(1.) They that are of this world, could be fatisfied to live for ever in this world; and would care for no other heaven, no other Paradife, but the pleafures, profits, and honours of this world. Look in to your heart and thoughts, man: if you can be content with this world for your portion; if you could poffibly live and enjoy it for ever if you could be fatisfied therewith, and defire no other heaven, it is an evidence you are of this world.

(2.) They that are of this world, look upon the comforts of this world as realities; but upon the promises of God's covenant as fancies. And hence they dote upon the things of this world, and take pleasure in them; but dare not truft God with his promife, nor take comfort therein.

(3.) They that are of this world, they look upon men as happy or miferable, according to the things they enjoy of this world; yea, though they fee them to be wicked men; yet, if they enjoy the outward things of this world, they judge them to be happy. Is it thus that you judge? It is an evidence that you are of this world; and confequently are conformed to the world,

[2.] Try whether or not you be conformed to the world by your frame and difpofition. If you be not conformed to the world, then your affections will be habitually fet upon things that are above: but if you be conformed to the world, then your affections will be habitually fet upon things below; and fo you mind earthly things. Here I will offer you a few marks of a perfon who minds earthly things, and confequently is conformed to this world.

1. When a man looks upon earthly things as the most beautiful and eminent things, that is an evidence that he minds earthly things, and confequently conformed to this world. The heavenly-difpofed man looks upon celeftial things to be the most beautiful and eminent.

2. When a man's greatest thoughts are bufied about earthly things, it is an evidence that he is a worldly man. A man may know himself better by his thoughts, than his words and actions: for the thoughts are immediately from the heart: even as we may know better what

the

the fountain is, by the immediate bullering of it near the spring, than by the fireams afar off; "For, as he thinketh in his heart, fo is he," Prov. xxiii. 7. A man is as he thinketh in his heart, when earthly thoughts are fweeteft. I fpeak not of those thoughts which a perfon, through weaknefs or temptation, may be subject unto : but of those which are fweeteft unto the foul; fuch as are the habitual delight of his heart.

3. The man minds earthly things, whofe heart cleaves to the earth. Difcourfe to fuch a man never fo much of the vanity of this earth, he may give you a hearing; but his heart fill cleaves to the earth: talk to him never so much of the glory of heaven, and the happiness of the faints; yet ftill his heart cleaves to the earth: yea, he himself may comment and flourish in his discourse, concerning the vanity of all things in the world; and yet ftill his heart cleaves to the earth.

4. The earthly-minded man is filled with diftracting cares about the things of this earth. If he be difappointed as to these things, he looks upon himself as undone : God, and Chrift, and the promifes, none of them can give him any contentment or comfort, if his idols on the earth be removed; if he miscarries there, he is undone: "They have taken away my gods, and what have I more?" His greatest business, and ftrongest endeavours, are the adequate object of his earthly mind; they take up the whole ftrength of his foul.

5. În a word, an earthly man paffes through many difficulties, about earthly things, and is never weary, because he is in his element; he is like the fish in the fea. A man is foon weary of fwimming in the water, because it is not his element; but the fish is not weary, because it is its element. An earthly man is quickly weary of fpiritual duties; whereas a fpiritual man calls the Sabbath his delight. An earthly man will not go through with his work, because his heart and mind is elsewhere. you mind earthly things at this rate, as I have fhewn, it is a fhrewd evidence of a worldly frame; and this worldly frame and difpofition is an evidence of conformity to the world.

If

[3] You may know whether you be conformed to

the

the world or not, by your life and converfation, by your words and actions. They that are of the world, they fpeak of the world, they deal with the world, their whole converfation fmells of the world; "They favour not the things that are of God, but the things that are of the world." Worldly difcourfe goes beft away with them; worldly converfe is their pleasure; worldly wisdom is their difpofition; and worldly company is their delight: but their delight is not in the faints, the excellent ones in the earth. And, indeed, thofe that can take pleasure in vain, wicked, light, and lewd company, but never affected fellowship with the faints, nor company with the godly, about foul-matters, they difcover their great conformity to the world, and their want of conformity to God and Chrift.

Ufe 4. This doctrine may be improven for exhortation or dehortation, in the words of the text: O Sirs, be not conformed to this world. Some fober heathens have fometimes expreffed the greatest diflike to the vanity of this world. Socrates thought it one of the greatest torments of men, in another life, to be bound to commit thofe fins wherein they moft delighted in this life. Seneca faid of himself, I am too great, and born to greater "things, than that I fhould be a flave to my body." And Tully thought him not worthy the name of a man, that could fpend a whole day in carnal pleasure. And furely they do not deferve the name of Chriftians, who can spend a whole day in worldly carnal pleasure and recreation. How will thofe heathens rife up in judgment against us, if we live in conformity to the world!

In order to inforce the exhortation, we adduce the following motives. Confider, that conformity to the world is adultery, idolatry, enmity, and contrariety to the power of religion.

1. It is adultery, fpiritual adultery. If a man's heart goes after another woman, more than his wife; or a woman's heart more after another man than her husband, it is adultery; fo, if our heart go a-whoring after any thing in the world, more than our Maker, who is our husband, it is fpiritual adultery.

2. It is idolatry. As covetoufnefs is called idolatry; fo, conformity to the world, is worshipping of idols. If a man. fhould carnally affect a queen, or an emprefs, though the most beautiful woman in the world, instead of his own wife, it is a great fin; but if he forfake a queen, a moft beautiful perfon, for a dung-hill raker, a nally foullion, it were a greater evil: fo here, to forsake him who is altogether lovely, for the empty things of the world, Oh! what an evil is it! It is to depart from the fountain of living waters, and hew out to ourselves cifterns, broken cifterns, that can hold no water.

3. It is enmity; for, "The carnal mind is enmity against God:" the carnal man is enmity against God; and to embrace a carnal company is to embrace God's enemies, and thofe that are enemies to all fpiritual good.

4. It is a contrariety to the power of godlinefs. Grace and godlinefs tend to alienate and difengage the heart from the world, and from all things under God: but this conformity to the world, is directly contrary to this end. And, indeed, let a man have the fweetest and moft awful impreffions made upon his heart by the word, and let him go ftreight in to a carnal company; behold! how quickly will his impreffions be removed, and conviction ftifled thereby!

We fhall now conclude the fubject with a few direc tions; and we fhall but juft name them in fo many

words.

1. Seek to be regenerated and born of God; born from above: for, he that is born of God is not conformed to the word; but is transformed by the renewing of his mind.

2. Seek the Spirit to bring you by force out of this world; and to conquer the world for you. But concerning both thefe, we fpoke at fome length on the use of trial; and fhall now pafs them.

3. Be aware of wicked company; and let your delight be in the faints, the excellent ones of the earth: and this, by the bleffing of God, will be a mighty prefervative from being conformed to the finful courses and practices of the wicked world.

4. Be restless till you attain conformity to the Lord Jefus Chrift; and, in order thereto, feek discoveries of his glory, that, beholding it, you may be changed into the fame image, from glory to glory, 2 Cor. iii. 18. There is a fmitting favour in the face of Chrift; they who fee him cannot but be like him, and defire to be like him: fo it is with thofe about the throne; "They fhall be like him, for they fhall fee him as he is." Conformity to Chrift is the best cure of conformity to the world; for it makes the man to count all things but lofs and dung, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ.