Volume II, Treatise III, Chapter XXXVI

That Humility Ts not Contrary to Magnanimity, but Is the Source and Foundation Thereof

Sr. THomas, treating of magnanimity, proposes this difficulty; holy writers, and the gospel, says he, teach us on the one hand, that humility is very necessary for Christians; and on the other hand, that magnanimity is very necessary for them also; but more especially for those who are exalted to high employments. These two virtues, however, appear directly opposite; for. magnanimity is a greatness of courage, which urges us to undertake grand and glorious things; yet nothing seems more contrary to humility than this. Because, in the first place, the undertaking of great things seems wholly repugnant to humility; for one of the degrees of this virtue, is to acknowledge and believe, that we are unworthy of every thing, and good for nothing; and it is presumptuous to attempt what we are not capable to perform. In the second place, to attempt things which entitle us to honour, seems still a further acting against humility; because he who is truly humble, ought to be far from so much as thinking how to attain honour. These objections, St. Thomas answers well, and says, that though these two virtues seem contrary to one another, if we look only to the exterior, yet they are not so; not only because no virtue can be contrary to another; but because humility and magnanimity are very like, and depend upon each other. First, as to the attempting great things, which is the property of magnanimity, it is so far from being contrary to humility, that it is what belongs properly to none, but to him who is truly humble. To attempt great things upon our own strength, would indeed be presumption and pride; for what -can we do of ourselves, since, according to the apostle, “we are not able even to think any thing as of ourselves?” (2 Corinthians 3:5) But likewise it is only upon the diffidence in ourselves, and our confidence in God, that Christian magnanimity lays the foundation of great enterprises; and humility does the same. For the reason why holy writers call it the foundation of all virtues, is as we have already said, because it is that which breaks the ground for the spiritual building, which digs the foundations, and. throws out the light and sandy earth, till coming to the solid stone, which is Christ Jesus, it begins to build thereupon.

Upon this passage of the Canticles, “‘ who is she that comes up from the wilderness, breathing nothing but perfumes, and leaning on her beloved?”’ (Canticle of Canticles 8:5), St. Bernard shews, how all our virtue and good works ought to lean upon Jesus Christ; and upon this occasion he quotes these words of the apostle to the Corinthians: “‘ By the grace of God, I am whatI am; and his grace in me was not in vain, but I laboured more abundantly than all.’’ (1 Corinthians 15:10). Have a care, great saint, what you say, St. Bernard cries ‘out, and that you may not lose the fruit of all your labours, lean upon your beloved. See, therefore, how he leans; “yet it is not I,” says the apostle, “but the grace of God which was with me.” —/(1 Corinthians 15:10) After the same manner he expressed himself in his epistle to the Philippians, for after having said, “I can do all things,” he immediately leans upon his beloved, and adds, “in him who strengthens me.” There is nothing but we can do with the help of God; his grace can make us capable of every thing; upon that we ought to rely, and upon that the greatness of a Christian’s courage ought to be founded. “For they who hope in God shall change their strength,” (Isa. x]. 31,) says the prophet Isaias. They shall change earthly strength, for that of heaven; their own weak arm, for the arm of the Almighty; and so there will be nothing which: they are not capable to undertake and perform; because they can do all things with God’s help. “Nothing is difficult to the humble,” (Serm. v. de Epiph.) says St. Leo. For he who is truly humble is magnanimous, courageous, and bold to attempt great things; nothing seems impossible to him, because it is not in himself, but in God that he places his confidence; and when he turns his eyes upon God, he sees nothing that can be any obstacle to him. “Through God we shall do valiantly, and he it is who shall destroy those that afflict us.’’ (Psalms 59:14). These are the thoughts which we, who are ministers of the gospel, ought most particularly to. have—thoughts of courage, resolution, and confidence in God; and not thoughts of fear and pusillanimity, which may take away from us the desire of labouring in our functions. So that, we must be humble in ourselves, acknow- Jedging that of ourselves we neither are, nor can do any thing; but we must, at the same time, place our courage and confidence in God, and believe that with his grace and assistance, we are capable of doing all things.

This is perfectly well explained by St. Basil upon these words of Isaias, “here I am, send me.”—(Isa. vi. 8.) God designed to send. somebody to his people; and because he will have a concurrence of our consent, in things which he designs to work in us and by us; that Isaias might understand him, he said, “whom shall I send, and who will go from us?” The prophet answers, “here am I, send me.” He says not, continues this father, I will be the man that shall go; I will perform all that is to be done; for he was humble, he was sensible of his own weakness, and he saw that it: would have been presumptuous in him, to promise to do a thing that was above human strength; but he says only, “here am I, O Lord, send me;” as if he had said, I know that of myself I am not capable of go high an employment, but thou canst make me capable thereof, thou canst put into my mouth, words powerful enough to soften the hardest hearts, and if thou sendest me, there is nothing but I shall be able to doin thy name. ‘Go then,” says our Lord tohim. And St. Basil observes hereupon, that the reason why Isaias became the ambassador of God, and minister of his word, was, because he knew how to keep himself within the bounds of humility, and had not attributed to himself the power of.“going,”

but acknowledging his own incapacity and weakness, and convinced that he could do every thing with the help of God, he had placed his whole confidence in him alone. This therefore, is the ma nimity we have need of in great enterprises, and which will hinder our insufficiency and weakness, from making us lose courage. “Say not, I am a child, for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak; be not afraid of their face; for I am with thee.”—(Jerem. i. 7.) So that as to what concerns the greatness of an undertaking, humility is not only not contrary therein to magnanimity, but is the very source and foundation of it.

Now as to our loving to do things which may deserve glory; neither is that at all contrary to humility. For, as St. Thomas says very well, though it is what the magnanimous man desires, yet he desires it not for the glory that arises from it; he desires only to deserve the glory, without caring to possess it. And on the contrary, he has raised himself so high above the opinion of the world, that he finds nothing estimable but virtue; and looking with, the same eye upon the praise and the scorn of men, he does nothing for the love of the one, or through fear of the other. And indeed virtue is a thing so excellent, that men cannot either honour or recompense it sufficiently; God only can do it. The magnanimous man therefore makes no account of the honours of the world, he looks upon them, as what deserves not to be made the object of his desire; his flight is higher—it is for the love of God and of ‘Virtue that he is moved to the performance of great actions; all other motives have no influence upon him. Now there is need of very great humility, to care as little for the honour or the scorn of men, as the magnanimous person ought to do; and to be able to say with the apostle, “I know how to be humbled, and how to abound with honour, every where, and in all things. I am instructed, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and suffer want;” and to teach us how to shew ourselves true ministers of the gospel, he adds, ‘by honour or dishonour, by bad and good report, as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet well known, as dying and behold we live.” (Philippians 4:12) There is need I say, of a great stock of humility, and of heavenly wisdom to hinder winds, so violent and contrary to one another, as those of esteem, and contempt; of praise, and detraction; of favour, and persecution are; from tossing us, and to keep ourselves steady in the same frame of spirit, and the same temper of.

mind, in the midst of the greatest storms. It is hard to preserve humility, as St. Paul did in the midst of plenty. You may preserve it, perhaps in poverty, banishment, reproaches and affronts; but to preserve it in the midst of honour and applause; in the great offices and in the splendid exercise of the most eminent employments, is what, I doubt, you will not be able to perform. The angels themselves knew not how to preserve it even in heaven, and it was that caused the misfortune of their fall. ‘‘ A wise man,” says Boetius, “ought to fear both good and bad fortune, but the good is to be feared more than the bad;” and indeed it is far more difficult to be humble in promotion, than in disgrace; because the last leads naturally to humility, and the first to pride and vanity. ‘ Knowledge puffed up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1) And all other things which do any way exalt us, produce the same effect; and upon that account it is, that holy writers say, that none but the perfect, know how to keep themselves humble in the midst of those signal favours which God bestows upon them, and the honours and respects which the world shews them.

There is an affair related of St. Francis, very different from that we have already told of him, when to shun the honours designed him at his reception, he began to tread mud as if it had been mortar. The saint coming one day to a small village, the people, who entertained an high opinion of his sanctity, shewed him all honour imaginable; they kissed the hem of his garment, and his hands and feet; whilst the saint in the meantime shewed no dislike thereof. His companion judged hereupon, that he was very well pleased with the honours he received, and being able to dissemble his thoughts no longer, he imparted them to the saint, who answered thus: these people, dear brother, do nothing yet in comparison of what they ought to do; so that the good brother was yet more scandalized at his answer, than he was before, the meaning of which he did not comprehend. At last the saint told him, I am not puffed up or exalted in my thoughts with the honour they shew me, nor do I attribute it to myself; but swallowing up all, in the depth of my own nothing and baseness, I ascribe all to God, to whom alone it belongs. So that they who behave themselves thus, are gainers by it; because it is God whom they acknowledge and honour in his creatures. At which answer, the good brother remained satisfied, and was at the same time surprised at the perfection of the saint. And without doubt he was justly so; for to be thought a saint, which is the greatest honour that can be done man, and to attribute nothing thereof to one’s self, or give way to any secret complacency therein, but to ascribe the glory of all to God alone; to contract one’s self within one’s own narrow bounds, as if nothing happened, and as if the honour had been given to another; it is certainly a very high perfection, and a most profound humility.

Now it is this humility, every one should endeavour to arrive to, and they chiefly, who are called, not to lie hidden under a bushel, but to be exposed to the sight of all as a city upon a high mountain, and to give light, like a candle in a candlestick. But to do so, good and deep foundations must be laid; there must be an ardent desire of being despised by everybody; and that desire must proceed from a deep sense of our own nothingness, such a one as St. Francis had, when he began to tread the mud, that he might pass for a fool. For that deep knowledge of himself, which made him desire to be contemned, was the cause also, that when the hem of his garment and feet were kissed, he valued himself never the more, and was puffed up with no vanity thereupon, but being as steadfast in the contempt of himself, as if no honour had been done him, he ascribed all to God alone. Thus, though these two actions of St. Francis seem contrary to one another, they proceed nevertheless from one and the same principle and spirit of humility.

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