for plays; where their usual entertainments are some ftories fetched from the more approved romances; fome ftrange adventures, fome paffionate amours, unkind refufals, grand impediments, importunate addresses, miferable difappointments, wonderful furprizes, unexpected encounters, caftles furprized, imprisoned lovers rescued, and meetings of fuppofed dead ones; bloody duels, languishing voices ecchoing from folitary groves, overheard mournful complaints, deep-fetched fighs fent from wild deferts, intrigues managed with unheard-of fubtlety: and whilst all things feem at the greateft diftance, then are people alive, enemies friends, defpair turned to enjoyment, and all their impoffibilities reconciled; things that never were, are not, nor ever shall or can be, they all come to pass. And as if men and women were too flow to answer the loofe fuggeftions of corrupt nature; or were too in tent on more divine fpeculations and heavenly affairs, they have all that is poffible for the most extravagant wits to invent, not only exprefs lies, but utterly impoffibilities to very nature, on purpose to excite their minds to thofe idle paffions, and intoxicate their giddy fancies with fwelling nothings, but airy fictions; which not only confume their time, effeminate their natures, debase their reason, and fet them on work to reduce these things to practice, and make each adventure theirs by imitation; but if disappointed, as who can otherwife expect from fuch mere phantafms, the prefent remedy is latitude to the greatest vice. And yet these are fome of their most innocent recreations, which are the very gins of Satan to infnare people; contrived most agreeable to their weakness, and in a more infenfible manner maftering their affections, by entertainments most taking to their fenfes. In fuch occafions it is that their hearts breed vanity, their eyes turn interpreters to their thoughts, and their looks do whisper Tit. ii. 3, 4, 5. Eph. v. 3. 4. I Tim. iv. 2. 1 Tim. iv. 4. Pfal. xii. 2. Eccl. i. 11, 17. ch. vi. 9. Ifa. v. 12. ch. xiv. 29. ch, lix. 3, 4. N2 their the fecret inflammations of their intemperate minds; wandering fo long abroad, till their lafcivious actings bring night home, and load their minds and reputations with luft and infamy ". §. II. Here is the end of all their fashions and recreations, to gratify the luft of the eye, the luft of the flesh, and the pride of life:' clothes, that were given to cover fhame, now want a covering for their shameful excess; and that which should remember men of loft innocency, they pride and glory in: but the hundredth part of these things coft man the lofs of paradife, that now make up the agreeable recreation, ay, the accomplishment of the times. For as it was Adam's fault to feek a fatisfaction to himself, other than what God ordained; fo it is the exercife, pleasure, and perfection of the age, to spend the greatest portion of their time in vanities, which is fo far from the end of their creation, namely, a divine life, that they are destructive of itf. §. III. Were the pleafures of the age true and folid, Adam and Eve had been miferable in their innocency, who knew them not: but as it was once their happiness, not to know them in any degree, fo it is theirs, that know Chrift indeed, to be by his eternal power redeemed and raised to the love of immortality: which is yet a mystery to those who live and have pleasure in their curious trims, rich and changeable apparel, nicety of drefs, invention and imitation of fashions, coftly attire, mincing gaits, wanton looks, romances, plays, treats, balls, feafts, and the like conversation in requeft for as these had never been, if man had staid at home with his Creator, and given the entire exercise of his mind to the noble ends of his creation; fo certain it is, that the use of these vanities is not only a fign that men and women are yet ignorant of their true reft and pleasure, but it greatly obftructs and hinders the retirement of their minds, and their ferious enquiry after thofe things that are eternal. O, that there fhould be fo much noife, clutter, invention, traffick, curiofity, diligence, pains, and vaft expence of time and estate, to please and gratify poor vain mortality! and that the foul, the very image of Divinity itself, fhould have fo little of their confideration! What, O what more pregnant inftances and evident tokens can be given, that it is the body, the fenfes, the cafe, a little flesh and bone covered with fkin, the toys, fopperies, and very vanities of this mortal life and perishing world, that please, that take, that gain them; on which they dote; and think they never have too much time, love or money, to bestow upon them. §. IV. Thus are their minds employed, and fo vain are they in their imaginations, and dark in their underftandings, that they not only believe them innocent, but perfuade themselves they are good Chriftians all this while; and to rebuke them is worse than heresy. Thus are they strangers to the hidden life; and by these things are they diverted from all ferious examination of themselves; and a little by-rote-babble, with a forced zeal of half an hour's talk in other mens words, which they have nothing to do with, is made fufficient; being no more their ftates, or at least their intention, as their works fhew, than was it the young man's in the gofpel, that faid, he would go, and did not ".' alas! why? Oh, there are other guests! What are they? Pharamond, Cleopatra, Caffandra, Clelia; a play, a ball, a fpring-garden; the park, the gallant, the exchange; in a word, the World. These stay, these call, these are importunate, and these they attend, and these are their most familiar affociates. Thus are their hearts captivated from the divine exercife; nay, from fuch external affairs as immediately concern fome benefit to But Eph. ii. 1 to 5. Col. ii. 13. 