As we continue in this neglected topic, we should ask the Lord to open our own hearts to the truth. We should know that in a day which focuses so much on externals and neglects the true nature of the heart while giving some lip-service to it, there is a lot of deception. It is not always other people who are deceived. It is not just that it might be others at church, or other ministers, or other spouses. These things are true of every human being that has ever lived, lives now, or will ever live. Unless the pride of our hearts is mortified, and by that I mean truly mortified rather than just an intellectual explanation of a worldly idea, we are as unconverted as people are on judgment day when they understand the truth but have unmortified pride in their hearts. All of their orthodoxy is full of pride. The devil himself believes all of the things of Christianity but his pride has not been killed by grace. Oh, some say, I have free will to kill my pride whenever I please. That shows a person that has never felt the weight and power of pride in the soul. Only grace can kill the monstrous beast of pride in our hearts that is the offspring of the devil. The unregenerate soul is a slave to pride and self and it takes the power of God by the blood of Christ to deliver it.
The first quote is from Thomas Shepard and then a few comments on it by Alexander Whyte in a book he wrote on Shepard originally published in 1909. The second is from Jonathan Edwards.
‘Of all hypocrites,’ says Thomas Shepard, that pungentest of preachers, ‘take care that you be not an evangelical hypocrite.’ A hundred times and in a hundred ways Shepard says that. But what does the dreadful man mean? He means this: An evangelical hypocrite is a man who sins the more safely because grace abounds; who says to his lusts, both of mind and body, that the blood of Christ cleanseth from all such sin, and who reasons with himself thus: God cannot, by any possibility, cast any man into hell who loves evangelical preaching as I love it, and who would not sit a day but in an evangelical church. My evangelical brethren, let us take good care! For if evangelical hypocrites are to found anywhere in our day it is in a church like ours and under a doctrine like ours.
…without the least mortification of the pride of their hearts. But the essence of evangelical humiliation consists in such humility as becomes a creature in itself exceeding sinful, under a dispensation of grace; consisting in a mean esteem of himself, as in himself nothing, and altogether contemptible and odious; attended with a mortification of a disposition to exalt himself, and a free renunciation of his own glory… (Jonathan Edwards)
In the realm of television there are a lot of preachers and singers who seem to think highly of themselves. It is so easy to pick on TV preachers as that just means other people who will remain unnamed who are famous. However, what of those I know and then myself? It is easy to preach on subjects that I think are to the people rather than to me. If only preachers would follow the advice of John Owen who said that he had to live his sermon a week in order to taste of it so that he would not dispense poison to his people. A teaching may tickle the ears or it may make people laugh or feel good, and it may even feed their intellect in accordance with a Creed. But unless it has taken a hack at pride as Peter took at Malchus with a sword and even if it missed the head and just takes off an ear, then the heart has not been touched and no spiritual good has been done. The only way to progress in the spiritual realm is by pride being mortified and grace coming alive in the soul. God hates pride and opposes it. So if our preaching does nothing but build religious or spiritual pride we are doing nothing but what God hates and what is the most detrimental to souls. Orthodox preaching is and can be very dangerous when the heart is not truly considered in light of pride and humility. The truth will harden proud hearts while it softens humble ones.
It is vital to Christianity to get beyond orthodox information to the depths of the heart. The quotes from Thomas Shepard and Jonathan Edwards are but tiny bits compared to the whole of their writings. They were not satisfied to rest in propositions of truth, but they wanted the work of the Spirit in their hearts and knew that true conversion and true Christianity had to have that. How easy it is to rest in baptism, orthodoxy, good feelings, modern or traditional music, and yet still be a slave to pride and self. How easy it is to assume an outward humility and perhaps convince ourselves that we are truly humble. But true Christianity that loves the true God in Christ will hate all sin and especially when it is found in our own hearts. If we truly love the glory of God in the face of Christ which is the Gospel we will hate pride in our own hearts and go to war against His enemies. A love for Christ means a hatred for His enemies even when it is our own hearts. We must not deceive ourselves into thinking that we love Christ if we will not go to war with the pride of our own hearts. Evangelical humility is utterly necessary.
God Loves... Himself 
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