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mand, Gen. ii. 24. was, as every other divine inftitution, corrupted, perverted, and abufed; and men, to fatisfy their defires at as cheap a rate as poffible, without the incumbrance of a wife and family, or confining themselves to the fober duties of maintaining, taking care of, or providing for their households, chofe to have intercourfe and commerce with women, like. brute beafts, for the fake of mere appetite, and then to leave the women for the fervice of the next comer. Something of this fort may not improbably be the meaning of Gen. vi. 2. where it is faid, that they took them women of all which they chofe. For though this word, in certain connexions, denotes what we call wives (as Deut. xxi. 15.) yet it fignifies primarily the female fex, or women in general. Such traffic was offenfive to GOD, an abuse of His ordinance,. (fee 1 Cor. vi. 15, 16.) and tending to deftroy the marriage-obligation, not only by rendering the bond which was created by it ineffectual, but by inducing mankind to despise it, and set it at nought. All genealogies must be confounded, inheritances obfcured, and relationship itself deftroyed; for who could afcertain these things, fo neceffary to the exiftence of all civil fociety, in the commerce with barlots? Confufion, and every evil work, must enfue; and therefore the all-wife Governor

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of the universe forbad whoredom and fornis cation on pain of death temporal and eternal. See 1 Tim. i. 8, 9, 10.

The Hebrew word is particularly appropriated to this offence in the Old Teftament, as Topvela is in the New Tef tament; and we fhall never find it mentioned but with the divine abborrence. We have no law to enforce the punishment which GOD annexed to it, or to treat an harlot or whore as a capital offender; but it is nevertheless offenfive to GoD, and will now, as ever, meet with marks of His difpleasure. Know ye not, faith Paul, 1 Cor. vi. 9. that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of GOD? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,&c.-fhall inherit the kingdom of God.

So odious is whoredom in God's fight," that it is not only faid to defile the parties who are guilty of it, but the very land itself was faid to be defiled thereby. Jer. iii. 9. Though this text may perhaps primarily relate to idolatry, which is fpiritual whoredom, yet it ferves to fhew the malignant nature of whoredom; otherwise this would not be made ufe of, as adultery is in the fame verfe, in a figurative sense, to denote the other.

GOD exprefly commanded, that there fhould not be a whore of the daughters of VOL. I.

E

Ifrael,

Ifrael, Deut. xxiii. 17. and ordained, that a woman playing the whore, if the daughter of a common perfon, fhould be ftoned to death, Deut. xxii, 21; but if the daughter of a priest, fhe was to be burned with fire, Lev. xxi. 9. I mention these things as proofs of the finfulness of an act, innocent in itself, when committed against a divine pofitive law. No human power or custom can alleviate its guilt, or make it lefs offenfive to GOD than His word has made it ; the perfon's conscience that thinks otherwife is fadly deceived.

Though what has been already faid may ferve as a definition of this offence, yet,. to fave the Reader the trouble of looking back, as well as to be ftill more explicit upon the fubject, I would define it, or whoredom, to be "a woman's giving her

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perfon to a man, without any intent of 46 marriage, but either for the mere gra"tification of luft, or for gain or hire, and

departing from that man to others for "the fame purpofes." This is being what the Hebrew fcriptures call, an barlot or whore. See Gen. xxxviii. 15, 16... We alfo find, that if a virgin gave her perfon to one man, and afterwards went to another, though for the purpose of marriage with the fecond, the thereby stamped: whoredom on fuch an action, and was to be ftoned to death. Deut. xxii. 21.

A&

As whoredom is generally used in our tranflation, as denoted by the word, and seems rather appropriated to fignify the woman's fhare in the offence; fo the term* fornication, which is expreffed by the fame word in the original, feems to be the name given to the offence which the man commits in fuch illicit commerce. Though this observation may not hold in all cafes, yet it is the best reason which occurs to me, for our ufing different words, √ to denote an offence of the fame kind.

I readily confefs, that the revival of GOD's antient laws against whoredom, amongst us, would be very dreadful, and indeed unjust, unless the whole confiftent fcheme which God has laid down was all to be revived together. The women, under GoD's law, could force their feducers to take them as their wives; or rather

* Our English word fornication, is derived from the Latin fornix; which literally fignifies an arch or vault in houfes-and by a metonymy-a brothel-house, because these were in vaults under-ground. Ainfworth. Hor. Epift. 14. 1. 21, 22. fays to his ftewardFornix tibi, & uneta popina;

Incutiunt urbis defiderium, video.

"For well I know, a tavern's greasy fteam,
"And a vile stew, with joy your heart inflame."
FRANCIS.

Hence the haunters of thofe places were called fornicators. See Johnson's Dict. Hor. Sat. lib. i. Sat. 2. 1. 30, 31.

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were deemed fo actually married, as not to be put away. put away. A woman had but to fummons her feducer before the judges, to prove the fact against him, and their fentence, which must have been according to the law, must have been obeyed on pain of death. Deut. xvii. 12. Unless this were (as it ought to be) the cafe amongst us, it would be oppreffive, unjuft, and cruel to the laft degree, to punish women with death, for being, by the treachery and villainy of men, forced into a way of life (however abhorrent in itself, or culpable) which is the natural, and, in most inftances, the inevitable confequence of their being deserted by those who ought to have protected them, but against whom they have no remedy, or means to make them act the just and honourable part.

Under this head of forbidden lewdness, I would mention the practice of taking an harlot to keep for a time, and then, when pleasure or conveniency prompts, difmiffing her. This is ufually called keeping a miftrefs; but as there is no intention of marriage, and this is only done for the mere gratification of luft, it is not only a very evil example to others, and a defiance of the laws and good order of fociety, but doubtless comes under the condemnation, as it must be ranked under the description, of fornication and whoredom.