of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and pride of life, which are not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever;" 1 John ii. 16. Remember that he that saith in my text that he is crucified to the world, doth say also, Gal. v. 24. that "They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts." This is to kill the world at the root (for it is rooted in the fleshly interest), when otherwise you will but lop off the branches, and they will quickly grow again.

Direct. 4. Be sure to keep your minds intent upon the greater matters of everlasting life, and all your affections employed thereupon.' Diversion must be your cure: especially to so powerful and transcendent an object. Be once acquainted with heaven by a life of faith, and it will so powerfully draw you to itself, that you will be ready to forget earth, and take it as a kind of nothing. Get up to God, and fix the eye of your soul on him; and his glory will darken all the world, and rescue you from the misleadings of that false fire that did delude you. Come near him daily, and taste how good he is; and the sweetness of his love will make you marvel at them that think the world so sweet; and marvel at yourselves that you were ever of such a mind. You cannot think that the world will be cast out of your love, but by the appearance of somewhat better than itself. You must go to heaven therefore for a writ of ejectment. You must fetch a beauty, a pleasure from above, that shall abuse it, and silence it, and shame its competition. What is earth and all things in it, to him that hath had a believing, lively thought of heaven! Nothing below this will serve the turn. You may think long enough of the troubles of the world, and long enough confess its vanity before you can crucify it, if you see not where you may have something that is better. The poorest life will seem better than none; and a little in hand will be preferred before uncertain hopes. Till faith have opened heaven to you, as being the evidence of the things invisible, and have shewed you that they are not shadows but substances, which the promise revealeth, and believers do expect, you will be still holding fast that little which you have; have; and you will say with your hearts as some do with their tongues, I know what I have

in this world, but I know not what I shall have in another.' But the knowledge of God will soon make you of another mind. Let in God into the soul, and he will fill it with himself, and leave no room for earth and flesh. Learn what it is to walk with him, and to have a conversation in heaven, and it will cure you of your earthlymindedness; Phil. iii. 18, 19. There is no consistence between earth and heaven. All men are either earthly or heavenlyminded. None therefore but the truly heavenly believer hath crucified the world. But because I have said more of this elsewhere, I now forbear.

Direct. 5. Understand well the right use and end of creatures, and make it your business accordingly to improve them.' them.' I have told you before that they are for God, and glasses wherein we may see his face, and books in which we may read his name and will. Look after God in them; and never come to a creature, without either an actual, or at least an habitual intending of God as the end thereof. Judge that creature unprofitable wherein you receive not somewhat of God, or do not somewhat for him by it. Take not up with lower thoughts and uses of it. It is one of the commonest and greatest sins, (and, I doubt, with most professors of religion) to use the creature for themselves, and to overlook God in his works and in their mercies, and so to profane them and turn them into sin. Do you understand what is meant by this, that " to the pure all things are pure ;" and that" all things are sanctified to us ?" All should be holy to holy men. To be holy is to be separated unto God from common, base, inferior uses. If you yourselves are separate to God, all creatures will be sanctified to you; they will be the messengers of God, the revealers of his will, and his remembrancers to your souls: and you will use them accordingly (in that measure as you are sanctified). As we call the temple and utensils of God's worship holy, because they are devoted to God for his special service; so may we call our meat, and drink, and land, and houses, our corn, and grass, and every plant and flower holy (in their places), when the sanctified soul doth read his Maker's name upon them, and admire, and fear, and love him in them, and study how to use them for himself. You will confess that he is a profaner of holy things indeed, that can read over the Scriptures and never observe the name of God

in it, or else regard it as a common word, and use that book but as a common book. Though I do not equal the creatures with the Scriptures, in clearness or fulness of discovering the will of God, yet seeing that it also is one of his books, (and that more legible and glorious than some unobservant wretches do believe), I would entreat all that fear God to lay this more to heart; and to consider for the time to come, whether it be not profaneness, even flat profaneness, to use God's works as common and unclean, and to overlook him, who is the life, and sense, and glory of them? And whether it be not a sin that we are all too guilty of, to take up with selfish, carnal uses, of almost all the works of God, when we should still use them all to higher ends? I fear this great unholiness in our using of the world and all therein, is little bewailed in comparison of what it ought to be. Some Christians are apt enough to hearken to their privileges and titles of honour given them by the Lord; but they consider not all these are for God, and therefore oblige us to answerable duty. Study well those highest titles that. are given you in 1 Pet. ii. 5. 9. "You are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." And what is a spiritual house for, but the habitation of the Lord, and the performance of his service? And surely these holy priests must fetch their sacrifice from all the creatures that are fit for sacrifice. And verse 9. "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that you should shew forth the praise of him that hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." And must not a people so holy, and peculiar, adore and hallow the Lord in his works? Though you be not called to minister at his altar, you are called to see him, and sanctify him in his creatures, and in all that you have to do with. God's works are part of his name, and therefore see that you take not his name in

vain.

