stood mankind, who entered thoroughly into the secret operations and feelings of the human heart, and was no stranger to the imperfections of the best of men, or to the various and powerful temptations with which they are encompassed on every side. It is a caution, I will add, given us by a man endowed with a prophetic spirit, and who clearly foresaw what mighty opposition the world would make in future times, as well as in the infancy of the church, to the Christian doctrine and profession. We are to consider him therefore, as pressing this advice upon us with the same earnestness as upon the Romans. And there is the greater reason for this, as our situation is so similar to theirs who were inhabitants of the fairest, wealthiest and politest city in the whole world, and therefore exposed to greater danger than most other Christians. You will allow me then to enforce the exhortation with some suitable motives. And here I would remind you,

1. Of what hath been already granted, that this is a very unfit world for a Christian to conform to.

What kind of world it is you have seen. It hath been painted in its true colours, though not with all the shades that might have been cast upon it, nor in all the detestable forms it might have been represented. Look around you, and behold the pride, luxury, avarice, fraud, cruelty, and other sensual and diabolical vices and practices which prevail among mankind; and say, whether a Christian, instead of conforming to the world, ought not to shun it as his greatest enemy. How opposite is the general course of the world to the doctrine, spirit and profession of the gospel! Can you conceive of two greater contrarieties in nature? Do not the Scriptures ever set the kingdom of Christ, and that of the world, in opposition to each other? Is not the god of this world, the determined, the avowed opposer of Christ and his gospel? Are not the people of God always represented as a body distinct and separate from the world? Was it not the professed design of our Saviour's incarnation and death to redeem them from this present evil world? And is it not on account of their different natures, dispositions, tendencies and interests, that the world is every where represented as hating and persecuting them who

fear God?-Shall a Christian then conform to this world? Shall he pay his devotion to it? Shall he court its friendship? Shall he imitate it? Shall he affect a similarity to it? No surely. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols a?

2. As the course of this world is bad, and therefore in its own nature very unfit for a Christian to conform to; so a conformity to it, even in a small degree, is of very hurtful and dangerous consequence.

It is a passage that may well make the hearts of many under a profession of religion tremble: Whosoever will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God b. Would to God that men would consider it, that they would lay it to heart! How many immortal souls have been ignominiously led away into wretched captivity to this proud, this cruel usurper! Yea, how many have not only been cast down and wounded, but totally ruined and undone by his rage and malice! What a sad list do the Scriptures present us with of some such persons in the primitive times! I might tell you of Demas, who, having loved this present world c, forsook the apostle, and it is probable his profession too: and of many others, who through the same cause, fell into temptation, and a snare, and into various foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition d.

And as thus the mere nominal professor of religion hath been subdued and conquered by the world; so the people of God themselves have, many of them, received no small injury from it. By a partial conformity to the world they have lost much of the spirit and pleasure of religion, obstructed their usefulness, disgraced their character, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. If it be difficult for the Christian whose situation obliges him to converse with the world, to keep alive in his heart that divine fire which the grace of

God hath kindled there; how must the flame languish in his breast, who unnecessarily precipitates himself into connections that are vain and foolish, if not absolutely immoral and sinful! Would you frame a just idea of the unhappy condition of that man? Enter into his heart, and see how barren and unfruitful it is. There, where holy desires and spiritual affections once prevailed, little else is to be found but anxiety and care, or wantonness and folly. Go with him into his retirements, and observe how carelessly the private duties of religion are performed, if not wholly neglected. Follow him into the family where he lives, and the company he keeps, and tell us how vain, thoughtless and unprofitable is the general course of his conversation. But, in order yet further to impress your mind with his folly, guilt and misery, view him on his return to God, well consider the bitter pangs his heart feels, and the sorrowful sighs that arise from his inmost soul. Let these be imagined-O! with him feel them; and then say, how evil and bitter a thing it is to forsake God, and to conform to the world. Ye have not received, Christians, the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God a. Take heed therefore how ye grieve the Holy Spirit; whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption b. Again,

3. Conformity to the world is most unreasonable in a Christian, as it adds weight and influence to the world, and tends greatly to promote its interests among mankind.

