Thou shouldest do nothing, but that thou wouldest have God find thee doing if he should come to judgement: wouldest thou have him take thee at dice? I am sure thou wouldest not have God see thee so vainly occupied: neither canst thou think, that Christ or his prophets, or Apostles, or Evangelists were Dicers, for no such lots are named in the holy Scripture, and yet the Lords day is most profaned with this exercise, cards and dice, as though they kept all their vanities to celebrate holy days, what hast thou to allege for dice, now evidence is given up against them? hast thou any patron to speak for them, but thy vain pleasure and filthy covetousness, which are condemned already, and therefore have no voice by law? take away these, and take away dice. The patron condemns the clients, when one voice condemns another: if the exercise were lawful, such patrons as pleasure and covetousness would not speak for it. Take thy pleasure therefore in that which is good, and the Angels will rejoice with thee: if this were good, God would prosper them better that use it: but neither winners nor losers are gainers. I know not how, but there is not so much won as lost, as though the Devil did part stakes with them, and draw away with a black hand, when no man seeth, for the winner, saith he, hath not won half so much as the loser hath lost. One would think that some of them should flow, when so many ebb: there is never an ebb without a flowing, never one looseth, but another winneth, but at dice. What a cursed thing is this that turns no man to good, which robs others, and beggars themselves? the school of deceit, the shop of oaths, and the field of vanities. Thou doest not only hazard thy money (in this game) but venturest thy salvation, and castest dice with the Devil, who shall have thy soul. For every ⟨image 18⟩thing that cometh well to a man, he giveth thanks, but for that which cometh by dice, he is ashamed to give thanks: which showeth, that in conscience that gain is evil gotten, and that he sought it without God. Can this be good when worst men use it most? if it were good, the evil would like worse of it then the good: but the more a man savoureth of any goodness, the more he begins to abhor it, and his conscience doth accuse him for it as for sin.
Thou shouldest do nothing, but that thou wouldest haue God finde thee doing if hee shoulde come to iudgement: wouldest thou haue him take thee at dice? I am sure thou wouldest not haue God see thee so vainely occupied: neither canst thou thinke, that Christ or his prophets, or Apostles, or Euangelists were Dicers, for no such lots are named in the holy Scripture, and yet the Lords day is most prophaned with this exercise, cards and dice, as though they kept all their vanities to celebrate holy daies, what hast thou to alledge for dice, now euidence is giuen vp against them? hast thou any patron to speake for them, but thy vaine pleasure and filthy couetousnesse, which are condemned already, and therefore haue no voyce by lawe? take away these, and take away dice. The patron condemnes the clients, when one voice condemnes another: if the exercise were lawfull, such patrons as pleasure and couetousnesse would not speake for it. Take thy pleasure therefore in that which is good, and the Angels will reioyce with thee: if this were good, God would prosper them better that vse it: but neither winners nor losers are gainers. I know not how, but there is not so much wonne as lost, as though the Deuill did part stakes with them, and drawe away with a blacke hand, when no man seeth, for the winner, saith he, hath not won halfe so much as the loser hath lost. One would thinke that some of them should flow, when so many ebbe: there is neuer an ebbe without a flowing, neuer one looseth, but another winneth, but at dice. What a cursed thing is this that turnes no man to good, which robs others, and beggars themselues? the schoole of deceit, the shop of oathes, and the field of vanities. Thou doest not onely hazard thy money (in this game) but venturest thy saluation, and castest dice with the Deuill, who shall haue thy soule. For euery ⟨image 18⟩thing that commeth well to a man, hee giueth thankes, but for that which commeth by dice, hee is ashamed to giue thanks: which sheweth, that in conscience that gaine is euill gotten, and that he sought it without God. Can this be good when worst men vse it most? if it were good, the euill would like worse of it then the good: but the more a man sauoureth of any goodnesse, the more hee begins to abhorre it, and his conscience doth accuse him for it as for sin.
