The Marrow of Divinity, Religious treatise · Chapter 27
CHAP. XXVII. Questions, and Cases of Conscience about Chastity.
Quest. HOw many sorts of persons may be said to be chast?
Answ. First, such as are borne with some natural impediment: This is natural chastity.
Secondly, such as are gelded, or made chaste by men. This is artificial chastity.
Thirdly, such as are fitted by God for the gift of continency: This is Christian chastity: All mentioned by Christ, Mat. 19.22.
Quest. What are the things that hurt and hinder chastity?
Answ. They are of two sorts, either inward or outward.
Quest. What are the inward things?
Answ. Filthy imaginations, unchast thoughts, and inward lusts, and motions of the heart to uncleannesse, whereunto the heart gives consent: or purposes of the heart to any act of uncleannesse, Matth. 5.28. Col. 3.6.
Quest. When are these inwards lusts most vile?
Answ. When they are so violent and strong that they continually boile, and burn within us, giving us no rest, but continually provoking to some filthy act of uncleannesse, 1 Cor. 7.9. Col. 3.5. Hos. 7.4.
Quest. What are the outward things that hurt or hinder chastity?
Answ. They are either such things as precede the act of uncleannesse: or the act of uncleannesse it self.
Quest. What are they that go before it?
Answ. Either such things as more remotely provoke lust, or things neerer to it.
Quest. What are the remoter provocations to it?
Answ. First, gluttony, or excesse in eating and pampering the belly with meats; or when we use curious and dainty meats deliciously and unseasonably, especially such as have greatest force to provoke lust, purposely to encrease it in us, Jer. 5.8. Ezek. 16.49. Rom. 13.13. Hos. 7.6.
Secondly, drunkennesse, and immoderate drinking, using wine, and strong drink unseasonably, and wantonly, principally to stir up lust, Isa. 5.11. Rom. 13.13. Eph. 5.18.
Thirdly, lustful dreames proceeding from surfeiting, drunkennesse, causing nocturnall pollutions: mentioned, Deut. 23.10.
Fourthly, idlenesse, when we spend our time in immoderate sleeping, ease, and doing nothing, but following sensual delights, 2 Sam. 11.1, 2. Ezek. 16.49. 1 Tim. 5.13.
Quest. What are the neerer provocations unto lust?
Answ. First, Light, vain, and immodest setting out of the body, o… carriage of it, as by gayrish, wanton, and new fangled attire▪ Curling, frizling, and powdering the haire: painting, and spotting the face: laying out naked breasts: mincing with the feet, Ezek. 16.49. Prov. 7.10. 1 Tim. 2.9. 1 Pet. 3.3. 1 Cor. 11.14. 2 King. 9.30. Jer. 4.30. Isa. 3.16, &c. Zeph. 1.8.
Quest. May not such as have some deformity in the body labour to cover it?
Answ. Yea: so as they set not a new form upon the body: for dissembling is as unlawful in deed as in word.
Secondly, keeping company with wanton and unclean persons; frequenting of lewd houses, especially at unseasonable times, Gen. 39.10. Psal. 50.18. Prov. 5.8. and 7.7, 8, &c. Eph. 5.5, 7.
Thirdly, immodest and filthy speaking, or singing unclean songs, Eph. 4.29. and 5.3, 4. Col. 3.8.
Fourthly, reading unchast and filthy books, fitter to be burnt, as those were, Acts 19.19.
Fifthly, idle, and curious looking of men upon women, or women upon men, Gen. 6.2. and 39.7. and 34.1, 2.
Sixthly, looking upon lascivious and filthy pictures, or unseemly behaviour used in Stage-plays, &c. Numb. 25.1.2, 3. Ezek. 23.14. Eph. 5.3, 4.
Seventhly, mixt dancing of men and women together, wherein light and immodest behaviour is used, Exod. 32.6. Job 21.11, 12. Mark 6.21, 22.
Eighthly, wearing of apparel not fit for the sex that they may the more easily commit filthinesse, Deut. 22.5. Job 24.15. Gen. 38.15.
Ninthly, wanton kissing, and unchast dalliance, Gen. 39.12. Prov. 7.13. Deut. 25.11, 12.
Tenthly, moving, entising, and perswading to the act of uncleannesse, as Gen. 39.7, 10. Prov. 7.13, &c. Elton on the Commandments.
Quest. What means are we to use for the preserving of our chastity?
