Neither Drones nor Drudges?

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davejonescue

Puritan Board Junior
"D. 6. Moderate your Pains in your Callings. Pains must be; Sweat, is required. But by Reason and Religion they must be measured. God's Laws be all Just and Good. Drones that will not work must not eat. He that is a sluggard in his work, is branded as Brother of the Prodigal waster, Prov. 18.9. Drudges, of whose Labour there is no end, and who bereave their Souls of good; who use themselves worse than God allows Oxen to be used; Treading out the Corn, and muzzling themselves; these are branded by the Spirit of God, as inconsiderate, absurd, and self-destroying fools, Eccles. 4.8. Diligent hands have the promise of being made rich: That is, Hands that be neither Drones nor Drudges, Prov. 10.4. The hand of the diligent maketh rich." - Daniel Burgess, 1645-1713 "Directions for Daily Holy Living"

Question: Is there a distinction to be made between labors of industry and labors of ministry? Though, I would not work "for a living" free of charge; I often enjoy being industrious for the kingdom free of charge. Is this what this quote means? That is, that a drudge is one who works to their own hurt by refusing payment of labors that should provide for their well-being, and, if one works to provide for themselves, is the work that one does outside of that provision still considered drudgery? I am leaning to the understanding it is not. My main example being that many churches, and church ministries are staffed by volunteers, and I have never heard volunteers being accused of drudgery, so that, post-provisionary work, in what we would call our "free-time" can be "sacrificial" instead of "acquisitional" since we already acquire our sustenance through our industriousness in non-sacrificial duties. The reason I ask, is because there are other Puritan quotes like this, and I am not sure if the Puritans had this idea that all labors must be for recompense, or that sacrificial industry was somehow seen as sinful?
 
In the Burgess quote, I'd have taken a "drudge" as meaning something like a workaholic - someone who is always just busy, too busy to find enjoyment in the ordinary moments of life (even in their work itself) and certainly too busy to care for their souls.

Voluntary ministry work doesn't seem to be in view in the quote. I'm not sure where I'd go for a Puritan view on this. Maybe the WCF idea of the fellowship of the saints? "... communion in each other's gifts and graces ... the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good" (26.2) and "bound to maintain a holy fellowship in ... performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification; as also in relieving each other in outward things, according to their several abilities and necessities" (26.3).
 
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