Who made you to differ from Charles
Spurgeon the fruitless vine It is grace free sovereign grace,
which has made you to differ Should any here, supposing themselves
to be the children of God, imagine that there is some reason in
them why they should have been chosen, let them know that as
yet they are in the dark concerning the first principles of grace,
and have not yet learned the gospel. If ever they had known
the gospel, they would, on the other hand, confess that they
were less than the least, the offscouring of all things, unworthy,
ill-deserving, undeserving, and hell-deserving, and ascribe it
all to distinguishing grace, which has made them to differ,
and to discriminating love, which has chosen them out from the
rest of the world. O Christian, you would have been
a great sinner if God had not made you to differ. O you who
are valiant for truth, you would have been as valiant for the
devil if grace had not laid hold of you. A seat in heaven shall
one day be yours, but a chain in hell would have been yours
if grace had not changed you. You can now sing His love, but
a licentious song might have been on your lips if grace had
not washed you in the blood of Jesus. You are now sanctified. You are quickened. You are justified. But what would you have been
today if it had not been for the interposition of the divine
hand? There is not a crime you might
not have committed. There is not a folly into which
you might not have run. Even murder itself you might
have committed if grace had not kept you. You shall be like the
angels, but you would have been like the devil if you had not
been changed by grace. Therefore, never be proud. All the garments you have are
from above. Rags were your only heritage. Never be proud. Though you now
have a wide domain of grace, you had once not a single thing
to call your own, except your sin and misery. You were now
wrapped up in the golden righteousness of the Saviour, and accepted
in the garments of the Beloved. But you would have been buried
under the black mountain of sin, and clothed with the filthy rags
of unrighteousness, if He had not changed you. And are you
proud? Do you exalt yourself? O strange
mystery, that you, who have borrowed everything, should exalt yourself! That you, who have nothing of
your own, but have still to draw upon grace, should be proud? A poor dependent pensioner upon
the bounty of your Saviour, and yet proud? One who has a life
which can only live by fresh streams of life from Jesus, and
yet proud? Go, hang your pride upon the
gallows as high as Haman, hang it there to rot, and you stand
beneath and execrate it to all eternity, for sure of all things
most to be cursed and despised is the pride of a Christian.
He of all men has ten thousand times more reason than any other
to be humble, and walk lowly with his God, and kindly and
humbly toward his fellow-creatures. If God Left Us Thomas Watson
Four Sad Evils 1663 The sins of the ungodly are looking-glasses
in which we may see our own hearts. Do we see a heinous, impious
wretch? Behold a picture of our own hearts.
Such would we be if God left us. What is in wicked men's practice
is in our nature. Sin in the wicked is like fire
which flames and blazes forth. Sin in the godly is like fire
hid in the embers. Christian, though you do not
break forth into a flame of scandalous sin, yet you have no cause to
boast. For there is as much sin in the
embers of your nature. You have the root of all sin
in you. and would bear as hellish fruit as any ungodly wretch if
God did not either curb you by His power or change you by His
grace. Why might not God have left you
to the same excess of wickedness? Think with yourself, O Christian.
Why should God be more merciful to you than to another? Why should
He snatch you as brands plucked out of the fire and not Him?
How should this make you to adore free grace? What the Pharisees
said boastingly, we may say thankfully. God, I thank you that I am not
like other men, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, and so on. If you
are not as wicked as others, we should adore the riches of
free grace. Every time we see men hastening
on in sin, we are to thank God that we are not such. If we see
a crazy person, we thank God that it is not so with us. When
we see another infected with a plague, how thankful are we
that God has preserved us from it. Much more when we see others
under the power of Satan, how thankful we should be that this
is no longer our condition. For we too were once foolish,
disobedient, deceived, Captives of various passions and pleasures,
Living in malice and envy, hateful. We have been admiring our vile
selves. William Mason, the one thing
needful to make poor sinners rich? IN MISERABLE SINNERS HAPPY
I HATE PRIDE IN ARROGANCE PROVERBS 8 VERSE 13 WHAT A MONSTER OF
PRIDE IS MAN! HOW FULL IS THAT CURSED VENOMOUS
HUMAN NATURE! We cannot receive any grace or
blessing from the Lord, but corrupt nature is prone to be proud of
it, and to boast in it. No one is exempt from this. I
appeal to your hearts. I refer to your experience. When
your heart has been enlarged in prayer, when your soul has
been carried out in humblings, meltings, longings, aspirings,
and so on, when you have heard the word with warm affections
and heavenly joy, when your tongue has with sweetness and liberty
talked of Christ to others, when your hand has been stretched
forth to do any good work, now and all these, have ye not found
pride very busy? Have ye not been ready to stroke
yourself with pleasure, and to reflect with delight? Well, now
the Lord loves me indeed. Surely he loves me better, now
that I find myself so holy, and feel myself so heavenly. But
where is our precious Jesus all this while? We have looked at
ourselves until we have lost sight of Him. We have been admiring
our vile selves for our graces, instead of being in raptures
with Christ, who is altogether lovely, in whom all fullness
of grace dwells, and out of whose fullness we receive grace upon
grace. The Lord detests all the proud
of heart. Proverbs 16 verse 5. Satan's apes. Thomas Brooks,
The Unsearchable Riches of Christ. Pride sets itself against the
honor, being, and sovereignty of God. Other sins strike at
the word of God, the people of God, and the creatures of God,
but pride strikes directly at the very being of God. He bears
a special hatred against pride. It was pride which turned angels
into devils. they would be above others in
heaven, and therefore God cast them down to hell. Pride is a
sin which of all sins makes a person most like Satan. Pride is Satan's
disease. Pride is so base a disease that
God had rather see his dearest children to be buffeted by Satan
than that in pride they should be like Satan. Humility makes
a man like to angels, and pride makes an angel a devil. Pride
is worse than the devil, for the devil cannot hurt you until
pride has possessed you. If you would see the devil portrayed
to the life, look upon a proud soul, for his face answers to
face. So does a proud soul answer to
Satan. Proud souls are Satan's apes.
