Against Excess of Apparel

Text

Whereas ye have heretofore been excited and stirred to use temperance of meats & drinks, and to avoid the excess thereof, many ways hurtful to the state of the Commonwealth, and so odious before Almighty God, being the author and giver of such Creatures, to comfort and stablish our frail Nature with thanks unto him, and not by abusing of them to provoke his liberality to severe punishing of that disorder. In like manner it is convenient, that ye be admonished of another foul and chargeable excess: I mean of Apparel, at these days so gorgeous, that neither Almighty God by his Word can stay our proud curiosity in the same, neither yet godly and necessary Laws, made by our Princes, and oft repeated with the Penalties, can bridle this detestable abuse, whereby b[?]th God is openly contemned, and the Princes Laws manifestly disobeyed, to the great peril of the Realm. Wherefore, that sobriety also in this excess may be espyed among us, I shall declare unto you, both the moderate use of Apparel, approved by God in his Holy Word, and also the abuses thereof, which he forbiddeth and disalloweth, as it may appear by the inconveniencies which daily increase, by the just judgment of God, where that measure is not kept, which he himself hath appointed. If we consider the end and purpose whereunto Almighty God hath ordained his Creatures, we shall easily perceive that he alloweth us Apparel, not only for necessities sake, but also for an honest comeliness. Even as in Herbs, Trees, and sundry Fruits, we have not only divers necessary uses, but also the pleasant sight and sweet smell, to delight us withal, wherein we may behold the singular love of God towards mankind, in that he hath provided both to relieve our necessities, and also to refresh our senses with an honest and moderate recreation. Therefore David in the hundred and fourth Psalm, confessing Gods careful Providence, sheweth that God not only provideth things necessary for men, as Herbs and other meats, but also such things as may rejoyce and comfort, as wine to make glad the heart, oyls and oyntments to make the face to shine. So that they are altogether past the limits of humanity, who yielding only to necessity, forbid the lawful fruition of Gods benefits. With whose traditions we may not be led, if we give ear to St. Paul, writing to the Colossians, willing them not to hearken unto such men as shall say, Touch not, Taste not, Handle not; superstitiously bereaving them of the fruition of Gods Creatures. And no less truly ought we to beware, lest under pretence of Christian Liberty, we take License to do what we list, advancing our selves in sumptuous Apparel, and despising others, preparing our selves in fine bravery, to wanton, lewd, and unchaste behaviour. To the avoiding whereof, it behoveth us to be mindful of four Lessons, taught in Holy Scripture, whereby we shall learn to temper our selves, and to restrain our immoderate affections, to that meas[?]re which God hath appointed. The first is, that we make not provision for the flesh, to accomplish the lusts thereof, with costly Apparel, as that Harlot did, of whom Solomon speaketh, Proverbs the seventh, which perfumed her bed, and deckt it with costly ornaments of Egypt, to the fulfilling of her lewd lust: but rather ought we by moderate temperance to cut off all occasions, whereby the flesh might get the victory. The second is written by St. Paul, in the seventh Chapter of his first Epistle to the Corinths, where he teacheth us to use this World, as though we used it not. Whereby he cutteth away not only all Ambition, Pride, and vain pomp in Apparel; but also all inordinate care and affection, which withdraweth us from the contemplation of Heavenly things, and consideration of our Duty towards God. They that are much occupied in caring for things pertaining to the Body, are most commonly negligent and careless in matters concerning the Soul. Therefore our Saviour Christ willeth us not to take thought what we shall eat, or what we shall drink, or wherewith we shall be clothed, but rather to seek the Kingdom of God, and the righteousness thereof. Whereby we may learn to beware, lest we use those things to our hindrance, which God hath ordained for our comfort and furtherance towards his Kingdom. The third is, that we take in good part our estate and condition, and content our selves with that which God sendeth, whether it be much or little. He that is ashamed of base and simple attire, will be proud of gorgeous Apparel, if he may get it. We must learn therefore