(1) Faith.
Thirdly, those who practice injustice have the curse of God to follow them. Paul says that the unjust man shall never enter into the kingdom of God (1Cor 6.9). And Moses says that those who use false weights are an abomination to the Lord (Deu 25.15-16).
Look then, however many practices of injustice are used in any man's calling, so many bars and stops there are to keep him from the kingdom of God.
Lastly, let us mark what Paul says about himself, that in all things he had a care to please God in consideration of the terror of the 55 It is as if he had said, "I know in the last day that I must come to the bar of God's judgment, and there be tried for all the things I do; and therefore I endeavor to keep a good conscience in all the works of my calling."And in the very same manner, every one of us should stir ourselves up to the practice of justice, and to avoiding bad dealing in our callings. For at the last day, the bad practices of every man shall be made manifest, and we shall be judged according to what we have worked when we lived in the flesh.
Lord (2Cor 7.1).
So much for the two vices to be avoided in every man's calling.
B. The VIRTUES required of us in the practice of our callings are many, but two especially:
(1) Faith, and (2) Love.
(1) Faith. By Faith I mean not only saving faith, but another particular faith arising from it, whereby we must be persuaded that our particular calling and its works, are pleasing to God, and that He will bless them for Christ's sake. And whatever is not of this faith, is sin.Rom 14.23 When Noah is said to build an ark by faith (Heb 11.7), it not only means justifying faith, but along with that, another particular faith that flows from it. By this particular faith he was persuaded that the building of the Ark was a work acceptable to God,
and that he would find a blessing in it. And without this particular faith, no man can please God in any calling.
Now, there is a relation between faith, and the word: where faith is, there must be a word of God; and where there is no word, there can be no faith. And therefore, that the actions of our callings may be done in faith, we must have a word on which to build our faith. And this word is twofold: a word of commandment, and a word of promise. The commandment is that word of God whereby the actions of every man's calling are either expressly commanded, or at least approved. The promise is a particular word — either directly propounded, or gathered from the Scripture as a just consequent — whereby God has promised to bless the labors and works of our callings. And for knowledge of both these, everyone must labor in his place. The Magistrate must have a commandment from God in His word that must authorize him to draw the sword; and a promise of blessing and protection when, upon good cause, he draws the sword indeed. The Minister must have the same for his calling, and the man of Trade for his. And the one that does not have both commandment and promise, cannot possibly do the works of his calling in faith.
Now if any thinks this is strange and hard, let them consider what is done in towns and corporations. Men of the same trades have their
Wardens and Masters of their Companies, yes and decrees and ordinances to which they bind and conform themselves. Now, if men are content to bind themselves to their own ordinances, will they not much more yield themselves to the commandments of God, and walk in their callings according to them?
Again, when men thus live by faith, having regard to God's commandments, it causes them to do their actions in obedience. And when by the same faith they rest on the promise of God, it will make them cast their works on the Lord, and free them from disquieting and distrustful cares which pull the heart in pieces. And by this means also, they will ease their minds when they lie under the crosses that are incident to every calling since the fall of Adam: for in this promise we shall behold the blessing and goodness of God in the midst of our troubles. Just as the wood that Moses cast into the bitter