Law: the kingdom of self

Wednesday, July 29, 2026
    Feast of Mary, Martha & Lazarus, Companions of Our Lord
Meditation:
    Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
    —Matthew 6:16-18 (KJV)
Quotation:
    Many people not only lose the benefit, but are even the worse for their mortifications [i.e., sacrifices, abstensions]. It is because they mistake the whole nature and worth of them. They practice them for their own sakes, as things good in themselves; they think them to be real parts of holiness, and so rest in them, and look no further, but grow full of a self-esteem, and self-admiration for their own progress in them. This makes them self-sufficient, morose, severe judges of all those that fall short of their mortifications.
    And thus their self-denials do only that for them, which indulgences do for other people—they withstand and hinder the operation of God upon their souls; and instead of being really self-denials, they strengthen and keep up the kingdom of self.
    ... William Law (1686-1761), The Spirit of Prayer [1749], London: E. Justins for Ogles, Duncan, and Cochran, 1816, p. 77-78 (see the book)
    See also Matt. 6:16-18; Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 8:8; Col. 2:20-23; Heb. 13:9
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, grant me humility, that I may please You and lift up my brother. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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