mire and dirt. There is no peace saith my God to the wicked." Compared with 2 Cor. i. 12, “Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you wards." But here lies your mistake.

(1.) You know and can conceive of no other pleasures, but those of the world, sense, and sin; but there is another kind of pleasure, that is spiritual, which religion affords, that none know but those who have tasted it, Prov. xiv. 10. There are rivers of pleasure in heaven, but your worldly pleasures are not there; and there are in religion pleasures of that kind, in the Lord's lifting up the light of his countenance upon his people, and putting gladness in their hearts, Psal. iv. 6, 7; in seeing one's name written in heaven, Luke x. 20; and in the approbation of conscience, 2 Cor. i. 12. It is your want of a new nature, that ye cannot relish these new, refined, undreggy pleasures.

(2.) You think all pleasures are noisy, like those of the revellers and jovial ones of the earth; but it is not so, Rev. ii. 17. " To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it." The deepest waters run most still, and so do the deepest joys; hence even in worldly concerns, deep joy is not expressed by laughter, which is used only on trifling occasions. And of all joys and pleasures, those of religion lie most inward.

(3.) You form your notion of religion, by the outward appearance of some that profess it, who are of a heavy disposition. But you ought to form it by the scripture, and not by the appearance of some of its professors, from whence you may draw the most frightful notion of it; but the art of hell is in this, leading you from the view of cheerful Christians, to settle on those that are not so. But after all, ye may be deceived in them, for the countenance is not always an exact representer of what is within; witness the mirth and jollity of many, whose heart feels stings, and lashes in the time. But what notion have you formed of religion, from the appearance of the man Christ, who was a man of sorrows, of whose weeping you read sometimes, of his rejoicing once, but of his laughing never?

3. Consider, whether the way of religion, or the way of the world, affords the most ground for joy and pleasure? This will be no hard question to an impartial inquirer. The one is the way to a state of favour with God, peace, &c. here; the other keeps one under his wrath; the one is the way to be eternally happy, the other to be

eternally miserable.

Wherefore bring ye no sorrow with you into religion, nor spring of it; and ye will find none in religion. But it teaches men to be sorrowful in time for what is just ground of sorrow, and will produce it sooner or later in all.

4. Lastly, The very sorrows that religion puts men to, are better than the world's joys and pleasures. These last are a spring of sorrow, and will end in it, Luke vi. 25. "Wo unto you that laugh now; for ye shall mourn and weep." They may end in it here, either in the way of bitter repentance, or in the way of bitter affliction, which will render all the former pleasures of sin tasteless, leaving nothing of them but the sting; or surely in the life to come. Whereas the sorrows of religion, be they never so deep, make way for joy here, and hereafter too, ver. 21. "Blessed are ye that weep now for ye shall laugh."

These are a

Fourthly, The cares of the world, Luke viii. 14. thicket whereby men are entangled in the world lying in wickedness, till they cannot get away. The clay idol bewitches them, that they have neither heart nor hand for coming out from among them. These cares are a net, wherein the feet of poor and rich are held fast; for the frowning and smiling world are each of them apt to crave inordinate care. They hinder in so far as they enhance the

whole man and so,

1. They fix the heart to the world as the main thing, and so keep it back from God, Matth. vi. 24. "No man can serve two masters; 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 covetousness is called idolatry, inasmuch as thereby the world and its good things are put in Christ's room, loved, desired, and followed after more than he.

2. They leave no room for a due concern about spiritual things, Luke x. 41, 42. "Martha, Martha, thou art careful, and troubled about many things; but one thing is needful." This and the other worldly thing, one on the back of another, challenges their care and concern, keeps their hearts and hands ever full, that due care for their souls cannot get entered. Hence the lives of many are spent in a continual hurry, never getting leave to think seriously; and it fares with them as with the man in the parable, 1 Kings xx. 39, 40. "As the king passed by, he cried unto the king; and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle, and behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man; if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone."

3. They leave them no gust nor relish for spiritual things; they make them tasteless to them, so that nothing relishes with them, but carnal worldly things. The smiling world has this effect, Job xxi. 13, 14. "They spend their days in wealth-Therefore they say unto God, Depart from ns; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." And the frowning world has it too, as in the case of the Israelites under their oppression in Egypt, Exod. vi. 9. "They hearkened not unto Moses, for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage."

To remove this hinderance, consider,

1. The shortness of your time, and how in a little ye will be beyond all the things of the present evil world, to have no more use for them for ever, 1 Cor. vii. 29, 30, 31. "But this I say, brethren, the time is short. It remaineth, that both they that have wives, be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world; as not abusing it; for the fashion of this world passeth away." Death approaches, and the frowns of the world can annoy you no more, and its smiles be in no more stead to you. Why do ye take so great care about what is to last so short while? Why is not your short time better filled up?

