which, like a tender guardian, fhe may not chufe to impose, but would be well pleased to see us submit to.

The doctrines of Christianity, fuch as the fufferings and death of Jefus Chrift, the Son of God, and the clear prospect of happiness or mifery after death to all eternity, tend to turn away our thoughts and cares from this prefent world: and can it be any wonder, if fome of it's precepts be found to exact a greater degree of difregard for the things on earth, and of affection for those above, than what was either likely to be found, or was generally called for under less enlightened difpenfations? The times of Acts xvii. heathen ignorance God winked at. To the Jews he gave fome precepts, because they were not then able to bear better: but now he commandeth all men every where Matth. v. to repent; and to be perfect, even as their Father in heaven is perfect.

30.

48.

Matt.xix.

8.

Because of the hardness of your hearts, Mofes fuffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not fo. Before the flood, we read but of one person who had two wives: fome of the Patriarchs took more. The Jewish law was very favourable to the men; if liberty in this case be a favour. Not that every liberty, feemingly allowed by it, was therefore always innocent. There is room for great wrong within the letter of the law. And after all the conceffions of Mofes in favour of divorce, we find one of the Prophets altogether condemnMal.ii.16. ing the whole practice; Take heed, — and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth; for the Lord the God of Ifrael faith, that he hateth putting away.

Among the Greeks and Romans, though the laws, or at least the practice might be different at different periods of time; yet in general, Polygamy was forbidden, Divorce allowed: and even the women

were

were admitted to the participation of this liberty, as is indeed implied in that paffage of St. Paul, where he diffuades both parties from the use of it.

12, 13.

If any brother hath a wife, that believeth 1 Cor. vii. not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleafed to dwell with her, let her not leave him. Yet in the earliest and moft virtuous times of the Romans*, to the credit of the republick, no man ever was known to put away his wife: no woman attempted to leave her husband.

The fifter of Herod the Great, is faid to have been the first woman among the Jews, that took upon her to divorce her husband; learning this leffon from the Greeks and Romans.

P 3

Plutarch, in Thefeus and Romulus.

But

+ Jofeph. Antiq. Jud. Lib. 15. c. 7.- wiμme μὲν εὐθὺς αὐτῷ γραμμάτιον, απολυομένη τὸν γάμον, ἢ κατὰ τὰς Ιεδαίες νόμος.

2, IO.

But whatever liberty the laws of particular nations, or that of nature might Cor. vii. allow, the Chriftian rule is this, To avoid fornication let every man have his own wife, and every woman have her own husband:let not the wife depart from her husband, and let not the husband put away his wife.

Deut.

xxii. 22.

The punishment of adultery, by the laws of many civilized nations, and even by the divine law given to the Jews, was death; and that to both the parties concerned in the offence. If a man be found lying with a woman, married to a husband, then they shall both of them die. Let us not imagine the guilt to be no longer the fame, because the penalty is apparently leffened it is not leffened; but only delayed, and reserved to be inflicted with more certainty and feverity by other Hebr.xiii. hands: whoremongers and adulterers God

4.

will judge.

By the Christian law, fornication is

for

3.

forbidden, as well as adultery. For this 1 Thef. iv. is the will of God, that ye should abstain from fornication.

We need not proceed to enumerate other tranfgreffions of Christian chastity, lefs, or greater than thefe; or compute the degrees of aggravation, that may be in each of them. He is the wifeft, in this cafe, who is the moft ignorant. It were fome offence, to look narrowly into fuch fubjects and of what use, alas! to adjust the difference of vices, which are all inconfiftent with a state of falvation? For hear the sentence of the great Apoftle: Now the works of the flesh are manifeft, Gai.v.19, which are thefe; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lafcivioufnefs, and fuch like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time paft, that they which do fuch things, fhall not inherit the kingdom of God. -For this ye know, that no whoremonger, Ephef. v. nor unclean perfon hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ, and of God. And then,

P4

&c.

5.