The Curtezan unmasked.
by Annonymous (a Spiritual Physician).
PROV. 5. vers. 3, 4.
_The lips of a strange woman drop as an honey-comb, and her mouth is smoother then oyl: But her end is bitter as wormwood, and sharp as a two-edged sword._
The Text here presents you with a _strange woman_; with whom though I desire not to procure you a _familiar acquaintance_, yet I"le give you such cognizance of her, and excite that abhorrency of her baseness in all your minds, that if any have heretofore been sick for want of her company, he shall now be as sick of it; after I have made it appear that this [1]beautiful Siren, having a Womans face, ends in the Serpents tail; and discovered, not onely the _Virgins-face_ of this unsatiable _Harpye_, but her cruel talons also shrowded under her wings. That you may therefore (as[2] _Amnon_ {2} did upon _Tamar_) bolt the door upon this _strange woman_, and no longer endure the _wh.o.r.edoms_ of this painted _Jezebel_; I"le endeavour to characterize her to you, and by the infallible clue of Truth conduct you through all her intricate and winding Labyrinths. Be pleased therefore, for the explication of the word [_Strange_] to take notice, that this Epithite was by the _Graecians_ attributed to their common Prost.i.tutes, which they called [Greek: xenas], _strangers_: And hence, I conceive, it was that the Comoedian called [3]_Glycerium_ who was thought to live by the unlawful submission of her body, _Peregrinam_, a stranger, a strange woman. But I have onely hitherto told you her name; I shall now therefore proceed further to describe her to you by her sordid actions, which will ascertain you of those miseries which are her constant waiting-women or attendants. That I may therefore speedily prosecute my design, She is one whom not _Argus_"s hundred eyes, nor _brazen_ walls, nor the most vigilant Guards can secure from her lascivious incontinency: the bars and [4]hedges which Nature has made for her {3} tongues confinement are not sufficient to restrain it within the limits of a modest discourse; and should we lock up her impure lips with a command of silence, yet could we never limit the infiniteness of her lascivious thoughts, with which she would as freely commit fornication, as if she were at liberty, and in the enjoyment of the greatest voluptuary; and we may say of her what _Scipio_ in another case said of himself, [5]_She is never less alone than when alone_. She tricks her self up with such variety of gauderies as if she were to expose her body to bring the Devil to her lure, and _tempt the Tempter himself_ to love her; and were that opinion of _Tertullian_ true, That the _Devils_ and _fallen Angels_ had carnal commerce with the _Daughters of Men_, and they should desire one to satisfie their l.u.s.tful appet.i.te, I"de recommend the strange woman in the Text unto them; who (like _Circe_) is an amiable Sorceress, and when she hath _once_ charmed her _Gallant_ with youthful blood sparkling in his veins, and beauty dancing in his face, into the endless Circle of her l.u.s.t, hee"l find a difficult [6]recovery. {4} [7]Physitians tell us, that the reason we have in Feverish distempers our _Paroxysme_ but every second, third, or fourth day, and not at every circulation of the blood about the body, is, because the blood when it arrives to the heart must acquire such a degree of corruption before it can effect it, and therefore because this corruption is not sensible before many circulations have been performed, it cannot so soon create a _Paroxysme_: But in this impure and libidinous strumpets heart "tis far otherwise; for she endures the Paroxysmes of the _Fever_ of _l.u.s.t_ every hour and moment, and the _circulation_ of her l.u.s.ts in her heart is sooner performed then that of her blood. _Medea_ had not more d.a.m.nable Arts to preserve youth and beauty then she, who has perfectly attain"d the Art of making new beauty, new hair, and counterfeit teeth; and not thinking she hath charms enough to render her amiable, has recourse to the Merchants, as unto Natural Magick, to buy there what Nature would not give her, and to make her self liked in spight of Nature"s disfavours; and being accustomed to {5} varnish over her decayed Cheeks, and the ruines of a good Face, with the fresh colours of an adventicious Paint, she by her licentiousness seems to usurp the power and liberty of Painters, who (according to the Poet) [8]were priviledg"d to do what they pleased; and (to say truth) she is an exact Painter in all her actions; for the varnishes over the deformed and execrable Name of _Wh.o.r.e_, with the flourishing _t.i.tle_ and _Colour_ of a _Lady of pleasure_: and whilest she discourses to her Gallant of the unlawful use of her body, she colours it over with the t.i.tle of a great and incomparable favour; and (_Mahomet_-like) perswades all her _adorers_, that there"s no _Paradise_ but that of carnal fruition, and the gratification to a _domineering l.u.s.t_: But I fear that this _Paradise_ she puts them in will prove but a _Fools Paradise_; for I believe they"l quickly conclude, That the sulphureous flames which _aetna"s_ fiery paunch continually vomits into the Air bear not so forcible and durable a heat as the Calentures of her l.u.s.tful blood; and that the poyson"d garment dipt in the _Centaur"s_ blood, which caused {6} _Hercules_ to burn in living flames, had had not such vigour and vehemency as her enflamed l.u.s.t. Whilest I hear one Historian talk of _Semp.r.o.nia_, and give her this character, [9]_That she oftner courted men to her embraces then she was courted by them_, I fancy he makes mention of the strange woman in the Text: and whilest I hear another report, that _Julia_ arrived to that heighth of licentiousness, [10]_That she would leave nothing undone which she could basely commit, either by Action or Pa.s.sion, judging that lawful which pleased her humour best_, me thinks he characterizes our strange woman to us. King _Solomon_ (understanding a hot Prost.i.tute) tells us, _Prov._ 6. 27. a man cannot take fire into his bosom, but he must be necessarily burnt; and I believe that many of the Gallants of our time, who have thought onely to _warm_ and cherish their l.u.s.ts at this she-fire, have at last been soundly _burnt_ by taking her into their bosomes: for this strange Woman is not like the _Glow-worm_, that carries only a counterfeit _heat_, nor of so cold a const.i.tution as the _Moon_ was when she embraced _Endymion_; but he that {7} embraces her shall find the same entertainment the Satyr did, that kiss"d the fiery coal and burnt his lips; and we may say of her, what the tyrant _Nero_ once said of himself and his mother _Agrippina_, "[11]That there can nothing come of her into the world but what is detestable and accursed." This _Helena_ is hot enough to _inflame_ Troy; this _Hecuba_ can bring forth nothing but a Fire-brand. Though the Toad hath a precious Stone in her head, yet her body is poysonous: And so, though this Strange Woman may wear a handsome countenance, and for her superficial and skin-deep beauty seem an inestimable Jewel, yet, if we view her throughly, we shall discover the venom of her impure body; for, though _her lips drop as an honey comb, and her mouth is smoother then oyl, yet her end is bitter as wormwood, and sharp as a two-edg"d sword_. Upon which two Verses of the Text, as upon two pillars, I build this practical Proposition,
{8}
_That the short and transitory pleasures which the strange woman affords us, are accompanied with the sharpest and most permanent evils._
And that, First, Because she"l wound and stain our reputation. How full is the adulterer of fears and jealousies, scorching desires, and impatient waitings, tedious demurrs, sufferance of indignities, and amazements of discoveries, and his uncleanness is ever attended by shame which is its eldest daughter; for let us consider how infamous it has ever been, to be noted for a common _Pathick_, or a l.u.s.tful _Amoretto_, how opprobriously Adulterers have been used by most Nations. The Law of the _aegyptians_ was to cut off the Nose of an Adulterer; the _Locrians_ put out the Adulterers Eyes; and (the more notoriously to intimate his effeminacy) others cloathed him with wool; and _Solons_ Law was this, _If any man take an Adulterer in the fact, he may use him how he pleases_: And in the Twelve Tables, [12]If you {9} take a man in the act of Adultery, you may kill him without danger of punishment; Impunity was intailed upon the murther of him. You may observe, that this sin of Adultery is in Scripture called a _sin of darkness_; intimating to us, how the Adulterer, asham"d of the light, sneaks up and down in obscure recesses, and is onely active and vigilant when others are quiet and taking their repose. Other sinners iniquities are in Scripture numbred by the hairs of the head; but we cannot number the Adulterers so, because _as his sins increase his hairs do fall_; the _Spring_ of his sins is his hairs _Fall o" th" leaf_. The second account upon which the Adulterer will conclude, That the transitory pleasures which the strange woman affords us are accompanied with the sharpest evils, is,
2. Because hee"l finde she will impair the health of his body; for though her Lips drop as an Honey-comb, and she distil the Quintessence of Rhetorick in every expression; though she does amorously caress and embrace him, yet "tis but as the encircling Ivie does the Oak, to make him rot, wither, and decay. {10} Though he may think himself in Heaven, and imagine her _curled Arms_ about him to be his _Celestial Zodiack_, yet hee"l (at length) finde them but as chains and fetters to enslave and captivate him to her insatiable l.u.s.t; the gratifications whereof whilest he endeavours to shew her, he must undergo as many _gripes_ in his guilty Conscience, as _Aches_ in his impure and vitious Body. She, it may be, will foment and cherish the flames of his l.u.s.t with these pleasing Blasts, by