BOOK THE FOURTH,

The Book of Whoredom, and the Cruelty of the Wicked.

Now have searched the Scriptures and I find that this is one of the most common and most dangerous sins that a Man or Woman can practice on the Earth, because, it is most abominable in the sight of God, and it hath such a connexion with almost all other sins as it pollutes the soul, flesh, and seed, and makes it none other than fit for the fuel of hell. Therefore, read this book, and that with great attention, and see the result of this great evil, and the thousands which it kath slain, and see the cruelty of the wicked, and let us look to the bleeding Lamb, and pray for mercy and grace so that we may be delivered from this great and sore evil before it is too late.

Now I consider this sin to be one of the greatest sins, which is committed under the whole Heavens. But now, my readers, we see that God blessed man at the beginning, and made him happy, and he was pure, and in love with h Maker. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the Earth. Gen. i. 27, 28. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Gen. ii. 25 They knew no shame, because they knew no sin; and had they continued in that state, surely, then their actions, works, and conceptions had been in love with each other, and holy to their God. But it appears that it was suffered that man should be tried, and by his yielding to the temptation of the devil, and disobedience to the command of his God. It appears by this, that their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made them, selves aprons. And so it appears that they soon found a guilty conscience, and that their holy nature was changed from a love of virtue, to that of vice. But agam, methinks

that there was a monitor, or conscience. working within, which made their flesh and hearts tremble, saying, what hast thou done, thou hath got nothing but the bulk of the sins of the whole world in thy nakedness, to appear before an holy God. And now, my readers, I may still lead on to the way of man's restoration through Christ our Lord. But as this Book is called the Book of Whoredom, I shall, therefore, proceed on to some of those lustful and wicked acts which men have committed, which things you may find in Holy Writ. And now I consider that there was something of this great evil in man before the Flood, for it said that men took them wives of all which they chose, and that the imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, Gen. vi. 25. And their wickedness was so great so that the Lord destroyed them from off the face of the earth. Gen. vii. 23. And it appears again that after the Flood, that this sore evil sprang up again in Haw, which mocked his father in his weakness. Gen. ix. 22. And it appears to me that he was the father of many wicked nations, and perhaps of Sodom and Gomorrah, whom the Lord destroyed by brimstone and fire. Gen. xix. 24. And after these things we read again and see how that the Children of Israel committed whoredom with the daughters of Moab, and they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods, and the people did eat and bowed down to their gods, and Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And the Lord said unto

Moses, take all the heads of the people and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor. And behold one of the Children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation af the Children of Israel, who were weeping before the tabernacle. And when Phinehas, the sou of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation and took a javeliu in his hand; and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the Children of Israel. And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. Numbers xxv. 1.

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now we see the results of this great evil. And the pride and the wicked lust of this nature, if it is not restrained from, will ruin the body and sink the poor soul iuto hell. Therefore, if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God, with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark ix. 7. And again, after those things, in the time of the judges of Israel, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning ou the side of Mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem Judah, and his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father's house, and was there four whole months. And her husband arose and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her back again. And when he came to her father's house, her father received him joyfully, and he abode with him four days. And it appears that they were peaceable and merry together, and his father in-law wished them to have stayed longer. But it seems that he did not wish to become burdensome to his father-inlaw. Therefore his desire was to return home again, so the Levite and his concubine, and his servant, returned home again, and they came over against Jebas. Now the day being far spent, his servant wished his master to lodge there. But his master said unto him, we will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger that is not of the Children of Israel, but we will pass over to Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin; and it came to pass that when the Levite was in the streets of the city, he sat him down, for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging. But behold there was an old man coming from his work out of the field, and when he came to them he spoke friendly unto them and took them into his house to lodge them. But now, it appears, that there was some very wicked men in this city, and they beset the house so that the Levite was obliged to let them have his concubine to do what they pleased with her; and they knew her and abused her all the night, so that it appears she was found dead at the door in the morning. And the Levite took her up upon an ass and gat him to his place. And it appears that he laid it to heart so much that he took a knife and divided her into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel for them to consider what they had best do concerning this

evil matter. And it was so that all that saw it said there was no such deed done or seen from the day that the Children of Israel came up out of the Land of Egypt. See Judges xix. And they took counsel, and sent to the Children of Benjamin, their brother, saying, deliver to us the men the Children of Belial which are in Gibeah that we

inay put them to death. But the Children of Eenjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren, the Children of Israel. But the Children of Benjamin gathered themselves together to battle against their brethren and now this shocking event which took place through this sinful and lustful and wicked act which had been committed. It appears, if I mistake not, that the Benjamites destroyed of the Israelites down to the ground forty thousand; and the Children of Israel destroyed down to the ground of the Children of Benjamin twenty and five thousand men and upwards And this great and sore event seems to have occurred from the abuse which was done to the Levites concubine. And it appears that there was more destroyed of the Children of Israel than there were of the Children of Benjamin, yet the Benjamites seemed to be most in fault. Judges xx. And what can we say concerning these things? who can tell, it may be that the children of Israel, probably had committed some sin of uncleanliness. But not so much public to the world nor so abusive, and if they had, no wonder why both parties were destroyed. But how marvelous and misterious are thy works and judgments O Lord, are not thy ways and wisdom in the heavens, and in the skie, and in the deep waters. O, E intreat thee to humble my soul in thy sight, lest for fear that I should fall into some great evil and thou cut me off from the earth. And again, we also see that David committed a very great sin by committing adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. 2 Sam. xi. 2. Now this sin of David's in committing adultery was very great, but this is not all, for he added to it, for it appears that he caused Uriah to fall by the sword of the Children of Animon, to conceal his own wickedness. And again, David's sin was very great in this sense, now he being represented as a man of God, and at the same time indulged himself in this wicked act, it was therefore a hurt to the cause of God, and it also gave great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme his most holy name. Therefore, let this be a

caution for every one that professeth to be a christian, that is, to keep himself by grace unspotted from the world. James i, 27. But now I had rather come short here, for it appears that David sincerely repented, and whom the Lord condemns not. Let not me condemn, but behold my little Book called Repentance, and see how this sin grieved his precious soul. But again, and David took her, who had been the wife of Uriah, to be his wife, but the child died; and after this, she bare him another son, and he called his name Solomon, and the Lord loved him; and after this, in a dream, God said unto Solomon, ask what I shall give thee, and in the choice which God gave him, he asked, and preferring understanding and wisdom, rather than long life, or riches, or the life of his enemies. And the thing which Solomon asked for, pleased the Lord, so that the Lord gave him wisdom, peace, honour, and riches. 1 Kings, c. iii. And he was counted the wisest man upon the earth. And now, I say, look and behold this great man, and that he seems to be strengthened and fortified against all evil and temptations. But see how he was drawn away, and that by the allurement of women. King Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites. Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the Children of Israel, Ye shall not go into them, neither shall they come in unto you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their Gods; Solomon cleave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. And by the allurement of women and proud lusts he fell away to idolatry, and paid homage to strange Gods. 1 Kings, xi. 1. Therefore, he that thinkest he standeth, let him take heed, lest he fall. But now, I shall leave the bad deeds of Solomon here, hoping that he repented, and that his soul is at rest in glory; and you may see his sweet counsel and exhortation, and that is for us to avoid and to shun those evils. In some of my works following, which is most worthy of your notice, but blessed is the man that is like Job, for he seems innocent of these things, & ob serve what he saith of these things, he saith it is an henious crime, a fire that consumeth to destruction, Job, xxxi, 9. And again, hear what Isaiah saith concerning these characters; they enflame themselves with idols under every green