A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian Ethics

by Richard Baxter

Quest. I. But may we as easily discern this sort of pride in clothing as the other? Answ. No, because the mean, and plain, and cheap clothing is commonly worn by persons really mortified and sober, and necessarily by the poor, and grave clothing by persons that are really grave. And therefore we are bound to judge them to be that, which they seem by their apparel to be, unless by some other evidences than their apparel, their pride and hypocrisy appear; but when we judge a person vain that weareth vain clothing, and proud of their comeliness that are inordinately careful in setting it out, we judge but according to the first and proper signification of their clothing. Hypocrisy is a thing unseen to man: it is the visible signs according to their proper signification that we must judge by; and therefore when we see persons wear vain and curious attire, we may judge thereby that they are vain and curious; and if we be mistaken, it is long of them that signified it; and when we see persons wear grave or humble clothing, we must judge by it that they are grave and humble, till the contrary appear.

Quest. II. But how else will pride of gravity or mortifiedness appear? Answ. When they boast of these themselves, and are insolent in censuring and reproaching those that differ from them; when their discourse is more against those fashions which they avoid, than against any faults of their own; when they affect to be singular in their apparel, even from the grave and humble persons of their rank; but especially when they make a noise and stir in the world with their fashions, to be taken notice of, and to become eminent, and persons talked of and admired for their mortified garb. Thus many sects amongst the popish friars go by agreement or vow, in clothes so differing from all other persons in seeming humility and gravity, which must be the badge of their order in the eye of the world, that the boast and affectation is visible and professed. And thus the quakers, that by the notoriety of their difference from other sober persons, and by their impudent bawling in the streets and churches, and railing against the holiest and humblest ministers and people that are not of their sect, and this in the face of markets and congregations, do make a plain profession or detection of their pride. But where it is not openly revealed, we cannot judge it.

May not a deformity be hid by apparel or painting.

Quest. III. Is it not lawful for a person that is deformed, to hide their deformity by their clothing? And for any persons to make themselves (by clothing, or spots, or painting) to seem to others as comely and beautiful as they can? Answ. The person, and the matter, and the end and reasons, the principle and the probable consequents, must all be considered for the right answering of this question. It is lawful to some persons, by some means, for some good ends and reasons, when a greater evil is not like to follow it, to hide their deformities, and to adorn themselves so as to seem more comely than they are: but for other persons, by evil means, for evil ends and reasons, or when it tendeth to evil consequents, it is unlawful. 1. A person that is naturally very deformed, may do more to hide it by their ornaments, than one that hath no such deformity may do to seem more comely; because one aspireth no higher than to seem somewhat like other persons; but the other aspireth to seem excellent above others. And a person that is under government may do more in obedience to their governors, than another may do that is at their own choice. 2. If the matter of their ornament be but modest, decent clothing, and not immodest, insolent, luxurious, vain, or against nature, or the law of God or man, it is in that respect allowable. But so is no cover of deformity by unlawful means. 3. It may be lawful, if also it be to a lawful end, as to obey a governor, or only to cover a deformity, so as not unnecessarily to reveal it; but it is always sinful, when the end is sinful. As, (1.) If it be to seem extraordinary beautiful or comely, when you are not so; or if it be to be observed and admired by beholders. (2.) If it be to tempt the beholders' minds to lustful or undue affections. (3.) If it be to deceive the mind of some one that you desire in marriage: for in that case, to seem by such dissembling to be what you are not, is the most injurious kind of cheat, much worse than to sell a horse that is blind or lame, for a sound one. (4.) If it be to follow the fashions of proud gallants, that you may not be scorned by them as not neat enough; all these are unlawful ends and reasons. 4. So also the principle or mind that it cometh from, may make it sinful: as, (1.) If it come from a lustful, wanton mind. (2.) Or if it come from an over-great regard of the opinion of spectators; which is the proper complexion of pride.[610] A person that doth it not in pride, is not very solicitous about it: nor makes no great matter of it whether men take him to be comely or uncomely; and therefore he is at no great cost or care to seem comely to them. If such persons be deformed, they know it is God's work, and not their sin; and it is sin that is the true cause of shame: and all God's works are good, and for our good if we are his children. They know that God doth it to keep them humble, and prevent that pride, and lust, and wantonness which is the undoing of many; and therefore they will rather be careful to improve it, and get the benefit, than to hide it, and seem comelier than they are. 5. Also the consequents concur much to make the action good or bad: though that be not your end, yet if you may foresee, that greater hurt than good will follow, or is like to follow, it will be your sin. As, (1.) If it tend to the insnaring of the minds of the beholders in procacious, lustful, wanton passions, though you say, you intend it not, it is your sin, that you do that which probably will procure it, yea, that you did not your best to avoid it. And though it be their sin and vanity that is the cause, it is nevertheless your sin to be the unnecessary occasion: for you must consider that you live among diseased souls! And you must not lay a stumblingblock in their way, nor blow up the fire of their lust, nor make your ornaments their snares; but you must walk among sinful persons, as you would do with a candle among straw or gunpowder; or else you may see the flame which you would not foresee, when it is too late to quench it. But a proud and procacious, lustful mind is so very willing to be loved, and thought highly of, and admired and desired, that no fear of God, or of the sin and misery of themselves or others, will satisfy them, or take them off. (2.) Also it is sinful to adorn yourselves in such fashions, as probably will encourage pride or vanity in others, or seem to approve of it. When any fashion is the common badge of the proud and vain sort of persons of that time and place, it is sinful unnecessarily to conform yourselves to them; because you will harden them in their sin, and you join yourselves to them, as one of them by a kind of profession. As when spotted faces (a name that former ages understood not) or naked breasts, or such other fashions, are used ordinarily by the vain, and brain-sick, and heart-sick, proud and wanton party, it is a sin unnecessarily to use them. For, (1.) You will hinder their repentance. (2.) And you will hinder the great benefit which the world may get by their vain attire: for (though it be no thanks to them that intend it not) yet it is a very great commodity that cometh to mankind by these people's sin: that fools should go about in fools'-coats, and that empty brains, and proud and wanton hearts, should be so openly detected in the streets and churches; that sober people may avoid them; and that wise, and chaste, and civil people may not be deceived by such in marriage to their undoing. As the different clothing of the different sexes is necessary to chastity and order; so it is a matter of great convenience in a commonwealth, that sots, and swaggerers, and phrenetics, and idiots, and proud, and wanton, lustful persons should be openly distinguished from others; as in a plague-time the doors of infected houses are marked with a "Lord, have mercy on us." And the wisest magistrate knew not how to have accomplished this himself by a law, as the wretches themselves do by their voluntary choice; for if it were not voluntary, it would be no distinguishing badge of their profession. Now for any honest, civil people to join with them, and take up their livery, and the habit of their order, is to profess themselves such as they, and so to encourage and approve them, or else to confound the proud and humble, the vain and sober, the wanton and the chaste, and destroy the benefit of distinction.

