That monstrous creature within us!

(J. C. Philpot, "Spiritual Times and Seasons" 1841)

"I abhor the pride of Jacob." Amos 6:8

O cursed pride, that is ever lifting up its head in our
hearts! Pride would even pull down God that it might
sit upon His throne. Pride would trample under foot
the holiest things to exalt itself!

Pride is that monstrous creature within us, of such
ravenous and indiscriminate gluttony, that the more
it devours, the more it craves!

Pride is that chameleon which assumes every color;
that actor which can play every part; and yet which
is faithful to no one object or purpose, but to exalt
and glorify self!

"I will put an end to the pride of the mighty." "God
will bring down their pride."  (Ezek. 7:24, Isaiah 25:11)

God means to kill man's pride! And oh, what cutting
weapons the Lord will sometimes make use of to kill
a man's pride!

How He will bring him sometimes into the depths
of temporal poverty, that He may make a stab at
his worldly pride!

How He will bring to light the iniquities of his youth,
that He may mortify his self-righteous pride!

How He will allow sin to break forth, if not openly,
yet so powerfully within, that piercing convictions
shall kill his spiritual pride!

And what deep discoveries of internal corruption will
the Lord sometimes employ, to dig down to the root,
and cut off the core of that poisonous tree, pride!

The Searcher of hearts dissects and anatomizes this
inbred evil, cuts down to it through the quivering and
bleeding flesh, and pursues with His keen knife its
multiplied windings and ramifications.

"The day is coming when your pride will be brought
 low and the Lord alone will be exalted." Isaiah 2:11

"The arrogance of all people will be brought low.
 Their pride will lie in the dust. The Lord alone
 will be exalted!" Isaiah 2:17

"The Lord Almighty has done it to destroy your pride
 and show His contempt for all human greatness."
    Isaiah 23:9