ATTEN. Murder doth often follow indeed, as that which is the fruit of this sin. But sometimes God brings even these adulterers and adulteresses to shameful ends. I heard of one, I think a doctor of physic, and his whore, who had three or four bastards betwixt them and had murdered them all, but at last themselves were hanged for it, in or near to Colchester. It came out after this manner,—the whore was so afflicted in her conscience about it that she could not be quiet until she had made it known. Thus God many times makes the actors of wickedness their own accusers, and brings them, by their own tongues, to condign punishment for their own sins.
WISE. There has been many such instances, but we will let that pass. I was once in the presence of a woman, a married woman, that lay sick of the sickness whereof she died, and being smitten in her conscience for the sin of uncleanness, which she had often committed with other men, I heard her, as she lay upon her bed, cry out thus, I am a whore, and all my children are bastards, and I must go to hell for my sin, and look, there stands the devil at my bed's feet to receive my soul when I die.
ATTEN. These are sad stories, tell no more of them now, but if you please show me yet some other of the evil effects of this beastly sin.
WISE. This sin is such a snare to the soul, that, unless a miracle of grace prevents, it unavoidably perishes in the enchanting and bewitching pleasures of it. This is manifest by these and such like texts—'The adulteress will hunt for the precious life' (Prov 6:26). 'Whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding. He that doeth it destroyeth his own soul' (Prov 6:32). 'A whore is a deep ditch, and a strange woman is a narrow pit' (Prov 23:27). 'Her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go under her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life' (Prov 2:18,19). 'She hath cast down many wounded; yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death' (Prov 7:26,27).
ATTEN. These are dreadful sayings, and do show the dreadful state of those that are guilty of this sin.
WISE. Verily so they do. But yet that which makes the whole more dreadful is, that men are given up to this sin because they are abhorred of God, and because abhorred, therefore they shall fall into the commission of it, and shall live there. 'The mouth,' that is, the flattering lips, 'of strange women is a deep pit, he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein' (Prov 22:14). Therefore it saith again of such, that they have none 'inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God' (Eph 5:5).
ATTEN. Put all together, and it is a dreadful thing to live and die in this transgression.
WISE. True, but suppose that instead of all these judgments this sin had attending of it all the felicities of this life, and no bitterness, shame, or disgrace mixed with it, yet one hour in hell will spoil all. O! This hell, hell-fire, damnation in hell, it is such an inconceivable punishment that, were it but thoroughly believed, it would nip this sin, with others, in the head. But here is the mischief, those that give up themselves to these things do so harden themselves in unbelief and atheism about the things, the punishments that God hath threatened to inflict upon the committers of them, that at last they arrive to almost an absolute and firm belief that there is no judgment to come hereafter; else they would not, they could not, no not attempt to commit this sin by such abominable language as some do.
I heard of one that should say to his miss when he tempted her to the committing of this sin, If thou wilt venture thy body I will venture my soul. And I myself heard another say, when he was tempting of a maid to commit uncleanness with him—it was in Oliver's days—that if she did prove with child he would tell her how she might escape punishment—and that was then somewhat severe—Say, saith he, when you come before the judge, that you are with child by the Holy Ghost. I heard him say thus, and it greatly afflicted me; I had a mind to have accused him for it before some magistrate, but he was a great man, and I was poor and young, so I let it alone, but it troubled me very much.
ATTEN. It was the most horrible thing that ever I heard in my life. But how far off are these men from that spirit and grace that dwelt in Joseph (Gen 39:10).