The works of George Swinnock, M.A

¹I Shall now direct thee Reader, how […] exercise thy self to godliness in Christian Company.

¹I Shall now direct thee Reader, how 〈…〉 •xercise thy self to godliness in Christian Company.

1. 1Take heed of tho•e sins which good m•n are prone to, when they meet together.

First, I must give thee a Word of Caution; Take heed of those sins which Christians when they accompany together are most prone to. Saints are apt to be secure, as thinking themselves safe, when they are as they imagine, among none but themselves; But truly, seeming honest men, may deceive us sooner then known cheats, because we are apt to confide in the former, when we fear and take heed of the latter. The Plague may soonest be conveyed through perfumed linen. Satan tempted Eve in the form of a Serpent; but when he sets upon Christ, whom he knew hard to be conquered, he sets upon him in the shape of a Dove; None so fit as a Peter to persuade him to pity himself. As God can send us a Pearl in a Toads Head, bring light out of darkness, and enable us to get good by polluted persons; So Satan like Hannibal can convey poison through a gold ring, bring darkness out of light, and make us the worse for the Company of the best Christians. The society of the godly, is like the Shop of an Apothecary, in which there are many Cordial Julips, Purging Potions, and Wholesome Drugs, but also some poisonous, which need strong correctives, and therefore they must be the object of our caution, as well as of our choice.

First, I must give thee a Word of Caution; Take heed of those sins which Christians when they accompany together are most prone to. Saints are apt to be secure, as thinking themselves safe, when they are as they imagine, among none but themselves; But truly, seeming honest men, may deceive us sooner then known cheats, because we are apt to conide in the former, when we fear and take heed of the latter. The Plague may soonest be conveyed through perfumed linnen. Satan tempted Eve in the forme of a Serpent; but when he sets upon Christ, whom he knew hard to be conquered, he sets upon him in the shape of a Dove; None so fit as a Peter to perswade him to pity himself. As God can send us a Pearl in a Toads Head, bring light out of darkness, and enable us to get good by polluted persons; So Satan like Hanibal can convey poison through a gold ring, bring darkness out of light, and make us the worse for the Company of the best Christians. The society of the godly, is like the Shop of an Apothecary, in which there are many Cordial Iulips, Purging Potions, and Wholsom Drugs, but also some poisonous, which need strong correctives, and therefore they must be the object of our caution, as well as of our choice.