THE GRACE OF HUMILITY by George Ide Butler

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 31, 1868

THE GRACE OF HUMILITY.

By George Ide Butler

BY ELD. G. I. BUTLER.

(Concluded.)

TEXT.—"Before honor is humility." Prov. xv, 33, and xviii, 12.

Let us now briefly consider the power of humility. Ahab, the wicked king of Israel, is ever held before us in the history of his life as one of the most wicked and abominable brought to view in the Bible. We learn in 1 Kings xxi, 25: "But there was none like unto Ahab, who did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord." We learn in this chapter that in addition to his idolatry and other acts of wickedness, he heeded the counsels of Jezebel his wife, and was a party in procuring the death of Naboth, who had a vineyard which Ahab greatly desired. In order to get the vineyard, false witnesses were employed to accuse Naboth of blasphemy before the elders of the city, and he was stoned to death. Then Ahab arose and took possession of the coveted property. For this terrible crime, involving coveting, bearing false witness, stealing, and murder, God, by the mouth of the prophet Elijah, threatened the most terrible judgments upon Ahab and his posterity; that in the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, there should dogs lick Ahab's blood; and that dogs and the fowls of the air should eat the flesh of his wife and children. These terrible threatenings alarmed the guilty king. He fasted, put sackcloth upon his flesh, and walked softly. The Lord sends another message to the prophet. Verse 29: "Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days." Thus we see how humility on the part of this wicked king put off the threatened judgments of God, so that they did not come upon him in his lifetime.

I cannot forbear to bring another case, that of Manasseh, the wicked king of Judah. In 2 Chron. xxxiii, we have a particular account of his wickedness, in which we learn he imitated the course of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out of the land. He built altars to all the idols of that time. He observed times, and used enchantments; dealt with familiar spirits; caused his children to pass through the fire; and finally, as a crowning act of wickedness, set an idol in the temple of God. After God sent messages to him which he would not hear, we learn that God sent up the Assyrians, who took Manasseh captive, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. Here we should suppose he would remain a captive, bitterly lamenting his wicked course, and reflecting upon his folly in rejecting those messages of warning that God had mercifully sent, and finally dying a captive in a foreign land. Let us see the result. Verse 12: "And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers." And we learn that he was merciful, and caused him to be restored to his own kingdom. Surely, this is a wonderful testimony of the power of humility. There is not a more wonderful one to be found in the history of the world. A wicked monarch, who had sinned with a high hand, and abused all the mercies of God, by the most shameful apostasy and criminality; punished by being sent into distant exile, far from friends; humbling himself before God, and restored to all his former privileges and power. Surely, this is a high testimony of the power of this grace to move the arm of Jehovah.

We will take one more instance from the kings of Judah, the pious king Josiah, perhaps the most devoted king in the whole line after David. But the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem had wandered far from God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel by their pride and idolatry. The threatenings of God through the prophets had been given, that the inhabitants should be carried away captive; and these judgments were about to be inflicted when Josiah came to the throne. All the curses of the law were about to be inflicted upon this guilty nation. Josiah, after reading the book of the law, was much ashamed when he saw how Israel had sinned, and sent to inquire of Huldah, the prophetess, of the Lord. She sends the following answer to king Josiah, 2 Chron. xxxiv, 27: "Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the Lord." As a consequence, Josiah saw none of these terrible judgments come upon his people in his day. Oh, that this tenderness of heart and humility, which was so potent then, and saved the king of Israel from beholding the threatened judgments, were prevalent among God's professed people now.

More terrible judgments than these, are threatened against this generation. But hardness of heart, indifference, worldliness, and pride, are everywhere seen, while tears of repentance and humility are the exception. May God help us to see that these principles are just as precious in the sight of God now, as in the days of king Josiah.

