Rules Concerning Selling Commodities.
1. IF you would not transgress Scripture rules in selling Commodities; then in the first place do not multiply words in sel∣ling; the Scripture affords many examples for this, as in Gen. 23.15. Abraham, as I told you before, when he was to buy the cave of Mach∣pelah, of Ephron, he told him that it was worth four hundred shekels of silver, and Abraham presently gave him so much currant monie with the merchant: And so God Himself takes upon Him to be a seller, in Zech. 11.12. if you think good, saith God, Give me my price; if not, forbear; multiplicity of words is needless; In a multitude of words (saith Solomon) there is sin: Men should not lavish and frolick in a shop.
2. Do not commend and over-praise a com∣modity, when you know in your conscience. that there is a fault in it! this is a vicious carriage in the seller, when he shall use abundance of fine words to set out a Commodity when it is not good. As the buyer should not discommend a Commodity when it is good; so should not the seller over-praise and commend a Commodity, when it is naught.
3. Do not sell thy Commodities by false weights nor by false measures; do not keep a de∣ceitful ballance, or a deceitful measure; this is condemned in Amos. 8.5. They make the E∣phah small, and the Shekel great, and falsifie the ••••••••ances by deceit: and so in the 20. of Prov. 10. Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike an abomination unto the Lord. Now, this is spoken, not that the weights and measures in themselves are ane abomination to the Lord, but only those men that do use, and keep, and sell by those weights and measures; and therefore the Lord gave a special law for this, to all that did follow trades in Israel, in Deut. 25.14, 15. saith God there, Thou shalt not have in thy house diverse measures, a great and a small, that is, a great measure to buy by and a small one to sell by; Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small, but thou shalt have a perfect and a just weight, and a perfect and a just measure shalt thou have, that thy dayes may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee; and so in Micah. 6.10. Is there yet, saith God, the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wic∣ked, and the scant measure, which is an abomi∣nation unto the Lord.
4. You are to make conscience in selling a Commodity, not only that you do not speak falsly, but also that you do not speak in an equi∣vocating manner: It is an observation that Luther hath upon these words, Let no man de∣fraud his Brother, saith he, there are many Shop-keepers, that will not lye, but they will equivocat, very much: you shall have a Trads∣man, to sell off a Commodity he will get a part∣ner with him, and he shall offer him so much for a Commodity, and then he will tell the next man that comes for that Commodity, that there was one offered him so much for it but even now; and then they will say likewise, it cost me so much, when it may be they had other things with it of a greater value and price, and it may be they had a great deal of time given them to pay for it, Whereas the buyer payes ready mo∣ney; and many other equivocating words they use, which is as bad as lying.
5. In selling a Commodity, do not work upon the ignorance or simplicity of the man that comes to buy the Commodity; but if you discern him to be unskilful, rather use him the better, than the worse; in Zepha. 1.9. sayes God there, In the same day also will I punish all those young men, that leap on the threshold, which fill their maisters houses with violence and deceit? and so in 1 Thes. 4.6. Let no man (saves the Apostle) go beyond or defraud his brother in any matter, for the Lord is the avenger of all such; and so in 2 Pet. 2, 3. And through covetousnesse shall they with fained words make merchandise of you, whose judgement lingereth not. When men shall work upon the ignorance of the buyer, and so advance the price of the Commodity; this is a great sin.
6. Do not imbase a Commodity from its pri∣mitive worth and goodness, and yet sell it at the full price, as if it were good, thereby to get the more by it: this the Scripture condemns in Amos. 8.6. They sell the refuse of the wheat; the Corn-mongers, in those times they would pick out the best of their wheat, and yet sell the worst at the full price of the best: now, this the Lord condemns; and so in Esay, 1.22. They mingle wine with water, and dross with silver: the Scripture condemns this, to imbase a Com∣modity from its primitive goodness, and yet to sell it at the full value of the best.
7. Be not among the first that shall raise the price of a Commodity; this I hinted to you be∣fore, in Prov. 11.26. He that witholdeth corn the people shall curse him; but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.
8. Be not so eager in selling of your Commo∣dities, that you cannot content yourselves to sell on the six dayes of the week, but you must sell on the Sabbath Day likewise; be not like those in Amos. 8.5. saying, When will the new moon be over, that we may sell corn, and the Sabbath be over, that we may set forth wheat? and so in Neh. 13.15. In those dayes, saith the Prophet saw I in Judah, some treading wine-presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and la∣ding Asses, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuales. Now, this is against your common selling-houses, and shops of mean trades, that sell by retail, that make nothing of selling small trifling things on the Sabbath Day but this is a great sin.
9. When you are found out to be deceitful in your dealing, do not justifie your deceit; many men, if you come to them, & tell them, that they sell dearer then their neighbours, they will tell you, that they do not; or if you tell them that the Commodity is not good which you bought of them, they will say, it is as good as they can afford for the price, and the like; this is con∣demned in Ephraim, in Hos. 12.7, 8. Ephraim is a Merchant, the ballances of deceit are in his hand, he loveth to oppresse, and yet he saith, I am become rich, and I have found me out sub∣stance, and in all my labours they shall find no iniquity in me, that is sin; you should not justifie your deceit.
10. Do not sell those things that are not sale∣able; as first, do not sell spiritual things, for they are not saleable, as in Act. 8.20. Simon Ma∣gus when he would have bought the gift of the holy Ghost with money Peter saith to him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou thoughtest that the gift of God might be purchased with money. Secondly, do not sell monumentes of Idolatrie; as Crosses, and Beads, and Images and Crucifixes, and conjuring Books, and the like; they are not fit to be sold, as in Act. 19.19. many also of them that used curious arts, brought their books together, and burned them before all men and they counted the price of them and found it to be 50000. pieces of silver; this is spoken here of conjuring Books; and notwithstanding they were of so great a value, they would not sell them, but burned them. Thirdly, Do not sell thy self as Ahab did, to work wickednesse; for you are not your own, but Gods; and therefore you must glorifie God in your bodies, and in your souls which are Gods. Fourthly, You must not sell stollen goods. Fifthly, You must not sell those things that are for no other use, but for to commit sin in the using of them; as for to sell stuffe to paint harlots faces, is a sin, because it is for no other use but to commit sin in the us∣ing of it.