government, the injury and not the safety or comfort of the body is promoted. Anarchy and confusion and misery are the necessary consequence. As it is in the body politic, when individuals rise to authority who are labouring under the influence of the worst of passions, the community at large is miserable, but when wise rulers occupy the place of authority the community is happy and blest; so when lust obtains the dominion the consequences are inevitable; anarchy and confusion and misery universally prevail.

There is, my friends, a grand three-fold junction--"the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." These are united together, for the purpose of holding the soul in a state of the most disgraceful vassalage; and thus the perishing and carnal pleasures of life are made the soul's chief object--that soul which was formed for the most refined and the most exalted enjoyments. It reminds me, my friends, of the saying of an ancient philosopher, Empedocles: he said, respecting the Agrageutines, "that they lived in such luxury every day as if they expected to die to-morrow, and they built houses of such magnificence and strength as if they expected to live for ever." How similar is this to the language of James! "Ye have lived in pleasure”—(there are multitudes of the children of men, who make carnal pleasure the element in which they move; as the fishes of the sea live in water as their element, these depraved enemies of their own interest and rebels against the God of heaven "live in pleasure," as the only element in which they can exist;)-"ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter." This is the process, which those are carrying on, who are living in carnal pleasure; they are nourishing their hearts as in a day of slaughter," and preparing themselves for the most direful consequences in eternity.

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2. Allow me, then, in the second place, to observe, that to love the world's riches as our chief good, is worldliness. When the heart is placed upon the world's wealth as its chief good, then the disease of worldliness pervades that mind.

It is remarkable, that there is no lust so powerful, as the love of riches. This is acknowledged, not merely by divines, but by philosophers-those who observe the movements of the human mind, and are led to witness the extraordinary hold which perverted passions take of the heart of man. This, the most powerful of the lusts which degrade our nature, may be denominated a moral cancer. It is the characteristic of that physical malady, that it converts the bodily substance into its own nature; and so it is with the lust of the love of riches. When it acquires a predominant sway, it converts the whole soul into itself. Thus the individual is called a worldling; as if he were actually composed of the world, which he has made the object of his regard and upon which he has fixed his affections with so firm a hold. And this lust is sometimes so powerful, as to render the individuals who indulge it, and who submit to its sway, miserable. Hence the term miser, which is derived from (and indeed itself is) a Latin word siguifying miserable. And where this lust predominates, it swallows up all other lusts; so that the individuals under its dominion in many cases deny themselves even the very ordinary comforts and necessaries of life. Oh! my friends, what a melancholy specimen of fallen man is this!-an intellectual and immortal being so absorbed in earth, as actually to have become a worldling. The following is a fact, which I have received on authority, the legitimacy of which I cannot doubt. There was an old man in my country, (and similar instances and examples may be found here as well as in Scotland,) who was dying, and was almost speechless, but he made signs to those who were attending him while on his death-ded, pointing to some particular spot; it was a considerable time before they could ascertain his meaning, but at last they found there was something in that particular place, which he wished to have; they went there, and found an old stocking nearly filled with silver; the moment he saw it, his eyes glistened, and he stretched out his hands to receive it; they brought it to him—and he took it and pressed it to his heart-and died. Oh! my friends, what an awful specimen is this!-a wretched individual dying with his god in his bosom!-who made himself miserable while he lived, and by such an exit painfully declared to those around him, that he had exchanged the present life for a life of endless misery and woe.

But sometimes the lust of riches shows itself in a different form. There are multitudes, who cannot be called misers, and are yet under the dominion of the love of silver and of gold; they are under the dominion of its inordinate love, its unlawful love, but they love it not so much for itself, as for what it procures. They love it, because it procures pleasures and influence and power and respectability. Their minds fix upon these objects as their idols; and then they earnestly lust after that which is the great means of obtaining what is so near their hearts. Now, my friends, this lust, in the form I have now described, is as destructive to the soul as the other. It equally excludes God from the heart; it equally surrenders the faculties and the powers of the mind to objects ignoble and unworthy. The lust of the love of the world in this form as effectually withdraws the mind from the "fountain of living waters," and leads it to the "broken cisterns which can hold no water." This was the case with Israel of old: they left the "fountain of living waters"—and there are multitudes in this great metropolis, who are now leaving that blessed fountain; and they applied to the "broken cisterns that could hold no water"-and there are myriads who are now following their example, and applying to "broken cisterns" where they never can obtain that satisfaction and peace which they expect to enjoy. 3. This leads me to the third observation: that to love the honours of this world as our chief good, is worldliness.

