Thursday, May 13, 2010

Praying against hypocrisy (Watson)

Thomas Watson:

Christian, if you mourn for hypocrisy, yet find this sin so potent that you cannot get the mastery of it, go to Christ. Beg of him that he would exercise his kingly office in your soul, that he would subdue this sin, and put it under the yoke. Beg of Christ to exercise his spiritual surgery upon you. Desire him to lance your heart and cut out the rotten flesh, and that he would apply the medicine of his blood to heal you of your hypocrisy. Say that prayer of David often: 'Let my heart be sound in thy statutes' (Psa. 119:80). 'Lord, let me be anything rather than a hypocrite.' Two hearts will exclude from one heaven.

All Christians should regularly pray like this. Truth be told even the most godly saint doesn't always live up to his or her profession, nor especially does "the bruised reed." Those of us in the latter category need not despair though. As Watson says elsewhere -- the bruised reed "is as true a plant of the heavenly paradise as the other [the cedar]." God can read the work of his Spirit on our hearts whether it's "written in capital letters" or "only faintly stamped." I continue to be strengthened for the journey by reading this great Puritan.

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