§. I.
Having hitherto treated of the Principles of Religion, both relating to Doctrine and Worship, I am now to speak of some Practices which have been the Product of this Principle, in those Witnesses whom God hath raised up in this Day to testify for his Truth. It will not a little commend them, I suppose, in the Judgment of sober and judicious Men, that taking them generally, even by the Confession of their Adversaries, they are found to be free of those Abominations which abound among other Professors, such as are Swearing, Drunkenness, Whoredom, Riotousness, &c. and that generally the very Coming among this People doth naturally work such a Change, so that many vicious and profane Persons have been known, by coming to this Truth, to become sober and virtuous; and many light, vain, and wanton Ones to become grave and serious, as our Adversaries dare not deny:[153] Yet that they may not want something to detract us for, cease not to accuse us for those Things which, when found among themselves, they highly commend; thus our Gravity they call Sullenness, our Seriousness, Melancholy, our Silence, Sottishness. Such as have been vicious and profane among them, but by coming to us have left off those Evils, lest they should commend the Truth of our Profession, they say, That whereas they were profane before, they are become worse, In being hypocritical and spiritually proud. If any before dissolute and profane among them, by coming to the Truth with us, become frugal and diligent, then they will charge them with Covetousness: And if any eminent among them for Seriousness, Piety, and Discoveries of God, come unto us, then they will say, They were always subject to Melancholy and to Enthusiasm; though before, when among them, it was esteemed neither Melancholy nor Enthusiasm in an evil Sense, but Christian Gravity and Divine Revelation. Our Boldness and Christian Suffering they call Obstinacy and Pertinacy; though half as much, if among themselves, they would account Christian Courage and Nobility. And though thus by their Envy they strive to read all relating to us backwards, counting those Things Vices in us, which in themselves they would extol as Virtues, yet hath the Strength of Truth extorted this Confession often from them, That we are generally a pure and clean People, as to the outward Conversation.
[153] After this Manner the Papists used to disapprove the Sobriety of the Waldenses, of whom Reinerius, a Popish Author, so writeth. “But this Sect of the Leonists hath a great Shew of Truth; for that they live righteously before Men, and believe all Things well of God, and all the Articles which are contained in the Creed; only they blaspheme and hate the Church of Rome.”
But this, they say, is but in Policy to commend our Heresy.
But such Policy it is, say I, as Christ and his Apostles made use of, and all good Christians ought to do; yea, so far hath Truth prevailed by the Purity of its Followers, that if one that is called a Quaker do but that which is common among them, as to laugh and be wanton, speak at large, and keep not his Word punctually, or be overtaken with Hastiness or Anger, they presently say, O this is against your Profession! As if indeed so to do were very consistent with theirs; wherein though they speak the Truth, yet they give away their Cause. But if they can find any under our Name in any of those Evils common among themselves (as who can imagine but among so many Thousands there will be some Chaff, since of twelve Apostles one was found to be a Devil) O how will they insult, and make more Noise of the Escape of one Quaker, than of an hundred among themselves!