CHAP. I. Of the Nature and Kinds of Callings .

A Calling is some kind of Life to which we are called of God : Now all Christians are called of God to know and believe in him , to love and serve him , and at length , fully to enjoy him . And besides this Calling , and subordinate to it , God doth call every Man and Woman , as if he call'd them by Name , to serve him in some peculiar Imployment in this World , both for their own and the Common-Good . And hence ariseth ▪ that Distinction of a General , and of a Particular or Personal Calling ; they might with more clearness be stil'd , our Spiritual , and our Temporal Callings , but only ▪ that some , even Particular Callings ( as that of Ministers ) are conversant about Spiritual Matters , tho they are distinct enough from our Christian Calling .

Our General or Spiritual Calling then , is whereby a Person is called of God to believe and obey the Gospel ; which , being revealed under the Notion of a Covenant of Grace , is named Vocatio ad Foedus . And this , when the Word is accompanied with the Spirit , is Effectual Calling , and leads to Salvation ; according to that , 2 Tim. 1. 9. Who hath saved us , and called us with an holy Calling . But here I shall discourse no more of this , save only to note , wherefore it is term'd our General Calling ; namely , because this is common to All Christians , requires of All the same Duties , assures to All the same Promises , and obliges All to the same Conditions : So that , as no Man may undertake any Particular Calling that is inconsistent with his General ; so in case of Competition in any Instance of present Duty , that must humbly give place to this ; for every Man ought to manage his Temporal Calling in Subordination to his Spiritual , and must remember , that , in the throng of all his Business , he is a Christian .

A Particular , or Temporal Calling is a setled Imployment in some special Business of God's Appointment , for our own and others good : And this is term'd , Vocatio ad Vitae institutum , vel ad munus : The former and this latter are both elegantly mention'd in one Verse , 1 Cor. 7. 20. Let every Man abide in the same [ earthly ] Calling , wherein he was called [ by his heavenly Calling . ] No Man should think , that God likes him either the better or the worse , meerly for his outward Calling ; and therefore let every Man contentedly abide in the same Earthly Calling , provided it be a lawful one , wherein his Heavenly Calling found him .

In the abovesaid Description , consider , 1. The Author of a Particular Calling , which is God . So the Apostle , 1 Cor. 7. 17. But as God hath distributed to every Man ; as the Lord hath called every one , so let him walk . Hence certainly these Imployments are named Callings , because every Man must be called of God unto them : He directs Men to them , he inclines them , he enables them for them . Now God calls unto them , 1. Immediately by himself : so he called Adam to be an Husbandman , Gen. 2. 15. Amos to be a Prophet , Amos 7. 15. Paul to be an Apostle , Acts 9. But this Method he rarely useth in these latter days . They that will pretend to an immediate Calling , must produce extraordinary Gifts and Qualifications , else it is but Conceit and Delusion . 2. God calls Men mediately by Instruments , such as Parents , Guardians , and in some cases Magistrates . By those that have a Right , either by the Law of Nature or Municipal Laws , to dispose of others , God doth as really call to this or that Imployment , as if he did it immediat●ly . For tho the Lord God , who hath sole Right and Authority over all his Creatures , doth never demise his Property to any other , yet he doth delegate Parents , and such Superiors , to act under him , and to dispose those that are under their Care , according to his Will ; and he ratifies all that they regularly perform in that behalf . There is besides , also an inward Call of God , which consists in Abilities of Body , and Mind , and Inclinations : of which more hereafter .

2. The second thing in the Description of a Particular Calling , is the Essence of it , which is a settled Imployment in some special Business . For it is not enough to be doing something sometimes ; no Man is so idle , but that he is sometimes doing : but a Calling is some constant Business , which fills a Man's time ; and it is requisite , that it be a Man 's own , his proper Business ; for we read of those that did not work at all , yet are called Busy-bodies , 2 Thess. 3. 11. whom the Apostle notes for disorderly Livers ; that is , they were busy Intermedlers in others Affairs , but did not imploy themselves in any constant Business of their own . And , 1 Thess: 4. 11. he exhorts them to study to be quiet , and to do their own Business . For the great Governour of the World hath appointed to every Man his proper Post and Province ▪ and let him be never so active out of his Sphere , he will be at a great loss , if he do not keep his own Vineyard , mind his own Business .

