Christ, that now these _twenty-five Years_, since we were known to be
a distinct and separate People, hath given us faithfully to suffer for
his _Name_, without shrinking or fleeing the Cross; and what Liberty
we now enjoy, it is by his Mercy, and not by any outward Working or
Procuring of our own, but it is He has wrought upon the Hearts of our
Opposers. Nor was it any outward Interest hath procured it unto us, but
the Testimony of our Harmlesness in the Hearts of our Superiors: For
God hath preserved us hitherto in the _patient Suffering of Jesus_,
that we have not given away our Cause by persecuting any, which few if
any Christians that I know can say. Now against our unparalleled yet
innocent and Christian Cause our malicious Enemies have nothing to say,
But that if we had Power, we would do so likewise. This is a Piece of
mere unreasonable Malice, and a Privilege they take to judge of Things
to come, which they have not by immediate Revelation; and surely it is
the greatest Height of harsh Judgment to say Men would do contrary to
their _professed Principle_ if they could, who have from their Practice
hitherto given no Ground for it, and wherein they only judge others by
themselves: Such Conjectures cannot militate against us, so long as we
are innocent. And if ever we prove guilty of _Persecution_, by forcing
other Men by corporal Punishment to our Way, then let us be judged the
greatest of _Hypocrites_, and let not any spare to _persecute_ us.
_Amen, saith my Soul._
PROPOSITION XV.
Concerning SALUTATIONS and RECREATIONS, _&c._
[152]_Seeing the chief End of all _Religion_ is to redeem Men from
the Spirit and vain Conversation of this World, and to lead into
inward Communion with God, before whom if we _fear always_ we are
accounted happy; therefore all the vain Customs and Habits thereof,
both in Word and Deed, are to be rejected and forsaken by those
who come to this _Fear_; such as taking off the _Hat_ to a Man,
the Bowings and Cringings of the Body, and such other Salutations
of that Kind, with all the foolish and superstitious Formalities
attending them; all which Man hath invented in his degenerate
State, to feed his Pride in the vain Pomp and Glory of this World:
As also the unprofitable Plays, frivolous Recreations, Sportings,
and Gamings, which are invented to pass away the precious Time,
and divert the Mind from the _Witness of God_ in the Heart, and
from the _living Sense_ of his _Fear_, and from that _evangelical
Spirit_ wherewith Christians ought to be leavened, and which leads
into Sobriety, Gravity, and godly Fear; in which as we abide, the
Blessing of the Lord is felt to attend us in those Actions in which
we are necessarily engaged, in order to the taking Care for the
Sustenance of the outward Man._
[152] Ephes. 5. 11. 1 Pet. 1. 14. John 5. 44. Jer. 10. 3. Acts 10. 26.
Matt. 15. 13. Col. 2. 8.
§. I. Having hitherto treated of the Principles of Religion, both
relating to _Doctrine_ and _Worship_, I am now to speak of some
Practices which have been the Product of this _Principle_, in those
Witnesses whom God hath raised up in this Day to testify for his
_Truth_. It will not a little commend them, I suppose, in the Judgment
of sober and judicious Men, that taking them generally, even by
the Confession of their Adversaries, they are found to be free of
those Abominations which abound among other Professors, such as are
_Swearing_, _Drunkenness_, _Whoredom_, _Riotousness_, &c. and that
generally the very Coming among this People doth naturally work such
a Change, so that many vicious and profane Persons have been known,
by coming to this _Truth_, to become sober and virtuous; and many
light, vain, and wanton Ones to become grave and serious, as our
Adversaries dare not deny:[153] Yet that they may not want something
to detract us for, cease not to accuse us for those Things which, when
found among themselves, they highly commend; thus our _Gravity_ they
call _Sullenness_, our _Seriousness_, _Melancholy_, our _Silence_,
_Sottishness_. Such as have been vicious and profane among them, but
by coming to us have left off those Evils, lest they should commend
the Truth of our Profession, they say, That whereas they were profane
before, they are become worse, _In being hypocritical and spiritually
proud_. If any before _dissolute_ and _profane_ among them, by coming
to the Truth with us, become _frugal_ and _diligent_, then they will
charge them with _Covetousness_: And if any _eminent_ among them
for _Seriousness_, _Piety_, and _Discoveries of God_, come unto us,
then they will say, They were always subject to _Melancholy_ and to
_Enthusiasm_; though before, when among them, it was esteemed neither
_Melancholy_ nor _Enthusiasm_ in an evil Sense, but _Christian Gravity_
and _Divine Revelation_. Our _Boldness_ and _Christian Suffering_
they call _Obstinacy_ and _Pertinacy_; though half as much, if among
themselves, they would account _Christian Courage_ and _Nobility_.