telling him that the Virgin _Spring_ does not appear less chaste because many thirsts are there quenched; and that those Waters stink soon that continue long in one place, but remain sweet and wholsome whilest they leave one bank and kiss another. But let us (like a prudent _Ulysses_) stop our ears to the fatal voice of this dangerous _Siren_, least, while we sail in the _Ocean_ of this World, we suffer _shipwrack_ of Grace and a good Conscience: Don"t let us stand to dispute the case, and parley with her, but rather flie from her, and avoid her company: For, we must be extremely cold, not to be warmed by so {11} fair a fire, and very strong, to make defence against so charming an Enemy. Nor can we touch Pitch with our hands, but a foul impress will be received from it: One rotten kernel of the Pomgranate infects the fellows; and St. _Paul_ made that Verse Canonical, _Evil communication corrupts good manners_. And it is noted of _Joseph_, that as soon as his Mistress had laid her impure hands upon his garment, he leaves it behinde him, that he might be sure to avoid the danger of her contagious touch. And we shall a.s.suredly finde, that she who but now compared her self to a _pleasant Spring_, will at last serve us with the _bitter Waters_ of _Marah_. For I appeal to the common Adulterer, Whether he be not _a walking Hospital_ and _Pest-house_ of _Diseases_? Whether he is not alwayes possest with a [Greek: Peirazon], a Devil that first tempts him to all Uncleanness, and afterwards terrifies and exanimates him with the greatest horrour imaginable? and whether the violent and fervent heat of his l.u.s.tfull appet.i.te be not as unquenchable as h.e.l.l-flames? Could we have _Lynceus_ his eyes, and look through {12} the decayed walls of his Body, what rottenness should we discover in his exhausted Bones? how would the whole Fabrick of his Body appear invalid and unnerved, and represent it self to us as the Embleme of a Sack of dry Bones, whose every part, were it anatomized and opened, it would corrupt and infect the Air, and store the World with as many Diseases as the opening of _Pandora"s_ Box: insomuch that he who shall be besotted with so Lethargick a stupidity as to harbour and caress this _strange woman_, He (like the _Hyrcanians_) may be said to keep a Dog to devour himself, or (like the mad _Romans_ in _Arrian_) court the Fever of his own l.u.s.t, that will soon consume him, and render him as meager and pellucid as the meerest Skeleton; causing withal a no less decay in his Estate then in his Body; and this I conceive induced _Solomon_ to say, [13]_That by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread, and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life_. But if this be not sufficient to deter the Adulterer from this Prost.i.tutes company, I"le advance a step higher, and press {13} him with a third Argument, to prove, That those transitory pleasures the strange Woman affords us are accompanied with the sharpest and most permanent evils: and that
3. Because by her means an irreparable and irrecoverable damage will accrue to his immortal Soul. And in this St. _Paul_ shall be my President, who [14]bids us not be deceived, a.s.suring us, _That neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate persons, shall enter into the Kingdome of G.o.d_.
[15]It was not permitted to a Dog to enter into the _Acropolis_, because of his excessive heat in Venery; and so neither will it be permitted to those that (like the Dog) indulge themselves in the excessive heat of Venery, to enter into _Heaven_, which may for its heighth be called an _Acropolis_, which (being interpreted) is, a City built upon a Hill. Let us consider how impossible it is that our Prayers and Oblations should be acceptable to G.o.d, when they are offered with impure hands, reeking in l.u.s.t: How can we expect to look G.o.d in the face (whose eyes are purer then to behold iniquity) with our impure {14} eyes? How can we hope to be Eagle-ey"d enough to look up to G.o.d, whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter then the Sun, when we have so weakned our eyes by the _Works of Darkness_, that (like Night-birds) we dread to behold the Light? How should _Chamberings_ and _Wantonness_ hope to get room in Heaven, whence all kind of Marriage is excluded? When the two opposite Poles of the World meet together, and two Contradictions at the same time prove true, then, and not till then, will I believe that the Fornicator and Heaven can kiss each other. How can we call G.o.d _Father_, who utterly renounces those spurious off-springs of our sinful l.u.s.ts, which have not their Original, nor derive their Pedegree from G.o.d, but the World and our depraved Natures? Which S. _John_[16] intimates to us; who making an Inventory of the _Goods_, or rather of the _Evils_ of this World, besides _the l.u.s.t of the Eye_, and _the Pride of Life_, he tells us, that the _l.u.s.t of the Flesh is not of G.o.d_, but of the _World_.
