is to put them into a Capacity of doing more Mischief; of being greater Burdens and Diseases to the Nation, than they could have been without thofe Advantages. But what is all this faid for? To reproach the Gentry, and thofe who have Eftates? God forbid that it fhould the leaft enter into my Heart; but to awaken and rouze those who live idly and unprofitably, and to fet them upon ferious Thoughts, and ferviceable Employments. That they may live like themselves, be the Honour and the Ornament, as well as the Defence and Security, of the Nation: That they may put themselves into a Capacity of ferving their King and their Country, as well in Peace as in War: That they be useful to all who are under them, and all who are about them, in other Ways than by spending their Money among them: That they be hearty Lovers of God, and of his true Religion, and Patterns of Loyalty, Sobriety and Godliness to all those to whom the Influence of their Example doth extend.

(2.) But there is another Particular, to which I defire to make Application of the general Doctrine of Callings, which I have been infifting on. And I do it the rather, because I am afraid the Age we live in doth too much need it: It is, the Bufinefs of Gaming. I fhould be loth to fay that all Gaming is, fimply and in itself, unlawful,

or that even a ferious Chriftian may not fometimes, and at fome Seafons, use the common Games for the Relaxation of his Mind, and obliging and diverting his Company. No certainly; fo long as Play is ufed only as a Recreation, it is allowable; and the Reason is, because there is no Law of God or Man that doth forbid it, And if it be not forbid by a Law, the Use of it cannot be unlawful. But then every fober Man is to take care that this Liberty be. ufed with great Prudence and Caution; viz. that he do not let it exceed the Bounds of an innocent Recreation: for Inftance, that he do not fet his Affections too much upon it, or play with fuch Concern as to be put into a Paffion at his bad Succefs; that he fits not too long at it, nor comes to it too frequently; that he always prefers his neceffary Bufinefs before his Divertifements; that he fo order his Recreations of this kind, as that they render him the more fit to spend his other Time the more ufefully; and laftly, that he play not for Money, but Diverfion; at leaft for no more Money than what he can very well lofe without the leaft Difcompofure of Mind, and without the leaft Prejudice to his Family or Eftate. And it must be less too than he is willing to give upon a good Occafion, and lefs than he doth oftentimes bestow upon Objects of Charity: And laftly, when he does play for fuch little

Sums

Sums, it must be rather for the increafing his Diverfion, or the better Entertainment of his Friends, than for the fake of augmenting his Stock. Thus far I fay, and with these Restrictions, to use Play is innocent enough. But here is the Mifery; There is a fort of Men who even make a Trade of Gaming; it is their conftant Employment, whenfoever they can find out Company to their Purpofe; and they venture great Sums at it, even fuch as may endanger their whole Fortune, if they should prove Lofers. It is not their Diverfion, but their serious Bufinefs; and they purfue it as induftriously, as other Men do their neceffary Callings. And to fome indeed, this is their only Livelihood; for they have no other way of getting Bread for themselves and their Families. But this whole Thing, as thus practifed, is ftark naught, and abominable both in those who have Eftates, and in those who have none. And whofoever makes this his. Way of living, has a fad Account to make to God Almighty.

It is one Requifite of a lawful Calling (as has been already fhewn) that it be fufficient to employ a Man's Time and his Talents in a Way fuitable to the Ends for which they were given him. But can there be a worse Confumption of our Time, or a greater Abuse of our Talents, than to put both of them to no greater Use than

.

throw

throwing a Dye, or turning a Pack of Cards? To make any Calling lawful, it is required that it fhould not minifter in its own Nature to Sin and Impiety. But what doth more naturally minifter to thefe Purposes, than this way of Gaming we are speaking of: Or what doth more effectually tend to engage a Man in all forts of Crimes and Immoralities? Of this we need no greater Evidence than the undecent and impetuous Paffions of all Sorts, the execrable Oaths, and Imprecations, the Lyes, and Cheats, and Coufenages, and brutish Quarrels and Contests, that do infeparably attend the Trade of Gaming.

But further, What Benefit, or what Advantage, doth from hence redound to Mankind? (for that is another Thing we ought to be fatisfied in before we pronounce any Courfe of Life to be lawful) Why, if the Gamefters will be concluded by this, they are certainly caft; for there is nothing of Good, I mean of publick Good, can poffibly come from this Trade of theirs; but on the contrary, abundance of Evil of all Kinds; and that not by Accident, or through the Mifcarriage of a particular Perfon, here or there, but by direct and neceffary Confequence of the Thing itself. How many Men are undone for ever in their Morals, by being once dipp'd and initiated in this infernal Mystery? And as if damning their Souls were not enough, how many

thoufand

thousand Eftates have been broken and ruined? How many Families, Wives and Children, hath it reduced to the extremeft Degree of Poverty and Contempt ? Nay, what more expeditious Method hath ever been found out to bring a Man to an untimely End; whether by Poyson, or a Quarrel, or the Gallows? In a word, the Thing is fo defperate a Venture, that whofoever is once deeply engaged in it, there is little Hopes of his ever coming off without a grievous Wound, either in his Confcience or in his Eftate, if it be his good Luck to escape utter Destruction.

And after all, pray what is the Advantage Men propofe to themselves in running fuch Rifques as these? What is it which makes them venture fo defperately? Is it that it is great and genteel to game high? Why, among all Men, who either have Wifdom or Sobriety, or who love their Eftates, this is exploded as the most unaccountable Madness in the World. Is it the Pleasure of Gaming which tempts them? Why that is every whit as much gratified by playing for nothing, or for trifling Sums, as if they ftak'd their Eftates, their Wives and Children. Well then it must only he the Covetoufness of Money that makes them venture fo deep. This, I believe, is true, generally fpeaking. But then it were well if they would confider how wretchedly they defeat that Defire of Money, if it

fhould