the most of the world but prefer earth before heaven, through the course of their lives? They prefer it in their thoughts, and words, and deeds. It hath their sweetest and freest thoughts, and words, and their greatest care, and diligence, and delight. And what then do these men do, but sell their salvation for the vanities of the world? Believe it, sirs, if you understood the word of God, and understood satan's temptations, and understood your own doings, you would see that you do no less than thus make sale of your precious souls. And it is not your false hopes, that for all this you shall be saved, when you can keep the world no longer, that will undo the bargain. If the law of the land do punish murder and theft with death, he that enticeth you to commit the crime, doth entice you to cast away your life; and it will not save you to say, 'I had hoped that I might have played the thief or murderer, and yet be saved.'

O sirs, if you knew but half as well what you sell and cast away, as the devil doth that tempts you to it, sure you durst never make such a match, nor pass away such an inheritance, for a little earthly smoke and dust.

Use of Exhortation.

Men, fathers, and brethren, hearken to the word of exhortation which I have to deliver to you from the Lord. I know that this world is near you, and the world to come is out of sight. I know the flesh which imprisoneth those souls, is so much inclined to these sensual things, that it will be pleased with nothing else; but yet I am to tell you from the word of the Lord, that this world must be forsaken before it forsake you, and that you must vilify and set light by it, and your heart and hopes must be turned quite another way, and you must live as men of another world, or you will undo yourselves, and be lost for ever. If you have thought that you might serve God and mammon, and heaven and earth might both be your end and portion, and God and the world might both have your hearts, I must acquaint you that you are dangerously mistaken. Unless you have two hearts, one for God, and one for the world; and two souls, one to save, and one to lose. But I doubt when one soul is condemned, you will not find another to be saved. I must plainly tell you, that the case of multitudes, not only of the sottish vulgar, but of persons of ho

nour, and worshipful gentlemen, is so palpably miserable in the eyes of impartial, discerning men, that we are obliged to lament it. We hear you speak as contemptibly of the world in an affected discourse, as any others; but we see you follow it with unwearied eagerness; you dote upon it; you contrive and project how you may enjoy it; you think you have got some great matter when you have obtained it; a filthy stir you make in the world, some of you, to the disquiet of all about you, that you may be richer or greater than you are. It takes up your heart, your time, your strength; and visibly it is the very work you live for, and the great game that you play, and the main trade that you drive on; and all your religious affairs come in but on the by, and God is put off with the leavings of the world; and if you are low in the world, or miss of your desires, and suffer in the flesh, you whine and repine, as if you had lost your God and your treasure. If you will deceive yourselves by denying this, that bettereth not your case. Neither God, nor any wise man that seeth your worldly lives, and how much you set by worldly things, and how little good you do with your wealth, and how much the flesh and your posterity have as devoted unto them, and how little God hath devoted unto him; I say, no wise man that seeth this will believe that you are mortified, heavenly men. I do here proclaim to you this day, from the word of the Lord, that "this your way is your folly" (Psal. xlix. 13. Luke xii. 20.), and that you are at present in a damnable condition, that you are the "enemies of God, whoever of you are the friends to the world," and that if "you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you" (1 John ii. 15.), and that you must, in affection and resolution, forsake all that you have in the world, and look for a portion in the world to come, or you are not Christians indeed, nor can be saved; Luke xiv. 33. It would grieve the heart of a believing man, to see how desperately many civil, ingenuous gentlemen, and others, delude and destroy themselves insensibly. You will I hope all cry shame upon a common swearer, drunkard, or whoremonger you will hang a thief, murderer, or a traitor. But you seem not sensible of the misery of your own condition, that are perhaps in a more dangerous case than these. I beseech you consider! Is not that the most sinful and dangerous state, where God hath least of the heart, and the

