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Show • !668. 1./'V"'-J Chap. X. l:lo CROSS, No CROWN. VoL I. firms of the ancient Romanr, Tbat t1Jt Manner of Gruti!'t• 'fOW ~n Vogue, toal not in Uje nmongft them. To conclude: lf.ottltlt tn h1s H1ftory of France, gives us an ingenious Account .:>f its Origznul: Where he not only afi'ures us, Tbac Anciently the PeaJsnts Thou'd their Kings, but that Pride and Flattery firfl put Inferiors upon p•ying • Plural Rcfp•fl to rb• Single Pufon of every Superior,. and Superiors upon ru~iving ir . . An.d though we bad not the Praaice of God and Man fo undemably to ]Uihfie our Plain and Homely Speech, yer, fince ~e are p~rfwaded .that it's Origiml was from Pride and Flattery, we cannot 10 Conjcztnce ufe_n. ~nd however we may be cenfured as Singular, by thofe loofe and any Mtnds, that tbrough the continual Lo\'C of Earthly Pleafures, confider not the True Rife and Ten· dency of Wordt and Things, yet, to 'Q"s, whom God has convinced, by lfis Light and Spirit in oUr Htarts, of the Folly and Evil of fuch Courfes, and brought imo a Spiritual Difcerning of the Nature and Ground of the Wor!J'1 F4jluom, they apptar to be FruiTS of Pride and Flattery, and we dare not continue in filch vain Compliances to Earthly Minds, left we offend God, ' and burden our own CoTifdence:. But having been fincerely Jffeaed. with the Reprooft of ln/1rU.Oion, and our Hearts being brought into a Watchful juhn 3·'9·'2o. Subjeflion to the lligbreous Lato of JESUS, fo as to bring our Deeds tq the Light, to Jet in riJbom they tift tDrought, if in God, or not; we cannot, we dare not conform ourfelves to the Fnjhiom of rlu World, that pajt awtJ); Mat. r2. 36. knowing affuredly, that For every idle Word that Mm fpeak, they foaDgzve an Account itJtbe Day of Judcmenr. §. XI. Wherefore, Reader, whether thou art a Nigbt·1Valkii!C Nicodemur' or a Scoffing Scribe ; One that would Vijir the Blefl'ed Meffiah, but in rh~ dark Cuftoms of the World, that thou mighteft pafs as undifcernerl, for Fear of Bearing HH Reproochjul Grift ; or eire a Favouru of Haman's Pr.id~, and coun.teft thefe Teftimonies but :1 Fooli!h Singularity; I mult tay, D1vtne Lrue en;oyns me to he a Me.ffenger of Truth to thee, and a Ft~ithjlll Witntf! againR the Evil of this De~enerate World, as in other, fo in rbefc Things, in which the Spirit of Vomry and Lull, hath got fo grear·an Head, and lived fo long unconrroul'd, that it hath Impudence enough to term it's DorlmejJ Light, and to call its Evil OJJ-fpring by the Names due to a better Nature, the more eafily to deceive People into the Pratlice of ~hem. And truly, fo very blind and inHmfible are moft, of what Spirit they are, and Ignorant of the meek and felf.denying Life of Holy JESUS, whofe Nome tber_ profefs, that ~o call each other ~ahhi, tha~ is, A!afler; to Bow to .iJfm, (wh1ch I call Worjhrp) and to Greet w11hFiarrermc Tilles~ and Jo their Fe!· low Creatures Homage: T_o Sc~rn that Language to ~hemfelr:er that Jhey gi'f(t to God, and to {pend tbe1~ Ttme and Ejlnte to gratifie rhelf Wanton MinJr; (the Cuftoms o( i:he Genulet, rbat knew not God) pafs wirh them for Civi .. lity, Good Breedif!g, Decency, Recreati•n~ JJccomplijhme1111, &c. 0 rbat Ma.n wou~d confidet, fi.nc~ there ar~ bur Two Spiritt, One Good, the other Evtl, wh~ch of th~m tt ts that inchnes. !he World to thefe Things l /:nd whe!her 1t ~e. Nrcorlem.rn or Morrlua1 m thee1 th::tt doth be-friend thefe defp1fed C:hnlh~ns, whtch makes. thee ..dfhamed. to difown that ope11ly in C,onverfatto~ w.tth the Wo.rld, whtch the True Lzchr hath made Varrity :md Sm to thee m fecret ) Or tf thou art a'Defpifer, tell me I pray d1ce which daft thou think thy Mockery, Anger' or Contempt do m~ft refemble1 Proud Raman, or Good Mordecai? My Friend, know, that no Man hath ~ore de~ lighted in, or been f.1odigal of thofe