not exclusive of mirth natural and civil for there was feasting The Jewes had joy Est 8.17 Neh. 8.10 and gladness a feast and a good day and in their feasts did eat the fat and drink the sweet And let me adde this that even civil mirth well ordered and regulated is a good natural preparative for rejoycing in a more sublime and holy manner And the reason is because of the Spirits which are in men natural animal and vital spirits ingendred in the Livers heads and hearts of men which being kept up lively and agil by civil mirth are as wings to the Souls even of Saints in their sublimer higher and nobler operations And herein I may appeal to the experience of the choicest servants of God who find when their spirits are down and low an indisposition in them thereby for holy duties The disciples themselves when they should have been watching and praying Jesus Christ found them sleeping for sorrow But when our Spirits are up lively Luk. 22.45 and cheary they dispose for duty and our heads and hearts as wheels oyled move more nimbly 2. As for the usefulness and expediency of mirth and lightsomness I say not levity of spirit 2 Vseful 1. Preservation of the bodies health It 's not only serviceable to the soul in its gracious actings and operations as I said before but to the body also for the preservation of health and strength vigor and activity by the multiplying and refining of spirits in us A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance It doth good indeed to the whole body Prov. 15.13 but the good it doth appears and shewes it self especially in the Countenance as being made thereby more amiable and lovely the eye more lively and sharp-slighted the Cheeks more ruddy the bloud more pure and sparkling Though the countenance onely is mentioned yet the whole body is to be understood as receiving good by the hearts cheeriness for though the soul and body differ in substance as spirit and flesh yet God having joyn'd them together in so close a union as to the making up of one person they mutually sympathize each with other a sickly body makes a sad heart and a wounded spirit makes a crasie bodie and I think the body is less able to bear the souls burdens then the soul is the bodys To return to what is in hand that a merry heart countenance appears by the example of Esau none of the best whose heart being gladded by the present sent by Jacob when they met his countenance was so cheerful that Jacob said Gen. 33.10 I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God And by Daniel and his associates none of the worst who though they did eat pulse onely and had nothing but water to drink yet their countenances were fair and fat Deut. 12.15 Why they had merry hearts quiet consciences in their breasts and bosomes arising from their reconciliation and peace with God It 's not choice meats and drinks much less painting or dawbing with vermilions but a good conscience that makes a merry heart and so a cheerful countenance To the same purpose vers 15. He that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast By a merry heart he means not carnal mirth and jollity in eating drinking singing musick dancing this he elsewhere calls madness but the merry heart he commendeth is a good conscience sprinkled with the bloud of Christ his righteousness being imputed to us for our justification and so having peace with God Ecc. 2.2 and peace of Conscience which the Apostle expresseth by a pure heart a good conscience and faith unfained 1 Tim. 1.5 Once agâ—â—â—e the wise King tells us That a merry 〈◊〉 doth good like a medicine Prov. 17.22 and that because cheaâ—ness of spirit helps Nature's operations with its food and Physick whereas sadness and heaviness of heart hinders both I 'le close up this with a true story I was once in company at dinner where kindred and friends were met and among the rest one a learned and godly man was very merry in telling Tales breaking jests harmless and inoffensive Yet I was somewhat troubled to see and hear it and in some heat break out and asked him saying Sir I pray what is the meaning of those words of the Apostle Let your communication be that which is good to the use of edifying Eph. 4.29 to which he answered me to this purpose we have bodies to edifie as well as soules and harmless mirth doth good to both and so it doth if it be well and wisely ordered 2 Honour to Religion 2. This cheariness of spirit in Company hath its usefulness in reference to others even those without who are strangers to the work of grace and wâ—â—es of Christianity and are apt to 〈◊〉 up prejudices against the people of God as a morose and sour people and that the life they lead is but an uncomfortable life full of melancholy and they verily think that when any set their faces this way Zion-ward that they never have a merry day after but live mopishly and disconsolately all