are but figures of Christians, and must die in our sins.

If it was said in Scripture, Forbeer from all imageworship, because it grieves and removes the Holy Spirit from you; perhaps you would think the worshippers of images under greater blindness and corruption of heart, than they now are. But observe,

that if you go to the stage, you offend against Scripture in as high a degree as they who should worship images, though the Scriptures forbid it, as grievous to the Holy Spirit.

If therefore I was to rest here, I might fairly say, that I had proved the stage to be as contrary to Scripture, as the worship of images is contrary to the second commandment. You think it a strange contrariety, to see people on their knees before an image, at a time that the heart and mind should raise itself to God. But then, is it not as strange a contrariety, that a person should indulge himself in the lewd profane discourses of the stage, who should have his heart and mind preserved in the wisdom, the purity, and spirit of religion? For an image is not so contrary to God, as plays are contrary to the wisdom, the purity, and the spirit of Scripture. An image is only contrary to God, as it has no power, or perfection: but plays are contrary to Scripture as the devil is contrary to God, as they are full of another spirit and temper. He therefore that indulges himself in the wicked temper of the stage, sins against as plain Scripture, and offends against more doctrines of it, than he that uses images in his devotions.

I proceed now to a third argument against the stage.

When you see the players acting with life and spirit, men and women equally boid in all instances of profaneness, passion. and immodesty; I dare say you never suspect any of them to be persons of Christian piety. You cannot, even in your imagi

nation, join piety to such manners, and such a way of life. Your mind will no more allow you to join piety with the behaviour of the stage, than it will allow you to think two and two to be ten. And perhaps you had rather see your son chained to a galley, or your daughter driving plow, than getting their bread on the stage, by administering in so scandalous a manner to the vices and corrupt pleasures of the world. Let this therefore be another 'argument to prove the absolute unlawfulness of going to a play. For, consider with yourself; Is the the business of players so contrary to piety, so inconsistent with the spirit and temper of a true Christian, that it is next to a contradiction to suppose them united? How then can you take yourself to be innocent, who delight in their sins, and hire them to commit them?

You may make yourself a partaker of other men's sins, by negligence, and for want of reproving them but certainly if you stand by, and assist men in their evil actions, if you make their vices your pleasures and entertainment, and pay your money to be so entertained; you make yourself a partaker of their sins in a very high degree; and consequently, it must be as unlawful to go to a play, as it is unlawful to approve, encourage, assist, and reward a man. for renouncing a Christian life.

Let therefore every man or woman that goes to a play, ask themselves this question: whether it suits with their religion, to act the parts that are there acted? Perhaps they would think this as inconsistent with that degree of piety that they profess, as to do the vilest things. But let them consider, that it must be a wicked and unlawful pleasure, to delight in any thing that they dare not do themselves. Let them also consider, that they are really acting those indecencies and impieties themselves, which they think is the particular guilt of the players. For a person may very justly be said to do that

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himself, which he pays for the doing, and which is done for his pleasure.

You must therefore, if you would be consistent with yourself, as much abhor the thoughts of being at a play, as of being a player yourself. For to think that you must forbear the one and not the other, is as absurd as to suppose, that you must be temperate yourself, but may assist, encourage, and reward other people for their intemperance. The business of a player is profane, wicked, lewd, and immodest: to be any way therefore approving, assisting, or encouraging him in such a way of life, is as evidently sinful, as it is sinful to assist and encourage a man in stealing, or any other wickedness.

This argument is not far-fetched, or founded in any subtleties of reasoning; but is so plain and obvious, that the meanest capacity must needs understand it. I may venture to challenge any one to show me, that the business of the players is a more Christian employment than that of robbers. For he must know very little of the nature of religion, that can look upon lust, profaneness, and disordered passions, to be less contrary to religion, than the taking money from the right owner. And a person who devotes himself to this employment, to get his bread by gratifying the corrupt taste of the world with wanton, wild, profane discourses, may be justly supposed to have a more corrupt heart himself, than many a man who has taken unlawful ways of relieving his wants.

I speak to this matter with thus much plainness, because there is so plain a reason for it; and because I think there is as much justice and tenderness in telling every player, that his employment is abominably sinful, and inconsistent with the Christian religion, as in telling the same thing to a thief.. As it ought to be reckoned no sign of enmity, or ill-will, if I should attempt to prove to malefactors. the horrid nature of their sins, and the necessity of

a sincere repentance; so I hope it will not be looked upon as any sign of ill temper, or anger at any particular persons, that I set the business of players amongst the most abominable crimes. For, it is with no other intent, but that they themselves may avoid the dreadful guilt of so wicked a profession, and that other people may not dare any longer to support them in it. For it certainly concerns all people, who are not so void of religion as to be players themselves, to be strictly careful that they have no share in the guilt of so unchristian a profession.

This we reckon very good reasoning in all other cases. A person that dares not steal, thinks it equally sinful to encourage theft. Any one that abhors perjury, or murder, knows that he commits those sins, if he encourages other people in them. What therefore must we think of ourselves, if the blasphemy, profaneness, lewdness, immodesty, and wicked rant of plays, are parts that we dare not act ourselves, yet make it our diversion to be delighted with those that do? Shall we think ourselves more enlightened, or more reasonable than those that worship images? The second commandment cannot fright them from the use of images; but it is because they have had a superstitious education, are taught to be blindly obedient, and have the pretence of piety for what they do. But all the grossest sins of the stage cannot fright us from it; though we see the sins, and have nothing to pretend for compliance, but mere idleness and diversion.

If any one was to collect all the foolish, vain devotions, which poor mistaken creatures have paid to images, it would sufficiently justify our abhorrence of them, and show the wisdom of the Reformation in abolishing the use of them. But if a person was to make a collection of all the wicked, profane, blasphemous, lewd, impudent, detestable

things, that are said in the play-house only in one season, it would appear to be such a mass of sin, as would sufficiently justify any one in saying, that the business of players is the most wicked and detestable profession in the world.

All people therefore who ever enter into their house, or contribute the smallest mite towards it, must look upon themselves as having been so far friends to the most powerful instruments of debauchery, and to be guilty of contributing to a bold, open, and public exercise of impudence, impurity, and profaneness. When we encourage any good design, either with our consent, our money, or presence, we are apt to take a great deal of merit to ourselves; we presently conclude, that we are partakers of all that is good and praise-worthy in it, of all the benefit that arises from it, because we are contributors towards it. A man does not think he has no share in some public charity, because he is but one in ten thousand that contributes towards it; but if it be a religious charity, and attended with great and happy effects, his conscience tells him that he is a sharer of all that great good to which he contributes. Now let this teach us, how we ought to judge of the guilt of encouraging any thing that is bad, either with our consent, our money, or our presence. We must not consider how much our single part contributes towards it, nor how much less we contribute than several thousands of other people; but we must look at the whole thing in itself, and whatever there is of evil in it, or whatever evil arises from it, we must charge ourselves with a share of the whole guilt of so great an evil. Thus it is, that we hope, and desire to partake of the merit of all good designs, which we anyway countenance and encourage; and thus it is, that the guilt of all wicked things which we countenance and assist, will certainly be laid to our charge.

To proceed now to a fourth argument. When I