,transcribed from an undated copy in    
,kensington and ,chelsea local studies1 
bound with pamphlets by ,rev4 ,joseph   
,phillimore4  ,many thanks to           
,kensington and ,chelsea local studies  
for making it available for             
transcription4                          
,picture3 ,public domain cover          
,a                                      
,,sermon4                               
,,exodus1 ,,xx4 #ad4                    
,thou shalt not commit ,adultery4       
,,nothing is more serious than religion1
 and this ,commandment1 which ,god      
himself hath taught us1 nothing is less 
seriously considered2 religion  teacheth
 us our duty to our ,creator1 our fellow
 creatures1 and ourselves1  shewing us  
the way to escape future misery1 and    
present trouble1 and to  obtain         
everlasting happiness4  ,in the present 
ra1 the crime of adultery  seems much to
 prevail1 to the great dishonour of what
 ,i have just  mentioned2 let me implore
 the attention of this congregation to  

enquire  into the causes of it1 pointing
 out the fatal and dreadful consequences
  attendant on this course of living1   
and if haply1 we can find them1         
eradicate the same1 as an evil          
apparently spreading in the world1 it   
becometh the professors of christianity 
to condemn and discourage it1 as  well  
as the preacher of the ,gospel to       
intimidate his hearers1 in order to     
suppress the progress of it in future1  
as a crime that must undermine all  the 
social virtues the heart possesses1 and 
all the real enjoyment and  hope of     
happiness1 here and hereafter4  ,my     
first endeavour is to find out  the     
origin or cause of this most melancholy 
evil1 to prevent its present  as well as
 future extent1 and save the souls of   
many who are at a very  critical time   
just entering into life1 big with the   
prospect of enjoying  every comfort1    
innocency and pureness of heart can     
receive1 till art and  delusive sin make
 their various attacks2 for if we enter 

into life void  of sin1 void of         
hypocrisy1 and of a deceitful heart1    
with minds desirous  of being informed  
with every requisite perfection that    
adorns and  animates the human race1 to 
perform virtuous and laudable actions1  
it is  to be acquired at a time when we 
are supposed to have arrived at mature  
age1 and reason directs us1 and are     
judged proper and fit to be  accountable
 only to our conscience for the loss of 
our souls1 and not  owing to ignorance  
and inattention to those instructive    
commandments1 we  ought to have had     
engraved and written in our hearts the  
ten  ,commandments1 as the guide of our 
youth1 and the great comfort of old     
age2 the world in general wants a       
thorough reformation1 and all ranks and 
degrees of people whatever1 and         
whensoever any societies private or     
public meet or assemble1 and encourage  
or countenance such neglect of  duty1   
and the breaking of any one single      
commandment of our blessed  ,saviour's  

as trifling or of immaterial            
consequence1 they ought to be  informed 
of the great danger they stand in here  
in this life of trial and  approbation1 
and of the little hopes of futurity1 for
 scripture assures  us ,god can as soon 
destroy whole nations and cities1 as he 
has done1 for  continuing in wicked and 
abandoned courses1 as he can take away  
the life  of a single individual1       
therefore let the world be warned of and
 desist  from its error1 as it will     
encrease in the displeasure of the      
,almighty1  and let not this cause be   
advanced1 that any one commits it       
through  inattention1 or having had     
examples which apparently are not       
immediately  corrected by the hands of  
providence1 yet ,god knoweth the very   
secrets of  all our hearts4  ,the next  
reason to be advanced for the origin1 or
 cause1  ,i am afraid on examination    
more like to be1 than the preceding one1
  therefore weigh them both deeply in   
your minds1 all ye that this day hear   

my text and discourse1 and which ever   
you think most likely to prevail        
forsake it--,this then1 ,i am fearfully1
 wonderfully and sorely afraid is  the  
source1 the disturbed and impure spring 
from whence the mind is  tainted while  
young1 and very susceptible of receiving
 the first  impressions whether good or 
bad1 is idolized1 neglected1 or         
flattered1  and for want of examination 
either1 from an affectionate father1    
guardian1 or conductor1 whether she     
improved as she grows mature1 in        
virtue1 steadiness1 discretion1 and     
understanding the commandments of our   
blessed ,redeemer1 the full meaning1 the
 full intent and design of them1  as our
 fond father wished1 and hoped every one
 would in whatsoever sphere  of life1   
either male or female1 moved in1 that   
they were to be the great  foundation   
from whence every comfort present and   
future should flow1 and  bring salvation
 at the last great day of universal     
judgment to our  immortal souls3 but    

