SEEMON YIIL
We might live soherly, <&c. — Titus ii. 12.
Second branch, sobriety in meats and drinks. If you ask which is worst, excess in meat or drink, gluttony or drunkenness ? I answer — Drunkenness is more odious, and doth more sensibly deprive a man of the use of reason, and put him upon actions unseemly, and is the cause of more diseases and disorders in the body. But then gluttony is very dangerous, partly because it is not of such a great disreputation among men as drunkenness, and shame is one of the restraints of sin ; partly because it insensibly creeps upon us, as Austin complained, Ehrietas longe a me est, crapula autem nonnunquam surrepit servo tuo — Lord, I abhor drunkenness, but gluttony creeps unawares upon me. If it be inquired again, which sin is worst, he that is immoderate in the use of pleasure, or he that is immoderate in worldly cares ? I answer — Gross intemperance brings more dishonour to God, and worldly cares more spiritual disadvantage to our souls. A worldling doth not dishonour God openly so much as a drunkard, but then he is more incapable of conviction and of heavenly things ; and by distracting his heart with cares he shrewdly endangereth his salvation. As for drunkards and sensualists, their face declareth their shame, and their crime is written in their foreheads ;
VeR. 12.] SERMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. ISl
and so they have less of defence against the strokes of the word ; therefore our Saviour saith, Mat. xxi. 31, that ' the puhhcans and harlots go into the kingdom of God hefore you.'
These things premised, I come to speak of sohriety in the use of meats and drinks. I join them both together, because grace is exer- cised in the restraint of both. Christians, as we are your remembrancers to God, so we must be God's remembrancers to you, and every part of conversation falls under some rule of religion. The apostle saith, 1 Peter i. 15, ' As he that hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation ; ' in every point, and every affair of life ; and therefore eating and drinking being one part of human conversation, it is necessary to give you some directions. It is very familiar with men to miscarry by appetite, more familiar with man than with beasts. There is no beast but swine will overeat themselves ; they know their stint and measure. But, Lord, how far is man fallen ! Nature is not only blind in point of worship, but weak m point of appetite. The relics of inordinancy are in the regenerate. The holiest men had need of caution, as Christ saith to his disciples, ' Take heed and beware that your hearts be not over-charged with surfeiting and drunkenness,' Luke xxi. 34. And the apostle bids Timothy to flee youthful lusts, to be chaste and pure as he was : 2 Tim. ii. 22, ' Flee also youthful lusts, but follow after righteousness, faith, charit3^ peace, with them that call on the Lord with a pure heart.' Yea, those that are wisest and most accomplished many times are swallowed up in this gulf. Who would have thought that Adam and Eve, endowed with the image of God, should have miscarried by appetite, by eating? or that Solomon, who had such large gifts and knowledge, from the cedar to the hyssop, should miscarry by women ? and that persons of excellent abilities are many times of a riotous conversation ? Certainly we are weakest where we think ourselves strong. When the upper part of the soul is sufficiently fortified with counsel and knowledge, the devil dare not assault us in point of error, but then he draws us away by appetite, and the baits of the flesh ; and therefore we had need speak of sobriety in meats and drinks.
Now sobriety becomes all persons, especially magistrates, ministers, women, and youth. Magistrates and ministers, because of the dignity of their office; women, because of the imbecility of their sex; and youth, because of the slipperiness of their age.
1. For magistrates : Prov. xxxi. 4, 5, ' It is not for kings, 0 Lemue, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes strong drink. Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish.' It is an allusion to the custom among the Jews ; if a man were condemned to die, it was their courtesy to give him spiced wine to attenuate and thin the blood, that it might sooner pass out of the body, and to inebriate the senses that he might be less sensible of his pain. Now ' it is not for kings to drink wine,' not for the judge, but for the condemned person. So Eccles. x. 16, 17, ' Woe unto thee, 0 land, when thy princes eat in the morning. Blessed art thou, 0 land, when thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness.' Magistrates cannot be good or bad alone ; when they are given to sensual delights, it is more odious in them, for it unfits and diverts them from public business ; Avhen they spend their time in excess, they are totally indisposed for counsel and wise
132 SEKMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. [SeE. VIIL