a King is the chiefeft Jewel of his Crown; and in both Sexes, it highly deferves a Royal Robe, and a Diadem. Happy Pair, when they meet together, indu'd with the fame Virtue! In fhort, fuch a blessed Marriage, fuch. a blissful Wedlock as this, may be truly faid to be made in Heaven; without either alluding, or being beholden to the jocular Proverb; This is he: This is God Almighty's chofen King; who will always live chaft, very chaft, to anfwer his fupreme Commiffion; affert his Honour; and deferve his Character by divine Right, which he holds unaccountably from Above.

GOD gives this fingular Grace; but it is difficult to practise it among the many flagrant Incentives to Luft in this lewd World. We must carefully keep our felves out of the Way of all Temptations, fet a watchful Guard over our wandring Senfes, and have a profound Reverence for our felves, in Purity of Thought, Word and Deed; which will preferve a due Refpect towards others, without offering the leaft Violence, Indignity or Affront to the Virtue of their Perfons, by Impurity and immodeft Behaviour. We had need look about us, and have a strict Care of our Eyes, the very Windows of our Hearts, and the Doors by which Love and Luft promifcuously make their first Entrance for Conqueft and Ufurpation. There's no winking at the Attempt. The Connivance is as bad as the Sin, or the Affent in fecret. We muft fhun ill Company too, like Wolves and Bears, that delight in nothing but Flesh and Blood, Carnage or Carnality among Lambs, and the most chaft, innocent, harmless Creatures. We must also fly from Idleness, as the Plague

or

or Infection of Lewdnefs; which often carries the Body to the Grave before its Time, or buries its nobleft Parts and Faculties in Lafciviousness alive, for want of previously mortifying it by Fafting, good Difcipline and Abftinence: either from carnal Lufts, luftful Appetites, or the luscious Flefh-Pots of Egypt. In fhort, the Soul of that ungovernable, beaftly Perfon, must needs be in a defperate Condition, who takes too much Care of pampering his Carcafe to the Prejudice of his Continency.

II. AS to the Soul, This noble Virtue of Chastity raises all the Powers and Faculties of it, to actuate the Body for its Self-Prefervation, Purity and Welfare. It fets the Soul a fpiritualizing the Materiality of the more earthly Part. It rectifies all erroneous Lufts and Paffions of the Mind. It guards all the Avenues of the fair Cittadel; defies the longest Siege, or the most vigorous Attacks; laughs at the most refolute, furious or terrible Affaults; never will capitulate or furrender upon any fuch dishonourable Terms as Debauchery, and is fure to vanquish the Affailant at laft, as well as conquer in the Storm. I cannot have the Affurance to treat the immortal Soul fo lightly, defpicably, or mechanically, as to fay, That it may be wound up like Clock-Work; or be rais'd by drinking good Wine to a merry Pin, as fome Poets have prophanely faid, to heighten its Operations: But Continency always elevates it to the fublimeft Pitch of Innocence, Faithfulness and Devotion; ftill foaring and finging up, like the chaft early Lark in Summer, towards Heaven, as it were chanting her Maker's Praifes: from whence this great Grace came to felicitate the Earth with good Health as well as

Har

Harmony. It carries the Afcendant over all terrestrial Pleasures. It purifies the Mind from all Senfualities, by the conftant Practice of fervent Prayer, Uprightnefs and Fidelity; as fine Gold is purg'd from Drofs and Allay by Fire, That ftands the Teft of all Temptations by its Integrity; and this, of all Trials in the Furnace, by its Truth, Goodness and intrinsick Worth. It defecates the groffeft Impurities of Nature; refines upon the carnal Body; and makes even Angels, as it were, of Flesh and Blood.

BUT then Incontinency, on the other Hand, transforms Men into favage Beafts; unmanly, unmannerly and ungovernable, as they are, in their rude Paffions and unruly Lufts. Such an unbridled Concupifcence reigning in a Perfon, oftentimes proves the very Bane both of Body and Soul. It throws down the very Bulwarks of their Prefervation, and demolishes all Virtue. It muft needs be attended with quite contrary Confequences from Chastity; either by the Promifes of a flattering Mifery, or the Menaces of a real Mischief. A Man of a luftfal Inclination is quickly cajol'd by it out of his Senfe and Reafon, in View of fome falfe glaring Allurements and rueful Satisfactions; which for the most Part captivate, delude or destroy the unwary Youngster, under the Mafque of a pretended Sanctity and Innocence. For a tempting lewd Woman eafily decoys him out of his Security; to wade out of his Depth, to act upon a Precipice, or to go headlong to a Pit-Fall: and often leaves him at laft in the Lurch, to repent at leisure for his Pains; repining, dwindling and languishing upon the inevitable Brink of another World.

SEE

SEE how the unchaft Perfon fools away his Health, forfeits his former Jollity of Humour, and quite lofes his old Complacency of Mind: When his whole bloated, ficken'd or furfeited Constitution of Body flags and staggers into Shame, Effeminacy and Impotence! How ftrangely does he look, who is lately come out of the Powdering-Tub, as fome are pleas'd to call it, of a bleaching Diftemper; and has undergone a Course of Salivation for his Wantonnefs: Peradventure with his flat Nofe; feam'd Face; blear Eyes; rotten Teeth, if any left in his Head, or worfe Deformities; the only difmal Remains of Mercury and the Spitting-Pot! What a fordid Figure muft he make, in fine, when he is capable of nothing but the Commiferation of others, and Remorfe or Repentance for himself; the veriest Abject of Nature, as well as Object of Scorn and Contempt, wafting to Death in a deep Confumption! How careful then ought that deceitful Siren to be avoided, who deftroys with her charming Voice, betrays with her Kiffes, and kills in the Injoyment? Ah! poor incontinent Creature! when the Female Destroyer pursues thee clofe at Heels, parly not with her; flee for thy Life, or thou art a dead Man: if Darts, Daggers and Poyfon can do thy Bufinefs, or dispatch thee. Happy is that harmless Bird, which escapes fuch a fatal Lure! Happy is the wildest Beast, which breaks through fuch infnaring Toils! But what will be the fad End of fuch a frolickfome Debauchee, as impenitently hugs this Serpent in his Bofom? Why, he is fure to be hifs'd at, and ftung at laft to the Heart for his loving Kindness or mad Affection. She will forfake him upon the leaft Difguft, by her jilting Actions,

D

Actions, to entertain fome new Gallant or richer Rival and then confequently fhe breeds a Quarrel between the two rafh Competitors; by which Means the one perhaps is prefently kill'd in a Duel, and the other fuffers for it at the infamous Tree. This is Destruction with a Witnefs, as it has often happen'd, in our blackest Annals. And a whorish Woman is the most common Executioner at the Gallows.

ADULTERY and Fornication are now become the crying Sins of City, Town and Country; and it is well when they have not a National Example fet them from above, or cannot plead any Authority for either Crime from the Court. For inferiour People live most by the Influence and Fashion of their Superiours; and will be ftill catching at the Shadows of their Vices, as well as Virtues, till the Royal Distemper becomes Epidemical, under the Umbrage of their Encouragement and Practice. But it is below the Dignity of a Prince, below the Honour of Mankind, to countenance fuch grofs Corruptions, and indulge fuch luftful Defires, either in Private or in Publick. What a ftrange Spectacle would it be, to fee an infatuated King fitting upon the Throne of his wifer Ancestors, better ftock'd with charming Miftreffes, than furnish'd with chaft Minifters of State, continent Councellors, and virtuous Generals! Away then with all Seraglio's in a Chriftian Country; fit only for the Turkish Territories, or Mahomet's Paradife. A virtuous Reign will ever avoid Luxury, Lechery, and Voluptuoufnefs. Pleasure is a deadly Hook, baited with Vanity, and catches all the Fifh that come to it; but then it only tickles their Senfes into an After-Vexation of Spirit; only ravishes to Destruction,