January 22 — Morning

forest?"-Ezekiel 15:2 These words are for the humbling of God's people; they are called God's vine, but what are they by nature more than others? They, by God's goodness, have become fruitful, having been planted in a good soil; the Lord has trained them upon the walls of the sanctuary, and they bring forth fruit to His glory; but what are they without their God? What are they without the continual influence of the Spirit, begetting fruitfulness in them? O believer, learn to reject pride, seeing that you have no ground for it. Whatever you art, you have nothing to make you proud. The more you have, the more you art in debt to God; and you should not be proud of that which renders you a debtor. Consider your origin; look back to what you were. Consider what you would have been but for divine grace. Look upon thyself as you art now. Does not your conscience reproach you? Do not your thousand wanderings stand before you, and tell you that you art unworthy to be called His son? And if He has made you anything, art you not taught thereby that it is 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 art valiant for truth, you would have been as valiant for error if grace had not laid hold upon you. Therefore, be not proud, though you have a large estate-a wide domain of grace, you hadst not once a single thing to call your own except your sin and misery. Oh! strange infatuation, that you, who have borrowed everything, should think of exalting thyself; a poor dependent pensioner upon the bounty of your Saviour, one who has a life which dies without fresh streams of life from Jesus, and yet proud! Fie on you, O silly heart!