1. They overcome its fmiles, holding faft by their God, religion, and duty, in the face of a fmiling world, Job i. 1,-5. Many a man that fometimes feemed to be feparated from the world, is brought by the warm fun of worldly profperity to drop off his garments of religion and a tender walk, and plunge himself into the way of the world lying in wickedness. And there is no queftion but worldly profperity is given to men for their trial, as well as adverfity; and many come foul off in it, Prov. i. 32. But thofe who are once truly feparate will overcome.

2. They overcome its frowns, holding faft by their God, religion, and duty, as fweet, though the world turn never fo four, Hab. iii. 17, 18. "Although the fig tree shall not bloffom, neither fhall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive fhall fail, and the fields fhall yield no meat, the flock fhall be cut off from the fold, and there fhall be no herd in the ftalls; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my falvation." The four world gets the day of many, by fucking the fap out of religion to them, rendering the word of promife and fpiritual comforts tastelefs to them; fo that though when the world gave them comfort, they had fome comfort in religion too; yet when the world's comforts are dried up, the comforts of religion are gone too, Exod. vi. 9. That fays the world was the main pillar on which their comfort ftood. But tho' the world may prevail to brangle thus with them that are of God, yet they will not be quite overcome, but will be overcomers in the cafe; fhewing that they are in hope of fomething better than what they have loft, that there is fomething for which they can part with all to obtain it, and that there is a fountain running while the world's cifterns are dry. I proceed now to confider the last doctrine, namely,

DOCT. III. The whole unregenerate world lieth in wickedness.

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In handling this fubject, we fhall,

I. Shew why the fociety of the unregenerate is called the world.

II. Offer fome defcription of the unregenerate world.

III. Make improvement.

I. I am to fhew why the fociety of the unregenerate is called the world. It is plain here, that though the regenerate really are in this world, as well as the unregenerate; yet the unregenerate are by the Spirit of God called the world, in contradiftinction to the regenerate, as if they poffeffed the earth alone, and no other were mixed with them in it. The reasons are,

1. They are the main body of the world; and fo few of the other fort are mixed with them, that they alter not the denomination, John i. 10. He was in

the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. The regenerate are but here one and there one, but the unregenerate appear in multitudes; the former are but as gleanings, the latter as the harvest. What safety can men propose then in the way of the multitude, the courfe of the world?

The fcripture is plain in this, Matth. vii. 13, 14. "Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to deftruction, and many there be which go in thereat ; because ftrait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Luke xiii. 24. "Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I fay unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." Christ's flock is a very little flock, in comparison of the devil's herd, Luke xii. 32. And it is, alas! demonftrable beyond contradiction. Dividing the world into thirty parts, nineteen of them are poffeffed by Pagan idolaters, who know not the true God; fix by Jews, Turks, and Saracens ; fo five only remain which profefs Christianity. Thus Chriftians by profeffion

are

are but five to twenty-five. Of these five two are reckoned to be of the Greek church, much funk in ignorance, and the other three idolatrous Papists and Proteftants. And among Proteftants, how many are openly profane, or grofsly ignorant, having no tolerable fhew of piety? how many are mere formalifts, ftrangers to the work of grace, and exercifes of godlinefs?

2. They are the natives, others are but ftrangers among them, and fuch are not counted in a general denomination of a fociety. They are in the fcriptureftyle, the inhabitants of the world, Ifa. xxvi. 18. of the earth and fea, Rev. xii. 12. as being the natives of it, having their birth and breeding only of the world. The regenerate are fojourners among them, pilgrims and strangers among them, Heb. xi. 13.

3. Their spirit, temper, and difpofition, chief aims and defigns, are all worldly, there is nothing heavenly in them, Pfal. xvii. 14. Their fouls indeed are of heavenly original; but they are funk, like a pearl in a mire, in the profits, pleafures, vanities, and cares of the world. Hence they are called flesh, as if they had no fpirit in them, John iii. 6. and are faid to be in the flesh, Rom. viii. 8. For they can relish nothing but what is fleshly or worldly; their views are confined within the compass of the prefent world; on these things they value themselves; and in effect their fouls have refigned themselves flaves to their bodies, and their confcience to their fenfes; being an effect in their bodies as falt only to keep them from rotting.

