A guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties wherein it consisteth, the helpes inabling & the reasons parswading vnto it ye impediments hindering ye practise of it, and the best meanes to remoue them whereunto are added diuers prayers and a treatise of carnall securitie by Iohn Douname Batcheler in Diuinitie and minister of Gods Word.

§. Sect. 3 A serious ad∣monition that none abuse their liberty in recreations of this nature.

And these are the reasons that induce mee to thinke that playing for money, if the former cautions be obserued, is not vnlawfull. Now if any abuse this liberty vnto licenciousnesse, and vnder colour that it is in some cases lawfull, will vse, or rather abuse it vnlawfully, without any care to ob∣serue these cautions; his sinne bee vpon his owne soule; seeing it is farre from mine intention to incourage any in their sinfull courses, or that my writings should be any cause or occasion of hartening any in those shame∣full abuses of gaming for money, which are too too common in these dayes, whereby mis-spending their precious time, they also consume their substance, and vtterly spoile one another with much more pernicious rob∣bery then can bee committed by common theeues by the high-way side. For they seldome take any one mans purse; but these often, and with it euen their houses and lands, and all that they possesse, which are free enough from the others violence; besides innumerable other mischiefes which accompany these losses, and many outragious sinnes committed against God, their neighbours and themselues. Yea seeing the end of law∣ful liberty, is to preserue men from lawlesse licenciousnesse, I was willing to extend it as farre as the Word of God would permit, that it might moue all men more willingly to containe themselues within the compasse of their duties, when as they may haue sufficient meanes of comfort and re∣freshing allowed them, within those lawfull bounds which God hath li∣mited. Now if any be rich, and yet will steale, he is twice worthy to bee hanged; if any be such vnruly beasts, that hauing pleasant pastures, wa∣tered with the delightfull streames of Christian comforts, which like li∣uing waters are constant in their flowing, without the stops and checks of conscience, out of Gods rich bounty allotted vnto them, and yet will not

be contented, nor quietly graze vnder the conduct of our heauenly Shep∣herd, but will leape ouer hedge and ditch, and breake thorow all fences, that they may come into forbidden pastures, because they haue rancker grasse, not so sweete in it selfe as their owne feede, but more pleasing to their carnall appetite, because they can deuoure it with full mouthes; and out of a desire to drinke of stolne waters, because they are sweeter to a fleshly palate; then surely such are well worthy to be turned out into the bare commons of penury and misery in this life, and if they repent not of their folly, to be eternally pounded in hell in the life to come. And so much of the first kinde of cessation from our labours by lawfull recreati∣ons; of which I haue spoken much more largely then at the first I inten∣ded, because howsoeuer it may seeme but a light subiect to bestow much paines vpon; yet I plainely perceiued, that it is of no light consequence; seeing it is a matter that concernes all men, and not seldome, but almost euery day of their liues; seeing also nothing is more commonly abused vnto sinne, it being one of Satans most alluring baites, to intice vs to come within the compasse of his pernicious nets and snares of wickednesse; and finally, because that many who truely feare God, and desire to vse them with a good conscience, indeuouring to please him as well in their recrea∣tions as their labours, yet know not how to doe it as they ought, and so out of scruple and timorous doubting forbeare them altogether, or else transported with their pleasure, take greater liberty then God hath al∣lowed them, which though it bee sweete for the present, yet in the end it turneth to bitternesse. In all which respects there are few other things in the whole course and carriage of our liues, for which wee stand in more neede of counsell and direction, and the rather because there are few par∣ticular rules heereof in the Scriptures, of which chiefly the weaker sort of Christians are capeable, but onely some generals, out of which they cannot so easily gather speciall directions in this behalfe, vnlesse they haue some guide to goe before them.