Armor of Proof, Section 25
§. 25.
SEcondly, That we may not be infected by them, nor partake of their sins. It is a true Proverb, Evil company corrupts good manners: and He that will not evill do, must keep from all that longs thereto. To be safe from evil works, is to avoid the occasions; especially, he that will keep himself from iniquity, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, must have no fellowship with wicked persons, the workers of darknesse: Ioseph thought no weapon comparable, for the beating off his Mistresses assaults, to running away.
The first thing that God did, after he created Heaven and Earth, was, to separate light from darknesse; probably to …hew, that the good should first of all separate from the evill, if they meane not again to become evil. It is not more hard to find vertue in evil company, then to misse vice. They were mingled among the heathen (saith the Psalmist) and what followes? they learned their works, Ps. 106. 35. Peter had never denyed and forsworn his Master if he had not been in company with Christ's enemies: but then how soon was he changed? Now, saith one, If such a Ce…ar fell, how shall I stand? I will not therefore hazard the fraile potsheard (my fleth) upon the rock of evil company for any thing. David had never dissembled, if he had not been among the Philistins: which made him after (that he might wisely shun that occasion) say, depart from m… all y… workers of iniquity, for I will keep the comman lements of my God, Psal. 119. 115. intimating, that he could not otherwise: nay, how many thousands have confest at the Gallowes, I had never come to this but for evil company, which drew me to these courses? yea, the truth is, we can not come amongst these vipers, and not be stung by them; for even to hear them speak, will make us either angry, or guilty; and not to be imtempe…ate with them for company, is a great discourtesie, if not a quarrel. Many a man had been good, that is not, if he had but kept good company.
There is a pliable disposition in all men naturally to evill; we follow it, as Iron doth the Loadstone, by a natural and hidden propensity: our corrupt nature is like fire, which, if there be any infection in the room, drawes it streight to it self: or like Jet, which omits all precious objects, and attracts nothing but straws and dust: or, if a man hath both good and bad in his nature, either of them will fortifie, as they meet with their like; or decline as they find a contrary: as Sampson did in his strength, who, at first being hard enough for all the Princes of the Philistins, at last, by keeping Dalilah company, they set a boy to lead him.
Yea, suppose a man stands indifferent; his company, whether good or evil, will work him into a new nature; and by continuance, he shall grow up to the same height with them, as the Hop groweth to the end of the pole, be it never so high, and he himself shall do the like to others; as one peece of Iron, being rub'd with the Loadstone, will draw another peece, even as if it were the Loadstone it self.
A good man in ill company is like a precious pearl, fallen into the mud; which the longer it lies, the deeper still it sinks into it: for, if the force of custome, simple and separate be great; the force of custome, copulate, and conjoyned, and collegiate, is far greater; for their example teacheth, company comforteth, emulation quickneth, glory raiseth: so as in such places the force of custome, is in her exaltation: which made the mother of Alexander, the twenty sixth Emperor of Rome, fo careful of her sons education, that she kept continually a guard of men to take heed, that no vicious persons came unto him, to corrupt him in ev…l.
It was a good conceit of Themistocles, and not triviall, when he set up a bill of an house, which he had to let, that he added, aye, and there be good neighbours too: for it …hall go hard, but neighbourhood will somewhat mould the whole family into better or worse, as themselves are. The sore eye, we know, in…ecteth the so…ne: and they that sleep with dogs shall swarm with fleacs: yea, a mans posterity after him, shall gain, or loose by the bargain. It were happy, … the injury of a wicked man could be consined to his own bosome; that he … fare the worse for his sins; that it were but self do, self have: but as his lewdness, like some odious …ent, is diffused through the whole room, or place where he is, and reacheth to the times, upon which he is unhappily faln: so after generations are the worse by meanes of him. An ill president, is like Goodwin Sands, which not only swallowed up his patrimony, but still continues a dangerous place, where too many have miscarried▪ He is a very mean… person, that drawes not some Clyents after him: even Thewdas and Iudas had their four hundreds to accompany them. One man may kindle such a fire, as thousands are not able to quench: one plague sore may infect a whole nation: and all the venome of sin is not spent in the act.
Sin among men, like the Murrain in Cattel, or scab among Sheep, is of a catching and infectious quality: and like the Plague or L…prosie, will run along from one to another: our corrupt nature is like tinder, which is kindled with the least sparke: wherefore it behoves us to avoid all provoking objects: as a man that hath Gunpowder in his house, keeps it …afe from fire: and well were it for us, if lewd ones were forced to cry, as the Leper in Israel, I am unclean, I am un…lean.
