about this matter of play and pastime and I mean not to be a stickler between them at this time further then my Text doth thrust me in whether I will or no and that is thus farre Certainly either play must not be used by a Christian at all or if it be it must be done by a rule yea by this rule as all other things ought to be And if any man think his pastime an action not serious enough to hold proportion with the glory of God let him take heed how he meddle with it for how dare a Christian divert or turn from this end in any thing that he doth And thus farre we have seen the generalitie of this doctrine laid open in certain particulars Now one or two things for the use of it Vse 1 First it condemneth the unrulinesse of these times wherein men are become very libertines though not in profession yet in practise and almost in profession too The Apostle's Omnia licent every man taketh by the end but his Non expediunt no man looketh after Every man eateth drinketh playeth apparelleth himself as he listeth saith and doeth what he listeth without any regard of God or his weak brother And that which me thinketh is strange all this irregularitie shrowdeth it self under the protection of Christian libertie Why I you say is it not a part of our Christian libertie to use without scruple of conscience indifferent things I grant it is but how to use them as we list our selves without all regard to the glory of God or the good of our brethren God forbid that any man should once dream that Christ hath made such a purchase for us To use them there is our libertie and this libertie is rather in the conscience then in the outward act but to use them as we list our selves without any regard to God and to our brethren this is more then libertie more then Christian yea more then Civil For even the Civilians themselves if I be not deceived do define their libertie thus Libertie say they is a naturall power whereby a man doeth what he will so farre as the laws do permit And so Christian liberty is a supernaturall power obtained by Christ whereby a Christian doth what he will according to his Christian rule or according to the rule of Gods word We must therefore by this doctrine learn to abhorre that abuse of libertie and unrulinesse which we see to be afoot in these dayes even amongst Christians themselves On the other side this doctrine must teach us for Vse 2 our part whatsoever others do to draw our selves under a rule and to submit and subject our selves thereunto in all that we do Every Christian is a builder and every builder we know goeth by a rule no mason no carpenter works without his rule and if he should what manner of work would he make The obedient and truly regular Rechabites did keep the rule of their father Jonadab and not onely they shall rise up in judgement against us if we will not keep the rule of the Apostle but even their apes and counterfeits the observers of the rules of Dominick and Francis and the rest of them For shall an hypocrite in a cowl observe the rule of one like unto himself and shall not we observe the rule of him that hath made and redeemed us For the rule of the Apostle is Christ's rule and we may not nor cannot without great and damnable disobedience refuse it Well then you say if we must be tied to a rule let us see what that rule is That we shall see by and by In the mean while understand that we must take heed of those crooked and perverse rules that most men do follow The example of the multitude a foolish rule you know how God forbids it unto us The fashion of the world that is of the time and age wherein we live a dangerous rule the Apostle gives us a great charge that we cut not out our conversation after the pattern thereof Nè vos configurate seculo iâ—â—i Rom. 12.2 The profits and pleasures of this life seem golden rules to some but indeed they are naughty rules and the latter of them fitter for beasts then for men Arbitria Judicum Responsa prudentum Nay I go further the decrees of civill Judges and maxims of wisemen which the States-men and Politicians tell us are the grounds of all laws and must over-rule all yet even these are no sufficient rules for a Christian no rules in conscience for these rules may be bent and are bent oftentimes to serve the wills and pleasures of men But we must have such a rule as may be without all exception and variation a rule that must be as some learned speak in the terms of the Schools inobliquabilis indeviabilis a rule that no good man dare nor no wicked man can bend to his private affection Well then what is this rule The Apostle tells us it is this even to do all to the glory of God and the good of our neighbour This must be the continuall and perpetuall end of all our actions And as in shooting a man takes his aim and levell from his mark so a Christian in doing must be ruled by this end Indeed not onely from the end or object is an action alwayes construed to be good the integrity or rectitude of other circumstances must concurre withall but chiefly the end makes or marres all And though a good end doth not wholly warrant an action to be good yet an ill end doth ever vitiate and corrupt it As for example What action can be better then that which now we are in hand with namely the hearing and speaking of the word of God and yet God be mercifull unto us how fowly doth an ill end ofttimes corrupt it If then we will have our actions sound and good indeed we must take heed we do them to a good end be sure of this that the end be good This end as the Apostle here propoundeth it is double one principall and that is the glory of God the other secondary or subordinate and that is the edification of our brethren First and principally do all to the glory of God To this end our Saviour speaketh when he saith Matth. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven To this end David exhorteth the men of his time Psal 29.2 to give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name But I will not stand to heap up Scriptures to this purpose let us see what the thing is which the Apostle calleth the glory of God Glory is well defined by a heathen writer thus Frequens de aliquo fama cum laude Wilson dict It is saith he a frequent fame or good report of a man with praise By a Christian writer thus It is praise increased and abundantly published Then
to do a thing to the glory of God is to do it so as from thence God may be much and honourably spoken of the prayse of God may be increased and abundantly published When the wisdome the mercy the justice the goodnesse of God do shine in our actions and we do them to this end then they are done to the glory of God So by occasion of those works that our Saviour Christ did Matth. 9.8 the Evangelist saith that the people did glorifie God that is did speak great and glorious things of God Gal. 1.24 And Paul after his conversion and calling into the Ministery did all things so as the people did glorifie God in him or for him So here Do all things to the glory of God that is do all things so as from every thing that you do men may take occasion to praise and magnifie the name of God This doing of things to the glory of God is the matter of the first petition in the Lords prayer and of the third commandment in the Decalogue from which two places they that will may fetch matter enough to this argument But forasmuch as our failing in this rule ariseth not so much from our ignorance in the rule as from our want of affection to the rule let us therefore consider a little of some good and weighty reasons that may stirre and move us to the practise of it And first let me reason from the end of our creation Prov. 16.4 The Lord saith the Scripture hath made all things for himself that is for his own glory From hence I reason thus That end which God respected in making of man ought man to respect in all his actions But God in making of man respected his own glory Therefore the glory of God ought to be the end of all our actions Else we shall divert and turn not onely our own actions but also the very workmanship of God in us to another end then he that made us meant and intended Which if a man himself will account a great wrong in the work of his hands how much more shall it be a sinne and presumption against the glorious and omnipotent Architect of all the world A second reason may be taken from the merit and deserving of God in our creation and all that he hath done for us Glory that is fame and renown alwayes followeth merit and deserving but all worthinesse and true deserving is in God Est fama multorum magnorúmque meritorum Cic. No man doth absolutely deserve any thing at the hands of another man because every man is bound by some debt or dutie one to another Onely God who is the great and free-giving God doth deserve at our hands And therefore all glory is due unto him and so due that a learned and wittie Divine saith Ejus omnitatem nostram nullitatem Alsted we must acknowledge all to him and nothing to our selves And this the foure and twenty Elders who are the common type of all the holy assemblies here upon earth do teach us when they fall down before him that sat on the throne and cast their crowns before the throne and give this reason thereof Thou art worthy O Lord Rev. 4.11 to receive glory for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created He that hath made all and bestoweth freely and liberally all gifts of creation and preservation upon all is he not worthy to have glory at the hands of all It is the Apostle's reason in another place 1. Cor. 6.20 Glorifie God in your bodies and souls for they are Gods And indeed is it much for us to eat and drink to his glory of whose liberalitie we have every bit of bread and every drop of drink that we have Or is it much for us to apparell our selves to his glory without whom we have not so much as a fig-leaf to hide our nakednesse It were infinite to follow this argument in all the particulars I come therefore to a third reason and that is this The example of all the best and most excellent servants of God in all ages doth provoke us hereunto whose hearts have been so fired with the zeal of Gods glory that to the end they might promote that they have utterly neglected themselves David was even devoured and eaten up with