“Go and take of your earthly pleasures if you will–you will never fiind your heart satisfied with them. There will always be a voice within, crying, like a leech in Proverbs 30:15 ‘Give! Give!’ There is an empty place there, which nothing God can fill. You will find, as Solomon did by experience, that earthly pleasures are but a meaningless show–promising contentment but bringing a dissatisfaction of spirit–gold plated caskets, exquisite on the outside, but full of ashes and corruption within. Be wise in your youth. Write the word “poison” on all earthly pleasures. The most lawful of them must be used in moderation. All of them are soul-destroying if you give them your heart.”
- J.C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, p.41-42
