How to be humble

c. 391 · John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of John 9.2

Let us then restrain this swelling of the soul, let us cut up by the roots this lump of pride, if at least we would wish to be clean, and to escape the punishment appointed for the devil. For that the proud must fall under the same punishment as that (wicked) one, hear Paul declare; “Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride, he fall into the judgment, and the snare of the devil.” What is “the judgment”? He means, into the same “condemnation,” the same punishment. How then does he say, that a man may avoid this dreadful thing? By reflecting upon his own nature, upon the number of his sins, upon the greatness of the torments in that place, upon the transitory nature of the things which seem bright in this world, differing in nothing from grass, and more fading than the flowers of spring. If we continually stir within ourselves these considerations, and keep in mind those who have walked most upright, the devil, though he strive ten thousand ways, will not be able to lift us up, nor even to trip us at all.

c. 386–397 · John Chrysostom, Homilies on First Corinthians 1.6

Let us then acquire that height which comes by humility. Let us look into the nature of human things, that we may kindle with the longing desire of the things to come; for in no other way is it possible to become humble, except by the love of what is divine and the contempt of what is present. For just as a man on the point of obtaining a kingdom, if instead of that purple robe one offer him some trivial compliment, will count it to be nothing; so shall we also laugh to scorn all things present, if we desire that other sort of honor.

c. 1370 · Brother Giles, quoted by Brother Ugolino, The Little Flowers of St. Francis Part IV: The Chapters of Certain Instructions and Notable Sayings of Brother Giles, Chapter III. Of holy humility

A friar once said to Brother Giles: “Father, tell me, how can we avoid this pride?” To whom Brother Giles made this reply: “Rest assured, my brother, that thou canst never hope to be free from pride until thou hast first placed thy mouth where thou dost set thy feet; but if thou wilt well consider the gifts of God, thou wilt clearly see that thou hast reason to bow down thy head. And again, if thou wilt meditate on thy defects and thy manifold offenses against God, in all this thou wilt find reasons for humbling thyself. But woe to those who desire to be honoured in their unworthiness! He hath one degree of humility, who knoweth himself to be opposed to his own true good. He hath a second, who restoreth the goods of another to their proper owner, and doth not appropriate them to himself. For every virtue and every good thing which a man findeth in himself, instead of appropriating it to himself, he is bound to refer to God, from whom all graces and all good things do proceed. But every sinful passion of the soul, and every vice which a man findeth within himself, he should attribute to himself, considering that they all proceed from himself and his own malice, and from no other source.

c. 1550 · Louis of Blois, Spiritual Works The Spiritual Mirror, Chapter VIII. The School of Humility and Patience, § 2. The Acts which are Special to Humility

Let thy heart be humble and submissive. Acknowledge thy nothingness, thy infirmity and powerlessness, confess thy ingratitude towards God, thy malice and thy vileness. Of thyself, thou art indeed nothing, and without the help of God’s grace thou canst have no good desire, do no good action, nor even conceive one pious thought. Of thyself, thou art ever prone to evil; and if God did not keep thee, there is no crime so horrible that thou wouldst not commit it. Wherefore thou shouldst not esteem thyself above any man, however wicked. If thou hast not been guilty of grave sins, then, because of the goodness of God, which has not permitted thee to fall into them, and has granted thee the power of leading a good life, thou hast still more reason to humble thyself than he who, after the perpetration of many crimes, has obtained pardon and has been received into the favour of God.

1559 · John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion 3.8.2

Hence we indulge a stupid and empty confidence in the flesh, and then trusting to it wax proud against the Lord himself; as if our own faculties were sufficient without his grace. This arrogance cannot be better repressed than when He proves to us by experience, not only how great our weakness, but also our frailty is. Therefore, he visits us with disgrace, or poverty, or bereavement, or disease, or other afflictions. Feeling altogether unable to support them, we forthwith, in so far as regards ourselves, give way, and thus humbled learn to invoke his strength, which alone can enable us to bear up under a weight of affliction. Nay, even the holiest of men, however well aware that they stand not in their own strength, but by the grace of God, would feel too secure in their own fortitude and constancy, were they not brought to a more thorough knowledge of themselves by the trial of the cross.

1577 · Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle 1.2.10

I do not know whether I have put this clearly; self-knowledge is of such consequence that I would not have you careless of it, though you may be lifted to heaven in prayer, because while on earth nothing is more needful than humility. Therefore, I repeat, not only a good way, but the best of all ways, is to endeavour to enter first by the room where humility is practised, which is far better than at once rushing on to the others.

1608 · Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life 3.5

Of a truth, nothing so tends to humble us before the Mercy of God as the multitude of His gifts to us; just as nothing so tends to humble us before His Justice as the multitude of our misdeeds. Let us consider what He has done for us, and what we have done contrary to His Will, and as we review our sins in detail, so let us review His Grace in the same.

1650 · Jeremy Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living 2.4.4

Every day call to mind some one of thy foulest sins, or the most shameful of thy disgraces, or the indiscreetest of thy actions, or anything that did then most trouble thee, and apply it to the present swelling of thy spirit and opinion, and it may help to allay it. 6. Pray often for his grace with all humility of gesture and passion of desire, and in thy devotion interpose many acts of humility, by way of confession and address to God, and reflection upon thyself.

1651 · Thomas Manton, Works, vol. IV A Practical Commentary, or an Exposition with Notes on the Epistle of James, Chapter IV

The sight of God is an especial help to humiliation. The soul becometh humble by the true knowledge of God and ourselves: Job xlii. 6, ‘Mine eye seeth thee, therefore I abhor myself in dust and ashes.’ When he had a glorious apparition of God he vanished into nothing in his own thoughts. The stars vanish when the sun ariseth; and our poor candle is slighted into a disappearance when the glory of God ariseth in our thoughts. We see our wants in God's fulness; the ocean maketh us ashamed of our own drop; and we see our vileness in God's majesty. What is the balance dust to a mountain, and our wickedness in comparison of God's holiness? Elijah wrapt his face in a mantle when God's glory passed before him, 1 Kings xix. 13. So Isaiah crieth out, ‘I am undone, I am undone, a man of polluted lips,’ when God showed him his glory, Isa. vi. 5. Upon any apparition of God to the faithful they were filled with a fear because of their own weakness and corruption. Well, then, it directeth us how to be humble in our addresses to God; get as large and comprehensive thoughts of him as you can; see his glory, if you would know your own baseness.

1655–1662 · William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour Part 17. DIRECTION SIXTH. The Several Pieces of the Whole Armour of God. Second Piece—The

Often meditate on the infinite holiness of God. When men stand high their heads do not grow dizzy till they look down. When men look down upon those that are worse than themselves, or less holy than themselves, then their heads turn round. Looking up would cure this disease. The most holy men, when once they have fixed their eyes a while upon God’s holiness, and then looked upon themselves, they have been quite out of love with themselves, and could see nothing but unholiness in themselves. After the vision the prophet had of God sitting on his throne, and his heavenly ministers of state, the seraphim, about him, covering their faces and crying, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts:’ how was this gracious man presently smitten with the sense of his own vileness? They did not more cry up God as holy, than he did cry out upon himself as ‘unclean,’ Isa. 6:3, 5. So Job, ‘Now mine eye seeth thee, wherefore I abhor myself,’ Job 42:5, 6. Never did the good man more loathe himself for the putrid sores of his ulcerous body, when on the dunghill he sat and scraped himself, than now he did for the impurities of his soul. We see ourselves in a dark room, and we think we are fine and clean; but would we compass ourselves with the beams of God’s glorious majesty and holiness, then the sun rays would not discover more atoms in the air, than the holiness of God would convince of sin to be in us. But it is the trick of pride not to come where it may be outshined; it had rather go where it shall be adored, than where it is sure to be put to shame.

1655–1662 · William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour Part 17. DIRECTION SIXTH. The Several Pieces of the Whole Armour of God. Second Piece—The

Often meditate on thy own personal miscarriages, especially in thy unregenerate state. This kept Paul so humble. How oft does his unregenerate wicked conversation rise, though not in his conscience, to darken his comfort, yet in his mind, to qualify the thoughts of his gifts and grace, I Cor. 15:9, 10, where he speaks how he ‘laboured more than them all.’ O how he waylays his pride that possibly might follow such his glorying too close at his heels! and therefore, before he dare speak a word of his present holiness, he bolts the door upon pride, and first falls upon the story of that black part of his life. O how he batters his pride, and speaks himself all to naught! No enemy could have drawn his picture with a blacker coal, I Cor. 15:7. He calls himself one ‘born out of time,’ ver. 9, ‘for I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.’ And now having sufficiently besmeared and doused himself in the puddle of his former sins, how humbly doth the holy man speak of his transcendent graces! ver. 10. ‘By the grace of God I am what I am,....and I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God.’ O this is the way of killing this weed of pride, to break up our own hearts, and turn the inside outward—I mean humble and abase ourselves for our former abominations. Pride will not easily thrive in a soul where this plough often walks.