and none imitate him to the life like these, and oh that they
were sensible of it, before it is too late, before the door
of darkness be shut upon them. The Lord detests all the proud
of heart. Be sure of this, they will not
go unpunished. High supercilious thoughts of
yourselves. Thomas Watson, THE DUTY OF SELF-DENIAL,
1675. Vain man would be wise. Job 11,
verse 12. In Hebrew it is empty man. Man
is a proud piece of flesh. He is apt to have a high opinion
of himself. Such as view themselves in the
flattering looking-glass of self-love, appear bigger in their own eyes
than they are. They think their spark is a sun. They think their drop is a sea. That you may deny all high, supercilious
thoughts of yourselves, consider that self-conceit is a great
sin. Chrysostom calls it the mother
of hell. It is a kind of idolatry, a self-worshipping. This should pull down the plumes
of pride and self-conceit. What makes you better than anyone
else? What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if all
you have is from God, why boast as though you have accomplished
something on your own? 1 Corinthians 4 verse 7. Consider
that, whatever noble endowments you have, are borrowed. What
wise man would be proud of a jewel which was lent to him? The moon
has no cause to be proud of her borrowed light. Consider what
a hell of sin you carry about you. Sin is the accursed thing,
Joshua 5, verse 13. It is the quintessence of evil.
It was typified by the menstrual cloth, which was the most unclean
thing under the law. This may demolish all proud imaginations. Do not be proud of your fine
feathers, Thomas Watson, body of divinity. Behold here a sacred
riddle or paradox. God was manifest in the flesh. That man should be made in God's
image was a wonder, but that God should be made in man's image
is a greater wonder. That the Ancient of Days should
be born, that he who thunders in the heavens should cry in
the cradle, that he who rules the stars should suck the breast,
that Christ should be made of a woman, and of that woman which
he himself made. that the mother should be younger
than the child she bore. This is the most astonishing
miracle. God was manifest in the flesh. It's a mystery we shall never
fully understand until we come to heaven, when our light shall
be clear, as well as our love perfect. He humbled himself and
became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Philippians
2 verse 8. God made him who had no sin to
be sin for us. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21 This
was the lowest degree of Christ's humiliation. That Christ, who
would not endure sin in the angels, should endure to have sin imputed
to himself, is the most amazing humility that ever was. Christian, learn to be humble. Do you see Christ humbling himself? And are you proud? It is a humble
saint who is Christ's picture. Christians, do not be proud of
your fine feathers. Have you an estate? Do not be
proud. The earth you tread on is richer
than you. It has mines of gold and silver
in its depth. Have you beauty? Do not be proud. It is but water mingled with
dirt. Have you skill and abilities?
Be humble. Lucifer has more knowledge than
you. Have you grace? Be humble. It is not of your own making.
