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CONCERNING SALUTATIONS & RECREATIONS, &c.

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. Eph. v. 11. 1 Pet. i. 14. John v. 44. Jer. x. 3. Acts x. 26. Mat xv. 13. Col. ii. 8.

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 from those abominations which abound among other professors, such as swearing, drunkenness, whoredom, riotousness, &c. and that generally the very coming among those 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 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 vi

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*After this manner the Papists used to disapprove of the sobriety of the Waldenses, of whom Reinerus, a Popish author, thus writeth. "But this sect of the Leonists hath a great shew of truth; for that they live righteously be. fore 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."

cious 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 pertinacity; 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.

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!

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 thus proved

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the more numerous and difficult, as will after apThese I have laboured briefly to comprehend in this proposition; but they may more largely be exhibited in these six following propositions.

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.]

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.

III. That it is not lawful for a Christian to use superfluities in apparel, as are of no use, save for ornament and vanity.

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.

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.

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