Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-12-23
lOOlATRY OF SELF,

The Self-Love Which Predominates in the
Nature of Him Who Is Not Conformed
to the Divine Will.
PROFESSIONALLY self may be an idol
That which is loved supremacy. as God
only should b. loved, is idolized. Nat
urally, self is that object upon which
most OF the affections are placed, andis
not TO be overlooked in complying with
the Injunction: keep yourself from
idols. )" The old writers put the case of
self-idolatry quite strongly. John
Flavel, who wrote about the middle of
the Seventeenth century, said: ''Oh, if
l could be master of that house idol,
myself, mine own wit, win, credit and
ease, how blessed were L! We have
need to be redeemed from ourselves, as
much as from the devil and the world"
Stephen Charnock, who wrote contem-
poraneously with Flavel, said: ''Self is
the great anti-Christ and anti-God in
the world, that sets up itself above all
that is called GOd self-loye is the cap
tain of that black band G. Tim. 3:2): it
sits in the temple Of God, and would be
adored as God"
A more modern writerexpreSses HIM
self no less vigorously when he says:
''He that will not submit himself to,
nor comply with, the Eternal and I'm
created VIII, but instead of it endeavors
to set up his own will, makes himself
the most real idol in the world, and
eNalts himself against all that is called
God. and ought to be worshiped. To
worship a craven image, or to make
cakes and burn incense to the queen of
heaven, is not worse idolatry than
it is for a man to set up self
will, to devote himself to the
serving of it, and to give up himself to
compliance with his own will, as con-
trary TO the Divine and Eternal Will"
Sclf-coneeit and self-decept:on enter
largely into the idolatry of self. There
are too many who are represented by
one Chrysippus, of whom there is an ac-
count that neighbor asked him TO
whom he should send his son for in
struction. and he replied: ITO me: if l
did but imagine any person eXcellei
myself, l would read philosophy under
him. Arthur Helps, an English
writer. saws: ''Many 4 man has a kind
of kaleidoscope. where the bits of broken
glass are his own merits and fortunes,
and they fall into harmonious arrange
ments and delight him often most mis-
ch;evously, and to his ultimate detri-
ment: bat they are present pleasure"
Self-pleasure is an element of self
idolatrv-
In every unrenewed person self-love
is predominant and idolatrous. This
has been conclusively shown by Rev.
DIR. Edward Payson, who says: '.Sup-
pose, for illustration. that you have I'm
image. which is, il reality. extremely
ugly, bat which you think beautiful.
and YOU spend all your time in polish
ing and adjoining it. At length, how
ever, you beg N to see something of its
deformi1v. and .endeayor to conceal it
from OTHERS. and, ifpossbe. from your
self. by paint ng and dressing it. Not
withstaRding all your efforts, it grows
more and more ugly, till. IL despair of
amending it yourself. you pray that God
would make IT mere lovely. 1t is evil
dent, in this case, that your PRAYERS
would not proceed from love to God,
but from love to your idol: and therefore
there would be no goodness in them.
Suppose that during all this time a per-
son was entreating You to look at 4
beautiful diamond statue. which you re-
fused to do. until. wearied with useless
efforts to make yOur image appear
more beautiful, you turn and look at
the statue. Immediately you sac your
idol in all its native deformny; you
cast it aside. and begin to admire and
extol the statue. This IDOL represents
self, and every unrenewed person adj
mires and loves it supremely. When |
his conscience is awakened to see some |
thing of his sinfulness, he first endeav- /;
ors to make himself better, and it is long |
before he finds that he can not change |
his own heart When he finds that rot
outstanding al! his endeavors. his heart |
seems to grow worse and worse, he
prays God for help. 1t is not from love
10 God, or because God has commanded
it. that he prays; but because he is I'M
willing to see himself so sinful: SO his
prayers arise merely from pride and
selfshness. But If he will only turn
and look to Christ, he sees his sins in a
new light. and no longer loves himself
supremacy. All his affections are trans
ferred to Christ. Then he prays to be
made better-not to crafty his pride,
but because he sees something of the
beautp of holiness, and longs to resem-
bic his Divine Master.''
Truthfully. as well as forcibly, does
Madame Guy0n. of the seventeenth CEN
fury. say:
IT'S just that God should not be dear
Where self engr0sses all the thought;
And groans and murmurs make It clear.
What else is loved. the Lord is not.
The love of Thee flows Just as much
As that OF ebbing self subsidies: