fake God, and fo forfake their own mercies, and run into idolatry: hence covetousness is called idolatry; for it is making the world our God. Whatever we love most, and serve most, and depend upon most, that we make our God; and fo do we when we love, ferve, and depend upon the world fo as to juftle God out of doors. But, why do we dote upon the creature, or upon the world? For, whatever the world hath of good, it hath it from God. Your food, raiment, comforts, and conveniencies in the world, as they are any way good to you, it is from God: and therefore, if you forfake God, and follow the world, from a defire after these things, you forfake the full fountain, and follow the fading ftreams; you depart even from the true good, that is in the world itself, while you go to the world for it. My people have committed two great evils; they have forfaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cifterns, broken cifterns, that can hold no water, Jer. ii. 13. 3. God and the world are at odds; there is a difagreement between God and the world, between Christ and the world: all the time that Chrift was in the world, it mocked, reviled, oppofed, and perfecuted him, and at laft killed him; and Christ, by his life and death, did fight against the world, and overcome it: and he hath put enmity between his people and the world. All the prophets, and apostles, and faints, in all ages, have been at hot war with the world, and contended with all the wicked in it; They that forfake the law, praife the wicked; but fuch as keep the law, contend with them, Prov. xxviii. 4. They have been men of contention in the world; why? the world is in arms against their God; therefore the Lord hath fworn that he will have war with it, as with Amalek, unto all generations; and with all who fhall join it; yea, or ftand neutral: they are curfed, because they rife not up to the help of the Lord against the mighty, Judges v. 23. Chrift hath given encouragement to his people, that they fhall be more than conquerors, through him who hath overcome the world. 4. The love of God, and the love of the world are contrary; He that loveth the world, the love of the Father is not in him. God's work is, to draw our affecti ons ons from the world; the world's work is, to draw our affections from God: and both God and the world feek the whole man. If a man defire to be religious, God must have his whole heart: and he through grace must give it, and make a continual trade of religion: if a man defire to be rich, the world will oblige him to rise early, and fit up late, and eat the bread of carefulness; yea, and employ his head and heart, and all about the world. And therefore God and the world cannot be served by one and the fame man. Yea, the love of the world leads to the hatred of God: because there is a contrary nature between God and the world; the Lord Is pure, the world is polluted; the Lord is good, the world is evil: the Lord hates the world, though not as his creature, but as it is our Lord's rival, ufurping his room in our hearts. 2dly, In refpect of the world itself, many reasons may be given, why the people of God are not to be conformed to it. And here if we view the men of this world, the god of this world, and the whole complex frame of it, we will fee grounds and reasons why we ought not to be conforined thereto. 1. The men of this world is a reason, why the people of God fhould not be conformed to this world, or to the practice of the men that are in it. Why? it hardens the wicked in their wickednefs, when they fee profeffors of religion, and those that have the reputation of godly perfons, join with them, or too familiarly converfe with them and fo this their conformity to the world, is hurtful to the wicked of the world; they will applaud themselves in their wicked courfes, when fuch as are applauded for godly perfons do affociate with them. Thus, after Saul had spared Agag, Samuel refused to return with him; And Samuel faid unto Saul, I will not return with thee; for thou bast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Ifrael, 1 Sam. xv. 26. So fhould the godly fay to the wicked, "Ye have rejected the word of the Lord; therefore I will not return with you, I will not join with you." If you join with the vitious, you do vice too much honour. If you join with the finner, you give fin too much encour encouragement. And therefore, it is fometimes the greatest act of love towards wicked men, to deny them our countenance, and withdraw from their fociety; yea, to refuse to keep company with them, may fometimes be a means to reform them. 2. The god of this world is another reason why the people of God ought not to be conformed to it. The god of this world is the devil; and to be conformed to this world, is conformity to the devil; and to love the world, is to worship the devil: therefore, as covetousnefs is called idolatry; fo the devil tempted Chrift to worship him, by offering the world to him, Matth. iv. 9. This world is the devil's walk where he goes to and fro; yea, goes about as a roaring lion, feeking whom he may devour; and like a crooked ferpent, whom he may deceive: and when we are upon the devil's ground, among the wicked of the world, joining in fellowship with the wicked, in their unfruitful works of darkness, it is one to a thousand, if Satan do not cheat us through his fubtilty; and, by little and little, captivate us. As thieves ufually firft put in a little one at the window to open the door to all the rest: fo Satan prefents us an apple, a wedge of gold to the eye; or a whispering tale, a polluting word, or fufpicion to the ear; thefe are the doors of the house; and these little thieves will open the door, and let in adultery, whoredom, theft, malice, murder, &c. Satan's request seems mannerly and modest at first. As Simiramis defired of Ninus only to reign one day, and that day to do what fhe pleased, what fhe lifted; which. being granted, behold in that day fhe cut off his head: even fo, the devil, the god of this world, will defire only to reign a day, or to have you dedicate a day to him and to the world, and the vanities, and follies, and vices thereof; but, behold, in that very day he may cut off your head, cut off your foul, by drawing away your heart and affections from God. 3. The whole complex frame of this world, and things thereof, affords a complex reason why we are not to be conformed to this world. Why, the whole world lieth in wickedness: for, All that is in the world, the lufts of the flesh, the lufts of the eye, and the pride of life, are nothing VOL. I. Qq q nothing but the trash and trumpery of hell.-In a word, the world is but a contemptible thing; Chrift poured contempt upon it, and difgraced it, when he faid, My kingdom is not of this world. It is nothing to be contemned and difgraced by the world; nay, fometimes it is a man's glory to be fo: but Chrift's difefteeming and defpifing a thing, rubs a real infamy upon it; and why then fhould we be conformed to it?-The world is a vanishing thing, the clock of time is almoft run out; and, in a little, it will be winded up in eternity. If a man had a tack of a house, or a farnf, but for two or three days, and fhould fall a building and planting, would he not be judged very foolish: fo, when we have fuch a fhort and uncertain time here, and death calls us prefently off the ftage, to thirst immoderately after the world's pleafures, profits, honours, and vanities, is it not extreme folly? It is doomed to deftruction; and will be all in a flame and red low ere long.--The world is but a vain thing: Man in his best estate is altogether vanity, even in his most profperous ftate profperity, in fcripture, is compared to a candle; and many have burnt their wings about this candle. This world cheats all that dotes upon it; it promifes pleasure, but cannot perform; for no folid fatisfaction can be found in it. The world's votaries. are but a pack of cheated fools: Wherefore do they spend their money for that which is not bread, and their labour for that which fatisfieth not? When the world speaks you fair, believe it not; for there are feven abominations in its heart: its greatest glory is but a fading fhadow. -The world is a hurtful thing; and we little need to be conformed to it: the customs of it choke the feed of the word, that it cannot grow. The things The things of this world is the falfe deception the devil cafts over our eyes, that we do not fee the glory of the Lord; The god of this world hath blinded the eyes of them that believe not: it is the bait that draws fo many fifh into the devil's net, whereby he bewitches them and allures them into the pit of ruin. 3dly, In refpect of their brethren; there are many reafons alfo, why they are not to be conformed to the world, left their brethren in Chrift be either grieved or offended: offended: for your conformity to the world and joining with the wicked, is both grieving to the ftrong, and offenfive to the weak believer. 1. It is grieving to the godly: and, is it nothing to you to grieve the generation of the righteous? The fin of the wicked is a grief to the godly: and, how unnatural is it for any of God's children, to add to their grief, by joining iffue with the wicked! It is faid of Lot, that bis righteous foul was vexed from day to day, with the unlawful deeds of the wicked: but for fuch to be vexed, not only with the ungodliness of finners, but with the untenderness of faints alfo, is an additional vexation; and grief upon the back of grief. 2. It is offenfive to the weak believer; it lays a ftumbling-block in his way, over which he is ready to fall ; either by difcouraging him in the way of duty, or encouraging and leading him into fin, or any other way leading him into fome fnare, with refpect to his own foul: When you fin fo against the brethren, and wound their weak confciences, you fin against Christ, 1 Cor. viii. 12. 4thly, In refpect of themfelves: and that, 1. Because of their circumstances. 2. Their fafety requires, that they be not conformed to the world. [1.] Because of their circumstances. They are quite in other circumstances than the reft of the world. Why, 1. They are people of another world than this; and therefore are not to be conformed to this world: they are not of the world, even as Chrift is not of the world. They are of another kingdom; for, Chrift's kingdom is not of this world. They are of another country; for, they defire a better country, that is, an heavenly. They are of another city; even the city that hath foundations, whofe builder and maker is God. They are of another world; for, God hath chofen them out of the world. 2. They must not be conformed to this world, because they are perfons of another state than this world. The world is in a ftate of condemnation; but they are in a ftate of juftification: therefore they are to walk like those that are in favour with God. They are in a state of adoption; therefore to be followers of God, as dear chil ૨.૧૧ 2 dren. |