many have been taught them              
insignificantly1 and at a  time long ere
 they come into the world have forgot   
the great use of them1  thinking they   
were to be learnt while very young1 and 
of no consequence  to be attended to    
hereafter1 and that other ornaments and 
qualification  were far more requisite1 
and more desirable1 all qualifications  
and  improvements are highly laudable in
 any one to obtain3 but yet may you  all
 remember the commandments of your ,god 
are the sole protectors of  innocency1  
religion and virtue1 and when all others
 fade they will  remain1 and plead for  
the broken and contrite heart at the    
throne of  grace1 for ,satan misses no  
opportunity of pursuing the ignorant and
  neglected1 and is continually on the  
watch seeking whom he may devour  like a
 ramping and roaring lion greedy of his 
prey1 laying his snares1  and while     
young the heart is soon tempted and led 
astray1 and instantly  as the incautious
 and giddy enter into the large and     

spacious world  surrounded with gaiety  
and pleasure1 they fall a sacrifice to  
infamy and  disgrace which let          
succeeding years let ever so quick1 ever
 so many1 can  never entirely wipe away 
or extinguish4  ,if there are any among 
you  chosen as examples of virtue1 be   
religious and let not this be laid      
against you1 who ought to have been     
examplary in every thing that is        
praiseworthy behaved quite contrary to  
morality and decency4  ,think on  the   
fond parent who watches the infant1 with
 every tender thought1 with  every      
affectionate look1 folds him in his     
arms1 with transports of the  greatest  
love and joy1 reflecting within himself 
can ,i but support my  child1 with      
industry will ,i labour night and day1  
till it is able to  secure comfort to   
itself1 ,i am determined it shall not   
want food for its  maintenance1 or      
raiment for its body to protect it from 
the inclemency of  severe and nipping   
winter1 and every improvement for its   

mind that is to  be acquired2 all these 
advantages for a beloved child will ,i  
eagerly seek  after1 even suffer        
adversity rather than it should be      
neglected1 and a  denial of many wonted 
comforts1 for ,i shall be rewarded by it
 hereafter  when it arrives at years of 
discretion1 and judgment3 but1 alas     
after all  these warm1 these most       
pleasing feelings2 the time comes for   
these  virtues and all this affection1  
and accomplishments to shine forth1 and 
to be returned to the aged parent       
declining with years and almost bending 
to the brink of the grave1 to bid a long
 farewell to the world1 and  receive the
 last comforts of worn out and decrepid 
old age1 this darling  object in which  
all his delight and happiness for many  
past years had  been placed and vainly  
thought to be innocent1 is led forth1   
accused1 and  condemned by the great    
council of the nation of the most horrid
 crime of  adultery2 oh1 miserable      
state1 lost innocence and fallen virtue 

truly  lamentable1 never to be restored 
or recovered4    ,having given you two  
reasons from whence this unhappy sin    
arises4  ,i  shall proceed to inform    
mankind why ,god instituted marriage1   
and prove it  the most solemn engagement
 on this side of the grave concluding   
with some  useful reflections on my     
text4  ,providence's delight1 pleasure1 
and  satisfaction1 is1 was1 and ever    
will be to consult and provide every    
comfort for man void of sin1 during his 
short and uncertain passage on  earth1  
knowing very well when he created him1  
he could not live alone1  and it was    
highly necessary the human race should  
be spread into  different parts of the  
earth and of ,god's large and spacious  
dominions in  order that the whole earth
 might be inhabited and that a knowledge
 of a  future state should be delivered 
down to posterity1 that religion should 
flourish2 that ,god should be worshipped
 in spirit and in truth1 that man       
should have a due sense of his nature1  

how wonderful he was in all his  works1 
that he made the heavens1 and the earth1
 and the stars2 and the  sun to rule by 
day1 and the moon by night1 that        
learning should flourish1  that an eager
 desire of improvement in every art and 
science should enter  into the mind of  
man according to the abilities nature   
had endowed him  with2 some men should  
turn their thoughts to lofty and sublime
  contemplations1 others to the various 
sorts of husbandry and agriculture1  and
 that the earth should be tilled and at 
a proper season1 man for his  earnest   
endeavours of industry and integrity    
should be paid for his  trouble1 and    
expence in his respective employment1   
whether high or low2  for ,god loveth   
the good in every situation3 that he    
should look round  about him and be     
thoroughly satisfied with these         
blessings1 but all these  things could  
not be accomplished and brought to      
perfection without man  was to have a   
mate and partner in life2 accordingly1  

