. to be called the fon of Pharaoh's daughter, chufing rather to fuffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of fin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Chrift greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he had refpect unto 'the recompence of reward, nor feared he the wrath of the king, for he endured, feeing him who is invifible.' He adds, And others had trials of cruel mockings and fcourgings; yea, moreover, of bonds and imprifonments: they were ftoned, they were fawed afunder, were tempted, were flain with a fword; they wandered about in fheep-fkins and goat-fkins, being deftitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in defarts, and in mountains, and in dens, and caves of the earth; and thefe all have obtained a good report.' Methinks this should a little abate the intemperance of profeffed Chriftians, I do not bid them be thus miferable, but I would not have them make themselves fo hereafter; for this afflicted life hath joys tranfcending the utmost pleasure that fin can give, and in the end it will be found that it were better to be a poor pilgrim, than a citizen of the world. Nor was this only the life and inftruction of apoftolical teachers; the fame plainness and fimplicity of life was alfo followed by the firft Christians. §. V. The Primitive Chriftians, OUZELIUS, in his Animadverfions on Minutius Felix, faith, were reproached by the Gentiles, for their ill-breeding, rude and unpolished language, unfafhionable behaviour, as a people that knew not how to carry themselves in their addreffes and falutations, calling them rufticks and clowns, which the Christians easily bore, valuing their profeffion the more for its nonconformity to the world; wherefore it was ufual with them, by way of irony and contempt, to call the Gentiles, the well-bred, the eloquent, and the learned. This he proves by ample teftimonies out of Arnobius, Lactantius, Ifiodorus, Pelufiota, Theodoret, and others. Which may inftruct us, that the Chriftian's behaviour was not regu lated by the customs of the country they lived in, as is ufually objected against our fingularity: no, they refufed the embellishment of art, and would not wear the furniture of her invention; but as they were singular in their religion, fo in the way of their converfation among men*. §. VI. CLEMENS ROMANUS (if author of the Conftitutions that go under his name) hath this among the rest: Abftain from the vain books of the Gentiles. What have you to do with vain and unprofitable difcourses, which only ferve to feduce weak perfons †?' This Clement is remembered by Paul in one of his epiftles; who in this exactly follows his advice to Timothy, about vain questions, doubtful difputes, and oppofition of fcience'. Let us fee how this moderation and purity of manners continued. §. VII. MACHIAVEL (no mean author) in his Difputations affures us, That the first promoters of Christianity were so diligent in rooting out the vanities and fuperftitions of the Gentiles, that they commanded all fuch poets and historians, which commended any thing of the Gentile conversation, or worship, to be burned. But that zeal is evidently extinguished, and thofe follies revived among the profeffors of the religion of Jefus. m §. VIII. TERTULLIAN, CHRYSOSTOM, THEOPHYLACT, GREGORY NAZIANZENE ‡, upon these words of Christ, • But I fay unto you, that every idle word that men fhall speak, they fhall give an account thereof in the day of judgment ",' thus reflect upon vain difcourfe; The words mean (faith Tertullian) of all vain and fuperfluous speech, more talk than is neceffary :' Says Chryfoftom, Of fuch words as are not convenient, nor profitable, but move immodefty.' Says Theophylact, Of all lies, calumnies, all inordinate and ridiculous fpeeches.' Says Gregory, Such words Animad. in Min. Fel. p. 25. + Conftit. Clem. Rom. 1. 1. c. 2. Phil. iv. 3. Chryfoft. men fhall account for, which want that profit ever redounding from modeft difcourfes, and that are ⚫feldom uttered from any preceding neceffity or caufe; things frivolous, fables, old wives tales.' All which fufficiently reprehend the plays, poetry, and romances of the times, of great folly, vanity and fin. §. IX. GREGORY, and this a father of the church, a very extraordinary man, was so zealous for the fimplicity and purity of the mind, language, and lives of the Chriftians of his time, that he fuppreffed feveral Greek authors, as Menander, Diphilus, Apollodorus, Philemon, Alexis, Sappho, and others, which were the recreations of the vain Gentiles: Thus Cardan. C Hear his judgment of fine clothes (none of the least part of the luxury and vanity of the age) There be fome,' faith he, of opinion that the wearing of precious and fumptuous apparel is no fin; which, if it were no fault, the Divine Word would never have fo punctually expreffed, nor historically related, how the rich man, that was tormented in hell, was clothed • in