THE CAUSE and PREVENTION OF Great Calamities National and Personal: demonstrated, And Rcommended to the Consciences of all Concerned; Especially Keepers of Taverns, Inns, and other Houses of Entertainment, to Read and Consider in the fear of the All-seeing God.
YOu who keep Taverns and other publick Houses of Entertainment in the fear of God the Righteous Judge of all, seriously consider how you discharge and answer a good Conscience towards God and Men in your places. Do not Covet an evil Covetousness unto your Houses, for wo is to them that do so Covet, Hab. 2. 9. Do not live upon the Sins of the People; let not your Profits or Gain arise from thence, for that will not-prosper: Have a care that you never let any Man or Woman have more Wine or other strong Liquors then what is Necessary for their Refreshment and Health, in that they may praise God, that whether they eat or drink, &c. they may do all to his Praise and Glory; every Creature of God is good, and ought to be received in Moderation with Thanks giving, and none of his Mercies abused or mispent in Excess or Extravagancy. Pray consider the sad effects of Excess, Drunkenness, Extravagant and Intemperate Living, whence they proceed, what they are, and what they tend to. They proceed from the Wicked one and men's Insatiable Lusts, they are Sins against God and Men's Souls, and tend to these Evils, Miseries and Calamities following, Viz.
Ily, To bring the wo, wrath, and Iudgments of God upon them that are Guilty thereof, Abet, or Incourage the same— Prov. 23. 29. Isa. 3. 11. Hab. 2. 15. Isa. 24. 45.
IIly, To Impare and destroy persons in their Healths and Estates, to Ruin their Children and Families, by bringing them to Poverty and Misery, Prov. 23. 20, 21.
IIIly, To stir up vain Mirth, Musick, Gaming, Playes and Sports, Ranting, Singing, and Koreing, whereby their minds are elivated and hurried from all Sobriety, Seriousness, and Fear of God, 1 Cor. 10. 7. Exod. 32. 6. Eccles. 7. 5. Isa. 24. 9.
IVly, To nurse up Lewdness, Debauchery and whoredom, which is a great Cause of the Land mourning, Hosea 4. 2, 3, 11.
Vly, To Oaths, Swearing, Execrations, Cursing and also Prophaning, and Blaspheming the holy Name of Almighty God, the frequent Evils and Effects of Drunkenness, and Excess of Kiot, which also cause the Land to mourn, Jer. 22. 10. Hosea 4. 2, 3.
VIly, Excessive Drinking, Tipling and Drunkenness, tend to Unman Men, to make them Inhumane, Bruitish, Sottish and Contemptible in the Eyes of God, and all sober good men, being contrary to the Law of God and Nature, below such brute Creatures (as Horses, Oxen and other Cattle) that will not be compelled to drink more then they have need.
VIIly, To Threatning, Railing, Quarrelling, Fighting, Bloodshedding, and abusing one another, sometimes to the Loss of Lives, Killing & destroying one another; and sometimes also Killing and Murdering other people who do them no harm, as Who hath Wo? Who hath Sorrow? Who hath Contentions? Who hath Wounds without Cause? Who hath Redness of Eyes?—They that tarry long at the Wine: they that go to seek mixt Wine.—At the last it biteth like a Serpent, and stingeth like an Adder. See Prov. 23. 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32. they are walking or travelling quietly along the Streets or Highways, too often the fruits of Drunkenness, Excess, and Inflamation of Blood by Wine or strong Liquors, which also is the Cause of a Land mourning, Hosea 4. 2, 3.
VIIIly, How many do shorten and end their days by Exeess and Intemperance; besides, No Drunkard, whoremenger, Railer or Extortioner shall inherit God's Kingdom, 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10. Gal. 5. 19, 20, 21. But are utterly excluded, unless they come to timely and unfeigned Repentance and Amendment of Life through God's free Grace and Mercy to them.
Oh the Lamentable consequences of Excess and Drunkenness, wasting and abusing God's Creatures and Mercies, and may he not therefore in Judgment with-hold them, and bring want and distress upon many? Is it not just that such as abuse God's Mercies by EXCESS, should come to want them for Relief? Pray consider, and read Joel 1. 5.
IXly, And how many are brought under the Condign punishment of Death, for Killing and Murdering others in their drunken Fits?
Xly, What Cheating, Stealing. Robbing, Killing and murdering for Money, to maintain Excess, Drunkenness, Lewdness & Debauchery? How apparent is it? and how many sad Instances thereof, that we see scarce a Sessions in London, or Assizes in one County or other without a Relation of some such like sad accident, as Bloodshed, Loss of Life or Lives? And where did they begin but oft times at such a Tavern or Publick house, or Merry drinking bout (as they call it?) They were inflamed with high drinking, and so the heats and feuds did first arise which produced those Lamentable Effects.