It remains now that I should prescribe you some few _Recipe"s_ and Antidotes; {15} which if you"l make use of, I"le warrant to cure you of the Fever of l.u.s.t, into which the _Strange Woman_ will endeavour to cast you: And my first is this.
First then, Let every one make a Covenant with his eyes, never to look upon any object with a l.u.s.tfull and impure inclination. _Job_ 31. 1. _I have made a Covenant with my eyes, why then should I look upon a maid?_ Shut your Eyes, those _Windows_ of your Soul, through which you receive the _Species_ from all sinful Objects; for, through those _windows_ a little sin (like a little Boy) may creep in, and open the Door of your Heart to the rest. An eminent Historian of our own Nation tells us, That whilest the Earl of _Salisbury_ was at the Battel of _Orleance_, opening a little window of the Castle, where he was to view the Enemy, a little Lad killed him with a Cannon planted and discharg"d against the Windows. So, it may be, whilest thou openest thy Souls windows, thy Eyes, to look upon a beautiful Object, a small l.u.s.t may chance to shoot thee with a temptation, and leave thee _dead in sin_ for ever. _Scipio_ and _Alexander_ both of them are {16} reported to have taken fair Captives: _Scipio_ would not suffer his to come into his sight, lest he himself might be captivated by their beauty; but _Alexander_ gave his Captives admittance into his presence: And though _Alexanders_ was the greater continency, yet _Scipio_ took the wisest course; for, [17]_"Tis dangerous to look upon that by which we may at length be ensnared; the exposing of Beauty to be seen, and the loss of Modesty and Chast.i.ty follow one another_. Let us therefore attend to our blessed Saviours words, who tells us, [18]That _whosoever looks upon a woman_ with an intention _to l.u.s.t after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart_. When we come into the presence of _moving Beauties_, we must do as men usually do when the _Summer Sun_ grows potent and vehement; though we admire their Beauties greatness, yet we must shun it"s heat; each place can afford us a shadow to hide us from it. The Poets tell us, that when some young men had beheld the three equal beauty"d _Gorgones_, they were thereby deprived and divested of their human shape, and metamorphosed into stones: {17} So, if we be not cautious how we too lasciviously gaze upon powerful Beauties, who knows how soon we may be so callous and obdurate, and our hearts be rendred so stony, that without the least regret or remorse we may first fall into the profound Abyss of Adultery, and thence to that bottomless one of h.e.l.l. We must not do by a beautiful Object as by the Crocodile, but quite contrary; for we must be sure _not to look first upon it_, and then we shall remain secure from its _killing glances_: for, he who is still looking, and always gazing, acts like him who drinks Wine in the very heighth of a Fever. But if still men will look upon fair Objects, let the same use be made of them which the wiser sort of Catholicks do of Pictures; let their beautiful features serve to raise our Devotion to G.o.d, and make us admire his curious workmanship.
And since Women are of late grown so proud and licentious as to expose and prost.i.tute themselves to the eyes of men in unseemly and immodest gestures, and they onely shew themselves true _Britains_ in this, that, like the ancient _Britains_, they delight to paint {18} their bodies, and (like the Rain-bow) display their transient and fading colours; let us, when we see such as these, call to mind these Considerations to allay those inordinacies which may otherwise arise in our thoughts from the contemplation of so vicious objects. Let us consider, That they are but vain Dames, to bestow such curious cost on so woful and sordid a piece of dirt, which (it may be) would otherwise resemble the clay _Prometheus_ us"d before it was inform"d and animated; That "tis their folly to guild a clay Wall, and enamel a _Bubble_, when they can give no other then a _Womans_ Reason for it. Let us consider, That Women have no beauty but what we are pleased to give them; and that if we call them fair, "tis but in the way of Poetry or Complement: And that these dim _Cynthia"s_ would be very obscure, if they borrowed not that light they have from the Sun of mens favour. Or suppose we are so candid and ingenuous as to grant them beautiful, yet we may see by experience, that their Beauty is like a sweet and much coveted Banquet, which is no sooner tasted but its delicious Luxury is {19} swallowed up by Oblivion. Let us think with our selves, That there"s no conformation of lineaments, no composition of features, no symmetry of parts so exactly combin"d and compacted in one person, but a critical eye may discover some imperfection: fairest _Cynthia_ is not without her spots, nor beautiful _Venus_ without her moles.
