[...] cleannesse of lyfe; commanding us to abstaine from Drunken­nesse, which bringeth us for­warde unto Whoredome: and when wee haue once embraced these, they leade us captiue, unto the breach of Gods Sabbath: to bee disobedient unto our Pa­rents, Magistrates, and Pastors: to steale: to murder: to sweare, and forsweare: yea, to become Idolaters, and blasphemers of Gods Name, &c. as shall bee showne hereafter, God willing, by sufficient Testimonies, as well out of Gods worde, as also from the Wrytings of holie and learned Authors: together with manifest Examples; of the which some haue happened evē [Page]in our dayes. But first of all, let us come along the Borders of the Byble, and take a view how the Plague of Drunken­nesse hath miserablie infected some even of GODS dearest Saincts, from the beginning.

Then to begin with Noah▪ who first after the Flood plan­ted a Vineyarde, was first drun­ken, and cursed his sonne Cham, because hee mocked him, when he saw him lye sleeping unco­vered. Genes. 9.21.

What excuse can our Drun­kards now adayes, drawe from Noah? he knew not the quali­tie of the Grape, but was beg [...] ­led with the juyce thereof; and that after his wearisome busines [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page]no doubt: and yet for his fault he escapeth not, but is punished with the derision of his owne sonne, his sonne is accursed, and the whole generation of the Ca­naanites also accursed of God for his sake: beholde, Noahs indi­gent drunkennesse is the origi­nall hereof: And shall we then be blamelesse, who wilfully, wit­tinglie, & of set purpose, drinke our selues drunken? giving it the name of Merrinesse, Good­fellowship, &c. No, surelie, ex­cept wee forsake and detest our vylde Drunkennesse, not onelie shall our flesh and blood (and all godly Men) hold us in derision; but God Himselfe will laugh us to scorne, the Earth shall bee ac­cursed [Page]for our sakes, and at the Great Day of the Lord we shall descende downward, & receiue a portion in the Lake which is alreadie prepared with fire and brimstone, for the Devill, who shall bee accompanied with the impenitent Drunkardes, Har­lots, Sabbath-breakers Swea­rers, &c. Therefore, in the Name of God, let us joyn hands with the holy Ghost (leaving off all Vncleannesse) and sanctifie the Lords Sabbath here; so shall we possesse those glorious Man­sions hereafter which Hee hath prepared for us from the begin­ning of the worlde.

Lots two Daughters beguiled their Father: they made him [Page] drunken: and there-upon hee committed moste abhominable Incest, & begot his own daugh­ters with childe: and, though hee knew not of it, yet was hee punished in that his untimelie seede: (the seede of Drunken­nesse we may call it) for the el­dest daughter bare the father of the Moabites, and the younger the father of the Ammonites; who as they were begotten in drun­ken incestuous whoredome, so were they, and their posteritie, vylde and wicked. Genes. 19. Vers. 32.33.34.35. &c.

The Lord Himselfe maketh Drunkennesse a marke, where­by the unholie are known from the holie, and the unclean from [Page]the cleane. Leviticus, Chap. 10. Vers. 9.10.

And vvhat hapned unto Na­bal, I pray you, after his drun­kennesse? The Scripture saith, that he was verie drunken: and he never rose againe: for within ten dayes after, the Lord smote that drunken gluttonous churle that he died. 1. Sam. 38.

When David had committed adulterie with Vriahs wife, hee sent for her husband from the Campe, and made him drun­ken: thinking that drunkennes would provoke him to Lust, to goe downe to his house, & lye with his wife, &c. But because drunkennes prevailed not to cover adulterie, murder procee­ded: [Page]yea, murder after murder: so that the sworde never depar­ted from Davids house. 2. Sam. Vers. 10.

It is to bee marked, that the wise king Salomon often joyneth Whoredome, with Drunken­nesse; strong drink, with strange women, &c. as unseparable companions: and saieth, that those are the wayes which de­stroy even kinges, and causeth them to forget Gods decree, & to change the judgement of the children of affliction. Prov. 23. Vers. 27.28.29.30.31.32.33. And Chap. 31. Vers. 3.4.5.

And Iesus Syrach, in his booke called Ecclesiasticus, rayleth out moste bitterlie against the vyces [Page]of Drun [...]ennesse, Gluttonie, Leacherie, &c. saying, that they bring men to povertie, make them impudent, to forget God, & all goo [...] manners, plenisheth men full of [...]glie diseases in this life: and in the ende bringeth both bodie and soule into Hell fire. Syrach 19.3. and 23.6. and 31.12.