their dayes Now the harmless mirth and merriment in the communications and conversations of Christians is a practicall and reall confutation of this mistake and so is a removing of that stumbling block in their way and withall a fair invitation and allurement of them to come in and to ingage in a stricter and higher profession of Saintship when they are eye and eare-witnesses of its consistency with all possible civil mirth and merriment which is lawfull and commendable Instance Let me back this from my own experience I knew a Lawyer of good parts and practice who being naturally of a lepid and chearful spirit and possest with hard thoughts touching Religion in the strictness of it and exactness therein as necessitating the professors thereof to lay quite aside that kind of mirth which he was addicted to was thereby kept off from ingaging himself in any forwardness in Christianity but afterwards observing the carriage of some Ministers of note and eminency for piety and Ministerial abilities how pleasant they were how facetious in their discourse yet still keeping within the bounds which God in his Word had set them he changed his opinion embraced the Societie of the Saints walked with them in the wayes of God and died I believe a true servant of God and of his Christ our Jesus and that he is now in glory To strengthen this argument The mirth of a Christian life by Zac. Bogan printed at Oxford 1653. I 'le commend to the reading a little Treatise made by a learned holy man whom I knew both in his life and death 3. This cheariness of spirit hath this commendable vertue in it that it puts a shine and lustre upon duties and offered of love performed to men 3 Alustre upon duties and that in the eyes both of God and man God loveth a
of the things of God and of the great concernments of your Soul and of Eternity Let me give you some good counsel before we part it may be you and I shall never meet again and as we never saw the faces one of another for ought we know before this day so possibly we never may see each other again till the day of Judgments that great and terrible day of the Lord. Let me advise you and the Lord persuade your heart 1. To make Conscience of secret Prayer begging of God for Christ his sake that he would make you sensible of the ignorance of the blindness of the mind of the hardness and impenitency of the heart of the carelesness and mindlesness of the spirit in the great things of grace and salvation be earnest with God to give you knowledge and consider that the soul be without knowledge is not good Prov. 19.2 As also for repentance from dead Works and a true saving faith in Jesus Christ Beg of God an heart to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and that you may be of those who strive to enter in at the strait gate and of those violent ones who take the Kingdome of Heaven by force c. 2. Be careful to hear good Ministers preach remembring what most concerneth you in what you hear 3. Be much in searching the Scriptures and reading of good Books Catechisms and such like 4. Make choice of good Company of such as fear God and walk precisely holily righteously and soberly in this present evil world and improve such acquaintance by good conference with them putting such questions to them as may make for your edification and they let me tell you will be as glad of your society as you of theirs 5. Be sure if you have a Family to set up the worship of God in your Family reading the Scriptures and praying morning and evening with the houshold Catechizing and instructing your Children and Servants if you have aâ—y 6. And lastly be strict in sanctifying the Sabbath spend that day well though the rest of the Neighbours be loose and careless therein and though men ungodly men hate you mock and persecute you it matters not so long as God loveth you Remember that 2 Tim. 3.12 All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution And that of Christ Matth. 5.10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of God And ver 11 12. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you c. And now Friend fare you well and the Lord bless you Stranger And you also good Sir I hope I shall remember you and some of your words to me as long as I live onely let me desire one favour of you that I may know your name and where you live Minister That you shall Friend my name is so and so and I live at such a place and if your occasions call you thither I shall be glad to see you and let me know your name and where you live and possibly if I come that way I may see you Once more Farewell FINIS TREATISE OF Christian Conference MY design being to bear up the honour the necessity and usefulness of Christian Conference too much neglected even by the best of men it will not be wholly impertinent to bear down some of that unruliness and irregularity The Tongues Vnruliness