Part III, Chapter V

Of More Internal Humility

But you desire, Philothea, to penetrate still deeper into humility; for what I have hitherto said rather concerns wisdom than humility. Let us, then, proceed. Many neither will not and dare not consider the particular favors God has done them, lest it might excite vainglory and self-complacency; but in doing so they deceive themselves; for since the best means to attain the love of God (says the great angelical Doctor) is the consideration of his benefits, the more we know them the more shall we love him; and as the particular benefits he has conferred on us more powerfully move us than those that are common to others, so ought they to be more attentively considered. Certainly nothing can so effectually humble us before the mercy of God as the multitude of his benefits; nor so much humble us before his justice as the enormity of our innumerable offences. Let us, then, consider what he has done for us, and what we have done against him; and as we reflect on our sins, one by one, so let us consider his favors in the same order. We must not fear lest the knowledge of his gifts make us proud, so long as we are attentive to this truth, “that whatsoever there is of good in us is not from ourselves.” Do mules cease to be disgusting beasts, because they are laden with the precious and perfumed goods of the prince? “What hast thou which thou hast not received?” says the apostle (1 Corinthians 4:7) “And if thou hast received it, why dost thou glory?” Nay, on the contrary, the lively consideration of favors received makes us humble, because a knowledge of them excites gratitude. But if, in considering the favors that God has conferred on us, any thoughts of vanity should attack us, it will be an infallible remedy to recur to the consideration of our ingratitudes, imperfections, and miseries. If we consider what we did when God was not with us, we shall easily be convinced that what we do while he is with us is not of our own exertion; we shall indeed rejoice in it, because we enjoy it, but we shall glorify God, because he alone is the author of it. Thus the blessed Virgin confesses that God had done great things for her, but it is only to humble herself, and to glorify God: “My soul,” says she, “doth magnify the Lord, because he has done great things for me.” (Luke 1:46,49)

We often confess ourselves to be nothing, nay, misery itself, and the refuse of the world; but would be very sorry that any one should believe us, or tell others that we are really so miserable wretches. On the contrary, we pretend to retire, and hide ourselves, so that the world may run after us, and seek us out. We feign to wish ourselves considered as the last in the company, and sit down at the lowest end of the table; but it is with a view that we may be desired to pass to the upper end. True humility never makes a show of herself, nor uses many humble words, for she desires not only to conceal all other virtues, but principally herself; and, were it lawful to dissemble, or scandalize her neighbor, she would perform actions of arrogancy and haughtiness, that she might conceal herself beneath them and remain altogether unknown.

My advice, therefore, Philothea, is that we should either not accustom ourselves to words of humility, or else use them with a sincere interior sentiment, conformably to what we pronounce outwardly. Let us never cast down our eyes but when we humble our hearts; let us not seem to desire to be the lowest, unless we sincerely desire it. I think this rule so general as to admit of no exception; I only add, that civility requires we should sometimes offer precedency to those who will doubtless refuse it, and yet this is neither duplicity nor false humility; for in this case, as the offer of precedency is only the beginning of honor, and since we cannot give it them entirely, we do well to give them the beginning. I say, though some words of honor or respect may not seem strictly conformable to the truth, yet they are sufficiently so, provided the heart of him that pronounces them has a sincere intention to honor and respect him to whom they are addressed, for although the words signify with some excess that which we would say, yet we do not act wrongly in using them when common custom requires it; however, I wish our words were always as nearly as possible suited to our affections, that so we might follow in all and through all, a cordial sincerity and candor. A man that is truly humble would rather another should say to him that he is miserable, and that he is nothing, than to say it himself; at least, if he knows that any man says so he does not contradict it, but heartily agrees to it; for, believing it himself firmly, he is pleased that others entertain the same opinion.

Many say that they leave mental prayer to those that are perfect; that, as for themselves, they are unworthy to use it. Others protest they dare not communicate often, because they find themselves not sufficiently pure. Others fear they should bring disgrace upon devotion if they meddled with it, by reason of their great misery and frailty. Others refuse to employ their talents in the service of God and their neighbor, saying they know their own weakness, and fear they should become proud if they proved instruments of any good; and that, in giving light to others, they should consume themselves in the flames of vanity. All this is nothing but an artificial kind of humility, false and malicious, whereby they tacitly and subtilely seek to find fault with the things of God; or, at the best, to conceal the love of their own opinion, humor, and sloth, under the pretext of humility. “Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God either unto the depth of hell, or to the height above,” said the prophet (Isaias 7:11) to unhappy Achaz; and he answered, “I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.” Oh! the wicked man! He would seem to bear an extreme reverence to God, and excuses himself, under the color of humility, from aspiring to that grace which the divine goodness offers him; but does he not see, that when God desires to give us his graces, it is pride to refuse them; that the gifts of God oblige us to receive them; and that it is humility to obey, and to comply as nearly as we can with his desires? The desire of God is, that we should be perfect, uniting ourselves to him, and imitating him as nearly as possible. The proud man, who trusts in himself, has just reason not to attempt anything; but he that is humble is so much the more courageous, by how much the more he acknowledges his own inability; and the more wretched he esteems himself the more confident he becomes; because he places his whole trust in God, who delights to display his omnipotence in our weakness, and to elevate his mercy upon our misery. We may then humbly and devoutly presume to undertake all that may be judged proper for our advancement by those that conduct our souls.

To imagine we know what we do not know is folly; to desire to pass for knowing that of which we are ignorant is an intolerable vanity. For my part, as I would not make a parade of the knowledge even of that which I know; so, on the other hand, I would not pretend to be ignorant thereof. When charity requires it we must freely and mildly communicate to our neighbor, not only what is necessary for our instruction, but, also, what is profitable for our consolation; for humility, which conceals virtues, in order to preserve them, discovers them, nevertheless, when charity requires it, in order that we may enlarge, increase, and perfect them. In this respect humility imitates a certain tree in the Isles of Tylos, that at night closes up her beautiful carnation flowers, and only opens them to the rising sun; and as the inhabitants of the country say that those flowers sleep by night, so humility covers all our virtuous and human perfections, and never unfolds them except for the sake of charity, which, being not a human and moral, but a divine and heavenly virtue, is the true son of all other virtues, over which she ought always to have dominion. Hence we may conclude that those humilities which are prejudicial to charity are assuredly false.

I would neither pretend to be a fool nor a wise man; for if humility forbids me to conceal my wisdom, candor and sincerity also forbid me to counterfeit the fool; and as vanity is opposite to humility, so artifice, affectation, and dissimulation are contrary to sincerity. But, if some great servants of God have pretended to be fools, to render themselves more abject in the eyes of the world, we must admire, but not imitate, them; for, having had peculiar and extraordinary motives that induced them to this excess, no one ought thence to draw any consequence for himself. David, when he danced and leaped before the ark of the covenant with an excess that ordinary decency could not admire, had no design to make the world believe him foolish; but, with all simplicity and openness, he made use of those exterior motions to express the extraordinary and excessive joy he felt in his heart; and when Michol, his wife, reproached him for it, as an act of folly, he did not regret to see himself vilified; but, continuing in a true and sincere manifestation of his joy, he testified that he was glad to be reproached for his God. Wherefore remember, Philothea, that if, for acts of a true and sincere devotion, the world shall esteem you mean, abject, or foolish, humility will make you rejoice at this happy reproach, the cause of which is not in you, but in those that reproach you.

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