This particular, my friends, is more especially applicable to the ambitious, who prefer earthly honours before all other earthly objects. And here we may speak of earthly honours as a temple; and it is a temple filled with idols, and a temple crowded with worshippers. In this temple we see the following idols. Glittering titles: coronets: crowns: garters spangled with jewels, and stars of nobility shining in all their bright and imposing lustre. There we see another idol-the fame of battles, the fame of triumphs, triumphs over armies and triumphs of various descriptions. We see another description of idols-the fame of learning, the fame of philosophy, the fame of the triumphs of science. These are respective idols, which are found in the temple of ambition. And, my friends, this temple is crowded with worshippers; it has been crowded in all ages; and there they are seen presenting incense at the shrines of these various idols-a crowd of worshippers before one idol, a crowd of worshippers before another; and we hear them exclaim, in language similar to that of the infatuated Israelites of old, "Ye are our gods-ye are our gods."

Oh! what

Oh! my friends, it is astonishing what ambition has done. It is amazing, to think of the miseries which it has inflicted upon the children of men. black and melancholy books might those be, which furnished the true history of human ambition! The books ought to be written in lines of blood. See the multitudes of cities, which have been sacked by ambition; see the lovely, verdant and luxuriant provinces, which have been laid waste by ambition; see the streams and rivers of human blood, that have been shed to satisfy ambition. All this would enter into the history of that powerful lust-the inordinate love of earthly fame-by which multitudes have been subdued, and by which multitudes have spread ravages far and wide upon the face of the earth.

I have thus given you a short outline of worldliness, or the love of the worldthe love of its pleasures, the love of its riches, the love of its honours.

II. But the principle work of the evening is, to show the dangers of worldliness -the dreadful consequences and results of a worldly spirit. And here I mention the following things.

1. Its dangers will appear, if you consider, in the first place, that it shuts out the love of God from the soul of man. It admits into the soul objects the most unworthy; and it removes from the soul the noblest of all objects. It removes from the soul that God, who is possessed of every excellency, and who by His gracious presence is infinitely fitted to confer every blessing, which can render the soul happy in time and in eternity. It excludes from the soul the very Maker of the soul. It excludes from the mind that God, who sent the Son of His love for the soul's redemption. It is, as far as the creature can accomplish the object, to exclude God from His own world. And on the other hand, it introduces the creature into the soul in the place of God. Having excluded the best of all objects, it admits the

worst. Having excluded that object, which alone can make it blest, it introduces those objects, which must bring upon it indelible disgrace, and, if mercy prevent not, eternal misery. Such, my friends, is the danger of a worldly spirit.

I have struck at once at the root of the evil; for in saying that it shuts out God from the soul, we include all that can possibly be adduced upon a subject of such vast extent. And therefore it is said in the text-" Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world; if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." God is excluded. And oh! how miserable must the state of that soul be, from which the Deity is excluded! How miserable those affections, on the throne of

which God is not found to sit and reign!

