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Have you not brought this on yourselves?
(J. C. Philpot, "The FOOL;
His Character, Affliction, and
Deliverance" Providence
Chapel, London, July 27, 1851)
"Have you not brought this on yourselves
by forsaking the Lord your God when He led
you in the way?" Jeremiah 2:17
"Have you not brought this on yourselves?"
says the Lord to His sinning Israel. Who
dares say he has not by . . .
his sins,
his carnality,
his pride,
his covetousness,
his worldly-mindedness,
his unbelief,
his foolishness,
his rebelliousness,
procured to himself many things that
have grieved and distressed his soul?
If indeed we take no notice of the sin that dwells
in us; and pay no regard to our thoughts, desires,
words, and actions; and take our stand on our own
righteousness; we may refuse to believe that we
are such vile sinners.
But if we are compelled to look within, and painfully
feel that SIN is an indweller, a lodger, whom we are
compelled to harbor; a serpent that will creep in and
nestle in our heart, whether we will or not; a thief
that will break through and steal, and whom no bolt
nor bar can keep out; a traitor in the citadel who will
work by force or fraud, and against whom no resolution
of ours has any avail; if such be our inward experience
and conviction, I believe there is not a man or woman
here who will not confess, "Guilty, guilty! Unclean,
unclean!"
"Some became fools through their rebellious ways,
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities."
Psalm 107:17
We bring affliction upon ourselves. We procure
suffering by our own iniquities. "O!", says the fool . . .
"my worldly-mindedness,
my pride,
my covetousness,
my carnality,
my neglect of divine things,
my rebelliousness,
my recklessness,
the snares I entangled myself in,
my various besetting sins;
this it is which has provoked the Lord to afflict
me so severely, and leave me, fool that I am,
to reap the fruit of my own devises!"
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