ent inftance, we muft, though with all poffible decency and refpect, yet with firmness and with courage, refift the impious command, and declare it to be our defided refo lution "to obey God rather than man.” on. The next person that claims our notice in this interefting narrative is Herod himself. We have already feen his inconfiftent and undecided conduct respecting John.-He had in a moment of exafperation thrown him into prifon; but from a refpect to his character, and fear of the confequences if he offered him any further violence, he fuffered him to remain unmolested, and even frequently admitted him to his presence, and held converfations with him. And it is not improbable that after fome time his refentment might have fubfided, and he might have released his prifoner. But when once a man has involved himself deeply in guilt, he has no fafe ground to stand upEvery thing is unfound and rotten under his feet. He cannot fay, "fo far will I go in wickednefs, and no farther." The crimes he has already committed may have an unfeen connection with others, of which he has not the flighteft fufpicion; and he may be hurried, when he leaft intends it, into enormities, of which he once thought himself utterly incapable. This was the cafe in the prefent instance. When Herod firft engaged in his guilty intercourfe with Herodias, he probably meant to go no further. He meant to content himself with adultery and inceft, and had no intentions of adding murder to the black catalogue of his crimes. He had no other view but the gratification of a prefent paffion, and did not look forward to the many evils which fcarce ever fail to arife from a criminal connection with a profligate and artful woman. This was the original and fruitful fource of all his future crimes and future misfortunes. He flattered himself that, notwithstanding, his marriage with Herodias, he should still be mafter of his own refolutions and his own actions. But Herodias foon taught him a different leffon. She fhewed that fhe understood him much better than he did himfelf. She convinced him that his destiny was in her hands; that fhe held the fecret wire that gov erned all his motions; and that fhe could, by one means" or other, bend his mind to any purpose which fhe was determined to accomplish. It was his intention to fave John the Baptift. It was her intention to deftroy him, and she did it. He had indeed the courage to refift her repeated folicitations that he would put John to death. And piqued himself probably on the firmnefs of his refolution. But Herodias was not of a temper to be discouraged by a few denials or repulfes. She knew that there were other more effectual ways of carrying her point. If the king could not be compelled to furrender by affault, he might be taken by stratagem and furprize. And to this fhe had recourse. She faw that her daughter had attractions and acomplishments which might be turned to good account, which might be made to opperate moft powerfully on fuch a mind as Herod's. She therefore, as we have already feen, planned the project of her dancing before him on the festival of his birth-day, in the hope that in the unguarded moments of convivial mirth, he might be betrayed into fome conceffion, fome act of indulgence towards this favorite daughter, from which he could not eafily recede. The plan fucceeded even probably beyond her expectations. The mo narch was caught in the fnare that was laid for him.He made a rash promise to Salome, and confirmed that promise by an oath, that he would give her whatsoever The would ask. And when, to his infinite astonishment and grief, she demanded the life of a man whom he wished to fave, instead of retreating by the only way he had left, that of retracting a promife which it was madness to make, and the extremity of wickednefs to perform, he was induced by a falfe point of honor (as worthless men frequently are) to commit an attocious murder rather than violate a rafh oath, anoath which could never make that right which was before intrinfically wrong, which could never bind him to any thing in itfelf unlawful, much lefs to the moft unlawful of all things, the deftruction of an innocent and virtuous man. 1 have entered thus minutely into the detail of this remarkable tranfaction, becaufe, as I have before remarked, every line of it is replete with the most important inftuction; as indeed is the cafe with every part of the facred history in the Gospel, and the Acts, which teach full as much by the facts they relate as by the precepts they inculcate. The moral leffons to be drawn from the paf fage before us I have already pointed out in fome degree as I went along; but there are one or two of a more general import, which I fhall briefly add in conclufion, and which will deferve your very ferious attention. The first is, that in the conduct of life there is nothing more to be dreaded and avoided, nothing more dangerous to our peace, to our comfort, to our character, to our welfare here and hereafter, than a criminal attachment to an abandoned and unprincipled woman, more particularly in the early period of life. It has been the fource of more mifery, and befides all the guilt which naturally belongs to it, has led to the commiffion of more and greater crimes than perhaps any other fingle caufe that can be named. We have seen into what a gulph of fin and suffering it plunged the wretched Herod. He began with adultery, and he ended with murder, and with the total ruin of himself, his kingdom, and all the vile partners