H105, American History I

1.  It removeth one notable Distinction, or means of distinguishing one man from another.  For so is a man’s own Hair:  One man differeing from another in Hair; as to Color, thickness, thinness, streightnes, curledness.  A man with his Hair cut off, and anothers put on, looketh not as he did before; especially , if before of Light colourd hair, now dark:  or before dark, now Light:  before, thin, streight hair; now bushy, and curled, and longer than before; or other the like difference, which is most familiarly made by those that wear perriwigs.  So that he that wears a Perriwig doth in effect put on a Vizzard, and disguiseth himself.  And the same man ordinarily keepeth diverse Perriwigs differing one from another in length, Colour, Culres, or the like:  sometime wearing one, sometimes another:  so that sucha one is strangely inconsistent with himself; and unlike to day, to what he was yesterday; and so less liable to be known.  Now to affect a Disguise, is not the guise of a good man; but of a bad one.  Job 24. 14, 15, 17....

2.  It removeth one notable visible Distinction of Sex:  for so is Hair, as is evident by 1 Cor. 6, 7, 14, 15.  And it is obvious to every one, that Mens Hair, and Womens Hair are not ordinarily alike:  And if they were, there were no temptation to make Perriwiggs of Womens Hair for Men:  and so diverse just prejudices against the Perriwiggs in use, would be removed.  Nay men might ordinarily make them of their own Hair; which would yet be less offensive.  Whereas now Women are shaven or shorn, and so in that respect are more like Men:  being, when shorn, really unlike what they were before, and unlike other modest, and honest Women that would not be shorn or shaven on any tentation.  And men putting on their Hair, have hair like Women; and not like Men; as is noted of the Locusts, those Harpyes of Hell:  Rev. 9.8.  They had Hair as the hair of Women; plainly implying that Mens hair, and Womens hair is not alike.  Now this Transmutation of the visible tokens and Distinctions of Sex, is not lawfull; as is undeniably proved by Deut. 22. 5.  It is manifest that the hair of Perriwggs ordinarily, pertains to Women, growing on Womens heads, having been their Glory and Covering for many years; and therefore must needs be unlawfull for Men to wear.  And if a Man for this reason; viz. distinction of Sex, might not wear a Womans Habit; much less might he wear a Womans Hair.  The Words in Deut. 22. 5 are very plain, and very terrible:  The Woman shall not wear that which pertaineth to a Man; neither shall a Man put on a Womans Garment:  for all that doe so are abomination to the Lord thy God.

3.  It removeth one notable distinction of Age, which is necessary to be known, because of some Duties depending on it.  (1) In respect of Mens selves.  The frequent Sight of Gray hairs is a Lecture to men, against Levity, Vanity, and youthful Vagaries and Lusts.  It calls for a gracious, grave, and majestical deportment, lest they defile the gray hairs with youthful folly, and Lusts:  it puts men in mind of their Mortality; as the Flourishing of the Almond Tree doth of the approaching Summer; Eccles. 12. 5.  Whence when gray hairs are removed out of sight; and youthfull ones in stead thereof, in veiw (as it is oftentimes in the case of Perriwigs) it hath a natural tendency to make men forget that they stand upon the edge of the Grave, and on the brink of Eternity....

(2) In respect of Others.  Others are obliged to rise up before, and honour the Old man:  the demonstrative token of which is his Gray hairs.  But strangers to old men can not so well distinguish of the AGe of those they converse with, when youthfull hairs are grafted on a gray head; as is oftimes in the case of Perriwiggs.  Are we bound to rise up before the youthfull hair of Girls, and young Women?  Levit. 19. 32.  Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the Old man.  It is evident by that Text, that an Old mans face should ordinarily be accompanied with Gray hairs.  And when Perriwigged men are known to be old, tho’ they do their utmost to conceal their Age.  Yet such Levity and Vanity appears in their affecting youthfull Shows, as renders them contemptible, and is in itself ridiculous.  And so the Old man comes to be despised; contrary to the Law of God, and good of human Societies:  and the young men led into tentation to this Evil, by Old mens appearing on the Stage without the badge of their Age and Honor;l which would chal[l]enge Respect.  The Beauty of Old men is the Gray head.  Prov. 20. 29.

(3) In respect to God himself, relating to some of his divine Perfections; particularly, his Majesty and Eternity; which are in some respects shadowed forth in Old men....

4.  Wearing Perriwigs proceeds many times from a Discontent at God’s Workmanship .... And this is undeniably a breach of the Tenth Commandment; for a man to be discontent with his own hair, which God made for him, and gave to him:  and covet anothers, which God made for another, and gave to another.  To covet anothers Hair, is a sin of the same kind with coveting our Neighbours House, or his wife....

