ABSTRACT
In Solitude a Man converses with himself, and as a wise Man said, he is not always sure that he does not converse with his Enemy; but he that is in good Company, is sure to be always among his Friends. The Jews said, John the Baptist had a Devil, because he affected Solitude and Retirement; and they took it from an old Proverb they had in the World at that time: That every solitary Person must be an Angel or a Devil. It is the Soul's being entangled by outward Objects that interrupts its Contemplation of divine Objects, which is the Excuse for these Solitudes, and makes the removing the Body from those outward Objects seemingly necessary. The Excellency of any State of Life consists in its Freedom from Crime; and it is evident to Experience, that some Society may be better adapted to a Rectitude of Life, than a complete Solitude and Retirement.
