Noah.

feeking for that which we fometime enjoyed at ease. Thus the Lord will not leave them unpunished, who, not regarding his works, follow the lufts and appetites of their own hearts. The Patriarch Noah, whom the Apo- 2 Peter ii. ftie calleth the preacher of righteoufnefs, a man exceedingly in God's favour, is in holy Scripture made an example, whereby we may learn to avoid drunkenness. For when he had poured in wine more than was convenient, in filthy manner he lay naked in his tent, his privities difcovered. And whereas fometime he was fo much efteemed, he is now become a laughing-flock to his wicked fon Cham, no fmall grief to Sem and Japhet, his other two fons, which were afhamed of their father's beaftly behaviour. Here we may note that drunkenness bringeth with it fhame and derifion, fo that it never escapeth unpunished. Lot, in like manner being over- Lot. come with wine, committed abominable inceft with his own daughters. So will Almighty God give over drunkards to the fhameful lufts of their own hearts. Here is Lot by drinking fallen fo far befide himself, that he knoweth not his own daughters. Who would have thought that an old man in that heavy cafe, having loft his wife and all that he had, which had feen even now God's vengeance in fearful manner declared on the five cities for their vicious living, fhould be fo far paft the remembrance of his duty? But men overcome with drink are altogether mad, as Seneca faith. He was deceived Epift. 84. by his daughters: but how many deceive themfelves, never thinking that God by his terrible punishments will be avenged on them that offend by excefs! It is no fmall plague that Lot purchafed by his drunkennefs. For he had copulation moft filthily with his own daughters, which conceived thereby, fo that the matter is brought to light; it can no longer be hid. Two inceftuous children are born, Ammon and Moab, of whom came two nations, the Ammonites and Moabites, abhorred of God, and cruel adverfaries to his people the Ifraelites. Lo, Lot hath gotten to himself, by drinking, forrow and care, with perpetual infamy and reproach unto the world's end. If God fpared not his fervant Lot, being otherwife a godly man, nephew unto Abraham, one that entertaiħed the angels of God; what will he do to these beastly belly-flaves, which, void of all godlinefs or virtuous behaviour, not once, but continually day and night, give themfelves wholly to bibbing and banquetting? But let us yet further behold the terrible examples of God's in

dignation

Amnon.

Exod. xxxii.

dignation againft fuch as greedily follow their unfatiable 2 Sam. xiii. lufts. Amnon the fon of David, feafting himself with his brother Abfalom, is cruelly murdered of his own Judith xiii. brother. Holofernes, a valiant and mighty captain, being overwhelmed with wine, had his head ftricken from his fhoulders by that filly woman Judith. Simon the high priest, and his two fons, Mattathias and Judas, being entertained of Ptolemy the fon of Abobus, who had before married Simon's daughter, after much eating and drinking were traitorously murdered of their own kinfman. If the Ifraelites had not given themselves to bellycheer, they had never fo often fallen to idolatry. Neither would we at this day be fo addicted to fuperftition, were it not that we fo much efteemed the filling of our I Cor. x. bellies. The Ifraelites, when they served idols, fate down to eat and drink, and rofe again to play, as the Scripture reporteth; therefore feeking to ferve their bellies, they forfook the fervice of the Lord their God. So are we drawn to confent unto wickedness, when our hearts are overwhelmed by drunkennefs and feafting. So Herod setting his mind on banquetting, was content to grant, that the Matt. xiv. holy man of God, John Baptift, fhould be beheaded at the request of his whore's daughter. Had not the rich glutton been fo greedily given to the pampering of his belly, he would never have been fo unmerciful to the Luke xvi. poor Lazarus, neither had he felt the torments of the unquenchable fire. What was the cause that God fo horriEzek. xvi. bly punished Sodom and Gomorrah? Was it not their proud banquetting and continual idlenefs, which caufed them to be fo lewd of life, and fo unmerciful towards the poor? What fhall we now think of the horrible excefs, whereby fo many have perished, and been brought to Alexander. deftruction? The great Alexander, after that he had conquered the whole world, was himfelf overcome by drunkenness, infomuch that, being drunken, he flew his faithful friend Clitus, whereof, when he was fober, he was fo much afhamed, that for anguifh of heart he wished death. Yet notwithstanding, after this he left not his banquetting; but in one night fwilled in fo much wine, that he fell into a fever, and when as by no means he would abstain from wine, within few days after in miferable fort he ended his life. The conqueror of the whole world is made a flave by excefs, and becometh fo mad, that he murdereth his dear friend; he is plagued with forrow, fhame, and grief of heart for his intemperance; yet can he not leave it; he is kept in captivity; and he,

