He has not only much to learn; but he has also a great deal to _unlearn_: he is to forget, and lay aside his own spirit, which has been a long while fixing and forming itself; he must forget and depart from abundance of passions and opinions, which the _fashion_, and _vogue_, and spirit of the world, have made natural to him. He must lay aside the opinions and passions which he has received from the world; because the vogue and fashion of the world, by which we have been carried away, as in a _torrent_, before we could pass right judgments of the value of things, is utterly contrary to _humility_. The devil is called, in scripture, the prince of this world; because he has great power in it, because many of its rules and principles are invented by this evil spirit, to separate us from God, and prevent our return to happiness. Now, according to the _spirit_ of this world, whose corrupt air we have all breathed, there are many things that pass for _great_, and _honourable_, and _desirable_, which yet are so far from being so, that the _true greatness_ and honour of our nature consists in the not desiring them. To abound in wealth, to have fine houses and rich cloaths, to be attended with splendour and equipage, to be beautiful in our persons, to have titles of dignity, to be above our fellow creatures, to command the bows and obeisance of other people, to be looked on with admiration, to subdue all that oppose us, to set out ourselves in as much splendour as we can, to live highly and magnificently, to eat and drink, and delight ourselves in the most costly manner, these are the _great_, the _honourable_, the _desirable_ things, to which the _spirit_ of the world turns the eyes of all people. And many a man is afraid of not engaging in the pursuit of them, lest the world should take him for a _fool_. 10. The history of the gospel, is chiefly the history of Christ’s _conquest_ over this _spirit_ of the world. And the number of true Christians, is only the number of those who, following the _Spirit_ of Christ, have lived _contrary_ to the spirit of the world. _If any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his._ Again, _Whosoever is born of God, overcometh the world. Set your affections on things above, and not on things of the earth; for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God._ This is the language of the whole New Testament. This is the _mark_ of Christianity; you are to be _dead_, that is, dead to the _spirit_ and _temper_ of the world, and live a new life in the _Spirit_ of Jesus Christ. But notwithstanding the plainness of these doctrines, most Christians live and die slaves to the _customs_ and _tempers_ of the world. How many people swell with _pride_ and _vanity_, for such things as they would not value at all, but that they are admired in the world?