We have got to watch that old nature and its self-confidence and self-reliance, and its pride, and its desire for some form of applause. Applause is coming in in many churches. It's not only in England; it's massive too in the United States. We see it on the videos. The preacher says something and the people applaud. What madness is that? We still have the old nature: we avoid applause like the plague. We cannot share the applause of Christ. We cannot share the applause of his word. It is foolishness beyond bounds! What will it do to us? Pride even in the Christian; we are to sense it, recognise it; mortify it. Do we leave off self-examination, nightly confession of sin, nightly pledges to God? Do we relish flattery? When somebody flatters you, be polite to them, but think in your mind, ‘Oh, this dear friend does not realise what a fool I can be, and what failings I have got on my record, and what disasters I can be involved in.’ Don't hate contradiction. If somebody contradicts you or criticises you, don't hate it. It may be unreasonable; it may be done unpleasantly but like William Gouge, the Puritan, say to yourself, ‘I always look for the good even in the hostile criticism. I look for the element of truth and learn from it.’