An exposition of the morall lavv, or Ten Commandements of almightie God set dovvne by vvay of exercitations, wherein is contained an explanation of diverse questions and positions for the right understanding thereof, together with an explication of these scriptures which depend upon, or belong unto every one of the commandements, all which are cleared out of the originall languages, the customes of the Iewes, and the distinctions of the schoolemen / by Iohn Weemse ...

EXERCITAT. I. How vile a sinne adultery is.

Exod. 20.14. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

WHen a man sinneth, hee sinneth either a∣gainst God, against himselfe, or against his neighbour; the Apostle layeth out this division plainly: Tit. 2.12. We should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; holy before God, soberly towards our selves, and righteously towards our neighbour.

The adulterer sinneth, first, against God; secondly, against himselfe, and thirdly, against his neighbour.

First, he sinneth against God; hee sinneth directly a∣gainst all the three persons of the Trinitie, against God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.

First, he sinneth against God the father the creator; when God created Adam, hee made him first one, then he made the man and the woman two, and thirdly by marriage, he made the man and the woman one againe; And they two shall be one flesh. Gen. 2.24. And then com∣meth the adulterer, and separateth them whom God hath conjoyned and made one.

Secondly, the adulterer sinneth against God the Son the redemer, Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot? 1. Cor. 6.15. Is Christ divided? hee is like the naturall mother that will not have the child divided, hee will not have his members, to be made the members of an harlot.

Thirdly, the adulterer sinneth against the holy Ghost the Sanctifier, defiling the temple of his body; and as the uncleane conversation of the Sodomites grieved the spirit of just Lot. 2. Pet. 2.8. much more doth the un∣cleane conversation of the adulterer, grieve the good spirit of God.

Secondly, the adulterer sinneth against himselfe; First, against his owne body. How sinneth hee against his owne body? He sinneth against his owne body sub∣jectivè, but in other sinnes objectivè; for in other sinnes the body is but the instrument, and the thing which he abuseth is without the body; as when a murtherer kil∣leth a man, the wrong and injurie is done to his neigh∣bour; but when hee committeth adultery, the body is not onely the instrument by which he committeth this sinne, but also the thing it selfe which is abused; he sin∣neth against his owne body making it the member of an harlot, and depriving it of the dignity which it had, and by bringing loathsome and vile diseases upon it.

So he sinneth against his owne familie, bringing in a strange woman, Prov. 5.9. Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy yeares unto the cruell. and Prov. 5.20. And why wilt thou my sonne, be ravisht with a strange woman, and embrace the bosome of a stranger.

So he sinneth against the child begotten in adultery, he is called Mamzer, as ye would say, aliena labes, ano∣ther mans blot; and the Hebrewes call him Shatuki, from shatak tacere, for when others are praysing their parents, he must hold his peace, because hee knew not who was

his father; and the Iewes call the naturall children the olive and the vine, and the bastard they called the bram∣ble, and the Greekes call them 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, because they are subject to contumelies. Ioh. 8.41. We be not borne of for∣nication: the Physitians call the short ribs costas spurias, or base ribs, the Athenians had a place in Athens called Cynosorgus, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 canis, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in the Ionick tongue signifieth white, because they offered a white dogge to Hercules: First, they offered a dogge; quia canes promis∣cue coeunt, then they offered it to Hercules, because Her∣cules was a bastard, therefore they used to say to a ba∣stard, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is, get you to the judicatory to be tried.

As the adulterer sinneth against himselfe, so hee sin∣neth against his neighbour; First, hee wrongeth the head of the family, taking from him, her who slept in his bosome, eate of his morsels, and dranke of his cup. 2. Sam. 12.3. So hee taketh from him the delight of his eyes. Ezek. 24.16. So he wrongeth the rest of his neighbours children, making them to be suspected of bastardie; for even as one peece of light money maketh the whole summe to be suspected; so doth the bastard mak the rest of the children in the family to be suspected. Psal. 128.3. The children of the house are called olive plants: why are they compared to olive plants? as the olive plant will suffer no other graft of any other tree to be ingraf∣ted in the stocke, so cannot the naturall children of the house abide a bastard to be amongst them. Iudg. 9.2. Thou shalt not inherite with us, because thou art the sonne of a strange woman.

Compare this sinne of adulterie with other sinnes, and yee shall see the vilenes of it: a murtherer when he hath committed a murther, his conscience doth sting him after the fact be done, but stollen waters are sweet to the adulterer. Prov. 9.17. that is, hee hath no remorse

for the sin, and he is led like the oxe to the slaughter, or as a foole to the correction of the stocks, till a dart strike through his liver, as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. Prov. 7.22, 23.

Compare this sinne with fornication, and yee shall see the vilenes of it. Chrysostome hath a good compari∣son to this purpose, wee excuse saith he the master of a ship, when the ship is cast away by the storme of wea∣ther; but if the ship be brought within the harbour, and then the master of the ship should cast her away, then he should plead no excuse: So saith he, when youth is un∣married, and carried away with the tempests of sinfull lusts, they may seeme to have some pretence or excuse to extenuat their fault, as not being married; but when they are come within the haven, or safe port of marri∣age; what excuse can they have then?

Compare this sinne and theft together; theft taketh away a mans goods, but whoredome stealeth away oftentimes the right of a mans lands. The theife when hee stealeth, doth it for necessity, and hee will restore seven fold for it, but an adulterer cannot make restitu∣tion. Prov. 6.31, 32. It is the greatest sort of theft that is, and therefore the Greekes called them 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, fu∣res conjugij.

When the Scripture appropriateth this word [Sin] to any particular sinne, then it noteth a great sinne; as this people hath committed a sinne, that is, idolatrie; So whoredome by way of appropriation is called a sinne, Luc. 7.37. And behold a woman in the citie which was a sinner, that is, which was a prostitute harlot.

The greatnesse of this sinne appeareth in this, there is a double end of marriage; First, to beget children; Secondly, the remedy against lust; but the adulterer delighteth in lust, but not to beget children in this act,

therefore it is most opposite to honourable marriage.

Vnder the law, the sacrifice which was offered for the woman suspected of adultery, is called oblatio re∣cordationis; Num. 5.18. In all other sacrifices the ini∣quitie was purged, and put away; but in this sacrifice the sinne of adultery is remembred, and there was no incense nor oyle added to this sacrifice, which two sig∣nified, pleasure and joy; there was nothing pleasing to the Lord in it.

Lastly, the greatnesse of the punishment sheweth the greatnesse of the sinne, whoremongers and adul∣terers God will judge. Heb. 13.4. and without shall bee dogges, sorcerers, and whoremongers, &c. Re∣velat. 22.15. The whores house inclineth to death, and her pathes [El rephaijm] to the Gyants. Proverbs 2.18. to that part of hell, where these damned monsters are.

The conclusion of this: Seeing adulterie is such a fearefull sinne, wee must shunne all occasions which lead unto it; Remove thy way farre from her, and come not nigh the doore of her house. Prov. 5.8. When Potiphars wife tooke hold on Iosephs cloak, he left the cloak be∣hind him, and would not touch it againe; no more then David would drinke of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which was got with the hazard of mens lives.

Notes

• The adulterer sinneth against the three per∣sons of the Trinitie.
• The adulterer sinneth against God the father.
• Adam created one at the first, then was made two and then one.
• ••e sinneth against the Sonne.
• He sinneth against the Holy ghost.
• The adulterer sinneth against himselfe.
• ALIENVS pro inimica apud Hebra••••.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Spurius. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 aliona labes. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Spurius a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 tacere.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 contumelia & 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 stupro, bruta etiam animalia 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 dicuatur cum petulan∣tia sunt & ••as••rva.
• The adulterer wron∣geth his neighbour.
• The wife called the de∣light of the eyes.
• Children compared to olive plants.
• Adulterie compared with murther.
• Adulterie compared with fornication.
• Simile.
• Adulterie compared with theft.
• Adulterie the greatest theft.
• Sinne added to another fault, to note the great∣nesse of it.
• The punishment of a∣dulterie grievous.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• Conclusion.