No Flesh Shall Glory in God's Presence

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone: because I am a man of unclean lips—for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.—Isaiah 6:5.

When the glory of Jesus is manifested to the soul in the light of the Spirit, how doth it stain the pride of all human glory! The prophets of the Old Testament, and the apostles of Jesus under the New, were men of like passions, sinners like unto ourselves: by nature there is no difference: they were all saved by the same precious Saviour of sinners: a sight of themselves in the light of truth humbled them to the dust. "O wretched man that I am!" cries Paul the apostle. "Woe is me; I am unclean, I am undone!" cries Isaiah the evangelical prophet. "God will suffer no flesh to glory in his presence." Jesus the Saviour alone shall be exalted; man, the sinner, though the subject of grace and salvation, shall be laid low; every hope in himself cut off; the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and his deserts as a sinner confessed. Such are the saving effects of Jesus' love; such the humbling views of his Spirit. But it is very natural for the sensible sinner to write bitter things against himself; to pronounce a woe upon himself, and to cry out of his own undone state, and unclean, polluted condition: as when the sun shines we see innumerable motes and atoms which were invisible before. But do we think this strange, after a soul has been favored with a spiritual sight of Jesus, faith in him, and hope from him, to be sensible of, and cry out of our undone state? We should not think it strange. We shall carry this view of ourselves with us all our journey through, even till we come to the banks of Jordan's streams.

The most exalted saint, while in the body, is in himself, according to the flesh, carnal, sold under sin; burdened with a body of sin and death. But though, as thus considered in himself, he is in a woeful, undone state, yet being in Christ Jesus, a member of him, a believer on him, a new creature in him, there is no woe, no wrath, no condemnation; but peace, pardon, love, and salvation from God the Father to him. This is manifested to our souls by the ministry of the word of grace; the Spirit of truth, like the seraphim, by the prophet, takes a live coal from off the altar, the sacrifice of Christ, and saith, "Lo! this hath touched thy lips, thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged." Let this comfortable truth ever dwell in thy heart, make confession with thy mouth unto salvation; the bloody sacrifice of Jesus hath purged thy sins. "Be not faithless, but believing,"—John 20:27.

- William Mason, A Spiritual Treasury for the Children of God, Volume 1, August 18