one as themselves? Do they not think, that, though he has said some very severe things against breaking his laws, yet that he is not so rigid as some have imagined; that he will take no notice of little sins, and will easily pardon those which are greater? Do not many believe, that let them swear never so roundly, it is but to say, 'God forgive me!' and all is well again; and that, let them live never so wickedly, if, when they are dying, they cry, Lord have merey upon me!' they are as sure of getting to heaven as the holiest Christian? So lightly do men think of the holiness, the justice, and the truth of God. Again; what is their opinion of religion? Many of them boldly pronounce it all a farce; the invention of priests for the sake of getting a living. But others, that go not such lengths, think that religion is to go to church once a week, and hear divine service; and that they who do this, are as religious as any need to be. What do they think of sin? What some austere people harshly call by this name, they term pleasure, innocent amusements, necessary recreations, constitutional propensities, which, to be sure, the merciful God of nature will never think of punishing.What opinion do they form of the world? Why, that it is all in all that it is the chief end of man to get as much as he is able; and when he has gotten it, to take his ease, " and eat, drink, and be merry."-What do they think of death, judgment, heaven, and hell? They put "the evil day far from them," and consider it as an event which may never take place. Perhaps they may live to the age of Methuselah or may never die at all or, if they should die, perhaps they may never be called up from the grave: perhaps they may be

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overlooked in the crowd at the day of judgmentperhaps they may steal into heaven unobserved; or, if they should be sent down to hell, perhaps one day or other they may get out again-perhaps Christ only intended to frighten them when he said, "where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Such is the opinion of the world. I need not caution you, Christians, that ye" henceforth walk not as other gentiles walk, in the vanity of their minds; having the understanding darkened; being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness. of their hearts." A Christian being enlightened from above, his opinion concerning all those points just now mentioned must be widely different, must be directly opposite: and, therefore, when the Apostle had said. "Be not conformed to this world," he adds, "but be transformed, by the renewing of your minds."

Christians must not love nor hate, nor fear nor hope, nor desire nor delight in, what the world doth. Carnal minds will naturally love carnal things. It is easy enough to know what they lovebest, by their conversation and pursuit. When they are talking of buying and selling, and getting gain, they are never tired: it is their darling topic: it occupies their first thoughts in the morning, and their last thoughts at night, and their chief thoughts all the day and it is no wonder, if "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Ob (says one) there is nothing so desirable as to have goods laid up for many years; to join house to house and field to field; and to be every year adding some od ysm de

thing to our dear, dear hoard!'- To me' (says another), there is nothing like being clothed in purple and fine linen, and faring sumptuously every day: to make a genteel figure in the world; keep a grand equipage, and a good table.'—' And I' (says a third) 'care for none of these things: let who will have the largest estate or the finest clothes, for me: all I mind is pleasure, pleasure; to give an unbounded swing to my appetites, and have and do whatever I have a fancy for.'

Surely a Christian must not be conformed to the world in such sordid, sensual desires as these. A Christian's love must have a nobler object. "There be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and wine increased." (Psal. iv. 6.) Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (for after all these things do the Gentiles seek)." (Matt. vi. 23.) What! a Christian, who has the love of God shed abroad in his heart; who has felt the constraining power of the love of Christ, and tasted the joys of the world to come-should a Christian be contented with the low, vanishing, embittered possessions and enjoyments of this world? What an absurdity!--if instances of it were not so common, I should have said, What an impossibility !--However, these things should not be: a Christian should not love like the world..

The same might be said as to fear.---The men of the world have no true fear of God: and they are seldom afraid of sin---nay, they are not afraid of hell.

Though the Lord God Omnipotent hath told them, plainly and positively, that they which do such things shall not inherit his kingdom; and that the wrath of God shall be revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men; they do not care they will do these things the very next moment, and let God do his worst.-And yet those very heroes, who dare defy Omnipotence, are often afraid where no fear is. They are sometimes frightened at their own shadow, and start at the shaking of a leaf. They tremble in the presence of their own consciences, and shun them as they would a serpent or a spectre. They are afraid of a fellow-worm, and would not, for the world, that this or the other person, on whom they have a dependence, should be angry with them.

And so as to sorrow.-Let them lose many opportunities of attending on God in his ordinances, it never gives them a moment's uneasiness: but if they miss an advantageous purchase, or sale, their chagrin is visible and lasting. They can lose (that is, they can be content without) the presence of God, the love of Christ, and the comforts of the Holy Ghost-I say, they can be easy and jocund without these but if they lose a gourd - be it father or mother, brother or sister, husband, wife, child, or any part of their worldly substancethen rivers of tears run down their eyes, and "their souls refuse to be comforted."

I should imagine, Christians, that I scarcely need tell you that you should not be conformed to the world in any of these respects. You should be "in the fear of the Lord all the day long," and dread nothing but sin and his righteous displeasure. The

presence and favour of God must be more desired by you, than goldthan much fine gold. The wickedness of the world, and the depravity of your heart, should be matter of deeper humiliation and grief, than any outward losses whatever. In such things as these, a Christian's nonconformity to the world very much appears.

A Christian must talk and act differently from others. "Many walk," says the Apostle, " of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies to the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things." (Phil. iii. 18.) Would any one suspect that those disorderly characters made any preten→ sions to religion? And yet, by the Apostle's con cern it should seem they did. But surely their religion was nothing but pretence. "Be not ye, therefore, partakers with them".... but "walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." (Ephes. v. 7, 15.)-The world is an emblem of inconstancy; but a Christian must be steady and uniform. He must not be changing, like the fashion; now for God, and then for the devil; one day for sin, and the next for religion. Instead of that, you should be "stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; as knowing that your labour will not be in vain in the Lord."

This accounts for the hatred and opposition to. which the people of God are exposed: it is because they will not conform to the world. This enmity between con between "the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent" broke out in the infancy of time, and