Rebellion of his Subjects, and many other Calamities for this Sin: This banished the Kings from Rome, brought the Moors into Spain, and hath pulled down many of the moft flourishing Kingdoms of the world, and yet Damnation will be added after all these temporal Judgments, all which should make us fay with trembling, Good Lozd,&c.

Thirdly, The mighty Power it hath over those who once yield to it, may alfo make us afraid of it. No Vice more fuddenly and infenfibly infinuates it felf, but when it hath once got poffeffion it is troublesome and infatiable, difdaining to be reftrained by reafon or Conscience, by the Laws of God or Man; it furiously drives men into fhame and poverty, yea into diseases and death; fo that the Philofopher used to pray he might rather be diftracted and loofe his wits than to become a flave to fo bruitish a Paffion (d); which when the outward Acts are ceafed by age or weakness, defiles the mind with defires and remembrances as vile as the groffer Profecutions: How few are the inftances of those that have returned from it? How many are the Examples of fuch as have in pursuance of thefe defires forfeited their Honour and Eftates, their Health, their Life,yea their immortal Souls alfo, fo that if we have any care of our felves, we fhall fay moft paffionately, Good Lozd,

(d) Anacharfis ap. Theodoret. Serm.2. (e) Kav z irapyta nouales Tÿ DIE TO SWURTO,7 evin ourorales πρὸς τὸ μὴ παρόν. Clem.Alex.Strom.

3.

&c.

Fourthly, The mifchievous effects which it produceth in the World fhould render it odious to us, it defiles and debaucheth Perfons, who might have been vertuous, it makes Families miferable, unties the Holy bands of Matrimony, shakes the foundation of Soci

eties, it fills the World with rage and revenge, Duels and Blood: Yet extirpating all true Valour, it makes an Age effeminate and vain, uncapable of Action, and empty of Honour, but what is purchased in an infamous Quarrel. It embafeth the Spirit, befots the Wits, and deftroys the Parts of the braveft men, and throws fuch a blot upon the beauty of the fairest Women, that nothing is more deformed in the eyes of all fober Perfons: And we may confider, how we would take it, to have our nearest Kinred, or Relatives, our Families, or our Friends to be thus abused, and then I fuppofe we fhall have motives fufficient to teach us heartily to pray from foznication, Good Lozd, &c.

It is evident by what hath been faid, that Foznicatton is a deadly in, but not the only one, wherefore we add a Petition to be delivered from all other deadly fin: An expreffion undefervedly cenfured by fome, as if it favoured that Diftinction of the Roman Church, which makes fome Sins venial in their own Nature,others mortal: But the Doctrine of this Church is, that all Sin is in it's own nature deadly, as St.Paul affirms Rom.vi.23. yet because St. John plainly faith, there is a Sin unto death, and a Sin not unto death, 1 Epift.v.16,17. we may fafely retain the Diftinction in St. Johns fenfe, and as St. Augustine expounds it (f); taking Deadly Sins for fuch as are Deadly and mortal in their event, through the final impenitence of thofe,who practise them; which David calls prefumptuous Sins, Pfal.xix.12. and as we here, fo he there, firft prays to be delivered from Secret Sins, and then from Sins of Prefumption or Deadly Sins: For the meaning of Deadly Sins here is, thofe open and grievous Sins, which none but prefumptuous Sinners do act,and from which few ever efcape; fins that rarely are washed away by Repentance,

E 2

(f) Auguft. retra& gratia,cap. 12. 7.1.cap. 19. De Correp.

Repentance, and ufually end in Damnation: Such is Fornication of which Solomon obferves, None that go unto her return again, nor take hold of the Paths of life, Prov.ii.19. and fuch are the reft that are reckoned up by St.Paul 1 Cor.vi.9,10. whither we are directed to look, what is meant by all other Deadly Sins, for after F02nication follows Idolatry, abominable luft, Robbery, Covetousness, Drunkennefs, Railing and Extortion, the aЄtors of which (the Apoftle faith) shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. These therefore are the particulars, rather than those which the Roman Church calls the feven Deadly Sins,viz. Anger,Pride, Gluttony, Luxury, Covetousness, Envy,Sloth: Some of which belong to the former Petition rather than this, nor is Foznication named among them; nay, I fear, the corrupt practices of the Romanifts hath made their Doctors to blot this out of the number of mortal Sins (g), which our Church names in the firft Place: The fum is that under the Title of Deadly Sins are to be reckoned all forts of publick, actual, heinous Crimes, which being too many to be named particularly are comprehended under this general appellation, to humble the bold Committers of them, by minding them, that they will (if not speedily repented of) end in their Damnation: But let none take encouragement from hence to be unconcerned for leffer Sins, for the leaft is deadly in it self, and without Repentance will be fo to him, that doth commit it; nor muft we exempt thofe Sins, which the custom of an Evil age, or the multitude of Offenders makes to be generally accounted finall; nor yet may any Man except his own darling Sin, out of this Catalogue of Deadly ts, for though every one makes excufes for the

(g) Pro fimplici formicatione quis defoni non debet, qui pauci fine illo vitio inveniantur.Gloff.ad

Grat.diftin.8.c.6.

vice to which he is inclined, and great iniquities are counted nothing by their impure Actors (b), yet no Sins are fo mortal in their Event, as those which are beloved and in dulged, often acted and feldom repented of, and a little wound neglected may easily prove Deadly; fo that under this Head of Deadly Sins, we should think of all the

(h) Onnes rei ze.

niabiles purant femper reatus fuos, nam &

furta furibus L. ves culpæ funt, & inпосла ebriofis videtur ebrietas, & apud impudicos fornicatio fee

lus non est. Salvian. ad Ecclef. Cathol.l.

4.

groffer Acts of Wickedness, and of all those Sins which may be deadly to us, though of themselves they feem inconfiderable and pray to be delivered from them

all.

Lastly, That we may comprehend all forts of Sins, both great and small, we pray that God would deliver us from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the Debil: For there is no kind of Wickedness, but it comes under one of thefe Heads: As to the nature of Sin, it is a Deceit, Prov.xi.18. it promiseth more good than ever it performeth, and bringeth evils upon the Sinner that were wholly unexpected: As to the Agents and Inftruments of this Deceit,they are the World,the Fleth and the Devil, our three great Enemies, which we renounced in our Baptism, yet ftill they feek to deceive us: The World propounds Objects from without, the Flesh meets them with defires from within, the Devil maketh an advantage of both, and we are eafy, credulous, and apt to be abused into the most dangerous embraces, and therefore had need to pray, Good Lord, &c. Or if we would be more particular, the Deceits of the World, are all the pomp and gayety, which attend Riches, fair Palaces, numerous retinues,feafting and jollity,ftate and magnificence; or at leaft, the cafe and fatisfactions that dwell with a full Purfe: with thefe are E 3

Men

means,

Men deceived and enticed to feek Wealth by evil to rely upon it as compleat felicity, whereas those who enjoy it, find all is Vanity and Vexation of Spirit. The Deccits of the flesh, are the Pleasures, that arise from variety and plenty of Meats and Drinks, from merry Company, and novel divertisements, from floth and idleness, and especially from wantonness and Luft, but these are mingled with forrows,and end in fickness, and fhame,in poverty and a lafting repentance, they please the outward, but deftroy the inward man: Now both of these kinds may be called the Deceits of the Devil, because he is the World's Sollicitor, and the Pander to the Flesh, defigning and promoting our delufion,by both thefe means, whence he is called the Deceiver, Rev.xx. 10. and it is his whole business, under feveral difguifes, to cheat and deceive (i); yet there are fome Temptations, which are fuggeftions of his own devifing, fuch as the thoughts that Religion is foolish and impoffible, that Charity is expensive and burdenfom, that Devotion is needlefs and a waste of time; the deferring Repentance till it is too late, the expectations of Mercy in a finful courfe, and the fears of an evil portion after all pious endeavours, thofe are properly his Deceits: And when we confider our own ignorance, negligence and aptness to be deluded, and reflect upon the number, the management, and policy of all these plots, we cannot but conclude with a moft paffionate, Good Lord deliver us.

(i) Dolus eft machinatio quædam alterius decipiendi caufa, cum aliud fimulatur, aliud agitur.Ulpian. 1.c.