of the Apostle St. Paul both to use plenty, and also to suffer penury, remembring that we must yield accounts of those things which we have received unto him who abhorreth all excess, pride, ostentation, and vanity; who also utterly condemneth and disalloweth whatsoever draweth us from our Duty towards God, or diminisheth our Charity towards our Neighbours and Children, whom we ought to love as our selves. The fourth and last Rule is, that every man behold and consider his own vocation, in as much as God hath appointed every man his Degree and Office, within the limits whereof it behoveth him to keep himself. Therefore all may not look to wear like Apparel, but every one according to his degree, as God hath placed him. Which, if it were observed, many one doubtless should be compelled to wear a russet-coat, which now ruffleth in Silks and Velvets, spending more by the Year in sumptuous Apparel, than their Fathers received for the whole Revenue of their Lands. But alas, now adays how many may we behold occupied wholly in pampering the flesh, taking no care at all, but only how to deck themselves, setting their affection altogether on worldly bravery, abusing Gods goodness when he sendeth plenty, to satisfie their wanton lusts, having no regard to the degree wherein God hath placed them. The Israelites were contented with such Apparel as God gave them, although it were base and simple. And God so blessed them, that their shoes and clothes lasted them forty years; yea, and those clothes which their Fathers had worn, their Children were contented to use afterwards. But we are never contented, and therefore we prosper not; so that most commonly he that ruffleth in his Sables, in his fine furred Gown, corked Slippers, trim Buskins, and warm Mittons, is more ready to chill for cold, than the poor labouring man, which can abide in the Field all the day long, when the North-wind blows, with a few beggerly clouts about him. We are loth to wear such as our Fathers have left us, we think not that sufficient or good enough for us. We must have one Gown for the day, another for the night; one long, another short; one for Winter, another for Summer; one through-furred, another but faced; one for the working-day, another for the holy-day; one of this colour, another of that colour; one of Cloth, another of Silk or Damask. We must have change of Apparel, one afore Dinner, and another after; one of the Spanish fashion, another Turky: and to be brief, never content with sufficient. Our Saviour Christ bade his Disciples they should not have two Coats: but the most men, far unlike to his Scholars, have their presses so full of Apparel, that many know not how many sorts they have. Which thing caused St. James to pronounce this terrible curse against such wealthy Worldlings, Go to ye rich men, weep and howl on your wretchedness that shall come upon you, your riches are corrupt, and your garments are moth-eaten, ye have lived in pleasure on the Earth, and in wantonness, ye have nourished your hearts, as in the day of slaughter. Mark, I beseech you, St. James calleth them miserable, notwithstanding their Riches and plenty of Apparel, forasmuch as they pamper their Bodies to their own destruction. What was the rich Glutton the better for his fine fare and costly apparel? Did not he nourish himself to be tormented in Hell-fire? Let us learn therefore to content our selves, having Food and Raiment, as St. Paul teacheth, lest desiring to be enriched with abundance, we fall into temptations, snares, and many noisom lusts, which drown men in perdition and destruction. Certainly, such as delight in gorgeous Apparel, are commonly puffed up with Pride, and filled with divers Vanities. So were the Daughters of Sion, and People of Jerusalem, whom Isaiah the Prophet threatneth, because they walked with stretched-out necks and wandring eyes, mincing as they went, and nicely treading with their feet, that Almighty God would make their heads ba[?]d, and discover their secret shame. In that day, saith he, shall the Lord take away the ornament of the slippers, and the ca[?]ls, and the round attires, and the sweet balls, and the bracelets, and the attires of the head, and the slops, and the head-bands, and the tablets, and the ear-rings, the rings, and the mufflers, the costly apparel, and the vails, and wimples, and the crispingpins, and the glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the lawns. So that Almighty God would not suffer his benefits to be vainly and wantonly abused, no not of that People whom he most tenderly