It was given to you by God. You have more sin than grace,
more spots than beauty. Look on Christ, this rare pattern
of humility, and be humbled. It is a sad sight to see God
humbling himself and man exalting himself, to see a humble Savior
and a proud sinner. God hates the very semblance
of pride. I hate pride and arrogance. Proverbs 8, verse 13. If God, says Augustine, did not
spare the angels when they grew proud, will He spare you who
are but dust and sin? The mother and mistress of all
the sins. J. C. Philpott Pride 1853 I hate
pride and arrogance. Proverbs 8, verse 13 The Lord
detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this, they will not
go unpunished. Proverbs 16, verse 5 Of all sins
pride seems most deeply embedded in the very heart of man. unbelief,
sensuality, covetousness, rebellion, presumption, contempt of God's
holy will and word, deceit and falsehood, cruelty and wrath,
violence and murder, these, and a forest of other sins, have
indeed struck deep roots into the black and noxious soil of
our fallen nature. and interlacing their lofty stems
and gigantic arms, have wholly shut out the light of heaven
from man's benighted soul. But these and their associate
evils do not seem so thoroughly interwoven into the very constitution
of the human heart. nor so to be its very life-blood
is pride. The lust of the flesh is strong,
but there are respites from its workings. Unbelief is powerful,
but there are times when it seems to lie dormant. Covetousness
is ensnaring, but there is not always a bargain to be made or
an advantage to be clutched. These sins differ also in strength
in different individuals. Some seem not much tempted with
the growths or passions of our fallen nature. Others are naturally
liberal and benevolent. And whatever other idol they
may serve, They bend not their knee to the golden calf. But
where lust may have no power, Covetousness no dominion, and
anger no sway, There, down, down in the inmost depths, Heaving
and boiling like the lava in the crater of a volcano, Works
that master's sin, that sin of sin's pride. Pride is a mother
and mistress of all the sins. For where she does not conceive
them in her ever-attaining womb, she instigates their movements
and compels them to pay tribute to her glory. The origin of evil
is hidden from our eyes. Whence it sprang, and why God
allowed it to arise in this fair creation, are mysteries which
we cannot fathom. But thus much is revealed. That
of this mighty fire which has filled hell with sulphurous flame,
and will one day envelop earth and its inhabitants and the general
conflagration, the first spark was pride. Pride is therefore
emphatically the devil's own sin. We will not say his darling
sin, for it is his torment, the serpent which is always biting
him. the fire which is ever consuming him, but it is the sin which
hurled him from heaven, and transformed him from a bright and holy seraph
into a foul and hideous demon. How subtle then and potent must
that poison be, which could in a moment change an angel into
a devil! How black in nature A concentrated
in virulence that venom, one drop of which could utterly deface
the image of God in myriads of bright spirits before the throne,
and degrade them into monsters of uncleanness and malignity. How can I flaunt myself proudly? A Puritan prayer. Merciful Father,
do not let pride swell my heart. My body is made from the mire
beneath my feet, the dust to which I shall return. In body
I am no better than the vilest reptile. Whatever difference
of form and intellect is mine is a free grant of your goodness.
Basis I am as a creature, I am lower as a sinner. Sin's deformity
is stamped upon me, Darkens my brow, touches me with corruption. How can I flaunt myself proudly? Lowest abasement is my due place,
For I am less than nothing before you. Help me to see myself in
your sight, Then pride must wither, decay, die, perish. Humble my heart before you and
replenish it with your choicest gifts. Keep me humble, meek,
lowly. The Lotham Moral Leprosy John
Angel James Christian Love 1828 LOVE DOES NOT BOAST, IT IS NOT
PROUD 1 CORINTHIANS 13 VERSE 4 Pride has a high and overweening
conceit of its own possessions and acquirements, and ostentatiously
boasts of what it is, has done, can do, or intends to do. Pride signifies such an exalted
idea of ourselves as leads to self-esteem and to contempt of
others. Pride is self-admiration, self-doting. Pride is the sin which laid the
moral universe in ruins. Pride is the original sin, the
inherent corruption of our nature. Pride spreads over humanity with
contagious violence. Pride is a loathsome moral leprosy,
raging alike through the palace and the cottage, and infecting
equally the prince and the peasant. Love is no less opposed to vanity
than it is to pride. Pride differs from vanity thus.
Pride causes us to value ourselves. Vanity makes us anxious for applause. Pride renders a man odious. Vanity
makes him ridiculous. Love does not boast of, or ostentatiously
display its possessions, abilities, or good deeds. Love does not
boast. It is not proud. 1 Corinthians
13 verse 4. Pope, Self. J. C. Ryle. The Gospel of Luke. 1858. An argument started among
the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Luke
9.46 Astonishing as it may seem, this little company of fishermen
and publicans was not beyond the plague of a self-seeking
and ambitious spirit. There is something very instructive
in this fact. It ought to sink down deeply
into the heart of every Christian reader. Of all sins, there is
none against which we have such need to watch and pray as pride. No sin is so deeply rooted in
our nature. Pride cleaves to us like our
skin. Its roots never entirely die. They are ready at any moment
to spring up and exhibit a most pernicious vitality. No sin is
so senseless and deceitful. It can wear the garb of humility
itself. Pride can lurk in the hearts
of the ignorant, the vile and the poor, as well as in the minds
of the great, the learned and the rich. It is a quaint and
homely saying, but only too true, that no Pope has ever received
such honour as Pope self. If you are not as wicked as others,
Thomas Brooks, The Unsearchable Riches of Christ, By the grace
of God, I am what I am. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 10. Whatever evil you behold in other
men's practices, realize that you have the same evil in your
own nature. There is the seed of all sins,
of the vilest and worst of sins, in the best of men. When you
see a drunkard, you may see the seed of that sin in your own
nature. When you see an immoral man,
you may see the seeds of immorality in your own nature. If you are
not as wicked as others, it is not because of the goodness of
your nature, but from the riches of God's grace. Remember this,
there is not a worse nature in hell than that which is in you,
and it would manifest itself accordingly if the Lord did not
restrain it. There was one who was a long
time tempted to three horrid sins, to be drunk, to lie with
his mother, and to murder his father. Being a long time followed
with these horrid temptations, at last he thought to get rid
of them by yielding to what he judged the least, and that was
to be drunk. But when he was drunk, he did
both lie with his mother and murdered his father. Why, such
a hellish nature is in every soul that breathes. And did God
leave men to act according to their natures, all men would
be incarnate devils, in this world a total hell. In your nature
you have that that would lead you with the Pharisees to oppose
Christ, and with Judas to betray Christ, and with Pilate to condemn
Christ, and with the soldiers to crucify Christ. Oh, what a
monster, what a devil you would be should God but leave you to
act suitable to that sinful and woeful nature of yours. By the
grace of God, I am what I am. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 10. A rare grace. Thomas Brooks. The legacy of a dying mother.
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in
the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18 verse 4. Humility
is a rare grace. whoever is little in his own
account is always great in God's esteem a humble person looks
upon himself is not worthy of the least mercies with Jacob
Genesis 32 verse 10 as dust and ashes with Abraham Genesis 18
verse 27 and as a poor worm with David Psalm 22 verse 6 And is less than the least of
all saints, with Paul, Ephesians 3 verse 8. The more high in spiritual
worth a person is, the more humble in heart that person is. God
delights to pour grace into humble hearts. Humility makes a person
peaceable among brethren, fruitful in well-doing, cheerful in suffering,
constant in holy walking, precious in the eyes of God. Be humble,
Christians. As ever you would be holy, be
humble. Humility is of the essence of
the new creature. He is not a Christian who is
not humble. The more grace, the more humble. Those who have been most high
in spiritual worth have always been most humble in heart. Humility
does not only entitle to happiness, but to the highest degree of
happiness. Humility is that Jacob's ladder
which reaches from earth to heaven. All of you clothe yourselves
with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud,
but gives grace to the humble. God's Palace Thomas Watson, the
godly man's picture drawn with a scripture pencil. Your boasting
is not good. 1 Corinthians 5 verse 6 Pride
is the greatest sacrilege. It robs God of his glory. What
a horrid sin is pride. Chrysostom calls it the mother
of hell. Pride encompasses all vice. Pride
is a spiritual drunkenness. It flies up like wine into the
brain and intoxicates it. Pride is idolatry. A proud man
is a self-worshipper. How odious is this sin to God! Everyone who is proud and hearted
is an abomination to the Lord. Proverbs 16 verse 5 I hate pride
and arrogance. Proverbs 8 verse 13. Those who
look at themselves in the magnifying mirror of self-love appear better
in their own eyes than they are. There is no idol like self. The proud man bows down to this
idol. Many are proud of their riches.
Their hearts swell with their estates. Pride is a rich man's
cousin. Your heart has become proud because
of your wealth. Ezekiel 28 verse 5. Many are proud of their apparel,
their dress in such fashions as to make the devil fall in
love with them. Painted faces, gaudy attire,
naked breasts, what are these but the banners which sinful
pride displays? Many are proud of their beauty.
The body is but dust and blood kneaded together. Solomon says
beauty is vain, Proverbs 31, verse 30. Yet some are so vain
as to be proud of vanity. Shall dust exalt itself? Many
are proud of their gifts and abilities. These trappings and
ornaments do not approve them in God's eyes. An angel is a
creature of great abilities, but take away humility from an
angel, and he is a devil. God loves a humble soul. It is
not our high birth, but our humble hearts which God delights in. Let us search, if there is any
of this leaven of pride in us. Man is naturally a proud piece
of flesh. This sin of pride runs in the
blood. There are the seeds of this sin of pride in the best
of Christians. But the godly do not allow themselves
in it. They strive to kill this weed
by mortification. But certainly where this sin
of pride reigns and prevails, it cannot stand with grace. You
may as well call him who lacks wisdom a prudent man, as him
who lacks humility a godly man. Clothe yourselves with humility
toward one another, because God opposes the proud, but gives
grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5 verse 5 Put humility
on as an embroidered robe. It is better to lack anything
rather than humility. The more value any man has, the
more humble he is. Feathers fly up, but gold descends. The Golden Saint descends in
humility. Look at a humble Savior and let
the plumes of pride fall off. A humble heart is God's palace.
For this is what the High and Lofty One says, He who lives
forever, whose name is holy. I live in a high and holy place,
but also with Him who is contrite and lowly in spirit. Isaiah 57
verse 15. A humble heart glories in this,
that it is the presence chamber of the great and glorious King. Vain glory, self-delight, and
pride. William Plumer, Vital Godliness,
A Treatise on Experimental and Practical Piety, 1864. In practical piety, there is
no greater mistake than the persuasion that if we are pleased with ourselves,
that God is also pleased with us. Vain glory, self-delight,
and pride. Blind, bewilder, and intoxicate. On the other hand, shame for
our own vileness, sorrow for our shortcomings, self-loathing
for undeniable turpitude of our soul are profitable. Men must
either part with their pride and good opinion of themselves,
or they must part with the hope of a blessed eternity. You must
either take your place in the dust before God, or be cast down
to hell. What a wretched man I am. Romans
7 verse 24. I abhor myself. Job 42 verse
6. Behold I am vile. Job 40 verse
4. Woe is me for I am undone. Isaiah 6 verse 5. The peacock of pride, William
Sucker, the consistent Christian, 1660. He is the most lovely Christian
who is the most lowly Christian. As incense smells the sweetest
when it is beaten smallest, so saints look loveliest when they
lie lowest. God will not allow such a weed
as pride to grow in His garden without taking some course to
root it up. Pride is a sinner's torment,
but humility is a saint's ornament. Be clothed with humility. The garment of humility should
always be worn on the back of Christianity. Where humility
is a cornerstone, their glory shall be the topstone. God many
times places a thorn in the flesh to pierce the balloon of pride.
