the world, that they may rife upward to fpiritual things. Confider then,

text.

I. That this undue attachment to the world is abfolutely inconfiftent with the love of God. This is the Apoftle's argument in the "If any man love the world, the love "of the Father is not in him.”—No man,” faid our bleffed Lord, 66 can ferve two maf66 ters; 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." Hence covetous men are ftiled idolaters. They reject the true God, and substitute an idol in his room; they put the creature in place of the Creator; and make the gifts of his bounty, which should knit their hearts to him, the occafions of alienating their affections from him.

I am aware that worldly men are very unwilling to acknowledge this charge, and would be highly offended should any accuse them directly of hating the God that made them. There is fomething fo monstrous and fhocking in the idea of hatred and enmity against God, that it is scarcely to be supposed

any

any thinking man can reconcile himself to it. But be affured this charge, however odious it may appear, will be made good against every worldly man at laft; and therefore, as you would avoid the fhame of standing before the judgment feat in fuch a character, labour to get your affections divorced from earthly things, and henceforth let God be fupreme in your hearts. Confider,

II. That an immoderate love of the world is not lefs foolish than finful. "All that is in "the world," faith the Apoftle, in the verse following the text, "the luft of the flesh, the " luft of the eye, and the pride of life, is not "of the Father, but of the world. And the "world paffeth away and the luft thereof."Many of its enjoyments are imaginary as well as tranfient. The pleasure and happinefs we expect from them have no foundation in the nature of things, but depend entirely on a difeafed corrupt fancy. If we look back to the hiftory of mankind in all ages, the discontented and miferable will be as of ten found among the profperous and affluent, as among the poor and depreffed conditions. A a 2

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of life. Thofe fituations which appear fo de firable as objects of expectation, are often in experience found marvellously barren of real happiness. Whence doth this arife? Is it not from the wife appointment of God, that nothing here below fhould fatisfy the defires of an immortal creature? Vanity is, for this reafon, engraved in deep and legible characters on all things below the fun; and he that purfues the good things of this world as his only portion, will inevitably find that the most fortunate experience of life will never amount to a folid happiness, in which the heart of man can find reft and fatisfaction. "He that "loveth filver fhall not be fatisfied with fil

ver, nor he that loveth abundance with in"creafe." Therefore faid our Lord to the multitude, "take heed and beware of cove"toufnefs, for a man's life confifteth not in "the abundance of the things which he pof"feffeth."

Nature is eafily fatisfied, but when men create for themfelves imaginary wants, they only provide an inexhauftible stock of folicitude and difappointment. The craving appetite will still be crying, give, give, and in

the

the fulness of their fufficiency they will be in want. What has the world ever done for its moft devoted fervants, that fhould make you defire it so greedily? Solomon went as far as any man ever did, both in the acquifition and enjoyment of earthly things, and in the conclufion paffed this fentence on the review of all his experience, "Vanity of vanities, faith "the Preacher, vanity of vanitics; all is va

nity and vexation of fpirit."--And have you discovered an art of extracting comfort from the creatures, beyond what the wifeft of men was able to do?-What do you seriously expect from the world? Will it prevent or

remove fickness ?-Will it ward off the stroke of death; or will it even adminifter any consolation to you at that trying feafon? Should one come to you on your death-bed, when your fpirits are languishing, your hearts failing, and your bodies poffeffed with racking pain, and begin to confole you by representing your vaft acquifitions of wealth, would his words be reviving? Will it afford you any joy to contemplate thofe poffeffions from which you are prefently to be divorced for ever? You cannot think fo. You must be

fenfible, that all things below the fun will prove miserable comforters in dying moments, and that the favour of God will then appear infinitely more defirable than ten thoufand worlds. What infatuation, then, is it to fet your hearts fupremely on that which you know will appear moft contemptible at laft. Confider,

III. That as the love of the world to excefs is finful and foolish, fo it is alfo pernicious and fatal. "They that will be rich," faith the Apostle to Timothy," fall into temp"tation, and a fnare, and into many foolish "and hurtful lufts, which drown men in de"ftruction and perdition; for the love of

It were an endless task to enumerate all the difmal effects of this fordid difpofition. "From "whence come wars and fightings," faith the Apostle James, come they not hence, even "of your lufts which war in your members. "Ye luft and have not; ye kill and defire to "have, and cannot obtain.' It is this which engenders ftrife and contention, and almoft every evil work. It deftroys the tranquillity

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