1656 · John Owen, Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers 12

Be much in thoughtfulness of the excellency of the majesty of God and thine infinite, inconceivable distance from him. Many thoughts of it cannot but fill thee with a sense of thine own vileness, which strikes deep at the root of any indwelling sin. When Job comes to a clear discovery of the greatness and the excellency of God, he is filled with self-abhorrence and is pressed to humiliation, Job xlii. 5, 6. And in what state doth the prophet Habakkuk affirm himself to be cast, upon the apprehension of the majesty of God? chap. iii. 16. “With God,” says Job, “is terrible majesty.” Hence were the thoughts of them of old, that when they had seen God they should die. The Scripture abounds in this self-abasing consideration, comparing the men of the earth to “grasshoppers,” to “vanity,” the “dust of the balance,” in respect of God. Be much in thoughts of this nature, to abase the pride of thy heart, and to keep thy soul humble within thee.

1660 · Thomas Watson, The Beatitudes 20

Let a child of God look at his face every morning in the glass of God’s Word and see his sinful spots. This will make him walk humbly all the day after.

1673 · Richard Baxter, A Christian Directory Chapter IV

There is no more powerful means to take down pride, than to look seriously to God, and set yourselves before his eyes, and consider how he loveth the humble, and abhorreth the proud. One sight of God by a lively faith, would make you know with whom you have to do, and teach you to abhor yourselves as vile. A glowworm is not discerned in the sunshine, though it glister in the dark. A glimpse of the majesty of God would make thee, with Isaiah, cry out, "Woe is me, for I am undone, a man of unclean lips," &c.; and, chap. vi. 5, with the Israelites, desire that Moses, and not God, might speak unto you, lest you die. Men are proud because they know not God, and look not to him, but to fellow-sinners, with whom they think they may be bold to compare themselves.

1673 · Richard Baxter, A Christian Directory Chapter IV

Look to a humbled Christ to humble you. Can you be proud while you believe that your Saviour was clothed with flesh, and lived in meanness, and made himself of no reputation, and was despised, and scorned, and spit upon by sinners, and shamefully used, and nailed as a malefactor to a cross? The very incarnation of Christ is a condescension and humiliation enough to pose both men and angels, transcending all belief but such as God himself produceth by his supernatural testimony and Spirit. And can pride look a crucified Christ in the face, or stand before him? Did God take upon him the form of a servant, and must thou domineer and have the highest place? Had not Christ a place to lay his head on, and must thou needs have thy adorned, well-furnished rooms? Must thou needs brave it out in the most fantastic fashion, instead of thy Saviour's seamless coat? Doth he pray for his murderers, and must thou be revenged for a word or petty wrong? Is he patiently spit upon and buffeted, and art thou ready, through proud impatiency, to spit upon or buffet others? Surely he that "condemned sin in the flesh," condemned no sin more than pride.

1673 · Richard Baxter, A Christian Directory Chapter IV

Look upon thy great and manifold sins, which dwell in thy heart, and have been committed in thy life, and there thou wilt see cause for great humiliation. If thy body were full of toads and serpents, and thou couldst see or feel them crawling in thee, wouldst thou then be proud? Why, so many sins are ten thousand-fold worse, and should make thee far viler in thy own esteem! If thou wert possessed with devils, and knewest it, wouldst thou be proud? Why, devils possessing thy body are not so bad or hurtful to thee, as sin in thy soul! The sight of a sin should more take down thy pride, than the sight of a devil. Should that man be proud that hath lived as thou hast lived, and sinned as thou hast sinned, from thy childhood until now? that hath lost so much time, and abused so much mercy, and neglected so many means, and omitted so many duties to God and man, and been guilty of so many sinful thoughts, and so many false or foolish words, and hath broken all the laws of God? Should not he be deeply humbled that hath yet so much ignorance, error, unbelief, hypocrisy, sensuality, worldliness, hardheartedness, security, uncharitableness, lust, envy, malice, impatience, and selfishness, as is in thee? Should not thy very pride itself be matter of thy great humiliation, to think that so odious a sin should yet so much prevail? Look thus on thy leprous, defiled soul, and turn thy very pride against itself! Know thyself, and thou canst not be proud.

1675–1680 · Stephen Charnock, Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God 13

The doctrine of the dominion of God may teach us humility. We are never truly abased, but by the consideration of the eminence and excellency of the Deity. Job never thought himself so pitiful a thing, so despicable a creature, as after God’s magnificent declamation upon the theme of his own sovereignty (Job xlii. 5, 6). When God’s name is regarded as the most excellent and sovereign name in all the earth, then is the soul in the fittest temper to lie low, and cry out, What is man, that so great a Majesty should be mindful of him?

