"He will beautify the meek with salvation " exclaimed the Psalmist (Ps. 149:4); and Christ Jesus said (Matt. 18:4), "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." The great prophet of this age, Mary Baker Eddy, in reply to her question, "Who shall inherit the earth?" answers, "The meek, who sit at the feet of Truth, bathing the human understanding with tears of repentance and washing it clean from the taints of self-righteousness, hypocrisy, envy,—they shall inherit the earth, for 'wisdom is justified of her children' " (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 228). The lowly in heart shall, indeed, inherit the earth, for while they may be the least in worldly knowledge and wealth, they are greatest in heavenly wisdom and riches.
Humility is the open door through which we enter the narrow way that leads heavenward. We go to the Father—find life and its harmonies in God, Soul—through meekness, purity, and love. The kingdom of heaven is not taken by violence or storm. The holy city is not captured with self-will, with self-importance or self-assertion, but through their surrender. God reveals Him-self to the pure in heart and meek in spirit. Through humility and unselfed love we lose mortal selfhood, or false individuality, and find true manhood in Christ, true sonship with God.
In speaking of the flowers, John Keats said: "How would they lose their beauty were they to throng into the highway, crying out, 'Admire me, I am a violet! Dote upon me, I am a primrose!" Silently and unobtrusively nature bursts with its blooms of beauty. The unassuming primrose asks no praise, but receives it. The gentle violet demands no recognition, but impels it. These flowers of nature claim nothing of themselves, but bear witness to the loveliness of Love, the intelligence of Mind. So the life perfumed with gratitude and sanctified with meekness asks no praise, but receives it, demands no recognition, but inspires it.
