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<NAME>Leah Yurasek</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>A Pro&s;pective-Gla&s;&s;e FOR GAMESTERS: OR, <HI>A &s;hort Treati&s;e again&s;t Gameing:</HI> In which is contained A plaine and perfect manife&s;tation of the inconveniencies, mi&s;eries and calamities which the U&s;er or Practi&s;er of unlawfull Games doth bring upon him&s;elfe, not onely in regard of his mortall body, but al&s;o upon his eternall Soule.</P>
<P><HI>Wherein al&s;o the&s;e &s;ix evill con&s;equences of Gaming are exactly and pertinently handled,</HI> viz.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Drunkenne&s;&s;e.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Lying.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Swearing.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Adultery.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Poverty.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Theevery.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P><HI>Written at the reque&s;t of a Game&s;ter, upon his dete&s;tation of his former idle life and practice in this kinde.</HI></P>
<P>By JOHN PHILPOT Ma&s;ter in Arts.</P>
<P><HI>Dedicated to the hone&s;t and judicious Youngmen and Apprentices of the honourable City of</HI> LONDON.</P>
<P>Publi&s;hed according to Order.</P>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>Thomas Bates,</HI> at the Maidenhead on Snow-hill, neere Holborne Conduit. 1646.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
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<HEAD>To the Young-men and Apprentices inhabi|ting within the City of <HI>London.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_I Have pre&s;umed to dedicate this &s;hort Treati&s;e to you, as having by long and &s;ad experience found, that of all places in this Kingdome, this City, notwith|&s;tanding the great means which hath been u&s;ed by the Magi&s;trates to the contra|ry, is yet contaminated by the infamous vice of gaming, whereby many young-men of good e|ducation being &s;ent from their parents in &s;everall countries hither to gain a trade or way of living, have by &s;undry provocations been by little and little drawne to this vice, which having once u|&s;ed, they have found &s;o much &s;weetne&s;&s;e in this <HI>dulee venenum,</HI> that they have not left &s;ucking this poy&s;onous bait, till they have thereby brought them&s;elves to much poverty, penury, want and mi&s;ery, be&s;ides the con&s;ideration of the unbe|commingne&s;&s;e
<PB REF="3">of &s;o &s;en&s;uall a vice in &s;uch &s;ad and di&s;tracted times, wherein the judgments of God are in an extraordinary manner powred forth up|on us; this and other &s;ins, which this big-bel|lied mon&s;ter (as the en&s;uing Treati&s;e proves) dai|ly produces and brings into the world, I could not but among the throng of Books (with which the pre&s;&s;es have been a long time oppre&s;&s;ed) but expo&s;e the&s;e few &s;heets to the publique view, which although it containe not in it matter of Newes, (a thing much &s;ought after) yet the &s;ub|ject having not lately been treated of, may af|foord new matter to the itching eares of many Athenians, and I doubt not but will find accep|tance with all ingenious Patriots: I will not trouble you any longer with a tedious Inducti|on, lea&s;t I make too wide a doore for &s;o mall a &s;tructure; but leave it to your peru&s;all, hoping it may affoord &s;ome benefit to all hone&s;t Youth of the Kingdome in generall, and your &s;elves in particular; with whom I leave my poore endea|vours in this kind, and re&s;t.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your well-wi&s;hing Friend, <HI>J. P.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD>A Treati&s;e against Gaming.</HEAD>