1680–1681 · Thomas Manton, Works, vol. VII Several Sermons upon the CXIX. Psalm, Sermon LXXXVI. Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a

] Consider who made us differ: 1 Cor. iv. 7, ‘For who made thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou hast not received? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?’ Who would be proud of a borrowed garment? he becometh the more in debt. Nothing is ours but sin, all other things are the free gift of God. Shall the wall boast itself because the sun shines upon it? or the pen arrogate the praise of fair writing? The more we have received from God the more we are obliged to acknowledge his goodness, and confess our own unworthiness.

1737 · Thomas Boston, The Crook in the Lot 3

Be much in the thoughts of God's infinite greatness; consider His holiness and majesty, to awe you into the deepest humiliation. Job met with many humbling providences in his case, but he was never sufficiently humbled under them, till the Lord made a new discovery of Himself to him, in His infinite majesty and greatness. He kept his ground against his friends, and stood to his points, till the Lord took that method with him.

1765 · John Wesley, Explanatory Notes on Deuteronomy 8.16

That he might humble thee - By keeping thee in a constant dependence upon him for every day's food, and convincing thee what an impotent, helpless creature thou art, having nothing whereon to subsist, and being supported wholly by the alms of divine goodness from day to day. The mercies of God, if duly considered, are as powerful a mean to humble us as the greatest afflictions, because they increase our debts to God, and manifest our dependance upon him, and by making God great, they make us little in our own eyes.

1770 · John Gill, A Body of Practical Divinity Chapter 14. Of Humility

Christ is the Sun of righteousness; and, as with respect to the natural sun, it is in its own light we see it, and in a ray or beam of it behold innumerable motes, otherwise not discerned by us; so when Christ, the Sun of righteousness, shines forth in his light, we see his glories and excellencies in their luster and splendor; and our own sins, failings, and infirmities; all which tend to humiliation. When that supernatural light shone about Saul the Pharisee, he became at once as humble and submissive as may be, and said, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” a sight of Christ, and of the glory of his person, though seen but through a glass, is transforming, and changes “into the same image;” one part of which image lies in meekness, or humility of mind.

1820 · John Tillotson, Works, Volume 7 156

The thought of God’s excellency should abase us, and make us “vile in our own eyes;” it should make all those petty excellencies that we pride ourselves in, to vanish and disappear. “Those treasures of wisdom and knowledge” which are in God, should “hide pride from man:” it should hide those little parts and gifts which we are so apt to glory in, as the sun hides the stars. When we consider God, we should be so far from admiring ourselves, that we should, with a humble thankfulness, wonder that God should regard such inconsiderable nothings as we are. (Psal. viii. 1, 3, 4.)

1823 · Robert South, Sermons Preached Upon Several Occasions, Volume 6 42

Let a man think much of this, and make God the measure of his perfections and his services; and he cannot but see cause to bring down his spirit, and to make it poor, and humble, and base, in all his reflections upon himself: it will shew him how mean and useless a thing he is, as to the compassing of the great ends and designs of Heaven; how easily Providence can be without him, without any straitening of itself; and how far he is from being necessary to the setting forth of the glory of his Maker.

1867 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 13 (1867) 748

Let your memory bring before you your past offenses. Let your understanding form a proper judgment of your position as a creature, as a sinner, and now as a dependent servant. Your understanding will greatly help you, for true humility is forming a just estimate of oneself— and to humble oneself is to bring oneself down to the place where one ought to be. Let your hopes and your fears, let your affections and your passions, let all the powers of your intellect and heart agree to this—that now before God you will humble yourself as Josiah did. I have given you the reasons.

1900 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 46 (1900) 2700

You will never know your own nothingness so well as when you see your Savior's greatness. When you grow in the Grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, you will be sure to grow in humility! Growing Christians think themselves nothing, but, full-grown Christians think themselves less than nothing. The nearer we get to Jesus, the smaller self will appear to be.

1261–1264 · Thomas Aquinas, Of God and His Creatures: An Annotated Translation (With some Abridgement) of the Summa contra Gentiles 3.133

The spontaneous embracing of humiliations is a practice of humility, not in any and every case, but when it is done for a needful purpose: for humility, being a virtue, does nothing indiscreetly. It is then not humility but folly to embrace any and every humiliation: but where virtue calls for a thing to be done, it belongs to humility not to shrink from doing it for the humiliation that goes with it, for instance, not to refuse some mean service where charity calls upon you so to help your neighbour.

