Page images
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

the humble man observes their good, and reflects only upon his own vileness; or considers the many evils of himself certainly known to himself, and the ill of others but by uncertain report: or he considers that the evils done by another are out of much infirmity or ignorance, but his own sins are against a clearer light; and if the other had so great helps, he would have done more good and less evil: or he remembers that his old sins before his conversion were greater in the nature of the thing, or in certain circumstances, than the sins of other men. (So St. Paul reckoned himself the chiefest of sinners, because formerly he had acted the chiefest sin in persecuting the church of God.) But this rule is to be used with this cautionThat though it be good always to think meanest of ourselves, yet it is not ever safe to speak it, because those circumstances and considerations which determine thy thoughts are not known to others as to thyself: and it may concern others, that they hear thee give God thanks for the graces he hath given thee. But if thou preservest thy thoughts and opinions of thyself truly humble, you may with more safety give God thanks in public for that good which cannot, or ought not to be concealed.

16. Be not always ready to excuse every oversight, or indiscretion, or ill action: but if thou beest guilty of it, confess it plainly; for virtue scorns a lie for its cover: but to hide a sin with it, is like a crust of leprosy drawn upon an ulcer. If thou beest not guilty, (unless it be scandalous) be not over earnest to remove

it, but rather use it as an argument to chastise all greatness of fancy and opinion in thyself; and accustom thyself to bear reproof patiently and contentedly, and the harsh words of thy enemies, as knowing that the anger of an enemy is a better monitor, and represents our faults or admonishes us of our duty with more heartiness, than the kindness does, or precious balms of a friend.

17. Give God thanks for every weakness, deformity, and imperfection, and accept it as a favour and grace of God, and an instrument to resist pride and nurse humility; ever remembering, that when God, by giving thee a crooked back, hath also made thy spirit stoop or less vain, thou art more ready to enter the narrow gate of heaven, than by being straight, and standing upright, and thinking highly. Thus the Apostles rejoiced in their infirmities, not moral, but natural and accidental, in their being beaten and whipt like slaves, in their nakedness and poverty.

18. Upbraid no man's weakness to him to discomfort him, neither report it to disparage him, neither delight to remember it to lessen him, or to set thyself above him. Be sure never to praise thyself, or to dispraise any man else, unless God's glory or some holy end do hallow it. And it was noted, to the praise of Cyrus, that amongst his equals in age he would never play at any sport, or use any exercise in which he knew himself more excellent than they: but in such in which he was unskilful he would make his challenges, lest he should shaine them by his victory, and

that himself might learn something of their skill, and do them civilities *.

19. Besides the foregoing parts and actions, humility teaches us to submit ourselves and all our faculties to God, To believe all things, to do all things, to suffer all things which his will enjoins us: to be content in every estate or change, knowing we have deserved worse than the worst we feel; and (as Anytus said to Alcibiades) he hath taken but half, when he might have taken all: to adore his goodness, to fear his greatness, to worship his eternal and infinite excellencies, and to submit ourselves to all our superiors in all things according to godliness, and to be meek and gentle in our conversation towards others.

Now, although according to the nature of every grace, this begins as a gift, and is increased like a habit, that is, best by its own acts; yet, besides the former acts and offices of humility, there are certain other exercises and considerations, which are good helps and instruments for the procuring and increasing this grace, and the curing of pride.

* Ama Pamico tuo con il diffetto suo. In colloquiis pueri invisi aliis non fient, si non omnino in disputationibus victoriam semper obtinere laborent. Non tantum egregium est scire vincere, sed etiam posse vinci pulchrum est, ubi victoria est damnosa. Plut. de educ. liber.

† Nihil ita dignum est odio ut eorum mores qui compellantibus se difficiles præbent. Plut.

[blocks in formation]

Means and Exercises of obtaining and increasing the Grace of Humility.

1. Make confession of thy sins often to God; and consider what all that evil amounts to, which you then charge upon yourself. Look not upon them as scattered in the course of a long life: now, an intemperate anger, then too full a meal; now, idle talking, and another time impatience: but unite them into one continued representation, and remember that he whose life seems fair, by reason that his faults are scattered at large distances in the several parts of his life, yet, if all his errors and follies were articled against him, the man would seem vicious and miserable: and possibly this exercise, really applied upon thy spirit, may be useful.

2. Remember that we usually disparage others upon slight grounds and little instances; and towards them one fly is enough to spoil a whole box of ointment: and if a man be highly commended, we think him sufficiently lessened, if we clap one sin, or folly, or infirmity into his acccount. Let us therefore be just to ourselves, since we are so severe to others, and consider, that whatsoever good any one can think or say of us, we can tell him of hundreds of base and unworthy and foolish actions, any one of which were enough (we hope) to destroy another's reputation : therefore let so many be sufficient to destroy our overhigh thoughts of ourselves.

3. When our neighbour is cried up by public fame and popular noises, that we may disparage and lessen

him, we cry out that the people are a herd of unlearned and ignorant persons, ill judges, loud trumpets, but which never give certain sound: let us use the same art to humble ourselves, and never take delight and pleasure in public report, and acclamations of assemblies, and please ourselves with their judgment, of whom in other like cases we affirm that they are mad.

4. We change our opinion of others by their kindness or unkindness towards us. If he be my patron and bounteous, he is wise, he is noble; his faults are but warts, his virtues are mountains: but if he proves unkind or rejects our importunate suit, then he is illnatured, covetous, and his free meal is called gluttony: that which before we called civility, is now very drunkenness, and all he speaks is flat and dull, and ignorant as a swine. This indeed is unjust towards others, but a good instrument, if we turn the edge of it upon ourselves. We use ourselves ill, abusing ourselves with false principles, cheating ourselves with lies and pretences, stealing the choice and election from our wills, placing voluntary ignorance in our understanding, denying the desires of the spirit, setting up a faction against every noble and just desire; the least of which, because we should resent up to reviling the injurious person, it is but reason we should at least not flatter ourselves with fond and too kind opinions.

5. Every day call to mind some one of thy foulest sins, or the most shameful of thy disgraces, or the in

« PreviousContinue »