3. The third thing is the End of a Particular Calling ; the next End is , a Man 's own Good : That with quietness they work , and eat their own Bread , 2 Thess. 3. 12. A Man 's own Bread tasts pleasantly to an ingenious Man , tho never so course . Yea , a Person may design to gain such an Estate by his Calling , that he may live comfortably , that he may have whereon to live , and wherewith to give — Let him labour , working with his Hands the thing which is good , that he may have to give to him that needeth ; Ephes. 4. 28. Another End is the Common Good : For we are in this World , as the Members are in the Body , where each must be useful for the whole , and where each preserves its self , ( it 's true ) but 't is with regard to the whole . And therefore it is a brutish Selfishness to design no bodies Good but our own ; and that Proverbial Speech is very unchristian , if it be understood exclusively , viz. Every one for himself : No , as the Community hath need of thee , so thou hast need of the Community . And the Eye cannot say unto the Hand , I have no need of thee ; nor again , the noble Head to the poor Feet , I have no need of you ; 1 Cor. 12. 21. But the highest End of all , being understood ▪ tho not exprest in the Description , is the Glory of God . For , as of him , and through him are all things ; so to him must the Glory of all things be intended and ascribed , Rom. 11. 36. If the honest Tradesman desire a competent Estate , it is that he may live , not to himself , but to the Glory of God ; if he get any thing more , his aim is therewith to educate his Children so as they may honour God . In short , as the most religious Actions of an Hypocrite , being trac'd to the utmost , do end in self ; so the meanest Labours of a true Christian resolve themselves into the Glory of God . And so much for the Description of a Particular Calling .

The Kinds of Callings are diversified by the different Objects , about which they are conversant . For , 1. Some are imployed chiefly about the Soul ; as School-masters , Tutors in Arts and Sciences , and particularly Divines , which , tho they be often poor Trades , yet are always rich Callings . 2. Some are imployed only about the Body ; as Physicians , Chirurgions , Apothecaries , and all that depend on them ; tho these oftentimes have fair Opportunities , if withal they have but Hearts to suggest saving Counsel to their Patients Souls . 3. Some Callings are for Man's Subsistence ; such is the Husbandman , and the Tradesman : The Husbandman's Calling indeed concerns the Being , and the Tradesman's the Well-being of Man's Life . The Substance and first Principles of our Food and Rayment are conveyed to us by the Care and Labour of the Husbandman ; the Tradesman moulds and fits them for our immediate Use and Service . 4. Some again are imployed for Man's Delight and Convenience , as Musick , and divers other Arts , wherein also several Trades have some Concern . 5. Some Callings there are again , which are conversant about the Defence of Mens Bodies and Estates ; such as Souldiers , and all those Imployments that relate to Military Affairs . And lastly , some are imployed for the Publick Peace and Safety of Mankind , as Princes and Magistrates of all kinds and degrees ; whose Calling also is of God ; for there is no Power but of God , the Powers that be are ordained of God ; Rom. 13. 1.

And here let us make a stand , and behold ,

1. The Folly of Man in reference to what hath been said : 1. Of those that mind neither their Spiritual nor Temporal Callings . As for their general Christian Calling , they were born and bred in it , it is true , and so do profess it ; and if they had received their Birth and Education under Paganism or Mahumetanism , they had yielded up themselves to those Religions : For , as they have never searched into the Foundations and Reasons of Christianity , so they never study nor set themselves to the Practice of the great Duties of it ; but their whole business is to please their Appetite , and to promote their Interest in this World , and do wholly neglect the World to come : A lively Faith , sound Repentance , constant Holiness , Self-denial , and undissembled Love to God and Man , they are Strangers unto ; and some of them for Temperance , Justice , Patience , Friendship might go to School to Heathens ; and have only to support them a Form of Godliness , but in the mean while they deny the Power thereof . And the same Persons are equally mindful of any Temporal Calling ; that is , they no way promote the Good of Mankind ; they have Parts , but improve no Science with them ; have Strength and Health , but use no Art or Faculty ; Talents , but hide them in a Napkin . O how will these give account to the Judg of Quick and Dead ? Do ye think that he will never reckon with you , because he delays his coming ? Or , that he will be put off with the Story of your Extraction or Education ? You have Abilities to ridicule Religion , and to do Mischief ; you have Strength enough to drink , to hunt , to whore ; ye are only wise to do Evil , but to do Good ye have no Knowledg . Wo to you , if ye reform not ; ye have a long Arrear , and he that is gracious , and merciful , and slow to Anger , yet by no means will clear the Guilty : And therefore bethink your selves , grant your selves but Leisure to consider what ye have done for God , what for Mankind , and what for your own Souls ; and upon a serious Reflection you will find , that ye have been all this while asleep , in a pleasant foolish Dream , and that it is high time to awake to Action and Imployment ; who knows but that you may receive your Penny , tho you come into the Vineyard at the eleventh Hour ?

2. Their Folly is here taxed , that neglect either of their Callings . Perhaps they are very diligent in Reading and Hearing , in Prayer and Fasting , and do run from one Sermon to another all the Week long ; but do nothing in any Particular Calling ; they serve God , but serve not their Generation by the Will of God , as David did , Acts 13. 36. and as they ought to do : But these People live , as if they were all Soul , and no Body ; or as if they were born only for themselves , and for no body else . And if some of their Ancestors had taken no more care of them , than they do for Posterity , they must have fasted out of necessity , instead of fasting out of choice . Against such as these , holy Augustin wrote a whole Book of old ; who are but a sort of Secular Monks and Nuns , that forget the old Canon , 2 Thess. 3. 10. That if any ( let them be who , or what they will ) will not work , ( being capable of it ) they should not eat . On the other hand , there are a far greater number , that are very diligent in their worldly Imployments , that rise early , sit up late , and eat the Bread of Care , Labour , and Sorrow , but apparently neglect the Welfare of their Souls , and the Care of the World to come . No labouring to get Knowledg , Faith , or Holiness ; no reading or hearing of God's Word , or Prayer , but only such as is meerly superficial and customary ; busy at the Exchange at Noon , but sleepy in their Prayers at Night ; exhausting all their Strength and Spirits in their Shops , and quite heartless in their Closets and Families ; that live as if they were all Body , and no Soul ; or , as if after this short Life , there were not a far longer to come : yea , the very Sabbath , that Sacred Day of Rest , which should be a Delight , is a Grief to them ; and in their Hearts they cry , When will it be over , that we may to our worldly Business again ? yea , in that very Day , tho the Law doth bind their Hands from Labour , yet their Souls are filled with Cares and Contrivances about temporal things . But why do ye separate those Callings , which God hath joined ? what Blessing can you expect upon an Estate that is gain'd without Godliness ? or , What will it profit you to gain the whole World , and lose your own Souls ? You might work hard , and pray hard also : you may gain enough of both Worlds , if you would mind each in its place : whereas if you neglect the main , God may justly , as he hath frequently , rent away the Earthly , and lock'd up the Heavenly Riches , from those who value not a grain of Grace above a world of Gold . Trust him therefore who never deceived you , saying , Seek first the Kingdom of God , and his Righteousness , and all other things shall be added to you . Mat. 6. 31.

3. Their Folly is manifest , who respect not the Author of their Callings , to wit , Almighty God ; That seek not his Advice , that mind not his Blessing . It is most certain , that all Persons and Things are governed by the Providence of God ; that there is nothing so great , nor any thing so small , which is not directed thereby . Now if this be really believed , surely it concerns all Men in their weighty Affairs to have recourse to Him , to consult his Will , and to crave his Blessing ; else we neglect him , we make nothing of him ; and he may very justly neglect us , and be unconcern'd about our Welfare . Learn of Abraham's Servant , Gen. 24. when he went about his Master's Son's Affair ; how earnestly he craves the Direction of God in that matter , and how well he sped thereafter . Learn of Jacob , Gen. 28. when he set forth into the World , how he prays and vows , and how the Lord blest him exceedingly . And that Apostle who forbids distracting Care in any matter , commands , that in every thing , by Prayer and Supplication , with Thanksgiving , we make our Requests known unto God . Phil. 4. 6. How dare any then chuse their Calling without God's good liking , or rush into it without earnest Prayer ? On the other side , With what boldness and chearfulness may one proceed in his Imployment , when he can aver that he was called to it by God himself , who will therefore stand by him , and carry him through it ? Prov. 3. 6. In all thy Ways acknowledge him , and he shall direct thy Steps .

