How Long Will Ye Love Vanity?
Vanity represents the light, changeable, carnal, and fading things of time. Upon these things the natural heart is set, around them the unsanctified affections gather. What a vanity it is to prefer human friendship to divine, earthly riches to heavenly, carnal honors to spiritual, and the pleasures of a day to the joys of eternity! Vanity appears in the intoxicating cup, the gay and costly attire, and trifling with Sabbath hours. Surely every man walketh in a vain show, like an actor on the stage, and displays the most consummate folly. Reader! are you in love with vanity? Do you love that which leads from God, keeps him out of thought, and binds you down to earth? This is vanity: how long will you love it? You have been doing so for years, though warned, convinced, and having promised to reform. You are doing so now, though mortality is at work within you, and eternity is within a step of you. You love vanity, when you may obtain mercy, enjoy peace with God, receive sanctifying grace, and walk in the way to heaven. “How long will ye love vanity?” Until some sudden stroke take you away, or some affliction put you beyond the reach of mercy, or God's Spirit cease to strive with you, or Satan fill your heart as he did the heart of Judas, or God laugh at your calamity? How long? No longer! so angels would say, so saints would say, so ministers would say, so the Saviour would say, and so God your Creator would say, who asks you, “Why will you die?” Will you carefully consider this question, and give the Lord an answer? Will you tell him why you prefer death to life, sin to holiness, and Satan to himself? “They that observe lying vanities, forsake their own mercies.”—Jonah ii. 8.—Sel.