DISCOURSE VII.

ON HUMILITY.

MATTHEW ii. 29.

Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

IF pride be, as has been truly said, at the root of all our errors, it may be found useful to conclude our present enquiry with a declaration of the duty of humility. Who but the Saviour of mankind, the Son of God himself, could have used with propriety the words of the text, could have preached humility by the very proposing of his own example! He seems to imply that in this quality lies the nearest possible approach

we can make to his excellence, that herein is the best lesson we can derive from Him, and here the surest method to find rest unto our souls. I am not however now to point out the general advantages of this divine temper, or to give an account of all the particulars of the duty, but to mark rather those points in which it is at variance with the course of conduct pursued by a certain class of Christians, against whose errors I have endeavoured to warn you. And being aware that herein lies our chief intellectual temptation, and that our spiritual enemy ever most delights in fencing out truth from the soul by the influence of this corrupt feeling, I call upon you to lay aside all self deception, all worldly spirit of taking offence; as the minister of Christ I bid you to receive in kindness what is meant in charity, and to apply to your own heart,

what all are very ready to apply to their neighbours, a warning and reproof against self-exaltation..

What ground then have you for the singular course of conduct you pursue? What reason to suppose that it is the true fulfilment of God's will? What right to judge (5) and act entirely for yourself, to disclaim all parental authority, all obligations of society, all influence of the Church to which you belong? Do you not in your heart reason as though you were well assured that you are wiser and better than they? Do you not act on the presumption that you have attained to a degree of knowledge and piety which makes their conversation unprofitable and unedifying? If you do, can you think seriously that you are obeying the command of Christ, and learning of Him to be meek and lowly, can you wonder that instead of

finding rest unto your soul you are harassed with doubts, scruples, and perplexities? By way of avoiding all appearance of personal reproach, and at the same time affording you the better means of self-examination, I will repeat what the eminently pious writer, Jeremy Taylor, has set down concerning the signs of humility; weigh well how far they are wanting in yourself:

Signs of humility.

1. "The humble man trusts not to his own discretion, but in matters of concernment relies rather upon the judgment of his friends, counsellors, or spiritual guides.

2. "He does not pertinaciously pursue the choice of his own will, but in all things lets God choose for him, and his

a See Taylor's Holy Living and Dying, p. 100.

superiors in those things which concern them.

3. "He does not murmur against commands.

4." He is not inquisitive into the reasonableness of indifferent and innocent commands, but believes their command to be reason enough in such cases to exact his obedience.

5. He lives according to a rule, and with compliance to public customs without any affectation or singularity. 6. "He is meek (24) and indifferent in all accidents and chances.

7. "He patiently bears injuries.

8. "He is always unsatisfied in his own conduct, resolutions, and counsels.

9. "He is a great lover of good men; and a praiser of wise men; and a censurer of no man.

10. "He is modest (25) in his speech and reserved in his laughter.