celled them all, and forgot all the promises which you made to God. All your professions, and all your blessed privileges and hopes do engage you to another world, and to the hearty renouncing and forsaking of this. You say you are crucified and risen with Christ. If you be, then seek the things that are above; set your affections on the things that are above, and not on the things that are on earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life shall appear, then shall you also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are on earth, fornication, uncleanness, idordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness which is idolatry; for which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience; Col. iii. 1-7. It doth not beseem the members of a crucified Christ to be earthlyminded; nor the members of a glorified Christ to set their minds on things so low. It ill beseems the heirs of an incorruptible crown of glory to make too great a matter of these trifles. It is the enemies of the cross of Christ, and not those that are crucified with him, whose God "is their belly, and who glory in their shame, and who mind earthly things;" but the saint's conversation must be in heaven, from whence it is that he expecteth his Saviour to change his vile, earthly body, and make it like to his glorious body; Phil. iii. 17—21. If indeed you have laid up your treasure in heaven, where rust and moth corrupt not, and where thieves do not break through and steal, let it then appear by the effects. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be; and where your heart is, that way the labours of your lives will tend. I shall reduce my exhortation to some particulars.

1. If you are crucified to the world, be sure that you seek it not, nor any thing in it, for its own sake; but only as a means to higher things. The sincerity of your hearts doth lie much in this, and the life of your souls depends much upon it. Labour in your lawful callings and spare not, so you exclude not your spiritual work: it is not your labour that we find fault with: but if the creature be the end of any labour, you may better sit still, and spare your pains, or rather speedily change your intentions. If you overtake the hastiest traveller in his journey, and ask him, why he takes all that pains; he will not say it is for love of the way that he travelleth in, but for love of the place to

which he is going, or the persons or things which he there expects: so must it be with you, if you are the heirs of heaven. I blame you not to be glad of a fair way, and to love it rather than a foul one: but it is not for the love of the way that you must travel. He that runs in a race, doth not bestow all that pains for the love of the path which he runs in, but for love of the prize which he expecteth at the end. And he that plougheth and soweth, doth it more for the love of the crop which he hopeth for, than for the love of his labour. He that saileth through the dangerous seas, performeth not his voyage for love of the sea, or of his ship, but for love of the merchandize and gain which he seeketh. The carrier that goeth weekly to London with your wares, doth not take all that pains for love of the carriage, or of the way, but of the gain which he deserveth. So must it be with you, in all your worldly business. When you seek for credit, or pleasure, or maintenance in the world, it must not be finally for the love of these, but for the end which they are given for, and which your hearts and lives and all must be devoted to. Your hearts will as soon deceive you in this as in any thing, if you do not watch them with jealousy and diligence. How quickly will the heart begin to love the creature for itself, that seemed once to love it but for God? Look in what measure you love your wealth, your houses, your recreations, your friends, for themselves, and because they accommodate the flesh; so far you wrong God, and abuse them to idolatry.

And if your love do begin in greater purity, if you be not watchful it will quickly degenerate to a carnal love. Many a scholar that at first desired learning to fit him for the service of God, and his church, doth by suffering carnality to insinuate and prevail, lose much of the purity of his first affections, and in time grow more cold and regardless of his first ends, and loveth common learning merely for itself, and for the delight of knowing, or (which is worse) to get him a name among men.

It is common with them that need recreation for their health, when they set upon it, as they think, but to fit them for their duty, to fall in love with it afterwards, to the perverting of their hearts, the wounding of their consciences, the wasting of their time, and the neglect of that work of God for which it should be used.

We should take our meat, and drink, and clothes, but to strengthen and fit us for the service of our Master: but how quickly do we turn them to the gratifying of our flesh, and to the service of another master?

It is too frequent for young persons of different sexes to love each other at first as Christians only, with a chaste and necessary love; but when they have been tempted awhile to an imprudent familiarity, their love doth degenerate, and that which was spiritual becometh carnal, and the serpent deceiveth them to the corrupting of their minds, and it is well if it proceed not to actual wickedness, and the undoing of each other.

Many a poor man thinks with himself, If I were but out of debt, or could but live so as to serve the Lord without distractions, and had such and such necessities supplied, I would not desire any more, or care any further for the world. But if their desires be granted them, they find themselves entangled, and their hearts deceived, and they thirst more after fulness, than before they did after necessaries. And many a one thinks, I care not for riches or honours, but only to do good with, and if I had them I would so use them. But when they have their desires, the case is altered: the flesh then hath need of it, and can spare for God as little as other men, because it loves it better than before, and pretendeth to have more use for it than formerly it had.