He makes us feel a sense of our misery that we may sue for his
unmerited mercy. The first Adam was for self-advancement,
but the second Adam is for self-abasement. The former was for having self-deified. The latter is for having self-crucified. We live by dying to ourselves,
and die by living to ourselves. There is no proud man who is
not a foolish man, and scarcely is there any foolish man who
is not a proud man. It is a night owl of ignorance
which broods and hatches a peacock of pride. I hate pride and arrogance. Proverbs 8, verse 13. God abhors
those people worst, who adore themselves most. Pride is not
a Bethel, that is a house where God dwells, but a Babel, that
is a stinking dungeon in which Satan abides. Pride is not only
a most hateful evil, but it is a radical evil. As all other
lusts are found lodging in it, so they are found springing from
it. Pride is a foul leprosy in the face of morality, and a hurtful
worm gnawing at the root of humility. Pride is a cancer within, and
a spreading plague without. Clothe yourselves with humility,
because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5 verse 5 That monstrous creature within
us. J.C. Philpott, Spiritual Times
and Seasons, 1841. I abhor the pride of Jacob. Amos
6, verse 8. O cursed pride that is ever lifting
up its head in our hearts! Pride would even pull down God
that it might sit upon his throne. Pride would trample underfoot
the holiest things to exalt itself. Pride is that monstrous creature
within us, of such ravenous and indiscriminate gluttony that
the more it devours the more it craves. Pride is that chameleon
which assumes every colour, that actor which can play every part,
and yet which is faithful to no one, object or purpose, but
to exalt and glorify self. I will put an end to the pride
of the mighty. God will bring down their pride. Ezekiel 7 verse 24 Isaiah 25
verse 11 God means to kill man's pride and oh what cutting weapons
the Lord will sometimes make use of to kill a man's pride
how will he bring him sometimes into the depth of temporal poverty
that he may make a stab at his worldly pride how he will bring
to light the iniquities of his youth that he may mortify his
self-righteous pride? How will he allow sin to break
forth, if not openly, yet so powerfully within, that piercing
convictions shall kill his spiritual pride? And what deep discoveries
of internal corruption will the Lord sometimes employ to dig
down to the root and cut off the core of that poisonous tree,
pride? The searcher of hearts dissects
and anamizes this inbred evil, cuts down to it through the quivering
and bleeding flesh, and pursues with his keen knife its multiplied
windings and ramifications. The day is coming when your pride
will be brought low and the Lord alone will be exalted. Isaiah
2 verse 11. the arrogance of all people will
be brought low their pride will lie in the dust the Lord alone
will be exalted Isaiah 2 verse 17 the Lord Almighty has done
it to destroy your pride and show his contempt for all human
greatness Isaiah 23 verse 9 lumps of animated dust from Charles
Spurgeon's distinguishing grace For who makes you to differ from
another? 1 Corinthians 4 verse 7. Pride is the inherent sin of
man and yet it is of all sins the most foolish. A thousand
arguments might be used to show its absurdity but none of these
would be sufficient to quench its vitality. Alive it is in
the heart and there it will be till we die to this world and
rise again without spot or blemish. What are we, after all, but as
grasshoppers in a sight, as drops of the bucket, as lumps of animated
dust? We are but infants of a day,
when we are most old. We are but the insects of an
hour, when we are most strong. We are but the wild donkey's
colt when we are most wise. We are but as folly and vanity
when we are most excellent. Let that tend to humble us. But
surely if this does not prevail to clip the pinions of our high
soaring pride, the Christian man may at least bind its wings
with arguments derived from the distinguishing love and peculiar
mercies of God. Who makes you to differ from
another? This question should be like a dagger put to the throat
of our boasting. And what do you have that you
did not receive? This question should be like
a sword thrust through the heart of our self-exaltation and pride. If this does not humble you,
Thomas Brooks, The Unsearchable Riches of Christ, dwell much
upon the greatness of God's mercy and goodness to you. Nothing
humbles and breaks a heart like God's mercy and love. In Luke
7, the Lord Jesus shows mercy to that notorious sinner and
then she falls down at his feet and loves much and weeps much
and so on. Oh, if ever you would have your
souls kept humble, dwell upon the free grace and love of God
to you in Christ. Dwell upon the firstness of His
love, the freeness of His love, the greatness of His love, the
fullness of His love, the unchangeableness of His love, the everlastingness
of His love, and the ardency of His love. If this does not
humble you, there is nothing on earth which will do it. Dwell
upon what God has undertaken for you, Dwell upon the choice
and worthy gifts which He has bestowed on you. Dwell upon that
eternal glory and happiness which He has prepared for you, and
then be proud if you can. Shame on you, O silly heart,
Charles Spurgeon. What makes you better than anyone
else? What do you have that God hasn't
given you? And if all you have is from God,
why boasteth thou you have accomplished something on your own? 1 Corinthians
4 verse 7. Christian, by nature you are
no better than others. What would you be without the
continual influence of the Spirit? O believer, whatever you are,
you have nothing to make you proud. The more you have, the
more you are in debt to God. And should you be proud of that
which renders you a debtor? Consider your origin. Look back
to what you were. Once you were dead, doomed forever
because of your many sins. Ephesians 2 verse 1. Consider
what you would have been but for divine grace. It is only
God's grace which has made you to differ. Great believer, you
would have been a great sinner if God had not made you to differ.
