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I. A GOOD MAN MAY MAKE USE OF THE WORLD.

1. The persons of the world.

2. The things of the world, for they are his own: "All things are yours." It is an incivility and unthankfulness not to make use of a gift, and the things of this world are God's gift. We are all travellers to another country, so far therefore as things are necessary for our journey, we may make use thereof.

II. BUT WE MUST USE THE WORLD AS THOUGH WE USED IT NOT. As wicked men do use the things of God, and of the other world, so a good man should use the things of this world. A wicked man prays as if he prayed not, and hears as if he heard not, because his mind is upon other things. "Set your affections on things that are above." As good men are where they yet are not, namely in heaven, so they are not where they now are, namely on earth, for your conversation is in heaven. The things of this world are but to serve a purpose, and are not to be enjoyed for themselves. Clothes are but to cover nakedness; meat and drink but to serve hunger and thirst; only God is to be enjoyed; therefore why should we not use the world as ii we used it not? And then the world uses us as if it used us not, and cares for us as if it cared not for us.

III. WHAT ARE THOSE PARTICULAR CONCERNMENTS WHEREIN WE ARE TO USE THE WORLD AS IF WE USED IT NOT?

1. Our relations (ver. 29). Be as zealous for the truth and as ready to suffer for the cause of Christ as if you had none.

2. Grief (ver. 20). It is lawful to grieve, but we must not weep too much, or otherwise it will argue that we have too much love to the world. If we are to "rejoice in the Lord evermore," then surely we are to weep as if we wept not.

3. Joy. Why should I joy much in that which I cannot enjoy? God only is to be enjoyed. There is a crack in the finest crystal.

4. Our possessions (ver. 30). How can a man be patient in the loss of things if he be not weaned from them while he hath them. And if good men have greater possessions to mind, and they cannot intensively mind both, then surely they must so possess, as if they possessed not.

IV. WHAT IS THERE IN THESE REASONS OF THE APOSTLE THAT MAY ,ENFORCE THE EXHORTATION?

1. The time is short. We have a great business to do, and but little time to do it in. If a citizen go into the country about some business that concerns his life, will he run up and down to catch butterflies, when all his time is but little enough for to do his business in?

2. The fashion of this world, it is but a piece of pageantry, a stage — one goes off and another comes on. As that is a fashion to-day which was not yesterday, that is a fashion to-day which is none to-morrow; so the fashion of the world passeth away. Will you instance a natural, civil, sinful, religious, or comfortable fashion of the world that does not pass away?

V. WHEN MAY A MAN BE SAID SO TO USE THE WORLD AS IF HE USED IT NOT? When a man so uses the world as to walk with God in the use thereof: when one man walks with another he turns as he turns; so when a man walks with God in the world, he turns as God turns. When God calls to joy, he joys; when God calls to grief, he grieves, &c.

VI. SUPPOSE I DO NOT USE THE WORLD AS IF I USED IT NOT, WHAT THEN?

1. You do want this character of a good man.

2. You are not dead to the world, and if not dead to the world, then not dead with Christ.

3. You are defiled by the world.

4. Your hearts will reproach you when you come to die.

5. You cannot more prejudice the thing you love, nor wrong yourselves more, than by loving it too much. A man leans upon a slender stick, and both breaks the stick and runs it into his hand.

VII. WHAT SHALL WE DO THAT WE MAY GET OUR HEARTS INTO THIS GRACIOUS AND HOLY FRAME? Note —

1. What that man does that uses the world as if he used it not.

(1) He will be sure to use grace in the use of the world.

(2) He will be ready to give up that part of the world unto God wherein his affections are most engaged.

(3) He will stand at a distance from the world, in the getting as well as in the keeping.

(4) He will not place his religion in a morning and in an evening duty, but in his walking with God in his place.

2. The means.

(1) Labour to possess your hearts much with God's all-sufficiency (Psalm 62:10, 11).

(2) Look upon the world with the prospective of the Scripture, not with the world's multiplying glass.

(3) Never fall in love with any condition for itself, but for the good of the condition.

(4) Take all God's alarums of death, and mingle those with the consideration of the death of Christ, and then you will die to the world.

(5) Afford the world and the things thereof, so much of your love, as better things do leave.

(6) Let the name of the Lord be very precious in your hearts and in your eyes.

(7) Go to the Lord and beg of the Lord to fulfil His promises.

(8) Consider what a good thing it is to use this world as if we used it not. Thereby —

(a) You shall be able to want and to part with the world with ease: "I know how to want," saith Paul, and "I know how to abound."(b) You shall have more of the world, and have it in a better edition, in a better impression, for it will be sanctified unto you.

(c) you shall have that which is better than all, the mind of Christ.

(W. Bridge, M. A.)

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KJV: And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.

WEB: and those who use the world, as not using it to the fullest. For the mode of this world passes away.