The divine appointment of the Lords day proved as a separated day for holy…

5. And those Riots and Plays are injurious to the pious and sober persons who dislike them. For it is they that shall be made the Rabbles Scorn, and the Drunkards Song; Besides that the noise oft times annoyeth them when they should be calmly serving God. And they are hindered from governing and instructing their Families, while their Children and Servants are thus tempted to be gone, and their hearts are all the while in the playing place. Never did a hungry dog more grudge at his restraint from meat, than Children and young Servants usually grudge, to be Catechised, or kept to holy exercises, when they hear the pipe, or the noise of the licentious multitude in the Streets. I cannot forget, that in my Youth in those late times, when we lost the labours of some of our Conformable Godly Teachers, for not Reading publicly the Book for Sports and Dancing on the ⟨p. 117⟩Lords days, one of my Fathers own Tenants was the Town Piper, hired by the Year (for many Years together) and the place of the Dancing Assembly was not an hundred yards from our door; and we could not on the Lords day, either read a Chapter, or Pray, or sing a Psalm, or Catechise or instruct a Servant, but with the noise of the Pipe and Tabor, and the Whootings in the Street, continually in our Ears; And even among a tractable people, we were the common Scorn of all the Rabble in the Streets, and called Puritans, Precisians and Hypocrites, because we rather chose but to read the Scriptures, than to do as they did (Though there was no favour of any Non-conformity in our Family.) And when the people by the Book were allowed to Play and Dance, out of public Service time, they could so hardly break off their Sports, that many a time the Reader was fain to stay till the Piper and Players would give over; And sometimes the Morris-Dancers would come into the Church, in all their Linen and Scarfs and Antic Dresses, with Morris-bells jingling at their legs. And as soon as Common Prayer was read, did haste out presently to their Play again. Was this a Heavenly Conversation? Was this a help to holiness and Devotion? or to the Mortification of fleshly Lusts? Was this the way to train up youth in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord? And were such Assemblies like to the primitive Churches? Or such Families governed Christianly and in the fear of God?

5. And those Riots and Playes are injurious to the pious and sober persons who dislike them. For it is they that shall be made the Rabbles Scorn, and the Drunkards Song; Besides that the noise oft times annoyeth them when they should be calmely serving God. And they are hindered from governing and instructing their Families, while their Children and Servants are thus tempted to be gone, and their hearts are all the while in the playing place. Never did a hungry dog more grudge at his restraint from meat, than Children and young Servants usually grudge, to be Catechised, or kept to holy exercises, when they hear the pipe, or the noise of the licentious multitude in the Streets. I cannot forget, that in my Youth in those late times, when we lost the labours of some of our Conformable Godly Teachers, for not Reading publickly the Book for Sports and Dancing on the