A94156:943
The Christian-man's calling: or, A treatise of making religion ones business. Wherein the nature…
The Christian-man's calling: or, A treatise of making religion ones business. Wherein the nature and necessity of it is discovered. : As also the Christian directed how he may perform it in [brace] religious duties, natural actions, his particular vocation, his family directions, and his own recreations. / By George Swinnock ...
London: printed for T.P., 1662
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
First, Mind moderation at them; remember thy recreation is not to be thy occupation; God made Leviathan to sport in the waters, but God made not man to play upon the land. Our time here is our pilgrimage, and therefore not to be spent in pleasures; The candle of our lives is set up, not to play, but to work by. Spinster is a tittle given ⟨p. 451⟩to our greatest women in our law language. A man that builds an house, will not make it very full of windows, for then it would be weak; neither will he make it without any, for then it would be dark. Recreations to our natural, are like windows to our artificial houses; Some are convenient, many weaken the building, and strengthen the Thief, who hath the more advantage thereby to Steal.
Fish that leap into the Air for their recreation, return quickly to their own element again; Beasts that play up and down in the Fields, in a short time return to their food. Recreation is like some pleasant house which we may call at, as we pass on towards our heavenly country, but must not stay, much less dwell there. Sir Francis Bacon said of Parliaments, in reference to the English body politic, That they are good purging Physic (to be made use of now and then) but bad diet-drink (to be taken constantly) the same may be said of recreations, If used in measure, they are helpful; if immoderately, they are hurtful. They are good sauce, but bad meat. 1Plato reproved a young man for playing at Dice; The young man answered him, For how small a matter do you reprove me? I but saith Plato, the custom is no small matter.
Fish that leap into the Air for their recreation, return quickly to their own element again; Beasts that play up and down in the Fields, in a short time return to their food. Recreation is like some pleasant house which we may call at, as we pass on towards our heavenly country, but must not stay, much less dwell there. Sir Francis Bacon said of Parliaments, in reference to the English body politique, That they are good purging Physick (to be made use of now and then) but bad diet-drink (to be taken constantly) the same may be said of recreations, If used in measure, they are helpful; if immoderately, they are hurtful. They are good sauce, but bad meat.