loved, and had chosen to himself before all other. No less truly is the vanity that is used among us in these days. For the proud and haughty stomachs of the Daughters of England, are so maintained with divers disguised sorts of costly Apparel, that as Tertullian, an ancient Father, saith, there is left no difference in Apparel between an honest Matron and a common Strumpet. Yea, many men are become so effeminate, that they care not what they spend in disguising themselves, ever desiring new Toys, and inventing new Fashions. Therefore a certain man that would picture every Country-man in his accustomed Apparel, when he had painted other Nations, he pictured the English-man all naked, and gave him Cloth under his Arm, and bade him make it himself as he thought best, for he changed his Fashion so often, that he knew not how to make it. Thus with our phantastical devices, we make our selves laughing-stocks to other Nations; while one spendeth his Patrimony upon pounces and cuts, another bestoweth more on a dancing shirt, than might suffice to buy him honest and comely Apparel for his whole Body. Some hang their Revenues about their necks, ruffling in their Ruffs, and many a one jeopardeth his best joynt, to maintain himself in sumptuous Raiment. And every man, nothing considering his Estate and Condition, seeketh to excel other in costly attire. Whereby it cometh to pass, that in abundance and plenty of all things, we yet complain of want and penury, while one man spendeth that which might serve a multitude, and no man distributeth of the abundance which he hath received, and all men excessively waste that which should serve to supply the necessities of other. There hath been very good provision made against such abuses, by divers good and wholesom Laws, which if they were practised as they ought to be of all true Subjects, they might in some part serve to diminish this raging and riotous excess in Apparel. But alas, there appeareth amongst us little fear and obedience, either of God, or Man. Therefore must we needs look for Gods fearful vengeance from Heaven, to overthrow our presumption and pride, as he overthrew Herod, who in his Royal Apparel, forgetting God, was smitten of an Angel, and eaten up of Worms. By which terrible Example, God hath taught us, that we are but Worms meat, although we pamper our selves never so much in gorgeous Apparel.

Here we may learn that which Jesus the Son of Syrach teacheth, not to be proud of clothing and rayment, neither to exalt our selves in the day of honour, because the works of the Lord are wonderful, and glorious, secret, and unknown, teaching us with humbleness of mind, every one to be mindful of the Vocation whereunto God hath called him. Let Christians therefore endeavour themselves to quench the care of pleasing the flesh, let us use the benefits of God in this World, in such wise, that we be not too much occupied in providing for the Body. Let us content our selves quietly with that which God sendeth, be it never so little. And if it please him to send plenty, let us not wax proud thereof, but let us use it moderately, as well to our own comfort, as to the relief of such as stand in necessity. He that in abundance, and plenty of apparel hideth his face from him that is naked, despiseth his own flesh, as Isaiah the Prophet saith. Let us learn to know our selves, and not to despise others; let us remember that we stand all before the Majesty of Almighty God, who shall judge us by his Holy Word, wherein he forbiddeth excess, not only to Men, but also to Women. So that none can excuse themselves, of what estate or condition soever they be. Let us therefore present our selves before his Throne, as Tertullian exhorteth, with the Ornaments which the Apostle speaketh of, Ephesians the sixth Chapter, having our loyns girt about with verity, having the breast-plate of righteousness, and shod with shoes prepared by the Gospel of peace.Let us take unto us simplicity, chastity, and comeliness, submitting our necks to the sweet yoke of Christ. Let Women be subject to their Husbands, and they are sufficiently attired, saith Tertullian. The Wife of one Philo, an Heathen Philosopher, being demanded why she wore no Gold? She answered, that she thought her Husbands Vertues sufficient Ornaments. How much more ought Christian Women, instructed by the Word of God, to content themselves in their Husbands? yea, how much more ought every Christian to content himself in our Saviour Christ, thinking himself sufficiently garnished with his heavenly vertues? But it will be hear objected