<P>_IN this di&s;cour&s;e concerning gaming, my intent is not to condemne any kind of law|full recreations, as running, wre&s;tling, &s;hooting, and the like, which as they are nece&s;&s;arily u&s;ed for the refre&s;hment of the body, &s;o we find them no where condem|ned, in the holy Scripture, that therefore which is the &s;ub|ject again&s;t which I have at this time undertaken to write, is concerning the unlawfull games of Cards, Dice, &amp;c. or any other games which are carried by fortune or lot, (as we commonly terme them) becau&s;e that notwith&s;tanding they are forbidden by the Lawes of the Kingdome, and particularly in the Statute, 33. <HI>H.</HI> 8.9. whereby not onely the players at unlawfull games, but &s;uch as &s;uffer them in their hou&s;es are to be impri&s;oned, till they be bound over to play no more, yet &s;uch is the liberty that many take, that it is daily u&s;ed to the mi&s;-&s;pending of precious time, and the undoing of the mo&s;t precious &s;ouls of many hope|full young men. I have therefore publi&s;hed this Treati&s;e to the view of the World, which (I hope) may prove as a meanes to deterre &s;ome from this time and &s;oul-de&s;troying vice of gaming, and playing at Cards, Dice, &amp;c. &s;ince it is a vice which the Heathens them&s;elves condemned, even in their Princes, as <HI>Suctonius</HI> in the life of <HI>Augu&s;tus</HI> reports, that it was his greate&s;t blemi&s;h, that he was at lea&s;ure to play at Dice.</P>
<PB N="2" REF="4">
<P><HI>Chilo</HI> being &s;ent from the Lacedemonlans to Corinth, upon an Emba&s;&s;age, and finding the Senators of that City at cards and dice, would performe no part of his me&s;&s;age, &s;aying, he would not &s;o much di&s;-honour the Lacedemoni|ans, as that they &s;hould either make or meddle with &s;uch per&s;ons: were &s;uch games infamous among Heathens, how much more unworthy are they among Chri&s;tians&punc; that therefore I may the more clearely anatomize the horridne&s;&s;e and danger of the&s;e &s;innes, it would not be a|mi&s;&s;e to note unto you the great and un&s;peakable evills, which are procured thereby, which for method &s;ake I will handle under the&s;e &s;even heads, which I may fitly terme the &s;even con&s;tant Hand-maids or Attendants to unlawfull gaming, or if you will the cur&s;ed &s;pawne of this ba&s;e Har|lot, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. To begin with drunkenne&s;&s;e, the roaring boys of the&s;e our times, where can or will they find a fitter place for gaming then at a Tavern, in which place, whereas they game without wit, &s;o they will drinke without mea&s;ure: They will be &s;ure, although they empty their pur&s;es, by gaming, yet they will fill their bellies by &s;uperfluous bib|bing: although they go out of the Tavern lighter by ma|ny a faire pound, yet their heads are &s;o heavy, that they are like to &s;alute every po&s;t they meet withall.</P>
<P>O the horridne&s;&s;e of this new-fa&s;hioned vice of game|ing! which doth produce &s;o hideous a mon&s;ter as drun|kenne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>But there be tho&s;e in the world, which plead for drun|kenne&s;&s;e, as <HI>Lot</HI> for <HI>Zoar, Behold, is it not a little one?</HI> Ah, let no man be &s;o fooli&s;h, as to plead for this little great &s;in of drunkenne&s;&s;e, little in our owne &s;ights, but great and abominable in the &s;ight of God. S. <HI>Paul</HI> exhorts us to the
<PB N="3" REF="4">contrary, <HI>Rom</HI> 13.13. &s;aying, <HI>Let us walke hone&s;tly,</HI> (or as &s;ome Tran&s;lations have it, <HI>decently) as in the day, not in rio|ting, and drunkenne&s;&s;e;</HI> why? becau&s;e drunkenne&s;&s;e is a deed of darkne&s;&s;e: <HI>Tho&s;e which are drunke are drunke in the night,</HI> 1. The&s;. 5. Wherefore, except it be avoided, it will bring us unto an eternall night of griefe, horror, and la|mentation.</P>
<P>Do but con&s;ider with thy &s;elfe, O drunkard, how much many a poore &s;oul wants the &s;nuffs, as thou terme&s;t them, which are powred on the ground carele&s;ly by thee.</P>
<P>What can&s;t thou tell, but when thou art in thy cups, God in judgement may &s;trike thee dead? O then in what a ca&s;e art thou!</P>
<P>A drunken man is uncapable of any thing that is good; but fit for all mi&s;chiefe. Mark what wi&s;e. <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Pro.</HI> 20. <HI>Wine is a mocker, &s;trong drink is raging; and who&s;o|ever as deceived thereby, is not wi&s;e.</HI> Againe he &s;aith, <HI>Pro.</HI> 23. Be not among&s;t wine bibbers: we mu&s;t not come in a wine-bibbers company, <HI>Salomon</HI> commands. Why? Be|cau&s;e the drunkard &s;hall come to poverty: poverty in this world, and in the world to come, except he &s;peedily repent.</P>
