366 Prudence nec fary in cònvèrfing SERlvt. great meafure conquered, and men may XIV acquire very vicious and malignant tempers, not without having firm done violence to their own confciences, and great indignities to the laws of God, and the gracious methods he ufes for reclaiming finners. There are two ingredients in this bad cha- rafter which we fhould beware of as far as we difcover them by their fruits, in others, and efpecially every man fhould guard againft them, even allowing any degree of them, in himfelf. The one is ftupid impurity ; and the other is a paffionate and wrathful ma- lignity. Firft, I fay, ftupid impurity, which is fignified by the fimilitude of the fwine ; a voracious kind of animal devouring every thing it can feed on that comes in its way, and far from that delicacy, or even cleanli- nefs, which is obfervable in other kinds of brutes : a fit emblem, therefore, of finners who by cuftom grow to be grofsly diffolute and indecently voluptuous. In like manner the apoftle defcribes apoftàte finners with a reference to their former virtuous beginnings, nay and progrefs in a reformation through the knowledge of Jefus Chrift ; I fay,, he de- fcribes them by this true Proverb `, the dog has * z Pet. ii. zz. re-
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