and just views of this subject: "If," says he, "I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; if I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much; this were an iniquity to be punished by the judge, for then I should have denied the God that is above" Whoever he be that, on account of his earthly comfort, says, "Soul, take thine ease," is justly branded as 66 a fool," and to all eternity will find occasion to bewail his folly.] With the help of these distinctions I think we may fix, with some precision, the true import of the injunction before us, and may proceed in a satisfactory manner to consider further, II. The reasons with which it is enforced In confirmation of what he says respecting the world, the Apostle declares, 1. That it is not worthy of our love [If we look at its nature, how base is it! "it is not of the Father, but of the world." What is there in the whole circle of the world that can boast of an heavenly origin? Nothing, not an atom of it either comes from God, or leads to God, any farther than it is sanctified unto us by the covenant of grace. It is enjoyed by heathens, as well as by Christians: and what does it do for them? Yea, what does it advance the real welfare of the great mass of the Christian world? It altogether arose out of the fall of man. In Paradise, the world was nothing; and God was all. It was not till sin had entered into the world, that the world and its lusts were put in competition with God, or that a love to present things had attained an undue ascendant over the soul. And were man still in his primeval innocence, all pleasures, riches, and honours would be of no account, any farther than God was enjoyed in them, and they were made subservient to his glory Again; if we look at its duration, it is altogether transient : "the fashion of this world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." What has the lover of this world of all that he has ever enjoyed? and how long will the savour of his present enjoyments abide with him? How long can he secure the continuance of them? and what will remain of them the moment he has departed hence? On the other hand, if he love God, and do his will, he has a continual feast: his gratifications never cloy: his bliss will bear reflection, and be renewed by the retrospect: the consciousness that he has a taste for such enjoyments will itself h Job xxxi. 24, 25, 28. be a source of very sublime happiness; of a happiness which he will possess under the most afflictive circumstances, and which will sooth even the pangs of death itself: and this source of enjoyment, instead of being confined to this present life, will be infinitely enlarged, and afford inexhaustible supplies of bliss to all eternity. Say then, brethren, whether this world is worthy of a Christian's affections? I do not hesitate to say, it is not: for it affords nothing that is capable of satisfying an immortal soul; and the poor gratifications it does afford, are all perishing even whilst they are in our hands i.] 2. That a love to it is absolutely incompatible with love to God [How solemn is the declaration, "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him?" This, if delivered on man's authority, might be deemed uncharitable; but it is declared on the authority of God himself: and a very little Can any man reflection will convince us of the truth of it. conceive that an angel, if sent down from heaven to sojourn here for a time, would set his affections on things below? no; we are well assured, that he would have far juster views of earthly vanities, than to set his heart upon them: his taste He would fulfil would be too refined for such gross aliment. the duties that were assigned him, whatever they might be: but his heart would be with God; with God supremely, and with God alone. Thus then it should be with us: and thus it must be, if we be Christians indeed: for " we cannot serve God and Mammon:" "the very friendship of the world is enmity with God." As the will or desire to serve the king's enemies, if it were clearly proved, would constitute us traitors to our king and country, even though we had not succeeded in our efforts, so the very will and desire to be the friends of the world is itself sufficient to prove and "constitute us enemies of God." As the love of God grows in the soul, the love of the world abates: and, as the love of the world revives, the love of God decays: the two are as opposite to each other as light and darkness: and neither can prevail but by the expulsion of the other. Again then I ask, is not here abundant reason for the injunction in my text? If the love of God and of the world. could exist together, there were some reason for harbouring both but as they are in direct and unalterable opposition to each other, we cannot but unite with the Apostle in this salutary admonition, "Love not the world."] i Col. ii. 22. 