MONDAY. AN OFFICE FOR THE OBTAINING OF THE SPECIAL GRACE OF HUMILITY. Questions for Self-examination. 1. Dost thou "honour all men" in general, esteeming them to be better than thyself? 2. Dost thou reverence thy superiors in particular, and all those that are placed over thee? 3. Dost thou shew pride and contempt to any of thine inferiors, or art thou greedy of their reverence, or careless of it when they offer it to thee? 4. Art thou conscious of thine utter unworthiness to be an instrument of the Lord's work? 5. Art thou content to be servus servorum Domini? 6. Art thou resolved to recognise from henceforth no differences of caste, but to regard men only as living souls? 18 QUESTIONS FOR SELF-EXAMINATION. 7. Art thou prepared to bear with any amount of vice or repulsiveness in those thou shalt have in charge, for the love thou bearest to immortal souls? 8. Dost thou prize the work of the ministry more than its honour? 9. Wilt thou abandon all ambitious aiming after posts of dignity in the Church? 10. Art thou willing to submit thy own judgment to that of the Church, and reverently to observe its discipline and authority? 11. Wilt thou give to God all the glory which attaches itself to thy office, or to thy manner of discharging its duties? MEDITATIONS. 1 PET. iv. 11. "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. If any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified by Jesus Christ." "God's glory," saith one, "is best sought by self-contempt; he that glorifies God, to whom it is no advantage, doth most of all advantage himself: and he that gives all honour to God and none to himself, gets more by it than the most ambitious prince that engrosses all the glory he can to his own achievements." 2 Cor. iv. 7. "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." God useth a human ministry, not only that we may thus have a readier access to Him; but because, if He had chosen vessels of a costlier fabric, as angels and archangels and the like, we might have been tempted to ascribe some virtue to the mere vessel. Whereas now it is plain that all the power must be of God. There is a two-fold wonder: first that He should stoop to use so mean an instrument, and then that He should endue it with such power! Therefore in the most devout and spiritual acceptation, let me adopt the boast of that proud heathen § oïwv oios, out of what vile material is produced a vessel made to honour! Matt. xx. 26. "Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister." Pride and ambition are devilish qualities: but the greatness of the saints lieth in their humility. This maketh us like angels, who, though they be so high, yet cheerfully wait upon the meanest of the heirs of salvation; yea, it maketh us like the Son of Man Himself, whose lowliness of heart amazed both men and angels, when He came on earth, "not to be ministered to, but to minister." Is. lvii. 15. "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." How shall I get this humble spirit but by the power and influence of the high and lofty One? Lord, be pleased to humble me, else I shall never be exalted, never have Thee to dwell with me, who art both my strength and my glory! THE BEATITUDE. MATT. V. 3. "Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." In that kingdom the least in their own eyes are the greatest in God's: and the highest places are filled up from those who seat themselves in the lowest rooms. "Of those self-appointed rulers," saith St. Gregory, "who, devoid of virtues, uncalled of God, but influenced by their own desire, seize on rather than obtain their office, the Lord complaineth by His prophet, 'They have reigned, but not by Me; they have been princes and I have not known it.'" May my humility qualify me both to have rule in the Church below, and to reign as a king and a priest in the kingdom above. THE HYMN. WOULD'ST thou be truly great? Learn first to imitate His poor and mean estate, And tread the lowly path the Man of sorrows trod. Angels with awful mirth Sung praises round His bed, Yet at His wondrous birth The King of all the earth In a coarse manger deigned to lay His reverend head. |