who infeft populous cities; the whole of which is a general confequence of fornication, and to the increase and continuance of which, every act and inftance of fornication contributes.

3. Fornication produces habits of ungovernable lewdnefs, which introduce the more aggravated crimes of feduction, adultery, violation, &c.* Likewife, however it be accounted for, the criminal commerce of the fexes corrupts and depraves the mind and moral character more than any fingle fpecies of vice whatsoever. That ready perception of guilt, that prompt and decisive resolution against it, which conftitutes a virtuous character, is feldom found in perfons addicted to thefe indulgences. They prepare an eafy admiffion for every fin that seeks it; are, in low life, ufually the firft ftage in men's progress to the most defperate villanies; and, in high life, to that lamented diffolutenefs of principle, which manifests itself in a profligacy of public conduct, and a contempt of the obligations of religion and of moral probity. Add to this, that habits of libertinifm incapacitate and indispose the mind for all intellectual, moral, and religious pleasures; which is a great lofs to any man's happiness.

4. Fornication perpetuates a difeafe, which may be accounted one of the foreft maladies of human nature; and the effects of which are faid to visit the conftitution of even diftant generations.

The paffion being natural proves that it was intended to be gratified; but under what reftrictions, or whether without any, must be collected from different confiderations.

The Chriftian fcriptures condemn fornication abfolutely and peremptorily. "Out of the heart," fays our Saviour, "proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, blafphe

* Of this paffion it has been truly faid, "that irregularity has no limits; that one excefs draws on another; that the moft caly, therefore, as well as the most excellent way of being virtuous, is to be fo entirely." Ogden,

Sermon xvi.

mies; these are the things which defile a man." These are Chrift's own words; and one word from him upon the fubject is final. It may be observed with what fociety fornication is claffed; with murders, thefts, falfe witnefs, blafphemies. I do not mean that these crimes are all equal, because they are all mentioned together; but it proves that they are all crimes. The Apoftles are more full upon this topic. One well-known paffage in the Epiftle to the Hebrews may ftand in the place of all others; because, admitting the authority by which the Apoftles of Chrift fpake and wrote, it is decifive: "Marriage and the bed undefiled is honourable amongst all men, but whore-mongers and adulterers God will judge;" which was a great deal to say, at a time when it was not agreed even amongst philofophers themselves that fornication was a crime.

The fcriptures give no fanction to those aufterities, which have been fince impofed upon the world under the name of Chrift's religion, as the celibacy of the clergy, the praise of perpetual virginity, the prohibitio concubitus cum gravida uxore; but, with a just knowledge of, and regard to the condition and intereft of the human fpecies, have provided, in the marriage of one man with one woman, an adequate gratification for the propenfities of their nature, and have reftricted them to that gratification.

The avowed toleration, and in fome countries the licenfing, taxing, and regulating of public brothels, has appeared to the people an authorizing of fornication; and has contributed, with other causes, fo far to vitiate the public opinion, that there is no practice of which the immorality is fo little thought of or acknowledged, although there are few, in which it can more plainly be made out. The legiflators who have patronized receptacles of proftitution ought to have forefeen this effect, as well as confidered, that whatever facilitates fornication diminishes marriages. And as to the ufual apology for this relaxed difcipline,

the danger of greater enormities if accefs to proftitutes were too ftrictly watched and prohibited, it will be time enough to look to that, when the laws and the magiftrates have done their utmost. The greateft vigilance of both will do no more, than oppofe fome bounds and fome difficulties to this intercourfe. And, after all, these pretended fears are without foundation in experience. The men are in all refpects the moft virtuous, in countries where the women are most chaste.

There is a species of cohabitation, diftinguishable, no doubt, from vagrant concubinage, and which, by reafon of its resemblance to marriage, may be thought to participate of the fanctity and innocence of that eftate; I mean the case of kept mistresses, under the favourable circumftance of mutual fidelity. This cafe I have heard defended by fome fuch apology as the following:

"That the marriage rite being different in different countries, and in the fame country amongst different fects, and with fome scarce any thing; and, moreover, not being prefcribed or even mentioned in fcripture, can be accounted of only as of a form and ceremony of human invention: that, confequently, if a man and woman betroth and confine themfelves to each other, their intercourse must be the fame, as to all moral purposes, as if they were legally married for the addition or omiffion of that which is a mere form and ceremony, can make no difference in the fight of God, or in the actual nature of right and wrong.'

To all which it may be replied,

1. If the fituation of the parties be the fame thing as marriage, why do they not marry ?

2. If the man choose to have it in his power to difmifs the woman at his pleasure, or to retain her in a ftate of humiliation and dependence inconfiftent with the rights which marriage would confer upon her, it is not the fame thing.

BB

It is not at any rate the fame thing to the children. Again, as to the marriage rite being a mere form, and that alfo variable, the fame may be faid of figning and fealing, of bonds, wills, deeds of conveyance, and the like, which yet make a great difference in the rights and obligations of the parties concern

ed in them.

And with respect to the rite not being appointed in fcripture-the fcriptures forbid fornication, that is, cohabitation without marriage, leaving it to the law of each country to pronounce what is, or what makes, a marriage; in like manner as they forbid thefts, that is, the taking away of another's property, leaving it to the municipal law to fix what makes the thing property, or whofe it is, which alfo, as well as marriage, depends upon arbitrary and mutable forms.

Laying afide the injunctions of scripture, the plain account of the queftion feems to be this: It is immoral, because it is pernicious, that men and women should cohabit, without undertaking certain irrevocable obligations, and mutually conferring certain civil rights; if, therefore, the law has annexed thefe rights and obligations to certain forms, so that they cannot be secured or undertaken by any other means, which is the cafe here (for whatever the parties may promife to each other, nothing but the marriage ceremony can make their promife irrevocable) it becomes in the fame degree immoral, that men and women fhould cohabit without the interpofition of these forms.

If fornication be criminal, all thofe incentives which lead to it are acceffaries to the crime, as lafcivious converfation, whether expreffed in obfcene or difguifed under modeft phrafes; alfo wanton fongs, pictures, books; the writing, publishing, and circulating of which, whether out of frolic, or for fome pitiful profit, is productive of fo extensive a

mischief from so mean a temptation, that few crimes, within the reach of private wickednefs, have more to answer for, or lefs to plead in their excufe.

Indecent conversation, and by parity of reafon all the reft, are forbidden by St. Paul, Eph. iv. 29. "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth" And again, Col. iii. 8. "Put off

filthy communication out of your mouth."

The invitation, or voluntary admiffion, of impure thoughts, or the fuffering them to get poffeffion of the imagination, falls within the fame description, and is condemned by Christ, Matt. v. 28. "Whofoever looketh on a woman to luft after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Chrift, by thus enjoining a regulation of the thoughts, ftrikes at the root of the evil.

Chapter III.

SEDUCTION.

THE feducer practises the fame ftratagems to draw a woman's perfon into his power, that a fwindler does, to get poffeffion of your goods, or money; yet the law of honour, which abhors deceit, applauds the address of a successful intrigue: fo much is this capricious rule guided by names, and with fuch facility does it accommodate itself to the pleasures and conveniency of higher life!

Seduction is feldom accomplished without fraud and the fraud is by fo much more criminal than other frauds, as the injury effected by it is greater, continues longer, and lefs admits of reparation.

This injury is threefold; to the woman, to her family, and to the public.

1. The injury to the woman is made up, of the pain fhe fuffers from shame, of the lofs the fuftains in