4. Their Sin and Folly is no less , that mistake the Ends of their Calling : Aiming therein only at their Wealth , Ease , and Honour ; and not at the Glory of God and the Publick Good , as well as their own Subsistence . The End is that which enobles or imbases any Action . A right Principle , Rule and End sanctifies every Step and Passage of a Man's Life ; but if any of these be wanting , the thing is spoiled . Grant the Calling to be never so lawful , yet if ye imbark in it with an eye only to Self , ye may get Wealth and Honour , but therein you have your Reward . You proceed herein but like prudent Pagans , who may be as Industrious , as Rich , as Just as You ; but ye do no way shew forth the Praises of him that hath called you out of Darkness into his marvellous Light . The Motto of Christians is , Rom. 14. 7 , 8. None of us liveth to himself , and no Man dieth to himself ; but whether we live , we live unto the Lord , &c. He that liveth only to himself , lives like a Beast ; he that lives to the Publick , lives like a Man ; but he that lives also to the Lord , lives like a Christian ; and that Man shall die to the Fruition of that Lord , to whom , and for whom he hath lived .

2. Behold the Wisdom of God : And that ,

1. In the Variety and Kinds of Callings , suited to the various Necessities of our Human Life . Hath Man a Soul ? there 's a Calling provided and sanctified for the Instruction and Salvation thereof . Hath he a Body ? there 's a Calling fitted for the preserving and restoring the Health of that . And then , his Body must have Food and Rayment ; how many Callings are ready to prepare these ? Some for the Head , some for the Hands , some for the Feet ; every Member almost hath a Calling to attend it ; some for Necessity , some for Delight , all for the Comfort and Welfare of Mankind .

And , 2. The like Wisdom in qualifying and inclining some to one Imployment , and some to another . One Man shall have a Fancy to travel , to fetch in Materials from abroad ; another shall delight in working them up at home ; this Man shall have a subtile Head , that a curious Hand , the other a brawny Arm ; Skill in one , Strength in another , Prudence and Care in a third , and all for the good of the whole . Just as it is in the Natural Body ; the wise God hath placed every Part and Organ in its proper Situation , and disposed them for their several Functions , and each is at Ease and Content in its place ; even so in the Body Politick , the infinite Wisdom and Goodness of God shines forth , in distributing to every Man his Function ; and in qualifying and inclining some to one Office , and some to another , for the general good of all . And his Providence is signal , in making Men generally pleas'd with their several Imployments ; as it is in Habitations , he that lives in the Champian , wonders how the Inhabitant of the barren Mountains can indure it ; and he that inhabits a sweet Air , admires how any can live comfortably among the Fens ; and yet so it is , each Man is inamoured of the place of his own Birth and Breeding , and sits and sings under his own Roof . And as the most ignoble Parts of Man's Body , do quietly and readily perform their Offices without Discontent or Envy at the rest ; so the Divine Providence hath most sweetly temper'd the various Minds of Men , to chuse and use , in this variety of Callings , what is most acceptable to themselves , and useful to the whole . And as any anomalous and useless Part of the Body , would be asham'd ( were it capable of Shame ) to adhere to the Body to no end or purpose ; so should that Man or Woman be out of Countenance , that is not in some Calling useful to their Generation : Which leads us to the second Head of Discourse upon this Subject , which is of the Necessity of a Calling .

CHAP. II. Of the Necessity of a Particular Calling .

I Proceed then , in the second place , to shew , That every Man and Woman , that is capable thereof , should have , besides their General and Spiritual , a Particular and Temporal Calling .

This I prove , 1. From the Light of Nature ; this teaches us , That every Man must endeavour to live ; that Sustenance drops not immediately out of the Clouds ; that it is unreasonable to live upon others ; that Motion is natural to Mankind , so that if Idleness were enacted by Authority , it is thought very many would pay their Mulct that they might work ; that Man is not only an active Creature , but he hath Brains and Strength , which were given to no Man to be useless ; and the very Pagans will addict themselves to some Imployment or other , for their own and others good . Hence Pharaoh's first Question to Joseph's Brethren was , What is your Occupation ? Gen. 47. 3. This instructed Jubal to teach Musick , and Tubal-Cain to be an Artificer in Brass and Iron , Gen. 4. 21. In a word , God's giving Men Hands as well as Mouths , tells us , that they who eat , should also work . And the Inclination and Aptitude to this or that Imployment , which the God of Nature hath put into Men's Minds , if they would observe and excite the same , is a plain Indication and Proof , that every Man should settle himself to be some way useful in the World .

