Title: A Treatise of the Vocations, or Callings of Men, with the Sorts and Kinds of Them, and the Right Use Thereof (1603,1605)

Author: William Perkins

Publisher: John Legat, Printer to the University of Cambridge (1605); John Haviland, London (1631), and many other editions and translations.

Os Guinness acknowledges Perkins’ Treatise of the Vocations in his book The Call as the book ‘that first introduced me to the theme’.

This transcript is a truncated and abbreviated version of the original treatise, with many phrases updated to a more accessible modern form of English. To review facsimiles of the original, see Google books. This transcript is derived from Callings: 20 Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation. For a more complete and concise version see The Works of William Perkins vol. 10, edited by Joseph A. Pipa, Stephen Yuille - published on May 15, 2020 by Reformation Heritage Books.

1 Cor. 7:20: "Let every man abide in that calling, wherein he was called."

For the first: A vocation or calling is a certain kind of life, ordained and imposed on man by God for the common good. First of all I say, it is a certain condition or kind of life: that is, a certain manner of leading our lives in this world. For example, the life of a King is to spend his time in the governing of his subjects, and that is his calling; and the life of a Subject is to live in obedience to the Magistrate, and that is his calling. The state and condition of a Minister is to lead his life in preaching of the Gospel and word of God, and that is his calling. A master of a family is to lead his life in the government of his family, and that is his calling. In a word, that particular and honest manner of conversation, whereunto every man is called and set apart, that is (I say) his calling.

Now in every calling we must consider two causes.

And for this cause, the order and manner of living in this world is called a Vocation; because every man is to live as he is called of God. For look as in the camp, the General appoints to every man his place and standing: one place for the horseman and another for the foot man, and to every particular soldier likewise his office and standing, in which he is to abide against the enemy, and therein to live and die. Even so it is in human societies: God is the General appointing to every man his particular calling, and as it were his standing, and in that calling he assigns unto him his particular office, in performance whereof he is to live and die. And as in a camp, no soldier can depart his standing without the leave of the general; no more may any man leave his calling, except he receive liberty from God.

Again, in a clock, made by the art and handy-work of man, there be many wheels, and every one has his several motion, some turn this way, some that way, some go softly, some apace: and they are all ordered by the motion of the watch. Behold here a notable resemblance of God's special providence over mankind, which is the watch of the great world, allotting to every man his motion and calling, and in that calling his particular office and function. Therefore it is true that I say, that God himself is the author and beginning of callings....

Now as God is the Author of every calling; so he hath two actions therein.

First, he ordains the calling itself.

And secondly, he imposes it on the man called, and therefore I say, vocation is a certain kind of life, ordained and imposed by God. For the first, God ordains a calling, when he prescribes and commands the same, in and by his word: and those callings and states of life, which have no warrant from God's word, are unlawful.

Now God in his word ordains callings two ways.