are all the Prejudices and Mifchiefs they bring upon us in our Bodies, Eftates, Reputation, and Relations of all Sorts. For in all Capacities we fhall find how extremely hurtful and pernicious they are.

1. As to the Body, whether we regard the Health or Strength, or Comelinefs, or Long Life, or the Children and Iflue of it; upon all these Accounts we shall find the great Benefits of Purity and the bad Effects of the Sins of Impurity. (1.) As to Health, it is impoffible to reckon up the many Diseases attending that Sort of Intemperance; and fome of them fo vile, that we can think no otherwife but that God inflicts them on purpose, to deter Men from that Sort of Sins. It is certain whofoever is feized with thefe, is brought to a fad Repentance, by the Pains and Aches, and Confumption of the vital Moifture, attending commonly thofe vile Difeafes. And therefore this is one Thing Solomon recommends to the Confideration of Youth, to abftain from the Company of thofe wicked Companions in Sin, left thou mourn at the laft, fays he, when thy Flef and thy Body are confumed, Prov. V. II. this Mourning he fpeaks of, is not the kindly Mourning of Repentance, but purely a Senfe of Bodily Pain and Sicknefs, mixed with a Sort of Defperation; for this Mourning is defcribed here to be late, left thou mourn at the last; Then the Cause of it is not fo much the Sin, as the Mifery it has brought upon us, like the Mourning in Hell; when thy Flesh and thy Body are confumed. (2.) As thefe Sins are great Enemies to the Health, fo they are Enemies likewife to the Strength of the Body. And therefore we find

Q 4

And

this

this is the firft Leffon given to that young Prince, Prov. xxxi. 3. Give not thy Strength unto Women, nor thy Ways unto that which destroyeth Kings. It is true, it is a hard Matter to perfwade ftrong young Men of this; they do not quickly feel the Wounds which thefe Sins give to the firmest Conftitutions; but old Sinners will confefs it, when they come to feel the Sins of their Youth haftening on the Decays of Nature. Solomon diffwading the young Man from these Courses, Prov. vii. 26. affures him, that the Strange Woman hath caft down many wounded, and that many frong Men have been flain by her. (3.) The fame may be faid of the Beauty and Comeliness, which has been faid of the Health and Strength of the Body, as proceeding from the felf-fame Causes; what ruins the Conftitution will likewise ruin the Complexion, and bring on Deformity, Wrinkles, and gray Hairs,and make fuch miferableHavock in the best built Bodies and most delicate Complexions, as all the Arts of Patching and Painting will never be able to repair. (4.) The fame may be faid of long Life; for tho' there are innumerable Accidents to cut off the strongest built Bodies; yet humanly fpeaking, nothing preferves a Man or Woman better to extreme old Age, than Chastity and Temperance. And this the World feems to be fufficiently fenfible of, when they call the contrary Vices Living Faft; as if a Man were making hafte to cut off and destroy himself. And therefore Solomon makes no Scruple to promife long Life to his Son, upon the Obfervation of these his Precepts. Prov. iii. 1. My fon, fays he, forget not my Law; but let thine

Heart

Heart keep my Commandments: for Length of Days, and long Life and Peace hall they add to thee. And at the 16th Verfe of the fame Chapter, fpeaking of Wisdom, that is, the practical Knowledge of Virtue, he fays, Length of Days is in her Right Hand, and in her Left Hand Riches and Honour. (5) Laftly, As for our Pofterity, there are none of our Vices whatsoever, which affect them worse than thofe Sins of Un-cleanness. It is to thefe Sins of their Parents that they often owe their Gouts and Rheumatisms, and Pox, and other hereditary Diftempers, which bring along with them an uneafie Life, and an accelerated Death, and are derived down, as Original Sin is, to their late Pofterity. So that the Generations to come will have Reafon to Curfe the Sins of their Fore-fathers, for entailing fo much Sickness, Weakness, Pain and Mifery, upon them.

2. That this fort of Sins is very prejudicial to the Estate, as well as the Body, the fame Solomon frequently obferves; for one of the Arguments he makes use of to diffwade from them, Prov. v. 10.is this, left Strangers be filled with thy Wealth, and thy Labours be in the Houfe of a Stranger. And Prov. vi. 26. he fays, By means of a Whorish Woman a Man is brought to a piece of Bread. And Chap. xxix. 3. He that keepeth Company with Harlots fpendeth his Subftance. And fo the Prodigal Son, Luke xv. 30. is reprefented as one that devoured his Living with Harlots. And there are many Reasons why it is fo. For First, The Man's Mind being carried away with his Lufts, he cannot mind the Bufinefs of his House and Calling, as he might otherwise do.

This Negligence alone will quickly eat out all his Profit: If he's a Tradefman, People obferving how he flights his Affairs, will leave him off, and be no more concerned with him: If he's a Nobleman or Gentleman, or any other Man that lives upon the Produce of his Land, or Rents and Revenues, his Bailiffs, Stewards, Overfeers, and Servants, obferving his Negligence, will quickly make a Prey of him. Then the Neceffities, and not only the Neceffities, but the Superfluities of his Miftreffes must be maintained; and it is no fmall Matter will do that; for according to the Degrees of Afcendency they acquire over him, their Demands will rife higher and higher, The Disorders and ill Temper of his Mind too encreafing upon him with his Sin and Poverty, and Shame, and the Neceffities perhaps of a Family, are enough to distract him, that he has neither the Judgment to contrive, nor the Memory to retain, nor the Diligence to execute his Bufinefs. Then Baftards and Nurfes, and Relations, and Retinue, a Train of expenceful and wasteful Attendants, help to eat him out; and, which is worst of all, there is a Curfe of God entailed upon thofe Courses, which like a Canker eats out all the Profit of the Man's Labour. So that it is no Wonder if Ruin moft commonly attends thofe Ways. And,

3. Which is of great Affinity with the former, a Man's Credit and Reputation finks all the while. Solomon fpeaking of the Adulterer, Prov. vi. 33. A Wound and Dishonour shall be get, fays he, and his Reproach fhall not be wiped away. Thefe foul Sins are called Works of Darkness, which will not bear the Light; undecent, dishonourable Actions,

which Men ftrive to hide and conceal: But yet, like God's Revenge against Murder, they commonly break out fome how or other, and reflect Dishonour and Difgrace on the Guilty. Whether it is that the Sinners themfelves, who in the beginning are more Modeft and Cautious, in time grow more Shameless and Impudent, and declare their Sin as Sodom, and hide it not; nay brag of their Conquefts: Or whether the jealous and watchful Eye of the injured Party is ready to spy them out; or whether the malicious World, which is cenforious enough, is ready to fufpect the worst, and fpread their Cenfures in Confidence to one another; or lastly, whether Pregnancy and Bastards do at laft betray what fhameful Work has been in Hand; fo it is, that by one Means or other, Difgrace, and Lofs of Reputation comes upon them: And a good Name, once loft, is so hard to be retrieved, that commonly this drives the guilty Parties to a worfe Inconvenience, namely, a Hardness and Impudence, which usually bars all Retreat from vitious Courfes, and makes them Proof against all Endeavours to reclaim them: But they go on then from Evil to Worfe, till the Devil gets fure Poffeffion, without any great Hopes that ever they will be reclaimed.

4. The last external Inconvenience I mentioned of thofe Sins is, the Mischief they bring upon us in all our Relations, by that means embittering all the Comforts of Life. They make Parents fo afhamed of their Children, that they would be glad if they could difown them, and would choose much more willingly to fee them laid in their Graves, than live to be a Difgrace to all that belong to them. These Sins bring Jealoufie, Hatred,

and