Dr. Ames, de Consc. lib. 4. c. 23. § 5. saith, Plays which depend meer­ly or princi­pally of For­tune, are of their own na­ture Ʋnlaw­ful. First, SEE that you suffer none to play at any sort of Game in your Houses, viz. Cards, Dice, Tables, Shuffle-board, and the like, for in so doing you will displease the Lord, and may cause him to bring a blast upon all your Undertakings: But on the contrary, reprove and admonish such in Gods fear; For it never was the Practice of Gods People in the Primitive times to game away their precious time, which the Lord gave them to work out their own Salvation in; neither is it the practice of them that are Christians in deed in this day, though the Nominal Christians may plead for it.

Therefore you that know the Life of true Christianity, bear your Testimo­nies faithfully against Gaming, for it is as it were a piece of Witchcraft; for when Mens hearts and minds are exercised in it, they are even overcome by the same, and so are serving the Enemy of their own immortal Souls with all their strength, and the fear of the Lord is not before their Eyes; for when their hearts and minds are exercised in their Games, it is as it were their God, and often-times tends to Quarrelling, Fighting and Bloodshed. It is therefore good for all that are Christians in deed and in truth, to bear your Testimonies against Gaming; for this is certainly true, that the Lord and his truth is disho­noured by admitting People to Game in your Houses: Therefore be care­ful in bringing Honour to God by bearing your Testimonies for him and his Truth, against that that is displeasing unto the Lord, and hurtful unto your own poor Souls.

P [...]ov. 14. [...]3. Even in Laughter the Heart is made sor­rowful: and [...] and of [...] Mirth [...]. Secondly, See that you suffer none to play upon any sort of Musick, nor any to Dance, Sing or Swear in your Houses; but bear your Testimonies against such things, both by reproving them in Gods fear and love, and in obstructing the same; for they are all displeasing in the sight of the Lord, and may cause his Judgments to come upon your Houses and Families. Therefore to prevent the same from coming upon you, live up to that gift which the Lord hath given you, that you may stand in your places, and bear a Testimony for the Lord and his Truth in your Day, Age and Generation; then will the Lord bless and prosper you,Eccles. 7.4. The heart of the Wise, is in the house of Mourning; but the heart of Fo [...]ls is in the house of Mirth. both inwardly and outwardly, and in all that you undertake; and all that do rejoyce, let them Rejoyce in the Lord.

Musick is a thing that stealeth the hearts of them that play upon it, or ad­here unto it, from the Lord (& tends to raise up a light, airy, frothy, wanton Mind; for they that live in Pleasures, are dead while they live; and they that live wantonly, kill the just) for when Mens hearts and minds are exercised by it, they remem­ber not the Lord that made them and all Mankind, for a purpose of his own Glory; but spend away their precious time in that which the Lord by his Pro­phet Amos bore Testimony against, as you may read in the 6th Chap. of the Prophecy of that Prophet; in which he pronounceth a Wo unto them that chaunt unto the Viol, and invent unto themselves Instruments of Musick, like un­to David. Do such Remember their Creator in the days of their Youth? No; they have rather forgotten their Maker, which would be their Saviour, if they would come to be saved by him, from their perishing fading Vanities, which God and his People are against.

Singing and Dancing are of the same Root & Ground with Gaming & Musick, Isa. 24.9. They shall not drink Wine with a Song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. Amos 8.10. And I will turn your Feasts into Mourn­ing, and all your Songs into Lamen­tation. &c. all which proceed from that seed which the Enemy of Man and Womans Salvation hath sown in the hearts of the Children of Disobedience, which Enemy is the Devil, who walks about, seeking whom he may devour. & such who let loose their hearts, minds and affections after those things, pursuing and following with greediness after the same, are making an Idol of them, and do desire more after them than they do after the knowledge of God, whom to know is Life Eternal; and so hereby God, who alone ought to be sought after and bowed down unto, is robbed of that which is his right, even the Praise, the Honour and the Glory of his Name, which ought to be given unto him from every reasonable Creature that he hath made by his mighty Power; for it is the incumbent duty of all Mankind to serve the Lord above all things, even with all their Souls and all their Might, and not run into fading Vanities, which perish in the using, and which bring Tribulation, Anguish and Wrath up­on all that are found in them; for God will not be mocked; such as every Man sows, such they must reap from divine Justice, who renders unto every Man according unto his deeds, without respect of Persons.

Some that delight in Musick may object, That David and others of the Peo­ple of God, did play upon Instruments of Musick.

