The LORD Alone Shall Be Exalted
"The
lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall
be bowed down, and the LORD
alone shall be exalted in that day." -ISAIAH
2:11 [KJV]
How
does the Lord humble? By discovering to man what he is; by opening up
the depth of his fall; by making him feel what a vile and guilty
wretch he is before the footstool of mercy; by breaking him to
pieces; by slaughtering and laying him low; by making him abhor
himself in dust and ashes. Was not that the way the Lord took with
the saints of old?
How
did He humble Isaiah? Was it not by some discovery of His divine
Majesty, to make him cry, "I am a man of unclean lips!"
How did He humble Daniel? Was it not by manifesting Himself in His
almighty purity, and turning his comeliness into corruption? How did
He humble Hezekiah? By laying him upon a sick-bed, and laying his
sins and iniquities with weight and power upon his conscience. None
of these men produced humility in themselves. How did the Lord humble
Job? By sifting him in Satan's sieve, and discovering as that riddle
moved to and fro in Satan's hands the pride, peevishness, and
self-righteousness of his carnal mind.
There
are many who cannot bear to hear the malady touched upon. They cannot
bear to hear the corruptions of the heart even hinted at. But what
real humility can a man have except through a knowledge of himself?
How can I be humbled except I feel that in myself which covers me
with shame and confusion of face, and makes me loathe and abhor
myself before the eyes of a heart-searching God? Therefore the more
the glorious majesty of heaven is pleased to unfold itself in all its
divine purity in my conscience, and the deeper discovery I have of
what I am as a fallen wretch, a guilty sinner, the more will my heart
be humbled, the more shall I be lowly and abased, the more shall I
loathe myself in dust and ashes.
-Gospel
report by preacher J.C. Philpot (1802-1869 A.D.)
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