given by Mofes to the Jews, did not God command that the breakers thereof should be put to death? The words of the Law be thefe; Whofo committeth adultery with any man's wife fhall die the death, both the man and the woman, because he hath broken wedlock with his neighbour's wife. In the Law alfo it was commanded, that a damfel and a man taken together in whoredom, should be both fioned to Num. xxv. death. In another place we also read, that God commanded Mofes to take all the head rulers and princes of the people, and to hang them upon gibbets openly, that every man might See them, because they either committed, or did not punish whoredom. Again, did not God fend fuch a plague among the people for fornication and uncleannefs, that there died in one day three and twenty thoufand? I pafs over, for lack of time, many other hiftories of the Holy Bible, which declare the grievous vengeance and heavy difpleasure of God against whoremongers and adulterers, Certes, this extreme punishment appointed of God fheweth evidently how greatly God hateth whoredom. And let us not doubt, but that God at this prefent abhorreth all manner of uncleanness, no less than he did in the old Law, and will undoubtedly punish it, both in this world and in the world to come. For he is a God that can abide no wickednefs; therefore ought it to be efchewed of all that tender the glory of God, and the falvation of their own fouls. St. Paul faith, All these things are written for our example, and to teach us the fear of God, and the obedience to his holy Law. For if God fpared not the natural branches, neither will he Spare us that be but grafts, if we commit like offence. If God destroyed many thousands of people, many cities, yea, the whole world, for whoredom; let us not flatter ourselves, and think we fhall efcape free and without punishment. For he hath promised in his holy Law, to fend moft grievous plagues upon them that tranfgrefs or break his holy commandments. Thus have we heard how God punifheth the fin of adultery: let us now hear certain laws, which the civil magiftrates devifed in divers countries for the punishment thereof, that we may learn how uncleannefs hath ever been detefted in all wellordered cities and commonwealths, and among all honeft Laws de perfons. The law among the Lepreians was this, that vifed for the when any were taken in adultery, they were bound and punish- carried three days through the city, and afterwards, as long whoredom, as they lived, they were defpifed, and with fhame and con Pial. v. J Cor. x. ment of fufion counted as perfons void of all honesty. Among the Locrenfians, the adulterers had both their eyes thruft out. The The Romans in times paft punifhed whoredom, fometime by fire, fometime by fword. If a man among the Egyptians had been taken in adultery, the law was, that he fhould openly, in the prefence of all the people, be fcourged naked with whips, unto the number of a thousand ftripes: the woman that was taken with him had her nole cut off, whereby the was known ever after to be a whore, and therefore to be abhorred of all men. Among the Arabians, they that were taken in adultery had their heads ftricken from their bodies. The Athenians punished whoredom by death in like manner. So likewife did the barbarous Tartarians. Among the Turks even at this day, they that be taken in adultery, both man and woman, are ftoned ftraightway to death, without mercy. Thus we fee what godly acts were devifed, in times pait, of the high powers, for the putting away of whoredom, and for the maintaining of holy matrimony or wedlock, and pure converfation; and the authors of thefe acts were no Chriftians, but Heathen: yet were they fo inflamed with the love of honefty and pureness of life, that for the maintenance and confervation or keeping up of that, they made godly ftatutes, fuffering neither fornication nor adultery to reign in their realms unpunished. Chrift faid to the people, The Ninevites fhall rife at the judgment with Matt. xii. this nation, (meaning the unfaithful Jews,) and fhall condemn them for they repented at the preaching of Jonas: but behold, faith he, a greater than Jonas is here, (meaning himfelf,) and yet they repent not. Shall not, think you, likewife the Locrenfians, Arabians, Athenians, with fuch other, rife up at the judgment and condemn us, forafmuch as they ceafed from whoredom at the commandment of man; and we have the law and manifest precepts and commandments of God, and yet forfake we not our filthy converfation? Truly, truly, it fhall be eafier at the day of judgment to these Heathens than to us, except we repent and amend. For though death of body feemeth to us a grievous punishment in this world for whoredom; yet is that pain nothing in comparison of the grievous torments which adulterers, fornicators, and all unclean perfons fhall fuffer after this life: for all fuch fhall be excluded and shut out of the kingdom of heaven, as St. Paul faith, Be not deceived; for neither whoremongers, nor 1 Cor. vi. worshippers of images, nor adulterers, nor effeminate perfons, Gal. v. nor fodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous perfons, nor drunk- Eph. v, urds, nor curfed fpeakers, nor revilers, fhall inherit the king dom of God. And St. John in his Revelation faith, That Apoc. xxi. whore Matt. xiii. whoremongers fhall have their part with murderers, forcer. ers, enchanters, liars, idolaters, and fuch other, in the lake which burneth with fire and brimftone, which is the fecond death. The punishment of the body, although it be death, hath an end; but the punishment of the foul, which St. John calleth the fecond death, is everlafting; there fhall be fire and brimstone, there fhall be weeping and gnashing of teeth; the worm, that fhall there gnaw the confcience of the damned, fhall never