custom for these contrary fashions neither are either of them to be censured as faulty and exorbitant and with us we hold the head uncovered if the hat be off though the cap be on others make no difference if there be ought at all on the head Consider Secondly that the hair was given by God both to Men and Women for an ornament for which cause though it pass in our account for no better then an excretion yet it was created together with Man and Woman in their first Perfection Were it not thus surely Baldnesse would be held a Beauty and noâ— a Blemish Neither would the Prophet Elisha have taken it for so haynous an affront that the children cryed ascende calve Neither would God have exprest it as an intimation of his severest judgment upon Israel on every head shall be baldness Jer. 48.37 Neither would God have ordained it for a law to Israel that he who was enamoured of a captive woman should first shave her hair to take off the edge of his affection Deut. 21.12 Neither would Nehemiah have taken this revenge of the hair of hiâ— mis-married Countrymen Nehem. 13.25 It was but a just question that Augustus Cesar askt his Daughter Julia when she had her white hairs pulled out daily whether within a few years she had rather be gray or bald And our story tells us that when it was askt why the Spartans suffred their hair to grow Ageselaus answerd that was the cheapest ornament that belong'd to the body In a word therefore if our hair were given for a deformity to us it could but be all hidden Let it be Thirdly considered that our Apostles main drift here is to give order for the habiting of women in the publique assemblies and exercises of their devotions not for their ordinary and domestique attire Which appears plainly in the 5th verse Every Woman that prayeth or prophesyeth with her head uncovered dishonoreth her head he saith not every woman that walkes abroad upon civill occasions or that staies at home upon her houshold affaires without a vail on her head dishonors her head and verse 13. Judge in your selves is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered It is a publique prayer that is there meant parallel to the prophesie before mentioned both which in these first times of the Church were in extraordinary use without the danger of a precedent to us upon whom the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Church and the ends of the World are at once come And if there were no more proofs my Text were enough which injoynes the vayling of the head is to be used because of the Angels relating as all interpreters give it to the publique Congregations of the Saints of God as we shall see in the sequele Lastly it must be known that this covering of the head hath principall relation to the face which is the best and most conspicuous part of the head so as it is supposed that the humility and modesty of the woman doth most show it self in the vayling of the face from the view of beholders the back parts of the head not giving so much cause of note and distinction not so much occasion of temptation to any eye those therefore who by vertue of this place would have all their hair hid must much more and upon better reason contend that their face should be alwayes covered wherein one absurdity and servile inconvenience would easily draw on another Shortly then it followes irrefragably from all this that however the garish and wanton fashion of the womans dissheveling her hair and the lascivious turning it into nets for the catching of fond and amorous eyes be justly forbidden both to grave matrons and to chast and well governd Virgins yet that no law of God or good reason disallowes such a moderate laying out of some part of the hair as may give a safe comeliness to the face without the just scandall of any wise beholder Neither doth that other Text make ought for this fancy where the Apostle tels us that the womans hair was given her for a covering but rather evinces the contrary The meaning is it was given her for a covering actively to cover her not passively to be covered by her For St. Paul intending to show how unseemly it was for women to show themselves in publique exercises with a bare face an open brow an uncovered hair before the multitude fetches an argument from nature it self which plainly points her what she ought to do in that it hath furnished her with a native vail which is her hair since therefore provident nature hath given her a long hair purposely to be a cover unto her it therein showes how fit it is that her modesty and discretion should provide her such a covering for her head when she will be opening her mouth in the publique assembly as may testifie her womanly bashfulnesse and humble subjection To shut up this point therefore there can be no just pretence from this or any other Scripture for this mis-raysed scrupulousnesse Rather for the contrary the holy Ghost seemes to make in that his Divine Epithalamion wherein he brings in Christ the Heavenly Bridegroom magnifying