A fourth volume containing one hundred and fifty sermons on several texts of Scripture…

1. There are some Desires altogether Evil, in what sense soever you take them: As a desire of Murder, Theft, Adultery, Revenge. The Works of the Flesh are manifest, which are these, Adultery, Fornication, Uncleanness, &c. Gal. 5.19. that is, these gross and brutish Lusts are easily discerned, not only by Grace, but by the Light of Nature; therefore they must not be regulated, but extinguished, as a venomous Plant must be plucked up by the Roots; you cannot qualify them, it is a Sin to be moderate herein; to be a moderate Adulterer, a moderate Drunkard, here the least is too much, these Lusts must be wholly destroyed.

1. There are some Desires altogether Evil, in what sense soever you take them: As a desire of Murder, Theft, Adultery, Revenge. The Works of the Flesh are manifest, which are these, Adultery, Fornication, Vncleanness, &c. Gal. 5.19. that is, these gross and brutish Lusts are easily discerned, not only by Grace, but by the Light of Nature; therefore they must not be regulated, but extinguished, as a venomous Plant must be plucked up by the Roots; you cannot qualify them, it is a Sin to be moderate herein; to be a moderate Adulterer, a moderate Drunkard, here the least is too much, these Lusts must be wholly destroyed.

2. There are other Desires that are natural and necessary for the preservation of Mankind, as to eat and drink lawfully, to provide for our Families and Posterity. Here Men do ordinarily sin by Excess, by desiring these things otherwise than they should, and more than they should, and not for the Causes that they should. Now these ⟨p. 44⟩natural and necessary Desires are not to be extinguished, but governed, and to be kept under the Coercion of Prudence and Honesty; Honesty must restrain them, that they may not exceed their Bounds, and so degenerate, lest a Desire be turned into a Lust, and its vehemency withdraw the Heart from God. As we know natural Heat from Unnatural, it is so temperately dispersed, that the Constitution of Nature is not disturbed or oppressed by it; but unnatural Heats oppress Nature: So Desires, as long as they do not disturb the Soul, they are not hurtful; but when they exceed their Bounds, they are to be under the Coercion of Reason.