Sermon 1733. On Humbling Ourselves before God

(No. 1733)

DELIVERED BY

C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." 1 Peter 5:6.

PRIDE is so natural to fallen man that it springs up in his heart like weeds in a watered garden, or rushes by a flowing brook.It is an all pervading sin and smothers all things like dust on the roads, or flour in the mill. Its every touch is evil asthe breath of the cholera-fiend, or the blast of the Sahara wind. Pride is as hard to get rid of as charlock from the furrows,or the American blight from the apple trees. If killed, it revives; if buried, it bursts the tomb. You may hunt down thisfox and think you have destroyed it, but lo, your very exultation is pride! None have more pride than those who dream thatthey have none! You may labor against vainglory till you conceive that you are humble and the fond conceit of your humilitywill prove to be pride in full bloom. It imitates humility, but is most truly pride!

Pride is a sin with a thousand lives! It seems impossible to kill it, it flourishes on that which should be its poison, gloryingin its shame. It is a sin with a thousand shapes and by perpetual change it escapes capture. It seems impossible to hold it-thevapory demon slips from you, only to appear in another form and mock your fruitless pursuit. To die to pride and self, onewould need to die himself. Pride was man's first sin and it will be his last. In the first sin that man ever committed, therewas certainly a large mixture of pride, for he imagined that he knew better than his Maker-and even dreamed that his Makerfeared that man might grow too great!

It has been questioned whether pride was not the sin by which the angels fell when they lost their first estate-I will notgo into any controversy upon that subject-but there was certainly pride in the sin of Satan and pride in the sin of Adam.This is the torch which kindled Hell and set the world on fire! Pride is a ringleader and captain among iniquities-it attainsunto the first three of Satan's champions. It is a daring and God-defying sin, arraigning Divine justice as Cain did; challengingJehovah to combat as Pharaoh did; or making self into God as Nebuchadnezzar did. It would murder God if it could, that itmight fill His Throne. While it is first to come and first in horrible supremacy, it is also last to go. As Paul said, "Thelast enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

I think I might say that the last enemy but one is pride, for even at our deathbed pride will be found in attendance. In hislast moments, John Knox had a sharp conflict with self-righteousness though he had preached against it with all his mightand knew, with a clearness seldom given to men, that salvation is of the Lord alone. Even within an hour of Glory he had tomake a stand against that vile thing, the pride of the human heart! Many others of the Lord's valiant ones have been sorelyassailed by the same crafty foe which shoots with feathered flatteries, shafts of destruction. In the most quiet minds thedeadly calm of self-conceit may be found. Our hearts are deceitful above all things and in nothing less to be trusted thanin this matter of pride.

Even while we breathe out our souls unto God it will attempt to puff us up-yes, it will puff up poor dying worms! Brothersand Sisters, for certain you and I are in danger of pride-possibly we are even now victims of it! Let us be on our guard,for it may be ruining us without our knowledge, even as the moth in secret eats up the garment, or as unseen rust cankersthe hidden treasure. Let pride lodge where it may, it does its entertainer great mischief, for it bars out the favor of God,"God resists the proud." It must be sent adrift before God can visit us with favor, for no Grace comes to the proud, "butHe gives Grace unto the humble." Humility is the Grace that attracts more Grace! As money makes money, so humility increaseshumility and, with it, every other spiritual gift.

If you would have much Grace, have much humility. God has assistance for the humble, but resistance for the proud. You knowhow He fought Pharaoh. What blows He struck at the haughty monarch! He would have him down from the pinnacle of defiance,one way or another, and make him learn, in bitterness, the answer to his own insolent question, "Who is the Lord?" Rememberhow Nebuchadnezzar had to eat grass like an ox because he spoke with a haughty tongue? Wherever God sees pride lifting itselfon high, He resolves to level it in the dust! He draws His bow, He fits His arrow to

the string-and pride is the target that He shoots at. The more pride enters into the Christian's heart, the less Grace willenter there-and the more opposition from God will come-for pride is never so hateful to God as when He sees it in His ownpeople.

