Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	new_a	sing_v	song_n	2,447	5	9.7529	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10187	Histrio-mastix The players scourge, or, actors tragædie, divided into two parts. Wherein it is largely evidenced, by divers arguments, by the concurring authorities and resolutions of sundry texts of Scripture ... That popular stage-playes ... are sinfull, heathenish, lewde, ungodly spectacles, and most pernicious corruptions; condemned in all ages, as intolerable mischiefes to churches, to republickes, to the manners, mindes, and soules of men. And that the profession of play-poets, of stage-players; together with the penning, acting, and frequenting of stage-playes, are unlawfull, infamous and misbeseeming Christians. All pretences to the contrary are here likewise fully answered; and the unlawfulnes of acting, of beholding academicall enterludes, briefly discussed; besides sundry other particulars concerning dancing, dicing, health-drinking, &c. of which the table will informe you. By William Prynne, an vtter-barrester of Lincolnes Inne.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1633 (1633)	STC 20464A; ESTC S115316	1,193,680	1,258

and vanities of Satan and the humility of our super-celestiall Saviour that men might serve and follow them both together Now Stage-playes are the very Devils owne peculiar pompes Play-houses his Synagogues Players his professed Masse-●riests and Choristers Play-haunters his devoted servants as himselfe professeth and Origen with others largely prove Those therefore who thus serve the Devill in Playes and Play-houses its impossible for them to serve the Lord sincerely in prayers and Churches Thirdly No man can drinke the Cup of the Lord and the cup of Devils nor yet partake of the Lords Table and of the table of Devils But Stage-playes are the cup and table of Devils the very Devils meate his drinke those dishes and repasts wherewith he was solemnely feasted by his idolatrous worshippers in his owne Idoll-temples It is not possible therefore for any Christian to feed his eyes his eares with these diabolicall banqvets and yet worthily to participate of Christs Body and Blood the spirituall Sweet-meates of a Christian soule Fourthly the very acting and beholding of Stage-playes drawes downe a selfe-condemning guiltinesse and so by consequent a certaine secret terror of appearing in Gods presence on mens soules There is scarce a man of any grace or ingenuity but would even blush and feare to be de●rehended by any good man at a Play-house Yea the very Heathen Romanes stood so much in awe of Cato his vice-condemning presence that they durst not call for their ●loralian Enterludes whiles he was neere the Theater And will not the consideration of Gods all-seeing presence thinke yee strike much more feare into the hearts and consciences of such who are deprehended by him at lewde lascivious Stage-playes then any Christians any Catoes eye or face could strike into these Heathen Romans which have no such soule-confounding Majestie in them as is in the very smallest frowne of God If therefore those who resort to Stage-playes by reason of their selfe-convincing consciences can never approach with boldnesse to Gods Throne of Grace its certaine they cannot serve or worship him as they ought Fiftly hee who perjures himselfe in the highest degree breaking that very origall covenant which he made to God at fir●t in Baptisme and afterward ratified at every receiving of the Sacrament can never questionlesse serve the Lord in any acceptable pious manner the performance of this vow and covenant at least-wise in the desire the endeavour of his soule being that alone which makes him a Christian and so a man capable of serving God But he who acts or resorts to Stage-playes violates that very originall covenant which he made to God at first in baptisme and a●terwards reconfirmed at every receiving of the Sacrament as I have else-where largely proved therefore he can never serve the Lord in any acceptable or gracious manner according to his will And alas what Christian is there who would frequent or harbour any such sinfull pleasures as will quite disable him to serve his God to please his blessed Saviour who hath bought him even at the dearest rate What contentment can a man take in any thing in all the riches honours pleasures contentments of this world whiles his soule can draw no comfort no heavenly refreshment from his God Better can the inferiour world subsist without the light and influence of the Sunne or the body of a man without the heart then the soule of any Christian without the satisfactory soule-inlivening presence of his God his Saviour which is never found but in those broken humble spirits who se●ve him in syncerity and tremble at his Word As therefore we ever desire to please to serve our blessed God according to his will or to