Moses his choice with his eye fixed upon Heaven, discovering the happy condition of…

CHAP. XXIII. How should Gods people so walk, as to draw others in love with their communion.

But how should Gods people so walk, as to bring ¹others in love with their communion?

BUt how should Gods people so walk, as to bring ¹others in love with their communion?

1. 1Quest.

First, in the general, take heed of those sins ¹especially, that those which you converse with are guilty of, that they be not able to spy the same sins in you, which their consciences accuse themselves of: take heed of the pollutions of the world. Cant. 6. 10. Who is she that looketh forth as the Morning, fair as the Moon, clear as the Sun, and terrible as an army with banners? The Church of God ought to be fair as the Moon, but the Moon hath spots, and therefore it follows, Clear as the Sun, and then, she is terrible as an army with banners: Either she will draw the hearts of others to love her, or she will daunt their hearts. Yea, let them not see any defilement answerable to their defilement: for wicked men, though they cannot spy evils in the godly, yet surely they think they are guilty of the sins which they live in, as well as themselves: as Nero, because he was unchaste, thought all the world was unchaste: and therefore the godly should labour to keep themselves from such sins as the world is guilty of, that they may not spy such in them. A godly man should not only labour to be kept from outward defilement; that may be done by the strength of a natural conscience, without any sanctifying grace: and it should be a shame to one that hath grace, if he should not do that; if he cannot do that, how can he purge