Direct. IX. It is lawful and meet to look at the commodity of your calling in the third place (that is, after the public good, and after your personal good of soul and bodily health). Though it is said, Prov. xxiii. 4, "Labour not to be rich;" the meaning is, that you make not riches your chief end: riches for our fleshly ends must not ultimately be intended or sought. But in subordination to higher things they may; that is, you may labour in that manner as tendeth most to your success and lawful gain: you are bound to improve all your Master's talents; but then your end must be, that you may be the better provided to do God service, and may do the more good with what you have. If God show you a way in which you may lawfully get more than in another way, (without wrong to your soul, or to any other,) if you refuse this, and choose the less gainful way, you cross one of the ends of your calling, and you refuse to be God's steward, and to accept his gifts, and use them for him when he requireth it; you may labour to be rich for God, though not for the flesh and sin.
Direct. X. It is not enough that you consider what calling and labour is most desirable, but you must also consider what you or your children are fittest for, both in mind and body. For that calling may be one man's blessing, which would be another's misery and undoing. A weak body cannot undergo those labours that require strength; and a dull and heavy mind and wit, cannot do the works which require great judgment and ingenuity.[571] It hath been the calamity of the church, and undoing of many ministers themselves, that well-meaning parents out of love to the sacred work of God, have set their children to be ministers that were unfit for it; and many self-conceited persons themselves are ready to thrust themselves into that holy office, when they have some inconsiderable smattering knowledge, and some poor measure of gifts, overvalued by themselves, that know not what is required to so great a work. Be sure that you first look to the natural ingenuity of your children, (or yourselves,) and then to their grace and piety; and see that none be devoted to the ministry that have not naturally a quickness of understanding, and a freedom of expression, unless you would have him live upon the ruin of souls, and wrong of the church and work of God; and turn an enemy to the best of his flock, when he seeth that they value him but as he deserves: and let none be so unwise as to become a preacher of that faith, and love, and holiness, which he never had himself. And even to the calling of a physician none should be designed that have not a special ingenuity, and sagacity, and natural quickness of apprehension; unless he should make a trade of killing men; for it is a calling that requireth a quick and strong conjecturing ability, which no study will bring a man that hath not a natural acuteness and aptitude thereto. Thus also as to all other callings, you must consider, not only the will of the child or parents, but their natural fitness of body and mind.
Direct. XI. Choose no calling (especially if it be of public consequence) without the advice of some judicious, faithful persons of that calling. For they are best able to judge in their own profession. Never resolve on the sacred ministry without the advice of able ministers: resolve not to be a physician, but by the counsel of physicians; and so of the rest: for abundance of persons ignorantly conceit themselves sufficient, that are utterly insufficient; and so live all their days, as wrongs and burdens unto others, and in sin and misery to themselves.
Direct. XII. If thou be called to the poorest laborious calling, do not carnally murmur at it, because it is wearisome to the flesh, nor imagine that God accepteth the less of thy work and thee: but cheerfully follow it, and make it the matter of thy pleasure and joy that thou art still in thy heavenly Master's service, though it be about the lowest things: and that he who knoweth what is best for thee, hath chosen this for thy good, and trieth and valueth thy obedience to him the more, by how much the meaner work thou stoopest to at his command. But see that thou do it all in obedience to God, and not merely for thy own necessity; thus every servant must serve the Lord in serving their masters, and from God expect their chief reward, Col. iii. 22-24; Eph. vi. 6, 7.
Tit. 2. Directions against Idleness and Sloth.
What sloth and idleness is.
Here I must show you what idleness and sloth is, and what are the signs of it; and then give you directions how to conquer it. Sloth signifieth chiefly the indisposition of the mind and body; and idleness signifieth the actual neglect or omission of our duties. Sloth is an averseness to labour, through a carnal love of ease, or indulgence to the flesh. This averseness to labour is sinful, when it is a voluntary backwardness to that labour which is our duty. Sloth showeth itself, 1. In keeping us from our duty, and causing us to delay it, or omit it: and, 2. In making us to do it slowly and by the halves: and both these effects are called idleness, which is the omission or negligent performance of our duties through a flesh-pleasing backwardness to labour.
What it is not.
By this you may see, 1. That it is not sloth or sinful idleness to omit a labour which we are unable to perform: as for the sick, and aged, and weak to be averse to labour through the power of an unresistible disease or weakness; or when nature is already wearied by as much labour as it can bear. 2. Or when reason alloweth and requireth us to forbear our usual labour for our health, or for some other sufficient cause. 3. Or when we are unwillingly restrained and hindered by others; as by imprisonment, or denial of opportunity: as if the magistrate forcibly hinder a preacher, or physician, or lawyer from that which otherwise he should do. 4. Or if a mistake or sinful error only keep a man from his labour, it is a sin, but not this sin of sloth; so also if any sensual vice or pleasure besides this love of ease take him off. 5. If it be a backwardness only to such labour as is no duty to us, it is but a natural and not a vicious sloth. But involuntary averseness to the labour of our duty through indulgence of fleshly ease, is the sinful sloth or laziness which we speak of.
The aggravations of it.