That putteft thy bottle to him. Some read Conuingens calorem tuum: Others adhibens venenum tuum ; Others iram. He meaneth, wo be to him, that when he sees his neighbour in drink, comes in with his pot, or pint, or quart, to inflame him. Thou makeft him drunk that thou mayst look on their nakednes.] For it is faid that the King of Babylon did ufe in his Conquefts to bring forth great quantity of wine, and to make the People drink drunk that he might make sport with them; for in those drunken fits many fhameful and beftial acts of lafcivioufnelle were publikely thewed, drunkenneffe enflaming them with Elaft. Mr. Calvin doth interpret all this figuratively, not of drunkennesse with strong drink, but of immoderate defire of auge verh sa menting their dominions, of which kind of drunkenneffe he fpake before, comparing the Babylonians to fuch as tranfgreffe with wine. So doth Ribera a learned Jefuit understand this, of the infolent triumph of the Babylonian King, making fport in the con queft of Kings, and exercifing on them cruelties, to difcover their nakedneffe, how he hath stripped them out of all. But Saint Hierom repofteth that Nebuchadnezzar did abuse Zedechiah the King at a banquet in a very foul manner. iv And because that kind of drunkennefic was before touched to the quick, I follow Arias Montanus in the literal expofition of thefe words, which I have before delivered, that the King made his affociate Kings, and his Conquered enemies drunk to make him fport. Which fin of his is threatned. Verf. 16. Thou art filled with fhame for glory; for this turned to the fhame of the Babylonians. Though Mr.Calvin expound it, fatiatus es probro non tuo fed alieno. That the Babylonian did even fatishe himself with the difgrace done to his enemy. Rather I take it for a punishment inflicted on the Babylonian, that fhame fhould come to him for this fport that he made himfelfe, as it alfo followeth, Drink thon alfo, and let thy fore-skin be difcovered: The Cup of the Lord's right hand fhall be turned unto thee, and shameful spering shall be on thy glory. This Dan.4-33. Dan. 5. I. Veri. 30. This I take, it was not only figuratively revenged upon Nebuchadnezzar, when the glory of his Conquests ended in the fhame of his transformation, the most wonderful example that we do read in all the book of God; The fame houre was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar, and he was driven from men, and did eat graffe as cxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like Eagles feathers, and his nails like birds claws. For thus did the King continue in this fhameful punishment the whole terme of feven years: But literally this was fulfilled in Belshazzar, who made a great feaft to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand; In which drunken feaft wherein the confecrate veffels of the Temple were abufed in quaffing and carowling, the fingers of an hand were feen on the wall over against the King, writing the doome of his fhameful downfal. For obferve the end; In that night was Belshazzar the King of the Chaldeans ftain, and Darius the Median took the Kingdome. So he did drink also, and his nakedneffe was laid open, and the Medians came in and took away all their glory. Verf. 17. For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the Spoile of beafts which made them afraid. This overthrow of the Chaldean Monarchy he calleth the violence of Lebanon covering them. Junius doth understand this place thus, that the enemy fhould come upon the Babylonian with the fame violence that hunters ufe, who purfuing the wild beafts in the forreft of Lebanon he ving pitched their nets and tents for them, do fuddenly set upon them, and drive them into their nets: io fudden a furpriz: fhill the Babylonian fuffer. Matter Calvin doth give this as a caule of their punishment, and understandeth the words thus, that God will cover the Babylonian with fhame for the violence that he offered to Leba non,and to the beafts therof forraging Judea and destroying not only men and women in towns, but the very wild beatts of the forreft of Lebanon, which was near to Jerufalem. So that this expreffeth the caufe of Gods provocation against the Babyloni an, and withal the comfort of the Church, that God would revenge the wrong done to their land, not only to the People thereof, but to the very wild Beafts of the forreft. De verbis hactenus. The parts of this text are two, 1. Peccatum, Gone. 22. Pana, punishment. 1. Peccatum, in which 1 Quid,potant amicum velfocium. 2. Ad quid; ut videant nuditatem. 2. Make drunk. 