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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78019	A divine tragedie lately acted, or, A collection of sundrie memorable examples of Gods judgements upon Sabbath-breakers, and other like libertines, in their unlawfull sports, hapning within the realme of England, in the compasse onely of few yeers last past, since the book was published, worthy to be known and considered of all men, especially such, who are guilty of the sin or archpatrons thereof. / By that worthy divine Mr. Henry Burton.	Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.; Prynne, William, 1600-1669, attributed name.	1642 (1642)	Wing B6161; Thomason E176_1; ESTC R18494	27,899	47

dangerous as death is expected and little hope of life remaineth Example 50. At Craies two miles from Billerikey a servant of M. Holdsworth Minister there ringing on the Sabbath his Master sent to forbid him but he would ring still and before he had done ringing he was struck sick and a while after died This was a little after the book for sports was publikely read in the Church Example 51. In June 1635. on the Lords day the Tapster and Chamberlain of the Queens head in South warke rid into Kent to be merry and having drunk liberally riding homewards the one of them fell from his horse and broke his neck Example 52. Also in June 1635. and as some report the very same Lords day in Southwarke at the red Lion neer S. Georges Church in the afternoon a man with another sate drinking so long that the other about six of the clock departing fell a sleep so that he never awaked again Example 53. In the moneth of July 1634. one Mr. Quince the Chirurgion of the Tower of London having an horse to sel and meeting with a chapman went to Coleman-street where the horse was kept to see and contract for him on the Lords day in the afternoon the horse being sadled Mr. Quince gets upon his back to shew his chapman how well he would pace which done as he was a lighting off his back his foot which lighted on the ground slipped the other foot hung in the stirrup so as he fell to the ground and with the fall brake his thigh-bone short off so that he was carried from the place to an house neer adjoyning where he lay in great pain and agonie for eight weeks space or more almost despairing of his life and never stirring out of his bed at last it pleased God by degrees to recover and restore him to the use of his leg again he having little use of it and that with great pain for half a yeers space and more His son had disswaded him from riding because it was the Lords day and himself hath since acknowledged it a just judgement of God upon him for prophaning that sacred time which hath made him more carefully to frequent the Church and to avoid the prophanation of the Lords day ever since This the party himself and most of the Tower can testifie Example 54. Many more examples might here be added not onely such as have fallen out within these few yeers last past since the said book was published by the Ministers in their Churches but also since the book was first of all printed and published the very bruit whereof without being read by Ministers was enough and too much to imbolden youth to take their liberty in prophaning the Lords day but for the present I will adde but one more At Chidlington upon the edge of Hertfordshire not far from Hitchin a company of fellows 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 suddenly it thundring was seen a black ball come tumbling down a hill neer by which took 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 leving kindnesse of the Lord. Psal 107. 43. Example 55. Vpon May Eve Thomas Tree of Glocester Carpenter in the Parish of S. Michael some coming unto him and asking him whether he would go with them to fetch the May-pole he swore by the Lords wounds that he would though he never went more Now whiles he was working on the May-pole on May day morning before he had finished his work the Lord smote him with such a lamenesse and swelling in all his limbs that he could neither go nor lift his hands to his mouth to feed himself but kept his bed for half a yeer together and stil goes lame to this day May 4. 1636. Example 56. About a yeer since 1635. in Ashton under the Hill in the Parish of Beckford in the countrey of Glocester the Minister there Mr. Blackwell having occasion in his Sermon in the afternoon on the Lords day to reprove the prophaning of that day by sports c. as soon as the Sermon was done a young man of that place used these words Now Mr. Blackwell hath done we 'le begin and so taking the cudgels 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 again THese Examples of divine justice so notorious so remarkable both for humber and variety having fallen out in so narrow a compasse of time and so dispersed over the whole land as every particular place and countrey might take speciall notice thereof if they will not take and make impression in our stony hearts to move us to speedy repentance as for many other enormities and crying sins so in speciall for this our ring leading sin of the heathenish prophanation 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 upon the land sparing neither small nor great And now that the plague and pestilence begins to break forth and spreads it self much amongst us the Lord shooting these his terrible venemous arrows from which not even Princes nor Prelates palaces can secure themselves from becoming his buts and marks What can we more impute it unto as the cause thereof then to this grand sin of the prophanation of the Sabbath or Lords day occasioned so much the more by the publishing of the late book for sports and that by the Ministers themselves For was it not the judgement and confession of King James of famous memory and of the whole State and Kingdome in an exhortation published in that great plague beginning with his reign 1603. where are these words The Lords Sabbath is not kept holy but polluted c. and therefore the cause is apparant 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 Governor over us in the first yeer of his reign with the approbation of the whole Parliament where the same is acknowledged of that other great plague in the beginning of his Reigne 1625. namely that one principall and 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

