5. In a word, continence, or lawful marriage, exposes not the soul to the eternal wrath of God, as uncleanness doth ; 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. This sin does not only shut a man out of his own house, and the hearts of good men, but out of heaven itself, without thorough re- pentance and reformation.
§ 4. The case standing thus: it is matter of just admiration, how the sin of uncleanness should grow so epidemical and common as it doth, seeing such as live in this filthy course, must needs counter-act and oppose their own reason and interest together. For they forsake God's way, which gives them as much liberty as can be reasonably desired ; and cast themselves into a course of life, clogged with all manner of temporal and eternal miseries, of soul and body, honoiu- and estate.
The plain rule and dictate of common reason, which I laid down before, being applied to this particular case, manifestly condemns it. For seeing honesty and chastity comprize the true pleasure, profit, and honour of the whole man, are more congruous to human nature, and preservative of it, it ought, therefore, to be preferred in the estimation and choice of all men, to unlawful adulterous pleasures, which (for the reasons above) are inferior in themselves to chaste, conjugal enjoyments; and besides that, are attended and followed with such a train of present and future miseries, destructive to the whole man.
And yet for all this, to the amazement of all serious observers, never was any age more infamous for this sin, than the present age is ; and that under the clear shining light of the gospel.
What the special causes and inducements, to the overflowing and abounding of this sin, are in the present age, will be well worth the enquiring and sifting at this time.
It is highly probable, the influencing examples of great men, have
51(5 THE liEASONABLEXESS OF PEllSOXAL IlEFORMATIOW.
had no small hand in the spreading of this abominable and crying sin, amongst all inferior ranks and orders of men.
Great men's ill examples, like a bag of poison in the fountain, cor- rupt and infect multitudes. The vulgar think they are privileged, or, at the least, very much excused, when they do but follow the precedents and examples of great and eminent persons.
But this will be found a weak and foolish plea, for uncleanness, which will never be able to endure the test of your own reason : For the inbred notions of a God, and of a future life of retribution, being go firmly sealed and engraven upon human nature, they can never be utterly "eradicated; your own reason will argue from those inbred notions in this manner, and how you will be able to repel the argu- ment, and escape conviction and self-condemnation, quite sunnounts my imagination whatever it do j^ours. And thus it will dispute, and dilemma you, do what you can.
That God, before whom greater and lesser, honourable and baser sinners shall appear in judgment, will be either partial or impartial, in his judgments upon them. There is, or there is not respect of persons with him. If there be, (which both his nature and word utterly deny ;) then those great and lionourable adulterers, or forni- cators, whose examples you follow, may haply be excused for their eminency and honours sake ; but you, that have no such eminency and honour in the world, as they have, must be condemned, though you ought to escape as well as they.
But if there be no partiality, or respect of persons with God, (as most assuredly there is none,) then both greater and lesser, honour- able and baser, adulterers, must be condemned together, to the same common and intolerable misery.
So that to take any (though the least) encouragement to sin, from tlie precedents and examples of great ones, is a most senseless and irrational thing, utterly unworthy of one that believes thene is a just and impartial God ; and he is worse than a devil, that believes it not : For the devils themselves believe and tremble. § 6. Inducement 2. But others would persuade us, they are drawn into this sin by a kind of inevitable necessity ; they being neither able to contain, nor marry.
They are not yet arrived at an estate sufficient to maintain a family with reputation : But when they have gotten enough by trade, or by the fall of their paternal estates, to live in equal reputation with their neighbours; then they design to alter their course of life, and abandon these follies.
But, reader, if this be thy pica for uncleanness, thou shalt have as fair a trial, for a foul fact, as thine own heart can desire : be still thine own judge ; and let thine own reason give a fair answer to these three pertinent questions.
Qued, 1. Whether whoredom be as likely and promising a v/aj
THE REASONABLENESS OF FEUSONAL REFORMATION. 517
to engage God's blessing upon your trades and employments, as con- tincnce or conjugal chastity are? That is to say plainly, Whether obedience and disobedience to the law of God, be all one, and please him alike ? You know, your success in business is not in your own hand ; it is God that giveth thee power to get wealth : H'la blessing maketh rich. And is sin as likely a way to engage his blessing, as duty and obedience is ? 1 am confident your own reason will never give it.
Object. If you saij^ such persons prosper vi the world as well as others, for ought you see.
Sol, The contrary is evident in the common observation of man- kind : By reason of whoredom, multitudes are brought to a piece of bread. And though God suffer some unclean persons to prosper in the world ; yet chastity with poverty, is infinitely preferable to such accursed prosperity.
Quest. S. Whether the course of sin you arc now driving and ac- customing yourselves to, will not, in all probability, so infatuate and betwitch you, that when you come into a married estate, you shall still be under the power of this sin ; and, so ruin the person you marry, as well as yourself? If the word of God signify any thing with you, it signifieth this ; That there is a witchcraft in whoredom ; and, comparatively speaking, " None that go to her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life :" Prov. ii. 18, 19-
Object. If to invalidate this testimony, you shall say that he that spal'c this, did himself go after strange women.
Sol. It is true, he did so. But then withal, you must remember, that he hath warned you by his own sad experience, that you never follow him, in those his footsteps : Eccl. vii. 26. " I find (saith lie) more bitter than death, the woman whose hearts is snares and nets, and her hands as bands. Whoso pleaseth God, shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her."
Quest 3. And, lastly, I demand of your reason, whether it can, or will, allow any place to this plea of necessity ; before vou have tried and used all God's appomted remedies, which are sufficient to prevent that necessity you plead ?