,fire Stag~·plaJCS lawful! May no Symbols of Idol.1t1y be ufcd! lions ; as full experience provcth : Thofe that mo(\ love.and ufc th.c<n arc not reformed by them but.commonly arc -the man loofc ungodly fen(ual people. ., 8. The befi and wifdl pcrfons lcatl relHh them, and are commonly mo.Q~gainn them. And the)' are befi able to make experiment, what doth moll help or hurt the foul. Therefore when rhc: fen– fua1 fay, ff'e profit by t!Jtm, aJ mucb ar by Sermon!, they do but fpcak according to their [cnfe and · l~tft: As one that harh the Gzcen-Sickncfs may fay, Coalr and CJay and Ajhu do me mere gaod tban John 6 . "· mtat : be<aufe they are not fofit to judge, asthofe that have a healthful llate and appetite. And It 1 Pct. 4 • 10 • feldome pleaftth the Confciwce of a dying man, to remember the .time he fpent at St-2f1t·pla)w Matth. tS.q. 9 :Ufua1ly there is much cojt befiowcd on them, which migh\1 be bc(tt-rcmp!oyeJ, 0 and lh;re· R.om, 14.1l, fore is unlawful. l'hil. 4· 1 '· 10. God hath appointrd a {fated mc.sns of inflmCling fouls-, by Parents, Minifiers 1 &c. 'which is P~:~·~ 1 :.·much more fit and powerful: Therefore that time were better fpcnt. And i~ is doubtful whether :z. 1 · ' Play·hoH[ts be not a frated mtans of mJIII injlitution, fet up to the {amt pretended ufc'as theChurch and Minijlry of Chrill, and fo be not ag•ioll the fecond Col'!lmandment. t'or mY p.art.l cannot de– lend them, if any (hall fay that the D<vil hath apifhly made thefe hiJ Churcher, in ,competition with the Churchu of Chrifi. 1 r. It feemcth to me a heinous fin for Players to live upon this as aTradt and FunlJion and to be educated for it, and maintained in it. That which might be ufed as a recreation, m;y, notal– wayes be made a Trade of. i2. There is no mention that ever fuch Playes were ufed in Scripture times by any godly perfons. ·· ... . . •3· The Primitive Chrifiians and Churches were commonly a_gainll them: M>.ny Canom are yet to be fcen,by wb1<;h they dtd condemn them. Read but Dr.Ja.Rugnaldt agamfl Albericu 1 Grmilit and you Jhall f<e upaqfwtuble rellimonies, from CoUf\<t)s, Fathers, Emperours, Kings, and all fob<r~ntiquity again(\ them. . . , , , 4 • Thou{inds of yjlung people in our time h~ve been undone by them : Some at the Gallows and many Apprenti~es whQ run ~ut in their accounts, negleCt their M.afier~ bufim:fs, and turn r~ Drun~tpncfs, arid Whorede!{l, and Debauchery, do confefs that Stagf·playtJ were not the lafi or lea(! .of. the temptations whi>h did overthrow them. 1 5· The bell that can be faid of thefe ~!ayes is, that they are controverted and of doubtful lawful– nefs:.: But there arc other means. enow of uHtlo,bttdand uncontroverted JawfUJncfs, for dw: fame hondl ends: And therefore it is a fin to do that which is ~oubtful withoat need. Upon all thefe reafons, I advife all that Love thei~ time, their fouls, their God and happinefs, 10 turn away from thefe nurferies of VI", and to delight themfelves m the Law and Ordinances of their Saviour, Ffalm •· ~, 3• Is it ewr _1111larv[uJ. to ufe tbe know11 Symb~ls and 1ladges of tf>J[w. I· Qltdi.nalily it is un)~wful, as beinll the t.hing forbidden in the fecoml Commandment. , v !'Or ,~e that uftth them, {.Is ~orporally Idolatrous, what c:vCI' his fecrctthuughts rlljly br> · ;I· A~d he ,i> inttrp~ttalively an Idolater, .~nd actually perfwadcth othm to be fo. ~· Bpt yet thQqg!J nQ man m~y ever ufe fuch fymbolj Qf Idolatry forma/iter, qu• talu, 01 jitcb; yet rnattria~ he m~y ufe 1hem If\ fome cafes. · 1\S ·•· when an Idolate~ will take anOrdinaHCI •f Gad, and an appainttd "·'Y· and turn it into • Jj111bal qf his IJolarry: (As in the foregoing inl!~nce of the M~hometans.) We may not therefore torfake tb91 duty ; bu1 we mufl do it in luch a manner, as may fufficicntly difclaim thcldolaters ufe of it• . As ifanyidolaters will~ake a fymbolof fame Scripture Texts, or of the LordsDar, or of th_t: Sacramental Breac\~nd Wme, &c. w• mu(\ not therefore difufe them. •· when a thing Indiffmnt is made an Idolatrous fymbol or badge, thougli I mu(\ not ufe it ar Idotattrl do, yet if ~ny aC\ of Divine Providence make;. it become NectJfary as aMoral a:try, I may be obliged to ufe it, difclaiming the Idolaters manner and end : And then it will beknown that I ufe it nQt as 1heir JjmJ,al. As if a man by fammc or a fwoon, were dying in an Idols Temple, I might give him meat or drink there to fave his life, though fuch as was a badge of their Idolatry, whjle: l _difdaim their ends and ufe : The xeafon is, I. Bccaufe at fuch a time , it is a natr1ral duty, and therefore may not be omitted for fear offcandal, or fecming fin, which at that time is no fin. z, Becaufe Chrlfl hath taught us in the infiancc of himfclf and his difciples, that Politive Commands ~t~ith. 9 . 1;.. give plac:e to natural, uurH paribUG• And that the S1bbath was made for man, and not man for & 11.. 1. the Sabbath: And that we: mufi learn what this mcaneth, I wiU IJave mercy t~nd not focrifice. And )lar. '· n jf we mu(\ break the Refl of the S•bbath for the life, yea, the f"ding of an Ox or Afs, much more of a man: And the Potitives of the fccond Commandment muft be: regulitcd as the Poficives ofthe fourth. 3· And the fcandal io fuch a cafe may be avoidrd, by d:cluint; that I do difcla-im their ufc and ends~ lo·
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