Further Reflections on Christian Meekness by Thomas Watson

We are now got to the third step leading in the way to blessedness, Christian Meekness, ‘blessed are the meek.’ See how the Spirit of God adorns, ‘the hidden man of the heart’ with multiplicity of graces! the workmanship of the Holy Ghost is not only curious, but various; it makes the heart meek, pure, peaceable, &c. The graces therefore are compared to needle-work, which is different and various in it flowers and colors. In the words there is a duty, meekness; and that duty like the dove, brings an olive-leaf in the mouth of it, ‘they shall inherit the earth.’

The proposition I shall insist on is, that meek persons are blessed persons. For the right understanding of this, we must know there is a two-fold meekness. Meekness towards God. Meekness towards man.

1. Meekness towards God which implies two things: submission to his will, flexibleness to his word.

(i) Submission to God’s will; when we carry ourselves calmly without swelling or murmuring under the dispensations of Providence, 1 Sam. 3:18. ‘It is the Lord, let him do what seems him good.’ The meek-spirited Christian saith thus, Let God do what he will with me, let him carve out what condition he pleases, I will submit: God sees what is best for me, whether a fertile soil or a barren. Let him chequer his work as he pleases, it suffices God hath done it; it was an unmeek spirit in the prophet to struggle with God, Jonah. 4:9. ‘I do well to be angry to the death.’

(ii) Flexibleness to God’s word: When we are willing to let the word bear sway in our souls, and become pliable to all its laws and maxims; he is spiritually meek who conforms himself to the mind of God, and doth not quarrel with the instructions of the word, but the corruptions of his heart. Cornelius’s speech to Peter did savor of a meek spirit, Acts 10:23. ‘Now therefore we are all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.’ How happy is it when the word, which comes with majesty, is received with meekness! James 1:21.

1. Meekness towards man; this Basil the great calls the indelible character of a gracious soul; ‘Blessed are the meek.’ To illustrate this I shall show what this meekness is. Meekness is a grace whereby we are enabled by the Spirit of God to moderate our passion. It is a grace. The philosopher calls it a virtue; but the apostle calls it a grace, therefore reckons it among the ‘fruits of the Spirit,’ Gal. 5:23 it is of a divine extract and original. By it we are enabled to moderate our passion. By nature the heart is like a troubled sea, casting forth the foam of anger and wrath: now meekness doth calm the passions; it sits as moderator in the soul, quieting and giving check to its distempered motions: as the moon doth serve to temper and calms the heat of the sun, so Christian meekness calms the heat of passion; meekness of spirit doth not only fit us for communion with God, but civil converse with men. Meekness hath a divine beauty and sweetness in it; it credits religion, it wins upon all; this meekness consists in three things: bearing of injuries, forgiving of injuries, recompensing good for evil.

Meekness in the bearing of injuries

First, meekness consists in bearing of injuries; I may say of this grace, it is not easily provoked; a meek spirit, like wet tinder, will not easily take fire, Ps. 38:12, 13. ‘They that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, but I as a deaf man heard not.’ Meekness is the bridle of anger; the passions are fiery and headstrong, meekness gives check to them. Meekness bridles the mouth, it ties the tongue to its good behavior; meekness observes that motto, “bear and forbear.” There are four things opposite to meekness.

(i) Meekness is opposed to hastiness of spirit, Eccl. 7:9. ‘Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.’ … Anger may be in a wise man, but it rests in a fool. The angry man is like flax, or gun-powder, no sooner do you touch him than he is all on fire. Saint Basil calls anger drunkenness; and Jerome says there are more drunk with passion than with wine. Seneca calls anger a short fit of madness; sometimes it suspends the use of reason… Eph. 4:26, 27. ‘Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil.’ Oh, says one, he has wronged me, and I will never give place to him; but better to give place to him than the devil. An hasty spirit is not a meek spirit. Not but that we may in some cases be angry. There is an holy anger; that anger is without sin, which is against sin; meekness and zeal may stand together; in matters of religion a Christian must be clothed with the spirit of Elijah, and be ‘full of the fury of the Lord,’ Jer. 6:11. Christ was meek, Matt. 11:29 yet zealous, John 2:14, 15. The zeal of God’s house did eat him up.

(ii) Meekness is opposed to malice; malice is the devil’s picture, John 8:44. Malice is mental murder: 1 John 3:15, it unfits for duty. How can such a man pray? I have read of two men that lived in malice, who being asked how they could say the Lord’s prayer? one answered, he thanked God there were many good prayers besides: The other answered, when he said the Lord’s prayer, he did leave out these words, ‘as we forgive them that trespass against us:’ but saint Augustine brings in God replying, ‘Because thou dost not say my prayer, therefore I will not hear thine.’ Were it not a sad judgment, if all that a man did eat should turn to poison! to a malicious man all the holy ordinances of God turn to poison; the table of the Lord is a snare, ‘he eats and drinks his own damnation;’ a malicious spirit is not a meek spirit.