And though thus by their Envy they strive to read all relating to us
backwards, counting those Things Vices in us, which in themselves they
would extol as Virtues, yet hath the Strength of Truth extorted this
Confession often from them, _That we are generally a pure and clean
People, as to the outward Conversation_.
[153] After this Manner the _Papists_ used to disapprove the Sobriety
of the _Waldenses_, of whom _Reinerius_, a Popish Author, so writeth.
“But this Sect of the _Leonists_ hath a great Shew of Truth; for that
they live righteously before Men, and believe all Things well of God,
and all the Articles which are contained in the Creed; only they
blaspheme and hate the Church of _Rome_.”
_But this, _they say_, is but in Policy to commend our Heresy._
But such Policy it is, say I, as Christ and his Apostles made use of,
and all good Christians ought to do; yea, so far hath Truth prevailed
by the Purity of its Followers, that if one that is called a _Quaker_
do but that which is common among them, as to _laugh_ and be _wanton_,
_speak at large_, and keep not his _Word_ punctually, or be overtaken
with _Hastiness_ or _Anger_, they presently say, _O this is against
your Profession!_ As if indeed so to do were very consistent with
theirs; wherein though they speak the Truth, yet they give away their
Cause. But if they can find any under our Name in any of those Evils
common among themselves (as who can imagine but among so many Thousands
there will be some Chaff, since of twelve Apostles one was found to be
a Devil) O how will they insult, and make more Noise of the Escape of
one _Quaker_, than of an hundred among themselves!
§. II. But there are some singular Things, which most of all our
Adversaries plead for the Lawfulness of, and allow themselves in, as no
Ways inconsistent with the _Christian Religion_, which we have found
to be no Ways lawful unto us, and have been commanded of the Lord to
lay them aside; though the doing thereof hath occasioned no small
Sufferings and Buffetings, and hath procured us much Hatred and Malice
from the World. And because the Nature of these Things is such, that
they do upon the very Sight distinguish us, and make us known, so that
we cannot hide ourselves from any, without proving unfaithful to our
Testimony; our Trials and Exercises have herethrough proved the more
numerous and difficult, as will after appear. These I have laboured
briefly to comprehend in this Proposition; but they may more largely be
exhibited in these six following Propositions.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: Flattering Titles.] I. _That it is not lawful to give to Men
such flattering Titles, as Your Holiness, Your Majesty, Your Eminency,
Your Excellency, Your Grace, Your Lordship, Your Honour, _&c._ nor use
those flattering Words, commonly called_ [COMPLIMENTS.]
[Sidenote: Hat and Knee.] II. _That it is not lawful for Christians to
kneel, or prostrate themselves to any Man, or to bow the Body, or to
uncover the Head to them._
[Sidenote: Apparel.] III. _That it is not lawful for Christians to
use Superfluities in Apparel, as are of no Use, save for Ornament and
Vanity._
[Sidenote: Gaming.] IV. _That it is not lawful to use Games, Sports,
Plays, nor among other Things Comedies among Christians, under the
Notion of Recreations, which do not agree with Christian Silence,
Gravity, and Sobriety: For Laughing, Sporting, Gaming, Mocking,
Jesting, vain Talking, _&c._ is not Christian Liberty, nor harmless
Mirth._
[Sidenote: Swearing.] V. _That it is not lawful for Christians to swear
at all under the Gospel, not only not vainly, and in their common
Discourse, which was also forbidden under the _Mosaical_ Law, but even
not in Judgment before the Magistrate._
[Sidenote: Fighting.] VI. _That it is not lawful for Christians to
resist Evil, or to war or fight in any Case._
[Sidenote: _Degrees of Dignity and Precedency allowed._] Before I enter
upon a particular Disquisition of these Things, I shall first premise
some general Considerations, to prevent all Mistakes; and next add some
general Considerations, which equally respect all of them. I would not
have any judge, That hereby we intend to destroy the _mutual Relation_
that either is betwixt _Prince_ and _People_, _Master_ and _Servants_,
_Parents_ and _Children_; nay, not at all: We shall evidence, That our
Principle in these Things hath no such Tendency, and that these natural
Relations are rather better established, than any Ways hurt by it.