it Moses and Paul preferred it to their own salvation the holy Martyrs gave their lives and endured all torments that God might be glorified by them How miserable and wretched are we and how nothing akinne to those holy servants of God if we will not so much as bridle an inordinate desire not abstain from a libertie or commoditie which we may spare well enough not forgo a whit of our vain pleasures and delights of this life for the honouring and glorifying of the name of our God! Surely great reason there is that we should admit of this rule and willingly let the glory of God be the end of all our actions But beloved brethren is it thus with us Give me leave to deal plainly and roundly in a matter of so great respect Yet will I say nothing of open and notorious wicked persons Atheists Epicures Drunkards Whores Thieves Usurers Cozeners the Foxes and Wolves Quibus anima data est prosale nè putrescant Cic. the Horses and Mules the Dogs and Swine of the time who would rot and stink as they go if they had not a reasonable soul in them to keep them from putrefaction The lives and actions of these are not in derogation of Gods glory but in a mere opposition and contradiction to it I come to others who seem to have some fear of God in them and I hope have so too and yet are in nothing studious of the glory of God as they should be For tell me I pray you Our immoderate purchases and bottomlesse covetousnesse our heaping of livings and possessions one upon another as the old giants are said to have heaped mountains one upon another are these things to the glory of God Is it glorious to God that they who professe to be his children should be shifters and carvers for themselves lifting heaving and shoving for the world as Mr Perkins saith as if they had no Father in Heaven nor no Divine providence to trust unto and then for a cover of their worldlinesse do mock God and say O we must have a care c. Is it a glory to God that it shall be spoken and written of Turks that they are honest just plain-dealing men and true of their word and we who are the servants not of Mahomet but of Jesus Christ and of him are called Christians dare not trust one another The proud and loftie carriage of the rich gaping over the heads of the poore as the Prophet speaketh and on the other side the rude and insolent behaviour of the poore the vile rising up oftentimes against the honourable is it to the glory
these things are to be ruled is the end And that is double first the glory of God secondly the edification of our neighbour The first is set down in plain and expresse terms Do all to the glory of God The second is set down by a remotion of the contrary Give no offence cause none to fall or to stumble no Jew no Grecian much lesse any of the people and Church of God The example is taken from himself As in all things I please all men In all things of this nature in all indifferent things I do not so much respect mine own liberty or commodity as how the action will fall out to others not using my liberty or power in any thing but where I may further the salvation of others thereby Now to take these things as they ly in order first concerning the actions or things to be ruled they are as we see specially eating and drinking but in generall all things whatsoever For so the Apostle Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do From which generall words of the Apostle this generall doctrine doth arise unto us namely That all things whatsoever a Christian man doth must be done by a rule And a Christian hath no such liberty to do what he list at least to do as he list in any thing Though God hath given us great liberty in many things yet no such liberty as to be irregular or out of rule in any thing And the Scripture saith the same thing in other places though in other terms For that same integritie that God requireth of Abraham to walk before him and be upright the undefilednesse in the wayes of the Lord that David speaketh of in the Psalmes the sinceritie and unblameablenesse that the Apostles exhort unto otherwhere Walking honestly and pleasing God in all things what is all this I say but the observing of a rule in all things that we do as the Apostle here requireth And the best interpreters upon this place affirm so much * Piscator One saith This ought to be the scope of all our actions * Hemming Another saith Let this rule be observed in all things And * Marlorat a third saith No part of mans life no action TAM MINUTA not such a minute not such a minim of an action in a Christian but must be referred to this end The generall will the better appear if it be laid open in some particulars And first in this wherein the Apostle instanceth Whether ye eat or drink What is more free or wherein hath God given more liberty to man then in eating and drinking Every moving thing that liveth saith God Gen. 9.3 shall be meat for you even as the green herb have I given you all things And Deut. 12.20 If thou shalt say I will eat flesh because thy soul longeth to eat flesh thou mayest eat flesh whatsoever thy soul lusteth after And the Apostle telleth us 1. Tim. 4.4 Every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving And in this chapter verse 25. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles that eat asking no question for conscience sake Behold here libertie enough And blessed be God that as Mr Calvin saith we need not cat our meat with a doubtfull and fearfull conscience And to teach otherwise were a doctrine of devils What then For all this libertie might a Jew therefore during the time of the Leviticall law have eaten of swines flesh or any other legally-unclean creature No you say That was forbidden by the Law and therefore not indifferent But I say The thing was indifferent still in its own nature and the prohibition of the law was but a restriction in the use for a time Or what shall we say to that temporary exception in the Apostles time Might a believing Gentile during that time have eaten of things strangled or of bloud or may we now abuse our libertie in eating and drinking I do not say to surfetting and drunkennesse but to the breach of any honest and Godly politick law amongst us Nay we see that notwithstanding this great libertie in this matter yet the Apostle doubteth not to give rules to our eating and drinking and such rules as do both restrain and limit the outward act and also in some sort do bind the conscience and make a man guilty of sinne in the neglect of the same So as notwithstanding our libertie in eating and drinking yet we may not be libertines therein Let us see the like in apparell The fair or as Tremellius translateth the desirable garments of Esau the parti-coloured coat that Jacob made for his sonne Joseph the changes of rayment that Joseph gave to his brethren and the vestures of divers colours that the kings daughters wore being virgins all these do declare what liberty God hath given unto us in the use of apparell Nolo ut de ornamentis auri vel vestis properam habeas in prohibendo sententiam A liberty that seemed so great to that learned Father Augustine that he giveth this Item or Caveat to Possidonius about this matter I will not saith he that you be very forward in censuring or judging any for their garments or ornaments of gold And experience doth teach us every day that as much grace is to be found under a gay coat as under a gray one And yet for all this when the daughters and ladies of Jerusalem would keep no rule in their apparell who knoweth not how sharply the Prophet rebuketh them Isai 3. Yea the Princes themselves and the Kings children are threatned that God will punish them for being clothed with strange apparell Zeph. 1.8 And the holy Apostles giving rules of sobrietie in apparell to Christian women do teach us that all our actions and fashions in this matter must go by a rule And I think all good minds do mourn to see how out of all rule men and women are now adayes in all callings and conditions I say in all I except not that which should be an example of humilitie and Christian sobrietie to all the rest Surely our pride doth testifie to our face and we are too farre gone in affecting the mark of dignitie in our habits and apparell which besides our sinne against God and our Christian rule is also as one censureth it and I think truly a note of pusillanimitie and bâ—se debilitie in our selves And to touch that a little wherein men are most irregular even the recreation of a Christian if any be at all must be done by a rule For if we must eat and drink by a rule if we must apparell our selves by a rule why must not our recreation be by a rule also Danaeus de ludo alea cap. 1. Certainly when the Apostle saith WHATSOEVER ELSE YE DO there is no remedie but play and pastime must be comprehended in this generall saith a great Divine I know what warres men are at in their judgements
A PIOUS SERMON preached by that late painfull and profitable Minister of Gods word HUMPH MUNNING Rectour of BRETENHAM in the Countie of Suffolk CAMBRIDGE Printed by Roger Daniel Printer to the Universitie 1641. To Mr WILLIAM COPINGER Esquire and Mris MARY COPINGER his beloved wife Worshipfull my loving and very good friends in the Lord WHen I had preached this Sermon some of ill will I think to draw me into the jealousie and danger of the time reported that I had meddled I know not how with the ceremonies of the Church A very strange thing that meat drink apparell and pastime for these are the indifferent things that I meddle withall should sound in any wise mans eare as the ceremonies of the Church But such hearers we must sometimes meet withall who will offer like violence to our words and meaning as Cacus did to Hercules his oxen Wherefore being provoked by this wrong I took a little pains to look over my notes again and setting my memory a work with them I wrote out the Sermon wholly and at large as here it is Which when I had done I saw nothing to the contrary therein though I confesse no great matter is to be seen in it but that to some good minds especially if friendly and lovingly disposed towards the poore and contemptible authour it might be of some good use unto true godlinesse in this kind And peradventure the presumption of putting it into the hands of some such persons might be as little sinne as the casting of it aside into some dusty corner with other waste papers Wherefore your selves being of such deserving towards me as if there were any thing of worth in me I must of necessity ow it to you I am bold to put these papers such as they are into your loving hands where if they do no other good yet they shall testifie my thankfulnesse towards you and be ready to clear my innocencie in that supposed crime when need requires God give you both with a happy and blessed new yeare all renewments of his grace and holy Spirit to his glory in you and your endlesse comfort in him Bretenham January 1. 