here and there in euene place Saint Paul against whoredome thus writeth Meates are ordained for the belly 1 Cor 6.13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20. the belly for the meates but God shall destroye both it and them now the bodie is not for fornication but for the Lord and the Lord for the bodie and God hath also raised vp the Lord shall raise vs vp by his power Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot God forbid Doo ye not know that he which coupleth himselfe with an harlot is one bodie for two saith he shal be one flesh but he that is ioyned to the Lord is one spirite Flee fornication euerie sinne that a man doth as without the bodie but hee that committeth fornication sinneth against his owne bodie Know you not that your bodie is the temple of the holy ghost which is in you Whom ye haue of God and ye are not your owne for ye are bought for a price therefore glorifie God in your owne body and in your spirit for they are Gods Here are 7 arguments against whoredome 7. arguments against whoredome the first is of the punishment in the 13. vers where he saith that meates are for the belly the belly for meates but God will destroy both it and them for gluttonie and drunkennes are maintainers of venerie the second argument is drawen from the condition of our bodies in the same verse the bodie is not for fornication but for the Lord for as God is worshipped in heauen of angels which are spirites so will he be worshipped in earth of men which haue bodies and therefore our bodies shall be raised vp to glorie the third argument is drawen from an absurditie It is against reason saith the apostle that our bodies being the members of Christ should be made the members of an harlot so to bring them from high dignitie to most vile indignitie the 4. argument is drawen from the comparison of God and an harlot for he that ioyneth himselfe with an harlot is one with an harlot in affection and shal be one with an harlot in affliction but he that coupleth himselfe to the chast God shall be one with God in glorie for euer the fifth argument is drawen from the effects of fornication for the fornicator defileth his bodie with the pockes leprosie and many other loathsome diseases and therefore vnnaturally sinneth against his owne bodie shortning his life by wasting the vigor of his bodie The sixt argument is drawen from the purposes whereunto the body is destinated your body is the temple of the holy Ghost and you are not your owne therefore in it God must be worshipped not the diuell The seuenth and last argument is taken frō the lawe in the last verse you are bought with a price that is not with gold nor siluer but with the most precious blood of Christ therefore not onely our soule must magnifie the Lorde and our spirit reioyce in God our Sauiour but also our flesh must reioyce in our God and in the life and death of our bodies God must be glorified bowing our knees to GOD the father of our Lord Iesus Christ which leadeth vs to life and not to whores and harlottes Pro. 7.27 Whose waies goe downe to hell Jeremies prophecie is fulfilled in them will be fulfilled in vs Ier. 5.7.8.9 Though I fedde them to the full yet they committed adulterie assēbled themselues by companies in the harlots houses they rose vp in the morning like fedde horses for euerie man neighed after his neighbours wife Shall J not visite these things saith the Lorde shall not my soule be auenged on such a nation as this climbe vpon their walles and destroy them take awaie their battlements for they are not the Lordes The harlot calleth her pleasure solace and so do our delicate dames of England but Jeremie saith this sweete sinne wil haue soure sauce For it will cause the walles of our Cities to be rased the battlements of our house to be beaten downe God bee mercifull vnto this pleasant Iland blesse it for if euerie house of our lande shall bee destroyed where this loathsome sinne of leacherie hath bene shamefully committed as the monkes houses were our fairest Cities no doubt will come to ruinous heapes GOD brought the Sodomites into captiuitie to shewe them that he did hate their sinne yet would they not repent GOD brought thē out of slauerie by Abraham to teach them that he was mercifull to the contrite yet would they not repent We haue bene vnder the tyrant of Spaine in the late dayes of Queene Marie yet we forsake not our former fornications we haue bene deliuered by her Maiestie yet we runne on desperately into all manner of abhominations forgetting the greefe of our calamitie and the comfort of our deliuerance the quietnesse of our priuate estate the peace of our kingdome or the felicitie which we haue by the word of God