and important duties of life; then all fuch diverfions and amufements as evidently tend to hurt the body or the mind, and obftruct the proper end of diversions, muft needs be unlawful and finful: And the fame will hold true of lawful and innocent diverfions continued too long at a time. Altho gaming were innocent in itself, yet it were extremely unlawful to spend whole weeks, night and day, in that diverfion, to the breaking of natural rest, and thereby hurting both the body and mind, and to the neglect of all duties, civil, focial and religious. Altho' dancing may be innocent in itself, yet to fpend whole nights in that exercife, to the fatiguing of the body, neglecting all the duties of the family and clofet, and unfitting perfons for the proper business of the next day, is certainly criminal and unlawful. For a poor man, whofe family calls for all his time and labor to clothe and feed them, to spend one day, much more, several days in diversions, is a fin against justice, charity and mercy.

6. Diverfions which may be innocent and lawful to some, and in certain circumstances, may be yet unlawful to others, and in certain different circumstances. As, (1.) It may not be abfolutely unlawful in a Chriftian, to amufe himself by playing an innocent game, or playing on a musical instrument, or walking, or riding, or perhaps

dancing;..yet to mix with swearing, drinking or profane company for the fake of partaking in these amufements, as it would be extremely indecent, fo it would alfo be very criminal; as it would fhow, that this love of pleasure was fuperior to his aversion to vice and evil example; and as his example in this particular inftance, would look like giving a fanction to the vices of his company.—(2.) To perfons who find, that by any particular diversions and amufements, they are ftrongly tempted to fin; fuch diversions or amusements muft needs be extremely finful :-Thus, fuppofing dancing and gaming to be innocent and inoffensive in themselves, yet to persons who, by the one, are tempted to fret, swear and cheat ; or who, by the other, are tempted to other sins, these diverfions must be highly crimi nal.—(3.) Where any particular diverfion, though innocent in itself, is greatly abused in a place, and madly purfued by the inha. bitants, to the prejudice of industry and good morals; Chriftians ought not only to abstain from, but alfo bear a testimony against fuch diverfions, fo abufed, for the good of fociety.-(4.) Diverfions which may be innocent in themfelves, may change their nature and become exceeding criminal, either by being mistimed, or too long continued. For instance, to indulge to amufements on the Sabbath-day, or in a time of

public distress or calamity which calls for confideration, mourning, prayer and repentance; or, to indulge to diverfions and amufements, when justice, charity and mercy call us to other and more important bufinefs, is doubtlefs very sinful. Or when (as was observed above) we fquander much of our precious time in trifling amusements, and make them the business of life; this is to act the part of the wicked and unprofitable servant, who was juftly condemned to utter darkness.

7. A life spent in giddy diverfions, is utterly incompatible with the hopes of falvation; being inconfiftent with a due and serious concern either for the soul or the body> for ourselves, or for others.

8. It might be a good touch-stone for fuch diverfions as are suitable and becoming for Chriftians; to try within ourselves whether we could feriously afk GoD's bleffing upon them; or quit them at an inftant, and addrefs ourselves to Gon in folemn prayer: For, as it is our duty always to watch and pray, left we enter into temptation, and to be ever in a posture of readiness to meet the fummons of death in the way of our duty; and as we know not the moment we may be called to give an account of our stewardship, all diverfions inconfiftent with this frame of mind, feem improper for Christians.

9. To render diverfions or amufements

lawful, they must have these properties :— (1.) They must be innocent in themselves:

(2.) They must be decent and of good repute, or fuch as the generality of good people have not condemned (and this will cut off card-playing, and almost all games of hazard, more efpecially all gaming for money, from the lift of innocent diversions):

-(3.) They ought to be fuch as are not of pernicious confequence, by the bad regulation and abuse of them in the places where we live :-(4.) No more of our precious time fhould be confumed by them, than is barely neceffary for the purpose of recreation; nor fhould they be oftener used than is needful, left the mind be intoxicated by them, and led off from more important matters, by contracting a habit of trifling and levity :-(5.) They should be fuch as we find by experience are not attended with ftrong temptations to ourselves, and as have no fenfible tendency to draw off our minds from the duties of religion, or from the neceffary and important duties of life. Upon the whole, they fhould be fuch, and fo ufed and regulated as not to excite any remorfe of confcience in a fenfible, ferious and tender mind.

10. Though it does not seem reasonable, or confiftent with the prefent frail and imperfect ftate of human nature, to forbid all kinds of worldly amufements and recrea

tions, as unlawful, yet to persons of a right way of thinking, and of a spiritual and refined taste; these kinds of diverfions will be found very little necessary; and the very duties of religion, fuch as reading, singing of psalms with melody in the heart, meditation and contemplation on the works and ways of Gon, religious conference, and doing good offices to the fouls and bodies of men, will furnish pleasures and delights, far preferable to any that can refult from worldly pleasures and amufements.

11. In fhort, the fafhionable diversions are attended with fo many fnares and dangers to virtue and innocence, and, at the beft, are fuch thieves of precious time, that those discover the soundest judgment who have the leaft tafte and fondness for them, and who leaft frequent and join in them.

12. Religion promifes the highest and noblest comforts and pleasures, and thofe who betray too fond a defire for worldly pleafures and diverfions, either prove that they have never experienced the pleasures of religion, or, by their conduct, perfuade the work, that the others are equally neces sary and agreeable.

13: The devil, by a furprifing dexterity, has turned fome of the most folemn periods of life, into feafons devoted to the maddeft riot and giddy diverfion; witness our birth days, and the first day of every new-year.