g The Praier after the 4. 10 Commandment Common Prayer Book h Canon 13. 163. Canons i Article 35. of Ireland 56. Articles and k Queen Eliz. In un●r 20. Injunctions which conclude the same I say have adjudged such a presumptuous transgression as will draw down Gods vengeance on mens heads Our late Soveraign King James of happy memory and our present gracious Soveraign Lord K. Charles with all the Prelates Clergy and people of the Realm in the first yeers of both their Reigns in the severall Books of Common Prayer and order for the publike fasts set out by their royal authorities and the Bishops advice with the consent and hearty desire of the whole Realm for the abating aversion and ceasing of those dreadfull Plagues which then swallowed up many thousands of people every week will inform them That among other sins The prophaning of the Sabbath so King James his Book styles the Sunday and not keeping holy the Lords day was one chief cause why those two great terrible Plagues and why not also this great Plague which is now begun and spread much abroad 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 l Homil. 162. in Matth. fol. 308. Hom. 28. in Mar. f. 35. Hom. 56. in Lu. f. 141. Hom. 36. in Joan. f. 77. Hom. 88. in Act. Mr. Kodolphus Gualter and m Comment in Matth. 12. 14. p. 376. 423. in Joa 7. f. 293. Wolfgangus Musculus men of principall note and learning among them will both assure them that the Lords day is not onely wholly onely and intirely to be spent in religious publike and private duties of Gods worship and that dancing sports and pastimes on it are sinfull and execrable the constant judgement of all forraigne Protestant Divines whatsoever as I am able to prove what ever n History of the Sabbath ●● 1. 2. ● 6. 〈◊〉 9 10. Dr. Helyn or o D. Pooklinton Sunday no Sabbath p. 8. others have rashly averred to the contrary But likewise further inform them That God may justly revenge the great contempt of his Deity in prophaning his Sacred day with dances and such like Revels and disorders With horrible punishments neither is it to be doubted saith Mr. Gualther that the prophanation of the Lords day is not the least cause of the evils and calamities of our age Yea their own most illustrious Cardinall Robert Bellarmine whom they almost deifie when they do but name him is so far a Puritan in this particular that he not onely spends P Concio 6. 9 19 20. 2● foure or five whole Sermons against dancing mummeries masks and such like Bacchanals which he simply condemnes at all times but especially on sacred festivals and Lords dayes as most detestable prophanations of them but likewise professeth that the practise of them upon sacred times was the occasion of all the publike calamities and judgements which they suffered But by these Dances Mummeries Bacchanels and disorders saith he we pollute the holy dayes of the Lord and yet neverthelesse we do inquire the reasons why God doth punish us why we are slain in our very houses do not the Scriptures cry aloud Sin maketh a people miserable And there is no evill in the Citie which the Lord hath not done Therefore these our sins of prophaning the holy dayes of the Lord with dances revels and bacchanals have procured us famine and pover y and pestilence and sedition and all plagues and scourges And verily saith he in another Sermon I vehemently fear that if we proceed to celebrate the Bacchanals with mummeries and masks and dances as we do at other times and to provoke God to wrath with so many wicked pastimes our sin will be grown to the full at last and the anger of the Lord be so far 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 do They were men exceedingly given to drunkennesse feasting and dancing and that upon sacred times as may be known by the Orations of Basil and Chrysostome But what hath God done because they were addicted to these things and especially to Dancing 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 Dance or Caper Thus Bellarmine to his great admirers shame and refutation If then this sin of prophaning the Lords day by dancing Maygames Ales Pastimes or unnecessary travell and labour draw down Gods Plagues and vengeance upon whole Kingdomes and Churches as these authors together with Mr. John Field in his declaration of the judgement of God at Paris Garden and Humphrey Robarts in his complaint for the Reformation of divers vain and wicked abused exercises practised on the Sabbath day which tend to the hindrance of the Gospel and increase of many abominable vices printed by Richard Jones London 1580. together with Mr. Philip Stubs in his Anatomie of abuses and M. John Northrook in his Treatise where in Dicing Dancing vain playes and Enter ludes with other idle Pastimes and exercises commonly used on the Sabbath day are by the Word of God and ancient Writers reproved printed for George Bishop London 1579. most punctually testifie and the Practice of Piety dedicated to his Majestie 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 speak not of the whole kingdome in generall now scourged with a fresh plague and lately a draught whose tragicall examples I here present unto your view to deterre all others from this sin It is a true saying of Cyprian Praebentur cunctis Exempla cum fuerint quibusdam irrogata Supplicia The Divine punishments of a few are warnings to all God grant that these may be so to us He faith the same Father is over audacious who strives to passe over there where he hath seen another to have fallen he is patragiously head strong who is not struck with fear when he beholds another perish in that course which he is running he onely is a lover of his own safety who takes warning by the Deaths of othes and he alone is a prudent man who is made wife by the Ruins of other men God of his mercie vouchsafe that the exemplarie deaths of these few here specified and of thousands more in this time of mortality occasioned by this sinne of Sabbath-breaking were as the former pests Together with a Plague in Pope Pelagius the second his time An. Dom. 591. as Petrus Blessensis in his 20. Sermon