1261–1264 · Thomas Aquinas, Of God and His Creatures: An Annotated Translation (With some Abridgement) of the Summa contra Gentiles 3.133

Sometimes again we may make a virtuous use of humiliations as a medicine. Thus if any one’s mind is prone to undue self-exaltation, he may with advantage make a moderate use of humiliations, either self-imposed or imposed by others, so to check the elation of his spirit by putting himself on a level with the lowest class of the community in the doing of mean offices.

c. 1400 · Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ 3.13

For the exterior enemy is more quickly overcome if the inner man is not laid waste. There is no more troublesome, no worse enemy of the soul than you yourself, if you are not in harmony with the spirit. It is absolutely necessary that you conceive a true contempt for yourself if you wish to be victorious over flesh and blood. Because you still love yourself too inordinately, you are afraid to resign yourself wholly to the will of others. Is it such a great matter if you, who are but dust and nothingness, subject yourself to man for the sake of God, when I, the All-Powerful, the Most High, Who created all things out of nothing, humbly subjected Myself to man for your sake? I became the most humble and the lowest of all men that you might overcome your pride with My humility. Learn to obey, you who are but dust! Learn to humble yourself, you who are but earth and clay, and bow down under the foot of every man!

1647–1657 · Thomas Manton, Works, vol. V An Exposition, with Notes, upon the Epistle of Jude, Verse 9

Again, to take down pride, look to others whom God hath set higher, and yet are more humble, as usually the higher the sun the less shadows it casteth. Usually God’s children carry a low mind in a high condition, James i. 10; they are rich, yet ‘made low,’ that is, ‘lowly.’ If, in the fulness of riches, honours, parts, and enjoyments, they are so meek and humble, why should I, that have less temptations, be more proud? They are lifted up by God, but not in their own spirits. I am a worm, in a much lower sphere, and yet of a prouder heart. They are affable, meek, modest, why am I so fierce and impatient of contradiction? Once more, if the judgments of God light upon greater personages for their pride, say what will become of me? In me it is more odious. If God destroy those whose ‘height is as the height of cedars,’ Amos ii. 9, surely the reed should tremble.

1650 · Jeremy Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living 2.4.3

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.

1673 · Richard Baxter, A Christian Directory Chapter IV

Be much in humbling exercises; but so as to take heed of mistaking the nature of them, or running into extremes. I have told you the true nature of humility before. Abundance of christians are tempted by Satan to think it consisteth, much more than it doth, in passionate grief, and tears, and bodily exercises, of long and frequent fastings, and confessions, and penance, or such like: and thus Satan diverteth them from true endeavours for true humiliation, by keeping them employed all their days, in striving for tears, or in these external exercises! Whereas, you should most strive for such a sight of your sinfulness and nothingness, as will teach you highly to esteem of Christ, and to loathe yourselves, and take yourselves to be as vile and sinful as you are, and will make you humbly beg for mercy, and stoop to any means to obtain it; and will make you patient under the rebukes and chastisements of God, and under the contempts and injuries of men: this is the humility which you must labour for. But in order to this, external exercises of humiliation must be used: especially studying the holy law of God, and searching yourselves, and confession of sin, and moderate, seasonable fastings, and taming of the flesh.

1726 · William Law, A Practical Treatise upon Christian Perfection 8

Pride, hypocrisy, vanity, hatred, and detraction, are all disorderly indulgences, and have their only cure in self-denial, as certainly as drunkenness and sensuality. To deny one's self all indulgences of pride and vanity, all instances of falseness and hypocrisy, of envy and spight, requires greater care and watchfulness, and a more continual self-denial, than to avoid the motives to intemperance. And he that thinks to render himself humble any other way, than by denying himself all instances of pride, is as absurd as he who intends to be sober, without abstaining from all degrees of intemperance. For humility as truly consists in the practice of things that are humble, as justice consists in the doing things that are just.

1729 · William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life 17

Every person, when he first applies himself to the exercise of this virtue of humility, must, as I said before, consider himself as a learner, that is to learn something that is contrary to former tempers and habits of mind, and which can only be got by daily and constant practice. He has not only as much to do as he that has some new art or science to learn, but he has also a great deal to unlearn: he is to forget and lay aside his own spirit, which has been a long while fixing and forming itself; he must forget and depart from abundance of passions and opinions, which the fashion, and vogue, and spirit of the world, has made natural to him. He must lay aside his own spirit; because as we are born in sin, so in pride, which is as natural to us as self-love, and continually springs from it. And this is one reason why Christianity is so often represented as a new birth, and a new spirit. He must lay aside the opinions and passions which he has received from the world; because the vogue and fashion of the world, by which we have been carried away as in a torrent, before we could pass right judgments of the value of things, is, in many respects, contrary to humility; so that we must unlearn what the spirit of the world has taught us, before we can be governed by the spirit of humility.

