Volume II, Treatise III, Chapter I

Excellence and Necessity of Humility

“« Learn of me,” says our Saviour, “because I am meek and humble of heart.”—(Mat. xi. 29.) And St. Austin, hereupon says, that “the whole life of our Saviour upon earth was a continual lesson of morality, but that he in a special manner, proposed his humility for our imitation.” To comprehend well the excellence of this virtue, and the need we have thereof, we are to consider, that the Son of God descended from heaven to teach it us; not only by his words, but more especially by his actions; and that his whole life was nothing else than a long example and living model of humility. St. Basil, to prove this proposition, takes a view of the whole life of our Saviour, and after having examined the chief circumstances thereof, from his very birth to his death, shows, that all his actions teach us particularly the virtue of humility. His will was to be circumcised as a sinner; to fly into Eygypt as too weak and unable to resist; and to be baptized with sinners and publicans, as one of them.—When the people wish to honour and make bim king, he hides himself; when they wish to cover him with reproaches, he shows himself. Men praise him, and even the devils themselves do so, by the mouths of the possessed, and he commands them to silence. They load him with outrage and injury, and he answers not a word. After all this, to recommend humility to us, as it were by his last will and testament, at the close of life, he stoops so low as to wash his disciple’s feet; and in fine, he crowns so many examples by the most shameful death of the cross. ‘ He wishes to annihilate himself,” says St. Barnard, “to show first by his example, what he was afterwards to teach by his words.”—(Serm. de. Nat. Dom.) But why, O Lord, does majesty so exalted stoop so low? It is “that none should henceforth presume to magnify themselves upon earth.” (Psalms 9:30) At all times it argued an extravagance in man to yield to vanity; but now, as St. Barnard adds, “it would be an insufferable impudence for a worm to swell with pride, when the majesty of the eternal God has humbled and annihilated himself.”“—(Ubi supra.) The Son of God, equal to his Father, takes the form of a seryant—he wishes to be humbled and despised, and shall I, who am but dust and ashes, seek to be honoured and respected?

It is with reason, the Saviour of the world says, that he is master of this virtue, and that it is of him we ought to learn it. For not Socrates, nor Plato, nor Aristotle, nor any other philosopher ever knew how to teach it. When they valued themselves upon other virtues, as fortitude, temperance, and justice, they were so far from being humble, that they aimed at nothing but reputation and vain-glory. It is true, that Diogenes and some others, who made open profession of despising whatever the world valued, seemed indeed to despise the world, and themselves too; but in that very thing, they only sought vain-glory, though in a way different from others, as they have been all reproached with since; and as Plato reproached Diogenes with in his own days. Plato had, it seems, invited him with some other philosophers to dinner, and ordered the dining-room to be hung with rich tapestry. “Diogenes enters, in his filth and dirt; he pulls down a piece of the hangings, and tramples it under foot. Plato asked him what he was doing? “TI am trampling,” quoth he, “on the pride of Plato. You are indeed,” answered Plato; ‘but in doing so, you are showing your own pride, though in another way.” But so far were the philosophers. from knowing, what was meant by the contempt of one’s self, in which Christian humility consists—so far were they from knowing what true humility was, that they were ignorant of its name. It is @ virtue peculiar to Christians, which was never taught before Jesus Christ preached it.

St. Austin remarks, that in the very first words of his admirable sermon on the mount, our Saviour recommended humility. For by the words, “blessed are the poor in spirit;” (Mat. v. 3), are understood, the humble, as not only St. Austin, but St. Jerom, St. Gregory, and several others affirm. He begins, continues, and ends his sermon with humility, he teaches nothing else in the whole course of his life, and it is it in particular, he will have us to learn of him, ‘“‘ He says not,” continues St. Austin, “learn of me to make heaven and earth, to create all visible things, to work miracles, to raise the dead, but learn of me to be meek and humble; for solid humility,” as the same saint adds, “is much more powerful and safe, than empty grandeur.” It it better to be humble and serve God with fear, than to work miracles. The first is an even and sure way} the other a very difficult and dangerous one.

To speak now more particularly—the necessity of this virtue is so great, that without it, we cannot hope to advance one step in the way of perfection. ‘“Humility,” says St. Austin, “must precede, accompany, and follow all the good we do; for, from the very moment that pride enters, it snatches all merit from us.” Nay, it is for that very reason, that pride and vain-glory are the more to be feared; for other vices spring from bad actions, but pride springs from good ones; “so that we are to be more on our guard, against pride in our good actions, lest by too great desire of praise, we come to lose the fruit of all we have done that was praiseworthy.”—-(Epis. 56. ad Dioscor.) It is easy for us, if we will, to keep ourselves from other vices: they have certain marks which discover them—they are accompanied with other sins: but pride takes his place in the midst of good works, and continually endeavours to destroy them. Yes! let a Christian be steering a happy course on the sea of the world, and thinking of nothing but heaven, where from the beginning he intended to land, yet, if there comes a sudden puff of pride, a desire to please men, a self-complacency, this will send him to the bottom, in the midst of his voyage, St. Gregory and St. Bernard say, “that he who treasures up other virtues without humility, does nothing more than throw dust before the wind—the first puff blows all away.”

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