Divine glimpses of a maiden muse being various meditations and epigrams on several subjects : with a probable cure of our present epidemical malady if the means be not too long neglected / by Chr. Clobery ...

Intemperancie: another branch of sin.

ROom for the sink of filth; the paunch of sin; Full stuff'd with garbage, that extends the skin, And racks the entrails, makes the belly swell, Like Satans snap-sack, plund'red out of Hell; Or Fortunes Cornucopiae, poured in, Betwixt a Gormandizers nose and chin, And running thence, into his boundless womb (Of meat and drink the most unsated tomb:) For they whom custom to that sin hath tide, Send all that way; whoever starve beside. But Oh! the gemmy countenance most bright, Exceeds in lustre far the Queen of night: VVith Diamonds and Rubies so beset, As if it were great Pluto's Cabinet, Or Jewel-house; and that the Nose had been A tyring Room for Proserpine his Queen, VVith high-priz'd Pearls, inlayed in a Box, Resembling symptomes of the Lecher's Pox. Intemperancie in the creatures use, Doth God, our selves, and other men abuse; Beside th'abused creatures; who (though dumb) VVill us accuse aloud, in time to come. This nice-mouth'd Dame tempted our grandame Eve, To the seducing Serpent ear to give; By which fond practice we depriv'd persever Of the sweet fruits of Paradise for ever; Save that eternal Paradise to come, Since purchast by our Jesus, for our home; VVhose fruits of glory, that do never waste, Are too pure objects for a fleshly taste.

This sweet-lipp'd Minion almost quench'd the spark Of faith in the Diluvian Patriarch; VVho scaping water-flood (by grace divine) Did hazard drowning in a flood of wine. This sawce-mouth'd Fury made the Jews despise Angelick Manna; and the land not prize, VVhich was a type of New Jerusalem, Yet promised to undeserving them; VVho Onions and Garlick rather crav'd, VVith Egypts flesh-pots, where they were inslav'd: And which sad Kingdoms thraldom (they knew well) Prefigur'd typically that of Hell; But sure, had they return'd (as they did wish) Their faith, their food, had been nor flesh, nor fish. She is amongst the sins of Sodom nam'd, VVhence fire sulphurious down from heaven flam'd: And pulverated, in a trice of time, The choisest Cities in that pleasant clime: Thence, chas'd by vengeance, fled she to a Cave, And tempted heedless Lot to play the knave VVith both his Daughters, so in lust to burn, As if those warnings could not serve his turn. This longing quean made cursed Esau sell! Birthright and blessing, for red broth and hell. Thousands of Philistins she once did seize: And gave Judge Sampson his last Writ of Ease. This mal-companion made the Levite play The boon-companion, by the hour, and day, So long at Bethle'm-Judah, that it cost Sixty five thousand souldiers lives (all lost) Of Jacob's seed, for this the ground we find, That him in Gibeah to lodge inclin'd; Whence a whole tribe of babes and women fell, Sacrific'd to the sword; yea some to Hell. She made the good old Eli's sons profane Their sacred Priesthood, by their rost-meat ta'n,

The fat not offred; for which villany God ruin'd them, and their posterity. She made rich Nabal churlish to his friend, And his Protector; which became his end; And ended had all his, had not his wife Su'd out their pardon, and compos'd the strife. She wrought incestuous Amnon's drunken death; Who drank so deep a draught, he lost his breath: For his revengeful brother chose that time, To punish that, and his fore-passed crime; Whose foul revenge, vengeance divine repay'd, VVhen by his Feast at Hebron he had lay'd A plot of parricide: so feasting chear Sent both the brothers, none but God knows where. Twas David's second sin, that him nigh sunk; Who (fresh himself) was in Uriah drunk, And (thirsty after) took the poor man's blood, VVho still to him had faithful been and good. She lost King Ela's Crown, and life; whereby Zimri destroy'd the royal family: And (though no famed singer) his shrill throat Did above Ela sing; a high-strain'd note. When, at Samaria's siege, proud Benhadad Thirty two Kings, auxiliaries had; Though a most slighted force did them oppose: The Pot his Kinglings, him and all o'erthrows. So serv'd she Babylonish Baltazar, Who thought himself another god of War: And the besiegers (though stout souldiers) slighted, Drank drunk the while in scorn, until affrighted With Manuscript Divine, he quak'd amain, And that same night was by the souldiers slain; And Babylon, the glory of the world, Had her raz'd walls into Euphrates hurl'd. Nor can I think but drink, and drunken fellows (As well as pride) made Haman build those gallows,

