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Octavius Winslow, 1856 (edited for
today's reader by Larry E. Wilson, 2010)
Bible Verse
"I do not nullify the grace of God" (Gal. 2:21).
Devotional
There is much counterfeit humility among many saints of God, and this is one of its common forms. It is not pride to acknowledge gratefully what great things the Lord has done for you; it is pride to refuse to acknowledge them. It is not true humility to doubt and underrate, until it becomes easy to deny altogether, the work of the Holy Spirit within you. It is true humility and lowliness to confess his work, to bear witness to his operation, and to ascribe to him all the praise and glory.
See then, dear reader, that you do not cherish this false humility. Really, it is just another name for deep, unmortified pride of heart. Remember that just as Satan may transform himself into an angel of light, so also his agencies may assume the disguise of the most holy and lovely graces. Thus pride, one of his master-agents of evil in the heart, may appear in the shape of the profoundest humility.
As well, bear in mind that though, to your imperfect knowledge and dim eye, the work of the Spirit in your heart may be feeble—the outline scarcely visible amid so much indwelling sin, the spark almost hid amid so much abounding corruption—yet, to the Spirit's eye, that work appears in all its distinctness and glory.
"The Lord knows those who are his" (2 Tim. 2:19). This declaration applies with equal truth to the knowledge which the Holy Spirit has of his own work in the believer. His eye is upon the gentlest buddings of indwelling grace, the faintest spark of love, the softest whisper of holy desire, the most feeble yearnings of the heart towards Jesus—all, all is known to, and loved by, the Spirit. It is his own work; it would be strange if he could not recognize it.
Let this consideration have its proper weight in hushing those murmurings, soothing those fears, and neutralizing those doubts that so deeply grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Yield yourself up to him. Humbly acknowledge what he has done in you. Follow the little light he has given you. Call into constant and active exercise the small degree of grace and faith which he has imparted. And seek "by prayer and supplication" (Phil. 4:6) an enlarged degree of his holy, anointing, sanctifying, and sealing influence.
O bless the Lord, my soul;
let all within me join,
and aid my tongue to bless his name,
whose favors are divine.
O bless the Lord, my soul,
nor let his mercies lie
forgotten in unthankfulness,
and without praises die.
'Tis he forgives your sins,
'tis he relieves your pain,
'tis he that heals your sicknesses,
and makes you young again.
He crowns your life with love,
when ransomed from the grave;
he who redeemed my soul from hell
has sovereign power to save.
He fills the poor with good;
he gives the sufferers rest;
the Lord has judgments for the proud,
and justice for th'oppressed.
His wondrous works and ways
by Moses he made known;
but sent the world his truth and grace
by his beloved Son.
(Isaac Watts, 1719)
Be sure to read the Preface by Octavius Winslow and A Note from the Editor by Larry E. Wilson.
Larry Wilson is an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. In addition to having served as the General Secretary of the Committee on Christian Education of the OPC (2000–2004) and having written a number of articles and booklets (such as God's Words for Worship and Why Does the OPC Baptize Infants) for New Horizons and elsewhere, he has pastored OPC churches in Minnesota, Indiana, and Ohio. We are grateful to him for his editing of Morning Thoughts, the OPC Daily Devotional for 2025.
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