§. VII. Then the best recreations were to ferve God, be juft, follow their vocations, mind their flocks, do good, exercife their bodies in fuch manner as was fuitable to gravity, temperance, and virtue; but now that word is extended to almost every folly that carries any appearance above open fcandalous filth (detefted of the very actors, when they had done it); fo much are men degenerated from Adam in his difobedience; fo much more confident and artificial are they grown in all impieties: yea, their minds, through cuftom, are become fo very infenfible of the inconveniency that attends the like follies, that what was once mere neceffity, a badge of fhame, at beft but a remedy, is now the delight, pleasure, and recreation of the age. How ignoble is it! how ignominious and unworthy of a reafonable creature; man which is endued with understanding, fit to contemplate immortality, and made a companion (if not fuperior) to angels, that he should mind a little duft; a few shameful rags; inventions of mere pride and luxury; toys, fo apish and fantastick; entertainments fo dull and earthy, that a rattle, a baby, a hobby-horse, a top, are by no means fo foolish in a fimple child, nor unworthy of his thoughts, as are fuch inventions of the care and pleasure of men. It is a mark of great stupidity, that fuch vanities fhould exercise the noble mind of man, and image of the great Creator of heaven and earth. §. VIII. Of this many among the very Heathens of old had fo clear a profpect, that they detefted all fuch vanity; looking upon curiofity in apparel, and that variety of recreations now in vogue and esteem with false Christians, to be deftructive of good manners, in that it more easily stole away the minds of people from fobriety to wantonnefs, idleness, effeminacy, and made them only companions for the beast that perishes: witnefs thofe famous men, Anaxagoras, Socrates, Plato, Ariftides, Cato, Seneca, Epictetus, &c. who placed true honour and fatisfaction in nothing below virtue and immortality. Nay, fuch are the remains of innocence among fome Moors and Indians in our times, that they do do not only traffick in a fimple posture, but if a Christian (though he must be an odd one) fling out a filthy word, it is customary with them, by way of moral, to bring him water to purge his mouth. How much do the like virtues, and reasonable inftances, accuse people profeffing Christianity, of grofs folly and intemperance? O that men and women had the fear of God before their eyes! and that they were fo charitable to themselves, as to remember whence they came, what they are doing, and to what they must return: that fo, more noble, more virtuous, more rational and heavenly things might be the matters of their pleasure and entertainment! that they would be once perfuaded to believe how inconfiftent the folly, vanity, and converfation they are mostly exercised in, really are with the true nobility of a reasonable foul; and let that just principle, which taught the Heathens, teach them, left it be found more tolerable for Heathens than fuch Christians in the day of account! For if their fhorter notions, and more imperfect fenfe of things could yet discover fo much vanity; if their degree of light condemned it, and they, in obedience thereunto, difused it, doth not it behove Chriftians much more? Chrift came not to extinguifh, no, but to improve that knowledge: and they who think they need do lefs now than before, had need to act better than they think. I conclude, that the fashions and recreations now in repute are very abufive of the end of man's creation; and that the inconveniencies that attend them, as wantonnefs, idleness, prodigality, pride, lust, respect of perfons (witness a plume of feathers, or a lace-coat in a country village, whatever be the man that wears them) with the like fruits, are repugnant to the duty, reason, and true pleasure of man, and abfolutely inconfiftent with that wisdom, knowledge, manhood, temperance, industry, which render man truly noble and good. §. IX. Again, these things which have been hitherto condemned, have never been the converfation or practice of the holy men and women of old times, whom the fcriptures recommend for holy examples, worthy of imitation. imitation. Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, were plain men, and princes, as graziers are, over their families and flocks. They were not folicitous of the vanities fo much lived in by the people of this generation, for in all things they pleafed God by faith. The first forfook his father's houfe, kindred, and country; a true type or figure of that felf-denial all muft know, that would have Abraham to their father. They must not think to live in those pleasures, fashions and cuftoms they are called to leave; no, but part with all, in hopes of the great recompence of reward, and that better country, which is eternal in the heavens'.' The prophets were generally poor mechanicks; one a shepherd, another an herdfman, &c. They often cried out upon the full-fed, wanton Ifraelites to