The crucifying of the world

2. The next act by which the world is crucified, is, A deep habituated apprehension of its worthlessness and insufficiency. As the opposing world must be taken for an enemy, so the Promising alluring world must be taken, as it is, for an empty thing. The Life and Reign of the world in the unsanctified, lieth first in their too high estimation of it. They think of it as Good, and Good to them, and as a matter of some considerable worth, and though they will say with their tongues that heaven is better, yet all things considered, they take the world to be more suitable to them, and therefore they desire it more. For Heaven is out of sight, and beyond their apprehension and affection, and as they imagine, it is not so certain as the things which they see, and feel, and possess. And therefore they resolve to grasp as much of the creature as they can, and take that which they can get in hand, and then if there be an heaven, they hope they may have their part in it, as well as others. But saving Illumination doth put men into another mind. It makes them see, that the Invisible things are of greater Certainty then the visible; and that a promise without possession, is better security then possession without a promise; and that for the Worth and Goodness, between Eternal things and Temporal, there can be no comparison. If the world would have been content to have kept its place, and to have borrowed all its honour and esteem from God and Glory, ⟨p. 34⟩as the end for which it must be used and regarded, it might then have had the honour of being serviceable to our salvation, and to our Masters work: But seeing it will needs be a competitor with heaven, it thereby disrobeth it self of its glory, and becometh a vile contemptible thing: And so must it be esteemed by all the friends of God. A sound Believer looks on the world, as the world looked on Christ when he hanged on the Cross; not only as a Malefactor, but as a contemptible thing: And as the world esteemeth the Saints themselves to be hypocrites, deceivers, fools, weak, despised, a spectacle to the world, yea as the filth of the world, and the off-scouring of all things: So must the Believer esteem of the world, as seeming to be what it is not, as a weak and insufficient thing, as the [Greek or Hebrew], 1 Cor. 4. 11, 12, 13. the very filth of the streets that is swept away or cast upon the dung-hill:

2. The next act by which the world is crucified, is, A deep habituated apprehension of its worthlesness and insufficiency. As the opposing world must be taken for an enemy, so the Promising alluring world must be taken, as it is, for an empty thing. The Life and Reign of the world in the unsanctified, lieth first in their too high estimation of it. They think of it as Good, and Good to them, and as a matter of some considerable worth, and though they will say with their tongues that heaven is better, yet all things considered, they take the world to be more suitable to them, and therefore they desire it more. For Heaven is out of sight, and beyond their apprehension and affection, and as they imagine, it is not so certain as the things which they see, and feel, and possess. And therefore they resolve to grasp as much of the creature as they can, and take that which they can get in hand, and then if there be an heaven, they hope they may have their part in it, as well as others. But saving Illumination doth put men into another mind. It makes them see, that the Invisible things are of greater Certainty then the visible; and that a promise without possession, is better security then possession without a promise; and that for the Worth and Goodness, between Eternal things and Temporal, there can be no comparison. If the world would have been content to have kept its place, and to have borrowed all its honour and esteem from God and Glory,