You are brought nearer him than the rest of the world; and therefore remember that he will be sanctified of all that draw near him. You have learned in point of receiving to rise with Peter, kill and eat; and not to call that common which God hath cleansed: see that you learn it also in point of duty, and in regard of the use of the creatures which you receive; and take them not as common things, for common, fleshly uses only, as common men do; but re

member that they are cleansed, and that you profanely devour them, further than God is intended in them.

By this time you may perceive that the crucifying of the world is your truest exaltation and improvement, and that it is so far from being your loss, as that it will prove your greatest gain. I would commend it to you all that desire to live a life of holiness, that you would make it your daily care and study to sanctify your very trades and worldly labours, and all the mercies and matters of your lives. For it is not a bare-contempt of the world that will serve. If you should sleep out your days, and never think of the world, or if as melancholy men you should be weary of your lives, because of the vexatious miseries of the world, all this is little to Christian mortification. But if you can see and taste the goodness, and greatness, and wisdom of God, in every thing you have or do, this is the using the world aright.

6

Quest. But how should a man get his soul to that frame to carry on his calling in order to God, and to see him, and intend him in all that we have or do?'

Answ. To dispatch it in a word, thus, 1. Be sure that God be habitually your end in the main. For if you take him not for your portion, and intend him not habitually in the drift of your lives, you cannot rightly intend him in particulars. 2. Make it your every day's prayer to God, before you go about the labours of your calling, that he would give you hearts to seek him in all, and would watch over you, and save you from ensnaring temptations, and remember you of himself, and give him somewhat of himself by his creatures, and sanctify them all to you. 3. Keep up a godly jealousy of your hearts, lest they should abuse the creature, and seek it and use it more for your carnal selves than for God. If God be jealous, it is time for you to be jealous of yourselves. Especially when the sin is the most common, and radical and destroying sin. 4. Before you go about your callings, bethink yourselves how you may improve them for God. Find out his interest, and study how to promote it; and how to improve all that he gives to that end. And renew your particular intentions of God, in the midst of your work. 5. When you receive or use any creature, consider it both as a mercy and as an obligation unto duty; and as you will not run over the Bible by bare reading, without considering what is the meaning, but will endeavour to take the sense as you

go; so do in your callings and about all the creatures; think with yourselves, 'Here is now a lesson in my hands, if I can but learn it. Here is somewhat that may shew me, both God himself and my duty, if I could but skilfully open it, and understand it.' And so bethink yourselves, what it is that God would teach you, or command you by that creature and especially, to what use he requireth you to put it. And remember, that if you should think of God all the day long, and yet not intend him, and refer your labours and your riches to his service, and give them up to his use, this is not sanctifying God in the creature, but hypocritical abusing of him. For it is not all thinking of God that will serve the turn. 6. As you use to take account of your servants, how they do your work, so I would advise you every night, or as often as you can, to take an account of yourselves, as you are the servants of the God of heaven, and ask your consciences, What have I done this day for God; and how have I observed and sanctified him in his work?" So much for the fifth Direction.

Direct. 6. Remember always that the world is the enemy of your salvation, and that if you be damned, it is like to be through its enticement;' and therefore labour to be always sensible that you go in continual danger of it. And this will make you use it as an enemy, and walk in a constant fear lest it should overreach you. And see also that you endeavour as clearly as you can, to find out wherein its enmity doth consist; and then you will perceive that it is especially in seeming more lovely than it is, as it is the fuel of concupiscence, and the provision of the flesh. And when you understand this, you will perceive, that your danger lieth in overloving it, and that it killeth by its embracements and this will direct you which way to bend the course of your opposition, and what you must do to be saved from its snares. To call the world an enemy is easy and common; but so far as your very hearts apprehend it as an enemy, so far you are out of danger of it; an easy enemy that is conquered by understanding that it is an enemy; and the way of its conquest is, by enticing men to take it for a friend.

And also remember, how great a part of your Christian life consisteth in keeping up the combat with this enemy,