kingdome of God that is to saie hée shall not bée in the kindgome of God at all for it followeth immediatlie Except your righteousnesse excéede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharesies ye shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen and wée knowe that their righteousnes had respect to outward murther to outward theft till heauen and earth perish one iotte or title of the lawe shall not scape till all thinges be fulfilled I read not long since a learned a godlie treatise wherein is conteined a speach belonging to this matter which because it is excellent and because a notable iudgement of God did followe vpon the preaching thereof which did as it were from heauen féele the truth of it I will repeate it vnto you Hath Iesus Christ come into the flesh to laie the bridle of our necks to runne after our owne vaine deuises Hath he obtained by his comming twelue daies of God the father for carding dising masking muming for mocking and mowing for crieng and laughing for the practising of euerie vaine deuise that commeth to our heads all the yeare Or doe we thinke that this prophaning of so earnest a matter this turning of the grace of God into licence and wantonnesse shall be vnpunished What is this but euen to giue a réede into the hand of Iesus Christ and to mocke his kingdome What crowning of him is it in this vaine mirth and wantonnesse but with briers and thornes to pricke his head Is this the ioie spoken off by the Angell that came to declare his birth tolde hée tidinges of this gladnesse Is this the benefite that thou hast purchased to vs by that wonderfull mysterie of thine incarnation O Emmanuel Oh I am ashamed that it should euer be hearde of among the Iewes and Turkes that the Christians at that time of the yeare when their sauiour was borne shuld giue themselues for manie daies from their ordinarie modest and shamefaced behauiour from walking ordinarilie in their vocation studies to vnmodest shamefull practises to vnmodest waking all for vaine vnfruitfull works of darknesse Wherin differeth our celebration of the natiuitie of Christ from the popish Christians How doe we looke to call Papists from their vaine conuersation whē we are not our selues a foot from them I think if but thus much were spoken amongst the Heathen against so great an abuse they would repent in sackcloth and ashes And yet I know that this people will not be brought from this vaine conuersation for they loue it and delight in that without these thinges they complaine that it is but a dead Christmas These men will neuer confesse the truth of this doctrine till God haue sealed it with some plague or other This plague of God was threatened by a godlie learned young man in a sermon that he made at Trinitie Colledge somewhat before Christmas after Christmas the plague that was threatened fell For a scholler of Trinitie Colledge strangled himselfe right ouer the place where he with other kept such reuell route Who is wise saith Dauid and will marke these thinges The sinne which before séemed as light as a feather did then lie heauie at his heart his merrie companions could not take awaie the sting thereof from him this sinne so troubled his minde that the violent renting asunder of the soule from the vodie séemed nothing so gréeuous nay hée vsed this violent renting that I speake off as a remedie to ease himselfe of the other The Lord would awake vs by this his fearefull iudgement out of our déepe sléepe of sinne least we should go to hell as it were in a sléepe before we are aware of it and yet wée are still foolish and can take no profit by it Because these iudgements of God come so seldome wée soone forgette them but if the Lorde should thus dailie punish vs wée would not thinke that there is anie iudgement to come Because this fearfull plague was not executed vpon our own persons we are therefore without feare but it pleaseth the Lord to admonish vs by this his iudgement and how could this thing haue bene if we our selues had bene thus punished wée thinke we haue wit inough to auoide this thing but in thinking so wée thinke amisse for the Scholler had wit inough and if hée had not I am sure Achitophel had and yet did he thus violentlie destroie himselfe When the iudgements of God fall vpon vs all the witte we haue cannot auoide them the onelie waie to auoide the fearefull iudgements of God is to forsake our rioting which is the cause thereof ¶ Of continuance at gaming The third Chapter BVt I will goe forward and speake more particulerlie of gaming Games me think maie verie well be diuided into such the chiefe sport whereof consisteth in looking on of which kinde are hunting hawking stage plaies and such like And into such wherein men are the chiefe dooers of which kinde are daunsing dicing tenesing and such like Demas I praie you sir what thinke you of hunting doe you thinke it an vnméet exercise for a Christian I haue heard that some haue vtterlie disalowed of it because Esau a wickedman hunted Paule What some men doe I cannot tell for my part I dare not condemne it as for the reason of Esau his hunting it is nothing worth For as euerie thing that a godlie man doth is not by and by to bée allowed off so is not euerie thing that a wicked man doth alwaies to be misliked Beside this though Esau béeing a wicked man hunted yet he did it at the commandement of his father which was a good man my reason wherefore it ought not to be condemned is this The Lord hath giuen the free vse of all his creatures to vs Christians wée