2. If you would be cured of the Fever of l.u.s.t, into which the _Strange Woman_ will endeavour to cast you, use a moderate, slender and ascetick Diet. Be content with that with which Nature her self wil be contented, and then [19]a little will suffice you; and if you do this, [20]you will act according to the Rules of Discretion and Prudence. Use Fasting and severe Abstinence, which are the proper Abscissions of the instruments and temptations of l.u.s.t. And to this is reducible a restraint from all morose delectation, and looser banquetting: You must not desire to be fed at _Vitellius_ his board; you must not desire _Nero"s_ effeminate baths, nor _Tiberius_ his naked Pictures to incite your l.u.s.t; you must not hunt all grounds, draw all seas, search every {20} brook and bush, or dispeople the four Elements to please your wanton l.u.s.ts, and try experiments upon your judicious palates; but as you must abstain from [21]things _unlawful_, so also from _lawful_ too: You must not onely take care you transcend not the _Bounds_ of _Temperance and Moderation_, but you must sometimes abridge your selves of your necessary repast; a.s.suring your selves, _That the more _[22]_you deny your selves, the more you shall receive from G.o.d_. "Tis storied of _Richard Nevil_ Earl of _Warwick_, (stiled also _Make-King_,) that in the great Battel at _Ferrybrigg_ between _Henry_ the Sixth and _Edward_ the Fourth, when he perceived his side almost worsted by _Henry_ the Sixth, he slew his Horse with his own Sword, and then uttered these Heroick expressions, _Let all that will fight stay with me_; and then (according to the Ceremony of those times) kissing the Cross upon his Sword, he fought with singular courage and prowess: So in the conflict between our l.u.s.ts and us, let us kill and mortifie our Bodies, which (in the language of _Socrates_) are our Soul"s Horses, and then excite every Faculty {21} of our Souls with these words, _Let all that will fight stay with me_; and when we have done thus, let us kiss and take up our Cross, and fight stoutly under Christ the Captain of our Salvation against our l.u.s.ts; it being impossible to keep the Spirit pure, whilest "tis overburdened with too much Flesh, and exposed to all entertainments of Enemies by fomentations and pamperings; remembring the divine counsel of the [23]Philosopher, _That we must not take care for the Body simply as the Body, but as subservient to the Soul._ And that you may be the better induced to do this, remember (as the fore-cited Author [24]has well said), _That your Soul is your self, but your Body yours; for "tis the Soul which uses, but that which is used by it is the Body_: And by this separation of the Soul from the Body, you will preserve your nature from confusion, nor think that things [Greek: ta entos] which are without concern you, nor contend for those as for your self, and so consequently avoid too much care of your body; not resembling those, that, so that Sumpter-horse the Body be hung with gaudy Trappings, and pamper"d, {22} care not with what rags they cloath the Soul. We may also consider that these high pamperings and feasting our selves have no real pleasure in them; and this I am sure was the Orators judgment, when he said, [25]_I would not fancy or imagine with my self as if luxurious gluttons lived pleasantly, and such who vomit upon the table again what but now they took off, and with their crude stomacks, carried from Feasts, the next day ingurgitate themselves into them again; who, by reason of their laziness and surfeiting, see the Sun neither rise nor set, and are in indigency of those Estates which they have profusely expended: none of us_ (saith he) _ever thought such gluttons as these live a pleasant life_. And the same Author tells us, [26]That there is no less pleasure to be taken in a slender and spare diet, then in the most exquisite dainties; there being no less delight in the _Persian Nasturtium_, then in the richly furnished _Syracusan_ Tables, so much cry"d down and {23} discommended by _Plato_. But this shall suffice for the second _Recipe_: and my third is this.