<P>O what poverty can be like unto this, to knock at the doore, &s;aying, Lord, Lord, open unto us, <HI>Luke</HI> 13. and he &s;hall make an&s;wer and &s;ay, <HI>I know not whence years, depart from me all ye workers of iniquity; there &s;hall be weeping and gna&s;hing of teeth,</HI> procured by this vice of drunkenne&s;&s;e, &s;prung from the loynes of gaming. Nor doe I &s;ay, that drunkenne&s;&s;e comes alone by gaming, but that it is <HI>Regia via,</HI> a high way to it: Wherefore, that we may avoid the one, let us fly the other, as two venemous Serpents, &s;eek|ing to &s;ting us unto death.</P>
<P N="2">2. Gaming produceth lying; for the world is now
<PB N="4" REF="5">growne to &s;uch an height of impiety, that there is no man almo&s;t even in very mercenary affaires will feare (for his owne profit) to tell a lye; but with game&s;ters it is grown a fa&s;hion, followed by every one of them. A lye, that is but a trifle in their account, &s;hall they loo&s;e their mony for want of a lye, that were a je&s;t indeed? O but let them look to it, lea&s;t they je&s;t away their &s;ouls by it: who is the Fa|ther of lyes but the Devill? we need to make no doubt, for Chri&s;t him&s;elfe &s;aid it, <HI>John</HI> 8.</P>
<P><HI>A lying tongue God hates,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Solomon, Prov.</HI> 6. and if he hate it, then woe be unto thee, who&s;oever thou art, which affecte&s;t it; it had better thou never had&s;t been borne. That God is a God of mercy it is mo&s;t true, but that he is a God of judgement al&s;o is mo&s;t certaine: God will create <HI>Adam,</HI> after his own likene&s;&s;e, <HI>Gen.</HI> 1. and give him dominion o|ver the fi&s;h, over the fowles of the aire, over the cattle, o|ver all the earth, and over every creeping thing which creepeth on the earth, and placed him in Eden.</P>
<P>But if <HI>Adam</HI> breake the Commandement of God, if <HI>A|dam</HI> does that which God hates, then he mu&s;t be thru&s;t out of Eden, to go forth and till the ground, <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.</P>
<P>God dealt fairely, kindly, and mercifully, with I&s;rael his cho&s;en people, untill that they did that which he hated, running a whoring after their own inventions, then did he deliver them over into the hands of their enemies who car|ried them away captive.</P>
<P>God loves man &s;o long as man loves God, but when man once begins to doe that which hee hates, then God powres forth his violls of wrath. God hates lying, wher|fore that we may &s;hun the effect, which is lying, let us a|void the cau&s;e gaming, for <HI>qualis cau&s;a, talis effectus,</HI> the Logician &s;aith, if the cau&s;e be good, it followes that ef|fect,
<PB N="5" REF="5">the end mu&s;t be good; but if the cau&s;e be bad, the effect mu&s;t be &s;o likewi&s;e.</P>
<P>A Lawyer, (an hone&s;t one I mean) if the cau&s;e be good, by pleading mu&s;t needs overthrow his Adver&s;ary, and &s;o the effect prove good al&s;o, but if bad, although all his Equivocations &amp; Fallacies, the effect (as I &s;aid before) mu&s;t needs prove bad: Wherefore that wee may not be tainted for Lyers, let us not be Gam&s;ters, <HI>For where the dead carkas is, there will the Eagles gather together;</HI> and &s;o, where common Gaming is, there is al&s;o common Lying, which produceth Swearing.</P>
<P>Thirdly, by Gaming comes Swearing.</P>
<P>After a company have beene Gaming together, tho&s;e which lo&s;e their mony when they can get no redre&s;&s;e for their lo&s;&s;e, their only ea&s;e is, to cur&s;e, ban, and &s;weare at the Cards or Dice: Nay, and before they Have lo&s;t their money, they are not Game&s;ters; if they have not a fit of Swearing, that &s;uch a one playes not faire, or that the other hath wonne farre more then he confe&s;&s;eth, for that they cannot doe by Lying, if it be po&s;&s;ible, they will by Swearing. I needed not to have made any di&s;tin|ction at all betwixt Lying and Swearing; for &s;aith an ancient Father. Swearing and Lying goe toge|ther; and proceeding further, he &s;aith, Therefore they which are u&s;ed to &s;wearing, doe very naught; and no doubt, but that Gods vengeance hangeth over their heads: And certaine it is, that he which is a great Swearer, is al&s;o a great Lyer.</P>
