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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	day_n	lord_n	sabbath_n	2,994	5	10.1532	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17298	A divine tragedie lately acted, or A collection of sundry memorable examples of Gods judgements upon Sabbath-breakers, and other like libertines, in their unlawfull sports, happening within the realme of England, in the compass only of two yeares last past, since the booke was published worthy to be knowne and considered of all men, especially such, who are guilty of the sinne or arch-patrons thereof.	Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.	1636 (1636)	STC 4140.7; ESTC S115279	33,687	58

common sinne for which so many have smarted from heaven in an exemplarie manner I shall therefore confine my selfe only to such domesticke examples as have fallen out in sundry corners of this our Realme within these two yeares of purpose to refute the madnesse of those Prophets who in the Presse and Pulpit and the profanes of those people who in their dauncing-greenes and may-pole arbors have bene so audacious as to affirme the Profanation of the Lords day by Maygames Daunces May-poles Wakes and common Labour out of time of divine Service especially after evening Prayer to be no sin at all against the 4. Commandement or any other Law of God or man but necessary and commendable point of true Christian Liberty they should have sayd of carnall and heathenish licentiousnesse rather from which the people must not be debarred But let these blinde guides and libertines learne from these examples to correct this their erronious judgment and practise for feare the Lord make them the next examples in this kinde to teach others to keepe his Sabbaths better and more intirely for the future And if these tragical spectacles of divine justice will not perswade them that such profaning of the Lords most Sacred day is a Syn yea and a crying Syn too as all our writers yea and our Prelates generally till now of late have unanimously defined and the whole State in Parliament in two late famous Statutes and two more ancient Acts to omit our Homilyes Common Praier booke Canons Articles and Injunctions which conclude the same I say have adjudged such a presumptuous transgression as will draw downe Gods vengeance on mens heads Our late Soveraigne K. Iames of happy memory and our present gracious Soveraigne Lord R. Charles with all the Prelates Cleargy and people of the Realme in the first yeares of both their Raignes in the severall Bookes of Common Praier and order for the publike fasts set out by their royall authorityes and the Bishops advice with the Consent and harty desire of the whole Realme for the abating aversion and ceasing of those dreadfull eating Plagues which then swallowed up many thousands of people every weeke will informe them That amonge other Syns The profaning OF THE SABBATH So King Iames his Booke styles the sunday and not keeping holy the Lords day was one cheife cause why those two great terrible Plagues and why not also this great Plague which is now begun and spread much abroade brake in upon us to the destruction not of some few Particular persons but of many thousands and the punishment of the whole Realme and Nation in generall And because some of these men plead most falsly that the chiefest writers of the reformed Churches are of their opinion M r. Rodolphus Gualter and Wolfgangus Musculus men of principall note and learning amonge them will both assure them that the Lords day is not onely WHOLLY ONLY AND INTIRELY TO BE SPENT IN RELIGIOVS PVBLIKE AND PRIVATE DVTIES OF GODS WORSHIP AND THAT DAVNCING SPORTES AND PASTIMES ON IT ARE SINFVLL AND EXECRABLE the constant judgment of all forraigne Protestant divines whatsoever as I am able to prove what ever D r Helyn or others have rashly averred to the contrary But likewise further informe them That God may justly revenge the great contempt of his Deity in profaning his Sacred day with daunces and such like Revells and discorders WITH HORRIBLE PVNISHMENTS NEITHER IS IT TO BE DOVBTED saith M r Gualther THAT THE PROFANATION OF THE LORDS DAY IS NOT THE LEAST CAVSE OF THE EVILS AND CALAMITIES OF OVR AGE Yea their owne most illustrious Cardinall Robert Bellarmine whom they allmost deify when they doe but name him is so farre a Puritan in this particular that he not only spends 4. or 5. whole Sermones against dauncing mummeries maskes and such like Bacchanals which he simply condemnes at all times but especially on sacred festivals and Lords dayes as most detestable profanations of them but likewise professeth that the practise of them upon sacred times was the occasion of all the publike calamities and judgments which they suffered But by these Daunces Mummeries Bacchanels and discorders saith he we polute the holy dayes of the Lord and yet neverthelesse do we inquire the reasons why God doth punish us why we are slaine in our very houses doe not the Scriptures cry aloude Sinne maketh a people miserable And there is no evill in the Citie which the Lord hath not done Therefore these our sinnes of profaning the holy dayes of the Lord with daunces revels and bacchanals have procured us famine and poverty and pestilence and sedition and ALL PLAGVES AND SCOVRGES And verily saith he in another Sermon I vehemently feare that if we proceed to celebrate the Bacchanals with mummeries and maskes and daunces as we doe at other times and to provoke God