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1. St. John, as Cassian relates, amusing himself one day with a tame partridge, was asked by a huntsman, how such a man as he could spend his time in so unprofitable a manner. To whom St. John replied, "Why dost thou not carry thy bow always bent?" "Because," answered the huntsman, " if it were always bent I fear it would lose its spring and become useless." "Be not surprised then," replied the apostle, "that I should sometimes remit a little of my close attention of spirit to enjoy a little recreation, that I may afterwards employ myself more fervently in Divine contemplation." In the broad sense of the term, recreation must form an integral part of human life, which is made up of graver and lighter passages. Man's mind is so constituted that it cannot be always on the strain; so it seeks and finds a safety-valve in the lighter passages of life, through which its natural elasticity vents itself. Therefore if recreation is a constituent part of life, recreation must be capable of being sanctified.

2. Recreation is for the mind what sleep is for the body. No man's body could long endure the stress and burden of daily life without sleep. And no man's mind could long endure any mental pressure without recreation. It is wonderful what the body gains in sleep, and it is no less wonderful how much the mind may gain in recreation. That recreation is abused is no argument whatever against its possible utility. Sleep itself is not beneficial but mischievous if it be not well regulated. Consider —

I. THE PRINCIPLE BY WHICH ALONE ANY RECREATION CAN BE SANCTIFIED. Like work, it must be engaged in with a view to God's glory. Eating and drinking, the taking of nourishment, is a species of recreation. To take nourishment is to refresh the body, even as to take recreation is to refresh the mind. If then the taking of nourishment may be made conducive to Gods glory, and brought within the scope of His service, so also, without doubt, may the taking of recreation.

II. AS TO THE DIFFERENT FORMS OF RECREATION, the following suggestions may be offered.

1. Care must be taken that there may be nothing in them contrary to the will and Word of God.

2. It does not follow that because it is abstractedly innocent, it is therefore allowable. There are many amusements which to the pure are pure, but which with persons whose imaginations have been fouled by evil, throw serious temptations in their way. Let no man or woman for the sake of a paltry amusement venture within arm's length of a temptation. To do so were to turn into a mockery the petition — "Lead us not into temptation." If the circumstantials of any amusement are such as effectually to preclude secret prayer, the realisation of God's presence, etc., to us such amusement is forbidden, though Scripture may be silent upon it. Yet it is quite possible that our neighbour, whose mind is possessed of more recollectedness and self-control than ours, may partake of it innocently.

3. The more amusing amusements are the better, busy lives have not time for many; let such as are taken, then, be thoroughly refreshing. Yet what a perfect burden are many forms of so-called amusement! The ordinary recreation of ordinary persons very much resolves itself into conversation with friends or casual acquaintance. Yet how miserably stale, flat, and unprofitable much of it is! How often is foreign travel, one of the best and most intelligent forms of recreation, turned from a pleasure into a burden by the silly, scrambling way in which it is embarked upon!

4. Although anything like severe application would interfere with the end of recreation, it is very much to be wished that a good education embraced some knowledge of those lighter subjects of study, which, as they turn upon Nature, can be taken up and pursued wherever Nature is found. Nature is God's pure work, unsullied by sin; and therefore the study of it is a pure delight to those who love Him.

5. All excess in recreations must be avoided. They are not, and must not be, regarded as the earnest business of life.

6. Our longer periods of leisure should always be made to pay to God the tax of additional devotion.

(Dean Goulburn.)

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KJV: Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

WEB: Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.