3. Secure your Heart so well that no ill thought creeps into it, and proves an incentive to l.u.s.t; let not the smallest ventricle of your heart conceive an evil thought, lest at last it bring forth sin. One little Flie will taint and corrupt a great quant.i.ty of flesh; and so one little thought hovering about thy heart (like a little Flie) will quickly taint it. Be sure therefore (like the Emperour _Domitian_[27]) alwayes to be catching and killing these Flies. Consider, that if you indulge your selves in wicked thoughts and l.u.s.tings, there wants nothing to the consummation of the act but some convenient circ.u.mstances, which because they are not then attainable, the act is for a time impeded, but the malice nothing abated: For [28]the Law of _Not coveting_ no less forbids sinful desires and concupiscences then sinful actions; for no man desires or l.u.s.ts after any thing {24} but what pleases him: But every complacency or delight in an unlawful matter, although short and transient, nay, although at last repulsed and cohibited from breaking out into an external act, hath contracted by that very motion the blemish and spot of an internal sin. And hence S. _Augustin_, following the Doctrine of S. _Paul_, affirms, [29]That the _concupiscence of the flesh_ is sin in a good man, _Because he has in him a disobedience and reluctancy against the government of the rational faculty_. Again, He sins that inwardly l.u.s.teth or desires, although he follow not those desires by a consequent act, Because such motions are not pure pa.s.sions, but involve negations of due acts which ought to have been in lieu thereof: A man may be incestuous [30]that never bodily commits the act; and from these impure fires, which men kindle and cherish within them, they are usually in love with their deformed l.u.s.ts, as _Alcaeus_ was with the warts [31]in his Boys face, though they are deformed marks. When _Brutus_ and _Ca.s.sius_ a.s.saulted _Caesar_ with a design and resolution to murther him, we read, that as soon as he saw _Brutus_ he cryed {25} out, [Greek: Kai su teknon]; _And art thou here my Son, my Darling_? and opened his breast to him. So when any l.u.s.t comes to a.s.sault us with a design to make us dead in sin, we court and caress it in _Caesars_ words, Art thou here, my Darling? and open our hearts and b.r.e.a.s.t.s unto it; whereas we should alwayes be prepared with preservatories against it.
4. Let your discourse be alwayes chast and pure: Decline with great care all undecent obscenity in your language, chastening and confining your tongue, and restraining it with Grace; for, as St. _James_ tells us, _Jam_.
3. 2. _If any man offend not in word_ (tongue) _the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body._ Either be silent, or speak those things which are better then silence, is a good Rule here. Every bad tree is known by its bad fruit, and an unclean man may be trac"d by his unclean discourse; it being a shrewd symptom the Will is depraved, when our Discourse is unchaste and obscene. And in this [32]_Hierocles_ concurrs with me; _The Will of man_ {26} (saith he) _adhering long neither to Virtue nor Vice, utters forth expressions inclining to both, as resembling the contrary affections in it_. This advice therefore of _Tyrius Maximus_ is very soveraign; [33]_I require such a pleasure in words which Virtue may not disdain to make her Waiting-woman and attend upon her._ St. _James_ calls the Tongue a _fire_, Jam. 3. 6. And the School-men call the l.u.s.ts of the Flesh (_Fomes_) Tinder. Let us therefore be careful that the Fire of our Tongue light not upon this Tinder, and kindle it. Modesty and a becoming Blush is the _Fence_ of all Virtue; and when this is broken down by obscene talk, the _Banks_ will overflow with impure _Streams_. A Rose, when it hath lost its blush, and begins to look pale, by those symptoms you may conclude that "tis a dying. It hath ever been accounted a true Rule, _Qualis Vir, talis Oratio_. We know the Bird by the Tune, the Beagle by his Mouth, and a Man by his Words. We cannot expect that he that hath lost his _voice_ with his _Chast.i.ty_ should sing Praises to G.o.d so _melodiously_ as another that is chaste, virtuous, and continent. A {27} stinking breath is not a more sure symptom of _putrid Lungs_, then an obscene Tongue of an _unclean Heart_. "Twere better that this _Clapper_ stood still, except it could give a _purer sound_; it were better this _Clock_ never struck, except it were for other ends then to awaken our l.u.s.ts, and put them in motion. And I look upon obscene discourse but as an _impure Breath_ coming out of the mouth, which is fit for nothing but to make an _Exhalation_ or _Ignis fatuus_, which (if we follow it) will lead us into Bogs and precipices of _Uncleanness_; but if we _fall down_, and prostrate our selves before G.o.d in _Prayer_, it will quickly be dissolved: Wherefore,
5. Let us use frequent and earnest Prayers to G.o.d, to give us the a.s.sistance of his holy Spirit; for this Devil of l.u.s.t sometimes cannot be cast out but by Prayer. When the _Romans_ were in great distress, & surprized with a sudden a.s.sault of their Enemies, they ran to the Temple to get Arms, which were laid there against an extraordinary occasion: So, if we shall be at any time a.s.saulted by our l.u.s.ts let us have recourse to the {28} Temple of G.o.d, and take up the Arms of the Church, which are Prayers and Tears. We must not (as _Nero_ did at the burning of _Rome_) sing _Paeans_ and rejoyce, when our Bodies (those Temples of the Holy Ghost) are burning with the flames of l.u.s.t. _Numa Pompilius_, when news was brought him that his Enemies were ready to surprize him, put off the Messenger with this ready memorable Speech, [Greek: Ego de thuo], _I am offering a sacrifice to G.o.d_: So, when we have any news of being surprized by our l.u.s.ts, we may return the same answer; "Tis enough if we are at our Prayers, which will secure and guard us from them. _Plutarch_ reports of a Boy, who though he was burnt with a coal that fell from the Altar, yet continued his oblation of Sacrifice without intermission: So let us (though we are sometimes burned with the fire of l.u.s.t) be so fervent in our Prayers to G.o.d, that the _fervency_ of them may exceed and draw away the heat of our l.u.s.ts, as a great Fire does the heat which was caused by a less.
