their knowledge-GOD gave them up to uncleanness, to difhonour their own bodies between themfelves: who changed the truth of GOD into a lye, &c. For this caufe them * gave up to vile affections, &c.

GOD

See Rom. i. 24-28. When we endeavour to stop the courfe of a river by laying a dam across the stream, the effect muft be, that it will either make its way, bearing down all before it, or it will make a paffage over its banks, and overflow and destroy the country. Such is the effect of endeavouring to ftop the natural courfe of those defires, which the Creator hath implanted in us for the purpose of carrying His primary command into execution. They will bear down all before them, or be turned out of their course; and then follows what the history of the Popish celibacy abundantly acquaints us with. As this is a fubject too indelicate to dwell upon, I will only refer the reader to those books which treat thereof; fuch as Fox's Martyrology-The Packets

* A thousand inftances of which might be given -fed ab uno difce omnes-Pope Sixtus V. on the petition of Peter Ricu, cardinal and patriarch of Conftantinople, of Jeronymo his own brother, and the cardinal of St. Luce, permitted "unto them and "every of them, fodomy, with this claufe-FIAT UT PETITUR-Let it be done as it is defired.” Hiftory of Popery, vol. ii. 292.

66

from

from Rome, collected and published in two volumes quarto, by a fet of gentlemen, 1735, under the title of The Hiftory of Popery. A work this, which is too valuable to be loft to the public; and therefore, as I fear it is near out of print, it were to be wished it should be reprinted in as handfome an edition as that above referred to.

As for those men who have the gift of continency, they, as it appears from the fcriptures, and all experience, are probably very few, at leaft comparatively; and those who received it in the days of our LORD and His apoftles, feem to have received this for the particular purpose of keeping themselves difentangled from the affairs of this life, during the infancy and perfecution of the church, 1 Cor. vii. 7, 17. Such do not want cloysters and cells for their security. As for those who have * it not,

locking

* These certainly conftitute the bulk of mankind, as all experience throughout all ages fufficiently fhews. The natural ftructure of the human body, its natural fecretions, &c. which are carried on daily, not by any contrivance or management of the creature, but by the power of infinite wisdom, impreffed, we know not how, on the wondrous mechanifm of every part, afford us fuch phyfical reasons for this, as to amount to demonftration of the neceffity of marriage in the generality of men. This obfervation

N 2

locking them up together in fuch places, and depriving them of the remedy which GOD commands, in marriage, has been attended with a two-fold wickednefs; 1. in living contrary to the ordinance of Heaven; 2. in gratifying their defires contrary to the courfe of nature, or at leaft in fome way which the divine law hath prohibited. Therefore the Apostle doth not fay-if they cannot contain, let them fhut themfelves up, or pray that the order of nature may be inverted; but-let them marry; it is better to marry than burn: as if he had faid-" One or "other of these must be the confequence." So, when married perfons have separated for a while or feafon, on fome religious occafions come together again, faith he, left Satan tempt you for your incontinency.

From all which it may be gathered, that celibacy is not an ordinance of Gop, but a fnare of Satan-that marriage is the ordinance of GOD; therefore, that a man who may marry, and doth not, has no

obfervation is abundantly verified, by the manner of OUR SAVIOUR's expreffion, Matt. xix. 11, 12. where He speaks of a power of total abftinence as the immediate and special gift of heaven, and this for a special purpose, unless in the cafes He puts of accidental imbecillity, arifing, in fome, from a defect in their conftitution; in others, from external violence by the hands of men.

more

more warrant from God's word to expect that He fhall be kept from vice, than that he would be kept from starving, if, inftead of eating and drinking, he was to pray that the appetites of hunger and thirft might be totally annihilated.

The indifcriminate * and total prohibition of polygamy, as it has no warrant from the word of GOD, may also be the means of plunging many into the mifchiefs of uncommanded celibacy; for many men there are, who very early in life marry, perhaps without all the confideration which ought to be exercised in fo momentous an undertaking-many things may happen which may be very reafonable, and indeed unavoidable, caufes of separation from their wives; as for in

*If the enacting part of 1 Jac. c. 11. had gone no farther than the preamble, and its severity been confined to" divers evil-difpofed perfons, who 66 being married, run out of one county into ano"ther, or into places where they are not known, "and there become to be married, having another "husband or wife living, to the great difhonour "of GOD, and utter undoing of divers honeft "men's children and others"-it would have been a wholesome law, and highly justifiable in its penalty on fuch mifcreants; who are undoubtedly guilty of one of the vileft and most injurious frauds that can poffibly be committed. It feems to fall within the equity of Exod. xxi. 16. for fuch perfons are a fort of—avsparodisal, or man-ftealers.

ftance-incurable difeafe of mind or body, unconquerable violence of temper, perpetual refractoriness of difpofition, levity

It is to be feared, that there are not a few females, who (like other monopolifts) take the advantage of the poor husband's fituation, to use him as they please, and this for pretty much the fame reafon why the afs, in the fable, infulted and kicked the poor old lion because it is not in their power to refent it as they ought.

The advice which king Abafuerus received from his wife men, the feven princes of Media and Perfia, upon queen Vafhti's difobedience, would have an excellent effect, could it be followed. Many an high-fpirited female would have too cogent a reafon against the indulgence of a refractory difpofition, not to fupprefs it-her pride, which is now the husband's torment, would then become his fecurity, at leaft in a great measure; for pride is a vice, which, as it tends to felf-exaltation, maintains uniformly its own principle--not to bear the thoughts of a rival. See Esther i. 10, &c. As things are with us, the poor man must grind in mola afinaria during life.

It is certain, that nothing can be a release from the bond of marriage itself but death, or jan act of adultery in the wife. But that a man is at all events bound to maintain the external bond, by cohabiting with a woman, who, instead of being an help meet for him (as we fay) becomes, by the violence and perverfenefs of her temper and difpofition, a conftant and increafing torment, and this after the most friendly, tender, and kind admonitions-is not confonant either to scripture or reafon.

Some will tell us, that fuch a thing must be looked upon as happening by the will of PROVIDENCE,

as