declared in a national fynod held at Rochelle, Anno 1571. where this canon was unanimoufly framed, Congregations ball be admo nished by their minifters feriously to reprehend and fupprefs all dances, mummeries, and interludes; and it ball not be lawful for any chriftians to act or to be prefent (mark well) at any comedies, tra gedies, plays, interludes, or any other fuch Sports, either in publick or in private chambers, confidering that they have always been oppofed, condemned and Juppressed, in and by the church, as bringing along with them the corruption of good manners; especially when as the holy feripture is profaned, which is not delivered to acted or played, but only to be preached. What ufeth now to be faid in apology for, and defence of ftage-plays,and for reforming of them, yet fo as to retain them ftill, was long fince objected by the witty and voluptuous pagans, and folidly answered, and strongly confuted by the fathers, as it hath been by feveral modern writers, particularly Dr. John Reynolds, Mr. Stubbs,and notably by Mr. Pryns (to whofe indefatigable diligence in collecting, and great judg - ment in difpofing of, many of the particulars here difcourfed, I profefs myfelf much beholden) and may be in a great part by what hath been here hinted concerning the invention and original of them, the nature, end and ufe of them: Befide all that hath been, and may moft juftly be faid of the many dangerous and dreadful tendencies, attendants, confequents and fruits of them,and the horrid abufes of them, may fufficiently plead against the ufe of fuch stage-plays, being neither neceffary nor profitable, and for the utter abolition of them; God is jealous, and will not be mocked. July 20. 1675. T Farewel. To the READER. HE decay of religion, at this day in the world, is come to fuch an height, as that it is obferved by all who pretend unto any concernment therein, and complained of by many. By religion we understand the power of it in the hearts and lives of men, and not any outward profeffion of it only; much less the general pretence that is made unto it, in them by whom its power is openly denied. Neither is it manifeft only in the fruits of finful fecurity, and the flagitious lives of all forts of men, but begins to be fo alfo in its effects, in the prefent ftate of things in the world, filled with mifery and confulion: For the wrath of God is many ways revealed from heaven against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,who hold the truth in unrighte oufness and in many nations the visible tokens and demonftratidoons of it do abound; For there is in them no peace to them that go TO.. bin of : out, nor to them that come in; but great vexation is upon all their inhabitants. Nation is deftroyed of nation, and city of city; for God doth vex them with all adverfity. For, whatever may be the thoughts and counfels of men in these things,the judgments of God are not merely fubfervient unto their lufts and paffions; it is his own controverfy with the world for neglect of the gofpel, and op pofition unto it, that he pleadeth in them; neither can our prefent refpite in the enjoyment of outward mercies be any evidence unto us, that we are not the objects of the fame displeasure. All men are in the fame condition, among whom the fame fins and the fame relapfes from the power of religion are found; for God is no refpecter of perfons: It is indeed an effect of divine patience, which, if abused unto fecurity, will iffue in a more fore revenge. In the mean time, the voice of God unto us, in all the miferies and defolations we hear of in the world, is, That, unless we repent, we fhall all likewise perish. Neither are we altogether left without pregnant warnings among ourselves, in many fevere difpenfations of divine providence; and those who are not utterly hardned thro' the deceitfulness of fin, may eafily fee the hand of God lifted up in various intimations of his difpleafure. But hitherto it must be acknowledged, and ought to be bewailed, that the fecurity of the world feems to be unfhaken, and the inundation of fin not to be ftemmed in the least measure, What are the reafons and caufes of the prefent general defection from the truth, power, holiness and glory of the gofpel or chriftian religion, I have enquired into, and declared, in a peculiar treatife defigned unto that end. Some few things fuited unto the prefent occafion may be here obferved. All decays in religion begin in individual perfons, tho' it extend itself unto families; and fo the infection fpreads unto greater focieties, ecclefiaftical and national: For fuch alfo is the order of the genuine progress of the power of religion whereunto it is oppofed. The teftimony that God gave unto Abraham was, that, keeping the way