learn of Me. At
the same time, divine as the grace is, and divine as the insight is that
is able to trace it out in all its exquisite refinements of thought and
feeling in the sanctified soul, yet humility is a human virtue after all,
and it is open to all men to attain to it and intelligently and lovingly
to exercise it. The simplest and the least philosophical soul now in
this house may apply to himself some of the subtlest and most sensitive
tests of humility, as much as if he were Dr. Duncan or Dr. Newman
themselves; and may thus with all assurance of hope know whether he is a
counterfeit and a castaway or no.

Take this test for one, then. Explain this text to me: Phil. ii. 3--"In
lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than himself." Explain
and illustrate that. Not from a commentary, but straight out from your
own heart. What does your heart make of that scripture? Does your heart
turn away from that scripture almost in anger at it? Do you say you are
certain that there must be some other explanation of it than that? Do
you hold that this is just another of Paul's perpetual hyperboles, and
that the New Testament is the last book in the world to be taken as it
reads? Yes; both bold and subtle father that he is: counterfeits abound!

Another much blunter test, but, perhaps, a sufficiently sharp test, is
this: How do you receive correction and instruction? Does your heart
meekly and spontaneously and naturally take to correction and instruction
as the most natural and proper thing possible to you? And do you
immediately, and before all men, show forth and exhibit the correction
and the instruction? Or, does this rather take place? Does your heart
beat, and swell, and boil, and boil over at him who dares to correct or
counsel you? If this is a fair test to put our humility to, how little
humility there is among us! How few men any of us could name among our
friends to whom we would risk telling all the things that behind their
backs we point out continually to others? We are terrified to face their
pride. We once did it, and we are not to do it again, if we can help it!
Let a man not have too many irons in the fire; let him examine himself
just by these two tests for the time--what he thinks of himself, and what
he thinks of those who attempt, and especially before other people, to
set him right. And after these two tests have been satisfied, others
will no doubt be supplied till that so hu