The Wilmingtonian., 1824-01-29
rou THE wILMIsGroNIAs.
VAIN PURSUITS OF MANKIND,

gain the WHOLE womb, and lose his own souL
|Or what shall a man give in exchange for his own
soul" MARK. 8. Sc, 81
When weighed in the balances of the sane.
|uary, how trang and unimportant do the thingsl
Iottime and sense appear; and when eternal re
alities lie with their due weight and importance
ION the mind, the christian dscerns vanity antI
Ivexaton OF spirit, inscribed on every terrestria
lobiect, and wonders that the concerns of this
world, should so much engross his affections andl
Iattention, especially when he sees thousands oil
Ibis fellow creatures eagerly pursuing an imagin
larry object, and supposing they have almost al
tanned the summit of human happiness, but Will
lust catching at the phantom, it eludcs theii
grasp; and in mixed sensations OF disappointment
and vexa,ion, they excaim "who will shew II.
any good /" If contemplate few of the diff
|frrent objects of pursuit which are proposed b
our fellow mortals, the gaining Of which the!
falsely imagine, will ensure to them happiness
I'VE shall find by examination, how awful'y TIN
are deceived by the grand enemy of fhuman soul,
Whence that anxious solciude which is depio
ed in the cnuntenances of many, whose whole
Thoughts and attention, are engaged in the acqn.
|stion of wealth In order 10 add little to the
,|heap of shining dust, they rise up early, sit up
late, eat the bread of sorrows, and drink the wn
Inf carefullness." Riches may indeed, be called
their God, inasinucli as all their hopes and en-
Iioyments concentrate in being the posscssors OF
Them, and in daily increasing their store. Lister
I've poor grovelng creatures to the words of thai
Il Icon, who cannot lie: SHOW hard is it for then
THAT trust in riches to enter into the kngdon
Iof Cod 1t is easier for camel to go through tht
|eye of needle. than for a rich man to ent r I'M
1.-THE Kingdom Of God! They that will be rich, ia
Into the temptation and a snare, and into mani
foolish and hurtfuI lusts which drown men in elf
s,ruction and perdition. For the love of none
lis the root of all evil" Do We not remember tlt
well known adage, /. Riches take to ,hemsels
wings and fly away" But granting YOU have a.
vour hearts desire: that riches are poured in You
lap in most copious manner; and you coniinn'
: o be the possessors of them, during your morta
existence; yet, rehect-as soon as death receive
a|his commands; he neither regards age or cond
ton in life, but strikes his fatal dart at the hear
(which never ceases to perform its appointed Of
lice When this is the case you must immedl
lately bid an eternal farewell to every thing OF
WORLDLY nature, for " we brought nothing into tn
!! world and it is certain we can carry nothing OH
of it." How sinful how inconsiderate then; I
permit all your affections to be engaged. and pre-
cious time employed, in seeking the riches G
This world, while the true riches are neglectr
! land forgotten. Pray attend to the voice of wis
dom; Those that seek me early shall find mf
Riches and honour are with me, yea durabl
riches, and righteousness. My fruit is better tina
gold, yea than fine gold, and my revenue tina
, lchoice silver"
Honour and ambition are the objects which a,
1.-The pursuit of thousands of our fellow men, TT
hope that they may attain the height ct huma
lrrandeur, the applause and esteem of morta
like themselves, that their heroic deeds may
recorded in the pages of history, that their nam,
may be immortazed by the trump of fame; ar
a branded down to posterity as warriors and CO.
l1uerors They encounter innumerable difiic,
les and DANGERS and even bid defiance TO dealt
The King of Tcrrors, to accomplish their end. ~
: alas when appearing before the bar of God,
what avail to any human being will be all his w.
like achievements, even if they have equall'
y those of Alexander the Great, or if his intrip
bravery, and the success which has crowned b
various enterprises he has been made the Emp
rnr of the world The language of the pio
DR.. Warts on such supposition, is excellent al
appropriate:
"Were Ipossessor of the earth,
], And call'd the stars my own,
Without Thy graces and thyseif,
"a were wretch undone."
Others are seeking enjoyment in the indulgen
of the sensual appetite and abusing the gifts
Divine Providence, in an improper and immod'
ate use of hem thereby sinking themselves b
J., meath the level of the brute creation. 1t wou
be morally impossible to mention the numberl'
objects of imaginary happiness, which are ct
>, stanlly pursued with aridity, assidulty, and p
- severence by our dcuded fellow creatures. Tli
do MANY of the human race, waste the whole
that small portion Of time allotted to man in Il
world in the pursuit of the shadow, to the ent
neglect of the substance-Untl too late, they s
their error; and are led from woeful experier
to cxclaim with Solomon, "vanity of vanties,
is vanity and vexation of spirit" What Christ
(by Christian mean one who is possessor
tIraL religion that religion that renews
heart, changes the bias of the affections, and LEI
them into spiritual channel: influences the
and conduct, actions and conversation) say wi
lChris,ian who sees his fellow man SO cage
seeking the baubles of this world, while the ct
nal realities Off future state, and the concerns
lhc soul, are entirely forgMten, but feels co