creature hath most? What know you, if you know not this? Why it is apparent, that there is less love to the world, in many a one of the forementioned wretches, than in many civil gentlemen, that live in good reputation in their country, and little suspect so much mischief by themselves. That is the most wicked man, that hath in his heart the strongest interest which is opposite unto God; and all that is not subordinate, is opposite. Sin hath not so deep and strong an interest in some murderers, that kill a man in a passion; in some swearers that get nothing by it, but swear in a passion; or in some thieves that steal in necessity, as it hath in many that seem sober and religious. I say again, the greater creature-interest, the more sinful is the estate. Alas, sirs, the abstaining from some of these crimes, and living like civil, religious men, if the world be not crucified to you, and you to it, doth but hide your sin and misery, and hinder your shame and repentance, but not prevent your damnation. Nay, the very interest of the flesh itself, may make you forbear disgraceful sins; and so finally that may be your greater vice, which you so much glory in, and which is materially your duty. All the privilege of your condition is, that you shall serve the devil in more golden fetters, than the poorer and contemned sort of sinners, and that you may be the children of wrath with less suspicion; and that you may go to hell with more credit than the rest; and by your self-deceit, you may keep off the knowledge of your misery, and the disquiet of soul that would follow thereupon, till death make you wiser when it is too late. And is this a benefit to rejoice in? Indeed you have your good things in this life; you may be clothed in the best, and fare deliciously, and when you are in hell torments, where you would be glad of a drop of water, your kindred on earth may nevertheless honour your name, and little suspect or believe your misery. And this in the privilege you have above more disgraced offenders. You leave a better esteem of you on earth, when your souls are in hell; but alas, if a pope should saint you, and his followers pray to you and worship you, as it is possible they may do, this will not ease your torments. I confess I am sensible that this kind of discourse is not very like to please you ; but it is not my errand to please, but to profit. For my part, I bear you as much respect, as you are magistrates, or otherwise qualified for

the common good, as others do. But I must deal plainly with you, in hope of your recovery, or at least of the discharge of my soul. I confess to you I look upon a worldly prince, or judge, or justice, or gentleman, or freeholder, yea or minister, as men, as wicked before God, and in as damnable and dangerous a case to their own souls, as the thieves that you burn in the hand and hang. I am far from extenuating their sin and misery; but I am shewing you your own. Your sin may be as deep rooted, and the interest of the world may be more predominant in you than in them. Your lands, and houses, and hopeful posterity, and the other provisions that you have made for your flesh, may have more of your hearts, than the world hath of the heart of a poor prisoner that never had so much to idolize. Believe it, gentlemen, Christ was not in jest, when he so often and earnestly warneth men of your quality of everlasting peril : even more than ever he did adulterers or thieves. It is not for nothing that he tells us how "the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, that it becometh unfruitful;" Luke viii. 14. Matt. xvi. 22. "The Pharisees that were covetous derided Christ when others did believe;” Luke xvi. 14. They cannot be true believers that "receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only" (John v. 44.); that is, who prefer the former. It is not for nothing that Christ assureth you, that "it is as hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God, as for a camel to go through a needle's eye." Which, though it be possible, doth plainly shew some extraordinary difficulty; Matt. xix. 23, 24. Such used to go away sorrowful, when they hear of "forsaking all, because they are rich;" Luke xviii. 23. "Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, to be heirs of the kingdom, which he hath promised to them that love him?" James ii. 5. And the Holy Ghost saith not without a cause, that " not many wise men after the flesh; not many mighty, not many noble are called;" 1 Cor. i. 26. "But God hath chosen the weak things of the world, to confound the things that are mighty; and base things of the world, and things that are despised, hath God chosen, and things that are not, to bring to naught things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence ;" ver. 27-29. It is the common case of prospering worldlings, to play the fool after all God's warnings, and in their

hearts to say, "Soul, take thy rest;" when they know not but "that night their souls may be called for;" Luke xii. 20. O that you would be pleased but considerately to read over those two parables, or histories, chap. xii. 16. xvi. 19. which you have so often read or heard inconsiderately. I beseech you think not we wrong such men, if we rank them with the most notorious sinners. The apostle reckoneth them with the most heinous sinners that should arise in the last days (2 Tim. iii. 2. 4.); "Covetous, and lovers of their own selves, and lovers of pleasures more than God," and bids us "turn away from such." And he reckoneth them among such as the church must excommunicate, and with whom a Christian may not eat ; 1 Cor. v. 10, 11. And with the notorious wicked men that "shall not enter into the kingdom of God;" chap. vi. 10. Eph. v. 5. It is a sin "not to be once named among the saints;" ver. 3. In a word, if you are worldly or covetous, you are certainly wicked, and abhorred by God, how highly soever you may be esteemed of men. "The wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth;" Psal. x. 3. If yet you think I use you unmannerly in speaking so hardly of you, hear the Holy Ghost a little further: "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for the miseries that shall come upon you Your riches are corrupted, and your garments motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days;" James v. 1-3. And mentioning their oppression, he addeth, "Ye have lived in pleasure on earth, and been wanton. Ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter." In a word, if Christ called Peter himself a satan, when he would have had him favour himself, and avoid suffering, because "he savoured not the things of God, but of men ;" Matt. xvi. 22. You may see that we call you not so bad as you are.

I shall now take the freedom to come a little nearer to you, and close with you upon the main of my business. Poor worldling, I come not hither to beat the air, nor to waste an hour in empty words; but it is work that I come upon. An unpleasing work to flesh and blood; even to take away your profits, and pleasures, and honours from you! To take away the world from you, and all that you have