of the Lord himself, he taught and commanded his children and houfhold after him fo to do. And if the living power of godliness, expreffed in the history of Chrift and the gofpel, in an holy converfatión, be not preferved in individual perfons, the profeffion of the pureft religion in churches, or the higheft pretence unto it in publick national acts, are neither ufeful to the fouls of men, nor do any way tend unto the glory of God: And the fole ufe of all outward religious order and profeffion is loft, where they are not applied unto the ingenerating and promoting of holiness, or evangelical obedience in particular perfons. Wherefore, if any revival of the power of religion in the world may be yet hoped for, if any ftop may be put unto the fatal declenfion which it fluffers under, the forming and reftoring of the principles of it in the hearts and confciences of fuch perfons, is the way whereby it muft be attempted; from and by them muft it be difcuffed into milies, and greater focieties: Here must all reformation begin or in the ufe of means fuited thereunto. How this may be ef fected, we have one inftance, among many, proposed unto us in the enfuing difcourfe. The general and undoubted reafon of all fins and miscarriages amongst men, is the neglect of the holy and perfect rule of obe dience, or of the law of God: Without a recourfe unto a dili gent confcientious attendance thereunto, without a due fenfe of the authority of God therein, and of the account which they muft fhortly give of their regard unto it, there can be no just expectation of the re-introduction of the power and glory of religion. And many ways there are, whereby men are diverted from the due confideration of, and holy compliance with,this rule. 1. Falfe and corrupt interpretations of the law do countenance many in various lufts, and the neglect of manifold duties. The Pharifees of old, reprefenting the defign and fenfe of the law as regarding outward acts and practices only, laid an ax to the root of all true holiness and religion in the apoftatizing church of the Jews: Under a pretence of establishing a falfe legal righteouf nefs, they deftroyed the true righteousness of the law. And these things go together always. Thofe who plead for a righteoufnefs of their own, as it were by the works of the law, do conftantly by falfe gloffes and interpretations destroy the spirituality, and all animating principles of the law itfelf. For, rightly to underftand the fenfe of the law, and to feck for righteoufnefs by it, or as it were by its works, are altogether inconfiftent: whereas therefore, many men, partly by their natural blindness, are not able to difcern the fpiritual fenfe of the law, and partly out of their diflike of, and enmity unto it, will not comply with the light which is tendred unto them, they have fought by falfe interpretations to accommodate the law itself unto their own luft and inclination: So evidently was it with the Pharifees of old. Nor are the prefent apprehenfions of many about these things much different from theirs: For fuch expofitions of the law are embraced, wherein there is little refpect unto the spiritual frame of the heart, or the internal actings of the adverfe principles of fin and obedience; the extent of the command is alfo by many exceedingly ftraitned, nor will any thing fcarcely be allowed to be commanded or forbidden in it, but what the letter doth plainly exprefs. And it is evident how fuch apprehenfions will infenfibly weaken the fenfe of a neceffity of universal mortification, and abate the diligence of the mind in endeavouring after a renewed fpiritual frame of heart; by fuch means a declenfion from all true holiness and piety will be effectually promoted: For, when men once begin to fatisfy themselves in the outward duties of divine worship and righteoufnefs, which, if alone, are but a dead car cafe of religion, they will not long abide in a confcientious obfervation even of them. 2: The feparation of the duties of the law from the grace of the gospel, will have the like effect: For this will quickly iffue in a pretence of morality, fet up in oppofition unto true evangelical obedience. And there is no way whereby the whole rule of duty can be rendered more ineffectual and ufelefs unto the fouls of men: For, take away that reconciliation which is made in Chrift between the law and the gofpel, and it will prove a killing letter only. And fo far as this imagination is gone about, it quickly manifefts itself in its fruits: For every attempt of men against the grace of God will iffue in the ruin of morality among themselves. Such apprehenfions as thefe, in a coincidence with abounding tentations fuited unto the lufts of all forts of men, cannot but promote the intereft and prevalency