Humility is the first step in true conversion, after hearing the truth of God. The human heart must have some sense of its true relation to God, as a poor, dependent creature upon his bounty, and see its unworthiness before him, if it would meet with his forgiveness. Thus we read in James iv, 7, and onward, of the drawing near to God of those who had been backslidden from him. This is summed up in verse 10: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up." This is the condition upon which God grants forgiveness of sins; and how easy and reasonable that we should see our true condition; when we have a sense of this, then we are prepared to take the steps marked out in God's word. We see we are truly condemned by the holy law, and we need a sacrifice to take our place. We accept our Lord Jesus Christ as that sacrifice; and having received forgiveness upon these conditions, we enter into the work of obedience to the principles of the moral law. We see, therefore, in every work of reform, whether it be the first work of grace upon the heart of the sinner, or a step of advancement in the way of holiness on the part of one who has made a profession of religion, or a return from backsliding, it is first necessary to see our lack of coming up to the divine standard; our wretched condition before God, if we would be helped by him.

This is humility. The more deeply we realize our true condition, the deeper and more genuine will be the work. It is a sad fact that in this age of the world pride of heart is so universal, and has taken such complete possession of the minds of men, that conversion, in most cases, is a very shallow work. If these principles could be appreciated truly, we should see a more thorough work.

To see still more clearly the importance of humility, we will introduce other scriptures. Do we desire grace from the Lord? Grace is defined by Webster: The divine favor toward man; the mercy of God; the undeserved kindness or forgiveness of God; divine love or pardon; a state of acceptance with God, &c. Surely, grace is something very desirable; something all of us want in the trying day before us. James says, chap. iv, 6: "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble." Perhaps it is because we are too proud, and, as a consequence, God is resisting us, that we lack grace. As God will not lie, we expect when we get enough humility, we shall have grace, or the favor of God. Will it not, therefore, pay well to seek after it earnestly? Do we desire to obey the requirements of God, and thus be found obedient, and, as a consequence, gain his favor? Mic. vi, 8: "He

hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Surely, there is nothing hard in these requirements; they commend themselves to the reason of man as something reasonable and right. But how many overlook them, and prefer to come to the Lord as the previous verse indicates. Verse 7: "Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" Then follows the verse previously quoted. How many there are who come to God, or try to, by these outward acts, seemingly willing to give almost anything that they might have his approbation; property, labor, struggles of mind, and intense anxiety, and almost life itself; but we do not see that among those things, and one most needed, is the lowly lesson of humility; a true sense of entire unworthiness, and a willingness to take a little place, or any place, and there work out those lessons God desires them to learn, really small in their own estimation. Such is the plan of God. How beautiful it looks. Would we have the great and eternal God dwell with us; take up his abode with the work of his hands, poor, unworthy, weak man? Hear the prophecy of God. Isa. lvii, 15: "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Such language as this is too high for me. Such honor as this is too wonderful. The God who has created millions of worlds, and causes them all to revolve in order and beauty, and whose perfect wisdom is manifested even in the smallest blade of grass, before whom hundreds of millions of angels bow prostrate in adoration; such a being dwell with weak and puny man! Yet his word says it, and we will believe it. What could magnify humility more than this language?

Would we know what is in our hearts, and thus ascertain our true standing before God? Humility is necessary. Thus we read, Deut. viii, 2, in the discourse of Moses to the children of Israel: "And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldst keep his commandments or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live."

Here the principle is plainly taught, that in order to truly know ourselves, it is necessary at times for God to humble us and bring us where we can see our dependence upon him; therefore we see humility is necessary for us to truly see our condition before God, and, as we have seen in the former part of this discourse, this is the one great object of this grace. How necessary, therefore, unless we would be deceived, that we cultivate it. What a great preventive against sin. Here we see the mercy of God many times in sending judgments upon us, to humble us. In no other way can he reach us, we are so covered with pride. Afflictions open our eyes to our true condition, and we see ourselves miserable and wretched in the sight of God. So when we want to make an advancement in the divine life, we want a little more humility. If we had already attained all there was to be obtained, we could then possibly get along, shall I say? No; we should then be most humble of all, for we would then see the amazing condescension of God, and our own unworthiness most.

Would we be spared when God shall send his heavy judgments upon mankind, when he shall make inquisition for blood? Ps. ix, 12: "When he maketh inquisition for blood he remembereth them; he forgetteth not the cry of the humble." They will be saved, as Job says, chap. xxii, 29: "When men are cast down, thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person." To make the matter clear, I will say, All will sooner or later be humble. But it is quite an important matter in regard to the time it shall be brought about. We have seen that those who humble themselves will be saved, they will be spared when he maketh inquisition for blood. Of another class we read, Isa. ii, 10, 12: "Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, for the fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up, and he shall be brought low." Thus we see it is but a matter of time, but mighty consequences hang upon the issue, whether we enter into the work of humbling ourselves, or leave it for God to do for us; for we are assured God alone will be exalted then. His people who are saved, every one of them, will have humbled themselves; and now he will bring down all the rest. I prefer to be in the former class.

Would we be truly honored of God? Honor is pleasant to man. The way to obtain it is through humility. Thus we read, Prov. xxix, 23: "A man's pride shall bring him low; but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit," and 1 Pet. v, 6: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time." And our blessed Saviour says, Matt. xxiii, 4: "Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven." The illustration of our Saviour in this verse by selecting a child, is a good one indeed; the teachable disposition of a child is the best that could be selected to illustrate the humble spirit, combining a willingness to be led with a desire to learn of those above him; and a reverent trust in the parent. And this will make a man greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. Surely, there are few persons that realize this, or believe it, if we may judge by the actions of people. But these are the words of Him who is meek and lowly of heart. The path of true honor is thus laid before us. Shall we choose it, or prefer the honor which comes from men?

Our Saviour puts forth a parable in Luke xiv, 7-11, which has an important bearing upon this subject: "And he put forth a parable to those who were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room, lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him, and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man a place, and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher. Then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." This language, when taken just as it reads, for counsel to those in this world, for worldly prosperity and enjoyment of the things of this life merely, presents a true and beautiful idea which it would be wisdom for those to adopt who seek merely temporal prosperity and enjoyment. The road to worldly honor and prosperity, through modesty, and a disposition to stand back for others, and give them the privilege of putting us forward, instead of making an effort to shove ourselves into all the prominent places, if it is not the most rapid way to advancement, is much the surest and the best, by far the most enduring in its results.

But how few see it in this light at the present time. What clambering for office and notoriety! What disgusting exhibitions of self-conceit and officiousness are to be seen in every direction. For fear their merits will never be noticed, thousands sound their own trumpet and make themselves the laughing-stock of all sensible men. Volumes might be written upon this point. I can hardly refrain from presenting two illustrations of this principle, they are so applicable to show the difference between modest men and the other kind; Abraham Lincoln, and his successor. There are some striking points of similarity in their circumstances and lives; both the children of poor parents; both self-made men; both lacking in the advantages of early training and education; both possessed of great natural abilities; both obtaining high political distinction; and both becoming Presidents of the United States. But here the similarity ends. All who are acquainted with the life of the former, know that modesty and merit were found hand in hand in his life; that he first established a reputation at home, his best friends being among those who knew him best; that as his merit became more generally known, he became more and more popular, without putting his own claims forward; that his fame stood very high at home before much was known of him abroad; that while Senator Douglass was universally recognized as one of the greatest debaters in the nation, Mr. Lincoln was designated as the man who was fully able to cope with Douglass, by all the friends of freedom in his own State; while many well-informed men in other places scarcely knew that such a person existed. We all know how the modest Lincoln rose to a national reputation in a few short months; how he was installed in the executive chair of the nation; how well he filled the office; how a nation mourned his loss, and have not yet ceased to mourn; and how, above all, modesty ever marked the man; and how he was not above speaking to the poorest and most humble. What a contrast we find in his successor! Self-conceit, pride of his opinions, obstinacy, and excessive egoism, mark his official career thus far; so that he has become the most unpopular man, perhaps, in the nation.