Next, Let not any judge, That from our Opinion in these Things, any
Necessity of _levelling_ will follow, or that all Men must have Things
in _common_. Our Principle leaves every Man to enjoy that peaceably,
which either his own Industry, or his Parents, have purchased to him;
only he is thereby instructed to use it aright, both for his own
Good, and that of his Brethren; and all to the Glory of God: In which
also his Acts are to be _voluntary_, and no Ways _constrained_. And
further, we say not hereby, that no Man may use the Creation more
or less than another: For we know, That as it hath pleased God to
dispense it diversly, giving to some more, and some less, so they
may use it accordingly. [Sidenote: _Education differs accordingly._]
The several Conditions, under which Men are diversly stated, together
with their Educations answering thereunto, do sufficiently shew this:
The _Servant_ is not the same Way educated as the _Master_; nor the
_Tenant_ as the _Landlord_; nor the _Rich_ as the _Poor_; nor the
_Prince_ as the _Peasant_. Now, though it be not lawful for any,
however great Abundance they may have, or whatever their Education may
be, to use that which is merely superfluous; yet seeing their Education
has accustomed them thereunto, and their Capacity enables them so to
do, without being profuse or extravagant, they may use Things better in
their Kind, than such whose _Education_ hath neither accustomed them to
such Things, nor their Capacity will reach to compass them. [Sidenote:
_The lawful or unlawful Use of the Creation._] For it is beyond
Question, That whatever Thing the _Creation_ affords is for the Use of
Man, and the moderate Use of them is lawful; yet, _per accidens_, they
may be unlawful to some, and not to others. As for Instance, He that by
Reason of his Estate and Education hath been used to eat _Flesh_ and
drink _Wine_, and to be clothed with the _finest Wool_, if his Estate
will bear it, and he use it neither in Superfluity, nor immoderately,
he may do it; and perhaps, if he should apply himself to feed, or be
cloathed as are the Peasants, it might prejudice the Health of his
Body, and nothing advance his Soul. But if a Man, whose Estate and
Education had accustomed him to both _coarser Food_ and _Raiment_,
should stretch himself beyond what he had, or were used to, to the
manifest Prejudice of his Family and Children, no Doubt it would be
unlawful to him, even so to eat or be clothed as another, in whom it is
lawful; for that the other may be as much mortified, and have denied
himself as much in coming down to that, which this aspires to, as he,
in willing to be like him, aspires beyond what he either is able,
or hath accustomed to do. The safe Place then is, for such as have
Fulness, to watch over themselves, that they use it moderately, and
rescind all Superfluities; [Sidenote: _The Rich to help the Poor._]
being willing, as far as they can, to help the Need of those to whom
Providence hath allotted a smaller Allowance. _Let the Brother of high
Degree rejoice, in that he is abased; and such as God calls in a low
Degree, be content with their Condition, not envying those Brethren
who have greater Abundance, _knowing_ they have received Abundance,
as to the inward Man_; which is chiefly to be regarded. And therefore
beware of such a Temptation, as to use their Calling as an Engine to
be _richer_, knowing, they have this Advantage beyond the _Rich_ and
_Noble_ that are called, that the Truth doth not any Ways abase them,
nay, not in the Esteem of the World, as it doth the other; but that
they are rather exalted thereby, in that as to the inward and spiritual
Fellowship of the Saints, they become the Brethren and Companions of
the greatest and richest; and in this Respect, _Let him of low Degree
rejoice that he is exalted_.
These Things premised, I would seriously propose unto all such, as
choose to be _Christians_ indeed, and that in _Nature_, and not in
_Name_ only, whether it were not desirable, and would not greatly
contribute to the Commendation of _Christianity_, and to the Increase
of the Life and Virtue of Christ, if _all superfluous Titles of Honour,
Profuseness and Prodigality in Meat and Apparel, Gaming, Sporting and
Playing_, were laid aside and forborn? And whether such as lay them
aside, in so doing, walk not more like the Disciples of Christ and
his Apostles, and are therein nearer their Example, than such as use
them? Whether the laying them aside would hinder any from being good
Christians? Or if Christians might not be better without them, than
with them? Certainly the _Sober_ and _Serious_ among all Sorts will
say, _Yea_. Then surely such as lay them aside, as reckoning them
unsuitable for Christians, are not to be blamed, but rather commended
for so doing: Because that in Principle and Practice they effectually
advance that, which others acknowledge were desirable, but can never
make effectual, so long as they allow the Use of them as lawful. And
God hath made it manifest in this Age, That by discovering the Evil of
such Things, and leading his Witnesses out of them, and to testify
against them, he hath produced effectually in many that _Mortification_
and _Abstraction_ from the _Love and Cares of this World_, who daily
are conversing in the World (but inwardly redeemed out of it) both in
_Wedlock_, and in their lawful Employments, which was judged could only
be obtained by such as were shut up in _Cloisters_ and _Monasteries_.
Thus much in General.
§. III. As to the first we affirm positively, That _it is not lawful
for Christians either to give or receive these Titles of Honour_, as,
_Your Holiness_, _Your Majesty_, _Your Excellency_, _Your Eminency_, &c.
[Sidenote: _Titles._] _First_, Because these _Titles_ are no Part of
that Obedience which is due to _Magistrates_ or _Superiors_; neither
doth the giving them add to or diminish from that Subjection we owe to
them, which consists _in obeying their just and lawful Commands_, not
in _Titles_ and _Designations_.
[Sidenote: _Under the Law and Gospel._] _Secondly_, We find not that in
the Scripture any such _Titles_ are used, either under the _Law_ or the
_Gospel_: But that in the speaking to _Kings_, _Princes_, or _Nobles_,
they used only a simple Compellation, as _O King!_ and that without any
further Designation, save perhaps the Name of the Person, as, _O King_
Agrippa, _&c._
[Sidenote: _Lying Titles_.] _Thirdly_, It lays a Necessity upon
_Christians_ most frequently to _lie_; because the Persons obtaining
these _Titles_, either by Election or hereditarily, may frequently be
found to have nothing really in them deserving them, or answering to
them: As some, to whom it is said, _Your Excellency_, having nothing of
_Excellency in them_; and he who is called, _Your Grace_, appears to
be an Enemy to _Grace_; and he who is called, _Your Honour_, is known
to be base and ignoble. [Sidenote: _Patents do not oblige to a Lie._]
I wonder what Law of Man, or what Patent ought to oblige me to make a
Lie, in calling _Good, Evil_; and _Evil, Good_? I wonder what Law of
Man can secure me, in so doing, from the just Judgment of God, that
will make me account for _every idle Word_? And to _lie_ is something
more. Surely Christians should be ashamed that such Laws, manifestly
crossing the Law of God, should be among them.
[Sidenote: Object.] If it be said, _We ought in Charity to suppose that
they have these Virtues, because the King has bestowed those Titles
upon them, or that they are descended of such as deserved them_;
[Sidenote: _Answ._] I _answer_, _Charity_ destroys not _Knowledge_: I
am not obliged by _Charity_, either to believe or speak a _Lie_. Now it
is apparent, and cannot be denied by any, but that those Virtues are
not in many of the Persons expressed by the _Titles_ they bear; neither
will they allow to speak so to such, in whom these Virtues are, unless
they be so dignified by outward Princes. So that such as are truly
virtuous, must not be stiled by their Virtues, because not privileged
by the Princes of this World; and such as have them not, must be so
called, because they have obtained a Patent so to be: And all this is
done by those, who pretend to be his Followers, that commanded his
Disciples, _Not to be called of Men, Master_; and told them, Such could
_not believe, as received Honour one from another, and sought not the
Honour which cometh from God only_. This is so plain, to such as will
indeed be _Christians_, that it needs no Consequence.
