Now our works went beforehand to judgment, and a thorough search was made, and the words of the prophet became well understood by us. "Who can abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appears? He is like a refiner's fire, and like fuiler's soap." And, as the apostle said, " If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear ?" "Wherefore, says the apostle Paul, knowing the terrors of the Lord, we persuade men : what to do? To come out of the nature, spirit, lusts, and customs of this wicked world; remembering that, as Jesus has said, for every idle word that man speaketh, he shall give an account in the day of judgment.d This concern of mind, and dejection of spirit, was visible to our neighbours; and we are not ashamed to own, that the terrors of the Lord took such hold upon us, because we had long under a profession of religion grieved God's Holy Spirit, that reproved us in secret for our disobedience; that as we abhorred to think of continuing in our old sins, so we feared to use lawful things, lest we should use them unlawfully. The words of the prophet were fulfilled on us : "Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail ?'' Many a pang and throe have we had; our heaven seemed to melt away, and our earth to be removed out of its place; and we were like men, as the apostle said, upon whom the ends of the world were come." God knows it was so in this day, the brightness of his coming to our souls discovered, and the breath of his mouth destroyed, every plant he had not planted in us. He was a swift witness against every evil thought, and every unfruitful work: and, blessed be his name, we were not offended in him, or at his righteous judgments. Now it was, that a grand inquest came upon our whole life: every word, thought and deed was brought to judgment: the root examined, and its tendency considered. "The lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, were opened to our view; the 66 b Mal. iii. 2. d Mat. xii. 36. 1 Pet. iv. 18. 2 Cor. v. 11. e Jer. xxx. 6. mystery of iniquity in us." And by knowing the evil leaven, and its divers evil effects in ourselves, how it had wrought, and what it had done, we came to have a sense and knowledge of the states of others: and what we could not, nay, we dare not let live and continue in ourselves, as being manifested to us to proceed from an evil principle in the time of man's degeneracy, we could not comply with in others. Now this I say, and that in the fear and presence of the all-seeing just God, the present honours and respect of the world, among other things, became burdensome to us; we saw they had no being in paradise, that they grew in the night-time, and came from an ill root; and that they only delighted a vain and ill mind, and that much pride and folly were in them. Sect. 6. And though we easily foresaw the storms of reproach that would fall upon us, for our refusing to practise them; yet we were so far from being shaken in our judgment, that it abundantly confirmed our sense of them. For so exalted a thing is man, and so loving of honour and respect even from his fellow-creatures, that so soon as in tenderness of conscience towards God, we could not perform them, as formerly, he became more concerned than for all the rest of our differences, however material to salvation. So that let the honour of God, and our own salvation, do as it will, it was greater heresy and blasphemy to refuse him the homage of the hat and his usual titles of honour; to deny to pledge his healths, or play with him at cards and dice, than any other principle we maintained; for being less in his view, it seemed not so much in his way. Sect. 7. And though it be frequently objected, that we seek to set up outward forms of preciseness, and that it is but as a green ribbon, the badge of the party, the better to be known: I do declare in the fear of Almighty God, that these are but the imaginations and vain constructions of unsensible men, that have not had that sense, which the Lord hath given us, of what arises from the right and the wrong root in man: and when such censurers of our simplicity shall be inwardly touched and awakened, by the mighty power of God, and see things as they are in their proper natures and seeds, they will then know their own burden, and easily acquit us without the imputation of folly or hypocrisy therein. f 1 John ii. 16. Sect. 8. To say, that we strain at small things, which becomes not people of so fair pretensions to liberty and freedom of spirit: I answer with meekness, truth and sobriety; first, nothing is small, that God makes matter of conscience to do, or leave undone. Next, as inconsiderable as they are made, by those that object upon us, they are much set by; so greatly, as for our not giving them, to be beaten, imprisoned, refused justice, &c. To say nothing of the derision and reproach that hath been frequently flung at us on this account. that if we had wanted a proof of the truth