This opposition of the two states and acts, is declared in the particle de, but so it is with marriage and its duties; but as unto others, it is not so with them. And, First. He declares who are the persons that transgress the rule prescribed; these are of two sorts, 1. Whoremongers, 2. Adulterers. Secondly. He declares their state with respect to God, and what will be their end; God will judge or condemn

them.

First. The distinction between Topνove kaι μoixove, 'whoremongers,' or fornicators and adulterers,' is allowed by all to be between single persons, and those that are both, or one of them, in a married state. The sin of the first is fornication, of the other, adultery. And although ToOVEVO and Topvea may sometimes be used to denote any kind of uncleanness in general, and so to comprise adultery also; yet wherever these words are put together, as they are often, they are so to be distinguished as the one of them to signify fornication, and the other adultery, Matt. xv. 19; Mark vii. 21; Gal. v. 19. And for the most part, when wоovoç and wоovɛa are used alone, they denote precisely the sin of unmarried persons, or at least where the woman is so, that we call fornication, Heb. xi. 31; James ii. 25; Acts xv. 20; 1 Cor. vi. 18; Eph. v. 3; Col. iii. 5; 1 Thess. iv. 3. Wherefore πορνοι, which we render here whoremongers,' as distinguished from adulterers, are persons who, in single or an unmarried state of life, do know one another carnally, whether it be by single acts, or a frequent repetition of them by the means of cohabitation, without a marriage vow, or covenant between them.

Some have fallen into that impudence in our days, as to countenance. themselves with the opinion and practices of some of the heathen, who thought that this sin of fornication was no sin, or a matter not much to be regarded. But as it is contrary unto the law of creation, and consequently the light of nature, being a filthy spring of other evils innumerable; so it is expressly condemned in the Scripture, as Lev. xix. 29; Deut. xxiii. 17; 1 Cor. vi. 18; Col. iii. 5, and in the other places before cited. And this one place, where it is said to render men obnoxious unto eternal damnation, is enough to determine this case in the minds of men not flagitiously wicked. And shall we suppose, that that religion which condemneth the inward lust of the heart after a woman without any outward act, as a sin worthy of judgment, doth give countenance to, or doth not most severely condemn the actual abomination of fornication?

But whatever may be the judgment of any man, or whatever men may pretend so to be, for I am persuaded that no man who thinks that there is any such thing as sin at all, can so far debauch his conscience, and obliterate all impressions of Scripture light, as really to think fornication to be no sin, yet the practice of multitudes in all manner of licentiousness this way at present among us, can never sufficiently be bewailed. And it is to be feared, that if magistrates, and those who are the public ministers in the nation, do not take more care than hitherto hath been used, for the reproof, restraint, and suppressing of this raging abomination, divine judgments on the whole nation on the account of it, will speedily satisfy men's scruples, whether it be a sin or not.

Respecting adulterers, who are mentioned in the next place, there is no question amongst any, about the heinousness of their sin; and the common interest of mankind keeps up a detestation of it. But it is here, together with fornication, reserved in a peculiar manner unto divine vengeance. 1. Because for the most part it is kept secret, and so free from human cognizance; and 2. Because, although the divine law made it capital or punishable by death, as did also some laws among the Heathens themselves, yet for the most part it ever did, and doth still pass in the world under a less severe animadversion and punishment. But whatever such persons think of themselves, or whatever others think of them, or however they deal with them, God will judge and condemn them.

Secondly. God Kpivε, 'will judge;' or damnabit, he will 'condemn,' he will damn them. It is the final judgment of the last day that is intended; they shall not be acquitted, they shall not be absolved, they shall be eternally damned. And there is included herein,

Obs. IX. Whatever light thoughts men may have of sin, of any sin, the judgment of God concerning all sin, which is according to truth, must stand for ever.-To have slight thoughts of sin, will prove no relief unto sinners.

Obs. X. Fornication and adultery are sins in their own nature, deserving eternal damnation.-If the due wages of all sin be death, much more is it so of so great abominations.

Obs. XI. Men living and dying impenitently in these sins, shall eternally perish; or an habitual course in them is utterly inconsistent with any spark of saving grace; see Eph. v. 5; 1 Tim. i. 10; Rev. xxi. 8, xxii. 15.

And there is an emphasis in the expression, God will judge;' wherein we may see,

Obs. XII. That the especial aggravation of these sins do, in a peculiar manner, expose men unto a sore condemnation, 1 Cor. iii. 17,

vi. 16-19.

Obs. XIII. All occasions of, all temptations leading unto these sins, are to be avoided, as we take care of our souls.

