Ornaments for the daughters of Zion, or, The character and happiness of a virtuous woman in a disocurse which directs the female-sex how to express the fear of God in every age and state of their life, and obtain both temporal and eternal blessedness / written by Cotton Mather.

The Virtuous WIFE.

VVHEN Mr. William Whately, was going to Publish a Book which insisted much on the Duties of a Wife, he Dedicated the Book to his Father-in-law; and in the Epistle, af∣ter Solemn Thanks unto him for his be∣stowing on him, A most Excellent and Virtuous Wife, he adds; I have been the better able to show, what a Good Wife should be, by finding the full Duty of a Wife con∣tinually performed unto me, in my own House; most easily therefore might I set out a Picture of that (says he) which is hourly conversant before my Eyes. I cannot say that I am any farther; but I have cause to render unto Heaven my daily and Hearty Thanks, that I am thus far, ad∣vantaged for my describing of A Vir∣tuous Wife; and if I thus Publish this

Mercy of God unto my self, the un∣worthiest of Men, let me not be Cen∣sured as if my Freedom were a Folly; not only because those Eminent Persons Budaeus and Paraeus have before me, in Print Celebrated each of them the worth of his Virtuous Wife, but also be∣cause the Wise Man reckons it among the priviledges of a Virtuous Wife, in Prov. 31. 28. Her Husband also, he Prai∣seth her.

It was a great abuse which the Anci∣ents who doted upon Virginity, put upon those words of the Apostle, in Rom. 8. 8. Those that are in the Flesh cannot please God; when they supposed all Mar∣ried Persons to be those intended. A Virtuous Wife is one that pleaseth God, as much as if she were cloistered up in the strictest and closest Nunery; and there∣with, yea, therein she pleaseth a Virtu∣ous Husband also; she studies to render her self a true Mabel, or Amiable person, in his Eyes; and a Right Evodias, or, One of a Good Savour to him. You shall now hear her Qualities.

I. As for her Love to her Husband, I may say, 'Tis even strong as Death, ma∣ny

waters cannot quench it. neither can the Floods drown it. She can like Sarah, Rebeckah, Rachel, freely leave all the Friends in the World for his Company; and she looks upon that charge of God unto his Ministers, Teach the Young Wo∣men to Love their Husbands, as no less profitable, than highly reasonable. When she reads that Prince Edward in his Wars against the Turks, being stab∣bed with a poisoned Knife, his Princess did suck the poison out of his Wounds with her own Royel Mouth; she finds in her own Heart a principle disposing her to show her own Husband as great a Love. When she reads of a Woman called Herpine, who having her Husband Appoplex'd in all his Limbs, bore him on her back a Thousand and three Hun∣dred English Miles to a Bath, for his Recovery; she finds her self not alto∣gether unwilling to have done the like. When she reads of those famous Wo∣men, who after a hot Siege in the Castle of Winsberg, having obtained this liberty from therir enraged Enemies, That they might themselves go out, and also take any one thing they could carry with them; very bravely took up each one her Husband.

and so delivered them: She applauds the Example and would follow it. And when she reads of that Generous Young Woman, Clara Cerventa, who having for her Husband one Valdaura, that prov'd full of most loathsome Dis∣eases, yet she tended him with all the care and cost imaginable, and sold her Jewels to maintain him; and at his Death, after ten long years of Languish∣ment, she reply'd unto her Friends who would rather have Congratulated her Deliverance, That she would freely lose the best of her Enjoyments to purchase her Dear Valdaura again! She resolves the Imitation of such a Carriage, while she bestows an Admiration on it. Her Af∣fections were not at first founded on the Estate or Beauty of her Husband; and therefore These happen to be consumed, Those do out-live their Funeral, 'Tis her Piety towards the Commandment and Ordinance of God, that Inspires her Affections; and so they do not grow cold like a Smiths red hot Bar of Iron, when taken out from the Fire of a misplaced Lust. When she addresses him, with such a Compellation, as,

LOVE, her Heart goes with her Lips, and she means what she speaks.