Oppression of the poore is another sinne that prouoketh GOD to plague vs. Oppression of the poore crieth for vengeance Exo. 3.7 J haue surely seene the affliction of my people which are in Egypt haue heard their crie because of their taskmasters for J know their sorrowes Iam. 16. Do not the rich oppresse you by tyrannie and draw you before iudgement seates who oppresseth Pharaoh the tyrant Nimrod the mightie and Nabal the rich Those that should giue do take awaie those that should feede do fleese those that should be mercifull be vnmercifull Whome do they oppresse their brother their owne flesh the Lords brother and the Lords apple of his eye And what brother his poore needie destitute and afflicted brother and to whome he should giue from him he doth take by violence whom he shuld cōfort him he doth spoile How doth he oppresse by his mony his might God hath giuen them riches and authoritie to defend the poore fatherlesse to see such as be in neede and necessitie to haue right and with their wealth and might they oppresse deceiue they grind the face of the poore and braye them as it were in a morter Ier. 5. their houses are full of riches gotten by deceipt When do they oppresse in the time of the Gospel Elisha said vnto his man when he had taken gold and garments of Naaman is this a time to take mony to receiue garments and oliues 2. King 5.26 and vineyardes and sheepe and Oxen and men seruants and mayd servants So say I to the Nimrodical oppressors of England is this a day of peace and of ioy is this a time to smite downe the people of the Lord to murther his heritage and to deuour widowes houses to eate vp the people like bred Gal. 6.10 While we haue time we should do good to all 2. Cor. 6.2 especially
wel see and learne out of the holy Sciptures it bringeth sword mourning and vtter desolation But consider I pray you the course of this world Christ saith wee should take no thought for apparell all our delight is to go braue the Isralites did weare their garmentes fortie yeares we must change our apparel euery tearme Christ cōmanded his Disciples they shuld haue but one coate we must haue for euery day in the weeke a coate Jhō Baptist was clothed in a Cāels skin but we must be clothed with Diues in purple fine white with Herod we must be attired in gorgeous apparel therfore with Diues Herod we shal suffer a suddē cōfusiō Queene Hester said Hest 14.16 Thou knowest O Lord that I hate the token of my preheminence worship which I beare vpon my head what time I must shew myselfe and be seene and that I abhorre it as vncleane cloth and that I weare it not when J am quiet and alone by my selfe As this good Queene did abhorre pride in apparel so the daughters of vanitie now adaies do highly esteeme it But as in a coffin when it is most sumptuously dect there is no doubt a dead carkas there lying so where yee see the daughters of men to haue their broidred haire their gold and pearles contrarie to the rule of the Apostle there no doubt is a dead stinking soule Democrates said There were two ornaments of a womā 2. Tim. ◠few wordes and few garments The woman of Lacidemon refused pretious garments sent them by Dionisius the Roman matrons sent backe againe golden roabes giuen thē freely by Pyrrhus I wil end therfore with an historie of the Bactrians whose wiues fell from the pride of apparell to whoredome not onely with their seruantes but with strangers and they gat such a masterie and rule ouer their husbands that albeit their husbands did see them committing adulterie yet they durst not reproue them But as I would haue the dames of England to leaue wanton and superfluous apparell so I will with Tertulian commend vnto them a good sute of raiment Come forth saith Tertulian yee women beutified with the ornaments of the Apostles Tertulian hauing the whitenesse of simplicitie the rednesse of chastitie hauing your eyes painted with shamefastnesse and your spirites with silence hauing in your eares the word of God and tying to your neckes the yoke of Christ subiect your head to your husbands and you shall be braue inough occupie your hands with wool fasten your feete at home and you shall please more then if you were clad in golde decke our selfe with the silke of sinceritie with the Satten of sanctitie and with the purple of probitie you shall haue God to be your paramour Thus farre of carnall pride Spirituall pride is of foure sortes blasphemye arrogancie vaineglorye and selfe-loue In blasphemie offended Nabuchadnezar Is not this great Babel which J haue built for the house of my kingdome by the might of my power and for the honour of my maiestie Dan. 4 27 Blasphemie the sin of Sodome and England Such Babilonian blasphemers