A pastors love expressed to a loving people in a farewell sermon preached at…A pastors love expressed to a loving people in a farwel sermon preached at…

Direct. 3. Have a care of your company, take heed of having any unnecessary familiarity with sinners. We cannot catch health from one another, but may soon catch a disease: the disease of sin is very catching, Psal. 106. 35. I would be as much afraid to come among wicked men, as I would be to come among them that have the plague. If we cannot make others better, let us have a care they do not make us worse. Lot was a miracle that kept fresh in Sodoms salt waters. Take heed of the occasions of sin; evil company they are an occasion to sin. Tis observable that the Nazeri•e in the old Law as he might drink no wine, so he was forbid to eat of the grape wherewith the wine was made, Numb. 16. to teach us that evil company is the Devils draw net by which he hath drawn millions to hell. How many in this City has been ruinated in soul and body by evil company, many go from a Playhouse to a whorehouse, and from a Tavern to Tyburn.

Direct. 4. Have a care who you hear, tis our Saviours caution, Matth. 7. 15. Beware of false Prophets. Let me tell you the Devil hath his Ministers as well as Christ, we read in Rev. 12. 15. of a Serpent casting waters out of his mouth as a flood, that is, as the learned expound it, Satan by his Ministers and Emissaries cast out floods of Arian Doctrine to drown the Church. There are some of that subtlety and wit that have learned the art to mix error and truth together, and to give poison in a golden cup: Take ⟨p. 9⟩heed whom you hear, and how you hear. Be like those noble Bereans, Act. 17. that searched the Scriptures, your ears must not be like Sponges that sucks in the puddle water, with the purest Wine. But like the Fan that fans out the Chaff, whilst the solid grain abideth; you must do like those in