721 Principle. We "honour all men in the Lord," but not in the spirit and fashion of this world that paffes away. And though we do not pull off our hats, or make curtfeyings, or give flattering titles, or ufe compliments, because we believe there is no true honour, but flattery and fin in the ufing of them; yet we treat all men with ferioufnefs and gentleness, though it be with plainnefs, and our fuperiors with a modeft and awful diftance; and are ready to do them any reafonable benefit or fervice, in which we think real honour confifteth. Whereas thofe that thus reproach us, are often proud, peevish, fnappifh, abufive and oppreffive one to another; though at the fame time they can give one another the cap and knee, with smooth words, which (too generally) they never mean: which is far from true civility, or "honouring all men,” in the fenfe that they are exhorted to by the apoftle. And as for expreffing our refpect to our fuperiors in all countries, we think it beft done by obeying all juft laws under their government, according to the faying of the centurion unto Chrift, and which Chrift fo much approved of, viz. When he said to one, "Come, and "he came; to another, Go, and he went; to a third, "Do this, and he did it."" Reasonable commands, and ready obedience. This is honouring of government and governors, and not empty titles, and fervile and fantaftic gestures, and drinking of their healths, until they drink away their own: the vain and evil cuftoms of the world, taken from the heathen's practices, and adopted by loofe Chriftians in their converfation, and fo become the fashion of the times. And if to diffent from these things, be to be vile, we are contented to be accounted more vile, having Chrift's commands, primitive example, and our own convictions, on our fide°. m 1 Pet. ii. 17. iii. 9. Rom. xii. 2. Job xxxii. 21, 22. 1 Pet. i. 14. a Luke vii. 8, 9. 2 Sam. vi. 22. SECT. SECT. XIII. Of Civil Government. Perverf. 17. The Quakers are enemies to all government. First, In that every one acteth according to his own conceit. Secondly, Because they will not Support civil government. Thirdly, Because they refufe to give evidence upon oath, as the law requires.' Principle. That this is a calumny, their lives and converfations fufficiently fhew; for no people give the magiftrates les trouble, or caufe that charge or burden to fit lighter upon their fhoulders, than these people do. And for their principle, They believe magiftracy to be an ordinance of God, and that he that ruleth well, ' is worthy of double honour, and deferves to be much ' valued and efteemed:' as fuch certainly do, "Who are a terror to evil-doers, and a praise to them that "do well." And farther, to fhew that they are people that love order and good government, they carefully practise it among themfelves: for if there be twenty meetings of worship in a county, they, peradventure, make three or four monthly meetings of bufinefs: and thefe monthly meetings are refolved into a quarterly meeting for the county, by fuch members as they feverally appoint to conftitute it. And all the quarterly meetings in the nation, by chofen men out of themselves, do conftitute one general yearly meeting; unto which, the meetings of those people, in all parts of the world, have their recourse, by chofen mejengers, or by epiftles. The bufinefs of which meetings, in their feveral degrees, is to promote virtue and charity, peace and unity. The Quakers will not fupport civil government, and fo are ufelefs, if not dangerous, to government.' This alfo is untrue, upon experience: for what people is more industrious under government, or pay their taxes better to it than they do? And, tribute from the P Rom. xiii. 1, 2, 3. Acts vi. people, people, and justice from the rulers, are the Support of government in all countries. It is true, indeed, that they cannot kill, or flay their own kind, and fo are not fit for warriors with carnal weapons of deftruction; because they believe their bleffed Lord forbad the use of them to his followers, when he said, They that take "the fword, fhall perish with the fword;" and that the use of the word in war, was one of those things that God fuffered for the "bardness of mens hearts, and "that from the beginning it was not fo':" in fine, that it came in with the fall, and muft go out with it also. And as Chrift, the "repairer of breaches, and restorer "of paths to dwell in," comes to be known to rule in the heart, love will take place of wrath, and forgivenefs overcome injury and revenge: fo the lamb will be preferred before the lion, and the lion refign to, and lie down with, the lamb, and deftruction come to a perpetual end. For which caufe, the "weapons of this people's warfare, are not carnal, but mighty, through "God, to the pulling down of the ftrong holds of "fin and fatan,"" according to the apostle's doctrine: which is the