DireCtions about the Choice of [aflings. ::.-. §. 12• 8. Labour and diligwce do keep the 'mind upon a lawful emplrymCnt, and therefore keep out tnany d;;nncrous tcmptatimu, and keep the thqugbts from vanity and fin-: And alCo keef>eth OUf :vajn rvord1, and prefervcth the foul from many fins, which a life of id lends and floth cloth chcrilh: .·It hclpeth even unlearned perfons more effectually to rcllrain their thought! and words from fin, :~than the grcarefl knowledge and diligent watchfulncfs can do in an idle kind oflife. '. 9· I)· 9· Diligent labottr .mortifieth the Refit, and kcepeth under its luXurious inclinations, and fub– ilueth that pride, and luft, and brutifh fenfuality which is chcritbcd by an idle lifr. 9· 34· IC· Laftly, It is Gods appointed means forthe getting of our daily bread ; And as it is ·a mort teaU bu,tour to get our hre.3d our felves, than to rtceivc it by rhc gift of our friends or Parents) fo is it more comfort.2hle to a well informed mind. We may bell bdievc th.1t we have uur food and provi(ions in mercy, and that they !h:dl b:: blefi w us, when wt: have them in Gods appoint~ ed way: who harh faid, If .:my m:m rri/1 nr.t work..~ mitber fhould he C:Jt. 2 The.JT. j. §. 1 5· Din:Cl. 2· A1 l.lb~ur i1 thuJJtecrff.Jr)•, fo undcrftand bow medful a jlattd CaUing i1, f/Jr the Vireli. 2• right perfurmance of y~Ttr labours. AC.s!JiHg is a fbted ordhury courfe of t~bour. This is very need~ ful for rhefe Rcafons. I· Out of a Ca£'int! a· mans l:~bourJ are bur occafional, or wtconftant, and fo more time is fpenoin idlemfi than in l.Jb~m. 2· A man is befl:skilled in that which he is ufc:d to. 3· And he will be beft pravldtd for ir, with infiruments and necdfui~s. 4-.Thereforc he doth it bet~ ter than he could do an other work, and fo wrongcch not others, but attameth more the ends of his labour. ~·And he doth it mr.Jre eJjily; when a man unu[ed, and unskilled, and tmfurnijhed, tQyleth hirn{df much indoing little. 6. And he will do his work more orderly, when another is incontinual c\)nfUtion, and his bu!inefs knowc:th not its time and place, but one parr contradicts anmher. Thuefore fome certain Calling or TrJde of life is bell: for every man. 9· 16. Q\efi. 1. !11aynot a m.m have aCalling cOt![l)ling nf occafiowzl uncertain work.f l Anfw. He that fil!tjl. I. can have no better, may do thus : fo bt: it they are confYimt work,.J which he is able for: As a Footman may go ofvarious Errands, and a Dly-labourer may do m:my forts of works: But great variety will be a great inconvenience to him. ' ~· 17. Q!Jtft. 2· M.1y_a n;an IJ.Jve divers 1r~dn (lr CaL'ings at oHCt l Anf?'· Yes no dvubt, if J_r be for ~t.'f, 2• the common good, or tor 1115 own, and no mJury w any other; nor fo mconfifient, as that one Chall make him unfairhflil.in the other: ThenGod forbids it not. The Qucftion, ~F7Jethera m.m may ch.mge his Calling, l anfwcred before, Cb3p. 3· Dit'eCl. zo. ~· J8, DireCt. 3· 1hiftk not tbat a CaL'iug caH be lawful, wbm tbe 'W<Irk.. of it is fin 1 1torth.zt )OH or v· e{J. 3· )'O'Hr l~Jbour, or your g1Ji1t in a;t unl,nvfu! CaL'ing jh.11l be blejf. Anunlawful o~U is bad enough: But an Jr u11lawfitl CaVin(. is a lift of t,n : To make iin a mans Tradt, and JVr.n·k._, and Livi11g, is a mofi horrid defperate courfc of life. As mercinary Soldiers, thlt for their pay wtll fight agaihlt authol:ity, right or innoccncy. and murder men for half a Crown a day: and thofe that live by cheating, Healing, up" preffing, whoring, or by ref~.:tting fuch; or upon the fin of fuch ; or of Drunk1rds, G.1rnetl:ers, or other lenfual vices, which they knowingly and willingly maintain. 