Van_irier called Civilitiet, th::tn my :!elf; and could I have covered my C'.onfcrence under the Fafhions of rhe 'World, truly, I had found a Shelter from Showers of Reproach th:tt have fallen verr often and thick upon me; Bur had I, with ]o{epb, conformed tO .Jfgypt s C.uftoms, I had finned againft my God, and 1oif my Peace. Bur ~ would not have thee think it is a meer Thou or Tit.le, fimply or nakedly m themfelvea, we boggle ar, or that we would beget or fer up any Form inconfi{tent with Sincerity or True Civili1y? The're's b~t roo muc.h of rh:lt: Bur the Efteem 3nd V::tlue r~e vain Minds of Men do put upon them, that ought to be croffed and ftnpt of their Delights conftrains us to reftifie fo ' * ' fteadily VoL. I. NoCRQSS, NoCROWN. 33t lleodily againft them. Anrl this know, from the Setlfe God's Holj Spirit J66S. h'lth begotten in us, that Tliar which requires rhefe Cuftoms, and begeu ~ Fear t? lea\'e rh.el!1, and .Pleads for them, .and is difpleafed, if nor ufed and Chap. X: p~id, IS the Spmt of Pmlt and Flouery m ,be Ground~ thpugh Frequency l!fe, or Oenerofity, .may ba\'e abate~ hs Strength in fome: And this being d1fcoyered hr ~be L1ghr that now f!lmes from H~ven, in the Hearts of rl1e DefpifedCbrijlJaltt I have Commu11ton with, necellitates the:m tb this Tcfti~ m~ny, andmyjctf, as one of t~l!m, and for them, ina·Rtproofof the Un~ (aJthful, who would walk undtfcer~ed, though Convinced-~o the contrary, and for ~n Allay .to the .Proud Defpifers, who Srorfl rn as 11 P~ople Guil1y of JJ.ffeOtttto'! and Sr.ngu!nrrty. For t'he Eternal God, Who· isgre:H Jmongft us,. and on His \¥:1y m the Iarth to m!lke His Power knoWn; wiD rdot up every Plant tbttt His Rigbr Hand ha1b nor plant6d. \Vherefore let me bcfeech thee R~aJ~r, to coniid.er the fo_regoing Reafons; which were mofily gjvcn ~ from the Lord, m that Time, when my Condifcenjio1l' to ~hefe F11jhiom would have been pruchafed·at almofr any Rate; but the cerrain Senfe I ha4 of their Conrrariety to the meek and felf-denying Life of Holy J E S tJ S, reqmrcd of me my Difufe of tlicm, and FJitb[ul Tejlim.nyagolnlt them. 1 ;peak the Truth in q)rifl.; I lye 110t ; I would n?t have brought my felf under Cenfure 3nd D1fdam for them, could I, w1th Peace of ConfcieilCe l!ave kept my ~elief under a ·worldly Behaviour. It was extream irkfom: to me, to declm.e. :J!Id expofe my fe.lf : But ha\•jng an Alfured and Repe.1ted Senfe of the Ongm.1l of rhefe vam Cuftoms, that rJ.ey rift ftom Pride, .. Se/f·Lovr, ~nd Flattery, I dared not gratifie that Mind in nfy fdf or others. ·.And for th1s Reafon it is, th::tt 1 am earneR: with my Reader.r to be Cauti .. ous, how they repro_ve us on ~his 9ccafion; and do once mote in treat them, that they would fenoufly we1gh m .themfel ves, ~hether it be the Spirit of the World, or of the Father, thlt IS fo angry Wlth our HOJtejl, Plain, aml Harm/eft Thou a1rd Thee: That fo every Pl1111t that God our Heavenly Farber, hath not pl::toted in the Sons and DJughters of 'Men, may be rooted up. CHAP. XI. §. I. BUT PriJe ftops nor here; She excite<; People to an Exuffive Vwlnt Chap. X!. ~ and Care of their Perfon.t: They muft >have Great and Pu1~&~al Attendance, Statel~ Furnit~re, .K.ich_ :J.nd Exa8: Appltel: i\11 wh:ich help to make up that Prr~t of Lifo, that Jolm tells us, H 110t uf 1be :Farbtr, /J11r oft~ World. A Stn God ~h:trged upon the Haughty Daugbtu.r of Zi!m, lfa. 111. and on the Proud Pnnce and People of Tyru.t, h"zek. xxvii. 2S. Re::~d thefe Chapters, and meafure this Agehy their Sins and what is coming on .rhefe Nations b~ their Judgments. 6ut at rhe prdfem, I fhJll only touch 'upon the firfi, vtz. TIJe Exccffivc Value PeoJJie have of 1beir Pet:font; leaving £he reft: to be confidered undet the latt Head of this ,Difcourk, which is 1 jof1n 2. •6, 17· . uxury, where they ma.y be not im·properly placed~ , 1Ju2 §.j!. |