the world: notwithstanding all the experience they have of the emptiness and vanity of the world; yet they pant after the dust of the earth. If a man was panting for breath, he would pant after the free air: but to pant after the dust, that stops the breath, that is very strange! 4. It is a growing desire that the wicked have after the world: the more they drink, the more, their thirst increases. O, saith the man, if I had a hundred pounds a-year, I would live on it. Well, perhaps he gets it. Is he now pleased and satisfied? No. O, if I had a thousand 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 satisfied? No, by no means. I would have a kingdom, a crown. Well, if he gets that, is he content? No. I must be the son of Jupiter; I must be a little god, and an universal 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 desire that the wicked have after the world.

[2.] The second thing on this use was, To prove and make it evident, that the desire of the wicked is after the world. This will appear evident, if we consider these four things.

1. It is clear from this, that they make the world their portion; they are content with it, they seek nothing else: "Preserve me, O Lord, from the man that hath his portion in this life, whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasures," Psalm xvii. 14.

2. It is clear from this, that they prefer the world to all the duties of religion, and ordinances of divine worship: if Christ and the world come in competition, they choose the world and let Christ go. Public ordinances, family worship, secret and social prayer, all must stand by, that the world may get room. The gospel is slight ed: Why? They choose their farms and merchandise, and their hearts are wedded to these; they will not be espoused to the Son of God.

3. That the wicked desire the world is clear, if we consider the unwearied pains and diligence they are at about the world. O what toil and travel! What rack

ing 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, prayIng, reading, or any religious duty: they have gladness when their corn and wine increaseth. What sorrow, what tormenting grief are they haunted with, when they lose the world! Then they say, with Micah, They have taken away my gods, and what have I more?" They think nothing of God, or Christ, or heaven, if they want the world."

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4. It appears from this, they will not stand to commit the greatest sin, to make a purchase. If they can any way in the world purchase an estate, or a sum of money, even with the loss of their soul, they think they have made a good bargain. Judas thought he had made a good bargain, when he had sold the Prince of life for thirty pieces of silver. "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.”

[3.] We proposed next to inquire, whence is it, that wicked carnal persons have such a desire after the world. 1. Man hath no self-sufficiency: he cannot, in the enjoyment of himself, be happy; hence he reckons himself miserable to be alone. Aristotle said, "A man

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that could live alone, was either a God, or an idiot." Now, man seeks to be happy in the enjoyment of something besides himself: but he misses the true mark, and so seeks it in the world, where it cannot be found.

2. God, who only can satisfy the soul is out of sight: he is to them an unknown God; "The world by wisdom knew not God." They are destroyed for lack of knowledge, saving knowledge.

3. The world is at hand and a well-garnished world: this little ball, full of wind and vanity, blown up in the air, it sparkles and shines with a lustre and beauty, in their eye; and they are, like children, mightily taken with it.

4. Because of the vanity of the heart. There is a world within them, answering the world without them: the lust of the eye within, answering the riches of the world without: the lust of the flesh within, answering the sordid pleasures of the world without; the pride of

life, answering to the honours and grandeur of the world. And thus the world within them draws out the desire after the world without them.

[4.] We would next shew the evil of this, to have the desire running only out after. the world. Why,

1. It is idolatory: hence covetousness is called idolatory, and ranked by the apostle, amongst the other things which are to be mortified, Col. iii. 5. Many worship gold in the coin, that will not worship it in the image: "They say to fine gold, Thou art my confidence."

2. It is sacrilege. The heart and affections of a man are like the royal mines that are annexed to the crown. The heart of a man, his love and delight, should be devoted to God, and consecrated to him. Why hath God given him such vast desires? Was it to throw them out upon the world? No surely.

3. It is monstrous folly to let the soul run out upon the world: Be astonished, O heavens!" Why? what is the matter?" My people have committed two great evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water," Jer. ii. 12, 13. It is the height of folly to conclude, that there is more excellency in the stream, than in the fountain; in the creature, than in the Creator.