1 Jam. iv. 4. Greek. * Matt. vi. 24. See the remarkable force of the words in the Whilst, however, I cordially unite in this sentiment, I would add, 1. Be careful in passing judgment upon others— [There is scarcely any subject on which men are so prone to exercise a censorious disposition as this. They are ready to make their own habits, or at all events their own views, a standard for others: and the more strict any persons are in relation to themselves, the more apt they are to pass an uncharitable judgment upon others. But we are not capable of judging rightly for others, unless we can put ourselves exactly into their situation. A person in lower life has little conception of what may be proper for a person of opulence and distinction. Besides, there are a thousand circumstances which may produce somewhat of a diversity of conduct in persons of equal rank and station. Persons in an inferior station are ready to think that the possession of things that are valuable or splendid, is wrong but the text does not say, that we must not possess the world; for we may possess crowns and kingdoms: nor does it say that we may not use the world, or even find pleasure in it: for we may use it, and find pleasure in it too; since, as has been before observed, God has "given us all things to enjoy, and richly to enjoy." The prohibition relates to the heart and the affections, which are not to be set on the world, or on any thing in it, in comparison of God. And who can judge the heart? The man who lives in a palace may have far less love of the world, than his censorious neighbour that is living in a cottage. Let us judge ourselves as severely as we please: but let us leave our neighbour to be judged by him who knows the heart. "To his own master he standeth or falleth :" the rule for us to walk by is plain enough: "Judge not, that ye be not judged."] 2. Be firm and determined in your own course 66 [What you are to love, is here plainly declared: "The love of the Father" is put in opposition to the love of the world: and the doing of God's will," in opposition to the seeking of any transient enjoyment. Let this then be your care, even to love and serve, not the creature but the Creator alonem," Here you need fear no excess. On the contrary, as the prohibition extends to the world and to all that is in it, so the command of loving God extends to him, and to all that is in him; his whole mind, his whole will, all his perfections, all his purposes, all his dispensations. In this respect you may learn of worldly men. See how faithful they are in their adherence to the world; how active in its cause, how laborious m Rom. i. 25. in its pursuits, how immersed in its enjoyments, how insatiable in their desires after its richest communications. And, if you tell them that they are seeking after a mere phantom, they account you either splenetic or mad. Be ye then firm against those who would deride your pursuit of heavenly objects; and serve your God, as they serve theirs, wholly, uninterruptedly, and in defiance of all that can be said to turn you from your ways. In a word, "Be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord;" and know, that when they shall reap only vanity for their recompence, you shall find that "your labour has not been in vain in the Lord."] MMCCCCXXXIX. THE TRUE GROUNDS OF A CHRISTIAN'S STABILITY. 1 John ii. 19. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. THERE have been many apostasies from the Church of God, in every age. Of those who for a time were Christ's disciples," many went back, and walked no more with him"." Of such apostates the Apostle Paul also complained': and of such St. John speaks, in the words before us. There had, many years before, been teachers who "went forth from the Apostles in Judæa, subverting the souls of men by inculcating the necessity of circumcision":" so now, there were some who separated themselves from St. John, and the Church under his care; and, either by their false doctrines or unholy lives, brought disgrace upon the Gospel, and obliged the Apostle to guard the whole Christian Church against them. He calls them antichrists; because, in fact, whatever they might pretend, they were the greatest enemies to Christ. Not that they had ever been truly upright before God: for, if they had been really one in heart and spirit with God's Church and people, they would never have gone out from them; but God suffered them thus to depart, that the Church might no longer be injured by them, or be involved in their disgrace. • Acts xv. 1, 24. a John vi. 66. b 1 Tim. v. 12, 15. But St. John had a further reason for exposing these apostates. It had been foretold by our blessed Lord, that, previous to the destruction of Jerusalem, "there should arise false Christs, and false prophets, who, if it were possible, should deceive the very elect;" and that the prevalence of those persons should be "a sign that the destruction of the Jewish Church and polity was near at hand." St. John refers to it in that view: " Little children, it is the last time and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even so now are there many antichrists; whereby we know it is the last time." Then he adds, "They went out from us; but they were not of us for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." To elucidate these remarkable words, I will shew, I. Why the insincere are suffered to become apo states All who are insincere do not become apostates: for we are told, that the tares will grow together with the wheat, even to the harvest. But God is pleased to leave some of those who join his Church to apostatize from it; 1. That they may be exposed to merited disgrace— [Those who are insincere in their profession of religion greatly dishonour God, and do incalculable injury to his Church and people. It is but just, therefore, that they should be left to expose themselves, and to "make it manifest that they never truly belonged to the Church of Christ." They were as branches of the living vine, it is true; but they were only dead branches, whose end was to be broken off, and burned. True, they were not distinguished from others by their brethren; who could see no further than the outward act, and were led from Christian charity to put the most favourable construction on all which they did. Not even Judas, who was a thief from the beginning, was suspected by his fellow Apostles: in fact, they all questioned their own sincerity, rather than his ". d Matt. xxiv. 3-5, 24, 25. f John xv. 2. e Matt. xiii. 29, 30, 39, 40. Matt. xxvi. 22. |