1729 · William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life 18

Love humility in all its instances; practise it in all its parts, for it is the noblest state of the soul of man; it will set your heart and affections right towards God, and fill you with every temper that is tender and affectionate towards men. Let every day, therefore, be a day of humility; condescend to all the weaknesses 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.

1729 · William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life 19

By accustoming yourselves to this labour and service for the poor, as the representatives of Jesus Christ, you will soon find your heart softened into the greatest meekness and lowliness towards them. You will reverence their state and condition, think it an honour to serve them, and never be so pleased with yourself as when you are most humbly employed in their service. This will make you true disciples of your meek Lord and Master, who came into the world not to be ministered unto, but to minister; and though He was Lord of all, and amongst the creatures of His own making, yet was amongst them as one that serveth.

c. 1740–1751 · Jean-Pierre de Caussade, Letters on the Practice of Abandonment to Divine Providence 3.15

Nothing, on the contrary, can be more easy than to make use of your faults to acquire a fresh degree of humility, and thus to dig more deeply in yourself the foundation necessary for building up true sanctity. Ought we not to admire, and to bless the infinite goodness of God who knows how to make our very faults serve for our greater good? For this it suffices to dislike them, to humble ourselves quietly about them, and to raise ourselves again with an untiring perseverance after each fall, and to work peacefully to correct ourselves.

1872 · John Wesley, Sermons on Several Occasions 100

Be little and vile in your own eyes, in honour preferring others before yourself. Be deeply sensible of your own weaknesses, follies, and imperfections; as well as of the sin remaining in your heart, and cleaving to all your words and actions. And let this spirit appear in all you speak or do: “Be clothed with humility.”

1883 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 29 (1883) 1700

The only way to keep right and humble is to be nothing, and let Jesus be all in all. If God has blessed your ministry or other holy work, the devil whispers, "You are a pretty fellow; you have done wonders"; and up you will go if you are not steadied by the firm conviction that you may not glory, since you are nothing at all in yourself, and your sole help is in Jesus your Lord. When God gives you growth in grace and fruitfulness in good works it will be your safety to be as little as ever you were, and to trust in nothing but the work of the Lord. This blessed faith keeps men down when they are apt to go up, and up when otherwise they would be apt to go down.

1883 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 29 (1883) 1733

The most hopeful way of avoiding the humbling affliction is to humble yourself. Be humble that you may not be humbled! Put yourself into a humble attitude and draw near to God in a lowly spirit—and so He will cease from His chiding. And do this, first, by noticing whether you have been guilty of any special sin of pride. You are suffering—let the rod point out to you in which way you have erred through pride.

1890 · Robert F. Horton, The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Proverbs XIII. Pride and Humility

It is not possible to think too humbly of yourself, it is not possible to be too lowly, you cannot abase yourself too much in His Holy Presence. Your only attitude is that of Moses when he took off his shoes because the place he stood on was holy ground; or that of Isaiah when he cried out that he was "a man of unclean lips." To those who know you your humiliations may sound excessive,—as we are told the disciples of St. Francis remonstrated with him for his self-depreciation—but not to God or to your own heart. And He, if He has set His love upon you, and purposes to make you a temple for His indwelling, will use method after method of humbling you to prepare for His entrance. Again and again you will say, Surely now I am low enough, am I not humbled in the dust? But His hand will still be upon you, and He will show you heads of pride which have yet to be levelled down. In the last humbling you will find that there is rising within you a certain pride in the humility itself. That also will He subdue. And some day, if you are willing, you shall be lowly enough for the Most High to dwell in, humble enough to offer a perpetual incense of praise.

1893 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 39 (1893) 2328

I would not advise any of you to try to be humble, but to be humble. As to acting humbly, when a man forces himself to it, that is poor stuff. When a man talks a great deal about his humility—when he is very humble to everybody—he is generally a canting hypocrite. Humility must be in the heart and then it will come out spontaneously as the outflow of life in every act that a man performs.

