Volume II, Treatise III, Chapter XX

Of Some Other Human Considerations Which May Help to Make Us

humble.; St. Curyrsostom, explaining these words of the apostle, “that one is not to think of himself more highly than he ought, but to think soberly and modestly,” (Romans 12:3), goes into a detail, in order to prove that a proud man is not only wicked but a fool. He cites for this purpose that passage of Isaias, “the fool shall utter foolish things.”——(Isa. xxxii. 6.) For, says he, you shall know him to be a fool, by the follies he shall utter. Attend to the extravagant things pride makes persons say—it made the first proud creature deliver himself thus: ‘I will ascend to heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, on the side of the north, I will ascend above the height of the clouds, I will be like the most High.”—(Isa. xiv. 13.) ‘What more extravagant expressions can be imagined? Now hear with what arrogance another boasts to have subjected the whole earth unto himself. “My hand,” says he, “has found the strength of the people as a nest, and I have taken all the nations of the earth, as one who takes eggs that are left therein, and there was none that moved a wing, or opened the mouth, or made the least noise.” —(Isa. x. 14.) Can there be any thing, continues the same St. Chrysostom, more extravagant than this? He relates also two other examples of such like discourses, wherein the proud shew so much folly, that you may well conclude, that they really talk like men, who have quite lost their senses. We see, moreover, that as fools make us laugh sometimes by their extravagant words, so the proud often do the same by their vain discourses; by their affected gestures; by their haughty looks; by the studied gravity of their gate; by the excessive desire they shew to be esteemed in all things; and by the great opinion they have of themselves, and of all that comes from them. This sort of folly is even worse and more shameful, says St. Chrysostom, than the other; and thence proceeds ‘another difference which is made between these two; which is, that real fools are pitied, whereas proud fools rather move us to laughter and scorn, than to compassion.

It is therefore very true, that the proud are fools; and it is also true, that we deal with them as we usually do with fools! for whatever extravagance a fool utters, we seem to agree to it all, in order to be at peace with him; and therefore we will not go about to contradict him; so for the same reason, we are still very cautious not to contradict a vain and proud man.

Now this disease and folly of pride, reigns so generally among men, that you can hardly speak to them without flattering, and telling them things which are false, and which you yourself believe to be so. They are so pleased at being esteemed and approved of in every thing, that there is no surer way to gain their good will, than to praise them; and this is one of the vanities which Solomon observes in the world when he says: “I saw the wicked buried, who when they were yet alive were in a holy station, and were praised in the city, as just men, but this also is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 8:10) And indeed what vanity and folly is greater, than to praise a man for a good quality, which, it is very well known, he has not; nay, oftentimes for what is bad, and what you know to be so? But the best of it is, they will make known to others, their opinion of you—indeed, in order to please you, they will either not stick at telling yourself a lie; or to avoid a lie, they will use evasions, whilst they praise you for a thing which they believe not to be praiseworthy. Thus you are treated like a fool, when you must be humoured after this manner. It is known where your weakness lies, and that it is the greatest pleasure which can be done you, when you have-preached, for example, or performed any other public exercise, to tell you that you came off very well, and that every body was wonderfully satisfied with you; it is nevertheless only to please you, that you are thus dealt with; or because, as you may be of some use to the flatterer, he wishes by this praise to gain you. But at the bottom, all this serves to make a greater fool of you; for false praises, keeping you still in your error, cause you to relapse into the same faults.

We are very cautious now-a-days even in speaking what we think; “‘ because truth is become odious, and begets enemies;” and because we know that the proud, when they have any charitable advice given them, in order to their amendment, shew themselves like madmen, who spit in the faces of those who bring them physic to cure them. Since nobody therefore wishes to draw ill will and quarrels upon himself, we say nothing which may displease him to whom we speak. Nay, we dissemble so well before him, that having a very good opinion of himself, he considers all the false praises we give him to be true. By this may be seen what folly it is, to reckon upon the praises of men, since we know they are only compliments, that is to say, dissimulation and flattery, if not downright lies. ©

But let us farther observe, that the proud, as St. Chrysostom says, are hated by God, according to the saying of the wise man, “every proud man is an ahomination to the Lord,” (Proverbs 16:5), and among the seven things which God hates, he puts in the first place “a proud look.” (Proverbs 6:17). The proud are hated by men also according to these words: “pride makes itself be hated both by God and man, and the heart of the proud is like the breath of those whose lungs are corrupted;” (Ecclesiastes 10:7)}, nobody can come near them. And certainly the world repays them for their pride; because peopleé cross and mortify them in the most sensible part, and in things which are most opposite to what they desire. They seek to be esteemed and respected by every one; and every one looks upon them as fools; they would be loved and sought after by every one, and every one hates and shunsthem. They who are above them, use them thus, because they endeavour to make them their equals; their equals also treat them after this manner, because they would set themselves above them; and their inferiors do the same; because they look for that respect from them, which they do not at all owe them; nay, there is not so much asa servant of theirs, but hates them, and finds them insupportable. In fine, wheresoever we meet pride, we hate and contemn it. On the other hand, the humble are esteemed, beloved, and caressed by all. For as the goodness, innocence, and simplicity of little children make every body love them; so the same qualities make every body love the humble; for their easy, sincere, and modest way of behaviour, gains the hearts of all; it is a loadstone which attracts affections, and a charm which makes them be beloved by every one.

To convince you, in fine, that it is a folly to seek the esteem and approbation of men, St. Bernard lays down a most powerful argument. Either, says he, it was a folly for the Son of God, to have humbled and made himself an object of reproach and contempt as he did; or it is a great folly in us, to have so much passion for the esteem of the world; but it was not a folly in the Son of God, though it seemed so to the world, according to the words of St. Paul: “But we must preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling-block, and: unto the Gentiles foolishness; but to them who are called, both Jews and Gentiles, we preach Christ, the power and wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:23) Ifthen humility and lowliness was wisdom in the Son of God, vanity and pride must be folly in us, and we are indeed fools to esteem so much the glory and reputation of the world.

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