lovers as they come to her, but at last comes the frown and sting. " A dart strikes through their liver," Prov. vii. 23. " Her end is bitter." When a man hath been virtuous, the labour is gone, but the comfort remains ; but when he hath been vicious and unclean, the pleasure is gone, but the sting remains. Delectat in momen- tum, crvciat in aternum, Jerom. Wlien the senses have been feasted with unchaste pleasures, the soul is left to pay the reck- oning. Stolen waters are s^veet ; but, as poison, though it be sweet in the mouth, it torments the bowels. Sin always ends in a tragedy. Memorable is that which Fincelius reports of a priest in Flanders, who enticed a maid to uncleanness. She objected how vile a sin it was ; he told her, by authority from the pope he could com- mit any sin ; so at last he drew lier to his wicked purpose. But when they had been together a while, in came the devil, and took away the liarlot from the priest's side, and, notwithstanding all her crying out, carried her away. If all that are guilty of bodily uncleanness in this nation, should have the devil come and carry them away, I fear more would be carried away than would be left behind.
16. Pray against this sin. Luther gave a lady this advice, that when any lust be- gan to rise in her heart, she should go to prayer. Prayer is the best armour of proof; prayer quencheth the wild fire of lust. If prayer will " cast out the devil," why may it not cast out those lusts that come from the devil?
Use ult. If the body must be kept pure from defilement, much more the soul of a Christian must be kept pure. This is the meaning of the commandment, not only that we should not stain our bodies with adultery, but that we should keep our souls pure. To have a chaste body but an un- clean soul, is like a fair face with bad lungs ; or a gilt chimney-piece, that is all soot within, 1 Pet. i. 16., " Be ye holy, for 1 am holy." The soul cannot be lovely to God, till it hath Christ's image stamped up- on it, which image consists in righteous- ness and true holiness, Eph. iv. 14. The soul must especially be kept pure, because it is the chief place of God's residence, Eph.
OF THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.
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Hi. 17. A king's palace must be kept clean, especially his presence-cliamber. If the body is the temple, the soul is the ' holy of holies,' this must be consecrated. We must not only keep our bodies from carnal pollution, but our souls from envy and ma- lice.
Quest. How shall ive know our souls are pure ?
Ans. 1. If our souls are pure, then we flee from the appearance of evil, 1 Thess. V. 22. We will not do that which looks like sin. ^^Hien Joseph's mistress did court and tempt him, he " left his garment in her hand, and fled," Gen. xxxix. 12. It was suspicious to be near her. Polycarp would not be seen in company with Mar- cion the heretic, because it would not be good report.
2. If our souls arc pure, this light of pu- rity will sliine forth. Aaron had ' Holiness to the Lord' written upon his golden plate : wlure there is sanctity in the soul, there ' Holiness to the Lord' is engraven upon our life; we are adorned with patience, hu- mility, good works, and shine as "lights
in the world," Phil. ii. 15. Carry Christ's pictui-e in your conversation, 1 John ii. 6
0 let us labour for this soul purity ! With- out it there is no * seeing of God,' Heb. xii. 14 : * What communion hath light with darkness ?' And that we may keep our souls pure, (1.) Have recourse to the blood of Chi'ist ; this is the " fountain set open for sin and uncleanness," Zech. xiii. 1. A soul steeped in the brinish tears of repent- ance, and bathed in the blood of Christ, is made pure. (2.) Pray much for pureness of soul, Ps. Ii. 10., " Create in me a clean heart, O God." Some pray for children, others for riches ; but pray for soul-purity. Say, " Lord, though my body is kept pure, yet, Lord, my soul is defiled, I pollute all
1 touch. O purge me with hyssop, let Christ's blood sprinkle me, let the Holy Ghost come upon me and anoint me ! O make me evangelically pure, that I may be translated to heaven, and placed among the cherubims, where I shall be as holy as thou wouldest have me to be, and as happy as I can desire to be !"
OF THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.
ExoD. XX. 13. Thou shalt not steal.
AS the holiness of God sets him against uncleanness, " Thou slialt not commit adul- tery," so the justice of (iod sets him against rapine and robbery, " Thou shalt not steal." The thing forbidden in this commandment is, meddling with anotlier man's property, "Thou shalt not steal." The civil lawyers define /m;-^m//?, stealth or theft, to be " the laying hands unjustly on that which is an- other's,"— the invading another's right.
Quest. 1. Whence doth theft arise?