A SERMON AGAINST DRUNKENNESS: Preached at Ware by DANIEL DENT Bachelor in Divinity, and Fellow of King's College in CAMBRIDGE.  ESAY, 58. 1. I Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgressions, and the house of jacob their sins. 
IN DOMINO CONFIDO   printer's or publisher's device 
Printed by the Printers to the University, of CAMBRIDGE.   

❧ TO THE RIGHT Worsh. and highly honoured Mris MARY MORE, all happiness here in this life, and in that to come.  
Right worshipful,  
I Know the world will be offended with me, that I dare presume to set out a plain Sermon against drunkenness in these times, wherein so many learned handwritings are extant already, decked and adorned with much eloquence, enough to strike amazement into the hearts of all Belshazzars, that shall take the least view of them: yet if they consider the motive that induced me hereunto, they will, if not Apologise for me, yet abate something of the rigour of their censures. Now my main and only inducement to be in print, was not, as men usually plead and I might also if I would, the importunity of friends, or that I thought in my judgement these vulgar notes of mine fit to come to the press; but especially a vehement desire which I had to testify unto the world, how fain I would (if I could tell how) express my thankfulness unto you, for your favours conferred upon me from my very cradle unto this present; which have been so many that they cannot be specified: for you have done with me as the young Lady did with Moses, not only saved me from the waters, the bitter waters of penury, but also nursed me in those famous places, where both the learning of the Egyptians and the religion of the Israelites do superabundantly flourish. I am persuaded you take no pleasure to see your goodness trumpeted to the world; for you know that Virtue's fairest Theatre is a good Conscience: but yet thankfulness doth not love to smother benefits, but teacheth us to acknowledge from whom we have received them. Be pleased therefore to receive these few notes, as from one whose highest pitch of ambition is, to be thankful unto you for your many and many favours. I hope your worship will not be offended with me, that I dare trouble you with the reading of a plain Sermon of this subject, whose great endowments of Nature the world knoweth can reach deeper speculations: But you out of your wisdom will consider my honest intentions; in confidence whereof I cease to be further troublesome unto you, craving pardon for my boldness, and humbly entreating the continuance of your favour to him, who acknowledgeth himself  
Bound to you in all dutiful observance, DANIEL DENT.   

A SERMON AGAINST DRUNKENNESS  JOEL 1. 5. I Awake ye drunkards, and weep and howl all ye drinkers of wine; for the new wine shall be taken from your mouths. 
IT is DAVID's assertion, 
Psal. 107. 34  that God turns a fruitful land into barrenness for the sins of those that dwell therein: the truth of this we see verified here in the land of judah, a fruitful land, a land that flowed with milk and honey, yet became barren for the sins of those that inhabited the same; for so we may read in the verse going before; That which the Palmerworm had left, the Locust had eaten, and that which the Locust had left, the Cankerworm had consumed: So that between them all they had destroyed the fruits of the earth, and a heavy famine was fallen upon the whole land of judah.  
I am not ignorant that some of the Fathers would have these words to be meant tropically, and not literally: Saint Jerome by those creatures understands the enemies that▪ God did send to overthrow them: some write, that by the Palmerworm is meant Theglaphalasar; by the Locust, Salmanazar; by the Cankerworm, Senacherib; and by the Caterpillar, Nebuchadonazer, who last of all took the Nation captive; but I rather, with Theodoret, take these words to be meant literally, though in the next words of the Text, we read of a Nation coming into the land, mighty and strong. It is usual with the holy Ghost to style them by that name of people, or Nation. Solomon describes the Ants to be a people not strong; 
Prov. 30. 25. 26.  the Coneys to be feeble folk, the Locusts to have no king, and yet to go forth by bands: and so here we see, though these creatures have no king, yet God marshals them all in order, to bring a famine upon judah: one year he sent an army of Palmerwormes; another, of Locusts; a third, of Cankerwormes; a fourth, of Caterpillars; and these for four years together destroyed the vines and fruits of the earth, and for so long brought an heavy dearth upon the whole land. Now the Prophet, seeing this heavy judgement of famine to have fallen upon the land, he labours to awaken all by true repentance; as that is the fittest time to move to amendment of life, when God's judgements are upon the earth; for than if the inhabitants thereof will not learn righteousness, they never will. And as the Prophet awakens all to repentance, so he giveth the first on set upon Drunkards, and that not without cause; for as they had the chiefest hand in pulling down God's wrath and vengeance upon the whole land, so there was good reason that they should be the forwardest in reversing that judgement that was out against them, by speedy and unfeigned repentance. So that these words are an Alarm to awaken Drunkards; or we may style them, an Handwriting to hang upon the wall of every Belshazzar; the sight whereof may strike horror and amazement into them, may trouble their thoughts and change their countenances; for here is MENE, MENE, TEKEL, VPHARSIN, thou art weighed, o Belshazzar, in the balance; thou art found too light; thy kingdom, to wit, thy wine, in which thou dost so much triumph and glory, is taken from thee, and is divided amongst the Locusts and the Caterpillars.  
