tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifs of the rocks. Isaiah, lvii, 5. And didst debase themselves unto hell, v. 9. And again, in another place, Jeremiah saith, lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness, and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedest to be ashamed. Jeremiah, iii, 2. And again, he saith I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing; they commit adultery, and walk in lies; they strengthen also the hands of evil doers, that none doth return from his wickedness; they are all of them unto me as Sodom, aud the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. Jeremiah xxiii, 14. And again, behold the whorish state of Jerusalem and their great abominations which are fully described in the 16 chap. of Ezekiel. Now the Lord had been mindful of them, and done them good, and blessed them with plenty; but instead of returning gratitude and thankful prayers and praises unto their God for the same, they indulged themselves in all manner of whorish practices, so that they were counted worse than Sodom. How weak is thine heart saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman? and behold the Judgment of the Lord in this chapter, pronounced against them for their evil works. And again, the prophet speaks much of their proud, lustfull, and whorish practices in the 23d chapter, and of the judgments of God pronounced against them for the same, And now, my readers, these lustful and whorish practices if they are not restrained from, will lead men and women into blood-shedding to support and satisfy their wicked and lustful appetites, and if not repented of it appears that such will be judged as blood-shedders. See c. xvi. 38, xxiii, 45, Rev. xvii, 6. And again, hear the word of the Lord by Nabum the Prophet, concerning Nineveh that great cig. The horsemen lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear; and there is a mulitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses; and for what cause? Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured barlot, the mistress of witcherafts, that selleth

mations through her witchcraft. Nahum iii, 3. And again, behold the Revelation to John the Divine concerning this great sin, and he saith, there came one of the seven angels and talked with me, saying unto me, come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: with whom the Kings of the Earth have committed fornication, and the inhabiters of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So be carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness; and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, and the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abomi. nations and filthiness of her fornication; and upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. Rev. xvii, 1. And again, it is said that all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth bave committed fornication with her, c. xviii, 3. And he saith nnto me, the waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the women which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth, c. xvii, 15, 18. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of siauts, and of all that were slain upon the earth, c. xviii, 24, And I heard another voice fio.. Heaven, saying, come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto Heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works; in the cup which she hath filled fil to her double. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burnt with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. Rev. xviii, 4. And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia: Salvation, and Glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God. For true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again

they said, Alleluia. Rev. xix, 1.

ever.

Gen.

And her smoke rose up for ever and Now it appears to me by scripture, if I mistake not, that those Babylonians was descendants from Ham, who mocked his father in his weakness. ix, 22. And it brought a curse upon him, and it seems to be a great sore and growing evil among the Babylonians, and it is greatly to be feared it was to the destruction of many thousands of souls. But still I believe that the Revelation hath an allusion to all who continually practice this wicked and lustful sin in the world, therefore, mock not thy tender father nor thy tender mother in their weakness, neither grieve them as long as they live, that a blessing may come upon you by their prayers from the Lord, for the prayers of a righteous man availeth much. (See my Book called by this name.) Now hear what King Solomon saith concerning these things, a man which I believe experienced as much or more thau any man by the allurements of women. O behold his good counsel which he gives in his Proverbs, and how he recommends to us wisdom and the fear of the Lord, and he saith it is to deliver thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words, which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God, for her house inclineth unto death, and her path unto the dead. Prov. ii, 16. But at the first her lips seem to drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword Her feet go down to death, her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou caust not know them. Hear me now, therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house; lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel; lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and thy labours be in the house of a stranger, and and thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, and say, how have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof. Pov. v, 3. And he saith again, Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread; and the adultress will hunt for the precious life. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can oue go

45

upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife, shall not be innocent. Whoso committeth adultery with a woman, is weak; he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. Prov. c. vi. And again, Solomon, here by his much experience setteth forth the craftiness of a whore, and the way in which she intices a young wanton. For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, and beheld among the simple ́ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, passing through the streets near her corner; and he went the way to her house, in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night; and, behold, there met him a woman, with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house; Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner. So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, I have peace offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows, Therefore came

I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. I have bedecked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with 'carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. So with her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. So he goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the suare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. Hearken unto me now, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her houss is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. Prov. c. vii. For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, to call the passengers who go right on their ways; whoso is simple, let him turn in hither and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, stolen waters are sweet, and be eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the deal are. there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell. Prov. ix, 14. Therefore, my readers, be not deccived, God is. uot mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shaft her

L

nature.

46

also reap; for he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the spirit, shall of the spirit réap life everlasting. Gal. vi. 7. And again, we sco that the law and command of God is this, thou shall not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness. Lev. xviii, 19. But see how far sinful men and women come short of this, and hear what St. Paul saith concerning the Gentiles, and see how far they was from his holy law. For they changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. Rom. i, 25. And for this cause God gave them up unto vile affections; for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one towards another : men with men, so that they were filled with all manner of wickedness. See Romans, c 1. And again, hear and see what the law of Moses saith of these things. Leviticus, c. 20. But now, my fellow-sinners, I would advise you to hear what the Disciples of Christ say. Dearly beloved, I beseech you to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. 1 Peter, ii, 11. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, that is to say, Gospel Grace. to say, Gospel Grace. For the night of ignorance with us ought to be far spent, because the gospel day is at hand. Let us, therefore, cast off the work of dark. ness, and let us put on the armour of light, and make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lust thereof. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the father; but is of the world, and the world passeth away, and the lusts thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. Therefore, all you that read this book, be ye aware of this great and sore evil, because I believe that there is no sin that is much more detestable in the sight of God than this sin which I have stated, neither do I think that there is any sin kept in practice much more than this sin, that is to say, either by longing or lustful thoughts, or the desire of the evil heart, or by private and open practices. Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart, saith our Lord. Matt. v, 28. Now the best way to resist this great and sore evil, is by grace and humble prayer, through Christ, and to