6. Avoid Idleness, and be sure alwayes to be well employed. I may give an idle {29} man that character one [34]gives of _Themistocles_ when out of imployment, _That he will be luxurious, dissolute, l.u.s.tful, and intemperate_. Mans heart is a Mill ever grinding some grist or other; and I may add, If there be no grain for it to work upon, it sets itself on fire with l.u.s.t. Let us consider, that whilest we are idle, and not imployed, we can expect no a.s.sistance from G.o.d, if we should be a.s.saulted by l.u.s.t: according to that of the Historian: [35]_When we once give our selves over to idleness, we shall in vain implore the aid and a.s.sistance of G.o.d, for then he is angry and offended at us_. No, no, let us rather be in continual action and imployment, and be diligently conversant in our several lawful vocations: For (as the same Author tells us) [36]_We cannot by a few weak prayers only and faint Supplications obtain aid and a.s.sistance from G.o.d; but by watching, and being in continual action and consultation, all things will succeed prosperously unto us_. It was a saying {30} of _Appius Clodius_, [37]_That it were better for the _Romans_ to be busied and imployed, then remiss and idle; Because great Empires by agitation and motion are excited to Vertue_. And it was anothers complaint, [38]_That Idleness _(_that great enemy to Discipline_)_ corrupted and spoiled the _Roman_ Souldiers_. And so may we complain, that Idleness hinders us in our Spiritual Warfare against our l.u.s.ts. Whilest _Atalanta_ was imployed in hunting with _Diana_, she kept her Virginity pure and immaculate; but when she fell into Idleness, she indulg"d her self in the gratification of her insatiable l.u.s.ts: So, whilest our Souls are employed in hunting after knowledge, and other things which are commendable and praise-worthy, they may preserve themselves from l.u.s.t and Uncleanness. It was a saying of a _Latine_ Poet, [39]_Take away Idleness, and you break _Cupids_ Bow_: And I may say, with more then _Poetical Authority_, Take away Idleness, and you break the Devils Bow; for Idleness is the Bow out of which the Devil shoots the fiery Darts of his Temptations at us. And if, after all these Means used, you cannot {31} contain your selves within the bounds of Chast.i.ty, then
7. Enter the sacred Bonds of _Matrimony_: "Tis far better thou shouldest marry then burn. Take St. _Pauls_ counsel, who, [40]_to avoid fornication_, bids _every man have his own Wife, and every woman have her own Husband_.
And though I cannot but esteem a single life and holy Caelibate (which was consecrated by the holy _Jesus_ in his proper person) to be an excellent Virtue; yet since every one hath not that gift of continence which our Saviour had, and G.o.d hath inst.i.tuted Matrimony as an Ordinance, and the holy _Jesus_ hallowed it and made it honourable with the expence of the first Miracle (we read) he ever performed on Earth, and made it more sublimate by making it a Representation of the Union betwixt Him and his Spouse the Church; it is a thing highly commendable in it self, and to be made use of as a great Preservative against inordinacies in our Affections and unruly Pa.s.sions: And a Learned Author puts it in the Catalogue of such _Arts_ [41]_without which a man cannot live well and {32} happily_; and says, "That although to live a single life is not totally repugnant to Humane Nature, yet it is repugnant to the Nature of most Men; Because a single life and caelibate are onely fitted for the most excellent Minds, and such as are refined from the dross of impure concupiscence." And another Author brings in _Romulus_ speaking to his neighbouring Nations, [42]_That they would not grudge to mix themselves together in a joynt Allyance and Consanguinity_. And though the _Roman_ State seemed to countenance a single life, because they afforded Dignities to certain Vestal Virgins, yet the number of those Vestals was but small; and then the Dignities and Priviledges which they had were no other but that they were made equal in State to married Wives; they were preferred before all that lived unmarried, but not before married persons.