Obs. XIV. Although the state of men may be changed, and divine wrath due to those sins, be finally escaped by repentance, yet it may be observed, that of all sorts of sinners, those who are habitually given up unto these lusts of the flesh, are of all others, the most rarely called, and brought to effectual repentance. Yet,

Obs. XV. Many of those persons, by reason of their convictions, received in the light of a natural conscience, do live in a kind of seeming repentance, whereby they relieve themselves after some acts of uncleanness, until by the power of their lust they are hurried again into them. But I must not here further discourse these things.

VER. 5, 6.-Αφιλαργυρος ὁ τροπος" αρκούμενοι τοις παρουσιν' αυτός γαρ ειρηκεν' Ου μη σε ανω, ουδ' ου μη σε εγκαταλιπω· Ώστε θαρρούντας ἡμας λεγειν· Κυριος εμοι βοηθος, και ου φοβηθησομαι τι ποιήσει μοι ανθρωπος.

Ο

тρoos Syг. pry, 'your mind:' as троπоç doth sometimes siø

nify, ingenium, animum, mentem, indolem, the mind with its bent and inclination. Other interpreters render it by mores, and supply vestri, 'your manners,' the way and manner of your conversation, as it is well rendered by ours. Your conversation,' though that be properly avaorpoon, which we render conversation,' ver. 8. But we have no other word whereby to express the force of the Latin mores. Tooros is men's 'moral conversation,' or their conversation in morals: So we read χρηστος τροπος, 'honest manners;' an honest conversation; and βέλτιστος τροπος, 6 excellent manners ; and τρόπος δικαιος, a just righteous conversation,' and TроTоç bolos, 'holy manners;' and on the contrary, TIKооç трожоç, 'bitter, froward manners.'

Apilapyupos, Syr. NDD ON 5, let not (your mind) be loving of silver,' love not silver, according to the original signification of the word; but its use is of larger extent; sine avaritiâ, alieni ab avaritiâ, ' not inclined unto,' 'alien from covetousness.'

VER. 5, 6.-Let your conversation be without (free from) covetousness; and be content with (present things) such things as you have. For he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man can do unto me.

From particular duties, the apostle proceeds unto that which is more general, which relates unto our whole course of walking before God. And the vice prohibited, is frequently joined with that foregoing, 'fornication and covetousness,' Eph. v. 3-5; Col. iii. 5; 1 Thess. iv. 3-6. Not that they have any especial affinity one with the other, but that they are both of them such as corrupt the whole Christian profession.

There is in the words, 1. A duty prescribed. 2. An enforcement of it from its reason and causes. 3. An inference from that reason, in an application of it unto all cases wherein the duty is required. The two latter consisting in two divine testimonies, one concerning the promises of God, the other concerning the experience of believers.

First. The duty is enjoined, 1. Negatively; 'Let your conversation be without covetousness. 2. Positively; 'be content with such things as you have.' Covetousness and contentment are absolutely opposite and inconsistent in the same mind.

First. As unto the manner of expression in the negative precept, it is in the original doubly defective, Conversation without covetousness;' which we well supply with your,' and 'let it be,' which is the intention of the words, And we must inquire, 1. What is our conversation. 2. How it ought to be without covetousness.

1. The word, & TооTоç, here used, may be taken in a threefold sense. 1st. For the mind, or the frame and inclination of it in its acting about. the things of this life. So it is rendered by the Syriac, Let your mind.' And respect must be had hereunto, because the evil prohibited is a vice of the mind; and the opposite grace a virtue of the mind. 2dly. For accustomed practice: Live, act, trade, do all things without covetousness. 3dly. For the way, and manner, and course we use and take,

in the getting of a livelihood, or food or raiment. And all these significations of the word are consistent, nor can any of them be excluded from the sense of the place. We render it by conversation,' which is comprehensive of them all. But it is in this place alone thus used. The word which in all other places we render conversation,' is avaorρoon, Gal. i. 13; Eph. iv. 22; 1 Tim. iv. 12; James iii. 13, &c. But the same is plainly here intended, though the word yields somewhat a larger sense than the other.

