[print edition page number: 29]

Dorothy Leigh

From The Mother’s Blessing (1616)^[1]

Chapter 5: The third cause^[2] is to move women to be careful of their children.

The third is to encourage women (who, I fear, will blush at my boldness) not to be ashamed to show their infirmities, but to give men the first and chief place. Yet let us labor to come in the second; and because we must needs confess that sin entered by us into our posterity,^[3] let us show how careful we are to seek^[4] to Christ to cast it out of us and our posterity and how fearful we are that our sin should sink any of them to the lowest part of the earth. Wherefore, let us call upon them to follow Christ, who will carry them to the height of heaven.

Chapter 9: The seventh cause^[5] is that they should give their children good names.

The seventh cause is to entreat you that though I do not live to be a witness to the baptizing of any of your children,^[6] yet you would give me leave to give names to them all. For though I do not think any holiness to be in the name (but know that God hath his in every place, and of every name), yet I see in the Bible, it was observed by God himself, to give choice names to his children, which had some good signification. I think it good therefore to name your children after the names of the saints of God, which may be a means to put them in mind of [30] some virtues which those saints used,^[7] especially when they shall read of them in the Bible. And seeing many are desirous to name both their own children and others after their own names, this will be a means to increase the names of the saints in the Church, and so none shall have occasion to mislike^[8] his name, since he beareth the name of such a saint as hath left a witness to the world that he lived and died in the true faith of Jesus Christ. The names I have chosen you are these: Philip, Elizabeth, James, Anna, John, and Susanna.^[9] The virtues of them that bore those names and the causes why I chose them I let pass, and only mean to write of the last name: Susan,^[10] famoused^[11] through the world for chastity, a virtue which always hath been and is of great account, not only amongst the Christians and people of God, but even among the heathen and infidels, insomuch that some of them have written that a woman that is truly chaste is a great partaker of all other virtues and, contrariwise, that the woman that is not truly chaste hath no virtue in her. The which saying may well be warranted by the scripture, for who so is truly chaste is free from idleness and from all vain delights, full of humility, and all good Christian virtues. Who so is chaste is not given to pride in apparel nor any vanity, but is always either reading, meditating, or practicing some good thing which she hath learned in the scripture. But she which is unchaste is given to be idle, or if she do anything, it is for a vain glory and for the praise of men more than for any humble, loving, and obedient heart that she beareth unto God and his Word, who said: “Six days thou shalt labor,”^[12] and so left no time for idleness, pride, or vanity, for in none of these is there any holiness. The unchaste woman is proud and always decking her self with vanity and delights to hear the vain words of men, in which there is not only vanity but also so much wickedness that the vain words of men, and women’s vainness in hearing them, hath brought many women to much sorrow and vexation, as woeful experience hath and will make many of them confess. But some will say: had they only lent an ear to their words they had done well enough. To answer which I would have everyone know that one sin begetteth another. The vain words of the man and the idle cares of the woman beget unchaste thoughts oftentimes in the one, which may bring forth much wickedness in them both.

Man said once, “The woman which thou gavest me, beguiled me, and I did eat.”^[13] But we women may now say that men lie in wait everywhere to deceive us, as the elders did to deceive Susanna.^[14] Wherefore let us be, as she was, chaste, watchful, and wary, keeping company with maids. Once Judas betrayed his Master with a kiss and repented it;^[15] but now, men like Judas betray their mistresses with a kiss and repent it not, but laugh and rejoice that they have brought sin and shame to her that trusted them. The only way to avoid all which is to be chaste with Susanna and, being women, to embrace that virtue which, being placed in a woman, is most commendable.

An unchaste woman destroyeth both the body and the soul of him she seemeth most to love, and it is almost impossible to set down the mischiefs which have come through unchaste women. Solomon sayeth that “her steps lead to hell.”^[16] Wherefore bring up your daughters as Susanna’s parents brought up her: teach them the law of the Lord continually, and always persuade them to embrace this virtue of chastity.

It may be that some of you will marvel, since I set down names for the imitation of their virtues that bore them, why I placed not Mary in the first place, a woman virtuous above all other women. My reason was this: because I presumed that there was no woman so senseless as not to look what a blessing God hath sent to us women through that gracious virgin, by whom it pleased God to take away the shame which Eve our grandmother had brought us to. For before, men might say, “The woman beguiled me, and I did eat the poisoned fruit of disobedience, and I dye.”^[17] But now, man may say (if he say truly), “The woman brought [32] me a Savior, and I feed of him by faith and live.”^[18] Here is this great and woeful shame taken from women by God, working in a woman; man can claim no part in it. The shame is taken from us and from our posterity forever: “The seed of the woman hath taken down the Serpent’s head,” and now whosoever can take hold of the seed of the woman by faith shall surely live for ever.^[19] And therefore all generations shall say that she was blessed^[20] who brought us a Savior, the fruit of obedience, that whosoever feedeth of shall live forever, and except they feed of the seed of the woman, they have no life. Will not therefore all women seek out this great grace of God that by Mary hath taken away the shame which before was due unto us ever since the Fall of man?

