Here he mentions another pleasure which we must not take too much of,
that of visiting our friends, the former for fear of surfeiting
ourselves, this for fear of surfeiting our neighbour. 1. It is a piece
of civility to visit our neighbours sometimes, to show our respect to
them and concern for them, and to cultivate and improve mutual
acquaintance and love, and that we may have both the satisfaction and
advantage of their conversation. 2. It is wisdom, as well as good
manners, not to be troublesome to our friends in our visiting them, not
to visit too often, nor stay too long, nor contrive to come at
meal-time, nor make ourselves busy in the affairs of their families;
hereby we make ourselves cheap, mean, and burdensome. Thy neighbour,
who is thus plagued and haunted with thy visits, will be weary of thee
and hate thee, and that will be the destruction of friendship which
should have been the improvement of it. Post tres sæpe dies piscis
vilescit et hospes--After the third day fish and company become
distasteful. Familiarity breeds contempt. Nulli te facias nimis
sodalem--Be not too intimate with any. He that sponges upon his friend
loses him. How much better a friend then is God than any other friend;
for we need not withdraw our foot from his house, the throne of his
grace (ch. viii. 34); the oftener we come to him the better and the
more welcome.