Chapter 9. Ox Humility, Which Is the Fourth Gate.

THERE now remaineth humility, which also hath its difficulties, and these not a few. What doth our Master command, who hath most truly said of Himself: *' Learn of me, because I am meek and

humble of heart Go, sit down in the last place?" When He came into this world, he was born in a stable, and died on a cross. Truly, no one, when born, could have found a more lowly place ; nor, dying, a more disgraceful one. And whilst He lived, He was poorer, not only than men, but even than the beasts of the field : for tne foxes had holes, and the birds of the air their nests, " but the Son of man had nowhere to lay His head." But what means, " Sit down in the last place?" This

is the meaning: wherever thou art, how ever great thou mayest be, always consider thyself worthy of the last place. St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Galatians, gives a reason for this where he says : "If any man think himself to be something, whereas he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." (ch. vi. 3.) He did not say, he who thinks himself to be great, or superior to others, either in wisdom, or power, or virtue; neither did he bay, if any one think himself not to be great, or superior to others, but only equal to them ; he said, " If any man think him self to be something." In fine, he did not say, since he is poor, or unlearned, or igno ble, but, "Whereas he is nothing." Thus the apostle could not descend lower, in order to designate the " lowest place," and to give a worthy explanation of the words of our Lord. But it may be said, it is necessary that men should be in high sta tions — such as, prelates, princes, kings, emperors, and pontiffs. Be it so : but yet each one ought to sit down in the lowest place, until the Lord shall say, " Ascend higher." Of this St. Augustine gives us an illustrious example, which I will men tion in his own words: "From these that love the world I have separated myself: with those who govern the people I have not considered myself equal, nor at the banquet have I chosen the highest place, but the lower : but the Lord said unto me, * Ascend higher/ But so much did I fear

the episcopacy, that I would not have approached it, since amongst men the fame of a certain name had spread ; and in this place I knew there was no bishop. I was on my guard, and endeavoured, as far as possible, to be saved in an humble situation, not to be in danger in a high one. But, as I have said, the servant ought not to contradict his Lord.""' Oh, that all men would imitate such an example ! we should then have many good prelates, many good princes, many excellent magistrates. But, because many push themselves for ward, not waiting for a vocation from the Lord, the Almighty is oftentimes angry; and for an example to others, He compels many to sit down in the lowest place, that all may learn how honours and riches, as well as spiritual blessings, depend on Him alone. Hence, we frequently see very rich men reduced in a short time to extreme poverty, and great princes cast down from their thrones. ^

But it is not sufficient to wait for a vocation from God ; but we ought also, in the prelacy or sovereignty, not to be overwise, but, according to the advice of the Wise man, the more we are elevated, the more humble should we be unto all : not in de meanour, but in heart, as St. Gregory teacheth in his pastoral, and St. Augustine more clearly in his 109th Epistle : " Let

your dignity/' he saith, "be honourable before men ; but, before God, place it under your feet." Each one ought to think others better, and therefore higher than himself. For he is properly and truly the greatest, who is the greatest in the sight of God ; and he is the greatest who is the best ; and he is the best who excels in virtue, whatever may be his dignity, riches, titles, &c. Virtue alone makes a man good, not dignity, riches, or titles ; and if virtues make a man good, greater virtues make him better, and the greatest make him the best. And they who possess virtue in a higher degree excel all others. Now, we may know that humility is one of _ these great virtues, because our Lord Himself says : "He that shall humble himself shall be exalted," which words the blessed Vir gin follows in the Canticle : "He hath scat tered the proud in the conceit of their heart, and hath exalted the humble." And St. Peter saith: " Be you humbled, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in the time of visitation;" and St. James: " Be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you." In fine, St. Paul says of Christ : "He humbled Himself, and therefore hath God exalted Him."

Since, therefore, these virtues, and espe cially those of charity and humility, make men good before God ; and since again, no one truly knows what he is in the sight of

the Almighty, or what others are or will be — therefore, it is dangerous to prefer our selves to others, but most useful to humble ourselves before all men. Wherefore, our Lord absolutely saith : "Sit down in the lowest place." But how many comply with this divine precept? For what do men contend more than for precedence ? What labours do those endure who endeavour to reconcile men that quarrel about a point of honour ! How many do we often hear using these words of Scripture, " I will not give my honour to another ?" And yet the Most High speaks thus in Isaiah, to whom alone such words belong. God alone ought not to be humble, since humility is the virtue that restrains a man from desiring to ascend above himself, but since God dwelleth in the highest heaven, nothing can be above Him. Wherefore, pride is intolerable, because a worm of the earth dares to say, "I will not give my glory unto another/'

And yet, these same worms whom pride so swells that they say with God, " I will not give my glory to another," humble themselves as to acknowledge they are the slaves of honour — that is, of a false esteem. And so faithfully do these serve their master, honour, that they rather pre fer to be cruelly slain in single combat, and to descend into hell, (and thus lose eternal life, and their temporal one at the same time,) than suffer any affront to be given to

the idol of their honour. 0 vanity of vanities ! Oh, how much doth this smoke of honour blind the eyes of the soul ! And yet we call ourselves Christians, and know that Christ heard from His enemies : " Be hold a man that is a glutton and a winedrinker Thou art a Samaritan, and

hast a devil He caste th out devils, by

Beelzebub, the prince of devils ;" and yet no one heard Him exclaim, "Thou art a liar;3' but, because He was meek and hum ble of heart, " When He was reviled, He did not revile ; when He suffered, He threatened not/' &c.

From these considerations, it is manifest that the "gate" of life is narrow, both on account of humility, as well as of the theo logical virtues, faith, hope, and charity: "Few" enter this gate; and therefore, when the question is asked, " If few are- saved/' rnost truly must we answer, "Few;" because few there are who endeavour, with their whole strength, to enter in at this narrow gate.