which the Tongues of too many are too much guitly of The Apostle James as it were bores the black tongues of men with a red hot Iron of sharp but just rebuke vers 6. The Tongue is a Fire a world of iniquitie setteth on fire the course of Nature and it is set on fire of Hell For every kind of beasts and of birds and of Serpents and things in the Sea is tamed and hath been tamed of mankind But the Tongue can no man Tame it is an unruly evil full of deadly poyson It s untamedness and unruliness appears in its great miscarriage and that both in reference to God and man 1 In reference to God in speaking In reference to God we are too tongue tied in speaking both to God in Prayer Praises and Confessions and of God with others To God He was a great man 1 To God and you will say as good as great who being a man of few words and of much prayer was thought to speak more to God than men Possibly that man after Gods own heart was such a one who saith very truly though of himself Ps 119.164 109.4 Seven times a day do I praise thee and again I give my self unto prayer Possibly some Popish Votaries in a superstitious way possibly also a man may be found in our dayes who is very slow to speak but of a musing medirabundous spirit in holy ejaculations Colloquies and Soliloquies betwixt God and himself much also in prayer by himself and with others but such a man where-ever he dwells I believe he dwells alone by himself is a very great rarity one of many thousands who speaks more to God than to men Again 2 Of God and for God We are all born and live too much tongue-tied as to our Speech of God to and with others 1 Omission though we have a large and spacious field very pleasant Fragrant flowery and Odoriferous for our Discourse to walke up and down and expatiate it self in to wit God in his essence and subsistencies the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost God in his Decrees in his works of Creation and Providence God in his Covenants made with man that of Works and that of Grace God in his Word Law and Gospel in his commands promises and threatnings Againe touching Christ his person natures and offices his humiliation and Exaltation As also touching the Holy Ghost his beginning and carrying on the work of God in the Elect from the first to the last Adde hereunto the many and great priviledges and benefits which the effectually called ones are and shall be made partakers of by Christ in life at death at the Resurrection and to Eternity I might inlarge but one would think in what is said there were room enough and enough for all the nimble â—â—ngued in the world to busy tire and weary themselves in O how sad then is it to have so little of God in our Mouths to observe how people who have their faces Zion-ward can spend hour after hour together it may be day after day and yet scarce have a word concerning God Christ the Spirit or the great affairs of their soules and of Eternity from one end of the prattle to the other This fruit indeed is bad and bitter but yet the root is worse The true and onely reason The reason God is little in our hearts Mat. 12.34 35. I know of is this God is not much in our hearts and therefore but little in our Mouths for out of the
or rather God and his Christ our shield and buckler In the fourth and last place 4. Arg. Honour and Credit Christian Conference is not onely beneficiall in point of peace and safety but in point of honour also many a carnall man having heard or overheard spiritual discourse among the Saints and Servants of God though this language of Canaan he neither understandeth nor relisheth much yet it leaves an honourable conviction upon his spirit and he is half perswaded that these men have something of God in them more then he hath But surely all who are really good themselves cannot but put an high value and estimation upon the persons and practices of those who are much in holy and heavenly Communication Yet if all men should disregard to be sure the holy and gracious Lord our God will have regard and to have honour of him and with him is the highest honour desireable or imaginable was of a communicative spirit very ready and resolute in the imparting good to others in any way of counsel and Conference and maketh this expresly the ground why he honoureth Abraham in the revealing of Secrets unto him Gen. 10.17 19. And the Lord said shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do for I know him that he will command his Children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord. It is an high honour to be a Privy Councellor to Kings and Princes O then what an honour is it to be admitted and advanced as it were to be of Councel to the King of Kings whose Supremacy and Soveraignty is over Heaven and Earth Before I go off let me hint this by way of Caution that when we speak or rather Scripture it self speaketh of Councel