II. But her Love to her Husband, will also admit, yea, and Produce the Fear of, A Cautious Diligence never to Displease him. 'Twas this which the Apostle Peter meant when he recom∣mends unto the Women, A Chast Con∣versation Coupled with Fear; and Paul, when he requires of the Woman, To Reverence her Husband. While she looks upon him as Her Guide, by the constitution of God, she will not Scru∣ple with Sarah to call him Her Lord; and though she do's not Fear his Blowes, yet she do's Fear his Frowns, being loth in any way to grieve him, or cause an Head-ake in the Family by offending him. She would have that famous De∣cree of the Persians mentioned in the Sa∣cred Bible, That all the Wives give to their Husbands Honour, both to great and small; to be as a Law of the Persians, altogether Ʋnalterable. In every Law∣ful thing she submits her Will and Sense to his, where she cannot with calm Rea∣sons convince him of Inexpediencies; and instead of grudging or captious con∣tradiction, she acts as if there were but

One Mind in two Bodies. If her Abra∣ham give order, Make ready quickly three Measures of Meal or the like, 'tis as quickly done; If her Jacob say to her, I must have you go with me, she most rea∣dily yields unto him. If his Ʋnreason∣able Humours happen to be such, that she must give some diversion to them▪ she remembers that Rule, In her Tongue is the Law of Kindness; 'tis by the kind∣ness, the sweetness, the goodness of her expressions that she gives Law unto him. If she speaks of him, 'tis not in such Terms as the Harlot uses in Proverbs, The Man; but it is with all manner of re∣spect: She will not Blaze any Infirmity of his, nor will she Blast his Reputati∣on; being indeed sensible that what∣ever Ignominy she cast upon him, it in∣fallibly Rebounds and Redounds upon her self: Here she is a true Milea, that is, A Woman of Counsel. If she speak to him, 'tis not with Talkative and Un∣handsome Interruptions, nor with any o∣ther mis-becoming Insolencies; though he be never so much a Churl, yet she e∣ver treats him with the Language of an Abigail. Though she be a Sarah, that is, a Mistriss; yet she owns that she

has a Master: And like a Sarah of old, she will not so much as take in, or cast out a Servant without Consulting Him; nor will she receive any Guests or Goods into her House, unless like the Shunamite, she may have her Husbands Approba∣tion; and she will have at least some Implicit or General Consent of His, be∣fore she will exercise any Secret Bounties with his Possessions. His Anger will not cause her to swallow a Reproof with discontent, and his Foundness will not make her to forget the Honour that she owes unto him. Indeed there is a Store of Michols in the World; Michol, is as much as to say, Who is all (in the House) but She? But let us leave it unto such Michols alone, To despise their Husbands in their Hearts; God will punish them.

III. But her Fear of Displeasing her Husband, most remarkably appears in the Peace that she preserves with him; and her Antipathy to all Contention, un∣less it be that of Provoking one another to Love and Good works. A Susan she is, that is, A Lilly; but never A Briar to him: Nor will she give him cau••e to call her Barbara. She will have no

such Passion towards her Husband as may make her worthy to be called, A Fury; but if he be himself in a Passion, she strives with the Soft Answers of Meekness to mollifie it first, and so to overcome it: She is a true Rachel, that is to say, A Sheep under the greatest Exasperations. A Reverend Person seeing once a Couple that were very Cholerick, yet live most lovingly and peaceably together, demanded of them Whence it was? And the man made him this Answer, Sir, When my Wife is in a Passion I yield unto her; and when I am in a Passion she yields unto me; so that we never are in our passionate fits together! The Good Woman will make it her endeavour to attend the last part of this Contrivance; and will give small or no occasion for the first. The Marriners Counts it Bodes well to see Two Fire-Balls appearing in a Ship together; but our Good Woman counts Two Fire-Balls in an House together, to Bode ill as the worst of Omens; nor will she be a party to maintain a Civil War within the Walls of her Dwelling. She thinks that if there be nothing but Fire! Fire! in the House, 'tis a sign that God, who

is The God of Peace, is not graciously present there; as the Jewish Rabbins have noted upon the Hebrew Names of Ish, an Husband, and Ishah a Wife; out of which if you take the two Letters which make the Name of Jah, there will remain only Esh, Esh, that is, Fire! Fire! The old Heathen took Gall from the Nuptial Sacrifices and threw it behind the Altar, to intimate that all Bitterness is to be thrown away by all Married People; Mercury, or good Language, is to stand by Venus. And this Woman accordingly, puts a∣way All Bitterness, Anger, Clamour, and Evil speaking; She is a Right Rebeckah, which carries The blunting or hindring of Contention in the signification of it; and a right Shelomith, which is to say, A Peaceable one.