If you see disease in a stranger you are very sorry, but if you discover its symptoms in your own child, your grief is muchmore deep. A viper is loathsome anywhere, but how it would make you start if you saw the head of one of those creatures peepingout from the bosom of a beloved friend! So pride is detestable anywhere, but it is worst in those whom the Lord loves best.If God sees pride in a David, He will smite him till he ceases from his high thoughts. Or if it is in a Hezekiah, he willabase him-and you can be sure that if the Lord sees pride in you, he will smite you! Yes, smite you again and again till youwait humbly at His feet!

All this I have given by way of preface, but I think it is also an argument which may run before the words of the text andstrengthen them. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God! I shall handle the text, not at any great length,but for practical purposes in three or four ways. May the Holy Spirit bless the discourse!

I. First, our text is evidently intended to bear upon us IN OUR CHURCH LIFE. We will use it in that respect. Observe thatPeter has been speaking to the elders and telling them how they should behave themselves in the flock over which they areset as overseers. Then he speaks to the younger members and says, "Submit yourselves unto the elders." He says to all Churchmembers, "All of you be subject, one to another, and be clothed with humility." And it is in the same context that he writes,"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God." I am, as a member of a Church, not to seek honor for myself, butI am to walk humbly. I am not to make it in any respect the objective of my Christian life to be esteemed among my fellowChristians so as to have influence over them and to take the lead among them.

I am to have far humbler motives than that. I am to think very little of myself and to think so much of others that I admireall that I see of God's Grace in them-and am glad to learn from them as well as to help them in their progress to Heaven.Each one of us should think little of himself and highly of his Brothers and Sisters. I cannot say that all of us, as Christians,are clothed with humility as we should be. I am afraid that from the preacher down to the most obscure member, we may, everyoneof us, listen with awe to the injunction, "humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God." And I am afraid that all of uscan confess that we fall short of this command. Yet I may honestly add that in this Church I have seen more submissiveness,deference to others and less of ambitious self-esteem than anywhere else in the world. I have spoken nothing less than barejustice when I have said this.

Let all the world know that as a pastor I can, in this point, praise the people of my charge beyond any that I have ever heardof! I am not apt to judge too favorably-I speak as I have seen and this is my honest testimony. We owe our union and prosperityunder God to the readiness of most of the Brethren to do anything and everything for Christ, without considering ourselves.Now, true humility in our Church relationship will show itself in our being willing to undertake the very lowest offices forChrist. Some cannot do little things-they must be ordained to great offices or they will sulk in indolence. Genuine humilitymakes a man think it a great honor to be a doorkeeper in the house of God, or to be allowed to speak a word to a little childabout Jesus, or even to wash the saints' feet. I am sure, Brothers and Sisters, that those who are not willing to fulfillthe lesser offices will never be used by Christ to mind the greater duties.

Humility is a qualification for greatness. Do you know how to be little? You are learning to be great. Can you submit? Youare learning to rule. My symbolic sketch of a perfect Christian would be a king keeping the door, or a prince feeding lambs,or, better still, the Master washing His disciples' feet! The next point of humility is that we are conscious of our own incompetenceto do anything right. He who can do all things without Christ will end in doing nothing! The man who can preach without Divineaid cannot preach at all. The woman who can teach a Bible class without the Holy Spirit cannot teach a Bible class. Humanability without the Grace of God is puffed-up inability! Those of you who, apart from supernatural help, feel quite sufficientfor any kind of holy service, are miserably deluded. Self-sufficiency is inefficiency. The fullness of self is a double emptiness.He that has no sense of his weakness has a weakness in his sense!

