one action denominate Seven Arguments against Spots and Black-patches worn for pride on the Face c. AS for Spots and Black-patches on the Face Back Breast c. which some call Beauty-spots the Devil loves to put fine names on foule things we may call them base and Beastly-spots the spots of the proud wanton idle Droans of the world Let such consider 1. That these spots are not the spots of Gods Children Deut. 32. 5. These are not spots of Infirmity but spots of Malignity and Rebellion they are proud and they will be so they are spotted and spotted they will be in despight of all the Ministers in the world These are Leprosie-spots not Beauty-spots spots that defile and debase but no whit adorne the wearers of them Such spots many times are the husbands blots Christs Spouse knowes no such spots Cant. 4. 7. she is wholly fair and there is no spot of wilfull pride or vanity in her her modest grave and plaine attire we must follow and not the fashion of every vaine fantastick person 2. Consider if the Plague-spots appeare on a person or a garment be infected with it we will not come nigh them but these spots are worse for those are but spots of Punishment by which God is glorified but these are spots of Pride and Vanity by which God is dishonoured his Name blasphemed and Religion scandalized especially if they be Professors such as penne Sermons and sit before the Lord as his people it were well if such would lay downe their Pennes and pull off their Patches either Professe lesse or Practise more for as Jacob complained of his Sonnes that by their cruelty and treachery they had made him odious and to stinke in the nostrills of the nations amongst which he lived so these make Religion to be abhorred they are spots in our Fasts and blots in our Feasts Jude 12. 2 Pet. 2. 13. the botches of Christian Society 3. This is a conforming our selves to the sinfull fashions of the age we live in contrary to Rom 12. 2. Fashion not your selves like to this world and at our Baptisme we openly renounced all the Pomps and Vanities of the world of which this spotting is one 4. Christians must not onely shun evil but they must also shun the appearance of evill 1 Thes. 5. 22. they must hate not onely the garments but the faces also that are spotted with the flesh Jude 23. they must keep themselves not onely unblotted but also unsported of the world many will shun the grosse blots but we must shun the lesser spots of the world James 1. 27. 5. Such cannot worship God or pray to him with comfort With what a face 〈◊〉 such a one come into the presence of tâ—…e most hâ—…ly God whose Eyes are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of fiâ—… to câ—…sume them his Feet as brasse Rev. 1. 14 15. to break in pieces those that carry such ensignes of pride and vanity in their faces backs and breasts And though they should pray yea and make many prayers yet God will not heare so long as they walk in wayes of rebellion against him Isa. 1. 15. 6. By thy evill example thou infectest others thy pride makes others proud thy painting and patching makes young ones doe so to the endangering of their chastity for though some young ones for the present may be chaste being led to this folly by the example of their superiours by fond education or the iniquity of the times yet few or none that practice this nakednesse painting c. being of yeares of discretion but give just cause of jealousie and suspition we should rather study to be patterns of piety â—…o others and as our Predecessors were carefull of their walking that they might be exemplary to us so we should be carefull of our ways that we might be exemplary to others for when we are in our graves yet our examples live and may be presidentiall to others for good as the example of the wicked is for evill It was the glory of the Primitive Christians that by their innocence patience unity and purity of life they made the very Heathen to adore and admire their God saying O how holy is that God which hath such holy followers 7. This monstrous pride is ever a forerunner of destruction as we see in the woman of Judah a little before the Captivity Isa. 3. 16. to 26. God is the same still and hates pride as much in England as ever he did in Israel He that punished painted Iesabel who was cast out at a window in the midst of her pride and eaten up with doggs will not suffer the proud Dames of our time to go unpunished unlesse by speedie humiliation and amendment they prevent it Isaiah 3. 