A. 13. If you would not miss of the king- dom of heaven, take heed of evil company ; there is a necessary commerse with men in buying and selling, else, as the apostle saith. We must go out of the world, 1 Cor. v. 10., but do not voluntarily choose the com])any of the wicked, 1 Cor. v. 11., " I have writ- ten to you not to keep company." Do not incorporate into the society of the wicked, or be too much familiar with them : the wicked are God haters ; and 2 Chron. xix. 2., Shouldest thou join with them that hate the Lord ? A Christian is bound by virtue of his oath of allegiance to God in baptism, not to have intimate converse with such as are God's sworn enemies ; it is a thing ot bad report. Wliat doth Christ's doves a- mong birds of prey ? What do virgins a- mong harlots ? The company of the wicked is very defiling, it is like going among them that have the plague ; " He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled." Ps. cvi. 35., " They were mingled among the heathen, and learn- ed their works." If you mingle bright ar- mour with rusty, the bright armour will not brighten the rusty, but the rusty armour will spoil the bright. Such as have had re- ligious education, and have some inclina- tions to good, yet by mixing among the wicked, they will be apt to receive hurt : the bad will sooner corrupt the good, than the good will convert the bad. Pharaoh learned Joseph to swear, but Joseph did not learn Pharaoh to pray. There is a strange attractive power in ill company to corrupt and poison the best dispositions ; they damp good aff'ections. Throw a fire-ball into the snow, and it is soon quenched. Among the wicked you lose your heat of zealous affec- tions : by holding familiar corres})on<lence with the wicked, one shall hear them dis- suading him from strict godliness, that it will debar him of his liberty and pleasure. Acts xxviii. 22., " This sect is every Avhere spoken against." Hereupon he, who befi)re did look towards heaven, begins to be dis- couraged, and gradually declines from good- ness.
(1.) There steals upon him a dislike of his former religious course of life ; that he was righteous over-much, stricter than need- ed. . (2.) There is instilled into his heart a se«
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OF THE SFXOND PETITION IN THE LORD'S PRAYER.
cret delifrlit of evil ; he begins to like fool- ish scurrilous discourse ; lie can hear reli- gion spoken against, and be silent, nay, well pleased; he loves vanity, and makes sport of sin.
(3.) He is by degrees so metamorphosed, and made like the company he converseth Avith, that he now grows into a disgust, and hatred of his former sober ways ; he is ill- aftected towards good men, he is transform- ed into scoffing Ishmael, a breathing devil ; and becomes at last as much the child of hell, as any of that graceless damned crew he conversed with. And what is the end of all ? A blot in the name, — a motii in the estate, — a worm in the conscience. O, if you would not miss of the kingdom of hea- ven, beware of evil company ! Bad compa- ny is the bane and poison of the youth of this age ; such as were once soberly inclin- ed, vet by coming among the ])rofane, they 'grow familiar, till at last they keep one an- other company in hell.
A. 11'. If you would not miss of the king- dom of heaven, take heed of parlying with the fleshly part ; the flesh is a bosom-traitor. When an enemy is gotten within the walls of a castle, it is in great danger to be taken. Th(^ flesh is an enemy witliin ; the flesli is a bad counsellor ; the flesh saith, " There is a lion in the way." It discourageth from a religious strictness, the flesh saith, as Peter did to Christ, ' spare thyself;' the flesh saith, as Judas, ' what needs all this Avaste ?' What needs this praying? Why do you waste your strength and spirits in religion ? What needs all this waste ? The flesh cries out for ease and pleasure. How many, by consulting with the flesh, have lost the king- dom of heaven !
yl. 15. If you would not fall short of hea- ven, take heed of carnal relations ; our car- nal iViends are often bars and locks in our way to heaven ; they will say, religion is preciseness and singularity. A wife in the bosom maybe a tempter; Job's wife was so. Job ii. 9., " Dost tiiou still retain thy integrity ? Curse God, and die." What ! still i)ray? What dost thou get by serving God ? Job, where are thy earnings ? What canst thou show thou hast had in God's ser- vice, but boils and ulcers ? And dost thou Btill retain thy integrity ? Throw off God's