planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection." Once more, but still, observe, in the same sense: "We are buried with him by baptism unto death; our old man is crucified with him." The burden of the whole passage is, that if we hope to resemble what Christ is in heaven, we must resemble what he was upon earth; and that this resemblance must consist specifically in the radical casting off of our sins. The expressions of the apostle are very strong; "that the body of sin may be destroyed. Let not sin reign in your mortal body; obey it not in the lusts thereof." Not only in its practices, but in its desires, "Sin shall not have dominion over you."

In another epistle, that to the Colossians, Saint Paul speaks of an emancipation from sin, as a virtual rising from the dead, like as Christ rose from the dead. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things that are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God: set your affections on things above, not on things of the earth; for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." In this way is the comparison carried on. And what is the practical exhortation which it suggests? Mortify, therefore, your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, evil concupiscence, and covetousness:" which is an equivalent exhortation, and drawn from the same premises, as that of the text, "Purify yourselves, even as he is pure."

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The Scriptures, then, teach that we are to make ourselves like Christ upon earth, that we may become like him in heaven; and this likeness is to consist in purity.

Now there are a class of Christians, and I am ready to allow, real Christians, to whom this admonition of the text is peculiarly necessary. They are not those who set aside religion; they are not those who disregard the will of their Maker, but they are those who endeavour to obey him partially, and in this way. Finding it an easier thing to do good than to expel their sins, especially those which cleave to their hearts, their affections, or their imaginations, they set their endeavours more towards beneficence than purity. You say we ought not to speak disparagingly of doing good. By no means. But we affirm, that it is not the whole of our duty, nor the most difficult part of it. In particular, it is not that part of it which is in

sisted upon in the text, and in those other Scriptures that have been mentioned. The text, enjoining the imitation of Christ. upon earth, in order that we may become like him in heaven, does not say, "do good even as he went about doing good;" but it says, "purify yourselves even as he is pure:" so saith Saint John. Mortify the deeds of the body; let not sin reign in you; die with Christ unto sin; be baptised unto Jesus Christ, that is, unto his death; be buried with him by baptism unto death; be planted together in the likeness of his death; crucify the old man, and destroy the body of sin; as death hath no more dominion over him, so let sin no more reign in your mortal bodies:" so Saint Paul. All these strong and significant metaphors are for the purpose of impressing more forcibly upon us this great lesson, that to participate with Christ in his glory, we must participate with him in his humiliation; and that this participation consists in divesting ourselves of those sins, of the heart especially, and affections, whether they break out into action or not, which are inconsistent with that purity, of which he left us an example; and to the attainment and preservation of which purity, we are most solemnly enjoined to direct our first, strongest, and our most sincere endea

yours.

XLIII.

LICENTIOUSNESS AND DEBAUCHERY.

EPHES. V. 6.

"Let no man deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience."

THESE are awful words. They assert most satisfactorily, that there are certain things, which, let men say or think what they will, are sure of bringing down the wrath of God upon those who commit them. They further intimate, that, although this be certainly true, and will be found to be so, yet many mistake, fatally mistake the matter-hold flattering opinions upon the subject, which will prove to be false; thereby overlooking or remaining ignorant of their own danger, and of the end to which they will come;-that there are deceivers and deceived; they who are labouring to deceive others, and they who are very

VOL. IV.

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willing to be deceived. For when the apostle uses these words of warning, “"let no man deceive you," he knew that such deceptions were abroad,-were common,-were employed, were listened to, succeeded and prevailed over the minds and consciences of many. Then he apprizes them of the danger,—of the necessity of preparing and fortifying themselves against such delusions. He bids them, (for this is the meaning and force of his admonition,) he bids them look neither to the right hand nor to the left, to listen neither to what one man said, nor to what another man said;-neither to this specious persuasion, nor to that plausible argument, but to keep close to this one momentous, this never to be forgotten consideration,-that these, however varnished, however coloured over, however extenuated or diminished, however excused or defended, will in the event feel the wrath of God.

