Direct. XVII. Lose not your resolutions or opportunities of doing good by unnecessary delays.—Prov. iii. 27, 28, "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee."—Prov. xxvii. 1, "Boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." It is two to one, but delay will take away thine opportunity, and raise such unexpected diversions or difficulties as will frustrate thine intent, and destroy the work. Take thy time, if thou wilt do thy service: it is beautiful in its season.
Direct. XVIII. Yet present necessity may make a lesser work to be thy duty, when the greater may better bear delay.—As to save a man's life in sickness or danger, when you may after have time to seek the saving of his soul. Not only works of mercy may be thus preferred before sacrifice, but the ordinary conveniences of our lives; as to rise, and dress us, and do other business, may go before prayer, when prayer may afterwards be done as well or better, and would be hindered if these did not go before.
Direct. XIX. Though, cæteris paribus, the duties of the first table are to be preferred before those of the second, yet the greater duties of the second table must be preferred before the lesser duties of the first.—The love of God is a greater duty than the love of man (and they must never be separated); but yet we must prefer the saving a man's life, or the quenching a fire in the town, before a prayer, or sacrament, or observation of a sabbath. David ate the shew-bread, and the disciples rubbed out the corn on the sabbath day, because the preserving of life was a greater duty than the observing of a sabbath, or a positive ceremonial law. And Christ bids the Pharisees, "Go, learn what this meaneth,—I will have mercy, and not sacrifice:" the blood of our brethren is an unacceptable means of pleasing God, and maintaining piety, or promoting men's several opinions in religion.
Direct. XX. Choose that employment or calling (so far as you have your choice) in which you may be most serviceable to God.—Choose not that in which you may be most rich or honourable in the world; but that in which you may do most good, and best escape sinning.
Is doing good or avoiding sin to be most looked at in our choice of callings.
Quest. But what if in one calling I am most serviceable to the church, but yet have most temptations to sin? And in another I have least temptations to sin, but am least serviceable to the church, (which is the ordinary difference between men in public places and men in solitude,) which of these should I choose?
Answ. 1. Either you are already engaged in your calling, or not; if you are, you must have greater reasons to desert it than such as might require you at first not to choose it. 2. Either the temptations to sin are such as good men ordinarily overcome, or they are extraordinarily great. You may more warrantably avoid such great ones as you are not like to overcome than small or ordinary ones. 3. Either you are well furnished against these temptations, or not: if not, you must be more cautelous in approaching them; but if you are, you may trust God the boldlier to help you out. 4. Either they are temptations to ordinary human frailties in the manner of duty, or temptations to more dangerous sin: the first will not so much warrant you to avoid doing good for to escape them as the latter will. 5. The service that you are called to (being supposed great and necessary to be done by somebody) is either such as others will do better, or as well, if you avoid it, or not. If the church or common good receive no detriment by your refusal, you may the more insist on your own preservation; but if the necessities of the church or state, and the want of fitter instruments, or any apparent call of God, do single you out for that service, you must obey God, whatever the difficulties and temptations are: for no temptations can necessitate you to sin; and God that calleth you, can easily preserve you: but take heed what you thrust yourselves upon.
A calling may be changed.
Quest. But may I change my calling for the service of the church, when the apostle bids every man abide in the calling in which he was called? 1 Cor. vii. 20.
Answ. The apostle only requireth men to make no unlawful change (such as is the forsaking of a wife or husband) nor no unnecessary change, as if it were necessary (as in the case of uncircumcision): but in the next words he saith, "Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather." He bids every man abide with God in the place he is called to, but forbids them not to change their state when they are called to change it, ver. 24. He speaks more of relations (of single persons and married, servants and free, &c.) than of trades or offices: and yet no doubt but a single person may be married, and the married must be separated; and servants may be free. No man must take up or change any calling without sufficient cause to call him to it; but when he hath such cause, he sinneth if he change it not. The apostles changed their callings, when they became apostles; and so did multitudes of the pastors of the church in every age. God no where forbids men to change their employment for the better, upon a sufficient cause or call.