felves pure, must have their bodies in fubjection,' and that may require in fome cafes a holy violence, 1 Cor. ix. 27.

3. Keeping of chafle and modeft company. Hence Solomon exhorts, Prov. v. 8. 9. Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: left thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel. How many have been ruined by the company they have fallen into, worse than they had fallen into a den of lions and wolves? Ill company wears off infenfibly the impreffions of virtue on people's fpirits; and if they be not at war with them, the maintaining of peace and converfe will make people like them.

4. Being bufied in fome honeft employment. Thofe that would be virtuous indeed, muft not eat the bread of idlenefs. Honeft labour and business cuts off many temptations that idle perfons are liable to. Had David been in the field with his army, when he was rifing from off his bed in the eveningtide, 2 Sam. xi. 2. he had preferved his chastity when he loft it; and fo had Dinah if fhe had been at her bufinefs in her father's houfe, when she went out to fee the daughters of the land, Gen. xxxiv. 1.

5. Marriage by thofe that have not the gift of continency. Hence fays the apostle, 1 Cor. vii. 2. 9. To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. Neither marriage nor fingle life are in themselves morally good or evil, but indifferent. But that ftate of life is to be chofen by every one, that will moft conduce to their leading a holy life. So every particular perfon ought by themfelves to ponder their gift and other circumftances, which will let them fee what is fin and what is duty in this cafe.

6. Cohabitation and conjugal love and affection betwixt married perfons, without which that ftate VOL. III. M

will be no fence to purity, but a fnare. Hence Solomon fays, Prov. v. 19. 20. Let her be as the loving hind, and pleafant roe, let her breasts fatisfy thee at all times, and be thou ravished always with her love. And why wilt thou, my fon, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bofom of a stranger?

7. Lastly, Shunning all occafions and refifting all temptations to the contrary, Prov. v. 8. forecited. So did Jofeph, Gen. xxxix. 8. It is a dangerous bufinefs to parley with them. The town that is content to capitulate with the enemy, is next door to furrendering. There are two fins that the fcripture bids us flee from. 1. Idolatry, 1 Cor. x. 14. 2. Uncleannefs, 1 Cor. vi. 18. Why? Because they are bewitching evils. It is fafer to flee, than to ftand to fight them.

SECONDLY, This command requires us to preferve the chastity of others, and that fo far as we can, in their hearts, lips, and lives. For fo far as we might prevent the fin of others, and do it not, And much more when we occafion it, it becomes ours. Befides that in preferving our own chaftity we preferve that of others, and fo the means conducing to the one do alfo conduce to the other. Our duty in this point may be reduced to these two heads.

1. That we do nothing which may infnare others. For whofoever lays the fnare is partner in the fin that comes by it. A lamentable inftance of this we have in Judah and his daughter-in-law: they were neither of them careful to preferve the other's chaftity, and fo they fell each by another's fnare, Gen. xxxviii. 14. 15. 16. For this cause modest apparel is here required, 1 Tim. ii. 9, and a careful avoiding of all unfeemly behaviour, which may have a tendency to defile the minds of others, though we ourfelves have no ill intention. Thus Bathsheba's washing herself in a place where fhe might be feen of others, was the fad occafion of the fin that David and the were plunged into, 2 Sam. xi. 2. And

truly where both grace and good manners are wanting, it is little wonder that people break their necks over one another.

2. That we do every thing incumbent on us to preferve the chaftity of others, in heart, fpeech, and behaviour. Let married perfons live together in due love and affection to one another. Let each one be an example of purity to others. Let thofe whom ye fee in danger be refcued by all means, whether by force or perfuafion, as the circumftances require. And let none bring others guilt on their own heads by being filent when they fee the finoke, till the flame rife and difcover itfelf.. Let parents and masters do what they can to prevent the ruin of their children and fervants, by rebuking any lightnefs about them, exhorting them, and praying for them; keeping them out of ill company, not fuffering them to be idle and vague, and feasonably dif pofing of children in marriage. Our bodies are the Lord's; we are or ought to be the temples of God; the heart is the mott holy place of the temple, and our fpeech and behaviour the holy place. Let us take heed we bring in no unclean thing there, but keep his temple pure; for it any defile the temple of God, him will God destroy,

