boasted of their might and dignity, and have said, “I have built this mighty Babylon,” but then they thought they stood, and they fell at once. “Let him that thinks he stands,” with the proudest talents, “take heed lest he fall.”
10. Others have the pride of grace. That is a curious fact; but there is such a thing as being proud of grace. A man says, “I have great faith, I shall not fall; poor Little-Faith may, but I never shall.” “I have fervent love,” says another man, “I can stand, there is no danger of my going astray, as for my brother over there, he is so cold and slow, he will fall, I dare say.” Says another, “I have a most burning hope of heaven, and that hope will triumph; it will purge my soul from sense and sin, as Christ the Lord is pure. I am safe.” He who boasts of grace, has little grace to boast of. But there are some who do that, who think their graces will keep them, knowing not that the stream must flow constantly from the fountain head, else the bed of the brook shall soon be dry, and you shall see the pebbles at the bottom. If a continuous stream of oil come not to the lamp, though it burn brightly today, it shall smoke tomorrow, and noxious will be the scent of it. Take heed that you neither glory in your talents nor in your graces.
11. Many are worse still; they think they shall not fall because of their privileges. “I take the sacrament, I have been baptized in an orthodox manner, as written in God’s word; I attend such and such a ministry; I am well fed; I am fat and flourishing in the courts of my God. If I were one of those starved creatures who hear a false gospel, possibly I might sin; but oh! our minister is the model of perfection; we are constantly fed and made fat; surely we shall stand.” Thus in the complacency of their privileges they run down others, exclaiming, “My mountain stands firm, I shall never be moved.” Take heed, presumption, take heed. Pride comes before a fall; and a haughty spirit is the usher of destruction. Take heed; watch your footsteps; for where pride creeps in, it is the worm at the root of the gourd, causing it to wither and die. “Let him that thinks he stands,” because of pride of talent, or grace, or privilege, “take heed lest he fall.”
12. I hope I have touched some here; I trust the lancet has been sharp; I have taken the scalpel, and I hope I have discovered something. Oh you presumptuous ones, I speak to you; and I shall do so while next I warn you of your danger.
13. II. I shall be more brief on the second point — THE DANGER. He who thinks he stands is in danger of a fall. The true Christian cannot possibly suffer a final fall but he is very much disposed to a foul fall. Though the Christian shall not stumble so as to destroy his life, he may break his limb. Though God has given his angels charge over him, to keep him in all his ways, yet there is no commission to keep him when he goes astray; and when he is astray he may thrust himself through with many sorrows.
14. 1. I must now try and give you the reason why a man who thinks he stands is more exposed to the danger of falling than any other. First, because such a man in the midst of temptation will be sure to be more or less careless. Make a man believe he is very strong, and what will he do? The fight is thickening around him; yet he has his sword in his scabbard. “Oh,” he says, “my arm is nimble and strong; I can draw it out and strike home.” So perhaps he lies down in the field, or slothfully sleeps in his tent; “for,” he says, “when I hear enemies approaching, such is my prowess and such my might, that I can mow them down by thousands. You sentinels watch the weak; go to the Ready-to-Halts and the Fearings, and arouse them. But I am a giant; and let me once get this old Toledo blade in my hand, it will cut through body and soul. Whenever I meet my enemies, I shall be more than conqueror.” The man is careless in battle. He lifts up his helmet, as it is said Goliath did, and then a stone pierces his forehead; he throws away his shield, and then an arrow penetrates his flesh; he will put his sword into his scabbard, then the enemy smites him, and he is ill prepared to resist. The man who thinks he is strong, is off his guard; he is not ready to parry the stroke of the evil one, and then the sword enters his soul.
15. 2. Again, the man who thinks he stands will not be careful to keep out of the way of temptation, but rather will run into it. I remember seeing a man who was going to a place of worldly amusement — he was a professor of religion — and I called to him, “What are you doing there, Elijah?” “Why do you ask me such a question as that?” said he. I said, “What are you doing here, Elijah? You are going there.” “Yes,” he replied, with some sort of blush, “but I can do that with impunity.” “I could not,” said I; “if I were there I know I should commit sin. I should not care what people said about it; I always do as I like, so far as I believe it to be right; I leave the saying to anyone who likes to talk about me. But it is a place of danger, and I could not go with it impunity.” “Ah!” said he, “I could; I have been before, and I have had some sweet thoughts there. I find it enlarges the intellect. You are narrow-minded; you do not get these good things. It is a rich treat I assure you. I would go if I were you.” “No,” I said, “it would be dangerous for me: from what I hear, the name of Jesus is profaned there; and there is much said that is altogether contrary to the religion we believe. The people who attend there are none of the best, and it will surely be said that birds of a feather flock together.” “Ah, well,” he replied, “perhaps you young men had better keep away; I am a strong man, I can go”; and off he went to the place of amusement. That man, sirs, was an apple of Sodom. He was a professor of religion. I guessed there was something rotten at the core from that very fact; and I found it so by experience, for the man was a downright sensualist even then. He wore a mask, he was a hypocrite, and had none of the grace of God in his heart. Presumptuous men will say they can go into sin, they are so full of moral strength; but when a man tells you he is so good, always read his words backwards, and understand him to mean that he is as bad as he can be. The self-confident man is in danger of falling because he will even run into temptation in the confidence that he is strong, and able to make his escape.
16. 3. Another reason is, that these strong men sometimes will not use the means of grace, and therefore they fall. There are some people here, who never attend a place of worship very likely; they do not profess to be religious; but I am sure they would be astonished if I were to tell them, that I know some professedly religious people who are accepted in some churches as being true children of God, who yet make it a habit of staying away from the house of God, because they conceive they are so advanced that they do not want it. You smile at such a thing as that. They boast such deep experience within; they have a volume of sweet sermons at home, and they will stop and read them; they need not go to the house of God, for they are fat and flourishing. They conceit themselves that they have received food enough seven years ago to last them the next ten years. They imagine that old food will feed their souls now. These are your presumptuous men. They are not to be found at the Lord’s table, eating the body and drinking the blood of Christ, in the holy emblems of bread and wine. You do not see them in their closets; you do not find them searching the Scriptures with holy curiosity. They think they stand — they shall never be moved; they fancy that means are intended for weaker Christians; and leaving those means, they fall. They will not have the shoe to put upon the foot, and therefore the flint cuts them; they will not put on the armour, and therefore the enemy wounds them — sometimes almost to death. In this deep quagmire of neglect of the means, many a haughty professor has been smothered.
17. 4. Once more, the man who is self-confident runs a fearful hazard, because God’s Spirit always leaves the proud. The gracious Spirit delights to dwell in the low places. The holy dove came to Jordan; we read not that it ever rested on Bashan. The man upon the white horse rode among the myrtle trees, not among the cedars. The myrtle trees grew at the foot of the mountains; the cedars on the summit of it. God loves humility. He who walks with fear and trembling, fearing lest he should go astray, that man the Spirit loves; but when once pride creeps in, and the man declares, “Now I am in no danger,” away goes the dove, it flies to heaven and will have nothing to do with him. Proud souls, you quench the Spirit. You arrogant men, you grieve the Holy Spirit. He leaves every heart where pride dwells; that evil spirit of Lucifer he abhors; he will not rest with it; he will not tarry in its company. Here is your greatest danger, you proud ones — that the Spirit leaves those who deny their entire dependence on him.
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