maie safelie féede of them all In giuing therfore the vse of thē he alloweth of the meanes wherby we come to haue the vse of them for otherwise he should but mocke vs. Onelie the faultes of hunters and fawkners I will not take vpon me to defende The spoiling of mens douehouses for the prouision of their hawkes the spoiling of mens corne with the entring of their hawkes at the beginning of haruest the breaking of gaps whereby mens ground is laide open to the spoile these thinges cannot bée allowed off for if the Lorde cannot abide that wée should profit our selues by the hurt of an other he can much lesse abide that for our pleasure we should be an hinderaunce to anie The generall thing that is to be obserued in all games is this that no man bestowe too much time in them although they be lawfull for euerie man without exception must buisie himselfe in some certeine dailie calling but those that followe gaming cannot doe so therfore no man must followe gaming But to the ende it might bée knowne what I meane I tearme this a calling not to paie to euerie man that which is his or to doe as a man would bée done to for that is
vse the name of Christ as men are wont to vse an olde cloke which put it on when any stormy tēpest is towards thē are ashamed of it when the storme is ouer Men shall not then anie longer vse the calling vppon the name of God as they vse Aqua vitae only when they lye a dieng but they shall professe the calling of his name throughout the whole course of their life then shall not the son of God be ashamed of vs before his father If the glorious kingdome of Iesus Christ were thus set vp we should haue euen an heauen vpon earth I am afraide I haue troubled my Reader with loking an Epistle and therefore I will heere take my leaue of him wishing him well to fare in the Lord. Thine in the Lord Samuel Byrd The summe of euerie Chapter VVhat pleasures are lawfull and that we maie offend by vsing them too little or too much Chap. 1. fol. 1. VVhat games are simplie vnlawfull Cha. 2. fol. 12. Continuing to much at lawfull games maketh Chap. 3. fol 29. That our kind of daūsing is vtterlie vnlawfull Chap. 4. fol. 34. Of Dice and Cards Chap. 5. fol. 37. A remedy against such euils as haue ben before spoken of Chap. 6. fol. 70. FINI◠¶ A friendlie communication or diōloge betweene Paule and Demas wherein is disputed how wee are to vse the pleasures of this life The first Chapter DEmas I am come to sée how you doe sir for me thinke it is long since I sawe you Paule It is long since I sawe you in déede but I will not saie you are therefore welcome for if you would come oftener you should be much more welcome De Well bicause as you saie I come so seldome I will tarrie with you so much the longer if it were not for hindering your studie you should haue me dwell with you this whole after-noone for I haue manie things to talke with you off you shall sée I will make you werie of me before I go The last time we were in companie together if you remember there was much talke had to and fro how we should vse this present world And me thinke it was well said of one that séeing it is the will of God to haue vs liue in this world It is likewise his plesure to haue vs inioy the pleasures of this life And yet on the other side the riotous life of a great manie was found fault withall that also not without good cause I would therefore gladlie learne some certeintie in this matter I would gladly learne I saie when we vse the pleasures of this world aright and when we abuse them But to the end you might vnderstand my meaning aright you shall vnderstand that I call those the pleasures of this life not which are simplie euill as adultrie is or such things as we inioie by stelth but I speake of such as maie be both vsed not vsed without anie breach of the commaundement And bicause I am somwhat doubtfull what those are that are of this kinde I praie you tell me what they are and how a man maie be bolde to vse them Paule The pleasures of this life maie verie well bée diuided into such as are common to all men as meate drinke such like or else into such as are vsed but of some men of this kind are games for all men you knowe are not gamesters Concerning the first kinde the Apostle telleth vs that the earth is the Lords all that there in is And therefore we maie boldlie féed on anie thing that is solde in the Shambles We maie be bolde I saie to delight our tast with anie kinde of foule that flieth in the aire with anie kinde of liuing thing that goeth on the earth with anie kinde of fish that liueth in the water or with anie kinde of fruite that groweth out of the earth It is lawfull to delight our hearing our eie-sight our smelling our tast our féeling with the vse of anie thing that the Lord hath made for example it is lawfull to delight our hearing with the singing of birds or with anie other kind of honest melodie It is lawfull to delight our eies with beholding the glorious maiestie of the heauens that are drawne out like a curtein We maie behold the Sun when he commeth out of his chamber like a bridegrome to run his race we maie beholde all the host of heauen and all the glorie of the earth we may delight our eies with looking vpon anie amiable coulour or pleasant sight we may take pleasure in anie fresh swéet smelling sauour We may féed as I said before on whatsoeuer is pleasant to our tast we maie refresh our selues with heat in Winter and with cooling things in Summer And 1. Tim. 4. 