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might have prevented or retarded his return. fcious of guilt, and covered with confufion, how fhall he appear before his friends and acquaintance? "I "know (might he have faid) the malice of an ill "judging and injurious world. The fins which are "blotted out from the book of God's remembrance "are not forgotten by them. Let me fly rather to the " uttermost parts of the earth, retire to the wilder, "nefs untrodden by the foot of man, and hide me in "the fhades which the beams of the fun never pier"ced, than be exposed to the scorn and contumely " and reproach of all around me."

But the penitent was determined and immoveable, The rest of the MS. was not legible.

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Now we have received, not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God.

THERE are

are two characters which, in

The

Sacred Scripture, are fet in perpetual oppofition, the man of the earth, and the citizen of heaven. first character pertains to that clafs of men, who, whatever fpeculative opinions they entertain, yet, in practice, confider this life as their only state of being. A person of this character centres all his regards in himfelf; confines his views entirely to this world, and, pursuing avarice, ambition, or fenfual pleasure, makes thefe the fole objects of purfuit. Good difpofitions he may poffefs, but he exercises them only when they are fubfervient to his purposes. Virtues alfo he may cultivate, not for their own fake, but for the temporal advantages they bring along with them. The citizen of heaven moves in a nobler fphere. He does not indeed affect the character of fanctity, by neglecting his temporal concerns. He looks upon the maxim of David, as inspired wifdom, "If thou art wife, thou art wife for thyfelf." But although he has his temporal intereft in his eye, he has a higher intereft in his heart. What is neceffary, what is useful, will often be a fubject of attention; but what is generous, what is lovely, what is honorable, what is praife-worthy, become the chief

objects of pursuit. He cultivates good difpofitions from a fenfe of their beauty, previous to his experience of their utility; he esteems the poffeffion of virtue more than the earthly rewards it procures; he lives in a conftant discharge of the duties of life in this ftate, and with a well grounded faith, and an animating hope, looks forward to a better world, and a higher state of being.

Thefe two characters, which divide all mankind, are always reprefented in Scripture as inconfiftent and incompatible with each other. It is impoffible, fays our Lord, at one and the fame time to ferve God and to ferve Mammon. If any man love the world, fays the Apostle John, the love of the Father is not in him. The principles that actuate thefe characters are reprefented in the text as two fpirits oppofite to one another, the spirit of the world, and the spirit which is of God. The spirit of any thing is that vital principle which fets it agoing; which keeps it in motion; which gives it its form and diftinguishing qualities. The fpirit of the world is that principle which gives a determination to the character, and a form to the life, of the man of the earth. The spirit which is of God is that vital principle which gives a determination to the character, and a form to the life, of the citizen of heaven. One of these spirits actuates all mankind. While therefore I represent the striking lineaments in thefe oppofite characters, take this along with you, that I am defcribing a character which is your own: a character which either raises to eminence, or finks down to debafement.

In the first place, then, The fpirit of the world is

mean and grovelling; the fpirit which is of God is noble and elevated. The man of the earth, making himself the object of all his actions, and having his own intereft perpetually in view, conducts his life by maxims of utility alone. This being the point to which he conftantly fteers, this being the line from which he never deviates, he puts a value on every thing precifely as it is calculated to accomplish his purposes. Accordingly, to gain his end, he defcends to the loweft and the vileft means; he gives up the manly, the fpirited, and the honorable part of life; he makes a facrifice of fame, and character, and dignity, and turns himself into all the forms of meannefs, and bafenefs, and proftration. The Prophet Isaiah, with infinite spirit, derides the idols of the heathen world. "A man," faith he, "plant"eth a tree, and the rain doth nourish it; he hew"eth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and "the oak; and of the tree which he planted he ma"keth to himself a god. The carpenter stretcheth out "his rule, he marketh it out with a line; he fash"ioneth it with planes, and maketh it after the fig"ure of a man; and then he worshippeth it as a god. "Part thereof he burneth in the fire, with part there"of he maketh bread, and with the refidue he ma"keth a god." Similar to this is the creation of thefe earthly gods. Read the pages of their history, and behold them rifing to divinity by compliance, by fervility, by humiliating meannefs, and the darkest debasements. How dishonorable often is that path which conducts to earthly grandeur; and how mean a creature frequently is he whom the world calls a great man! So low and grovelling is the fpirit of the world.

It is a spirit of a different kind that animates the citizen of heaven. He is born from above; he derives his descent from the everlafting Father, and he retains a conscious fenfe of his divine original. Hence, Chriftians, in Scripture, are called "noble ;' are called the "excellent ones of the earth." It is unworthy of their celeftial defcent, it is unbecoming their new nature, to ftoop to the meannefs of vice. The citizen of heaven fcorns the vile arts, and the low cunning, employed by the man of the earth. He condefcends indeed to every gentle office of kindness and humanity. But there is a difference between condefcending, and defcending from the dignity of character. From that he never defcends. He himfelf ever feels, and he makes others feel too, that he walks in a path which leads to greatnefs, and fupports a character which is forming for heaven. Such is the difference between the fpirit of the world, and the spirit which is of God. Supplenefs, fervility, abject submission, disgrace the one; dignity, elevation, independence, exalt the other. The one is a serpent, smooth, infinuating, creeping on the ground, and licking the duft: the other is an eagle, that towers aloft in the higher regions of the air, and moves rejoicing in his path through the heavens.

In the fecond place, The fpirit of the world is a spirit of falsehood, diffimulation and hypocrify; the fpirit of God is a fpirit of truth, fincerity and open

nefs.

The life which the man of the earth leads is a fcene of impofture and delufion. Show without fubstance; appearance without reality; profeffions of friendship which fignify nothing, and promifes which are never meant to be performed, fill up a life

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