of our inward belief and judgment, the very practice of them that opposed it would have abundantly confirmed us. let it suffice to us, that " wisdom is justified of her children :"% we only passively let fall the practice of what we are taught to believe is vain and unchristian; in which we are negative to forms: for we leave off, we do not set up forms. So But Sect. 9. The world is so set upon the ceremonious part and outside of things, that it has well beseemed the wisdom of God in all ages, to bring forth his dispensations with very different appearances to their settled customs; thereby contradicting human inventions, and proving the integrity of his confessors. Nay, it is a test upon the world: it tries what patience, kindness, sobriety, and moderation they have: if the rough and homely outside of truth stumble not their minds from the reception of it, whose beauty is within, it makes a great discovery upon them. For he who refuses a precious jewel, because it is presented in a plain box, will never esteem it to its value, nor set his heart upon keep. ing it: therefore I call it a test, because it shews where the hearts and affections of people stick, after all their great pretences to more excellent things. 8 Matt. xi. 19. Sect. 10. It is also a mighty trial upon God's people, in that they are put upon the discovery of their contradiction to the customs generally received and esteemed in the world; which exposes them to the wonder, scorn, and abuse of the multitude. But there is an hidden treasure in it; it inures us to reproach, it learns us to despise the false reputation of the world, and silently to undergo the contradiction and scorn of its votaries; and finally, with a Christian meekness and patience, to overcome their injuries and reproaches. Add to this; it weans thee off thy familiars; for by being slighted of them as a ninney, a fool, a frantic, &c. thou art delivered from a greater temptation, and that is, the power and influence of their vain conversation. And last of all, it lists thee of the company of the blessed, mocked, persecuted Jesus; to fight under his banner, against the world, the flesh, and the devil: that after having faithfully suffered with them in a state of humiliation, thou mayest reign with him in a state of glorification; who glorifies his poor, despised, constant followers, with the glory he had with his father before the world began. This was the first reason of our declining to practise the before-mentioned honours, respects, &c. Sect. 11. The second reason, why we decline and refuse the present use of these customs in our addresses and salutations is, from the consideration of their very emptiness and vanity; that there is nothing of true honour and respect in them, supposing them not to be evil. And as religion and worship are degenerated into form and ceremony, and they not according to primitive prac b John xvii. 5. tice neither, so is honour and respect too; there being little of that in the world, as well as of the other; and to be sure, in these customs, none that is justifiable by scripture or reason. Sect. 12. In scripture, we find the word Honour often and diversely used. First, for obedience: as when God saith, "They that honour me;" that is, that keep my commandments. "Honour the king;'"* that is, obey the king. "Honour thy father and mother; """ that is, saith the apostle to the Ephesians, "Obey thy father and thy mother in the Lord, for that is right;" take heed to their precepts and advice; presupposing always, that rulers and parents command lawful things, else they dishonour themselves to enjoin unlawful things; and subjects and children dishonour their superiors and parents, in complying with their unrighteous commands. Also, Christ uses this word so, when he says, "I have not a devil, but I honour my Father, and ye dishonour me:'" that is, I do my Father's will, in what I do; but you will not hear me; you reject my counsel, and will not obey my voice. It was not refusing hat and knee, nor empty titles: no, it was disobedience; resisting him that God had sent, and not believing him. This was the dishonour he taxed them with; using him as an impostor, that God had ordained for the salvation of the world. And of these dishonourers, there are but too many at this day. Christ has a saying to the same effect; "That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father; and he that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father, which hath sent him :" that is, they that hearken not to Christ, and do not worship and obey him, they do not hear, worship, nor obey God. As they pretended to believe in God, so they were to have believed in him; he told them so. This is pregnantly manifested in the case of the centurion, whose faith was so much commended by Christ, where, giving Jesus an account of his honourable station, he i 1 Sam. ii. 30. m Eph. vi. 1, 2. k 1 Pet. ii. 17. ■ John viii. 49. Exod. xx. 12. • John v. 23. |