SFRM. XXVII. CHRISTIAN MORALITY, ß'I7,. OVASTITY, &C. 449 enticed away by strange women from the God and relu gion of his fathers, when he paid such profane and crimi- nal regard to the idols of his mistresses, as to build tem- ples for them near the temple of Jehovah ; and the Lord was angry with Solomon, when his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and he rent the kingdom from him in the days of his son Rehoboam, and made a long and fatal separation between the tribes of Israel for many generations. And, to name no more, " turn your eyes to Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities of the plain, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh ; mark how the Lord rained fire and brim- stone out of heaven upon them, and they are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Jude 7. IV. Think of the dreadful threatenings that are de- nounced against impure sinners in the word of God, and you will find these are flaming witnesses against their practice ; Hos. iv. 1 -5. " The Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of theland, because of killing, steal- ing, and adultery ; therefore shall the landmourn.' And God seems to forbid the prophets to give them reproof, as though he resolved to destroy them. Let no man strive and reprove another. His mercy and forgiveness seem to be put to a stand ; Jer. v. 7, 9. How shall I pardon thee for this ? saith the Lord ; thy children have forsaken nie when I fed them to the full, they then çom- niitted adultery, and assembled themselves in troops in the harlots' houses. Shall I not visit them for these things saith the Lord; and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this ?" When the apostle Paul had re- presented this sort of vice in i Cor. vi. 18, 19. as a de- filement of the body, which is the temple of God, and the habitation of the Holy Spirit : the adds this word of ter- ror; iii. 17. " Ifany man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy;" for the temple of God is and ought to be holy, and not kept as a nest for unclean vermin. " Be not deceived ; neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor those who indulge vile impurities, shall inherit the kingdom of God ; 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. Such were some of you indeed, says St. Paul to his con- verts, but ye are washed and sanctified from these polio tions, or you could never have been saved. Therefore' vol. I. G
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