profitable for thee that one of thy members fhould perish, and not that thy whole body should be caft into bell. 30. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and caft it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body fhould be caft into bell. 31. It hath been faid, whofoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of di vorcement. 32. But I fay unto you, that whofoever shall put away his wife, faving for the caufe of fornication, caufeth ber to commit adul are engaged in any vicious Habit, or in any tempting Company, which is like to enfnare you in the Tranfgreffion of this, or any other of God's Commandments, ferve them as you would do a gangrened Member: If they are ever fo dear, pleasant, or profitable, by all means part with them. It is better to endure the Pain of Self-denial in renouncing any beloved Luft, or in abandoning any beloved but dangerous Company, than to run the Hazard of deftroying your felves, Soul and Body, in Hell; which will be the Confequence of indulging any vicious Inclination, or of frequenting bad Company. 31, and 32. And now that I am guarding you against the Sins of Uncleannefs, and all the Caufes and Occafions of them, likewife aI must caution you gainst another Practice of great Affinity with them; I mean the Cuftom of putting away your Wives by a Bill of Divorce upon every frivolous Occafion. By this Practice, Men indulge their finful Appetites in the frequent Change of their Wives, as if they were fo many cubines. For they have been Con taught whosoever shall marry her that is divorced, committeth adultery. adultery: and taught by thefe Doctors, that if a Man has a Mind to put away his Wife, he has no more to do but to comply with the Formality of the Law, and take out a publick Writing of Divorce; by which, both Husband and Wife are left to their Liberty of Marrying or not Marrying again, as they think fit. But this is a great Abufe of the facred Institution of Marriage, and opens a great Door to wandering Luft. For preventing of which, remember what I now fay: If any Man (with, or without a Bill of Divorce) fhall put away his Wife, except in Cafe of her Infidelity to the Marriage Bed, that Man is acceffary to all the Lewdness the may be guilty of with other Men in that her abandoned State, and to the Sin of Adultery, if the marries another Husband,while the firft is alive. And whofoever marries her, engages and lives in a State of Adultery with her. 35. Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool: neither by Jerufa tem, for it is the City of the great King. 36. Neither Jhalt thou fwear by thy head, be caufe thou canst not make one bair white or black. Intent of the Third Commandment; for they interpret that Commandment to be only a Prohibition of Perjury. ye For 34, 35, and 36. But to rectify this Abufe, I require you to abftain not only from all falfe, but likewife from all vain, rash Oaths, if ever fo true. Particularly I prohibit all customary Swearing in your common Difcourfe and Conversation. And do not think to be excused if invent or ufe Oaths that are not directly by the Name of God himself, but (to leffen the Reverence of an Oath) by other Words, whether of an equivalent Signification or not. if thefe Oaths have any Signification of God, tho' they do not directly name him, this is all one and the fame, as if ye fwore by God himself. Of this fort is your Swearing by Heaven, which is God's Throne; and your Swearing by the Earth, which is his Footstool; and your Swearing by Jerufalem, which is the Place of his Royal Prefence upon Earth. But if the Things ye fwear by, have no Signification of God, then it is Nonfenfe and Impiety to swear by by them, having no Knowledge to difcern the Truth or Falfhood of what ye fwear,or Power fwear falfly. to avenge it, if ye And of this Nature is that common fenfelefs Oath, the Swearing by your Head, which is an affuming of Divine Honour to your felves, poor impotent Creatures, that cannot make one Hair white or black. Learn therefore to abftain from thefe, and all other Oaths, which are fo ufual in your common Difcourfe and Converfation; for they mightily leffen the Reverence of an Oath, and bring in a. Trickinefs and Dishonesty into Mens Words and Actions. 37. But instead of thefe, or any other Oaths, let your Speech and Converfation be reduced to a Plainnefs and Simplicity, that Men may depend on your Word without an Oath; for all these Aggravations of Speech, that are more than modeft Significations of the true Senfe of the Mind, proceed from fome finister Design, and are Temptations to Lying or Perjury; and are ufually defigned for compaffing fome finful End or Purpofe. 38. Another Instance wherein your Moral Righteoufnefs muft exceed that which is taught by the Scribes and Pharifees, is in the Point of Retaliation of Injuries; concerning which ye have been taught by these Doctors, that ye may revenge and retaliate Injuries, provided your Revenge keeps within the due Bounds of inflicting the Lofs of an Eye for an Eye, and a Tooth for a Tooth; and fo proportionably in other Things, Limb for Limb, and Life for Life. 39, 40, and 41. But if ye intend to be my Disciples, ye muft abftain from every Thing that looks like a vindictive Temper. Let the Reparation of Injuries be fought in a peaceable Manner of the publick Magistrate, if your offending Neighbour will not agree to make it of himself. But I would not have you forward even in this; to call your Neighbour before the Magiftrate, for every small Affront or Injury. In leffer Matters, rather venture the receiving a fecond Injury, than fue for the Reparation of the firft. Try that Way of gaining an Ad verfary, |