A94156:955
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.
In general, recreations are then unseasonable when God and mens families are neglected; that they may be minded when to give them water, we are forced to make the Mill of our general and particular callings to stand still. O what a fool is that voluptuous youngster, who having no more horses then what is sufficient for his ploughing, will yet take one to hunt upon, and thereby cause the rest to be idle, and his business to be undone! But how mad is that person who, Esau like, is hunting, and thereby misseth the blessing!
In particular, our recreations are unseasonable on a Lords day, and in times of public calamities.
In particular, our recreations are unseasonable on a Lords day, and in times of publick calamities.
1. Recreation are unseasonable on a Lords day; Carnal pleasures must then vanish, and spiritual pleasures must take place: Our joy must be pure and heavenly on that day. It is an holy day, and therefore calls for holy delights; God inviteth the Saint on that day to his own table, provideth for him costly, curious food, and expecteth that he should come, and not bring along with him the worlds course fare. Observe the precept in the Evangelical prophet, If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable, & shall honour him, not finding thine own pleasures, then shalt thou delight thy self in the Lord. Is. 58.13, 14. Take notice, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; our ⟨p. 458⟩pleasures are such as flow from creatures; now the Wine which makes glad the heart of a Saint on a Sabbath, must be drawn from another Pipe. That which runs from the World, is too flat, low, and full of dregs, to be served in to the great King.