Charity and Its Fruits (continued)
admonition or reproof for any fault, humility will dispose him to take it kindly, and even thankfully. It is pride that makes men to be so uneasy when they are reproved by any of their neighbors, so that oftentimes they will not bear it, but become angry, and manifest great bitterness of spirit. Humility, on the contrary, will dispose them not only to tolerate such reproofs, but to esteem and prize them as marks of kindness and friendship. "Let the righteous smite me," says the Psalmist (Psa. 141:5 ), "it shall be a kindness; and let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head."
Having thus shown what humility is in its nature, and to what it will lead us both in spirit and behavior, in respect both to God and to our fellowmen, I proceed, as proposed, to show,
In the application of this subject we may see,
1. The excellency of a Christian spirit. — "The righteous," it is said (Pro. 12:26 ), "is more excellent than his neighbour." And much of this excellence in the true Christian consists in his meek and lowly spirit, which makes him so like his Savior. This spirit the apostle speaks of (1 Pet. 3:4 ) as the richest of all ornaments, "even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." The subject should lead us,
2. To examine ourselves, and see if we are indeed of an humble spirit. — "His soul," says the prophet (Hab. 2:4 ), "which is lifted up, is not upright in him;" and the fact that "God resisteth the proud" (Jam. 4:6 ), or, as in the original, "sets himself in battle array against him," shows how he abhors a proud spirit. And it is not every show and appearance of humility that will stand the test of the gospel. There are various imitations of it that fall short of the reality. Some put on an affected humility. Others have a natural low-spiritedness, and are wanting in manliness of character. Others are melancholy or despondent, [while] others, under the convictions of conscience, by which, for the time, they are depressed, seem broken in spirit. Others