which fometime had fubdued many, is become a fubje&t to the vile belly. So are drunkards and gluttons altogether without power of themfelves; and the more they drink, the drier they wax; one banquet provoketh another; they ftudy to fill their greedy ftomachs. Therefore it is commonly faid, A drunken man is always dry, and A glutton's gut is never filled. Unfatiable truly are the affections and lufts of man's heart, and therefore we muft learn to bridle them with the fear of God, fo that we yield not to our own lufts, left we kindle God's indignation against ourselves, when we feek to fatisfy our beaftly appetite. St. Paul teacheth us, whether we eat or drink, 1 Cor. x. or whatfoever we do, to do all to the glory of God. Where he appointeth, as it were by a measure, how much a man may eat and drink that is to wit, fo much that the mind be not made fluggish by cramming in meat, and pouring in drink, fo that it cannot lift up itself to the glory and praife of God. Whofoever he be then, that by eating and drinking maketh himself unfit to serve God, let him not think to etcape unpunished.

:

Ye have heard how much Almighty God detefteth the abufe of his creatures, as he himself declareth, as well by his holy word, as alfo by the fearful examples of his juft judgment. Now if neither the word of God can restrain our raging lufts and greedy appetites, neither the manifest examples of God's vengeance fear us from riotous and exceflive eating and drinking, let us yet confider the manifold mifchiefs that proceed thereof, fo fhall we know the tree by the fruits. It hurteth the body, it infecteth the mind, it wafteth the fubftance, and is noisome to the neighbours. But who is able to exprefs the manifold dangers and inconveniences that follow of intemperate diet? Oft cometh fudden death by banquetting; fometimes the members are diffolved, and fo the whole body is brought into a miferable state. He that eateth and drinketh immeasurably, kindleth ofttimes fuch an unnatural heat in his body, that his appetite is provoked thereby to defire more than it fhould, or elfe it overcometh his ftomach, and filleth all the body full of fluggifhnefs, makes it unable and unfit to ferve either God or man, not nourishing the body, but hurting it; and last of all, bringing many kinds of incurable difeafes, whereof enfueth fometimes defperate death. But what fhould I need to fay any more in this behalf? For except God blefs our meats, and give them ftrength to feed us; again, except God give ftrength to nature to digeft, fo that we

may

I

Prov. xxiii.

