rushing into the Prefence of God by adding this dreadful one to them, fhould earnestly defire Space to repent"; which, by his Grace, the worst of Sinners may do, and be forgiven. If their Misfortunes or Sufferings make them weary of Life; he hath fent them these with Defign, that they fhould not by unlawful Means evade them, but go through them well: whether they be inflicted for the Punishment of their Faults, or the Trial of their Virtues. In either Cafe, we are to fubmit quietly to the Difcipline of our heavenly Father: which he will not fuffer to be heavier than we can bear, whatever we may imagine; but will fupport us under it, improve us by it, and in due Time releafe us from it. But in any Cafe for Perfons to make away with themfelves, is to arraign the Conftitution of Things which he hath appointed; and to refufe living where he hath put them to live: a very provoking Inftance of Undutifulness, and made peculiarly fatal by this Circumftance, that leaving ufually no Room for Repentance, it leaves none for Pardon: always excepting, where it proceeds from a Mind fo difordered by a bodily Difeafe, as to be incapable of judging or acting reafonably. For God knows with Certainty when this is the Cause, and when not and will accordingly either make due Allowances, or make none.

And if destroying ourselves be a Sin, doing any Thing wilfully or heedlessly, that tends to our Destruction, muft in Proportion be a Sin. Where indeed Neceffity requires great Hazards to be run by fome Perfons for the Good of others; as in War, in extinguishing dangerous Fires, in feveral Cafes which might be named; or where Employments and Profeffions which fomebody or other muft undertake, or fuch Diligence in any Employment as Men are by Accidents really called to ufe, impair Health and fhorten Life; there, far from being thrown away, it is laudably spent in the Service of God and Man. But for any Perfon to bring on himself an

untimely End, by adventurous Rafhness, by ungoverned Paffion, by immoderate Anxiety, or by an obftinate or careless Neglect of his own Prefervation, is unquestionably finful. And above all, doing it by Debauchery or immoral Excess, is a most effectual Way of ruining Soul and Body at-once.

Let us therefore be confcientiously watchful against every Thing which may provoke, or entice us, to be injurious, either to others or ourfelves. And God grant, that we may fo regard the Lives of our Fellow-Creatures, and fo employ our own, that we may ever please the Giver and Lord of Life: and having faithfully lived to him here, may eternally live with him hereafter, through Jefus Chrift our only Saviour. Amen.

LECTURE

XXV.

The Seventh Commandment.

N fpeaking to this Commandment, it is proper to begin with obferving, that as in the Sixth, where Murder is forbidden, every Thing which tends to it, or proceeds from the fame bad Principle with it, is forbidden too: fo here, in the Seventh, where Adultery is prohibited, the Prohibition must be extended to whatever elfe is criminal in the fame Kind. And therefore, in explaining it, I fhall treat, first of the Fidelity which it requires from married Perfons, and then of the Chaftity and Modefty which it requires from all Perfons.

Firft of the Fidelity owing to each other from married Perfons.

Not only the Scripture-Account of the Creation of Mankind is a Proof to as many as believe in Scripture, that the Union of one Man with one Woman was the original Design and Will of Heaven; but the remark

able

able Equality of Males and Females born into the World is an Evidence of it to all Men. Yet notwithstanding it must be owned, the Cohabitation of one Man with feveral Wives at the fame Time was practifed very anciently in the darker Ages, even by fome of the Patriarchs, who were otherwife good Perfons; but, having no explicit revealed Rule concerning this Matter, failed of difcerning the abovementioned, Purpose of God. And both this Error and that of Divorce on flight Occafions, were tolerated by the Law of Mofes. But that was only as the Laws of other Countries often connive at what the Lawgiver is far from approving. Accordingly God expreffed, particularly by the Prophet Malachia, his Diflike of thefe Things. And our Saviour both tells the Jews, that Mofes permitted Divorces at Pleasure, merely because of the Hardness of their Hearts, and peremptorily declares, that whofoever shall put away bis Wife, except it be for Fornication, and fhall marry another, committeth Adultery. Now certainly it cannot be lefs adulterous to marry a Second without putting away the First.