1896 · Andrew Murray, Humility: The Beauty of Holiness XII. Humility and Exaltation

To every Christian the command comes from the throne of God Himself: humble yourself. The earnest attempt to listen and obey will be rewarded—yes, rewarded—with the painful discovery of two things. The one, what depth of pride, that is of unwillingness to count oneself and to be counted nothing, to submit absolutely to God, there was, that one never knew. The other, what utter impotence there is in all our efforts, and in all our prayers too for God's help, to destroy the hideous monster. Blessed the man who now learns to put his hope in God, and to persevere, notwithstanding all the power of pride within him, in acts of humiliation before God and Men. We know the law of human nature: acts produce habits, habits breed dispositions, dispositions form the will, and the rightly-formed will is character. It is no otherwise in the work of grace. As acts, persistently repeated, beget habits and dispositions, and these strengthen the will, He who works both to will and to do comes with His mighty power and Spirit; and the humbling of the proud heart with which the penitent saint cast himself so often before God, is rewarded with the 'more grace' of the humble heart, in which the Spirit of Jesus has conquered, and brought the new nature to its maturity, and He the meek and lowly One now dwells for ever.

1905 · Florentius Radewin, quoted by Thomas a Kempis, The Life of Florentius Radewin letter

One that doth desire to make progress in humility must often set before him hard and menial tasks, chide himself, judge and condemn, and in his secret thoughts ponder over his own worthlessness so as to be able patiently to bear contempt when humiliations come upon him. When thou dost feel envy, or suspicion, or vainglory arising in thy heart, reply inwardly thereto and say: “Fie upon thee that thou art still so wretched and weak and that thou dost go forward less than other men, and dost become continually worse.”

1905 · A Brother, quoted by Thomas a Kempis, Lives of the Followers of Father Florentius 8

If therefore I would reach that state of humility and that love, it is needful for me to have a daily exercise and rule to lead me to these things. And so, according as Saints have said, I must look to my past sins, keep them ever before mine eyes and make all endeavour to weigh them. To do this will keep me in subjection and humility, and I shall not think the defects of the Brothers and other men to be heavy, nor shall I judge them lightly, but have compassion upon them, and lead them to better things. Wherefore it is expedient for me to strive to this end, and to beware of searching curiously into the deeds or words of others; to avoid detraction, and if I hear any such thing to strive to find excuses, putting the matter aside and casting it away. This also will help me greatly, namely, to consider the virtues of my Brethren, of whom I believe that the greater number have never committed mortal sin. On the other hand, I must think upon the greatness of mine own sins, so shall I find that I am not worthy to live amongst the Brethren nor to serve them, and I must hold them in reverence and hope that through their good works and prayers I may reach Life Eternal.

1905 · Florentius Radewin, quoted by Thomas a Kempis, The Life of Florentius Radewin letter

Secondly, I urge thee above all things to submit thyself humbly to all men. It is expedient for thee to do this in thought, word and deed. Continually remember, as the Blessed Bernard said to the Brothers on the Mount of God, that there is sunshine everywhere save in thy conscience, and a clear sky everywhere save in thy heart. This humility doth come by constant use and by considering thine own worthlessness in both body and soul, not by dwelling upon the faults of other men or making excuses for thyself.

c. 420–424 · John Cassian, Institutes (De institutis coenobiorum) 4.39

And when this has gained an entrance into a man’s heart it produces contempt of all things, and begets a forgetfulness of kinsfolk and an horror of the world itself. But by the contempt for the loss of all possessions humility is gained. And humility is attested by these signs: First of all if a man has all his desires mortified; secondly, if he conceals none of his actions or even of his thoughts from his superior; thirdly, if he puts no trust in his own opinion, but all in the judgment of his superior, and listens eagerly and willingly to his directions; fourthly, if he maintains in everything obedience and gentleness and constant patience; fifthly, if he not only hurts nobody else, but also is not annoyed or vexed at wrongs done to himself; sixthly, if he does nothing and ventures on nothing to which he is not urged by the Common Rule or by the example of our elders; seventhly, if he is contented with the lowest possible position, and considers himself as a bad workman and unworthy in the case of everything enjoined to him; eighthly, if he does not only outwardly profess with his lips that he is inferior to all, but really believes it in the inmost thoughts of his heart; ninthly, if he governs his tongue, and is not over talkative; tenthly, if he is not easily moved or too ready to laugh. For by such signs and the like is true humility recognised. And when this has once been genuinely secured, then at once it leads you on by a still higher step to love which knows no fear; and through this you begin, without any effort and as it were naturally, to keep up everything that you formerly observed not without fear of punishment; no longer now from regard of punishment or fear of it but from love of goodness itself, and delight in virtue.

c. 530 · Benedict of Nursia, The Rule of St. Benedict 5

The first degree of humility is obedience without delay. This becometh those who, on account of the holy subjection which they have promised, or of the fear of hell, or the glory of life everlasting, hold nothing dearer than Christ. As soon as anything hath been commanded by the Superior they permit no delay in the execution, as if the matter had been commanded by God Himself.

