The Churches Security Together with the Antidote, Part 3
Now we are come to the third cause,3. Part. and occasion of the Churches slumber, and securitie, and that is, that shee to much addicted her selfe,Earthly pleasures. and slacked the raines to earthlie delightes, and pleasures: which are of maruelous force to rocke, and lull men a sleepe in the cradle of securitie. For euen as wee see that naturall sleeping, and slumbering is many times procured by singing, musicke, rubbing, sweete broathes, and such delightsome thinges: Euen so the sleepe, and slumber of the soule is often caused, not onelyonly by the vse of pleasures, and delights that are in them-selues vnlawfull, which rather worke the death, then the slumber of the soule, but also (as here is intended) by the vnseasonable and immoderate vse, and following of sportes, delights, and recreations that are in themselues things meerely indifferent, and therefore lawfull to bee vsed, or foreborne. Examples, and proofes hereof wee hauehave many in holie scripture.Amos. 6. The Princes of Israell in Amos time gaue themselues wholy to delicacie, wines, feasting, musicke &c. and herevpon thought not vponupon their captiuitie at hand, much lesse pitied the distressed Estate of their afficted bretheren; but hereof I hauehave spoken before, Wise Solomon that felt, and found by wofull experience the poysonfull infection of pleasures, pronounceth laughter to bee madnesse,Ecle. 2. 2. and all pleasure to be but vanitie.
The Iewes in Isaias his time, bathing, and soaking themselues in their pleasures did not consi…er the w…rke of God, that is they did not heed,Isay. 5. ver. 12. nor take notice of his iudgments at hand. The baites of pleasure, and a prodigal minde withdrew the lost childe from his fathers house, and protection, and at length brought him to shame,Luke. 15. and extreame pouertie.
It was one of the sinnes of the old world before the generall deluge, and of Sodome, and the Citties adioyning before their destruction from heauen, and it is one of the maine sinnes that now doth, and shall raigne in the world, Christ his comming to iudgement, namely pleasures, …nities, delights. The particulars, whereof were, eating, drinking, marrying wi…es, Luk. 17. 26. 27. 28.and gi…ing in marriag…. Herevnto is added sur…etting, Luk. 21. 34.and drunkenesse, of which sinnes our S…uiour in Luke doth so warne vsus. By the former example our Sauiours meaning is, that men shalbe so taken vp, and possessed with the pleasures, and profits of this present life, as if not change, & alteratiō were to be looked for. whereas otherwise eating, drinking, marrying, &c. are not in them-selues vnlawfull, (for they serue for mans necessitie, and comfort) vnlesse men excessiuely, or altogither herevnto addicted, should grow insensible of Gods iudgements, or shutting their eyes should runne into all licentiousnesse, as though there were no God in Heauen that would take vengeance on them: And as for those vile & damnable sinnes of surfetting, and drunkennes, what hurt they bring to the body, what lauishment to the goodes, what abuse of the creatures, what discredit to a mans good name, what decay to the witte, and vnderstanding, what ill example to the world, what scandall to the godly, what offence to God, and what disstruction to the soule, daily, and lamentable experience sheweth? Paule saith that the widdow liuing in pleasure is dead being aliue, 2 Tim. 6. 5.is shee is dead being idle, and seruing for no vse.
Lastly it is one of the sinnes of the whore of Babilon, and cause of her ruine, yea a fore-runner of it, to liue in pleasure, to sitte as a Quee…e, Apoc. 18. Vers. 7.to perswade her selfe that she is no widdow, and that she shall see no mourning. These pleasures if we do not beware of them, & wisely and soberly vse them, are as baites to intise vsus, snares to intangle vsus, a delectable phrensie to beguile vsus, thornes to pricke, and goare vsus, Vlisses his Syrenes to turne vsus into swine, and beastes, the fewell of concupiscence; finally they bring a spirituall lethargie, it is both forgetfullnes, and a slumber vppon the soule, and the infection of the witte like the biting of an Aspe which casteth the person that is bitten in a sweete sleepe,Vse. 1. out of which he neuer recouereth. The vse of this point serueth to checke, & condemne the practise of those especially that hauing lands, liuings, and possession… spend their time in pleasures and sports, but not in readi… the scriptures, in perusing good bookes, in singing of psalmes, nor in being instruments of doing good. Herevpon they like waxe are apt to receiue any forme of religion sauing the truth, and no marueile, for he that maketh no conscience of his pleasures, & of directing his life, will make no conscience of true religion; for hee loueth his pleasures more then God. And answerably here-vntounto Nimrod, 1 Tim.and Esa… are taxed and noted for their hunting, Nimrod a great hunter before the Lord, but an oppressor, Esau an hunter, but a hairy, and a wilde man, and a persecutor of his brother.