<P>O con&s;ider with thy &s;elfe O Game&s;ter, and con&s;equently Swearer, how thou offende&s;t thy
<PB N="6" REF="6">good and gracious God, who when thou wert in the gulfe of mi&s;ery, and ready for to di&s;cend into the deepe aby&s;&s;e of Hell. <HI>Joh.</HI> 3. <HI>He &s;o loved the world, that he gave his onely begotten Sonne, that who&s;o|ever beleeveth in him &s;hould not peri&s;h, but have ever|lasting life.</HI></P>
<P>In this &s;aith Saint <HI>John,</HI> 1 <HI>Ioh.</HI> 4. was manife&s;ted the love of God towards us, becau&s;e that <HI>God &s;ent his onely begotten Sonne into the world, that wee might live through him.</HI></P>
<P>Nor did he onely &s;end his Sonne to looke into the world, and no more, but he &s;ent him to dye for the world, and to be made a propitiation, for all our &s;ins: and yet for all this, wee with our roaring &s;wearing-Gam&s;ters pluck him from his throne of glory againe if it were po&s;&s;ible, by tho&s;e thundring Oaths.</P>
<P>O was it not enough that he &s;ufferd once &s;uch tor|ments, as the be&s;t of Orators wanted words to ex|pre&s;&s;e the~; but that Adamantine-hearted men, more cruell then the <HI>Iewes,</HI> for they crucyfied him but once, mu&s;t by their &s;wearing crucifie him dayly. Me thinkes I &s;ee the hard and flintie rocks to gu&s;h out in teares, and yet their eyes are dry! O hearke how &s;avage bea&s;ts of the field doe &s;eeme in their kind to lament and morn to &s;ee their ma&s;ters more bruti&s;h than them&s;elves! What &s;hall I &s;ay? &s;hall I tell the&s;e men Saint <HI>Iames</HI> admonition? <HI>Iam.</HI> 5. <HI>Above all things my brethren &s;weare not, neither by hea|ven, &amp;c. but let your yea, be yea, and your nay, nay, le&s;t yee fall into condemnation.</HI> I feare their hearts are &s;o hardned they will not regard it, nor all the rout of this bewitching Vice of Gaming.</P>
<PB N="7" REF="6">
<P>O God of thy great mercy open their eyes, and turn their reynes, that from the bottome of their hearts they may repent them of their wickedne&s;&s;e, &amp; be converted from this evill cour&s;e of Gaming, &amp; con&s;equently from that horrid &s;in of &s;wearing, which unto thee I know is mo&s;t odious and hate|full, let their <HI>yea, be yea,</HI> and their <HI>nay, nay,</HI> &s;o &s;hall thy Saints rejoyce, &amp; they hereafter to their com|forts, enjoy eternall happine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Gaming is the high-way to Adultery.</P>
<P>Lu&s;t is the Ring-leader of mi&s;chiefe, it is a bait of much evill, it is the Devils vaile which he often throws over mens faces to blind them in the way of igorance, it is that Diabolical &s;in which ne'r leaves man till &s;uch time it hath robd him of that glori|ous Diadem of happine&s;&s;e his precious &s;oule and his only Darling, it is that damned and bewithced &s;in that makes a &s;eparation between God and man, it is that Grand Champion which cau&s;es that &s;oul which was created glorious and delight&s;ome in the &s;ight of God, become mo&s;t dete&s;table and odious in his pre&s;ence. By this Vice the &s;oule is endange|red, and oftentimes with cruell ulcers and &s;ores the body is infected, and his means by Harlots &s;udden|ly wa&s;ted. Woe be to that man which &s;pends his time &s;o vainly, and con&s;umes his e&s;tate &s;o wicked|ly in this bo&s;ome-&s;in, which is the only &amp; read ie&s;t way to helli&s;h mi&s;ery and everla&s;ting Beggery, it is the cau&s;e their friends for&s;ake them, &amp; tho&s;e which are the Children of God to abhor and dete&s;t them. Nay, it makes their neighbours to &s;hun them, and very youth to deride them &amp; laugh them to &s;cora,