to wrath with so many wicked Pastimes our sinne will be growen to the full at last and the anger of the Lord be so farre incensed that he will utterly destroy us as we see he hath destroyed many nations for what I pray hath destroyed Grecia But even that very thing which we doe They were men exceedingly given to drunkenesses feasting and DAVNCING and that upon sacred times as may be knowne by the Orations of Basill and Chrisostome But what hath God done because they were addicted to these things and especially to DAVNCING he hath imposed such a severe tyrant to wit the Turke upon their necks that they now groane under the yoke and are pressed with so heavy a burthen THAT THEY HAVE NEITHER TIME NOR WILL TO DAVNCE OR CAPER Thus Bellarmine to his greate admirers shame and refutation If then this sinne of profaning the Lords day by dauncing Maygames Ales Pastimes or unnecessary travel and labour drawe downe Gods Plagues and vengeance upon whole Kingdomes and Churches as these authors together with M r. Iohn Feild in his declaration of the judgement of God at Paris Garden and Humphry Robarts in his complaint for the Reformation of divers vaine and wicked abused exercises practised on the Sabbath day which tend to the hinderance of the Gospell and increase of many abominable vices printed by Richard Iones London 1580. together with M r. Philip Stubs in his Anatomic of abuses and M r. Iohn Nortbrooke in his Treatise where in dicing DAVNCING vaine playes and Enterludes with other idle Pastimes and exercises commonly used on the SABBATH DAY are by the Word of God and ancient writers reprooved printed for George Bishop London 1579. most punctually testifie and the Practise of Piety dedicated to his Majesty and 39. times printed by publike authority resolves no wonder if it hath lately caused God to unsheath his sword of exemplarie justice upon these particular persons that I speake not of the whole Kingdome in generall now scourged with a fresh plague and lately a drought whose tragicall examples I here present unto

some enemies had landed to sacke them the Pole being thus brought home and set up they began to drinke healthes about it and to it till they could not stand so steady as the pole did whereupon the Major and Iustice bound the ringleaders over to the Sessions whereupon these complaining to the Archbishops Vicar Generall then in his visitation he prohibited the justices to proceed against them in regard of the Kings booke But the justices acquainted him they did it for their disorder in transgressing the bounds of the booke hereupon these libertines scorning at Authority one of them fell suddainly into a Consumption whereof he shortly after dyed now allthough this revelling was not on the Lords day yet being upon any other day and especially May-day the May-pole set up thereon giving occasion to the profanation of the Lords day the whole yeare after it was sufficient to provoke God to send plagues and judgements among them EXAMPLE 17. In the same yeare 1634. and in the same Shire one Edward Amerideth a Gentleman having bene pained in his feet and being upon his recovery whereupon one sayd unto him he was glad to see him so nimble Amerideth replyed that he doubted not but to daunce about the May-pole the next Lords day But behold the hand of the Lord for before he moved out of that place he was smitten with such a feeblenesse of hart and dizsines in his head that desiring helpe to carry him to an house he dyed before the Lords day came so fearefull it is to fall into the hands of the living God EXAMPLE 54. Many more examples might here be added not only such as have fallen out within these two yeares last past since the sayd booke was published by the Ministers in their Churches but also since the booke was first of all printed and published the very bruite whereof without being read by Ministers was enough and to much to imbolden youth to take their liberty in profaning the Lords day but for the present I will add but one more At Chidlington upon the edge of Hertfordshire not farre from Hitchin a company of fellowes upon a holy day being to play a match at foot ball one of them was tolling the bell to assemble the rest some being come into the Church the randevoze of their meeting suddainly it thundering was seene a blacke ball come tumbling downe a hill neere by which tooke its course directly into the Church there it flew into the bell free and first slew him that tolled the bell then it flustered about the Church and hurted divers of them and at last bursting left a filthy stinke like to that of brimstone and so left a terror to all such spend thrifts of precious time and especially such as is dedicated to sacred uses who so is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving kindnesse of the Lord. Psal. 107. 