I believe, Brothers and Sisters, that any man whom God uses for a great purpose will be so emptied out that he will wonderthat God uses him in the least degree-and he will be ready to hide his head and long to get out of public notice because hewill feel himself to be utterly unworthy of the favor which God manifests towards him. I do not believe that God ever fillsa cup which was not empty, or that He ever fills a man's mouth with His Words while that man has his mouth full of his ownwords. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God! If you desire that the Holy

Spirit should bless you, be purged from your own spirit. The way to rise into God is to sink in your own self. As our LordJesus descended into the depths, that He might rise above all things and fill all things, so we, in our imitation of Him,must descend to the uttermost that we may rise to the highest.

This humility will show itself, next, in that we shall be willing to be ignored by men. There is a craving in the heart ofmany to have what they do written upon tablets and set up in the market places. I once heard a professing Christian complainbitterly that he had been ignored. He had been a Sunday school teacher for years and yet he had never been publicly mentionedby anyone. Did he make that a complaint? He might far rather have rejoiced in his quietude! The fierce light of public notorietyis not much valued by those upon whom it falls. I wish some people would ignore me-at least all next week, so much as notto call to see me, or write me a letter, or name me in the papers! I would be as happy as all the birds in the air to be ignored-ifI might be left alone and allowed peacefully to work for God with His sweet smile to cheer me in my loneliness! Oh, to bea little ant, allowed to labor on at God's bidding, receiving nothing of men but the high privilege of being left alone!

A saintly soul was known to pray, "Grant me, O Lord, that I may pass unnoticed through the world!" It seems to me to be oneof the highest delights of life for people to permit you to work for God without being interrupted by their praises or censures.When I have seen a certain great artist at work, I have peeped at him from a corner and have kept out of his sunshine-I amquite sure he did not want me to express my valueless opinion about his glorious creations! To have people forever talkingabout you, for you and against you is one of the wearinesses of mortal life-and yet some people sigh for the attention thatothers would be glad to be rid of! Yes, so it is. It is but a little thing that certain friends have done, but they wouldlike much made of it-their slender alms must be published at the corners of the streets- their prosy speech must be reportedin all the papers!

Oh, Brothers and Sisters, do not let us care about its being known that we have done our part! Let it be done as to God andin God's sight! And then, as to what our fellow mortals shall say, let us have scant concern, for, if we live on human praise,we shall grow not only proud, but vain, which, if it is not more wicked, is certainly more silly. Serve God and do not wishto have a trumpet blown before you. Never cry with Jehonadab, "Come, see my zeal for the Lord of Hosts." Go on serving Godyear after year, though you are altogether unknown, feeling it quite sufficient that you have, by the Grace of God, servedyour generation and honored your Redeemer. This would be a great attainment in our Church life if we could reach to it. Brethren,we need humility, all of us, in our Church life, in the sense of never being rough, haughty, arrogant, hard, domineering,lordly-or, on the other hand-unruly, quarrelsome and unreasonable.

We should endeavor to think very carefully of those who are poor, for fear we should hurt their feelings. And we should bevery noticeable of those who are obscure, lest we should seem to despise them. It is ours never to take offense and to bemost cautious never to cause it even by inadvertence. He that is set as a leader in the Church of God, let him be the personthat is most ready to bear blame and least ready to give offense-let him say, "You may think what you please of me, but Ishall lay myself out to do you good and to be your servant, for Christ's sake." The lower you can stoop, the greater is yourhonor. In the eyes of wisdom, no piece of furniture in the house of God has greater dignity than the doormat. If you are willingto let others wipe their feet on you, then shall Christ Jesus take pleasure in you, for you are a partaker of His lowly mind.

Even for your own sake it will be wise to occupy a humble place, for in the valleys the streams of peace are flowing. Themountains are the playgrounds of the storm, but in the quiet villages the dove finds her shelter. If you would escape fromill will and live peaceably with all men, practice the maxims of an influential man, who, when asked, after the Revolution,how he managed to escape the executioner's axe, replied, "I made myself of no reputation and kept silent." I am speaking toa number of young men who have begun to speak for Jesus Christ in the Church-let me earnestly entreat them to take great noticeof my text-"Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God." Remember, you cannot do any good unless "the mighty hand of God"is with you! Therefore be humble and look to His hand for all success.