(iii) Meekness is opposed to revenge. Malice is the scum of anger, and revenge is malice boiling over. Malice is a vermin, lives on blood; revenge is Satan’s nectar and ambrosia; this is the savory meat which the malicious man dresses for the devil; the scripture forbids revenge, Rom. 12:19. ‘Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves:’ this is to take God’s office out of his hand, who is called the ‘God of recompences,’ Jer. 51:56 and the ‘God of vengeance,’ Ps. 94:1. This I urge against those who challenge one another to duels; indeed spiritual duels are lawful; it is good to fight with the devil, James 4:7. ‘resist the devil.’ It is good to duel with a man’s self, the regenerate part against the carnal. Blessed is he that seeks a revenge upon his lusts, 2 Cor. 7:11. ‘Yea what revenge?’ but other duels are unlawful; ‘Avenge not yourselves…’

Some may object. ‘But if I am thus meek and tame, in bearing of injuries and incivilities, I shall lose my credit, it will be a stain to my reputation?’

I answer. To pass by an injury without revenge, is no eclipse to a man’s credit. Solomon tells us it is the glory of a man to pass over a transgression, Prov. 19:11. It is more honor to bury an injury, than revenge it; and to slight it, than to write it down. The weakest creatures soonest turn head, and sting upon every touch. The lion, a more majestic creature, is not easily provoked. The bramble tears, the oak and cedar are more peaceable: passion imports weakness. A noble spirit overlooks an injury.

I answer again. Suppose a man’s credit should suffer an impair with those whose censure is not to be valued. Yet think, which is worse, shame or sin? Will you sin against God to save your credit? Surely it is little wisdom for a man to adventure his blood, that he may fetch back his reputation, and to run into hell to be counted valorous…

Not that a man cannot stand up in defense of himself when his life is endangered... he that will have us innocent as doves, not to offend others, will have us wise as serpents in preserving ourselves…

Though revenge be contrary to meekness, yet not but that a magistrate may revenge the quarrel of others; indeed it is not revenge in him; but justice: the magistrate is God’s lieutenant on earth; God hath put the sword in his hand, and he is not ‘to bear the sword in vain;’ he must be in terrorem, ‘for the punishment of evil doers’, 1 Pet. 2:14. Tho’ a private person must not render to any man evil for evil, Rom. 12:17 yet a magistrate may; the evil of punishment for the evil of offence: this rendering of evil is good. Private men must put their sword into the sheath, but the magistrate sins if he doth not draw it out: as his sword must not surfeit through cruelty, so neither must it rust thro’ partiality: too much lenity in a magistrate is not meekness, but injustice…

(iv) Meekness is opposed to evil-speaking, Eph. 4:31. ‘Let all evil-speaking be put away…’ The tongues of many are fired, and it is the devil lights the match. Therefore they are said in scripture to be ‘set on fire of hell,’ James 3:6. Men have learned of the old serpent, to spit their venom one at another in disgraceful revilings, Matt. 5:22. ‘whosoever shall say thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire.’ Under that word fool, all vilifying terms are by our Savior forbidden; let us take heed of this, it is hateful to God: God is not in this fire, but in the still small voice, 1 Kings 19:12…

Meekness in the forgiving of injuries

The second branch of meekness is in the forgiving of injuries, Mark 11:25. ‘And when ye stand praying, forgive;’ as if Christ had said, It is to little purpose to pray, unless you forgive. A meek spirit is a forgiving spirit. This is an Herculean work; nothing more crosses the stream of corrupt nature. Men forget kindnesses, but remember injuries.. Some can rather sacrifice their lives than their lusts; but forgive we must, and forgive as God forgives.

(i) Really, God does not make a show of forgiveness, and keep our sins by him, he blots out our debts, Isa. 43:25. God passes an act of oblivion, Jer. 31:34 he forgives, and forgets. So the meek spirit doth not only make a show of forgiving his neighbor, but he doth it from the heart, Mat. 18:35.

(ii) Fully. God forgives all our sins; he does not for fourscore write down fifty, but he gives a general release, Ps. 103:3. ‘Who forgives all thy iniquities.’ Thus a meek-spirited Christian forgives all injuries. False hearts pass by some offences, but retain others. This is but half-forgiving. Is this meekness? Would you have God deal so with you? Would you have him forgive your trespasses as you forgive others?’

(iii) God forgives often; we are often sinning, we run every day afresh upon the score, but God often forgives; therefore he is said to multiply to pardon, Isa. 55:6. So a meek spirit reiterates and sends one pardon after another. Peter asks the question, Mat. 18:21. ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him, till seven times?’ Christ answers him, ver. 22. ‘I say not unto thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven.’

