2. Keep thy heart when thou art in company. Vain company is the bait by which Satan is angling for the heart. In the Law, he who touched a dead body, was unclean, Num. 5.2. The heart is apt to be defiled by being among them who are dead in sin; it is easy to catch a disease in company*: Indeed in innocency the heart might be compared to those Plants of Paradise, which Athanasius saith, do impart an Aromatical sweet savour to the Trees adjoining; but since the fall, our hearts are ready to pollute and infect one another, being like that withered Vine the Poet speaks of, which took away the fresh colour and sap from its neighbour Vine. A good eye by looking on a watery eye, many time falls a watering; so oft a good heart by beholding and conversing with the profane, gathers corruption. If you mingle bright and rusty metal together, the rusty will not be made bright, but the bright will become rusty. So an evil companion who is rusted with sin, rubbeth ever and anon some of his unholy rust upon a man that is brightened with grace*: Nay Christians, look to your hearts in good company; those who may like Abijah, have some good thing in them, 1 Kings 14.13. yet it is but [Greek or Hebrew], very small; like a pearl in a heap of stones, or like filings of gold among dust; there may be much ⟨p. 536⟩levity of discourse among them who are good; and if no filth or scum, yet froth may boil up; these are most dangerous, because less suspicious. Who would suspect the plague in perfumed linen? though the lungs be sound, the breath may not be savoury; such as we hope have sound hearts, yet want some grains of solidity, and are not so savoury and heavenly in their speeches as they should*. The Devil doth that hurt sometimes by a good instrument, which he cannot do by a bad; he hands over a tentation by such, he tempts Christ by an Apostle; the Devil once crept into the Serpent, here into the Dove; but Christ spied his cloven foot, Matth. 16.23. Get thee behind me Satan; how watchful had we need be in company!
2. Keep thy heart when thou art in company. Vain company is the bait by which Satan is angling for the heart. In the Law, he who touched a dead body, was unclean, Num. 5.2. The heart is apt to be defiled by being among them who are dead in sin; it is easie to catch a disease in company*: Indeed in innocency the heart might be compared to those Plants of Paradise, which Athanasius saith, do impart an Aromatical sweet savour to the Trees adjoyning; but since the fall, our hearts are ready to pollute and infect one another, being like that withered Vine the Poet speaks of, which took away the fresh colour and sap from its neighbour Vine. A good eye by looking on a watry eye, many time falls a watring; so oft a good heart by beholding and conversing with the profane, gathers corruption. If you mingle bright and rusty mettal together, the rusty will not be made bright, but the bright will become rusty. So an evil companion who is rusted with sin, rubbeth ever and anon some of his unholy rust upon a man that is brightned with grace*: Nay Christians, look to your hearts in good company; those who may like Abijah, have some good thing in them, 1 Kings 14.13. yet it is but 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, very small; like a pearl in a heap of stones, or like filings of gold among dust; there may be much ⟨p. 536⟩levity of discourse among them who are good; and if no filth or scum, yet froth may boyle up; these are most dangerous, because less suspitious. Who would suspect the plague in perfum'd linnen? though the lungs be sound, the breath may not be savoury; such as we hope have sound hearts, yet want some grains of solidity, and are not so savoury and heavenly in their speeches as they should*. The Divel doth that hurt sometimes by a good instrument, which he cannot do by a bad; he hands over a tentation by such, he tempts Christ by an Apostle; the Divel once crept into the Serpent, here into the Dove; but Christ spied his cloven foot, Matth. 16.23. Get thee behind me Satan; how watchful had we need be in company!
- *[Greek or Hebrew]. Epictetus.〈non-Latin alphabet〉. Epictetus.
- *Rubiginosus comes etiam candido suam affricuit rubiginem. Seneca.
- *Col. 4.6.
