Hat and Knee.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.
Apparel.III. That it is not lawful for Christians to use Superfluities in Apparel, as are of no Use, save for Ornament and Vanity.
Gaming.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.
Swearing.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.
Fighting.VI. That it is not lawful for Christians to resist Evil, or to war or fight in any Case.
Degrees of Dignity and Precedency allowed.Before I enter upon a particular Disquisition of these Things, I shall first premise some general Considerations, to prevent all Mistakes; and next add some general Considerations, which equally respect all of them. I would not have any judge, That hereby we intend to destroy the mutual Relation that either is betwixt Prince and People, Master and Servants, Parents and Children; nay, not at all: We shall evidence, That our Principle in these Things hath no such Tendency, and that these natural Relations are rather better established, than any Ways hurt by it. Next, Let not any judge, That from our Opinion in these Things, any Necessity of levelling will follow, or that all Men must have Things in common. Our Principle leaves every Man to enjoy that peaceably, which either his own Industry, or his Parents, have purchased to him; only he is thereby instructed to use it aright, both for his own Good, and that of his Brethren; and all to the Glory of God: In which also his Acts are to be voluntary, and no Ways constrained. And further, we say not hereby, that no Man may use the Creation more or less than another: For we know, That as it hath pleased God to dispense it diversly, giving to some more, and some less, so they may use it accordingly. Education differs accordingly.The several Conditions, under which Men are diversly stated, together with their Educations answering thereunto, do sufficiently shew this: The Servant is not the same Way educated as the Master; nor the Tenant as the Landlord; nor the Rich as the Poor; nor the Prince as the Peasant. Now, though it be not lawful for any, however great Abundance they may have, or whatever their Education may be, to use that which is merely superfluous; yet seeing their Education has accustomed them thereunto, and their Capacity enables them so to do, without being profuse or extravagant, they may use Things better in their Kind, than such whose Education hath neither accustomed them to such Things, nor their Capacity will reach to compass them. The lawful or unlawful Use of the Creation.For it is beyond Question, That whatever Thing the Creation affords is for the Use of Man, and the moderate Use of them is lawful; yet, per accidens, they may be unlawful to some, and not to others. As for Instance, He that by Reason of his Estate and Education hath been used to eat Flesh and drink Wine, and to be clothed with the finest Wool, if his Estate will bear it, and he use it neither in Superfluity, nor immoderately, he may do it; and perhaps, if he should apply himself to feed, or be cloathed as are the Peasants, it might prejudice the Health of his Body, and nothing advance his Soul. But if a Man, whose Estate and Education had accustomed him to both coarser Food and Raiment, should stretch himself beyond what he had, or were used to, to the manifest Prejudice of his Family and Children, no Doubt it would be unlawful to him, even so to eat or be clothed as another, in whom it is lawful; for that the other may be as much mortified, and have denied himself as much in coming down to that, which this aspires to, as he, in willing to be like him, aspires beyond what he either is able, or hath accustomed to do. The safe Place then is, for such as have Fulness, to watch over themselves, that they use it moderately, and rescind all Superfluities; The Rich to help the Poor.being willing, as far as they can, to help the Need of those to whom Providence hath allotted a smaller Allowance. Let the Brother of high Degree rejoice, in that he is abased; and such as God calls in a low Degree, be content with their Condition, not envying those Brethren who have greater Abundance, knowing they have received Abundance, as to the inward Man; which is chiefly to be regarded. And therefore beware of such a Temptation, as to use their Calling as an Engine to be richer, knowing, they have this Advantage beyond the Rich and Noble that are called, that the Truth doth not any Ways abase them, nay, not in the Esteem of the World, as it doth the other; but that they are rather exalted thereby, in that as to the inward and spiritual Fellowship of the Saints, they become the Brethren and Companions of the greatest and richest; and in this Respect, Let him of low Degree rejoice that he is exalted.
These Things premised, I would seriously propose unto all such, as choose to be Christians indeed, and that in Nature, and not in Name only, whether it were not desirable, and would not greatly contribute to the Commendation of Christianity, and to the Increase of the Life and Virtue of Christ, if all superfluous Titles of Honour, Profuseness and Prodigality in Meat and Apparel, Gaming, Sporting and Playing, were laid aside and forborn? And whether such as lay them aside, in so doing, walk not more like the Disciples of Christ and his Apostles, and are therein nearer their Example, than such as use them? Whether the laying them aside would hinder any from being good Christians? Or if Christians might not be better without them, than with them? Certainly the Sober and Serious among all Sorts will say, Yea. Then surely such as lay them aside, as reckoning them unsuitable for Christians, are not to be blamed, but rather commended for so doing: Because that in Principle and Practice they effectually advance that, which others acknowledge were desirable, but can never make effectual, so long as they allow the Use of them as lawful. And God hath made it manifest in this Age, That by discovering the Evil of such Things, and leading his Witnesses out of them, and to testify against them, he hath produced effectually in many that Mortification and Abstraction from the Love and Cares of this World, who daily are conversing in the World (but inwardly redeemed out of it) both in Wedlock, and in their lawful Employments, which was judged could only be obtained by such as were shut up in Cloisters and Monasteries. Thus much in General.
§. III.
Titles.First, Because these Titles are no Part of that Obedience which is due to Magistrates or Superiors; neither doth the giving them add to or diminish from that Subjection we owe to them, which consists in obeying their just and lawful Commands, not in Titles and Designations.
Under the Law and Gospel.Secondly, We find not that in the Scripture any such Titles are used, either under the Law or the Gospel: But that in the speaking to Kings, Princes, or Nobles, they used only a simple Compellation, as O King! and that without any further Designation, save perhaps the Name of the Person, as, O King Agrippa, &c.