In the words we have two parts; 

1. An Exhortation, Awake ye drunkards, and weep and howl all ye drinkers of wine.  
2. A Reason of the same in these words, For the new wine shall be taken from your mouths.    
1. In the Exhortation two things; 

1. The persons exhorted, Drunkards, and drinkers of wine.  
2. The duty unto which they are exhorted; and that is twofold; 

1. To Awake.  
2. To Weep or howl.      
First, of the persons that are awakened; and they are Drunkards, and drinkers of wine. I will notstand curiously to define Drunkenness, nor to show the diverse kinds of Drunkards; methinks the Prophet here lets us understand whom he means to be drunkards, when he styles them Drinkers of wine: we must first of all then inquire who these wine-drinkers are.  
Now, to drink wine is not unlawful; for every creature is good, if it be received with thanksgiving; and wine moderately taken, saith Solomon, makes glad the heart, and therefore he would have it given to them that were of heavy hearts; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, It is not the use of wine, but the abuse that is forbidden, as chrysostom observes: for there was drunkenness before the virtue of the grape was known to Noah; 
Gen. 9  and surely, if to drink wine had been unlawful, our Saviour would never have turned water into wine at the marriage Feast; especially, he would never have instituted it as a memorial of his Bloodshedding: So that the Prophet doth not mean to call them drunkards, or drinkers of wine, that drink either for hilarity, or refreshment of their spirits, much less for necessity; but such as drink intemperately: so Theodoret observes upon this place, Vinum bibere non est malum, sed intemperanter bibere est perniciosum, To drink wine is no evil at all, but to drink inordinately is a mortal crime.  
Now this immoderate drinking is seen in three things;  
First, when the affection is set too much upon the wine, 
Prov. 23. 31  therefore Solomon exhorts, Not to look upon the wine when it giveth his colour in the glass; his meaning is, we should not lust vehemently after it: 
1. Tim. 3. 3.  So Paul would not have a Bishop to be given to much wine; that is, not to set his affection inordinately upon the same.  
Secondly, they may be said to be Drinkers of wine that sit too long over their cups, that in the Taverns or Alehouses drink up too much of their time, Qui pitissando totum consumunt diem, that in whistling and sipping spend whole days: Though their brains be not intoxicated, yet are they said to be Drinkers; 
Esay 5. 11.  Woe be to those that rise early in the morning that they may follow strong drink, that continue until night, till the wine inflame them: And who knoweth not that we have as much liberty to waste our vital spirits, as our precious time?  
3. Last of all, they are drinkers of wine, Qui mensuram excedunt, that drink measure after measure without all measure: Be not drunk with wine (saith S. Paul) wherein is excess; 
Ephes. 5. 18.  his meaning is, that we should not drink excessively, more than Nature requires, either for necessity or refreshment.  
And thus we have heard briefly whom the Prophet means to be Drunkards, or Drinkers of wine; such as are given to much wine, that waste their time or exhaust their estate, wash away their brains and spirits by pouring in wine and strong drink.  
We now come to the duty unto which they are exhorted; and that is twofold; 

1. To Awake.  
2. To Weep and howl.    
1. They must Awake. It is the nature of drunkenness to cast men into a sleep, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, as Basil saith, 
Pasil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  The whole life of these men is nothing else but a continual sleep. And well may drunkenness be compared to a sleep in two respects;  
First of all, As sleep is caused by multitude of vapours which ascend up into the brain, and so stop the passage of the spirits; so drunkenness is caused by many fumes, which coming into the brain do stupefy the same, and hinder all the operations of the immortal soul.  
2. But especially it may be compared to sleep in this regard, that like as sleep doth deprive a man of the use of sense and reason, so doth this vice.  
First, sleep doth deprive a man of the use of sense; for as the Philosopher defineth sleep, it is nothing else but Ligatio sensuum, a binding of all the senses to their good behaviour; so drunkenness robs a man of common sense, and makes him worse than the bruit beast, and to become like the Idols that David speaks of, that have eyes and see not, 
Psal. 115. 6. 7  that have ears and hear not, hands and feel not, feet also that are not able to go.  
Secondly, as in sleep we have no use of reason, no more have they that are overtaken with this vice: when men are asleep (saith the Philosopher) they differ little from beasts; and the reason is, because the use of reason is suspended: I am sure, those that by evil company have rocked themselves asleep in this sin, are not at all to be distinguished from the sensitive creatures, but rather to be reputed in the number of them; nay, they come short of them; for they have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they have some resemblance of reason, to wit, the excellency of common sense, which hath some correspondency with humane discourse, but these swine have not so much as a glimpse of understanding in them; for (as Saint Basil excellently) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 
Basil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  as water quencheth fire, so immoderate drinking extinguisheth the celestial fire of reason, which God from heaven hath kindled in us. All men pity the forlorn estate of Nabuchadnezzar, who was deprived of his understanding, and caused to live amongst the Oxen, and beasts of the field: And is not the case of every Belshazzar more to be lamented, who wilfully lose their understanding, and live amongst beasts? For excellently doth chrysostom call Drunkenness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, it is a voluntary madness, and a traitor to all reason, and betrayeth the succour of the immortal soul: Sobriety makes a man able to guard himself against his spiritual enemies, but Intemperancie doth give up the mind to be captivated by them.  
Thus we have heard that Drunkenness casts men into a sleep, which takes away all use of sense and reason: But is there no means to awaken men out of this sleep? Yes, God's Minister must call upon them. The Prophet methinks here lifts up his voice like a trumpet, and labours to rouse them; and our tongues must cleave to the roof of our mouths before we leave calling upon them. It is sure that this sleep is so pleasant to them, that they are loath to be hindered of it; they cry, A little more sleep, and a little more slumber, and willingly they would not be disturbed; as we read of the Sybarites, that they killed all their cocks, lest by their crowing they should be awakened. But the Prophet calls upon them to awaken: And what is it to awaken? It is a metaphor taken from the body, and translated to the soul; that look as men when they awake out of bodily sleep, they are not the same men that they were before, having the use of all the powers of soul and body; so these men must change their minds and become sober. The Scripture doth often call upon them to awaken; S. Paul having to do with drunken Epicures, who cried, Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we shall die; 
1. Cor. 15. 32  No, saith he, rather awaken unto righteousness. And good reason why all should awake and repent of this vice, if we consider either the time wherein we live, or the danger that this vice exposeth us unto.  
First, if we remember the time wherein we live, and that is in the noonday of the Gospel, wherein it is a shame to be found asleep in this vice: 
Rom. 13. 12.  The night is passed (saith Saint Paul) and the day is at hand, let us not walk in chambering and wantonness, in surfeiting and drunkenness: and so he exhorts the Thessalonians to sobriety by this argument, 
1. Thes. 5. 7.  They that are drunk are drunk in the night, and they that sleep sleep in the night; but we are not of the night but of the day; let us therefore be sober and watch, 1. Thess. 5. 7. It is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes strong drink, saith Solomon, Prov. 31. 4. I am sure it is not for Christians to have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness: it was enough for the heathen, who lived in Egyptian darkness, to fall asleep in this vice; for us, upon whom the Sun of righteousness shineth most brightly, so much as to slumber in this sin, is extreme shame.  
The night of ignorance God regarded not, but now in the day of the Gospel he looks that all should awake; therefore (as Saint Augustin excellently) Quum, 
De ebrietate vitanda.  Deo propitio, dissimiles simus illis in fide, si●●ll●● in ebrietate penitus non debemus, When by God's mercy we are unlike unto them in our most holy faith, let us not be like unto them in the imitation of their manners, especially of their beastly drunkenness.  
Secondly, the danger that we are in while we sleep in this vice, may rouse us; for all the enemies of our salvation are ready to seize upon us, especially the Devil watcheth to catch us asleep in this vice; so Saint Peter tells us, Be sober and watch, 
1. Pet. 5. 8.  for your adversary the Devil goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour; and those that he finds asleep in this vice are a sure prey unto him: so the Flesh and the World will be sure to get the victory of us, if we awake not out of this vice. Aristotle relates of the Carthaginians, 
Oeconom.  that they often got the victory of their enemies; 
libro 1.  and he giveth the reason, because they abstained from wine always when they were to fight: I am sure, if we would get the day either of spiritual or temporal enemies, we must not suffer the wine to rock us asleep: therefore as Samson, 
judg. 16. 9 20.  when they told him The Philistines be upon thee, Samson, presently awoke; so when we hear that all our enemies are ready to surprise us, we cannot but awake. Yet for all the light of the Gospel shineth so brightly upon our faces, for all the great danger that we are in, some will not be persuaded to awake; but they sleep securely, though sudden desolation be ready to come upon them. We read of jonah, that he was fast asleep in the ship, when as it was like to be drowned: so in these times wherein the ship of the Church is like to be sunk with the waves of persecution, yet some revel and carouse as much as ever, and like Smith's dogs they lie fast asleep in this vice, when the sparckels of God's judgements are ready to fly about their ears. In the old world when men burnt with lust, God sent a flood to quench the fire of their concupiscence; now he sends the fire of his indignation to consume the liquor wherewith many have drowned themselves; and yet few will be warned to escape the wrath of God. Our Saviour tells us, that as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be in the latter days; now in Noah's time, they gave themselves to eating and drinking till the deluge came and swept them away; Would to God we did not live to see this verified! do not men give themselves to this sin of Sodom, and put far from them the evil day? God hath awakened the Germans by the sword that he hath sent amongst them, and he threateneth to do the like to us; but let the clear light of the Gospel move us to repentance, then shall not God be forced to awake us by his judgements. And the best had need to be careful to keep themselves awake, or else this sleep will seize upon them: Noah a Preacher of righteousness, a while slumbered in this vice; Vriah, that religious and valiant Captain, was once at a King's feast overcome by this; and holy job was afraid lest his sons in their feasts & merry meetings should fall into this dangerous sleep: yea if the very best were not sometime obnoxious to it, our Saviour would never have given a caution to his disciples to avoid this; Take heed (saith he) lest at any time your hearts be overtaken with surfeiting and drunkenness. 
Luke 21. 34.   
Now that we may all awake out of this sleep, we must first of all labour for God's grace, that may dispel those lusts which cause this sleep; for till such time we cannot awake; as we awake not out of natural sleep till the vapours which cause the same be dispersed by the natural heat: no more can we repent of this, till God's grace dispel those inordinate affections which cause the same: Therefore Saint Paul exhorts the Ephesians not to be drunk with wine wherein is excess, 
Ephes. 5. 18.  but to be filled with the Spirit; as if the Apostle had said, If ye will abundantly thirst after the water of life, and drink your fill of the wine that cometh out of Christ's cellar, it will be a sovereign means to keep you from excessive drinking of the fruit of the grape. It is a rule in Philosophy, that intus existens prohibet extraneum, that which is within will be a means to keep out that which is without; as for example; If a vessel be full of liquor, the air cannot get in; so if our hearts be replenished with God's grace, it will keep out thence an inordinate desire of wine.  
Secondly, If we would awake out of this vice we must take heed of all those things that may rock us asleep therein; especially of evil company: for that is a Dalilah to lull us asleep till our hair be cut, I mean our wits, understanding, and memory and all be taken from us. Be not amongst the wine bibbers, saith the wiseman; it is dangerous being with them, lest by their inchauntments this sleep seize upon us. Thus through God's grace and our care in refraining evil company we may keep ourselves awake.  
This is not all that the Prophet requires of drinkers of wine; as they must awake, so also weep and howl; not only weep, but howl also; which setteth forth unto us the greatness of the humiliation which is required of all those that are guilty of this vice; their mourning must be like the lamentation of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon, or like the mourning of parents for their only son. But these men cannot endure to hear of any sorrow at all, much less of so great lamentation: If the Prophet had called them to mirth and jollity, they would willingly have harkened; but the voice of sorrow is always unpleasing to their cares. But yet we see the holy Ghost writes bitter things against them, and would have them turn their laughter into mourning, and their joy into heaviness. And good reason why these men should weep and mourn, if they consider either the nature of the vice whereof they are guilty, or the labyrinth of woe and misery that they plunge themselves into.  
