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Provocatives? In short, what muft we think of Mankind in general? Why truly, as the Scripture faith, that they are all gone aftray, they are all t0gether become filthy; there is none that doeth Good, no; not one. Such then being the great Extent of this Commandment, that no one can fay he is clear of tranfgreffing it, and fuch the Proneness of Mankind to Gallantry, as Whoredom and Adultery are now modifhly called, that it is reckoned no Stain in a Man's Character, especially if he be of Fashion, and begins to be pretty much overlooked in the Ladies, the most likely Way we can think on to deter them from this fo prevalent, so bewi ch ing a Sin, is to fet before their Eyes, in a strong Light, the dangerous Confequences, and manifeit Ruin, generally attendant thereon.

Of this, were the Scripture regarded now-a day, we need not a more convincing Proof than the Words of Solomon, a Prince who was not only the wifeft and most experienced of all Mankind, but was also divinely infpired. It cannot be faid therefore of fuch a one, that he did not know the World, for this would be an egregious Falfhood; he not only knew it better, but had indulged himfelf more in all manner of Vanities, than any one who comes after him can ever have the Opportunity or Power of doing. For what Account does he give of himself, Whatfoever mine Eyes defired I kept not from them, I with-held not my Heart from any Foy: For my Heart rejoiced in all my Labour, and this was my Portion of all my Labour. Now, after all his Experience, what faith this wife Man of the Beha viour, Subtlety, Wiles, and inticing Ways of Har lots, and of the deftructive Confequences of fol lowing after them?

Does he not declare plainly, the Lips of a frange Woman drop as an Honey Comb, and her Mouth is Smoother than Oil; but her End is bitter as Worm

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wood, sharp as a two-edged Sword; her Feet go down 10 Death; her Steps take bold on Hell. Left bon Shouldeft ponder the Path of Life, ber Ways are moveable, thou canst not know them. Therefore, continues he, remove thy Way far from her, and come not nigh the Door of her Houfe: Left thou give thine Honour unto others, and thy Years unto the Cruel. Left Stran gers be filled with thy Wealth, aud thy Labous be in the Houfe of a Stranger. And thou mourn at the laft," quhen thy Flesh and Body are confumed, What a ft ong Defcription is here of that Dettruction of Health and Wealth, of Body and Soul, that are the ne ceffary Effects of pursuing fuch vicious Courses !

And yet, in another Place, he is rather more expreffive; for, fpeaking of a young Man, who had been weak enough to liften to the feducing. Tongue of one of those artful Creatures, Wib her much fair Speech, says he, he caused him to yield, with the flattering of her Lips fhe forced him. He goeth after her fraitway, as an Ox goeth to the Slaughter, or as a Fool to the Correction of the Stocks: Till a Dart frike through bis Liver, as a Bird bafleth to the Snare and knoweth not that it is for his Life. Hearken unto me, now therefore, Oye Children, and attend to the Words of my Month. Let not thine Heart incline to ber Ways, go not aftray in her Paths. For he hath caft down many Wounded; i yeu, many trong Men but been flain by ber. Her Houfe is the Way to Hell, going down to the Chambers of Death.

With fuch a lively Picture of evident Ruin be fore our Eyes, is it not astonishing, that, any Men fhould be drawn away by fuch Women? Eipeçi. lly when we daily fee every. Part of this Account veris fied in our own Streets. The poor young Man who went into James Day's with one of his Payers, and was there thrown out at the Window, and barbaroudly murdered by them, undoubtedly thought himself very fafe, in a narrow Alley, where the oppofite

oppofire Neighbours might have feen and heard every thing that paffed ; but nevertheless he was there miferably butchered, and fent out of the World in fuch a Condition as no confiderate Perfon would be willing to die in: And numberless other melancholy Inftances of the fame Kind might be produced, befides Hundreds which, we fear, are never brought to Light..

And if fuch are the Dangers of following com mon Harlots, in whom no one can claim a Proper ty preferable to another, we may be well affured from the very Nature of Things, that invading the Bed of another must be yet more fo; accordingly, the fame wife Man declares, that Whoo committeth Adultery with a Woman lacketh Understanding be that doeth it defroyeth his own Soul. A Wound and Difbonour fhall be get, and his Reproach fhall not be wi ped away For Jealoufy is the Rage of a Man, there fore he will not pare in the Day of Vengeance. He will not regard any Ranfam; neither will be reft con tent, though thou givet many Gifts!

