Volume II, Treatise III, Chapter III

A View of the Principal Virtues, to Shew More Particularly How Humility Ts the Foundation of Them All

I sHALL now take a cursory view of the principal virtues: in order. to shew more plainly the truth of this maxim of the saints—that humility is the foundation of all other virtues, and to shew how necessary this foundation is for us.

First of all, faith stands in need of humility. I speak not of infants who receive faith in baptism, without exercising any act thereof, but I speak of those who have the use of reason. Faith requires an humble and submissive spirit, according to St. Paul, “bringing into captivity every understanding to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5) On the contrary, the spirit of pride hinders the receiving of faith, according to the words of our Saviour:— “‘ How can you believe, who give honour to one another, and who seeks not the honour which comes from God alone?” (John 5:44) Now, as humility is necessary for the receiving of faith, it is equally so for the preserving it; for all holy writers hold, that heresies spring from the pride we manifest in preferring our own light to the decisions of the whole church. It is this the apostle alludes to, when he says, “this know also, that in the last days, perilous times shall come: men sliall be lovers of themselves, covetous, haughty and proud;” (2 Timothy 3:1); and St. Austin observes on this place, that the apostle attributes the cause of all heresies and errors particularly to pride and arrogance. Hope likewise is supported by humility, because he who is humble, knows his misery and weakness; he is sensible that of himself he can do nothing, and so flies with greater ardour to God, and fixes all his hope in him. Charity, which consists in loving God, is very much increased also by means of humility; for one of an humble spirit, seeing that he receives whatever he has, from the hand of God, and that he is very far from meriting it, feels himself excited thereby to love his benefactor more and more. ‘What is man,” says Job to God, “that thou shouldst magnify him, and that thou shouldst set thy heart upon him?? (Job 7:17) Shall I, O Lord, remain thus rebellious to thee, and thou so good to me? Shall I go on, still offending thee, whilst thou continuest to heap thy favours upon me? This is one of the considerations which the saints have made use of, to inflame themselves with the love of God. The more they reflected upon their own unworthiness, the more they thought themselves obliged to love him, who had condescended to cast his eyes upon their meanness. “My soul doth magnify the Lord,” says the holy virgin, ‘ because he hath regarded the humility of his hand-maid.”—( (Luke 1:46)) As to the charity which we exercise towards our neighbour, it is easily seen how necessary humility is thereunto; because one of the things which usually makes us so cold to our brethren, is, some judgment we form to their disadvantage—some impression made on us, by their faults. An humble man is very far from all this; be looks only upon his own errors, and never minds those of others; he sees nothing in his neighbour, but what is good and virtuous, and thence it comes, that whilst he imagines every one else perfect, and himself alone imperfect, he thinks himself unworthy to live among his brethren, and is, in consequence, full of love, esteem, and veneration for them. Moreover, the humble man is not angry at others being preferred to him—at others being esteemed, and himself despised. He feels no pain that they should get the highest and himself the lowest place. There is no envy among the humble, because envy springs from pride; so that wherever humility reigns, you will find neither envy, dispute, quarrel, nor any thing to cool fraternal charity.

Patience, a virtue so necessary for a Christian, arises likewise from humility; because he whois humble knows his own faults, and is sensible at the sameé time, that he deserves all manner of chastisement. He, therefore, meets with no mortifications, which be looks not upon, as less than what he has deserved, and instead of come plaining thereof, he says with the prophet Micheas, “I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him.” (Micheas 7:9) A proud man complains of everything, and suspects still without reason that he is wronged, and not treated according to his merit. On the contrary, whatever injury is done the humble man, he minds it not, nor takes it for an injury: nay, so far is he from imagining that an injury can be done him in anything, that he still reckons all as kindness; and however he is treated, he is always satisfied, because he believes he is treated better than he deserves. In fine, humility is a great disposition to patience; and hence after the wise man had admonished him who will engage in the service of God, to prepare himself for a great many mortifications, and to arm himself with patience; the means he proposes for that end, is to humble himself. ‘Humble thy heart,” says he, “and have patience, receive all that shall befal thee, and bear afflictions patiently;” (Ecclesiastes 2:2), but what arms does he give him to ward off pain or to make him at least bear it courageously? *¢ Be patient,” say he, “in your humility,” (Ibid. 2:4), that is to say, be humble and then you will be patient.

