Humility

“ O God, who resistest the proud, and givest grace to the humble, grant us the virtue of true humility, the perfect example of which thy only-begotten Son gave to the faithful in himself, that we may never provoke thy wrath against us by our pride, but rather by subjection to thee obtain the gifts of thy grace. ”

“ The humble man has learnt the secret of abiding gladness. The weaker he feels, the lower he sinks; the greater his humiliations appear, the more the power and the presence of Christ are his portion, until, as he says, "I am nothing," the word of his Lord brings ever deeper joy: "My grace is sufficient for thee."
I feel as if I must once again gather up all in the two lessons: the danger of pride is greater and nearer than we think, and the grace for humility too. ”

“ May God teach us that our thoughts and words and feelings concerning our fellowmen are His test of our humility towards Him, and that our humility before Him is the only power that can enable us to be always humble with our fellow-men. ”

“ Our humility before God has no value, but as it prepares us to reveal the humility of Jesus to our fellow-men. Let us study humility in daily life in the light of these words.
The humble man seeks at all times to act up to the rule, 'In honour preferring one another; Servants one of another; Each counting others better than himself; Subjecting yourselves one to another.' The question is often asked, how we can count others better than ourselves, when we see that they are far below us in wisdom and in holiness, in natural gifts, or in grace received. ”

“ Let your humility therefore, though in itself one of the most recommendatory qualities you can possess, be that gentle virtue, which your religion dictates, but never let it sink below the mark, at which true conscious honour has a right to stand. ”

“ Humility.
"Every proud man is an abomination to the Lord." "God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." "The prayer of him that humbleth himself shall pierce the clouds; and he will not depart till the Most High behold." ”

“ PRAYER TO OBTAIN HUMILITY Written for a Novice
O JESUS! When Thou wast a wayfarer upon earth, Thou didst say:—"Learn of Me, for I am Meek and Humble of Heart, and you shall find rest to your souls." [11] O Almighty King of Heaven! my soul indeed finds rest in seeing Thee condescend to wash the feet of Thy Apostles—"having taken the form of a slave." [12] I recall the words Thou didst utter to teach me the practice of humility: "I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so you do also. The servant is not greater than his Lord . ”

“ It is true humility that will bring a man to a sight and acknowledgement of his errors. The proud man either wholly overlooks or artfully disguises his faults, or endeavours to transform his blemishes into beauties. ”

“ This life, and this alone, will bring that which I believe to be one of the greatest characteristics of a truly great man,—humility; and when one says humility, he necessarily implies simplicity; for the two always go hand in hand. The one is born of the other. The proud, the vain, the haughty, those striving for effect, are never counted among the world's greatest personages. ”

“ And seeing Thou wilt descend and humble Thyself to dwell within me, what is it for the heavens to humble themselves and descend? Let the celestial virtues come into my soul; let lively faith, assured hope, and much-enkindled charity come; let humility, obedience, and devotion come, and convert into heaven that which must be the habitation of the king of heaven Himself! ”

“ Now in order to set out in the practice of humility, you must take it for granted, that you are proud, that you have been so all your life.
You should believe also, that it is your greatest weakness, that your heart is most subject to it; that it is so constantly stealing upon you, you have reason to suspect its approaches in all your actions. ”

“ I believe the first test of a truly great man is his humility.
—John Ruskin. Do you wish to be great? Then begin by being little. Do you desire to construct a vast and lofty fabric? Think first about the foundations of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation. Modest humility is beauty's crown. ”

“ This is indeed a pride that is “calming and excellent to the soul”; that “dissolves poverty from its need and riches from its conceit.”
And humility? Is there, then, no place for that virtue so much praised by the haughty? Humility is the sweet spontaneous grace of an aspiring, finely [Pg 46] developed nature which sees always heights ahead still unclimbed, which outstrips itself in eager longing for excellence still unattained. Genuine humility takes good care of itself as men rise in the scale of being; for every height climbed discloses still new heights beyond. ”

“ These duties of submission to superiors in age or office, and subjection to one another, being contrary to the proud nature and selfish interests of men, he advises them to be clothed with humility. "Let your minds, behaviour, garb, and whole frame, be adorned with humility, as the most beautiful habit you can wear; this will render obedience and duty easy and pleasant; but, if you be disobedient and proud, God will set himself to oppose and crush you; for he resisteth the proud, when he giveth grace to the humble." ”

“ In the spirit in which opinions are given, and work is undertaken, and faults are exposed, how often, though the garb be that of the publican, the voice is still that of the Pharisee: 'Oh God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men.'
And is there, then, such humility to be found, that men shall indeed still count themselves 'less than the least of all saints,' the servants of all? ”

“ Could you see what every stirring of pride does to your soul, you would beg of everything you meet to tear the viper from you, though with the loss of a hand or an eye. Could you see what a sweet, divine, transforming power there is in humility, how it expels the poison of your nature, and makes room for the Spirit of God to live in you, you would rather wish to be the footstool of all the world than want the smallest degree of it. ”

“ If humility be the first, the all-including grace of the life of Jesus,—if humility be the secret of His atonement,—then the health and strength of our spiritual life will entirely depend upon our putting this grace first too, and making humility the chief thing we admire in Him, the chief thing we ask of Him, the one thing for which we sacrifice all else. ”

“ Like sneaks they have to play a humble part; sit away in corners, and remain obscurely in the shade, and they make all this appear a duty; their humble life now appears as a duty, and their humility is one proof the more of their piety!... Oh, what a humble, chaste and compassionate kind of falsity! ”

