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SERMON V.

THE TRANSITORY NATURE OF THE WORLD.

1 COR. vii. 31.

"The fashion of this world passeth away."

THE most cursory reader of the writings of St. Paul can scarcely fail to remark the elevated character of mind which they everywhere manifest. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, he ever rises with the dignity of his subject; and while he grasps ideas more than human, the powers of probably the most powerful language which ever existed, seem to labour in the expression of them. And even where his subject is of an humbler description, the same character of mind is still observable. It appears amid the discussion of topics even of an external nature, and of partial application only, in those magnificent digressions with which he frequently intersperses and enriches them.

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An instance in point is before us. The apostle is engaged in replying to certain queries which had been put to him on the subject of marriage: and while he is conducting this reply with an admirable combination of delicacy and wisdom; while he is granting to every one the liberty of acting in this respect as he shall deem expedient in his own particular case; he suddenly breaks out into that striking digression, of which the text forms a part, and which contains advice of the utmost importance to all. As to the particular line of conduct which you may pursue with regard to the subject in question, the choice is left to your own discretion: "But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away."

In discoursing on the words which close this passage; words these on which, in the recent death of her late royal highness the Princess Augusta, the providence of Almighty God has given us so affecting a comment; it is simply my object to consider,

I. The truth stated in them; and,

II. The practical application to be made of it.

I. With regard to the term world, it were easy to show that in the scriptural, as well as the common use of it, it has a very extensive signification: nor is there any sufficient reason for concluding that this signification is to be limited in the passage before us. And as for the word here translated fashion, "the fashion of this world. passeth away," it may mean the external appearance, which the world presents to our view. If, too, we suppose that this term refers, as some conceive, to the rapidly shifting scenery of a theatre; or, as others conjecture, to the splendours of a procession, which passes in review before you, and is quickly out of sight it will undoubtedly serve to express more emphatically that transitory nature of everything connected with this world, which, however, was clearly the leading idea that filled the mind of the apostle.

That the fashion of this world passeth away, will appear if we turn our attention to the honours of this world, its dignities and grandeur, the applause and approbation of men, that worldly glory which is the great object of pursuit with the ambitious. There is nothing which the world has to present to our view of a more splendid

nature than this: but of this what saith the Scripture? "All the glory of man is as flower of grass," or of any herb or plant. plant. "The grass, or herb, withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away.” (1 Pet. i. 24.) The flower of any plant is of a still more transient nature than the plant itself. How generally from a variety of causes does a flower perish, before the plant on which it grew at all events it must perish with it. And thus it is with all worldly dignities and grandeur. How often are they lost, before the person who possessed them is called away by death! At all events they must terminate with that call. And the greater the splendour and elevation which attached to such dignities and distinction, we are only taught with the still greater emphasis their vanity and transitory

nature.

But with regard to the wealth of this world, here you will say there is something of a more solid and substantial description, something on which a man may rationally repose a confidence, something which the rich man may well regard as "his strong city." (Prov. x. 15.) And yet the Scriptures give no ground for such a preference. St. James, indeed, describes the rich man, and his wealth, in terms entirely equivalent to those in

which St. Peter spoke of the honours of this world. Of the rich he says, that "as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways." He must leave his wealth when he dies: he may be deprived of it long before. A very little observation, indeed, of what passes around us, may be sufficient to convince us of the excellence of the advice given by the wise man, and of the truth of the position on which he founds it: "Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle towards heaven." (Prov. xxiii. 4, 5.)

To show the transitory nature of the pleasures of this world, it might suffice to make our appeal to the testimony of those, who regard them as the object of their idolatry. "Let us eat and drink," say they, "for to-morrow we die.” (1 Cor. xv. 32.) They acknowledge, we see, that death may strip them of their boasted pleasures to-morrow; and that if they do not seize them at once, they may lose them for ever. It should, however, be added, that it is to allow far too much to suppose gene