enjoy the heart-ravishing consolations of his most blisfull presence let us presently abandon Stage-playes which as they hinder us in the service so they utterly deprive us of the face and favour of our God which are able to make us more then happy in the middest of all our deepest miseries The pleasures the refreshments that men reape from Stage-playes as they shut out better contents so they abide no longer then the Playes are acting and sometimes scarce so long and then they oft-times leave a sting behinde them which gaules and prickes the soule for ever after If then that love of Christ which constrained holy Paul to bid adue to all carnall pleasures will not enforce us to say thus to Stage-playes as David sometimes did to his lewde companions Depart from me yee wicked yee workers yee producers of iniquity for I will keepe the Cōmandements of my God yet let the comfort that Gods service wil bring unto our soules and this consideration joyned with it that we cannot serve God with any s●ncerity of heart as long as we delight in cursed Stage-playes now at last enforce us to bid this farewell to them that so we may be enabled to please that holy blessed God who created redeemed us at first and hath evermore preserved us since that we might doe him service Secondly as Stage-playes indispose men to so they likewise withdraw and keep them from Gods service especially on Lords-dayes Holy-dayes and solemne Festivals which should be wholy and onely consecrated to his more speciall worship and spent in duties of devotion in lawding and blessing him for his more speciall favour● And doth not our owne experience beare witnesse to this truth Are not our Play-houses oft-times more crowded more coached and frequented then many of our Churches and are they not full oft-times when our Churches are but empty Are there not many hundreds serving the Devill daily in our Theaters even then when as they should be serving God in his Temples Doe not more commonly resort to Playes then Lectures which is ill yea doe not too too many neglect to come to Sermons that they may runne to Stage-playes which is worse Indeed our Church of England out of the great respect it yeelds to Preaching and the absolute necessity of it to salvation enioynes God-fathers and God-mothers to call upon their God-children to heare Sermons which some prophane ones now begin to loath and speake against as if we had too much preaching that so they may the better forsake the Devill and all his workes mortifie all their unholy corrupt affections and daily proceed in all vertue and godlinesse of living Yea the Saints of God in ancient times were quickning and calling upon one another in this manner O co●e let us sing unto the Lord let us make a ioyfull noyse unto the Rock● of our Salvation Let us come b●fore his presence with Thankesgiving and make a ioyfull noyse unto him with Psalmes c. O come let us worship and fall downe and kneele before the Lord our maker O sing unto the Lord a new Song sing unto the Lord all the earth Sing unto the Lord blesse his Name shew forth his

that you have received He that defiles this garment let him wash it with teares let him seperate himselfe from the wicked let him confesse his sinnes to God and having reformed his life let him not returne as a Dog to his vomit What fellowship hath light with darknesse or what part hath he that believeth with an Infidell You who are the Sonnes of the Church ought not to be depraved in the vanities of Stage-playes The Church will not indure you stinke she cannot be defiled with your entrance she mou●nes and sighes to God because she seeth her Sonnes to be such Tremble every day lest God wax angry and so you perish from the right way Acknowledge the very signes of his displeasure because the Heaven is made Brasse and the Earth Iron The very Elements proclaime the wrath of God O yee Sonnes of Men how long will you be slow of heart why doe you love vanity in Stage-playes and seek after leasing in Stage-players Know ye that the Lord hath made admirable the soule of all such who depart not out of the Church The soule is heard when she cryes unto God whiles she departs not from God Be not ye luke-warme lest ye be spued out of the heart of God He himselfe hath spoken by his Prophet Because thou art neither cold nor hot and I would thou wert either cold or hot but because thou art neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouth We performe our duty who speake true things of the truth You if you have entred into the Physicians house that you might cure your wounds lament your wounds The medicines being layd on let the corruptions be purged out let h●alth increase that so the Church seeing your ●mendment may reioyce o● her Sonnes becaus● where sinne hath abounded grace hath superabounded In his Homily upon the 140. Psalme an excellent disswasive from ill company who keepe men from repentance and