II. I come now to fhew what is forbidden in this command, It forbids" all unchafte thoughts, "words, and actions."

In nothing more quickly did the corrupt nature of man vent itfelf than in inordinate concupifcence, which brought fhame along with it, as its juft punishment; which makes it hard to speak of it, and fo much the rather that corrupt nature is apt, through Satan's influence, to turn the very commandment againft it unto an occafion of fin. Therefore though there is a neceffity of fpeaking fomething on it, we cannot enlarge with that freedom upon it that wę can do on other commands, Sift your hearts then

as in the presence of a holy God, who will call us to an account in this matter before his tremendous judgement-feat, and hear his holy law, Thou shalt not commit adultery.

As,

In this fhort abbreviate of the law of God, where one fin is exprefsly condemned, under it are forbidden all fins of the fame kind. So here the whole dunghill of filthiness is set before us for our abhorrence and deteftation of our fouls, as we would not bring down the wrath of God on us. Here then all grofs acts of filthinefs are forbidden. 1. All unnatural lusts, not to be mentioned without horror; filthy fellowship with devils, as the guilty do fuppofe; fodomy, perfons abufing themfelves with thofe of their own fex, Rom. i. 24.26.27.; beftiality, Lev. xviii. 22. And to these we may add inceft, which is betwixt persons within the forbidden degrees of confanguinity or affinity, Lev. xviii. 6. Concerning which this is to be observed, that a man must hold at the fame diftance from the relations of his wife as his own, and contrariwife, Lev. XX. 14.; and fuch unnatural mixtures can never be fanctified by marriage.

2. Adultery, where one of the parties or both are married. In this cafe the aggravations of the fin of the married party will be juftly charged upon the fingle perfon; and for both, whoremongers and adulterers God will judge, Heb, xiii. 4. And bigamy and polygamy are adultery; for the vile fact cannot be fanctified, but made worse by marriage with the adulterer or adulterefs, Hof, iv, 10. They fhall commit whoredom, and shall increafe.

3. Fornication, which is betwixt fingle perfons, Col. iii. 5. 6. Mortify your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, &c. For which things fake the wrath of God cometh upon the children of difobedience. Whoredom is a fin that without repentance is a fad badge of a fubject of Satan, Eph. v. 5. No whoremonger nor unclean perfon-bath any inheri

tance in the kingdom of God and Christ. And a vaft inconfiftency there is betwixt being a member of Chrift, and that of a harlot, 1 Cor. vi. 15.

4. Rape, or forcing a perfon to filthinefs, Deut. xxii. 25. This is a capital crime by the laws of God and men.

5. Secret uncleanness in a perfon by themselves alone, whether they be waking, Eph. v. 12. or fleeping, at least fo far as they have occafioned it to themselves by their own corrupt imaginations.

6. Lastly, Immoderate and unfeasonable use even of the marriage-bed, and much more of the bed of whoredom. Mark thefe paffages, 1 Theff. iv. 3.4. 1 Cor. vii. 5. If. lviii. 13. Ezek. xxii. 10. & xviii. 6. Thefe are the feveral kinds of vilenefs here forbidden. But this command goes further, and forbids three forts of uncleannefs befides

1. Uncleanness in heart, all speculative filthiness, unclean imaginations, thoughts, purposes, and affections, though people do not intend to purfue them to the grofs act, Matth. v. 28. Whosoever looketh on a woman to luft after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Chap. xv. 19. Out of the heart proceed-adulteries, fornications. Thefe fall not under the eye of men, but are open to the eye of God, who will judge accordingly. A voluntary thought of these things is dangerous, a delightful rolling of them in the heart is uncleannefs before God, and a vitiated habit whereby on every light occafion these filthy fparks are kindled in the heart, is worst of all, and moft abominable.

2. Uncleanness in words, all filthy communications and obfcene language, Eph. iv. 29. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth. They are the discoveries of a filthy heart; for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth Speaketh, contrary to nature propaling those things which nature teaches to keep fecret. They are fnares to the hearers; and to fpeak of them for delight, is to