Thus we see the workings of this principle which our Saviour brings out when applied to worldly things alone. But no doubt it has a higher meaning. It was a parable, and a parable is always used to convey a moral; and from a comparison of the last verse—"For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted,"—with other scriptures, we understand the lesson taught to be that we should humble ourselves in this world of pride, that we may be called up higher, in the future state. At any rate it should apply forcibly to those laboring in the cause of Him who spake it. Perhaps in no calling, however, do we see more anxiety manifested to get into the highest seats than in the church of this age. Instead of waiting till the master says, "Friend, go up higher," there appears to be a fear that his voice will never be heard; and some notable instances have been seen among us also. I trust we may all see the force of this parable of our blessed Lord and act upon his advice. We see, therefore, in concluding this part of the subject, that humility is the stepping-stone to true honor, both of that which comes from man, and also that which is of so much higher importance, the honor which cometh from God only.

I shall now attempt to prove that humility is specially lacking in this, the last church; and, in my judgment, the greatest work for us at the present time, is the obtaining of more of this grace. The first scripture I will call attention to, is Zeph. ii, 1-3: "Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon you. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, who have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness; it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger." Probably no one will deny that this language has special application to those living at the close of time; the language and connection both show it. It is addressed to those who have been trying to serve the Lord, who have been keeping his commandments, or judgments. What do they lack? Answer, meekness. Although they are meek, yet they need a greater supply of that valuable grace, meekness, which, as we have seen, is but the outgrowth of humility; almost another name to express the same idea. The Lord sees a special preparation will be required to stand amid the judgments of the last days; so we need more of this grace.

The next evidence I shall bring to prove this proposition, is to be found in the message to the Laodiceans, Rev. iii, 14, &c. Seventh-day Adventists, generally, believe that the solemn message applies to them as a people. Let us consider some points in it. A people are here brought to view in a very sad and deplorable condition, and one feature, the worst, perhaps, is, they

do not realize it. About to be spewed out of the mouth of the Lord, and thinking they stand in his favor; their condition nauseating to the Lord, and their opinion of themselves just contrary to the reality. The Lord in the meantime gives gracious counsels, advises them to buy gold, white raiment, and eyesalve, that they may be really provided with those things that will make them truly well off. But who was ever known to buy things when he thought he had a plenty of them before? You must first undeceive him, and make him see that he really needs help; that he really is wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked; and then he will begin in earnest to try to obtain those needed blessings. This, as we have seen, is the work of humility, that shows us our true condition before God, and our true relation to him. This is why God rebukes and chastens some; we have seen that this produces humility in the true child of God. As has well been said lately by one brother, "Humility is the foundation, the base of all the graces." The counsels in this message are to obtain high graces represented by the gold, white raiment, and eyesalve. All will agree to this whether it be faith or love represented by the gold; it certainly represents that which is very precious in the sight of the Lord. Now, can a person leap at once from a wretched, poor, and blind condition, spiritually, into the attainment of those high and choice graces of the spirit, and never know that he is poor and destitute? I think not. When he does know his true condition thus, he will have humility. He needs it also to give the motive to make the effort to obtain these graces. He needs to see he is utterly undone and lost without he receives help from God. Thus we see, beyond doubt, every one must have a measure of humility in order to get the graces of the spirit; and the more we have of it, the more thorough we shall be, and the greater effort we shall put forth to get out of the dangerous place we are in. Yes, a view of our "entire unworthiness through imperfection and sinfulness," should characterize all believers in the third angel's message; and in addition to that, a sense of how poorly some of us have acted our part in coming up to the claims which God has upon us, from the fact that we have committed to our trust the most solemn and important message to be found in the whole Bible, the last work of mercy and warning to a guilty, impenitent world; a bringing back to true principles those who are treading down some of the truths of God's word; a message involving life or death; eternal in its consequences; and a realizing sense on our part, that the fate of thousands may depend upon the way we discharge the solemn responsibilities. Thus, if we act in a manner to show those around us that the work in which we are engaged, and on which we say depend such mighty results, does not affect our lives, and we act just about as other men who believe entirely different; and while we profess to believe the Lord is soon coming and all the wealth of this world will soon be swept away by the storm of God's wrath and not be able to help its possessor; yet we manifest just as much interest and zeal in obtaining it as those who think their children's children will inherit theirs; can we wonder that He who has committed such a mighty work to our hands should be disgusted at our course, and that he should be about to spew us out of his mouth?

