and they can make a cause seem good or bad to you, and that seemeth best which most conduceth to your fleshly, worldly interests; and that seemeth worst which destroyeth it or is against it; if God be loved and worshipped but as a necessary means to your carnal happiness; or if he have but the second place in your hearts, and the leavings of the flesh and world (be they never so much), and if your religion and endeavours for salvation, for pleasing God, and for the invisible glory, but on the by; and the flesh and the world hath the main scope, and bent, and drift of your life; flatter not yourselves then: most certainly you are but carnal wretches and drudges of the world, and slaves to him that is stiled by Christ, the prince of this world. Methinks, sirs, you might be able by this time to be somewhat acquainted with your own condition, and either to condemn yourselves as worldlings and carnal men, or to see Christ by his Spirit and interest reigning in your souls, and give him the glory, and take to yourselves the joy of your sanctification. Can you tell me but what it is that you would have, if you had your wish? and what it is that is predominant in your hearts? What! know you not your own minds, and thoughts, and desires? Can you tell me what it is that is your very business in the world? even the great business that you live for, and that you study, and care, and labour for? and what is the design that you are daily carrying on? Know but this, and the question is resolved. If you see any man at work, and ask him what he is doing, and why he doth it, it is likely he is not so sottish but he can tell. If you meet a man upon the way, and ask him whither he is going, it is like he will not be so foolish, but he can tell you. He that hath no end, hath no way, and therefore is never in his way, nor out of it; nor will he care which way he goes, so he be going; and a circular motion is as good to him as a progressive. You are doing somewhat all; you are going somewhither every day: whither is it? and what is it for? Is it for heaven or earth? The texts which I before cited to you, fully give you the ground of the trial and judgment that I am urging you upon. "Where your treasure is, there will your hearts be also;" Matt. vi. 21.

"Seek first the kingdom of God, and its righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you;" chap. vi. 33. "Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon earth that I desire

besides thee;" Psal. lxxiii. 25. "If any man come to me and hate not all, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple;" Luke xiv. 26. So ver. 33. "He that forsaketh not all that he hath :"-But let us proceed a little further in the trial.

4. As that which is a man's end (if satisfactory) will content him when he can attain it, so without it nothing will content him. No man will be content without that which is the principal end of his life, though he may without some inferior end. If God be your end, nothing else will content you. If you had all the honours and prosperity of the world, and this secured to you, it would not content you. These are not the things that you live for, or that the predominant inclinations of your souls are suited to, and therefore it is not these that will please you, and serve your turn. But if the world be your end, you could be content with it if you could get it. Let who will take the world to come: if the carnal wretch were but sure of this, he would think himself a happy man, and could spare the other. He would not change his worldly happiness for the hopes of that which he never saw, nor doth not firmly and heartily believe.

5. It is a man's end that puts the estimate upon all things else. All other things are counted good or evil, so far as they help to it, or hinder it. If heaven be your end, you will account of all things as they respect that end. Those will be the best companions to you, and that the best calling and condition in life, the best speech, the best actions, the best way of disposing what you have, which you think will most promote your heavenly end. Suffering will be better in your eye than prosperity, if it do but help you best to heaven. To give your money will seem better to you than to keep it, to lose it than to gain it, when it apparently conduceth more to the pleasing of God and your salvation. That will be the best ministry and means that tendeth most to this and so you will estimate all things else; for it is most evident that it is the end that prizeth the means, according as they are suited to the attainment of that end.

But if fleshpleasing and worldly prosperity be your end, that will seem the best calling to you, and that the best employment and course of life, which tends most to advance and please your flesh: that will be the best company to them

:

and those their most beloved friends, that further this prosperity that will seem the best way of disposing of what they have, as to the main, whatever they may do on the by, Their practical judgment esteemeth this most eligible.

6. It is only a man's end, and the inseparable necessary means thereto, that he can by no means spare, Other things he can spare, and be without, but not without this, If God be your end, your heart is so upon him that you cannot be without him: you can be without honour, or riches, or life itself, but not without God. But if the world be your end, then it is clean contrary; and that is the thing that you cannot be without, Hence it is that men plead necessity of that which is their end, and the necessary means. One thing seems necessary to the Christian: he must have God in and by Christ. I must use his means (saith he), I must avoid the contrary. How shall I do this evil, and sin against God?' But the carnal man's necessity is on the other side: 'I must raise my family if I can; at least I must keep my estate: I must not be undone ; I must preserve my name, my life.

