Grasping for the World

In reading the "Memoir and Remains of R.M. M'CHEYNE" I was struck by the vivid imagery and concern that is found in a poem that he wrote upon hearing that a family friend had said, "that she was determined to keep by the world".

"She has chosen the world,
And its paltry crowd;
She has chosen the world,
And its endless shroud!
She has chosen the world,
With its misnamed pleasures;
She has chosen the world,
Before heaven's own treasures.

She hath launched her boat
On life's giddy sea,
And her all is afloat
For eternity.
But Bethlehem's star
Is not in her view;
And her aim is far
From the harbour true.

When the storm descends
From an angry sky,
Ah! where from the winds
Shall the vessel fly?
When stars are concealed,
And rudder gone,
And heaven is sealed
To the wandering one.

The whirlpool opes
For the gallant prize;
And, with all her hopes,
To the deep she hies!
But who may tell
Of the place of woe,
Where the wicked dwell,
Where the worldlings go?

For the human heart
Can ne'er conceive
What joys are the part
Of them who believe
Nor can justly think
Of the cup of death
Which all must drink
Who despise the faith.

Away, then-oh, fly
From the joys of earth!
Her smile is a lie-
There's a sting in her mirth.
Come, leave the dreams
Of this transient night,
And bask in the beams
Of an endless light.

Truly, what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?