<PB N="8" REF="7">their kins folke doe de&s;pi&s;e them, and are very &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e and nice to drink with them; tis &s;o odious a Vice, that no good man regards them, it doth cau&s;e God to for&s;ake them, and if they doe not &s;peedly repent them&s;elves, and aske God mercy and forgivene&s;&s;e for &s;o damned a crime, the Devill will &s;oone take them, and who then is there able to deliver them? O the horridne&s;&s;e of this &s;in of Adulte|ry which is u&s;hered in by the damnable Vice of Gaming, which is a madne&s;&s;e (God he knowes) too much embraced by fooli&s;h and voluptuous worldlings, who doe, as it were, with ardent de&s;ire, &s;urrender or imploy them&s;elvs with every part and facultie of their bodies and mind to this &s;o dam|nable an Exerci&s;e, Gaming I meane. Which exer|ci&s;e is as a bait or &s;nare to entrap men in, to cozen and cheat them of the e&s;tate which their fore-fa|thers with &s;weatie browes &s;o turmoyled and la|boured for. It is as a Thiefe, robbing and &s;trip|ping them &s;tark naked of tho&s;e happy and cele&s;ti|all cogitation, which perhaps otherwi&s;e they would be indued withall, which would redound to the welfare both of bodies and &s;oules.</P>
<P>This Vice of Gaming, as I &s;aid before, oftentimes u&s;hers in the ugly mon&s;trous &s;in of Adultery, and puts us in mind of &s;trange women, who&s;e rowling and glancing eyes allure us to their owne wicked intents, of whom wi&s;e <HI>Solomon</HI> giveth us warning: <HI>Prov.</HI> 6. <HI>Lu&s;t not after her beautie in thine heart, nei|ther let her take thee with her eye-lids, for by meanes of a whori&s;h woman man is brought to a piece of bread, and the Adulteres will hunt for the precious life.</HI> Marke to
<PB N="9" REF="7">the 2 <HI>chap.</HI> 32 <HI>ver&s;.</HI> and there <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>VVho &s;o committeth Adultery with a woman lacketh und under&s;tanding, he that doth it, de&s;troyeth his owne &s;oule.</HI></P>
<P>Furthermore, Gaming, <HI>E&s;ca e&s;t malorum,</HI> a net of evils, in which oftentimes men are caught in. Gaming makes men carele&s;&s;e of their affaires, and heedle&s;&s;e of their e&s;tates for the pre&s;ent, and for ever after ruinous. It makes a man, as I told you before in the la&s;t particular, prone to &s;weare and for&s;weare, and in the eagerne&s;&s;e of their play rea|dy to bulke out &s;uch oathes, which are ready to teare the Divine E&s;&s;ence out of his &s;acred Throne of Glory: But e&s;pecially, this vice doth Dame Lu&s;t attend upon. This mighty darling &s;inne doth &s;till wait on that mans elbow who is given to the vice of Gaming.</P>
<P>A Game&s;ter, <HI>di&s;cruciatur animo,</HI> is troubled and perplext in his minde; his eyes are &s;till effemi|nate, his thoughts are incru&s;ed and inflamed after la&s;civious and wanton women, which are cater|pillers to devoure his e&s;tate, and Darling friend his &s;oule. Gaming doth often rob man of his &s;ilken robe of honour, and cau&s;es him to be clad|ded with ragges of much infamy and di&s;grace.</P>
<P>Though thou may&s;t by this exerci&s;e of Gaming flouri&s;h in <HI>primo juventutis,</HI> in the prime of thy age, and accumulate an e&s;tate, the vice being &s;o tempting, thou may&s;t before old dayes be decei|ved of thy former e&s;tate, and bring upon thy &s;elfe the &s;tate of beggery, as I &s;hall &s;hew anon.</P>
<P>O therefore, let all men as regard pro&s;perity in
<PB N="10" REF="8">this world, and eternall joyes in the world to come, for&s;ake this damnable exerci&s;e of Gaming, which hatcheth &s;uch a &s;erpentine Egge as Adulte|ry, which that all may, God of his great mercy grant; and thus I conclude Gaming as it is the high-way to Adultery.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Gaming is the high-way to beggery.</P>
<P>Gaming is the high-way to idlene&s;&s;e, and con|&s;equently to beggery: For I my &s;elfe have known many Trade&s;men, and others, which after they have taken a haunt of Gaming, neither can nor will finde the way againe to follow their lawfull occupations, but &s;pend the remnant of their lives in &s;loath; from a Dice-patron, hee becomes an idle per&s;on and a &s;luggard, to whom <HI>Salomon</HI> thus &s;peaketh, <HI>Prov.</HI> 6. <HI>Go to the Ant thou &s;luggard, con&s;i|der her ways, and be wi&s;e, which having no guid, over&s;eer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the &s;ummer, and gathe|reth her food in the harve&s;t: how long wilt thou &s;leep, O &s;luggard? when wilt thou ari&s;e out of thy &s;leep? yet a little &s;leep, &amp;c.