2. From the Light of Scripture . And here we have ,

( 1. ) The Ordinance and Institution of God to Adam , both before and after the Fall . Before the Fall , when Adam was in the State of Innocence , yet the Wisdom of God chose a Calling for him ; Gen. 2. 15. And the Lord God took the Man , and put him into the Garden of Eden , to dress it , and to keep it . He was God's high Steward over all the Earth , and might , if any Man , have lived at Ease , yet was obliged to an Imployment . He that was greater , and wiser , and holier than any of his Off-spring , the second Adam excepted , must have a Calling . Let no Man therefore plead his Birth , Estate , his Parts or Graces , to justify an idle Life . After the Fall ; Gen. 3. 19. In the Sweat of thy Face shalt thou eat thy Bread , till thou return unto the Ground . He must into the same Calling again , tho he found more Difficulty in it than he had before ; as a broken Tradesman , that sets up again with a less Stock , in worser Times . And having two Sons , they were each of them fixt in a Calling ; Gen. 4. 2. Abel was a Keeper of Sheep , and Cain was a Tiller of the Ground . Tho they had the whole World before them , yet they had no Writ of Ease from a settled Imployment .

( 2. ) We have God's express Command ; 1. In the fourth Commandment , Six days shalt thou labour , and do all thy Work ; Exod. 20. 9. This [ Thy Work ] plainly implies , that every Man ( for every Commandment is given to every Man ) should have his proper Work or Business , which should ordinarily take up his time from Sabbath to Sabbath ; which is further prest upon all Mankind , from God's own Example , vers. 11. For in six Days the Lord made Heaven and Earth , which he could have done in six Minutes , but chose to fill every Day with Work , probably for our Instruction and Encouragement to the like Diligence . And , 2. We find Commands to the same purpose in the New-Testament , Ephes. 4. 28. — Rather let him labour , working with his Hands the thing that is good : that is , following some honest Calling . Yea , the Apostle , 2 Thess. 3. 12. doth command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ , that Men should with Quietness ( that is , without disputing or grudging ) work , and eat their own Bread . Let all idle and useless Persons consider , how they will answer these plain Injunctions at their Peril . Add to this the sharp Reproofs we find in Scripture upon the Neglecters hereof . When Hagar , Gen. 16. 8. had quit her Imployment , the Angel meets her with , Hagar , Sarah ' s Maid , whence comest thou ? and whither wilt thou go ? And in the next Verse , sends her home to her uncomfortable Calling again . And the Apostle 2 Thess. 3. 11. calls such as work not at all , disorderly People , and such as ought to be sharply admonished ; yea , Verse 6. commands them in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ , to withdraw from every such disorderly Person : So that 't is no trivial Fault in a Man or Woman to live without a Calling .

( 3. ) We have in Scripture the Example of our Saviour himself . When Almighty God has but one Son in the World , he bestowed him in a Calling , he made him a Preacher . And before his entrance upon his Ministerial Imployment , it is highly probable , that he labour'd with his supposed Father Joseph , in the Carpenters Trade : For tho in Mat. 13. 55. the People stil'd him the Carpenter's Son , yet in Mark 6. 3. they plainly ask'd , Is not this the Carpenter , the Son of Mary ? &c. And if our Saviour Christ , in whom the Fulness of the Godhead dwelt ▪ bodily , stooped to an ordinary Calling , that he might fulfil all Righteousness ; how dare any that are called by his Name , disdain or refuse some settled Imployment ? And we sind the Apostles themselves , not only ▪ chosen to that glorious Office out of their respective Callings , but even after the Death and Resurrection of Christ , they diligently return'd to the same , until they had their Commission given them to preach the Gospel ; as is evident , John 21. 2 , 3 , &c. Yea , the Apostle Paul , upon occasion , even after his entrance into his Sacred Function , abode and wrought with Aquila and Priscilla at their Craft , for they were Tent-makers ; Acts 18. 3.

