Being humble before God is one thing; being humbled before God is altogether another thing. We are humbled before God because we have not been humble. We are humbled on account of sin; but had we been humble, we should have received grace to prevent it. "For God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble."

The only humble place is in the presence of God. It is only out of His presence that we are in danger of being lifted up. People indeed say that it is dangerous to be too often on the mount. But the danger is not in being on the mount, but in coming down from the mount. When we come down, we begin to think we have been there, and then pride comes in. Paul did not need a thorn when he was in the third heavens. But after his return, he was in danger of being exalted above measure by the thought that he had been where no one else had been.

True humility does not consist in thinking badly about ourselves, but in never thinking about ourselves at all. This is the place which is hard to reach -to get done with the constant repetition of I, I, I. People must be talking of themselves, and their pride is nourished by telling how evil they are, if this suits their theology; just as much as telling of their holiness and conquests, when that suits their theology. It is sadly curious to see some men change their tone, as they change their views; just as in the world men make a boast of their vices or of their virtues, as the one or the other may attract notice or admiration. But in either case, it is I, I, I. Some one has said, "If you begin a sentence with I, there is nothing that a person will not put after it." It is wonderful to hear how men will indulge in the use of that letter, under the plea of relating their experience; perhaps the boasting Pharisee called it relating his experience to the praise of God. At any rate, he showed how self-exaltation may be prefaced by, "God, I thank Thee;" as sometimes we find it in assemblies where Christ should be the theme.