Job 21.13. They spend their days in Wealth, and in a moment go down to the Grave. Answ. David and others who were faithful to God, did not play upon Instruments of Musick to stir up, raise & elivate a vain, sinful, unclean Mind in them­selves or any others; but their playing upon and use of Instruments of Musick being under the Shadowy dispensation of the Law, what they did herein, they did it unto the Lord, The Priests under the Law had a command to sound Trumpets, which was a sort of Musick; and David and others made use of other Instruments, as the Flute, Harp & Cymbal; & this they did in honour and praise to the Lord, and not to stir up a vain, wanton, Light, airy, fleshly and ungodly Mind, as it may be seen in the Scriptures of Truth.

Again, some may plead for Dancing, because David danced before the Ark.

Answ. This Dancing was in the time of the Law, and was a token of his re­joycing, because of the Ark of God, which was brought back out of the Philist­ines Land, who were Enemies to God and his People: This Dancing was not like the Dancing of the vain, wanton and prophane Persons of our Age, nor yet like the Dancing of Herodias's Daughter, who danced before King Herod, who after she had danced, demanded the Head of the Man of God, John the Bap­tist, and had it, being thereunto instructed by her malicious Mother.

As concerning Singing and Rejoycing; true Singing & in Rejoycing the Lord God did own under the Law, which was Shadowy, & stood in many carnal Or­dinances, which were to continue until the time of Reformation, as saith the A­postle, Heb. 9.10. which time is the Time of the Gospel, which is come.

Again, God did and doth own Singing in the Spirit under the dispen­sation of the Gospel; but the Singers that God doth own under the Gos­pel dispensation, are those who are first taught by him to mourn for, repent of, and forsake their Sins; such who are led by the Spirit of the Lord to mourn for, repent of, and forsake their Sins, in the same Spirit they may Sing, as it moves and leads them. The Apostle Paul said, I will Sing with the Spirit, and with Vnderstanding, 1 Cor. 14.15. And it is written, Isa. 35.10. The Redeemed of the Lord shall return to Sion with Songs of Deliverance. And it is written, Rev. 15.3. They that were Redeemed from the Earth, sang the Song of Moses and the Lamb. And Wise Solomon said, (Eccles. 7.2, 3.) Sorrow is better then Laughter; and it's better to go into the House of Mourning then into the House of Mirth: Mourning in the unregenerate, in the sense of their Sins; is better then Laughter and Singing. And God will turn the Songs of the wick­ed into Mourning, Amos 8.10. And Christ said, Mat. 12.36. Every Idle Word that Men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of Iudgment. And the Apostle Iames saith, Who among you seem to be Religious, and bridleth not his Tongue, but deceiveth his own Heart, this mans Religion is vain, James 1.26.

Observe that Nebuchadnezar, the Heathen King, and his company of Ido­laters had Musick; (viz.) the Sound of the Cornet, Flute, Harp, Sacbut Psaltery and Dulcimer, and all kinds of Musick, when they Worshipped the Golden Image that he had set up: These were they which cast the three Children into the fiery Furnace. This their Musick and Rejoycing was Wicked and Ungodly.

Again, observe, the Apostle said unto the true Christians, Bellerum conc. 6.3.13. &c. saith, Holidays are in our A [...] celebrated in a Diabolical manner, li [...] bachanals Devils, Festivals most Sins then commit­ted, most Feast Songs, Bowlings, Tavernings, Scurrilitys, Dances with Women, as Straw with Fire. As a f [...]r­ter testimo­ny against Debaunchery he cites. Neceph. lib. 19. Herodias her Daugh­ters Head danced upon the Ice. Ambros de virg l. 3. Jerom epist. 10.4. Christ hom. 56. on Mathew. 49. Basil. on Drunk­ness and Ri­ot. Cicero a Heathen pro­muraena says No Sober Man danc­eth, and ob­jects it as a Crime to Amenius 6. Be ye not drunk with Wine, wherein is Excess, but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to your selves in Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, Singing and making Melody in your Hearts to the Lord, Ephes. 5.19.

Also Swearing & calling upon God to Damn them, and Blaspheming the pure, holy and undefiled Name of God, proceeds even from the same Root that Gaming, Musick, Singing and Dancing do arise and spring from: Therefore let none who are found in any of those things, (to wit, in Swear­ing, Damning Cursing & Blaspheming the Name of the Lord) think to escape Gods Righteous Judgments; for it is written, The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in Vain. And the Lord complains by the Prophet Jeremi­ah, Because of Swearing the Land Mourneth, Jer. 23.10.

Therefore all you that are concerned, as Witnesses for God, see that you bear your Testimonies against these things, that the Lord may bless you and prosper you in all your Undertakings, that the Praise and Honour, which is his due, he may receive from you, and you from him a Crown of Glory, which fadeth not away when time here shall be no more.