43. EXAMPLE 4. Vpon May day last being the Lords day a mayd of the Minister of the Parish Cripplegate London was married to a Widower having 3. children the youngest being at Nurce in the Country upon this day they kept their feast in the Church-house joyning to the Church where they spent all the afternoone in dauncing but within one weeke after the Plague began in that Parish in the new married mans house where within a moneth it tooke away the man and his wife and his two children that were in the house And thus was the Plague brought first into that Parish this yeare To this we will adde another example because it fell within the same moneth in the same city A Minister Rector of a Church in London on the saturday would goe with two of his neighbours boon companions to be joviall the next day being the Lords day they conditioning that he should bestow a Sermon upon them They on the Lords day being now in the country spent the forenoone idly in the afternoone they goe to visit another London Minister who had another benefice there in the Country he puts his brother to preach which done invites him with his companions to a bottle of Sacke They drank so long that the two neighbours tongues began to faile them Home to their lodging within a few miles they betake them That night their Minister could not sleepe and raising early to walke abroad he returned with such a coldnesse upon him that he looked and felt like cold pale death the two neighbours much dismayd and with much adoe get him home to London where in that case continuing he dyeth before the next Sabbath day EXAMPLE 55. Vpon May-Eve Thomas Troe of Glocester Carpenter in the Parish of S. Michaell some comming unto him and asking him whether he would goe with them to fetch the May-pole he swore by the Lords woundes that he would though he never went more Now while he was working on the May-pole on May day morning before he had finished his worke the Lord smote him with such a lamenesse and swelling in all his limbes that he could neither goe nor lift his hands to his mouth to feed himselfe but kept his bed for halfe a yeare together and still goes lame to this day May 4. 1636. EXAMPLE 56. About a yeare since 1635. in Ashton under the Hill in the Parish of Beckford in the Country of Glocester the Minister there Master Blackwell having occasion in his Sermon in the afternoone on the Lords-day to reproove the profaning of that day by sports c. as soone as the Sermon was done a youngman of that place used these words Now Master Blackwell hath done we 'le begin and so taking the Cudgells playes with them and at the second or third bout he received a thrust in one of his eyes that thrust it quite out so as it hanged by and could never recover it againe THese Examples of divine justice so notorious so remarkableboth for number and variety having fallen out in so narrow a compasse of time and so dispersed over the whole Land as every particular place and country might take speciall notice thereof if they will not take and make impression in our stony hearts to moove us to speedy repentance as for many other enormities and crying sins so in speciall for this our ring-leading sinne of the heathenish profanation of the Sabbath or Lords day what plea can we make for our selves why the Lord of the Sabbath should not send some universall epidemicall sweeping calamity uponthe land sparing neither small nor great And now that the plague and pestilence begins to breake forth and spreeds itselfe much amongst us the Lord shooting these his terrible venemous arrowes from which not even Princes nor Prelates palaces can secure themselves from becoming his butts and marks What can we more impute it unto as the cause thereof then to this grand sinne of the profanation of the Sabbath or Lords day occasioned so much the more by the publishing of the late booke for sports

and that by the Ministers themselves For was it not the judgement and confession of King Iames of famous memory and of the whole state and Kingdome in an exhortation published in that great plague beginning with his raigne 1603 where are these words The Lords Sabbath is not kept holy but polluted c. and therefore the cause is apparent why the plague is broken in amongst us And was not the same exhortation afterwards republished by our gracious King Charles whom God long preserve a religious and righteous Governour over us in the first yeare of his raigne with the approbation of the whole Parliament where the same is acknowledged of that other great Plague in the beginning of his Raigne 1625. namely that one principall speciall cause thereof was the not keeping holy but polluting the Lords day And if this were a principall cause of those great plagues then why not of this which now we suffer yea what Plague upon plagues may we not justly expect to breake forth upon us in these dayes wherein we have increased surpassed our fathers sins and that in such a height as they reach up to heaven to pull downe flames and flakes of vengeance upon our heads And so much the more sith upon the publishing of the said booke so manyfold mischiefes have attended and followed as never any age since Christ much lesse such a Christian state as we professe to be hath seene or ever heard the like For besides the open violation of Gods holy commandement the 4. Morall acknowledged in our Homily to be the ground of our Christian Sabbath day as it is there no lesse then 8. severall times distinctly stiled as also in another Homily twice which by the way makes me wonder at the audacious insolence arrogant ignorance of some new Masters in these dayes and in particular of D r. Poch in his Sunday no Sabbath who is not ashamed to avouch with open mouth that the name of Sabbath was never given to the Lords day untill it was brought in by Iohn Knox others of the Puritan faction in the yeare 1554. What saith he then to the Homilies of our Church which were set forth in K. Edw. 6. his Raigne and so I am sure before 1554. by 3. or 4. yeares now these to omitt innumerable testimonies more both out of ancient Fathers and the Prelates of this Land too large to be comprehended in a Parenthesis