9 19. Dired. 4· Thin~ not tb.Jt becatt_[e a work,. i1 lawful, that tberefure it is l..:wful to m.:~e a Direa. 4· CaUing (Jf it. lt is lawful to jet~ji in time and meafure, but not lawful robe a Jeajler as a Trade of life. If in fome cafes it fhould prove lawful to aCt: c1 Comcedy or Traga:dy, it will not follow, that thcufore it is lawful to be by T rade a Stage plaJ•tr: If a Game at Cards or Dice may be in fome cafes lawful, it follows nor, thlt it is lawful to be a G"mejler by Trade. The like I may fay ot many others. 9· 20. DiceC'r. 5· It ii not 'hon~h that tht wor~ ofymr CaUi11g be lawful, nor that it bi neceff"ry, Vlrca. $• but you muft tak._e fpecial Care aljo thJt it be {afe, and not very dangerou1 to your foulJ. The Calling of aVinwer and Ale-feUer is lawful and needful: and yer it is £0 very dangerous that ( unlefs ir be in an exuaordinary place or clfc ) a man that ]ovcrh his foul fhould be loth to mc:ddle with it, if he can have a fafcr to get his bread by. They get Co little by fober people, and their gain dependcth fo much upon mens hn. that it is a conflant temptation to them td be the maintainers of ir: And frail man that can fo hardly fiand on Jirm ground, Chonld be loth for a little money to walk 1\ill upon the Ice, and to venture his foul in a life of fuch temptations : For its twenty to one but they willprevail. · 9. 2 r. DircC'r. 6. The firjt and princip,cl thing tobe intended in the choice ofa T,.de or CaUingforyour Virell. 6. fllves or children, ir tht fervict ofC!od, and the public~ good: And therefore ( C<eicris paribus) th:zt Calling which mo{l conduwh to thepubliclzgood ~ to be preferred. The Callings mofi ufcful ro the publici;_ good, are the Mag,ijlr,tes, the Paft.'JrSand Ttachersof the Church, Schoolrnafiers,Phyficions,Lawyers, &c. Husband· men, ( P!owmen, Grahers, and Shepheards): and next to them are Maniners, Clothiers, Bookfdlcrs, Taylors,and fuch other that are employed about things moO. neceffary to mankind: And feme Callings are tmpluycd about matters of fo little ufe (as Tobacco-fellers, Llce-{ellers, Fearher-makers, Periwigmakers, and many more fuch ) that he that may choofe better, 01ould be loth to take up with one of thefe, though poffibly in it felf it may be lawful. It is a great faristadion to an honefl: mind to rpend .his. liie i~1 do~ng the greaten good he can; and apri_fon and connanr calamity to be tyed to fPcnd ones hfem domg lmle good at all to others, though he ihould grow rich by it himfelf. 9· 22. DiteCT. 7· lf'"hw tr"o Callings equaUy cond1tce to tbe publicJt.. gaod, tind one of tbem bath the Virtli·l• ~~vantage of dcl~u, a11d the other iJ more adva · to your fi~~lJ, the !ater nu4f be prcferrtd: And n.xt. tn the pubhck gfJod, the fouls advam.zge )'vur chJzce: As fuppofe dut aLawyer were as pruht:ble to rh: pu~licll goad as a Divine, and that is t~c way to fn more wea}("h and honour; yet the S:Jcred C.r~ll~ng 1S much more defirablc for the beuehc of your foul!t: Becaufe it is 3n exce,d~ Mm_m • in~
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