Mary was filled with the Holy Ghost and with all goodness, and yet is called the blessed virgin,^[21] as if our God should (as he doth indeed) in brief comprehend all other virtues under this one virtue of chastity. Wherefore I desire that all women, what name so ever they bear, would learn of this blessed virgin to be chaste. For though she were more replenished with grace than any other and more freely beloved of the Lord, yet the greatest title that she had was that she was a blessed and pure virgin, which is a great cause to move all women, whether they be maids or wives (both which estates she honored), to live chastely, to whom for this cause God hath given a cold and temperate disposition^[22] and bound them with these words: “Thy desire shall be subject to thy husband.”^[23] As if God in mercy to women should say: you of yourselves shall have no desires, only they shall be subject to your husbands’, which hath been verified in heathen women, so as it is almost incredible to be believed. For many of them before they would be defiled have been careless of their lives, and so have endured all those torments that men would devise to inflict upon them rather than they would lose the name of a modest maid, or a chaste matron. Yea, and so far they have been [33] from consenting to any immodesty, that if at any time they have been ravished, they have either made away themselves, or at least have separated themselves from company, not thinking themselves worthy of any society after they have once been deflowered, though against their wills.^[24] Wherefore the woman that is infected with the sin of uncleanness is worse than a beast because it desireth but for nature, and she to satisfy her corrupt lusts.

Some of the fathers^[25] have written that it is not enough for a woman to be chaste, but even so to behave herself that no man may think or deem her to be unchaste. We read that in the primitive Church, when there were wars between the Christians and the pagans, if at any time the pagans had gotten the victory, that then they would seek to deflower the virgins. To the which sin before the Christians would yield, they would continually lay violent hands upon themselves, insomuch that the doctors of the Church were oftentimes constrained to make diverse sermons and orations to them to dissuade them from that cruelty which they inflicted upon themselves rather than they would suffer themselves to be deflowered, such a disgrace did they think it to have but one spot of uncleanness.^[26] And yet none of these were so holy as this Mary, this pure and undefiled virgin.

Some godly and revered men of the Church have gathered this: that there were five women of great virtue in the time of the Law,^[27] the first letters of whose names do make her whole name to show that she had all their virtues wholly combined in her, as namely: Michal, Abigail, Rachel, Judith, and Anna.^[28]

She was as faithful to her husband as Michal, who saved her husband David from the fury of Saul, although he were her father and King, not preferring her own life before the safety of her husband.^[29] She was as wise as Abigail, who is highly commended for her wisdom;^[30] amiable in the sight of her husband, as Rachel;^[31] stout and magnanimous in the time of trouble, as Judith;^[32] patient and [34] zealous in prayer, as Anna.^[33] Seeing then that by this one name so many virtues are called to remembrance, I think it meet that good names be given to all women that they might call to mind the virtues of those women whose names they bear. But especially above all moral virtues,^[34] let women be persuaded by this discourse to embrace chastity, without which we are mere beasts, and no women.

Chapter 35: Be not hurt by a little temptation.

There is another thing which I must admonish you of: that you be not overcome of a little temptation, for that is the basest thing in the world, even as if a great captain should be overcome of a mean^[35] soldier that had neither might nor policy,^[36] which must needs return with shame to the captain. But it is much more shame for a Christian that hath vowed to forsake the devil, the world, and his own affections, to be overcome by the weakest of them all. There be many that think if the devil overcome them not in a great sin, all is well, though that indeed he set them on work continually on trifles, and by this means keep men in some device^[37] or other. He cares not what they do, so they serve not God, and so he may blindfold them that they cannot see their own sins. And thus they are in a very dangerous and evil case and know not what they do; yet they shadow^[38] their folly that the world may not perceive it, and then they think it is well enough. Thus the devil leads them quietly to hell, and they never know wither they are going till they come there, even as a wind carrieth a ship, and they that are in it know not where they shall be set on shore. For the devil is a cunning fowler;^[39] he will never lay a great bait where he knows a little one will serve the turn, and he is so full of policy^[40] that he seeth a great bait would make the party afraid to come near it. But thus does the devil: first he giveth a little bait, and saith to him whom he meaneth to catch, “I warrant thee, thou mayest take this. Go near it. Taste of it. It will not hurt thee. Many swallow a greater bait than this and thou seest no [35] hurt come of it.” As he said to Eve, “It is but an apple; it may do thee much good to bring thee to knowledge and thee like a God.”^[41]

