Tell me with whom thou £oest, and I will tell thee what thou art, saith the Spanish proverb.1 Cicero, though a heathen, had rather to have no companion, than a bad one. The Lord grant that this heathen, and others among them, that were of the same mind with him, may never rise up in judgment against any of you, into whose hands this treatise may fall.
And thus I have despatched those four things that you must be acquainted with betimes, viz., the Scripture, your own hearts and con- ditions, the Lord Jesus Christ, and those that fear him, if ever you would be good betimes.
Direction (2). Secondly, If you would be good betimes, if you would seek and serve the Lord in the spring and morning of your days, Then you must shun the occasions of sin betimes. A man will never begin to be good, till he begin to decline those occasions that have made him bad : 1 Thes. v. 22, ' Abstain from all appearances of evil/2
You must shun and be shy of the very appearance of sin, of the very shows and shadows of sin. The word sfdoc, which is ordinarily rendered appearance, signifies kind, or sort ; and so the meaning of the apostle seems to be this, ' Abstain from all sort, or the whole kind of evil ;' from all that is truly so, be it never so small.
The least sin is dangerous. Csesar was stabbed with bodkins, and many have been eaten up of mice and lice.
The least spark may consume the greatest house, the least leak may sink the greatest ship, the least sin is enough to undo thy soul ; and therefore shun all the occasions that lead unto it.
Job made a covenant with his eyes, Job xxxi. 1 ; Joseph would not be in the room where his mistress was, Gen. xxxix. 10 ; and David, when himself, would not sit with vain persons, Ps. xxvi. 3—7. As long as there is fuel in our hearts for a temptation, we cannot be secure ; he that hath gunpowder about him, had need keep far enough off from sparkles ; he that is either tender of his credit abroad, or comfort at home, had need shun, and be shy of the very show and shadow of sin ; he that would neither wound conscience nor credit, God nor gospel, had need hate ' the garment spotted with the flesh,' Jude 23.3
In the law, God commanded his people, not only that they should worship no idol, but that they should demolish all the monuments of them, and that they should make no covenant nor affinity with those who worshipped them, and all lest they should be drawn by those occa- sions to commit idolatry with them. He that would not taste of the forbidden fruit, must not so much as gaze on it ; and he that would not be bit by the serpent, must not so much as parley with the ser- pent.
It is very observable, that in the law, the Nazarite was not only com- manded to abstain from wine and strong drink, but also he might not eat grapes, whether moist or dry, or anything that is made of the vine
1 Those that keep ill company, are like those that walk in the sun, who are tanned insensibly.
5 We must shun, quicquid juerit male coloratum, whatsoever looks but ill-favouredly, as Bernard hath it.
:' The sin and the coat of the sin is to bo hafed, saith Ambrose. Latet anguis inherba. Snakes aro found among ro^es, Num. vi. 3, 4. Quid est vitare peccata, nisivitare occasione* peccatoruin/ — Mt,-lau[cthon]. What is it to uvoid sin, but to avoid the occasions of sin '.'
1 Kings XIV. 13.] apples of gold. 24.9
tree, from the kernels even to the husk. But why not these small things, in which there could be no danger of drunkenness ? Surely, lest by the contentment of these, he might be drawn to desire the wine, and so be brought on to sin, to break his vow, and so make work for hell, or for the physician of souls. God hereby forbidding the most remote occasions, shews how wary and exactly careful men should be to shun and avoid all occasions, provocations, and appearances of evil ; and indeed we had need to keep off from slippery places who can hardly stand fast on dry ground ; he that ventures upon the occasion of sin and then prays, ' Lord, lead me not into temptation,' is like him that thrusts his finger into the fire, and then prays that it may not be burnt ; or like him that is resolved to quench the fire with oil, which, instead of quenching it, is as fuel to feed it and increase it. It was a notable saying of one, Majus est miraculum inter vehementes occasiones non cadere, quam mortuos suscitare.1 It is a greater miracle not to fall, being among strong occasions, than it is to raise up the dead ; he that would not be defiled, must not touch pitch ; he that would not he burnt, must not carry fire in his bosom ; he that would not eat the meat, must not meddle with the broth ; he that would not fall into the pit, must not dance upon the brink ; he that would not feel the blow, must keep off from the train :2 ' Keep thee far from a false matter/ Exod. xxiii. 7. He that will not fly from the occasions and allurements of sin, though they may seem never so pleasant to the eye, or sweet to the taste, shall find them in the end more sharp than vinegar, more bitter than wormwood, more deadly than poison.
There is a great truth in that saying of the son of Sirach, ' He that loveth danger, shall perish therein ; he that will not decline danger, shall not be able to decline destruction,' Ecclus. iii. 26, 27.3
Socrates speaks of two young men that flung away their belts when, being in an idol temple, the lustrating water fell upon them, detesting, saith the historian, 'the garment spotted by the flesh ;' and will you, 0 young men, play and toy with the occasions of sin ? The Lord forbid.
There are stories of several heathens that have shunned and avoided the occasions of sin, and will you dare to venture upon the occasions of sin?
Alexander would not see the woman after whom he might have lusted.
Scipio Africanus, warring in Spain, took New Carthage by storm, at which time a beautiful and noble virgin fled to him for succour to pre- serve her chastity. He being but four and twenty years old, and so in the heat of youth, hearing of it, would not suffer her to come into his sight for fear of temptation, but caused her to be restored in safety to her father.4
Livia counselled her husband Augustus, not only not to do wrong, but not to seem to do so, &c.
1 Bernard in Cant. serm. 65.
2 Prov. vi. 27-29. Non diu tutus est, periculo proximus. — Cyprian, He is not long safe that is near to danger.
3 Brooks's second quotation from the Apocrypha thus far — G>'
4 Aure : Victor. Dio, Laert. in vita.
250 APPLES OF GOLD. [1 KlNOS XIV. 13.
Caesar would not search Pompey's cabinet, lest he should find new matters of revenge.
Plato mounted upon his horse, and judging himself a little moved with pride, did presently light from his horse, lest he should be over- taken with loftiness in riding.
Theseus is said to cut off his golden locks, lest his enemies should take advantage by taking hold of them.