haue we in England Iames saith Iam. 1.19 Euerye good gift and euerye perfect gift commeth from aboue from the father of lightes but the blasphemer thinketh his riches to come from fortune and corporall giftes to come from nature and giftes of the minde to come by study and experience Therefore as Nabuchadnezer was turned into a beast vntill hee did acknowledge these thinges to come from God so all they that call their gorgeous houses their owne as Nabuchadnezar did or do say their barneful of corne is for themselues as the rich man did Luke 12. Exod. 14. Num. 16. or boast of their armies as Pharaoh did or bragge of their holynesse as Dathan did or doe pride themselues in their kinglye estate as Saul did or of their tirannye 1. Sam. 15. 1. King 12. Esay 37. Iud. 6.15 Hest 4. Acts. 12. as Roboam did or of their victories as Sanacherib did or of their prowesse as Holofernes did or of their witte as Aman did or of their eloquence as Herod did or of their stocke Iohn 9. as the Jewes did These all haue the pride of Sodome and shall haue the punishment of Sodome vnlesse they repent Arrogancie is another sinne of Sodome fallen Arrogancye the sinne of Sodome and of England and of England falling and that is when we confesse wee haue receiued all good giftes from God but wee saye wee haue merited them Which sinne Saint Paul eftsoones reprooueth Ephe. 2.8.9 By grace are yee saued and that of faith and that not of your selues It is the gifte of GOD not of workes least any man should boast himselfe If wee bee not saued of our selues nor of workes how is it true that wee bee saued by merites Aquinas bringeth manye reasons to prooue that wee are not saued by workes which neither the Seminaryes which come from Rheimes nor the Iesuits which come from Rome can confute 7. Reasons against merits out of Aquinas The first is the indignitye of our merites For J counte saith Saint Paul that the afflictions of this present time are not worthie of the glorye which shall bee shewed vs. Rom. 8.18 Secondlye wee can not merite by reason of the contrarietye betweene the bodye and the soule For the flesh lusteth against the spirite Ephe 5.15 and the spirite against the fleshe and these are contrarye one to another so that yee cannot doe these thinges as yee would The third reason why wee cannot merite is because of the corruption of the fleshe Sap. 9.15 For the corruptible bodye is a burthen vnto the soule and the earthlye habitation presseth downe the minde full of cares The fourth reason why we cannot merit is the straitnes of the waye Mat. 7.13 Enter in at the strait gate for it is the broad gate and wide way that leadeth to destruction and many there bee which goe in thereat because the gate is straite and the way narrowe that leadeth vnto life and fewe there be that finde it The fifth reason why we cannot merit is because of the difficulty of good workes for vertue is occupied about that which is difficulte For it is an hard thing to beleeue but it is easie to presume or dispaire it is hard to be liberal but it is easie to be couetous or prodigall it is hard to be valiant but it is easie to be rash or timerous The sixth reason why we cannot merite is the incertitude of our owne righteousnes We haue all bene saith Esay as an vnclean thing Esay 69.6 and all our righteousnes is as filthy cloutes for our righteousnesse is neither pure perfect nor perpetuall The seauenth and the last reason is the straitnesse of the Iudge Psal 143.2 Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant saith Dauid for in thy sight shall no man liuing bee iustified If
that we may buye the poore for siluer and the needie for shooes and sell the refuse of the wheate If these thinges be among the people of England as they were among the Iewes or rather if England doth iustify Ierusalem as Ierusalem iustified Sodome and Gomorrha then no doubt as God spared not the naturall oliue so hee will not spare the wilde for we blushe not to commit idolatrye and blasphemie to prophane our Sabaoth to rebell to murder to go a whoring to rob to oppresse to commit vsurie to slaunder our brethren or reuile our fathers Very well saith Tullie without shamefastnesse nothing is right nothing is honest But better saith Bernard spirituall shamefastnesse is the glory of the conscience the keeper of a good name the honor of life the seat of vertues the praise of nature and the badge of all honestie but where this vertue wanteth there is scorne and contempt of God Studie io doe mischiefe maketh sins exceeding great Mich. 2.1 Study to do mischiefe is also another thing that maketh sinne haynous Wo vnto them that imagine iniquitie worke wickednesse vpon their beds when the morning