repent, to fear and dread the living God, to forfake the fins and vanities they lived in; but they never imitated them. John Baptift, the meffenger of the Lord, who was fanctified in his mother's womb, preached his embafly to the world in a coat of camel's hair, a rough and homely garment. Nor can it be conceived that Jefus Chrift himself was much better apparelled, who according to the flesh, was of poor defcent, and in life of great plainnefs; infomuch that it was ufual in way of derifion to fay, 'Is not this Jefus the fon of Jofeph a carpenter? And this Jefus tells his followers, that as for foft raiment, gorgeous apparel and delicacies, they were for kings courts: implying, that he and his followers were not to feek after thofe things; but seems thereby to exprefs the great difference that was betwixt the lovers of the fafhions and cuftoms of the world, and those whom he had chofen out of it. And he did not only come in that mean and despicable manner himself, that he might ftain the pride of all flefh, but therein became exemplary to his followers, what a selfdenying life they must lead, if they would be his true difciples. Nay, he farther leaves it with them in a 1 Heb. xi. Amos vii. 15, 16. m Luke i. 15. Mat. iii. 1, 2, 3, 4. Mat. xiii. 55. Mark vi. 3. Luke vii. 25. parable, parable, to the end that it might make the deeper impreffion, and that they might fee how inconsistent a pompous worldly-pleafing life is with the kingdom he came to establish and call men to the poffeffion of: and that is the remarkable story of Dives; who is reprefented, first, as a rich man; next, as a voluptuous man, in his rich apparel, his many difhes, and his pack of dogs; and laftly, as an uncharitable man, or one who was more concerned how to please the luft of the eye, the luft of the flesh, and the pride of life, and fare fumptuously every day, than to take compaffion of poor Lazarus at his gate: no, his dogs were more pitiful and kind than he. But what was the doom of this jolly man, this great Dives? We read it, was everlasting torment; but that of Lazarus eternal joy with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom God. In fhort; Lazarus was a good man, the other a great man: the one poor and temperate, the other rich and luxurious there are too many of them alive; and it were well, if his doom might awaken them to repentance. of §. X. Nor were the twelve apoftles, the immediate meffengers of the Lord Jefus Chrift, other than poor men, one a fisherman, another a tent-maker; and he that was of the greatest (though perhaps not the best employment) was a cuftom-gatherer. So that it is very unlikely that any of them were followers of the fashions of the world: nay, they were fo far from it, that, as became the followers of Chrift, they lived poor, afflicted, felf-denying lives; bidding the churches to walk as they had them for examples. And to fhut up this particular, they gave this pathetical account of the holy women in former times, as an example of godly temperance, namely, that firft they did exprefsly abftain from gold, filver, braided hair, fine apparel, or fuch like; and next, that their adornment was a 'meek and quiet fpirit, and the hidden man of the heart, which are of great price with the Lord:' affirming, that fuch as live in pleasure, are dead whilst they they live";' for that the cares and pleasures of this life choke and destroy the feed of the kingdom, and quite hinder all progrefs in the hidden and divine life. Wherefore we find, that the holy men and women of former times were not accustomed to these pleasures and vain recreations; but having their minds fet on things above, fought another kingdom; which confifts in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit; ⚫ who having obtained a good report, entered into their • eternal reft,' therefore their works follow, and praise them in the gates. CHAP. XV. §. 1. The judgments of God denounced upon the Jews for their luxury; all ranks included. §. 2. Christ charges his difciples to have a care of the guilt of it: a fupplication to the inhabitants of England. §. 3. Temperance preffed upon the churches by the apoftles. §. 4. An exhortation to England to meafure herself by that rule. §. 5. What Chriftian recreations are. §. 6. Who need other sports to pass away their time, are unfit for heaven and eternity. §. 7. Man has but a few days: they may be better bestowed: this doctrine is ungrateful to none that would be truly bleffed. §. 8. Not only good is omitted by this luxurious life, but evil committed, as breach of marriage and love, lofs of health and eftate, &c. play-houses and ftages most inftrumental to this mischief. §. 9. How youth is by them inflamed to vanity: what mifchief comes of revels, gamings, &c. Below the life of noble Heathens. §. 10. The true difciples of Jefus are mortified in these things: the pleasure and reward of a good employment of time. a Mat. iv. 18. Mat. ix. 9. 11, 12, 13, 14. John xiii. 5. 1. Pet. ii. 21. Luke viii. 14. Acts xviii. 1, 2, 3. Heb. iv. 9. §. I. BUT |
