The Cursed Man
“Thus saith the Lord, Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.”—Jeremiah 17:5
It is very remarkable, after the prophet pronounces the curse of confiding in the flesh, and the blessedness of trusting in the Lord, he immediately adds, ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked,’ ver. 9. Hence we may infer, that the poison of pride, vain confidence in the flesh, and self-righteous hopes, may lurk under the most exalted pretensions to piety, holiness, and perfection. This matter calls for great care and circumspection.
As many as are of the works of the law, or who in anywise seek to be made righteous by doing, are under the curse. Gal. 3:10 Think it not contrary to the holiness of God to pronounce such to be cursed, as though the Lord did not hate sin, and love and approve true holiness. No: but such deceive their own souls, and flatter themselves in their own sight. They dishonour the perfection of God’s law, by bringing down its purity and spirituality to a level with their own works and obedience. They reject the righteousness of Jesus, deny the faith of him, look to their own holiness, trust in themselves that they are righteous, confide in the power of the flesh, and so their hearts depart from the Lord. Pride and self-exalting is at the bottom of all this. As they appeal to the law, they must go to the law, and hear its sentence, which sounds nothing but curse, and wrath, and hell.
These are precious evangelical words of Luther: ‘So we teach and comfort the afflicted sinner. Brother, it is not possible for thee to become so righteous as to feel no sin at all. In that thou dost feel and acknowledge it, it is a good token; give thanks to God. Christ healeth them that are broken in heart, and saveth sinners. Follow not the judgment of reason, which telleth thee, Christ is angry with sinners; but kill reason and believe in Christ, and the sin which remaineth in thee is pardoned for Christ’s sake, in whom thou believest, whose righteousness is thy righteousness, and thy sin is his sin. Every Christian is an high priest. This is the daily sacrifice of the New Testament, which must be offered up. The evening sacrifice is to kill reason: the morning sacrifice is to glorify God.’ On Gal. 3:6. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. Jer. 17:7
I am the man who stood accurst,
My heart departed from the Lord;
Flesh was my arm, pride was my lust,
My just desserts to be abhorred.
But, Jesus, Lord, what hast thou done?
Turn me, a proud self-righteous foe,
To trust in thee, and thee alone,
And all my former hopes forego.
William Mason (1719-1791) was a High-Calvinist author. For many years he served as a Justice of the Peace, and in 1783 was appointed a Magistrate. He served as editor of the Gospel Magazine before and after the editorship of Augustus Toplady. He is best known for a morning and evening devotional entitled, “A Spiritual Treasury For The Children Of God.”
