Sabbath and Rest: The Puritan Sabbath: Delight, Not Drudgery

The Puritans took Sabbath-keeping seriously but understood it primarily as delight, not deprivation. The Westminster Confession (1646) teaches that the Sabbath is to be spent "in the public and private exercises of God's worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy." The Westminster Larger Catechism (Q. 117) says the Sabbath is to be sanctified by "holy resting all the day, not only from such works as are at all times sinful, but even from such worldly employments and recreations as are on other days lawful."

Yet the Puritans also taught that Sabbath was to be welcomed with joy. Thomas Watson (d. 1686) wrote in "The Ten Commandments": "God would have the Sabbath to be a delight. Call the Sabbath a delight. It is the market day of the soul. On this day the manna falls, this is the day on which God sets open His shop and bids us come and buy."

Practical application: Plan your Sabbath the way you would plan a holiday -- with anticipation and intentionality. Prepare food the day before so cooking does not dominate. Choose activities that feed your soul: worship, nature, conversation, reading, napping. The Puritans teach that Sabbath-keeping requires preparation and that the reward is genuine delight.