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A54178 No cross, no crown, or, Several sober reasons against hat-honour, titular-respects, you to a single person, with the apparel and recreations of the times being inconsistant with Scripture, reason, and practice, as well of the best heathens, as the holy men and women of all generations, and consequently fantastick, impertinent and sinfull : with sixty eight testimonies of the most famous persons of both former and latter ages for further confirmation : in defence of the poor despised Quakers, against the practice and objections of their adversaries / by W. Penn ... Penn, William, 1644-1718. 1669 (1669) Wing P1327; ESTC R15257 90,375 122

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which attend this and the other Life for such universal Benefits and virtuous Examples The second conclusion is That my Reason can be displeasing nor the banishing these vanities from their doting minds ungrateful to none but such as know not what it is to walk with God to prepare for an eternal Mansion to have the mind exercised on Heavenly and good things to follow the examples of the Holy Men and Women of former happy Ages that know not Christ's Doctrine Life Death Resurrection but only have their minds fastned to the flesh and by the objects of it are allured deceived and miserably ruined and that lastly despise Heaven and the Joyes that are not seen though Eternal for a few perishing trifles that they do see though they are determin'd to pass away How these are baptized with Christ into his Holy Life cruel Sufferings shameful Death and raised with him to Immortal Desires Heavenly Meditations a Divine new Life that should be daily not babling formal words but growing in the knowledge of Heavenly Mysteries and all Holiness even unto the measure of the stature of Jesus Christ the great Example of all How I say these resemble such most necessary Christian qualifications and what share they have therein let the just Principle in their own Consciences if not quite smothered declare Reas 6. Next Such Attires and Pastimes do not only shew the exceeding worldliness of Peoples inclinations and their very great ignorance of the Divine Joyes but by imitating these fashions and frequenting these places and diversions not only much good is omitted but a certain door is opened for much evil to be committed as first Precious time that were worth a world in a dying bed is lost Money that might be employ'd for some general good vainly expended Pleasure is taken in meer shame Lusts are gratify'd the Minds of People alienated from Heavenly things and exercis'd about meer folly Pride taken in cloaths first given to cover nakedness whereby the Creature is neglected and the Noble Creation of God disregarded and men become acceptable by their Trims and the A-la-mode-ness of their Dress and Apparel from whence respect to Persons so naturally does arise that to deny it is to affirm the Sun shines not at noon day nothing being more notorious than the Cringing Scraping Sirring and Madoming of Persons according to the gaudiness of their Attire which is most detestable to God and so absolutely forbidden in the Scriptures that to do it is to incur the breach of the whole Law and consequently the punishment thereof Next What great holes do the like practices make in men's Estates how are their vocations neglected young Women deluded the Marriage-bed invaded Contentions and Family Animosities begotten parting 's of Man and Wife dis-inheriting of Children dismissing of Servants On the other hand Servants made slaves Children disregarded Wives despised and shamefully abused through the intemperance of their Husbands which either puts them upon the same extravigance or laying such cruel injustice to heart pine away all their dayes in grief and misery But above all those wretched Inventions the Play-houses like so many hellish Seminaries are the most perniciously conducing to these sad and miserable ends where little beside frothy wanton if not directly obscene and profane humours are represented which are of notorious ill consequence in the minds of most especially the youth that frequent them Next idle deboyst and impiously unclean Stagers are encourag'd and maintain'd then which scarcely a greater abomination can be thought on of that rank of Impieties as will anon particularly be shown and that nothing but the great pleasure People take therein could blind their eyes from seeing And lastly the grand indisposition of mind to solid serious and heavenly employments by the almost continual as well as seemingly pleasant rumination of those various adventures they had lately been entertain'd with which in the more youthful can never hit amiss to enflame and animate their boyling and aiery Constitutions and in the rest of the common Recreations of Balls Masques Treats Cards Dice Check c. there are the like opportunities to promote the like evils And yet farther too how many disorders quarrels Animosities nay Murder it self as well as expence of Estates and precious time have been the immediate consequences of the like Recreations and Practices In short These were the wayes of the Gentiles that knew not God but never the practice of them that feared him nay the more Noble amongst the Heathens themselves namely Anaxagoras Socrates