The Garment of Self Righteousness.
SOME years ago, a white man and an Indian were deeply convicted under the same sermon. The Indian almost immediately was rejoicing in pardoning mercy, but the white man was for a long time in great distress and almost despair, until at last he too found peace in God's forgiving love. Some time afterwards, on meeting his Indian brother, he asked him, “How was it that I should be so long under conviction, when you found comfort so soon?” “Oh, brother,” replied the Indian, “me tell you: there come along a rich prince; he promise to give you a new coat; you look at your coat and say, ‘I do not know, my coat pretty good, it will do a little longer.’ He then offer me a new coat. I look at my old blanket; I say, ‘This good for nothing;’ I fling it right away, and take the new coat. Just so, brother, you try to make your old righteousness do for a little while, you so slow to give it up; but I, poor Indian, had none; so I glad to take at once the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ.”