1. They be drunk. Drunkenneffe it felf is an horrible fin, it is one of the fruits of the flesh; Of which I tell you, as I have also told you in times Gal. 5.11 past, that they which do fuch things, shall not inherit the Kingdome of heaven. Drunkenneffe is confeft of all men to be a finne; and they that love it best, and use it most, will be very angry with you, if you call them drunkards. For it is not agreed upon as yet what drunkenneffe is: our ftatute law doth impofe a penalty of five fhillings upon every one that is convicted of drunkenneffe. Our Articles given to fworn men, do charge them to enquire, if there be any Drunkards in our Parishes, and to prefent them. But neither the Ecclefiaftical Canon, nor the Act of Parliament doth direct the inquifition, by defcribing what Perfons must be esteemed drunk. I will tell you whom the Scripture denoteth. Lot was drunk when he committed inceft with his daughters, Gen. 19. and so overgone with wine, that he neither knew of their co. ming to his bed, nor of their going from him. Noab was drunk when he lay uncovered in his tent; these were Gen. 9. farre spent in the highest degree. Uriah the husband of Bathsheba was drunk too, the text faith David made him drunk; yet he was fo much Mafter of his own thoughts, and of his charge committed to him, that he would not go home to his own. houfe as the King would have had him. A monon. 2 Sam, 18 2 Sam.13.~ Amnon the fonne of David was drunk, yet it is faid of him his heart was merry with wine. 28. Reg 16.9 1 Sam.25% 36. Prov.31.5 Elah King of Ifrael made himself drunk, and Zimri his setvant killed him, Nabal made a great feast, and was fo drunken, that Abigail thought not fit to tell him of the danger that his churlishnelle had like to have brought upon him till he had flept it out. A King that drinketh wine is defcribed then to be drank, when they drink and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of the afflicted. So that to drink so deep as to forget the law of our lawful calling, and to do things contrary to the fame, is to drink drunk. Luc.21 34 Chrift calleth the overcharge of the heart with drink drun kenneffe. His word is Bapuram, fignifying the laying on of a burthen upon the heart. Forio much as we drink for neceffity or for moderate refe Яion doth chear and refresh and lighten the heart : but excessive Eph.5.18 drinking doth hay an heavy burden upon it, Therefore Be not drunk with wine wherein is exceffe. Ifa. 5. ¡ì. Now what is exceffe? not fo much as layeth us under the Table only, not fo much as makes us flagger and recle as we go, and taketh away the use of our memory, speech and good manners; f But they are drunkards that fit at the wine till it inflame them. Wine is allowed to warm the stomach, not to set it on fire. Some man excufeth himself, that he drank not above his ftrength, but was able to carry it. Wo unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength Verf. 22. to mirach aing drink. Tudos, that all exceffe in drinking which is beyond the meafure which maintaineth health,is drunkenneffe; call it good fellowship, or making merry, or keeping good company, or whatfoever faire colours you will lay upon it, it is drunken. neffe. It turns grace into wantonneffe, and medicine into disease, it maketh the body which fhould be the Temple of the Holy Ghoft the very Cellar of Bacchus. The evils that grow out of this finne are many. 1. The great Commandement is broken which biddeth us to love God above all things; for the drunkard makes his belly his god and delighteth in his fhame; neither is God in all his ways; of whom doth the name of God more fuffer, then of the drun kard, and who do make leffe conscience of the Sabbath, then fuch do, who make that day of all other the most licentious, the moft lafcivious, defpifing the Commandment of God? 2. It is a fin against himself who committethit; for he shameth himself to beholders, he wafteth his eftate, burreth his own body, drowneth his understanding, judgment, memory, and depriveth himself of the use of reason; as Solomon faith, Who bath woe? Who hath forrow? who hath contentions? Who hath babling? who hath wounds without caufe? who bath redneffe of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine. At the laft it biteth like a ferpent, and fringeth like an adder. Thine eyes fhall behold strange women. It corrupteth the Speech, thine heart shall utter perverfe things. They have stricken me,and I was not fick they have beaten me,and It groweth into an habite, and cannot be eafily given over; drunkenneffe is like a quartare, the dishonour of Phyfitians fo it is the dishonour of Preachers, they cannot cure it; we would have cured the drunkard, and he would not be healed. When ball I awake, I will yet (eck it again; as Saint Gregory Faith, qui hoc facit, non facit peccatum, fed totus eft peccatum. 3. It is a fin againft our neighbour, for it is a walter and confumer of the provifions which God hath given to nourish and fuftain many, and fo he becomes a thief, robbing the hungry and thirfty: for it is panis pauperis & vinum dolentis, the bread of the poor, and the wine of the forrowful, that is thus fwilled and fwallowed. It toucheth upon the Commandment of murther, for to take away life, and to take away the means that should support life are fo fet, that we can hardly draw a line between them. It inflameth luft; as Ambrofe,Pafcitur libido conviviis, vino accenditur,ebrietate inflammatur,it filleth the tongue with allkind of evil. Pro.23:29 Verf. 32. Verf. 33** Verf. 35% |