LV.

SERM. make light of them; they are very hardly brought to confess them in public; and when they do so, they are often more affected with the shame than with the sin that caused it; so that they have great reason to doubt of the sincerity of their own repentance.

Add to all this, the terrors of a guilty conscience, the fearful expectation of the vengeance of God,—and no more, sure, needs to be said, to shew the evil of this sin; and these considerations should give christians such an abhorrence of all impurity, as to make them tremble for every fear of falling into any of these crimes.

Thirdly; For we are, in truth, in greater danger than is generally thought of.

It cannot be denied, but that people live in the world, as if there were no danger, as if they were secure against all temptations; and this is the reason why so many mis

carry.

Christians do not consider, that as long as they live in this world, they carry a corrupt heart, and a corrupt nature, about them; that the devil will take all opportunities to lead them into sin; that we are beset with temptations, turn us where we will; that people have been ruined when they have least thought of it; that therefore we have need of an especial grace, and of all possible care, to keep us from falling into this vice; especially if we consider, that there is scarce any age, or any condition of life, free from danger.

How many have fallen into these crimes even before they could well be suspected! And too many have continued in them when age, and even the sight of death, should have cured them of their lusts.

How many, who have had a sober education, have afterwards fallen into lewd courses; and very many after the most solemn vows to the contrary.

In short; there are so many instances of these sins, known to all the world; and so many more (it is to be much feared) done in secret, and known only to God, and to those that are guilty, that every christian, who has any fear for himself, will seriously consider the danger he is in, and will think, by what means he, and all that belong to him, may avoid both the sin and the danger.

Fourthly; What those means and motives are, we come now to consider. And let me, in the first place tell you, for a truth, that nothing but the fear of God can hinder you from falling into these destructive vices.

Some will tell you, that shame will restrain you; that the fear of punishment ought to make you afraid; that if you fall into evil courses, you will disoblige your friends, and it will be worse for you; that you will spend what you have, and be despised by every body. But after all, I am afraid these arguments will not do: for these vices are too commou. People are not ashamed of them, as they ought to be; and when the devil has filled their hearts with lust, they will care for neither friends, estate, nor reputation.

10.

[Rev. 21.

What then, must people be left to themselves? No, by no means. We should rather set before them what will make them to tremble: "Whoremongers and adulterers God will Heb. 13. 4. judge," however they escape the censures of man: "they 1 Cor. 6. 9, shall have no inheritance in the kingdom of heaven." "They shall have their portion in the lake that burneth with fire 8.] and brimstone." Will not this consideration make people afraid of a sin which will ruin them for ever? Either say, you do not believe this, or resolve to live as if you did believe it. Say, with Joseph, when you are tempted, "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" whose eyes [Prov. 15. 3.] are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

After all, it must be owned, that there are people who know, and pretend to believe all this, who yet transgress these laws. But then, they are such as do not fear God. For such as are afraid of offending God will strive to mortify their corrupt affections; will avoid, as much as may be, all occasions and temptations to a sin, which does so easily beset us; and will most sincerely beg God's grace and protection.

It is impossible for any man to live as becomes a christian, who will not use these means to preserve his innocence. For, first, intemperance and chastity are utterly inconsistent. He that will study to please the flesh, will not care to please God. And remember, that he who cannot deny his appetites in meat and drink, will not be able to deny himself when his desires shall lead him to forbidden wickedness.

Gen. 39. 9.

SERM.
LV.

[ 1 Cor. 9.

27.]

[Ezek. 16. 49.]

St. Paul himself thought it a duty to keep under his body: and shall we think it needless? Rather let us be at some pains to subdue our corrupt nature, to deny its cravings, to lay some wholesome restraints upon our inclinations, especially since it is for avoiding those sins which lead directly to hell.

Fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness, was that which brought destruction upon Sodom; and it is what will corrupt the best heart. It was for this reason the Wise Man set down Ecclus. 18. this worthy caution; "If thou givest thy soul the desires that please her, she will make thee a laughing-stock to thine enemies that malign thee;" and especially, to our ghostly enemies, who will desire no better occasion to ruin us.

31.

