thou shalt not profper in them," Jer. ii. 37. Since the fall, man's corruption makes him promife more from the creature, truft more to it, and delight more in it than before; the virtue of the creature is on the weaning and decaying hand, yet man's expectation from it is on the waxing and growing hand. How then can there be any thing but disappointment and emptiness?

5. No wonder then that it is vain, empty, and unfatisfactory, feeing the world is the great occafion of fin, and the fewel of luft, Many corruptions are starved till the world minifter to their support: and it is the root of manifold fins; "The love of money, [the love of the world,] is the root of all evil." It is the root of damnable neglect of the gospel; One went to his farm, another to his merchandife, and made light of the gospeloffer, Matth. xxii. 5. It is the root of heart-wandering from the Lord, and enmity against God; "The carnal mind is enmity against God. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." It is the root of unfruitfulness under the means of grace: The thorns of this world choke the good feed of the word. It is the root of woful apoftacy from the Lord; "Demas hath forfaken me, having loved this prefent world."

V. The last thing propofed in the method, was the application of the fubject; which we fhall effay in an ufe of information, reproof, lamentation, examination, and trial and in the whole ftudy all brevity.

Ule 1. The firft ufe that we make of the doctrine then, is for information. Is it fo, That all earthly things, and worldly enjoyments, are vain and empty? Then we may hence fee,

1. The folly of mankind, in placing their happiness where it never was. Men would have happinels, but the general error is, they imagine the creature can give it; and therefore they pursue pleasure, and court honours, and hoard up riches, thinking their happiness lies there but they are feeking the living among the dead; they are seeking hot water among cold ice, who feek happiness among the creatures. Alas! what a woful exchange do they make, who fell their fouls to commit fin, for any earthly benefit, which is but vanity! Jonah

1

ii. 8. "

They who obferve lying vanities, forfake their own mercy." Temptations from earthly things may draw on fin like cart-ropes; but they are cart-ropes of vanity, Ifa. v. 8,

2. See what a great change fin hath made in the world; it doth, as it were, blast the virtue and beauty of the creature. The time was, before fin entered, when God faw all the creatures to be very good, Gen. i. 31. Now, after fin hath blown upon them, he looks upon them again; and, lo! all is vanity. Such a change will fin make in us, and in our counfels and courses, if it be not removed by the blood of Chrift.

3. See what little reafon they have to envy the wick. ed of their portion: they have all their portion in this world, Pfal. xvii. 14. What a portion muft it be, when it is but a fowing of vanity, and a reaping lies! "All is vanity and vexation of fpirit." Why fhould a godly man grudge when he fees the profperity of the wicked, seeing it is all their portion? A godly man may have a portion in the world; but he never hath this world for a portion; no: The lines are fallen to him in more pleafant places; he hath a goodly heritage: The Lord is the portion of his foul.

4. See that the godly are no lofers, though they fhould lofe all things in the world for Chrift's fake. What makes them venture the lofs of all for the caufe and in-. tereft of Chrift? Why, they know Chrift to be all, and the world nothing but vanity. They may eafily forsake all things, and follow Chrift; for they lofe but vanity, and reap folid comfort, folid happiness. We fee this abundantly clear from Mark x. 29, 30. "Jefus faid, There is no man that hath left houfe or brethren, or fiflers, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my fake and the gofpel's, but he fhall receive an hundred fold now in this time, houfes, and brethren, and fifters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with perfecutions; and in the world to come eternal life." This feems to be a contradiction: but though they lofe their houses and lands, &c. yet they fhall reap them equivolently; yea, what is more than the equivolent; they reap true comfort here, and true happiness hereafter: fo that their light afflictions

work

work for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

Ufe 2. The next ufe that we make of the doctrine, is for Reproof. Since all things here are but vanity, this doctrine reproves thefe that fet their hearts upon vanity, upon the world, fo as to forget God, and Christ, and religion, and their fouls: O my dear friends, What will it profit a man, though he gain the whole world, if he lose his own foul? All is but wind and vanity, that the world can afford. What will become of the worldling in the day of death, when they must part with these things? What a miferable parting must it be, if you have no other thing for your happiness! I mean not to persuade men to a voluntary poverty; fo the church of Rome make fome of her votaries fwear to be beggars all their life-time; and they have gone, and abstracted from all fecular affairs, under pretence of employing themselves wholly in devotion: and yet many of them are fo ignorant, that they know nothing at all of religion. I have read of one who lived always in a mountain, and was appointed to spend his whole time in religion and he told that he cried to God, and faid his Pater-Nofter all the day, over and over, and over again, to the Virgin Mary: juft a horrible blunder in religion, a damnable delufion, that no man, in his wits, could be guilty of. They think, that by turning to a folitary defart, and abstract life, they may overcome the world: but as Luther faith well concerning it, "A monk in "his closet says, he thinks he is crucified to the world, "and the world to him; but, alas! poor wretch, "he is crucified to Chrift, and Christ is a stranger "to him."

