ll the
Threatnings of God denounced against them, and those they defile.

And who then that had any serious concern for the Glory of God, or the
welfare of Men in this life or the next, wou'd not stop and consider a
while with themselves, how far they shou'd give any countenance to
such _Recreations_, as tend to disturb even the best of their present
Enjoyments and Peace, and lead to extreme _Despair_ in the _End_? For
however Men may with vain words be sadly deceived, _the Wrath of God
cometh upon the Children of Disobedience, because of these things_,
and when they have mock'd all they can, they will find that He is _a
Consuming fire_.

Compassion, then, one wou'd think, shou'd work upon those that are
good, to discourage by all their Endeavours, such Customs as bring on
the ruine of many, and do hurt to the whole, tho' they shou'd have
strength to go in, without being tainted themselves: Not that they can
pretend to be safe even from taking _Infection_, if once their
_Preservatives_ come to be frequently used, and to lose their Virtue,
as they will by degrees. At least they will want a great deal of
fulfilling the duty incumbent upon them to _Adorn their Holy
Profession_, and can hardly assure themselves of their being redeemed
from the vain Conversation they had in the World. Those allowances to
this, at best, _careless spending of time_, which a little share in
it, will bring them to make, cannot chuse but abate a great part of
their _Zeal_, and slacken their pace in their spiritual Course; to
which these _Entertainments_ are so flat a Reverse, that _Dying
daily_, and going to them, set out as they are, can scarce have their
good Opinion together.

And who then that desired to perfect their natures, by a patient
_striving for Mastery_ over their Lusts, and following the _Captain_
of their _common Salvation_ thro' all the Paths of an humble
Obedience, wou'd care to appear under so different a _Banner_, and
encumber their Souls with more than they need, of what must again be
thrown out of their way, or hinder their winning the _Prize_.

This being the case, good Christians certainly cannot have the much
easier thoughts of such freedoms as these, for not finding them in so
many words expresly forbid. Such as these will consider the end and
design of the Gospel, and the frailty of Man, and think themselves
obliged to be jealous of any fashion that tends to increase the
weakness of one, and lessen the force of the