This is a powerful couple of paragraphs from George Whitefield's sermon, "Christ the Believer's Husband" The full sermon text can be found here. http://www.biblebb.com/files/whitefield/gw012.htm
And why are ye so wedded to the world? Did it ever prove faithful or
satisfactory to any of its votaries? Has not Solomon reckoned up the sum
total of worldly happiness? And what does it amount to? "Vanity, vanity,
saith the preacher, all is vanity," nay he adds, "and vexation of spirit."
And has not a greater than Solomon informed us, that a man's life, the
happiness of a man's life, doth not consist in the things which he
possesseth? Besides, "know ye not that the friendship of this world is
enmity with God; so that whosoever will be a friend to the world, (to the
corrupt customs and vices of it) is an enemy of God?" And what better
reasons can you give for being wedded to your lusts? Might not the poor
slaves in the galleys, as reasonably be wedded to their chains? For do not
your lusts fetter down your souls from God? Do they not lord it, and have
they not dominion over you? Do not they say, Come, and ye come; Go, and ye
go; Do this, and ye do it? And is not he or she that liveth in pleasure,
dead, whilst he liveth? And above all, how can ye bear the thoughts of
being wedded to the devil, as every natural man is: for thus speaks the
scripture, "He now ruleth in the children of disobedience." And how can ye
bear to be ruled by one, who is such a professed open enemy to the most
high and holy God? Who will make a drudge of you, whilst you live, and be
your companion in endless and extreme torment, after you are dead? For thus
will our Lord say to those on the left hand, "Depart from me, ye cursed,
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
Thanks to Aaron Armstrong at Blogging Theologically for pointing me to this sermon.
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