in reference to God or of Gods acting upon Counsel it is not to be understood properly for to act upon Counsel that implies Consultation and Consultation a defect in knowledg which to fancy concerning God would be high and horrid Blasphemy but to be understood of God after the manner of men the wisest of men act upon Counsel now because all that God doth is infinitely well and wisely done therefore he is said to act by Counsel as men do But I have done with this great Argument to press Christian Conference drawn from its profitableness and usefulness it 's beneficial to the heads of our selves and others in the augmentation of gifts and parts to the hearts of our selves and others in the communication of and receiving of spiritual good several ways beneficial in regard of inward peace at home in our own Consciences and outward peace abroad with men amongst whom we live which crowns all it hath a marke of honour set upon it by the hand of God himself he whom God honours is honourable indeed Hitherto the Arguments exciting to Christian Conference have been deduced from the duty we owe to God and man our selves and others and so from the ten Commandements some other arguments may fairly be drawn from the Creed or the Articles of our Christian Faith As first 1. Arg. The Communion of Saints We profess we believe the Communion of Saints Now Christian Conference rightly managed is a considerable part of that Communion so that to deny or neglect Holy Conference is to deny or neglect one of the Articles of our Faith and so farr to Unchristian our selves Christian Conference is a Gospel duty as it hath been proved by express testimonies out of the word of God and it 's a Gospel priviledge none indeed but such as receive the Gospel are savingly wrought upon by the Gospel Mat. 11.6 can carryon discourse or Conference which for matter and manner is truly Christian and in truth society is scarce desireable without mutual Colloquy and speaking one to another to have a company of people meet together and be as mutes and dumb all in deep silence methinks is a very uncomfortable meeting and irrational Solitariness and being alone fits best for meditation and musing Society and being in Company calls for speech and language What humane Society can be among men as men without Conference or what Christian society among Saints as Saints without Christian Conference to what end hath God and nature given us Tongues speech and language but to glorifie him therewith and to edifie one another and that 's mainly done in the way of Christian Conference Yet farther it 's one of the branches of the Communion of Saints to keep others in the right ways of truth and holiness and a likely means conducing thereunto is to be much in good discourse with others It 's hard to keep the way when one's alone for man by nature is apt to wander Many Travellers together may help to guide one the other to keep from falling or to raise up if fallen Two are betten then one saith the Preacher Eccl. 4.9 10. for if they fall the one will lift up his fellow but wo to him that is alone when he falleth for he hath not another to help him up Great is the benefit of Society from that natural helpfulness which thereby one man affordeth to another When the Lord imployed his servants in high works he usually sent them Two by Two Moses and Aaron Joshua and Zerubbabel in reference to whom we read of Two witnesses and our Lord Jesus Christ when he sent forth his Disciples they went Two and Two and why this Not onely that they might be joynt witnesses of the truth of the Doctrine and messages delivered but withall that they might with more ease and success carry on the Ministery and work wherein they were imployed and help mutually to strengthen to encourage and comfort one the other The instance given is pertinent to our purpose for if they fall the one will lift up his fellow What fall why society is helpful in all kinds of falls as corporal in a journey on foot or horse-back or falls into diseases dangers temptations sins errours the society of friends is useful to pitty to support to restore to convince to comfort and every way to Minister subtable supplies and relief To close up and strengthen this argument in that Christian Conference as it is a part of the Communion of Saints by special promise Psal 133.1 Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity Cohabitation or dwelling together is insignificant without Communication and Conversation becoming the Gospel and why so good so pleasant vers 3. For there the Lord commanded the blessing even life for evermore The illustration whereof the Psalmists gives in two lively and emphaticall similitudes vers 2. It is like precious ointment upon the head of Aaron It was not the ointment in the box or vial stopped but poured out that gave the fragrant savour and was so odoriferous it is not grace in the heart though that is saving but grace in the lips and life which makes a Christian indeed so sweet
