Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

CHAP. IX.

§. 1. The third evil effect of pride is love of honour and respect. Too many are guilty of it. §. 2. It had like to have coft Mordecai dear. Great mifchief has be

fallen nations on this account. §. 3. The world is out in the bufinefs of true honour, as well as in that of true science. §. 4. Reafons why the author, and the rest of the people he walks with, ufe not these fashions. §. 5. The first is, the sense they had in the hour of their conviction, of the unfuitableness of them to the Christian spirit and practice, and that the root they came from was pride and felf-love. §. 6. Reproach could not move them from that fenfe and practice accordingly. §. 7. They do it not to make fects, or for diftinction. §. 8. Nor yet to countenance formality, but paffively let drop vain customs, and fo are negative to forms. §. 9. Their behaviour is a test upon the world. §. 10. And this crofs to the world a teft upon them. §. 11. The fecond reafon against them is their emptinefs. §. 12. Honour in fcripture, is not fo taken as it is in the world. It is used for obedience. §. 13. It is used for preferment. §. 14. A digreffion about folly in a fcripture fenfe. §. 15. Honour is used for reputation. §. 16. Honour is alfo attributed to functions and capacities, by way of efteem. §. 17. Honour is taken for help and countenance of inferiors. §. 18. Honour is used for fervice and esteem to all states and capacities: honour all men. §. 19. Yet there is a limitation in a fenfe to the righteous by the Pfalmift; to honour the godly and contemn the wicked. §. 20. Little of this honour found in the world's fashions. §. 21. The third reafon against them is, they mock and cheat people of the honour due to them. §. 22. The author and his friends are for true honour. §. 23. The fourth reafon is, that if the fashions carried true honour in them, the debauched could honour men, which cannot be. §. 24. The fifth reason is, that then men of fpite, hypocrify, and revenge, could

pay

pay honour, which is impoffible. §. 25. The fixth reason is drawn from the antiquity of true honour. §. 26. The seventh reason is from the rife of the vain honour, and the teachers of it, wherein the clown, upon a comparison, excels the courtier for a man of breeding. §. 27. The eighth reafon against these honours is, that they may be had for money, which true honour cannot be. §. 28. The ninth and last reason is, because the holy fcripture exprefly forbids them to true Chriftians. §. 29. As in the case of Mordecai. §. 30. A paffage between a bishop and the author in this matter. §. 31. Likewise the cafe of Elihu in Job. §. 32. Alfo the doctrine of Christ to his difciples. §. 33. Paul against conforming to the world's fashions. $. 34. Peter against fashioning ourselves according to the world's lufts. §. 35. James against respect to perfons. $. 36. Yet Chriftians are civil and mannerly in a right way. §. 37. But unlike the world in the nature of it, and motives to it. §. 38. Teftimonies in favour of our diffent and practice.

§. I.TH

HE third evil effect of pride, is, an exceffive defire of perfonal honour and respect.

Pride therefore loves power, that he might have homage, and that every one may give her honour; and fuch as are wanting in that, expose themselves to her anger and revenge. And as pride, fo this evil effect, is more or lefs diffused through corrupt mankind; and has been the occafion of great animofity and mischief in the world.

[ocr errors]

§. II. We have a pregnant inftance in holy writ, what malice and revenge the ftomach of proud man is capable of, when not gratified in this particular. It had almost cost Mordecai his neck, and the whole people of the Jews their lives, because he would not bow himfelf to Haman, who was a great favourite to king Ahafuerus. And the practice of the world, even in our own age, will tell us, that not striking a flag or fail; and not faluting certain ports or garrifons; yea, lefs things

have given rise to mighty wars between ftates and kingdoms, to the expence of much treasure, but more blood. The like has followed about the precedency of princes, and their ambaffadors. Alfo the envy, quarrels and mifchiefs, that have happened among private perfons, upon conceit that they have not been refpected to their degree of quality among men, with hat, knee, or title to be fure duels and murders not a few. I was once myself in France* fet upon about eleven at night, as I was walking to my lodging, by a perfon that way-laid me, with his naked fword in his hand, who demanded fatisfaction of me for taking no notice of him, at a time when he civilly faluted me with his hat; though the truth was, I faw him not when he did it. I will suppose he had killed me, for he made several paffes at ine, or I in my defence had killed him, when I difarmed him, (as the earl of Crawford's fervant faw, that was by) I ask any man of understanding or confcience, if the whole ceremony were worth the life of a man, confidering the dignity of the nature, and the importance of the life of man, both with refpect to God his creator, himself, and the benefit of civil fociety?

§. III. But the truth is, the world, under its degencracy from God, is as much out of the way, as to true honour and respect, as in other things; for meer fhews (and those vain ones too) are much of the honour and respect that are expreffed in the world: that a man may fay concerning them, as the apoftle speaks of science, that is, they are honours and refpects "falfly fo called;" having nothing of the nature of true honour and respect in them but as degenerate men, loving to be honoured, firft devised them; fo pride only loves and feeks them, and is affronted and angry for want of them. Did men know a true Christian state, and the honour that comes from above, which Jefus teaches', they would not covet these very vanities, much less infift upon

a

them.

• Which was before I profeffed the communion I am now of. John v. 44.

§. IV.

§. IV. And here give me leave to fet down the reafons more particularly, why I, and the people with whom I walk in religious fociety, have declined as vain and foolish, several worldly customs and fashions of refpect, much in requeft at this time of day: and I befeech thee, reader, to lay afide all prejudice and scorn, and with the meeknefs and enquiry of a fober and difcreet mind, read and weigh what may be here alledged in our defence: and if we are mistaken, rather pity and inform, than defpife and abufe, our fimplicity.

§. V. The first and most preffing motive upon our fpirits to decline the practice of these prefent cuftoms of pulling off the hat, bowing the body or knee, and giving people gaudy titles and epithets, in our falutations and addreffes, was, that favour, fight, and fenfe, that God, by his light and fpirit, has given us of the Christian world's apoftafy from God, and the cause and effects of that great and lamentable defection. In the discovery of which, the fenfe of our state came first before us, and we were made to fee him whom we pierced, and to mourn for it. A day of humiliation overtook us, and we fainted to that pleasure and delight we once loved. Now our works went beforehand to judgment, and a thorough fearch was made, and the words of the prophet became well understood by us: Who can abide the day of his coming? And who shall ftand when he appears? He is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's foap. And, as the apoftle faid, "If the righteous fcarcely be faved, where fhall the ungodly and the finner appear? Wherefore, fays the apoftle ‹ Paul, knowing the terrors of the Lord, we perfuade men' what to do? To come out of the nature, fpirit, lufts, and cuftoms of this wicked world: remembering that, as Jefus has faid, for every idle word that man speaketh, he fhall give an account in the day of judgment ".

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

This concern of mind, and dejection of spirit, was visible to our neighbours; and we are not afhamed to

⚫ Mal. iii. 2. < 1 Pet. iv. 18. 2 Cor. v. 11.

• Mat, xii. 36.

own,

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

с

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 discovered, and the breath of his mouth deftroyed, every plant he had not planted in us. He was a fwift 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.

с

Jer. xxx. 6.

f 1 John ii. 16.

§. VI.

« AnteriorContinuar »