But whilest I am speaking of this Order of Vestal Nuns, I cannot but endeavour to excite in you an abhorrency of those destructive Nunneries into which the Papists cast their Virgins in their {33} infancy, and before they come to maturity of years, or are (which they can never be) able to judge of the strength of their own continency. Into what Stews have these Nunneries been frequently converted, by reason of restraining those from the sacred Ligament of Marriage who have not so absolute a command over themselves as to abstain from unlawful carnality? How is that sacred Fire, which among the _Romans_ of old was preserved by their Vestal Virgins, by these changed into _Flames of l.u.s.t_, which all their _Holy-water_ will never allay or extinguish? Oh! that these sottish abusers of the Holy Ordinance of G.o.d called Marriage would but call to minde how the blessed and immaculate Virgin (our Saviours Mother) was betrothed to _Joseph_, lest honourable Marriage might be disreputed, and seem inglorious, by a positive rejection from any partic.i.p.ation of that transcendent honour! I could heartily wish that these our _Romanists_ would but imitate the brave example of the old _Romans_, who thought none eligible to be _Jupiters_ Priests but such as were {34} Married; and (as _Tacitus_ and _Suetonius_ tell us) set a Fine upon their heads who refused to be united in the holy Bonds of Matrimony. It was out of respect to this, that the Emperour _Augustus_ sent for _Germanicus_ his Children, and hugging and caressing them in his Royal breast, signified by his countenance, and other signes of his hand, that others ought to imitate _Germanicus_ in marrying with joy and alacrity.
And thus you see I have a.s.serted and maintained the laudable Priviledge and Ordination of Marriage; and now cannot but be convinced that you think, in this my last _Recipe_ of Marriage I have prescribed you pleasanter Physick then in any of the former: If therefore you cannot obtain a cure from them, you may from this joyned to them. _Suetonius_ tells us, that _Galba_ selected a Jewel to beautifie and adorn the G.o.ddess _Fortune_; which (on the sudden) as if it deserved a more sacred Deity, he dedicated to _Venus_.
But I hope, that we, after we have selected those Pearls of price our Souls for G.o.ds service, shall not {35} dedicate them to _Venus_ and our sensual appet.i.tes; for we are most certainly informed by the Text, _That the end thereof is bitter as wormwood, and sharp as a two-edged sword_.
FINIS.
Notes.
[1] _Mulier formosa superne definit in piscem._ Hor. _de arte Poet_.
[2] 2 Sam. 13. 18.
[3] _Terent. in Glycerio._
[4] [Greek: herkos o donton]. _Homer._
[5] _Nunquam minus solus quam c.u.m solus. Tull. de Offic._
[6] _Sed revocare gradum superasque evadere ad auras----Hic labor hoc opus est_--Virg.
[7] _Bartholin. in Tractatu de motu Chyli._
[8] _--Pictoribus----Quidlibet audendi semper fuit aequa potestas._ Hor. _de arte Poet._
[9] _Saepius petiit viros quam petebatur._ Sal.u.s.t.
[10] _Nihil quod turpiter facere aut pati posset infectum relinqueret, quicquid liberet pro licito judicans._ Suet.
[11] _Sueton. in vit. Neron._
[12] _Moechum in adulterio deprehensum impune necato._
[13] Prov. 6. 26.
[14] 1 Cor. 6. 9.
[15] _Rouse_ in _Archaeolog. Attic_.
[16] 1 Joh. 2. 16.
[17] _Periculosum est illud per quod quis aliquando captus sit videre; prope se consequuntur proponi formam & exponi pudicitiam._ Senec.
[18] Matth. 5. 28.
[19] _Natura paucis contenta._ Sen.
[20] _Nunquam aliud natura aliud sapientia dicit._ Hor.