of his guilt. The fame has happened in a thousand other inftances; and there are, I am perfuaded, few perfons here prefent, of any age or experience in the world, who cannot reccollect numbers, both of individuals and of families, whofe peace, tranquillity, comfort, characters, and fortunes, have been completely deftroyed by illicit, and licentious connections of this fort. Nor is this the worst." The prefent effects of thefe vices, dreadful as they fometimes are, cannot be compared with the mifery which they are preparing for us hereafter. The Scriptures every where rank these vices in the number of those presumptuous; fins, which, in a future life, will experience the fevereft marks of divine difpleafure. The world indeed, treats: them with more indulgence. They are excused and palliated, and even defended on the ground of human frailty, of natural conftitution, of ftrong paffions, and invincible temptations; and they are generally confidered and represented in various popular performances (especial ly in thofe imported from foreign countries) as affociated with many amiable virtues, with goodness of heart with high principles of honour, with benevolence, companion, humanity, and generofity. But whatever gentle names may be given to fenfuality and licentioufnefs, whatever fpecious apologies may be made for them, whatever wit or talents may be employed in rendering them popular and fashionable, whatever numbers, whatever examples may sanction or authorize them, it is impoffible that any thing can do away their natural turpitude and deformity, or avert those punishments which the Gospel has denounced against them. They are represented there as things that ought not even to be named among Chriftians, as defiling the man, as warring against the foul, as grieving the Spirit of God, as rendering men incapable of inheriting the kingdom of heaven, as expofing them to the indignation of Him who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity*. And as if men had indeavored in those days as well as in our own, to foften and to extenuate and explain away the guilt of licentioufnefs, the apoftle adds, with great folemnity and great earnestness, “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of difobediencet." Let every man then that pretends to be a Christian, and lives in the habitual practice of the vices here condemned, weigh well these tremendous words. If there be any truth in the Gofpel, they will not be vain words; nor will offences of this nature ever pass unnoticed or unpunished by the righteous Governor of the world. These remarks are not introduced here without reason. It is the peculiar prevalence of these very vices at this moment which demands fuch animadverfions as thefe; a prevalence which I infer not merely from an imaginary eftimate of the low state of morals amongst us, founded on rumour, on conjecture, or misconstruction, but from facts too well ascertained, and which obtrude themselves on the notice of every obferving mindt. I mean those daring violations of the nuptial contract, and the frequent divorces refulting from them, which feem daily gaining ground in this kingdom. This is a most melancholy and incontrovertible proof of increafing depravity amongst us, and I am forry to add, of depravity of the very deepest Ephes. v. 3. Matth. * Habak. i. 13. + Ephes. v. 6. xv. 18. 1 Pet. ii. II. 1 Cor. vi. 9, IQ. In the Spring of the year 1800. R dye; for inftances have not long fince occurred, in which the guilt of the parties too nearly refembled that of Herod, combining the two atrocious crimes of adultery and incest? Surely fuch enormities as these are enough to make us tremble, and loudly call for the interpofition of the legiflature, left they bring down upon us the just vengeance of an offended God. "Shall I not vifit for these things, faith the Lord! Shall not my foul be avenged on such a nation as this?” Another reflection arifing from this short history of Herod and John the Baptift is this; that although, in the ordinary courfe of divine adminiftration, the punishment of the wicked does not always overtake them here, but is referved for the laft awful day of account; yet it sometimes happens (as I obferved in my laft Lecture) that their crimes draw after them their juft recompence, even in the prefent life. This was eminently the cafe of the flagitious Herod; for befides thofe terrors of confcience, which, as we have feen, perpetually haunted him, which raised up before him terrific forms and agonizing apprehenfions, and represented John the Baptist as risen from the dead to avenge his crimes; we are informed by the historian that his marriage with Herodias drew upon him the refentment of Aretas, king of Arabia Petræa, the father of his first wife, who declared war against him, and, in an engagement with Herod's army, defeated it with great flaughter. This, fays the hiftorian, the Jews confidered as a juft judgment of God upon Herod for his murder of John the Baptiftt. And not long after this, both he and Herodias were deprived of their kingdom by the Roman emperor, and fent into perpetual banishment. And it is added by another hiftoriant, that their daughter Salome met with a violent and untimely death. Inftances like this are intended to fhew, that the Governor of the univerfe, though he has appointed a diftant period for the general distribution of his rewards and punishments, yet, in extraordinary cafes, he will fometime interpose to chas tife the bold offender, to affert his fuperintending provi |