die. O! whofe heart distilleth not even drops of blood, to hear and confider these things? If we tremble and shake at the hearing and naming of thefe pains, O what shall they do that shall feel them, that shall suffer them, yea, and ever fhall fuffer, worlds without end! God have mercy upon us! Who is now fo drowned in fin, and paft all godliness, that he will fet more by a filthy and stinking pleasure, which foon paffeth away, than by the lofs of everlasting glory? Again, who will fo give himself to the lufts of the flesh, that he feareth nothing at all the pains of hell-fire? But let us hear how we may efchew the fin of whoredom and adultery, that we may walk in the fear of God, and be free from thofe moft grievous and intolerable Remedies torments, which abide all unclean perfons. Now to avoid whereby to fornication, adultery, and all uncleannefs, let us provide cation and that above all things we may keep our hearts pure and adultery. clean from all evil thoughts and carnal lufts: for if that avoid forni be once infected and corrupt, we fall headlong into all kind of ungodlinefs. This fhall we eafily do, if, when we feel inwardly that Satan our old enemy tempteth us unto whoredom, we by no means confent to his crafty fuggeftions, but valiantly refift and withstand him by ftrong faith in the word of God: alleging against him always in our heart this commandment of God; Scriptum eft, Non mochaberis: it is written, Thou shalt not commit whoredom. It fhall be good alfo for us ever to live in the fear of God,. and to fet before our eyes the grievous threatenings of God against all ungodly finners; and to confider in our mind how filthy, beaftly, and fhort that pleasure is, whereunto Satan continually ftirreth and moveth us: and again, how the pain appointed for that fin is intolerable and everlafting. Moreover, to ufe a temperance and fobriety in eating and drinking, to efchew unclean communication, to avoid all filthy company, to flee idleness, to delight in reading the holy Scriptures, to watch in godly prayers and virtuous meditation, and at all times to exercife fome godly travails, fhall help greatly unto the efchewing of whoredom. And And here are all degrees to be monished, whether they be married or unmarried, to love chastity and cleanness of life. For the married are bound by the law of God fo purely to love one another, that neither of them feek any ftrange love. The man muft only cleave to his wife, and the wife again only to her husband: they must fo delight one in another's company, that none of them covet any other. And as they are bound thus to live together in all godlinefs and honefty, fo likewise it is their duty virtuously to bring up their children, and to provide that they fall not into Satan's fnare, nor into any uncleannefs, but that they come pure and honeft unto holy wedlock, when time requireth. So likewise ought all masters and rulers to provide that no whoredom, nor any point of uncleannefs, be ufed among their fervants. And again, they that are fingle, and feel in themselves that they cannot live without the company of a woman, let them get wives of their own, and fo live godly together: for it is better to marry 1 Cor. vii. than to burn. And, to avoid fornication, faith the Apostle, let every man have his own wife, and every woman her own husband. Finally, all fuch as feel in themselves a fufficiency and ability, through the working of God's Spirit, to lead a fole and continent life, let them praise God for his gift, and feek all means poffible to maintain the fame; as by read ing of holy Scriptures, by godly meditations, by continual prayers, and fuch other virtuous exercises. If we all on this wife will endeavour ourselves to efchew fornication, adultery, and all uncleanness, and lead our lives in all godliness and honefty, ferving God with a pure and clean heart, and glorifying him in our bodies by leading an innocent and harmless life, we may be fure to be in the number of those, of whom our Saviour Chrift fpeaketh in the Gospel on this manner, Blessed are the pure in heart, Matt. v. for they shall fee God: to whom alone be all glory, honour, rule, and power, world without end. Amen. A SER A SERMON AGAINST Contention and Brawling. 1 Tim. i. THIS day, good Chriftian people, fhall be declared unto you, the unprofitablenefs and fhameful unhonefty of contention, ftrife, and debate; to the intent that, when you fhall fee, as it were in a table painted before your eyes, the evil-favourednefs and deformity of this moft deteftable vice, your ftomachs may be moved to rise against it, and to deteft and abhor that fin, which is fo much to be hated, and fo pernicious and hurtful to all men. But among all kinds of contention, none is more hurtful than is contention in matters of religion. Efchew, faith St. Paul, foolish and unlearned questions, knowing that they breed 2 Tim. ii. ftrife. It becometh not the fervant of God to fight, or ftrive, but to be meek toward all men. This contention and ftrife was in St. Paul's time among the Corinthians, and is at this time among us Englishmen. For too many there be, which, upon the ale-benches or other places, delight to fet forth certain queftions, not fo much pertaining to edi fication, as to vain-glory, and fhewing forth of their cunning, and fo unfoberly to reafon and dispute, that, when neither part will give place to other, they fall to chiding and contention, and fometime from hot words to further inconvenience. St. Paul could not abide to hear among the Corinthians thefe words of difcord or diffenfion, I 1 Cor. iii. hold of Paul, I of Cephas, and I of Apollos: what would he then fay if he heard these words of contention, which be now almost in every man's mouth? He is a Pharifee, he is a Gofpeller, he is of the new fort, he is of the old faith, he |