holy war, indeed; ftiled by the Holy Ghost, The faints warfare. And fince fo holy, lamblike, and peaceable a state, is both prophefied of, and promised, as the " happiness of the latter times ;" and that it and they take their beginning in Chrift, the Beginning and the end of all true Chriftians;" let not this people be thought ufelefs, or inconfiftent with government, for introducing that harmless glorious way to this diftracted world (for fomebody must begin it); but rather adore the providence, embrace the principle, and cherish and follow the example: believing, with them, that Chrift, the bleffed fhepherd of his flock, will ever preserve the faithful followers of his meeknefs, and disciples of his peaceable and forgiving doc trine. The Quakers refuse to give evidence,' &c. Mat. v. 38-45. ch. xxvi. 51, 52. • Ifa, xi, 6. 2 Cor. x. 3, 5. It cannot be their fault, which is fo much their defire, viz. To be able to give evidence upon all occafions." Nor, with juftice, can it be reputed their ftubbornness, but their tenderness, fince they cannot fwear at all, and that the law requires an oath in evidence. Now Chrift having commanded his followers, "Not to "fwear at all," and that, instead of an oath, or in cases where oaths are allowed under the law, their yea, yea, and nay, nay, fhould ferve inftead of fwearing; and that for this reafon, because, "What is more than yea, yea, nay, nay, cometh of evil;" and for that Chriftians are commanded to avoid the very appearance of evil, much more that which cometh of evil: upon this account they dare not fwear at all. So that it is for Christ's fake, and the tender respect they bear to his evangelical, pofitive and general precept, that they cannot fwear; who is the truth, and has taught them to speak the truth without an oath. Now if this would be admitted (and often they have prayed that it might be, and, for want of it, are not only lefs ferviceable to their neighbours, than otherwise they could be, but are great fufferers in their perfons and estates) and that the government would be pleased to accept their yea, yea, and nay, nay, inftead of an oath, as other countries do in the like cafes, they would be ready to fubmit to the fame punishment in cafe of untruth, that is due by law to perjury: and upon all occafions would be glad to help and ferve their neighbours with all their hearts. Wherefore let not that be made their fault, that is fo much against their will, and their great unhappiness and affliction. Thus, fober reader, thou haft a brief account of this people, their principles and practice; and therefore thou mayeft fee, if thou pleafeft, with how little reason they are defpifed by foine, and abused by others; which hath been their lot, in a large measure, ever fince they have been a people: though the whole bent of their fpirits and teftimony, fince God, by his grace, Mat. v. 35, 37. Jam. v. 12. hath hath distinguished them, has been, To promote the ⚫ experimental and faving knowledge of Jefus Chrift in the world, by turning the minds of all people from the darkness that is in them, to the light of Chrift which is in them, as the great, fingular, and necessary agent and principle, by which, only, man is enlightened, and enabled to fee and do the will of God."" For, until men receive, and are quickened by, this divine principle, they are hypocrites, and not Chriftians; bastards, and not fons. Neither can they have true and living faith, whatsoever they profefs; nor can they truly and acceptably worship God, whatsoever hey O then, let the poor Quakers, and their abused principles, have better entertainment with thee, reader: and do not conclude, because they direct people to the light of Christ in them, that therefore it is a mere natural, and not a divine light: or because they affert Chrift to be the Word of God, and that he is revealed in the heart, according to the fcripture, and that the fcripture, in that excellent fenfe, is not so; that therefore they deny the divine authority of the fcriptures, and that the mind and truth thereof, as declared by them, is not, in any fenfe, the Word of the Lord to men: or because they do not receive the schoolmens Trinity, that therefore they deny the Scripture-Trinity of FATHER, WORD, and SPIRIT: or that therefore they deny the divinity of Chrift the Word: or that they deny Christ without them, who was the Son of Man, in a fuffering state on earth, and is now the Son of Man in glory, because they exalt and press an experimental knowledge of Chrift within, as the truth, fubftance, and excellency of the "hope of the glory" that hereafter fhall be revealed, as being the "riches of the glory "of the mystery revealed, and to be revealed, in thefe latter days,"" according to the fcriptures of u 2 Cor. xiii. 5. Rom. viii. 1, 12, 2 Cor. xiii. 5 Acts xxvi. 18. 1 John i. 7. ch. ii, 20, 27. w Col. i, 26, 27, 28, 29. truth. |