H umility may be defined to be a habit of mind and heart corresponding to our comparative unworthiness before God, or a sense of our own comparative meanness in His sight, with the disposition to a behaviour answerable thereto. And a truly humble man is aware of the small extent of his own knowledge, and the great extent of his ignorance, and of the small extent of his understanding as compared with the understanding of God. He is recognizes his weakness, how little his strength is, and how little he is able to do.

He has an understanding of his natural distance from God, of his dependence on Him, of the insufficiency of his own power and wisdom; and that it is by God's power that he is upheld and provided for; and that he needs God's wisdom to lead and guide him, and his might, to enable him to do what he ought to do for Him.

Humility tends to prevent an aspiring and ambitious behaviour amongst men. The man that is under the influence of a humble spirit is content with such a situation amongst men as God is pleased to have allocated him, and is not desperate to achieve honour, and does not portray himself to appear uppermost and exalted above his neighbours.

Humility tends also to prevent an arrogant and assuming behaviour. 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 aware of his own weakness and despicableness before God.

If we then consider ourselves as the followers of the meek and lowly and Jesus, we shall walk humbly before God and man all the days of our life on earth.

Let us all be exhorted to earnestly seek much of a humble spirit, and to endeavour to be humble in all our behaviour toward God and men. We must seek a deep and abiding sense of our weakness before God and man. Know God. Confess our nothingness before Him. Distrust yourself. Rely only on God. Renounce all glory except from Him. Yield yourself heartily to His will and service. Avoid an aspiring, ambitious, ostentatious, assuming, arrogant, scornful, stubborn, wilful levelling, self-justifying behaviour; and strive for more of the humble spirit that Christ manifested while He was on earth.

Humility is a most essential and distinguishing trait in all true piety.

We must earnestly seek then, and diligently and prayerfully cherish a humble spirit, and God will walk with us; and when a short time has passed, He will receive us to the honours bestowed on His people at Christ's right hand.

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