1. as the Apostle is bolde to call the forbiddng of anie kinde of meat the doctrine of diuels Bicause the occasiion of giuing God thankes therefore is therby taken awaie so I dare boldlie saie that the forbidding a man to refresh anie of his other senses with anie honest delight is likewise the doctrine of diuels so far am I frō condēning anie honest pleasures We maie therefore sport our selues as I haue said or to speake more particularlie we may with delight view the earth the is apparelled with flowers hearbs trées with all kinde of fruite The incredible multitude wherof is distinguished with an insatiable vareitie whervnto we maie adde fountaines Tullie de natura deorum 2. booke goodlie springs cléere waters riuers with their gréene bankes The huge height of mountaines the largnesse of the wide fields to conclude the whole earth with the rich treasures that are hid in the bowels therof what a comelie grace haue golde and siluer aboue other mettels what also and how manie kinde of beasts are there both wilde and tame how trimlie doe the birds fall vpon the earth the ground is diuided by the diligence of man some to pasture some to tillage and some is taken vp for places to dwell in The sea is full of fishes both great small If we consider the beasts of the earth it is wonderfull what care the dammes haue to defend their little ones how louinglie do the hen gather her chickins vnder hir wings Now if we shall come to the comelie proportion of euerie liuing thing especiallie of man how trimlie are our bones knit together fit for the mouing and for euerie action of the bodie The sences beeing the interpreters messengers of things are verie fitlie placed in the head as it were in a castle the eies as spies possesse the vppermost part of the face as it were a tower by their warning the bodie auoideth manie harmes All sounds and all sauours doe naturallie assend vpward our eares therefore and our nostrels which are made to receiue sounds sauours are verie fitlie placed aloft Our tast which trieth all those kinde of meates and drinks which we féede on dwelleth
that the Cap. 16. 49. sinnes of Sodom Gomor were fulnesse of bread pride and idlenesse the place is plaine inough it néedeth no interpetation onelie a godlie meditation will serue the turne This kind of men that I speake of thinke that little sinnes are not to be made account of yet we will laugh at that foolish papisticall distinction betwéene mortal veniall sinnes For whorebome theft murder is not that deadlie sin that the Apostle speaketh of No sinne is veniall euerie sin is deadlie For 1. Iohn 5. 16 the reward of sinne is death all vnrighteousnesse is sinne as Iohn teacheth vs accursed is he that shall not continue in euerie thing that is written in the booke of the Law to do it we must loue the Lord with all our hearts with al our thoughts When men chafe at cards or at tables we vse to speake fauourablie of this sin It is in their heat but afterward they are good fellowes againe But the holie Ghost when he intreateth of this matter he sets it out after an other sort He that worketh wrath Pro. 21. 24. in his arrogancie proud hautie and scornfull is his name A théefe maie lessen his sinnes by considering that vnworthinesse of the partie from whom he stealeth he is a churle and doth no good with his monie and therefore it were a good turne to rob him So likewise may the murderer if he be a godlie man whom he killeth he may say he did him a good turne if hée bée a wicked man that he killeth then he did the common wealth a good turne but where is the coÌ„mandement of the great God all this while It is true that so long as we liue the roote of sinne shall dwell with vs in our mortall bodie We are not pure as that Familest supposeth but yet we must striue to be pure as the scripture teacheth Lust after it hath conceiued it bringeth forth sin as Iames teacheth We ought therefore to be vexed and wearied with it to desire after a patient manner to haue this tickle estate changed The Apostle Paul crieth out not onelie in his owne person but in the person of euerie regenerate man Wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of sinne If so singuler a man was not throroughlie cast downe before hée had wrasteled with the iustice of God in this commaundement we are to take héede least in suspecting that to be in vs which we want we become carelesse in séeking the mercie of Christ without the which there is no helpe We must iudge our selues least we bée iudged of the Lord wée must be confounded in our selues our deliuerie must be from the gates of death wée must knowe that our saluation doth coÌ„sist in his frée grace séeing euen our thoughts are poisoned If this doctrine séemeth to rough we must remember that it was the saieng of our mercifull louing God euen of that God that loueth man déerelie and sent his onelie sonne to suffer a most horrible and a shamefull death for vs miserable men and that also euen when we were his enimies I saie it was the saieng of this God Whensoeuer thou eatest of the forbidden trée thou shalt die that deth CoÌ„trariwise it was the saieng of the enuious serpeÌ„t which was a manslaier froÌ„ the beginning the father prince of tyraÌ„ts which gapeth continually for bloud goeth about like a roaring Lion séeking whom he may destroy I say it was the saieng of this our profest sworne enimie that can abide no truce with vs you shal not die at al. But if we mark to what a sower death the swéet words of this flatterer tended we shall be forced to confesse that they wer more bitter theÌ„ wormwood that the wounds