How evident as we look around us and see the love of the world; the pride and self-complacency of many; the indifference and stupidity of others; the frivolous and empty conversation; and the stingy, grasping spirit of many Seventh-day Adventists, that a mighty humbling before God and a sense of their lost and utterly undone condition must take possession of them, or they will never make the effort necessary to obtain the blessing of God. When we get enough of true humility, so that the "high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity" will dwell with us as he has promised to do with the humble and contrite, it will not be so hard to obtain those graces represented by the gold, white raiment, and eyesalve. But without getting humility, we may labor and try for years for these graces and not get them, because we do not begin at the right end first. No doubt, we, as a people, all fail to fully realize the great work in which we are engaged. It was so with the disciples at the first advent. Before the Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, some seemed ready to return to their former business. Peter said, I go a fishing; others said they would go with him. Apparently they did not realize the mighty work committed to their hands, till the Saviour gave that cutting reproof to Peter, thrice repeated, to feed his sheep. After his ascension, they were told to tarry at Jerusalem till the promise to send the Holy Spirit should be fulfilled. "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication," &c., a special work of preparation and humility, we believe, till the Spirit was poured out. Then they could all realize the greatness of the work before them. So with us; when we get into a place where the Lord can bestow his blessing upon us; when we have humbled ourselves before him; and when, out of the present mass of our people, all who are whole-hearted and in earnest are made manifest, and a body is found whose life and being are in the work of God, then this truth will go with mighty power; and we must come there by humility.

Enough has been said, perhaps, to prove that we, as a people, especially need humility. With this agree the Testimonies. In a late one we are told, "There must be a return to humility," and that "the simplicity of the gospel is fast disappearing from professed Sabbath-keepers." And in the Great Controversy, pages 184-5, we are told that the shaking among God's people will be caused by the counsel to the Laodiceans, and, "I saw that the testimony of the true Witness has not been half heeded. The solemn testimony, upon which the destiny of the church hangs, has been lightly esteemed, if not entirely disregarded." This testimony must work deep repentance, &c. We have seen that this counsel necessarily implies, as a first step, humility. We therefore see the importance of this grace to us at the present time. May God help us all as individuals composing this body of believers, to whose trust is committed the last solemn message of mercy to a fallen world, to realize our true condition and make the effort to get truly small in our own estimation, to feel our weakness, and earnestly get hold of the arm of the Lord that we may get the help we need, and which we must have if we ever discharge the duties and responsibilities which God has placed upon us as a people.

But some may think if ministers and others in authority had this grace, and consequently felt their own littleness, it might act as a hindrance to their moving out in important duties and responsibilities; that they would feel as if they could do nothing themselves, and thereby render them insufficient; and that they would not be likely to administer reproofs or rebukes when needed because they would feel so unworthy; and if they did, it would be done so feebly that it would accomplish little good, &c. Let us examine this idea for a moment. Did Nathan, the prophet, lack humility when he stood up before king David and presented before him his guilt in all its darkness, telling him, "Thou art the man?" And Daniel, when he stood up before Belshazzar, the wicked, effeminate king of Babylon, and told him in presence of all his court, his officers and lords, that he had lifted himself up against the Lord of Heaven, did he lack humility? Did the apostle Paul lack humility, when he administered that cutting reproof to the apostle Peter for dissembling in regard to eating with the Gentiles? and did he thus act because he felt a sense of his own importance? No; we all know that these men, under a sense of their own unworthiness and weakness, took up these heavy crosses, simply because they believed God, and their duty to his cause required it.

And we may be sure that nothing but a sense of the high claims which God had upon them because he was their Creator and Giver of existence, and every good, and of their own unworthiness, and the necessity on their own part of doing whatever God required, of taking up any cross, however unpleasant, as being no more than their reasonable duty in view of the great sacrifice which had been made for them, if this would meet his approbation; that nothing but a sense of these things would ever have prompted them to do these unpleasant duties. Humility is but an appreciation of these things ever present in the mind. So we see that instead of humility being a hindrance in doing such duties, it is the very thing we need to cause us to act, and to act right in such cases.

