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ders of your Heart, to study the Laws of God, to contemplate the Wonders of his Providence, to convince your felf of the Vanity and Folly of the World, and to comfort and delight your Soul with those great and glorious Things, which God has prepared for those that love him. This is the Happiness of being free from Labour, and Want; not to have Spare Time to fquander away in Vanity and Impertinence, but to have fpare Time to spend in the Study of Wisdom, in the Exercise of Devotion, in the Practice of Piety, in all the Ways and Means of doing Good, and exalting our Souls to a State of Chriftian Perfection.

IT is a Doctrine of Scripture, and highly agreeable to Reafon, That unto whomfoever much is given, of him shall much be required. Confider therefore, that a Life of Leifure, and Freedom from Want and Hardships, is as much as can well be given you in this World, as it is giving you an Opportunity of living wholly unto God, and making all the Parts of your Life useful to the beft Purposes. As fure therefore as it is a State, that has fo many Advantages, that furnishes you with so many Means of being eminent in Piety, fo fure is it that it is a State from which God expects Fruits that are worthy of it.

Had it

been

been your Lot to labour in a Mine, or ferve under fome cruel Mafter, you must have ferved as unto God, and in fo doing, you had finished the Work which God had given you. But as you are free from all thefe States of Life, you must look upon your felf as God's Servant, as called to chufe that Way of labouring and fpending your Time, which may moft promote that which God defires to be most promoted. God has given you Liberty to chufe, but it is only that you may have the Bleffednefs of chufing the best Ways of fpending your Time. Though therefore you are at Liberty from fervile and mean Labour, yet you are under a Neceffity of labouring in all good Works, and making all your Time, and Fortune, and Abilities, ferviceable to the best Ends of Life. You have no more Time that is your own, than he has that is to live by conftant Labour; the only Difference betwixt you and him, is this, that he is to he diligent in a poor flavish Labour, that oppreffes the Body, and dulls and dejects the Mind; but you in a Service that is perfect Freedom, that renders your Body a fit Temple for the Holy Ghost, and fills your Soul with fuch Light, and Peace, and Joy, as is not to be found in any other Way of Life.

Do

Do you think that a poor Slave would difplease God by refusing to act in that painful Drudgery that is fallen to his Share? And do you think that God will not be more displeased with you, if you refuse to a&t your full part in the best of Labours, or neglect that happy joyful Business of doing Good, which your State of Life has called you to? Is it expected that poor People hould make a right Use of their Condition, and turn all their Labour into a Service unto God? And can you think that you are not obliged to make the proper Improvement of your Condition, and turn all your Reft, and Eafe, and Freedom from Labour, into a Service unto God? Tell me therefore no more, that you indulge your felf in idle Amusements, in vain, corrupt, and unedifying Books, because you have Spare Time; for it is abfolutely false to fay that you have any fuch thing; it is allo faying, that becaufe God has given you Spare Time from fervile Labour, that you may chufe the best Ways of Life, devote your felf to the most Divine Éxercifes, and become eminent and exemplary in all the Inftances of a holy and heavenly Life; therefore you prefume to throw it away in Idleness and Impertinence,

CHAP

CHAP. XI.

A farther Confideration of that Purity and Holiness of Converfation, to which the Neceffity of

Divine Grace calleth all Chri-
ftians; wherein is fhewn, that
the Entertainment of the Stage,
is a corrupt and finful Enter-
tainment, contrary to the whole
Nature of Chriftian Piety, and
conftantly to be avoided by all
fincere Chriftians.

HAVE fhewn in the foregoing
Chapter, that the reading of
Plays, or any other Books of
that kind, is a dangerous and

finful Entertainment, that corrupts our Hearts, and feparates the Holy Spirit from us. You will now perhaps ask me, if it

is

is unlawful for a Chriftian to go to the Play-house. I answer, that it is abfolutely unlawful. As unlawful, as for a Chriftian to be a Drunkard or a Glutton, or to Curfe and Swear. This I think, after what has been above observ'd, will be easily prov'd.

FOR let us refume the Doctrine of the Apostle, we are abfolutely forbid all corrupt Communication, and for this important Reafon, because it grieves and feparates the Holy Spirit from us. Is it unlawful therefore to have any corrupt Communication of our own? And can we think it lawful to go to Places fet apart for that Purpose? To give our Money, and hire Perfons to corrupt our Hearts with ill Difcourfes, and inflame all the diforderly Paffions of our Nature? We have the Authority of Scripture to affirm, That evil Communication corrupts good Manners; and that unedifying Difcourfes grieve the Holy Spirit. Now the third Commandment is not more plain and express against Swearing, than this Doctrine is plain and positive against going to the Play-house. If you fhould fee a Perfon, that acknowledges the third Commandment to be a Divine Prohibition against Swearing, yet going to a House, and giving his Money to Perfons, who were there met, to Curfe and Swear in fine Language, and invent mufical Oaths and Imprecations, would you not think

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