1. If they consider the ugliness of the vice which they have committed; which is so beastly, so abominable, that if a man had a fountain of tears he might shed them all for this. This is that which raseth the image of God out of us and transformeth us into the image of bruit beasts; this is the fountain of all vice, the fuel of lust, the mother of whoredoms, rapes, murders, and all manner of abominations. It were easy, long to declaim against this, and to show the cursed effects thereof out of the Scriptures, Fathers, Schoolmen, yea out of the Heathen themselves, who by the light of Nature could learn to abhor this vice. I might also set before your eyes sundry examples of those, that when they have been in their drunken fits, have committed such outrages, that the very cogitation thereof may extract tears from our eyes: only give me leave to relate unto you one example, 
Ad fratres in Eremo.  which Saint Augustine maketh mention of in the city of Hippo where he was Bishop, to wit, of one Cyrillus a man of great respect and honour in the city, who having but one son, through too much indulgence suffered him to run into excess of riot; and it happened, that he coming home upon a time in his drunken fit, Patrem, quem post Deum revereri debuisset, occidit; matrem, à qua portabatur, praegnantem oppressit; sororem violare voluit; & duas sorores vulneravit ad mortem, He slew his father, whom next to God he ought to have reverenced; he offered most savage & unnatural violence to his mother, that brought him into the world, he slew two of his sisters, and would have ravished a third. I need say no more: The strange and prodigious effects of this vice may make us both to weep and howl for the commission of it.  
But yet this is not all; there is a further cause of mourning for drinkers of wine, if they consider the woe and misery that this vice will bring upon them. To whom is woe? to whom is sorrow? saith Solomon. Even to them that sit long at the wine: and the Prophet Esay denounceth woe against them; Woe (saith he) to the drunkards of Ephraim: 
Esay 28 1.  Woe and misery they shall have enough in this world, and in the world to come.  
In this world, poverty, shame, and sickness shall befall them.  
1. For poverty, that shall come upon them like an armed man; 
Prov. 21. 17  He that loveth wine, saith Solomon, shall not be rich.  
2. But be it, that some have an eye to the main chance (for proverbs hold but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, for the most part) suppose, I say, some be more politic than others, yet shame (which always followeth sin as the shadow doth the body) will overtake them in the end. Righteous Noah falling but once into this vice, and (as many think) through ignorance, hath brought an eternal blot upon himself, who in one distemper discovered that nakedness which many hundred years had been kept close; And how do many often expose themselves, by their reeling and staggering, to the derision of boys and children, and are to them as owls are to the birds!  
3. Sickness, that is a concomitant of this vice; It is an excellent saying of chrysostom, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 etc. 
Chrysost.  water doth not so dissolve the earth, 
Hom. 1. ad Pop. Antioch.  as pouring in wine consumeth the body, breeding innumerable diseases in all the regions of man's body in the Animals, Vitals, and Naturals: hence come Lethargies, Apoplexies, Palsies, Catarrhs, Dropsies, Fevers, Consumptions, and many more the Harbingers of death. So that these may well weep for the misery that shall come upon them in this world, upon their bodies, goods, and good name.  
But their greatest misery is in the world to come; It were happy for these men that they might dye like beasts, as they live; but they must know that they must come to judgement, and receive the fruit of their wickedness: for he that soweth to the flesh, 
1. Cor. 6. 9  shall of the flesh reap destruction. Know ye not, saith Saint Paul, that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor drunkards shall inherit the kingdom of God; no, but rather must be cast out into that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, where is weeping and howling and gnashing of teeth for ever. How much better is it then to weep now for a moment, then to incur eternal lamentation for the neglect thereof? Let them then that are mighty to pour in strong drink, pour out strong lamentations for the misery that shall come upon them, if they do not prevent the same by speedy and unfeigned repentance. But some there are that in stead of mourning for this vice, make a sport of it, and count it but a trick of good fellowship, and so like the Leviathan they can laugh at the glittering sword and spear, when it is ready to pierce them through. I know there is a time to laugh, and a time to mourn; but we can find no time to lament this sin, which hath kindled God's wrath against his people. Many sins cry aloud against us for vengeance, but none pierce the heavens more than this beastly, though common sin of drunkenness; and yet it is to be feared, that not many mourners are to be found for this vice: If the Angel of the Lord should run to and fro, and set a mark upon all those that mourn for this, how many of us would he pass by, who will not let fall a tear to quench the indignation of God, which is most justly kindled against us for this and other