[Sidenote: _Your Holiness_, _Your Grace_, &c.] _Fourthly_, As to those
Titles of _Holiness_, _Eminency_, and _Excellency_, used among the
_Papists_ to the _Pope_ and _Cardinals_, &c. and _Grace_, _Lordship_,
and _Worship_, used to the _Clergy_ among the _Protestants_, it is a
most blasphemous Usurpation. For if they use _Holiness_ and _Grace_,
because these Things ought to be in a _Pope_, or in a _Bishop_, how
come they to usurp that peculiarly to themselves? Ought not _Holiness_
and _Grace_ to be in every Christian? And so every Christian should
say, _Your Holiness_, and _Your Grace_, one to another. Next, how
can they in Reason claim any more _Titles_, than were practised and
received by the Apostles and Primitive Christians, whose Successors
they pretend they are, and as whole Successors (and no otherwise)
themselves, I judge, will confess any Honour they seek is due to them?
Now if they neither sought, received, nor admitted such _Honour_ nor
_Titles_, how came these by them? If they say they did, let them prove
it if they can: We find no such Thing in the Scripture. The Christians
speak to the Apostles without any such Denomination, neither saying,
_If it please Your Grace_, _Your Holiness_, _Your Lordship_, nor _Your
Worship_; they are neither called, _My Lord_ Peter, nor _My Lord_
Paul; nor yet _Master_ Peter, nor _Master_ Paul; nor _Doctor_ Peter,
nor _Doctor_ Paul; but singly _Peter_ and _Paul_; and that not only
in the Scripture, but for some hundreds of Years after: So that this
appears to be a manifest Fruit of the Apostasy. For if these _Titles_
arise either from the _Office_ or _Worth_ of the Persons, it will not
be denied but the Apostles deserved them better than any now that call
for them. But the Case is plain, The Apostles had the _Holiness_, the
_Excellency_, the _Grace_; and because they were _holy_, _excellent_,
and _gracious_, they neither used, nor admitted of such _Titles_:
[Sidenote: _Hypocrites want Titles._] But these having neither
_Holiness_, _Excellency_, nor _Grace_, will needs be so called, to
satisfy their ambitious and ostentatious Minds, which is a manifest
Token of their _Hypocrisy_.
_Fifthly_, As to that Title of _Majesty_, usually
ascribed to Princes, we do not find it given to any such in the Holy
Scripture; but that it is specially and peculiarly ascribed unto God,
as 1 _Chron._ xxix. 11. _Job._ xxxvii. 22. _Psal._ xxi. 5. and xxix.
4. and xlv. 3. and cxiii. 1. and xcvi. 6. _Isa._ ii. 10. and xxiv.
14. and xxvi. 10. _Heb._ i. 3. 2 _Pet._ i. 16. and many more Places.
Hence saith _Jude_, Ver. 25. _To the only wise God our Saviour, be
Glory and Majesty_, &c. not to Men. We find in Scripture the proud
King _Nebuchadnezzar_ assuming this _Title_ to himself, _Dan._ iv. 30.
who at that Time received a sufficient Reproof, by a sudden Judgment
which came upon him. Therefore in all the Compellations used to Princes
in the _Old Testament_, it is not to be found, nor yet in the _New_.
_Paul_ was very civil to _Agrippa_, yet he gives him no such _Title_:
Neither was this _Title_ used among Christians in the primitive Times.
[Sidenote: _Eccles. Hist. L. 4. P. 445._] Hence the _Ecclesiastical
History_ of the Reformation of _France_, relating the Speech of the
Lord _Rochefort_, at the Assembly of the Estates of _France_, held
under _Charles_ the Ninth, in the Year 1560, saith, [Sidenote: Your
Majesty _not used; how taken Notice of in 1560._] _That this Harangue
was well remarked, in that he used not the Word _[Majesty]_ invented
by Flatterers of late Years._ And yet this Author minded not how his
Master _Calvin_ used this _flattering Title_ to _Francis_ the First,
King of _France_; and not only so, but calls him _Most Christian King_,
in the Epistle to his _Institutions_; though by his daily persecuting
of the _Reformers_, it was apparent, he was far from being such, even
in _Calvin_’s own Esteem. Surely the Complying with such vain _Titles_,
imposed and introduced by _Antichrist_, greatly tended to stain the
_Reformation_, and to render it defective in many Things.