Watch therefore over your deceitful hearts, and be sure to keep up the love of God, and actually intend him in all that you have or do; and be not withdrawn to carnal affections.

2. If you are crucified to the world, be not too eager for it. As God hath promised it you but as an appendix to your felicity, and as an overplus to the great blessings of the covenant, so must you desire it but as such. And as God hath promised it you but with certain limitations, so far as he shall see it good for you, and agreeable to his greater end; so you must desire it with such limitations. I observe many to have so much reason as to put up their prayers for outward blessings with these limitations, and will not for shame express themselves in absolute, peremptory language; when yet there is apparent cause to fear, that they limit not their desires as they do their words, nor do they submit so

freely to the disposal of God in their hearts, as they seem to do in their expressions: and so make their words modest whilst their desires are inordinate: their language to be chaste, while their hearts are committing adultery with the world; their expressions are pious, while their affections are idolatrous; and so their prayers are made monstrous, while the soul of them is so disagreeable to the body. Be ashamed and afraid to desire that which you are ashamed and afraid to ask. You dare not say to God in your prayers Lord, I must needs have a fuller estate! I would fain be rich and be somebody in the world: I cannot live contentedly in poverty: food and raiment will not serve turn, unless I fare deliciously, and be clothed neatly, and be set by in the world, and unless I may leave prosperity to my children when I am dead and gone.' If you dare not say thus, do not dare to desire or think thus. Mr. Robert Bolton, that holy, learned divine, doth use among the heinous, damning sins, to reckon this, a desire to be rich.' And if we hearken to the Scripture, we shall find it is not without good cause: Prov. xxiii. 4. the command is, "Labour not to be rich." And Prov. xxviii. 20. "He that maketh haste to be rich, shall not be innocent." The Syriac renders the word "malignant," and the Arabic, "the wicked," which we here translate "he that hasteth to be rich." And they must needs be the same men when the apostle saith, " The love of money is the root of all evil;" 1 Tim. vi. 10. Therefore saith Paul," They that will be rich, fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition;" 1 Tim. vi. 9. By this word," they that will," or "are willing to be rich," is meant, they whose wills are set upon it, and are in love with it, and fain would be rich. Is it fitter for God or you to determine how many talents you shall be entrusted with? Do you long to have more duty, and danger, and a double account? It is true, you may desire the success of your labours; but not for the love of riches, nor with an unmannerly, peremptory desire. It is true also, that you must be thankful for prosperity if God give it you: but as it must be with an holy jealousy, so it is as true that you must be thankful also for adversity, when God sends it; though not for itself, yet for the good that it may conduce to: and therefore saith

James i. 9, 10. "Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted, but the rich in that he is made low." And Job could say, "The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord;" Job i. 21.

3. If you are crucified to the world, then let it not have power to crucify you, by putting you upon inordinate cares or sorrows. Will you vex your brains with contriving for the world, and weary your mind with tearing cares, and walk in sorrow because you have not your desires? and yet say that you are crucified to the world? Are the dead so solicitous? or is a carcase to be so much valued? Your passions and endeavours will proclaim your excessive estimation of the world, when you have never so long in words professed your contempt of it. Alas! how many that seem to know better, do almost distract their minds with cares, and entangle themselves in a life of so much misery, as a wise man would not like for all the world! If they want any thing, what trouble are their minds in till their wants are supplied! If they be afflicted with losses, or wrongs, or contempt, they are troubled as if they had lost some great or necessary thing. A crucified world could not make such a stir in your minds; but doubtless it is so far alive as it thus affecteth you. The Lord Jesus hath himself made so full and moving a sermon to his disciples, against the cares of the world, Matt. vi. Luke xii. that it is a double sin to Christians to be still so careful and earthlyminded; and I know not what to hope for from that man that will not be moved with such words as these from the Lord himself. And yet how many professors have I known that have tormented themselves with cares and sorrows, yea, and cast their bodies into diseases by it, and many of them have died of it, and some it hath brought besides their wits: so observable is that of the apostle, 2 Cor. vii. 10. "The sorrow of the world worketh death," even temporal and eternal, unless we be delivered by undeserved grace. Bear all conditions then with an equal mind, and let your passions shew that you are crucified to the world.

4 If you are crucified to the world, then let it not thrust out the service of God, and be made an excuse for a negligence in religion. How rare are holy meditations in the minds of many that think themselves religious? And it is worldly thoughts that thrust them out, and worldly busi