ritable and gentle spirit can roundly affirm, that the use of such a stage as ours is an open contradiction to Christianity, and such a scandalous offence, as would certainly have been punished in the first and purest ages of the church, by the dreadful punishment of excommunication; surely it can be no proof of an uncharitable spirit in me, that I show by variety of arguments, that the use of such a stage cannot consist with the true spirit of Christianity; but that there must be some defect in their piety, who are able to use it.

Jucunda resolves in great cheerfulness to hear no arguments against the stage; she says it can be but a small sin; and, considering the wickedness of the age, that person is in a very good state, that is only guilty of going to plays. Desire her ever so often only to consider the plainest argument in the world; she puts all off with only this reply," God send I may have no greater sin to answer for, than seeing a play!"

Jucunda thinks a clergyman would do better, to insist only upon the material parts of religion; and not put so much stress upon things that are only diversions; lest by making religion to contradict people in every thing, religion itself should be brought into dislike. Jucunda desires that she may be instructed in some greater things, than the sinfulness of going to a play; for she is resolved to hear no no more of that.

But pray, Jucunda, consider all that you have here said. You say, it can be but a small sin. How is it that you know it is but a small sin? What care have you taken to understand its true magnitude? You shut your eyes, and stop your ears, and resolve against all information about it, and then call it a small sin. But suppose it were but a small sin; is that a reason why you should be guilty of it? Does the smallness of sins recommend them to your choice? Our blessed Saviour saith, "If

thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two Mark ix. 47. feet, to be cast into hell. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out; it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God, with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into heil-fire." Now this passage, I suppose, does not mean, if thou art guilty of some great sin, either of murder, or perjury, or the like, thou must cut them off. For the comparison of a foot and an eye, must signify something that is not directly sinful in itself, but only dangerous in its use, as it sets us too near to some sins, or is become too full of temptation. Yet such ways of life as these, which are only dangerous, and expose our virtue to too great a hazard, however pleasant and useful, (though like an eye, or foot) are yet to be entirely cut off, that we may not fall into hell-fire. Can it be supposed that Jucunda is of this religion, who pleases herself with a diversion, because it is but a small sin? Will she ever think of saving herself, by cutting off a foot, or plucking out an eye?

Indeed, to talk of a small sin, is like talking of a small law of God: for as there is no law of God, but is a great one, because it comes from God; so every. sin, as it is a transgression of some law of God, must needs be a great one. There may be sins that have a smaller degree of guilt; because they may be committed through infirmity, ignorance or surprize; but no sin is small, that is either carelessly or wilfully continued in. If it be a sin therefore to use the stage, it cannot be a small one; because it has none of those circumstances which render a sin a small one. It becomes a very great one to Jucunda; because she carelessly and wilfully resolves to continue in it, merely for the sake of a little diversion.

Let Jucunda consider again, what she means by wishing that she may have no greater sin to answer for than going to a play. It is a wish that is silly

in itself, because she is not to wish to die in small sins, but in a perfect repentance and abhorrence of all kind of sin; but it is much sillier still, when it is given as a reason for going to a play. For it is saying, "I expect to die guilty of greater sins than of going to a play, and therefore there is no occasion to forbear froin that." Now if she understands herself she must know, that this is the plain meaning of her words. Yet who that understands any thing of religion, or that has any desire of holiness, can talk at this rate? It is a language that is fitter for an atheist, than for a person that is but half a Christian. If a tradesman that allows himself only to lie in the prices of his goods, should content himself with saying, "God send I might have no greater sins to answer for," no one would suppose him to be much concerned about religion. Yet as many Christian reasons might be produced to show these lies to be but small sins, as to show that the use of the stage is but a small sin.

I am

Jucunda would have a clergyman insist upon the most material parts of religiou, and not lay so much stress upon things that are only diversions. of your mind, Jucunda, that a clergyman ought to insist upon the most material parts of religion; but then it does not follow, that he must not lay much stress upon things that are diversions. For as something that is called a diversion may be entirely sinful, so if this should happen, it is as necessary for a clergyman to call all Christians from it, as it is necessary to exhort them to keep the commandments. Religion seems to have as little to do with trades, as with diversions; yet if a trade be set up, that is in its own nature wicked, there is nothing more material in religion, than to declare the necessity of forsaking such an employment. But after all, Jucunda, the most essential, and most material parts of religion are such as relate to common life, such as alter our ways of living, such as give rules to all

our actions, and are the measure of all our conduct, whether in business or diversion. Nothing is so important in religion to you, as that which makes you sober and wise, holy and heavenly-minded in the whole course of your life. But you are for such material parts of religion, as should only distinguish you from a Jew or an infidel, but make no difference in common life betwixt you and fops and coquettes. You are for a religion that consists in modes and forms of worship, that is tied to times and places, that only takes up a little of your time on Sunday, and leaves you all the week to do as you please. But all this, Jucunda, is nothing. The Scripture hath not said in vain, " He that is in Christ is a new creature." All the law and the Gospel are in vain to you; all sacraments, devotions, doctrines, and ordinances, are to no purpose, unless they make you this new creature in all the actions of your life. He teaches you the most material parts of religion, who teaches you to be of a religious spirit in every thing that you do, who teaches you to eat and drink, to labour and rest, to converse and divert yourself in such degrees, and to such ends, as best promote a pious life.

If sots and gluttons should desire a clergyman to insist upon the most material parts of religion, and not lay so great a stress upon gluttony and intemperance, which are things that only relate to eating and drinking; they would show that they understood religion as well as Jucunda. For every one must see, that some diversions may as much disorder the heart, and be as contrary to religion, as gluttony and intemperance. And perhaps as many people have lived and died unaffected with religion, through a course of diversions and pleasures, as through gluttony and intemperance.

If it displeases people to be told, that religion is to prescribe rules to their diversions, they are as unreasonable as those are who are displeased that

religion should prescribe rules to their tempers, and passions, and inclinations. For as diversions are only the gratifications of our tempers, so if religion is to forbear us in our diversions, it is to forbear our tempers, passions, and inclinations. But the truth is, we ought to be more religiously cautious and watchful about our diversions, than any other part of common life; not only because they take such deep hold of us, but because they have no necessary foundation in nature, but are our own inventions. Trade and business, though they are necessary for great ends of life, are yet to be subject to the strictest rules of religion; surely therefore diversions, which are but like so many blanks in life, that are only invented to get rid of time, surely such things ought of all others to have no mixture of any thing that is sinful in them. For if the thing itself be hardly pardonable, surely it must be a high crime to add to it the sin of doing it in a sinful manner. For as diversions are at best only methods of losing time, the most innocent have something in them that seems to want a pardon; but if we cannot be content with such as only pass away our hours, unless they gratify our disordered passions, we are like those who are not content to sleep away their time, unless they can add the pleasure of sinful dreams.

Jucunda therefore is much mistaken, if she thinks that religion has nothing to do with her diversions, for there is nothing that requires a more religious exactness than they do. If we are wrong in them, it is the same thing as if we are wrong in our religion, or sinful in our business. Nay, sin in our diversions is less excusable, and perhaps does us more harm than in any thing else. For such as our diversions are, such are we ourselves. If religion therefore, is to have any power over us; if it is to enter into our hearts, and aiter and reform the state of our souls, the greatest work that it has to do, is