Whereon himself was hang'd: for I presume, Such feasting, and so much strong drink did fume Into his brains, and plots infus'd, whereby It ruin'd him, and his posterity. 'Twas meerly feasting, drink and lust misled The Tetrarch, to cut off the Baptist's head; Whom he before had lov'd (at least for fashion) One feast provok'd him to his decollation. Oh if I could but call up Dives here! Who day by day, did feast on royal chear: Whose paunch with most delicious wine did swell; Yet begg'd a drop of water for't in Hell; And beg it may, yet ne'er obtain the grace, To have that comfort in so sad a place: Sure he would howl, and roar, and rave, and cry, Against this sin, and would us terrifie With exclamations in dispraise of that, Which most in fact commend; but pray for what? Truly I know not, saving to bring gains To Vintners, Ale-wi••es, Drawers, Chamberlains; To Tapsters, Brewers, Bakers, Butchers, Cooks, And those (who when the plague reigns play the Rooks) The Sextons, Bearers, and the Pest-attenders: And those (who are to Physick's art pretenders) Doctors, Apothecaries, Mountebanks, Quack-salvers, Surgeons, and those of their ranks That live by our diseases: Politicians May sometimes gain thereby; and poor Musitians, Anglicè fidlers, both which make a trade To undo any, so themselves be made. Clomers and Glass-men likewise reap fair gain, When juggs and glasses are in battel slain: Yea Scavengers, get no small profit by it: And gold-finders, who semi-deifie it: 'Tis their Diana, much sweet work it finds them, And oft of Bacchus and Tabacco minds them,

Without which they are not, nor can be well, Whilst here on earth, whatere they be in Hell; Full paunch, full pate, and then all's well: for this Their esse and their bene esse is. Oh how perverse is man! On whom the Lord Reason conferred hath; yea his pure word, That reason to illuminate, and shew What paths he follow should, and what eschew: Precept on precept, for his rule of life, And yet the beasts to stray not half so rife, Who have but naked sence to be their guide: Behold, they in their Makers rules abide, (According to their kind) more strict then we; Which (if arightly scann'd) we soon may see; They have more moderation in the use Of creatures gustable, and less abuse Those gifts by far then man: for where one beast Doth stupifie its sence with drink; at least A hundred men, and women too, do so; Yea stupifie both sence and reason too: If hogs, or such more greedy creatures, hap Themselves by too much drinking to intrap, They'l mostly be more wary next; but we, The oft'ner drunk, more eager drunk to be; And oft when drunkenness our thirst hath bred, We by that thirst to drunkenness are led: Strange piece of witch craft! reason so to fool, To put her back again to sence to school: We work against our selves a kind of treason, When sensuality o••ercometh reason. Is reason (fighting fancy) foil'd by it? It shews our want of grace, more then of wit: For our in-nate corruption wrought in us Our wills, and judgements both preposterous, And opposite to Gods most holy will; Who never willeth any thing that's ill:

