2. Secondly, If ever you would be holy, oh, then kike heed of a ivitch. Take heed of the world. The world often swells the heart with pride; it makes men forget God, neglect Christ, slight ordinances, and despise holiness, Deut. xxxii. 15, 22. Ah, the time, the thoughts, the strength, the spirits that this enticing world hath made many to spend and consume, whilst their souls have lain a-bleeding, and eternity hath been posting upon them ! Oh, the deadness, the barrenness, the listlessness, the heartlessness to anything that is good, that doth attend a worldly temper ! Many men are so bewitched with the profits, pleasures, and honours of the world, that they mind not holiness, they regard not holiness, they care not for holiness, nor the means that lead to holiness : Phil. iii. 18, 19, ' For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and how I tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ ; whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose
HeB. XII. 14 ] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 199
glory is their shame, who mind earthly things.' i Who were those that walked disorderly? why, those that minded earthly things. Who were those that fetched tears from the apostle's eyes ? why, those that minded earthly things. Who were those that were enemies to the cross of Christ ? why, those that minded earthly things. Who were those whose end is destruction? why, those that minded earthly things. Who were those whose god was their belly ? why, those that minded earthly things. Who were those whose glory was their shame? why, those that minded earthly things. SicUy is so full of sweet flowers, that dogs cannot hunt there, [Diodorus Siculus] ; and what do all the sweet contents and delights of this world, but make men lose the scent of heaven and holiness? The world proves silken halters to some, and golden fetters to others : to some it is like the swallows' dung that put out Tobias's eyes ; to others it is like the waters of Nilus, that makes the inhabitants deaf. All the flowers of this world are surrounded with many briers. The world is all shadow and vanity ; it is like Jonah's gourd — man may sit under its shadow for a while, but it soon decays and dies. He that shall but weigh man's pains with his pay, his miseries with his pleasures, his sorrows with his joys, his crosses with his comforts, his wants with his enjoy- ments, &c., may well cry out, 'Vanity of vanity, and all is vanity.' The whole world is circular, the heart of man is triangular, and we know a circle cannot fill a triangle. 2 0 sirs, if your hearts be not filled with holiness, they will be filled with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Either holiness or Satan must possess you. Some there be that have much holiness, and much of the world too ; as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, David, Hezekiah, Daniel, &c. ; and others there be that have no holiness, nor nothing of the world neither : these men are fair for two hells — a hell of misery here, and a hell of torment hereafter. Some have much of the world, but not a spark of holiness ; as Saul, Haman, Dives, Herod, &c., who had a world of wealth, but not a drachm of grace ; and others have a great deal of holiness that have but little or nothing of the world ; as the apostles and Lazarus, &c., James ii. 5 ; Mat. xi. 5. Now is it not infinitely better to have holiness without the world, and so be happy for ever, than to have much of the world without holiness, and so be damned for ever ?
A man bewitched with the world will lose many precious opportu- nities of grace, which are more worth than a world : witness rich Felix, who had no leisure to hear poor Paul, though the hearing of a sermon might have saved his soul. Acts xxiv. 24, seq. A man bewitched with the world has his sinning times, and his eating times, and his sleeping times, and his trading times, and his feasting times, and his sporting times, &c. ; but he has not his hearing times, nor his praying times, nor his reading times, nor his mourning times, nor his repenting times, nor his reforming times, &c. He can have time, yea, and he will have time, for everything, but to honour his God, and to make himself happy for ever.
A man bewitched with the world will, when it is put to his choice,
^ That cardinal was wretched as well as rich, that would not leave his part in Paris for a part in paradise. [As before. — G.] * If the whole earth were changed into a globe of gold, it could not fill thy heart..
200 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
rather part with Christ to enjoy the world, than part with the world to enjoy,Christ: witness the young man in the Gospel, who preferred a drop before a sea, a crumb before a crown, and his treasure on earth before treasure in heaven, Mat. xix. 16, 23. He would not leave that on earth which he could not long keep, for the enjoyment of that in heaven which he should never lose ; rather than he would let his pos- sessions go, he would let God and Christ go, and heaven go, and all go, &c. If heaven can be had at no cheaper a rate than parting with his possessions, Christ may keep his heaven to himself, and make the best on't he can if he wiU, for he 11 have none on't upon those terms.
Again, a man bewitched with the world will prefer the most base and contemptible things before the Lord Jesus Christ ; he will, with the Gergesenes, prefer his very swine before a Saviour, Mat. viii. 28, seq. ; when they saw what a sad market their hogs were brought to, they desired Christ to depart out of their country ; these Gergesites had rather lose Christ than lose their porkers ; they had rather that the devil should possess their souls than that he should drown their pigs ; they prefer their- swine before their salvation, and present a wretched petition for their own damnation ; they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts ; though there be no misery, no plague, no cm*se, no wrath, no hell to Clirist's departure from a people, yet men bewitched with the world will desire this. Men bewitched with the world will prefer a Barabbas before a Jesus ; they will with Judas betray Christ, and with Pilate condemn Christ, and with the Scribes and Pharisees they will cry out, ' Crucify him ! crucify him ! ' away with this Jesus, away with this Jesus ; let Barabbas live, but let Jesus die ; let Barabbas be saved, but let Christ be hanged. Ah, what incarnate devils will such men prove, who are bewitched with this world !