'Voices From The Past' Vol. 1 — December 21

The love of Christ and the love of the world cannot lodge together in one heart. These are two masters, ruling by contrary laws. When the love of the world entered into Judas, it is said that the devil entered him. It shows gross hypocrisy for men to labour to bring God and the world together. When the world takes possession of the heart, it becomes a traitor to God. It makes us unfaithful in our callings. Put the world in its place, under your feet. It is not the world simply that draws our hearts from God, but the love of the world. Earthly things are good in themselves and were given to us to sweeten our passage to heaven. Do not bring a false report upon the earthly. The problem is in loving it too much. Use it as a servant all your days, but not as your master, and it will comfort you. It is not the world that hurts us, but setting our hearts upon it. When God should be in our hearts, our spirits are drunk with the cares below. When once a man's heart is set upon the world, he breaks with God to satisfy a lust. If we love earthly things we become base and earthly. Our affections declare what we really are. He that loves the world also brings it into the church with him. Labour then, for faith that you may overcome the world. If God is our shepherd, we are sure to lack nothing. We should let our affections run the right way. I beseech you, let us prize the favour of God above all that the earth affords. So what if we endure hardness here! Since Christ left heaven to suffer for us, shall we not be willing to suffer some straits for him? Faith sees a greater good in Christ than in all earthly treasures. A heavenly focus makes heaven become present to us, and allows us to find sufficiency in the worst estate upon earth.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Devotional Readings 'Voices From The Past Vol.1.'
Richard Sibbes, Works, VII:412-413
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