The Principles of Christian Practice, Point of doctrine 11
THE ABUSE OF CREATVRES, VNLAWFVLL.
1 COR. 15. 32.
Let us eat and drinke, for to morrow we shall dye.
WHich words containe an argument to prove the resurrection, taken from an absurdity that would follow upon the deniall; viz. If therebe no resurrection, then let us turne absolute Atheists and Epicures, and doe as they say, Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we shall dye.
Certainly it is not unlawfull to eat and drinke, to play, to OnelyOnly the abuse of creatures is unlawfull.recreate our selves with sport, pastime, and musicke, or to enjoy the naturall and civill comforts and blessings of God in this life.
For God hath ordained, not bread onelyonly to strengthen the heart of man, but wine to make his heart glad, and oyle to make his face shine, Psalm. 104. 15. things as well of pleasure as necessity, things comfortable as well as profitable; both to make knowne his owne bounty and large grace, and to encourage his servants in chearefull obedience.
As for matter these outward delights are the good gifts of God, so likewise are they necessary and wholesome for our selves, to fit us both to the chearefull service of God, and to the performance of duties in the speciall calling, which are painfull and would be todious, if we were not cheared and strengthened with such batts and refreshings in the way. For such is our frailty here, that both our minds would grow dull and sluggish, and our bodies be tired out, if they stood alwayes bent. And therefore a mans life without pleasures and delights is like a long journey without Innes, in which is all travell, little or no comfort, or refreshing
So that, not the use of these As in Heathens and Epicures.things is here condemned, but the abuse onelyonly, when Christians use them unchristianly, rather like Heathens, Atheists, and Epicures, then Christians. As thus:
First, the Heathens and Atheists abused those things, for Foure wayes, 1that their persons were unclean: Tit. 1 15. To the impure and unbeleeving is nothing pure. And if thy person be not in Christ, reconciled, and by faith justified, thou canst have no true pleasure in any thing: all true joy being an effect of peace with God, Rom. 5. 3. Thou that art in thy sinnes, impenitent, lyest under the curse of God, and guilt of sinne, hast indeed another businesse in hand than to follow thy pleasure: thou art like a condemned prisoner going on to execution: a man would thinke he had other businesse to doe, then to stay by the way to eat and drinke and make merry, to play at cards, dice, and the like. The Psalmist saith, Reioyce ye righteous: but thou that Psal. 32. 11art a wicked man, a prophane, carnall, and carelesse wretch, hast no call nor right to rejoyce, but rather drowne thy selfe (if it were possible) in the teares of sad and timely repentance.2
Secondly, the Heathens and Epicures missed in the matter of their pleasures, in that they understood only that to be pleasure, which was sensuall, to be seene, heard, tasted, touched, or the like. And whatsoever delighted their senses, that they swallowed as a warrantable pleasure. So the young Atheist is said to walke in the wayes of his heart, and in the sight of his eyes, Eccles. 11. 9. And Salomon, when he would try the life of an Epicure, saith (Chap. 2. 10.) Whatsoever mine eyes desired, I with held it not from them, I with-drew not mine heart from any joy. Even so, when thou carest not (in comparison) for any higher joyes, than those that runne into thy senses, what art thou but a Christian Atheist? And when instead of naturall, honest, and civill pleasures, thou layest hold upon carnall and worldly delights, as surfetting and drankennesse, chambering and wantonnesse, lust and uncleannesse; unlawfull sports and recreations, which thou canst not warrant by Gods word, and because they please the sense and carnall minde, though by Gods rules and in themselves they be hateful and to be abhorred, yet stil thou followest them; what art thou all this while but an heathenish or brutish Christian?
Thirdly, the Heathens and Epicures 3failed, in that they overprized their pleasures, making their belly their god, esteeming voluptuousnes the chiefe good, as men that knew nothing better then the pleasures of this life. And as they over-valued them in their judgement, so also they immoderately affected them, and excessively used them.
So suppose thou layest hold onelyonly on lawfull and warrantable pleasures, but settest them up above their hlace, as judging them more fit to spend time upon, then upon Christian exercises, as reading, praying, meditating; or more worthy then the duties of the calling, all which are necessary, and absolutely good, but these at the best are but indifferently good, good as they are used, changeably good, and in no high degree of goodnesse: What difference is there betweene thee and an Atheist, or Epicure? but this: thy sinne is farre greater then his: he might see his sinne if he were taught better: but thou art taught better, and sinnest against thy knowledge.
