The Christian Sabbath defended against a crying evil in these times of the antisabitarians…

but in the second commandment of the second table only they are said to be permitted on the Lords day to signify, that the fourth commandment doth not enjoin them nor forbid them, in commanding rest from works on that day, and the ⟨p. 242⟩sanctifying of that rest. I do not doubt but that charity begins from it self, and the Scripture commands us to love our neighbour as our selves. And can we perform better love to our selves in advancing our own good, then by making The Sabbath our delight, to consecrate it as glorious to the Lord? As for the recreations, which are here said to serve lawfully to the refreshing of our Spirits; this appellation is very ambiguous, neither do I know any difference between the recreating of our Spirits, and the refreshing of our Spirits: yet here the refreshing of our Spirits is made the end of recreation. Again it were good to distinguish between recreation of the body, and recreation of the mind. I think the refreshing of Spirits pertains to the recreation of the body; mens spirits are natural and material things, and they are apt to be wasted first naturally: for as life consists in calido, in an hot matter, so heat is apt to spend and waste the matter wherein it is; and Spirits thus wasted are recreated, that is, repaired by eating and drinking. And thus provisions of victual are commonly called recreats. 2. Secondly they are wasted also by labour voluntarily undertaken, and these are repaired, as by the former way, so by rest also. And each way we are allowed to recreate our spirits on the Lords day; and as to allow such rest to our servants as a work of mercy, so to our own bodies also. But now a days many courses are called recreations, wherein there is found little rest; and the natural Spirits of man are rather wasted, and his nature tired; far more then the one is repaired, or the other eased. And when all comes to all, I doubt the issue will be, to stile the pleasures of our senses by the cleanly name of recreations. Now the Jews were expressly forbidden to find their own pleasure on the Lords holy day Es. 58.13. yet were they not forbidden all pleasure, that belonged only to such a Sabbath as was a fast; and therein indeed hypocrites are taxed for finding pleasure on that day Es. 58.3.

but in the second commandement of the second table only they are said to be permitted on the Lords day to signifie, that the fourth commandement doth not enjoyne them nor forbid them, in commanding rest from workes on that day, and the ⟨p. 242⟩