according to the Variety of these Talents and Diftributions, Men are actually dif pofed into feveral Callings, and Degrees, and Conditions, by the Providence of God, and in these they are to walk, or in these they are to exercise themselves. All this is affirmed or implied in my Text. Now that which I gather from hence, is, that if any Man do not walk, or do not exercise himself in fuch a Courfe of Life, or fuch a civil Employment, as anfwers the Ends of God's Distributions to him, and fuits with the Station and Degree he is difpofed into by God's Providence, but either follows no Calling at all, or, which is worse, gets his Living by an unlawful one; fuch a Perfon, I fay, doth not walk as God hath distributed to him, and therefore his Course of Life is not to be juftified. Every Man therefore must have a Calling, and every Man's Calling muft be of God's Diftribution; viz. it must be warranted by the Laws of God, and fuit with the Ends for which God hath made his Distributions, and appointed Callings in the World.

To speak more particularly: To the making up of a Calling, fuch as God hath appointed, there feem to go these three Things.

1. That the Courfe of Life, or the Employment that a Man pitches upon, be such, as will be fufficient to exercife his Diligence and Industry. If it be not fuch as will

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keep him out of Idleness, it deferves not the Name of a Calling: There is nothing fo contrary to the Nature of Man, as to let his Powers and Faculties ruft for want of Employment. Our Souls, next to the Divine and Angelical Natures, are the moft active Beings in the World. It is true, they are not all equally active in the fame Way, but every one, according to the proper Powers which God hath beftowed upon it, in the natural Compofition of the Man; and therefore, though Men have not only the Liberty, but alfo a Neceffity upon them, to employ themselves feveral Ways, yet every one is fo to employ himself, as to keep his Faculties in conftant Exercife, and to be able to give a good Account of his Time. And, in truth, if all other Things be equal, thofe are the best Callings, that a Man can follow, in which he hath the largest Sphere of Activity for the employing his Industry, and improving his natural Gifts and Talents; and in which he hath the best Opportunities of filling up all the vacant Interftices of his Time to good Purposes.

2. Another Requifite of a Calling, is, that it be fuch a Course of Life as doth employ a Man's Time innocently and lawfully; for otherwife, be it never fo full of Business, it is none of those Callings which God hath diftributed Mankind into, and therefore is by no means to be followed. Well,

Well, But what Callings are innocent, and what are not? I mean not to enter into a Difcourfe of particular Callings, or to arraign or pass Sentence on any one Trade or Art which is used among us: But I only lay down this general Rule for the judging of this Point, which may be applied to any Particulars, as we have Occafion. Any Calling that doth, in the Nature and Defign of it, either act Sin or encourage it; any Calling that doth directly minifter to Vice and Wickednefs of what Kind foever; that is not an innocent Calling; and a Man had better be reduced to the extreameft Degree of Poverty, than get his Living by fuch a one. But here I defire it may be taken notice of, that when I fpeak of miniftring to Vice and Sin, I put in these Words directly, and in its own Nature; for there may be feveral Callings and Profeffions which do indirectly and by Accident minister to the Vices and Sins of Men, which yet, for all that, are not unlawful Callings. For Inftance; Every Body knows that Taverns and Victualling-houses, and fuch like Places of Entertainment, are often used to the Purposes of Intemperance and Luxury. But then I fay, this Excefs is not a natural Confequence of keeping fuch Houses, or the Thing defigned by them; but it is a fubverting the Ends for which the Law allows them (which Ends are the Conveniencies of Men, and not their Debauches; VOL. V. K

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and therefore thefe are lawful Callings notwithstanding their Abuses. Only it extremely concerns all those who follow fuch Employments, to be as careful as poffibly they can, not to fuffer, much lefs to contribute to fuch kind of Irregularities. And as it is in this kind of Life, fo it is in many others; nay, I may fay in moft, by which Men get their Livings.

3. Another Requifite of an honeft Calling is this, that it be of fome Advantage to the Publick, and not merely for the getting a Livelihood. If any Man was fo foolish as to give another conftant Wages for picking Straws, or catching Flies, or doing fome other fuch ridiculous and unneceffary Work; I do not think it justifiable in that Man, who should employ himself this way, tho' it was for the getting his Bread. Here may indeed be no want of Work; the Man may take Pains enough, fuch as they be, in this foolish Way; and I cannot fee that fuch an Employment doth directly minister to Vice: But yet here wants fomething to make it a lawful Calling, and that is, Ufefulness to the Publick. A Man cannot answer it to God, nor to the World, for thus employing his Time or Labour, because he doth no Good; he ferves no End, either of Neceffity or Convenience, to Mankind; and confequently lives to no Purpose. These are indeed ludicrous Inftances which I have given: But for any

thing I know, there are fome Employments, about which feveral bufy themfelves, which ferve to as little Purpose as thofe which I have now mentioned.

But here again; When we fay that every Calling ought to bring in fome Advantage to the Publick, to make it an allowable one, my Meaning is not to exclude all Callings from being lawful ones, which are not of abfolute Neceffity to the Life of Man. No. I would put no Scruple into any Man's Head, who follows a Trade or an Employment, which is not fo very neceffary, but that the World might do well enough without it. For I account even thofe to be lawful Arts or Ways of living, which minister any way to the Convenience, nay even to the Ornaments, the Delights, the Recreations of Mankind; always fuppofing that these Conveniencies, or Ornaments, or Recreations, which they ferve, to be innocent in themselves, and no ways repugnant to the Rules of the Gofpel. But if they be forbidden Recreations, or for bidden Ornaments, then that Calling which serves to them, cannot be a lawful Calling. But then, having granted the Allowablenefs of thefe Callings, because they do in fome Degree bring Benefit to the World; (for even to minifter to the honeft Delights or Ornaments of human Life, is a Benefit :) it is fit that I fhould add this further, that thofe Callings are always more eligible

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