IV. But she is for Plenty as well as Peace in her Houshold; and by her Thriftiness makes an Effectual and Suf∣ficient Reply unto her Husband. when he does ask her, as he must, Whether he shall Thrive or no? She is a Deborah, that is, A Bee for her Diligence and In∣dustry in her Hive. As on the one side she will have none in her House to Want,

so on the other side, she will have all of them to Work; or as the Holy Spirit of God expresses it, She looks well to the ways of her Houshold, and Eats not the Bread of Idleness. Her Husbands Gains are so managed by her Housewifry and Providence, that he finds it his advan∣tage to let her keep the Keys of all; and she will so regulate all the Do∣mestick Expences, that he shall not complain of Any thing Embezzled. Her very Fore-cast is as useful as much of her Husbands Business; and the Pennies that she saves do add unto the heaps of the Pounds that are got by him. He has a rich Portion with her, meerly in her Prudence; that is it which renders her a Jerusha, or an Inheritance unto him. She is particularly careful, that she do not bear such a Sail of Gallantry, either in her Table or Apparel, or her Furniture as may sink her Husband; nor will she be one of those Women, who (as one says) are now such skilful Chymists, that they quickly turn their Husbands Earth into Gold; only they pu••sue the Experiment too far, making that Gold too volatile, and let it all Vapour away in insignificant, though Gaudy Trifles. That Woman

deserves the Name of Dalilah. that is, Povert••; [unless you will enter upon so hard a Name as Jezabel, that is, A wo to the House;] whose Discretion shall not be better than a Dowry to her Owner.

VI. And this Thriftiness is accompa∣ny'd with such a Fidelity to her Hus∣band, as that she will not give a Lodg∣ing to the least stragling or wandring Thought of Disloyalty in his Bed; lest by her parling with wicked Thoughts, the Devil should insensibly decoy her to the Deeds which God will Judge. She is a Dove, that will sooner die than leave her Mate; and her Husband is to her, The covering of her Eyes, at such a rate, that she sees a Desireableness in him, which she will not allow her self to be∣hold or suppose in any other; neither will she look upon Another, any more than the Wife of Tygranes, who after the Wedding of Cyrus, whom every one did commend as the rarest Person in the Company; being by her Huband ask'd What she thought of him? Answered roundly, In truth I looked at no Body there, but you, my Husband. A Wanton had as good Eat Fire, as go to Enkindle any

False Fire, or Fools Fire in her Holy Breast; she accounts Adultery to be as the Law of Moses adjudged it, A Capi∣tal Crime; and if the Egyptians of old cut off the Nose of the Adulteress, or, if the Athenians tore her in pieces with wild Horses, rather had she undergo the Pain of such things than commit the Crime. She is a Gertude, or All true, in the Marriage Covenant. Yea, she will even Abstain from all appearance of Evil; and as 'tis abominable unto her to entertain the least groundless and causless Jealousie of her Husband, or to Torture and Expose her own Soul by the uneasie Frenzy of uncharitable sur∣mizes concerning him; so she will not give him the least opportunity to think hardly of her. She will not therefore be too much from Home, upon concerns, that perhaps to him are Ʋnaccountable: But if the Angels do Enquire, where she is, her Husband may reply as once Abraham did, My Wife is in the Tent. Although her Husband be not such an Egyptian as to deny her Shoes; yet her usage of them is, as if like a Scythian, she had the Axle-tree of the Chariot which carried her home after her Wed∣ding,

burned at the Door; and she is willing to be painted as the Wives of th•• Ancients were, with a Snail under her Feet. She affects to be an Esther, that is, An Hidden One. But if a foolish and froward Husband will wrong her with unjust suspicions of her Hon••sty▪, she will thence make a Devout Reflexion upon her Disloyalty to God; but at the same time very pa∣tiently vindicates her Innocency to man: And the more patiently, because the Water of Jealousie procures greater Bles∣sings to those that have it Unrighte∣ously and Abusively Imposed upon them.