of him that loueth are farre better theÌ„ the kisses of him that hateth We must therfore resist that diuel theÌ„ he wil flie froÌ„ vs I grone for the amendmeÌ„t of these men what shold I saie vnto theÌ„ I wil shew vnto theÌ„ yet a little their owne estate to the end they may repeÌ„t I wold desire theÌ„ therfore in the feare of God to examine theÌ„selues by such places of scripture as I will shew theÌ„ We read in ye. 4. verse of the. 28. of the Prouerbs that those that forsake the lawe praise the wicked but those that kéep the law do fight against theÌ„ We read in ye. xv psalme that he shall dwell in the tabernacle of God in whose eies a wicked man is despised which doth honour those that feare God He that approueth the wicked condemneth the innocent both of theÌ„ are an abhominatioÌ„ to the Lord. Now let them marke themselues whether they be more readie to blaze abrode that infirmitie of those which are not ashamed openlie to professe Christ his religion theÌ„ they are to vtter the lewd behauior of those that for any thing they can perceiue lie still in their accursed estate when an vnsatiable man resident or a wicked vaine man is but a little touched then we must iudge that best we do not know their hearts we cannot indéed sée directlie into their hearts no more then I can sée the hart of him that hath coÌ„mitted actual whoordome or actuall murder but by their couetous vaine proud behauiour words we knowe they haue proude hearts vaine and couetous heartes for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh How can I set my selfe against a wicked man How can I dispise him if I cannot tell without iudgeing who is wicked In the Chapter of the Prouerbs that I last alledged it is said that he that hideth his sinne shall not prosper but he that confesseth forsaketh them shall haue mercie Happie is he that alwaies staÌ„deth in awe but he which hardneth his hart shall fall into euill Reioice O youÌ„g man saith the Precher in thy youth walke in the waies of thine heart and in the sight of thine eies but knowe that for all these things God will bring thée to iudgement We vse to alledge the naturall inclination to naughtinesse that is in man to the end more libertie of sinning might be graunted him we are no Angels and so foorth but the consideration thereof ought to make vs more warie and more afraide of sin of the occasions of sinne as the 12. verse of the. 6. Chapter to the Ephesians teacheth vs. We thinke if wée maie haue so much time a litâ—â—â— before we die as to saie Lord hauâ— mercie vpon me they shall doe well enough But the Scripture saith not euerie one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen They shall call vppon me saith the Lord and I wil not heare them The Pre. 1. reason is because they aske not in faith for euerie man beléeueth not faith is no light opinion We thinke we maie repent timelie enough wheÌ„ we are olde or wheÌ„ we are gréeuouslie sicke but the Scripture saith driue not off from daie to daie to turne to the Lord for sodeinlie shall his wrath come Christ saith to all such that their maister wil come at such a time as they least looke for him Hieremie in his lamentations giueth vs better counsell then so It is good saith he for a man to beare the yoke in his youth contrarie to that diuellish saieng of some A young Saint and an olde diuell For teach a childe in the trade of his youth when he is olde he wll not depart from it I remember maister Ascham saith that there was a Iudge in England that had a companie of wilde Gentlemen brought before him for their misbehauiour they desire the Iudge that he would consider their case by his owne because he himselfe had ben somtimes wilde as they were But the Iudge willeth theÌ„ in anie case not to presume of his recouerie for wheÌ„ I was young ther was twelue of vs saith he that rioted then as you do now but onelie two of vs came to good the rest were hanged I doe not speake this to the end that anie gamester that hath a misliking of his present estate should dispaire of himselfe for though the waie be straight that leadeth vnto life yet the Lord can make vs crucifie our affections denie our selues his yoke shall then be easie and his burden light the keping of the commandement as Iohn saith shall not then 1. Iohn 5. 3. be gréeuous for all that is borne of god ouercommeth that world Salomon speaking of these waies of wisdome saith that her waies are waies of pleasure all her paths prosperitie Throw thy selfe downe therefore before the footstole of Iesus Christ whatsoeuer tâ—ou art with sighing sobbing then hough gamsters haue ben thine onelie ioie darling yet he can make thée forget all euen by that mightie power whereby he is able to subdue all things vnto himself shal he bring this thing to passe Though by this meanes thou doest well perceiue that thou shalt forgoe the louing counteuance of a great manie yet the Lord will be vnto thée in stéed of all For he will comfort thée on this manner If you were of the world that world wold loue you for the world loueth hir owne such loue as it is wont to vse you should haue part of it but now you are not of the world therefore the world hates you If the world hateth you it hated me before you be of good chéere I haue ouercome the world feare not little flock for it is your fathers will to giue you a kingdome Those that sow in teares shall reape in ioie FINIS ¶ Imprinted at London by Thomas East for Iohn Harison the younger dwelling in Pater noster Roe at the signe of the Anker and are there to be solde