Feel it to be a wonderful thing that the mighty hand of God should ever use you and, therefore, lie very low in that hand,and beneath that hand, for then you may claim the promise that He will exalt you in due time. If you are willing to look aftera few poor people in a village and to do your duty thoroughly well among a lowly company, you shall have a larger sphere beforelong. If you are satisfied, young Brother, to stand in the corner of the street and talk about Jesus

Christ to a few rough folk, you shall find hundreds of hearers, by-and-by. If you are willing to be nothing, God will makesomething of you! The way to the top of the ladder is to begin at the lowest rung.

In fact, in the Church of God, the way up is to go down-and he that is ambitious to be at the top will find himself, beforelong, at the bottom. "He that exalts himself shall be abased but he that humbles himself shall be exalted." Suffer, my youngerBrethren, this word of exhortation.

II. And now, secondly, I will use the text in quite another way-in reference to OUR BEHAVIOR IN OUR AFFLICTIONS. Here letevery tried Believer listen to the counsel of the Holy Spirit. Certain of us are never long together without affliction andtrial. Like salamanders, we live in the flame, passing from fire to fire. As by a succession of shafts we descend into theheart of the earth, going down from woe to woe-we need to learn the way of these dark places! Frequently our heavenly Father'sdesign in sending trial to His children is to make and keep them humble. Let us remember this and learn a lesson of wisdom.The advice of Peter is that we should humble ourselves. Many people have been often humbled and yet they have not become humble.There is a great difference between the two things.

If God withdraws His Grace and allows a Christian man to fall into sin, that fall humbles him in the esteem of all good men-andyet he may not be humble. He may never have a true sense of how evil his action was. He may still persevere in his lofty spiritand be far from humility. When this is the case, the haughty spirit may expect a fall. The rod will make blue wounds whenpride ignores gentler blows. The most hopeful way of avoiding the humbling affliction is to humble yourself. Be humble thatyou may not be humbled! Put yourself into a humble attitude and draw near to God in a lowly spirit-and so He will cease fromHis chiding. And do this, first, by noticing whether you have been guilty of any special sin of pride. You are suffering-letthe rod point out to you in which way you have erred through pride. I believe that David was afflicted in his children becausehe had been proud of his children and had indulged them.

When there is a breakage in the house, it is generally the idol that is broken. Usually our sins lie at the roots of our sorrows.If we will repent of the sin, the Lord will remove the sorrow. Have you been tried in your worldly possessions? Were you everpuffed up by them? Is your health failing? Did you ever glory in your bodily strength? Are you deceived? Were you ever boastfulof your own wisdom? Are you mourning over a failure in character? Did you not once dream that you were past temptation? Lookinto your affliction till you see, as in a glass, what was the thing you were proud of- then take the idol down from its pedestal,humble yourself before God-and from then on worship only Him! In your affliction, humble yourself by confessing that you deserveall that you are suffering. Is it poverty? Then, dear child of God, admit that you deserve poverty because of your love ofthe world!

Is it physical pain? Then acknowledge how every erring member deserves to smart. It is a great thing to have wrung out ofus the confession that our chastisement is less than we deserve and that the Lord is not dealing with us according to oursins, but rewarding us according to our iniquities. Is there a bereavement in the house? Then, I pray you, acknowledge thatif God were to visit you, as He did Job, and take all your children away in a stroke, you deserve it at His hands! Confessthat the chastening hand is not dealing too severely with you. Humble yourself and then you will not quarrel with your grief.

But, more than that, humble yourself so as to submit entirely to God's will. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you in this act ofself-humiliation while you meekly kiss the rod. Bow yourself before the mighty hand of God, ready to receive harder blowsif God so pleases, for when your will entirely yields to the will of God, it is highly probable that either the afflictionwill be removed, or else the sting of it will be taken away. Down, Brothers and Sisters, down in the dust as low as you canget! God is evidently dealing within you as with a child and a child's wisdom lies in cheerful submission to parental discipline.When a child is under his father's chastening hand, it will not help him to kick, quarrel and say any-thing-his best hopelies in submitting absolutely to his father's good pleasure. When that is done, the chastisement will soon end.