and said of some nice and vain Women, that all which we do in painting our faces, in dying our hair, in embalming our bodies, in decking us with gay apparel, is to please our Husbands, to delight his eyes, and to retain his love toward us. O vain excuse, and most shameful answer, to the reproach of thy Husband. What couldst thou more say to set out his foolishness, than to charge him to be pleased and delighted with the Devils attire? Who can paint her face, and curle her hair, and change it into an unnatural colour, but therein doth work reproof to her maker, who made her? As though she could make her self more comely than God hath appointed the measure of her beauty. What do these Women, but go about to reform that which God hath made? not knowing that all things natural are the work of God, and things disguised and unnatural are the works of the Devil. And as though a wise and Christian Husband should delight to see his Wife in such painted and flourished visages, which common Harlots most do use, to train therewith their Lovers to naughtiness; or, as though an honest Woman could delight to be like an Harlot for pleasing of her Husband. Nay, nay, these be but vain excuses of such as go about to please rather others than their Husbands. And such attires be but to provoke her to shew her self abroad, to entice others: a worthy matter. She must keep [...] her [?]usband to maintain such Apparel, whereby she is the worse Housewife, the seldomer at home to see her charge, and so neglect his thrift, by giving great provocation to her houshold to waste and wantonness, while she must wander abroad to shew her own vanity, and her Husbands foolishness. By which her Pride, she stirreth up much envy of others which be as vainly delighted as she is. She doth but deserve mocks and scorns, to set out all her commendation in Jewish and Ethnick Apparel, and yet brag of her Christianity. She doth but waste superfluously her Husbands stock by such sumptuousness, and sometimes she is the cause of much bribery, extortion, and deceit in her Husbands dealings, that she may be the more gorgeously set out to the sight of the vain World, to please the Devils eyes, and not Gods, who giveth to every Creature sufficient and moderate comeliness, wherewith we should be contented if we were of God. What other thing dost thou by those means, but provokest others to tempt thee, to deceive thy Soul, by the bait of thy pomp and pride? What else dost thou, but settest out thy Pride, and makest of the undecent apparel of thy Body, the Devils Net, to catch the souls of them which behold thee? O thou Woman, not a Christian, but worse than a Paynim, thou Minister of the Devil: Why pamperest thou that carrion flesh so high, which sometimes doth stink and rot on the Earth as thou goest? Howsoever thou perfumest thy self, yet cannot thy beastliness be hidden or overcome with thy smells and savours, which do rather deform and mis-shape thee, than beautifie thee. What meant Solomon to say, of such trimming of vain Women, when he said, A fair woman, without good manners and conditions, is like a Sow which hath a ring of gold upon her snout? but that the more thou garnish thy self with these outward blasings, the less thou carest for the inward garnishing of thy mind, and so dost but deform thy self by such array, a[?]d not beautifie thy self. Hear, hear, what Christs holy Apostles do write. Let not the outward apparel of women (saith St. Peter) be decked with the braiding of hair,with wrapping on of gold, or goodly clothing: but let the mind and the conscience, which is not seen with the eyes, be pure and clean, that is, saith he, an acceptable and an excellent thing before God: For so the old ancient women attired themselves, and were obedient to their husbands. And St. Paul saith, that women should apparel themselves with shamefacedness and soberness, and not with braids of their hair, or gold, or pearl, or precious clothes, but as women should do, which will express godliness by their good outward works. If ye will not keep the Apostles Precepts, at the least let us hear what Pagans, which were ignorant of Christ, have said in this matter: Democrates saith, The Ornament of a Woman standeth in scarcity of speech and apparel. Sophocles saith of such apparel thus, It is not an Ornament, O thou Fool, but a shame and a manifest shew of thy Folly. Socrates saith, That that is a garnishing to a Woman, which declareth out her Honesty. The Grecians use it in a Proverb, It is not Gold or Pearl which is a beauty to a Woman, but good Conditions.

