and desponding when God recalls the
good He has given? this is to be worldly-minded.

Look not about for the world as some vast and gigantic evil far
off--its temptations are close to you, apt and ready, suddenly offered
and subtle in their address. Try to bring down the words of Scripture
to common life, and to recognize the evil in which this world lies, in
your own hearts.

When our Saviour comes, He will destroy this world, even His own work,
and much more the lusts of the world, which are of the evil one; then
at length we must lose the world, even if we cannot bring ourselves to
part with it now. And we shall perish with the world, if on that day
its lusts are found within us. "The world passeth away, and the lust
thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

[1] 1 John ii. 15.

[2] John ii. 15, 16.

SERMON IV.

The Praise of Men.

"_They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God._"--John
xii. 43.

This is spoken of the chief rulers of the Jews, who, though they
believed in Christ's Divine mission, were afraid to confess Him, lest
they should incur temporal loss and shame from the Pharisees. The
censure passed by St. John on these persons is too often applicable to
Christians at the present day; perhaps, indeed, there is no one among
us who has not at some time or other fallen under it. We love the good
opinion of the world more than the approbation of Him who created us,
redeemed us, has regenerated us, and who still preserves to us the
opportunity of preparing ourselves for His future presence. Such is
too often the case with us. It is well we should be aware that it is
so; it is well we should dwell upon it, and that we should understand
and feel that it is wrong, which many men do not.

Now it is an obvious question, Why is it wrong to love the praise of
men? For it may be objected, that we are accustomed to educate the
young by means of praise and blame; that we encourage them by kind
words _from us_, that is, from man; and punish them for disobedience.
If, then, it may be argued, it is right to regard the opinions of
others concerning us in our youth, it cannot be in itself wrong to pay
attention to it at any other period of life. This is true; but I do
not say that the mere love of praise and fear of shame are evil: regard
to the corrupt world's praise or blame, this is what is sinful and
dangerous. St. John, in the text, implies that the praise o