By this you may see, that it is not so much the bare fashion itself that is to be regarded, as the signification and the consequents of it. The same fashion when used by sober persons, to better signification and consequents, may be lawful, which otherwise is unlawful. Therefore those fashions that can hardly ever be supposed to have a good signification and consequents, are hardly ever to be supposed lawful.

Note also, that any one of the aforesaid evils maketh a fashion evil, but it must be all the requisites concurrent that must prove your fashions good or lawful.

Quest. IV. Is it not sometimes lawful to follow the fashions? Answ. It is always lawful to follow the sober fashions of sober people; but it is not lawful to follow the vain, immodest, ill-signifying fashions of the riotous, proud, and wanton sort: unless it be in such cases of necessity as David was in, when he behaved himself like a mad-man, or as Paul when he told them that he was a Pharisee, Acts xxiii. 6, to escape in a persecution, or from thieves or enemies. 2. Or unless for a time it prove as conducible to the good of others, as Paul's circumcising Timothy was, or his becoming all things to all men, that he might win some.[611] But to follow ill-signifying fashions, unnecessarily, or for carnal ends, to avoid the disesteem or evil speeches of carnal persons, or to seem to be as fine as they, this is undoubtedly a sin.

Direct. VI. Be sure to avoid excess of costliness in your apparel. Remember that you must answer for all your estates. And one day it will prove more comfortable to find on your accounts, So much a year laid out in clothing the naked, than, So much a year in bravery or curiosity for yourselves or your children. Costly apparel devoureth that which would go far in supplying the necessities of the poor.

Direct. VII. Be sure you waste not your precious time in needless curiosity of dressing. I cannot easily tell you how great a sin, and horrible sign of folly and misery, it is in those gallants that spend whole hours, yea, most part of the morning, in dressing and neatifying themselves, before they appear to the sight of others; so that some of them can scarce do any thing else before dinner time, but dress themselves. The morning hours that are fittest for prayer, and reading the word of God, are thus consumed. They spend not a quarter so much time in the serious searching and adorning of their souls, nor in any holy service of God; but God, and family, and soul, and all is thus neglected.

Direct. VIII. Next to the usefulness of your apparel for your bodies and labours, let your rule be to imitate the common sort of the grave and sober persons of your own rank. Not here and there one that in other things are sober, who themselves follow the fashions of the proud and vain; but the ordinary fashion of grave and sober persons. For thus you will avoid both the levity of the proud, and the needless singularity of others.