Answ. First, a constant and conscionable performance of private religious exercises, as reading, praying, meditating, &c. will so purifie the heart, and sweeten the soul with divine comforts, and mortifie the flesh, and confirme the Spirit of grace, and beat down tentations, by meanes whereof a Christian shall be conquerour over them.
Secondly, painfulnesse in ones calling will divert the mind from all inflaming fancies, and find the soul, and body so much imploiment in things of a lawful, and useful nature that there will be no leasure for wicked and unlawful conceits: Otia si tollas, &c.
Thirdly, Temperance in diet is a great furtherance to the chastity of the body, as withdrawing the fuel puts out the fire. Fulnesse of bread will make a man an unclean Sodomite, Ezek. 16.49. beat down thy body by abstinence, 1 Cor. 9.27.
Fourthly, to prevent uncleanness we must shun the corner of the harlots house, and resolutely avoid the society of such as may entice us to wickednesse: we must pull out the right eye, Mat. 5.29. for Prov. 6.29. Dalliance will breed whoredom. Fly fornication, 1 Cor. 6.18. as Joseph did, Gen. 39.10, 12.
Fifthly, if these prevaile not, we must have recourse to marriage, and to the due, and lawful enjoyment of it, 1 Cor. 7.2. Whatelies Brid-bush.
Sixthly, because from the heart issue adulteries, we must get a pure heart, making the inside first clean, and let thy soul become the Spouse of Christ to love and cleave to him.
Seventhly, preserve in thy soul the fear of God, Eccl. 7.28. He that is good before …od shall be preserved, Prov. 2.10, 16. If knowledge enter into thy soul thou shalt avoid her snares: Consider Gods presence who sees thee.
Eighthly, hearty love betwixt married persons is a great preserver of chastity, Prov. 5.19, 20.
Ninthly, use all good means appointed by God for the preservation of thy chastity: As,
1. Resist lustful thoughts at first, busying thy minde in holy thoughts, Prov. 23.26, 27.
2. Consider thy calling to, and profession of Christianity, by both which thou art called to holinesse.
3. Remember that the pleasure of sin is short, but the gnawing of a guilty conscience will continue to eternity.
4. Apply the Word, which is the sword of the Spirit, especially such places of it as tend directly to the cutting down of this sin.
5. Fly to God by prayer, and if thou beest strongly assaulted, complain to him, as a woman tells her husband to be rid of a temp…e….
6. If these prevail not, see whether thou hast not been guilty of uncleannesse before marria…e, if so, thou must truly repent of it, for marriage without repentance abates not the power of lust, and therefore thou must with many prayers and tears beg pardon; thou must (as it were) wash thy selfe in the tears of true repentance, 1 Cor. 6.9, 11.
7. Get sound knowledge in the Wo…d of God, which is an excellent preservative against it, Prov. 2.1, 3, 4, 11, 12, 16, 17. Psal. 119.9. 1 Joh. 2.14.
8. Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, Eccl. 12.1. Consider that God did not make thee to wallow in the mire of these swinish pollutions. Meditate also of thy own mortality, that the thoughts of thy death may be the death of thy lusts, 1 P…t. 2.11.
9. Walk in love: when Paul charges the Ephesians to avoid fornication, he seriously adviseth them to walk in love, Eph. 5.2, 3. as knowing that the exercise of true Christian love, breeds such desires of holinesse, as mightily fence the heart against all base lusts whatsoever.
10. Avoid too great estimation of earthly things, which breeds lust, 1 Tim. 6.9.
11. Take heed of contemplative wickednesse, cast not about how to fulfill the lusts of the flesh, Rom. 13.14. Mr. Byfield on Col.
12. Beg chastity of God by prayer, seeing its his gift alone, Matth. 19.11. 1 Cor. 7.7.
13. Fly the society of filthy and effeminat persons; 1 Cor. 5.6, 9, 11. Eph. 5.7. Prov. 23.20. and keep company with such as are sober and chast. Consider also these Texts of Scripture, Ezek. 16.49. 2 Sam. 11.2. 1 Pet. 4.7. 1 Thes. 5.6. 1 Tim. 5.6. and 2.9, 10. Tit. 2.3.
Quest. What is chastity?
Answ. Chastity is a part of temperance, whereby we keep our bodies, and souls pure, and undefiled Temples of the Holy Ghost, and members of Jesus Christ, and this is to be observed through our whole life, whether we be in a single or married estate. See more in Matrimonial Chastity.