# Profaning the day by idleness



## SRoper (Mar 21, 2007)

I have a friend who jokes that I take exception to the Westminster Standards on the subject of the Lord's Day because I usually take a nap on Sunday afternoons. She says that since I think taking a nap is OK, I think idleness is OK on the sabbath. I don't think that follows, but I'd like to know what exactly "profaning the day by idleness" means.


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## potters_clay (Mar 21, 2007)

I don't know that I have a definition of what "profaning the day in idleness" is, but I do have some great insight given to me by a professor. He said that "naps can most certainly be holy, so instead of meeting for class today, go home and take a nap!" I sure didn't think that was idleness then!!


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Mar 21, 2007)

I would say that to the extent the nap is taken for reasons unrelated to the health of the body, it is idleness; to the extent that it is needed for the refreshment of the body (ie., necessity), I see no profanation of the Sabbath in taking a nap per se. 

I generally understand "idleness" to mean those activities or time spent which is not consistent with spending the whole day in the performance of our duty to God, ie., in a slothful / indolent manner or with the goal of gratifying our own interests contrary to the calling of God. Idleness means sleeping in when we should be rising early on the Lord's Day above all days (for private / family worship, etc.), missing church without a good reason, sitting in front of the TV without a good reason, and other vanities. Taking a nap to refresh the body, not excessively, in proportion to our bodily needs (keeping in mind there is an aspect of keeping the Fourth Commandment which relates to how we spend our time the other six days of the week) is, or at least can be, not idleness but a work of necessity. 

Fisher's Catechism Q. 61:



> Q. 11. What are the sins of COMMISSION forbidden in this commandment?
> 
> A. The profaning the day by idleness or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about our worldly employments and recreations.
> 
> ...



Thomas Vincent:



> Q. 3. What sins of commission are forbidden in this fourth commandment?
> A. The sills of commission forbidden in this fourth commandment are, the profaning the Sabbath-day— 1. By idleness, when we spend the day either in whole or in part idly, neither working in our callings, nor employing ourselves in the duties of God's worship, but loiter away that precious time in our houses or the fields, either in vain and idle thoughts, or in vain and idle discourse, or the like. 2. By doing that which is in itself more grossly sinful; as if, inst e&d of going to the house of God to worship, we should go to the tavern or ale-house, on the Sabbath-day, and be drunk, or go to a base house, or in any house to be wanton and unclean; or if' on the Sabbath-day, instead of hallowing and praising God's name, and praying to him, we should swear by his name in our ordinary discourse, or take his name in vain; if instead of worshipping God with his people, we should persecute God's people for worshipping him, or rail at them or scoff and deride them, because of the holiness which is in them. 3. By unnecessary thoughts and contrivances about worldly affairs, unnecessary words and discourses about earthly employments, unnecessary works in our particular callings, or by carnal pleasures and recreations, which are lawful on other days; thus thinking our own thoughts, speaking our own words, doing our own works, and finding our own pleasure, are forbidden, Isa. 58:13: "Not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words."



John Willison, _An Example of Plain Catechising Upon the Assembly's Shorter Catechism_, p. 188:



> Q. How much of the day appointed for the sabbath is to be kept holy to the Lord?
> 
> A. One whole day in seven; a whole natural day, consisting of twenty-four hours, commencing from midnight to midnight, ought to be dedicated unto the Lord, seeing he claims a seventh part of our time. It is true, time for eating and sleeping must be allowed upon the sabbath as well as on other days, being works of necessity, seeing without these we cannot perform the duties of the sabbath.


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## Kevin (Mar 21, 2007)

Rest or a "nap" is not "idleness". The confusion arises because the meaning of the word idleness has shifted slightly in the last 400 years. Our modern western concept of idleness is informed by the way the word is used in our culture. Some of the most comman usages were unknown in past generations or they refer to events that were unknown.

For example probably one of the most common ways that we use "idle" today refers to the engine of a car (or any internal combustion engine) that is "on" but not "in gear". Because of this (now primary) usage of an engine "at rest" we conflate the meaning to refer to a person who is (actively) "resting". As Andrew noted above rest is a "necessary activity" so it is not (by definition) "idleness".

Idleness in the sense meant by the Westminster Divines was not rest but rather unproductive activity. A man who played cards and drank at the pub WHILE he still had work to do was guilty of being idle in this older sense. A man who interupted his labour to nap briefly then returned to his work was NOT engaged in idleness. A man who worked until dusk or until his task was done THEN went to the pub for a pint was NOT engaged in idleness.

This is one of the most common ways in which historical texts are misused and misunderstood. When we assume a modern definition for a word in use for many years we are engaged in "temporal provincialism".

In short what is in view in the WCF is the engaging in activities that are lawful at other times but unsuitable on the Sabath because the duties of the day are not yet complete, or the day is not yet over. I might be engaged in lawfull relaxation on Monday by watching TV with my kids after our days work is done, but I am engaged in idleness if I watch TV in the middle of a workday whilst I still have work to do. I am certainly engaged in idleness if I spend Sunday afternoon watching the last season of BSG on DVD. In both instences the "idleness" is created by the fact that I have another call upon my time. In the former instance it is my daily labour in the second it is the need to spend the Sabath in conformity with Gods word. If resting or "napping" are necesities that can, indeed must be done in order to finish you duty then they most certainly are not "idleness".


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## SRoper (Mar 23, 2007)

Thanks for the responses. I understood that idleness and rest were not identical, but I didn't know how to adequately explain what was meant by idleness.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Mar 24, 2007)

Fisher's Catechism gives another definition of idleness here:



> Q. 72.36. What is the evil of idleness?
> 
> A. It is a deliberate wasting of precious time, to the manifest detriment both of soul and body, Eccl. 10:18; and is a fit season for temptations to lust, Prov. 7:7, 8.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Mar 26, 2007)

Alexander Whyte, _An Exposition on the Shorter Catechism_, p. 181 (Q. 61):



> _forbiddeth...profaning the day by idleness_
> 
> 'Freedom from all occupation, both physical and mental and moral, is indolence, and thoughtlessness, and apathy, which cannot possibly produce that sanctification which is the ulterior aim of all human aspirations. The rest of God is our prototype; but God watches and rules, and is a perfect Spirit at all time; to approach Him is the end of the Sabbath; but mental and moral indolence would remove us from Him; and the Sabbath, instead of being the greatest blessing of mankind, would be its greatest curse' (Kalisch).
> 
> 'To rest and not to sanctify is to keep the Sabbath of an ox or an ass' (Nicholson).


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