meditate upon the greateft and beft of things, to enlighten your mind, to correct the diforders of your heart, to ftudy the laws of God, to contemplate the wonders of his providence, to convince yourself of the vanity and folly of the world, and to comfort and delight your foul 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 va nity and impertinence, but to have spare time to spend in the ftudy of wisdom, in the exercise of devotion, in the practice of piety, in all the ways and means of doing good, and exalting our fouls to a ftate of Chriftian perfection.

Ir is a doctrine of fcripture, and highly agreeable to reason, That unto whomsoever much is given, of him hall 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 best purposes. As fure therefore as it is a ftate, that has fo many advantages, that furnishes you with fo many means of being eminent in piety, fo fure is it, that it is a ftate from which God expects fruits that are worthy of it. Had it been your lot to labour in a mine, or ferve under fome cruel master, you must have served as unto God, and in fo doing, you had finished the work which God had given you. But as you are free from all these states of life, you muft look upon yourself as God's fervant, as called to chufe that way of labouring and fpending your time, which may moft promote that which God defires to be moft promoted. God has given you liberty to chufe, but it is only that you may have the bleffedness 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 Jabouring in all good works, and making all your

time, and fortune, and abilities, ferviceable to the beft 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 be diligent in a poor flavish labour, that oppreffes the body, and dulls and dejects the mind; but you in a fervice that is perfect freedom, that renders your body a fit temple for the Holy Ghoft, and fills your foul with fuch light, and peace, and joy, as is not to be found in any other way of life.

Do you think that a poor flave would difplease God, by refusing to act in that painful drudgery that is fallen to his fhare? And do you think that God will not be more displeased with you, if you refuse to at your full part in the beft of labours, or neglect that happy joyful bufinefs of doing good, which your ftate of life has called you to? Is it expected that poor people should make a right use of their condition, and turn all their labour into a fervice 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 fervice unto God? Tell me therefore no more, that you indulge yourself in idle amusements, in vain, corrupt, and unedifying books, because you have fpare time; for it is abfolutely false to say that you have any fuch thing; it is also faying, that becaufe God has given you fpare time from fervile labour, that you may chufe the best ways of life, devote yourself to the most divine exercises, and become eminent and exemplary in all the inftances of a holy and heavenly life; therefore you presume to throw it away in idlenefs and impertinence.

CHAP

CHA P. XI.

A farther confideration of that purity and holiness of conversation, to which the neceffity of divine grace calleth all Chrif tians; wherein is fhewn, that the entertainment of the stage, is a corrupt and finful entertainment, contrary to the whole nature of Chriftian piety, and conftantly to be avoided by all fincere Chriftians.

us.

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 You will now perhaps ask me, if it is unlawful for a Chriftian to go to the play-boufe. I answer, that it is abfolutely unlawful. As unlawful, as for a Christian to be a drunkard or a glutton, or to curfe and fear. This I think, after what has been above obferved, will be easily proved.

For let us refume the doctrine of the apoftle, we are abfolutely forbid all corrupt communication, and for this important reafon, because it grieves and Separates 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 fcripture to affirm, that Evil communication corrupts good manners; and that unedifying difcourfes grieves the Holy Spirit. Now the third commandment is not more plain and express against swearing, than

this doctrine is plain and pofitive againft going to the play-houfe. If you should 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 fwear in fine language, and invent mufical oaths and imprecations, would you not think him mad in the highest degree? Now confider, whether there be a lefs degree of madness in going to the play-house. You own, that God has called you to a great purity of converfation, that you are forbid all foolife difcourfe, and filthy jeftings, as exprefly, as you are forbid fwearing; that you are to let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for the use of edifying; and yet you go to the house fet apart for corrupt communications, you hire perfons to entertain you with all manner of ribaldry, prophaneness, rant, and impurity of difcourfe; who are to present you with vile thoughts, and lewd imaginations in fine language, and to make wicked, vain, and impure difcourfe, more lively and effecting, than you could poffibly have it in any ill company. Now, is not this finning with as high a hand, and as grofly offending against the plain doctrines of fcripture, as if you was to give your money to be entertained with mufical oaths and curfes? You might reasonably think that woman very ridiculous in her piety, that durft not fwear herfelf, but should nevertheless frequent places to hear oaths. But you may as juftly think her very ridiculous in her modefty, who, tho' fhe dares not to fay, or look, or do an immodeft thing herself, fhall yet give her money, to fee women forget the modefty of their fex, and talk impudently in a publick play-house. If the play-houfe was filled with rakes and ill women, there would be nothing to be wondered at in fuch an affembly; for fuch perfans to be delighted with fuch entertainments, is as natural, as for any animal to delight ipts proper element. But for perfons who profefs purity and holiness, who would not be suspected of immodefty,

modefty, or corrupt communication, for them to come under the roof of a houfe devoted to fuch ill purposes, and be pleafed fpectators of fuch actions and discourses, as are the pleasure of the most abandoned persons, for them to give their money to be thus entertained, is fuch a contradiction to all piety and common sense, as cannot be fufficiently exposed.

AGAIN, when you fee the players acting with life and fpirit, men and women equally bold in all instances of prophaneness, paffion, and immodefty, I dare fay, you never fufpect any of them to be perfons of Chriftian piety. You can't even in your imagination join piety to fuch manners, and fuch a way of life. Your mind will no more allow you to join piety with the behaviour of the frage, than it will allow you to think two and two to be ten. And perhaps you had rather fee your fon chained to a galley, or your daughter driving plow, than getting their bread on the ftage, by adminiftring in fo fcandalous a manner to the vices and corrupt pleasures of the world. Let this therefore be another argument to prove the abfolute unlawfulness of going to a play. For confider with yourself, is the bufinefs of players fo contrary to piety, fo inconfiftent with the fpirit and temper of a true Christian, that it is next to a contradiction to fuppofe them united? How then can you take yourself to be innocent, who delight in their fins, and hire them to commit them? You may make yourself a partaker of other mens fins, by negligence, and for want of reproving them; but certainly, if you ftand by, and affist men in their evil actions, if you make their vices your pleasure and entertainment, and pay your money to be fo entertained, you make yourself a partaker of their fins in a very high degree. And confequently, it must be as unlawful to go to a play, as it is unlawful to approve, encourage, affift, and reward a man for renouncing a Chriftian life. Let therefore every man or woman that goes to a play, ask themfelves this question, Whether it fuits with their religion to a&t

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