Humble yourself, therefore, under the mighty hand of God. Yield up your will so as to have no suit-in-law against the Lord-nodifference as to His goodness, not even if the evil you dread should actually come and come in the worst form! Submit to theLord's will as the rush bends to the wind, or as the wax yields to the seal. Pray against the calamity which moves you tofear, but let your petition always end with, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." Ask that you may not be obligedto drink the bitter drink, but do not upset the cup, nor push it away. There let it stand, while

you, for the moment, supplicate for its removal. And when there comes no answer to your prayer, then take it up meekly, putit to your lips resolutely, and drink right on, even as your Master drank His cup and drained it to the dregs.

This needs the help of the Holy Spirit and truly He waits to help us-He delights to aid us in such holy acts of submission!Nothing is better for us in our time of tribulation than to bow ourselves in lowliest obeisance before the hand of God. DearFriend, what can be the use of striving against the hand of the Lord? It is a mighty hand-we cannot resist it, even if weare wicked enough to attempt rebellion! If affliction is to come, it will come, and come with all the greater sharpness becausewe refuse to yield. If God appoints a trial, we cannot escape it. What can be the use of our striving against Divine decrees?It will only make our sorrow more severe. When the ox kicks against the goad, the iron enters deeper into its flesh, but whenthe bullock hastens on its way, sensitive to the least touch, the driver scarcely urges it again.

The tender, sensitive horse scarcely receives a stroke from the whip; he feels it too much. But the mule that will not moveis struck again and again for his obstinacy. So will it be with us. We can make rods for ourselves by willfulness. Oh foolishfingers which prepare thorns for our own pillows! Humble yourself, therefore, under the mighty hand of God and, by-and-by,Brothers and Sisters, you shall be exalted to consolation and prosperity. Your affliction shall bring forth the comfortablefruits of righteousness. You shall come out of the furnace purified and refined. You shall have more knowledge, more Grace,more zeal, more of every excellence as the result of sanctified trial-but all this must come by obedient resignation.

A rebellious heart comes out of affliction worse rather than better. Submit, and you shall be so exalted by your afflictionthat you shall bless God for it, and feel that you would not have missed the trouble for 10,000 pounds if you could have doneso! Heavy tribulation shall bring with it unspeakable preferment. You shall be exalted to a higher degree in the peerage ofChristianity by putting up with adversities. Therefore, I pray you, humble yourselves under the hand of

God.

III. Thirdly, I am going to use the text in another way. IN OUR DAILY DEALINGS WITH GOD, whether in affliction or not, letus humble ourselves under His hand, for only so can we hope to be exalted. It is a blessed thing whenever you come to God,to come wondering that you are allowed to come, wondering that you have been led to come- marveling at Divine election, thatthe Lord should ever have chosen you to come-wondering at Divine redemption, astonished that such a price should have beenpaid that you might be brought near to God! It is well to draw near to God weighed down with gratitude that the Holy Spiritshould have ever deigned to work effectual calling upon you. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of Divine Grace which hasbrought you into the family of love-constantly say, "Why me, Lord? Why me?"

A grateful walk is a gracious walk and there is no gratitude where there is no humility. Never trace the difference betweenyourself and others to your own free will, nor to any betterness of your natural disposition, but entirely to the mercy andGrace of God which have been freely bestowed on you! Let Grace be magnified by your grateful heart! When you are doing this,be very humble before God because you have not made more improvement of the Grace that He has given you. You are chosen, butyou are not as choice as you ought to be! You are redeemed, but you are not so much your Lord's as you ought to be! You arecalled, but you are still too deaf to the Divine call! You are blessed, enriched, instructed, adopted, comforted-with Heavenbefore you and everything prepared on the road-but what a poor return you have made! Always feel thus humbled in referenceto your God and His Grace.