1 Pet. i. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. Tit. ii. 11, 12. Jam. v. 5. Mat. vii. 17, 18, 19. Rom. viii. 8. 1 Cor vi. 13. Job xxxv. 15. Ifa. xl. 6. 1 Pet. i. Luke viii. 14. Prov. i. 25, 30. ch. x. 17. ch. xii. 1. Ifa. lviii. 1, 2 to 10. Jer. xvi. 19, 20, 21. 2 Tim. Mat. xvi. 26. 24. ch. xv. 15. themselves, or needy neighbours; pleafing themselves with the received ideas of thofe toys and fopperies into their loose and airy minds: and if in all things they cannot practise them, because they want the means of it, yet, as much as may be, at least to dote upon them, be taken with them, and willingly fuffer their thoughts to be hurried after them. All which greatly indifpofes the minds, and diftracts the fouls of people from the divine life and principle of the holy Jefus: but, as it hath been often faid, more especially the minds of the younger fort, to whom the like divertisements (where their inclinations being prefented with what is very fuitable to them, they become excited to more vanity, than ever they thought upon before) are incomparably dearer than all that can be faid of God's fear, a retired life, eternal rewards, and joys unfpeakable and full of glory fo vain, fo blind, and fo very infenfible are men and women, of what truly makes a difciple of Chrifti! O! that they would ponder on these things, and watch against, and out of all these vanities, for the coming of the Lord, left being unprepared, and taken up with other guests, they enter not into his everlasting reft *. §. V. That which farther manifefts the unlawfulness of these numerous fashions and recreations is, that they are either the inventions of vain, idle, and wanton minds to gratify their own fenfualities, and raise the like wicked curiofity in others to imitate the fame; by which nothing but luft and folly are promoted: or the contrivances of indigent and impoverished wits, who make it the next way for their maintenance: in both which refpects, and upon both which confiderations, they ought to be detefted. For the firft licences exprefs impiety; and the latter countenances a wretched way of livelihood, and confequently diverts from more lawful, more ferviceable, and more neceffary employments. That fuch perfons are both the inventors Ifa. lix. 4. Jer. ii. 5. Eccl. xi, 10. Mat, xv, 7 to 14. * Rom, xiii. 11, 12, and and actors of all these follies, cannot be difficult to demonftrate: for were it poffible, that any one could bring us father Adam's girdle, and mother Eve's apron, what laughing, what fleering, what mocking of their homely fashion would there be? furely their taylor would find but little cuftom, although we read, it was God himself that made them coats of skins'.' The like may be asked of all the other vanities, concerning the holy men and women through all the generations of holy writ. How many pieces of ribband, and what feathers, lace-bands, and the like, did Adam and Eve wear in paradife, or out of it? What rich embroideries, filks, points, &c. had Abel, Enoch, Noah, and good old Abraham? Did Eve, Sarah, Sufannah, Elizabeth, and the Virgin Mary ufe to curl, powder, patch, paint, wear falfe locks of ftrange colours, rich points, trimmings, laced gowns, embroidered petticoats, fhoes with flipflaps laced with filk or filver lace, and ruffled like pigeons feet, with several yards, if not pieces of ribbands? How many plays did Jefus Christ and his apostles recreate themselves at? What poets, romances, comedies, and the like, did the apoftles and faints make, or use to pass away their time withal? I know they bid all redeem their time, to avoid foolith talking, vain jefting, profane babblings and 'fabulous ftories; as what tend to ungodliness: and ' rather to watch, to work out their falvation with fear ' and trembling, to flee foolish and youthful lufts, and 'to follow righteoufnefs, peace, goodness, love, cha rity; and to mind the things that are above, as they 'would have honour, glory, immortality and eternal life.' §. VI. But if I were asked, Whence came they then? I could quickly anfwer, From the Gentiles, that knew not God; (for fome amongst them detefted them, as will be shown) they were the pleasures of an effeminate Sardanapalus, a fantastick Miracles, a comical Arifto 1 Gen. iii. 21. " Eph. v. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 15, 16. 2 Tim. ii. 16, 22. Mat. xxv. 13. Phil. ii. 12, 13. Col. iii. 1, 2, 3. Rom. ü. 6, 7 |