Yet after all this, I shall remember you that you run not into the contrary extreme: place not more religion in external abstinence and fastings than you ought: know your own condition, and how far either fasting or eating is really a help or a hinderance to you in those greater things which are their ends, and so far use them.[432] A decaying body must be carefully supported: an unruly body must be carefully subdued: the same medicines serve not for contrary tempers and diseases: to think, that abstaining from flesh, and glutting yourselves with fish and other meats, is acceptable to God; or that mere abstaining so many hours in a week, and serving your appetite on the rest, is meritorious; or that abstinence from meat will prove you holy, without an abstinence from sin, all this is self-deluding error. Nor must you raise a great many of perplexing scruples about all that you eat or drink, to no edification, but merely to your vexation; but in cheerful temperance preserve your health, and subdue concupiscence.
_Tit._ 2. _Directions against Drunkenness, and all Excess of Drink._
I. The most that I have said against gluttony will serve against excess of drink also, therefore I need not repeat it. Drunkenness, in the largest sense, extendeth both to the affection and to the effect: and so he is a drunkard (that is, reputatively, in the sight of God) who would drink too much if he had it, and is not restrained by his will, but by necessity.
Drunkenness in the effect or act, is sometimes taken more largely, sometimes more strictly. Largely taken, it signifieth all drinking to excess to please the appetite. Two things here make up the crime: 1. Love of the drink, or pleasing the appetite, which we call gulosity. 2. Excess in drinking; which excess may be in quantity or quality.
Drunkenness strictly taken, signifieth drinking till reason have received some hurt: and of this there be many degrees. He that hath in the least degree disturbed his reason, and disabled or hindered it from its proper office, is drunken in that degree: and he that hath overturned it, or quite disabled it, is stark drunk, or drunk in a greater degree.
All excess of drink is sinful gulosity or sensuality, of the same nature with gluttony, and falls under all my last reproofs and directions. And in some persons that can sit it out, and bear much drink without intoxication, the sin may be greater than in some others, that by a smaller quantity are drunk by a surprise, before they are aware; but yet, _cæteris paribus_, the overthrow of the understanding maketh the sin to be much the greater; for it hath all the evil that the other degrees have, with more. It is a voluptuous excess in drink to the depravation of reason. Gulosity is the general nature of it: excess is the matter: depravation of reason is its special form.
It is excess of drinking, when you do drink more than, according to the judgment of sound reason, doth tend to fit your body mediately or immediately for its proper duty, without a greater hurt. Sometimes the immediate benefit is most to be regarded (as, if a man had some present duty of very great moment to perform). The present benefit consisteth, 1. In the abatement of such a troublesome thirst or pain, as hindereth you from doing your duty. 2. In adding that refocillation and alacrity to the spirits, as maketh them fitter instruments for the operations of the mind and body. That measure which doth one or both of these without greater hurt is not too great. I say, without greater hurt; because if any should in a dropsy or a fever prefer a little present ease and alacrity before his health and life, it were excess. Or if any man ordinarily drink more than nature will well digest, and which causeth the inconcoction of his meat, and consequently crudities, and consequently a dunghill of phlegm and vicious humours fit to engender many diseases, this is excess of drinking, though he feel it ease him and make him cheerful for the present time. And this is the common case of most bibbers or tipplers that are not stark drunkards: they feel a present ease from thirst, and perhaps a little alacrity of spirits, and therefore they think that measure is no excess, which yet tendeth to crudities and diseases, and the destruction of their health and life.