special calling, and singular extraordinary
dispensation: as Abraham's call to leave his own country for pilgrimage
in Canaan, Gen. xii. 1, 4, which is no warrant for popish pilgrimages
to the holy land, &c.; Abraham's attempts, upon God's special trying
commands, to kill and sacrifice his son, Gen. xxii. 10, no warrant for
parents to kill or sacrifice their children; the Israelites borrowing
of, and robbing the Egyptians, Exod. xii. 35, no warrant for cozenage,
stealing, or for borrowing with intent not to pay again: compare Rom.
xiii. 8; 1 Thess. iv. 6; Psal. xxxvii. 21; the Israelites taking usury
of the Canaanitish strangers, (who were destined to ruin both in their
states and persons, Deut. xx. 15-17,) Deut. xxiii. 20, which justifies
neither their nor our taking usury of our brethren, Lev. xxv. 36, 37;
Deut. xxiii. 19, 20; Neh. v. 7, 10; Psal. xv. 5; Prov. xxviii. 8; Ezek.
xviii. 8, 13, 17, and xxii. 12; John Baptist's living in the desert,
Mat. iii., no protection for popish hermitage, or proof that it is a
state of greater perfection, &c.

4. Some were only accidental or occasional, occasioned by special
necessity of times and seasons, or some present appearance of scandal,
or some such accidental emergency. Thus primitive Christians had all
things common, Acts iv. 32, but that is no ground for anabaptistical
community. Paul wrought at his trade of tent-making, made his hands
_minister to his necessities_, Acts xx. 34; would not take wages for
preaching to the church of Corinth, 2 Cor. xi. 7-9; but this lays no
necessity on ministers to preach the gospel _gratis_, and maintain
themselves by their own manual labors, except when cases and seasons are
alike, Gal. vi. 6-8; 1 Cor. ix. 6-13; 1 Tim. v. 17, 18.

5. Some were of a moral nature, and upon moral grounds, wherein they
followed Christ, and we are to follow them, 1 Cor. xi. 1; Phil. iv. 8,
9, and other places forementioned; for, whatsoever actions were done
then, upon such grounds as are of a moral, perpetual, and common
concernment to one person as well as another, to one church as well as
another, in one age as well as another, those actions are obligatory on
all, and a rule to after generations. Thus the baptizing of women in the
primitive churches, Acts viii. 12, and xvi. 15, though only the males
were circumcised under the Old Testament, is a rule for our baptizing of
women as well as men, they being _all one in Christ,_ Gal. iii. 28. So
the admitting o