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kindle or feed the fame impure Defires, as if the Perfon were present. And this is looking on a Woman to luft after her, and debauching her in our Heart, as well as the other. There is only one Diftinction will be neceffary in this Place, for the Satisfaction of innocent Perfons; that is, to diftinguish the fudden Thoughts of an unlawful Object, before they obtain our Confent, if they are immediately thrown out, from an actual Lufting: Thefe fudden Thoughts not affented to, are more properly Temptations than Sins: and the Sin of this Mental looking on a Woman to luft after her, confifts chiefly in the morofa delectatio, in the Mind's deliberate and leifurely fixing upon and delighting itself with fuch Carnal Objects and Defires, called by Solomon, the lufting after her Beauty in the Heart, Prov. vi. 25. Luft not after her Beauty in thine Heart, neither let her take thee with her Eye-lids.

From the Words thus explained, there are these Three Things which we are to be earnestly cautioned againft, if we would be acquainted with the true Spirit of Chriftianity in this Particular of the Seventh Commandment. Namely,

1. Against all grofs Acts of Uncleannefs.

2. Against all expofing of our felves to the occafions of thofe Sins, by the Eye, or other Senses; for the Looking with the Eye is mentioned here rather as a principal Example, than as a full Enumeration of the Ways how we are led into the Sins of Uncleanness.

3. Against all Mental Uncleanness, by Looking and Lufting after Women in our Heart.

I. I fay, we are to be cautioned against all grofs Acts of Uncleanness. These the Scribes and Pha

rifees themselves allowed to be condemned by this Commandment; for whether the Greek Word

éve here tranflated to commit Adultery, be to be taken, as it is very probable, for all Outward Debauchery of that Kind; or whether by way of Synecdoche, as fome Authors will have it, the Part is put for the Whole; I muft needs think the Scribes and Pharifees, for the Reasons before mentioned, understood that there were feveral other Sins prohibited in the Seventh Commandment, befides Adultery. For even the Scriptures of the Old Teftament, under the feverest Penalties and Difgraces, forbid all manner of Whoredom and Uncleanne's as well as Adultery. Deut. xxiii. 17. It is exprefly commanded that there Jhould be no Whore of the Daughters of Ifrael. And to deter them fo much the more from all Sins of that kind, (a) the playing the Whore in their Father's Houfe was punished with Stoning: Or if it was (b) the Daughter of a Prieft, with Burning. Whores were not permitted to offer unto God any Offering out of their unlawful Gains, but those and the (c) Price of a Dog (a Creature which among the Egyptians had been used for Idolatry) were equally held in Abomination. They wanted not Instances among them of the terrible Judgments of God in punishing Sodomy, and Incest, and the Sin of Onan, and all other Acts of Uncleanness. So that I cannot imaginé the Jewish Doctors could be so ignorant as to think, that nothing was forbid by the Seventh Commandment but the Sin of Adultery.

(a) Deut, xxii. 21. (6) Lev. xxi. 29. (c) Deut. xxiii. 18. I might

I might thus difmifs these grofs Acts of Uncleanness, as acknowledged by the Scribes and Pharifees to be prohibited by the Law of Moses; and come to our Saviour's Improvements: But alas, it is too true, that we Chriftians under the clearer Light of the Gofpel, are fo far from coming up to our Saviour's Improvements of this Commandment, that we want as much as ever the Jews did, to be cautioned against the grofs Acts of Impurity themselves. I fhall therefore briefly fuggeft to you a few things to this Purpose, before I come to our Saviour's further Prohibitions of the Luft of the Eye and Heart. And because I apprehend this may prove a copious Subject, I shall propose what I intend to fay upon it under thefe Three Heads. 1. The Spiritual Dangers to our Souls attending thofe Sins.

2. The Temporal Dangers to the Body, Health, Purse, Reputation, &c.

3. The Publick Dangers to the Commonwealth.

I. To begin with the Spiritual Dangers, which though least observed prove the most fatal; there are feveral Things I fhall propofe, which if duly confidered, would be fufficient to make us for ever abhor this fort of Vices. But the Mischief of these Vices is, that they fortify us against all that can be faid; and make us Brutish, Inconfiderate, and Infenfible of all Reafon and Argument. And therefore by way of Preface to my other Diffuafives, the first Thing I fhall offer to your Confideration against this fort of Vices, is, that they are of an Intoxicating and Bewitching Nature, fo as to bind up the Ufe of our rational Faculties, and to hinder us to behave our felyes with the

Reafon

Reason of Men. If a Man had ever fo good natural and acquired Parts, what use are they of to him, if he is perpetually drunk; or fo befotted that he is not capable of attending either to the Reasonings of his own Mind, or to the Arguments fuggefted by others? Of this Nature are those Carnal Pleafures, as well as Drunkenness; they fascinate the Understanding; they drown the Judgment; they overwhelm all a Man's Faculties, and fo make him Proof against every thing that can be offered to undeceive him, not by any Force of Reafon in themfelves, but by that ftupifying and intoxicating Quality which is in them. They are a strong Opiate, they make a Man infenfible to all the Confiderations of God and Religion; of Soul and Body; of Honour, Health or Estate; of this Life, or the Life to come. There is no dealing with them by the way of Argument, till the Force of them is in fome Measure abated, that the Perfon becomes capable of hearing Reafon. Whoredom and Wine, and new Wine, take away the Heart, Hof. iv. II. that is, Unlawful Pleasures, as well as Drunkenness, befot Men, and take away the Ufe of their Understanding and Judgment. And therefore of all things they are to be avoided and fled from; and we ought not to venture our selves in the Lifts with them; but to keep at a great Distance from them.

But upon this I foresee an Objection against all that can be offered on this Head. If thofe Unlawful Pleasures are fuch bewitching, intoxicating Things, that while we are under the Power of them we are incapable of Confidering, or of being perfuaded by any Argument; then to what Purpofe will it be to offer any Reasons to diffuade us

from

and if we are we ftand in no But to this I an

from them, or to caution us against them? for if we are under the Power of them, Reafon will do no good upon us, not under the Power of them, need of Reasons against them. fwer, though there is very little Hope of prevailing with fuch as are actually under the Dominion of their Lufts, by Reason of the intoxicating Nature of them, as I have faid; yet there is both great Neceffity to fortify others against a Temptation to which all are expofed; and there is great Hope likewife of prevailing with those others, as not being Prejudiced against any thing that may be fuggefted of that Nature. And befides, those that are enfnared by finful Lufts, are not all Bewitched by them to the fame Degree of Infatuation. Some are under great Struggles with their own Minds and Confciences; and to thefe a little Help to extricate them will be very feasonable; others, though for the most part Infatuated, yet have their lucid Intervals, in which they are apt to implead and condemn themselves, and at those Times will give a patient and attentive Ear to whatever can be offered against a Vice, to which they themselves are not infenfible of their being too much addicted. As for others indeed who lie under the Dominion of this Vice, I know it is almost as much in vain to attack them with Arguments, as it would be to talk to a Man that is Dead Drunk in praife of Sobriety; but it is to be hoped of the greatest Part, that they are not yet Argument-Proof. At least whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, we must not defpair, but try to do our Duty: For fome Remedies that will not work at prefent, by Reason of

fome

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