The True Christians T est, Part 2 · Meditation 5
MEDITAT. V. Of the Quakers Arguments.
FOR this ſerve kind of denying of Honours and Faſhions of the World, they alledge many plain Precepts, and Noble Examples: Neither will I diſſemble, there ſeems to be a great deal to be ſaid for it.
They will tell you, That as to this matter, the great Moſes was a Quaker as much as they, when he refus'd to be call'd, The Son of Pharaoh's Daughter; preferr'd the Profeſſion of a deſpis'd Religion with the profeſſed Iſraelites, before the worldly Honor of the Egyptian Court; when he undervalued his own Reputation for a Prophet, and would not ingroſs that Honor to himſelf, but was deſirous that all the Lord's People ſhould ſhare in it; when he married an Ethiopian Woman at a time when he might have had Rich and Noble Matches, and took ſo meekly the reproachful Reflections that his Brother and Siſter had made upon him, for his ſo great undervaluing of himſelf.
Of the ſame ſpirit was the Prophet Elijah, who treated the King of Iſrael as like a Quaker as ever you heard: 2 Kings 3. 12, 14. What have I to do with thee? Get thee to the Prophets of thy Father, and of thy Mother. And he ſwears, (and therein he ſeems to be leſs perfect than a Quaker) As the Lord liveth, Were it not that I regard the preſence of the King of Judah, I would not look at thee.
Somewhat like this freedom of Spirit, and plainneſs of Speech, void of Compliment, and Courtly Reſpect of Perſons, may be found in the Story of all the Prophets, almoſt from Samuel, down to Malachi.
And leſt this ſhould be thought to be only an unpoliſh'd Old Teſtament Spirit, they come as near to the Goſpel Times as may be, and quote the Baptist, a greater than whom the Daughters of Men had not born; whoſe plain and unfaſhionable Dreſs, and Diet, ſevere Converſation, and uncomplimental Uſage of all ſorts of men, even Herod the King, and the Viperous Generation of the Formal Phariſees, they fanſie does much reſemble and juſtifie the Evangelical Quaker. They think they reſemble him in his Looks and Doctrine, and Life, and ſay, They would not ſtick to be Conformable to him in his Death too. But if John ſeem alſo to have a little too much of the ſowreneſs of the Law in him, and ſo his Example ſhould be rejected, they hope the Author of the Goſpel, and his moſt intimate Friends and conſtant Followers, will juſtifie their Spirit and Behaviour.
The ſharp Anſwer that Jeſus ſent to Herod,(the Fox) the plain Reprehenſions that he gave to the Hypocritical, Blind, and Superſtitious Phariſees, notwithſtanding their great Authority in the Church; his poor and harmleſs way of Living; his diſowning of Relations, in compariſon of the Doers of the Will of God; his free and friendly Converſe with the Pooreſt, and the Worſt too, in order to their good; ſhews how little of Statelineſs, or compliment, or worldly Reſpects was in him. And he taught men ſo too. He ever and anon commands a ſimple and irreſpective Diſcourſe and Behaviour: Let your Speech be Yea and Nay. Call no man Father or Maſter upon earth. Be not called of men Rabbi. Affect not the uppermoſt places in Synagogues, or at Feaſts, love not Greetings in the Markets; when thou makeſt a Feaſt call not the Rich, who can requite thy kindneſs, but the poor that cannot, to thy Table. He reproved the Faſhionable Robes of the Phariſees which they us'd to conciliate reſpect, he prefer'd honeſt John in his Camels hair, before the Courtiers of the World in their Carnelet Coats and ſoft raiment; poor Fiſhermen before the Nimrods of the Earth; beggarly Lazarus before the voluptuous rich man, whom he does not deign to name, although according to the fleſh, he was the Son of Abraham: He magnified the two Mites given by the poor Widow, above the coſtly Oblations of the …, and commemorates a Box of Oyntment … beſtow'd by a poor Woman, more than all the … I caſts he was ever bidden to by the Wealthy▪ …ay he ſeems to make the giving and receiving at honour one from another to be inconſiſtent with the Goſpel Faith, when he ſays, How can ye believe that receive Honour one of another? And elſewhere gives this reaſon why many did not profeſs, becauſe they lov'd the Praiſe of men more than the Praiſe of God.
And were not his Apoſtles and Diſciples followers of his ſimplicity and plainneſs? Jacob was a plain man dwelling in Tents, and ſo was Paul too, and a maker of Tents to dwell in, and he tells us of himſelf and the reſt, that they uſed great plainneſs of ſpeech (2 Cor. 3. 12.) Peter and James were angry at the honorable thoughts that they perceived the Jews had of them, Why look ye upon us, &c. And the ſame Peter refuſed the compliment of Captain Cornelius. Paul and Barnabas were grieved at the reſpects offered them by the Heathen People, inſomuch that they rent their cloaths and cry'd out, Theſe Apoſtles are ſtill exhorting to uncomplimental Speech, Speech not according to Mens Wiſdom or the Wiſdom of the World, plain and unfaſhionable Apparel, and commending a Dreſs of Grace and good Works, before an adorning with Silver and Gold, and coſtly Apparel. They require men not to be Reſpecters of Perſons, and not to be Conform'd to this World: In all things to give thanks to God the Father by Christ, Col. 3. 17.
In a word, Who knows not what a Quaker Mord…cai was under the Law, who would rather loſe his Head, than put off his Hat to prophane Haman.
And the Apoſtle James under the Goſpel, who requires us not to be many Maſters, whereas now adays every Body almoſt will be a Maſter, not to have the Faith of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt with Reſpect of Perſons; and does ſo plainly tax the Worldly Partiality of his days, for giving Honour and Reſpect to the gaudy Gen…leman with Gold Rings, and Goodly Apparel, rather than to the poor Saint in mean Apparel, as if he had by the Spirit of Propheſie ſeen the Partiality of our Converſation; or to allude to the Story of the Prophet, As if his heart had gone along with us, when the man ligh… down from his Chariot to … us.
…d now what can be ſaid more, except we ſay that … very Angels reſuſe Honour from their Fellow-crea…res, and refer it all to God. And God himſelf, to whom it juſtly belongs to receive Honour from all, yet is pure and impartial in his Regards to every one, having often declared himſelf to be no Reſpecter of perſons.