What a vain world it is!

by Whitmore Winslow, written at the age of 14
 

James 4:4, "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God."

What a fallen creature is man! Day by day calls forth more hidden depravity of his heart; and yet his whole affections are set upon the very object which is fostering and encouraging that depravity. His great ambition is to win the approbation of the world; a world that slew the King of kings; a world full of sin and sorrow, the medium by which Satan endeavors to blind the eyes of men.

And yet, after all, what a vain world it is!

It promises much, but realizes nothing.

The more we expect pleasure, the more are we disappointed in it.

Oh, what would man be, if instead of seeking the friendship and the love of a dying world, he would seek that of Jehovah!

And yet how prone are we to lament when we are frowned upon by the world. If we did not seek its smiles, we would not mind its frowns. But the more we are delighted at the world's praise, the more are we discomforted and made unhappy by its disapprobation.

But take the world as a whole; what is it? A speck in the universe; a ball floating in the air, surrounded by other worlds greater and more magnificent than itself.

Shall we love the world which hated and scorned, and ultimately slew our beloved Redeemer?