5.  Wearing of Perriwigs evidently marreth the Workmanship of God, and so defaceth his Image .... And the Hair, for the most part at least, s colour[e]d and qualified according to natural Causes in the Constitution.  Such as is the predominant Element, such is the predominant Temperament, such is the predominant Humour in the Body:  and according to that the Flesh and Skin:  and according to all these, the Hair, as Physicians know and shew; and is observable to every observing Eye.  So that between the Periwigg hair, and the Complexion of him that wears it, there is ordinarily, a manifest Incongruity:  so that he that hath Skill in Physiognomy, shall be able to know that this hair could not grow upon that head, no more than Salt-Marsh can grow upon a Hill.  And for this reason there is for the most part, an incongruity between a mans hair, and a womans Complexion:  and between a Womans hair, and a Mans complexion:  The hair of Women being suitable to ttheir soft, moist, cold Constitution:  but not to the Masculine hot and dry Constitution.  And consequently, in the case in hand, there must needs be an unnatural incongruity between the Complexion, and Hair, when the Complexion and Constitution is Masculine, and the Hair Feminine.  Rev. 9. 7, 8....

6.  It seems to be unlawfull, and most foolish and absurd for a Woman to part with her Hair to adorn a Man.  And if it be so, it must needs be unlawfull for Men to desire it, and buy it, or beg it, or use it in Perriwigs.  (1) It is a Glory to a Woman to have Long Hair, 1 Cor. 11.15. and therefore a Shame to her to part with it by being shorn, or shaven.  1 Cor. 11. 6....  (3) It seems a Disorder in religious Worship, that offends the Angels, for a woman to pray shaven or shorn, 1 Cor. 11. 5, 6, 10, 13....  (4) A Woman degrades her self unto the rank and quality of a Beast, when she submits to be shorn as the Beasts are, to cover others with their hair .... What a mad World would it be, if women should take the same affection to wearing of Men’s beards; as Men do to Women’s hair?  Would they not be accounted meer Viragos, or virile Houswives?  And by the same reason, why should it not be accounted Effeminacy in Men, to covet Women’s hair; which is a token of women’s Subjection, when they wear it themselves for a Covering:  and to have it cut off, a token of Immodesty....

7.  The Folly and Absurdity of Mens Perriwigging of themselves with Women’s Hair, appears in many Particulars.  (1) It is a Shame for a Man to wear long hair; but Perriwigs are usually long Hair.  And if Nature teacheth that it is a Shame for a Man to wear long hair tho’ his own:  Nature must teach that is much more shamefull to wear Long hair of another bodys; and especially of Women’s....  (2) Women’s hair, when on their own heads, is a token of Subjection:  How comes it to cease to be a token of Subjection, when Men wear it?....  (3) To be beholden to another without Cause, is ignominious in a high degree:  for the Borrower is a Servant to the Lender, at least in some degree....  (7) There is manifest Pride, Levity, Vanity, Affectation in Perriwigs.  For they are not made in imitation of Mens Hair, as it naturally groweth.  Whereas Art should imitate Nature, where it pretends to mend the accidental defects, or decays of Nature....  (8) It will not be an easy thing to account with God for so much needless Cost and Expence as is now laid out on Perriwiggs.  And much more would the Expence be, if the Fashion should prevail among the Generality.  Alass, that men should be so prodigal and profuse this way, in an Age so barren and fruitless as to good Works:  and when they are so much needed for the maintaining the Government in Order and Honor, and for building Forts, and maintaing Souldiers to defend the Plantation against the Enemys that will take off the Scalp, both Skin and Hair, if we fall into their hands.  They that do little or nothing for relieving the Poor; and are backward in maintaining the Worship of God, and make Poverty their Excuse; and yet might bate all the Cost of Perriwigs, as well as the paring of their Nails:  Will be found ill Stewards of the Estates which God hath given them.

(9) If all the foregoing Arguments prove no more than that there is an Appearance of Evil in it; yet that is enough to prove that Perriwigs of Womens hair should not be worn by Christian Men:  seeing Christians are required to abstain from all Appearance of Evil.  Neither should we for so small a Temptation, run the Venture of living in a Course of Sin; and of being Exemplary to others in what is Doubtfull, and, very many good Men think, sinfull:  and are offended and grieved at the Sight of Christians that have Faces like Men; and Hair like the Hair of Women:  and are especially grieved, when they see Magistrates and Ministers, that are in Reputation for Wisdom, Honor, and Office; and ought to be Examples to others of what is Good, are, in their Opinion, becomes Examples in what is Evil.