2. Consider what will be the issne of the cares of the world hindering you to come out from among the world lying in wickedness. Ye will lose your souls in that throng of care for the present life, and no advantage in the world will quit the cost of that, Matth. xvi. 26. "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Ye have eternity challenging your care, of which if ye continue careless, death will bring you into a surprising plunge.

3. You quite mistake your measures for your own interest, taking a burden on yourself, that might be borne without you, Psal. Iv. 22. Your true way would be to come out from among the world lying in wickedness, to Jesus Christ, and leave it to him to care for you, which would not be in vain, 1 Pet. v. Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you."

7. "

Fifthly, Ill company and their influence hinders many. It was Paul's advantage, that when God called him, he conferred not with flesh and blood, Gal. i. 16. For the world lying in wickedness, will never be content that any of their own should leave them; therefore the call is, Psal. xlv. 10. "Forget thine own people, and thy father's house." Satan has his agents in the world, that will be at all pains to entangle them among them that would be away. And they do it,

1. By their example casting off the fear of God, indulging themselves in sinful liberty, and so cast a stumbling block before others, Matth. xviii. 7. And,

2. By their influence otherwise, advising, enticing, and encouraging them to sin, Prov. i. 10. Acting Satan's part.

To remove this hinderance, consider,

1. You have God's call to come away; and it will be a sorry excuse for your disobedience, that others by their example and influence hindered you, Acts iv. 19. "Whether it be right in the sight of God, to hearken unto them more than unto God, judge ye." You ought, at the call of your Maker, to come away in spite of all the bad company that beset you.

2. Open your eyes and see their danger as well as your own. Believe, that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, and unrighteousness of men, Rom. i. 18. and you will be obliged to make away, as the Israelites from the tents of Dathan and Abiram.

3. It will be no comfort to you in the end, to be ruined together with ill company, and by their influence. Their sin is great, but they will leave you to answer for yourselves, and bear your own punishment, Prov. ix. 12. And the society of companions in sin, in hell, will be bitter, as appears from Luke xvi. 27, 28. "I pray thee, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house; for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment."

Lastly, Delays are a great hinderance: Prov. vi. 9, 10, 11. “How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So shall thy poverty come as one that travaileth, and thy want as an armed man.” Men deceive themselves with off puts, and the prospect of much time before them. To remove this obstruction, consider,

1. The longer you delay, it will be the harder to get away from among them. Sin gathers strength by delay of repentance; as the waters, the farther they are from the head, the greater do they grow. The heart becomes harder, the mind blinder, the will more perverse, the affections more carnal.

2. Your time is uncertain; you know not if ever you will see the term-day to which you put off. How many are there that drop into eternity ere ever they are aware? The present time only is yours.

3. Suppose you should see the time you put off to, God may withhold grace from you, Luke xiv. 24. "For I say unto you, that none of these men which were bidden, shall taste of my supper." Take VOL. V.

2 B

the alarm therefore in time, and strike in with the opportunity ye now have, Isa. lv. 6. "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near."

Lastly, It is a base spirit that puts you on to delay; it bewrays the predominant love of sin, and shews ye have no regard to God for himself; otherwise ye would not hesitate one moment to obey his call. Wherefore we beseech you to consider the matter, and delay no longer; let a regard to the authority of God, and a view of his matchless excellencies in Christ; let a sense of gratitude for the divine patience, and the love ye bear to your own souls; let every consideration, whether from the terrors of God's everlasting wrath, or the comforts of his everlasting love, unite to move you speedily to come out from among the world lying in wickedness, to the Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Head of the society separated from the world. So coming, ye shall find welcome-" I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

And now to conclude, Ye have had the picture of the world lying in wickedness drawn before you, and the call to come away out from among them. It is like these may appear as idle tales to some, and they may be as one that mocked, Gen. xix. 14. But if ye come not away out from among them, ye will perish among them, and the more fearfully that ye have been so solemnly warned.

THE BELIEVER'S HUNDREDFOLD IN THIS LIFE CONSIDERED; AND A VIEW OF The reality, PARTS, INHABITANTS, PASSAGE INTO, AND STATE OF MEN IN THE WORLD TO COME.

Several Sermons preached at Ett rick, in 1729.

MARK X. 30.

He shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come, eternal life.

YE have heard much of this present evil world, and have been called to come away out from among them. I come now to tell you, that there is another world beyond it, into which we must all go; a view of which may be of use to stir us up to come out from among the world lying in wickedness, and to make us more indifferent about the smiles and frowns of this world.