By President JONATHAN EDWARDS.
HUMILITY tends to prevent an arrogant and assuming behaviour. He that is under the influence of an humble spirit is not forward to take too much upon him; and, when he is amongst others, he does not carry it towards them as if he expected and insisted that a great deal of regard should be shown to himself. His behaviour does not carry with it the idea that he is the best amongst those about him, and that he is the one to whom the chief regard should be shown, and whose judgment is most to be sought and followed. He does not carry it as if he expected that everybody should bow and truckle to him, and give place to him, as if no one was of as much consequence as himself. He does not put on assuming airs in his common conversation, nor in the management of his business, nor in the duties of religion. He is not forward to take upon himself that which does not belong to him, as though he had power where indeed he has not, as if the earth ought to be subject to his bidding, and must comply with his inclination and purposes. On the contrary, he gives all due deference to the judgment and inclination of others, and his behaviour carries with it the impression, that he sincerely receives and acts on that teaching of the apostle (Phil. ii. 3), “Let nothing be done through strife and vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.” In talking of the things of religion, he has not the air, either in his speech or behaviour, of one that esteems himself one of the best saints in the whole company, but he rather carries himself as if he thought, in the expression of the apostle (Eph. iii. 8), that he was “less than the least of all saints.”
Humility tends also to prevent a scornful behaviour. Treating others with scorn and contempt is one of the worst and most offensive manifestations of pride towards them. But they that are under the influence of an humble spirit are far from such a behaviour. They do not despise or look down on those that are below them with a haughty supercilious air, as though they were scarcely worthy to come nigh them or to have any regard for them. They are sensible that there is no such vast difference between themselves and their fellow-men as warrants such a behaviour. They are not found treating with scorn and contempt what others say, or speaking of what they do with ridicule and sneering reflections, or sitting and relating what others may have spoken or done, only to make sport of it. On the contrary, humility disposes a person to a condescending behaviour to the meekest and lowest, and to treat inferiors with courtesy and affability, as being sensible of his own weakness and despicableness before God, and that it is God alone that makes him differ in any respect from others, or gives him the advantage over them. The truly humble will (Rom. xii. 16) always have the spirit to condescend to men of low estate.” Even if they are great men, and in places of public trust and honour, humility will dispose them to treat their inferiors in such a manner as has been spoken of, and not in a haughty and scornful manner, as vaunting themselves on their greatness.
Humility tends also to prevent a wilful and stubborn behaviour. They that are under the influence of a humble spirit will not set up their own will either in public or private affairs. They will not be stiff and inflexible, and insist that everything must go according to what they happen first to propose, and manifest a disposition by no means to be easy, but to make all the difficulty they can, and to make others uneasy as well as themselves, and to prevent anything being done with any quietness, if it be not according to their own mind and will. They are not as some that the Apostle Peter describes (II. Peter, ii. 10) presumptuous and self-willed, always bent on carrying their own points, and, if this cannot be done, then bent on opposing and annoying others. On the contrary, humility disposes men to be of a yielding spirit to others ready, for the sake of peace, and to gratify others, to comply in many things with their inclinations, and to yield to their judgments wherein they are not inconsistent with truth and holiness. A truly humble man is inflexible in nothing, but in the cause of his Lord and Master, which is the cause of truth and virtue. In this he is inflexible, because God and conscience require it; but in things of lesser moment, and which do not involve his principles as a follower of Christ, and in things that concern his own private interests, he is apt to yield to others. And if he sees that others are stubborn and unreasonable in their wilfulness, he does not allow that to provoke him to be stubborn and wilful in his opposition to them, but he rather acts on the principles taught in such passages as Rom. xii. 19; I. Cor. vi. 7; and Matt. v. 41:—”Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath.” “Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?” “If any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.”
Humility tends, once more, to prevent a self-justifying behaviour. He that is under the influence of an humble spirit, if he has fallen into a fault, as all are liable at some time to fall, or if, in anything, he has injured another, or dishonoured the Christian name or character, will be willing to acknowledge his fault, and take the shame of it to himself. He will not be hard to be brought to a sense of his fault, nor to testify that sense by a suitable acknowledgment of his error. He will be inwardly humbled for it, and ready to show his humility in the manner which the apostle points out, when he says: (James, v. 16) “Confess your faults one to another.” It is pride that makes men so exceedingly backward to confess their fault when they have fallen into one, and that makes them think that to be their shame which is, in truth, their highest honour. But humility in the behaviour makes men prompt to their duty in this respect, and if it prevails as it should, will lead them to do it with alacrity and even delight. And when any one shall give such a person a Christian 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 the neighbours, so that often 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 (Psalm cxli. 5), “It shall be a kindness; and let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head.”