is light they practize it because their head hath power The soule of man being made after the image of God ought to haue God alwaies for his obiect So saith Mary Luke 1.46.47 My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirite reioyceth in God my Sauiour For the soule is more excellent then all the creatures of the world and all things are vile in respect of the soule Golde being in dirt is defiled but the soule is not defiled with the bodie of clay Wine mingled with water is corrupted but the soule ioyned with the bodie is pure The Starres and the Sunne are darkened with the cloudes but the soule of man seeeth though being hid in an obscure bodie and therefore Dauid setteth it downe most plainely where hee saith Psal 84.2 My soule longeth yea and fainteth for the courts of the Lord for my heart and my fleshe reioyce in the liuing God And Augustine most plainelye saith Augustine Thou hast made vs O Lord for thee therefore my heart is greatly vnquiet if it do not rest onely in thee O soule saith Bernard made after the image of GOD beautified with his likenes redeemed with Christes bloud espoused to him in faith endued with the holy ghost deputed among the Angels capable of blessednes an heire of blisse what hast thou to do with the flesh The habitation of the soule by affection is in heauen as proueth Paul Our conuersation is in heauen Phil. 3.20 It is a base thing therefore to take a cottage for a cittie the worlde is a cottage heauen is the cittie of Saintes When then the soule of man desireth golde hee can neuer haue all the gold of the worlde when he desireth rule he can neuer haue the rule of all the world when he hunteth for the praise of men he cannot haue the praise of all the worlde but that soule which possesseth Christ possesseth all things As God hath giuen vs Christ Iesu so hath he giuen vs all thinges Rom. 8.32 Who will then studie for riches which is vanitie or for pleasure which is hurtfull or for sinne which is damnable and forsake God which is truth Christ which is mercie and the holy Ghost which is consolation Finally all earthly things be of a short continuance the things in heauen which are the obiect of the soule are eternall All things in earth are greeuous for they are full of miseries things in heauen are delightful The studies of mortall things do not performe those thinges they promise for as Basil noteth Things past are vanished and past our senses thinges present slee away before they be tasted things to come sith they are not present afflict vs with their want All worldly things are vnstable for as a floure they sprout vp and fall againe and neuer continue in one estate Iob. 14.2 for we are whole and sicke rich and poore Lastly they that gather riches cannot tel to whom they shall leaue them To set our delight therefore on short things and not in eternall to set our studies on troublesome thinges not in happie things to set our affections on earthly thinges that content vs not and leaue heauenly things that yeeld full contentation to apply our mind to the instable thinges of this worlde leauing the certaine treasures of heauen is a sinne that argueth Gods displeasure and procureth a speedie and fearefull destruction Perseuerance in sinne is another thing Perseuerance in sâ—nne maketh sinne exceeding great that procureth the vengeance of God to fall ineuitablie vpon vs. An hundred yeares was the arke in making and in all that time the people repented not therfore the flood came vppon them and drowned them Lot preached to Sodome and Gomorrha they repented not but vexed the spirit of Lot therfore fire from heauen consumed them To Ierusalem did God send his Prophets wise men and Scribes but the people did kill and crucifie them scourge persecute them from citie to citie therefore their house is made desolate So to the people of EnglaÌ„d I sorrow to write it the Gospell is the smell of death 2. Cor. 2.6 Rom. 2.4 Gal. 5.13 the long suffering of God is abused to impenitencie Christian libertie is turned into wantonnesse the supper of the Lord is receiued to our iudgement Cor. 11.29 Christ himselfe is a stone to stumble at 2. Pet. 28. and a rocke of offence The conscience of men is defiled Tit. 1.15 therefore nothing is clean to them Wherfore this exceeding great sinne of obstinacie is to be punished with an exceeding great plague It is a grieuous thing that a man professing himselfe to forsake the deuill the worlde and the flesh should break this vow couenant which hee hath made with the holy God the searcher of his heart vaines and the iudge of the quick dead But it is more grieuous when not only we haue contemned the maiesty of God and proudly resisted his lawe and defiled