O you who are valiant for truth, you would have been as valiant
for error if grace had not laid hold upon you. Therefore do not
be proud, though you have a wide domain of grace. For once you
had not a single thing to call your own except your sin and
misery. O strange infatuation that you,
who have borrowed everything, should think of exalting yourself.
How foolish that you, a poor dependent pensioner, Upon the
bounty of your Saviour, are yet proud! Shame on you, O silly
heart! That sweet grace! J. C. Philpott, Pilgrim's Hunger
and Pilgrim's Food Remember how the Lord your God led you through
the wilderness for 40 years to humble you. Deuteronomy 8, verse
2. We learn humility by a deep discovery
of what we are, by an opening up of the corruption, the wickedness
of our fallen nature. The Lord's way of teaching his
people humility is by placing them first in one trying spot
and then in another. by allowing some temptation to
arise, some stumbling block to be in their path, some besetting
sin to work upon their corrupt affections, some idol to be embraced
by their idolatrous heart, something to take place to draw out the
sin which is in their heart, and thus make it manifest to
their sight. As a general rule, we learn humility
not by hearing ministers tell us what wicked creatures we are,
nor by merely looking into our bosoms and seeing a whole swarm
of evils working there, but from being compelled by painful necessity
to believe that we are vile. Through circumstances and events,
time after time, bring into light those hidden evils in our heart,
which we once thought ourselves pretty free from. We learn humility
not merely by a discovery of what we are, but also by a discovery
of what Jesus is. We need a glimpse of Jesus, of
his love, of his grace, of his blood. When these two feelings
meet together in our bosom, our shame in the Lord's goodness,
our guilt in His forgiveness, our wickedness in His superabounding
mercy, they break us, humble us, and lay us dissolved in tears
of godly sorrow and contrition at the footstool of mercy. And
thus we learn humility, that sweet grace. that blessed fruit
of the spirit and real vital soul experience. They tempt the devil to fall
in love with them. Thomas Watson, the mischief of
sin. I hate pride and arrogance. Proverbs 8, verse 13. Pride runs in the blood. Augustine calls pride the mother
of all sin. Some people would be better if
they could pluck the worm of pride out of their head. Pride
ruins our virtues and poisons our mercies. Some are proud of
their estates. Riches are fuel for pride. Your
heart has become proud because of your wealth. Men's heart rise
with their estates. Some take pride in their abilities. The Lord enriches them with wit
and talents and pride fumes from their heart into their head and
makes them giddy. Some are proud of their bodies.
Pride is seen in long and meticulous dressings. They spend that time
between the comb and the looking glass, which should be spent
in prayer and holy meditation. Pride is seen in painting their
faces overlaying God's work with the devil's colors. But virtue
is most beautiful to God. Don't be concerned about the
outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry,
or beautiful clothes. You should be known for the beauty
that comes from within. The unfading beauty of a gentle
and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 1 Peter 3. 3-4 Pride is seen in the outlandish
fashions with which some people dress, or rather disguise themselves. They clothe themselves like the
rainbow. Adam was ashamed of his nakedness. These should be ashamed of their
clothing. They are so plumed and godly
attired that they tempt the devil to fall in love with them. The
Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this, they
will not go unpunished. Proverbs 16 verse 5 It is a creature of many lives. J.C. Philpott, The Lost, Sought,
and Saved. 1851 Man is a strange compound,
A sinner, and the worst of sinners, And yet a Pharisee, A wretch,
and the vilest of wretches, And yet pluming himself on his good
works. Did not experience convince us
to the contrary, We would scarcely believe that a monster like man
A creature, as someone has justly said, half beast and half devil,
should dream of pleasing God by his obedience, or by climbing
up to heaven by a ladder of his own righteousness. Pharisaism
is firmly fixed in the human heart. Deep is the root, broad
the stem, wide the branches, but poisonous the fruit of this
gigantic tree planted by pride and unbelief in the soil of human
nature. Self-righteousness is not peculiar
to only certain individuals. It is interwoven with our very
being. It is the only religion that
human nature understands, relishes, or admires. Again and again must
a heart be plowed up, and its corruption laid bare, to keep
down the growth of this pharisaic spirit. It is a creature of many
lives. It is not one blow, nor ten,