There are two ways, at least, in which reproofs may be administered. In one way, the one administering may manifest a spirit of self-importance and self-sufficiency, and cause disinterested observers to see that he is exalting himself at the expense of the one reproved; this will generally cause, in the one reproved, the same feelings to rise; self will be wounded by self; and as a result, little good will be done, and great unpleasantness will exist. In the other way of reproving, self will sink out of sight; zeal for the cause of truth, for the cause of God, will take the place of it, and while it will be right to use great plainness, and act the truth exactly before the one in the wrong, if the person administering reproof has much of the grace of humility, the other can then see his condition, and a sense of his situation may rest upon him; and with humble penitence he will confess his sins, and plead with God for help; and thus good will result, and perchance a soul be saved from death. Thus humility begets humility. I fear not the results when reproofs are given in this way. No; if ever a person needs humility of heart, it is when engaging in this solemn duty. This idea can be carried out much further, but space forbids it here. But suffice it to say, when we have God uppermost in all things, and self very small, as it certainly should be, and our brethren intrust us with important responsibilities, humility will cause us to act, instead of hindering us; for as we see work to do in the cause of God, and feel our great obligation to him, we shall move right out, actuated by the very principle which ought to impel us, and not by a desire to advance our own selfish interests. Here we see why so very many have fallen among us.

But here some make a mistake. Because they see men moving out very strong in the truth, and telling people of their sins most searchingly, and pressing the work home upon them with power, so they may see their condition and prepare for the Judgment before them, and do this plainly and directly, they feel offended, and think those who thus act are laboring for their own advancement, for their own selfish ends; while the difficulty may be that they themselves are lacking in humility, being unwilling that the sins of their own hearts, or of others, should be thus pointed out. Now if they were blessed with much of this grace, they would be exceedingly glad to know their true condition, that they might get right, so that they might stand before God who knows the thoughts and intents of the heart.

This brings me to another point. We cannot always tell who are truly humble, by outward appearance. I have seen many men, who, in their outward demeanor, were very modest and retiring, and humble in appearance; who, when you touched them in any way that would cause their true character to appear, would manifest as much, or even more pride than others. Appearances are deceitful. And the only safe rule is to look at the record of the life as a whole. Show me a man who has stood firmly for the truth of God, ready to make any sacrifices that were required without murmuring; ready to do duty in darkness as well as light, if he could have evidence that God called; keeping his own supposed interests subservient to those of the Master; ready to do any unpleasant duty, if it seemed to be necessary; unmindful of any evil reports, unless they were to affect the cause of God unfavorably; ready to follow as well as lead, if God's cause could be advanced; and to take advice and keep the great I from appearing to predominate; and if he does come down heavily upon sin, and manifest a mighty zeal when truth is endangered, with me he shall pass for a humble man.

It will readily be seen from what has already been said, that the humility spoken of is something real, something between God and the human heart. It is not to make others think we are humble by our actions or words, even to appear truly humble. It is not by speaking ill of ourselves, and even lowering our claims in the sight of others. Neither is it to act, simply as in our judgment, we should think a humble man would act. But it is to feel truly small in our own sight, just as we truly are before God. To realize that we are poor, dependent, sinful beings, before a great, omnipotent, but merciful and benevolent Being, who only desires us to have a real and true sense of ourselves, that he may pour out upon us blessings so vast that we cannot give an adequate idea of them; that we may move then, not to advance our claims or station, but for his glory and the good of others, as he gives light and power to aid us to do so, because it is no more than our reasonable duty. This, in my judgment, is true humility.