the image of God but also haue giuen our selues to be followers of the deuil and do serue him as a prince a God in all vnholines and vnrighteousnes for euer But it is a most grieuous sin that in the time of the Gospel we are obdurat in sinne For this being the day of saluation the time accepted we turn it into the day of destruction and time of vengeance To stumble in the night it is dangerous but to fall backward in the light of the Gospell is damnable Dauid sinned but in his youth we in our youth are wantons in our middle age proud in our old age couetous and the older we are the more wicked we are It is the nature of a man to sin it is the nature of a Christian man to repent but it is the nature of the deuill neuer to repent Augustine saith
friend which is as thine owne soule entice thee secretly saying Let vs goe and serue other Gods which thou hast not knowen thou J say nor thy fathers anie of the gods of the people which are round about you nere vnto thee or far from thee from the one ende of the earth vnto the other thou shalt not consent vnto him nor heare him neither shall thy eye pitie him nor shewe mercie nor keepe him secret but shalt euen kill him thy hand shall be first vppon him to put him to death and then the hand of all the people The sinne not onely of idolatrie is manifest but also the sinne of blasphemie Manifest blasphemie in England What bargaine almost is made without swearing what oath is ministred in the iudgement seat without forswearing what sports without blasphemie what countrie what citie what towne what house or what tongue is not infected with this sinne of swearing the olde man sweareth by custome the yong man childe by imitation the gentleman sweareth of lustines the poore sweareth for necessity the thief sweareth to couer his fault the harlot to denie her crime and albeit not man but the Lord our God commaundeth vs saying Exod. 20. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine for the Lord will not holde him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine yet all the desperate people of this declining age are so giuen to swearing as though no man could be saued happily vnlesse he did sweare continually Can a bitter fountaine send out sweete water no more can a blasphemous mouth speake to the praise of God The first argument against swearing drawen from the person of God Psal 139.3 There be fiue things in God which euerie blasphemer should consider of the first is that he is present in all places and therefore Dauid saith Thou compassest my pathes and my lying downe and art accustomed to all my wayes Secondly he knoweth all things for there is not a word saith Dauid in my mouth Psal 89.4 but thou knowest it all O Lord. Thirdly there is truth in the Lord Psal 5.6 God loueth no wickednes neither shall anie euill dwell with him the foolish shal not stand in his sight for he hateth them that worke iniquitie he will destroy them that speake lies Fourthly God is righteous and therfore the Psalmist saith Psal 119.137 Righteous art thou O Lord and righteous are thy iudgements thou hast commanded iustice by thy testimonies and truth especially God is righteous first because he iudgeth in equitie With righteousnes shall he iudge the world and the people with equitie secondly because he iudgeth without respect of persons Rom. 2.9 c. Tribulation and anguish shall be vppon the soule of euerie man that doth euill of the Iew first and also of the Grecian but to euerie man that doth good shall be honor and glorie and peace to the Jew first and also to the Grecian for there is no respect of persons with God Thirdly God is iust because he leaueth no sinne vnpunished Binde not two sinnes together Syr. 12.14 for there shall not one be vnpunished For as no vertue is of God vnrewarded so there shall be no sin vnpunished Fourthly and lastly in God is all power Our God is in heauen Psal 118.3 he doth whatsoeuer pleaseth him From heauen he cast down the Angels from Paradice Adam hee made the earth to swallow vp Corah the flouds to couer Pharaoh and his hoast the sonnes of Aaron to be slaine in the temple Jezabel to be cast out of her chamber window Holofernes to be murdred in his bed and Ely to breake his necke sitting on the thresholde Wherefore excellent is that saying of Bernard Bernard in Psal 139. God is in himselfe as Alpha and Omega the first and the last in the world as the author and gouernor of it in the angels as the fauor and beautie of them in the church as a father of a family in his house in the soule as a bridegroome in his chamber in the iust as a helper and protector in the reprobate as a dread and horror Whither shall I goe from thy spirit no man goeth from him