of his Neighbour's Wife, or invades the Enclofures which upon many accounts are appropriated to him, is truly and properly an Adulterer; and he that complies with fuch unchaft Motions, and yields to the leud Embraces of another, is truly an Adulterefs: both which greviously offend against God, their Neighbour, and themfelves. (1.) 'Tis as Jofeph expreffes it, a great Wickedness committed against God, Gen. 39. 9. for 'tis the Violation of a divine Ordinance, dignify'd with many Marks of Refpect and Sanctity, and the proftituting a facred and folemn Myftery to vile and finful Purposes. Moreover, (2.) This is a great Injury and Offence against our Neighbour; for he is hereby wounded in the most fenfible and tender Part, wherein the Comfort of his Life, and the Content of his Mind are moft nearly concern'd: he is hereby robb'd of what he esteems the most dear and precious to him, the Love, Honour and Fidelity of his Wife; which perverts all the Ends of Marriage, and renders what was defign'd for the Comfort, only the Plague and Mifery of human Life. He is injur'd in his Estate and Family, by thrusting a fpurious Brood into it, to be maintain'd by his Care and Induftry, and depriving the lawful Iffue of what might otherwife come to them. Again, (3.) This is an Evil or Offence against the Perfons themfelves that commit it: for it robs them of their Credit, their Innocence, the Peace of their own Mind, and the Bleffing of God, and too often puts them in a way of Wickedness, from whence they never return: fo that this Sin at once defiles two Bodies, and deftroys two Souls. Other Sinners (as one has obferv'd) may perifh fingly without the Guilt of another's Damnation; the Swearer damns none by his Oaths but himself; the Drunkard by his Intemperance only drowns his own Soul: thefe and other Sinners: require no Partnership in their Guilt, for they may be folitarily wicked, and perifh alone; but this Sin of Adultery requires Partnership in the Commiffion of it, and involves both in the fame Condemnation. Yea, This Sin is not only a private but a publick Injury to human Society; for befide that it corrupts Mens Manners, and infects by Debauchery, it fills the World with a spurious Brood, and fpoils the Race of Mankind. We find God Almighty appointed the Enclosures of Marriage, to preferve a holy Seed; for he fo far abhor'd a falfe Brood that he would not fuffer a Baftard to enter the Congrega Part II. tion to the tenth Generation, as we read Deut. 23. 2. In fhort, Adultery is a high Difhonour to God, and a Violation of the most folemn Vows and Engagements. "Tis an irreparable Injury to Men, for it fills the World with Jealoufies, and deftroys the Peace and Happiness of Mankin'd: which will lead me from the Guilt, to confider the Danger of this Sin. And here the Punishment affign'd to this Evil is very great, both here and hereafter: The temporal Punishment appointed for it in the Old Law, was no less than Death, as we read Lev. 20. 10. The Man that committeth Adultery with his Neighbour's Wife, both the Adulterer and the Adulterefs fhall furely be put to death: and the fame is repeated, Deut. 22. 22. And indeed, the relaxing this Punishment hath let loose the Reins to Mens beaftly Lufts and Appetites, which have prevail'd in thefe latter Ages, to the great Reproach and Scandal of Christianity. Such Monfters of Wickednefs having rifen up, as have boafted of their Leudnefs; glorying in their Shame, and priding themselves in the Follies of a filthy and debauch'd Converfation. But let fuch vile Mifcreants know, that God will not be mock'd; and however they may, by the fecret contrivance of their Wickedness or the Prevalency of Vice, avoid earthly Punifhments, they fhall never escape the Fudgment of God; for Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge, Heb. 13. 4. But tho Adultery be the great Sin particularly nam'd and prohibited in this Precept, yet there are many Abominations of the fame kind compris'd and condemn'd under it. As, 1. Polygamy, or the Having more Wives than one, comes under the Sin of Adultery; it being a defiling of the Marriage-Bed, and running after ftrange Flefh. And the this leud Practice has been allow'd among Turks and Infidels, yet hath it ever been condemn'd by the Laws of all Chriftian and civiliz'd Countries. Now the Sinfulnefs hereof may eafily appear from the first Institution of Marriage, in which God made but one Woman for one Man; and then putting them together, declar'd, that they twain fhould be one Flefb: which fhews the Intention of God Almighty was to join one to one, and no more; for by adding another, they can neither be train nor one Flef; the affuming a third, increafing the Number, and dividing the Unity of Marriage. Moreover, the Law. that 475 that requires the leaving Father and Mother, and cleaving to a Wife, neceffarily implies the cleaving of one to one; for the addition of more must take off from the former, and unavoidably cause a Separation. Hence we find the Prophet Malachi thus reafoning with the Jews, Did he not make one? that is, one Male and one Female, and yet had be the refidue of the Spirit; Mal. 2. 15. that is, he wanted not Power to make more if he had thought it fit, but he thus pair'd them at firft to prevent a Plurality, and to keep them from a multiplication of Wives ever after. But the Prophet goes on, Why did he make one? And anfwers it, That be might feek a godly Seed: meaning, that he combin'd two into one by this facred Knot, to preferve a holy Seed, and to people the World with a lawful Iffue: Wherefore (as he concludes) let every one take heed that he deal not treacherously with the Wife of his Youth, by affuming another into his Bed, and abufing her by any unchafte Embraces; which thing God himself had pofitively forbidden, Lev. 18. 