3. You may hence learn the difficulty of the duty; to be crucified to the world, and yet to live in the world; to be crucified to the world, and yet to poffefs the world; to be crucified to the world, and yet to have a great part of our thoughts and love neceffarily employed about the world. The temptation is ever prefent, and, through the corruption and treachery of our own hearts, fatally strong. Ought we not hence to infer the abfolute neceffity of continual vigilance, and continual prayer? continual vigilance in our duty, and jealoufy of every temptation that may be in danger of diverting us from it? continual prayer to the Father of lights, in the name of Chrift, for fupernatural ftrength? Every exercifed Chriftian knows from experience the danger of the world as an enemy, and how hard it is to keep fuch clear views of the things of eternity, as to be preserved from an undue and finful attachment to the things of time. The world is dangerous even to those who maintain an habitual jealousy of it, and bold it as an enemy: how much more muft it be ruinous and fatal to thofe who love and profecute it as the object of their chief defire! 4. I fhall now conclude, by improving this fubject for the purpose of felf-examination. And furely no ferious hearer will be backward to bring himself to the trial. My beloved hearers, I fpeak to all of every rank, high and low, rich and poor, learned and unlearned, who profefs to bear the name of Chriflians: Are you, you or are you not, crucified to the world, and the world to you? All real believers are fo. If you are not, your riches or your poverty, your honour or your fhame, your regular behaviour, or even your zeal for public duties, will avail you nothing in the day of Chrift's appearance. I am fenfible, that the decifion of the question, Whether you are, or are not, crucified to the world? may often be attended with no little difficulty. I will therefore, as far as I am able, endeavour to affift in the trial. For which purpofe, I beg your attention to the following obfervations. 1. You are crucified to the world, if you do not habitually allow your thoughts to dwell upon it, and your defires to run out after it. The cross was an abhorred object, which no body could look upon with delight. Worldlinefs is often as much difcovered by our defires after what we have not, as by the ufe or employment of what we have. There are many whofe great delight feems to arife from the fond expectations they entertain of worldly happiness to come: nay, there are many who are so slothful as not to purfue the world, and yet feed themfelves with the very imagination of it. Their thoughts, and even their language, conftantly runs upon idle fancies, and romantic fuppofitions of the happiness they should enjoy, were they in fuch or fuch a state. Now, my brethren, he that is crucified to the world will make confcience of reftraining thefe irregular defires; and, from a deep conviction of the vanity of of the world, will find little pleasure in the contemplation of it. 2. Your being crucified to the world will appear in the moderation of your delight and complacency in what you poffefs of it. You will not, if I may speak fo, give yourselves up to it, but will always qualify the enjoyment of it by a reflection upon its vanity in itself, and its short duration as to any connection we fhall have with it. We are ready to pity the weaknefs of children, when we see them apply themfelves with fo much eagernefs to trifles, and fo greatly delighted with their amufements and enjoyments. A parent, looking on them when hotly engaged at play, will be at once pleased to see them happy, and at the fame time filled with a tender commiferation of their want of reflection. Something of the fame view one crucified to the world has of all earthly enjoyments. Many a grown perfon will fmile at the play of children, while he himself is perhaps as eagerly engaged in the fehemes of ambition, in political ftruggles, and contefts for power; which are often as great trifles as the play-things of children, only that they are the play-things of men. 3. You are crucified to the world if you have low hopes and expectations from it. It is hope that ftirs us up chiefly to action in all our pursuits. And fo long as we entertain high thoughts of what the world will afford us in fome after-seafon, we are not crucified to it. There There is a common proverbial saying, 'If it were not for hope, the heart would break:' juft fo, when our hopes from the world are destroyed, the heart of the old man is broken. We are exceeding ready to think, that were fuch or fuch a difficulty or uneafinefs removed, could we obtain fuch or fuch an advantage in view, we would be happy. But there is always a deception at bottom. We vainly think, that happiness arifes from the creature; but he that is crucified to the world judges, by paft experience, that it hath little comfort to give; and therefore he will place but little dependence upon it. 4. He is crucified to the world who hath truly fubdued all invidious difpofitions towards the poffeffion of it. There are many who seem to have little comfort from their own enjoyments; but there is reafon to fear, that it arifes not fo much from self-denial, as from difcontent. The world may be faid to be crucified to them, but they are not crucified to the world. It is by this that worldlinefs expreffes itself chiefly in the lower ranks of life. Those who are obliged to live moderately and hardly, from mere penury, often fhew, by their carriage and language, that they have as much fenfuality in their hearts, as those who indulge their irregular defires to the greateft excefs. But he that is crucified to the world, not only fees all its pomp and splendour in others without repining, but will often beftow a thought of compaffion upon the great, for the infoaring circumftances in which they are |