Wherefore, our conversation here includes both the frame of our minds, and the manner of our acting, as unto the morality of it, in all that we do about the things appertaining unto this life. And because of this restraint of it unto our actings, about the things of this life, the apostle useth this word τροπος, mos, or mores, and not αναστροφη, which expresseth our universal walk before God in all holy obedience, Phil. i. 27, iii. 20; James iii. 13; 1 Pet. i. 15; 2 Pet. iii. 11. The ordering of our conversation aright in this matter, is of great importance in our Christian profession. And for the direction of it, the apostle gives this rule, that it be apiλapyupos, without covetousness.' The word is only once more used in the New Testament, 1 Tim. iii. 3, 'not covetous;' as that which it denies is twice, Luke xvi. 14; 2 Tim. iii. 2: in both which places we render it covetous.' Piλapyupia, the Φιλαργυρία, substantive, we render, according to its original signification, the love of money,' 1 Tim. vi. 10. The word used constantly in the New Testament for covetousness, is TλEOVEEia, Mark vii. 22; Rom. i. 29; 2 Cor. ix. 5; Eph. v. 3; Col. iii. 5; 1 Thess. ii. 5. But whereas, as the wise man tells us, ' money answereth all things,' Eccles. x. 19, and is therefore the peculiar object of covetous desires, covetousness, and the love of money, are the same. Wherefore, the word here, being 'without the love of money,' is well rendered by 'without,' or alien from

covetousness.

Covetousness is an inordinate desire, with a suitable endeavour after the enjoyment of more riches than we have, or than God is pleased to give to us, proceeding from an undue valuation of them, or love to them. So it is described by our apostle, 1 Tim. vi. 6-10.

This is a vice which, by its effects, manifests itself always to be contrary to the light of nature, as debasing the minds of men, making them useless, and exposing them to all manner of vile practices. Hence it was always stigmatized by sober heathens as one of the vilest affections of the minds of men. And there is nothing which the Scripture doth more severely condemn, nor denounce more inevitable punishment to. Two places in our apostle may suffice to confirm it. In the one, he tells us that 'covetousness is idolatry,' Col. iii. 5. That is, such an abominable sin as there is no name fit to be given to it but that which intimates a rejection of God himself; or it may be, respect is also had to the minds of covetous persons, who even adore their money, and put their trust in it in the stead of God. The rich man's riches is his strong tower.' The other is, 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10, where he affirms that it gives men present perplexing anxieties of mind, and plungeth them into eternal perdition.

But hereof there are many degrees. Where it is predominant, the

Scripture doth absolutely exclude those in whom it is, from life and salvation, amongst the most profligate of sinners. But there may be, and are lesser degrees of inordinate desires after earthly things, which partake of the nature of this vice, that may abide in believers themselves, and are a subject of mortification all their days. And these inclinations, according to their degree, are obstructive of duties, and are means of exposing men to various temptations at all times, especially in those of persecution. And the apostle seems to have respect here to such a season; for when men are spoiled of some of their goods, and in danger of losing all, it is apt to stir up in them earnest and inordinate desires after somewhat more than they have, and not to be contented with what is present, which the apostle here declares to be covetousness. This he would have us free from at all times, especially in the times of persecution; to which, it plainly appears from the sixth verse, that he hath respect. And we may hereon observe sundry things; as,

Obs. I. All covetousness is inconsistent with a Christian conversation according to the gospel.-It is to be alien in all things from covetousness. Neither is there any thing at this day that doth more stain the glory of our Christian profession; for in the profligate lives of debauched persons, their blasphemies, adulteries, drunkenness, and the like, religion is not concerned. They openly avow themselves to have no interest in it, neither hath that any in them. But whereas covetous men, from the predominance of that one lust, do ofttimes keep themselves from open sins of the flesh, and withal make a profession of religion, having a form of godliness, this vice is a high reproach to their profession.

Obs. II. Covetousness, in any degree, is highly dangerous in a time of persecution, or suffering for the gospel.-It is with respect to such a season, that we are here warned against it. For there is no sin which so intimidates the spirit, and weakens all resolution in a time of suffering, as this doth. For sufferings generally, in the first place, fall on that wherein its power and interest doth lie, namely, the riches and possessions of men, whence they are filled with fears about them, disheartening them in all their resolutions. And it constantly riseth up against seasonable duties at such a time, such as contributions to the wants of other sufferers. It is always accompanied with a distrust of God, as we shall see afterwards, and fixeth the soul in an over-valuation of earthly things, which is directly opposite to the exercise of all grace whatever. It fills the soul at such a season with anxiety and disquietment of mind, piercing them through with many sorrows, with equal hopes and fears, irregular contrivances for supply, and reserves of trust in what men have, with other evils innumerable. Secondly. In opposition thereunto, we are directed and enjoined to αρκούμενοι, 'content with things that are present,' or such things as we have. Apкew, and the passive, are to suffice,' to be sufficient,' to be that which is enough, Matt. xxv. 9; John vi. 7. The passive is used here, and 1 Tim. vi. 8, to be content or satisfied with what is sufficient in earthly things, whose measure the apostle gives there to consist in food and raiment. Auтaokela, is once used to the

be