his bride the Church with this sweet allusion Behold thou art fair my love Behold thou art fair thou hast doves eyes within thy locks thy hair is as a flock of goates that appear from Mount Gilead Cantic 4.1 Lo the dove-like eyes of the Church are within her locks and her hair is not as an hidden flock but appears and that in a glorious beauty Let no well affected Christian bring her self under the bondage of an observation which God never injoyned or passe a groundless and rash verdict upon others for that which God hath never forbidden but with a due care of an holy outward decency Let every one in the fear of God look to the hidden Man of the heart in that which is not corruptible even the Ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit which is in the sight of God of great price 1 Pet. 3.4 And so I have done with the Rule or Canon of the Apostle Come we now to the grounds of it The former whereof hath reference to what he had concerning the eminent condition of the Man in respect of the Woman fetched from both the materiall and finall cause Materiall the woman is of the Man Finall the woman is created for the man not the contrary but because this point is coincident with that which we have formerly touched concerning the husbands superiority I shall not need to renew my discourse upon this subject but choose rather to descend to that second ground which by the vulgar and some Fathers quoting the place is brought in by way of a copulative And because of the Angels a ground so deep that great wits and judgments have professed not to fadom it Quid hoc sit saith learned Beza nondum intelligo and our no lesse learned Camâ—ron confesses that
stated and arbitrated by Reverend and Learned Bishop Overall on one side and our Divines on the other As for this Authour himself to prevent thy hard censure of his leaning to Arminius we referre thee to the passages which thou wilt meet with wherein he claims the liberty of reserving his own Judgement and more especially to pag. 387. where in the close of the Tract his unbyassedness is clearly professed Now Reader after thy quarrel with us taken off for our thus long withholding the good in these Remains from thee when it was in the power of our hands to give them forth for which we plead our long mocked Expectation of a promised and delayed Reimpression of all the Authours scattered Tracts to be reduced into a Volume in which these were meant to be included we dismiss thee with this blessing and we think it blessing enough May the Spirit of this Reverend Father rest upon thee and maist thou be but as Sound in thy Judgment and Religious in thy Affections as he was and as Blessed in the End as he now is The Heads of what is here Collected A Sermon Preach't before K. James at Hampton-Court in September 1624. on Philip. 3.18 19. Fol. 1 Christian Liberty laid forth in a Sermon at White-Hall 1628. on Call 5.1 Fol. 19 Divine Light and Reflections in a Sermon at White-Hall on Whitsunday 1640. on 1 John 1.5 Fol. 33 A Sermon Preach't at the Cathedral of Exceter upon the Pacification betwixt the two Kingdomes Septemb. 7. 1641. on Psalm 46.8 Fol. 48 The Mischief of Faction and the Remedy of it a Sermon at White-Hall on the second Sunday in Lent 1641. on Psal 60.1 Fol. 65 A Sermon Preacht at the Tower March 20. 1641. on James 4.1 Fol. 84 A Sermon Preach't on Whitsunday June 9. 1644. in Norwich on Ephes 4.30 Fol. 101 A Second Sermon in prosecution of the same Text in Norwich July 21. 1644. Fol. 127 A Sermon on Easter-day at Higham 1648. Fol. 185 A Sermon Preacht on Whitsunday at Higham 1652. on Rom. 8.14 Fol. 140 The Mourner in Sion on Ecclesiastes 3.4 Fol. 154 A Sermon Preacht at Higham July 1 1655. on 1 Pet. 1.17 Fol. 192 The Womens Vail or a Discourse concerning the necessity or expedience of the Close-covering of the Heads of Women Fol. 265 Holy Decency in the Worship of God Fol. 253 Good Security a discourse of the Christians Assurance Fol. 261 A plain and familiar explication of Christs presence in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood Fol. 287 A Letter for the Observation of the Feast of Christs Nativity Fol. 296 A Letter to Mr. William Struthers one of the Preachers of Edenbourgh Fol. 306 Epistola D. Baltasari Willio S. T. D. Fol. 317 Epistola D. Lud. Crocio S. T. D. Fol. 321 Epistola D. Herman Hildebrando S. T. D. Fol. 331 Reverendissimo Marco Antonio de Dom. Archiep. Spalatensi Epistola discessus sui ad Romam dissuasiva Fol. 394 A Modest Offer Fol. 336 Certain irrefragable Propositions worthy of serious Consideration Fol. 348 The way of peace in the five busie Articles commonly known by the name of Arminia Fol. 353 A Letter concerning the falling away from Grace Fol. 389 A Letter concerning Religion Fol. 401 Resolutions for Religion Fol. 405 A Letter concerning the frequent injection of Temptations Fol. 411 A consolatory Letter to one under Censure Fol. 414 A short answer to the Nine Arguments which are brought against the Bishops sitting in Parliament