purple and filk: whence we may note, that, touching the matter or subject of attire, human curiofity availeth highly. The firft fubftance of our garments C was very mean, to wit, skins with wool; whence it is we read, God made Adam and his wife coats of skins; that is, fkins of dead beasts. Afterwards (to fee the growing pride and vanity of men and women) they come to pure wool, because lighter; after that to flax; then to dung and ordure of worms, to wit, filk; laftly, to gold and filver, and precious ftones; which excefs of apparel highly difpleafed God: for ⚫ instance whereof, (which the very Pagans themselves • obferved) we read, that the very firft among the Romans that ever wore purple was struck with a • thunder-bolt, and fo died fuddenly, for a terror to all fucceeding times, that none should attempt to live proudly, in precious attire.' This was the fense of Gregory Nazianzene, that ancient Chriftian writer, who wore commonly a poor coat, like to a frock; fo did Juftin Martyr, Jerom, and Auftin, as their best robe. §. X. JEROM, (a famous man, alfo ftiled a father of the church) above all others feems pofitive in this matter, in an epistle he wrote to a noble virgin, called Demetias, in which he exhorted her, That after she had ended her devotion, fhe fhould take in hand wool and weaving, after the commendable example of Dorcas; that by fuch changing and variety of works, the day might feem less tedious, and the attempts of Satan lefs grievous; concluding his religious exhortation with this pofitive fentence: (faith he) I fpeak generally; No raiment or habit whatfoever fhall feem precious in Chrift's fight, but that which thou makest thyfelf; either for thy own particular ufe, or example of other virgins, or to give unto thy grandmother or mother: no, though otherwife thou didst diftribute thy goods to the poor ". Let but this strictness be confidered, and compared with the apparel and converfation of the age: for, however Pharifee-like they otherwise faint him, and call him an Holy Father, fure it is, they reject his counfel. ' §. XI. HILARY, bishop of Poitiers, a father of the church, and famous for his writings against the Arians, having travelled into Syria, was informed, that Abra, his only daughter, whom he left with her mother, was by the greatest lords of the country folicited in marriage; being a young woman well-bred, fair, and rich, and in the prime of her age. He wrote to her, earneftly preffing her, By no means to fix her affections upon the pleasure, greatnefs, or advantage that might be presented to her; for in his voyage he had found a greater and worthier match, an hufband of far more power and magnificence, who would endow her with robes and jewels of an inestimable value. This he did to take off her defires from the world, that he might wed her unto God: and it was his fervent and frequent prayer, which in some sense was answered; for the lived Acts ix. 36, 39. religiously, and died a virgin: Which fhewed great nobility of mind, that taught his daughter to tread upon the mountains of worldly glory; and it was not less honourable in her, that fo readily yielded to the excellent counfel of her pious father. §. XII. AMBROSE, another father, who was lieutenant of the province and city of Milan, and upon his difcrete appeafing of the multitude, difordered upon fome difference amongst them about electing a bishop, was by their uniform confent chofen himself: although this perfon, of all others, might have been thought to plead for the accustomed recreations, efpecially not having been long a Chriftian (for he was a Catechumenift, or one but lately inftructed) at the time of his being elected; yet doth he in fo many words determine the matter thus: Plays ought not to be known by Christians' then not made, heard, and defended by Christians; or they must be none that do so. §. XIII. AUGUSTINE, more famous for his many books, and knowledge in church affairs, whofe fentences are oracles with fome, gives this as his opinion of plays, and the like recreations, That they were more pernicious and abominable, than thofe idolatrous facrifices, which were offered in honour of their Pagan gods*. Doubtlefs he thought the one not fo offenfive to reason, and the impreffions Divinity hath made on every understanding, as the other were very pleafant to the fenfes, and therefore apt to fteal away the mind from better things. For it was his maxim That every thing a man doth, is either an hindrance or furtherance to good .' This would be esteemed intolerable doctrine in a poor Quaker; yet will the poor Quakers rejoice, if it be efteemed and followed, as good doctrine in Augustine. §. XIV. The Council of Carthage, though times began to look fomewhat miftier, and the purity and fpirituality of religion to be much declined by the profeffors of Chriftianity; yet there was so much zeal Auguft, de civit. Dei, 1. 2. c. 7. De ira Dei, 1. 2. c. 7. left |