The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living
(01) Do not think better of yourself because of any outward circumstance that happens to you.
(02) Humility does not consist in criticizing yourself, or wearing ragged clothes, or walking around submissively wherever you go.
(03) When you hold this opinion of yourself, be content that others think the same of you. If you realize that you are not wise, do not be angry if someone else should agree.... You would be a hypocrite to think lowly of yourself, but then to expect others to think highly of you.
(04) Nurture a love to do good things in secret, concealed from the eyes of others, and therefore not highly esteemed because of them.
(05) Never be ashamed of your birth, of your parents, your occupation, or your present employment, or the lowly status of any of them.
(06) Never say anything, directly or indirectly, that will provoke praise or elicit compliments from others. Do not let your praise be the intended end of what you say.
(07) When you do receive praise for something you have done, take it indifferently and return it to God. reflect it back to God, the giver of the gift, the blesser of the action, the aid of the project.
(08) Make a good name for yourself by being a person of virtue and humility. It is a benefit for others who hear of you to hear good things about you.... Use it an instrument to help your neighbor, but do not use it for your own gain.
(09) Do not take pride in any praise given to you. Rejoice in God who gives gifts others can see in you, but let it be mixed with a holy respect, so that this good does not turn into evil.
(10) Do not ask others your faults with the intent or purpose being to have others tell you of your good qualities. Some will speak lowly of themselves in order to make others give an account of their goodness. They are merely fishing for compliments.
(11) When you are slighted by someone, or feel undervalued, do not harbor any secret anger, supposing that you actually deserved praise and that they over-looked your value, or that they neglected to praise you because of their own envy.
(12) Do not entertain any of the devil's whispers of pride.
(13) Take an active part in the praising of others, entertaining their good with delight.
(14) Be content when you see or hear that others are doing well in their jobs and with their income, even when you are not. In the same manner, be content when someone else's work is approved and yours is rejected.
(15) Never compare yourself with others unless it be to advance your impression of them and lower your impression of yourself. St. Paul encouraged us to think more highly of others than we do ourselves.
(16) Do not constantly try to excuse all of your mistakes. If you have made a mistake, or an oversight, or an indiscretion, confess it plainly, for virtue scorns a lie for its cover.
(17) Give God thanks for every weakness, fault, and imperfection you have. Accept it is a favor of God, an instrument to resist pride and nurse humility.
(18) Do not expose others' weaknesses in order to make them feel less able than you. Neither should you think on your superior skill with any delight, or use it to set yourself above another person.
(19) Remember that what is most important to God is that we submit ourselves and all that we have to him. This requires that we be willing to endure whatever his will brings us, to be content in whatever state we are in, and to be ready for every change.
From:
Taylor, Jeremy. The Grace of Humility. In Devotional Classics: Selected Reading for Individuals and Groups (Revised and Expanded). ed. Richard J. Foster and James Bryan Smith, 244-50. New York: HarperOne, 2005.
Works by Jeremy Taylor:
The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living
Holy Living
Holy Dying
The Great Example
The Worthy Communicant
~ Daniel Brockhan
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