And therefore now we see we had need set a special watch over ourselves that we may spy the devil when he goeth about thus to entrap us in his engines^[42] with his alluring baits and return his baits again, and when he offereth us any of them, may say: I defy thee, Satan, and by God’s grace have knowledge that thou art a wicked serpent, and didst deceive our first parents with an apple. I will not play with thy baits, be they never so sweet, pleasant, or beautiful. I know thy subtlety, and I know that I serve a captain, Christ, that thou art afraid of, and he will bring us to a happier Paradise then thou didst put us out of, and he will make me like a God, and renew the image that thou didst decay in us.^[43] Thou didst scoff at me and saidst I should have knowledge when thou wouldest have utterly overthrown me; yet I have this knowledge (I thank the almighty God for it) that now I can see thy policy, and how thou camest to our parents when they were alone. Thou thoughtest they could not stand by themselves,^[44] but thou shalt never find me alone. I know I cannot stand by myself, and therefore I draw near unto my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by faith, and I will attend upon him and will not leave his commandment undone for all thy baits and allurements thou canst show me in the world, where thou callest thyself Prince.^[45] But thou gettest it by wicked policy, and thou rulest it by a wicked tyranny, destroying the good and maintaining the wicked, and bestowest thy trash on them not for any love thou bearest to them, but to make them thy wicked instruments, that thou mayest do the more hurt by them. And as soon as they have served thy turn a while, thou wilt bring them to shame in this world and everlasting destruction in hell fire. And therefore now I would have thee know that I have knowledge and perceive [36] that all these usurping tyrants have learned all their mischievous policies of thee, using all means they can possibly to destroy the good, and with their paltry trash, which they call their wealth, they win the wicked to their wills. And when they have their purpose a while, they will pick some quarrel against them, although they have no reason for it, and although they follow their wicked wills never so much, yet in the end they will overcome them.

And so, Satan, dost thou deal with all that serve thee, and therefore thou art an usurping tyrant. For the earth is my Lord’s who hath made it and all that is therein,^[46] and that which belongeth unto thee is nothing but that trash that he careth not for. It is like tares^[47] and the worser sort of grain: more fit to feed swine than for the children of so mighty a king as my Lord is, who hath such treasure for those that belong unto him as thou shalt never come near. Yet this is thy despite and envy: because thou canst get none of it thy self, thou wouldest have me have none of it neither. But thou shalt not deceive me with these earthen baits, which one day my almighty God shall set on fire about their ears that love them so well, when themselves shall be suddenly strangled with the smoke therefore. And it makes me marvel how thou shouldest deceive so many as thou dost with them. For once my gracious Lord drowned them^[48] and all that loved them, and many times he sinketh very much trash in the sea that pirates might see they shall sink one day and all those that sell their souls for such trash, except they turn speedily unto my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is a savior and will save all sinners that turn unto him. But thou art a destroyer and wilt destroy all those that follow thee. Thou knowest my Lord burnt Sodom and Gomorrah,^[49] with other cities which were full of the glittering dross,^[50] to show that he cared no more for it than kings do for counters,^[51] for if he had respected it, he would never have burnt it and consumed it with fire. Yet thou, Satan, doest deceive worldly wise men, giving them dross for gold, which is no better than copper counters, and in the meantime thou makest them deceive themselves of an everlasting treasure. Earthly treasure may be compared to glass, which is so brittle a metal [37] it can never continue long; for as it might be, now a man hath it to do him good, and in the turning of a hand it is broken and worth nothing. Even so it is with the trash and pelf^[52] of this world, and the life of man which is but a breath. And what can be of less power than a breath?

The scripture saith, “it is like a vapor, which appeareth suddenly, and is as suddenly gone again.”^[53] Christ saith, “Thou fool, this night shall they take away thy soul from thee, and whose things shall these be that thou hast gathered together?”^[54] If our Savior Christ calleth him a fool that careth for earthly things, I know he is a fool, and therefore thou shalt not make me so simple, but thou shalt make me wise; for I will ever be watchful and wary in all my ways, continually attending upon the Son of God, Christ Jesus, my Lord and Savior, that thou mayest not find me alone. I will also keep company with the godly,^[55] by which means the way of my Savior will be made more easy for me; for when many godly men are together, they encourage one another to that which is good.