You've got to love the Puritans. Despite all the bad press they tend to receive, their positive affirmations of life and enjoying all the good things God's world offers just keep coming up. Hear for example what Richard Baxter says:
God hath given us several senses that so we might enjoy the delights of them all (from The Saints' Everlasting Rest)
So, rather than withdraw from the world, Baxter (and his fellow Puritans) saw the wonderful intricacies in creation as a gift from our gracious God to enable us to enjoy Him further as we delight in His world. Sadly this has not been my common experience in contemporary evangelical circles here in the UK where often the concerns focus on saving souls whilst ignoring the delights of creation: the gorgeous taste of butter on toast, the wonderful smell of a freshly cut grass, the arresting sight of a snow covered mountain, the immeasurable warmth felt in holding one's wife or child, the comforting sound of a gentle running stream. This is not to say evangelism is not important - it is. Nevertheless all around us, are innumerable chances to receive the gift of Creation as a key aspect to what the Puritans saw as our primary calling: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
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