Fol. 417 For Episcopacy and Liturgie Fol. 421 A speech in Parliament Fol. 425 A speech in Parliament in defence of the Canons made in Convocation Fol. 428 A speech in Parliament concerning the power of Bishops in Secular things Fol. 432 Anthemes for the Cathedral of Exceter Fol. 435 OBSERVATIONS Of some Specialties of DIVINE PROVIDENCE In the Life of JOS. HALL BISHOP of NORWICH Written with his own Hand NOt out of a vain affectation of my own Glory which I know how little it can avail me when I am gone hence but out of a sincere desire to give glory to my God whose wonderful Providence I have noted in all my wayes have I recorded some remarkable passages of my fore-past life what I have done is worthy of nothing but silence and forgetfulness but what God hath done for me is worthy of everlasting and thankfull Memory I was born Julii 1. 1574. at five of the clock in the Morning in Bristow-Park within the Parish of Ashby de la Zouch a Town in Leicester-shire of honest and well allowed Parentage my Father was an Officer under that truly Honourable and Religious Henry Earl of Huntingdon President of the North and under him had the Government of that Market-Town wherein the chief Seat of that Earldome is placed My Mother Winifride of the House of the Bambridges was a woman of that rare Sanctity that were it not for my Interest in Nature I durst say that neither Aleth the mother of that just Honour of Clareval nor Monica nor any other of those pious Matrons antiently famous for Devotion need to disdain her admittance to comparison She was continually exercised with the affliction of a weak Body and oft of a wounded Spirit the Agonies whereof as she would oft recount with much passion professing that the greatest bodily sicknesses were but Flea-bites to those Scorpions so from them all at last she found an happy and comfortable deliverance and that not without a more then ordinary hand of God For on a time being in great distress of Conscience she thought in her Dream there stood by her a grave Personage in the Gown and other Habits of a Physitian who enquiring of her estate and receiving a sad and querulous answer from her took her by the hand and bad her be of good Comfort for this should be the last Fit that ever she should feel of this kinde whereto she seemed to answer that upon that condition she could well be content for the time with that or any other torment reply was made to her as she thought with a redoubled assurance of that happy issue of this her last tryal whereat she began to conceive an unspeakable joy which yet upon her awaking left her more disconsolate as then conceiting her happiness imaginary her misery real when the very same day she was visited by the reverend and in his time famous Divine Mr. Anthony Gilby under whose Ministry she lived who upon the Relation of this her pleasing Vision and the contrary effects it had in her began to perswade her that Dream was no other then Divine and that she had good reason to think that gracious premonition was sent her from God himself who though ordinarily he keeps the common rode of his proceedings yet sometimes in the Distresses of his Servants he goes unusual wayes to their relief hereupon she began to take heart and by good Counsel and her fervent prayers found that happy prediction verified to her and upon all occasions in the
therefore putting both together we must rejoyce in him with trembling Droop not despair not O Man thou hast a Father in Heaven all the bowels of mortall and Earthly parents are straight to his If Fathers if Mothers may prove unnaturall there is no fear that God should cast off his mercy for it is himself Presume not O Man for this Father is a most just Judge It is for sinfull flesh and blood to be partiall Fond parents are apt so to doat upon the persons of their children that they are willing to connive at their sins either they will not see them or not hate them or not censure them or not punish them thus many a son may according to the Apologue bite his Mothers ear when he is climbing up to the gallowes but the infinite justice of the great and holy God cannot be either accessary or indulgent to the least sin of his dearest darling upon Earth it is a mad conceit of our Antinomian Hereticks That God sees no sin in his elect whereas he notes and takes more tenderly their offences then any other Hear what he saith to his Israel Thee onely have I chosen of all the families upon Earth therefore will I punish thee for all thine iniquities Amos. 3.2 But let this be enough to be spoken of the conjuncture of these two titles of God A Father and a Judge we cannot hope in the remainder of our hour to prosecute both of them severally let us onely touch at the former it is a dear name this of a Father and no less familiar It is the first word of our Lords prayer and in the first clause of our Creed that which is there the title of his personality in Divine relation is the same here in his gracious relation to us Our Father so he is in the right of Creation He made us not we our selves in the right of adoption we have received the adoption of sons Galat. 