humility


Those that are destitute of true humility have no true religion. It is the object of the Gospel to produce this effect in the heart.
I. LEGAL HUMILITY. This attends the natural workings of the conscience, and the perception of God’s greatness, power and terrible majesty. It has in it no virtue; but yet it may be useful as a means to produce what is gracious.
II. EVANGELICAL HUMILITY. This arises from a “sense of the transcendent beauty of Divine things in their moral quality, and a sense that a Christian has of his own utter insufficiency, despicableness and odiousness, with an answerable frame of mind.
1. It is the chief part in the doctrine of the Christian duty of self-denial.
2. Many hypocrites profess great humility and are loud in declaring their vileness. Yet, if a minister were to use, as Edwards suggests, the same language to them in private, and should signify that he feared they were very low and weak Christians, they would feel themselves highly injured, and ever after cherish a deep-rooted prejudice against that minister.
3. It is flee from the spirit of pride in one’s own righteousness, goodness and the like. Some think themselves very humble and make a boast of it. This is spiritual pride.
III. SOME APPLICATIONS.
1. True humility is fundamental to the Christian life.
2. It is a bad sign to think we are better Christians than others.
3. If we think “none are so bad as I, ‘ then have a care lest you think yourself better than others on this account.
4. Have a care also of self-conceit, lest you think too highly of your humility.
5. Let us think meanly of our attainments in religion and in humility.
6. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
The contrite heart
1. Such a spirit is the very essence of the religion of Christ.
2. There is no surer test of the genuineness of one’s religious experience.
3. The exceeding value of this spirit in God’s sight, and the imperative duty of cultivating it, are too much lost sight of in this age of the world.

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