contemptible even to boys, and their own vile companions; but to fober, pious men, more lothfome than the baseft thing that crawls, being fuch as were born men, but live brutes, only more brutifhly; robbing themselves, not only of God's image, but of man's; and it is a difparagement even to the beafts, to be compared with them. For to be made fo of God, is no fault; and the poor creatures know not when they have enough, they cannot be forced to take more than they need. While drunkards throw on ftill, to heighten the flame; not to fupply their wants, but enrage their lufts. And then a wretched advantage they will have of a dog, only to be capable of a hell. Indeed they are fitter for the fword of juftice, than the tongue of a preacher; and fhould be hampered as wild beasts, when they will metamorphofe themselves into fuch. And O that some of thofe fwords did not lie foaking in fuch puddles, till they grow rufted and blunted for doing any execution? and they that should reflect on the wickedness, can find no hands to punish that, which finds too much room in their own hearts!

But here, my foul, let my life as well as my tongue, condemn the fin. Let me not only speak against it, but fly from it. Whoever urges me to pour down; let me remember, that God commands me to be fober. And rather let me lofe the whole gang (that may be better loft than found) than lofe one bleffed God, that is more than all; or lofe one precious foul, that if once loft, can never be recovered. O let me not ruin my foul, with that which God made for the comfort of my body. Never let me fit at it, to make a bout of it; nor be at any tempter's beck, but ftill fuch a mafter of myfelf as to know my time, and keep due measure and decorum, to have no fellowship with the unfruitful, pernicious works of darknefs, but rather

reprove

reprove them, and contribute all that ever I am able, to confound and fupprefs them.

હૃદ

THE PRAY E R.

Bleffed GOD! how art thou provoked daily, by fuch as moft fhamefully abuse thy "overflowing mercies, to make them the occafions "of all their foul exceffes, and turn thy fweet "bounty, into riotous luxury! that which should " raise up their hearts, and fill them with thy holy

praife, is fpilt all upon their lufts, and ferves only "to fink and overwhelm their fouls. Rebuke the "beafts of the people, O Lord, and fave them from

perishing, in the bottomlefs gulf of infatiable ex

cefs; and teach them fo to abftain, out of fober "choice, where plenty is before them, that they "may not be forced to abftain, out of fad neceffity, "where they shall never have another drop. 0 "bring this wretched world to better confidera. "tion; that fobriety may come more in reputa

tion; and to be temperate in all things, may not "be made even the common fcorn of all men; but "that the general thirft may be after that spiritual "drink, which fhall be in us, a well of water "fpringing up to everlasting life. Amen."

MEDI

MEDITATION LX.

Of the great wickedness of lewdness.

HAT which paffeth off with fo many,

for a

free humour, the eafinefs of converfation, a trick of youth, and matter of sport; my foul, confider it better, and thou wilt like it ftill the worse; not only as it is forbidden, and damned by his Word, who best knows how to pronounce of it; but also by reason of the evil and turpitude, that is infeparable from its own nature. For "adulteries "and fornications defile a man," Matth. xv. 19, 20. They make him a fordid creature, lothfome to God and man; yea, even to his own felf. Though it is following the impetus and fwing of nature; yet it is only of that nature, which makes men the children of wrath; that is, the nature is depraved and corrupt, which inclines a man to go all to naught and ruin, and fets his beastly defires above all his reafon and religion, to fhew how far he is gone from God; yea, how contrary grown to him, and what a rueful picture is drawn upon his foul, to efface that divine image there, after which he was created. Befides the contempt and odium upon the lewd wretches, that makes them the fcorn and abhorrence of all good men that know them, and the traits and beggary, to which the chargeable lufts do often reduce them, and the plague upon their bodies, the rottennefs in their bones, and such a beginning of hell's fire in their flesh, as makes them, even while they are alive, worfe than dead to themselves, and a public nuifance to the world:

the

the faddeft part of all the ftory, is that war which fleshly lufts do wage against their fouls, and the fearful havock they make upon them, to befot those fouls, and take them quite off all that is worthy of a man, bringing them down to grovel and crawl, like fnakes along the ground, and lick the duft of the earth; yea, making them fubject to the power of the devil, and ready to fink into the pit of hell; and yet all this is good in their eyes, and they will be brutes and filthy ftill, committing all uncleannefs with greediness: though it be that which a man can never answer to his own reason, but makes him go felf-condemned as a base fool, and ftings every confcience that has any life in it, and ruins all the hopes of heaven, into which, the Holy Scripture is exprefs, that the unclean generation fhall not enter: though it be a wickedness, plated with fo many other fins, and drags after it the black chain of idlenefs, gluttony, drunkenness, luxury, pride, covetoufnefs, wrath, vengeance, murder, ftealing, lying, fwearing, what not? any thing that helps on his lewd defigns, the filthy creature is for: any thing that ftands in the way of his inflamed lufts he will break through; and though fhameful and tormenting punishments have been contriv. ed and established for it in this world, among all nations upon earth, and the faddeft reckoning remains in the world to come, when humouring the vile body will spill the precious foul, and whoremongers and adulterers God will fo judge, that they will have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimftone; yet fo does this wickedness infatuate the mind, that it bereaves one who gives himself up to it, even of himself, takes away his heart, and the difcerning of a rational creature; to leave a brute beast, an impertinent ape, in the room of the man. And then he has no fenfe or wit, but only to lay traps and fnares for himfelf, and to

bring about his own fhame and fmart. The fear of God is departed, where the unclean fpirit takes up his lodging, and there impudence rufhes in, to ufurp the place of repentance; the jaded finners fo bearing it out, as if none were so much to blame, as they that offer to centure them. And thus do they contract the vile habit, the bold face, to carry on their trade with audaciousness and affurance.

But though they have the hardiness, to appear as proctors for the fcandalous caufe; and many fine things are in a readinefs to be faid for their darling; yet let not all this, my foul, ever induce thee to think a jot the better of that, which (in truth) is ftark naught, and will certainly have a forrowful end, in fad repentance, or in fadder torments. And if the lufts of uncleannefs are the price of a foul; and fuch enjoyments will coft me the lofs of my God let the tempter then go, and find another fool to work upon. I will fear God, and remember not only the tremendous judgment into which he will bring me, but all the mighty obligations that he has laid upon me; and then argue, and put the cafe, like his faithful and approved fervant, when tempted to lewdness, Gen. xxxix. 9. "How can I do this great wickednefs, and fin against God?" OI abhor the motion: never will I be fo concerned. No, my God! I will be thine; and poffefs my veffel in fanctification and honour, at the temple of thy bleffed Spirit. And from fornication, and all fuch deadly fin, good Lord deliver me.

66

THE PRAYER.

Whither, LORD, are thy reasonable creatures funk! and how are heavenly fouls "loft in filthy flesh! that men should count it all "their heaven, to be beafts; and exceed even the