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was I required to put away and cease from。  So that thenceforward



I durst not say; Sir; Master; My Lord; Madam (or My Dame); or say



Your Servant to any one to whom I did not stand in the real



relation of a servant; which I had never done to any。







〃Again; respect of persons; in uncovering the head and bowing the



knee or body in salutation; was a practice I had been much in the



use of; and this; being one of the vain customs of the world;



introduced by the spirit of the world; instead of the true honor



which this is a false representation of; and used in deceit as a



token of respect by persons one to another; who bear no real



respect one to another; and besides this; being a type and a



proper emblem of that divine honor which all ought to pay to



Almighty God; and which all of all sorts; who take upon them the



Christian name; appear in when they offer their prayers to him;



and therefore should not be given to men;I found this to be one



of those evils which I had been too long doing; therefore I was



now required to put it away and cease from it。







〃Again; the corrupt and unsound form of speaking in the plural



number to a single person; YOU to one; instead of THOU; contrary



to the pure; plain; and single language of truth; THOU to one;



and YOU to more than one; which had always been used by God to



men; and men to God; as well as one to another; from the oldest



record of time till corrupt men; for corrupt ends; in later and



corrupt times; to flatter; fawn; and work upon the corrupt nature



in men; brought in that false and senseless way of speaking you



to one; which has since corrupted the modern languages; and hath



greatly debased the spirits and depraved the manners of



men;this evil custom I had been as forward in as others; and



this I was now called out of and required to cease from。







〃These and many more evil customs which had sprung up in the



night of darkness and general apostasy from the truth and true



religion were now; by the inshining of this pure ray of divine



light in my conscience; gradually discovered to me to be what I



ought to cease from; shun; and stand a witness against。〃'176'







'176' The History of Thomas Elwood; written by Himself; London;



1885; pp。 32…34















These early Quakers were Puritans indeed。  The slightest



inconsistency between profession and deed jarred some of them to



active protest。  John Woolman writes in his diary:







〃In these journeys I have been where much cloth hath been dyed;



and have at sundry times walked over ground where much of their



dyestuffs has drained away。  This hath produced a longing in my



mind that people might come into cleanness of spirit; cleanness



of person; and cleanness about their houses and garments。  Dyes



being invented partly to please the eye; and partly to hide dirt;



I have felt in this weak state; when traveling in dirtiness; and



affected with unwholesome scents; a strong desire that the nature



of dyeing cloth to hide dirt may be more fully considered。







〃Washing our garments to keep them sweet is cleanly; but it is



the opposite to real cleanliness to hide dirt in them。  Through



giving way to hiding dirt in our garments a spirit which would



conceal that which is disagreeable is strengthened。  Real



cleanliness becometh a holy people; but hiding that which is not



clean by coloring our garments seems contrary to the sweetness of



sincerity。  Through some sorts of dyes cloth is rendered less



useful。 And if the value of dyestuffs; and expense of dyeing; and



the damage done to cloth; were all added together; and that cost



applied to keeping all sweet and clean; how much more would real



cleanliness prevail。







〃Thinking often on these things; the use of hats and garments



dyed with a dye hurtful to them; and wearing more clothes in



summer than are useful; grew more uneasy to me; believing them to



be customs which have not their foundation in pure wisdom。  The



apprehension of being singular from my beloved friends was a



strait upon me; and thus I continued in the use of some things;



contrary to my judgment; about nine months。  Then I thought of



getting a hat the natural color of the fur; but the apprehension



of being looked upon as one affecting singularity felt uneasy to



me。  On this account I was under close exercise of mind in the



time of our general spring meeting in 1762; greatly desiring to



be rightly directed; when; being deeply bowed in spirit before



the Lord; I was made willing to submit to what I apprehended was



required of me; and when I returned home; got a hat of the



natural color of the fur。







〃In attending meetings; this singularity was a trial to me; and



more especially at this time; as white hats were used by some who



were fond of following the changeable modes of dress; and as some



friends; who knew not from what motives I wore it; grew shy of



me; I felt my way for a time shut up in the exercise of the



ministry。  Some friends were apprehensive that my wearing such a



hat savored of an affected singularity:  those who spoke with me



in a friendly way; I generally informed in a few words; that I



believed my wearing it was not in my own will。〃







When the craving for moral consistency and purity is developed to



this degree; the subject may well find the outer world too full



of shocks to dwell in; and can unify his life and keep his soul



unspotted only by withdrawing from it。 That law which impels the



artist to achieve harmony in his composition by simply dropping



out whatever jars; or suggests a discord; rules also in the



spiritual life。  To omit; says Stevenson; is the one art in



literature:  〃If I knew how to omit; I should ask no other



knowledge。〃  And life; when full of disorder and slackness and



vague superfluity; can no more have what we call character than



literature can have it under similar conditions。  So monasteries



and communities of sympathetic devotees open their doors; and in



their changeless order; characterized by omissions quite as much



as constituted of actions; the holy…minded person finds that



inner smoothness and cleanness which it is torture to him to feel



violated at every turn by the discordancy and brutality of



secular existence。







That the scrupulosity of purity may be carried to a fantastic



extreme must be admitted。  In this it resembles Asceticism; to



which further symptom of saintliness we had better turn next。 



The adjective 〃ascetic〃 is applied to conduct originating on



diverse psychological levels; which I might as well begin by



distinguishing from one another。







1。  Asceticism may be a mere expression of organic hardihood;



disgusted with too much ease。







2。  Temperance in meat and drink; simplicity of apparel;



chastity; and non…pampering of the body generally; may be fruits



of the love of purity; shocked by whatever savors of the sensual。







3。  They may also be fruits of love; that is; they may appeal to



the subject in the light of sacrifices which he is happy in



making to the Deity whom he acknowledges。







4。  Again; ascetic mortifications and torments may be due to



pessimistic feelings about the self; combined with theological



beliefs concerning expiation。  The devotee may feel that he is



buying himself free; or escaping worse sufferings hereafter; by



doing penance now。







5。  In psychopathic persons; mortifications may be entered on



irrationally; by a sort of obsession or fixed idea which comes as




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