This fair and enchanting idol, the world, hath many votaries, who daily sacrifice at her altar, and pay homage at her feet. Their number is far greater than that of the worshippers of the living God; and, though the cause is bad, their zeal to promote it far exceeds that of multitudes who profess the true religion. Now, what more acceptable service, Christian, can you offer to this false deity, than by admitting of an intercommunity of worship with these her blind and miserable votaries, that is, by conforming to the world in the manner I have represented? And will you thus give countenance to a kind of idolatry the most dishonourable to God, and of the most pernicious tendency to men? Will you thus strengthen the inb Eph. iv. 30.

a 1 Cor. ii. 12.

terests, and gratify the malice of Satan the prince of darkness? Will you thus affront your Almighty Saviour, who, with his own most precious blood hath redeemed you from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers a? Will you thus wound the hearts, and weaken the hands of your fellow-disciples? In fine, will you thus become accessories to the ruin of thousands around you? Far be it from you. This were a conduct most absurd, disingenuous and ungrateful in you, who are so highly indebted to the grace of God, and have such bright and glorious prospects before you.-To conform to the world, I will add,

4. Is to violate the express precepts, and to deviate from the most illustrious examples, recorded in the book of God.

When the apostle had been dissuading the Corinthians from this conduct, in a passage already cited, and representing the manifest absurdity and danger of it; he immediately subjoins this authoritative command, with a most gracious and alluring promise annexed to it: Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty b.' To this same command Enoch, Noah, Lot, Moses, and a cloud of other witnesses, whose names are enrolled in the sacred volume, were obedient. Instructed in the knowledge of the true God, animated by the exalted hope of his favour through the Messiah, and steeled with that divine fortitude which his grace inspires, they dared to be singular. Neither the frowns nor the flatteries of the world could subdue them. They endured, seeing him who is invisible;' and having respect to the recompence of reward, chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season c.' Here I might also hold up to your view the characters and lives of the apostles and primitive Christians, and what is infinitely more animating, the bright and perfect pattern of the Son of God himself.but I forbear. It shall suffice to observe,

al Pet. i. 18.

5. And lastly, That we are obliged by our own profession and vows to pay a due regard to this apostolic caution.

When we first put on Christ by baptism, we solemnly renounced the world with all its pomps and vanities. And this was done by you, my friends, to whom I more immediately address myself, in your own persons, and not by the medium of sponsors; in your riper years, and not in infancy, when you were utterly incapable of vows and promises. It was done deliberately, and, I trust, under a full conviction that it was both your duty and interest thus to yield yourselves to God. And this your baptismal vow hath been often renewed at the table of Christ, and in other solemn acts of religious worship. Take heed then how you violate such engagements. To fall into practices grossly immoral and vicious, would be base and per◄ fidious indeed! At the very thought of such conduct you tremble. Remember then that a conformity to the world in these lesser instances which have been mentioned, is an ap proach towards that guilt you so much abhor and deprecate. From this topic the apostle reasons with these very Romans, to whom he addresses the caution in our text, 6 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life a.'

Thus have I laid before you the grounds of this most important and interesting advice in the text. And what remains now, but that I exhort you and myself with great earnestness and affection to carry it into practice? Let me then address all those divine feelings which are peculiar to you as the disciples of Jesus, and the possessors of his grace-your zeal for the glory of God-your love to your Almighty Saviour—your jealousy for the honour of religion-your generous concern for the real welfare of mankind-and your ardent wishes for your own happiness. By these, by each of these, by all these considerations, let me beseech you, brethren, as ye have presented yourselves to God a living and holy sacrifice, that

a Rom. vi. 3, 4.