The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-03-22
For the Central Presbvterlan.
The Weakness of Greatness.


Does it not sometimes seem to us a
strange thing that the Son of God, who
(" might have come down to us arrayed in
robes of glory, wore the dusky garments
OF humility" He said, 81 am meek and
lowly in heart" and his whole life ap-
proved the claim.
Pride is the characteristic sin of him
who was cast down from heaven to the
lowest depths of degradation in hell /;
hun'atsty the characteristic grace of Him
who occupies the highest place, far above
all glory and dominion and power in
heaven. The characteristic self-asser-
ton OF fallen man must have developed
from the venom of the serpent's bite; not
from the gracious knowledge of Jesus
Christ; no, not from the meek and lowly
one. " Humility is peculiar to Christian
lty. Goodness is admired and taught in
all religions. But to be good, and feel
that your good is nothing; to advance,
and become more conscious of pollution !;
to ripen all excellence, and, like wheat,
to bend the head when full of precious
grain; that is Christianity"
Tried by this touchstone, even we
Christians may guess with a sad proba-
olllty, or rather reckon with almost
mathematical accuracy, that not few of
our most self-satisfying performances have
more of the SAVIOR of birthstone than Of
frankincense. Sometimes at least. when
one thinks he has "got off good thing"
said or doing something highly commend
able, if he would listen, he might hear
the Master say, " Ye know not what man
ner OF spirit ye. are Of" We would do
well oftener to call to mind how he said
to Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan ="
and why he said it.
Once, when l was the guest of a Chris
tlan astronomer, he took me out at night
and showed me, through his telescope, a
little speck of nebula resolved into
great field Of worlds 1t occurred to me
to ask him if such grand revelations, very
familiar to him, did not seem to give force
to the infdel argument that the great
ness of the universe, compared with the
httleness of our earth, renders the doc
trlne of the redemption of man by the
death of the Son of God Incredible. His
answer was, No, just the contrary, if
one design Of the atonement is to exhibit
the condescension of God" The astron-
omer was right. For thus saith the
high and lofty one that inhabiteth eter-
nifty, whose name is Holy; dwell in the
high and holy place with him also that
Is of contrite and humble spirit. to re-
vive the spirit Of the humble, and to re-
wye the heart of the contrite ones" So
God speaks Of himself: and this word of
his finds its answering echo in our hearts;
" so it BELTS God to speak"
Whoever will go into an induction of
particulars in the works or word of God,
may certainly learn this truth from their
exhibition OF the character of God, great
ness is meek.
1t remains that we should learn also
the complementary truth, and embalm
1t, each in his own life, that meekness is
great. This also will bear the test of in
vestigation. Christ was not only great
ness clothed in meekness: his meekness
was his greatness. Moses was at once
the meekest and the greatest man Of
Israel. 1t was great thing in David to
say of Shimei, "Let him curse, for the
Lord hath hidden him" That meekness
towards God which leads brave man to
refuse to fight duel is true greatness
The meekness that will not be provoked
to do wrong is the highest kind of great
ness. Greatness is meek meekness is
great " the meek shall inherit the earth. 3"
z. E.
For the Central Presbyterian