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

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dangerous as death is expected and little hope of life remaineth Example 50. At Craies two miles from Billerikey a servant of M. Holdsworth Minister there ringing on the Sabbath his Master sent to forbid him but he would ring still and before he had done ringing he was struck sick and a while after died This was a little after the book for sports was publikely read in the Church Example 51. In June 1635. on the Lords day the Tapster and Chamberlain of the Queens head in South warke rid into Kent to be merry and having drunk liberally riding homewards the one of them fell from his horse and broke his neck Example 52. Also in June 1635. and as some report the very same Lords day in Southwarke at the red Lion neer S. Georges Church in the afternoon a man with another sate drinking so long that the other about six of the clock departing fell a sleep so that he never awaked again Example 53. In the moneth of July 1634. one Mr. Quince the Chirurgion of the Tower of London having an horse to sel and meeting with a chapman went to Coleman-street where the horse was kept to see and contract for him on the Lords day in the afternoon the horse being sadled Mr. Quince gets upon his back to shew his chapman how well he would pace which done as he was a lighting off his back his foot which lighted on the ground slipped the other foot hung in the stirrup so as he fell to the ground and with the fall brake his thigh-bone short off so that he was carried from the place to an house neer adjoyning where he lay in great pain and agonie for eight weeks space or more almost despairing of his life and never stirring out of his bed at last it pleased God by degrees to recover and restore him to the use of his leg again he having little use of it and that with great pain for half a yeers space and more His son had disswaded him from riding because it was the Lords day and himself hath since acknowledged it a just judgement of God upon him for prophaning that sacred time which hath made him more carefully to frequent the Church and to avoid the prophanation of the Lords day ever since This the party himself and most of the Tower can testifie Example 54. Many more examples might here be added not onely such as have fallen out within these few yeers last past since the said book was published by the Ministers in their Churches but also since the book was first of all printed and published the very bruit whereof without being read by Ministers was enough and too much to imbolden youth to take their liberty in prophaning the Lords day but for the present I will adde but one more At Chidlington upon the edge of Hertfordshire not far from Hitchin a company of fellows upon a holy day being to play a match at Foot-ball one of them was tolling the bell to assemble the rest some being come into the Church the randevoze of their meeting suddenly it thundring was seen a black ball come tumbling down a hill neer by which took its course directly into the Church there it flew into the Bell-free and first slew him that tolled the bell then it flustered about the Church and hurted divers of them and at last bursting left a filthy stinke like to that of brimstone and so left a terror to all such spend thrifts of precious time and especially such as is dedicated to sacred uses Who so is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the leving kindnesse of the Lord. Psal 107. 43. Example 55. Vpon May Eve Thomas Tree of Glocester Carpenter in the Parish of S. Michael some coming unto him and asking him whether he would go with them to fetch the May-pole he swore by the Lords wounds that he would though he never went more Now whiles he was working on the May-pole on May day morning before he had finished his work the Lord smote him with such a lamenesse and swelling in all his limbs that he could neither go nor lift his hands to his mouth to feed himself but kept his bed for half a yeer together and stil goes lame to this day May 4. 1636. Example 56. About a yeer since 1635. in Ashton under the Hill in the Parish of Beckford in the countrey of Glocester the Minister there Mr. Blackwell having occasion in his Sermon in the afternoon on the Lords day to reprove the prophaning of that day by sports c. as soon as the Sermon was done a young man of that place used these words Now Mr. Blackwell hath done we 'le begin and so taking the cudgels playes with them and at the second or third bout he received a thrust in one of his eyes that thrust it quite out so as it hanged by and could never recover it again THese Examples of divine justice so notorious so remarkable both for humber and variety having fallen out in so narrow a compasse of time and so dispersed over the whole land as every particular place and countrey might take speciall notice thereof if they will not take and make impression in our stony hearts to move us to speedy repentance