4. They are the lower part of the rational kind, the dreggy part of the creation. Therefore, whereas the church is called heaven, and the regenerate fons of God, heavenly men; they are called the earth, children of men, earthly men, Gen. xi. 1. and vi. 2. 1 Cor. xv. 48. For as when the Spirit moved, and the divine word paffed upon the shapeless mafs at the beginning, the finer parts went upward, or off from

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the dreggy grofs part, which remaining loweft was called earth; fo the word and Spirit paffing on the mafs of mankind, that part thereof which is thereby regenerate gets a new nature, afcends in their defigns and aims, and at length become equal with the angels, Luke xx. 36.; and the unregenerate part that is left below, being earthly, fenfual, devilifh; for the time are like the beafts, following their fleshly appetite, as dogs and fwine the groffeft of them; and in the end are thruft down into the place of devils.

5. Lastly, Because all in the world without exception are originally of their kind, unregenerate, John iii. 6. Even the elect themselves are once unregenerate; they who are now of God, were fometime of the unregenerate world, Tit. iii. 3. So that irregeneracy is the state of all the world originally, in which ftate all lie in wickednefs, Pfal. xiv. 3. Only thofe that are of God, have heard Heaven's voice, as faying, Come up hither, and so have been separated from the world. But the fociety they came from, is still the world lying in wickedness.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE UNREGENERATE WORLD.

II. THE fecond head propofed was, to offer fome defcription of the unregenerate world. We have feen fome of the characters of those that are of God, I fhall now lay before you a view of the world lying in wickednefs. That world is (as it were two hemispheres) twofold.

1. The lower world lying in wickednefs. That is the region of death, eternal death; the lake of fire; the pit, the abyfs of hell. The inhabitants thereof are the devils, and the fouls of the damned, who have lived and died in their unregenerate ftate, and will con. tinue for ever in it,

2. The upper world lying in wickednefs. That is the land of the living, this prefent evil world, made

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up of all thofe who are living in their unregenerate ftate, the black state of nature, ftrangers to Chrift and the power of godlinefs. It is the upper unre generate world we are to fpeak of, not the lower, when we have observed that they are but one world in different circumftances.

1, The lower and upper unregenerate world are indeed one world, one kingdom of Satan, one family of his. As it is but one family of faints that is in heaven and earth, Eph. iii. 15.; fo it is but one family of finners that is in hell and on earth. There fore thofe here are declared children of hell, as well as thofe that are there, Matth. xxiii. 15. of the devil, John viii. 44. So men dying unregenerate, go to their own place, Acts i. 25.; and though they change their place, they change not their fociety, being gathered with thofe in death, in fociety with whom they lived. 2dly, But only they are in different circumstances. (1.) The ftate of the one is alterable, as of thofe who are upon a trial; of the other unalterable, as thofe on whom a definitive fentence is paffed; this is held forth in the cafe of the rich man and his five brethren, Luke xvi. 25,-28. Those of them here are upon their way in their travel, and may change their route, and go heaven-ward; the other are at their journey's end, and can move no more from their place.

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(2.) So the cafe of the one is not without hope, but that of the other abfolutely hopelefs. They are both prifoners; but the one are prifoners of hope, Zech. ix. 12.; but the earth with her bars is about the other for ever. There is a gulf fixed between heaven and them, impaffable. Here they are in darknefs indeed, but it is not outer darkness, as in the cafe of the damned. Here the voice of the turtle is heard, but there nothing but yelling.

(3.) And lastly, Here they lie in wickedness with fome eafe and pleasure; there they lie in it with none at all. Their pleasurable fins are there at an end, Rev.