Willing to Bear Reproof.
By Roswell F. Cottrell
THE truly meek and humble will receive reproof with a meek and submissive spirit though he may not see that it is called for or deserved. And though he does not feel conscious of deserving it, yet he will appreciate the motive of him that feels interest enough in his welfare to perform the crossing and painful duty of reproving. It will be “an excellent oil,” it will not cause a sore head. Ps. cxli, 5. But the language of the unsubdued heart is: I will take reproof, when I deserve it; but when I do not deserve it, I will not. Well, who is to be the judge whether he deserves reproof or not? himself, or the one that administers the reproof? He will judge of that himself. He knows better than any one else about that. Now the Devil himself would receive reproof by that rule. Let him judge of its fitness, and he never would deserve it, and therefore never would hear it. Then let reproofs be given by those that are moved by a sense of duty to give them; and let those who receive them consider that their selfishness is likely to disqualify them for judging of their fitness, and that the presumption is that others are better qualified to judge of this than they; and let them charitably judge, that as it is a painful duty to reprove, the presumption is that it is our very best friends that reprove us, those that love our souls the best.