4.5 In the right of regeneration In that we are made partakers of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 I could here lose my self and yet be happily bestowed in the setting forth of those infinite priviledges that we receive from the hands of our God by vertue of this happy son-ship but I shall balk this theme for the present as that we not long since largely prosecuted in your ears and shall as my Text invites me rather put you in mind how vainly we shall pretend a right to this Father unless we own him for the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If ye call him Father as Beza and our former translation turnes it or as it is being a compound word more properly rendred in our present version If ye call upon the Father where you have a short but true Character of a faithfull Christian laid forth to you He is one that calls upon the Father he saith not upon God absolutely in the relation to that infinite power which made and governes the World so Jewes and Turks pretend to do but in the relation to his blessed paternity as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and in him ours Thus he that calls upon the Father professes himself a true Christian so St. Paul makes this one of the mottoes of Gods great Sâ—al Let every one that calls upon the name of the Lord depart from iniquity and David makes this the pitch-brand as it were of wicked wretches they call not upon God surely there is no act we can do argues more grace then holy invocation or that equally procures it There are three motives of our calling upon the Father Our duty our need and our benefit Our duty for that God injoyns it and accounts it an especiall part of his worship They shall call upon me in the day of their trouble and I will hear them saith God Our need for as we are of our selves destitute of all good things so they are onely to be derived to us from Heaven by our prayers Our benefit for we are assured of all blessings for suing for Ask and have In these regards I may truly say that man hath no grace nor goodness in him that prayes not both by himself and with his family let him never plead his disability to express himself in his devotion I never knew begger yet that wanted words to express his wants were we equallly sensible of our spirituall defects we should find language enough to bemoan them this indevotion plainly bewraies a Godless heart careless of his duty insensible of his need regardless of his benefit and wholly yielded up to an atheous stupidity On the contrary to pray well and frequently is an argument of a pious and graciously disposed soul Others may talk to God and complement with him perhaps in Scripture termes which they have packt together and this may be the phrase of their memory and elocution but to pour out our souls in our fervent prayers with a due apprehension of the majesty to whom we speak and a lively sense of our necessity with a faithfull expectation of their supplies from Heaven is for none but godly and well affected suppliants these cannot call upon the Father without a blessing It is a notable and patheticall expostulation which the holy Psalmist uses to the Almighty How long wilt thou be angry with thy people that prayeth intimating clearly that it were strange and uncouth that a praying people should lie long under any judgment and should not find speedie mercy at the hands of God Oh then that we could be stirred up to a serious and effectual performance of this duty for our selves for our Brethren for the whole Church of God certainly we could not have been thus miserable if we could have heartily called upon the Father of mercies and if we could yet ply Heaven fervently and importunately with our faithfull devotions we should not fail of an happy evasion out of all our miseries and find cause to praise him for his gracious deliverance and his fatherly compassion renewed upon us and continued to our posterity after us which our good God for the sake of the Son of his love Jesus Christ the righteous vouchsafe to grant unto us Amen THE WOMENS VAIL OR A DISCOURSE Concerning the NECESSITY or EXPEDIENCE OF THE CLOSE-COVERING OF THE Heads of Women Intended to have been Preach't in the Cathedral at Exceter upon 1 Cor. 11.10 Occasioned by an offence unjustly taken at a Modest Dresse 1 COR. 11.10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the Angels AS the Sacred Councels of the Church had wont to have their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 substantial canons and rituall constitutions so hath our blessed Apostle as in all his Epistles so in this and as in other parts of it so in this Chapter here are main Canons for the essence of Gods service in the matter of the Eucharist here are Rules of order for the outward fashion of praying and
