The Christian-man's calling: or, A treatise of making religion ones business. Wherein the nature…

Secondly, Look that thine end in them be right. The end here will speak much to the specification of the act; thy recreation must be as sauce to thy meat; we eat sauce to sharpen our appetites to our food, and to make us relish it the better; so we must use recreations to whet our stomach to our callings, and to make them the more savoury to us. As music to the Jews did stir up their minds and prepare their hearts for holy performances; so lawful recreations may be used by us Gentiles, to fit us for the service of God in our general and particular vocations. The Saint by the comforts of his life may delight more in God the life of all his comforts; He may follow these streams so long till he comes to the fountain of living waters; He may conclude with himself, If recreations by the creature be so sweet, how sweet is communion with the Creator.

Secondly, Look that thine end in them be right. The end here will speak much to the specification of the act; thy recreation must be as sauce to thy meat; we eat sauce to sharpen our appetites to our food, and to make us relish it the better; so we must use recreations to whet our stomach to our callings, and to make them the more savoury to us. As musick to the Jews did stir up their minds and prepare their hearts for holy performances; so lawful recreations may be used by us Gentiles, to fit us for the service of God in our general and particular vocations. The Saint by the comforts of his life may delight more in God the life of all his comforts; He may follow these streams so long till he comes to the fountain of living waters; He may conclude with himself, If recreations by the creature be so sweet, how sweet is communion with the Creatour.

The Musician doth not leave his strings constantly wound up, but sometimes lets them down, and his end is, that when he goeth again to use his Viol, it may make the better Music. The wise Husbandman will not always cross-crop his ground but lets it sometimes lye fallow, and his end is, that sowing upon a Tilt, he may have the greater crop: So the Christian may allow his mind moderate release, ⟨p. 455⟩he may afford the ground of his outward man some rest; but his end must be, that when it comes again to be sowed, to be employed, it may be the more serviceable to God and his soul; and truly so by going back a little, he may have this advantage to leap the farther.