fignificant empty Formality; without any Senfe or Meaning in Nature or Religion; Perfect Nonfence and Contradiction in the Words; Abfurd and Ridiculous in the Pra&tice; a dreadful Perverting of the Ends for which God hath given us Drink; fraught with many Evil Implications in it felf; and attended with a Mafs of Iniquity in the World which can never be feparated from it in the general Practice, whatever may be performed in single Inftances. When all this is confider'd, then let a Man tell me whether the keeping up this Cuftom in the World be more for the Honour of GOD, or for the dishonouring of Him? More for the Good and Edification of Souls, or for the Destruction and Damnation of them? And then I fhall leave him to be acquitted or condemn'd by his own Answer.

Wherefoever a Sin is forbidden in Scripture, all Things which Lead into it are forbidden; all the Means and Occafions of it; and whatever is used by way of Inticing and Allurement. Nor is it any Juftification for Men to fay we will leave out all those Abufes, and drink Healths without any of thofe finful Purposes to which others use them: For befides that this is more than

any

any Man can promise to himself, and is therefore a Tempting of GOD; he ought to confider that, when a Custom once obtains fo as to be the Means and Occafion of much Wickedness in the World, every fingle Action is then chargeable in no fmall Degree with all the evil Confequences of it; and he that uses that Custom thô innocently, yet makes himself however Partner in other Mens Sins. So all the Sins that are drawn on by the Custom of Drinking of Healths, Run into it; they all have one and the fame Caufe; and tend to the fame common Center; every fingle Action is Tainted with the fame spreading Infecti on, and partakes of the fame Guilt and Pollution. And there is a plain and obvious Reason for this, namely, because you are bound in Confcience to prevent the spreading of Wickedness in the World, and as much as in you lies to cut off all the Means and Occafions of it; and 'tis as obvious that by the finking of this Custom of Healths, a Multitude of Sins would be prevented: But whofoever continues drinking of them keeps Up the Cuftom; he gives it Authority and Countenance; and confequently fupports and encourages all that Variety of Wickedness it is the InftruM 3

ment

ment of in the World; and fpreads that Infection which will furely catch Others, thô he efcape Himself. This is the putting a * Stumbling Block or an Occafion of Falling in his Brother's Way. The giving of Scandal is by an Action in it felf not finful, but by becoming the Occasion of Sin to another it lofes its Indifference; it changes its Nature into those very Sins it occafions; and brings the Guilt of him to whom it becomes a Snare, upon the Head of that Person who helped to lay it in his way; which whosoever confiders rightly, will refolve with the good Sir Matthew Hales, Never to Drink an Health while the World stands.

And here I must obferve that Men argue fallaciously when from a Single, unpremeditated A&, Ignorantly done, and without Defign they infer the Lawfulness of a Prevailing Cuftom: The Drinking of an Health in one Single Inftance, without Thought or Defign feems to be a very flight Thing, and to have but little of Guilt or Sin in it; and fo it really is, and hardly worth a Check or ferious Notice. But the true way of inferring is quite the contrary, viz. That tho' the Thing is very Little in it felf, and

* Rom. 14. 13:

the

the Guilt of it fo fmall that it is hardly difcernable in the fingle Action; without a narrow View; yet when it comes to be a Prevailing Cuftom, and spread univerfally; to be carried on by many to great Heights of Impiety; and to be made the Inftrument and Means of a great Variety of general Wickedness; then that Evil which was but Small before, receives a great Acceffion of additional Guilt, it changes its Nature, fwells into a monftrous Size, and becomes an Inftance of a Crying National Sin.

H

CHAP, IV,

Aving produced plain Reasons, and great Authorities for the Unlawfulness of drinking Healths, fuch as seem fo cogent and weighty that no private Chriftian can with Safety to his Soul fet up his own particular Judgment in Opposition to them all, and without Danger of living in habitual Sin; which tho' it were really fmall in it felf, must cease to be fo when persisted in habitually and obstinately: I need not fpin out this Discourse to that Length as to confider every frivolous Objection which Ignorance or Prejudice may M 4 fuggeft,

fuggeft. Those that may be made with the beft Colour and faireft Shew, and to which the reft may be referred, are these.

I. The First Objection is from Rom. iv. 15. which fays that Where there is no Law there is no Tranfgreffion. There is no Law againft Drinking Healths, therefore it is no Sın. But this Text hath a Reference only to the Ceremonial Law of Mofes, and means no more in St. Paul's Reafoning than this that Juftification must be by the Righteoufnefs of Faith, and Holiness of the Gofpet; and Condemnation by that Ceremonial Law. Why? Because the Holyness of Faith was of Eternal Obligation before that Law was in Being, which when it came, was fo far from giving any additional Strength to that Juftification by Faith which was fo famous in the Perfon of Abraham, that it was an Obftruction and Hinderance to it, by requiring a literal Unerving Obedience; and fo leaving all that were under it liable to the Wrath of GOD. But there being no fuch Law in a State of Faith and Gofpel Holyness, there is Room left to be restored to Mercy and Favour; For where there is no fuch Law as requires unerring Obedience, there is no fuch Condemnation as that Law adjudgeth and pronounceth. And if