scenery_ of this world," a dramatic expression,
drawn from the Grecian stage. One of the deepest of modern thinkers
has told us in words often quoted, "All the world's a stage." And a
deeper thinker than he, because inspired, had said long before in the
similar words of the text, "the _scenery_ of this world passeth away."

There are two ways in which this is true. First, it is true with
respect to all the things by which we are surrounded. It is only in
poetry--the poetry of the Psalms for example--that the hills are
called "everlasting." Go to the side of the ocean which bounds our
country, and watch the tide going out, bearing with it the sand which
it has worn from the cliffs; the very boundaries of our land are
changing; they are not the same as they were when these words were
written. Every day new relationships are forming around us; new
circumstances are calling upon us to act--to act manfully, firmly,
decisively, and up to the occasion, remembering that an opportunity
once gone is gone for ever. Indulge not in vain regrets for the past,
in vainer resolves for the future--act, act in the present.

Again, this is true with respect to ourselves. "The fashion of this
world passeth away" in us. The feelings we have now are not those
which we had in childhood. There has passed away a glory from the
earth--the stars, the sun, the moon, the green fields have lost their
beauty and significance--nothing remains as it was, except their
repeated impressions on the mind, the impressions of time, space,
eternity, colour, form; these cannot alter, but all besides has
changed. Our very minds alter. There is no bereavement so painful, no
shock so terrible, but time will remove or alleviate. The keenest
feeling in this world time wears out at last, and our minds become
like old monumental tablets which have lost the inscription once
graven deeply upon them.

In conclusion, we have to examine the nature of this Christian
unworldliness which is taught us in the text. The principle of
unworldliness is stated in the latter portion of the text; in the
former part the apostle makes an application of the principle to four
cases of life. First, to cases of domestic relationship--"it remaineth
that they that have wives be as though they had none." Secondly, to
cases of sorrow--"and they that weep as though they wept not."
Thirdly, to cases of joy--"and they that rejoice as though they
rejoiced not.