But the difficulty reaches much further back than Cowper’s time. It is in fact as old as the human heart, for it is part and parcel of it, so that 1800 years ago the Church of Christ required the same warning that it does now, and the Apostle Paul gave the inspired caution: ‘Be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ The word ‘transformed’ is alone sufficient to show the deep-seated character of the evil, for it proves that nothing less than a transformation is required to enable us to overcome it. Let human nature go on unchanged, and the result will be conformity to the world. The world and the love of it are in the natural heart, and, unless there is a change, there is sure to be worldly-mindedness in the life. THE WORLD. BEFORE we can understand what is meant by conformity to the world, we must first see clearly what is meant by the world itself. There seem to be three senses in which the word is employed in Scriptures. (1.) It is used to express _all mankind_. I cannot doubt that this is the meaning of our blessed Saviour in those memorable words of His: ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ I have heard a limitation put on that passage, and seen ‘the world’ explained as meaning only the elect. But such an interpretation I believe to be contrary to Scripture. The expression ‘the world’ is constantly used for those who are not amongst the elect, but never, I believe, for those that are; besides which, the eighteenth verse of the chapter seems to me to prove conclusively that both classes, viz., those who believe, and those who do not, are here included in the one comprehensive term, ‘the world.’ The words are, ‘He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God:’ showing, as I cannot but think, beyond a possibility of contradiction, that those who perish and those who are saved are included in the world, which God loved in His deep compassion, and for which He gave His only begotten Son. (2.) The world stands for _this earth and __all that belongs to this present life_, _or dispensation_.