Every thing labours to make the thing it meets with, like it self; fire, converts all to fire; aire, exiccates and drawes to it self; water, moistens and resolveth what it meetes witha…; earth, changeth all that we commit to it, to her own nature. Every man will be busie in dispending that quality which is pr… dominant in him: we can converse with nothing, but will work upon us, and by the unperceived stealth of time, assimilate us to it self: one rotten Aple will infect a whole floor: one putrid grape corrupts the whole sound cluster. The choice therefore of a mans company, is one of the most weighty actions of our lives; for our future well or ill being, depends on that election: if we choose ill, every day inclines us to worse, we have a perpetual weight hanging on us, that is ever sinking us down to vice.
Antisthenes wondred at those which were curious in buying but an earthen dish, to see that it had no cracks, nor inconveniences, and yet would be careless in the choice of friends, and take them with the flawes of vice. What was the reason (think we) that our Saviour would not suffer his weak Disciple, in the Gospel, to go and bury his dead father? Luk. 9. 60. It was not any aversenesse to civil, much lesse filial respect and duty to Parents; yea, he preferred mercy before sacrifice; but he well knew, that when he once met with his carnal friends at the funeral, they would pervert him again, and quickly flout him out of his new Masters service, and that the Gospel should soon loose a Preacher of him. The reason why the Raven returned not into Noahs Arke, as the Dove did, is given by some, because it met with a dead carkase by the way.
A wise man will be wary, not only to shun sin in the action, but in the very occasion. How many, that meant not to sin, are won only by the opportunity? for occasion and our nature are like two inordinate lovers, they seldom meet▪ but they sin together, and every act of sin, tyes a new knot: if we keep them asunder, the harm is prevented: and it is easier to deny a guest at first, then to turn him out, having stayed a while: it is easier to keep fire from flax, then to quench it after it is on fire: a man may spit out a spark, but when once kindled, there is hardly any quenching of it. Why do we pray, deliver us from evil, but that we imply, besides all other mischiefes, that there is an infectious power in it, to make us evil? Let us therefore do what we pray, and pray that we may do it: yea, O Lord, free us both from speech and sight of these bauds and panders of vice, so far as is possible; if not, at least from joyning in league, or dwelling in house with, or having dependency on such.
O how many are there, that, like the Pine-tree, with their very shadow, hinder all other plants from growing under them: or, like the great mountain Radish, which, if it bee planted neer the Vine, causeth it to starve and wither away? Alass! it is nothing to be godly in Abraham's house: but for a man to dwell in the tents of Kedar, or to live in the Court of Sardanapalus; and yet to keep himself upright, is a matter of great difficulty, especially, for him that is not well rooted by time and experience. A sore new skind will fret off again, with the least rubbing; yea, the very sight of evill is dangerous, to such an one; lusting, for the most part, followes looking; as wee see in Eve, Gen. 3. 6. and David 2 Sam. 11. 2, 3. which makes Salomon speaking of a strange woman, advise us to keep far from her, and not once come neer the door of her house, Prov. 5. 8. It is a hard matter for that soul, not to fall into those vices, unto which the eyes and the eares are enured, not out of love, but custome, we fall into some offences.
We read that Persina, that Ethiopian Queen, in Heliodorus, by seeing a faire picture of Perseus and Andromeda, was brought to …ed of a faire white child; whereas Pope Nicholas the third's Concubine, by seeing of a Beare, was brought to bed of a Monster. I am sure this is true in the morall of it; which should make us equally love good company, and hate evil. I know there be in every place whole troops of evil persons; and where there are many pots boyling, there cannot but be much scum: so that a man shall find it, either impossible, or hard, never to be amongst them, or shift off their solicitations. Wherefore if at any time (as no flie is more importunate) they …hrust themselves into thy conversation, doe as those which must necessarily passe by a carrion in the way; hold thy breath, be alone in a multitude, abhor to participate with them in their vices, and hasten to be out of their aire, as P…ter did out of the high Priests hall, so soon as Christ looked upon him: and if they yet follow thee, turn back to them, with the Angels …arewel, increpet … Dominus. And lastly, if by chance, with Peter, thou hast taken the least soyl, or infection from these poysoned and pitchy Links, be sure to scrape or brush it off thy soul again, by prayer, examination, and humiliation: as they that come out of infected houses, aire, or wash their garments, for the more safety, Thus did Peter, not without cause, not without benefit and commodity.