16 17 c. The Prophet numbring up their severall trinkets and parts of their pride descends to shew how the Lord would reward them in a meet proportion Instead of their costly perfumes and sweet smells they should have stinke to wit most noysome and loathsome savours in their siege and in the cabins and holes whither they that escaped should be thrust in their Captivity or where they should be glad to hide themselves Instead of their brave and costly girdles they should have rends that is they should go in tatters and raggs as poore beggars having never a whole coat to their backs Instead of dressing of haire to wit of all their frizling crisping curling laying out their haire their perukes the hanging downe of their locks or tufts or whatsoever they had they should have baldnesse when they had torne off their haire through the extremity of misery And instead of their rich and costly stomachers and attires to set them forth they should be glad of sackcloath sackcloath in token of humiliation sackcloath to cover their shame and burning instead of beauty That beauty of theirs which they had so abused it should now be painted with another die it should be tanned and burnt with the Sun like the huâ—… of the Black-moores Brinsly on Ezek. 9. p. 278 279. CORONIS SI pictor egregius pinxisset imagineÌ„ alius plebeius ei alios colores injiceret pictor sanè excandesceret ita Deus naturae opifex pictor jure irascitur quòd ejus naturam sapientiam accusetis inscitiae ipsùmque creatorem damnetis imbecilitatis Nolite ergo Dei corrumpere imaginem neque tentatis ea addere quae sapienter non dedit neque hanc adulterinam excogitare pulchritudinem quae vel pudicis affert excidium vel videntibus insidias Theodor. in vitis Patrum Indignum est Christiano faciem fictam gestare cui simplicitas indicitur effigiem mentiri cui linguam non licet appetere quod datum non sit cui studium pudicitiae est quomodo praecepta Dei custodientis lineamento Dei non custodientes Tertul. de habitu mulier Non metuis quae talis es ne cuÌ„ resurrectionis Dies venerit artifex tuus te non
no man for if he reprove onely such as weare their hair so long as women who let it grow downe to their feete 1. I would faine know what Ruffian there is that weares his haire down to his hammes or heels so long as womens hair usually is 2. Should men suffer their haire to grow to its utmost length and never poll it yet I question whether ever it would be so long as most womens haire is my Reason is because Nature hath allotted shorter haire to men than to women as Beza well observes I therefore conclude 1. That our Translation is true which renders the word Long-haire in generall and agrees with all the Translations that ever I have seen 2. There is no circumstance in the Text to constrain us to such a restriction of the word as some would have The Antithesis in the Text opposeth it which runs thus As a woman dishonoureth her selfe when she cuts her haire and the more she cuts it the more she disgraceth her self because comatam esse long haire is an ornament to her and given her for a covering So on the contrary a man disgraceth himselfe by wearing long haire and the longer the worse because comatum esse to wear long haire is a dishonour to him Nature having not given it him for a vail as it hath done to women 4. The Apostles Argument would be invalid if the word be restrained to such a nourishing of the haire as is never cut then Ruffians if they cut their hair but a fingers breadth should bee free from this reproofe Then some men would have longer haire than some women and so that order which God hath set in Nature would be confounded for though Nature hath allotted shorter haire in the generality to men than unto women yet some men by reason of their constitution if they suffered their haire to grow to its utmost length would exceed some womens But now take the word simply in its usuall acceptation as words ought to be taken for to nourish the haire or to wear long haire and then the Apostles Argument is cogent q. d. 'T is both a sinne and a shame and that by the dictate of Nature for a man to weare long haire But if a woman have long haire it is a glory and ornament to her for her haire was given her for a covering it is a shame therefore for her to be shorne or polled but she must be covered because of the Angels who observe their immodest and indecent carriage yet if any man list to be contentious and will rather stand to justifie these unseemly fashions let it suffice him that we have no such customes of immodesty and indecency nor any of the other Churches of Christ so as he shall be singular in this his opinion This I conceive to be the genuine and proper sense of this Text But now you shall see what an absurd Paraphrase the Expositions of some will make q. d. Doth not a bare arbitrary custome teach you Corinthians onely that it is no sin but only an incommodious and indecent thing for you to weare haire as long as womens How invalid and absurd this renders the Apostles reasoning and what little conviction of the conscience could arise from such arguing let the Reader judge The bare rehearsall of it is confutation sufficient onely we may hence observe how loath men are to be convinced of their sins what shifts they invent