1608 · Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life 4.14

Humble yourself profoundly before God, acknowledging your nothingness and misery. Alas, what am I when left to myself! no better, Lord, than a parched ground, whose cracks and crevices on every side testify its need of the gracious rain of Heaven, while, nevertheless, the world’s blasts wither it more and more to dust.

1650 · Jeremy Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living 2.4.4

To the same purpose it is of great use that he who would preserve his humility should choose some spiritual person to whom he shall oblige himself to discover his very thoughts and fancies, every act of his, and all his intercourse with others, in which there may be danger; that by such an openness of spirit he may expose every blast of vain glory, every idle thought, to be chastened and lessened by the rod of spiritual discipline: and he that shall find himself tied to confess every proud thought, every vanity of his spirit, will also perceive they must not dwell with him, nor find any kindness from him; and, besides this, the nature of pride is so shameful and unhandsome, that the very discovery of it is a huge mortification and means of suppressing it. A man would be ashamed to be told that he inquires after the faults of his last oration or action on purpose to be commended; and, therefore, when the man shall tell his spiritual guide the same shameful story of himself, it is very likely he will be humbled and heartily ashamed of it.

1680–1681 · Thomas Manton, Works, vol. VII Several Sermons upon the CXIX. Psalm, Sermon LXXXVI. Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a

] Let us pray often, for in prayer we profess our subjection and dependence. Where prayers are fervent, earnest, frequent, it argueth great humility; where rare, cold, unfrequent, little humility; where none, no humility. Seeking to God, who is so excellent, mindeth us of our own baseness; seeking his daily relief and succour mindeth us of the changeableness of all worldly things, and the several vicissitudes of this life, Ps. x. 4. A man serious in prayer, living in a constant dependence upon God, must needs be a humble man. [2.] Let us be contented with a little, and not seek great things for ourselves; for interest is the great makebait. I am sure a worldly portion is the usual fuel of pride. A worm may grow in manna, but usually it is some worldly excellency which giveth us such great advantages here below which puffeth us up. If riches increase by the fair allowance of God’s providence, we are not to grow proud of them: 1 Tim. vi. 17, ‘Charge them that are rich in the world, that they be not high-minded.’ Moses saith, Deut viii. 12-14, ‘Take heed when thou hast eaten, and art full, and thy gold and silver is multiplied, lest thy heart be lifted up.’ Our hearts are mighty apt to be lifted up by a full estate.

1729 · William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life 19

I have considered the nature and necessity of humility, and its great importance to a religious life. I have shown you how many difficulties are formed against it from our natural tempers, the spirit of the world, and the common education of both sexes. These considerations will, I hope, instruct you how to form your prayers for it to the best advantage, and teach you the necessity of letting no day pass, without a serious, earnest application to God, for the whole spirit of humility: fervently beseeching Him to fill every part of your soul with it, to make it the ruling, constant habit of your mind, that you may not only feel it, but feel all your other tempers arising from it; that you may have no thoughts, no desires, no designs, but such as are the true fruits of a humble, meek, and lowly heart.

1866 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 12 (1866) 686

The child sullenly says, "No, Father, I will do something else that is more humbling." And then you feel in your soul that that is an unhumbled child or else he would at once do what his father told him—without thinking whether it would be a humiliating thing or not! It would be a humbling thing because his father told him to do it, and if he were a right-minded child he would do it from a spirit of obedience. Now, you may think it very humble on your part to need to feel a great deal of conviction and to shed a great many tears, and to pray a great many prayers—but the most lowly thing you can do is to perform what the Master tells you.

1872 · John Wesley, Sermons on Several Occasions 98

Whenever, therefore, you are about to enter upon the work, seek his help by earnest prayer. Cry to him for the whole spirit of humility, lest if pride steal into your heart, if you ascribe anything to yourself, while you strive to save others you destroy your own soul.

1885 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 31 (1885) 1861

Brethren, we must pray God to make us humble. If we become lowliest of the lowly it will not be much of a condescension on our part; we shall only come down to the point which we ought never to have left. Down in the dust is the fit place for such poor mortals as we are.

1891 · Andrew Murray, The New Life: Words of God for Young Disciples 19

Believe that He gives His humility to you. The word: ‘Do it to the Lord Jesus,’ means, ‘Be clothed with the Lord Jesus.’ Be clothed with humility, in order that you may be clothed with Jesus. It is Christ in you that shall fill you with humility.