knows, that the world most of all admires a coach and six? How fearful are many people of having their houses poorly furnished, or themselves meanly clothed, for this only reason, lest the world should make no account of them, and place them amongst low and mean people?

How often would a man have yielded to the haughtiness and ill nature of others, and shew a submissive temper, but that he dares not pass for such a poor spirited man in the opinion of the world.

Many a man would often drop a resentment, and forgive an affront, but that he is afraid, if he should, the world would not forgive him.

How many would practise Christian temperance and sobriety in its utmost perfection, were it not for the censure which the world passes upon such a life.

Others have frequent intentions of living up to the rules of Christian perfection, which they are frightened from, by considering what the world would say of them.

Thus do the impressions which we have received from living in the world enslave our minds, that we dare not attempt to be eminent in the sight of God, and holy angels, for fear of being little in the eyes of the world.

From this quarter arises the great difficulty of humility, because it cannot subsist in any mind, but so far as it is dead to the world, and has parted with all desires of enjoying all greatness and honours. So that in order to be truly humble, you must unlearn all those notions which you have been all your life learning from this corrupt spirit of the world.

You can make no stand against the assaults of pride, the meek affections of humility can have no place in your. soul, till you stop the power of the world over you, and resolve against a blind obedience to its laws.

And when you are once advanced thus far, as to be able to stand still in the torrent of worldly fashions and opinions, and examine the worth and value of things which are most admired and valued in the world, you have gone a great way in the gaining of your freedom,

and have laid a good foundation for the amendment of your heart.

For as great as the power of the world is, it is all built upon a blind obedience, and we need only open our eyes, to get quit of its power. Ask who you will, learned or unlearned, every one seems to know and confess, that the general temper and spirit of the world, is nothing else but humour, folly and extravagance.

Who will not own, that the w.sdom of philosophy, the piety of religion, was always confined to a smali number? And is not this expressly owning and confessing, that the common spirit and temper of the world, is neither according to the wisdom of philosophy, nor the piety of religion?

The world therefore seems enough condemned even by itself, to make it very easy for a thinking man to be of the same judgment.

And therefore I hope you will not think it a hard saying, that in order to be humble, you must withdraw your obedience from that vulgar spirit which gives laws to fops and coquettes, and form your judgments according to the wisdom of philosophy and the piety of relig.on. Who would be afraid of making such a change as this?

Again, To lessen your fear and regard to the opinion of the world, think how soon the world will disregard you, and have no more thought or concern about you, than about the poorest animal that died in a ditch.

Your friends, if they can, may bury you with some distinction, and set up a monument to let posterity see that your dust lies under such a stone; and when that is done, all is done. Your place is filled up by another, the world is just in the same state it was, you are blotted out of its sight, and as much forgotten by the world as if you had never belonged to it.

Think upon the rich, the great, and the learned persons, that have made great figures, and been high in the esteem of the world; many of them died in your time, and yet they are sunk and lost, and gone, and as much disregarded by the world, as if they had been only so many bubbles of water.

Think again, how many poor souls see heaven lost, and

lie now expecting a miserable eternity, for their service and homage to a world, that thinks itself every whit as well without them, and is just as merry as it was when they were in it.

Is it therefore worth your while to lose the smallest degree of virtue, for the sake of pleasing so bad a master, and so false a friend as the world is?

Is it worth your while to bow your knee to such an idol as this, that so soon will have neither eyes, nor ears, nor a heart to regard you; instead of serving the great, and holy, and mighty God, that will make all his servants partakers of his own eternity?

Will you let the fear of a false world, that has no love for you, keep you from the fear of that God, who has only created you, that he may love and bless you to all eternity?

Lastly, you must consider what behaviour the profession of Christianity requireth of you, with regard to the world:

Now this is plainly delivered in these words; Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, Gal. i. 4. Christianity therefore implieth a deliverance from this world; and he that professeth to live contrary to every thing, and every temper, that is peculiar to this evil world.

St. John declareth this opposition to the world in this manner: They are of the world, therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God, 1 John iv. 5. This is the description of the followers of Christ; and it is proof enough that no people are to be reckoned Christians in reality, who in their hearts and tempers belong to this world. We know, saith the same apostle, that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness, c. v. ver. 19. Christians therefore can no farther know that they are of God, than so far as they know that they are not of the world; that is, that they do not live according to the ways and spirit of the world. For all the ways, and maxims, and politics, and tempers of the world, lie in wickedness. And he is only of God, or born of God in Christ Jesus, who has overcome this world, that is, who has chose to live by faith, and govern

his actions by the principles of a wisdom revealed from God by Christ Jesus.

St. Paul takes it for a certainty so well known to Christians, that they are no longer to be considered as living in this world, that he thus argues from it, as from an undeniable principle, concerning the abolishing the rites of the Jewish law: Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances? Col. ii. 20. Here could be no argument in this, but in the apostles' taking it for undeniable, that Christians knew that their profession required them to have done with all the tempers and passions of this world, to live as citizens of the new Jerusalem, and to have their conversation in heaven.

Our blessed Lord himself has fully determined this point in these words: They are not of this world, as I am not of this world. This is the state of Christianity with regard to this world. If you are not thus out of, and contrary to the world, you want the distinguishing mark of Christianity; you do not belong to Christ, but by being out of the world as he was out of it.

We may deceive ourselves, if we please, with vain and softening commands upon these words, but they are and will be understood in their first simplicity and plainness, by every one that reads them in the same spirit that our blessed Lord spoke them. And to understand them in any lower, less significant meaning, is to let carnal wisdom explain away that doctrine, by which itself was to be destroyed.

The Christian's great conquest over the world, is all contained in the mystery of Christ upon the cross. It was there, and from thence, that he taught all Christians how they were to come out of, and conquer the world, and what they were to do in order to be his disciples.And all the doctrines, sacraments, and institutions of the Gospel, are only so many explications of the meaning, and applications of the benefit of this great mystery.

And the state of Christianity implieth nothing else but an entire, absolute conformity to that spirit which

Christ shewed in the mysterious sacrifice of himself upon the cross.

Every man therefore, is only so far a Christian as he partakes of this spirit of Christ. It was this that made St. Paul so passionately express himself, God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ but why does he glory? Is it because Christ had suffered in his stead, and had excused him from suffering? No, by no means. But it was because his Christian profession had called him to the honour of suffering with Christ, and of dying to the world under reproach and contempt, as he had done upon the cross. For he immediately adds, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world, Gal. vi. 14. This you see was the reason of his glorying in the cross of Christ, because he had called him to a like state of death and crucifixion to the world.

Thus was the cross of Christ in St. Paul's days, the glory of Christians; not as it signified their not being ashamed to own a Master that was crucified, but as it signified their glorying in a religion, which was nothing else but a doctrine of the cross, that called them to the same suffering spirit, the same sacrifice of themselves, the same renunciation of the world, the same humility and meekness, the same patient bearing of injuries, reproaches, and contempts, and the same dying to all the greatness, honours, and happiness of the world, which Christ shewed upon the cross.

To have a true idea of Christianity, we must not consider our blessed Lord as suffering in our stead, but as our representative, acting in our name, and with such particular merit, as to make our joining with him acceptable unto God.

He suffered, and was a sacrifice, to make our sufferings and sacrifice of ourselves fit to be received by God. And we are to suffer, to be crucified, to die, and rise with Christ; or else his crucifixion, death and resurrection will profit us nothing.

The necessity of this conformity to all that Christ did, and suffered upon our account, is very plain from the whole tenor of Scripture.

First, As to his sufferings, this is the only condition