O To Be Nothing! by Rev. H. Seymour

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jan 4, 1883

"O To Be Nothing!"

By Rev. H. Seymour

AN EASY SONG BUT A HARD LESSON.

It is easiest to say and to sing it, than to feel and to be it. A lady, gorgeously arrayed in the latest fashion, may play it on an instrument with jewelled fingers, and at the same time be as proud as Lucifer of her person and performance. It is not the easiest thing in the world to be emptied of self, and to lie humbly at the feet of the Master, to be unused or used only as he may see best, giving all the glory of whatever we may do to him, willing to be nothing, that he may be all in all. It is human nature to crave and to claim at least a share in the glory. It would even divide the honor with the great Supreme, and sit on the same throne with the Lord of all. It is indeed the hardest thing in the world to be willing to take one's own proper place before God and man, and to be unthought of if the Lord will. Human nature is self-exalting. It desires and seeks preeminence. It courts position above others. It likes glorification. It would have the credit of all that it does or is instrumental in doing. We see the manifestation of this spirit even in the chosen twelve. They desired the honors in that temporal kingdom, that in their ignorance they supposed Christ was about to set up in the world. They disputed among themselves which of them should be the greatest. "O to be something" is the aspiration of our proud hearts.

And the same unhallowed spirit has prevailed amongst the disciples of Christ ever since. It is still manifest in the Church. The deacons, the elders, and the ministers are not all superior to it. It is a great attainment, the height of attainment to be humble. But few comparatively reach it. But few are disposed to say with the greatest of the apostles, that they are "less than the least of all saints." It is only the first-class of saints, as the saintly Edwards, that attain to this. Thus he writes on a certain occasion: "I have greatly longed of late for a broken heart, and to lie low before God; and, when I ask for humility, I can not bear the thought of being more humble than other Christians. It seems to me, that though their degrees of humility may be suitable for them, yet it would be a vile self-exaltation in me, not to be the lowest in humility of all mankind. Others speak of their longing to be 'humbled to the dust,' that may be a proper expression for them, but I always think of myself that I ought, and it is an expression that has long been natural for me to use in prayer, 'to lie infinitely low before God.'"

The true way to honor is humility. And there is no other way. "He that humbleth himself shall be exalted; but he that exalteth himself shall be abased." Spurgeon has truly said: "The way to be very great is to be very little." And this greatest of the world's preachers seems to be an example in point. Amongst his recent utterances may be found the following: "I told my people the other morning, when preaching from the text, 'My grace is sufficient for thee,' that for the first time in my life I experienced what Abraham felt when he fell on his face and laughed. I was riding home, very weak with a long week's work, but there came to my mind this text: 'My grace is sufficient for thee;' but it came with the emphasis laid upon two words; 'My grace is sufficient for thee.' My soul said, 'Doubtless it is. Surely the grace of the infinite God is more than sufficient for such a mere insect as I am,' and I laughed, and laughed again, to think how far the supply exceeded all my needs. It seemed to me as though I were a little fish in the sea, and in my thirst I said, 'Alas! I shall drink up the ocean.' Then the Father of the waters lifted up his head sublime, and smiling, replied: 'Little fish, the boundless river is sufficient for thee.'"

Alas! Why should a mortal man ever be otherwise than humble? Why should a poor sinner ever exalt himself, either before God or man? What garment more becomes us than the garment of humility? The Lord gives us each and all grace to put it on, and to keep it on at all times, and on all occasions.—Rev. H. Seymour.