prophesying these may be as variable as the other are constant it is no more possible to fit all Churches and Countreys with one form then to fit all bodies with one suit or all limmes with one size Neither can I with learned Beza and Cappellus think that prophesying here is taken for the hearing of prophesyes these things were extraordinarily done till they were restrained In those Primitive times there were some women extraordinarily gifted by Gods Spirit who took upon them to preach and pray publickly which afterwards St. Paul forbad to his Timothy 1 Tim. 2.12 They exercising these manly functions presumed to take upon them manly fashions whereas therefore bare-headednesse was in Corinth as also in all Greece and Rome a token of honour and superiority and covering the head a token of subjection these forward women usurpe upon the fashions of their husbands and will have their faces seen as well as their voyces heard as the Jesuitesses of late time dared both to attempt and practise till the late restraint of Pope Urban curbed and suppressed them Our holy Apostle who was zealously carefull to reforme even Soloecismes in the outward deportment of Gods service controlls this absurd disorder and as the great Master of holy ceremonies injoynes a modest vail to the women when they will show themselves in these acts of publique devotion For this cause the women ought to have power on their head because of the Angels Wherein your selves without me observe two remarkable heads of our discourse 1. An Apostolicall Canon 2ly The carriage or grounds of it The Canon is fully and home-charged The women ought to have power on their head The grounds are double one precedent For this cause The other subsequent Because of the Angels which in the vulgar and in St. Ambrose is brought in by a Copulative or etiam propter Angelos From the Canon it self in the generality you would of your selves in my silence easily inferre that spirituall superiors must take care not only of the substantiall parts of Gods worship but of the circumstantiall appendances of it what is a meerer ceremony then our cloathes what can seem of lesse consequence then a vail left off or put on the head may be as good and as full of holy thoughts bare or covered what is that you would think to the heart of our devotion yet the chosen vessel fears not to seem too scrupulous in laying weighty charges upon us in so small and as we might imagine unimporting a business Certainly my beloved though the Kings Daughter be all glorious within and there lies her chief beauty yet her clothing is of wrought Gold too And if in the Tabernacle Gods first dwelling place upon Earth it pleased him to give order for the principal stuffe of the vails and curtaines and frame for the matter and form of the Ark and Altars and Tables of the Face-bread yet he thought good not to neglect the punctuall directions for the Taches Snuffers Snuff-dishes beesomes and the meanest requisites of that sacred Fabrick Justice and Judgment which are the main businesses of the law must be chiefly regarded but yet even the tithing of mint and anyse and cummin may not be neglected Had not Simon the Pharisee meant an hearty welcome to our Saviour he had never undergone the envy of inviting him to his house but yet our Saviour finds him short of his due complements of the hospitall kiss of washing and anoynting Let no man say what matter is to be made of stuffes or colours or postures God is a Spirit and will be worshipt in Spirit and truth these bodily observations are nothing to that spirituall and infinite essence what Corinthian Gossip might not have said so to our Apostle yet he sees the respect of these circumstances so necessary that the neglect of them may yea will marr the substance and surely in all experience were it not for ceremonies what would become of state goverment conversation religion and yet of these there is great difference some ceremonies are no less then substance to others and beside the latitude of their nature they have one aspect as they look toward an imposing authority and another as they look toward an arbitrary use It is one thing what men take up out of will or custome another thing what they conform to out of duty and obedience so as what our superiors to whom we must leave to see further then our selves think fit to injoyne us out of their estimation of decency and order is not now left to the freedom of our election it is for them to judge it is for us to obey neither have we the like reason to censure them for imposing things indifferent which are found by them to conduce unto holy ends that they have to censure us for not observing them herein they are wise and just whiles we are conceitedly refractory I know how little I need to press this to a people where I can find nothing but an universal conformity only this touch was needfull if but to second and revive those late meet and expedientorders which we lately commended to your carefull and Christian observation This from the generall and confused view of this Apostolicall charge cast