The EJJil of Uncleamzefr. 397 9· 12 • 10 , Your own experience and confciences wi!l_ccll you,. that if it be not exceeding!~ mo~ derated it •otfittnb you for every boly duty! You are unhr w rnedttate 011 God, or to pny to htm, or lO recei~e h.i/word, or f.tcrarnent: And therefOre nature tcacherh chafe thHmeddle with holy thi11gs to be more continent than others ; which Scripture alfo fccondeth . 1 S.Jm, 2 I· 4, 5• Such fon{:tal Rev. r 4 • 4 , things and facred thingo; do nor wdl <~gree ,!"~O near. . §· 13 , 11 • And as by all this you fee fuffiCJent caufe, why God fl1ould . mal<c fl11crer Laws for rhc bridling of Lufi, than flefhly lutlful perIons like j fo whm his Laws arc v~~ k.!n by the unclean, it IS a tin that Confcier.ce ( till it be quire debauched) doth de(ply accufe the guilty lor, and beareth a vety clear tdlimony againll: 0 th~ unquietnefs! the horror! the defpa~r '.hat I haye known m:my per- s.,-th CbrJfa 4 {( 5 · 0 (Ven for the tin of j(lfpoUutiou that never proceeded to fonucatton ! And how many adulre- {JomThe ~n ~nd fornicators have we known that have ·livcO. and died in ddpair, and tOme of rhern hang/d Adulterer :h~mfelves! Confcirnce will condemn rhis ti11 with a heavy condemnation, t:ll wjlom or infidelity h1ve ·J~~~1 1~~r~~~i, Utterly feared it. lll?ilmiler.lble: JbJJ in felr, ttcmbimg it .1 tllldow, fearing them th:tt know, :1nd lbemthat kno·.v not: always iu pain, even in the ,b, 1.(.;.: §· q .. 12 • And it is alfo ver.y obferva~le, .chat. ~hen T?en have once maflercd confcience inthh ~ poil,rt, and reconciled it to this hn ..of [urmcatlon, H s an hundred to one dtat they are t~trerly hardned 1 Tim. 6 9 • jn all•bhominatlon and fcuce make confcience of any other villany whacfoever! It once fornicati~ ff~«_'{d l11/li 01~ go for uolbing, ~r a fi 11 aU m.tltcr wic.h rhe~, ufually all ~ther tin is ~irh them of the fame account: =~:~:~= ~t;;1~ If they have but an equaltemptati!#% to Jt, lymg, and fweanng, and pequry, :and thefr, ye~ ;md mur- llio;z 4!1dprrdi: dcr and rreafon would fccm [mall too; I ntvtr knew any one of thefe but he was rcconc1leab!e and rio, 1 , pnPared for any fvillany that the D~vil fer him upon : And if I know fuch a man, I would no more rruJt him, rhan 1woald truft a man that wants nothing but Imerejf and Opport:mity to comm_it any heynons fin that you can name. Though I. confefs I have kno.wn divers of tht: formerfort~ t.hat havecorn. mind this fin under honoc and d(fpa1r, that have retamed fome good m other pomrs, and h:1ve wlt~n :~.n been recovered l yea of this l!JtCr {urt, that luve reconciled their CtmfciencrJ to fornication, I never AJuirereras; knew one that was rwrvered, or that retaim:d any thing of Confciencc or honeny, but fo much of the- ked ·fbJ./tS jhtw of it as their Pride and worldJy intrrejt commanded chem ~ and they were malignant enemies of bhe\~cr he ~ goodJ 1 efs in others, and lived accord in? w.the unclean fPjrit which poffdfcd them. They are terrible~: ;~:g7~~~~ ~ words, Prov. 2• 1S, 19• For her houfe mclmeth unto dcatb, and her patiJJ mtto the den.d: NOJte th.zt go his tin, he :m~. unto her return ag.1i.1t, neither tak,fl they bcld on the patlu of life. Agt keepcth them from actual tilthi- hvered hi.m, nefs a?d h~H ( and fo may Hell; for there is no tornication); but they retain (heir debauched feared ta~~;r;1;11 ~;! Confctenct:s. 1{ rho;~ d.m be~ an•du!tmr, thou darell for(we:lt thy fdf, L4et't. Hero:{ Jurfl b~.