Peace also, the blessing so much desired by all the world, springs from humility; and Jesus Christ himself teaches us this truth, when he says, “learn of me who am meek and humble of heart, and you will find peace in your souls.”—(Mat. xi. 29.) Be humble and. you will be at peace both with yourselves, and your brethren. “There are always contentions among the proud,” says Solomon; (Proverbs 13:10) but as much as they are exposed to them, the humble are free from them. There is but one contest between these: it is to decide who shall be lowest, and pay the greatest deference to his companion. The strife between St. Paul the Hermit and St. Anthony was of this nature; it was who should break and divide the bread which the raven had brought them. Paul would have Anthony do it, as being a stranger, and Anthony would have Paul do it as being the elder; each of them sought reasons to yield and give place to the other. It is good to have such contests, and as they spring from true humility, they are so far from‘ troubling or destroying fraternal charity, that they nourish and confirm it.

Let us now come to the three virtues which are peculiar and essential to a religious, and to which we oblige ourselves by the three vows we make, of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Poverty is so nearly allied to humility, that they seem to be two sisters; and by poverty of spirit, which our Saviour pronounced as the first

beatitude, some holy writers understand humility, and others, “voluntary poverty, such as religious profess. But be it as it will, poverty must be always accompanied with humility; for a coarse and mean habit gives occasion oftentimes of pride to him that wears it, and raises in him a contempt of others: and it is for this reason St. Austin did not relish poverty of dress, and would have the religious of his order decently clad. Humility is moreover necessary to hinder us from loving our own ease and an abundance of all things, and to make us content with whatever is given us, even though it should be unequally divided; because we are poor and profess poverty.

As for chastity; we cannot doubt but humility i is necessary to preserve it, after the many examples we have in the lives of the fathers of the desert, of persons, who, though they had led a most penitential and solitary life, yet fell most shamefully. For it is by permitting falls like these, that God punishes those who have too great confidence in themselves. In fine, humility is so great an ornament to chastity and purity, that St. Bernard says, “he dares take upon him to assert, that the purity of the Virgin Mary: herself would not have been agreeable to God without humility.”—-(Hom. sup. Missus est.)

As to the virtue of obedience, wherein our holy founder would have us particularly signalise ourselves, it is certain that the proud will never be obedient; and on the contrary, the truly humble will be always obedient. One may command an humble man to do anything; he never shows opposition; he conforms himself entirely to his superior; and he submits not only his conduct and actions to him, but even his will and judgment—in fine, you will never find any contradiction or repugnance in him. But it is not so with others.

Now if we consider prayer, which is the foundation of a spiritual and religious life, it is certain that it is of no effect without humility, and with humility it pierces the heavens, according to the words of the wise man—‘ The prayer of him who humbles himself shall penetrate the clouds, nor will he be comforted till it mounts up to God, nor will he depart till the Most High behold.” (Ecclesiasticus 35:21) The holy and humble Judith, shut up in her closet, clothed with a hair-cloth, covered with ashes and prostrate on the ground, cries out—‘ The prayer of the humble and meek has’ been always pleasing to thee, O Lord.” —(Jud. ix. 16.) And the royal prophet says that “God has regard to the supplication of the humble, and despises not their prayer.” (Psalms 101:18) ‘Fear not, therefore, that an humble man will be rejected” (Ps. Ixxiii. 21); he will obtain what he asks. Consider, too, how agreeable the prayer of the publican was to God—he durst not lift up his eyes to heaven, nor approach the altar, but getting into a corner of the temple, he struck his breast saying—O my God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13), whereupon Jesus Christ declared that he went down to his house justified, rather than the proud pharisee. We might thus run over all the other virtues, and show that they all depend upon humility; so that if you seek a ready way to acquire them, and a short lesson for attaining perfection, you have it in two words—be humble.

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