XXII. The necessity of renouncing the world, in whatever state of life we are, may be yet farther proved from those divine tempers which Christianity requires.
Christians are to love God with all their heart, with all their soul, with all their mind, and with all their strength.
Now it is absolutely impossible we should do this, unless we have renounced the world.
A man that has his head and his heart full of worldly concerns, can no more love God with all his strength, than a man, who has his eyes on the ground, can be looking towards heaven with all the strength of his sight.
XXIII. It is certain, that we unavoidably love every thing in proportion as it appears to be our happiness: if it appears to be half our happiness, it will necessarily have half the strength of our love: and if it appears to be all our happiness, we shall love it with all our strength.
The Christian religion therefore, which requires the whole strength of our nature to love God, lays a just foundation in requiring us absolutely to renounce the happiness of the world; seeing it is impossible to have two happinesses, and but one love.
And indeed what can be more ridiculous than to fancy, that a man who is taken up with the enjoyments of the world, is at the same time loving God with all his soul and with all his strength?
Is it not as absurd as to suppose that a man, who is devoted to, and taken up with the sports of the field, is at the same time contemplating mathematical speculations, with the whole ardour of his mind?
XXIV. Another duty which proves the absolute necessity of thus renouncing the world, is, The love of our neighbour.
_Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself_: if a man would know what this implies, let him look impartially into his own heart, and see what it is that he wishes to himself. Then let him turn all the same wishes to his neighbour, and he will feel the just measure of his duty.
This will also teach him, that the true love of his neighbour is as inconsistent with the love of the world, as duelling is inconsistent with meekness and the forgiveness of injuries.
XXV. *This love is a temper that suits only such beings as have _one common undivided happiness_, wherein they cannot be rivals to one another. Now this is the state of all Christians, who have as truly _one common_ happiness as they have _one common_ God. But if we put ourselves out of this state, and seek for happiness in the enjoyments of this life, we are as incapable of this love, as _wolves_ and _bears_ that live upon prey.
One _common undivided_ happiness, being the only possible foundation for this love, if we seek any other happiness, if we don’t renounce all other pretensions, we cannot keep clear of such tempers as are utterly inconsistent with the loving our neighbour as ourselves.
But when we are governed by a happiness wherein none can make himself our rival, it will be no harder to love all men as ourselves, than to wish them the enjoyment of the same light, or the common air: which being goods that may be equally enjoyed by all, are not the occasions of envy.
XXVI. *It is plain our Saviour intended this brotherly love, to be the governing principle of our lives. But it cannot be so, unless we are content to make no more of this world, than a supply of our necessities, and to look for _one only_ happiness in the enjoyment of God.
I don’t appeal to niggards and worldlings, to the proud and ambitious: let those who think themselves _moderate_ in their worldly desires and enjoyments, deal faithfully with themselves and see whether their prosecution of their worldly affairs, permits them to love all men as themselves.
Perhaps they have not those bitter envyings and hatreds to which ambitious worldlings are subject. But still they have as certainly, in their degree, and in proportion to their love of the world, their envyings and hatreds, and want of sincere love, as other men.
XXVII. For a further proof of this, we need only look into the world, and see the spirit that appears among almost all Christians.
We need not go to wicked and loose people. Let us go into any _virtuous_ family, and we shall find it has its particular _friendships_ and _hatreds_, its _envyings_ and _evil speakings_, and all founded in the interests of the world.
And this necessarily springs from hence, that all Christians are busy in attending to their worldly interests, intending only to keep clear of dishonest practices: that is, they use the world as far as honest _Heathens_ or _Jews_ would do, and consequently have such tempers as _Jews_ and _Heathens_ have.
For it is not only cheating and dishonesty, but the bare desire of worldly things, and the placing happiness in them, that lays the foundation of all these unchristian tempers; and divides Christians into more parties than there are families among them.