[ 371] Heresies and moral vices to be timely avoided.
ST. Augustine had woful experience (as himself confesseth) of his many years sticking in the heresie of the Manichees,* 1.1 and thence was that complaint of his; Had I but (saith he) slip't onely into the error of the Manichees, and soon got out, my case had been less fearful and dangerous; but novem fermè anni sunt quibus ego in illo limo, &c. God knows, that almost for nine years I wallowed in that mud; the more I stri∣ved to get out, the faster I stuck in: Heresies and moral vices are like quagmires, we may slightly pass over them without any danger, but the longer we stand upon them,* 1.2 the deeper we sink, and if we be not drowned over head and ears in them, yet we scape not without much mire and dirt; If then we cannot be so happy as to keep out of the walk of the ungodly, yet let us be sure not to stand in the way of fin∣ners, muchless sit in the seat of the scornful;* 1.3 if we cannot be so clean as we de∣sire, at least let us not with Moab settle upon the lees of our corruption.