your eyes now upon the particular injunction The Woman ought to have power on her Head what is this power but a signification of her husbands power over her for it is worth observing that the Hebrew word which signifies a vail 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies also power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being derived from a root of that sense so as the meaning plainly is The woman ought to wear that on her head which may import and testifie that she is under her husbands power which is as the Valentinians read it not amiss in Irenaeus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a vail or covering here therefore ye have an evident Metonymy the thing signified which is the husbands power is put for that which signifies it which is the womans vail so as this proposition then lies open to a double consideration the one in reference to the thing signified which is the husbands power over the wife the other in reference to the sign implying it which is the wifes vail or covering of the head of both briefly The first that the husband hath power over the wife is so clear both in nature and reason that I shall willingly save the labour of a proof it is enough that by her Creatour she was made for an helper and an helper doth necessarily argue a principall it is enough for matter of instiution that he who gave her a will appointed it should be subject to the will of her husband which how deep an impression it took in very Heathens appears clearly enough in the Persian sages censure of Vashti Est. 1. And that it may appear the liberty of the Gospell doth no whit alter the case How do the blessed Apostles St. Paul and St. Peter redouble the charge of
wives be subject to your Husbands Colos 3. 1 Pet. 3. And inded how is the husband the head if he be not both more eminent and furnished with the faculty of directing the whole body A Vertuous woman saith Solomon is the crown or Diadem of her Husband Prov. 12.3 Lo she is the crown for the ornament of his head but if she be vertuous she doth not affect to be the head and if the Crown be set upon the head as the husband may give honour to the weaker vessel yet it is a pittyful head that is not better then the crown that adornes it but why urge I this none but some mamish Monsters can question it and if there be any such that would fain read the words amiss that the wife hath power over her head they are more worthy to be punished by the whip of authority then by their neighbours shame or my censure But to say as it is they are rare complaints that we hear of in this kind I would the contrary were not more frequent The man hath power over the wife and he knowes it too well and uses it too boistrously this sweet gentle and familiar power which he should exercise over his other-self is degenerated in the practise of too many into a stern Tyranny according to the old Barbarian fashion in Aristotles time which holds even still their wives are their slaves This is not for the woman to have power on her head but for the man to have power in his hand for the hand to have power on the body an unmanly and savage power to the very destruction of it self This kind of cruelty cries unto me daily for redresse and give me leave to cry out against it as the most odious and abhominable oppression that is incident into him that would be called a man for the deareness of the relation aggravates the violence to strike a beast causelesly is unmercifull a slave unchristian a stranger furious a child unmanly but our own flesh monstrous this is to do that which no man does saith our Apostle Ephes 5.29 There was in the time of Gregory 10th about 1275 as our histories tell us a brood of mad hereticks which arose in the Church whom they called Flagellantes the whippers which went about through France and Germany lashing themselves to blood A guise which though at the first cryed down is since taken up by some mis-zealous penitents of the Romish Church who do not only take pleasure but place merit in blood a lesson taken out by both of them from the Baalites 1 K. 18. Men rather more prodigall of their flesh then the lavishest of these late zelots surely what those Bigots did and do out of falsely named religion these husbands of blood as Zipporah miscalled Moses do out of a crabbed and imperious cruelty even draw blood of those bodies which a severall kinne cannot difference from their own Far far be this more then Turkish more then Paganish inhumanity from those that would pass for Christians for you my dear Brethren let it be enough for me to mention that gracious and needfull charge of our blessed Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Husbands love your wives and be not bitter to them Colos 3.19 Whiles their heads confesse your power take you heed least your power be abused to vex their hearts and to tyrannize over their bodies This for the power here signified of the Husband over the wife we descend to the signification of that power