nor a hundred that can kill it. Stunned it may be for a while,
but it revives again and again. Pharisaism can live and thrive
under any profession. Calvinism or Arminianism is the
same to it. It is not the garb he wears,
nor the mask he carries, that constitutes the man. A tumor and swelling in the mind. Thomas Brooks, The Unsearchable
Riches of Christ. The Lord Almighty has done it
to destroy your pride and show his contempt for all human greatness. Isaiah 23 verse 9 Pride is the
original and root of most of those notorious vices which are
to be found among men. Of all sins, pride is most dangerous
to the souls of men. Pride is a gilded misery, a secret
poison, a hidden plague. Pride is the conceiver of deceit,
the mother of hypocrisy, the parent of envy, the moth of holiness,
the blinder of hearts, the turner of medicines into maladies. Of all sins, spiritual pride
is most dangerous, and must be most resisted. Spiritual pride
is the lifting up of the mind against God. It is a tumor and
swelling in the mind, and lies in despising and slighting of
God, and in the lifting up of a man's self. by reason of birth,
breeding, wealth, honor, place, relations, abilities or graces,
and in the despising of others. Spiritual pride is a white devil,
a gilded poison by which God is robbed of his honor and a
man's own soul of his comfort and peace. Pride is a sure forerunner
of a fall. Pride goes before destruction
and a haughty mind before a fall. Herod fell from a throne of gold
to a bed of dust. Nebuchadnezzar fell from a mighty
king to be a beast. Adam fell from innocence to mortality. The angels fell from heaven to
hell, from felicity to misery. The day is coming when your pride
will be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted. In
that day the Lord Almighty will punish the proud, bringing them
down to the dust." Isaiah 2 verses 11 and 12. The Lord detests all
the proud of heart. Be sure of this, they will not
go unpunished. Proverbs 16 verse 5. proud, dogmatic, and self-important. John Newton's letter on blemishes
in Christian character. Finally, all of you, live in
harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers,
be compassionate and humble. 1 Peter 3 verse 8. Asteros is a solid and exemplary
Christian. He has a deep, extensive, and
experimental knowledge of divine things, and flexibly and invariably
true to his principles, he stems with a noble singularity the
torrent of the world. and can neither be bribed nor
intimidated from the path of duty. He is a rough diamond of
great intrinsic value, and would sparkle with a distinguished
luster if he were more polished. But though the word of God is
his daily study, and he prizes the precepts as well as the promises,
more than thousands of gold and silver, there is one precept
he seems to have overlooked. Be compassionate and humble. Instead of that gentleness and
humility which will always be expected from a professed follower
of the meek and lowly Jesus, There is a harshness in his manner
which makes him more admired than beloved, and those who truly
love him often feel more constraint than pleasure when in his company. His intimate friends are satisfied
that he is no stranger to true humility of heart, but these
are few. By others he is thought proud,
dogmatic, and self-important. Nor can this prejudice against
him be easily removed until he can lay aside that cynical air
which he has unhappily contracted. How lamentable are such blemishes
in such a person! That man will never be a proud
man. J. C. Ryle. The Gospel of Luke. 1858. Humility may well be called the
queen of the Christian graces. To know our own sinfulness and
weakness and to feel our need of Christ is the very beginning
of saving religion. Humility is a grace which has
always been the distinguishing feature in the character of the
holiest saints in every age. Abraham and Moses and Job and
David and Daniel and Paul were all eminently humble men. Humility
is a grace within the reach of every true Christian. Would we
know the root and spring of humility? One word describes it. The root
of humility is right knowledge. The man who really knows himself
and his own heart, God, and his infinite majesty and holiness,
Christ, in the price at which he was redeemed, that man will
never be a proud man. He will count himself like Jacob,
unworthy of the least of all God's mercies. He will say of
himself, like Job, I am vile. He will cry like Paul, I am the
chief of sinners. Ignorance, nothing but sheer
ignorance, ignorance of self, of God, of Christ, is a real
secret of pride. From that miserable self-ignorance
may we daily pray to be delivered. He is a wise man who knows himself,
and he who knows himself will find nothing within to make him
proud. The Monster Pride from Thomas
Reeds on Humility Pride and vanity cannot thrive at the foot of
the cross. It is only when we remove from this holy ground
that they shoot out their pestiferous branches and awful luxurians.
