us, that the Chriftians behaviour was not regulated by the cuftoms 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 fingular in their religion, fo in the way of their converfation among men.

6

f. VI. Clement Romanus,* if author of the conftitutions that go under his name, hath this among the reft, Abftain from the vain books of the Gentiles. What have you to do with ftrange and unprofitable difcourfes, 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 queftions, doubtful disputes, 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 fo diligent in rooting out the vanities and fuperftitions of the Gentiles, that they commanded all fuch poets and historians books, who commended any thing of the Gentile converfation or worship, to be burned:'but that zeal is evidently extinguished, and thofe follies revived among the profeffors of the religion of Jefus.

§. VIII. Tertullian,+ Chryfoftom, Theophylact, Gregory Nazianzene, upon these words of Christ, But I fay unto you,' that every idle * Conftit. Clem. Rom. 1 i. chap. 2. 9 Phil. iv. 3. Mach. Dik 12. chap. 5. Tert. lib, de Patien. Chryfoft. * Mat. xii. 36.

word that men fhall fpeak, they shall 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 Chrysostom,' of fuch words as are not convenient or profitable, but move immodesty.'. Says Theophylact, of all lies, calumnies, all inordinate and ridiculous fpeeches.' Says Gregory, fuch words men fhall account for, which want that profit ever redounding from modest discourses, and that are seldom 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.

6

§. 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 several Greek authors, as Menander, Diphilus, Apollodorus, Philemon, Alexis, Sappho, and others, which were the recreations of the vain Gentiles: thus Cardan. Hear his judgment of fine clothes, none of the least part of the luxury and vanity of the age. There be fome,' faith he, are 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 hiftorically 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 fubject of attire, human curiofity availeth highly. The firft fubftance of our garments was very mean, to wit, fkins with wool, when it is we read, God made Adam and his wife coats of fkins; that is, of fkins of dead beafts. Afterwards, to fee the growing pride and vanity of men and women, they came 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 inftance whereof, which the very Pagans. themselves obferved, we read that the very first among the Romans that ever wore purple, was ftruck with a thunder-bolt, and fo died fuddenly for a terror to all fucceeding times, that none fhould attempt to live proudly in precious attire.” This was the fenfe of Gregory Nazianzene, that ancient Chriftian writer, who wore commonly a poor coat, like to a frock; fo did Justin Martyr, Jerom, and Austin, as their best robe.

S. X. Jerom, a famous man, and alfo ftiled a father of the church, above all others feems pofitive in this matter, in an epiftle he wrote: to a noble virgin called Demetrias, in which he exhorted her, that after fhe had ended her devotion, the 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 lefs tedious, and the attempts of fatan less grievous; concluding his religious exhortation with this pofitive fen

• Ads ix. 36, 39.

tence; fays 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 use, or example of other virgins, or to give unto thy grandmother or mother; no, though otherwise thou didst diftribute thy goods to the poor.' Let but this ftrictnefs 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 counsel.

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 writ to her, earnestly preffing her, by no means to fix her affections upon the pleasure, greatness, or advantage that might be presented to her; for in this voyage he had found a greater and worthier match, an husband 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 fome fenfe was anfwered; for the lived religiously, and died a virgin; which fhewed great nobility of mind, that taught his daughter to tread upon the moun

tains of worldly glory; and it was not lefs honourable in her, that fo readily yielded to the excellent counsel of her pious father.

§. XII. Ambrofe, another father, who was licutenant of the province and city of Milan, and upon his difcreet appeafing the multitude, difordered upon fome difference amongst them about electing a bifhop, was by their uniform confent, chofen himfelf: although this perfon, of all others, might have been thought to plead for the accustomed recreations, especially not having been long a Christian, for he was a Catechumen, 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 Chriftians or they must be none that do fo.

§. XIII. Auguftine,* 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 the 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 pleasant to the fenfes, and therefore apt to steal away the mind from better things; for it was his maxim,t 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 Quaker

* August. de Civit. Dei, l, ii. c. 7. † De ira Dei. I. 9. c. 7.