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 apostacy 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.

But so subtly and withal so powerfully did the enemy work upon the
weak part in me, as to persuade me that in these things I ought to
make a difference between my father and all other men; and that
therefore, though I did disuse these tokens of respect to others,
yet I ought still to use them towards him, as he was my father. And
so far did this wile of his prevail upon me, through a fear lest I
should do amiss in withdrawing any sort of respect or honour from my
father which was due unto him, that being thereby beguiled, I
continued for a while to demean myself in the same manner towards
him, with respect both to language and gesture, as I had always done
before. And so long as I did so (standing bare before him, and
giving him the accustomed language) he did not express--whatever he