"Because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." Because, you will ask, of what things? That undoubtedly is the first question to be considered. What were the things which St. Paul had particularly in his mind when he wrote the words of the text; I say particularly, for that he had some particular view, or some particular class and kind of view in his contemplation, cannot be well disputed. Now the context, the words which go before, must show us what he meant by these things, because they were things which he had already mentioned. The term these things, implies that; it is a term of reference. But what he had been speaking of before, to which the text relates, was as follows: "Fornication and all uncleanness, or covetousness, neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting which is not convenient; for this ye know, that no whoremonger nor unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." And then he goes on: "Let no man deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." Now I say that the class of crimes which the apostle had particularly, and I think had solely in view, were crimes of licentiousness and debauchery. I include all crimes arising from the unlawful and licentious indulgence of men's passions. The terms made use of by St. Paul, are "fornications, uncleanness, filthiness, foolish talking, jesting which is not convenient." Those terms all very evidently relate to one and the same subject, and that

subject is what I mentioned. The only thing which can create a doubt whether it was that class of vices alone which St. Paul intended, is the word covetousness. Covetousness is put among the other articles enumerated: "all uncleanness or covetousness." Now it appears very manifest that the word covetousness in this place, does not mean covetousness in the sense in which we usually understand it, as it relates to property or to riches, but that it means inordinate desires of another kind; or the intemperate and unlawful indulgence and letting loose men's passions in the article of licentiousness and debauchery. The phrase, I own, is peculiar-I mean, not only different from the common acceptation of the word at present, but different also from the use of the original word in that language, and in the writings of that time; yet I think it can be made out by proofs, that this and not the other, is the sense of the word in this place-and in some other passages of St. Paul's epistles. First; the covetous man is called an idolater. Now there is no proper reason for this, or meaning in it, according to the common sense of the word covetous. For though we may sometimes say that a man idolizes gold, it is only a modern fashion of speaking. It is not intended nor found in the language of the New Testament, nor like that language: but in the sense we are arguing for, it is very just and proper. The character of the heathen idolatry (and this is what St. Paul refers to) was that it taught immorality instead of morality: that instead of prohibiting and discouraging lewd and licentious practices, it promoted and authorized them by the impurity and indecency of its religious rites-which being the case, it was natural for our Apostle to call a man addicted to these vices an idolater; inasmuch as these vices composed the character of that religion, if it deserved the name of religion, and even of its religious worship.

Secondly; in the passage from which our text is taken, v. 13, you read that "it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret;" and what is here said, evidently refers to the offences before enumerated. But its being a shame to speak of it, and its being done in secret, does not apply to covetousness, in the common sense of the term: there is nothing indecent or shameful in the mention of covetousness in that sense; nor in that sense can it be particularly accused of being carried on in secret: but of covetousness in the sense we are

affixing to it in this place, the inordinate indulgence of vile and licentious desires, both these may be said truly.

Thirdly; one can hardly avoid being convinced that we are right in our exposition of the word, when we consider how it stands joined with this sort of sins in other parts of St. Paul's epistles Col. iii. 5. "Mortify, therefore, your members which are upon earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Again, 1 Cor. v. 9. "I wrote unto you in an epistle, not to keep company with fornicators of this world, or with the covetous:" and in the next verse, "but now," says he, "I have written unto you, not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother, be a fornicator or covetous." In both these places, covetousness is put in close connexion with fornication, which connexion establishes the sense we give to it. The fourth chapter of the 1st Thess. verse 5th, is equally strong for our purpose, though not quite so obvious. The passage is this-" Ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus."— An awful preface!-Then what follows? "This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication; that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour, not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles, which know not God; that no man go beyond, or defraud his brother in any matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all such as we have also forewarned you and testified, for God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." In this passage the Apostle is discoursing of one class and kind of crimes; and what that class was appears from the concluding clause, " God hath not called us unto uncleanness." Now though the word covetousness does not appear in our translation, it does in the original language; for the word which is translated go beyond in this passage is the word which is translated coveting, covetousness, in the other passages. In each and every one of these passages, it is put as an undoubted and characteristic mark of idolatry. From the term, therefore, being always put by St. Paul in strict and close connexion with fornication, we are authorized to conclude that it bore in his mind, and in his manner of writing, a signification similar to what that term bears.

It may be said, that investigations of this sort are superfluous