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nor idolaters, nor effeminate, nor drunkards, shall inherit the kingdom of God'. The works of the flesh are manifest; envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in time past, that they which do such things, shall not inherit the kingdom of God. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly; and whose glory is their shame; for they that are such, serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own bellies". Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats; but God shall destroy both it and them. These as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings, while they feast with you 3. What they know naturally as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves". These are spots in our feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear. Now I have written to you, not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a drunkard or an extortioner, with such an one, no, not to eat. Looking diligently, lest there be any profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright'.

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not; ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts". Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter; but the coming of the Lord draweth nigh".

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SECT. 7. Earnest exhortations to sobriety, temperance, and moderation.

Ye brethren are not in darkness. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day. Therefore let us not sleep as do others; but let us watch and be sober; for they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken, are drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day be sober. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries; wherein they think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you'. The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light: let us walk honestly as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof; and be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be ye filled with the Spirit. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men; teaching us, that denying ungodliness, and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. And every man that striveth for the mastery, is temperate in all things'. Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind; be sober, and hope to the ends. Add to knowledge temperance". Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour'. Let your moderation be known unto all men; the Lord is at hand*. The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer'. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God".

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SECT. 8.

These virtues particularly required of different classes or persons.

If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, vigilant, sober, given to hospitality, not given to wine, no striker, not a brawler, not covetous, not accused of riot, or unruly; but sober, just, holy, temperate". Likewise must the deacons be grave, not given to much wine; holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. Even so must their wives be grave, sober, faithful in all things. Speak thou the things which become sound doctrine; that the aged men be sober, grave, temperate; the aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to be discreet, good, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Young men also exhort to be soberminded. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness, and sobriety; not with broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but which becometh women professing godliness, with good works'.

SECT. 9. Prayers of the servants of God relative to this subject.

Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die. Remove from me vanity and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity; and let me not eat of their dainties". And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God, your whole spirit, and soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

§ 8.1 Tim. iii. 1, 2, 3. d1 Tim. iii. 11.

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§ 9. Prov. xxx. 7, 8.

Tit. i. 6, 8.
Tit. ii. 1-6.

Psal. cxli. 4.

1 Tim. iii. 8, 9, 1 Tim. ii. 9, 10. c 1 Thess. v. 28.

CHAP. V.

OF CHASTITY, IN OPPOSITION TO LEWDNESS.

SECT. 1. Chastity expressly required both under the law and the gospel.-2. The fatal consequences of lewdness in a present and future life.-3. Considerations why Christians particularly ought to abstain from it.

SECT. 1. Chastity expressly required both under the law and the gospel.

YE shall keep my statutes, and shall not commit any one of these abominable customs which were committed before you, that you defile not yourselves therein; I am the Lord your God: for whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, shall be cut off from among their people. Thou shalt not commit adultery. The man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, the adulterer and adulteress shall surely be put to death. If a man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him, the woman shall be a curse among her people. There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel. None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness. If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour's door, this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges. Keep thyself from the evil woman, from the flattery of the strange woman; lust not after her beauty in thine heart, neither let her take thee with her eyelids". Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy'.

God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness for this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel

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in sanctification and honour. Mortify therefore your members which are upon earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence'. I beseech you, as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul". Flee fornication; every sin that a man doth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication, sinneth against his own body". Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Marriage is honourable in all; but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. That the aged women likewise be in behaviour as becometh holiness; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Entreat the elder women as mothers, the younger women as sisters, with all purity'. But fornication, and all uncleanness, let it not be once named amongst you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient'. Put all filthy communication out of your mouth". For it is a shame even to speak of those things, which are done of them in secret*.

SECT. 2. The fatal consequences of lewdness in a present and future life.

Remove thy ways far from the strange woman, 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 thou mourn at last when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, and say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof"? Can

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* 1 Thess. iv. 7, 3, 4.
n 1 Cor. vi. 18.

q 1 Tim. v. 14.

t Eph. v. 3, 4.

2. Prov. v. 8-12.

1 Col. iii. 5.

• Matt. v. 28.

Tit. ii. 3, 4, 5.

ม Col. iii. 8.

m 1 Pet. ii. 11.
P Heb. xiii. 4.

1 Tim. v. 2.
Eph. v. 12.

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