Works, Chapter 3 · Section 1
SECT. I.
FRiend, to quicken thee to the greater caution, I shall offer thee these two thoughts.
First, Consider that evil Company is very infectious;Mot…ve. Evil Company is infectious. Wicked men like the Crocodile, slime the way to make thee fall, and when thou art down suck out (as it were) thy blood, and with it, fatten their insulting envy. Thy experience tells thee, that they are industrious to make men wicked and wretched. Such is the corruption of our nature, and the nature of our corruption, that we are sooner polluted by the wicked, then they purified and amended by us; as the good Corn is rather soiled by the bad, then the smutty made bright by the good. The fresh waters run into the Sea, yet they do not sweeten, but are made brackish by it. Our sinful hearts, as Onions, if there be any infection in the room, are apt to draw all to themselves; We may hope to save them, when they may destroy us. How many have leaped into the waters to save others from drowning, and been drowned with them? Wholesom Planets, if in conjunction with those that are malevolent, are of bad influence; Its recorded by the Holy Ghost, concerning the Israelites, They were mingled among the Heathen, and learned their ways, Psa. 106. 35. They who joyn with wicked persons, are prone to learn their wicked practices; Evil men are as Mildew to the good Corn, which makes it black. Its an encouragement to men, to walk in bad and by-ways, when they have Company with them. Sinners are compared to dust, that breeds vermine in houses; to Sepulchres, which send forth noisom vapours; and to thorns and briars, that pierce and pain such as meddle with them; can they be too wary then that handle them? Luk. 15. 8. Rom. 3. 13. Heb. 6. 8. The Owl is a Night bird, and altogether for darkness, but they that Hawk for Birds, make a Stale of her, and whilst the silly Birds are wondering at her, catch and kill them. The Divel, who makes it his work to take and destroy souls,Melius est, habere malorum odium quam …on…o…tium. Si…ut …ona mu…ta habet …ommunis vita sanctorum, sic plur…ma mala affe…t societas malorum. Isiodor. l. 2. Solil. doth often make use of ungodly men as Stales to further his defignes. Sampson was too hard for the Philistines when they opposed him by force, but when they procured Delilah, a wicked companion to tempt him, by that fraud they prevailed against him. The reason (according to some) why our Saviour forbad the Disciple to go and bury his Father was (not out of aversness to civil, much-less to natural respect, but) left his corrupt Kindred, who might be present at the Funeral, should corrupt him again, and so he should dye with them. When the Raven went out of the Ark, it returned not again, meeting (as is supposed) with some dead carcasses by the way. The Caprimulgus or Goat-sucker, Arist. Hist. A…m. l. 6. c. 19.flieth upon the Goats and sucketh them, that their milk drieth up, and they are afterwards blind. I write these things Reader, to make thee more careful in such company. If thou wouldst keep thy graces lively and flaming amongst such damps, and waters of wickedness, thy watchfulness must be more then ordinary; The more stones lie in thy way, the greater must thy caution be if thou wouldst not stumble. A Common Pilot may serve in a Calm Sea, but he that would steer a Vessel right in a Tempestuous Ocean, amidst Rocks and Quick-sands, had need to be eminent both for skill and care.
Secondly, Consider it is possible for thee, not onelyonly to keep thy self from waxing worse, but to be the better for evil company. I speak not this to encourage thee to cast thy self into temptations, but to q…icken thee to the more care, when God calleth thee among them. The Weesel is an unclean creature, and many ways hurt…ul, yet it devoureth Mice (whence its named in Latine Mustela) and so is usef…l. Unclean sinners, that are intentionally pernicious, may be providentially profitable to the Saints. Some creatures can draw nourishment from hard bones; A Saint may suck honey out of dry and bitter herbs. The wise God would not send evil things (as afflictions) but for the good of his chosen, nor suffer evil persons, but for their profit. Pluck not up the Tares, lest the Wheat be pulled up also, Math. 13. The good Husbandman makes an hedge of unfruitful Plants, as Briars and Crab trees, and other barren Trees, to defend the Vineyard from Cattel, and the good Trees in it from harm; The Lyon, as cruel as he was, defended the old Prophets body. God left some Canaanites amongst the Iews, lest the Beasts of the Field should over-run the Country, Exod. 23. 29. God leaves some wicked ones amongst his chosen in this World, to keep under their brutish lusts, which otherwise might undo them. The Lees are helpful to preserve the Wine; and the Chaff is useful to preserve the Corn; Vermine are good against the Iaundise; The Taunts and Scoffs of evil men, have sometimes been instrumental to cure good men of their spiritual diseases; The Sword of an enemy may let out thy rank blood; Iason had his Imposthume opened, and so healed, by a blow that he received in the Wars from his enemies, which his friends the Physitians could not cure. Those tongues which have been as sharp as Razors, piercing the Christians good Name, have proved instrumental to heal their depraved natures; The more the wicked twit thee with thy weaknesses, the more they may quicken thee to watchfulness. Thou wantest (possibly) a faithful friend to admonish thee, therefore God sendeth thee furious enemies to cast thy fa…lts in thy teeth, and if now thou dischargest thy duty,Sicut amici adulantes pervertunt, sic inimici litigantes plerun que corrigant. Aug. Confess. 9. thou mayst hope that their malice shall be a Medicine to increase thine inward health and welfare. A Fool loseth the improvement of his Friends, but a Wise man can make an advantage of his enemies. As the Herb called Ros Solis, though the heat of the Sun lye upon it all day, yet the hotter the Sun is, the moyster it is; So the Christian is the more softned and tender, when others are hardened, and bitter against godliness.