farthing for all poor lost Souls that come unto him 3. You must pray hard beg the Spirit of God to help your infirmities to work all your works in you and for you and God hath promised to give his holy Spirit to them which ask him Luke 11.13 Stranger I believe in Jesus Christ and repent with all my heart what would you have me do more Min. Friend concerning faith in Jesus Christ we have spoken somewhat before enough to startle you and awake you out of your carnal security if you did indeed believe the Word of God Now for your repentance what do you do when you repent Stranger Why I cry God mercy for all my faults and desire him to Jorgive me Minister Friend that 's Prayer it 's not Repentance to say Lord have mercy on me and so forth is praying Str. Oh but Sir I am sorry for my sins Min. Friend You speak these words so smilingly and merrily as if your heart were not much orewhelmed with sorrow at the present for your sin Str. Yea but Sir I grieve for my sin though now I am a little merry I confess I hope there 's no harm in that Min. Tell me truly Friend did you ever weep for sin in secret between God and your own soul Str. Sir you put me hard to it I do not remember that ever I shed any tears for my sins but some men are not apt to weep Min. What you say Friend is very true some are naturally more apt to weep than others but cannot you weep and take on bitterly for other things for the death of a wife father child or some special friend of yours Stranger I confess then indeed I have mourned greatly and almost wept my eyes out Minister Friend it seems somewhat strange that you who have tears in abundance at command upon other sad occasions should not have some tears also for your sins against God Str. Well Sir though I weep little or not at all for my sins yet I grieve for my sins and hate my sins as much as another man Min. Friend if your grief for sin were right it would be 1. For sin as it is sin displeasing to God a dishonour to God and a defilement to your own soul 2. Godly sorrow works repentance 2 Cor. 7.10 That is amendment in heart and life Str. I hope I grieve for sin and hate it also though you Sir object something still against what I say Min. Friend be not angry that I object so much and so oft I do it only to find and beat out the truth and for your good Str. It may be so Sir Minister Friend You think and say you hate your sins let me put a few questions to you 1. Do you hate all sins one as well as another he that hates one Toad hates all Toads 2. Do you long to be the death of your sins is your hatred a mortal a deadly hatred do you mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit Rom. 8.13 3. Deal plainly and truly as you will answer it at death and judgment is there not some beloved sin that you are loth to part with loth to be told of by friends or Ministers some sinful way of profit or pleasure which you have no mind to leave but allow your self in it Stranger Sir I have had a great deal of talk with our own Minister who is a very good Churchman and he never said half so much to me Min. It may be so but what say you to my last question is there not some sin that you allow your self in which is as dear as your right eye and right hand unto you Str. Sir I am not bound to confess to you you have no authority to examine me Minister No Friend I speak in love to you desiring if the Lord please to do some good to your soul but let me tell you I fear your conscience cryes guilty you begin to be so touchy Stranger Sir it 's my fault to be angry but you do so pinch me yet I am persuaded you mean me no hurt therefore if you 'll needs have my heart out of me it 's even no better nor no worse I confess I love the company of some that are none of the best and I can't shake them off the world is hard and unless a man have some tricks there is no living in it and I do walk in some wayes not to mince the matter with you which my conscience tells me I ought not to walk in Min. Friend You do well to be open with me by the blessing of God it may be for your good therefore tell me a little farther do you not sometimes take the Name of God in vain Str. I hope not or very little Min. What think you of such words as these As I live As I am an honest man As I am a Christian Let me never stir Let me never be believed more if it be not thus and thus What think you of By my Faith By my Troth and By our Lady and of saying O Lord O God O Jesus and the like in common discourse which kind of words I heard fall from you at least some of them since you and I met Stranger Truly Sir I think they were better forborn Minister I think so too for they look like Oaths and Curses as a light and irreverent using of the Name of God Christ saith Matth. 