Ob, But is not hunting lawfull?
An. Yes if it be not vponupon the Sabboth dayes, and be in moderation. Secondly if the same persons bee as carefull, and dilligent according to their calling, and occasions to hunt the Romish Gray Foxe, and all his cubs, Iesuits, Seminaries, Priestes, Papists, Recusants, that deuoure the vines, that is, corrupt and destroy the Churches: Heere is good game, sport, pastime, here is pleasure and profit: Otherwise to hunt, and kill the silly Hare, and the Deere that do none or little harme, and to lette these stinking, subtile, and cruell Foxes alone, is both dishonour to God, and shame to them-selues, dangerous both to Church & common wealth.
Ob. Is not beare-baiting, and cock-fighting lawfull and allowable?
An. No, for it maintaineth, yea, and increaseth the enmitie, and opposition betweene the creatures, which mans sinnes brought first into the world:Isai. 11. And therefore they should rather labour to reconcile, then to sette the creatures at iarre, and rather lament then to sport themselues when they see them one to rend and deuour another: Yet notwithstanding if they will hauehave some proportionable sport wherein to recreate them-selues, let them first like prudent Paule who for the preseruing of himselfe set the Scribes,Act. 19. and Pharasies at difference; so let them for the defence of them-selues, and the weakening of the Papists, ours, and their aduersaries, shew their best wit, skill, and indeuor to sette these Midianites at enmitie against them-selues, by shewing the opposition of the late Papists with the ancient, the Iesuits with the seculer Priestes, and one Papist with an other, yea one, and the same Papist many times with him-selfe; as two excellent, & worthy Diuines Maister Doctor Willet, and Maister Doctor Morton the one in his terrastilon, and the other in his prima et secunda Ap…logiae Catholicae parte, hauehave most notably attempted and begunne.
Secondly let them rather, and vponupon farre better ground, and vndoubted recreation and comfort, labour and endeuour in their owne selues, and soules, to worke, and breed enmitie and warre betweene the flesh and the spirit, and by all holy meanes to continue, and further it, for as long as this battaile, and conflict lasteth, there is grace in the heart: and when this ceaseth, faith, and grace determineth. Let them strengthen, arme, and encourage the spirit, and disarme and weaken the flesh, and sinne, that the spirit may triumph, and the flesh bee subdued; Here is sport that will end in greater pleasure, here is matter of exercise that will not vndo, or hurt vsus, but enrich, and make vsus all blessed. But it is much to be feared that most of those that are so caried away with humane vanities, and these cruell sportes; little know, and discerne what this battaile betweene the flesh, and the spirit meaneth, much lesse are they trained vp, and beaten in it.
Vse. 2. Secondly wee must keepe such a moderation, and temper in the vse of lawfull pleasures, wee that hauehave wi…es must bee as though wee had none, 1. Cor. 6. 28.so was it with good Vrias who for the time that his seruice in Dauids warres lasted, made a conscience to go into his wife, least the pleasure of her might perhaps make him more Remisse,2. Sam. 11. ve. 11. and 13. and vnwilling to performe that warlike charge imposed vponupon him: wee that reioyee must be as …hough wee reto…sed not, wee must vse them, as Ionathan tasted of the hunny, onelyonly for his necessarie refreshment,1. Sam. 14. 27. and as Canis e Nito bibit, a taste & away. Finally wee must qualifie, and temper them with the feare of God, that wee be not seduced by them, or (at least) made more vnwilling, vnfit, and vnapt for better exercises, and actions.
And thus much of pleasures, and their vses.