But, Sirs, the thing that we are reproving is, that the world gets fo much of your heart, and God fo little. The creature fhould have but a fmall portion of your affections, if it be not the creature, but God, that is your portion. But, alas! many are like the great man, that, being asked if ever he faw an eclipse of the fun, faid, "He had fo much adoe upon earth, he never had time to look up to heaven." Just fo may it be faid

of

of multitudes in the world, they are fo much taken up with the things of time, the vain and perifhing things of the world, they never get time to look up unto, and call upon God. Therefore we have reafon to bewail the matter.

Ufe 3. Let our next ufe then be for Lamentation, that notwithstanding of the vanity of the world, yet many difcover themfelves to be wholly deftitute of religion, by their inordinate defire after the world. For clearing this, I would fhew you, 1. What fort of a defire the wicked have after the world. 2. Prove and make it evident, that their defires are after these vanities. 3. Shew whence it is. 4. Point out the evil of it. And in all thefe we will fee much ground of lamenta. tion.

[1.] What fort of a defire is it that the wicked have after the world. Here we fhall condefcend on a four. fold defire they difcover 'themfelves to have after the world.

1. It is an original defire; they are born with a world in their heart any thing in the world is better to them than God, or Chrift. Had we continued in our origi nal, primitive integrity, the firft words of the infant would have been, the praifes of God; the firft breathings would have been after communion with God: but. now they are after the world, and earthly things, which gratify the outward fenfes.

2. It is univerfal, after any thing that is in the world; "Who will thew us any good?" The beggar, who wants grace, before he make God his portion, he will rather make his ftaff or his meal-pock his portion; as well as the king his crown, or kingdom: "Who will fhew us any good?" any good whatfoever, Pfal. iv. 6. .

3. It is a ftrong and violent defire they have after the world: notwithstanding all the experience they have of the emptiness and vanity of the world; yet they pant after the duft of the earth. If a man was panting for breath, he would pant after the free air: but to pant after the duft, that ftops the breath, that is very firange!

4. It is a growing defire that the wicked have after. the world: the more they drink, the more their thirst increases. O, faith the man, if I had a hundred pounds. a-year, I would live on it. Well, perhaps he gets it. Is he now pleafed and fatisfied? No. O, if I had a thoufand pounds a-year, I could be content. Well, perhaps he gets it. Is he content? No. He would have a million. Well, if he gets that, is he fatisfied? No, by no means. I would have a kingdom, a crown. Well, if he gets that, is he content? No. I must be the fon of Jupiter; I must be a little god, and an univerfal monarch. Well, is Alexander the Great, content with the whole world under his command? No. O if there were more worlds for me to conquer! There is the nature of the defire that the wicked have after the world.

[2.] The fecond thing on this ufe was, To prove and make it evident, that the defire of the wicked is after the world. This will appear evident, if we confider thefe four things.

1. It is clear from this, that they make the world their portion; they are content with it, they feek nothing elfe: "Preferve me, O Lord, from the man that hath his portion in this life, whofe belly thou filleft with thy hid treasures," Pfalm xvii. 14.

2. It is clear from this, that they prefer the world to all the duties of religion, and ordinances of divine worfhip: if Chrift and the world come in competition, they choose the world and let Chrift go. Public ordinances, family worship, fecret and focial prayer, all muft ftand by, that the world may get room. The gospel is flighted: Why? They choose their farms and merchandise, and their hearts are wedded to thefe; they will not be espoused to the Son of God.

3. That the wicked defire the world is clear, if we confider the unwearied pains and diligence they are at about the world. O what toil and travel! What racking of thought, late and early, will they have about the world! What joy will they have about a good worldly bargain! More joy than ever they had in hearing, pray. ing, reading, or any religious duty; they have gladness

when