5.37 Let your conversation be yea yea nay nay for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil Str. Sir People will not believe what I say unless I use such expressions as these Min. It matters not much so long as you speak the truth plainly if men will not believe you the fault is theirs and let me tell you that those who are wise men indeed will believe you the less for the using such words as these and say He that will swear will lye he that sticks not at dishonouring God by taking his Name in vain will not stick at deceiving man by a lye and speaking an untruth Stranger Sir what you say I confess is reason Minister Friend since I find you in so good a vein and willing to discourse it on which I am glad of tell me do you not use to break the Sabbath Str. No Sir I go to Church constantly when I am well and nothing hinders me Min. But Friend do not you accustom your self to lie long a Bed in the morning to sit idling at the doors that day to talk of worldly business to make bargains to hire or pay Labourers to walk in the fields needlesly do you not use some Sports Pastimes and Recreations do you not Travel that day to or prepare for Markets and Fairs and the like Str. I confess I have done so but I 'll do so no more Min. Friend you must desire God to humble you for these as all other your sins to pardon you in the blood of Christ and to strengthen you against them for
the wheat the barley and rie in their places saith his God doth instruct him to discretion Againe how the fitches are beaten out with a staff and the Cummin with a rod. How bread Corne is bruised He Concludes This also cometh forth from the Lord of Hosts which is wonderfull in Counsel and excellent in working And to make way for this ioyfull harvest husbandmen speak often of plowing and that soon enough and deep enough though in the cold winter season much very much if not too much of the Countrye mans discourse is harping upon these strings and shall not the generation of believers who themselves are Gods husbandry 1 Cor. 3.9 Mat. 13.4 5 7 8 19 20 21 22 23. be much in talking they cannot be well too much about those several grounds the highway the stony and thorny ground the good ground also mentioned by Christ in the parable with the interpretation thereof And how the Word of God in the plainness and power of it is the good the best seed faithful Ministers such and such are good seeds men this life and therein youth especially when Consciences are stirred by the good motions of the holy Spirit is the time the onely seed time with us and withall shall not believers speak often one to another about cutting down and plucking up by the roots the Cockel and the darnel the weeds and the twich errors in judgement unbeliefe spiritual pride earthly minededness and all disorderly passions and affections consuming and destroying them by that spirit of judgment and of burning And though the Christians harvest their full harvest come not till that last and great day when all the elect their souls and bodies being reunited as shocks of Corne fully ripe shall be gathered into those everlasting barnes and be housed in glory yet shall the husbandman all the year long rejoyce and solace himself in the hopes of a rich Crop when the harvest comes and shall not believers all their life time rejoyce in the hopes of the glory of God Rom. 5.2 Isa 9.3 and their joy be as the joy of harvest yea their joy be unspeakable and full of glory and in order to all this shall not believers in their Christian Conference together much and seriously mind each other to look to it that the plough of legal Convictions Compunctions and Humiliations hath gone deep enough in their hearts breaking up their fallow ground that they sowe not among thornes Jer. 4.3 Certainly all the reason imaginable excites the people of God to such kind of discourses as these are Again we see how all men who are dealers in the world will be talking how the market goeth what good commodities in one kind or in another they can buy and upon what easie rates and shall not believers speak freely and frequently among themselves rejoycing therein and giving glory to God onely what good penny worths they make if I may so express it how they have the choicest and the rarest commodities to be had and that upon the lowest terms Isa 55.12 Rev. 3.18 Waters to cool and cleanse them Wine to glad and chear up their spirits milk to nourish them bread to strengthen their hearts yea and Eye-salve that they may see Gold that they may be rich and white raiment that they may be clothed to wit Christ and his Spirit grace and glory and all this more than which is not to be had without price and without monies It is but ask and have but take by believing and its all yours surely such bargains as these are worth the having the thinking of and speaking of with the highest exultations and with all possible triumphing