Circumspect Walking, Chapter 25
CHAP. XXV.
Rules for the right ordering of our selues in our sports.
THese concerne, 1. the matter and kinde of our sports and playes: 2. the manner of vsing them aright: 3. the right ends.
First, the matter of our sports must bee in things which our consciences tell vsus are lawfull or indifferent. Rules for sports. …Therefore, 1. Holy things,1. Matter of them: not, 1. holy things. as phrases of Scripture, must not bee played with: Thou shalt feare the holy name of God: not delight thy selfe in swearing. 2. Sinfull things are not to be matter of our sport:2. Nor vnholy. as, 1. To make a man drunke, or sweare, or to laugh at such persons: for this is a matter of sorrow to see Gods image so defaced: and Dauids eyes gushed out with riuers of tears, to see such spectacles, 2. Vnlawfull sports are playes and enterludes, which are the representations of vices not to be named among Christians; besides mens wearing of womens apparell, the incentiues of lust and fewellers of fleshly flames. Heathen Law-giuers hauehave banished such out of their Countries. 3. Mixt dancing of men and women together, neuer read of in Scripture with approbation, and here in our text noted to be the fruit of idolatry, riot, drinking, and all other dissolute, behauior. Would God, the root, and tree, and all branches laden with such fruit, were quite stubbed vp. The heathens themselues condemned it: It was an ordinary speech among the Romans,Nemo nisi a…t ebrius a…t insanu… tripudiat. None but either a drunkard or a mad man danceth. It were too long to inferre the sentences of the heathen. The generall consent of Fathers, and the determinations of Councels make against this wicked and lasciuious practice. Basil in a Sermon of his concerning drunkennesse, saith, God made our knees not to caper like Goats, but to bow to the worship of God, and our Lord Iesus Christ. And Viret on the 7. Commandement, Chorea in circulo, centrum diabolus, circumferentia eius Angeli. Therefore let the Sonnes of light detest such an vnfruitfull worke of darkenesse: for what is there here but lust of the flesh, and lust of the eyes? what is here else, but carrying fire in the bosome, and walking vponupon coles; and how can a man auoid burning? This practice agrees neither with the grauity of the man, nor the shamefastnesse of the woman: nay, the very sight of it in a woman, is known more to ouerwhelme a man than strong drinke, as we may see in Herod, Mar. 6. 22.
4. Vnlawfull games are such as the lawes of the land make vnlawful, which binde the conscience in things indifferent: now among vnlawful games, the lawes reckon dicing, and so doth the law of God, because it hath no good report in it, no prayse, no vertue, Phil. 4. 8. and then it cannot be indifferent. And the like may be said of all those playes, the ground of which is lot, seeing a lot is an oracle and declaration of Gods will, a part of his Name, more solemne than any oath, and must not bee vainly vsed, or for recreation. Obiect. It is no lot, we vse it for no such end. Ans. That is no matter; the Iewes cast lots for our Sauiours garments, the nature of lots remained, though the good end was neglected. Obiect. Gods prouidence ouer-rules all other games. Answ. In other lawfull games that depend vponupon wit, strength, or skill, our owne infirmity, or want of skill, may bee blamed in all imperfection: but here, because the ground is a lot, wherin we hauehave no cunning, (vnlesse by cogging and cheating, which very roysters condemne) nothing can be accused but Gods immediate direction: let men consider whom they dishonour, when they say, What lucke, what chance is this?
Lyranus in his praeceptorium, by nine reasons proueth the vnlawfulnesse of playing with dice. The heathens themselues condemned it euen in their Princes; as Suet…nius in the life of Augustus reports, that it was his greatest blemish, that hee was at leasure to play at dice. Chilo being sent from the Lacedemonians to Corinth, vponupon an Embassage, and finding the Senators of that City at cards and dice, would performe no part of his message, saying, he would not so much dishonour the Lacedemonians, as that they should either make or meddle with such persons. Were such games infamous among lieathens? how vnworthy then are they among Christians.
Secondly, as sports and playes must be indifferent in their nature, so also in their vse; and that is when we confine our selues to the lawful manner of vsing them.
1. The persons must hauehave two qualities: 1. they must be pure: for to the pure all things are pure, and to none else:2. The manner. secondly, they must be wearie, and need refreshing: for God alloweth not the most lawfull sports, till the body and mind stand in need; till then wee must be busie in better things.
2. All sports must bee sanctified by the word and prayer, 1 Tim. 4. prayer before, and thanksgiuing after: because wee are in more danger to forget our selues herein, than in any thing else; in that we vnbend our selues from our ordinary businesse, and thinke wee may take more liberty than vsuall. A strange lesson to gamesters.
3. All sports must bee ioyned with the feare of God: Reioyce with trembling, which suffers not a man to powre out himselfe to pleasure.
