too like to this of the Papists, is in the minds of many of our auditors. They think, indeed, that those are the best men that are resolved contemners of all the riches, and honours, and pleasures of the world; but they think of them as the Papists do of their votaries, as people of a higher pitch of sanctity than the rest, but think not that it is essential to sanctity, and to true Christianity itself. They confess they should be all contemners of the world; but, God forbid, say they, that none but such should be saved! But, I tell you, God hath forbidden already by his laws, and God will forbid hereafter by his sentence and execution, that any other but such should be saved. Do you think in good sadness that any man can be saved that is not truly dead to the world, and doth not despise it in comparison of God, and the great things of everlasting life? Let me satisfy you of the contrary here once for all, and I pray you see that your flesh provoke you not to mutter forth such unreasonable self-delusions any more. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him;" 1 John ii. 15. What can be spoken more plainly, or to a worldlyminded man more terribly. 'For whosoever is born of God, overcometh the world, and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith;" chap. v. 4. Know ye not that the friendship of the world, is the enmity with God? Whoever therefore will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God;" James iv. 4. Will not all this serve to convince you of this truth? "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live;" Rom. viii. 5—7.

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13. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit; John iii. 6. "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other;" Gal. v. 16, 17. vi. 8. "He that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit,

shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Col. iii. 1-3. "If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, and not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.” Matt. vi. 19-21. 24. "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is there will your heart be also. No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." chap. x. 38, 39. "He that taketh not his cross and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." chap. xvi. 24. chap. xvi. 24. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me." Luke xiv. 26, 27. "If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and brethren and sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple." ver. 33. "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." Heb. xi. 13-15. and to the end. But I will cite no more. Here is enough to convince you, or condemn you. If any thing at all be plain in Scripture, this is plain, that every true Christian is dead to the world, and looks on the world as a crucified thing; and that God and the life of glory which he hath promised, have the ruling and chiefest interest in their souls. Believe it, sirs, this is not a work of supererrogation, nor such as only tendeth to the perfecting of a Christian, but such as is of the essence of Christianity, and without which there is not the least hope of salvation.

Use 11. By all that hath been said, you may perceive what it is to be a Christian indeed, and that true Christianity doth set men at a further distance from the world, than carnal, self-deceiving professors do imagine. You see that

God and the world are enemies; not God and the world as his creature, but as his competitor for your hearts, and as the seducer of your understandings, and the opposer of his interest, and the fuel and food of a fleshly mind, and that which would pretend to a being or goodness separated from God, or to be desirable for itself, having laid by the relation of a means to God. To be a friend to the world in any of these respects, is to be an enemy to God. And God will not save his enemies, while enemies. An enmity to God is an enmity to our salvation: for our salvation is in him alone. If then you have but awakened consciences, if the true love of yourselves be stirring in you, and if you have but the free use of common reason, I dare say you do by this time perceive, that it closely concerneth you presently to look about you, and to try whether you are crucified to the world or not. Seeing my present business is, for the securing of your everlasting peace, and the healing of your souls of that which would deprive you of it, let me entreat you all in the fear of God to give me your assistance, and to go along with me in the work; for what can a preacher do for you, if you will do nothing for yourselves? How can we convert, or heal, or save you, without you? I do foresee your appearance before the Lord; a jealous God; that will not endure that any creature should be sweeter and more amiable to you than himself. I do foresee the condemnation that all such must undergo, and the remediless, certain misery that they are near. I know there is no way that the wit of man or angels can devise, to prevent the damnation of such a soul, but by crucifying the flesh and world by the cross of Christ, and dethroning these idols, and submitting sincerely to God for their happiness. This cannot be done while you are strangers to yourselves, and will not look into your own hearts, and see what abominable work is there, that you may be moved to return with shame and sorrow for that which hath been formerly your glory and your joy. O do not keep out the light of conviction, that you may keep up your idols in the dark: your sin is nevertheless, because you wilfully keep it out of sight: and your danger is nevertheless for being unknown. If you will sin in darkness, you shall suffer in darkness: as you have a fire of fleshly and worldly lusts within you, which abhors the light of saving truth, so God hath a fire of perpetual torment for you,

ye be risen with Christ, seek those this Col

shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Col. his counteso is the torwhere Christ sitteth on the right hand ting light, because affections on things above, and nots light be made maFor ye are dead, and your life is 21.), this will be your When Christ who is our life she you deprive yourselves of appear with him in glory. M love darkness, who can you which are upon the earth, be cast into outer darkness? not up for yourselves tr

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disease is such as must be cured by the light, if ever You cannot lament your worldliness and sensuality, you cannot lament your disaffectedness to God, and intolerable neglects of him, till you find them out. You cannot betake you to Christ for the pardon of this sin, till you have discovered it. A sin unseen will never humble you and break your hearts, nor fit them for Christ to bind them up. If you see not that the world is yet alive in you, you will not apply the cross, for the crucifying of it, nor have recourse to a crucified Christ for that end. Moreover, it is the nature of all sin, and worldly vanities to seem best in the dark, and basest in the light. As God and heavenly things seem best in the greatest light, and worst in the darkness. None do set light by God, and grace, and glory, but those that know them not. And none do set much by worldly, fleshly things, but those that know them not. As illumination brings in God into the soul, so doth it help to cast out satan and the world. When men's eyes are opened, and they are turned from darkness to light, they are presently turned "from the power of satan unto God;"

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xvi. 18. These infernal worldly spirits cannot endure : they walk not by day, but haunt them whom they in the night of ignorance; and if we do but come m with light, they are gone. It is the same de'ed "the prince of this world, and the ruler of this world," (Eph. vi. 12.) and this power is ness," (Luke xxii. 53.) and therefore as light pelleth darkness; so if you will admit the st, it will deliver you from the power of dark. i. 13.), and cause you "to cast off the works of ness," (Rom. xiii. 12.); that is, your worldly, fleshly works.

For my part, I have not access to your hearts, unless grace persuade you to open me the door. I cannot promise to illuminate you, and go with you into the inmost rooms; but I shall stand at the door and hold you the candle, by which you may see yourselves what is within, if you will but consent and take the pains of a thorough inquiry. I do therefore earnestly entreat you, to set up a judicature in yourselves, and by the word which you have heard to try your states, and let conscience be judge, and do it speedily, faithfully, and effectually. By this means you may prevent a sharper trial. If you'are afraid of conscience, how much more should you be afraid of God? Will not his judgment, think you, be more dreadful than your own? What madness is it to leave all to that terrible judgment, rather than to judge yourselves for the preventing of it? Believe it, you shall be condemned by yourselves or by God; yea, both by yourselves and by God, unless your self-condemnation be seconded by an effectual execution of the sin which you condemn. Willing or unwilling, you must to the bar either of conscience or of God, or both. Come on then, beloved hearers; rouse up your sleepy souls, and remember that your salvation is the thing in question; and therefore put it not to a wilful hazard, and leave not loose a matter of such consequence: but if you are men of common reason, if you do not hate yourselves, and have not a resolved plot to damn yourselves, take time while you may have it, and accept the light and help that is offered you, and speedily and strictly examine your own hearts, whether they are crucified and dead to the world, or not. Is it so,