity and sin, and unsuitable to all that is wise and holy.

_Quest._ XIX. What if thou shouldst die in a drunken fit? Wouldst thou not thyself take thy case to be desperate or dangerous? Why, it may be so for aught thou knowest; it hath been the case of many a one. But if it be not so, yet to die a drunkard is as certain d.a.m.nation, as to die in drunkenness. If the guilt of the sin be on thee, it is all one when it was committed, whether lately or long ago; for unpardoned sin is most sure d.a.m.nation; and it is certainly unpardoned, till it be truly repented of; and it is not repented of if it be not forsaken: and then bethink thee how thou wilt review these days, and what thoughts thou wilt then have of thy cups and company!

_Quest._ XX. Art thou willing to part with thy sin, or art thou not?

Speak, man; art thou willing? If thou be not willing, bear witness against thyself that thou dost not repent of it, and that thou art not forgiven it; and therefore that thou art at present a slave of the devil, and if thou die so, as sure to be d.a.m.ned as thou art alive.

Bear witness that thou wast not kept from grace, and consequently from heaven, against thy will, but by thy wilful refusal of it; and that it was not because thou couldst not be saved, that thou goest to h.e.l.l, but because thou wouldst not. Sure even now thou canst not have the face to deny any of this, if thou confess that thou art not willing to amend. Take thy will in sin, if G.o.d's will must be violated, which tendered thee mercy, and commanded thee to accept it; but be sure that G.o.d will have his will in punishing thee.

But I suppose thou wilt say, that thou art willing to amend and leave thy sin, but thou canst not do it because flesh is frail, and company is tempting, and G.o.d giveth thee not grace; willing thou art, but yet unable. But stay a little! G.o.d will not so let thee carry it, and smooth over thy wickedness with a lie. Thy meaning, if thou speak out, is not that thou art willing, presently and heartily willing, to forsake thy sin, but only that thou wouldst be willing, if the drink and the devil did not tempt thee. And so thou wilt be willing to love G.o.d and be saved, when nothing shall tempt thee to the contrary! And wouldst thou thank thy wife for such a willingness to forsake adultery, when n.o.body will tempt her to it? or thy servant to do thy work, when he hath nothing to tempt him to idleness or neglect? Judge by this what thanks thou deservest of G.o.d for such a willingness. But dally not with G.o.d, and mock not thy conscience, but speak to the question, Art thou willing to give over thy company and tippling, from this day forward, or art thou not? Take heed what thou sayest. If thou say, No, G.o.d may say, Nay, to all thy cries for mercy in the day of thy misery and distress; but if still thou say that thou art willing, but not able, I will convince thee of thy falsehood.

_Quest._ I. Tell me then, what force is used to make thee sin against thy will? Wast thou carried to the alehouse, or didst thou go thyself?

Wast thou gagged and drenched? Was it poured down thy throat by violence; or didst thou take the cup and pour it down thyself? Who was the man that held open thy mouth and poured it in? Nay, if it had been thus, it had not been thy sin; for no will, no sin. Or did they set a sword or pistol to thy breast, and so force thee to it? If they had, that had not proved thee unwilling, but only that they forced thee to be willing; and their force is no excuse: for G.o.d threatened h.e.l.l, and thou shouldst have feared that most.

_Quest._ II. Didst thou love the drink, or loathe it when thou wast drinking it? Didst thou love it against thy will, when love and willingness are all one?

_Quest._ III. Wilt thou forbear the next time till thou art carried to it, and till it is forcibly poured down with a horn? If not, confess it is thy will.

_Quest._ IV. Couldst thou not forbear, if the judge or the king stood by? And canst thou not forbear when G.o.d stands by? If thou wilt thou canst.

_Quest._ V. Couldst thou not forbear, if thou wert sure to be put to death for it? if the law hanged all drunkards, and the hangman were at thy back? Surely thou couldst. And canst thou not then forbear if thou wilt, when G.o.d hath made it worse than hanging, and when death is coming to fetch thee to execution?

_Quest._ VI. Couldst thou not forbear it in sickness, if thy physician required it, and told thee, if thou drink, it will be thy death? I doubt not but thou couldst: if not, thou art very unworthy to live, that canst not deny thyself a cup of drink for the saving of thy life.

And thou art as unworthy to be saved, if thou wilt not do that to save thy soul, which thou wouldst do to save thy present life.

_Quest._ VII. Yea, couldst thou not forbear if it were to save the life of thy wife, or child, or friend, or neighbour? If thou knewest that forbearing thy forbidden cup would save the life of any one of them, couldst thou not, nay, wouldst thou not do it? If not, thou tellest the world what a husband, what a father, what a friend, and what a neighbour thou art, that wouldst not forbear a cup of drink to save a friend or neighbour's life. I should think thee an unworthy friend, if thou wouldst not do that much at thy friend's request, though there were no such necessity lay upon it. If this be so, I will never take a drunkard for my friend; for he would not forbear a cup of drink for my sake, no, not if it were to save my life. If thou say, G.o.d forbid, I would do more than that, why then didst thou say, Thou canst not forbear? Mark how thy tongue reproves thy falsehood. And canst thou not do that for thy own soul, which thou couldst do for the life, or at the request of a friend or neighbour?

_Quest._ VIII. Couldst thou not forbear if it were to get a lordship or a kingdom? yea, to save thy own estate, if it were all in danger, and this would save it? I doubt not but thou couldst. Why then dost thou say thou canst not do it?

_Quest._ IX. If thou wert certain that thou wast to die to-morrow, wouldst thou be drunk to-night? Or if thou wert sure to die within this week or month, wouldst thou be drunk ere then? I do not believe thou wouldst: fear would so long shut thy mouth. Thou seest then that thou canst forbear if thou wert but willing, and wert but awaked out of thy stupidity and folly.