Nor can we will what's other, unless he Assistant to us by his Spirit be. Oh! who would think such waywardness should dwell In any Creatute, that's on this side Hell? Lord, of a truth that place for us is fit, Did not thy boundless mercy hinder it. Proceed, O God, so to prevent it still; And frame us hearts according to thy will, Most holy, pure, and clean, void of pollution Of flesh or spirit, hating prostitution Of us unto our wills impure, wild passions, Charming affections, brutish inclinations Unto excess and drunkenness, whereby We quite deface that prime Divinity Thy smage stampt upon our souls of old, And take the Devils impress, of whose fold We hereby do profess our selves, and go From our souls faithful shepherd to his foe. Whence come Diseases, Fevers, Dropsies, Gouts, Consumptions and Catarrhs, yea Pox that mouts The feathers of our courtiers coxcombs so That they wear borrow'd heads, lest they should show Their scalded crowns? excess, and drink, prepares Their minds and bodies for those torrid wares, Which they so dearly pay for, that oft times They a bone-ague get to plague their crimes. Excess, of sickness-breeders is the King: Most, if not all diseases, from her spring: Yet cures she none, hunger and thirst excepted; Which might by temperance be intercepted, With much more thrift to soul and bodie too, As well's estate: excess doth all undo. Sardanapalus of great Nimrod's race; And Heliogabalus (that glutton base) Feel this firm truth confirm'd: And many more Great Emperours, and Kings lie on the score

Doom'd to eternal hunger, thirst and pain; Yea, triple-crown'd earth-gods, who erst did reign In Babylon mysterious, are (no doubt) Where they with their false Keys can ne'er get out. Epicurism hath tainted Peters Chair, Most of all thrones on earth: Romes very air Doth stink of surfeits; it therewith infected All Christendom, and made that vice neglected. But ah poor England! thou hast since out gone Thy giddy Mistress, and art past by none: Though Dutch and Dane go far: it's all our shame, To be Deform'd in Deed, Reform'd in Name: Reformed Cburches Reformation need, In Manners more then Doctrine, if we heed How universally this sin doth reign 'Mongst us; more rare in France, abhor'd in Spain. The Germans bought Excess at famines rate, Speedy ensuing: Lord, prevent that fate From scourging ours; and win our hearts with love, Off from the creatures, to the things above: Spiritualize our appetites, and then Feed us the fullest of all mortal men. Indeed, Lord, so thou dost provide us store, So great as never Nation had before; But we thy Manna loath, as did of old Thy people Israel: our stomacks cold Are squeazy grown, and turn the bread of life To noysome humours; faction, schism, and strife: Yea, heresies are bred and foster'd by Thy means ordain'd for Truth and Unity. Fulness hath wantoniz'd our appetites; That one in this, t'other in that delights; A third, in none knows what: Yea, oft the Cook Makes bad meat lik'd: the Authors unread Book, The Preachers Doctrine, took on trust are priz'd: Most men affect what's vented or devis'd

By those of their own faction, howe'er bad: Some all for old, some for the new stuff mad: That many preachers cook-like strain their wit For ev'ry coxcombs palate sawce to fit; Whilst some like all, some-none: yet all are right In their own fancies: darkness so is light. Ah, sharpen Lord our souls weak stomacks more To truth and unity then heretofore: Evacuate those humours gross; afford ••ls true digestion of thy sacred word; That may pure nutriment abroad diffuse Into our Churches bodie, grown profuse; Not only stain'd with fleshly drunkenness, And surfeiting, but with soul-giddiness, And Spirit'al intoxication: Glutted with food of life. Ah stupid Nation! That none but you should strength of wit devote, Poison to suck out of your Antidote; To make your cordial suffocate your life; The curing word of peace, breed killing strife: This drunkenness of spirit far exceeds, ••n its malignity, that which proceeds ••rom drinks inebriation: that makes men ••egrade themselves to beasts; and this agen ••romotes them (with the mischief) to be Devils; ••oth are inflaming, fuming, flatuous evils: ••otti-fer's spirit giddifies the first, ••he last the sp'rit of Lucifer accurst. ••ord, sheild us from them both, but most of all ••rom that most mortal, which is Sp'ritual ••inse, Lord, our Nations from that beastial sin ••f bodily excess, we wallow in: ••hat we thy blessings temporal may use ••ith temperance, and never more abuse •…•…ur peerless plenty: Ah! But rinse us too •…•…om drunkenness of soul; which will undo

Both Church and State, unless thy grace prevent: Impow'r us, Lord, of both so to repent, And both so to renounce henceforth, that we From thy impending Judgements freed may be.