as for many other enormities and crying sins so in speciall for this our ring leading sin of the heathenish prophanation of the Sabbath or Lords day what plea can we make for our selves why the Lord of the Sabbath should not send some universall epidemicall sweeping calamity upon the land sparing neither small nor great And now that the plague and pestilence begins to break forth and spreads it self much amongst us the Lord shooting these his terrible venemous arrows from which not even Princes nor Prelates palaces can secure themselves from becoming his buts and marks What can we more impute it unto as the cause thereof then to this grand sin of the prophanation of the Sabbath or Lords day occasioned so much the more by the publishing of the late book for sports and that by the Ministers themselves For was it not the judgement and confession of King James of famous memory and of the whole State and Kingdome in an exhortation published in that great plague beginning with his reign 1603. where are these words The Lords Sabbath is not kept holy but polluted c. and therefore the cause is apparant why the plague is broken in amongst us And was not the same exhortation afterwards republished by our gracious King Charles whom God long preserve a religious and righteous Governor over us in the first yeer of his reign with the approbation of the whole Parliament where the same is acknowledged of that other great plague in the beginning of his Reigne 1625. namely that one principall and speciall cause thereof was the not keeping holy but polluting the Lords day And if this were a principall cause of those great plagues then why not of this which now we suffer
yea what Plague upon plagues may we not justly expect to break forth upon us in these dayes wherein we have increased and surpassed our fathers sins and that in such a height as they reach up to heaven to pull down flames and flakes of vengeance upon our heads And so much the more sith upon the publishing of the said book so manifold mischiefs have attended and followed as never any age since Christ much lesse such a Christian state as we professe to be hath seen or ever heard the like For besides the open violation of Gods holy commandment the 4th Morall acknowledged in our * Homily of the time and place of Praier Part. 1. p. 124. 125. 126. Homily to be the ground of our Christian Sabbath day as it is there no lesse then 8. severall times distinctly stiled as also in another * Hom. against Rebellion par 3. pag. 292. Homily twice which by the way makes me wonder at the audacious insolence arrogant ignorance of some new Masters in these dayes and in particular of Dr. Poc. k in his Sunday no Sabbath who is not ashamed to avouch with open mouth that the name of Sabbath was never given to the Lords day untill it was brought in by John Knox and others of the puritan faction in the yeer 1554. What saith he then to the Homilies of our Church which were set forth in K. Edw. 6. his Reign and so I am sure before 1554. by three or foure yeers now these to omit innumerable testimonies more both out of ancient Fathers and the Prelates of this land too large to be comprehended in a Parenthesis being enow to furnish a pretty Treatise these our Homilies I say so frequently and clearly called the Lords day the Sabbath day before John Knox called it so 1554. And the same Homilies being set forth afresh by Queen Elizabeth 1562. will Dr. P. dare to charge the learned and pious compilers of them a pack of Puritans or as * Doctor Wh●… Bp. of Ely some other Novell Sabbatarians But this by the way by which violation I say of the Sabbath or Lords day God is intolerably dishonoured and his religion disgraced through outragious libertinisme What an invention of Antichristian tyranny hath broken in at the opening of this great sluice What havock is made in our Church by sundry of the Hierarchy in suspending godly Ministers depriving them of their liberty livelihood and Freeholds against all Laws of God and man so as they their wives and children are exposed to beggery and all misery and their flocks to be devoured of the Wolves and to become a pray to the roaring Lion and all this because they dare not offer violence to their consciences in doing that which should dishonour God indanger their own and their peoples souls abase before God and man the authority and dignity to their Ministery condemne the innocent people of God and call the wicked righteous teach inferiours rebellion to their superiours and in a word hasten the pulling down of vengeance from heaven upon the Land O ye heavens stand amazed at this sight Tell it not in Gath nor publish it in the streets of Askelon lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoyce lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph what could the Pope have done more then some of our Prelates have done in this kinde for the darkning of the glory of Christs kingdome and for the setting up of Antichrists throne again in this