of spirits whatsoever Yet farther shall Scholars when they meet discourse it concerning the famous Schools they were bred in shall their Tongues run nimbly whiles speaking of Arts and Sciences of Logick or Philosophy or of Divinity dogmatical or polemical yea in all manner of humane learning whether Grammatical or Academical And shall not Christians when they meet tell one another how they were all trained up in one School it 's the best Ma. 4.38 a none-such the School of Christ how they were and still are his disciples his Scholars how Christ is their Master hath taught them to fear God Eccl. 12. Ro. 10.3 Eph. 1.2 and keep his Commandments to denie their own righteousness and to establish the righteousness of God in Christ hath taught them those hard lessons of Faith and repentance of loving their enemies so that they know how to want and how to abound how to be emptie and how to be full Mat. 5 44. Act. 5.31 yea how to live and how to die In a word That they can do all things through Christ strengthening the Phil. 4.11 12 13. Once more shall Lawyers talk much of their Cases and trials and why not Christians be putting of Cases of Consciences and of the trials of their faith in times of temptations persecutions and defertions when the very trial of their faith is more precious than of Gold that perisheth 1 Pet. 1. Shall Physitians and Chyrurgions with their Patients be continually talking of what wonderful Cures have been wrought by them or upon them I saith one was even wasted and worne even to nothing but skin and bone by pining sickness and a long lingering Consumption but such a Doctor cured cured me and I am now full and fleshy strong and hearty And I saith another was troubled with sore Eyes had almost quite lost my sight but such an Oculist healest me and I saith a third was grievously vexed and tormented with the stone for so many years together Oh the grinding pains of the stone how have they held me as upon the rack for weeks or months together but such a Chirurgion cut me fetched it away so bigge so ragged and now I am at ease and as well as ever and what shall not the generation of believers speak much and often of Christ their great Phesicion what strang yea miraculous Cures he hath wrought in them for and upon them how they were in their unregenerations pining away for and in their iniquities Eze. 24.23 a spiritual Consumption upon their soules being hereditarie from their fore-Fathers even as far as Adam yet Christ recovered them Hos 14.4 healed their backslidings How they were as to spiritual Eye-sâ—â—ht not onely dim-sighted but quite blind yea born blind Eph. 1.1 5. but now they see he annointed their Eyes so that they see yea are quick-sighted through grace in the things of God how they were born with a stone in their hearts Rev. 3.18 worse than those in the back or bladder but Christ hath graciously taken away that stony heart Ezek. 36. and given a heart of flesh to them Yea more than all this Christians can and do tell one another how they were born Lepers over-run with a noisome leprosie of sin from head to foot how that no sooner were they
cheerful giver 2 Cor. 9.7 and man also and a cheerful lender to cheerfulness in a child or servants obedience O how lovely is it It s so also between husbands and wives those offices of love they discharge each to other with readiness and chearfulness what a beauty doth it add thereunto But on the contrary when these or the like services are performed but unwillingly and by constraint with a sad look and a lowring countenance they are render'd ingrateful and unacceptable What 's a feast if no mirth there good looks and language are one of the best dishes at the Table Having spoken concerning the lawfulness and usefulness of civil mirth I proceed to lay down some cautions 3 Cautions to prevent disorders and irregularities therein 1 Vnseasonable 1. As to the timing of mirth it must be seasonable when Zion weeps and bleeds for the sons and daughters of Zion to be upon a merry pin I speak of common civil mirth especially if with constancy and some heights therein is â—s unseasonable as snow in harvest an high and heinous provocation When â—he Lord calls to weeping and mourning and if in that day behold joy and gladness and eating flesh and drinking wine and surely saith the Lord of hosts this iniâ—uitie shall not be purged from you till â—ou dye Is 22.12.13 14. True When the â—ord turnes againe the Captivity of Zion â—hen let our mouthes be fill'd with laughâ—er and our tongues with singing Psal 26.1 2. But when the Jewes are in Captivity then by the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept we hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof Psal 137 1 2. And yet by the way let me insert this that spiritual mirth and rejoycing in the Lord is alwayes a dutie and in the worst of times to be performed