being now to furnish a pretty Treatise these our Homilies I say so frequently and clearly called the Lords day the Sabbath day before Iohn Knox called it so 1554. And the same Homilies being set forth a fresh by Queene Elizabeth 1562. will Dr. P. dare to charge the learned and pious compilers of them a pack of Puritans or as some other NOVELL SABBATARIANS But this by the way by which violation I say of the Sabbath or Lords day God is intolerably dishonoured and his Religion disgraced through outragious libertinisme What an invention of Antichristian tyranny hath broken in at the opening of this great sluice What havock is made in our Church by sundry of the Hierarchy in suspending godly Ministers depriving them of their liberty livelyhood and Freeholds against all Lawes of God and man so as they their wives and children are exposed to beggery and all misery and their flocks to be devoured of the wolves and to become a prey to that roaring Lion and all this because they dare not offer violence to their consciences in doing that which should dishonour God indanger their owne and their peoples soules abase before God and man the authority and dignity to their Ministry condemne the innocent people of God and call the wicked righteous teach inferiours rebellion to their Superiours and in a word hasten the pulling downe of vengeance from heaven upon the Land O ye heavens stand amazed at this sight Tell it not in Gath nor publish it in the Streets of Askelon least the daughters of the Philistims rejoyce least the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph What could the Pope have done more then some of our Prelates have done in this kind for the darkening of the glory of Christs Kingdome and for the setting up of Antichrists throne againe in this Land But our Lord sayth Ye shall know them by their fruits Besides what impudency and impiety hath broken out from sundry aëry and ambitious spirits who have dared in their late published bookes upon bookes to belch out their blasphemies against God and the power purity and profession of the Religion established amongst us for so many yeares Nor only is the floodgate of all profanenesse and impiety broken up in the violation of the 4. commandement but of the 5. also when as by occasion of the publishing of the sayd booke which inhibits Magistrates and superiours to restraine or punish youth for taking such liberty on the Lords day as the booke alloweth and which all other books writings monuments of Fathers Councells Kings Emperours Divines ancient and moderne Protestants and Papists have universally with one vote and voyce cryed downe till now but yesterday a new generation of Maleferiati hath risen up out daring and defining the whole world and God himselfe inferiour persons exalt themselves in high contempt against their Superiours as the common vulgar against the Magistrate and Minister servants against their Masters children against their Parents and wanton wives against their husbands which hath caused such outcryes and complaints of masters for their servants unbridled and uncontrowled outrage on the Lords day which must also in-jure them with pride and presumption of spirit the whole weeke after and so their whole life while like untamed colts they have thus learned to take the bitt betweene their teeth and so to runne a gallop into all excesse of riot So as if the booke be not all the sooner called in and the authors of those late books against the sanctification of the Lords day condignly punished and a speedy reformation hereofset on foot how can we looke for a stay of the plague untill the Land be consumed Now the Lord make us wise to lay these things to heart least he teare in peeces and there be none to deliver For as never any Christian Church hath produced such monstrous impieties so never any Church hath bene the theater of such tragicall examples of divine wrath as our Land is like to be if we speedily repent not Vnlesse therefore we repent we shall all likewise perish as these examples have done before us Now for these so many so markable examples of Gods judgements inflicted upon the violaters and profaners of the Lords day and that in so short a time even since the booke for such sports was published we may thus argue and conclude That for which the Lord inflicteth and executed so many notorious and severe judgements must needs be a notorious and hainous sin and so a breach of his holy commandement But for the violation and

bringe thee unto judgement EXAMPLE 29. In the yeare of our Lord 1633. Octob. 26. after the booke for sports was known to be published in print David Price a Welshman servant to one Thomas Hill a knowne Grasier of that Country coming to Banbury with his drove on Satturday night declared his purpose of driving them the next day early in the morning being the Sabbath or Lords day his Host where he lodged disswaded him because it was the Sabbath day and told him that he would certainly be stopped and made to pay for it according to the Statute Hee answered that he would drive them and let me see saith hee who will hinder me So in the morning two other accompaning him he went to fetch the Cattell out of the ground one that knew him mett him at the Townes end not yet oUt of the Towne and admonished him saying What David today today he made no answere but went onward and though for any thing that appeared to any other or that himselfe complained of he was then in good health as ever he was yet within little more then a stones cast of the Towne he fell downe dead suddainly and was burried in Banbury Church-yard the next day after None could discerne any sensible or evident cause of so suddaine a surprizall and himselfe gave no signe of any paine weakenesse or illnesse till the instant time that he gave up the ghost EXAMPLE 5. On Ian. 25. 