2. As he must know himself and what a wretch he is, so he must know the world and what an empty thing it is. Cain did see himself, but saw not the emptiness of this world; therefore, instead of going to God by Christ, he went to the world, and there did take him up to his dying day. (Gen 4:16) The world is a great snare to the soul, even to the souls of awakened sinners, because of its big looks and the fair promises that it makes to those that will please entertain it. It will also make it seem as though it could do as much to quiet the spirit as either a sermon, Bible, or preacher. Yeah, and it has its followers ready at its heels continually to blow its applause abroad, saying, 'Who will show us any [other] good?' (Psa 4:6) and though 'this their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings.' (Psa 49:13) So that unless a man, under some awakenings, sees the emptiness of the world, he will take up the good things thereof and not come to God by Christ. There are many now in hell that can seal this for truth. It was the world that awakened Cain, Judas, and Demas. Yea, Balaam, though he had some kind of vision of God, was kept by the world from coming to him aright. See with what earnestness the young man in the gospel came to Jesus Christ, and that for eternal life. He ran to him, kneeled down to him, and asked, before a multitude, 'Good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?' (Mark 10:17-24) And yet, when he was told he could not come, the world soon stepped between that life and him and persuaded him to take up with itself; and so, for all we know, he never looked after life more.
Four things in the world have a tendency to lull an awakened man asleep if God also makes him not afraid of the world.
(1.) There is the bustle and number of the world that will call a man off from looking after the salvation of his soul. This is intimated by the parable of the thorny ground. (Luke 8:14) Worldly cumber is a devilish thing; it will hurry a man from his bed without prayer to a sermon, and from it again without prayer; it will choke prayer, it will choke the Word, it will choke convictions, it will choke the soul, and cause that awakening shall be to no saving purpose.
(2.) There is the friendship of this world, to which, if a man is not mortified, there is no coming for him to God by Christ. And a man can never be mortified by it unless he sees the emptiness and vanity of it. Whoever makes himself a friend of this world is the enemy of God. And how, then, can he come to him through Christ? (James 4:4)
(3.) There are the terrors of the world; if a man stands in fear of them, he also will not come to God by Christ. The fear of man brings a snare. How many have, in all ages, been kept from coming to God aright by the terrors of the world? Yea, how many are there to one's thinking who have almost got to the gates of heaven and have been scared and driven quite back again by nothing but the terrors of this world? This is that which Christ so cautioned his disciples about, for he knew it was a deadly thing. Peter also bids the saints to beware of this as something very destructive. (Luke 12:4-6, 1 Peter 3:14,15)
(4.) There is also the glory of the world, an absolute hindrance to convictions and awakenings, to wit, honors, and greatness, and preferments: 'How can ye believe,' said Christ, 'which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only.' (John 5:44) If therefore a man is not in his affections crucified to these, it will keep him from coming to God aright.