2. Then observe, in the second place, worldly-mindedness robs God of His glory. We are now "speaking after the manner of men ;" and I am aware of the inaccuracy of human expression, when speaking upon matters of such vast importance. In the strict sense of the word, God cannot be robbed; you can take nothing from God. But, my friends, we look to the intention. A man may be a robber in intention, though he may not be a robber in act. Now as far as it is possible for a man to commit a robbery upon the Deity, he does it in refusing to give God his heart, and excluding God from the throne of his affections. It is an act of the greatest peril to commit robbery upon a human being-even upon a pauper-even upon a child; if a nobleman in one of your streets were to rob a little child, he is liable at once to be incarcerated, and to be cast into a dungeon; for robbery is an act, which is severely and justly punished in all well regulated States. And if the law of man inflicts so justly the severest and heaviest punishment on those who are guilty of committing a robbery upon a human being, oh! what must be the danger of those, who (as far as it is possible) commit a robbery upon the Deity!-depriving (as far as they are able) God of His just prerogatives, God of His just tribute of honour, His just tribute of homage and praise, His just tribute of affection!

There are some remarkable passages, my friends, illustrative of what I have now stated, in the first chapter of the book of Proverbs; where the insulted Majesty of heaven is represented as denouncing the most alarming threatenings against those, who are guilty of this dreadful sin. "Because I have called, and ye have refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded; I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.”

3. I remark, in the third place, that worldliness is idolatry, and therefore exposes the soul to the greatest danger. What is idolatry? It is the unlawful love of any object; that is the essence of idolatry, and this is perhaps the simplest definition of

it.

But to amplify the idea: if we love any object in the place of God, we are guilty of idolatry; if we love any object more than God, we are guilty of idolatry; if we place more confidence in the creature than we do in God, we are guilty of idolatry; if we give any creature that worship that is due to God, we are guilty of idolatry; and if we look upon any creature as calculated to afford us greater felicity than God himself, we are guilty of idolatry. Now, my friends, you will perceive how applicable most of these observations are to worldliness. For what is worldliness ? It is idolatry in this respect-it puts the creature in the place of God; in this respect-it prefers the creature before God; in this respect-it places more confidence in the creature than in God; in this respect-it looks for more happiness from the creature than from God, Now this is idolatry. In the fifth chapter of Ephesians, we find that the covetous man is expressly called an idolater—“For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God;" so that we have the sanction of inspiration to confirm us in this truth-that covetousness is idolatry.

But more particularly, observe, the individual who loves the world's wealth is an idolater; he places gold and silver in the room of that God, who has all comforts and blessings at His sovereign disposal; and it is impossible, that God can look upon an idolater with complacency or delight. The idolater in this respect forsakes his God; and in forsaking his God, he must expose himself to the displeasure of that

Being; and while he continues following his course of covetousness, it is vain to expect that God can look upon him with complacency. But the voluptuous man or the sensualist, too, is an idolater. These individuals are described (Philippians iii.) as worshipping their belly: "Whose god is their belly:"-an affecting and striking expression to point out that carnal pleasures are their god. One word is there employed as the representative of many; pointing out that the sensualist has made his bodily appetites and carnal pleasures the object of his idolatry, and therefore his god. These are "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God." And as is stated in the third of Colossians, misery and ruin must be the consequence: which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience."

"For

4. I remark, in the fourth place, that worldliness is the root of all evil. And here I shall mention several particulars.

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And observe, first, the love of the world exposes those in whom it dwells and reigns to a variety of the most overwhelming temptations. Can any language be stronger, than this of St. Paul to Timothy, (applicable as it is equally to those that are seeking after carnal and unhallowed pleasures, as to those that are seeking after wealth) But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition: for the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows?" You may read all the Bible, and not meet with a passage more expressive of the misery which man brings upon himself by his idolatry, in preferring the things of time before God Himself, the fountain of living waters.

