The Indian Prince

I heard a story years ago which illustrates the folly of pride.
There were two Hindu princes in conflict one with another. One had been defeated, and his son taken captive. The victorious Rajah was going to march into the city in triumph, with a great string of captives walking barefoot before the great elephant upon which he was mounted. This young prince was brought before him, and told that he was to strip off his royal garments and walk barefoot with the other captives. He was very indignant, and exclaimed, “What kind of faces will the people make when they see me, a prince, walking like that?”
“You have not yet heard it all,” said the Rajah, “you shall not only walk barefoot in this procession, but you will carry a bowl of milk that will be filled almost to the brim, and if you spill one drop of it, off comes your head. I shalt have guards to see whether you spill any or not.”
The prince turned deadly pale as he heard that. As the procession was arranged they handed him the bowl of milk.
You can imagine his predicament. The procession started. How carefully this young prince walked! But in some way or another he managed to get through without spilling a drop. When he was brought before the Rajah, he was sternly asked: “Well, what kind of faces did the people make?”
“O sire,” said the poor prince, “I saw no one’s face; I saw only my life that I held in my hands, and I knew that if I dared to look to the right or to the left, it would be forfeited.”
O friend, you are a poor sinner exposed to the judgment of God, but now offered a free and full salvation through infinite grace. Are you too proud to be saved on God’s terms, too proud to humble yourself and admit your lost condition? Are you more concerned about what men think than what God thinks? How well the devil knows how to guard his subjects!