To some parts the apostles were forbidden to preach, and from others to depart, shaking off the dust, &c. All the Lord’s corn must be sold according to the Lord’s ordinance.
Doth not even the common, civil market abhor and curse that man, who carries to market and throws about good corn against the owner’s mind and express command?—who yet is willing and desirous it should be sold plenteously, if with his consent, according to his order, and to his honest and reasonable advantage? This is the case of the true and false ministry. Far be it from my soul’s thought to stop the sweet streams of the water of life from flowing to refresh the thirsty, or the bread of life from feeding hungry souls: and yet I would not, and the Lord Jesus would not, that one drop, or one crumb or grain, should be unlawfully, disorderly, or prodigally disposed of; for, from the scorners, contradicters, despisers, persecutors, &c., the apostles, messengers of the Lord Jesus, were to turn and to shake off the dust of their feet: yea, it pleased the Spirit of the Lord to forbid the apostles to preach at all to some places, at some times: so that the whole dispose of this spiritual corn, for the persons selling, their qualifications, commissions, or callings, the quantities and qualities of the corn, the price for which, the persons to whom, the place where, and time when, the great Lord of the harvest must express his holy will and pleasure, which must humbly and faithfully be attended on.
Mr. Cotton himself choosing rather to sell no spiritual corn, than to yield to some ceremonies.
In which regard Mr. Cotton deals most partially: for would Mr. Cotton himself have preached in Old, or will he in New England, with submission but to some few ceremonies, as the selling of this spiritual corn in a white coat, a surplice? Did he not rather choose, which I mention to the Lord’s and Mr. Cotton’s honour, to have shut up his sack’s mouth, to have been silenced (as they call it) and imprisoned, than to sell that heavenly corn otherwise than as he was persuaded the Lord appointed? Yea, hath he not in New England refused to admit the children of godly parents to baptism, or the parents themselves unto the fellowship of the supper, until they came into that order which he conceived was the order of the Lord’s appointing?
In civil things nothing lawful but what is according to law and order. In England now, not persons fit, but also truly authorized, are true officers.
Again, to descend to human courses, do not all civil men throughout the world, forbid all building, planting, merchandizing, marrying, execution of justice, yea, all actions of peace or war, but by a true and right commission and in a right order? Is it not, in this present storm of England’s sorrows, one of the greatest queries in all the kingdom, who are the true officers, true commanders, true justices, true commissioners, which is the true seal? And doubtless as truth is but one, so but the one sort is true, and ought to be submitted to, and the contrary resisted; although it should be granted that the officers questioned and their actions were noble, excellent, and beyond exception.
The curse of death in Israel of old, is spiritual death, and spiritual cutting off, in the church of Christ and Christian Israel now.
I judge it not here seasonable to entertain the dispute of the true power and call of Christ’s ministry: I shall only add a word to this scripture, as it is brought to prove a righteous sentence of banishment on myself or any that plead against a false office of ministry. It is true in the national church of Israel, the then only church and nation of God, he that did aught presumptuously was to be accursed and to be put to death, Deut. xvii. [12,] a figure of the spiritual putting to death an obstinate sinner in the church of Christ, who refusing to hear the voice of Christ is to be cut off from Christ and Christians, and to be esteemed as a heathen, that is, a Gentile, or publican, Matt. xviii. [17.] Hence, consequently, the not selling, or the withholding of corn presumptuously, was death in Israel. But Mr. Cotton cannot prove that every wilful withholding of corn, in all or any state in the world, and that in time of plenty, is death; for as for banishment, we never hear of any such course in Israel.
Such as are excellently fitted to sell the spiritual corn of the word of the Lord, and yet find not their call to the ministry, are not to be put to death or banished.