The Art of Giving, Chapter 29
CHAP. XXIX.
An eight practise of Satan to hinder bounty is, by enticing men to exhaust their estates in vnlawfnll recreations.
As
DIcing.
Carding.
Cock-fighting.
Beare-bayting.
Stage-Playes, &c.
As
1 Being the common Recreations of the time.
2 Taken vp not by the basest, but euen by the best, and so countenanced by example.
3 Hauing some pretence of Christian liberty.
4 Hauing also some sweete baites of profit and pleasure.
5 And being good meanes to passe away the time.
For the remedy of this euill know we,
1 That these recreations are vtterly vnlawfull. As
1 Dicing. Because
It consists in hazard and casting of a Lot, which being a religious ordinance, appointed of the Lord in waighty euasions, to determine the doubtfulnesse thereof, ought not to be transferred to matter of recreation. Act. 1.
2 It is performed by many cunning and deceitfull sleights, not so much depending vponupon the bare chance, as by aduantage of dice, &c. intending to ouer-rule the hazard, and by the chance to rob and spoyle others.
3 And so, besides the occasions of swearing, losse of time, corruption of manners accompanying these sports. Is not satisfied vsually without spoyle of estate, yea, many times of liues also.
2 Carding vnlawfull.
1 And that because it partly consists of hazard, and therefore is an abuse of diuine ordinance.
2 The skill thereof consists in cousenage and out-facing trickes.
3 It maintaynes Couetousnesse, and hunts after gaine by vnlawfull sleights.
4 And so in steade of recreating the minde, doth much distract the same with hopes to winne, and feare to loose.
5 It steales away our pretious time, and nourisheth in idlenesse and effeminate delights.
6 And is not vsually performed without blasphemies against God, and tearings of each other.
7 At the best, it is but an indifferent thing, and therefore being more subiect to abuse, is wisely to be auoyded.
8 Especially seeing it is a sport of no good report, vsed especially by the prophane, and by them grossely abused, and taken vp to ease a troubled spirit.
3 Cocke-fighting and Beare-baiting vnlawfull.
1 Because the ground of them is the enmity of the creature, which was the punishment of sinne.
2 They prouoke to cruelty, and vnmercifulnesse.
3 And withdraw the minde from the right vse of the creature, which is to contemplate the iustice and mercy of God in the preseruation and gouernment thereof.
4 It is contrary to the nature of a iust man, who is mercifull to his beast.
5 By this vnmercifulnesse to the creature, vnnaturalnesse, and brutish tyranny is oft-times discouered and maintayned.
6 And the creature eft soones prouoked to crie quittance with man.
7 Besides, the prophanation of the Sabbaths, blasphemies & whoredomes, the drunkennesse, &c. that accompany these games.
4 That Enterludes, &c.
First because,
1 They are expressely forbidden by the Lord, who hath commanded tha we should not imitate the heathen in their sports and pastimes.
2 They were first inuented and appoynted by the Diuell,Tit. Liu. Decad. to pacifie his wrath in the time of a famine, as if hee were the author of the iudgement of God: And so
3 They were inuented to the high derogation of the power and Maiesty of God.
4 They are the teachers of sinne, yea, enemies to Repentance, as both expressing sinne liuely, and making a mock… of it.
5 They are the very bands to all hypocrisie and dissimulation, as making shew of what they are not, and expressing vice vnderunder the habite of vertue.
6 They alter the order that God hath placed in his creatures, changing the resemblance.
4 Stage-Playes are vnlawfull and abhominable.
Of men into women, a thing expresly forbidden by the law of God. Deut. 22.
They are meanes to exclude the preaching of the Gospell, as contenting the people with such formall shewes, and so thereby perswading them, that because they can learne more at a play, then at a Sermon, therefore, the play is better, the Sermon needlesse.
And seeing the people can endure sin to be reproued in a play, which they will not abide in the Pulpet: This causeth not onelyonly to despise the power of the word, but euen to make a mocke of sinne.
And so are the meanes to nourish Atheisme, and all desperate impiety.
Of dancing: That it is an enemy to liberality, and vtterly vnlawfull as it is now vsed generally.
Howsoeuer the Scripture doth commend vntounto vsus some kindes of dancing.
Namely,
That of Dauid, to shew his ioy and thankfulnesse vntounto God for the reducing of the Arke: as also 2 Sam. 6.
Those holy dancings of Moses and Miriam, in thankfulnesse vntounto God for their great deliuerance. Exod. 15. 1. 2.
Yet are those no warrants to iustifie the prophane and lasciuious dancing of these ages.
1 These were performed in an holy manner: namely, in modesty, and great wisedome, to auoid occasion and appearance of euill, the men by themselues, and the women also together.
2 These dancings, of old, were performed to holy ends, namely, to expresse thankfulnesse vntounto God for his mercies vouchsafed vntounto them.
But as for the dancings of these times.
They are both occasions of euill in regard of the promiscuous dancing of men and women together, as also, because of those lasciuious gestures and behauiours that accompany the same.
Especially they entend most wicked ends; as vncleannesse, wantonnesse, effeminatenesse, &c. if not murther and adultery followes the same. And are they not also maine enemies against liberality?
Yea certainly,
As not onelyonly exhausting our estate in vanity of apparrell; maskings, &c. whereby we are vsually disenabled from performing this duety.
But by these vaine recreations enflaming the heart with pride, &c. whereby it is alienated from the poore. Yea nourishing in idlenesse, and prouoking thereby to all excesse of lust, whereby still the estate is more emptied, and misery hastened.
And so exposing oft-times to the iust scorne of the world, and necessity of reliefe from others.
And thereby thrusting forward to shifting and spoyling of our brethren, whom we should and might relieue. And doth not open robbery and murthers vsually hence ensue? Will such gallants labour? are they not ashamed to begge, and must they not liue? Will they not hauehave it by hooke or by crooke, as we say? must they not cut it out of the hides of others?