XIly, And because some are more strong and mighty to drink Wine and strong Drink, and can bear it more then others, through Custom and Habit thereof, so as not to be so apparently drunk, this will not excuse them in their excssive and intemperate course of Living, devouring or wasting the Creatures of God to satisfie their inordinate Desires and Lusts, nor rescue them from the wo denounced by the holy Prophet against such; see Isa. 5. 11, 12, 22. And every one that Sweareth sha [...]l be cut off, &c. Zach. 5. 3. By Swearing, and Lying, and Killing, and Stealing, and committing Adultery, they break out, and Blood toucheth Blood, Therefore shall the Land mourn, &c. Hosea 4. 2, 3. if the Righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the Wicked & Ʋngodly appear? 1 Pet. 4. 18.
XIIly, These sad and lamentable Consequences of Drunkenness and Excess seriously considered; you that are Vintners, and others that keep publick Houses, and all others concerned, avoid and shun these Evils, and minister no occasion, nor Incouragement to them, nor connive at them for ungodly Gain; let not Covetousness blind your Eyes, have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of Darkness but rather in God's fear reprove them; manifest your Love and Care to and for your Customers Welfare, Health and Preservation as for your own, to the best of your understanding; and as you see cause by advising them in love and tenderness to forbear Excess, & that which is for their own hurt, and not to drink to their own prejudice, that they may not only reap the Comfort and Benefit of their Moderation and Temperateness, but you and your Families be blessed and prospered in your Christianlike Care therein.
But if any of you prove false to God and to your own Consciences, See also De [...]. 29. 18, 19, 20. Whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God—to add Drunkenness unto Thirst—the Lord will not spare him, but the Anger of the Lord and his Jealousie shall smoke against that Man—and the Lord shall blot out his Name from under Heaven. and also to People that come to your Houses, (by your not discharging your selves towards them as you ought to do, in Truth and Righteousness, according to his Light and Truth in you,) and will connive at, give way or contribute unto inordinate Drinking, Gaming, musick, Dancing, Singing, Debauchery or Lewdness in your Houses, to the dishonour of God, and the Name of Christ Jesus, tending to their own and Families Ruin who are concerned therein; Then are you Accessary and Guilty in the sight of God of their Evils, which will tend to the drawing down a Curse, and Iudgments of God upon you, your Houses and Families.
Therefore pertake not with any of the wicked in their-Sins, nor give any way or encouragement to them therein, that you may not pertake with them of their Plagues, Rev. 18. 4. Ephes. 5. 6, 7.
Whoever persist in those Sins of Excess, Pride and Drunkenness, &c. do incur the wo denounced against both; see Isa. 28. 1.
In King Charles II. his Proclamation against Vicious, Debauched and Prophane Persons, &c. dated May the 30th, 1660. in the Twelfth Year of his Reign, are these Remarkable Passages following.
THere is a sort of Men of whom we are sufficiently ashamed, who spend their time in Taverns, Tippleing-Houses and Debauches, giving no other Evidence of their affection to us, but in Drinking our Pealth, and inveighing against all others who are not of their own dissolute temper, & who [...] have more, discredited our Cause, by the license of their Manners and Lives, then they could ever advance it by their Affection and Courage—We reasonably hope these men will cordially renounce all that Licensciousness Prophaneness and Impiety with which they have been corrupted, and endeavoured to corrupt others; and that they will hereafter become Examples of Sobriety and Vertue.—We will not exercise iust severity against any Male factors, sooner then against Men of Dissolute, Debauched & Prophane Lives, with what parts soever they may be otherwise qualified and endowed.—And we hope all Persons of Honour, or in Place and Authority, will so far assist Ʋs in discountenancing such Men, that their Discretion and Shame will persw de them to reform what their Consciences would not.—Which may by the Example and Severity of Vertuous Men be easily discountenanced, and by degrees suppressed.
However for the more effectual reforming these Men, who are a discredit to the Nation, and unto any Cause they pretend to favour and wish well to. We require all Mayors▪ and Sheriffs, and Justices of the Peace, to be very vigilant and strict in the discovery and prosecution of all Dissolute and Prophane Swearing and Cursing.
THis was Re-inforced by a second Proclamation of the King, the 13th of August 1660. charging all Ministers to read it once each Month, for six Months ensuing, and stir up their Auditors to observe the said Duties, and avoid the said Vices.
Printed, and Sold by T. Sowle at the Crooked-Billet in Holywell-Lane, in Shoreditch, 1692.