18. Thou shalt not take a Wife to her Sifter, to vex her or uncover her Nakedness; meaning, that they fhould not add one Wife to another, to vex and moleft the first whom they promis'd to love and cherish. As for what is alledg'd of the many Wives of the Patriarchs, that was either an Indulgence granted in the beginning of the World for the peopling of it, or elfe must be reckon'd among the Failings of thofe good Men, which are not to be excus'd or imitated. In the New Teftament, we find our Saviour blaming the Jews for the liberty they took in the matters of Polygamy and Divorce: to rectify which, he fends them to the first Inftitution of Marriage, and tells them, that in the beginning it was not fo, declaring it to be Adultery to put away a Wife and marry another: and therefore it must be more fo, whilft they have one, to take another, which must be attended with thofe Brawls, Heartburnings, and Confufion, that must destroy the Peace of Families, and render it impoffible for one Houfe to hold them for which reafon, the Apostle advises in the fingular number, Let every Man have his own Wife, and every Woman her own Husband. 2. Concubinage is here compriz'd and condemn'd under the Sin of Adultery; which is the adding of a Concubine to a Wife, or, in the modern Phrase, the keeping of a Mifs. This is indeed a Vice of an antient Date, which hath been unhappily reviv'd and pleaded for by the Debauchees of latter I Ages, า Part II. Ages, tho it be contrary likewife to the first Inftitution of Marriage, which was the joining of one to one, to whom they were fo to cleave, as to become but one Flesh; whereas Concubinage mars this Unity, and breaks down all the Enclosures of Wedlock, for 'tis a cleaving not to one but many, and divides the one Flesh into more: yea, 'tis contrary to all the Ends of Marriage. For, (1.) It contradicts that great End of it, in propagating Mankind by a holy and legitimate Offspring; whereas this fills the World with a fpurious and adulterous Brood. Again, (2.) It contradicts that End of it, which was for the mutual Help, Comfort, and Society of one another; whereas this deftroys all conjugal Affection, and robs both Parties of the Affiftance and Comfort they might have in each other: fo that inftead of a Help they become a Hindrance and Abhorrence to one another, and fill the Family with Feuds and Contention. Moreover, (3.) It thwarts that End of Marriage, whereby it was ordain'd as a Remedy against Sin, and to avoid Fornication; whereas this Vice joins Fornication to Matrimony, and makes Men fin not only against the Remedy, but with it. Laftly, This Sin is a manifeft Breach of all the Vows and Promifes of Marriage, wherein both Parties folemnly engage to forfake all others, and to be true and faithful to each other as long as they both fhall live. 3. Another Sin contain'd and condemn'd under Adultery, is the deteftable Vice of Incest, which is the approaching to those that are too near of kin; a Crime that defiles the holy State of Matrimony, and makes that which is in itself honourable, to become vile and abominable. If it be not against the Law of Nature, 'tis evidently against the Law of God, who hath exprefly forbidden to approach to any that are near of kin, Lev. 18. 6. Befides which, 'tis against all the Rules of Prudence and Decency, which makes it abhor'd both of God and Man. The tranfplanting of Seeds and Vegetables hath been obferv'd by Husband men to produce the most kindly Increase, which is a direction even from Nature not to mingle the fame Blood, or to draw nigh to fuch as are too nearly ally'd. What the prohibited Degrees are, both of Alliance and Confanguinity, is upon Record in the 18th Chapter of Leviticus; which being confirm'd by the Authority of God, as well as the Decency of the the thing, have been adopted into the Laws and Canons of the Chriftian Church, which under the greatest Penalties hath condemn'd all fuch incestuous Mixtures. St. Paul commanded the incestuous Corinthian to be deliver'd up to Satan for the Punishment of the Flesh; that is, to be turn'd out of the Church by the Sentence of Excommunication; and to put away from among them that wicked Perfon: which fhews the Heinoufnefs and Scandal of this Vice, and how much it is to be fhun'd and detefted of all Chriftians. These are the Vices of a marry'd State prohibited in this Commandment. Befide which, 4. Under Adultery here is forbidden all Fornication, which is the Incontinence of fingle Perfons; whereby they let loose the Reins to unbridled Lufts, and proftitute themfelves to the vile Embraces of a Harlot. This, tho not altogether fo bad as the former, it being a greater fault to fin with, and against the Remedy provided in this Cafe than without it; yet is a vile Enormity committed against the exprefs Law and Will of God, who hath commanded to flee Fornication and all youthful Lufts, and to walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit: yea, this Sin (as the Apoftle tells us) is committed against our own Bodies, which inftead of being kept holy unto the Lord, are ftain'd and polluted with filthy Lufts; whereby we unhallow thofe Temples of the Holy Ghoft, and make the Members of Chrift become the Members of an Harlot. 5. Under Adultery here is forbidden all the inward Uncleannefs and Impurity of the Mind, tho it never come into outward Act; for God, who is the Judge and searcher of Hearts, loves Purity and Truth in the inward Parts: How long (faith he to the Inhabitants of Ferufalem) shall vain Thoughts lodge within you? Thefe as much defile a Man in the fight of God, as any external Uncleanness; for be that lufteth after a Woman, bath committed Adultery already in his Heart, Mat. 5. 28. 6. Here is forbidden all Lasciviousness or Wantonness of Behaviour, discover'd either by Gestures, Words, or Actions: The lafcivious Eye, which appears in amorous and wanton Glances, call'd by St. Peter, Eyes full of Adultery, 2 Pet. 2. 14. The lafcivious Tongue, which is delighted in obfcene and filthy Communication, call'd therefore a World of Iniquity, Fames 3. 6. The lafcivious Ear, that greedily liftens to and receives fuch vain Communication, call'd therefore the Inlet of Vanity. The lafcivious Hand, that |