Plato Antisthines Aristides Cato Tully Epictetus Seneca c. have left their disgust to the like vanities upon Record as odious and destructive not only of the honour of the Immortal God but of all good Order and Government as leading into looseness idleness ignorance and effeminacy the grand Cankers and bane of all States and Empires But such is the Latudinarian impudence of this Age that they Canonize themselves for Saints if not guilty of every Newgatefilth and kennel-impiety and so the pretended innocency of these things steals away their minds into the use of them and their great delight in them nay it gives them confidence to plead for them and by no means will they think the contrary but why because it is a liberty that feeds the flesh and gratifies the lustful eye and pallate of poor Mortality wherefore they think it a laudable condition to be in equality to the Beast that eats and drinks but what his nature doth require although the number 's very small of such so very exorbitant are men and women in this present Age for either they do believe their Actions depend upon their own will so as that they may do what they please without accounting for it or else at best that not to be stain'd with the vilest wickedness is matter of great boasting and indeed it is so in a time when nothing is too wicked to be done But certainly it is a sign of great and universal Impiety in a Land when not to be guilty of sins the very Heathen loath is to be virtuous yes and Christian too that to no small degree of Reputation Nay but is it not to be greatly blinded that those we call Infidels should detest those practices as infamous which People that call themselves Christians cannot or will not see to be such but guild them over with the fair Titles of Ornament Decency Recreation and the like Well my Friends if there were no God no Heaven no Hell no holy Examples no Jesus Christ in Cross Doct ine Death and Resurrection to be conform'd unto yet would Charity to the Poor Help to the Needy Peace amongst Neighbours Visits to the Sick Care of the Widdow and Fatherless with the rest of those Temporal good Offices already repeated be a nobler Employment and much more necessary as well as worthy of your diligence and pains Nor indeed is it to be conceived that the way
to Glory is enclos'd and smooth'd with such variety of carnal Pleasures no alas Conviction a wounded Spirit a broken Heart a regenerated Mind in a word Immortality would then prove as meer fictions as some make them and others therefore think them if the like practises are not for ever to be extinguish'd and expell'd all Christian society for I affirm That to one who internally knows God and hath a sense of his blessed Presence all such Recreations are death yea more dangerously evil and more apt to steal away the mind from its Heavenly exercise than grosser Impieties for they are so big they are plainly seen so dirty they are easily detested which Education and common Temperance as well as Constitution in many teach them to abhor and if they should be committed they carry with them a proportionable conviction but these pretended Innocents these supposed harmeless Satisfactions are more surprising more fatal more destructive for as they easily gain and admission of their senses so the more they pretend to Innocency the more do they secure the minds of People in the common use of them till they become so insensible of their evil Consequences that with a mighty confidence they can plead for them But as this is plainly not to deny themselves but on the contrary to employ these vain Inventions of carnal Men and Women to gratifie the desire of the Eye the desire of the Flesh and the pride of Life all which exercise the mind below the divine and only true Pleasure or else tell me what do So Be it known to such That the Heavenly Life and Christian Joyes are of another kind as hath already been express'd nay that the true Disciples of the Lord Christ must be hereunto crucified as to Objects and Enjoyments that attract downwards and that their affections should be so rais'd to a more sublime and spiritual Conversation as to use this World even in its most innocent enjoyments as if they us'd it not but if they take pleasure in any thing below it shall be in some of those good Offices before-mention'd whereby a benefit may redound in some respect in which God is honour'd over all visible things the Nition reliev'd the Government better'd themselves rendred exemplary of good and thereby justly intituled to present Happiness a sweet Memorial with Posterity and to a seat at his Right hand where there are Joyes and Pleasures for ever than which there can be nothing more honourable nothing more certain world without end Reas 7. There should be no vanity of Apparel nor Recreations common amongst those who would be Christians indeed because both that which invented them delights to have them and pleads so strongly for them is inconsistent with the true Spirit of Christianity nor doth the very nature of the Christian Religion admit of these things For therefore was it that Immortality and Eternal Life was thereby brought to light that Mortality and all the pleasures of it in which the world lives might be forgone and relinquished and for that reason it is that nothing less than immense Rewards and eternal Mansions