Application —
There arc, it is to be feared, many here present, who have never yet been dehvered from the pollu- tions of the world.
[In h-utli, of this description are the great mass of nominal Christians throughout the world. If you take men's victory over the world as a criterion whereby to judge of their piety, you will find amongst the Professors of Christianity quite as little as amongst Jews, or Mahometans, or Pagans. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of hfe, that is, pleasure, and riches, and honour, are the great ob- jects of aml)ition in every place : and, if a man be dead to tliem, he is "a sign and a wonder" to all around him. Look, Beloved Brethren, and see how your hearts stand affected to these things. Can you truly say, as before God, that " you liave overcome the world," and that it is, as it were, under your feet? Have you ever had such views of " the Cross of Christ, as have rendered the world and all its vanities like a crucified object in your eyes; and that you also are become like one crucified unto it'?" I intreat you to attend to what tlie Apostle speaks in my text : " If after they have escaped the pollutions of the world througli the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." He here takes for granted, that this effect will follow, universally, and invariably, follow. I pray you to mark this : Tlie jipostle takes it for granted: and he v»as right; for there never was, nor ever will be, one exception to this truth : j4ll ivho knoiv Christ aright, will become dead to the irorld, and escape from its pollutions. Bring yourselves then to this test: Try yourselves, ye whose friends and companions are Avorldly, whose desires and pur- suits are worldly, whose joys and sorrows are worldly. If you were Christians indeed, you would "not be of the world, even as Christ was not of the world*." You cannot be of the world, and of God too ; for they stand in direct opposition to eacli other". " You cannot serve God and Mammon \" Know then, that, whilst you love and ''mind earthly things^," you have never yet " known the way of righteousness^: and that, though your state may be ''worse" it is exceeding had: for, if " the last end of the Apostate is ivorse than his begin- ning," his beginning must of necessity be iot/ : and such is the state of ah who have not yet devoted themselves to the service of their God.]
But some there are, we may hope, who have, through
the
' Gal. vi. J*. ' John xvii. l6. " 1 John iv. 5, G.
*Malt. vi.24. " PhiL iii. 18, 19. '2Pet. ii. 21.