There are some rare and beautiful virtues in whose shadow evils lurk. Thus humility is one of the loveliest of the graces. It is an ornament which in the sight of God is of great price. It is an element of character which wins the admiration of all the world. It is the highest proof of inner beauty of soul. It is like the fragrance of the lovely violet hidden amid the more conspicuous forms of life, unseen, but filling all the air with is sweet perfume. No grace is more highly commended in the Scriptures.
And yet in its shade there hide very specious counterfeits of itself. Many a man, while seriously believing that he was exercising an acceptable humility, has buried his talents in the earth, hidden his light under a bushel, lived a useless life when he might have been a blessing to many, and passed in the end to a darkened and crownless future.
The virtue and the vice lie so close together and look so much alike that we are quite apt to be deceived. We all admire humility. We are pleased to find a man who does not place a high estimate on his own powers, and who modestly shrinks from great responsibilities even when they are pressed upon him. Amid the almost universal strife for the highest places, it is refreshing to find a man who is not scheming for preferment, and who even declines proffered trusts and honors. The exceeding rarity of modesty and humility in men’s self estimates makes these traits shine in very charming beauty when they do appear. We grow so sick of men’s pretensions, their bold pressing of their own virtues and excellences upon our attention, and their eagerness to assume responsibilities for which they have no adequate fitness, that we very easily glide into the other extreme.
It is especially in the sphere of moral and spiritual work that we are most apt to excuse ourselves from duty on the plea of humility. Even those who quite eagerly accept important positions in secular life, and perform their duties with confidence and effectiveness, shrink from the simplest exercise of their own powers in Christian work. Men who at the bar or on the judge’s bench can utter most eloquent words in behalf of justice and right cannot be induced to open their lips in exhortation or prayer in a religious meeting. Ladies who in the parlor and social circle exercise their conversational powers with wondrous grace and earnestness cannot sit down beside an anxious inquirer to try to guide a soul to Christ, or read and pray in a sick room, where their tender voice and gentle sympathy would impart such marvelous help.
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