And Aristotle biddeth that a Woman should use less Apparel than the Law doth suffer. For it is not the goodliness of Apparel, nor the excellency of Beauty, nor the abundance of Gold, that maketh a Woman to be esteemed, but Modesty and Diligence to live honestly in all things. This outragious vanity is now grown so far, that there is no shame taken of it. We read in Histories, that when King Dionysius sent to the Women of Lacedaemon rich Robes, they answered and said, that they shall do us more shame than honour; and therefore refused them. The Women in Rome in old time abhorred that gay Apparel which King Pyrrhus sent to them, and none were so greedy and vain to accept them. And a Law was openly made of the Senate, and a long time observed, that no Woman should wear over half an Ounce of Gold, nor should wear clothes of divers colours. But perchance some dainty Dame will say and answer me, That they must do something to shew their Birth and Blood, to shew their Husbands Riches: as though Nobility were chiefly seen by these things, which be common to those which be most vile, as though thy Husbands Riches were not better bestowed than in such superfluities, as though when thou wast christened, thou didst not renounce the pride of this World, and the pomp of the Flesh. I speak not against convenient Apparel for every state agreeable; but against the superfluity, against the vain delight to covet such Vanities, to devise new Fashions to feed thy Pride with, to spend so much upon thy Carkass, that thou and thy Husband are compelled to rob the Poor, to maintain thy costliness. Hear how that Noble, Holy Woman Queen Hester, setteth out these goodly Ornaments (as they be called) when (in respect of saving Gods People) she was compelled to put on such glorious Apparel, knowing that it was a fit stale to blind the Eyes of carnal Fools. Thus she prayed, Thou knowest, O Lord, the necessity which I am driven to, to put on this apparel, and that I abhor this sign of Pride, and of this glory which I bear on my head, and that I defie it as a filthy cloth, and that I wear it not when I am alone. Again, by what means was Holophernes deceived by the glittering shew of Apparel, which that Holy Woman Judith did put on her, not as delighting in them, nor seeking vain voluptuous pleasure by them? But she ware it of pure necessity by Gods dispensation, using this vanity to overcome the vain eyes of Gods Enemy. Such desire was in those Noble Women, being very loth and unwilling otherwise to wear such sumptuous Apparel, by the which others should be caused to forget themselves. These be commended in Scripture for abhorring such vanities, which by constraint and great necessity, against their hearts desire, they were compelled to wear them for a time. And shall such Women be worthy commendations, which neither be comparable with these Women aforesaid in Nobility, nor comparable to them in their good zeal to God and his People, whose daily delight and seeking is to flourish in such gay shifts and changes, never satisfied, nor regarding who smarteth for their Apparel, so they may come by it? O vain men, which be subjects to their Wives in these inordinate affections! O vain Women, to procure so much hurt to themselves, by the which they come the sooner to misery in this World, and in the mean time be abhorred of God, hated and scorned of wise men, and in the end, like to be joyned with such, who in Hell, too late repenting themselves, shall openly complain with these words: What hath our Pride profited us? or what profit hath the pomp of Riches brought us? All these things are passed away like a shadow. As for Vertue, we did never shew any sign thereof: And thus we are consumed in our wickedness. If thou saist that the Custom is to be followed, and the use of the World doth compel thee to such curiosity: then I ask of thee, whose custom should be followed? Wise Folks manners, or Fools? If thou saist the Wise: then I say, follow them: For Fools Customs, who should follow but Fools? Consider that the Consent of Wise men ought to be alledged for a Custom. Now, if any lewd Custom be used, be thou the first to break it, labour to diminish it and lay it down: and more laud before God, and more commendation shalt thou win by it, than by all the glory of such superfluity.

Thus ye have heard declared unto you, what God requireth by his Word concerning the moderate use of his Creatures. Let us learn to use them moderately as he hath appointed. Almighty God hath taught us, to what end and purpose we should use our Apparel. Let us therefore learn so to behave our selves in the use thereof, as becometh Christians, always shewing our selves thankful to our Heavenly Father for his great and merciful benefits, who giveth unto us our daily Bread, that is to say, all things necessary for this our needy life: unto whom we shall render accounts for all his benefits, at the glorious appearing of our Saviour Christ: To whom with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, be all Honour, Praise, and Glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

↑ Back to top