Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

I 54 That the company ofvickedworldling: le to be auoided. trhom thou fi'iou ?; imitate f If thoufeekeit for Chrift, bee re- *;;:i%reria not in ehem, &e. .Stcî 8. Secondly,let vs cal tomind that this focietie with wicked rbarmúhed worldliugs cloth bring vnto vs much hurt, as being the caufe tom; anicil a both of the euill of finne, and the euill ofpuniflunent; for notable induce- it is a fpeciall meanes of the tranfgrcliion of all Gods law : mene to dram and therefore the Prophet Dauidbcing refolued to yceld his vs in finne, obedience thereunto, faith, may from meyee 1eici¿ed, for I Pfa1to .119.11f. w:llkeepe the com» tandementsofmy God. Implying that there was no hope of yeelding fuch obedience as he defired, vntill he had freed hitnfelfe from wicked mens company. For this wicked focietiedoth exceedingly corrupt and defile thole that frequent it, like veto a gaugrene,which hauing tainted one member, neuer refleth till it haue runne otter the whole bodie; or like vnto thefpreading leprofe or plague, which beginning in one houfe proceedeth toanother,vntill it haue infe&ed the greater& part of a towne orcitie. In which re- Ecclef.13.1. (pet the fon ofSyracla compareth wicked company to pitch, 1.Cor.5.6. whichby touching dcfilethvs; and the Apofile, to leauen,a little whereof foureth the whole lumpe of dough : and by others wicked men in this regard are compared to fcabbed fheepe, one ofwhich is enow to in£e& the whole flocke;and to rotten apples, which taint and corrupt all the found ones that lie about them : whereby it appeareth that it is a thing of great difficultieto connerie with wicked men, and not to be tainted with their corruptions : for betides that they are apt toinfe&, wealfo are moll apt to receiue the info &ion, hauing the feeds of finne remaining in vs, which are readie to fpring and fprout vp, when they are (as it were) warred with the breath ofeuill company:we are .in our owne nature prone to go downe the hill ofvice,how then (hall we keeps our felues from running headlong, when we arc thruff for- ward with there wicked affociates?L1 our felues we are flug- gifh in tra iellingtheway of righteoufileffe which leadeth to life eternal' : and therefore what will become ofvs when there briars and thornes catch hold ofvs and hinder vs ?Sure- ly they will either caule yr to make a fland, and to proceed no further in our Chrifiian race, of will fcratck and rent vs whet;