with Innocence and Integrity both of Body and Mind.

So much for the Second Thing I proposed to caution you against, namely, the Seeking or Embracing the Occafions for this Sin, by lustful Looks or Converfation.

III. I come now to the Third Thing which I propofed; namely, to caution you against all mental Uncleanness, by Looking and Lufting after Women in your Heart. There is nothing more common in all Authors, and in all Languages, than for Words of Seeing and Looking to be used not only for Seeing and Looking with the Eyes of the Body, but for Looking and Contemplating with the Eye of the Mind. Now this differs from what we just now spoke of, in regard that that related all to Bodily Looking and Converfation, but this to the Thoughts of the Mind; and is principally the Work of the Imagination and Memory; a Forge, in which the Devil first contrives, Frames and Models all Vices, and often Experiments and puts them in Execution in the Sight of God, when the World abroad knows nothing of the Matter. And there is no Sort of Vices perhaps of which there is more tranfacted in this inward Shop of Wickedness, than this Sort of Uncleanness, the Lufting and committing Fornications and Adulteries in the Heart. It was therefore an Improvement worthy of our Saviour, to vindicate this principal Part of this Law, from the defective Gloffes and Interpretations of the Jewish Doctors. For though it must be confeffed that outward Grofs Acts of Uncleanness have many more Aggravations, to encrease the Sinfulness of them, than these only mental Impurities have; particularly

particularly in that they both give a greater Scandal to the World, and engage another Partner in the Crime; yet that these inward Pollutions too defile the Perfon, and make him Guilty in the Sight of God, and have abundance of Mischievous Confequences, will appear, if we confider these two or three Things. 1. First, As to all that I formerly reprefented to you, concerning the Spiritual and Internal Dangers of the grofs Acts of Uncleanness, bating the Guilt of involving others in the Crime, it is all true likewise of these mental Impurities. They are most directly oppofite to the Spirit of Chriftianity; they are certain Signs of an unregenerate Carnal Mind. To be Carnally minded is Death, fays the Apoftle, Rom. viii. 6. but to be Spiritually minded is Life and Peace; because the carnal Mind is Enmity against God. And elsewhere he tells us that They who are Chrift's have Crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lufts (a). These mental Impurities are very great Enemies to Faith and Repentance, and the Love of God and our Neighbour; they do as much banish the Spirit of Grace, and tie down the Heart to carnal Objects; they make us as negligent and sluggish in all Duties, and engage us in as many finful Designs; they are as tenacious and hard to get rid of; they are as odious in the Sight of God, and have as bad Effects upon the inner Man, bringing as great a Sottishness and Senfuality upon his Spirit, and filling his Mind with as bad Ideas; they are as great Pull-backs in Devotion, and occafion as great wandring and absence of Mind in all good Exercifes; they caft down the Spirit, and damp it's (a) Gal. v. 24.

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[SERM. Hope in God as much as thofe other groffer Acts. 2. As to the other external evil Confequences, which they do not directly reach, they are yet far from being clear or innocent of them, lending an Head to contrive them, and an Heart like a Fruitful Womb to conceive them, and bring them to Maturity. So that whatever Mischiefs the grofs Acts of Uncleanness do caufe or Occafion, mental Impurity is the Caufe of that Cause, and the Occafion of that Occafion; if it does not actually Ruin the Man's Body, and Eftate, and Reputation, and Pofterity, it puts him upon thofe other groffer Sins which do; So that in fome Sort the impure Mind is like the Principal in a Tranfgreffion, and the External Acts are like his Tools and Slaves. The impure Mind prepares the Soil, and fows the Seed of thofe grofs Vices, which afterwards bring a plentiful Harvest of Sin and Mifery; which no doubt will be laid to it's Charge. 3. It is no fmall Aggravation of mental Impurities, that there is commonly more Expence of Time and Thought about them, than about the grofler Acts; a longer Contrivance, a more leifurely Contemplation, a more permanent finful Delectation; whereas the groffer Acts are momentany and sudden, like a Bee, when it Stings, which immediately flies away, and leaves the wounded Perfon to the smart of Sorrow and Repentance. In this then the mental Impurity is rather more guilty than fome fudden grofs Acts, as Murder is a more heinous Sin than Manslaughter; the one being guilty of a leifurely Compaffing and Imagining, and the other of a fudden Acting the Death of his Neighbour.

But to prevent Mistakes, I muft again put you in Mind, that from this mental Impurity, and all the evil Confequences of it, I except thofe fudden evil Thoughts which are juft prefented to the Imagination, and not permitted to harbour there; but are immediately thrown out, without obtaining any Affent from the Heart. In that Cafe I judge they are Temptations, not Sins; and that the fudden expelling them is a great Act of Virtue. The only mental Impurity then which I mean, when I caution you thus against it, is that which is joined with an inward Affent, and leifurely Delectation, which truly conftitutes the carnal Mind, and is the Original of other impure Contrivances and Actions.

Thus now I have done what I proposed, in cautioning you against the feveral Tranfgreffions of the Seventh Commandment, mentioned in the Text; Namely, the grofs Acts of Uncleanness; the Seeking and Embracing Occafions of them; and mental Impurity. But before I dismiss the Subject, there is fome Ufe by way of Exhortation, I must make of what has been faid upon it, and I fhall quickly have done.

Upon Occafion then of the Duties here recommended, let me exhort you firft to humble your felves under a Senfe of the manifold Tranfgreffions of them. I might here juftly take up the Lamentation of the Prophet Jeremiah, bewailing the Judgments of God for the like Sins of his People, fer. ix. 1. O that my Head were Waters, and mine Eyes a Fountain of Tears, that I might weep Day and Night for the flain of the Daughter of my People. O that I had in the Wilderness a Lodging-Place of Way-faring Men, that I might leave my People and go from them,

for

for they be all Adulterers, an Affembly of treacherous Men. The Sins against this Seventh Commandment are fo daringly committed, as if they were no Sins at all; Men are not afhamed of them; they declare their Sin as Sodom, and hide it not. One can hardly reprove the gross Acts of this Sort of Vices, without running the hazard of having his Reproofs made the more Ridiculous of the two. And if it is thus with the grofs Acts, what shall we fay of the Mental Impurities? In this refpect certainly all have Sinned, and have come short of the Glory of God. Who can Jay, I have made my Heart clean, I am pure from my Sin? Alas, if none are to fee God, but The Pure in Heart, as our Saviour describes, have we not all Reafon to be afraid that we shall not be admitted to that Bleffed Vifion? But if we have not the Purity of Innocence, let us endeavour at least after the Purity of Repentance. Let us wash away our Sins in Tears of godly Sorrow; and pray to God with the Pfalmift, Pf. li. 9. Hide thy Face from my Sins, and blot out all mine Iniquities; Create in me a clean Heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me. And to our Prayers let us add our fervent Endeavours for acquiring a Spirit of Purity; for it is not lazy Prayers that God hears; it is not fuch Prayers as I remember St Austin tells us of himfelf, that in his Youth before his Converfion, he ufed to pray to God to bestow upon him the Gift of Chastity, but he added fecretly in his own Mind, Pot yet awhile. If we are come to a through, full, and immediate Defire after Purity, and pray heartily for it, and endeavour diligently after it, God will blefs both our Prayers

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