"You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye!" Matthew 7:5
Begin at home — that is the teaching; not at home in the general sense, with other members of your family — but very close at home, with yourself. It is a good deal easier, of course, to pull specks out of other people's eyes — than planks out of one's own.
We are not put in this world to look after other people's faults — to pick the dust out of their eyes — to remove their specks of blemish. Our first business, is to get rid of our own faults. We are scarcely competent to take the speck of dust out of another's eye — while a plank protrudes from our own. We are not ready to do much toward curing our friend of his faults — until we have sincerely tried to rid ourselves of our own.
We all know people whose very presence, is a silent rebuke of sin. Their lives are pure and holy, and their unconscious influence is a restraint upon all evil. We are ofttimes told that one of the truest tests of a good friendship, is that our friend can tell us of our faults — and we shall receive it kindly. That depends first on ourselves — and then upon our friend. If we are proud and vain — it will be very hard for any friend, the wisest and gentlest, to speak to us of our faults, except at the peril of the friendship.
Then, if the friend treats our faults in a conceited and censorious way — it will be equally dangerous. He who would truly help to take the specks out of our eyes — must come to us in tender love, proving his generous and unselfish interest in us. He must come to us humbly, not as our judge but as our brother, with faults like our own which he is trying to cure. If he approaches us in this way, conscious of his own infirmity, desiring to be helpful to us, as Christ has been helpful to him — nothing but unpardonable vanity and self-conceit will prevent our accepting his kind offer.
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J.R. Miller (1840 - 1912)
Prolific author and pastor of Presbyterian churches in Pennsylvania and Illinois, Rev. James Russell Miller served the USCC as a field agent in the Army of the Potomac and Army of the Cumberland.J.R. Miller began contributing articles to religious papers while at Allegheny Seminary. This continued while he was at the First United, Bethany, and New Broadway churches. In 1875, Miller took over from Henry C. McCook, D.D. when the latter discontinued his weekly articles in The Presbyterian, which was published in Philadelphia. J.R. Miller D.D.'s lasting fame is through his over 50 books. Many are still in publication.
James Russell Miller (March 20, 1840 - July 2, 1912) was a popular Christian author, Editorial Superintendent of the Presbyterian Board of Publication, and pastor of several churches in Pennsylvania and Illinois.
In 1857, James entered Beaver Academy and in 1862 he progressed to Westminster College, Pennsylvania, which he graduated in June, 1862. Then in the autumn of that year he entered the theological seminary of the United Presbyterian Church at Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Mr. Miller resumed his interrupted studies at the Allegheny Theological Seminary in the fall of 1865 and completed them in the spring of 1867. That summer he accepted a call from the First United Presbyterian Church of New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. He was ordained and installed on September 11, 1867.
J.R. Miller began contributing articles to religious papers while at Allegheny Seminary. This continued while he was at the First United, Bethany, and New Broadway churches. In 1875, Miller took over from Henry C. McCook, D.D. when the latter discontinued his weekly articles in The Presbyterian, which was published in Philadelphia.
Five years later, in 1880, Dr. Miller became assistant to the Editorial Secretary at the The Presbyterian Board of Publication, also in Philadelphia.