164 That euillexamplesare very dangerous and hurtfull. courfe,which willbring themto eternall defiru6lion, both :,Pets,?8, in their foules and bodies.And thuswas righteous Lotsfootle grieued,whenhefaro thefilthie conuerfattmnofthe wickedsodo- mites. For he beingrighteousanddwelling amongthem,in feting and in hearing,vexed his righteousfoule,fromday to elay,roith Pfal.rr9.r36, their vnlawfu/ldeeds. And holy Dauidprofeffcth thathis eyes t.9. gulhedout with rioters ofwaters,and that hiszeale menconfu. med himbecaufe his enemies kept not Gods law, but forgot his Mat.3. p, words. Yea thus our Sauiour Chrifi himfelfe being conuer- fant among the wicked Iewes,mournedwhen hefaro the hard- nes oftheir hearts. 4.Sec7.6. Finally,bybeingwith wicked men,andnot doingas they Ifwe doenot doe,nor following their examplcs,weedoe thereby excee- follow the dingly prouoke theirmalice andhatred: for iris afuflïcient examples ofthequarrell for a wicked man againflthofe feareGod,ifthey wicked, we pro -be innocent, and feeme to make confcienceof thofe finnes cure tred.thetrha- which they fee them commit,becaufe their abflinence from cuill feemeth toproclainie their wickedneflewho do com- mit it,and awakeneth their fleeping confciences when as they are galled with their refufall. Wherebyoftentimes it commeth to paflè that the godly being fpeókators of there euill examples, and denying to ioyne with them in their enormities, doe not onely thereby endanger theirnames to be branded with their obloquies,reproches, and difgraces, but alto their perlons to their violence and furie ;as we may Gen.19. fee in the exampleof Lot,who though he did inmoll louing and humble manner refufe to communicatewith the Sodo- mites in their finnes, yet fo incenfed them to rage hereby, that they would haue laid violent hands vpon him,hadnot God miraculouflydeliuered him from their furie. And as it moueth them to hate vs,fó through our naturali corrup- tion wee are readie to extendour hatred beyond it due li- mits,abhorring not only their finne, but their perlons alío. All which evils asthey ought, fo they may eafilybe auoy- dcd,ifwee will fhunne the focietieofwicked men, and fre- quent thecompanie of the vertuous;for fo (hall we neither be allured nor grieucd by their examples,nor yet nourifh this open hofüliticbetweene vs,but may line like firangers one -------
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