it. These appear to us as the only Dangers, and according as we are fecure from thefe, fo far we reckon our Selves and our Condition Safe. And this Sentiment of our Heart (as it ufually happens) is got into our Language. Thus we fay of one that he is taken very dangerously Ill, and of another that his House was feiz'd with a very dangerous Fire. Whereas in a true Estimation of things Health and Profperity are the Greater Dangers, and however it might Sound to a Popular and Worldly Ear, an Angel would readily underftand me, and fo would a Wife Man too, if I fhould fay, fuch a one is very dangerously well, and of another, that he is very dangerously Rich and Great. We may and Commonly do fright our Selves with Imaginary Terrors, but when all's done there is no Danger in the World like living in it, and having much of it; and did Men enter it at a Mature Age, and with as much Thought and Reflection as they leave it, they would be more afraid to be Born than they are to Die.

St. Auftin frequently Compares the World to a Sea, and our Church alludes to the fame Figure in the Office of Baptifm, when She prays for the little Infant Voyager, That he may fo pass the Waves of this Troublefome World as finally to come to the Land of Everlasting Life. Here we have a Representation of the two Worlds under the lively Images of Sea and Land. That Hereafter is Land, Safe, Stable and Immoveable, fit for a fix'd Dwelling and Abode, even that Eternal Reft which remains for the People of God, Heb. 4. 9. But at Present all is Sea, and a troubled one too, a Sea in a Storm, rolling and working with a furious, unconftant and dangerous Motion, or rather whofe Calms are worfe than Storms, Some are but Coafters in this great Sea, like the firit Artlefs Sailers that Steer'd their wary Course with

in View of Land, and thefe are they of Private Life and little Fortune; while other more Venturous but often lefs happy Mariners, Men of High Rank and Publick Station, ftrike out more Freely into the unfaithful Deep, committing their larger Veffels to the Winds and Floods. Which of thefe is fafer is not easier to fay, than that all is full of Danger; there being not any Part or Degree of Depth, in this great Ocean, which has not proved fatal to many a Ship wreck'd Paffenger.

So very numerous and thick-laid are the Temptations of the World, that where-ever a Man sets his Foot, he can hardly help treading upon a Gin or Snare; and fo corrupt the very common Air, that to breathe is almost to draw in Infection. St. John tells us, there is nothing in the World but the Luft of the Flesh, the Luft of the Eye, and the Pride of Life, and all these are dangerous Temptations; which may make us the lefs wonder at what he fays of it elfewhere, that it lies all in wickedness. For how fhould it be otherwife, in a World fo full of, fo altogether made up, and as it were confifting of Dangers; and where,to fet afide all others, that of Common Conver fation alone is enough to corrupt the belt Complexi on'd Soul among the Heirs of Adam. The ordinary Difcourfes of Men (even thofe which go for Innocent) are nothing elfe but effufions of that Vanity, Pride and Concupifcence,that lie deep in their Hearts; from the abundance of which their Mouths fpeak; and by this their evil Communication, they corrupt good Manners. What Company fhall a Man go into, > from which he will not come away worse than he Came? Men transfufe their Paffions into their DifCourfes, and by them into their Hearers. They com municate their Vices at the fame time, and in the fame Vehicles, that they convey their Thoughts;

and

and infect one another, as other Diseased Perfons do, by their Breath.

Upon Confideration of thefe things, fome have thought it neceffary to Retire; and, not content with Renouncing the Pomps and Vanities of the World in their Vow of Baptifm, have added to it another, that of Renouncing the World it felf. They thought they could not live innocently in the World, and therefore were refolved to leave it as thofe who cannot enjoy their Health in the City,withdraw into the Country. And indeed if we cannot avoid an Evil by feparating the Effect from the Caufe, we muft then avoid the Caufe it felf: For there are but thofe two ways of declining any Evil. The latter way is that which is taken by the Votaries of Solitude, they avoid the Canfe. But the Apoftle here fuppofes the other expedient, which is by feparating the Effect from the Caufe. For as bad as the World is, there is no neceffity, either of not ufing it,or of abufing it; fince the Abufe may be feparated from the Ufe, and we may use the World without abufing it; as the Apoftle intimates in the Words of the Text, And they that use this World as not abufing it.

The Apostle had been before Difcourfing of certain particular States and Duties of Life; and comes now to fomething of more general Concernment, which is to read all Chriftians a Lecture of Caution and Indifferency in the Application of themfelves to the things of this World. And perhaps it is the ftricteft, and runs the higheft, of any in the New Teftament. Brethren, fays he, the time is Jhort, both that of the World it felf, and that of our Abode in it, it remaineth that both they that have Wives, be as tho' they had none; and they that weep, as tho' they wept not; and they that rejoyce, as tho they rejoyced

not;

As

not; and they that buy, as tho' they poffeffed not. much as to fay, there is nothing confiderable enough in fo tranfient a State, where the Scenes open and fhut fo faft, to be very much lov'd or very much fear'd. Nothing worth being troubled much at, or rejoycing much for, or delighting much in. And therefore 'tis but juft and decorous,you should be very fparing and indifferent in the indulgency of your Paffions, in your Love, and in your Grief, and in your Joy; and withal fo moderate in your adhefions to what you poffefs, as if you had nothing to call your own. After an enumeration of which Particulars, he collects and winds up all into this general Conclufion, And they that use this World as not abufing it.

They that ufe this World. 'Tis obfervable here, that St. Paul does not oblige Men either to use the World, or not to ufe it. This is matter of mere Difcretion, and accordingly wholly left to their Liberty. Only 'tis Reasonable here that Men fhould be fo juft and true to themfelves and their best Interests, as to act by the fame Measures for their Souls,as they do for their Bodies; and that therefore, they would avoid a World that endangers their Innocency, as much as they would a Place that incommodes their Health. But every Man must be judge for himfelf, when that is; and therefore must be left at Liberty, whether he will live and converfe in the World or not; according as in his own Difcretion, upon a ferious deliberation of the matter, he fhall judge most expedient. Men are not ty'd to live in the World, or to Cloyfter themfelves from it; the only point of Duty and Obligation upon them is, that they take care that this their Liberty prove not a Snare to them; and that,while they ufe the World, they do not abuse it. This therefore being the Duty of

the

the Text; for the better confideration and inforcement of it, I fhall endeavour to fhew,

I. What it is to abuse the World.

2. Upon what account it concerns us to beware of this Abuse.

Now as to the Firt, By the abufe of a Thing, when we speak ftrictly, we mean the unlawful ufe of a Thing, which therefore always includes the fimple ufe of it. And accordingly, we cannot be faid to abufe,what we do not fo much as ufe. But in a more large and popular acceptation of the Word, we are then faid to abuse a thing,when we behave our felves any ways diforderly about it; whether it be by enjoying it as an End, when it ought only to be ufed as a Means; or by ufing it as a Means, when it ought to be enjoyed as an End, or laftly, by ufing it as a Means to an End that is not due.

The World is not capable of being abufed in the fecond way. God only can be thus abufed; and we do actually put this Abufe upon him, whenever, instead of referring all things to him, we very prepo fterously refer him to other things; as they do, who make use of Religion as an Intrument to ferve the Ends of Secular Policy. As when a Man enters into Holy Orders, only for the fake of Preferment; or goes to Church out of a pretence of Devotion, when his real Bufinefs is to ftare upon a handfome Face, or make an Affignation, Thus we abuse God, by ufing him when we should enjoy him. The two other ways are the ways of abufing Creatures, when we either enjoy them, or mifufe them; when we place our End in them, or pervert them to fuch Ends to which they have no Natural Ordination. I conceive then there may be these two general Ways of abufing the World.