The Law Unsealed: Or, A Practical Exposition of the Ten Commandments

Christian and Candid Reader,

THou seest that in this Epistle, which for the most part of it was written above two years ago, I have spoken a word of Stage-playes, prophane Interludes, Comedies, &c. at that time, and several years before, much in use amongst us; whereto I would now add a few words more, and deduce a little their infamous, idolatrous, devilish, and damnable Pedigree and Original, and give thee a brief account of the judgement of the ancient Christian Church about them; that the Actors in them, with the Patrons and haunters of them, may with the greater dissatisfaction reflect on there own by-past unsuitable and disconform practise, and that all others may for ever hereafter learn to fear, and to do no more so unchristianly: To which I am the rather induced, that the worthy Author of this Treatise, hath onely in passing made mention of them as a breach of the seventh Command, they being then utterly in desuetude with us, and it having not so much as once entered into his thoughts, that after so bright and glorious a Sun-shine of Gospel-light, the Generation would ever, let be so quickly, have so far degenerated, as to suffer themselves to be tempted to have any fellowship with such unfruitful works of darkness: I say then, that Stage-playes, in their several sorts, were prohibited, reprobated, and condemned, and the Actors in them appointed to be excommunicated by the Canons of several more particular, and of some general Councels (which Canons I forbear for brevities sake, to set down at length) as namely, by the fifth Canon of the first Councel at Arles in France, Anno 314. in the time of Constantine the Great; by the twentieth Canon of the second Councel held there, Anno 326. or more probable 389. as Fr. Longus a Coriolano reckoneth in his sum of all the Councels; by the fifty seventh, sixty second, and sixty seventh Canons of the Eliberine Councel in Spain, Anno 305. by the eleventh and thirty fifth Canons of the third (to wit, from Constantines time as Spondanus reckoneth) Councel of Carthage, Anno 397.

the very same with the thirteenth and thirty fifth Canons of the Councel of Hippo in Africk, held Anno 393. as Longus a Coriolano sheweth; who sets down the sum of the Canons framed at Hippo at the close of the Canons made in this third Councel of Carthage; by the twelfth Canon of the African Councel held Anno 408. where Augustine was present; the Canons of both which Councels suppose persons to have been excommunicated on this account, and provide for their reconciliation to the Church, in case of repentance and turning from these practises to the Lord; and by the fifty first and sixty second Canons of the sixth general Councel (called by some the fifth) held at Constantinople, Anno 680. the Canons whereof were renewed in that Councel held at Constantinople, Anno 692. which is called Quimsextum; these two Canons are very express and peremptory in this thing. And can any Christians warrantably, and without sin, recreate themselves with beholding such playes, the Actors wherein deserve to be excommunicated? what? is there no better, no more innocent and inoffensive way? or is this the onely or the best way to recreate men▪ to refine, sharpen, and polish their wits; to perswade and prevail with them to hate and flee vice, and to love and follow vertue; to acquaint them from History with, to impress on them the remembrance and to excite them to the imitation of, the noble and truely imitable actions of illustrious Heroes, and other great men; to breed them to a suitable confidence; to make them eloquent and fine spokesmen; and to help them to a becoming gest in all actions, places, and societies? the grave Seers, and great Lights of the Church, did never see any such thing in them; but on the contrary, have with common suffrage judged them to be the most effectual and compendious way to make men soft, dissolute, and sensual; nay, even in a manner quite to emasculate, if not to brutifie them; and have without any discord declared, that the lightness, lasciviousness, and leudness that in these playes were touched under, and covered over with such shreds and pieces of Learning, History, Eloquence, Invention, Wit, and Art, were thereby onely made the more dangerous;

and that Satan shewed his pernicious and pestilent policy not a little in thus tincturing, sugaring, and guilding these poysonable Pills, that they might go the better down, diffuse themselves the less sensibly, and operate the more strongly. And however some empty and effeminate, vain and vicious, Roman Emperours reduced such Playes, yet some of the gravest and soberest, manliest and bravest, even Heathen Emperours, did oppose and exterminate them (so that Guevara noteth it to have been one of the tokens and characteristicks to know a vertuous or vicious Prince of Rome by, to wit, whether he maintained Players, Jesters, and J◊glers among the people, or not) as did also many Senators, Christian Emperours, and well regulated Republicks, both Pagan and Christian; as unbeseeming exercises, and effeminate arts, which did much dishonour and corrupt the state, and as Seminaries of all vice and intolerable mischiefs in the Common-wealth: And no doubt, whatever good is pretended to be got in a Play-house, or at the Stage (hardly without a predominant mixture of evil) may be learned as well, as easily, and much more safely, if not more cheap too, elsewhere. As they have been thus forbidden & censured by Councels, so I say more particularly they have been very unanimously condemned by the Fathers, on these and other such like grounds; 1. As being a breach of the seventh Commandment, wherein a multitude of modern Divines writing on this Command, accord with them. 2. As being a conforming to, and participating with Pagans in their idolatrous and superstitious practises, expresly forbidden to the people of God in the Scripture; which put Cyprian despect. peremptorily to conclude, That the Scripture hath everlastingly condemned all sorts of such Spectacles and Stage-playes, when it took away Idolatry, the Mother of them, whence all these Monsters of vanity, lightness, and leudness did proceed. 3. As being cross to, and a practical renunciation of, the baptismal Vow of Christians, wherein they ingage to renounce the Devil and all his pomps and works, of which sort they account the acting and beholding popular Stage-playes to be.