comfortable walkingwith God. !... 75 There is a orange attraftive , and imperious power in ill company,to empoyfon & pervert even the bendifpofitions. x By holding familiar correfpondencewith lewdcompa- nions, there fir ft fteales upon a man a fecret and infenfiblcdif like of his former fcber comics : He begins within himfelfe to cenfure, and renounce his former wayes ofinnocency, and harmeleice converfation ; as too rearaining and dinaftefull to the ordinary libertyof youth, and common frailtie offlefh and blood; and as toomuch dif-fweetned,and nraitned with .unneceffary flrianeffcand abridgement. 2. Secondly , there (lily infinuates into his heart a pleating approbation, and delightfullaffent to the fent:tall courfes, and finfull pleafurcs of his lewd companions. ,3. Thirdly, there followes a refolved , and habitual' change of affeaionsand converfation, a transformation into the manners and conditions of thofe with whomhedoth fo familiarlyconverfe. 4. Fourthly, hegro-wes , and difconceited to wards good men and godly exerciles, becaufe in their pros- phase, boyncrous, and furious conventicles ofgood- fellow. !hip, he heares them daily railedupon, jetted at, belyed, and Pandered ; andnot a manamongn them to take their parts, and to 'land on Gods fide. And therefore by little and little, he himfelfe is alfo transformed into a fcoffing IAmael, a brea. thing-Direll , and fo becomesat laa , as much the childe of hell, as any of that graceleffe company and damned crew: Thus, and by fuch fieps and degrees as thefe, many , many times efpecially in the Vniverfities , and Innes of Corot, of good nature, boricft difpofition, and perhaps religious edu- cation are by littleand little caught and fearefully corrupted, , andat lengthbrought to horrible and utter could-ion both of reputation and outward nate both of foule and body , by the infeaious villanies of lewd andnaughtie companions. . But ordinarily Gods children arenot in fuch danger from notorious tuners, and frommen of fuch defperate and repro- bate converfation. For who in his right wits will run upona man which he cleerly fees bath the plague-forerunningupon him ?
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