of estrangement between friends? What is the cause of evil speaking? What
is the cause of selfishness and indifference to the feelings of others?
Simply this: the pride of man. He lifts himself up, and he claims the right
to have his opinions and judgments as he pleases. The salvation we need
is indeed humility, because it is only through humility that we can be
restored to our right relation to God.

"Waiting upon God,"--that is the only true expression for the real relation
of the creature to God; to be nothing before God. What is the essential
idea of a creature made by God? It is this: to be a vessel in which He can
pour out His fullness, in which He can exhibit His life, His goodness, His
power, and His love. A vessel must be empty if it is to be filled, and if
we are to be filled with the life of God we must be utterly empty of
self. This is the glory of God, that He is to fill all things, and more
especially His redeemed people. And as this is the glory of the creature,
so this is the only redemption, and the only glory of every redeemed soul,
to be empty and as nothing before God; to wait upon Him, and to let God be
all in all.

Humility has a prominent place in almost every epistle of the New
Testament. Paul says: "Walk with all lowliness and meekness, with
longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." The nearer you get to God, and
the fuller of God, the lowlier you will be; and equally before God and man,
you will love to bow very low. We know of Peter's early self-confidence;
but in his epistles what a different language he speaks! He wrote there:
"Let the younger be subject to the elder, and all of you be subject one to
another; humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt
you in His own time." He understood, and he dared to preach, humility to
all. It is indeed the salvation we need. What is it that prevents people