harden them in their sinnes he hath this passage Many are captivated of fornication and have kindled a fire of lust whiles they have followed feasts and Theaters having much iniquity in them A pregnant evidence for our present purpose In his first Homily on Esay 6.1 I saw also the Lord sitting upon a Throne high and lifted up c. he descants thus of Play-haunters and the fruits of Stage-playes which I would our Players and Play-frequenters would consider There are among those here present whom I thinke are not unknowne to your charity who contemning God and accounting the oracles of the Spirit as vulgar and prophane utter confused word and carry themselves no better then mad men keeping a stir and turning about with their whole body demeaning themselves so as misbeseemes a Spirituall meeting O miserable and unhappy wretch Thou oughtest to sing the Angelicall glorification or Hymne with trembling and reverence and to confesse to the Creator with feare and by this to crave pardon of thy sinnes But thou here comes the fruit of Stage-playes in bringest in hither the manners of Players and Dancers whiles thus evidently throwest about thine hands skippests about with thy feet and whirlests about with thy whole body And how comes it to passe that thou fearest that thou tremblest not whiles thou darest doe thus against such sacred oracles Doest not thou thinke that the Lord himselfe is here invisibly present who measureth every ones motion and takes an account of his conscience Doest thou not thinke that the Angels stand round about his dreadfull Table and compasse it about with r●verence But thou thinkest not of these things and why pray marke it because those things which thou hast heard and seene at Stage-playes have clouded thy minde and therefore those things which are done there thou bringest in among the rites of the Church therefore thou doest utter thy incomposed minde in insignificant clamors How then wilt thou aske pardon for thy sinnes how wilt thou receive the Lord into thy house when as thou prayest to him so contemptuously Thou sayest God have mercy upon me and yet thou declarest such manners as are contrary to mercy Thou cryest save me and yet expressest such a gesture as is a stranger to salvation Why doest thou stretch out thine hands to pray which are alwayes tossed up on high which are wheeled up and downe unseemely and make a confused noyse with their veh●ment clapping and beating Are not these things verily partly the practises of common Bawdes and Strumpets partly the examples of those who cry out aloud in Play-houses How then dost thou dare to mix the sports of Devils with the Hymnes of Angels praysing God Yea why dost thou not feare this speech which there thou utterest saying ● Serve the Lord with feare and rejoyce unto him with trembling Is this to serve with feare to be so loud and clamorous that thou thy selfe knowest not what thou speakest with the confused bellowing of thy voyce This verily savors of contempt not of feare of arrogancy not of modesty this is rather a part of such who are playing then confessing c. The Prophet saith Rejoyce in the Lord all the earth make a joyfull noyse unto God all yee lands Neither doe we prohibit the voyce of prayse but the voyce of absurdity and confusion the vaine and rash lifting up of the hands into the ayre the tinckling of the feet unseemely and effeminate songs which are the proper sports of those who sit idle in Play-houses From thence these pernicious ensamples are brought in among us from thence are irreligious and vulgar voyces from thence the absurdity of the hands contentious combates disorderly manners For nothing doth bring the oracles of God into so great contempt as the admiration of those Stage-playes and Spectacles which are there proposed Wherefore I have oft exhorted you that not one of those who come hither and enioy the divine doctrine and are likewise partakers of the dreadfull and mysticall Sacrament should goe unto these Stage-playes nor yet entermixt these divine mysteries with demoniacall Notwithstanding some have growne so mad that even then when they carry about a shew of Religion and are growne very white with extreame old age they runne to them notwithstanding neither regarding our words nor respecting their owne outward shew But as oft as we inculcate this speech unto them and exhort them to respect their old age and religion how great then is their coldnesse how ridiculous their speech They say that these things are an example of the victory and crownes which shall be in the world to come and we reape much profit from thence What sayest thou man This is a rotten speech and full of deceit From whence canst thou reape any profit thence From innumerable contentions from the rash oathes of evill speakers Or from t●e abuses the revilings the scoffes with which the Spectators besprincle one another But from these there is no