1Your cursed companions will never leave a poor sinner till they mould him even according to their own mind, until they bring him to their own bent and frame: therefore note thou that keepest company ⟨p. 89⟩with wicked ungodly persons, they will leaven thee according to their own frame, and they will leave thee, the very same lusts and corruptions, this is the cause of a final and total destruction of a world of people. There is this kind of privilege in ungodly company keepers, that there is a kind of army of corruptions, they are the devils army, and they, fight the devils battles, therefore the soul is beset round with them. Were a man to fight against another man, there were some hope of resistance, or if there were two against one, there were some hope of escape, if he could not oppose them, yet he might sly from them: but if he be among an army there is no way to escape: so it is with those that keep wicked company, thou art beset with an army, perhaps profaneness ⟨p. 90⟩hit thee not, their hypocrisy; haply hypocrisy doth not, their looseness, haply looseness doth not, then envy or some other distemper. Imagine you see a man in the midst of an army of Archers, haply though one hit him not, yet one of twenty; if one of twenty hit him not, one of a hundred may; if one of a hundred may not, one of a thousand may, one or other will hit him, he cannot avoid it, all ungodly courses, all wicked speeches, counsels, persuasions are but like so many arrows, and thou that art in the midst of wicked persons, thou art in the midst of an army, one or other will hit thee, thy conscience will be wounded, thy soul ruinated by this means. This I observe by my experience wicked men will never leave till others be worse than themselves; they are like the ⟨p. 91⟩foggy air in the Fens, if a man live in the place it will be sure to arrest him; it is called the Fen Bailiff, and will never leave till it hath turned the humour of his body into the same nature with it self and then he may live there, and have his health well enough: so it is with a company of filthy foggy drunkards, and adulterers, & company-keepers, they will never leave thee till they arrest thee with base courses, till they have moulded thee with their frame, then thou mayest enjoy their society here, wi•h them and go down to hell hereafter, Mat. 23 15.
1Your cursed companions will never leave a poore sinner till they mould him even according to their owne mind, untill they bring him to their owne bent and frame: therefore note thou that keepest company ⟨p. 89⟩with wicked ungodly persons, they will leaven thee according to their owne frame, and they will leave thee, the very same lusts and corruptions, this is the cause of a finall and totall destruction of a world of people. There is this kind of priviledge in ungodly company keepers, that there is a kinde of army of corruptions, they are the devills army, and they, fight the devills battels, therefore the soule is beset round with them. Were a man to fight against another man, there were some hope of resistance, or if there were two against one, there were some hope of es•ape, if hee could not oppose them, yet hee might slie from them: but if hee be among an army there is no way to escape: so it is with those that keepe wicked company, thou art beset with an army, perhaps profanenesse ⟨p. 90⟩hit thee not, their hypocrisie; haply hypocrisie doth not, their loosenesse, haply loosnesse doth not, then envy or some other distemper. Imagine you see a man in the midst of an army of Archers, happly though one hit him not, yet one of twentie; if one of twentie hit him not, one of a hundred may; if one of a hundred may not, one of a thousand may, one or other will hit him, he cannot avoide it, all ungodly courses, all wicked speeches, councells, perswasions are but like so many arrowes, and thou that art in the midst of wicked persons, thou art in the midst of an army, one or other will hit thee, thy conscience will be wounded, thy soule ruinated by this meanes. This I observe by my experience wicked men will never leave till others be worse than themselves; they are like the ⟨p. 91⟩foggy aire in the Fenns, if a man live in the place it will be sure to arrest him; it is called the Fenne Bailiffe, and will never leave till it hath turned the humour of his body into the same nature with it selfe and then hee may live there, and have his health well enough: so it is with a company of filthy foggy drunkards, and adulterers, & company-keepers, they will never leave thee till they arrest thee with base courses, til they have moulded thee with their frame, then thou maist enjoy their society here, wi•h them and goe downe to hell hereafter, Mat. 23 15.
- 13 Parti.
