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<p>&quot;<strong>I will cleanse you from all your idols.</strong>&quot; Ezekiel 36:25<br />
        <br />
        Idolatry takes a wide range. There are 'respectable' idols <br />
        and 'vulgar' idols—just as there are marble statues, and <br />
        other objects of worship made up of shells and feathers. <p>And yet each will still be an idol.
        <p>Respectable idols we can admire—vulgar idols we detest.<p><strong>But an idol is an idol</strong>—however respectable, or however<br />
        vulgar—however admired, or however despised they may be.<br />
        <br />
        But O how numerous are these respectable idols! <br />
        <br />
        Love of money, <br />
        ambition, <br />
        craving after human applause, <br />
        desire to rise in the world; <br />
        all these we may think are natural desires that<br />
        may be lawfully gratified. But O, what idols may <br />
        they turn out to be!<br />
        <br />
        But there are more <strong>secret</strong> and more <strong>dangerous</strong> idols. <br />
        You may have a husband, or wife, or child—whom you <br />
        love almost as much as yourself—you bestow upon <br />
        this idol of yours all the affections of your heart.<br />
        Nothing is too good for it, nothing too dear for it. <br />
        <br />
        You don't see how this is an idol. <br />
        <br />
        But, whatever you <strong>love </strong>more than God, <br />
        whatever you <strong>worship </strong>more than God, <br />
        whatever you <strong>crave </strong>for more than God,<br />
        is an idol.<br />
        <br />
        It may lurk in the chambers of imagery—you may <br />
        scarcely know how fondly you love it. But let God <br />
        take that idol out of your breast—let Him pluck that <br />
        idol from its niche—and you will then find how you <br />
        have allowed your affections to wander after that <br />
        idol and loved it more than God Himself. It is when <br />
        the idol is taken away, removed, dethroned—that <br />
        we learn what an idol it has been. <br />
        <br />
        How we hug and embrace our idols!<br />
        <br />
        How we cleave to them!<br />
        <br />
        How we delight in them!<br />
        <br />
        How we bow down to them! <br />
        <br />
        How we seek gratification from them! <br />
        <br />
        How little are we aware what affections entwine <br />
        around them—how little are we aware that they <br />
        claim what God has reserved for Himself when <br />
        He said, &quot;My son, give Me your heart.&quot; <br />
        <br />
        Many a weeping widow learns for the first time that <br />
        her <strong>husband </strong>was an idol. Many a mourning husband <strong><br />
          </strong>learns for the first time how too dearly, how too fondly, <br />
        how too idolatrously he loved his <strong>wife</strong>. Many a man <br />
        does not know how dearly he loves <strong>money </strong>until he <br />
        incurs some serious loss. Many do not know how <br />
        dearly they hold <strong>name</strong>, <strong>fame</strong>, and <strong>reputation </strong>until <br />
        some slanderous blight seems to touch that tender <br />
        spot. Few indeed seem to know how dear <strong>SELF </strong>is,<br />
        until God takes it out of its niche and sets Himself <br />
        there in its room.<br />
        <br />
        Self,<br />
        pride,<br />
        reputation,<br />
        the love of money<br />
        the love of name and fame—<br />
        these idols you cannot take with you into the courts <br />
        of heaven.<strong> How would God be moved to jealousy</strong> <strong>if <br />
          you could you carry an idol</strong>—<strong>were it no bigger than <br />
            a child's doll</strong>—<strong>into the courts above!</strong><br />
        <br />
        &quot;<strong>I will cleanse you from all your idols.</strong>&quot; Ezekiel 36:25
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