that nothing should  be deficient or    
wanting for man's real happiness1 ,god1 
instituted this  holy and solemn        
ceremony that by living together in     
pureness and love the  world should be  
peopled1 this was the only means        
,providence in his great  wisdom and    
mercy to a fallen generation            
condescended to prevent sin and  secure 
to himself a peculiar people free from  
corruption and  disobedience1 shewing at
 the same time how manifestly1 and how  
greatly he  wished the salvation of his 
beloved children he ordained this       
commandment1 thou shalt not commit      
adultery1 for as ,isaac and ,rebecca    
lived together soberly and quietly and  
as ,sarah obeyed ,abraham in calling    
him ,lord1 so ought all ye as long as ye
 live together1 in sickness and in      
health1 in adversity as well as         
prosperity1 till death either the one or
  the other takes away4  ,yet this      
sacred1 this wonderful affection and    
love  of our great and fond father1     

creator and redeemer is like the rest of
  his most valuable precepts and        
institutions in these our sinful days   
very  frequently broken1 therefore be   
cautious all ye who are about to        
approach1 the sacred altar of ,god and  
come not irreverently1 ,i mean  either  
male or female disinterested in your    
choice having made it either  for lucre 
or splendor1 but pay due attention to   
what you then hear and  are about to    
perform1 a ceremony1 which must give    
,god the greatest  pleasure if you      
adhere to your commandments and as you  
call upon ,god to  witness the truth of 
your intention1 you ought previously to 
have  revolved serious thoughts in your 
minds in order not to be negligent or   
inattentive to what you then hear and   
ought to understand1 never  intending to
 fulfil your promise faithfully1 you act
 the most wicked and  unfeeling of all  
human actions1 for whoever breaks this  
commandment is  sure to bring           
unhappiness and misery on one side1 and 

most likely  destruction and a broken   
heart on the other2 adultery induceth   
sinful man  to do what is wrong to his  
fellow creature1 but ,god is not thus to
 be  dealt with1 and without allowing a 
single moment's thought or reflection1  
on future punishment1 for wicked deeds2 
by this crime his own feelings  must    
plunge him into trouble and unhappiness 
in the day time1 and in the  calm and   
serene hour of sleep and refreshment    
awaken him with the guilt  of a wicked  
conscience1 having disunited by         
subtility and hypocrisy1 the  hearts of 
those who had been once endeared to each
 other and knitted  together in the     
bonds of friendship and in the tenderest
 and dearest ties  of affection and     
love4  ,present time and youth may make 
sinners  inattentive to such wickedness1
 but depend upon it1 the serious        
departing  hour and a death bed         
repentance will renew all these sad and 
melancholy  actions to our view1 when   
the broken heart is overwhelmed with    

grief1 and  the tongue too feeble to    
pray to its ,god4    ,we read in        
,scripture of one of the best of men    
having been guilty of this  crime1 but  
,god suffered him not to go unpunished1 
for king ,david very  much displeased   
the ,lord for the treatment of ,uriah   
the ,hittite for the  sake of           
,bathsheba1 and besides the crime of    
adultery he was hypocritical  and       
perfidious and ungrateful1 and for this 
very purpose it is mentioned  so very   
strong in holy writ1 to prevent in      
future1 the very best of men  in every  
other respect from committing this      
crime4  ,david became penitent  and     
sorrowful1 for having displeased the    
,lord1 for as his crime was of  the     
highest nature1 it called aloud for his 
severe vengeance1 and he  punished him  
in the most feeling manner1 for the     
little child which he  had born unto him
 in which his soul delighted1 the ,lord 
struck with  sickness and it died3 this 
is scripture evidence of temporal       

punishment1  but what makes this crime  
the greater1 it is generally attended   
with  hypocrisy1 for the very person    
that performs it pretends to be the most
  sincere friend1 to him1 in whose heart
 he pierces the most sharp pointed      
dart1 and secretly bereaves him of that 
peace of mind the world can never       
restore1 and that confidence the        
greatest of all happiness1 which he     
vainly thought no time or circumstances 
could ever remove2 remember this1  ,o ye
 dealers in iniquity1 it was not an open
 enemy that had done me this  dishonor1 
but it was even thou my companion1 mine 
own familiar friend4  ,men are exhorted 
in scripture to love their wives1 as    
,christ loved the  church1 and gave     
himself for her1 and to forsake father  
and mother1 and  cleave to their wives2 
as for the female part of the creation1 
let them  remember1 a virtuous woman is 
a crown of glory to her husband1 but she
  that maketh him ashamed is as         
rottenness in his bones4  ,be wise now  

therefore1 ,o ye sons and daughters of  
,abraham and attend to the proverbs  of 
,solomon1 the ,lord giveth wisdom and   
discretion unto thee1 to preserve  thee1
 from the ways of the evil man1 whose   
ways are darkness and sorrow1  and from 
the strange woman1 which flattereth with
 her words1 and  forsaketh the guide of 
her youth1 and forgetteth the covenant  
of her ,god2  whose house inclineth unto
 death1 and her paths unto the dead1    
none that  go unto her return again1    
neither take they hold of the path of   
life4  ,marriage is reduced by our      
,saviour to its original institution1 as
 it was  in the beginning1 before the   
passions of men had broken through the  
rules1 which right reason prescribed1   
and by polygamy had brought poverty  and
 discord into houses1 and many troubles 
and wickedness into the world1  to which
 had been added another evil1 that of   
frequent divorces4  ,the  ,gospel       
requires of all those who enter into    
this holy state1 that they  pass their  

days together in sacred love1 fidelity1 
and friendship1 and in  a joint care of 
their families4    ,before ,i conclude1 
there is one rank of people1 ,i most    
feelingly address  myself unto1 in order
 to prevent adultery1 and that is1      
parents of every  condition1 being as   
such myself1 most affectionately        
interested for the  future race avoiding
 disgrace1 and ignominy1 as well as the 
present4  ,my  advice and recommendation
 to one and all1 is to consider the     
weighty and  important characters they  
support1 and maintain it in dignity and 
being  patterns of virtue themselves1   
and governing their children by good    
examples1 rather than threatenings or   
punishment1 for the truly  affectionate 
and virtuous parents1 ,god in his great 
mercy in all  probability will grant    
obedient and affectionate children1 as a
  recompence1 that will honour them     
while on earth and reverence their name 
after their departure1 remembering there
 is no advantage to speak evil of  the  

dead especially he who hath walked      
uprightly1 walketh surely1 but he  that 
perverteth the ways of the good shall be
 known4  ,two qualifications  for the   
mind are incumbent on all parents1 who  
are capable1 which few are  not1 in     
these our enlightened and improved days1
 to learn their children1  at least if  
not to learn them1 to examine them      
frequently1 and hear them  when         
instructed1 and particularly on the     
sabbath day1 that is their  prayers and 
the church catechism1 which may appear  
to the giddy and  inconsiderate an      
arduous and irksome task1 yet to the    
truly pious and  religious1 must be     
laudable1 and meet with approbation3    
this will be  building their posterity  
on a rock which will not easily be      
moved1 and  when the vices of the age   
which have ruined1 and ,i am afraid will
  continue to shorten the lives of many 
of their cotemporaries1 they will  stand
 fast1 having prayed to ,god night and  
morning for his peculiar care  and      

protection1 wherefore ,providence having
 carried them through the many          
casualties of infancy1 and safely guided
 them against1 and turned them  aside   
from the perpetual dream and pressing   
torrent of unruly and raging  passions  
swollen with intemperance and excess1 at
 a maturer age he will  crown them with 
virtue at the end4  ,children are not   
looked upon by many  parents as the     
greatest of all blessings1 and as a gift
 and heritage that  cometh of the ,lord1
 many treat them not as the first and   
principal object  of man's heart1       
remembering what our blessed ,saviour   
saith1 suffer the  little children to   
come unto me1 and forbid them not1 for  
of such is the  kingdom of heaven1 but  
train up a child in the way he shall go1
 and when  he is old1 he will not depart
 from it2 this is of the highest moment 
to  all parents1 and let them remember1 
not to deserve the rebuke and           
chastisement of that all merciful and   
most affectionate father of the         

universe1 who wishes not that the least 
of all these his little children  should
 perish1 but live1 be happy1 and be     
immortal4    ,i will now point out a    
method1 which ,i hope will prevent this 
crime1 as  for man1 let him marry a     
woman purely for her virtue1 and the    
woman the  hidden man of the heart1     
preferring one another1 concealing      
nothing from  each other which concerns 
mutual affection1 remembering1 we are   
all  imperfect beings1 yet we are the   
noblest objects of ,god's thoughts1 and 
each sex as valuable in its respective  
situation1 in the sight of ,god1  the   
one as the other1 therefore as ,god was 
without spot and blemish1 let  us       
imitate him and become as pure as our   
frail nature will admit of1 let  us obey
 the text1 and turn not from the path of
 righteousness4  ,we should  do all that
 is in our power for the mutual         
advantages of one another1 and  if      
either is guilty of any trifling fault1 
look upon it as accidental1  and not a  

designed intention of disobliging1 by   
which means we shall  never have cause  
to dispute one with another1 for        
frequently from very  trifling          
circumstances1 inattention first begins1
 succeeded with dislike1  and then      
successive faults on both sides1 the one
 grows careless and  inattentive to the 
other1 till at last a thorough dislike  
arises on each  side1 and for revenge1  
this unhappy sin takes its origin1      
attended on one  part with all the      
disgrace and dishonour the female has to
 boast of1 and  on the other1           
dissatisfaction and inquietude at home1 
from whence1 man  becomes restless1 and 
uneasy in his mind1 for as soon as he is
 deprived  of comfort in his own        
dwelling1 in vain will he hunt for peace
 in the  whole world                    
besides4--,therefore in order to        
preserve virtue and chastity1  let all  
make trial at a proper season of life of
 this divine blessing1  instituted and  
ordained by ,providence1 and those that 

are joined together  in ,god's presence1
 by obedience in their situation1 let   
not man have it  in his power to put    
asunder1 but by living together in      
harmony1  faithfulness and constancy1 in
 adversity as well as prosperity1 for   
the  school of adversity which we all   
wish to escape1 is the great trial of   
our faith and obedience1 and in vain let
 the sycophant boast at that  period1   
the unhappiness1 woe1 and misery he hath
 caused the innocent to  experience and 
frustrate all the mischievous and       
insinuating attempts of  artful and     
deceitful men1 which1 let them be ever  
so long secreted from  man during his   
passage here1 at the last great day1    
,god will disclose  them1 and the       
secrets of the libertine and adulterer  
brought forth to  condemn him4    ,thus 
have ,i endeavoured to prove how highly 
culpable1 every person is and  how      
daring to presume to break through3 a   
commandment descended from so  great an 
author2 the disadvantages accompanying  

this disobedience ,i have  already fully
 described1 and am persuaded1 must be   
unhappiness  continually while we are   
here1 for reason before mentioned and   
observed1  but still there is worse     
punishment and inconveniencies to fear1 
and  greater sufferings to undergo1 and 
that is not man's displeasure only1  but
 ,almighty ,god's just and severe       
correction1 remembering he will grant   
his most gracious pardon to all those   
who ignorantly do wrong and by that     
means fall into error1 but this is one  
of his most express commandments1  and  
he adds1 happy are ye when ye know them1
 if ye do them1 but if ye  continue to  
break them1 your future salvation1 will 
be insecure when you  quit this scene of
 life1 resting assured there is not a   
greater crime to  be committed by man   
than this1 therefore write it in your   
hearts1 that  perfect obedience to the  
divine will of our father which is in   
heaven1 is  the only spring1 the only   
fountain from whence peace in this      

present  world can be obtained1 and the 
only method of receiving pardon and     
forgiveness in the world to come1 in    
those blessed mansions where the  pure  
alone will see ,god4    ,remember this1 
,o ye wives1 as ,st4 ,paul saith to the 
,ephesians1 submit  yourselves unto your
 own husbands1 as unto the ,lord1 and   
let every man in  particular1 says the  
same apostle1 so love his wife as       
himself1 and the  wife that she         
reverence her husband4    ,be ye        
followers of ,god as dear children1 and 
walk in love1 as ,christ also  hath     
loved us1 and hath given himself for us 
an offering and sacrifice  for a sweet  
smelling favour4                        
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,finis4