own, that the terrors of the Lord took fuch hold upon us, because we had long under a profeffion of religion grieved God's Holy Spirit, that reproved us in fecret for our difobedience; that as we abhorred to think of continuing in our old fins, fo we feared to use lawful things, left we should use them unlawfully. The words of the prophet were fulfilled on us: Wherefore do I fee 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 apoftle faid, upon whom the ends of the world were come.' God knows it was fo in this day, the brightness of his coming to our fouls difcovered, and the breath of his mouth deftroyed, every plant he had not planted in us. He was a swift witness against every evil thought, and every unfruitful work; and, bleffed be his name, we were not offended in him, or at his righteous judgments. Now it was, that a grand inqueft came upon our whole life: every word, thought, and deed was brought to judgment, the root examined, and its tendency confidered. The luft of the eye, the luft of the flesh, and the pride of life, were ⚫ opened to our view; the 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 fenfe 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 fay, and that in the fear and prefence of the all-feeing juft God, the present honours and refpect of the world, among other things, became burdenfome to us: we faw 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. • Jer, xxx, 6. f 1 John ii. 16. §. VI. §. VI. And though we eafily forefaw the ftorms of reproach that would fall upon us, for our refufing to practise them; yet we were fo far from being fhaken in our judgment, that it abundantly confirmed our fenfe of them. For fo exalted a thing is man, and fo loving of honour and refpect even from his fellow-creatures, that fo foon as in tenderness of confcience towards God, we could not perform them, as formerly, he became more concerned than for all the reft of our differences, however material to falvation. So that let the honour of God, and our own falvation, do as it will, it was greater herefy and blafphemy to refufe him the homage of the hat, and his ufual 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 fo much in his way. §. VII. And though it be frequently objected, that we seek to set up outward forms of precifenefs, 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 conftructions of unfenfible men, that have not had that fenfe, which the Lord hath given us, of what arises from the right and the wrong root in man: and when fuch cenfurers of our fimplicity fhall be inwardly touched and awakened, by the mighty power of God, and fee things as they are in their proper natures and feeds, they will then know their own burden, and easily acquit us without the imputation of folly or hypocrify therein. §. VIII. To fay, that we ftrain at fmall things, which becomes not people of fo fair pretenfions to liberty and freedom of fpirit: I anfwer with meeknefs, truth and sobriety; firft, nothing is small, that God makes matter of confcience to do, or leave undone. Next, as inconfiderable as they are made, by those that object upon us, they are much fet by; fo greatly, as for our not giving them, to be beaten, imprisoned, refufed juftice, &c. To fay nothing of the derifion and reproach that hath been frequently flung at us on this account. So that if we had wanted a proof of the truth of our inward be lief and judgment, the very practice of them that oppofed it would have abundantly confirmed us. But let it fuffice to us, that wisdom is juftified of her 'children' we only paffively let fall the practice of what we are taught to believe is vain and unchriftian: in which we are negative to forms: for we leave off, we do not fet up forms. §. IX. The world is fo fet upon the ceremonious part and outside of things, that it has well befeemed the wifdom of God in all ages, to bring forth his difpenfations with very different appearances to their fettled customs; thereby contradicting human inventions, and proving the integrity of his confeffors. Nay, it is a teft upon the world: it tries what patience, kindness, fobriety, 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 refufes a precious jewel, because it is presented in a plain box, will never esteem it to its value, nor fet his heart upon keeping it therefore I call it a teft, because it fhews where the hearts and affections of people stick, after all their great pretences to more excellent things. §. X. 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, fcorn, 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 filently to undergo the contradiction and fcorn of its votaries; and finally, with a Chriftian meeknefs and patience, to overcome their injuries and reproaches. Add to this; it weans thee off thy familiars; for by being flighted of them as a ninney, a fool, a frantick, &c. thou art delivered from a greater temptation, and that is, the power and influence of their vain converfation. And, laft of all, it lifts thee of the company of the bleffed, * Mat, xi. 19. mocked, mocked, perfecuted Jefus; to fight under his banner, against the world, the flesh, and the devil: that after having faithfully fuffered with them in a state of humiliation, thou mayeft 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, refpects, &c. §. XI. The fecond reafon, why we decline and refuse the present use of these customs in our addreffes and falutations is, from the confideration of their very emptiness and vanity; that there is nothing of true honour and refpect in them, fuppofing them not to be evil. And as religion and worship are degenerated into form and ceremony (and they not according to primitive practice neither) fo is honour and refpect too; there being little of that in the world, as well as of the other; and to be fure, in these customs, none that is justifiable by fcripture or reason. §. XII. In fcripture, we find the word Honour often and diverfly used. First, for obedience: as when God faith, They that honour me1;' that is, that keep my commandments. 'Honour the king*;' that is, obey the king. Honour thy father and mother';' that is, (faith the apostle to the Ephefians) Obey thy father and thy mother in the Lord, for that is right";' take heed to their precepts and advice; prefuppofing always, that rulers and parents command lawful things, elfe they dishonour themselves to enjoin unlawful things; and subjects and children difhonour their fuperiors and' parents, in complying with their unrighteous commands. Alfo, Christ uses this word fo, 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 re fusing hat and knee, nor empty titles: no, it was difobedience; resisting him that God had fent, and not believing him. This was the dishonour he taxed them with; ufing him as an impoftor, that God had ordained for the falvation of the world. And of these difhonourers, there are but too many at this day. Chrift has a faying to the fame 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 fent 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 fo. This is pregnantly manifested in the case of the centurion, whofe faith was so much commended by Chrift, where, giving Jesus an account of his honourable station, he tells him, He < had foldiers under his authority, and when he said to C one, Go, he went; to another, Come, he came; and to a third, Do this, he did it. In this it was he placed the honour of his capacity, and the refpect of his foldiers, and not in hats and legs: nor are fuch cuftoms yet in use amongst foldiers, being effeminate, and unworthy of mafculine gravity. §. XIII. In the next place, honour is used for preferment to truft and eminent employments. So the Pfalmift, fpeaking to God; For thou haft crowned him with glory and honour':' again, Honour and majesty haft thou laid on him': that is, God had given Chrift power over all his enemies, and exalted him to great dominion. Thus the wife man intimates, when he fays, The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honour is humility.' That is, before advancement or preferment, is humility. Farther, he has this faying, As fnow in fummer, and as rain in harvest, fo honour is not feemly for a fool':' that is, a fool is not capable of the dignity of trust, em P Luke vii. 8. ¶ Pfal. viii. 5. Pfal. • John v. 23. xxi. 5. • Prov. xv. 33. Prov. xxvi. 1. ployment, |