Now when didst thou cast off thy calling by dayes or weekes together for religious exercises, as thou doest yearely for pleasures? How unreasonable a motion were it, to call men to a fast of 12. dayes together? when could we perswade men to it? And yet they will tell you, they love religion better then their pleasure. But beleeve them who knowes not, that the thing a man most loves, he will employ most time to enjoy.
Fourthly, the Epicures failed, in that all their pleasures were 4.severed from religion: they chased away thoughts of God: they denyed the resurrection, and beleeved no judgement to come. They thought this was the onelyonly life, and therefore the best religion was to eat, and drinke, and play, and be merry; to fill the skin with present delights, and powre out themselves upon pleasures, while they could enjoy them: for after death they looked for no more pleasure, or being, then the brute beasts themselves.
So if thou canst then please thy selfe, when God is set out of sight, and out of mind: in thy delights, thoughts and speeches of God are unsavoury: thou art so exercised, as thou wouldst not have God to behold thee, or Christ to come to thee: thou doest in thy eating, drinking, and gaming so runne inao excesses of furfetting and drunkennesse, of swearing, coveting, wrath and reviling, and so layest the raynes in thy owne necke, as no bridle of humanity, and much lesse religion ruleth thee: Wherein dost thou differ from an heathenish Atheist, whose pleasures are as irreligions, and as unfavoury as his? onelyonly more hatefull then his, in that thou knowest there is another life and reckoning, he doth not.
Quest. How then may a Rules of right using naturall comforts. 1. Religiously.Christian rightly use these good things?
Answ. 1. If he use them religiously. Religion must alwaies bind him to the good behaviour, even when he lets himselfe loose to pleasures. Now the religious use of pleasures is in three respects: When wee use them lawfully, by warrant from God, and are sure wee taste no forbidden fruit, no unlawfull game. When we use them in the presence of God, as the Israelites Exo. 24. 11are said to eat and drink before the Lord: still setting God at our right hand, and our selves in his sight. And when we use them as those that mean to make account of them to God, Eccles. 11. 9. Rejoyce oh young man, and let thy heart cheare thee in the dayes of thy youth: but know, that for all these things thou must come to iudgement.
2. If hee use them soberly 2. Soberlyand weignedly: and that, both in respect of affection, measure, and time.
For affection: why should reasonable men affect such delights, 1as the natural brute beasts enjoy more freely then man, and which are cast in common to good and bad, and the worst men enjoy most? If grace should not carry a Christians mind to better delights, yet reason at least should lift him higher, as he is but a man.
Why should Christians affect those delights, which they know not whether they shall taste of, or no; or whether they will lodge with him all night? as that Epicure, Luk. 12. 20. Thou hast enough, soule, for many yeares, eat, drinke, and take thy pleasure: but that night was his soule required of him.
Why should a Christian affect those things as pleasures, which being ended leave nothing behind them? Of other exercises beside eating, drinking and gaming, some fruit remains after them, whether in our generall calling, or speciall. But of these no fruit remaines behind them, but some sighes or pangs of conscience for wasting that time, that ought to have beene better improved and imployed: which hath marred all the play.
These are things to bee used, but not affected; as it were not used.
As in affection, so in measure, Christians must use them all soberly.2
1. Because God so ordereth his children, that in this life they shall rather taste of these delights, then feed on them: and he commonly scants them in these, that they may have a larger appetite to, and measure in better delights.
2. The abstemious use is better then free fruition, both for body and soule.
3. They generally never grow in greatnesse, but they remit so much of their goodnesse. See in Salomon himselfe, when hee would addict himselfe to pleasures and wine, how his wisedome was abated, and grace ecclipsed; how he grew into prodigious lusts, to get him 700. wives, and 300. concubines, 1 King. 15. 3. And therefore of voluptuous persons, that will hold up their hearts with laughter, and immoderately follow these outward delights, wee may say they are mad men, and out of their minds, as Salomon by wofull experience said of laughter, Thou art madnesse, Eccles. 2. 1, 2.