3. We have the Light of Reason to strengthen . this Point , viz. That every Person that is capable , ought to have , besides their Christian , some Particular Temporal Calling . And that ,

1. In point of Justice and Equity . Justice (1) to a Man's Self ; he that is useless in the World , steals from himself ; and hereupon this Duty falls under the Eighth Commandment , which saith , Thou shalt not steal . Which condemns all such Omissions , as turn to the prejudice of ones self in his outward Estate ; and certainly an honest Diligence in any lawful Calling , with the Blessing of God , would greatly encrease a small Estate , and enable a Man to live more comfortably himself , and more usefully to others .

( 2. ) Justice to a Man's Family requires it : For , If any provide not for his own , and especially for those of his own House , he hath denied the Faith , and is worse than an Infidel . 1 Tim. 5. 8. So that a Person without a Calling , so far robs his own Family ; for by his Care and Pains they might live more comfortably , and be disposed more happily . And the idle Parent is also a ready Copy for the idle Child to write after ; till at length , By much Slothfulness the Building decays , and through Idleness of the Hands the House droppeth through ; Eccles. 10. 18. And at last , Drousiness covers them all with Rags ; Prov. 23. 21. Whereas the Industrious Spinster is not afraid of the Snow for her Houshold ; for all her Houshold are clothed with Scarlet . She maketh her self Coverings of Tapistry , her Clothing is Silk and Purple ; Prov. 31. 21.

( 3. ) There is a Justice to the Poor . And neglect of a Calling disableth from that . Hence , Ephes. 4. 28. Let him labour — that he may have to give to him that needeth . God who hath given to you Eyes , and Hands , and Health , and Stock , intendeth and appointeth you to be helpful to those that have no Eyes , no Strength , no Health , or Ability to work at all . And no Man should murmur at this ; seeing it was one of our Saviour's Proverbs , recorded , Act. 20. 35. It is a more blessed thing to give , than to receive .

( 4. ) There is Justice and Equity in it in respect of the Publick ; it is good for the Common-wealth . And as every Member of the Body is useful to the whole ; so should every Person , who is ( as before ) a Member of the Body Politick , be serviceable to the common Good . No man should stand like a Cypher in his Generation ; but should so imploy himself , that there may be a want of him in the World . How many Trades have been at work to furnish thee out in Meat , Drink , and Cloaths every day ? and how unreasonable is it , that thou shouldst make no Returns to them again ? That many Rivers should daily empty themselves upon you , and that you should be like a dead Sea without any vent or use to them again ? Hence the Apostle gives this Order : Tit. 3. 14. And let ours also learn to maintain good Works [ or , as the Margin , profess honest Trades ] for necessary uses , that they be not unfruitful . The very Bees will drive out the Drones from their little Common-wealth . Indeed he deserves not the Protection , that adds not to the Welfare of the Publick .

2. The other Reason for every ones engagement in a Calling is in respect of Safety , and that ,

( 1. ) From Sin . For he that is fully imployed , hath not that leisure to sin that others have . Non vacat , hinders more than non licet . I have no leisure , restrains more than I have no leave . Satan with his Temptations hath a fair Mark at a Man that is unimployed ; as a Fowler hath at the Fowl that is sitting still : whereas the busy Man , as the Fowl upon the Wing , escapes many a Snare . 1 Tim. 5. 13. And not only idle , but Tatlers also , and Busy-bodies . It 's a rare thing to be meerly idle and no worse : an idle Head hath usually a busy Tongue ; and he that doth not what he ought , will commonly be speaking what he ought not . Hence S. Augustin's Wish upon those words in Timothy , Would to God , that they who hold still their Hands , would hold their Tongues also ! And spends a whole Book to shew the Sin and Mischief of an Idle Life .

