gent creatures fhould fupremely and uniformly aim at the glory of God.

Now, we glorify God by cultivating holy difpofitions, and doing pious and useful actions. Recreation is an intermiffion of duty, and is only neceffary because of our weakness; it must be fome action indifferent in its nature, which becomes lawful and ufeful from its tendency to refresh the mind, and invigorate it for duties of more importance. The ufe of recreation is precifely the fame as the use of fleep; though they differ in this, that there is but one way in which fleep becomes finful, viz. by excess, whereas there are ten thoufand ways in which recreations become finful. It is needlefs to produce paffages of Scripture to verify the above affertion concerning our obligation to glorify God. It is the language of the whole, and is particularly applied to indifferent actions by the apostle Paul, 1 Cor. x. 13. "Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory "of God."

If there were on the minds of men in general, a just fenfe of this their obligation, stage-plays, nay, and a thousand other amufements now in ufe, would never have been heard of. The truth is, the need of amusement is much less than people commonly apprehend, and, where it is not neceffary, it must be finful. Thofe who stand in need of recreation may be divided into two forts, fuch as are employed in bodily labor, and fuch as have their fpirits often exhaufted by fludy and application of mind. As to the firft of thefe, a mere ceffation from labor is fufficient for refreshment, and indeed of itself gives great pleasure, unless when the appetites are inflamed and irritated by frequent fenfual gratifications; and then they are importunately craved, and become neceffary to fill the intervals of work. Of this fort very few are able to afford fo expenfive a recreation as the stage. And even as to the other, viz. those whose fpirits are exhausted by application of mind, only a very fmall number of them will chufe the diverfion of the fage, for this very good reason, that focial converfe and bodily exercife, will anfwer the purpofe much better.

Indeed, if we confider the juft and legitimate end of recreations, and compare it with the perfons who moft frequently engage in them, we fhall find, that ninety-nine of every hundred are fuch as do not need recreation at all. Perhaps their time lies heavy upon their hands, and they feel an uneafinefs and impatience under their present ftate; but this is not from work, but from idleness, and from the emptinefs and unfatisfying nature of the enjoyments, which they chafe with fo much eagerness, one after another, vainly feeking from them that good which they do not contain, and that fatisfaction which they cannot impart.

From this I think it undeniably appears, that if no body were to attend the stage, but fuch as really needed recrea tion or amusement, upon Christian principles, and of these fuch only as were able to pay for it, and of these only fuch as did themselves chufe it, there is not a place this day in the world fo large as to afford a daily audience. It will be immediately objected, This argument, make as much of it as you pleafe, is not complete, for it hinders not but that fome, however few, may attend in a proper manner, and with warrantable views. But let it be remembered, that I attack not a play fingly as a play, nor one perfon for being a witnefs to a thing of that nature, but the ftage as a fyftem containing all the branches I have enumerated above. This cannot fubfift without a full audience, and frequent attendance; and therefore is, by its constitution, a conftant and powerful invitation to fin, and cannot be maintained but by the commiffion of it. Perhaps fome will ftill object, that this argument is too finely fpun, that it feems to demand perfection, and to find fault with every practice, in which there is a probability that fin will be committed. That, if this holds, we fhould no more contribute to the establishment of churches than play-houses, because we have a moral certainty, that no congregation ever will meet together on earth, but much fin will be committed, both by minifter and people. But there is a great difference between a commanded duty which is attended with fin by defect, and what is no where commanded, which neceffarily invites to fin by its

nature, and is in fubftance finful to the great majority of those who attend it.

But further, the stage is an improper, that is to say, an unlawful recreation to all without exception, because it confumes too much time. This is a circumftance which, however little impreffion it may make upon thofe who find their time often a burden, will appear of the greatest moment to every serious Chriftian. In proportion as any man improves in holiness of heart, he increases in usefulnefs of life, and acquires a deeper aud ftronger fense of the worth and value of time. To fpend an hour unprofitably, appears to fuch a perfon a greater crime, than to many the commiffion of grofs fin. And, indeed it ought to appear very heinous in the eyes of thofe who believe the representation given by our Lord Jefus Chrift, of his own procedure at the day of judgment, "Caft ye the UN"PROFITABLE fervant into utter darkness, where there "fhall be weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth." Matt. xxv. 30. Mark this, ye lovers of pleasure, ye fons of gaiety and mirth, who imagine you are fent unto the world for no higher end than your own entertainment ; and who, if you are free from, or able any how to palliate your groffer fins, never once reflect on the heavy account against you of wafted time.

