tentions, and Lufts, even that whofoever looketh on a Woman to Luft after her, hath already committed Adultery with her in his Heart.

The Words of the Text are Metaphorical, or Hyperbolical to be fure, cannot be underftood in a literal Senfe; for though it hath happen'd fo, and Providence fometimes hath fo ordered it, for reasons great and weighty, that fome good Men have had their right Eyes pluck'd out by others, and their right Hands cut off by Enemies, by Tyrants and Perfecutors, yet to think that Chrift would command his Followers to pluck out their own right Eye, and cut off their own right Hand, be Butchers and Executioners upon themselves, practise that Inhumanity upon their own Bodies, and go beyond the Priests of Baat, who only cut and hackt their Flesh, till the Blood gush'd eut, this feems not at all agreeable with the defign of him, who came to fave that which was loft, and hath charged us not to hate our own Flefh, but to cherish it, as a Servant, that the Soul may be the better for those kind Ufages fhewn to her Minister.

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And therefore the meaning of our Saviour must needs be this: If thy right Eye offend thee, or if thy right Hand offend thee, i. e. If thefe parts of thy Body adminifter occafion to Sin, if looking upon an Object, or touching it causes, or is apt to caufe evil Thoughts, and impure Defires, Lufts and Defigns within thee, pluck out, and cut off the Occafions of that Evil. Forbear looking that way as much

as if thine Eyes were pluckt out, and avoid touching that Object, as much as if thy Hands were cut off; it is better for thee, that thou enter into Life with one Eye, or maimed, or that one of thy Members should perish, i. e. Its better for thee, that thou shouldest mifs that Satisfaction, which thine Eye gave thee, and thy Hand prompted thee to, than with that Satisfaction to be caft into Hell.

So that thefe Words are a Metaphor taken from Surgeons, who in a Gangrene cut offa Limb, a Hand or Foot, or an Arm, to preferve the other Parts; and caufe one to perish, that the other may continue whole and untainted.

This is at least part of our Saviours meaning here: But as I told you, the Words relate not only to unlawful Luft, fhewing how that is to be cured; but to all the preceding Precepts and Vertues, and therefore fome thing more must be intended by them; and that you may fee the full extent of them, I fhall comprehend it, as near as I can in thefe three Propofitions.

I. Vertue and Watchfulness against Sin, is of that mighty Confequence, that if it were not otherwise Attainable, it were worth lofeing an Eye, or a Limb to get it, rather than be caft into Hell, for want of it.

II. To attain to a truly Spiritual Life, or to root up Habits of Sin, if gentler Means will not do, a Chriftian muft apply himself to a more painful Difcipline.

III. To avoid, or to be rid of unlawful Luft, whether Adulterous, or other impure Defires,

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Defires, a Chriftian must give not the leaft Encouragement to the Sin by Actions that feed it, nor cherish any thing that provokes to it.

I. Vertue and Watchfulness against Sin, is of that mighty Confequence, that if it were not otherwife Attainable, it were worth lofeing an Eye, or a Limb to get it, rather than be caft into Hell for want of it. This is as little as we can draw from our Saviour's words; and there is none fo weak, but will be able to inferr from them, that so much at least is fuppofed, in thefe Expreffions; If thy right Eye, or thy right Hand offend thee, &c.

Whatever Opinion the World may have of Vertue and Watchfulness against all forts of Sin, God hath other thoughts of it, and judges the Attainment fo neceffary, that he holds it Advifable rather to endure any thing, and to run any Hazard of the Body, than go without it. And indeed all wife and good Men, who have any lively Apprehenfions of the reafon of the Thing, are and have been of the fame Opinion; not only Chriftians, but even the Heathen Philofophers had an Infight into this Truth. There is a remarkable faying of Seneca to this Purpose. Projice que Cor tuum Laniant, que fi aliter extrahi nequirent, Cor ipfum cum illis evellendum erat, i. e. Throw away those base Lusts, which war against thy Soul, which if there were no other way to cure it, were worth pulling out the very Heart with them. Nay, fome of thefe Philofophers have actually deprived themselves of the use of fome confide

rable

rable Members of their Bodies, for the study of Philofophy; and its hard if the study of Piety fhould not deferve as much, if it were fo, that it were to be procured no other

way.

Vertue and Watchfulness against Sins are of infinitely greater Value than all outward Advantages whatfoever; and fince we ordinarily part with things of a lefsfer, for those of greater worth, feems it to you so hard a Bargain, to part with an Eye or Limb, for a greater Bleffing? The lofs of au Eye or Limb is nothing to the lofs of a Soul? He that lofes either of thefe, if he be Vertuous and Holy, and Watchful against Sin, may yet enter into Life; but he that is deftitute of this Watchfulness, can never enter in with all his Parts about him. The lofs of an Eye or Limb cannot hurt the Soul; for all that lofs, the Soul may be Happy, and Bleffed and Glorious, and a Favourite of Heaven; and he that lofes an Eye or a Limb upon the account of Righteoufnefs, fhall have that Eye, or that Limb restored to him in a more fplendid manner in the Resurrection of the Juft, fo that he fhall be no lofer by it; whereas he that is a stranger to this Watchfulness here, can never have it restored to him in the laft Day, for as the Tree falls fo it shall lie, and he that continues filthy here fhall continue fo till Doomf day.

Add to all this, that Hell is fo tremendous a Torment, that if a Man had any lively Notions of it, he would fuffer any thing rather, K 4

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the Rack, the Gibbet, the Wheel, and the Bull of Phalaris, than venture falling into that Mifery. I grant very few Men confider what it means; which is the reafon why they are frighted with it lefs, than with a Fire in a Chimney; but that must be aforibed altogether to the want of thinking, which we fee makes Men even fo brutish here, that they venture upon Actions, which lead them to the Gallows. If Hell be really fuch a Fire as the Gofpel defcribes it, as undoubtedly it is, a thinking or confiderate Man will dread it infinitely more, than cutting off a Limb, or pulling out of an Eye; the lofs of thefe is Sport to that Fire.

When Nahafh the Ammonite, 1 Sam. xi. 2. proposed to the Men of Fabeth Gilead, that he would take them under his Protection, if he might thruft out their right Eyes, and lay the Punishment as a Reproach upon Ifreal, the diftreffed Men, if no help had come from above, were content to fuffer that Pain and Misery to avoid his greater Barbarities; and therefore that Man must have no Sense, no Reason, I am fure no Faith, that being in danger of being caft into Hell for want of this Watchfulness, fhould not chufe a leffer Evil before a greater, and prefer a momentary Pain, before one Endlefs and Eternal.

But bleffed be God, this Watchfulness against Sin is attainable without plucking out the right Eye, and cutting off the right Hand in a literal Senfe, even by great Industry, and Courage, and ftriving, and taking pains with our felves. And yet even this will not take with fome of you.

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