The Prophet Isaiah thunde­ring out the threatnings of the Lord against His people, up­braydeth them especiallie with Drunkennesse, and maketh it the verie roote of all Mischiefe, even amongst men of every vo­cation: for hee spareth neyther King nor Bishop, Prophet nor Puritane, Priest nor Laicke, Ma­ster [Page]nor Servant: but saith, they all goe astraye through strong Drinke, and are even swallo­wed up with Drunkennesse. If any should be offended hereat, I trust hee will blame the Prophet for his downe-setting, and excuse mee for my repetition: for it is not mine inten­tion to cavill with any, nor to moue them to wrath: but rather to make my selfe, and others, abhorre Drun­kennesse. Loe, reade the places: Isaiah, Chap. 5. vers. 11.12.22.23. And Chap. 22. vers. 13.14. And Chap. 28. vers. 7.8. And Chap. 56. vers. 10.11.12.

Now take but a slender view what the prophet Ezekiel says of Drūkennes, Gluttonie, Pryde, and Ydlenesse, together with [Page] Whoredome, those fiue sisters; in the 16. chapt. of his Prophe­sie: and so let us goe on, and see what Daniel sayth of Drunken­nesse, and the rest of the holie Prophets.

It is then manifest by Daniel, that God, even our owne God, is a mercifull Lord, slow to an­ger, and readie to forgiue: yea, in His wrath He thinketh on mer­cie. But if His mercies, loving kindnesse, and wonderfull great benefits, which Hee bestoweth upon us, from time to time, pre­vayle not with us; then wee must understand that He is righteous, and is forced (thorow our ingratitude) to enter into judge­ment with us. As we see by the [Page]example of many here & there thorow the whole Byble: and in this place by Belshazzar, king of Babylon, who succeeded to the kingdome when Nebuchadnezar was driven from Babel, & from the fellowship of men, and was faine to eate grasse with beastes, and abide heate, colde, and wet, till his haire grewe like Eagles feathers, and his nayles like the clawes of Fowles? this miserie came unto him, no doubt, tho­row Wantonnesse, Drunken­desse, Gluttonie, and Whore­dome: for those are the Chaines where-with Satan bindeth the worlde, and draweth us from the true service of our God, and maketh us abjectes, and slaues [Page]unto sinne, & at last to become like himselfe, even damned for ever. Thus much concerning Nebuchadnezar.

Now let us goe on, unto Bel­shazzar, of whom wee spake be­fore: and let us beholde what kinde of Ryot, Gluttonie, and Drunkennesse he used, & what was the successe thereof. The Scripture sayth, he made a Feast unto no lesse than a thousande Princes: and that hee drunke much wine in their companie: yea, till hee became drunken. And then forsooth no Vessels could serue him to drinke in, but those of Golde and Silver, which his Grandfather Nebu­chadnezar had taken out of the [Page]Temple of the Lord in Hierusa­lem: those, I say, he caused bring before him, filled them with strong Drinke, and he, his prin­ces, wiues, concubines, and har­lots dranke, and were beastlie drunken: then thought they no more on the God of Heaven: but rather in contempt of Him, with wide throats they praysed the gods which were made with mens hands, of Golde, Sil­ver, Brasse, Yron, Wood, and of Stone. But what followed up­on this Drunkennesse? As I take it, the drinke was not yet digested when the king was slaine, his house divided, and a miserable ende hapned on the whole drunken rout, I war­rand [Page]you. Daniel, Chap. 4. vers. 30. And Chap. 5. vers. 1.2.3.4.30.31.

Hosea prophesieth, that there shall be like people, like priest: they shall eate, but not bee satis­fied: they shall commit Adulte­rie, but not increase: Whore­dome & wine taketh away their heart: the spirit of Fornication causeth them to erre: they still goe a whoring: therefore their daughters shall be Harlots, and their spouses Whores: & their Drunkennesse stinketh. But I hope there are no such priestes in this Age: if there bee, I dare say they are amongst the Papists, but not amongst us. But I pray you reade the 4.5. and 6. Chapters [Page]of Hosea, for in them is so much sayd of Priests, that I thinke a Iesuit will [...] enough adoe to expound them.

The Prophet Ioel biddeth the Drunkardes to awake, and in steade of their drunken pa­styme and laughter, to howle, and lament: for, sayth hee, yee haue made sale of Gods people: and the price which ye get, yee bestow it on Harlots, and on Wine, that ye may drinke, and bee drunken: but woe bee unto you, for the drinke shall be pul­led from your mouth, & a sud­den destruction shall come up­on you. Ioel, Chap. 1. Vers. 5. And Chap. 3. vers. 3.4.

Micah, in his 2. Chapt. threat­neth the wanton Drunkardes, and [...]