When you are doing most and God is using you most, always feel that if you had been fit for it, He might have done much moreby you-that if you had been meet to be used, He might have used you far more extensively. Thus you will always see cause forhumility, even when you discern abounding reason for gratitude. Walk always so with God that when you stand on the highestpoint you still feel, "I might have been higher but for my own fault. I have not, because I have not asked, or because I haveasked amiss. I have not become as rich as I might have been in spiritual things because I have not been as diligent in myLord's business, or as fervent in spirit, or as abundant in serving God as I ought to have

been."

Next, humble yourself, dear Brothers and Sisters, under the hand of God by feeling your own need of knowledge whenever youcome to God. Do not think that you understand all Divinity. There is only one body of Divinity and that is Christ, Himself-andwho knows Him to the fullest? When even His love, which is the most plain point about Him,

passes knowledge, who shall know Christ in all His fullness? Come before God to be instructed in the knowledge of your Godand Savior. Do not think that you understand Providence, for I am sure that none of us do. We sometimes think that we couldmanage things a great deal better than they are managed. Many farmers would not have appointed that heavy shower for thisafternoon and yet that downpour was essential to the general well-being of the universal kingdom. I cannot tell why, but itis so. Everything that comes by God's appointment is a cog in the wheel of Providence-and if that cog were gone, the machinerywould be out of order. The Lord does all things wisely-only a vile pride will suspect otherwise.

Consider, O man that you do not know-only God knows! Little children sometimes think they are wise but they know nothing.Wisdom is with their father, not with them. Let us be content to humble ourselves under the hand of God as poor know-nothings,satisfied that He knows what is best for us. This humility is the vestibule of knowledge, the cornerstone of true philosophy.Commence with a confession of ignorance, or you will never be taught of the Lord! It cannot be hard to confess this when themighty hand of the Lord is seen and felt. One point concerning which I should like everyone of us to humble ourselves underthe hand of God is about our little enjoyment of Divine things. The elder brother in the parable said, "Lo, these many yearsdo I serve you! Neither transgressed I at any time your commandment: and yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merrywith my friends."

So have I known certain sincere Christian men fall into a horribly legal state of mind. They have always been very regularin their giving, constant in their religious observances, persevering in their prayers and yet they have never had much joy.But they see a poor soul, just saved from sin, full of delight, and they envy him and cry out, "Why is a fuss made over sucha sinner, when I have been all these years a Christian and my Brethren have never made any rejoicing over me? There is nomusic and dancing about me! You never gave me a kid that I might make merry with my friends." I do not know how we could makea fuss over some of the elder Brothers-they would not allow it-they would be angry and enquire, in hard and surly tones, whatthese things meant! Music and dancing are things too trivial for their solid souls. They stand outside and grumble-and wecannot warm them into a revival spirit! They are freezing outside the door of our happy home. Must they always stand there?

How divinely sweet was the father's answer to that naughty elder brother! He said to him, "Son, you are always with me andall that I have is yours." That is to say, "You live in my house. You are with me as my own dear son. Everything I have isyours by heirship. Your brother had his portion and he spent it, but all that remains to me is yours." Hence his short commonshad been of his own appointing! If he had not made merry with his friends, it was his own fault. Is it not much the same withus if we have been dull and melancholy? I mean those of us who are Believers. Are not all things ours? Come, let us humbleourselves under the hand of God because we have not made merry with our friends! You growling Christians-if you growl it isbecause you will growl-there is nothing to growl at!

You who never have a happy day, who never have any of the fervor and enthusiasm of young beginners-whose fault is that? Itis your own! You might have anything in the Father's house. You have a right to rare music and dancing, for you are alwayswith God, and all that He has is yours. It is meet that we should make merry and be glad! And if we are dull at the businessof holy merry-making, let us humble ourselves under the hand of God because of our despondency and mistrust! O my Soul, ifyour ceilings are painted with black instead of vermilion, blame only yourself-not your

God!