Though there were no other objection against the stage as a recreation, but this one, it is furely faulty. If recreations are only lawful becaufe neceffary, they must cease to be lawful when they are no longer neceffary. The length and duration of regular comedy and tragedy is already fixed and fettled by rules of long ftanding; and, I fuppofe, whatever other circumftance may be confeffed to need reformation, all men of tafte will agree, that these fhall continue as they are. Now I leave to all who know how much time the preparation for fuch a public appearance, and the neceflary attendance, must take up, to judge, whether it is not too much to be given to mere re

creation.

This holds particularly in the cafe recreation of mind, between which and bodily exercise there is a very great difference. For bodily exercife in fome cafes, for exVOL. III.

S

ample, when the health requires it may be continued for a long time, only for this reafon, that it may have effects lafting in proportion to the time fpent in it. But giving the mind to pleasure by way of recreation must be fhort, or it is certainly hurtful; it gives men a habit of idleness and triffing, and makes them averfe from returning to any thing that requires ferious application. So true is this, and fo applicable to the prefent cafe, that I could almost reft the whole argument upon it, that no man, who has made the trial, can deliberately and with a good confcience affirm, that attending plays has added ftrength to his mind, and warmth to his affections, in the duties of devotion; that it has made him more able and willing to exert his intellectual powers in the graver and more important offices of the Chriftian life; nay, or even made him more diligent and active in the bufinefs of civil life. On the contrary, it is commonly of such length as to produce a fatiety and wearinefs of itself, and to require reft and refreshment to recruit the exhaufted fpirits, a thing quite abfurd and felf-contradictory in what is called a recreation.

But the stage is not merely an unprofitable confump tion of time, it is further improper as a recreation, becaufe it agitates the paffions too violently, and interefts too deeply, fo as, in fome cafes, to bring people into a real, while they behold an imaginary diftrefs. Keeping in view the end of recreation, will enable us to judge rightly of this. It is to refresh and invigorate the mind.— Therefore when, instead of rest, which is properly called relaxation of mind, recreations are used, their excellence confifts in their being, not only a pleasant, but an eafy exercise of the intellectual powers. Whatever is difficult, and either requires or caufes a ftrong application of mind, is contrary to their intention. Now it is plain, that dramatic reprefentations fix the attention fo very deeply, and intereft the affectior's fo very ftrongly, that, in a little time, they fatigue the mind themselves, and however eagerly are they defired and followed, there are many serious and useful occupations, in which men will continue lon

ger, without exhaufting the fpirits, than in attending the theatre.

Indeed, in this respect they are wholly contrary to what should be the view of every Chriftian. He ought to fet bounds to, and endeavor to moderate his paffions as much as possible, instead of voluntarily and unneceffarily exciting them. The human paffions, fince the fall, are all of them but two ftrong; and are not finful on account of their weakness, but their excefs and mifapplication. This is fo generally true, that it hardly admits of an exception; unless it might be counted an exception, that some vicious paffions, when they gain an afcendancy, extinguish others which oppose their gratification. For, though religion is confiftent throughout, there are many vices, which are mutually repugnant to, and deftructive of, each other. But this exception has little or no effect upon the present argument.

Now the great care of every Chriftian, is to keep his paffions and affections within due bounds, and to direct them to their proper objects. With refpect to the first of thefe, the chief influence of theatrical reprefentations upon the spectator, is to ftrengthen the paffions by indulgence; for there they are all exhibited in a lively manner, and fuch as is moft fit to communicate the impreffion. As to directing them to their proper objects, it will be afterwards fhown, that the stage has rather the contrary effect; in the mean time, it is fufficient to observe, that it may be done much more effectually, and much more fafely another way.

It

This tendency of plays to intereft the affections, fhows their impropriety as a recreation on another account. shows that they must be exceeding liable to abuse by excefs, even fuppofing them in a certain degree to be innocent. It is certain there is no life more unworthy of a man, hardly any more criminal in a Chriftian, than a life of perpetual amusement, a life where no valuable purpose is pursued, but the intellectual faculties wholly employed in purchasing and indulging fenfual gratifications. It is also certain, that all of us are by nature too much inclined thus to live to ourselves, and not to God. There