but to him from his seueritie to his goodnes from an angrie God to an appeased For what place can receiue him that flieth but there thou maist finde his presence God is present therefore the blasphemer should feare him God knoweth all things therefore the blasphemer should praise him in God is truth therefore the blasphemer should hate lies in God is iustice therefore he rewardeth the good and punisheth the euill in God is power therefore he can doo what pleaseth him fire haile stormes and tempests fulfill his commaundements yea there are spirites created for vengeance and in their suriousnesse they hasten their torments they wil not ouerpasse the commandement of the Lord. The Prophet Ieremy saith Ier. 4.2 The 2. argument against swearing drawen from the manner and maâ—â—er thereof thou shalt sweare the Lord liueth in truth iudgement righteousnes in truth in respect of the thing in iudgement in respect of the swearer in iustice in respect of the cause truth excludeth a false oath iudgement a rash oath iustice an vnlawfull oath but our blasphemers sweare not in truth but in falshood not in iudgement but rashly not in iustice that is first for the glorie of God secondly for the safetie of their neighbour thirdly for their own necessitie and fourthly when they are required of the Magistrate for iust causes but in common speach vnlawfully in buying and selling deceiptfully and in sporting and playing most damnably Further Eph. 4.25 Psal 32.5 Esa 50.4 1. Thes 5.14 Psal 51.14 The 5. argument against swearing drawen from the vse of the tongue the tongue being giuen of God to speake the truth to confesse our sinnes to teach to comfort the afflicted lastly to praise the Lord the blasphemer setteth forth leasing increaseth his sinnes is an ensample of corrupt manners bringeth no coÌ„fort but the plague of God to his house and dishonoureth the Lord whom hee should praise with soule heart heart tongue flesh and with all hys powers members for euer A thiefe stealeth but for necessitie but a blasphemer sweareth in a brauerie the harlots do sinne but in darknes the blasphemer offendeth openly the couetous man offendeth but seldome the blasphemer often at euerie word the slaunderer offendeth but against his brother but the blasphemer dishonoreth God his father There are but 3. sorts of languages in the world The 4. argument against swearing drawen from the customâ— of speech Psal 84.4 the best is the heauenly language whereof Dauid thus writeth Blessed are they that dwel in thy house O Lord they shall alwaies be praising magnifying thy name There is another language that is earthly whereof Saint John writeth Iohn 3.31 He that is of the earth is of the earth and speaketh of
the earth There is also an infernall language which is nothing but cursing Esa 8.21 therefore as it was said to Peter Mark 14.40 Surely thou art one of them for thou art of Galilea and thy speach is like so because of the abundaunce of the heart the tongue speaketh you may thereby know who is of heauen who of earth who of hell They that praise the Lord are heauenly indeed their conuersation is in heauen they that speake of the earth are earthly but they that curse and sweare are alreadie damned their speach is like As he is a Spaniard that naturally and properly speaketh Spanish he a French-man that speaketh French and hea Welch-man that speaketh Welch so he that speaketh of the praises of God is a saint hee that speaketh of the earth is an earthly man and he that is a swearer is of the diuel The bitter stream proueth the fountaine to bee bitter the leaues shew what the tree is so the blasphemous words of wicked men doo shew that they come from the bitter roote of infidelitie No man receiueth gold but hee weigheth it no man hath ground but he encloseth it why then do not our swearers weigh their words and hedge in their tongue because as S. James saith Iam. ◅ It is set on fire of hell when therefore hell fire ceaseth the blasphemers of Gods name will cease And hereunto agreeth the saying of Iesus the sonne of Syrach Syr. 23.13.15 Vse not thy mouth to ignorant rashnes for therein is the occasion of sinne the man that is accustomed to opprobrious words will neuer be reformed all the dayes of his life and such a one was Shimei 1. sam 16.7 King Lewes the eleuenth hauing an accustomed swearer in his Court cut off his lips and being demaunded of his Courtiers why he executed so greeuous a punishment hee aunswered Would my lips were so cut off that I had neuer a swearer in my Kingdome But the onely cause why swearing is so frequent in England is the negligence of Princes Why swearing is so frequent in England which punish not this offence and the fearfulnesse of