I am sure, dear Friends, if any of us will go over our daily lives, we shall find plenty of reasons for humbling ourselvesunder the hand of God. It is really dreadful how a man can serve God nobly and do great things and yet, in a certain matter,he may sadly fail. A grand old Prophet is that Jonah, going through the streets of Nineveh and bravely delivering the Lord'swarning. Whoever did the same? "Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown" are the words which he hurls into the faceof princes. Grand man! One, yet a conqueror of myriads! Yes! But look at him a day or two later! Call that a grand man sittingthere crying because the cucumber that grew up over his head is withered? He is fretting because a worm has devoured a gourd!He is angry and he says that he does well to be angry about a couple of melon leaves! Dear me, that a man can be so greatin noble things and so little in a trifling matter!

How many have the same cause to be humble before God? Observe that good man-he bore the loss of his property with holy resignation,but he lost his temper because a button was undone from his linen! Such a thing has often happened. Do I put it so that yousmile at it? It would be better to weep over it! As you think about yourselves, my Brothers

and Sisters, remember the causes that you have to be humble under the hand of God because of the gross weakness by which youhave shown the natural depravity of your heart and the faultiness of your nature apart from the strengthening Spirit of God.Humble yourselves, therefore, under the hand of God as creatures under the hand of the Creator. We are the clay and You ourpotter, O Lord! It becomes us to be lowly.

Humble yourselves under the hand of God as criminals under the hand of their judge. Cry, "Against You, You only, have I sinnedand done this evil in Your sight, that You might be justified when You speak and be clear when You judge." Humble yourselvesunder the hand of God as chastened children under a father's rod, for He chastens us for our profit and right well do we deserveeach smarting blow. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, lastly, as servants under their Lord's Word. Ask no questionsabout your Master's command, but go and do it! And when He rebukes you for shortcomings, answer not, but accept the reproofwith bowed head and tearful eyes, acknowledging that His rebuke is well deserved. Humble yourselves thus, dear Brothers andSisters, in your daily lives and God will exalt you in due time.

IV. I finish by using my text with all the earnestness my soul can feel in reference to the unconverted part of this audienceIN OUR SEEKING FORGIVENESS AS SINNERS. Oh, tender Spirit of God, help me! The text was not originally meant for the ungodly,but it may fitly be applied to them. If you would find Grace in God's sight and live, dear unconverted Hearers, you must humbleyourselves under the mighty hand of God. So you want to be saved, do you? The way of salvation is, "Believe in the Lord JesusChrist." "But," you say, "I do not understand it." Yet it is very simple-no hidden meaning lies in the words-you are simplybid to trust Jesus.

If, however, you feel as if you could not do that, let me urge you to go to God in secret and admit the sin of this unbelief,for a it is great sin! Humble yourself. Do not try to make out that you are good. That will be fatal, for it will be a falsehoodwhich will shut the gate of Grace. Confess that you are guilty. When a man is clearly and manifestly guilty, it is of no usehis standing before the judge and beginning to urge his own merit-his best course is to cast himself upon the mercy of thecourt. It is your only course, dear Soul, the only one that can be of use to you. Know that you have transgressed and feelthat it is so. Sit down and think over the many ways in which you have done wrong, or failed to do right. Pray God to breakyou down with deep penitence. It is no waste of time to dig out foundations when you build a house, and it is no superfluityto labor after a deep sense of sin.

When your sin is confessed, then acknowledge that if justice were carried out towards you, apart from undeserved Grace, youwould be sent to Hell. Do not quibble at that fact! Do not entertain skeptical questions as to whether there is a punishmentfor sin and as to what it will be, but acknowledge that whatever it is, you deserve it. Do not fence with God or quarrel withScripture, but as His Word declares that the wicked shall be cast into Hell with all the nations that forget God, admit thatyou deserve to be so dealt, for you deserve it. When this is acknowledged, you are on the road to mercy. You have almost obtainedmercy when you have fully submitted to justice. You have, in a measure, received Grace when you are brought to admit yoursin and the justice of its penalty.