Then there is a second observation: worldliness gives origin to the most dreadful murders and crimes. Oh! what a black chapter this is in human history! Look back, my friends, in the history of England. Call Henry VIII. to your recollection, and see what worldliness or the love of unhallowed pleasure did for that once ruling monarch. Oh! remember how his diadem and his sceptre and his throne were stained with blood. They say, one of the most awful sights that was ever witnessed in this country, was the death of Henry VIII.; he died under an awakened conscience, and in a state of such dreadful terror, that they could scarcely find any one to remain by his bed side, while the expiring king was writhing in mental agony. My friends, the history of that king proves two things: it proves, that the unhallowed love of pleasure leads to the perpetration of the greatest crimes; and it proves, that misery is the consequence. I remember seeing the infant of two murderers; I hope I shall never see such a sight again, though the poor little, delicate, tender babe furnished nothing in its own appearance in the slightest degree repulsive. It was the child of two murderers; the mother of the child was the accomplice of the man, and she united with him to murder his wife; they succeeded in their object, and it was concealed for a little while, but at last it became apparent; both of them were found guilty, but her life was spared till she gave birth to that helpless babe, and in a short while after they suffered the sentence of the law, and expired together at the same time and upon the same scaffold. These are heart-repulsive facts; but I think it necessary to mention these two (and no more) to point out the dreadful tragedies, which have been acted by those who have been under the ungovernable, overwhelming dominion of their lusts and passions.

Then there is a third remark here: worldliness hardens conscience. It has a wonderful tendency to stifle convictions-to render the mind ob use-to harden the soul to make the heart like adamant, and unsusceptible of impression. You have a remarkable instance of this in Balaam; he "loved the wages of unrighteousness," and in opposition to the convictions of his conscience he weat forward, pursuing his object, until at last his convictions were all stifled, and he braved the Deity to His face. Ah! my friends, are there any now present, in danger of having their convictions stifled by the love of the world in any of its departments? Cry to God the Spirit to deliver you from consequences so dreadful; which, if Mercy prevent not, may actually prove fatal.

But there is another remark: worldliness pollutes the soul. It degrades the soul. It brings man down from the lofty elevation, on which God originally placed him;

and it not only brings him as low as the beasts that perish, but beneath them. Beasts, as we have mentioned, are guided by their instinct; but man, surrendering himself to his appetites, dethrones reason and brings himself actually below the beasts. It is a remarkable fact, that love has always a tendency to assimilate the mind to the object loved. It seems to be a law established by the great Ruler of the universe, that we shall acquire a resemblance to the object beloved. If the object of our affections is good, we become assimilated to a good object; if it is bad, to a bad object. From the first, we acquire what is excellent; from the second, what is unworthy. It is a self-evident truth, that may be apprehended and observed almost by any child, in whose mind reason is beginning to dawn, that love assimilates to itself that whatever society we love, that society we resemble. If, then, my friends, we are the lovers of pleasure, the mind must become polluted -contaminated--and not only bear a resemblance to those carnal delights which are the object of its affections, but become incorporated with all that is vile and offensive to the eyes of spotless purity. Oh! what sad examples London furnishes of this melancholy fact!

Then you will observe, that the unlawful love of earthly objects introduces into our world the very greatest calamities-calamities of the most awful description. As James says "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts?" These lusts are the origin of the most dreadful calamities, that ever visited the children of men. It is an astonishing truth, that of all the calamities with which the human race has ever been visited from the days of Adam to the present time, the greatest calamity is that which man himself makes, and which (shocking to tell!) is made the occasion, or the cause or source, of the highest degree of earthly honour and distinction. And that is-War. Can there be a greater calamity than the desolations of war?-man, under the influence of the most infuriated passions, shedding his neighbour's blood?-men ushering each other unprepared into the world of spirits? Oh! may the eyes of the kings of the earth be opened to this awful crime, this crime of wholesale murder, which in the generations that are past has received the countenance of the great and the mighty, and has raised up to eminence as heroes and men of distinction and fame, those who are the most noted in spreading abroad the curse of that most awful and desolating calamity.

I have only one remark more upon this melancholy subject: worldliness unfits for heaven, and prepares for hell. In the 16th of Luke we have a remarkable parable, illustrative of this dreadful fact. "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, aud fared sumptuously every day; and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried. And in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have inercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedet thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented; and beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray, thee, therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house; for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

III. Now, in conclusion, I observe

1. First, that this subject calls for lamentation, mourning and weeping. It calls for lamentation, when we think of beings formed for eternity, living only for