the Ministers who dare not reproue this sin in Gentlemen and noble personages and especially the euill example of parents who neither leaue this sinne themselues nor yet punish it seuerely in their posterite The blasphemies and periuries of England haue infected euerie Countrie Citie and House of this land therefore without a generall heartie and speedie repentance perpetuall desolation the vengeance of eternall fire will fall vpon the father and the sonne the pastor and the people the priuate man and the magistrate for euer Prophanatiō of the sabaoth a manifest sinne in England Prophanation of the Sabaoth is another of the euident sinnes of England We are willed to hallow our Sabaoth Gen. 2.23 Exo. 20 11. Exod. 31.17 Deut. 5.14 Heb. 4.4 Jer. 17.21 22 23 24. Ezech. 20.12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19. and yet in all places and of the greater part of the people of this land the sabaoth is prophaned with dauncing stage-playing bearbayting bowling with all manner of abhominations And not onely the holy word of God but the ancient Fathers and the ciuill Law doo speake of the sanctification of the sabaoth Aug. in Psal 32. Augustine on the 32. psal saith It is better to digge than to daunce on the sabaoth Chrisost in homil 48. Chrisostome in his 48. homily saith Where wanton dauncing is there no doubt the diuell is present for God hath giuen vs these members not to daunce but that we should walke modestly and not to daunce impudently after the manner of Camels for not only women but Camels daunce vndecently but that we should stand in the companie of the Angells and if the bodie bee deformed by dauncing how much more is the soule in these daunces the diuell daunceth with these daunces they are deceiued of the ministers of the diuell Ambrose Lib. 3. de virg Ambrose in his 3. booke of Virgins thus writeth What say ye O holy women you see what ye ought to teach vnteach your daughters she danceth but the daughter of an harlot for she that is chast shamefast teacheth her children religion not dancing And as these inueigh against dauncing Lactant. lib. 4. cap. 20. so doth Lactantius against stage-playing in his 6. book cha 20. I know not saith he wherein there can be a more vicious corruption than in plaies for the Enterludes doo speak of the deflouring of virgins of the loues of harlots the more eloquent they are that haue fained those abhominations the more the elegancie of the sentences doth perswade and they sticke more easily in the memory of the hearers the verses which are numerous and eloquent The tragicall histories also doo set before our eies the patricides and incests of euill kings doo shew their wickednes on the stage the vnchast gestures of the plaiers also what doo they teach or stirre vp in vs but lusts whose bodies being made weake and wanton in imitating the going and apparell of women doo countersaite vnchast women with vnhonest gestures What shall I speake of ballads which teach the doctrine of corruptions which teach adulteries whiles they feigne and by feigned adulteries instruct to true what may yong men and maides doo when they see these things to be done and to be seene of al men gladly and without shame they are warned therefore what they maye doo and they are inflamed with lust which is most prouoked with seeing and euerie one according to his sexe prefigureth himselfe in those images and doo allowe them while they laugh at them and vices cleauing vnto them they returne to their houses most corrupt neither onely children which should not be endued with vices in their first age but also olde men whom it becommeth not to sin doo fall into the same path of iniquities It is cleare by this that hath been alleadged that as the Prophets and Apostles haue taught the sanctification of the Sabaoth so the Fathers haue walked in the same steps yea godly Princes haue made lawes for sanctifying the Sabaoth Leo and Anthemius being religious Princes writing to Armasius commanded him in these words That the festiuall dayes being dedicated to the excellent Maiestie of God should neither be occupied in pastime and pleasure neither be prophaned in exacting of tributes likewise wee decree say they that the Sunday shall be reuerently honoured that it shal be exempted from all busines in this day let no suretiship be taken let no man be summoned to appeare let no man vse pleading and let no causes or matters of controuersies be heard And a little after it followeth neither do we suffer that this day being exempted from all trauell should be spent in wantonnes and filthy delights that there be any enterlude or pageant plaid on the dominical day or anie game or pastime in the place of exercise