S82M. XYViI.] MORALiT3=,VIZ. CHASTITYi &C. 447 you find this vice of impurity is twice forbidden; once in the perfect act, and again in the criminal wish and inten- tion, Observe here, that though the words of these corn- mands directly point to adultery, yet it appears by the very reason of things, as well as from other passages of scripture, that all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions, are here forbidden, as in our younger years we have been taught in the catechism. Nor is this a law that belonged only to the Jews, for the New Testament mentions and enjoins this command with the rest, which are of equal force under the gospel. The law forbids all manner of lust, and saith : Thou shalt not covet ; Rom. vii. 7. The great apostle puts the Thessalonians in mind of what he had taught them as the law of Christ. 1 Thess. iv. 2, 3, 4, 5. For ye know what commandments wegaveyou by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even yoursanctification, that you should abstain fromfornication : That every one ofyou shouldknow how to possess his vessel in sanctificationand honour ; not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the gentiles which know not God. It is as much as if he had said, it is a dishonour to christianity, and a step of return towards heathenism, to give a loose to impure lusts. He repeats the same thing; Eph. iv. 17-21. This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other gentile walk, in the vanity of their minds, having the undersnding darkened, being aliena- tedfrom the life ofGod through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness oftheir heart : Who being pastfeeling, havegiven themselves over to lasciviousness, towork all uncleanness with greediness. Butye havenot so learned Christ : " if so be ye have been led by him,, and taught the truth as it is in Jesus." In vain ye pro- fess to have learned the truth as it is in Jesus, or to have put on Christ, while you practise the same abominations as ye did before; while ye walk and live as the vile hea- then world. H. The hateful description of these sins which is given us by the holy writers, should print the same odious image of them upon our minds, and for ever forbid the practice. Solomon, a great king, and a man of excel- lent wisdom, had well known the mischief and madness or this sort of vice he gives, his son the most soleima 5
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