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

that under recreations are comprehended not only such courses as recreate, and refresh the Spirits, whereby men are made more fit for labour both of body, and mind, but also, (and that more principally intended as it seems) the pleasing of the senses, and especially the eye and the ear, and thus mens pleasures carnal pleasures are cleanly carried under the stile of recreations, and refreshments of the spirit, when they deserve rather to be called the tickling of the flesh. 2. here is no mention made of the end whereunto recreations tend which ought to be only to fit us either for the labours of our special vocations, or for the works of our general calling, as sauce is for meats. 3. Lastly under recreations lawful there seems to be no intention to acknowledge our conversing with God in any recreation; yet Aristotle could take notice of a pleasure taken in this that a man knows by curious demonstration, that a Triangle contains three angles equal to two right: such like thing was that which Archimedes rejoiced in, when ⟨p. 245⟩he cried out [Greek or Hebrew]. And Pythagoras as I remember, sacrificed a great sacrifice upon the finding out the equality of the square of the subtendent line in a rectangle Triangle, to the squares of the two sides. So a scholar takes delight in finding out by curious demonstration the squaring of a Circle, a thing confessed by Aristotle to be knowable, but the demonstration of it hath not been found until about fifty years ago, as Salmuth writes upon Pancirolla. Should any pleasure taken in any other worldly thing, be comparable to that which ought to be taken in the enjoying of friends, and their mutual communication? I have heard it accounted the best music; how much less should be all other pleasure in comparison to that pleasure which is taken in God,¹ who hath Rivers of pleasures in his house, wherewith to entertain us? not to speak of that fullness of joy which is in his presence, ²and at his right hand pleasures for evermore, Gods soul [Greek or Hebrew] takes pleasure in us: why should not we take delight in him? Is not all other rejoicing in comparison to our rejoicing in him a rejoicing in a thing of nought▪ ³