The great design of God

(Thomas Reade, "The Believer's Path to Glory") It is one of the Lord's dealings with His beloved children, to make them feel . . .   their weakness and His power;   their pollution and His holiness;   their nothingness and His all sufficiency. The more we are brought under the teachings of the Holy Spirit, the more we shall find the truth of this remark. It is the great design of God . . .   to humble our naturally proud hearts,   to bring down our naturally self righteous spirit,   to root out our naturally idolatrous affections.