as " works of the flesh," which equally exclude us from the kingdom of God^ Of course, the law does not condemn that attachment which is cherished in order to an honourable marriage ; but all desires which have not respect to that, it does condemn.
We forbear to enlarge upon the subject, wishing rather to commend it to your consciences before God ; but we entreat you all attentively to consider what have been the workings of your own hearts on different occasions, when perhaps you little thought what construction God put upon them, and in what light you were viewed by him'^.]
2. To the means and occasions of impurity, as well as to impurity itself —
[It is needless to observe, that the eye and the ear are inlets to evil, and that they need to be subjected to continual restraints. Our blessed Lord declares, that even a look, when employed for the purpose of exciting an impure desire, or when productive of that effect, involves the soul in guilt, no less than adultery itself. And St. Peter speaks of persons having " eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin." If the eye then may bring so much defilement on the soul, what shall we say of frequenting those places of public amuse- ment, where every thing that is seen and heard has a direct tendency to corrupt the mind ? What shall we say of suffering our minds to be contaminated with light and frothy novels, with indecent pictures, with licentious conversation, or indeed with sensual thoughts ? Can any one who allows himself in such liberties as these, acquit himself of the charge which is brought against him in the text? Nor are they less criminal, whose dress is framed for this unhallowed end, and who sacri- fice both decency and health to the detested purpose of in- flaming the appetites of men. It is obvious, that, whether we are the tempters, or the tempted, we are highly criminal : however the imagination becomes defiled, that defilement con- stitutes us guilty in the sight of God.]
Such being the view which our Lord himself gives us of the commandment, we proceed to consider,
11. The effect which our Lord's exposition of it should produce upon us —
Were the commandment restricted to its literal meaning, we might find cause perhaps for self-com-
b Gal. v. 19, 21.
<= On such a subject as this, the utmost possible delicacy must be observed.