1634. being the Lords day in the time of the last great Frost 14. younge men presuming to play at football upon the yce on the river Trent neere to Ganisborrow comming alltogether in a scuffle the yce suddainly brake and they were all drowned EXAMPLE 30. At Wicks a Towne betwixt Colchester and Harwich in Essex upon Whitsunday last in the afternoone two fellowes meeting at the football the one killed the other EXAMPLE 31. At Oxford this last Sommer on the Sabbathday one Bally Hawkes a Butcher would needs goe into his feild with an hatchet and showell to mend his ditch his Wife disswaded him what shee could being the Sabbathday but he said he would goe and make an end of his worke which he did for suddainly he was struck dead in his ditch and so made an end of his worke and his life together EXAMPLE 32. Also at Oxford a carpenter undertaking to mend a Stage in S. Iohns Colleidge on the Satturday night for the finishing wherof he must of necessity spent some part of the Lords day morning that the Stage might be ready against the Munday following he that night fell backward from the Stage being not farre from the ground and brake his neck and so ended his life in a fearefull Tragedy EXAMPLE 33. At Iuye Hinckley a mile from Oxford about the time when May-poles are sett up on the Lords day after evening Prayer when most of the Towne were at the May-pole one Iohn Cooper servant to master Tinmore of the said Towne going along the street a Mayd out of a windowe in Iohn Nicols his house not farre from the May-pole called him to come in thither where also was another Mayd and a young man named Christopher younge servant to Master Willis of the sayd Towne Iohn Cooper at first refused to come to them but the mayd earnestly intreating him he yeilded to her and being come in sate downe by the other two where having sate a while the foresaid Christopher younge spied a Gun over the chimney which he supposing not to be charged fondly tooke downe and fell a tampearing with it and first levelled at the mayds and after held it up against Iohn Cooper as he sate and unwittingly lifting up the Cocke it strucke fire and the peece discharged and shot the said Iohn Cooper through the shoulder so that he dyed presently being heard only to say O Lord. EXAMPLE 6. At Dover the very same Lords day that the booke was read one in S. Iames Parish that played on a kitt went and played and thereby calld together a sort of wenches and young men But he was thereupon that very day struck by divine hand so as within two dayes he dyed EXAMPLE 34. A young man neere Bow going to swimme in the river on Essex side on the Lords day in the afternoone was drowned EXAMPLE 35. Two boyes of S. Albons going to Verolanes Ponds a mile off to swimme on the Lords day Iuly 19. one of them was drowned and the other hardly escaped EXAMPLE 36. At Ramsey in Suffolke a tall man on the Lords day going with others to swimme and being advertized and warned of a hole in the water he sware that there was no place there could drowne him but by and by on a suddaine he was missing being now under water and so drowned EXAMPLE 37. On September 13. 1635. being the Lords day two young men of the Parish of S. Dunstans in the West London going to swimme were both drowned EXAMPLE 7. At Thurlow in Suffolke one making a Feast to his freinds on the Sabbath day for joy of the publishing of the Booke for sports was the next day pressed to death by the suddaine fall of a faggot stack EXAMPLE 38. At Twiford in Buckinghamshire a fellow playing at cudgels on the Lords day or as some say upon a revell day receaved a hurt in the face whereof he dyed the next weeke EXAMPLE 39. At Lemster one Master Powel Ian. 1634. on the Lords day serving a writt of sub poena and that of purpose on that day as is credibly reported upon one Master Shuit a Gentleman this he did in the Church-yard so soone as they were come out of the Church Master Shuit thereupon told him I thought you had beene an honester man then so to doe this upon this day he replyed I hope I am never a whit the more dishonest or lesse holy for that having spoken this he suddainly fell downe dead and spoke not a word more his wife seeing this was suddainly struck with sicknesse EXAMPLE 40. A fellow in Sommersetshire being to make a tente upon the Lords day for a faire that was to be kept upon the Munday following sayd to one on the Satturday that they would reare it to morrow so the next day which was the Lords day being drunk he dyed the same day roaring EXAMPLE 43. At Glassenbury in Sommersetshire at the setting up of a May-pole it miscarrying fell upon a child slew it and it is reported that it was the Churchwardens child who was the cheefe stickler in the businesse Also when the May-pole in the same Towne was againe the second time a setting up a fire tooke in the Towne so as all the people about the May-pole were forced to leave it and to runne to the quenching of the fire EXAMPLE 44. A May-Lord of misrule not farre from thence became madd upon it EXAMPLE 45. Also at Battersey neere London the last yeare a notable example of Gods judgement befell a fidler the youth of the town of both