A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian Ethics

by Richard Baxter

Quest. XIX. What if thou shouldst die in a drunken fit? Wouldst thou not thyself take thy case to be desperate or dangerous? Why, it may be so for aught thou knowest; it hath been the case of many a one. But if it be not so, yet to die a drunkard is as certain damnation, as to die in drunkenness. If the guilt of the sin be on thee, it is all one when it was committed, whether lately or long ago; for unpardoned sin is most sure damnation; and it is certainly unpardoned, till it be truly repented of; and it is not repented of if it be not forsaken: and then bethink thee how thou wilt review these days, and what thoughts thou wilt then have of thy cups and company!

Quest. XX. Art thou willing to part with thy sin, or art thou not? Speak, man; art thou willing? If thou be not willing, bear witness against thyself that thou dost not repent of it, and that thou art not forgiven it; and therefore that thou art at present a slave of the devil, and if thou die so, as sure to be damned as thou art alive. Bear witness that thou wast not kept from grace, and consequently from heaven, against thy will, but by thy wilful refusal of it; and that it was not because thou couldst not be saved, that thou goest to hell, but because thou wouldst not. Sure even now thou canst not have the face to deny any of this, if thou confess that thou art not willing to amend. Take thy will in sin, if God's will must be violated, which tendered thee mercy, and commanded thee to accept it; but be sure that God will have his will in punishing thee.

But I suppose thou wilt say, that thou art willing to amend and leave thy sin, but thou canst not do it because flesh is frail, and company is tempting, and God giveth thee not grace; willing thou art, but yet unable. But stay a little! God will not so let thee carry it, and smooth over thy wickedness with a lie. Thy meaning, if thou speak out, is not that thou art willing, presently and heartily willing, to forsake thy sin, but only that thou wouldst be willing, if the drink and the devil did not tempt thee. And so thou wilt be willing to love God and be saved, when nothing shall tempt thee to the contrary! And wouldst thou thank thy wife for such a willingness to forsake adultery, when nobody will tempt her to it? or thy servant to do thy work, when he hath nothing to tempt him to idleness or neglect? Judge by this what thanks thou deservest of God for such a willingness. But dally not with God, and mock not thy conscience, but speak to the question, Art thou willing to give over thy company and tippling, from this day forward, or art thou not? Take heed what thou sayest. If thou say, No, God may say, Nay, to all thy cries for mercy in the day of thy misery and distress; but if still thou say that thou art willing, but not able, I will convince thee of thy falsehood.

Quest. I. Tell me then, what force is used to make thee sin against thy will? Wast thou carried to the alehouse, or didst thou go thyself? Wast thou gagged and drenched? Was it poured down thy throat by violence; or didst thou take the cup and pour it down thyself? Who was the man that held open thy mouth and poured it in? Nay, if it had been thus, it had not been thy sin; for no will, no sin. Or did they set a sword or pistol to thy breast, and so force thee to it? If they had, that had not proved thee unwilling, but only that they forced thee to be willing; and their force is no excuse: for God threatened hell, and thou shouldst have feared that most.

Quest. II. Didst thou love the drink, or loathe it when thou wast drinking it? Didst thou love it against thy will, when love and willingness are all one?

Quest. III. Wilt thou forbear the next time till thou art carried to it, and till it is forcibly poured down with a horn? If not, confess it is thy will.

Quest. IV. Couldst thou not forbear, if the judge or the king stood by? And canst thou not forbear when God stands by? If thou wilt thou canst.

Quest. V. Couldst thou not forbear, if thou wert sure to be put to death for it? if the law hanged all drunkards, and the hangman were at thy back? Surely thou couldst. And canst thou not then forbear if thou wilt, when God hath made it worse than hanging, and when death is coming to fetch thee to execution?

Quest. VI. Couldst thou not forbear it in sickness, if thy physician required it, and told thee, if thou drink, it will be thy death? I doubt not but thou couldst: if not, thou art very unworthy to live, that canst not deny thyself a cup of drink for the saving of thy life. And thou art as unworthy to be saved, if thou wilt not do that to save thy soul, which thou wouldst do to save thy present life.

Quest. VII. Yea, couldst thou not forbear if it were to save the life of thy wife, or child, or friend, or neighbour? If thou knewest that forbearing thy forbidden cup would save the life of any one of them, couldst thou not, nay, wouldst thou not do it? If not, thou tellest the world what a husband, what a father, what a friend, and what a neighbour thou art, that wouldst not forbear a cup of drink to save a friend or neighbour's life. I should think thee an unworthy friend, if thou wouldst not do that much at thy friend's request, though there were no such necessity lay upon it. If this be so, I will never take a drunkard for my friend; for he would not forbear a cup of drink for my sake, no, not if it were to save my life. If thou say, God forbid, I would do more than that, why then didst thou say, Thou canst not forbear? Mark how thy tongue reproves thy falsehood. And canst thou not do that for thy own soul, which thou couldst do for the life, or at the request of a friend or neighbour?