Land But our Lord saith Ye shall know them by their fruits Besides what impudencie and impiety hath broken out from sundry aierie and ambitious spirits who have dared in their late published books upon books to belch out their blasphemies against God and the power purity and profession of the Religion established amongst us for so many yeers Nor onely is the floodgate of all prophanenesse and impiety broken up in the violation of the fourth commandment but of the fifth also when as by occasion of the publishing of the said book which inhibits Magistrates and superiors to restrain or punish youth fortaking such liberty on the Lords day as the book alloweth and which all other books writings monuments of Fathers Councels Kings Emperors Divines ancient and modern Protestants and Papists have universally with one vote and voice cried down till now but yesterday a new generation of Maleferiati hath risen up outdaring and defining the whole world and God himself inferiour persons exalt themselves in high contempt against their Superiors as the common vulgar against the Magistrate and Minister servants against their masters children against their parents and wanton wives against their husbands which hath caused such outcries and complaints of masters for their servants unbridled and uncontrowled outrage on the Lords day which must also in-jure them with pride and presumption of spirit the whole week after and so their whole life while like vntamed colts they have thus learned to take the bit between their teeth and so to run a gallop into all excesse of riot So as if the book be not all the sooner called in and authors of those late books against the sanctification of the Lords day condignly punished and a speedy reformation hereof set on foot how can we look for a stay of the plague untill the Land be consumed Now the Lord make us wise to lay these things to heart lest he teare in peeces and there be none to deliver For as never any Christian Church hath produced such monstrous impieties so never any Church hath been the theatre of such tragicall examples of divine wrath as our Land is like to be if we speedily repent not Vnlesse therefore we repent we shall all likewise perish as these examples have done before us Now for these so many so markable examples of Gods judgements inflicted upon the violaters and prophaners of the Lords day and that in so short a time even since the book for such sports was published we may thus argue and conclude That for which the Lord inflicteth and executeth so many notorious and severe judgements must needs be a notorious and hainous sin and so a breach of his holy commandment But for the violation and prophanation of the Lords day by sports and pastimes or by servile works the Lord inflicteth and executeth many notorious and severe judgements as of late we have seen Erg. the violation and prophanation of the Lords day is a notorious and hainous sin and so a breach of Gods holy commandment The major Proposition is a Maxime in Divinity God punisheth no man but for sin and sin is a transgression of Gods law 1. Joh. 3. 4. For the Minor proposition it is so clear as it cannot be denied except men will be senselesse and blinde Atheists But they that fear God shall declare the work of God for they shall wisely consider of his doing as Psal 64. 9. Now if the violation or prophanation of the Lords day be a sin and so a
transgression of Gods holy commandment then of what holy commandment but of the fourth And if of the fourth then the holy keeping of the Lords day for the Christian Sabbath is grounded upon the fourth Commandment and commanded in it as God hath abundantly testified by his many remarkable judgements even within these two yeers as hath been shewed Ob. But here some may object God may punish men for the breach of humane ordinances which are out of the expresse commandments of God So in this instance God may punish the violation or prophanation of the Lords day by such sports or wakes as being a breach of a humane ordinance or Ecclesiasticall institution Answ I answer it is true all humane ordinances being not against Gods word are to be observed for conscience sake of Gods commandment commanding subjection to all ordinances of men for the Lords sake Aud if it were a humane ordinance to dedicate this day of holy rest to God by a perpetuall vow and Decree then the greater is their sin that devoure that which is sanctified and after the vow make inquirie how it may be violated So as they are liable to the like judgements for so doing without repentance THE EPILOGVE THus have I presented you with a large Scene of late severall examples of Gods judgements upon Sabbath-breakers and such a So the Statute of 1. Caroli c. 1. stiles them disorderly people who have been so presumptuous as to prophane the Lords own sacred day against the monitions of Gods faithfull Ministers with unnecessarie labour vain sports and idle pastimes To which I might annex many ancient Precedents of