by the covering of the head an ancient custom and that which was practised among all civill Nations hence the Romans expressed the womans marriage by nubere which signifies to vail whereupon a cloud is termed nubes because it is as a vail drawn betwixt Heaven and our sight Neither doubt I but before all latinity was hatched this was alluded to by Abimelech Genes 20.16 Hu ceseth gnenaiim he is the covering of thine eyes said that Heathen King to Sarah concerning her husband a covering which both protects and limits the eye The Apostles charge then is that the womans head ought to be covered to show that she is under anothers power but how and how farre and when this covering is required will require a further disquisition which I shall the rather enter into because I see some religious and well affected women carried away with Erroneous opinions concerning this point whose tender consciences have been abused by the mis-interpretations of some ignorants to be drawn to hold that this covering must be absolute and totall and perpetuall so as if any hair at all be seen it is a violation of this charge and their duty to which purpose they urge that verse 15 as a full commentary upon this text that the hair was given the woman for a covering and upon this ground they are apt to censure them who take liberty to expose any of their hair though never so moderately to others view I beseech you dear Brethren and Sisters misconstrue me not as one that affect to be a Patron of ruffianly and dissolute fashions of excess or immodesty in this kind these I hate from my soul and must tell those vain dames that where such bushes are hanged out 't is an argument that something is exposed to sale but as I would not have you inordinately wild so I would not have you scrupulously superstitious in restraining the due bounds of lawfull Christian liberty and placing sin where God never meant it That I may therefore lay some grounds of this my just determination know first that in the use of garments and these outward appendances of the body there is much latitude and variety according to the severall guises of Nations and degrees of persons there are Countries the extremity of whose cold climate is such that it is no boot to bid both sexes be covered yea muffled up for their own safety there are others so scorching that will hardly admit of any covering either for head or body there are some whose hair is so large that is able to hide them there are others whose curled heads are alike short in both sexes and give no advantage to the covering of either he that made these differences of climates and people hath not thought fit to confine them to one universall rule only contenting himself with a generall prescription of decency which in all Countries must be regulated according to the custom or convenience of the place For certainly these sacred ceremonies must follow the rule of the civill for that which is held a token of subjection to our Princes and other superiors in all Countries is so used in the service of the King above all Gods the Turks and all Mahumetans therefore not uncovering their heads to their Bashaes or their Grand Lord keep their heads covered in their devotions and only by bowing or prostration testifie their humble subjection to God The French Divines preach with their hats on ours uncovered both pretend good reason and
so much as give an occasion to an adversary 1 Tim. 5.14 wether of calumny or of Triumph oh that we could be fearful of doing any unfit thing because of the evil Angels we shall be sure to hear of it again to our cost even the most carelesse boyes will be affraid to offend in the face of the monitor such are the evill Angels to us Be sure every unbeseeming and unlawfull act that passeth from us is upon their file and shall once be urged against us to our shame and conviction My Brethren we would be loath to come under the power of their torment as we would avoid this fearfull issue let us be jealous of their suggestions and our carriage and not dare to do ought that may be scandalous Because of the Angels Good use may be made you see even of this sense but I take it our Apostle intended here to intimate the presence of and respect to the good Angels It is no a lesse comfortable then well-grounded point of Divinity That none of Gods Children upon Earth want the assidence and Ministration of those blessed spirits we have it from him that cannot fail us Matth. 