An E?Cpojition upon the his Taunts. be not :very,bitter nor biting, only to call him a weak filly Perfon, yet hereby ,he mcurs the danger of a fevercr Sentence, and execution of it upon him forever. . Bijt now the fcvercft Sentence which this Sanhedrim could .pronounce againfr the greatcft M:~lcfactor~, .- was that they fhou ld be burnt alive w~th Fire. Th1s Exccu... l:iqn was always performed in the V:aBey of Himtom, joining to 1crufaltm, which being a place wher'ein were frequ~I).t Fires made, both in IdOlatrous titncs for the fa; rificing o~ the}r Children to Ml).foch, and in their Pt!rer times for ~o~fi~ming the Ftlth of their Ctty, and that whtch was as bad, thctr Malefa&ots· ; I t IS nQt nofrequent in the Scripture to denote Hell by this Topher, this Valley of Hinnom; which f9r its continual Fires, was a lively Type and Reprefentation -·of it; yea~ the very Scripture name for Hell, r£~vvo., feems to be derived from the Valley of Hinnom. Now as Burning of Ma)efafrors in Gehcnna,1 or. the Valley of Hinnom, Was among the 1eros one of their higheft and fevereft Punilhments, and never in flicted but where tjle Crime was very gro:fs and flagitious; fo fJ.ith out Saviour, He that faith to his Brother, M~r~, 11JOu fool, fhall be in danger of Gehenna, of Hell-fire, ;. e. of a feverer Punifhment in the true :Hell, than thofe W'ho were either caufelefly angry, or expreffed their anger in ffiore tolerable Reproaches, although even they alfo Ihal( (without Repentance) be eternally punifu'd. . So th.lt die fenfc of our Saviour in all this Allufion, feems to be this : That wh'crea_s the Scribes and Pharifees had refirain'd that Command, Thou ]halt not kill, ooly t6 aaual Murther, as if nothing elfC were forbidd~n befides open Violence and Blood; our Saviour contrariwife teacheth," That not only that furious and barbarous Sin of Murthcr, but :.tlfo ralh and caufele(o:;' Anger, though it only eil:uate and boil in the Heart, much more if it cart forth its. foam at the Mouth in rev:iling Speeches, fall under that Prohibition·, Thou Jlutlt not ~ill. .~,11 thcfe Degrees deferve to be punirh'd With eternal Death--;' bnt, as among the Y?ws, fame where punifh'd with lighter, ,others with more grievous Penalties, fo' fhall It be at the great Judgment: Anger in our Hearts Jll:tll be condemned with. eternal Punilhmcnts; but if it break forth into re"Vilirlg .Expreffions, the Condcmna- ~ion fhall be more intolerable, and by fa much more, by how much the Rcproache.; are more bitter and farcaftical. · ·' This, in brief, I take to be the true meaning of this difficult Speech of our Sa vi~ 6ur, the whole -fcope whereof !hews, That not only the grofs Acts of Sio, but alfo ihc inward Difpofitions, and corrupt Affeaions unto Sin, and every degree and ten~ dency towards it, are forbidden and threatned by the holy L:.tw of God . · So likcwife, Verfe 27. of this 5th Chapter, Ye have hMrd that it w.-u faid by them of old time, Tbou jhalt not commit adultery. But I fay unto )'Ou, That wl:ofotver jhal/10()/;: upon a woman to luft after her, hath co~mitted adultery already with her in hiJ heart- Here our Saviour brings inward Concupifcence.to the Bar, and _m:~.kes . thc Heart and Eye r~~~~fs.uilty, although pofiibly Ihamc or fear might reftram the ~roffcr aas of Fil~ · Thus, by thcfe few Inftances, although many more might be ::tdded, I have ll1ewn, that the fame Precept which.forbids the ,outward acts of Sin, forbids likewife the in~ ward dcfires and motions of Sin"in the Heart. · And indeed, there is a great deal of reafon for it: For God who is our Lawgiver, is a )Spirit; he feeth and converfeth with our Spirits. There is ·not the lc:.tft thought that flits in thy Soul2 not the leafr ~adow of. an imaginatidh. cafr.upon t.hY. . Fancy, not the frillcft brcathmg of a dcfire m the Heart, but God 1~ pnvy to It; he fees t<;> tbe very bottom of that deep fpri ng and fource of Thoughts that is in thy Heart; he beholds them i.(l their caufes and occafions; and knows our thonghts, as ' the Pfalinift fpeaks, afar 9ff: he beholds our Souls more clearly and di frindly than we can behold one anothers Faces; and therefore it is but fit and rational, that his Laws ilim1ld reach :.ts far as ,h is Knowledge; and that he fhould prefcribe Rules to that, whofe irregularity he can obferve an,d.puniih. Hence it is t~at the Apoltle, confidering what an Energy the Law hl9- upon th::tt part of Man wh1ch feerhed moft · R•~ . 14 . free and uncOntrolled, his.Mind and Spirit, calls it a Spir!tu:.tl Law, · J~e ~ow, faith · 7 he, that tht·Law U fpiritual; and that, becaufe the fearchmg and connnctng power of it enters into our Spji'ip, cites our; Thoughts, accufeth o~r Defircs,· condemn·s our Affettions, which no.,othcr Law in. the World, befides thts, can do: For how juftly riiiiculous would thofebe, thar'ihould command ns not to thinkd.ilhonourabl y . ~
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