on theí19.1j.lme, 577 were impediments rather than furtherancesvntohim. Forelfewhy fhould he fay, twáj frommeyewicked,eic. Were there fo manyimpediments in-his daies, and (hall wethinkethere arehot föma- ny in ours ? or was that agetvherein hehued more wicked,thanthe age wherein weehue?. Firft,weare nothing like him ingood things,he hadgreater graces of God than wehaue, hehad gonefurther in holinelfethanwe;wee lute in more wickeddales than bee did. For whom (hallwee haue to follow ? Some follow this religion, fomefollow that ; fame giue Fe. mentndy themfehiesto this fhift,fometo that : fo that webane no examplesto build vs vpon,but a fearing. multitude tobringvs from the right way. Seeing then weeare farre work than the Pro- phet,and our daies worfe than his times,let vs fay, Awayfrommeye wicked that is, feerng weecannot auoide ourdwelling and liumg among thewicked; yet Lord, let vs bee kept from the corrupt exampleofthe wicked, andgrant thatwee mayefchue all familiaritie with them. And as inharueftifineurryplaceofthelands,whereweereapeorinotv,tveresimile, Snakes,we would be very warieleaft we wereflung or impoyfoned: fo liad wee neede in thek dangerousand pleutifull daies of finne,tobe circumfpebì,leaft wet beeither impoy- Tnbepwfinid fond ivith fakedoari ne, or hungwith an euill confcience. And as a man beinga meere with f lJe de; granger ingoodnes,liuing in thecompanieofgodly men,hearing them,ieeing them,and íir.'ne,orJiang conferringnitli them in good things, would byGods grace be conurted : fo a good vvirr {. g Y f e g con,Fiience. man falling into thefaaiiliaritic,andlike affeelions,l'peeches,and a¢lions of the wicked, (hall eafily be corrupted. We (hall fee fooner that we areinfeéled and hurt,thanwe fhall efpie how we are infeéted and hurr,and thoughprefently weefee it not, yet hereafterwee fhall. And as it is the metric cf God tobe good by the communion ofSaints : fo it is the loft iudgement of God to bewicked,with thecompanieofthevngodly. Neither muff we thinke,thathere ismeant to gotout oftheworld,toauoide theeuill(for wee True all under one Sunne,which is above vs,we tread all on one earthwhich is vndervs, wee vfe all one waterfor ourneceflities, weehaue like callings with them, wee ioyne in the fame townes with them,yea and often dwell in one houfewith them) but we mull bewarewehaue no fellowlhip withthem in their finne,wemullawaywith theirdeuicet to mitlruftGods men- A'ofamiliari: cie,wemutthatetheirimaginations,wherewiththey difpleafeGod, weemuff not draw in Ori tt rho theiryoke with them. If then thou haft a wicked father,or ifthouhaft a wicked fonne,or vngodly fetuanf, or an mill companion, thou mull not hale familiaritie, or draw in a line withthem, thou muff not bea fellowor a companionin finne with them , fo (hall we kcepeour feines vn- fpotted. Forasthe euill nen,ifthey purpofeto be obftinate in finne will take noprost by the companieofthegodly :fo the goodmen, ifthey will feare and fufpc& the vngodlines ofthe wicked,and looke unto their waies,fhallby the Lord bepreferued from their euill: Forwe fee,that as the twill men are not the better for thegodly, with whom theyare ioy- ned inthe fametonneor houlewith them,beeaufethey are fo fhie ofgocdnefiè : fo,ifwee be as (hieof their wickedneffe, wee (hall be freed fromnotch vngodlines. Whereforewe mutt not be like affèdhed,we muff not thinke as they tliinke,fpeakeas theyfpeake, doe as theydoe, norvfe our calling as they doe. Otherwife wee fee, that as the euill by the godly arebettered,fo thegood aremadeworfeby the ungodly. Thus wehaue heard, that as the manofGod in the srft (hewed Iiimfelfe to Issue an hatred to the lecret devicesdivans imaginations : fo in the fecond hefetteth dowsea reafon ofthe fame, wherewee declared, that we couldnever be brought to thetrue hatred ofeuil inuencions,vntil we be through. ly perfwadedofGods prouidence ; whereofwhenwe beonce truly perhvaded,wee fhall not needefwarue this way or that way,becaufe in all aflaultswe ltaue afullcìent refuge isf God. In that heputter) his Croft inGods word,wemuff learne,that we mull neuerfeuerfaith and Gods uromifes,wherebywemay beftayed,and leane tohis providence: ocherwife we fhall haue but vaine fpeculations of his prouidence, vntill weeknowout Of the word, to whom the promifes doe appertaine, and what lice requireth of them, towhom they are made. Onwinch wordofGod,whilcll wee take hold,euen as a fhieldfafegárdeth vs from theblow ofthe aduerfàrieflb the promifes ofGod are a fuf iciest buckler todefend. vs dd from
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