1619. Yours with his best and best deserved affections HUM MUNNING 1. COR. 10. Vers 31. Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God 1. COR. 10. Vers 32. Give none offence neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles nor to the Church of God 1. COR. 10. Vers 33. Even as I please all men in all things not seeking mine own profit but the profit of many that they may be saved TO discern things that differ as the Apostle speaketh Phil. 1.10 is a necessarie grace in a Christian and requireth true wisdome indeed But I am deceived if the wisdome and perspiciency of a Christian be not of as necessary use and as much to be required in indifferent things as in those that differ For in these things of a middle and indifferent nature where we have no direct nor expresse commandment of God to over-rule us but are left after a sort to the libertie of our will here we do commonly * Aut haesitare aut praecipitare either go too slow or too fast here zeal without knowledge or knowledge without zeal doth dangerously miscarry us here Satan taking advantage either of our ignorance or of some other corruption within us doth set his traps for us yea here he makes one Christian set a trap for another here for the most part we are * Jactatores libertatis boasters of our liberty carrying our selves too strongly upon it and see not that we are snared in it and how Satan makes nets of indifferent things wherein we are easily taken and hardly escape without some losse or hurt to our selves or others Into this net or toil the devil had got the Christian Corinthians where with the over-free use of indifferent things namely of meats sacrificed to idoles they did gore and wound the consciences one of another The Apostle therefore seeing their danger and in theirs foreseeing ours doth take great pains to deliver them and us out of these briers so great as in no other point that I know except the main of our justification by faith he hath taken any greater giving unto the Corinthians and in them unto us with other instructions of like nature certain generall rules whereby a wise and good Christian may walk safely in these things neither to scrupulously tying up himself and others from the use of them altogether nor yet loosely and dissolutely abusing his libertie in them as an occasion to the flesh Of these generall rules this that I have read unto you is one and the principall it is the conclusion of the whole discourse or disputation about indifferent things from the beginning of the eighth chapter And it seemeth to me that the Apostle setteth it down by way of anticipation thus The Christian Corinthians upon occasion of that which the Apostle had urged before might reply and say Why Sir if there be such danger in eating and drinking feasting and companie-keeping with our friends and other things of this nature that as you say God is provoked and our souls endangered thereby what shall we do we had best utterly abstain and throw away our libertie that we seem to have in these things for ever To this reply of theirs the Apostle rejoyneth in these words Nay saith he I say not so unto you but if you will take it I will give you a safe and sure rule to walk by in these and all other like things And that is this Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God and to the edification of your brethren You are wise men and full of knowledge use your wisdome in the practise of this rule consider the circumstances and especially the end of all your actions and do thereafter So we have here a Rule or as the Apostle calleth it Gal. 6.16 a Canon for a Christian to walk by in all his actions And indeed it should be the Rule of all rules and the Canon of all canons to rule and over-rule all that a Christian doth in all things and even in those wherein he may seem to himself to be most at liberty even in things of a middle and indifferent nature And here we have three things to consider of First the actions or things that are to be ruled Secondly the rule it self whereby they are to be ruled And thirdly an example The actions or things to be ruled are set down by a distribution Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do The Apostle doth instance in eating and drinking because they were the things in question at that time And yet lest we should think the rule to appertain onely to eating and drinking he addeth the generall Whatsoever else to teach us that all our actions must fall under a rule The rule whereby