how unwilling to see any thing which might separate between them and their lusts they shut their eyes they are wilfully ignorant and will not see but God one day will make them see and be ashamed If any desire fuller satisfaction let him peruse that elaborate Treatise of the learned Dematius where all the cavills raised against this Text by Salmasius Revius and others are learnedly and satisfactorily answered I shall now shut up all with the glosse of a learned pious modest Divine of our time Upon this Text dimme Nature saith he condemns many vices as Idlenesse Beastiality Lying Luxury the Cretian Poet could condemne Those drinking of Healths ad plenos calices was condemned by the Law of a Heathen Prince Long haire is condemned by the Dictate of Nature and right Reason and the reason why so many Men and whole Nations use it is given by S. Jerom Quia natura decia derunt sicut multis aliis rebus comprobatur and as Tert. saith of womens long hair that it is Humilitatis earum sarcina the burden as it were of their Humility so by the warrant of that proportion which S. Paul allowes 1 Cor. 11. 14. 15. we may call mens long haire Superbiae sarcinam nothing but a clogge of Pride c. The sixth ARGVMENT From Rom. 12. 2. Fashion not your selves like unto this world From whence I argue thus The sinfull Customes Fashions Properties and practises of the wicked men of the world may in no wise be followed by the people of God unlesse they mean to perish with the world But the wearing of long haire is one of the sinfull Customes Fashions and Practises of the wicked men of the world Ergo It may in no wise be followed by the people of God For the Major it is cleare that Gods people must not fashion themselves like to the world they must not walk in the way of the wicked Psal. 1. 1. nor runne with them into the same excesse of riot 1 Pet. 4. 4. nor once enter into that broad way Mat. 7. 13. be they never so many for Number or mighty for Power Wealth Wisdome Authority and Successe that walk therein And why so Because Christ hath redeemed us from the corruptions of the world Galat. 1. 4. and therefore we must keep our selves free not onely from the grosse Blots but even from the Spots of the World Iam. 1. 27. there should be as great a distance and contrariety betweene the lives and walking of true Christians and the men of the World as there is betweene Light and Darknesse Day and Night 1. Thes. 5. 5 6 7. we must shew forth the Vertues of Christ and not the Vices and Vanities of the World in our Conversations 1 Pet. 29. we must lament not follow the pride and sinfull courses of the age we live in as Lot did 2 Pet. 2. 7. God will not have his people to walke like Heathens and Pagans that know him not they must not be like them so much as in the cutting of their haire Levit. 19. 27 28 Deut. 14. 1 2 3. as they are his peculiar people and he loves them with a peculiar love so he expects a peculiar carriage from them differing from the sinfull courses of the world Hence it is made a note of an unregenerate man to walk according to the course of the world Eph. 2. 2. and to walk as Gentils in the vanitie of their minde Ephes. 4. 17. yet this is the great Plea t is the fashion now adayes to
or Minister further than they follow Christ So S. Paul directs us 1 Cor. 11. 7. Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ So far and not an inch farther We must imitate the Vertues and not the Vices of the Saints and be like David in his zeale for God not in Muâ—…der and Adultery and if you will follow the example of any let it not be those who are seemingly but really religious the most of these if not all are the most modest in their guises As for those Ministers which are dissolute and goe like Ruffians 't is both their sinne and thâ—…ir shame it is odious in any Man but abominable in a Minister who is Gods mouth unto a People it becomes not the Messengers of Christ to go in the guise of his professed enemie Revâ—…l 9. 8. Vide utrum hae sint comae Ministri Dei Obj. There are good men on both sides some weare their hair shorter others longer which of these must I follow A. In doubtfull cases it is best taking the safest way For instance two good men have money the one lends freely the other lends upon usury Which of these two must I follow I answer We must follow him that walks most close to the rule and that is he who lends freely according to Christs command Luke 6. 35. So here one good man weares long haire another weares short haire Which of these two must I follow It is safest following him which followes the rule most exactly Now the Word commands that we suffer not our locks to grow long Ezek. 44. 20. tels us that it is a shâ—…me for a man to wear long haire 1 Cor. 11. 