abominations! May not the Lord complain of us as he did of his people the jews, that he called them to weeping and mourning & to girding with sackcloth; and behold joy and gladness, eating flesh and drinking wine, and that not in Timothy's cup only, but in Belshazzars bowls also? The Prophet Amos saw to his grief, that in his time they drank wine in bowls, and forgot the afflictions of joseph: it were to be desired that we could not see the same in these times, wherein the Church hangs her Harps upon the willows, while she sits by the waters of Babylon. But methinks I hear some confess that indeed they are sometimes overtaken with this vice, but they are sorry for it. If it be so, it will easily appear by their amendment of life: For sorrow begetteth hatred, and hatred begetteth a sequestration from it; so that I may say to such, as Saint Paul doth to the Corinthians in another case, If they have sorrowed after a godly manner for this, 
1. Cor. 7. 11.  What care hath it wrought in them to avoid the occasions of this vice? what apologies to acquit themselves, when they are in danger to be drawn into this vice? what desire to escape this in all places and at all times? what fear least by evil company they be overcome? what zeal will they have against this vice in the places where they live? what indignation will they have against themselves, that they should be guilty of such a vice? yea, what revenge will they take of themselves by fasting and humiliation for the same? Where none of these effects are, there can hardly be any sorrow for this sin: let none therefore daub with untempered mortar; for God is not mocked: where there is no reformation of this vice, there is no lamentation for it; and where there is no mourning for this, there is no awakeing out of it.  
AND these men had need to awake, and weep, & howl, if they consider what followeth in the Text, The new wine shall be taken from them▪ If any thing will move them, it will be this, that otherwise they shall be bereft of that, wherein they place their chief felicity; and that not by potent adversaries, such as were Salmanazar, and Nebuchadonazar; but by locusts, cankerwormes, and caterpillars; This I say (if any thing) must needs go to the heart of them, to have their new wine rend from their mouths by such contemptible creatures. The Prophet specifieth but one kind of wine, to wit, that which cometh out of the press; and so the word [gnasim] in the original doth signify mustum, that which is new pressed: but yet he meaneth all kinds of wine should be snatched away by violence; for so the word in the original intimates unto us, That albeit they were unwilling to let go their cups, yet, will they nill they, they should be plucked from their mouths. And here we see, if we come once to abuse God's creatures to luxury and intemperancy, he hath many ways to deprive us of them; not only by sending armies of men, but by sending out a few caterpillars. But especially we may take notice how this vice of drunkenness pulleth down God's judgements upon the whole land: 
jer. 23. 10.  For oaths the land mourneth, saith the Prophet jeremy: so it doth for drunkenness; for we may read in the tenth verse of this Chapter, that for this sin the whole land of judah mourned; because the corn was wasted, the new wine was dried up, and the oil languished. Many and sundry are the calamities that befall a Nation for this vice; this was that which caused the Lord to give up his own people into the hands of their enemies: So the Prophet Esay; 
Esay 5. 11. 12.  Woe be to those that rise early in the morning that they may follow strong drink, that continue until night, till wine inflame them, and the harp and the viol, the tabret and pipe and wine are in their feasts; but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands: Therefore are my people gone into Captivity. And not to go any further than the Text, The Lord threateneth to destroy the vines and all the fruits of the earth for this sin; may not we then fear that for the abuse of wine, we shall not only have our wines, but our wives, children, and goods taken from us? The Spanish Caterpillars and the jesuitical locusts have devoured the vines of our brethren in Germany: I dare not say it was for drunkenness; but this might be one means to kindle God's wrath against them; And shall we think, if we be drinkers of wine, that we shall always escape? No, the Locusts and Caterpillars crawl as fast as they can upon us; let us then awake and gird up the loins of our minds and be sober, and it may be we shall see the salvation of the Lord, and that in his due time, he will send a wind that shall scatter these locusts and drive them into the Sea of perdition. Howsoever, Ne nos invadant somno vinóque sepultos, let them not, if they come, finds us fast asleep in this vice; If they do, they will not only take our wines from us, but us from our Country, and make us slaves to them, and, which is worst of all, captivate our souls to their Romish superstition. If therefore there be any fear of God in us, any love to the Gospel, any humanity in us, any sparkle of religion; let us awake out of this sin, and it may be God will awake, and stir up himself, and come forth for our salvation: which we humbly beseech him to do, for the merits of our LORD and blessed SAVIOUR; to whom with the FATHER and the holy SPIRIT be all honour and glory now and for ever.  
AMEN.