like nature which I pretermit onely one excepted which is remarkable In the yeer of our Lord 1583. in the famous Metropolis of this our Land the City of London two Citizens the one leaving his wife the other her husband and committing adulterie together on the Lords day it pleased God to strike them dead with fire from heaven whilest they were in the very act of uncleannesse their bodies being left dead in the place half burnt up sending out a most loathsome savour for a spectacle of Gods avenging Justice unto others to teach them both to shun the sin of adultery and of Sabbath-breaking too and to take heed how they commit any fin or wickednesse at any time and especially on Gods sacred day or how they follow dauncing may-games Morisdaunces Ales and such lascivious pastimes b Vincentius Volnacensis Spec. moral li. 3. Ps. 9. Dist 6. Mr. Northbrook Stubs Brant Lovel and others in their Treatises against dauncing which commonly end in whoredome adultery as being strong allurements thereunto this judgement was so famous and remarkable that Laurentius Bayenlinke a forrain Historian in his Opus Chronologicum orbis universi Antwerp 1611. p. 110. hath thought good to register it to posterity if any deem those judgements strange or that God should iustice such punishments on this sin which some now justifie as a part of Christian liberty both in the Pulpit and in c The late Treatise History and Discourse of the Sabbath Sunday No Sabbath Doctor Pri. and a soveraigne Antidote against Sabbatarian Novelties printed works I shall onely intreat such to remember that the whole Convocation house all the Arcbbishops Bishops Archdeacons and greatest Clerks of England in their book intituled The Institution of a Christian Man subscribed with all their names and dedicated to King Hen. 8. an●… 1537. and King Hen. 8. himself in his own book inscribed A necessarie doctrine and erudition for any Christian man set forth by the Kings Majestie of England with the advise and approbation of the Lords spirituall and temporall and Nether house of Parliament ann 1543. and by the King himself dedicated under his name and title to all his faithfull and loving Subjects and published by vertue of the Statute of 30. H. 8. c. 26. in the exposition of the fourth Commandment have in the very dawning of Reformation injoyned all Bishops and Preachers diligently to instruct and teach the people committed to their spirituall charge and I wish that some Bishops would now do it that against this commandment generally do offend all they which having no lawfull impediment do not give themselves upon the holy day to hear the Word of God to remember the benefits of God to give thanks for the same to pray to exercise such holy works both publikely in the Church and privately in their houses as be appointed for such holy dayes but as commonly is used passe the time either in idlenesse in gluttony in riot or other vain and idle pastime Do * Ergo it is in force and the prophaning of the Lords day a sin against it break this Commandment For surely such keeping of holy day is not according to the intent and meaning of this Commandment as some new * As the Treatise History Discourse of the Sabbath Doctors now dogmatize but after the usage and custome of the Jews though some late Rabbies would make the world beleeve that the strict sanctification of the Lords day and the restraining of vain sports and pastimes on it is Jewish when a Epist 6. ad magnefianos Ignatius b Tract 3. in Iob. de 10. chordis c. 3. In Ps 32. 91. De consensu Evang li. 2. c. 77 Augustine c In Iob. Evang li. 8. c. 5. Cirillus Alexandrinus d Homily de festis diebus Ephraim Syrus e Eccl. Hist l. 7. c. 13. Socrates Scholasticus f Codicis Theodosit l. 15. tit 5. lex 5. Theodosius the Emperour g Enare in Ps 91. Beda Vincentius Belvacensis and generally al Authors since have branded dauncing sports and recreations on the Lords day both as Jewish and heathenish and i Edit 5. Lon. 1624. Sect. 38. n. 1. p. 110. Se. 43. digr 46. n. 6. p. 165. 186. Dr. John White in his way to the true Church defended and published by his elder brother Dr. Fr. White now Bishop of Ely k In 4. preceptum Mr. Zanchie l In Iohn Eu. c. 7. fol. 273. Wolfg. Musculus m Proposition for the Christian Sabbath p. 4. Mr. John Sprint as Popish and licentious tending to the overthrow of piety and desolation of publike Government and doth not please God but doth much more offend him and provoke his indignation and wrath towards us For as n In Iohan. tract 3. in Ps 32. 91. de 10. chordl●… c 3. St. Augustine saith of the Jews they should be better occupied labouring in the h Speculum morale li. 3. part 9. c. 6. fields and to be at plough then to be idle at home And women should better bestow their time in spinning of wooll then on the Sabbath day to loose their time in leaping or dauncing and other idle wantonnesse Now if the whole Clergy King State and Parliament were so quick-sighted as in those times of darknesse to see a Lords day