</HI> By this we may &s;ee, that the wayes of Idlene&s;&s;e is want and poverty. Again, <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Prov.</HI> 13. <HI>The &s;oule of the &s;luggard (or &s;lothfull) de&s;ireth, and hath nothing.</HI> And again, he &s;aith, <HI>ch.</HI> 22. <HI>v.</HI> 5. <HI>The &s;lothfull man &s;aith, there is a Lyon without, I &s;hall be &s;lain in the &s;treets.</HI> No excu&s;e &s;hall be wan|ting to maintaine his idlene&s;&s;e, by which buildings decay, and hou&s;es drop down, <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 10. Idlene&s;&s;e &s;aith one, <HI>Radix omnium malorum est,</HI> is the root of all evill. <HI>S. Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Qui non laborat, non comedat,</HI> he that laboreth not let him not eate. After <HI>Adam</HI> had offended, it was Gods plea&s;ure that he &s;hould
<PB N="11" REF="8">not be idle; wherefore he &s;aith, <HI>Gen.</HI> 3. <HI>In &s;udore vultus tui ve&s;ceris pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ue,</HI> in the &s;weat of thy face thou &s;halt eate thy bread. And <HI>S. Paul</HI> &s;aith again, <HI>Magis autem laboret ut det indigentibus,</HI> let him la|bour the more, that he may have wherewithall to help the poore.</P>
<P>But alas! our Idle Gam&s;ters are &s;o far from that, as they will not work to &s;upply their own wants; what? &s;hall they which but lately had the world in a &s;tring, to have what they would, and do what they would, and command whom they would, now by any one be commanded? they frown if although a proud heart and a beggers pur&s;e agree not toge|gether: Content they are to live, although a dogs life, having hunger and ea&s;e. Work! no, they will rather &s;teale, which brings mee to the &s;ixt danger that en&s;ues by Gaming.</P>
<P>Sixtly, Gaming is the high way which leadeth to theevery: After beggery hath vi&s;ited a Game|&s;ter, he is de&s;perate and prone to all evill, but e&s;pe|cially theevery, although God in the 8. Comman|dement expre&s;ly commands to the contrary, &s;ay|ing, <HI>Thou &s;halt not &s;teale.</HI> And where the Comman|dements of God are broken, there can be no love to God, <HI>For if ye love me,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>keep my Com|mandements;</HI> as if he had &s;aid, It is not enough, to &s;ay that you love me, making only a &s;how of the &s;ame, but let me &s;ee it done effectually by keeping my Commandements; to &s;teale and keep Gods Commandements too, we cannot. Of &s;tealing Gaming is oftentimes a great cau&s;e. Doth Ga|ming
<PB N="12" REF="9">cau&s;e Theevery? O then flie it like a &s;erpen|tine Egge of the Divels owne hatching.</P>
<P>The Law condemns a Theefe in this world, and except God be mercifull, he is condemned al&s;o in the world to come. O who now then will not flie Gaming!</P>
<P>Seventhly, and la&s;tly, Gaming leads to eternall damnation (I meane &s;uperfluous Gaming) except the great mercy of God by &s;peedy repentance pre|vent it not.</P>
<P>Hitherto have I de&s;cribed the Devils new created champions, attending upon Gaming, and now (by the help of God) briefly, the dangers which hang over the head, except he &s;hake off this bewitching vice. It mu&s;t needs be granted by the precedent propo&s;itions, that it is a cau&s;e of breaking of Gods Statutes, and therefore it is flat di&s;obedience, a|gain&s;t which are many and great cur&s;es pronoun|ced, <HI>Deut.</HI> 28. <HI>He which di&s;obeyeth the commandements of God, cur&s;ed &s;hall he be in the City, and cur&s;ed &s;hall he be in the field, the Lord &s;hall make the pe&s;tilence to cleave unto him, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>But yet the dangers of this world are not com|parable to tho&s;e of the world to come, which &s;hall happen to the di&s;obedient: Here, they &s;hall bee only puni&s;hed corporally, there &s;piritually, except they &s;peedily repent, then &s;hall God blot out all their wickedne&s;&s;e out of his remembrance, which that all may doe, not onely Game&s;ters, but all others; God of his great mercy grant.</P>
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