Nor is Polygamy (that is, the having more Wives than one at once) prohibited in holy Writ alone, but condemned by many of the Heathens themfelves, who alledge against it very plain and forcible Reafons. It is inconfiftent with a due Degree of mutual Affection in the Parties, and due Care in the Education of their Children. It introduces into Families perpetual Subjects of the bittereft Enmity and Jealoufy; keeps a Multitude of Females in moft unnatural Bondage, frequently under Guardians fitted for the Office by unnatural Cruelty; and tempts a multitude of Males, thus left unprovided for, to unnatural Lufts. In civilized and wellregulated Countries therefore, fingle Marriages have either been established at first, or prevailed afterwards on Experience of their Preferablenefs: and a mutual Promife of inviolable Faithfulness to the Marriage-Bed

Mal. . 14, 15, 16.

Matth, xix, 8, 9.

hath

hath been understood to be an effential Part of the Contract: which Promife is with us moft folemnly expreffed in the Office of Matrimony, by as clear and comprehenfive Words as can be devifed. And unless Perfons are at Liberty in all Cafes to flight the moft aweful Vows to God, and the moft deliberate Engagements of each to the other; how can they be at Liberty in this, where public Good and private Happiness are fo deeply interefted?

Breaches of plighted Faith, as they must be preceded by a Want of fufficient conjugal Affection in the offending Party, fo they tend to extinguish all the Remains of it and this Change will be perceived, and will give Uneafinefs to the innocent one, though the Cause be hid. But if it be known, or merely fufpected by the Perfon wronged, (which it feldom fails to be in a little Time) it produces, from the Make of the human Mind, in warmer Tempers, a Refentment fo ftrong, in milder, an Affliction fo heavy, that few Things in the World equal either. For Love is ftrong as Death, Jealousy is cruel as the Grave, the Coals thereof are Coals of Fire. And with whatever Vehemence they burn inwardly or outwardly, it can be no Wonder; when perfidious Unkindnefs is found in that nearest Relation, where Truth and Love were deliberately pledged, and ftudiously paid on one Side in Expectation of a fuitable Return'; and when the tenderest Part of the Enjoyment of Life is given up beyond Recall into the Hands of a Traitor, who turns it into the acuteft Mifery. To what a Height Grief and Anger on one Side, and Neglect ripened into Scorn and Hatred on the other, may carry fuch Calamities, cannot be foreseen: but at least they utterly deftroy that Union of Hearts, that reciprocal Confidence, that Ópennefs of Communication, that Sameness of Interefts, of Joys and of Sorrows, which conftitute the principal Felicity of the married State. And befides, how very frequently do the Confequences of thefe Tranfgreffions

• Cant. viii, 6.

affect,

affect, and even ruin, the Health or the Fortune, it may be both, of the blameless Perfon in common with the other and perhaps derive down Diseases and Poverty to fucceffive Generations!

Thefe are Fruits which Unfaithfulness in either Party may produce. In one it may produce yet more. A Woman, guilty of this Crime, who, to ufe the Words of Scripture, forfaketh the Guide of her Youth, and forgetteth the Covenant of her God, brings peculiar Difgrace on her Husband, her Children, and Friends; and may bring an illegitimate Offspring to inherit what is the Right of others: nor is the Infamy and Punishment, to which the exposes herself, a lefs dreadful Evil for being a deserved one. And if Falfehood on the Mens Part hath not all the fame Aggravations, it hath very great ones in their Stead. They are almoft conftantly the Tempters: they often carry on their wicked Defigns for a long Time together: they too commonly use the vileft Means to accomplish them. And as they claim the strictest Fidelity, it is ungenerous, as well as unjuft, to fail of paying it. All Men muft feel how bitter it would be to them to be injured in this Refpect; let them think then what it is to be injurious in it and fince the Crime is the fame when committed by them, as when committed against them, let them own that it deferves the fame Condemnation from the Judge of the World. The Lord hath been Witness, faith the Prophet, between thee and the Wife of thy Youth, against whom thou dealeft treacherously; yet is fhe thy Companion, and the Wife of thy Covenant. Therefore take Heed to your Spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the Wife of his Youth.

It will be fafeft, but I hope it is not neceflary, to add, that an unmarried Man or Woman, offending with the Wife or Husband of any one, being no lefs guilty of Adultery than the Perfon with whom the Offence is committed, is confequently an Accomplice in all the Wickedness and all the Mifchief abovementioned; and

d Prov. ii. 17.

e Mal. ii. 14, 15′′

this