4. All must bee ioyned with moderation agreeing to the time, person, and place. A man must not be a louer of pleasure, set vponupon sport, as some, who are giuen ouer to sport, neuer wearie, all the weeke long is too little. The Apostle commands, to reioyce, as not reioycing: that is, to be so moderate and retired, as not to ouer-value sports, nor to set our affections on them, as those who hauehave other things to doe. So obserue due circumstances: Some at cards and dice turne night into day, and sit vp all night and day, longer than they could for ten times more money be bound to any good businesse. Some wickedly encroach on time allotted to Gods seruice, some part of the Sabbath day, and other times: some keepe from Church, and some runne from Church with their games in their mouthes: others bestow vponupon them too much time which should be employed in the calling, either generall or particular, and so much indammage themselues thereby. The mowers rifle is good to bee set to his sythe, when it is blunt; but if hee doth nothing but whet still, hee spoyles his sythe, and hinders his worke. Therefore let vsus moderate our selues in our sports, according to the most sober of our age, degree, condition, and sort of life, and vse them with such as are both godly and wise, who may rather watch ouer vsus that we offend not, rather than draw and prouoke vsus so to doe.
5. Wee must not exchange any vertue or good thing with our delight and sport: (as before we noted) because eueryevery thing that is good, euen the least, is better than any indifferent thing: and therfore, 1. We must not by sports hinder our callings, but fit our selues to them: 2. We may not clogge our selues with them, because they ought to speed our way in our spirituall course and race. Take heed they become not the deuils bird-lime, in which while we wallow, we are disabled to mount aloft in heauenly meditations. 3. We may not lose our patience, our meekenesse, our louelove, as they that scorne, quarrel, storm, and rage like heathens, against lucke, chance, or fortune; yea, sweare and curse, if neuer so little crossed, as they that neuer heard of religion. 4. We may not lose our goods, or waste our substances, or play away more than without any doubt or scruple of conscience we may bestow vponupon honest delight, the necessary maintenance of other things, and necessary contribution to the Ministery, and the poore first liberally prouided for. 5. Wee may not lose our good name, which is a precious thing, as to bee counted gamesters, dicers, common bowlers, or idle persons, or a companion of them, or by obscene, scurrilous; or vncomely words or actions, carry the brand of a rude and disordered mate. 6. Wee may not lose our mastery ouer our sports, to let them hauehave vsus at command: for, hee that thus loues pastime shall be a poore man, Prou. 21. 17.
Now wee come to the right ends, which in our sports wee must set before vsus,3. The right ends of sports. if we would not sinne.
1. The end of sports must not bee to passe the time,1. Negatiue. which wee ought to redeeme, and not let passe without gaining something by it better than it selfe. Nor to maintaine idlenesse, as men that cannot else tell what to doe with themselues; for this is as ill as idlenesse: for idlenesse is not onelyonly not working, but a doing of trifles, and that which we dare not bring into our account to God. A pittifull thing, that Christians hauing so much to doe, and so much meanes, and so many cals to their businesse, should find nothing so fit as cards and dice.
2. The end of our sports must not bee to purchase our neighbours money, or to helpe our selues by his hinderance. And I would know, by what right of Gods word I can hold my neighbours money, which comes into my hand without labour, louelove, gift, or iust contract. If it bee not mine by iustice distributiue or commutatiue, it cannot bee mine by God: But no law of God or man, hath ranked wagers in either: nay, the ciuill law compels none to pay that which is lost; or if he hauehave paid, hee may recouer it within fifty houres.
But the right ends of sports are these:2. Affirmatiue. 1. Gods glory: nothing can bee lawfull wherein some glory is not wonne to God, in whatsoeuer wee doe, 1 Cor. 10. 31. And therefore such sports as doe not inable vsus to cheerefulnesse in the duties of religion and Christianity, faile in this end. 2. All our earthly ioyes must helpe forward our spirituall ioy in God, and the eternall ioyes of his Kingdome: if they come in comparison with them, or will step vp to hinder vsus therein, they are to bee contemned. Our chiefe ioy must euer bee placed in the Lord, and our chiefe affections must bee reserued for that fulnesse of ioy which is at Gods right hand. First seeke the kingdome of God, euen in these, and aboue these: how doth hee so, who spends more time in these than in that; yea, more by a thousand degrees, if wee would measure the time of his sports, by the time of godly desires, & religious duties? 3. The preseruation of our own health, & not to impair the health of our soules or bodies, as many by their watching to play destroy their health, and call numbers of diseases vponupon themselues, and oftentimes vntimely death. In this vse alone can all recreations become good and comfortable vntounto vsus, although our corrupt nature is loth to be so confined.
Obiect. If onelyonly these recreations, in this manner, and these ends bee lawfull, you leaue vsus none. Answ. OnelyOnly these, in this manner and ends are lawfull; and yet wee disallow nothing which Gods word alloweth, which ought to gouerne all his people. Gods word alloweth for the exercise of the body, the vse of the bowe, 2 Sam. 1. 18. of musicke, Neh. 7. 67. of hunting, hawking, birding, and such sports, without swearing, disorder, and needlesse tormenting of the silly creatures. And for the exercise of wit, hee alloweth honest riddles, Iudg. 14. and such games as the ground of which is wit or skill, as chesse, draughts, &c. Besides, an heart that is sanctified, would inure it selfe to heauenly ioyes, and preferre them aboue carnall, and little affect these which loose persons so much dote vponupon.
And to those who will be ready to obiect the vse and custome of the world, and the practice of so many fore-running ages, I answer and conclude with the Apostles words, Rom. 12. 2. Fashion not your selues according to this world, but proue what is the will of God. Or if you will not walke by Gods rules, your sinne shall destroy your owne soules: looke you to your duties, I hauehave endeuoured to do mine in discouering the same vntounto you.