In the second place; temptations, and occasions of sin, are carefully to be avoided. IDLE COMPANY has ruined so many, that it would be needless to warn you against it, but that we see people as fearless in ill company, as if they had the power, in their own hands, of resisting temptations; so that, not knowing their own weakness, and fearing no danger, they often fall into a snare before they think of it. And a lewd behaviour, an immodest story, a filthy song, have very often betrayed unwary people into such miscarriages as (before) they abhorred, and which they have bitterly repented of all the days of their lives.

Whoever therefore purposes to preserve their innocence, must set a watch upon their eyes, their ears, and especially upon their hearts; otherwise it is to no purpose to resolve, or to pretend to be virtuous.

Will a man or woman, for example, who will run into any company, hear any sort of language without blushing, see indecent actions without leaving the place; will such people say they are chaste? They have no reason to say so; or if they do, they have no reason to be believed.

And though we cannot live in the world without meeting with temptations, yet we may avoid them much oftener than we do; and if we have the fear of God in our hearts, we shall not be hurt by them. Let but women so behave themselves, as that men may believe them to be chaste; and they may be confident nobody will attempt them but in an honest way.

But this is the real occasion of so many miscarriages: people discover, either by their very vain dress, or looks, or words, or behaviour, they discover that they do not fear God, that they only want to be tempted; and this encourages those that are as naught as themselves to tempt, and to gain their wicked ends of them. Let us therefore remember, that when we say, lead us not into temptation, we are bound not to run into temptations willingly; or if we do, we must not expect that God will deliver us from evils of our own seeking.

What has been now said shews us the necessity of another means of preserving our innocence, and that is, fervent prayer ; since it is impossible, in the midst of so many temptations, for any christian to be long innocent, unless supported by Divine grace.

The very slightest temptation will ruin us, if left to ourselves therefore has God encouraged us to pray to Him for help, and has promised to hear us. But then, it is not any sort of prayer that will prevail with Him, to prevent, or to deliver us from evil. We must know our own misery, to humble us; we must know our danger, to make us be in good earnest; and our weakness and backslidings, that we may be more careful of our ways. Such dispositions as these will recommend us to God's favour and protection.

And the true reason why so many people become an easy prey to the devil, is this: they seldom pray in private; they pray in public without any sense of their wants, without any concern to be heard, without devotion, and without reverence. How then should they expect to be heard, and delivered from danger?

If christians did but know to what miseries those are abandoned who are possessed with an unclean spirit, they would pray to be delivered from such a curse with more concern than a man that asks to be delivered from perpetual slavery.

But there is another means which God has appointed, that men may have no pretence for running into vices which must certainly ruin them soul and body; and this is, a chaste marriage. "Marriage is honourable in all," saith the Apostle, [Heb. 13. 4.J "and the bed undefiled; but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge."

SERM.

LV.

Believe it, christians, the lawful provision which God has made for those that cannot contain; the more easy the remedy is, the more severe will be their punishment, and the more difficult their pardon who refuse to make use of it, and rather choose their own abominable ways, to satisfy their brutish lusts. As for such as have chosen this remedy, they have all the obligations to be content with such a merciful provision, that God or man can lay upon them. It is God's ordinance; they have solemnly vowed to observe it; it is plainly their interest to do so, as they value either a quiet life, or a peaceable conscience; but above all, as they hope for salvation.

If we believe the sacred Scriptures, they tell us expressly, Prov. 7. 27. that this sin leads directly to hell; and everlasting destruction is not to be jested with. One would hope that no more need to be said upon that head.

Deut. 22. 21.

But now we are speaking of the means of preserving people from falling into these foul vices, we must not forget the duty of parents, and the great care they ought to take, to prevent their children from falling into these deadly crimes.

And first, it is very observable, that if a woman of Israel committed folly, by playing the whore in her father's house, she was to be stoned to death; and with this most afflicting circumstance; she was to be brought to the "door of her father's house, and the men of her city were to stone her with stones till she died." A sad spectacle, God knows, and a punishment very often as great upon the father as upon the child!

And what was this for? Why, to oblige parents to take all possible care of their children's education and manners; to keep them from evil company; to teach them the fear of the Lord; to correct them when they say or do any thing contrary to chastity; to pray for them; to set them a sober example; to marry them in due time; and not to expose them to the snare of the devil, out of cursed covetousness, or for some base ends.

And though this law does not take place here, yet parents should consider, that by neglecting these duties, they expose their children, and themselves too, to very great evils, of which shame and punishments in this world are the least.