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But fetting Religion for once afide, and fuppofing no Danger were to be apprehended to our Souls, from fuch vicious Practices; and fuppofing alfo Men could be affured their Lives would be in Safety both from any violent and fecret Attempts against them, though quite the Reverse is true, are there no other Inconveniences to be apprehended from fuch diffolute Courses? Yes furely, and they of fuch a fhocking Nature, as might be alone fuf: ficient to deter any confiderate Perfon from them. - For let any one step into our Hofpitals, and contem plate the miferable Spectacles he will there meet with of thofe unhappy Wretches, who are dying by Inches, a Nuifance to themfelves, and all around them, and let him then fay whether thefe Martyrs to impure Embraces, are not greater Sufferers than thofe who die in the Caufe of Honour, or Religion,

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without having any of thofe Comforts which fuch Perfons enjoy in thofe Moments, that are confcious to themselves of having done well!

Again, let him remove the Scene from the Hofpitals to our Goals, and take a View of those Wretches whom their Debauchery has brought thither, and when he fees them perishing with Hunger and Cold, eaten up with Firth and Vermin, and unpitied and unlamented by all, even of their Fellow Prifoners, let him lay his Hand upon his Breaft, and fpeak impartially, whether any tranfi tory Pleasures, that can be reaped from any unlawful Commerce, are not much too dearly bought by fuch cruel Sufferings. We have now confi. dered the Cafe, exclufive of the Terrors of another World, or the untimely and violent Death we may reaforably expect in this; and if it is fo fhocking even in this Light, what muft it be when both the other almoft unavoidable Judgments are likewife put into the Account? May we not then truly fay, that the Devil is a hard Mafter, and that he gives his most faithful Drudges very fad Wages?

In effect, we might reasonably think what has been here premised, would be of itself sufficient to prevent any one's engaging in fuch Service, and prefuming to contravene the Laws of his great Creator, especially with respect to this Commandment: However, as we are but too fenfible these Truths cannot be enforced too much, inculcated too often, or impreffed too deeply on the Hearts of Men, we will now proceed to give some melancholly and fhocking Inftances, what Ravages, Devaftations, and Defolation this fingle Vice, as harm. lefs as it is generally reckoned by the Gay and Polire, has caused in the World, almost from the very Beginning thereof.

What bitter Fruit, for Example, did the tran

fent Pleasure enjoyed by Shechem the Son of Hamar, when he ravished Dinah, Jacob's fair Daughter, produce? Did it not cause the utter Defolation of his Country? Did fo much as one Male in the City efcape the general Maffacre? And were not all their Wives and Little Ones led into a miferable Captivity, after being plundered of their whole Substance? Was not himself and his Father involved in this univerfal Ruin? And was not this after his having voluntarily offered all the Compenfation in his Power; nay, even after he, and all his City had not only agreed to be circumcifed, but had actually undergone that painful Operation, and confented to become one People with the Houfe of Jacob? What worfe Ruin, what more confummate Mifery, could Fire, War, Plague, Peftilence, and Famine, have occafioned? Such were the terrible Effects of unlawful Luft!

But this Inftance, melancholly and fhocking as it is, is neither the only one, nor the worst that Sacred Hiftory affords us, of the dreadful Confe quences of this Sin; for what were the hopeful Fruits of the abominable Abuse of the Levites Concubine by the Men of Gibeah? Did not this fingle A& caule the Slaughter of above forty Thoufand of the Children of Ifrael, befides the almost Extirẻ pation of the Tribe of Benjamin, and the total Deftruction of thofe vile Wretches who occafioned this dreadful Calamity, the Men of Gibeab in particular, with their whole City, and all that were therein ! Who that reads this Account will ever be perfwa. ded to think lightly of a Sin that is attended with fuch difmal Confequences! But before we leave this Story it will be proper to observe thereon, that the Woman thus abused, was not only Concu bine to the Levite, and not his Wife, but alfo a Concubine, of whom we are exprefly told, that she had played the Whore, and confequently was falle to him. One would have been apt, therefore, to

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