VI. But her Fidelity is no where more signalized, than in her Sollicitude for the Eternal Salvation of her Hus∣band. O how unwilling she is that the Precious and Immortal Soul of her poor Husband, should go from her Arms, to make his Bed among the Dragons of the Wilderness for ever! The Apostles Ex∣clamation, What knowest thou O Wife, but thou mayest save thy Husband? Is her Apprecation, O that I may! Chrisostoms note upon it is, That the Wife is to remind her Husband of what was delivered in the

Church. Truly, though a Woman may not Speak in the Church, yet she may humbly Repeat unto her Husband at Home what the Minister Spoke in the Church, that may be Pertinent to his condition. Thus every Paul may have Women that labour with him in the Go••pel. Vast Opportunities are those that a Woman has to bring over her Husband unto real and serious Godliness. And a Good Woman will Ʋse those Oppor∣tunities. An Esther, a Witty Esther, what can't she do with the most haugh∣ty Husband in the World? Wat may not a Godly Domitia, or a Godly Monica do, for the Souls of their Uncon∣verted Husbands? If her Husband be a Carnal, Prayerless, Graceless man; she will not leave off her Ingenious Perswasions, till it may be said of him, Behold he I rays! If her Husband be un∣der the Power of any Temptation, she will do what she can to prevent his De∣struction, as that famous Woman did for the City of Abel. She would merit the Name of an Eunice, that is, A good Conquerer, by Conquering of her Husband unto the liking of all that is Good. In∣stead of saying to him, Curse God? She

pursues him with Loving, Winning, Unwearied Sollicitations to Fear God, and Serve God, and Never be weary of well doing. Instead of being a Dalilah, that shall entangle him in the Cords of Death, she do's all she can to be a Pris∣cilla, that shall more fully aquaint him with the Things Pertaning to the Kingdom of God.

This is a Virtuous WIFE! And such an one she will be, although her Husband should be very disobliging to her; She considers, 'Tis to the Lord I confess the difficulties that some Ʋn∣happy Wives do meet withal, are such that if they be not very Virtuous Wives they cannot possibly conform to these Di∣rections; but this I would say, their being Virtuous is the most likely way to provide against their being Ʋnhappy. But if the Case of any such Wife should be so remarkably hard, that her Hus∣band proceeds to abuse her with a Cudgel [an Hard Case indeed! that a Brides Bush ever should have any Cudgels growing in it!] I know not what fur∣ther Advice to give her: Only THIS; Let the Candidness of her Behaviour be her Charm against the Assaults of such a

Devil; and if that would further help to lay such a Friend, I am content she should Read unto him, not only the Laws of God and Man against that Bar∣barity, or the Opinion of old Cato That for a man to beat his Wife, was as bad as Sacriledge; but also the Emphatical Words of the Blessed Ancients in the Church of God, Loudly Thundring a∣gainst this Inhumanity; and particularly those of the Renowned Chrysostom, which are to this Purpose; (if you will allow me the Translating of them)

It is the highest Ignominy, not of the Wife, but of the Man, for a Man to beat his Wife. But if thou hast an Husband that will do so, bear it pati∣ently; and know thou shalt have Re∣wards hereafter for it, as well as Praises here. As for You, Man, Let me admonish you, that there is no Fault so great, as may compel you to to beat your Wives. Your Wives did I say? 'Tis a Dishonour for a Man to bestow blows upon his Maid; and much more upon his Wife—We might learn this from the Law-givers among the Gentiles, who take away a Wife from the Man that has beaten

her, for indeed he is a Man unworthy of a Wife. Such a Man, if he may be call'd a Man, and not rather a Beast, is to be counted a Murderer of his Father or Mother. If a Man must leave his Father and Mother for the sake of his Wife, by the Ordinance of God; what a mad wretch is he that shall abuse Her, for whom his very Parents were to be forsaken? Indeed there is not a simple Frenzy in this thing; an Intollerable Disgrace do's al∣so accompany it. At the Sighs and Cries of the Abused Wife, all the Neighbourhood run to the Base Fel∣lows House, as for the rescue of a Prey fallen into the Talons of a Wild-Beast that had broken in. And such a Rascal were better be Buried alive, than show his Head among his Neigh∣bours any more. See Hom. l. 26. in 1 Ep. ad Corinth.

But wishing all Good Women, a de∣liverance from such Monsters of Hus∣bands, we will suppose our Virtuous Wife now grown a Mother; and see how she acquits her self.