of fin and antichrift in the world: However manifeft it is, that that is a great neglect and contempt of the holy rule of obedience in the moft, with great ignorance and misunderstanding of the defign and fenfe of it in many. Wherefore an upright endeavour to declare and vindicate the authority and meaning of it, as alfo to make application of it unto the confciences of profeffed chriftians, to direct them in, and prefs them unto the conftant performance of all duties of obedience, cannot but be efteemed feafonable, and thro' the bleffing of God may be fingularly useful. So our Lord Jefus Chrift himself, obferving the mifchief that had befaln the church by the falfe expofition of the law obtruded on the people by the Pharisees, began his prophetical miniftry in the vindication of it from their corrupting gloffes, reftoring its priftine crown of purity and fpirituality; as the Jews have yet a tradition, that it fhall be fo in the days of the Meffiah. And on the fame confideration it cannot be denied, but that the endeavour of this worthy fervant of Chrift in the work of the gospel, the author of the ensuing expofition of the decalogue, is both feasonable and worthy of acceptation: For, as other endeavours alfo are required in all them on whom it is incumbent to take care in their respective stations for the improvement of holiness in the church, and the obftruction of the progrefs of fin, what in them lieth; fo, for the reafons before mentioned, that in this particular way is peculiarly feasonable and ufeful: And I am perfwaded, that every pious, humble and unprejudiced reader will judge that much benefit may be obtained by his performance. Some may eafily fee how fhort that measure of duties which they have prefcribed unto themselves doth come of what is indifpenfibly required of them; and others may take a plain profpect of that whole fcheme of obedience in principles, matter, manner and end, which they fincerely endeavour to come up unto And fundry things there are which appear to me with a notable degree of excellency in the whole difcourfe. 1. Plainnefs and perfpicuity in teaching feems to have been de figned by the author throughout the whole book. Hereby it is accommodated unto the meaneft capacities, which is the greatest excellency of difcourfes of this nature as unto outward form and order: For, whereas its only end is to direct the practice of all forts of chriftians, all ornaments of speech, every thing that di unto verts from plainnefs, fobriety, and gravity, is impertinent therewherefore, as the things themselves treated of are fuch as the moft wife, knowing, and learned among believers ought to be exercised in continually; fo, the way and manner of their delivery or declaration is accommodated unto the understanding and capacity of the meanest of them that are fo, that benefit may redound unto all. 2. In particular inftances, cafes relating to daily practice are fo diftinctly propofed, ftated and determined, as that the whole is a compleat chriftian directory in our walking before God in all duties of obedience. Let the pious reader fingle out any one duty or head of duties to make his trial upon, and, if I greatly miftake not, he will difcern with what wildom, and from what deep experience, his plain directions are managed, and do proceed: As, to give a particular inftance, let him confider what he dif Covereth concerning publick prayer, and the miscarriages therein, which men are liable unto, pages 77, 78, 79. or apply himself unto what he fuppofes himself more immediately concerned in, unaffected plainnefs, perfpicuous brevity, with folidity of judgment, will everywhere reprefent themselves unto him. 3. Add hereunto, that conftant refpect which is had in the whole difcourfe unto the heart and inward principles of obedience, with the contrary actings of the flesh, and temptations of all forts. And thence it is that thefe difcourfes (tho' delivered with all plainnefs of fpeech) will not be well understood by any, but thofe who in fome measure have their fenfes exercised to difcern both good and evil. In the whole, A full teftimony is given, not only against the proAligate lives of many called Chriftians, but that barren, careless profeffion alfo, which too many fatisfy themselves withal, who pretend more unto the truth and power of religion. And as thefe who are fincere in their obedience, may, in the examination of themselves by the rules here laid down, difcern the decays which poffibly they have fallen under in this hour of temptation, which is come on the face of the earth, to try them that dwell therein, fo alfo may they be directed in their chriftian courfe unto the glory of God, and the comfort of their own fouls: Which that all may be, is the hearty defire of, |