Some fome haye thought it of much older date, even in this country, from a conftitution of the ftews, antiently kept at the Bank-fide, Southwark, under the jurifdiction of the Bishop of Winchester, dated 1162, where it is fuppofed to be called burning or brenning. It is alfo fuppofed to be mentioned in a manuscript of John Arden, furgeon to Rich. II. and Hen. IV. Many have contended for its being known among the antients, only under different names. have gone fo high as the days of Job, and fuppofe it to be the ulcerous diftemper with which that great man was afflicted; infomuch, that in a Miffal printed at Venice, anno 1542, there is a mafs in honour of St. Joв, to be faid by thofe recovered of this disease (See Chambers, tit. Venereal Disease) as owing their deliverance to his interceffion. Others contend that David was afflicted with it, as a punishment for his finful commerce with the wife of Uriah, and this he complains of Pf. xxxviii. 3-8. But, omitting fable and conjecture, it is certain, whether we interpret that paffage literally with fome, or allegorically with others, it contains fomething like a description of this disease, as to many of its fymp toms. However this may be, one thing may, I believe, be afferted as a fact, eftablished by long experience, that this difeafe has never been known to exift, but from a promiscuous intercourfe of the fexes.-This will produce fomething very like it even in brutes therefore I can fee no reafon against dating its 9 origin origin as early as common whoredom itself, as the fame caufe may very fairly be prefumed to produce the fame effects, though not perhaps in equal degree, nor at all times and places alike. I If we understand the word she that maketh afhamed, or is an inftrument of shame (Prov. xii. 4.) to denote an harlot or common prostitute-for of fuch it may be a very apt and defcriptive periphrafis, and efpecially as the root w fignifies to be ashamed through a fenfe of guilt (fee Parkh. fub. voc.) and in this fenfe an harket is an inftrument of shame to thofe who are joined to her (fee 1 Cor. vi. 15. 16. 18.) -therefore I fay, if we understand this paffage of an harlot or common prostitute, how many men can at this moment bear teftimony to the truth of what is here faid!--whofe bitter experience muft lead them to fubfcribe to the words of Pf. xxxviii. 3. who have no rest in their bones by reafon of their fin- who have to mourn that thofe bones are rottennefs itselfand, as Virgil expreffes himself on another subject Truncas inhonefto vulnere nares. But whether the fcriptures above-mentioned, or any other parts of holy writ, do, or do not, allude to the fymptoms of the difeafe in queftion, or whether it was or was not known in Europe till the year walked therein, but walked after the imagination of their own heart. Jer. ix. 13,14. Then they fell into all manner of Spiritual and fleshly abominations. They then committed adultery, and aflembled themfelves by troops in the harlots boufes. They year 1493 (a very able and learned difcuffion of both which points may be found in Aftruc, de Morb. Ven. lib. i. chap. 1-10.) furely a restoration of that law is to be wifhed for, which is contrived by infinite wisdom-Concubitu prohibere vago-thus to prevent proftitution, and, of courfe, every dreadful confequence of it to mankind. "The fhameful, loathfome, and often fatal dif"eafe" (fays the late excellent Dr. Hartley, Obs. on Man, p. 229.) "which peculiarly attends the "vice of lewdnefs, may be confidered as a most "unquestionable evidence of the divine will. This "difeafe, with all its confequences, would cease << among mankind, could they be brought under "the restraints of marriage, but muft ever continue "while licentioufnefs continues." To this I will venture to add, that, licentiousness ever must continue, and even increase, while the divine laws, which are made to prevent and reftrain it, are laid afide. 1 They were as fed borfes in the morning, every one neighed after his neighbour's wife. Jer. v. 7.8. See Ezek. xxii. 9, 10,11. Hofea iv. 14. Shall I not vifit for these things, faith the LORD, fhall not my foul be avenged of Such a nation this? Jer. v. 9. as Surely this is a time for our deepest and moft ferious recollection, when GOD feems to be vifiting our iniquities upon us, not the least of which, is forfaking the LAW which He hath set before us, with refpect to the commerce of the fexes, and following a fyftem which, in the nature of things, must lead us into the very state in which the Jews were, when the prophets were fent to call them to repentance, or to foretell their deftruction. APPENDIX APPENDIX to CH A P. X. I See p. 294, Note. T may not be amifs to lay before the reader the doctrine of penance and commutation as to their original, and then it will be seen how difgraceful fuch notions are to an enlightened Protestant church. Theodore of Tarfus, a Grecian monk, restored among the Latins the difcipline of penance, as it is commonly termed, which had been for a long time almost totally neglected, and enforced it by a body of fevere laws borrowed from the Grecian canons. This zealous prelate, who was raised to the fee of Canterbury, A. D. 668, reduced to a regular science that branch of ecclefiaftical law, which is known by the name of penitential discipline. He published a Penitential, which was entirely new to the Latin world, by which the clergy were taught to distinguish fins into various claffes, according as they were more or less heinous, private or public. This new penitential alfo contained the methods of proceeding with respect to X 2 offenders, |