18.10 and the sweet singer of Israel had warbled out this Heavenly note before him The Angels of the Lord encamp about those that fear him Ps 34.7 And he that was rapt up into the third Heaven and saw those wonderfull Orders of Angels can tell us they are all ministring Spirits sent forth to Minister for them who shall be heirs of Salvation Heb. 1.14 Now these as they guard and attend every of Gods elect ones when they are singled and sequestred in the greatest solitariness so we can not think they leave their whether common or severall charges when they assemble together for the exercises of piety and devotion so as the publique meetings of Gods Saints can be no other then filled with whole troupes of Angels This as it is a truth so it was the received opinion of the Jewes as Capellus pregnantly cites it out of the Sedar Tephilloth of the Portugall Jewes in his learned Spicelegium Coronam dant tibi Domine Deus noster Angeli turba illa superna cum populo tuo Israel hic inferne Congregato O Lord our God the Angels give glory to thee even those Heavenly troupes that are assembled with thy Israel here below Out of the reverend and awfull respect therefore that is due to these glorious though invisible beholders there may no unseemly thing be done or admitted in the Church of God and therefore The Women ought to have power on their Heads because of the Angels and surely my beloved were we fully perswaded that now at this present there is within these walls a greater Congregation of Angels then of Men and Women I suppose it could not but strike such an awe into us as to make us at once holily mannerly and fervently devout It is a great fault in us Christians that we think of nothing but what we see whereas that spirituall and intelligible World which is past the apprehension of these Earthly senses is far greater farr more noble and excellent then all visible and materiall substances Certainly there is not one Angel in Heaven that hath not more glory then all this sensible World can be capable of what should I tell you of the excellency of their nature the height of their offices the Majesty of their persons their power able to confound a World their nearness both of place and of essence to that infinite deity their tender love and care of man-kind any of which were able and worthy to take up a whole lives meditation And if there be so much perfection in one how unconceiveable is the concurrent lustre and glory of many had we eyes to see these invisible supervisors of our behaviour we could not we durst no let fall any so much as indecent gesture before such a presence Quicken then I beseech you and sharpen your eyes dear and beloved Christians to see your selves seen even of them whom ye cannot see and let your whole carriage be thereafter he is not worthy to claim more priveledge then of a beast that can see nothing but sensible objects brute Creatures can see us if we see nothing but our selves and then wherefore serves our understanding wherefore our faith and if we see invisible beholders why are we not affected accordingly certainly it were better for us not to see then than seeing to neglect their presence What is then the honor what the respect that we must give to the Angels of God who are present in our holy assemblies I must have leave to complain of two extremities this way There are some that give them too much veneration there are others that give them no regard at all In the first are those within the Roman Clientele who are so over-curteous as that they give them no lesse then the honor of adoration of invocation reviving herein the erroneous opinion and practise of them which Theodoret held confuted by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Colossians It is the praise that Franciscus de Sales Bishop of Genua gives to Petrus Faber one of the first associates of Ignatius Loiola that his manner was whensoever he came to any place he still made suit to the Tutelar Angels that presided there for their aid of converting the people from heresie and found great successe in it This imploration and worship is ordinary wherein they do that to the Angels which the Angels themselves have forbidden to be done and yet I must needs say if any creature could be capable of a religious worship it is they and if any creature were fit to be prayed unto it is they rather then the highest Saints of Heaven for whereas it is the just ground of our refusing to pray to the Saints that we cannot be sure of their presence and notice sure rather of the contrary and therefore cannot pray in faith that ground is here justly removed we are sure that the Angels of God are present with us we are sure that they hear us pray but this is an honor reserved as peculiar to the God of Angels and to that one mediator betwixt God and man Jesus Christ those Spirits hate to be made rivals to their maker neither have we learned that unreasonable modesty to sue to wayters when we are called up to supplicate the King The other extreme is of carelesse christians that do no more think of Angels then if there were none suffering their bodily eyes to be taken up with the sight of their assembled neighbours but never raising their spirituall eyes to behold those spiritual essences which are no lesse present and certainly I fear we are all much to blame this way and may justly tax our selves of an unthankful dull irreligious neglect of these glorious Spirits I finde that the Mahometan Preists in their Morning and Evening prayer still end their devotion with Macree Kichoon Be