( 2. ) There is Safety from Danger : For as he that is without a Calling , is liable to Satan's Temptation , so also is he from under God's Protection . His Angels have a Charge to keep us , but it is only in those ways which the Lord appoints to us . Psal. 91. 11. Every thing is safest in its place . If a Cross do befall a Man in his Place and Calling , he hath ▪ Comfort in it ; whereas those Disasters which meet with a Person that is not imployed , or ill imployed , have a double weight . Famous is that Instance of Jonah ; he had a noble Calling tendred him , but he had no Mind on 't , and away he flees : but a dreadful Tempest meets him , the Ship could not bear such a sinful Weight , and you know that never Man had such a fair escape as he had . Whereas Elijah and other Prophets were wonderfully saved from Dangers in their Calling , but no body is safe out of theirs . If Satan find a Man on his Ground , without God's great Mercy , he will do him a Mischief . And this you see is evident from the Light of Nature , of Scripture , and of Reason , that every Man should imploy himself in a Calling .

I can imagine but Two Objections against this Assertion . The first is , I have no need of a Calling , I can live without it .

Answ. 1. Tho you have no Outward Necessity to inforce you to take up a Calling , yet it may be necessary for you , in respect of your Soul , to prevent the Corruptions that are apt to breed there . The standing Pool is prone to Putrefaction ; and it were better to beat down the Body , and to keep it in subjection by a laborious Calling , than through Luxury to become a Cast-away .

2. Tho you have no need of a Calling in respect of your selves , yet it may be useful to others . If you have no Kindred that need your help , yet the Poor you have always with you : and you heard even now the Apostle appointing Men to work , that they might have to supply those that need .

3. Tho you have no need of a Calling , yet there is a necessity upon you by reason of God's Command before mention'd , that God who best knows what is fit and needful for all his Creatures . The Apostle Paul had no need to preach , in point of Livelihood ; yet upon this very account he says , A Necessity is laid upon me , yea , wo unto me , if I preach not the Gospel . So , tho you have no need of the World , yet the World hath need of you ; and therefore , why stand ye all the day idle ? go ye also into the Vineyard .

The other Objection is , I have no Ability , or Capacity for a Calling . One is sickly , another lame , another old , another blind , and what can such as these do with a Calling ?

Answ. 1. If by any of these Infirmities , you are wholly disabled , then God himself releases you ; and you have time to bewail your Neglects and Loss of Opportunities heretofore ; and a fit occasion to exercise both your Trust in the Providence of God , and your Patience under his heavy Hand . Time was , you could have done something if you would , and now you would be doing if you could .

2. You should bewail your present Unusefulness as a sore Affliction , and also the Sins that have brought it upon you ; and endeavour to imploy your selves some way , as far as possibly you can . None , except such as are under acute Sickness or Pain , but might be doing something for their own or others Good : and a willing Mind would break through small , yea , great Difficulties , rather than sit and signify nothing in the World . And so much for the Proof of this Proposition about the Necessity of a Calling , which may be improved ,

1. By way of Conviction and Reproof of three sorts of guilty Persons :

( 1. ) Of the Begging Friars , and such Monks as live only to themselves , and to their formal Devotion ; but do imploy themselves in no one thing to further theirown Subsistence , or the Good of Mankind . Some such sprang up of old , who us'd to plead the Sixth of Matthew against all wordly Care and Labour ; and who interpreted that of the Apostle , 2 Thess. 3. 10. If any Man will not work , neither let him eat , of spiritual Work and Labour : Which the Learned Augustin largely confutes by the Context . But what would he have said , if he had liv'd to see such swarms of Drones , dividing their time between a dull Chappel and a warm Refectory , covering a Life of Sense with a Vizor of Religion ? At the first , these People both pray'd hard , and labour'd hard , and not only maintain'd themselves , but help'd the Poor ; but they are since degenerated into a publick Grievance . And yet they have the Confidence to boast of this their Course as a State of Perfection , which in very deed , as to the Worthiness of it , falls short of the poorest Cobler , for his is a Calling of God , and their's is none .

( 2. ) This meets with Idle Beggars : A sort of People that live without Law , and without Gospel ; that are neither useful to the Publick Good , nor careful of their own ; but be like Wens upon the Body Politick , and Sinks of all Uncleanness . Happy for them , if fewer People spent their foolish Pity upon their Bodies , and if more shew'd some wise Compassion upon their Souls . If they be any ways able , doubtless they should be imploy'd ; if they be altogether impotent , certainly they should be pitied and maintain'd : but in the mean time they are wholly neglected by the Church , and the excellent Laws in force for their reclaiming , are generally disused by the Common-wealth .

