Howbeit, in the business of the
ambassadors of the princes of Babylon,
who sent unto him to enquire of
the wonder that was done in the land,
that He
might know all that was in his heart.
2 Chronicles 32:31
"Hezekiah was growing so inwardly great,
and priding himself so much upon the favor of God,
that self-righteousness crept in,
...the grace of God was for a time,
in its more active operations,
withdrawn.
Here is quite enough to account with the Babylonians;
for if the grace of God should leave the best Christian,
1)there is enough of sin in his heart
to make him the worst of
transgressors.
2)If left to yourselves,
you who are warmest for Christ
would cool down like Laodicea into sickening lukewarmness:
3)you who are
sound in the faith would be white
with the leprosy of false doctrine;
4)you who now walk before the Lord in excellency
and integrity would reel
to and fro,
and stagger with a drunkenness of evil passion.
keep us in youth,
when our passions are strong;
keep us in old age,
when
becoming conceited of our wisdom,
we may therefore prove greater fools
than the young and giddy;
keep us when we come to die,
lest, at the very
last,
we should deny Thee!"
Charles Spurgeon