NON-CONFORMITY by J. W. Conning

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Feb 18, 1889

FromThe Signs of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 7

NON-CONFORMITY

By J. W. Conning

In his manner of life and in his preaching, John the Baptist was a non-conformist. He had marvelous success for a time. Unnumbered multitudes rushed to the wilderness to see and hear this wonderful man. But after all he was unsatisfactory. The people said, “We have piped unto you and you have not danced.” Would that they could say that of every professing Christian to-day—and the poor Baptist perished in prison. And yet, as everybody knows, John was right. He was called of God to be the herald of the King, and his non-conformity to the world had the divine approval. But this last fact makes a great deal of trouble in this age. So many people want to be John the Baptist. And they think that the only way to do so is to practice non-conformity in some way, and not only practice it themselves, but try to compel everyone else to do the same. So they leap on to the rostrum, or rush into print, or go preaching around in their own community, to the great disgust of all with whom they come in contact. One’s non-conformity is in dress, another’s in language, and another’s in the aspect of his countenance.

And these non-conformists after having awakened general contempt toward themselves, draw great comfort therefrom as a marked evidence of their genuine other worldliness. Poor souls! Don’t they know that John never recommended his own style of dress nor mode of speech to anybody? And if everyone had imitated him simply in these outward affairs, how quickly would he have retired in disgust at so undesired and absurd a performance!

True non-conformity is in spirit. It consists in unfigured loyalty to God and one’s Heaven-appointed mission in the earth, and is not inconsistent with the exercise of the highest common sense that God has given. It is not crushed by the fear of man, it does not feast on human praise. It does not concern itself with what is unimportant, and what is innocent in human customs it does not disturb. It simply goes right on and does its duty, modestly, humbly, earnestly, in the fear and love of God. Such practices as are in manifest opposition to the word and Spirit of God, it renounces as well as denounces. Such fashions as in their nature tend to hinder the progress of righteousness, temperance, and purity, among mankind, it gives no countenance to, but earnestly seeks to overthrow. Non-conformity, the genuine article, is an abiding benediction wherever found; but it is not the most abounding grace at present in the world. It is needed in the class-meeting and prayer-meeting, and it is wanted in the pulpit and the pew, and in the private and social life of Christians generally, where there is room for it to have a place. The prayer of the church should be the antiquated one, revived and earnest, that God would save us from “a man-fearing and a man-pleasing spirit.”—Rev. J. W. Conning, in Methodist Advocate.