by the generation of believers Phil. 4.4 Hab. 3.17 18. Eccl. 10.19 A feast is made for laughter saith the Preacher but at a funeral sighing and mourning is more seasonable especially on a day set apart professedly for solemn humiliation even civil mirth seems abominably unseasonable Let me add also on the Lords day the Christian Sabbath our common civil mirth may well be spared the doing our own wayes the finding our own pleasures the speaking our own words Isa 58.13 Being under a special inhibition whereby the word own we understand not wayes pleasures or words in themselves sinful for such are unlawful at all times but such as are lawful on other dayes but on the Lords day unlawfull as concerning worldly imployments and recreations It s true it is a duty to call the Sabbath a delight but the more spirituâ—â— and heavenly our joy and rejoyâ—ings are the more in the Lord the â—ore agreeable with the day of the â—ord to the advancing of which holy â—irth there is by divine appointment 〈◊〉 Psalme for the Sabbath day Ps 92. 2 Immeasurable Voluptato commendat rarior usus 2. Civil mirth must not be immeasurable excessive and without measure The commendation of all our Civil â—leasures are the sparing use of them To be alwayes in a merry vain jesting and laughing is a swerving from the gravity and sanctity of Christianity â—leasantness of speech should not be â—sed as meat to feed the company with â—ests frollick frothy jokes are but windy not overwholsome they may be indeed as sauce to meat to quicken â—ppetites unto more solid and wholsome discourse or to fit our spirits for higher duties facetious speech is to a sober mind as whetting a sithe is to mowing too much whetting turns the edg of the Sithe and unfits it for service he who is alwayes whetting is an idle mower or rather mowes not at all and he that is alwayes jesting may go for a vain person or a vile one rather 1 Not with the sins of others 1. Not sporting our selves making our selves or others merry with our own sins or the sins of others such a man is one of Solomons fools It is sport to a fool to do mischief Prov. 10.23 And again Fools make a mock at siâ— Prov. 14.9 That is obdurate and hardened sinners having their Conscience seared and being past all sense of goodness take a kind of complacency and delight as in the acts of sinning so in their talking of it and making themselves and others merrie with it afterward Then to set men or Children oâ— fighting and to rejoyce in seeing them beat and hurt each other then witâ— many youngsters never so merry a feasâ— as where there is stoln venison rabbet hens or other provision To whom stolâ— waters are sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant Prov. 9.17 as some quorish and therein theevish servantâ— though they have good food alloweâ— them and enough of it yet get somâ— dainties in a corner how pleasantly 〈◊〉 they go down or as adulterers anâ— adulteresses their secret uncleannesses are the stollen waters and bread in secret which the Spirit chiefly aimeth at as the Context sheweth It s sad to hear how some men will in a jocular way boast how many women and maidens they have defiled and how often So that woful generation of men who are mighty to drink wine and men of strength to mingle strong drink Isa 5.27 How they 'l merrily among their pot companions vaunt and brag it that so many quarts they took off at a sitting laid such a man asleep drunk another dead down laid him under the Table and glory in their shame So the Gamesters the Jewel of their mirth is many a time their cheating such and such an one who played with them how they fetched him over for so many pounds it may be hundreds so the malicious persons of a vindictive spirit how is it mirth and musick to them to boast how they have made even with such or such an one and hope they have given him his own and shall not die in his debt I might inlarge in this too copious a subject but in brief all this kind of mirth is madness and indeed monstrous for men to rejoyce in that for which they ought to mourn to laugh at that till their sides ake and their eyes water for which they should rather grieve till their hearts ake and rivers of Tears flow from their eyes as did Davids and Jeremiahs Those choice servants of the most high God Psal 119.136 Jer. 9.1 2 3. 4. 4 Not Scripture or matters of Religion Not the Scriptures or matters of Religion Jesting in Scripture phrases and the language of the Holy Ghost as Politian the Heathen and Julian the Apostate it 's a Character of profaness in any and in such as profess Christianity of profaneness with an accent of high aggravation and carrieth also much of danger with it if it be ill jesting with edged tools then surely with the Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit and sharper than any two edged sword Eph. 6.17 Heb. 4.12 Kings and Princes do not