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384 A SERMON ON JAMES iv. 4. faith of a servant: he does not fear GOD and work righteousness. 13. But for what reason is the friendship of the world so absolutely prohibited? Why are we so strictly required to abstain from it? For two general reasons: first, because it is a sin in itself: secondly, because it is attended with most dreadful consequences. First, It is a sin in itself: and indeed a sin of no common die. According to the oracles of GOD, friendship with the world is no less than spiritual adultery. All who are guilty of it are addressed by the Holy Ghost in those terms, Ye adulterers and adulteresses. It is plainly violating of our marriage-contract with GOD: by loving the creature more than the Creator. In flat contradiciton to that kind command, My son, give me they heart. 14. It is a sin of the most heinous nature, as not only implying ignorance of GOD, and forgetfulness of him, or inattention to him, but positive enmity against GOD. It is openly, palpably such. Know ye not, says the apostle, can ye possible be ignorant of this so plain, so undeniable a truth, that the friendship of the world is enmity against GOD? Nay, and how terrible is the inference which he draws from hence? Therefore whosoever will be a friend of the world (the words properly rendered are, Whosoever desireth to be a friend of the world,) of the men who know not GOD, whether he attain it or no, is, ipso facto, (in the very attempt) constituted an enemy of GOD. This very desire, whether successful or not, gives him a right to that appellation. 15. And as it is a sin, a very heinous sin in itself, so it is attended with the most dreadful consequences. It frequently entangles men again in the commission of those sins from which they were clean escaped. It generally makes them partakers of other men's sins, even those which they do not commit themselves. It gradually abates their abhorrence and dread of son in general, and thereby prepares them for falling an easy prey to any strong temptation. It lays them open to all those sins of omission, whereof their worldly ac- quaintance 385 A SERMON ON JAMES iv. 4. quaintance are guilty. It insensibly lessons their exactness in private prayer, in family-duty, in fasting, in attending public service, and partaking of the Lord's supper. The indifference of those that are near them, with respect to all these, will gradually influence them: even if they say not one word, (which is hardly to be supposed) to recommend their own practice, yet their example speaks, and is many times of more source than any other language. By this ex-ample they are unavoidably betrayed, and almost continual-ly, into unprofitable, yea, and uncharitable conversation, till they no longer set a watch before their mouth, and keep the door of their lips, till they can join in backbiting, tale-bearing and evil-speaking, without any check of conscience, having so frequently grieved the Holy Spirit of GOD, that he no longer reproves them for it: insomuch that their dis-course is not now, as formerly, seasoned with salt, and meet to minister grace to the hearers. 16. But these are not all the deadly consequences that re-sult from familiar intercourse with unholy men. It not on-ly hinders them from ordering their conversation aright, but directly tends to corrupt the heart. It tends to create or in-crease in them, all that pride and self-sufficiency, all that fretfulness to resent: yea, every irregular passion and wrong disposition which are indulged by their companions. It gently leads them into habitual self-indulgence, and unwil-lingness to deny themselves; into unreadiness to bear or take up any cross; into a softness and delicacy; into evil shame, and the fear of man that brings numberless snares. It draws them back into the love of the world, into foolish and hurt-ful desires, into the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life, till they are swallowed up in them. So that in the end, the last state of these men is far worse than the first. 17. If the children of GOD will connect themselves with the men of the world, though the latter should not endea-vour to make them like themselves, (which is a supposition by no means to be made) yea, though they should neither design nor desire it; yet they will actually do it, whether 3 C they