4. It is a degrading of the soul. If you saw an angel licking the dung-hill, would you not say, that is not food for such a glorious creature? It is far below it: Our souls are the younger brethren of angels, if we may be allowed the expression. Who can tell the difference exactly between the nature of angels and the souls of men? Now, for that heaven-born soul to lick the dust of the cursed serpent: what a degrading of it is this!— Is not all this then matter of lamentation, that Christ is despised, and the world embraced?

Use 4. The next use that we make of the doctrine, may be for examination. Try then whether you be weaned from the vain world, yea or not.

1. Are you content and satisfied with a little of the world's good? And can you bear much of the world's

evil? Have you got a discovery of Christ, even such as darkens all the glory and excellency of the world; and been brought to consider, that you have a better portion than the vanity of time? Can you consider, that the heir of all things, the Son of God, had no place to lay his head, had not a penny in his purse? Women came and ministered unto him; a fish came and gave him as much as paid his tribute to Cæsar. Are you deaf to the reproaches of the world, so as the loss of its applause doth not break your heart? Are you deaf to the profits and honours of the world, so as the want of them doth not afflict you?

2. If you be weaned from the vanity of the world, then you will bear the want of the world with profound submission. If God, in providence, takes your houses, your lands, your children, your riches, your loving friends and dear relatives, you will lay your hand on your mouth, and your mouth in the dust, and justify God; " In all this Job sinned not." You will see your all in God and Christ; My God liveth, he is mine inheritance:" for you cannot be disinherited, if God be alive. Whereas the wicked saith in this case, " They have taken away my gods, and what have I more ?” Their all is gone.

3. If weaned from the world, your affections will not ebb and flow with the world. There are some fountains that have immediate communication with the sea; whenever the sea flows, they flow; when the sea ebbs, they ebb and dry up. If it be thus with you, when the candle of providence shines upon your tabernacle, then you rejoice at it, and dance to it; and when it is removed, then you roar, and weep, and pay a tribute of tears: this is a token you are not weaned from the world. As for the believer, when the world goes out, the Lord comes in its room, and makes him joyful and cheery: and this has such an effect upon him, that he would be content to lose a wife, a child, a worldly comfort every day, upon condition he got God in the room of them. 4. lf you be weaned from the world, you will know what it is to carry your closet-frame to your worldly affairs with you. There are some people who have more

of God upon their spirit, more fellowship with heaven in their shop, selling their wares, or when they are about secular work, than others have in their closet upon their knees: more of God sitting at their trade, than others in the house of God, hearing a good sermon. Some will have more intercourse with Heaven, at their own table, than ever the worldling had at a communion table. They carry a heavenly frame to their worldly and earthly employment. As for others, they bring the world still along with them; they bring it to the church, as well as to the market; they are glued to it.

Use 5. We shall improve the doctrine in an use of Exhortation. If all be vanity, then, O seek to have your hearts disengaged from all things in the world; be persuaded to forsake lying vanities, Jonah ii. 8. If it be inquired, What is it to forsake the world? We might give both a negative and a positive reply to this.-Negatively, It is not to go out of the world. It is not to forsake personal society; though a vitious society must be forsaken. It is not to vow a voluntary poverty, with the Papists. It is not to be idle and improvident. But, positively, we are to forsake it in the four following respects.

1. In respect of the immoderate use of the enjoyment of the world, 1 Cor. vii. 29, 30, 31. We are to use it as stewards, that are to give an account.

2. In respect of service. Be not servants or slaves to it; for you cannot both serve God and mammon.

3. In respect of confidence: trust not to it. Although you have worldly advantages, make them not your staff, your stay, your choice jewels.

4. In respect of adherence; be not glued to the world. Let not the world be like the skin on the hand, that will not easily come off; but like the glove on your hand, or the hat on your head, that you can easily part with.

Try your repentance by this doctrine, which was the evidence of Solomon's repentance. Such as see nothing but glory and goodness, in these outward things, Satan hath bewitched them, Matth. iv. 8.; but such as see the extreme vanity of them, have repented with Solomon. We shall now conclude the subject, by laying before

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