Gospel-conversation

Thirdly, Surely it is a very unbeseeming disposition in one that is under the Kingdom of Christ to be worldly: for he is appointed to be one that shall judge the world another day, In 1 Cor. 6. 2. The Saints shall judge the world. Now there should be a great deal of difference between Judges, and those that are judged by them: if they be of the same disposition that the world is, why should any be chosen out of the world to judge them? Now all the Saints if they do believe themselves to be brought into the Kingdom of Christ, they should look upon themselves as those that are appointed by God hereafter to judge the whole world, and therefore they should not live so as the men of the world do, but as Judges, very precisely and strictly according to rule.

Thirdly, Surely it is a very unbeseeming disposition in one that is under the Kingdom of Christ to be worldly: for he is appointed to be one that shall judge the world another day, In 1 Cor. 6. 2. The Saints shall judge the world. Now there should be a great deal of difference between Judges, and those that are judged by them: if they be of the same disposition that the world is, why should any be chosen out of the world to judge them? Now all the Saints if they do beleeve themselves to be brought into the Kingdom of Christ, they should look upon themselves as those that are appointed by God hereafter to judge the whol world, and therefore they should not live so as the men of the world do, but as Judges, very precisely and strictly according to rule.

4ly It is required of them that they should hate their own lives in this world, John, 12. 15. Now if the Saints should be such as should see so much excellency in the Kingdom of Christ as to hate their very lives in this world, then surely to look upon all things in this world as contemptible as hateful in comparison: it is not meant Hate their lives, that is, Absolutely, but in Comparison: when any comfort or preservation of their lives in this world, comes in the least competition with the furtherance of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ: They should look upon the comforts of their lives as a hateful thing, and look upon the very preservation of their lives as a hateful thing; shall I make my life comfortable with any hindrance unto the Kingdom of Christ? Oh 'tis that that my soul should abhor, and so should I preserve my life with doing any thing that may be any prejudice to the Kingdom of Christ, I should look upon the very suggestion to such a thing as that that my very soul doth abhor, And we find in Scripture that it's made an argument of apostasy, of one that's falling off from the profession of Christ to embrace the world, as it is said of Demas in the 2 of Tim. 4. 10. Demas (saith Paul) hath forsaken me, but what is it that hath made Demas to forsake me? he hath embraced this present world. So look upon many of your Professors of Religion, such us have been very forward in former times, and Oh nothing but Christ in their mouths, they afterward begin to decline, and wax worser and worser, but observe them, they embrace this present world, it is because of some honours and esteem, some comforts, riches, & estates that they would have, or live at ease in this present world, they cannot endure the hatred of the world. So it was with Demas, when he began to hear Paul, he perceived that it was a great excellency to be one of Pauls followers, Paul, he wrought miracles, and Demas (I say) thought it an excellent thing to follow Paul; but after he had followed Paul a while, he found that he was persecuted, and he saw there was no preferment came in by Pauls preaching, nothing but blows and imprisonments;