"Men of the world, which have their portion in this life."-PSALM xvii. 14.

Ir is a striking description of human depravity, which is given as a reason why the Spirit would not always strive with man, "that he also is flesh." Such is the predominance in man, as fallen, of the flesh over the Spirit of the sensitive over the rational-that it sinks him from the dignity of his original, as made after the image of God, into a creature of flesh. But to man, as thus fallen, the Spirit of God is graciously given, by his secret and powerful insinuations of light and love, to strive with him; awakening him to the consideration of those divine glories which alone are answerable to his higher nature, and so recalling him to God and heaven. Those who yield to his influence are made partakers of his holiness, and so are named after him spiritual; while the rest are fleshly or carnal still: and the distinction thus formed passes over into the future world, and constitutes the elementary principle of eternal life or death. "To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

The same distinction is marked in the Scriptures by the phrases, sons of men," and "sons of God." "Men of the world," and "men of God." "O ye sons of men! how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity and seek after leasing? But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself." The sons of men and the godly are here

spoken of in contrast with each other. So also our Saviour said to his disciples: "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own, but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." This language marks a difference among men that is radical. It imports that the world are naturally in apostasy from God, and that those who are morally conformed to him, are not of the world; but are formed to a new and heavenly character. The same thing is presented to us, in the passage, which contains the text: "Deliver my soul," the Psalmist prays, " from the wicked, which are thy sword, from men which are thy hand, O Lord; from men of the world, which have their portion in this life; and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children and leave the rest of their substance to their babes. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness." David found himself encompassed with enemies. They were "the wicked" men whose wickedness made them enemies to God as well as himself. They were "men of the world who had their portion in this life"-men who as they sought, received, their good things here-many of them were prosperous men; filled with hid treasures, and securely laying up for their children the possessions which themselves enjoyed while he was encompassed with affliction. But he did not envy them. For a thousand times more than they enjoyed, he would not exchange conditions with them. The happiness which he sought was of another kind, and would remain when the world should have passed away. It would be found in Him who only hath immortality, and would be perfected when he and all men should awake from the slumbers of the grave. My brethren, there have always and every where been these two classes of men. While all naturally are of the world, there are those into whose minds the true light has shined; those who have learned by faith to tread this world under their feet, in their aspirations after the glory that is to be revealed; those who, under the trials of this life, have solaced themselves with the hope and the foretaste of what they are to enjoy in the future. To which of these classes we belong is a matter of infinite concern. Whatever we are, we must soon die, and accordingly as we shall have been men of the world, or men of God, will be our future destiny. God has suspended our state hereafter on our ultimate choice here. He has submitted to ourselves to decide whether, as men of the world we will have our portion here, or as men of God will seek it in the enjoyment of himself in heaven. "To them, who by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory, honor, and immortality, he will render eternal life-and to men that are contentious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation, and wrath, tribulation, and anguish.'

That we may decide in this matter wisely, let us consider who are men of the world, and what is their portion.

I. Who are men of the world?

In general they are men who love the world as their chief good; who pursue it as the main thing who depend upon it for their happiness, and consequently forsake God as the object of their supreme and ultimate delight and confidence. They are not, of course, profligate men; nor infidels, nor despisers of religion. They may be men of amiable feelings, and correct moral habits; they may be professed believers in the Gospel, and careful observers of its forms of worship; they may be considered by others, and consider themselves followers of Christ, and heirs of his kingdom; as the body of the Jews were professed worshippers of God, and in their own view, his peculiar people; and yet were pronounced by our Saviour to be men of the world. Men of the world are men who love the world, and so love it, as to be without the love of God.

But this is too general. It concerns us to understand how this leading disposition of the heart manifests itself.

I remark then more particularly:

1st. Men of the world are those whose thoughts tend to the things of the world. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." The thoughts, like the needle to the pole, are true to the governing affections of the heart. They may be diverted, as the needle may be turned from its standing point. The thoughts of worldly men may be arrested by overpowering considerations, and turned to God, or heaven, the judgment, or the eternal world, although most uncongenial to their chosen pursuits; but when left to their natural tendency, they will show by the character of their objects, what is the character of the man. "They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, and they that are after the Spirit do mind the things of the Spirit." A spiritual mind, even in the midst of worldly occupations, delights often to rise in the contemplation of spiritual things; and so a worldly mind, in the midst of spiritual engagements-when the messages of grace are being addressed to the ear, or while prayer or praise employs the tongue, roves after worldly things. Of the blessed man whose delight is in the law of the Lord, it is said, that "his meditation is therein day and night;" while of the wicked it is said, "God is not in all his thoughts." "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men, that they are vanity."

