The Humbling Of God's People

"Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the 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 are, you have nothing to make you proud. The more you have, the more yoy are in debt to God; and you should not be proud of that which renders you a debtor. Consider yours origin; look back to what you wast. Consider what you would have been but for divine grace. Look upon yourself as you are now. Do not your conscience reproach you? Do not your thousand wanderings stand before you, and tell you that you are unworthy to be called His son? And if He has made you anything, are you not taught thereby that it is grace which have made you to differ? Great believer, you would have been a great sinner if God had not made you to differ. O you who are valiant for truth, you would have been as valiant for error if grace has not laid hold upon you. Therefore, be not proud, though you have a large estate, a wide domain of grace, you have not once a single thing to call your own except your sin and misery. Oh! strange infatuation, that you, who has borrowed everything, should think of exalting yourself; 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!  Hallelujah God bless