Time also must be considered, 3if we will use these delights soberly. There is an appointed time for laughter, and for weeping: Eccles. 3. 4. There are times of fasting, and times of feasting. The rich Glutton was convicted of intemperance that he went in purple, and fared deliciously every day. He Luk. 16. 19did not distinguish of times, as holy sobriety would have taught him. And so it teacheth us:Times unseasonable for sports. 1
1. That the time of Gods worship is not time for unnecessary pleasures; because there is a better delight enjoyned.
2. That working-dayes are 2neither wholly nor principally the dayes of pleasure and delight: not being appointed for recreation, but occupation and the calling. You must either prove your gaming an occupation, or lay it aside and fall to your vocations; or else goe on (as many of you doe) to play away your dayes and lives, in despight of Gods Words and servants.
3. That dayes of sorrow and humiliation are on times to addict 3our selves to naturall and civill delights.
For our particular estates. Are we obnoxious to so many miseries, loaded with so many sins, beset with so many enemies, and yet even now set upon a merry pinne? Certainly now to be given to pleasures, differs Preached at Reding, in December, 1621.not much from madnesse. Is our Towne so afflicted, our poore so destitute, and yet we still feed up our hearts with merriments and pastimes? It were grosse senslesnesse.
For the publike estate. Is the Church of God in distresse? doe the enemies breake downe the carved worke of the Sanctuary? is the Arke of God and my Lord Ioab in the fields? good Vriah cannot now goe home, and take his lawfull delights, though the King command him so to doe. All evils, at home and abroad, are so many trumpets blowne by the Lord for our humiliation. And if now, when he lowdly calls us to mourning, weeping, baldnesse and sacke-cloth, yet still there be joy and gladnesse, staying of Oxen, killing of sheepe, eating of flesh, and drinking of wine, what followes? Surely this iniquity shall not bee purged from us till we dye, saith the Lord of hosts, Esa. 22. 12, 13, 14.
And lastly, whole nights or dayes together were unseasonable 4times for delights. It would impaire the health of the body. And no man will doe so much for the health of his soule.
Thus of sobriety in the use of outward delights.
3. We must use them wisely 3. Watchfully.and watchfully: and that in three respects:
First, carefully watching against 1Satans subtilties, who most usually layeth his nets to catch us with these baits. Hee well knoweth, that in nothing we are more prone to unbridle our affections, then in these liberties. The Serpent lyeth in the greene grasse. And this Serpent laid his temptation in the faire apple, and Eves appetite. And if once we moyle our selves in this birdlime of Satan, we are as unable to mount upward in divine meditations, as a Bird taken by the twigs, which the more she strives, the surer she is. Satan catcheth more by lawfull liberties, than by unlawfull.
Secondly, we must carefully 2watch our owne corruptions; who can easily oppresse our selves by surfetting and drunkennesse, and that day come on us unawares; and pervert good things to bad ends. Now the Right ends of our liberberties. 1right ends in the use of all our lawfull liberties, are, 1. To be matter of Gods praise, for his bounty and mercies toward us: 2. To set us forward in our Christian race, and sit us to the 2duties of piety. Take heed of all that eating, drinking, and playing, which unfits thee for Gods service, &c. 3. To refresh 3us, and sweeten our labour, when body or mind is likely to be oppressed with study or labour. But to pursue pastimes too eagerly is utterly unlawfull; or when they that need least, play most, and instead of surfet of labour, surfet of idlenesse, eating, drinking, and pastime. 4. To put us in minde of those lasting, eternall, 4.and unconceiveable pleasures, reserved at the right hand of God for us. For, if the pleasures of our prison bee so sweet, what are those in our palace? and, if they be superexcellent, wisdome will make us watchfull that we hinder not our selves from those by these.
Lastly, we must watch carefully 3against evill companies, drunkards, and gamesters, who are principall factors for the divell. For being overtaken themselves, they never cease to make others the children of hell like themselves, and rejoyce in evill. Take heed of drinkards, a kinde of divellish poysoners, who have skill to poyson both soule and body together. It is Saint Ambrose his Vina praetendis, venena suffaudis: maior vis vini quàm veneni: ven…o caro vulneratur, vin… mens. De Elia▪ & jejunio, c. 14.comparison; Thou pretendest to reach forth wine, but withall thou ming lest poyson: greater is the force of wine, then of poyson: with poyson the body is wounded, with wine the soule it selfe.
Avoyd therefore, and abhorre them. And chuse such companions as may by godly admonition restraine thee, and lay a bridle on thy corruption, not spurre or provoke thee, be they never so neare or deare unto thee.