are promised but that Men and Women might therefore be encourag'd willingly to forsake the vanity and fleshly satisfactions of the World and encounter with boldness the shame and sufferings they must expect to receive at the hand of it may be their nearest and otherwise dearest Intimates and Relations For if the Christian Religion had admitted the Possession of this World in any other sense than the simple and naked use of those Creatures really given of God for the necessity and convenience of the whole Creation for instance Did it allow all that Pride Vanity Curiosity Pomp Exchange of Apparel Honours Preferments Fashions and the Customary Recreations with what ever may delight and gratifie their senses Then what need of a daily Cross a self-denying Life working out Salvation with fear and trembling seeking the things that are above having the Treasure and heart in Heaven No idle talking no vain jesting but fearing and meditating all the day long undergoing all reproach scorn hard usage bitter mockings and cruel deaths What need these things and why should they be expected in order to that glorious Immortality and eternal Crown if the Vanity Pride Expence Idleness Concupiscence Envy Malice and whole manner of living among the called Christians were allow'd No certainly but as the Lord Jesus Christ well knew in what foolish trifles and vain pleasures as well as grosser impieties the minds of Men and Women were fixed and how much they were degenerated from the Heavenly principle of Life into a coverous seeking after the enjoyments of this perishing World nay inventing daily new ones to gratifie their Lusts so did he not less foresee the difficulty that all would have to relinquish and forsake them at his call and with what great unwillingness they would take their leave and be weaned from them wherefore as inducements thereunto he did not speak unto them in the Language of the Law as that they should have an Earthly Canaan great Dignities a numerous Issue a long Life and the like no rather the contrary at least to take these things as they should fall but he speaks to them in a higher strain namely That he assures them of a Kingdom and a Crown that are Immortal that neither Time Cruelty Death Grave nor Hell with all its instruments shall ever be able to disappoint or take away from those who should believe and obey him further That they should be taken into that neer Aliance of loving Friends yea the intimate divine Relation of dear Brethren and Co-heirs with him of all Coelestial Happiness and glorious Immortality wherefore if it be recorded That those who heard not Moses were to die much more they who refuse to hear and obey the Precepts of this great and Eternal Rewarder of All that diligently seek and follow him And therefore it was that he was pleased to give us in his own Example a tast of what his Disciples must expect to drink more deeply of namely The Cup of Self-denyal cruel Tryals and most bitter Afflictions He came not to Consecrate a way to the Eternal Rest through Gold and Silver Ribbons Laces Points Perfumes costly Cloaths curious Trim's exact Dresses rich Jewels pleasant Recreations Play 's Parks Treats Balls Masques Revels Romances Love-songs flattering Sonnets and the like Pastime of the World No no alas but by forsaking all such kind of entertainments yea and sometimes more lawful enjoyments too and chearfully undergoing the loss of all on the one hand and the Reproach Ignominy and the most hateful Persecutions from ungodly men on the other alas he needed never to have wanted such variety of worldly Pleasures had they been sutable to the work he came to do for he was tempted as are his followers with no less bait than all the Gloryes of the World however Satan ly'd in saying
extravagant and superstitious praises whilst it 's laudable to act the contrary and no so ready away to become vitious as not to be so a strange paradox but too true so blind so stupified so besotted are the foolish sensualists of the world under their great pretences to Religion Faith and Worship Ah! did they know the peace the joyes the unspeakable ravishment of soul that inseparably attend the innocent harmless still and retired Life of Jesus Did they but weigh within themselves the Authors of their vain delights and pastimes the nature and disposition they are so grateful to the dangerous consequences of exercising the mind and its affections below and arresting them from their due attendance and obedience to the most holy crying Voice in their Consciences repent return all is vanity and vexation of spirit Were but these things reflected on were the incessant woings of Jesus and his importunate knocks and intreaties at the door but kindly answered and he admitted to take up his possession there And lastly were such resolved to give up to the instructions and holy guidance of his eternal Spirit in all the humble heavenly and righteous Conversation it requires and of which he is become our Captain and Example then O then both root and branch of Vanity the Nature that invented and which delights her self therein with all the folly's themselves would be consum'd and vanish But they alas cheat themselves by misconstrued Scriptures and daub with the untempered Mortar of misapply'd Promises My Friends mind the just Witness holy Principle in your selves that you may experimentally know more of the divine Life in which and not in a multitude of vain repetitions and aiery fancies true and sollid felicity eternally consists Hipparchia A fair Macedonian Virgin Noble of Blood as they term it but more truly noble of mind I cannot omit to mention who entertain'd so earnest an affection for Crates the Cynical Philosopher as well for his severe life as excellent discourse that by no means could her Relations nor Suiters by all their wealth nobility beauty disswade her from being his companion Upon which strange resolution they all betook themselves to Crates beseeching him to shew himself a true Philosopher in perswading her to desist which he strongly endeavoured by many arguments but not prevailing went his way and brought all the little furniture of his house and shew'd her This saith he is thy Husband that the furniture of thy house Consider on it for thou canst not be mine unless thou followest the same course of life for being rich above 20 tallents which is more then 50000. l. he neglected all to follow a retired studious life all which had so contrary an effect that she immediately went to him before them all and said I seek not the pomp and effeminacy of this world but knowledge and vertue Crates and chuse a life of temperance before a life of delicacies for true satisfaction thou know'st is in the mind and that pleasure is only worth seeking that lasts for ever Thus was it she became the constant companion both of his love and life his friendship and his virtues travelling with him from place to place and performing the publick Exercises of Instruction with Crates wherever they came She was a most violent enemy to all Impiety but especially to wanton men and women and those whose garb and conversation shew'd them devoted to vain pleasures and pastimes Effeminacy rendring the like persons not only unprofitable but pernitious to the whole world Which she as well made good by the example of her exceeding industry temperance and severity as those are wont to do by their intemperance and folly for ruine of health estates virtue and loss of eternal happiness have ever attended and ever will attend such earthly minds Thus may the voluptuous Women of the times read their reproofs in the character of a brave Heathen and learn That sollid happiness consists in a divine and holy composure of mind in a neglect of wealth and greatness and contempt of all corporal pleasures as more befitting Beasts than immortal Spirits And which are us'd by none but such as not knowing the excellency of heavenly things are both inventing and delighting like brutes in that which perisheth giving the preference to poor mortality and spending their lives to gratifie the lusts of a little dirty flesh and blood that shall never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven by which their minds become dark'ned and so insensible of more Coelestial Glory 's that they do not only refuse to enquire after them but infamously scoff and despise whosoever do as a foolish frantick meer mad People to that strange degree of darkness and impudence this Age has got But if the exceeding temperance chastity virtue industry and contentedness of very Heathens with the plain and necessary enjoyments God has been pleased to vouchsafe the Sons and Daughters of Men as sufficient to their wants that they may be the more at leisure to answer the great end of their being born will not suffice but that they will exceed the bounds precepts and examples both of Heathens and Christians by the invention of vanities to indulge their bodies Wrath and inexpressible anguish shall overtake them when they shall have an Eternity to think with gnashing teeth on what to all Eternity they can never remedy These dismal wages are decreed to be their lot who so far affront God Heaven and Eternal felicities as to neglect their acquaintance with them and daily increase in the love and knowledge of them meerly to gratifie the desires of perishing flesh and for the enjoyment of a few fading toyes For such to think that notwithstanding their lives of sense and pleasure wherein their minds become slaves to their bodies that they shall be everlastingly happy is one of the greatest evils they can commit since 't is the greatest abuse to the Holy God that Men and Women should believe him an eternal companion for their carnal and sensual minds for as the tree falls so it lyes as death leaves them judgment finds them there 's no repentance in the grave Therefore you to whom this comes O retire with-draw a while let not the Body see all taste all enjoy all but let the Soul see too taste and enjoy that knowledge and divine food and those heavenly refreshments proper to that invisible World of which she is an Inhabitant and where she must abide in an eternal state of peace or plagues when this visible one shall be dissolved Quintillian had so ill an opinion of the Stage-players that besides other enormities he plainly termed them Hypocrites gross dissemblers and lyars from counterfeiting the manner measure motion gesture gate feature and actions of such persons as they represent whose fashion and humour they too often insinuate in beholders as well as they retain them themselves when they have put on their own cloaths again How true this guess was in an Heathen