7. A man will hazard or part with any thing to secure or attain his principal end. Nothing can be too good, or too dear to purchase it: nothing can stand in competition with it. If God and glory be your end, away goes all that is inconsistent with it. You will part with a right hand or eye, as thinking it better to have heaven with one, than hell with both. You can part with house, and land, and country, because you seek for a city" that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God;" Heb. xi. 9, 10. You can live as strangers and pilgrims on earth, and mind not to return to the world which you have renounced, "because you desire a better, even an heavenly country;" ver. 11-16, You will rather "choose to suffer afflictions with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season, esteeming the very reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of the world, because you have respect to the recompence of the reward;” ver. 24-26. The fear of man, even of the princes of the earth will not prevail against your hope," because you see him that is invisible;" ver. 27. You can endure " to be made a gazing-stock, by reproaches and afflictions, and become the companions of them that are so used." You can not only part with your substance when God calls for it,

but even "take joyfully the spoiling of your goods, as knowing that you have a better and more enduring substance in heaven;" chap. x. 33, 34. You" will reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us;" Rom. viii. 18. In a word, you can "deny yourselves, forsake all, and follow Christ in expectation of a treasure in heaven;" Luke xviii. 22. Never tell me that heaven is your end, if there be any thing which you cannot part with to obtain it. For that which is dearest to you is your end. Why else is it that labour and sufferings, yea and the apparent hazard of their salvation, seems not to a worldling too dear a price for the purchasing of their present prosperity, but because they have laid up a treasure upon earth, and earthly things are their chiefest end.

8. Lastly, that is your ultimate end, which you think in your practical judgment you can never love or labour for too much. I know there is scarce a worldling to be found, which will not give it you under his hand as his settled judgment, that it is God and glory that cannot be loved too much, and he will confess that he loveth the world too much. But yet he doth it while he confesseth it; and he denieth his chiefest love to God, while he acknowledgeth it due to him. And therefore it is not his practical, effectual judgment that is for it, but only he hath an ineffectual notion or opinion of it. But it is otherwise with the unsanctified. Philosophers and divines use to say, that virtue is in the middle, between two extremes; but that is only to be interpreted of the subservient virtues, which are exercised about the means; but the chiefest good and ultimate end is such as cannot be loved too much. The measure here is, as Austin speaks, that it be without measure. It is our all that is due to that which we esteem and take for our all. God is our all objectively for fruition; and the all of our affections and endeavours should be his. With all our heart, with all our soul and might, is the due measure of our love to him. We can never seek our end too diligently, nor buy it too dearly, nor do too much for it, in God's way. And as the believer thinks he can never have too much of God, nor do too much for him; so the lives of worldlings tell us, that even while they speak disgracefully of the world, they think they can never have too much of it, nor would they think they could

ever do too much for it, were it not that overdoing for one part of their worldly interest, doth deprive them of another part.

I have now told you how you may discern whether it be God or the world that liveth in your hearts, and whether you are dead to God or to the world. What remaineth but that you take it home, and apply it yet closer than I can do, and try what God it is that you adore; and what felicity it is that you esteem and intend, and consequently what you are, and what will become of you if you persevere. I beseech you make this your serious work, and take some time for it purposely when you come home, to do it more effectually than now on the sudden hearing may be expected. What say you? will you take yourselves apart some time, and purposely search your hearts to the very quick, till you have found whether the world be crucified to you by the cross of Christ, and the hopes of glory? If you did but know the use of the discovery, I am confident you would not need so much entreating.

Truly brethren, it is one of the mysteries of sin and selfdeceit, that such a multitude of people, yea, seemingly religious, can think so well of themselves as they do, and bear it out with such audacious confidence, as if they were the real servants of Christ, when it is apparent even to the eyes of others, that they are not crucified to the world but live to it, and serve it day by day. How anxiously are they contriving for it, while their care to please God is so exceeding slender, that it takes up but little of their time and thoughts. How sweet are their thoughts of a plentiful estate! To have the world at will, houses, and lands, and full provisions for themselves and theirs, that they may be clothed with the best, and fare of the best, and sit with the highest, and be honoured and reverenced of all, how fine a life doth this seem to them! If they have but a fair opportunity to rise, how little tender are they of the lawfulness of the means, at least where they are not so wicked as to dishonour them! They can believe that to be the truth which befriendeth their worldly interest; and that to be false and erroneous which is against it. The world chooseth many of their opinions for them, and much of their religion, and telleth them what party they should side with, and what not. It telleth them how far they shall tolerate other men's sin,