14. Therefore since those good men which wear the shortest hair walk closest to the rule we must follow them 2. Observe which way is most pleasing to flesh and bloud which course takes most with the world and hath most carnall inducements to draw the heart after it and then know that this way lyes most under suspition to be the worst way Now whether the wearing of short Haire or of long Haire bee more pleasing to Flesh and Blood takes more with the World and hath more carnall inducements to draw the heart after it I think there is no experimentall Christian but can easily determine 3. Observe which way is of best report amongst the godly and that follow Phil. 4. 8. whatsoever is pure and of a good report meditate and thinke on that till you be in love with it Now whether is of better report amongst the Grave and Godly-wise Long haire or short Haire is well known to all Shew me but one man that is truely godly that ever pleaded for Long haire as now it is commonly worn Be sure then in all your wayes and walking not to swarve from the way and communion of the Saints but let your apparrell Haire Habit c. be conformable to the most Grave Modest and Religious of your ranke and quality The sixth OBJECTION Yet you tell us not just how long wee should weare our Haire could wee but see one place of Scripture that plainly saith so long thou shalt weare thy Haire and no longer we would soon obey c. A. This is just the Anabaptists plea could we shew them in so many syllables a command saying Thou shalt Baptize Infants then they would believe it when it hath beene proved to them over and over that in Scripture there is that which is equivalent to such a syllabicall command So though in Scripture there be no syllabicall command saying Thou shall weare thy haire just so long and no longer yet there is that which is equivalent to such a literall precept for we are commanded not to suffer our locks to grow long nor to fashion our selves like to the men of the World in the cuting off our Haire now long Haire is the knowne guise of wicked men I have observed that when men change their Opinions and grow worse they also grow more dissolute in their Haire and Habit changing their Gravity and Modesty into lightnesse and vanity and t is observed by others that the greatest Sectaries in London are the greatest Ruffians and as they grow degenerate in their Principles so they grow effeminate in their practice 2. For the length of your Haire you must have recourse as in the matter of apparell to the most grave gratious sober and civill men of your ranke and quality there is no expresse Rule what apparrell for colour shape or fashion a man should weare but we must observe the judgement and practise of the grave and godly-wise and follow them rather keeping too much will in the bounds of measure than any way to exceed it wee should take heed of rejecting the testimony of such as are truly godly 2 Thess. 1. 10. wee must not vex or grieve their spirits by our wilfullnesse yea though a Minister could not make so cleare a demonstration yet when hee reproves such things as have an appearance of evill out of a holy jealousy and feare least you should bee infected with it you must hearken to him Heb. 13. 17. Good men have their way and practice now wee should observe the way of good men and keepe the path of the Righteous Prov. 2. 20. eye their walking and follow their wayes rather than the profane wayes of such as stand in neerest relations to them children should rather follow the example of godly men though they be strangers than of Father Mother Friend c. though they be never so great rich many or carnally wise their Examples may be inter Motiva non fundamenta motives to duty though not the ground of doing it for the word is our Rule and no example binds us further though it agrees with the Rule Now the Scripture which is our Rule condemnes long Haire and the practice of Gods dearest servants walking up to the Rule may confirme comfort encourage us against it Most men erre in taking the vaine light selfe-conceited fantastick fooles of the World for their patterne when they should have respect to the practice of the most experienced holy grave men who expresse the inward vertues of their minds by the outward modesty humility and gravity of their Haire Habit Gestures Actions c. Now the gravest and godliest Divines and Christians in our Nation whose examples the younger sort should imitate do still weare and formerly did weare the shortest Haire witnesse Cartwright Perkins Reynolds Rogers Abbot Dad Briasly Hilder sham Herring Fen Whately Predeaux c. In their workes they pleau for it in their lives they practised it as many now living can testify and the Effigies of many of them which are to be seene at this day in Oxford Library which we may conceive were the liveliest and exactest that could be had do plainly shew it Besides about twenty yeares agoe I well remember that generality of the Reverend and godly conformists and Non-conformists were for