may take profit by them, either fhall we filthily vomit them up again, or elfe fhall they lie ftinking in our bodies, as in a loathfome fink and channel, and fo diversely infect the whole body. And furely the bleffing of God is fo far from fuch as ufe riotous banquetting, that in their faces be fometimes feen the exprefs tokens of this intemperancy as Solomon noteth in his Proverbs. To whom is woe? faith he, to whom is forrow? To whom is ftrife? To whom is brawling? To whom are wounds without caufe? And for whom is the redness of eyes? Even to them that tarry long at the wine. Mark, I befeech you, the terrible tokens of God's indignation: woe and forrow, ftrife and brawling, wounds without caufe, disfigured face, and rednefs of eyes, are to be looked for, when men fet themselves to excefs and gormandize, devifing all means to increase their greedy appetites by tempering the wine, and faucing it in fuch fort, that it may be more delectable and pleafant unto them. It were expedient that fuch delicate perfons fhould be ruled by Solomon, who, in confideration of the aforefaid inconveniences, forProv. xxiii. biddeth the very fight of wine. Look not upon the wine, faith he, when it is red, and when it fheweth bis colour in the cup, or goeth down pleafantly: for in the end thereof it avill bite like a ferpent, and hurt like a cockatrice. Thine eyes fball look upon strange vomen, and thine heart fball Speak lewd things; and thou shalt be as one that fleepeth in the midst of the fea, and as he that fleepeth on the top of the maft. They have fricken me, thou shalt fay, but I was not fick; they have beaten me, but I felt it not; therefore will I feek it yet ftill. Certainly that muft needs be very hurtful which biteth and infecteth like a poifoned ferpent, whereby men are brought to filthy fornication, which caufeth the heart to devife mifchief. He doubtlefs is in great danger that fleepeth in the midst of the fea, for foon he is overwhelmed with waves. He is like to fall fuddenly that fleepeth on the top of the maft. And furely he hath loft his fenfes, that cannot feel when he is ftricken, that knoweth not when he is beaten. So, furfeiting and drunkenness bites by the belly, and caufeth continual gnawing in the ftomach, brings men to whoredom and lewdnefs of heart, with dangers unfpeakable; fo that men are bereaved and robbed of their fenfes, and are altogether without power of themfelves. Who feeth not now the miferable eftate, whereinto men are brought by thefe foul filthy monfters, gluttony and drunkennefs? The body is fo much difquieted by them, that as Jefus

the

the fon of Sirach affirmeth, The infatiable feeder never Ecclus. Sleepeth quietly, fuch an unmeasurable heat is kindled, xxxi. whereof enfueth continual ache and pain to the whole body. And no lefs truly the mind is alfo annoyed by furfeiting banquets for fometimes men are ftricken with frenzy of mind, and are brought in like manner to mere madness; fome wax fo brutish and blockifh, that they become altogether void of understanding. It is an horrible thing that any man fhould maim himself in any member: but for a man of his own accord to bereave himself of his wits. is a mischief intolerable. The Prophet Hosea, in the fourth chapter, faith, that Wine and drunkenness take Hofea iv. away the beart. Alas then, that any man fhould yield unto that, whereby he might bereave himfelf of the poffeffion of his own heart. Wine and women lead wife men out of the way, and bring men of understanding to reproof and bame, faith Jefus the fon of Sirach. Yea, he afketh, Ecclus. xix. what is the life of man that is overcome with drunkennefs. Wine drunken with excefs maketh bitterness of mind, Ecclus. and caufeth brawling and ftrife. In magiftrates it caufeth xxxi. cruelty inftead of juftice, as that wife philofopher Plato perceived right well, when he affirmed, that a drunken. man hath a tyrannous heart, and therefore will rule at his pleafure, contrary to right and reafon. And certainly drunkenness maketh men forget both law and equity, which caufed King Solomon fo ftrictly to charge that no Prov. xxxii. wine fhould be given unto rulers, left peradventure by drinking they forget what the law appointeth them, and fo change the judgment of all the children of the poor. Therefore among all forts of men, exceffive drinking is moft intolerable in a magiftrate or man of authority, as Plato faith for a drunkard knoweth not where he is De Repub. himself. If then a man of authority fhould be a drunk- lib. iii. ard, alas! how might he be a guide unto other men, ftanding in need of a governor himself! Befides this, a drunken man can keep nothing fecret: many fond, foolifh, and filthy words are spoken, when men are at their banquets. Drunkennefs, as Seneca affirmeth, difcovereth all wickednefs, and bringeth it to light; it removeth all fhamefaftnefs, and increafeth all mifchief. The proud man, being drunken, uttereth his pride, the cruel man his cruelty, and the envious man his envy, fo that no vice can lie hid in a drunkard. Moreover, in that he knoweth not himself, he fumbleth and flammereth in his fpeech, ftaggereth to and fro in his going, beholding nothing steadfastly with his ftaring eyes, believeth that the

houfe