True humility loves the sacred mount of Calvary, on which the
lowly Saviour bowed His head and died. There, repentance sheds
the contrite tear. There, faith views with joy the
great atonement. There, love glows with fervent
desires to the friend of sinners. Man is naturally a proud, selfish
creature. He tries indeed to appear humble
and unselfish, but the monster pride is easily seen through
the thin veil of false humility, which is thrown over its frightful
visage, while self, like another proteus, assumes a thousand forms
to escape detection. It is only when the Divine Spirit
puts forth his new creating power, through the instrumentality of
the everlasting gospel, that the proud selfish sinner becomes
the lowly follower of the Lamb. Humility is, then, the work of
grace. O Spirit of holiness, open my
blind eyes to see the wonders of your grace. Quicken my dead
soul to feel its sacred influence. Make me truly humble in heart,
emptied of every self-exalting thought which would oppose the
freeness of your love. Mold my whole soul into the lowliness
and meekness of Jesus. Preserve me from the subtle influence
of pride and vainglory. Keep me ever low in my own eyes. Root out every sinful, selfish
principle and give me a single eye which aims at nothing but
your glory. Like a weed upon a dung heap,
J.C. Philpott, wilderness hunger and
heavenly manna. I hate pride and arrogance. Proverbs 8, 13. Our hearts are
desperately proud. If there is one sin which God
hates more than another, and more sets himself against, it
is the sin of pride. Like a weed upon a dung heap,
pride grows more profusely in some soils, especially when well
fertilized by rank, riches, praise, flattery, our own ignorance,
and the ignorance of others. We all inherit pride from our
fallen ancestor, Adam, who got it from Satan, that king over
all the children of pride. Those, perhaps, who think they
possess the least pride and view themselves with wonderful self
admiration as the humblest of mortals, may have more pride
than those who feel and confess it, and may only be more deeply
hidden in the dark recesses of their carnal mind. As God then
sees all hearts and knows every movement of pride, whether we
see it or not, His purpose is to humble us. When I look back
upon my life and see all my sins, all my follies, all my slips,
all my falls, my conscience testifies of the many things I have thought,
said, and done which grieve my soul, make me hang my head before
God, put my mouth in the dust, and confess my sins unto Him. When I contrast my own exceeding
sinfulness with God's greatness, God's majesty, God's holiness,
and God's purity. I fall down humbly and meekly
before Him and put my mouth in the dust. I acknowledge I am
vile. I am nothing but dust and ashes. Abraham, behold I am vile. Job, woe to me I am ruined. Isaiah, I am a sinful man. Peter, THE WORST KIND OF PRIDE NEWMAN
HALL LEAVES OF HEALING FROM THE GARDEN OF GRIEF 1891 BUT TO KEEP
ME FROM GETTING PUFFED UP I WAS GIVEN A THORN IN MY FLESH A MESSENGER
FROM SATAN TO TORMENT ME AND KEEP ME FROM GETTING PROUD 2
CORINTHIANS 12 VERSE 7 THE THORN IN THE FLESH SAVED PAUL FROM
PRIDE IN THE SPIRIT How exposed are the most useful Christians
to this temptation? To be proud of our beauty, our
strength, our riches, our station, our power, our learning and genius? This is absurd. For what do we
have which we have not received from God? But to be proud of
our piety, our spiritual experience, our prayerfulness, our zeal,
our usefulness, this is the worst kind of pride, most offensive
to God, most injurious to our own soul, most obstructive to
usefulness. If so, how beneficent the thorn
in whatever shape that checks such self-destructive abuse of
heavenly gifts. But to keep me from getting puffed
up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, A messenger from Satan
to torment me, And keep me from getting proud. 2 Corinthians
12 verse 7 Stripped of his peacock feathers. Arthur Pink. Unworthiness. 1940. Grace is favor shown to the undeserving
and ill-deserving. When divine grace bestows salvation
upon the ill-deserving, it makes them conscious of the infinite
favor that has been shown them. Fallen man is naturally proud,
self-complacent, and self-righteous. But wherever the miracle of regenerating
grace is wrought, all this is reversed. His subject is stripped
of its peacock feathers, made poor in spirit and humbled into
the dust before God. He is made painfully aware of
the loathsome plague of his heart, given a sight of his vileness
in the light of God's holiness, and brought to realize that he
is a spiritual pauper, dependent upon divine charity. He now readily
acknowledges that he is a hell-deserving sinner. I am not worthy of the
least of all your mercies and unfailing love, which you have
shown to me, your servant. Genesis 32 verse 10. This is a confession made by
all who are the recipients of the saving grace of God. Whenever
a miracle of saving grace is wrought in the heart, pride is
subdued, self is effaced, and a sense of ill-desert takes possession
of the heart. One of the elements of great
faith is deep humility. For I am the least of the apostles,
that am not worthy to be called an apostle. 1 Corinthians 15
verse 9 I am less than the least of all saints. Ephesians 3 verse
8 What complete self-abasement! The most eminent Christians are
always the most lowly ones. Those most honored in Christ's
service are deeply conscious of their unprofitableness. UNSEEN AND UNSUSPECTED Thomas
Reed THE EVIL OF PRIDE Pride is a principle deeply rooted
in our fallen nature, in which nothing but the Holy Spirit can
eradicate. Pride, assuming every form, or
either worldly or religious, can go with us into the sanctuary. Like a subtle poison, it can
insinuate itself into our prayers and praises. Unseen and unsuspected,
it mars our best duties, and creates that self-admiration,
that desire for human applause, which corrupts the heart and
steals it away from God. O blessed Jesus, what need have
I to look unto you for grace and strength? Save me from pride
and vainglory. Often do I feel and lament their
baneful influence. If I speak for you, O how does
the poison work unseen by every eye but yours? As you alone can
behold this hidden evil of the heart, so in mercy destroy its
influence. To you, blessed Saviour, do I
look. You know what is in me. Your
eyes are on all my ways. O wash me in the cleansing fountain
of your precious blood. Purge me from this foul stain
of corrupted nature. Make me truly humble and abased
before you. Purify my soul. Then shall I
become as a little child in simplicity, teachableness, and humility.
The work is all your own. To you be all the praise.