As this is intended for a practical subject, I will close it by giving a few hints so that any who may care to examine themselves by it may be helped to ascertain whether they have humility or not. Pride is the opposite of humility; and perhaps it has almost as many ways of being manifested as there are individuals. I will notice a few of them. And first, an unwillingness to know our own condition, is pride. How foolish it is, when we know that God knows all the thoughts of the heart, and has determined to bring every work into judgment, and that unless repented of, it will certainly cause our destruction. How much better to know ourselves now, while we have a probation, that we may repent and receive forgiveness. But how few are willing even to make self-examination a study, and faithfully compare their characters with the divine standard. An unwillingness to have others point out our sins or vices, is pride. It is founded on the principle of desiring to stand better in the opinions of others than we really merit. We desire to keep others deceived in regard to our true condition, when in a little while our true characters will pass in review before God and holy angels, the highest intelligence in the universe. And we ought to be most thankful to those who can realize our true condition better than we can ourselves, and tell it to us in love, before it shall be everlastingly too late. But how differently we generally receive it. It is a fact which we all know by observation, that so deceitful is the human heart that others are many times better judges than we ourselves. Then let us put away this fearfulness lest some other person discover our faults and tell us of them, but rather thank them for so doing. And even if they should sometimes say, and charge us with things that are not true, will it seriously hurt us when God knows we are innocent, and we have the high privilege of living down all false charges? Surely not.

Extreme sensitiveness is pride. By sensitiveness I mean that trait which feels so acutely when any thing is said which reflects in any way upon the motives or actions of its possessor. Some people seem always to be on the lookout for something that is going to hit them, and in that state of mind it is generally easy to find something of the kind, and their sufferings are so terrible they are made miserable themselves, and make everybody else so around them. Some possessing this trait are ready to offer excuses for every thing that could be construed into blame in regard to what

they have done, to show that they have moved just right, that conversation with them is painful. This trait all must see, springs from pride; from attaching too much importance to self; of valuing their own feelings vastly too high. A little of the meek and lowly spirit of the Saviour would cure this, and make them and their friends around them much happier in this life, and give them a rational hope of eternal life.

Setting an inordinate value upon our own opinion, is pride. Many who would not pass for proud men in other respects, show it in this. Such may be very fine men in many respects, and possess excellent traits of character which entitle them to respect; yet may be lost at last, because they attach so much importance to their opinions, that when truth or duty is presented it has no effect upon them. They fancy their mission is exceedingly important. A thousand men of equal mental power and judgment may differ from them, and it does not cause them to doubt their own opinion in the least. They are proud and do not know it, perhaps the most dangerous position of all. While we may be strong, and should be, when truth leads, yet when we see many of those whom we have found to be men of judgment and piety differ from us, it should cause us to move cautiously lest we err, for we are cautioned "not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think."

Constantly introducing one's self in private conversation, and especially a public speaker, and bringing the great I unnecessarily prominent, is a strong sign of pride. It shows where the thoughts center most. And depreciating one's self beyond measure, with our evident desire to have the person addressed come to the rescue and turn the conversation in an opposite direction by showing our good qualities, is pride. Self occupies too prominent a place in our thoughts. Resolving ourselves into a mutual admiration society, by praising others with the expectation that they will return the compliment, springs from the root, pride.

Extra efforts to attract the attention of others, which is so common and disgusting now-a-days, in any way, by getting into public places or stations, or by exhibiting odd or singular clothing, gestures, or in any of the thousand and one ways which are so common, springs from the same root, pride. Dressing like a dowdy or a fop, or showing an itching desire to follow the fashions of the world, simply because it is the fashion, shows pride. Especially is this seen among the fair sex. And the fact that so many who pass for sensible people, follow so many ridiculous fashions, originating from that modern cesspool of corruption, Paris, shows how completely people are led by this principle.

It cannot be doubted that much of the benevolence of rich men who gain much of their property by grinding the face of the poor, or of overreaching in trade, of which we see many examples in this age of the world, is given through a desire to gain the applause of men, consequently pride is at the bottom of it.

No doubt one reason why God causes testing truths in all ages to be unpopular, is that he may help his children to get rid of pride, and test all on this point.

With these remarks I will bring this long discourse to a close, hoping it may be instrumental in causing some honest child of God to cultivate humility, because of its intrinsic worth and merit in the sight of God, that they may at last find a humble place in the kingdom. As a concluding sentence I will quote the expressive language of Bishop Taylor, "Humility is like a tree whose root, when it sets deepest in the earth, rises higher, spreads fairer, and stands surer, and lasts longer, and every step of its descent is like a rib of iron."