8 I have read of one who, seeing in a vision so many snares of the devil spread upon the earth, he sat down mourning, and said within himself, Quis pertransiet ista, who shall pass through these? whereunto he heard a voice answering, llumilitas pertransiet, humility shall pass through them.
4 Ps. xxv. 9, D*13y, Gnanavim, from iliJJ, Gnanah, which signifies the humble or afflicted. The high tide quickly ebbs, and the highest sun is presently declining. You know how to apply it.
2 Cor. II. 11.] against satan's devices. 61
of humility, usually fall into the very worst of errors, as experience doth daily evidence.1
Remedy (7). The seventh remedy against this device of Satan is, solemnly to consider, The great evils that errors have produced. Error is a fruitful mother, and hath brought forth such monstrous children as hath set towns, cities, and nations on fire.2 Error is that whorish woman that hath cast down many, wounded many, yea, slain many strong men, many great men, and many learned men, and many professing men in former times and in our time, as is too evident to all that are not much left of God, destitute of the truth, and bliuded by Satan. Oh, the graces that error hath weakened, and the sweet joys and comforts that error hath clouded, if not buried ! Oh, the hands that error hath weakened, the eyes that error hath blinded, the judgments of men that error hath perverted, the minds that error hath darkened, the hearts that error hath hardened, the affections that error hath cooled, the consciences that error hath seared, and the lives of men that error hath polluted ! Ah, souls'! can you solemnly consider of this, and not tremble more at error than at hell itself? &c.
The twelfth device that Satan hath to draw the soul to sin is, Device (12). To affect'6 wicked company, to keep wicked society. And oh ! the horrid impieties and wickedness that Satan hath drawn men to sin, by working them to sit and associate themselves with vain persons. Now, the remedies against this device of the devil are these : Remedy (1). The first remedy against this device of Satan is, To dwell, till your hearts be affected, upon those commands of God that do expressly require us to shun the society of the wicked : Eph. v. 11, ' And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them ;' Prov. iv. 14-16, ' Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.' 1 Cor. v. 9-11, 2 Thes. iii. 6, Prov. i. 10-15. Turn to these Scriptures, and let your souls dwell upon them, till a holy indignation be raised in your souls against fellowship with vain men. ' God will not take the wicked by the hand/ as Job speaks, xxxiv. 20, xxx. 24. Why then should you ? God's commands are not like those that are easily reversed, but they are like those of the Medes, that cannot be changed. If these commands be not now observed by thee, they will at last be witnesses against thee, and millstones to sink thee, in that day that Christ shall judge thee.4
Remedy (2). The second remedy against this device of Satan is, seriously to consider, That their company is very infectious and dan- gerous, as is clear from the scripture above mentioned. Ah, how many have lost their names, and lost their estates, and strength, and God, and heaven, and souls, by society with wicked men ! As ye shun a stinking carcase, as the seaman shuns sands and rocks, and shelves,5 as ye shun those that have the plague-sores running upon them, so
1 The proud soul is like him that gazed upon the moon, but fell into the pit. • Errors in conscience produce many great evils, not only ad intra, in men's own souls, but also ad extra, in human affairs. 3 ' Choose.' — G.
4 Non parentum aut majorum authoritas, sed Dei docebit imperium. — Jerome. The commands of God must outweigh all authority and example of men.
<;2 TRECIOUS REMEDIES [2 COR. II. 11.
should yini shun the society of wicked men. As weeds endanger the corn, ;is had humours endanger the blood, or as an infected house the neighbourhood, so doth wicked company the soul,1 Prov. xiii. 20.
Bias, a heathen man, being at sea in a great storm, and perceiving many wicked men in the ship, called upon the gods: 'Oh, saith he, toil tear prayer, hold your tongues ; I would not have the gods take notice that you are here ; they sure will drown us all if they should.' Ah, sirs, could a heathen see so much danger in the society of wicked mi id, and can you see none ?
Remedy (3). The third remedy against this device of Satan is, To look alt rays upon wicked men, under those names and notions that the Scripture doth set them out under. The Scripture calls them lions for their fierceness, and bears for their cruelty, and dragons for their hideousness, and dogs for their filthiness, and wolves for their subtleness. The Scripture styles them scorpions, vipers, thorns, briers, thistles, brambles, stubble, dirt, chaff, dust, dross, smoke, scum, as you may see in the margin.2 It is not safe to look upon wicked men under those names and notions that they set out themselves by, or that flat- terers set them out by; this may delude the soul, but the looking upon them under those names and notions that the Scripture sets them out by, may preserve the soul from frequenting their company and delight- ing in their society. Do not tell me what this man calls them, or how such and such count them ; but tell me how doth the Scripture call them, how doth the Scripture count them ? As Nabal's name was, so was his nature, 1 Sam. xxv. 25, and as wicked men's names are, so are their natures. You may know well enough what is within them, by the apt names that the Holy Ghost hath given them.3
Remedy (4). The fourth remedy against this device of Satan, is, solemnly to consider, That the society and company of wicked men have been a great grief and burden to those precious souls that were once glorious on earth, and are noiv triumphing in heaven : Ps. cxx. 5, 6, ' Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, that I sojourn in the tents of Kedar ! My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace/ So Jeremiah, ' Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging-place of way- faring men, that I might leave my people, and go from them ! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men,' Jer. ix. 2. So they ' vexed Lot's righteous soul by their filthy conversation/ 2 Pet. ii. 7 ;4 they made his life a burden, they made death more desirable to him than life, yea, they made his life a lingering death. Guilt or grief is all the good gracious souls get by conversing with wicked men.5
1 Eusobius reports of John the Evangelist, that he would not suffer Cerinthus, the heretic, in the sanio bath with him, lest some judgment should abide them both. — Euseb. 1. iii. cap. 25. [Cf. Note in Sibbes, vol. vii. G03. — G.] A man that keepeth ill company is like him that walketh in the sun, tanned insensibly.