_Quest._ X. What if thou wert sure that there were an ounce of a.r.s.enic or other such poison in the cup? couldst thou not then forbear it?

Yes, no doubt of it: it is plain therefore that thou speakest falsely, when thou sayst that thou canst not. And is not G.o.d's wrath and curse in thy cup much worse than poison?

_Quest._ XI. What if thou sawest the devil standing by thee and offering thee the cup, and persuading thee to drink it, couldst thou not then forbear? Yes, no doubt of it: and is he not as certainly there tempting thee, as if thou sawest him? Well, the matter is proved against thee to thy own conscience, that if thou wilt forbear, thou canst.

_Quest._ XII. But yet if thou canst not, bethink thee whether thou canst better bear the pains of h.e.l.l? For G.o.d is not in jest with thee in his threatenings. If thy thirst be harder to bear than h.e.l.l, then choose that which is easiest to thee: but remember hereafter that thou hadst thy choice.

Yet, art thou willing to let go thy sin? (for I am sure thou art able so far as thou art willing). I will take thy case to be as it is; that is, that thou hast some half, uneffectual willingness, or lazy wish which will not conquer a temptation; and that thou art sometimes in a little better mood than at other times, and that thou lovest thy sin, and therefore wouldst not leave it if thou couldst choose, but thou lovest not h.e.l.l, and therefore hast some thoughts of parting with thy cups against thy will, for fear of punishment. These wishes and purposes will never save thee: it must be a renewed nature, loving G.o.d, and hating the sin, that must make thee capable of salvation. But yet in the mean time it is necessary that thou forbear thy sin, though it be but through fear; for thou canst not expect else that the Holy Ghost should renew thy nature. Therefore I will give thee directions how to forbear thy sin most surely and easily, if thou be but willing, and withal to promote thy willingness itself with the performance.

_Practical Directions against Tippling and Drunkenness._

_Direct._ I. Write over thy bed and thy chamber door, where thou mayst read it every morning before thou goest forth, some text of holy Scripture that is fit to be thy memorandum: as 1 Cor. vi. 10, "Drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of G.o.d;" and Rom. viii. 13, "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if by the Spirit you mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live:" and read it before thou goest out of thy doors.

_Direct._ II. Also fall down on thy knees to G.o.d, and earnestly beg of him to keep thee that day from temptations, and ill company, and from all thy fleshly desires and excess; and especially that he would renew thy nature, and give thee a hatred of the sin.

_Direct._ III. Keep thyself in the constant employments of thy calling, and spend not one quarter of an hour in idleness, and allow not leisure to thy thoughts, so much as to think of thy drink and pleasures; much less to thy body to follow it. G.o.d hath commanded thee, whoever thou art, to labour six days, and in the sweat of thy brows to eat thy bread, and hath forbidden idleness and negligence in thy calling: avoid this, and it will help thee much.

_Direct._ IV. Reckon not upon long life, but think how quickly death will come, and that for aught thou knowest thou mayst die that day; and how dreadful a case it would prove to thee, to be found among tipplers, or to die before thou art truly converted. Think of this before thou goest out of thy doors; and think of it as thou art going to the alehouse: look on the cup and the grave together: the dust of those bones will be wholesome spice to thee. Remember when thou seest the wine, or ale, how unlike it is to that black and loathsome liquor which thy blood and humours will be turned into when thou art dead.

Remember that the hand that taketh the cup, must shortly be scattered bones and dust; and the mouth that drinketh it down, must shortly be an ugly hole; and the palate, and stomach, and brain that are delighted by it, must shortly be stinking puddle: and that the graves of drunkards are the field or garden of the devil, where corpses are sowed to rise at the resurrection to be fuel for h.e.l.l.

_Direct._ V. When thou art tempted to the alehouse, call up thy reason, and remember that there is a G.o.d that seeth thee, and will judge thee, and that thou hast an endless life of joy or torment shortly to possess, and that thou hast sinned thus too long already, and that without sound repentance thy case is desperate, and that thou art far from true repentance while thou goest on in sin. Ask thyself, Have I not sinned long enough already? Have I not long enough abused mercy? Shall I make my case remediless, and cast away all hope? Doth not G.o.d stand by, and see and hear all? Am I not stepping by death into an endless world? Think of these things, and use thy reason, if thou be a man, and hast reason to use.

_Direct._ VI. Exercise thyself daily in repenting for what is past; and that will preserve thee for the time to come. Confess thy former sin to G.o.d with sorrow, and beg forgiveness of it with tears and groans. If thou make light of all that is past, thou art prepared to commit more. Think as thou goest about thy work, how grievously thou hast sinned against thy knowledge and conscience; in the sight of G.o.d; against all his mercies; and how obstinately thou hast gone on, and how unthankfully thou hast rejected mercy, and neglected Christ, and refused grace. Think what had become of thee, if thou hadst died in this case; and how exceedingly thou art beholden to the patience of G.o.d, that he cut thee not off, and cast thee not into h.e.l.l, and that he hath provided and offered thee a Saviour, and is yet willing to pardon and accept thee through his Son, if thou wilt but resolvedly return, and live in faith and holiness. These penitent thoughts and exercises will kill thy sin and cure thee. Fast and humble thyself for what thou hast done already: as the holy apostle saith, 1 Pet. iv.

1-5, "Forasmuch as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh, to the l.u.s.ts of men, but to the will of G.o.d.

For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, l.u.s.ts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, abominable idolatries, wherein they think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead."