What Is Forbidden in the Seventh Commandment?

Answ. The seventh commandment forbiddeth all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions,

Q^ What is required in -the seventh commandment?

A. The preservation of chastity, 1 Thess. iv. 3, — 7.

O. What do you understand by chastity?

A. Cleanness and purity from irregular fleshly pleasure.

Q. Whose chastity ought we to preserve?

A. Our own and our neighbour’s, lCor. vii. 2, 35, 36.

Q. Wherein is our own and our neighbour’s chastity to be preserved? A. In heart, speech, and behaviour.

Q, Why should we preserve our own and our neighbourns chastity? A. Because we are men, not beasts.*, Christians, not Heathens j and therefore our bodies and souls ought to be pure temples for the Holy Ghost.

Q^ By what means are we to preserve our chastity?

A. By watchfulness over our minds and senses; temperance in eating and drinking *, seasonable fasting •, ferment prayer j the fear and Spirit of God dwelling in us,: and by faith in Christ, and his promises of sanctification 5

diligence in our callings-, and lawful marriage, Job xxxii.l.

O. What is marriage? A. A lawful joining together

of a man and woman in individual fellowship during life**

Q. Who instituted marriage?

A. God instituted it before the fall, to teach us, that marriage is very honourable, and the privilege of all men,-. Gen. ii. Heb. xiii. 4.

Q. What are the ends of marriage? A. The mutual help of parties, regular increase, and education of mankind, affording the church an holy seed, and prevent* ing of uncleanness, 1 Cor. vii. Gen. ii. Mai. ii. Q. When is a marriage lawful?

A. When it is contracted, with consent of their parents, between one single man and a woman come to the years of discretion, duly distant in affinity and blood, and of the same religion.

CJ. May parents force, or without good reason oppose- their children’s inclinations to marriage? A. No.

Q. How distant in affinity and blood must those be - who marry together ?.

A. Persons in a direct descent must never marry together, nor any nearer than cousins in the oblique descent j nor must we marry any nearer relations of a late husband or wife than of our own, Lev. xviii.

Q^. Why must those who marry together be duly distant in affinity and blood? A. That friendship may spread in the world, and unnatural lust be discouraged. Qj Why must they be come to the years of discretion? A. That they may be capable to choose their yoke-fellow, and manage the affairs of their family, Prov. xxxi» Q; Why ought they to be of one religion? A. That they may walk together as heirs of the grace st life, and not seduce one another from the fear of God, 2 Cor. vi. 14.

Q. Ought professed Christians to marry only with such as appear to fear God?

A. Yes 5 otherwise they disobey God y pour contempt on religion, in preferring riches, beauty, or parentage to it •, hinder their prayers; take into their bosom a mean of deadening their soul, disordering their family, and ruining their seed. 2 Cor. vi. 14.

Q-. What is forbidden in the seventh commandment?

A. All unchaste thoughts, words, looks, or actions.

Q. How is unchastity committed in our thoughts?

A. By filthy dreams, devising or desiring opportunities of unchastity, or by delighting in imaginary views of committing it, Jude 8. Job xxxi. 1.

Q, How are we guilty of unchastity in our words?

A. By reading, hearing, speaking, or writing of undleanness, or temptations to it, with pleasure j and especially if the stile be immodest, Epb. v. 4.

Q. Whence doth men’s pleasure in reading, hearing, or speaking immodest language, proceed? A. From the

fire of uncleanness burning in their heart, Prov. vii. ix.

Q. How are we guilty of unchastity in our looks P

A. In viewing immodest pictures with pleasure, or beholding other objects with unchaste desires towards them, Ezek. xxiii. Mat’th. v. 28. Prov. xxiii. 33.

O. How are we guilty of unchastity in our deeds?

A. By incest, Sodomy, bestiality, self-defilement, and other unnatural lusts, Lev. xviii. 6, — 24. and xx. 11 — 21. Gen. xxxviii. 9. Rom. i. 24, — 21; lascivious salutations, wanton embraces and dalliances, Prov. vii. 13. and vi. 29. J such gestures as shew the levity and filthiness of the mind, or tempt others to unchastity, Isa. iii. 16. Gen. xxxviii. 14, lo. Prov. vii. 10, 11, 12. ‘, and by fornication, adultery, rape, polygamy, and retaining of concubines, Gen. xxxiv. 2 Sam. xi. and xiii. 1 Kings xi. 3.

Qj What is polygamy? A. It is to have more wives or husbands than one at the same time, 1 Kings ii. 1, 3.

Q^ How prove you, that polygamy, and keeping of concubines, are very sinful?

‘A. As these practices are contrary to God’s command, and the first institution of marriage, which makes only twain one flesh; and have bred great disorder in families, Lev. xviii. IS. Gen. ii. and xvi.

Q. How then did Jacob, David, and other saints, indulge themselves in those practices? A. Custom, and the darkness of the times had blinded their conscience.

Q. What, besides the above kinds of unchastity, is forbidden in this command? A. Whatever tends to encourage any manner of unchastity, Prov. v, vii, and xxiii.

Q. What things encourage and excite to unchastity?

A. Idleness, gluttony, drunkenness, vain gadding, excess in carnal mirth, lascivious books and pictures, vows of single life, undue delay of marriage, unjust divorce or desertion, wanton attire, frequenting light and lewd company, Ezek. xvi, Jer. v. Gen. xxxiv, &c.

Q. How do vows of single life lead to unchastity? A. They expose men to temptations to fornication? £>. What is unjust divorce?

A. It is when one married person is by law disjoined from the other, for other causes than adultery and obstinate desertion, Matth. xix.

Qj. What is desertion in a married state? A. It is when one married person departs from, and refuseth to dwell with the other, 1 Cor. vii. 15.

O. What attire may be called wanton? A. Attire above our station and ability, especially if framed or put on in a light and lewd manner, Prov. vii. 10, — 16. Q. Wherein lieth the evil of vain apparel? A. It consumes that which should pay our just debts to God and man, wastes much precious time in putting it on, contradicts our Christian character of modest sobriety, draws our heart from God, excites our neighbours to envy or lust, and exposeth our land to ruin, Prov. vii. 10. Zeph. i. 8. 1 Pet. iii. 4. Isa. iii. 16, — 26.

Q. Is it lawful for one sex to wear atfcbe proper to the other?

A. No j it is an abomination to the Lord, Deut. xxii. 5. Q. How are persons guilty: of frequenting light and lewd companions? A. Either more secretly, by

often accompanying with one or a few such persons; or more openly, by attending stews, stage-plays, balls, promiscuous dancings, common penny-weddings, &c.

Q. How do you prove, that stews or bawdy-houses are

abominable? A. They are condemned in scripture,

and are a nurseryfor incest and adultery, &c Lev. xix. 29.

Q; How prove you balls, and common pennyweddings,

sinful?

A. They are public meetings of light persons, who debauch one another with pride, drunkenness, vain and. immodest jests, wanton dalliances, &tc. Gal. v. 21.

Q. If these balls or weddings are used to collect charity tor the poor, doth that render them lawful?

A. No •, if we do evil that good may comei our damna* non is just

YS

25 S Of the Duties required Quest. 73, 74.

Q. Wherein lieth the evil of promiscuous and vain dancing?

A. The Scripture represents it as the work of drunken and impudent persons -7 it inflames lust; indisposeth for religious duties; and is contrary to the modest sobriety required in Christians, Exod. xxxii. 19. Matth. xiv. 6.

Q. Doth not the scripture-examples of Miriam, David, &c. warrant our dancing, Exod. xv. 20. Judges xi. 34. 1 Chron. xv. 29. Eccl. iii. 4. 2 Sam. vi. 14, 16. Psalm xxx. 11. cxlix. 3. and cl. 4. Jer. xxxi. 4, 13. Lam. v. 15.? A. No; for besides that the most of

these texts respect religious worship; the word rendered donee in the two Erst, and six last, signifies a pipe, or a company of singers; that in Chronicles and Ecclesiastes, to leap, or rejoice greatly; and that in Samuel, to praise or praise by playing on an organ.

O. How prove you stage-plays sinful?

A. Sin, and especially carnal lust, is therein made the subject of diversion and jest; which convenes light and lewd persons, inflames their lust, and excites their vanity, Eph. v. 4.

Q. Wherein lies the great evil of adultery, fornication, and other uncleanness? A. It greatly offends and

dishonours God j ruins our soul, body, character, and estate injures others; and is very rarely repented of.