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

V. The Poverty, Servitude and worldly necessities of the most, do require a strict observation of the whole Lords day. Tenants, and Labourers, Carters and Carriers, and abundance of Tradesmen are so poor, that they can hardly spare any other considerable proportion of time: much less all their Children and Servants, whose subjection, with their Parents and Masters poverty, restraineth them. Alas, they are fain to rise early and hasten to their work, and scarce have leisure to eat and sleep as nature requireth: And they are so toiled and wearied with hard labour, that if they have at night a quarter of an ⟨p. 145⟩hour to read a Chapter and Pray, they can scarce hold open their eyes from sleeping. What time hath the Minister then to come and teach them (if we had such Ministers again as would be at the pains to do it?) And what time have they to hear or learn? You must teach them on the Lords day, or scarcely at all. Almost all that they must learn, must be then learnt.

V. The Poverty, Servitude and worldly necessities of the most, do require a strict observation of the whole Lords day. Tenants, and Labourers, Carters and Carryers, and abundance of Tradesmen are so poor, that they can hardly spare any other considerable proportion of time: much less all their Children and Servants, whose subjection, with their Parents and Masters poverty, restraineth them. Alas, they are fain to rise early and hasten to their work, and scarce have leisure to eat and sleep as nature requireth: And they are so toiled and wearied with hard labour, that if they have at night a quarter of an ⟨p. 145⟩hour to read a Chapter and Pray, they can scarce hold open their eyes from sleeping. What time hath the Minister then to come and teach them (if we had such Ministers again as would be at the pains to do it?) And what time have they to hear or learn? You must teach them on the Lords day, or scarcely at all. Almost all that they must learn, must be then learnt.

I deny not but in those former years, when the Law forbade me not to Preach the Gospel, the people came to me on the week day, house by house, and also that they Learned much in their shops while they were working. But, 1. It came to each Families turn but one hour, or little more in a whole Year (For about fourteen families a week so Catechized and instructed, did no sooner bring their course about.) 2. And our people were mostly Weavers, whose labour was not like the Plowman's, Masons, Carpenters, Carriers, &c. to take up their thoughts; but they could lay a Book before them and read, or meditate, or Discourse to Edification whilst they were working. But this is not the case of the Multitude.