And who then that had any serious concern for the Glory of God, or the welfare of Men in this life or the next, wou’d not stop and consider a while with themselves, how far they shou’d give any countenance to such Recreations, as tend to disturb even the best of their present Enjoyments and Peace, and lead to extreme Despair in the End?  For however Men may with vain words be sadly deceived, the Wrath of God cometh upon the Children of Disobedience, because of these things, and when they have mock’d all they can, they will find that He is a Consuming fire.

Compassion, then, one wou’d think, shou’d work upon those that are good, to discourage by all their Endeavours, such Customs as bring on the ruine of many, and do hurt to the whole, tho’ they shou’d have strength to go in, without being tainted themselves:  Not that they can pretend to be safe even from taking Infection, if once their Preservatives come to be frequently used, and to lose their Virtue, as they will by degrees.  At least they will want a great deal of fulfilling the duty incumbent upon them to Adorn their Holy Profession, and can hardly assure themselves of their being redeemed from the vain Conversation they had in the World.  Those allowances to this, at best, careless spending of time, which a little share in it, will bring them to make, cannot chuse but abate a great part of their Zeal, and slacken their pace in their spiritual Course; to which these Entertainments are so flat a Reverse, that Dying daily, and going to them, set out as they are, can scarce have their good Opinion together.

And who then that desired to perfect their natures, by a patient striving for Mastery over their Lusts, and following the Captain of their common Salvation thro’ all the Paths of an humble Obedience, wou’d care to appear under so different a Banner, and encumber their Souls with more than they need, of what must again be thrown out of their way, or hinder their winning the Prize.

This being the case, good Christians certainly cannot have the much easier thoughts of such freedoms as these, for not finding them in so many words expresly forbid.  Such as these will consider the end and design of the Gospel, and the frailty of Man, and think themselves obliged to be jealous of any fashion that tends to increase the weakness of one, and lessen the force of the other:  When this plainly appears to be the Consequence of any Indulgence, they allow it to lay as full a Restraint, as cou’d be set by one or two particular Texts, which a corrupt understanding wou’d be at less pains to evade.

And yet if it blemishes any opinion to be Earthly and Sensual, or if Evil Communications are ever the worse for their effect upon Manners:  If to cherish a Mind that is at Enmity with God, and declared to be Death, be opposing his Will, and endangering the Souls of them that support the Resistance; Accusations abound against the Custom that passes for so inoffensive a thing.