The Loathsomeness of Long Hair, To the reader
To the courteous Readers, especially to those of the Female Sex.
Gentlewomen,
LEst you should think your selves wholly forgotten, having done with the long Locks of Men, I shall now adde a word, and but a word, concerning the Vanities and Exorbitancies of many Women, in painting, patching, spotting and blotting themselves. I shall do nothing out of any soure or discontented humour, but solely and singly out of love to your soules, wishing you eternall welfare, &c.
1. 'Tis observed, that some women are not content with their native Beauty, but they adde painting and colouring of their faces, breasts, &c. to inamour and ensnare others, and to kindle a fire and flame of lust in the hearts of those who cast their eyes upon them; and so not onelyonly labour to Iubemur non modo nostram, sed altorum etiam salutem providere, quomodo igitur fucis tuto licebit uti, qui sunt gladii, venena, & ignes juvenum aspectantium. Pet Mart.undoe themselves, but their spectators also, contrary to Gods commands, who wills us to seek the salvation, and not the destruction of our neighbour. This practice of artificial painting and colouring the body, that people may seeme that which indeed they are not, is sinfull and abominable, and that for these reasons.
1. In respect of the Authour Aposta… Angeli oculos circumducto nigro …, & genas mendacio uboris i…ficere, & mutare adulterinis coloribus orinem do…uerunt. Cyprian de habitu virginum. Quod … opus Dei est, quod fing…tur Diaboli negotium est. Tertul. de foeminarum.of it; Who was that? It was the Devil (say the ancient Fathers who did at first teach lewd women this art of painting and colouring their haire and faces; without all doubt the Devil was a great assistant to the first inventors of it. *Hieron in epist and Lae…am & in … ad Furiam.Jerom sayes, that the painted face is not a member of Gods making, but of the Devils marring. Haec non sunt membra quae Deus fecit, sea quae diabolus infecit.
2. As it is evill in respect of the Authour, so also in respect of its Roote, it springs from the root of pride; that they might excell others, and be admired for their beauty, they invent artificiall Si pictor egregius pinxisset imaginem, & alius plebeius ei alios colores injiceret; pictor sane excandesceret.formes and favours, to set upon their bodies and faces by painting: what is this but implicitly, and interpretatively to reprehend Gods workmanship, and to goe about to correct the same which must needes be highly displeasing to him?
3. It is the badge of an harlot, rotten posts are painted, and gilded Nutmegs Fucis tollitur pictura Dei, & meretricis assumitur.are usually the worst. We read but of one in all the Word of God that ever painted her selfe, and that was wicked Iesabell, 2 Kings 9. 30. No wonder then, that they are ranged among harlots, who follow their guise, Ezekiel 23. 40. when Caldaeis ut placeres, te lavisti, linisti…tibio, ornâcti, ut meretrices se ornant iturae ad amasios à Lap. in Ezek.people intend to set or let their houses, they use to paint them; though I dare not say they are all harlots that paint; yet this I may safely say, they have the harlots badge, and their chastity is questionable; and therefore let all who would be accounted modest matrons, abhorre it; it becomes not the spouse of Christ to go in the harlots guise.
4. It's contrary to the simplicity of the Gospell, which forbids all gayish attire, and sinfull gu…ses. 1 Tim. 2. 9, 10. 1 Pet. 3. 3. and if they may not adorne themselves with gold silver, and (which yet in some cases are lawfull) much less with Painting, which is utterly unlawfull. The beauty of Gods people is an inward beauty (Ps. 45. 13.) consisting in holiness, humility, meeknss, modesty, mercy, &c. no matter what the skin, or out-side be, so it be well within. The people of God must not contend with the people of the World about fashions, indulgence in such cases cannot stand with sincerity.
5. Lying is unlawfull; but this painting and disguising of faces, is no better than dissimulation and lying; they teach their faces to lye, and to shew what it is not; and so by deceiving others, at last they deceive themselves, getting deformity Fucus faciei est deformatio Dei ipsius operis in nobis, & damnabilis. Danaeus.instead of beauty, losing that true beauty which they have by Nature, by their Medicines and Mineralls, oft making their faces to wrinkle, their colour pale, oft poyson their skin, and dimme their ey-sight, &c. Thus they that follow lying vanities, forsake their owne mercies; we are oft commanded to walke before the Lord in sincerity and truth; but in painting is neither sincerity nor truth, nothing but cousening & deceit: Christ says, Math. 5. 36. No man can make one haire white or black, but those by their Diabolicall art, can make black haire white, and white haire black.
6. It is scandalous, and of evill report amongst Gods people, it grieves the godly, and hardens the wicked: We never read in all the book of God, of any Saint that did ever thus paint and spot themselves; and therefore let every one be content with those favours and features which the most wise God hath given them, esteeming that complexion to be best for them, be it what it will be, either better or worse; for if we may not blend Cum ipsas merces fucare non licet, qua… minus vultum?our wares, much lesse may we go about to change our countenances; and if a curious workman cannot endure to have his work controuled, think we that God will beare it at our hands?
7. Such painting will not be able to endure the fire of Gods wrath. Jer. 4. 30. especially it will off at the fire of the great day.
Obj. The great Objection is, They paint, and spot themselves, to adorne themselves, and make themselves lovely in the eyes of men: if they want Husbands, this (say they will be a meanes to allure them: if they have Husbands, this will help to please them, according to that 1 Cor. 7. 34. the married woman careth how she may please her Husband.
A. 1. They are but sorrily adorned who adorne themselves with sinne, as if one should go tumble in some filthy kennell, thinking thereby to make himselfe more comely: now sinne is called mire, filth, folly, a blot, pollution, dung, death, &c.
2. We should rather study how to please God, by walking in wayes of modesty and piety, than sinfull man by walking in wayes of pride and vanity. Such as make it their work to please men are not the Servants of Christ Gal. 1. 10. the ground of this painting, is man-pleasing; and if the Apostle would not study man-pleasing in antiquated Ceremonies, which yet had their rise from God, why Iuunge ochlos tuos non stibio Dialobico, sed collyrio Christi. Cyprian.then should any be solicitous to please men in such things as have their rise from the Devil?
3. The Apostle would have women to please their Husbands in all lawfull, honest, modest wayes, but not by sinfull, immodest, lustfull guises; let them be as carefull as they please, to please their Husbands in all that good is, and without guile: for as Servants must observe their Masters commands onelyonly in the Lord, so Wives must observe their Husbands commands no further than may stand with Gods glory, remembring they have an Husband in Heaven. And if they themselves would not be cheated so as to take an old, painted, deformed man, instead of a fair, lovely man, why should they goe about to put such fallacies on men, that themselves cannot endure? True, a man or woman may cover a naturall defect by lawfull meanes; but by no meanes may they set a new face, or forme on the body, for this were dissembling, which is condemned in deedes, as well as in words.
4. Whereas they doe these things to get them Husbands; if their naturall comelinesse will not set them out, then are they meere cheaters and deceivers, that so make themselves to be that by dressing, which they are not by nature; & they are foolish men that judge of the fitnesse of women to make them wives by their outward painting and attire, and not by the persons gifts and graces.
5. Painting is so farre from making honest Husbands love their Wives, that it makes them loath them: and if men cannot love their Wives, because God commands them so to do, much lesse will they love them for their painting and patching; and therefore women that are deform'd in body, should labour by their Studeant naturaliter deformes virtutibus & moribus quàm honestissimis se commendare atque approbare, non fucis.piety, humility and modesty, to win their Husbands, and not by pride and vanity, which will be bitrernesse in the end.