32. Wherefore a few
witnesses, which the Lord deigns to suggest to my mind, I proceed
to mention, from out the teaching of Christ concerning humility,
such as perhaps may be enough for my purpose. His discourse, the
first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began
from this. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
Kingdom of Heaven.”2105
And these without all
controversy
we take to be
humble. The
faith of that
Centurion He on this
account chiefly
praised, and said that He had not found in
Israel
so great
faith, because he believed with so great
humility as to
say, “I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my
roof.”
2106
Whence
also Matthew for no other reason said that he “came” unto
Jesus, (whereas Luke most plainly signifies that he came not unto
Him himself, but sent his
friends,)
save that by his most
faithful
humility he himself came unto Him more than they whom he sent.
Whence also is that of the
Prophet, “The
Lord is very high, and
hath respect unto things that are lowly: but what are very high He
noteth
afar off;”
2107
assuredly as not coming unto Him.
Whence also He saith to that
woman of
Canaan, “O
woman, great is
thy
faith; be it done unto thee as thou wilt;”
2108
whom above He had called a
dog,
and had made answer that the
bread of the sons was not to be cast
to her. And this she taking with
humility had said, “Even so,
Lord; for the
dogs also eat of the
crumbs which fall from their
masters’
table.” And thus what by continual crying she obtained
not, by
humble confession she earned.
2109
Hence also those two are set forth
praying in the
Temple, the one a
Pharisee, and the other a
Publican, for the sake of those who seem to themselves just and
despise the
rest of men, and the confession of
sins is set before
the reckoning up of merits. And assuredly the
Pharisee was
rendering thanks unto
God by reason of those things wherein he was
greatly self-satisfied. “I render thanks to Thee,” saith he,
“that I am not even as the
rest of men,
unjust, extortioners,
adulterers, even as also this
publican. I fast twice in the
week, I
give
tithes of all things whatsoever I possess. But the
Publican
was standing
afar off, not
daring to lift up his
eyes to
Heaven,
but beating his
breast, saying,
God be merciful unto me a
sinner.” But there follows the
divine judgment, “Verily I say
unto you, the
Publican went down from the
Temple justified more
than that
Pharisee.”
2110
Then the cause is shown, why this
is just; “Forasmuch as he who exalteth himself shall be humbled,
and whoso humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Therefore it may
come to pass, that each one both
shun real evils, and reflect on
real goods in himself, and render thanks for these unto “the
Father of lights, from Whom cometh down every
best gift, and every
perfect gift,”
2111
and yet be
rejected by reason of
the
sin of haughtiness, if through
pride, even in his thought
alone, which is before
God, he insult other
sinners, and specially
when confessing their
sins in prayer, unto whom is due not
upbraiding with arrogance, but pity without
despair. What is it
that, when His
disciples were questioning among themselves, who of
them should be greater, He set a little
child before their
eyes,
saying, “Unless ye shall be as this
child, ye shall not enter
into the
Kingdom of
Heaven?”
2112
Did He not chiefly commend
humility, and set in it the
desert of greatness? Or when unto the
sons of
Zebedee desiring to be at His side in lofty seats He so
made answer,
2113
as that
they should rather think of having to drink the
Cup of His Passion,
wherein He humbled Himself even unto
death, even the
death of the
Cross,
2114
than with
proud desire demand to be preferred to the
rest; what did He show,
save, that He would be a bestower of exaltation upon them, who
should first follow Him as a
teacher of
humility? And now, in that,
when about to go forth unto His Passion, He
washed the
feet of His
disciples, and most openly taught them to do for their
fellow-
disciples and fellow-
servants this, which He their
Lord and
Master had done for them; how greatly did He commend humility?
2115
And in
order to commend this He chose also that time, wherein they were
looking on Him, as immediately about to die, with great longing;
assuredly about to retain in their memory this especially, which
their Master, Whom they were to imitate, had pointed out to them as
the last thing. But He did this at that time, which surely He could
have done on other days also before, wherein He had been conversant
with them; at which time if it were done, this same would indeed be
delivered, but certainly would not be so received.
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