·had. ]ob~, lhat durll be inccHu.ous. ~- 1 5· 1 3 .. And it is the greater fin becau[c it is not committed alo1te ~ bur the Devil takc:th them by couples: Lull cnlhmeth Jult: And rhe fewel fct together makes the grearefi flame: Thou art guilry of the tin of thy wrc:::tched companion, as wdl-as o( thine own. 9· 16. I+· Lafily the mi{cr1.1ble c.Jfdil of ir, and.d1e punijhmcntJ th~~ in tbiJ tif~ have attended it, do Jud., 9 . ~ 20; · tell us how G('daccountcth of the hn; le hat& rumed peJfons) famJlu:s and Kmgdoms: And God Th~etnbeof hath born his tellimony againfi ir, by many ligr.al judgements, which all Hillones almoH acquaint you Be~;atr.in was with. A~ t~ere is fcarc~ any tin !hat the New-tcftamen,t more frcql,ently and bitterly cond.emnerh, (as ~~~~~~~;~~:a~ you may lee m Paull Ep1Hlcs, 2 Pet. 2· Jud &c,) fo there are not many that Gods provtdence more 6onofanAdul... frequen{ly pur!ueth withjhamc and mitcry on earth: _And in the lauer end of the world, God harh teryorr:ape. · added one concomitant plague not known before, called commonly, the Luu Ventre.1, the Venertotu Se( Num. 25'-~ Pox; fo that many of the moll bruitifh fort, go about Higmatizcd with a mark of Gods Vlngeance, G 8 • :.,;- the prognof\ick or warning of a heavier vengeance. And there is none of tht:m all (that by great 1 ~:1~11,2;:.~~·0, Repentance be not made new creatures) but leave an infarr.ous name .and memory, when t.fiey are dead, Luk 3 : 19 . .. (if their !in was publickly known) Let thc:m be never fo great, and never fo ga!lanr, victorious, fuc- rCor.~· 1. cefsful, liberal, and flattered or applauded while they lived, God ordereth it fo, thH Trmb 01all or- J~h. 8. ~· dinarily prevail, wi1h the H1fl:orians that Wiite of them when they are dead ; and with all .fober {a:.~~lla.lf . men, their names ror and fiiuk, as .well as their bodies: Ptov. IO· 7· 1/Je memory Dj the juJl is blef4 · fed, but tht name of tfu n ic~ed {hJJli rot. So much of theGreatnefi of the fin. Bonif.:tce Arch-Bifhop of Memz writing ro Etbilbald an Engli(h King that was a fornicator, Epitl. 19 faith [Fornication is a reproach not only anong Chrifiians, but Pag10s --- For in old Saxunie, if a virgin had thus fiained her Fathers houfe, or a marryed woman, breaking the marriage covenant had co~mittCd adultery, fometime rhey force her to hang her fdf with her oWn hand, and over her afhes when (be; is burnt, they hang the fornicator. Sometimes they gather a band of women, they lead her about IC:ourging her ~ith rods; and cutting olfher-cloarhs at rhe girdle, and with fmall knives cutting and pricking all her body, they fend her from Village to Village thus bloody and i1l'"£led with little wounds ; And fo more and more, (incited by a zeal for chafiity ) do meet her and fcourge her again, till they ~leave her either dead, or fcarce alive; that others may fear adulrcry and h1xury : And che fYimds which is the filthiefi: and worfi: fort of men, do keep the love of Matrimony with fo great a zeal>thac rhe w?man will refufc to live when h~r husband is dead: And after forne reproofs of the fornicating Kmg, he adderh thcfe further llones [ Crolrod your Htghnefs prcdecdfor, as they witnefs who were prdent, be being fplendidly bJnquctting with hi• Earles, was by the evil fpirit that drew him toviolate
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