Then, next, accept God's mercy in His own way. Do not be so vain as to dictate to God how you ought to be saved. Be willingto be saved by Free Grace through the blood of Jesus Christ, for that is God's way. Be willing to be saved by faith in JesusChrist, for that, also, is God's way. If your unbelief begins to ask, "How can it be and why should it be?" cease from suchquestions! Humble yourself and say, "God says it is so and, therefore, it must be so." If God says, "Believe and be saved,"I will believe and be saved. And if He says, "Trust Christ, and live," I will trust Christ and live! If a man had forfeitedhis life, but should be told by the court that he shall have pardon freely given to him if he will freely accept it-he wouldbe a fool if he began to enquire, "But is this according to law? Is this according to precedent? What may be the effect ofthis pardon?" and so on. These enquiries are for the court, not for the prisoner! My dear Sir, you do not want to hang yourself,do you?

Yet some men argue against their own souls and labor to find out reasons why they should not be saved! If this perverse ingenuitycould but be taught right reason and men would strive to find out why they should at once yield themselves to God's way ofsalvation, they might enter into comfort and rest much sooner. O quibbling Sinner, let your artful doubts and reasoning benailed with Jesus to the Cross! Be a little child and come and believe in the salvation which is revealed in Jesus Christ.Trust Christ to save you and He will do it, as He has saved so many of us to the praise and glory of His Grace. "Ah," yousay, "I have done this, but I cannot get peace." Then dear Friend, sink lower down! Sink lower

down! Did I hear you say, "Alas, Sir, I need to get comfort"? Cease from that! Do not ask for comfort-ask for forgiveness-andthat blessing may come through your greater discomfort. Sink lower down! Sink lower down! There is a point at which God willsurely accept you and that point is lower down!

"Oh," you say, "I think I have a due sense of sin." That will not do! I want you to feel that you have not a due sense ofsin and come to Jesus for it! "Oh, but I think that I have been brokenhearted." I should like to see you lower than that,till you cry, "I am afraid I never knew what it was to be brokenhearted." I want you to sink so low that you cannot say anythinggood about yourself-no, nor see an atom of goodness in yourself! When you look inside your heart and can see nothing but thatwhich would condemn you. When you look at your life and see everything there that deserves wrath-then you are on the roadto hope! Come before God a criminal, in the prison dress, with the rope about your neck! You will be saved, then! When youconfess that you have nothing of your own but sin. When you acknowledge that you deserve to die and to be cast away forever-God,in infinite pity, will let you live through faith in Christ Jesus!

Many years ago a certain prince visited the Spanish galleys where a large number of convicts were confined, chained to theiroars to toil on without relief. I think nearly all of them were condemned to a life sentence. Being a great prince, the Kingof Spain told him that he might, in honor of his visit, set free any one of the galley slaves he chose. He went down amongthem to choose his man. He said to one, "Man, how did you come here?" He replied that false witnesses swore away his character."Ah!" said the prince and passed on. He went to the next, who stated that he had done something that was certainly wrong,but not very much, and that he never ought to have been condemned. "Ah," said the prince, and again passed on. He went theround and found that they were all good fellows-all convicted by mistake.

At last he came to one who said, "You ask me why I came here? I am ashamed to say that I richly deserve it. I am guilty, Icannot for a moment say that I am not. And if I die at this oar, I thoroughly deserve the punishment. In fact, I think ita mercy that my life is spared me." The prince stopped and said, "It is a pity that such a bad fellow as you should be placedamongst such a number of innocent people! I will set you free." You smile at that, but let me make you smile again. My LordJesus Christ has come here, at this time, to set somebody free! He has come here, at this time, to pardon somebody's sins!

You that have no sins shall have no pardon. You good people shall die in your sins! But, you guilty ones, who humble yourselvesunder the hand of God, my Master thinks that it is a pity that you should be among these self-righteous people! So come rightaway and trust your Savior-and obtain life eternal through His precious blood! And to Him shall be glory forever and ever.Amen.