II. The thing forbidden in the command- ment, i. e. infecting ourselves with bodily pollution and uncleanness. " Thou slialt not commit adultery." The fountain of this sin is lust. Since the fall, holy love is degenerated to lust. Lust is the fever of the soul. There is a two-fold adul- tery : L Mental, Mat. v. 28., " Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." As a man may die of an inward bleeding, so he may be damned for the inward boilings of lust, if they be not mortified. — 2. Corporal adultery,— when sin hath conceiAed, and brought forth in the act. This is expressly forbidden under a sub poena, " Thou shalt not commit adul- tery." This commandment is set as an hedge to keep out uncleanness ; and thev that break this hedge a serpent shall bite them. Job calls adultery an heinous crime, Job. xxxi. 1 1. Every failing is not a crime ; and every crime is not an heinous crime ; but adultery isjlagitium, — an heinous crime. The Lord c^lls it villany, Jer. xxix. 23., " They have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives."
Quest. Wherein appears the heinousness of this sin of adultery ?
Ans. 1. In that adultery is the breach of the marriage-oath. When persons come to- gether in a matrimonial way they bind themselves by covenant each to other, in the presence of God, to be true and faithful in the conjugal relation. Unehastity is a falsifying this solemn oath ; and herein a- dultery is worse than fornication, because it is a breach of the conjugal bond.
A. 2. The heinousness of adultery lies in this. That it is such an high dishonour done to God. God saith, " Thou shalt not com- mit adultery." The adulterer sets his will above God's law, tramples upon God's com- mand, affronts him to his face ; as if a sub- ject shoidd tear his prince's proclamation. The adulterer is highly injurious to all the persons in the Trinity. L To God the Father. Sinner, God hath given thee thy
OF THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT.
319
life, and thou dost waste tlie lamp of thy life, the flower of thy age in lewdness ; he hath bestowed on thee many mercies, health and estate, and thou spendest all on harlots. Did (jod give thee wages to serve the devil ? 2. Injuiious to God the Son, two ways. First, As he hatli purchased thee with his blood, 1 Cor. vi. 20., " Ye are bought with a price." Now, he who is bought is not his own ; it is a sin for him to go to another, without consent from Christ, who hath * bought him with a price.' Secondly, By virtue of baptism thou art a Christian, and professest that Christ is thy head, and thou art a meuiber of Christ ; therefore, what an injury is it to Christ, to take the members of Christ, and make them the " members of a harlot?" 1 Cor. vi. 15. 3. It is injurious to God the Holy Ghost ; for the body is his temple, 1 Cor. vi. 19., " Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which Is in you ?" And what a sin is it to defile his temple !
A. 3. Tlic heiuousness of adultery lies in this, that it is committed with mature deli- beration. First, there is the contriving the sin in the mind, then consent in the will, and then the sin is put forth into act. To sin against the light of nature, and to sin deliberately, is like the dye to the wool, it gives sin a tincture, and dyes it of a crim- son colour.
A, 4. That which makes adultery so hei- nous, is, that it is a sin after remedy. God hath provided a remedy to prevent this sin, 1 Cor. vii. 2., " To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife." Therefore after this remedy prescribed, to be guilty of fornicatitm or adultery, is inexcusable ; it is like a rich thief, that steals when he hath no need. This doth enhance and accent the sin, and make it heinous.
Use l.s7. It condemns the church of Rome, who allow the sin of fornication and adul- tery. Tliey suffer not their priests to mar- ry, but they may have their courtezans. The worst kind of uncleanness, incest with the nearest of kin, is dispensed with for money. It was once said of Rome, Urbs est Jam toot lupanar, — Rome is become a common stew. And no wonder,, when the pope could for a sum of money give them a license and patent to commit uncleanness;
and, if the patent were not enough, he would give them a pardon ! Many of the pa])ists judge fornication venial, (iod con- demns the very lusting, Mat. v. 28. \\ God condemns the thought, how dare they allow the fact of fornication? You see what a cage of unclean birds the church of Rome is; they call themselves the Holy Catholic Church, but, how can they be holy, who are so steeped and parboiled in fornication, in- cest, sodomy, and all manner of unclean- ness ?