“ When humility in your midst doth sit, know that true worth is nigh and rejoice in the blessing that ye behold, for true humility springeth from My Love and with majesty pure and holy is crowned. It is the grace of all grace that I on My children bestow. ”

“ Give us true humility of spirit, that we may not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. Keep us from being wise in our own conceits. Let our moderation be known to all men. Make us kindly affectioned one to another; to delight in doing good; to shew all meekness to all men; to render to all their dues; tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour; and to owe no man any thing, but to love one another. ”

“ Every one who would study and practise humility will find in this golden dialogue what it is that hinders our humility, how we are to be delivered from it, and what the blessing of the Spirit of Love is that comes to the humble from Christ, the meek and lowly Lamb of God. ”

“ On the other hand, all the virtues of the heavenly life are the virtues of humility. It is humility alone that makes the unpassable gulf between heaven and hell. What is then, or in what lies, the great struggle for eternal life? ”

“ It is humility and truth to allow to man this liberty; and, therefore, for this we may lay our faces in the dust, and confess that our dignity and excellence suppose misery, and are imperfection, but the instrument and capacity of all duty and all virtue. ”

“ Love humility in all its instances, practise it in all its parts; condescend to all the weakness and infirmities of your fellow-creatures, cover their frailties, love their excellencies, encourage their virtues, relieve their wants, rejoice in their prosperities, compassionate their distress, receive their friendship, overlook their unkindness, forgive their malice, be a servant of servants, and condescend to do the lowest offices to the lowest of mankind.
Aspire after nothing but an interest in the righteousness of Jesus Christ; and as a consequence of that, your own purity and perfection. ”

“ Yes, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to subject yourselves to one another; for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time ”

“ The truth is this: Pride may die in you, or nothing of heaven can live in you. Under the banner of the truth, give yourself up to the meek and humble spirit of the holy Jesus. Humility must sow seed, or there can be no reaping in Heaven. Look not at pride only as an unbecoming temper, nor at humility only as a decent virtue: for the one is death, and the other is life; the one is all hell, the other is all heaven. So much as you have of pride within you, you have of the fallen angels alive in you; so much as you have of true humility, so much you have of the Lamb of God within you. ”

“ Therefore, O my soul, fly from pride, if it be but to avoid thy damage, and embrace humility, though it but for thy own profit. For it is a general law, from which thou shalt not be excepted, that whosoever is proud shall be humbled, and that "whosoever humbleth himself shall be exalted." Comply with that which belongs to thee, humbling thyself for thy sins, and God will perform what belongs to Him, exalting thee with His gifts. ”

“ Pride misers with enjoyment, when we have
Delight in things that are but of the mind:
But half humility when we partake
Pleasures that are half wants, the spirit pines
And struggles in its fetters, and disdains
The low base clay to which it is allied. ”

“ Humility, that low, sweet root,
From which all heavenly virtues shoot,
Was in the hearts of both—but most
In NAMA'S heart, by whom alone
Those charms, for which a heaven was lost. ”

“ Visit and converse with them frequently; you will often find simplicity, innocence, patience, fortitude, and great piety amongst them.
Rejoice at every opportunity of doing an humble action; whether it be, as the scripture expresses it, in washing the saints feet, that is, in waiting upon, and serving those that are below you, or in bearing with the haughtiness and ill manners of those that are your equals, or above you. For there is nothing better than humility; it is the fruitful soil of all virtues, and every thing that is kind and good, naturally grows from it. ”

“ Is it not in itself the most humbling thing there can be,—the acceptance of our place as dependents, who can claim or get or do nothing but what grace bestows? Humility is 'simply the disposition which prepares the soul for living on trust. And every, even the most secret breathing of pride, in self-seeking, self-will, self-confidence, or self-exaltation, is just the strengthening of that self which cannot enter the kingdom, or possess the things of the kingdom, because it refuses to allow God to be what He is and must be there—the All in All. ”

“ But you must not content yourself with this, as if you was therefore humble, because you acknowledge the reasonableness of humility, and declare against pride.
You would not imagine yourself to be devout, because in your judgment you approved of prayers, and often declared your mind in favour of devotion. Yet how many people imagine themselves humble enough, for no other reason, but because they often commend humility, and make vehement declarations against pride? ”

“ 'That of His great goodness He would make known to you, and take from your heart, every kind and form and degree of Pride, whether it be from evil spirits, or your own corrupt nature; and that He would awaken in you the deepest depth and truth of that Humility, which can make you capable of His light and Holy Spirit.' Reject every thought, but that of waiting and praying in this matter from the bottom of your heart, with such truth and earnestness, as people in torment wish to pray and be delivered from it. ”

“ Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear.
Psalm CXXXVIII, 6. Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
Prov. III, 34. Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
Prov. XXII, 4. By humility and the fear of the Lord art riches, and honor, and life.
Prov. XXIX, 23. A man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit. ”

“ When I look back upon my own religious experience, or round upon the Church of Christ in the world, I stand amazed at the thought of how little humility is sought after as the distinguishing feature of the discipleship of Jesus. In preaching and living, in the daily intercourse of the home and social life, in the more special fellowship with Christians, in the direction and performance of work for Christ,—alas! how much proof there is that humility is not esteemed the cardinal virtue, the only root from which the graces can grow, the one indispensable condition of true fellowship with Jesus. ”