2d. Men of the world are those whose feelings are excited mainly by the things of the world. The stirring emotions of men, as well as the current of their thoughts, ordinarily show where are their hearts. Those of the men of the world cluster around those worldly interests which they regard as their chief

good. Their joys are enlivened, their hopes are raised, their fears are roused, or their griefs hang heavily on their hearts, just accordingly as success in a temporal view attends them, and their prospects are fair; or as dangers in regard to these thicken, or disappointment befalls them; while an unbroken stupidity reigns in their hearts, under all that can be said to them of God and Christ; of sin and redemption; of heaven and hell; of the claims of the Saviour's love, and the condition of a fallen world. Why is it thus? Not because these things are unknown, or their importance is disbelieved, or their own personal interest in them is seriously doubted. It is because their feelings, with their thoughts, are so absorbed by worldly pursuits, that spiritual and eternal things are unthought of, and so uncared for; are put away as though they belonged to a world of shadows, and so have no power over the sensibilities of the soul. Thus, according to the emphatical description of the Bible, they are "dead in trespasses and sins"-alive to the world, and dead to God; walking in the vanity of their minds, "having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts.

3dly. Men of the world are those whose conversation turns mainly on the things of the world. "They are of the world," John says of certain corrupt teachers, "therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them." Their social communication corresponds to their worldly spirit, and those who are of the same spirit are entertained by them, listen to them, and are persuaded by them. It must be so while men speak as they think and feel, and while the thoughts and feelings of worldly men are engrossed by worldly things. As our Saviour said to the Pharisees, "How can ye being evil speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart (the inner man) the mouth speaketh." "A good man, out of the good treasure of his heart" -the law of God written there; Christ dwelling there; the word of God treasured there; the light, and love, and joy, and hope of the Spirit reigning there, "bringeth forth good things;" "and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart"-selfish principles, envious feelings, vain imaginations-" bringeth forth evil things." A man's words may indeed, and often do, belie the feelings of his heart. His words may be smoother than oil, while his feelings are as drawn swords; or with the mouth he may draw near unto God, while his heart is far from him. But we now refer only to the free, unconstrained, habitual communications of men, and these will be found a true expression of their hearts, and accordingly to the very impressive declaration of our Saviour which I have just recited, he subjoins, "I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

Those men whose social converse is habitually and characteristically worldly, whatever their professions or hopes may be, will be adjudged to be men of the world.

4thly. Their conduct is decided mainly by motives drawn from the world. Mankind are decided in their conduct by that which they regard as the chief good. To glorify God, and advance the cause of truth and holiness; to promote the great interests of the Redeemer's kingdom, and share in its immortal blessedness, is the commanding good in the view of some men, which habitually determines their choice and conduct, which carries them above those worldly influences that would draw them aside, and which sustains them in a patient course of welldoing amidst all discouragement and opposition. These are men of faith; men of God. Men of the world, on the other hand, as in respect to their thoughts, feelings, and words, so also in respect to their actions, are governed by the things of the world. Interest sways them, or honor bribes them, or pleasure throws her silken cords around them, and binds and governs them. They are slaves of the world, and consequently slaves of sin-of the avarice or ambition, of the lust or pride, of the selfish attachment or the bitter resentments, which the world excites and feeds. They pray or they restrain prayer; they are religious, or they neglect religion; they give or they withhold; they are just and true and faithful, or they are unjust, untrue, unfaithful; they are friends of temperance, learning, religion, and every good object, or they are indifferent or opposed to all these, just as in their view, some worldly end is to be gained by the one or the other; or if in particular cases they are decided by motives drawn from the eternal world, it is by constraint-it is in opposition to their governing affections, it is because they are afraid to live as their hearts would incline them; and this commonly is only for a season. In circumstances of trial, when the interests, the esteem, the splendor, and other gratifications of the world are set in competition with a good conscience towards God, their actions show which has the chief place in their hearts.

Such are men of the world. Making choice of the world as their chief good, their thoughts, their feelings, their words, and their main pursuits terminate on its interests and gratifications: and so in their hearts, they depart from the Lord, and their lives, fair and reputable as they may appear, are an unvarying course of apostasy: "for if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him." We are to consider,

II. Their portion. In general it is a portion in this life-a form of expression which implies that there is a life beyond the present, and that the men of the world have no portion there. They have here their good things. Having made choice of the world as their portion, and cleaved to it, this is their all. In the