DISCOURSE XIII. Against Whoredom and Adultery. THESSALONIANS iv. 3d and 7th Verses. For this is the will of God, even your fan&tification, that you should abstain from fornication. For God bath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto bolinefs. A MONG the great variety of irreligious courses, and finful practices with which the age abounds, the abominable fins of adultery, whoredom, and all lafciviousness, have never perhaps been more prevalent than in our present day; by which the commands of God, and name of Christ, are fcandalously dishonoured, and the decay of pure religion is evidenced by the great decrease of focial peace and comfort in the world. In fad truth, the deftructive habit of thefe vices is arrived to fuch a degree of general excefs, that with many they are hardly confidered in the light of vices, but only natural indulgences, the mere confequence of youthful paffion, and vivacity. They are no longer rebuked, but winked at; instead of being punished, they are become a matter of mirth and frolic; for which reason, while we are endeavoring by our general method of inftruction, to bring you to a pro N 3 per per fenfe of your dangerous ftate by nature; why you were fent into this world; and what you must expect (in confequence of your prefent good or bad conduct) in that world which is to laft for ever; while to this end we occafionally extol the value of all virtue, and exhort you against the treacherous quality of all fin; it may be useful to dwell more pointedly at fome times than others, on particular vices; and as this against which the text exhorts, is now become fo common amongst us, and will justly render us fo highly culpable in the eyes of an all-perfect God, it will be profitable to fet before you the enormity of this fin; how hateful it is, and always has been, in the fight of the Almighty, and all truly pious perfons; and how feverely likewife it hath been punished, both by the laws of God, and different nations. I fhall then proceed to fhew you the feveral remedies whereby (through the grace of God) you may avoid this heinous fin in all its shapes, and pafs your lives in uprightness and purity. First then, that you may be thoroughly affured that fornication, and all lafcivioufnefs, are most abominable crimes, you have only duly to confider the pofitive commandment of God against them. Thou fhalt not commit adultery, fays our Bleffed Mafter, when he declared the ftrict obedience to the law, ás it was a requifite towards an outward purity of man'ners. But the word which marks this fin forbidden in the feventh commandment hath a more general meaning than what is commonly affixed to it, and which, for your complete instruction, muft here be fully explained to you. In its confined fense, - the term implies the criminal or unlawful connection of a married perfon with any other, befides thofe to whom they are folemnly united in wedlock; but according to its more extenfive fignification in the written word of God, it clearly -comprehendeth every wanton and luftful indulgence, every lafcivious practice, which is incon fiftent fiftent with the purity of the chriftian character; fo that in this one commandment, exprefsly forbidding adultery, as the most injurious excefs to which a luftful inclination can be carried; the greatness of the general fin of whoredom is included, and we are thereby directed, how cautiously it should be avoided. by all profeffing any claim to godliness of life. And that none may think themfelves excepted from obe dience to the commandment, whether young or old, married or fingle, man or woman, hear what the Almighty God declareth by his holy fervant Mofes, Deut. xxiii. 17. There shall be no whore of the daughters of Ifrael, ner abominable or unclean perfon of the Jons of Ifrael. Thus you fee whoredom, fornication, or uncleannefs (the terms made ufe of to exprefs the vices here condemned) are forbidden to all kinds of people, all degrees, and all ages, without exception, or poffible plea of excufe. And that no doubt may be entertained, but that this precept extends to all times and people, hear further what Chrift, the most perfect teacher of all truth, declareth in the New Teftament, in the vth of St. Matthew, 27, 28. Ye have beard, faith he, that it was faid by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery ; but I fay unto you, that whofoever looketh on a woman to luft after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart; that feat and fpring of every defire, good or bad. It is obvious, that in this leffon our Savior ufeth the word adultery, in a general fenfe, to fignify all impure wishes, which this degree of fin may ftir up in the mind, and which being wilfully admitted and cherifhed, require only opportunity to render them actually criminal. And hereby our Bleffed Lord doth not only confirm the law against adultery, as given in the Old Teftament by God, through his fervant Mofes, and by this decifion handeth it down to be continually obferved by all true profeffors of his holy name, but by fo pure an expofition of the command N 4 commandment, he at the fame time condemns the grofs interpretation of it by the fcribes and pharifees, who taught that it required only abftinence from the outward act, and did not extend to criminate the impure defire; whereas Chrift's rule enjoins us to keep the infide of the veffel clean; to obferve the ftricteft purity of heart, fo that not only our bodies fhould be undefiled, but our mind be equally free from evil thoughts, loofe defires, and every wilful advancement towards temptation. Since then fo great a charge is laid upon us, how can we be acquitted, if we defpife this commandment? Can a fervant juftly perform his own will in any thing contrary to the commandment of his maf ter? Is not Chrift our Lord? Are we not his fervants? How then can we neglect our Master's will and pleasure, and follow our own evil inclinations, without dread of punishment? Ye are my friends, faith Chrift, who obferve the things which I command you. The inference therefore is moft clear. Whilft we live in the commiffion of any wilful fin, we cannot account ourselves to belong to Chrift; for the Apostle affures us, If any have not the fpirit, (of righteoufnefs) they are none of his. Rom. viii. 9. Now Chrift, our Lord and Mafter, hath positively commanded his fervants to forfake all lascivioufness or uncleannefs, both in body and fpirit: if therefore we intend to please God, we must fulfil his law in this matter. We read in St. Matthew's Gofpel, chap. xv. ver. 2. that the Scribes and Pharifees were grievously offended at Chrift, becaufe his difciples in fome things tranfgreffed the law according to the tradition of the elders, that is, thofe rules which were delivered down by memory as articles of 'religious and neceffary practice, and to be obferved by all who were friends to the jewish ceremonies. One of the rules preferved by their tradition was a frequency and fcrupulous exactnefs in washing the hands, and other parts |