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SERM. affliction to be in a world of the ungodly, XII. when a mighty torrent of iniquity and profanefs brought on a flood of waters which overthrew their foundation, as it is expreffed in the book of Job; and juft Lot lived in Sodom, where his righteous foul was vexed in feeing and bearing every day, the filthy converfation of the wicked. Surely it was not imputed to these excellent perfons as a fault that they did not walk with wife men, when there were no wife men for them to walk with; and fo far from being the guilty companions of fools, who fhould perish with them in one common deftruction, God marked them out to a peculiar falvation; and having made their hearty but ineffectual remonftrances against the prevailing wickedness of the times and places they lived in, they were preserved from the ruin which came like a whirlwind on finners by an extraordinary divine interposition.

Again, fometimes the best men converse familiarly with the wicked, and it is neceffary for them to do fo, yet without a participation in their crimes. On the contrary, it is their defign and affiduous endeavour to convince the unrighteous of their errors, and reclaim them from their follies. Thus our Saviour converfed with publicans

and finners, though he was boly, harmless, SER M. undefiled, and feparate from finners. This XII. was indeed imputed unto him as a fault by the Pharifees, who placed religion wholly in external forms, and valued themselves upon an appearance of fanctity, whereby they were distinguished from others, whom they fuperciliously despised; but our Lord vindicateth his conduct upon the very beft principles, the most perfect zeal for virtue, and charity to men. After him, the apoftles, imitating his example, and inspired with his fpirit, laboured inceffantly for the converfion of an ignorant and a corrupt world; and instead of being infected with the folly of those they conversed with, they were the fuccessful inftruments of making many wife and turning them to righteousness.

Befides that noble defign which religion, far from difallowing, urgeth us earnestly to, as the very best we can purfue, I mean, to endeavour by wholfome counfels, as well as good example, the converfion of finners from the error of their way; besides this, I fay, the present ftate of human affairs requireth that we affociate with men of all characters Civil communities, fo neceffary for the preservation of order and peace in the world, are made up of good

and

SERM. and bad; good offices of fellow citizens, and XII. a corefpondence for the pupofes of fociety,

are not appropriated to the wife, though it is certain they are the most useful members, in proportion to the measure of their wisdom or virtue.

Nay, in nearer relations, fcarce is there any fo happy as to be free from the company of fools; even families are feldom fo well conftituted but that the virtuous are joined in them with the froward and vicious; yet in fuch cases it doth not become immediately our duty to difcharge ourselves with violence from the obligation, and break off all occafions of fuch correfpondence; on the contrary, the fcripture, in fuch a cafe, prescribeth patience, meeknefs, and compaffion to the evil. The apoftle directeth chriftians to carry it fo to their fellow profeffors of the gofpel, whofe immoral lives dishonour it, as to teftify an abhorrence of wicked practices, and to preferve themfelves from infection by ill example. I Cor. v. 11. I have written to you, not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother (that is a chriftian) be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with fuch an one no not to eat: He carrieth fo far as to the avoiding, when it can be done,

done, the offices of civil friendship with SERM, fcandalous chriftians; not that we fhould XII. implicitly follow the decrees of the church, and fhun the company of those she excommunicateth; but every man judging for himself, pursuant to the rule in my text, is for his own fake to avoid the intimate conversation of those whom he plainly feeth to be wicked, that fo he may escape the contagion of fin: And yet when the apoftle directeth christians to fhun the company of the vicious, that must not proceed from ill will, nor fhould be attended with bitter wrathful reproaches, and marks of contempt, which are very oppofite to the spirit of chriftianity; it fhould rather flow from a charitable defign to reclaim the offender, for thus he elsewhere directeth, 2 Thef. iii. 14. If any man obey not our word by this epifle (that is, the moral precepts of the gofpel which he had recommended) note that man and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed; yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. But in the place before referred to, I Cor. v. the apostle plainly fheweth, that he did not mean to forbid all kind of correfpondence with, or denying the offices of humanity to bad men, only that we fhould for the honour of our profeffion

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SERM. feffion discountenance vice in profeffed chriXII. ftians; for faith he, at the 10th verfe, not altogether (to abftain from the company of) the fornicators of this world, or the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, for then muft ye needs go out of the world. ·

lot

On the other hand, it is not to be fuppofed that the mere advantage of any man's providential fituation will entitle him to the benefit of walking with wife men. His may be with the best and most virtuous without any good defign on his part, or without any other views than to his fecular interest, and therefore without any advantage to his obtaining wisdom. The queen of Sheba celebrateth the felicity of Solomon's fervants, because they stood before him, and heard his wifdom; but if any of them was not induced to make that happy ftation his choice, from a defire and profpect of instruction in virtue, but merely for the honour and outward emolument which attended his place, there was nothing praiseworthy in his being fo near that wifeft of men, nor did it fhew any difpofition to be wifer and better.

Upon the whole, to understand what it is to walk with the wife, we must return to what I faid at firft; it is voluntarily to

affociate,

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