( 3. ) This reaches all lazy Christians , of what Rank and Quality soever : That live like the Leviathan in the Sea , as if made only to play therein : what Account can you give at Night to your own Consciences ? What Account can you give at last unto the great God ? He that hath lent you Talents , hath also said , Occupy till I come ; Luke 19. 13. Your Strength is a Talent , your Parts are Talents , and so is your Time : How is it that ye stand all the day idle ? Why do you like those vain Athenians , who spent their time in nothing else , but either to tell or hear some new thing ? Acts 17. 21. What is Mankind the better for you ? What Gap do you stop ? Or , what miss will there be of you from off the Earth ? You are like Ministers sine Titulo , like wandring Stars that move in no proper Orb , to whom is reserved ( if ye reform not ) the Blackness of Darkness for ever . Object . Yea , but we do some good , this way and that . Answ. Ay , but are you in a Calling ? hath God called you to this lazy Life that you live ? Nothing will pass in any Man's Accounts , except it be done in the way of his Calling . Object . The truth is , I cannot work , as that sorry Steward said , Luke 16. 3. I cannot dig , to beg I am ashamed . Answ. I take not upon me to be Judg of Men's Capacities or Abilities ; but are you fit for nothing ? have ye neither Nerves nor Brains ? God is too wise and good to make any Man wholly unprofitable . Do not you render your selves useless , lest ye be dealt with like unsavoury Salt , which being good for nothing , is cast out and trodden under Foot of Men. Object . I cannot attain any Calling , I would be in an Imployment , but cannot meet with any . Answ. 1. See that this Disappointment be not a just Judgment of God upon you for your Negligence heretofore . Perhaps you have been unfaithful , or unthankful in your former Station ; and therefore God now justly keeps you out of his Service , and you are to be readmitted only upon your sound Repentance . 2. See that Pride or Sloth be not now the true Hinderance : Your Purse is too low for an high Imployment , and your Spirit too high for a low one . Or , it may be , you would have a Livelihood without any Labour ; you would injoy Plenty , but would take no Pains : whereas you should resign your selves to God's Disposal , and be contented to be an Hand , yea , a Finger , yea , a Toe in the Body , rather than to be an Excrescence and no useful Part of it . If they who make these Excuses , did want Bread , and Friends to supply them , they would soon throw away these Crutches , these lame Excuses , and fall to work .

2. By way of Counsel and Exhortation :

( 1. ) To Parents . Educate your Children for Callings , dispose them into some honest Calling . Isaac was a great Man , yet he disposed his Sons , Jacob and Esau , into several Callings . Our Kings themselves disdain not to be listed in some of the Trading Companies of the Great City . So was King James of the Cloth-workers , King Charles I. of the Merchant-Taylors , and King Charles II. of the Grocer's Company . The Turkish Emperor hath ever some manual Occupation , wherein he imploys himself . Why then should any of you neglect , or scorn to settle your Children in some fix'd Imployment ? Otherwise the Estates you leave them , will prove Fewel only that will feed their Lust , and at last consume them . And you of the poorer sort , who plead your Poverty in bar to this Command , do your Children an irreparable Injury , you betray your Trust , and implicitly direct them the way to the Gallows ; whereas by placing them in some honest Calling , they might come , as many have done , to be excellent Instruments in the Church or State , and great Comforts to all their Friends .

( 2. ) To Children and Youths . Get into Callings , as you tender your own Happiness here and hereafter . Rouse up your slothful Spirits ; imagine not that such noble Souls were given you for such worthless Lives ; mind your Books , and then you will be fit for something . Importune your Parents to put you into a Way ; consume not your greener Years in Sports and Trifles . Idleness is sweet , but the Bread of Idleness hath no Taste : Your Time wasts , and Opportuities are losing all this while . Others will step before you into those Professions which would inrich and adorn you . In your Races , he that stays a little behind , will hardly recover his lost Ground : Every thing is restless till it be in its place . He that is out of a Calling , is out of place . Therefore up and be doing , and the Lord be with you : Yet make not more haste than good speed ; for tho you should be resolute to have a Calling , yet you should take good Advice about the Choice of your Calling , which leads into the third thing to be handled , which is about the Choice of a Calling .