The trades-man's calling being a discourse concerning the nature, necessity, choice, &c. of a…

First; Immediately, by his absolute Command or Inspiration; and so he discharged the Apostles upon our Saviour's Ascension and Mission of the Holy Ghost upon them; until they had that Commission, even after the Death and Resurrection of Christ, we find both Peter, and James, and John, at their old trade of fishing; Joh. 21. 3. but afterward they applied themselves to their Apostleship, and lived and died in that Profession. But no Man can now justly pretend to be thus released from his Calling; since it hath pleased God to forbear those extraordinary Methods of signifying his Will unto us, and hath remitted us to the Guidance of his Word and Providence Let no Man therefore pretend or trust to any Impulses, how strong soever, unless he can justify them by the ordinary Rules, which God hath left us to walk by. It was no doubt a strong Impulse ⟨p. 231⟩which drove Jonah to Sea, but it was directly against the revealed Will of God, and he sped accordingly.

Secondly; God doth mediately discharge a Man from his Calling two ways.

1. By the Hand or Interposition of Man; when it pleaseth him to invest some or other with Authority or with Power over a Person, and by such he is discharged of his Employment. Thus a Child, who is under the Government of his Parents, may lawfully leave his Calling, when he is so required by them, because he is not sui juris, nor is supposed to know what is best for him, in comparison of their Understanding. Thus a Wife may lawfully forsake the Calling, wherein she hath been bred; when her Husband finds any considerable Inconveniences therein, or needs her Assistance some other way: For, God hath invested the Husband with Authority to direct and govern his Wife, and she ought to be subject to him in every (lawful) thing. Thus the Subject, being called and advanced by his Prince to some place of honourable Trust, may lawfully leave his former Calling, because this is supposed to tend more to the Public Good. In like manner, when a Man is put into Restraint or Prison, either by the Magistrate, or by the Suit of his Adversary, he is so long at least discharged from his former Calling, and possibly made incapable thereby from ever following it again. There may other such like Instances perhaps be given, wherein it may be unquestionably lawful for a Man to leave his Calling; which yet must