Some may object that such an affront hath been offered, that flesh and blood cannot put up? I answer: “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God?” 1 Cor. 15:50. Christians must walk antipodes to themselves; and with the sword of the Spirit fight against the lusts of the flesh,’ Gal. 5:24.

Another may object, ‘but if I forgive one injury, I shall invite more’. I answer: it argues a devilish nature to be worse for kindness; but suppose we should meet with such monsters, yet it is our duty to be ready to forgive, Col. 3:13. Shall we cease from doing good, because others will not cease from being evil? If the more you forgive injuries, the more injuries you meetest with, this will make your grace shine the more. Another’s vice will be a greater demonstration of your virtue; often forgiving will add the more to the weight of his sin, and the weight of thy glory. If any shall say to me, I strive to excel in other graces; but as for this grace of meekness, bearing, and forgiving of injuries, I cannot arrive at it. I desire in this to be excused; what do you talk of other graces? Where there is one grace, there is all; if meekness be wanting, it is but a counterfeit chain of grace; thy faith is a fable, thy repentance is a lie, thy humility is hypocrisy.

And whereas you say you cannot forgive. think of your sin; your neighbor is not so bad in offending thee, as thou art in not forgiving him. You neighbor in offending you, does but trespass against a man; but you, refusing to forgive him, dost trespass against God… If you will not believe me, believe Christ, Mark 11:26. ‘If you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.’ He who lives without meekness, dies without mercy.

Meekness in recompensing good for evil

The third branch of meekness is in ‘recompensing good for evil;’ this is an higher degree than the other Matt. 5:44. ‘Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, pray for them that despitefully use you,’ Rom. 12:20. ‘If thine enemy hunger, feed him,’ 1 Pet. 3:9. ‘Not rendering evil for evil, but contrariwise blessing.’ This threefold cord of scripture should not easily be broken. To render evil for evil is brutish; to render evil for good is devilish; to render good for evil is Christian… When grace comes into the heart, it works a strange alteration… Grace calms the passion, and melts the heart into compassion; as the sun draws up many thick noxious vapors from the earth and sea, and returns them in sweet showers, so a gracious heart returns all the unkindnesses and discourtesies of his enemies with the sweet influences and distillations of love.

Meekness shows the character of a true saint

Meekness shows us the badge of a true saint; he is of a meek, candid spirit. He is not easily provoked. He takes everything in the best sense, and conquers malice with mildness. I would to God all who profess themselves saints were bespangled with this grace. We are known to belong to Christ, when we wear his livery. He is a saint, whose spirit is so meekened, that he can smother prejudices and bury unkindnesses. A passion of tears does better become a Christian than a passion of anger; every saint is Christ’s spouse, Cant. 4:8. It becomes Christ’s spouse to be meek. If any injury be offered to the spouse she leaves it to her husband to revenge; it is unseemly for Christ’s spouse to strike.

Ten reasons why Christians should be meek

Let me beseech all Christians to labor to be eminent in this superlative grace of meekness, Zeph. 2:3. ‘Seek meekness:’ Seeking implies we have lost it. Therefore, we must make an hue and cry after it to find it, Col. 3:12. ‘Put on therefore, as the elect of God, meekness,’ Put it on as a garment, never to be left off. Meekness is a necessary ingredient into everything. It is necessary in instruction, 2 Tim. 2:25. ‘In meekness instructing...’ Meekness conquers the opposers of truth; meekness melts the heart; soft words are softening. Meekness is necessary in hearing the word, James 1:21. ‘Receive with meekness the ingrafted word;’ he who comes to the word either with passion or prejudice, gets no good, but hurt; he turns wine into poison, and stabs himself with the sword of the Spirit. Meekness is needful in reproof, Gal. 6:1. ‘If a man be overtaken with a fault, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness.’ The Greek is, put him in joint again; if a bone be out of joint, the surgeon must not use a rough hand, that may chance to break another bone, but he must come gently to work, and afterwards bind it up softly. So if a brother be through inadvertency overtaken, we must not come to him in a fury of passion, but with a spirit of meekness labour to restore him. I shall lay down several motives or arguments to meeken the spirits of men.

1. Let me propound example of meekness. The example of Jesus Christ, Matt. 21:5. ‘Thy King cometh unto thee meek.’ Christ was the pattern of meekness. 1 Pet. 2:23. ‘When he was reviled, he reviled not again;’ his enemies’ words were more bitter than the gall they gave him; but Christ’s words were smoother than oil. He prayed and wept for his enemies; he calls to us to learn of him, Matt. 11:29. ‘Learn of me, for I am meek.’ Christ does not bid us, saith Augustine, learn of him to work miracles; to open the eyes of the blind, to raise the dead, but he would have us learn of him to be meek. If we do not imitate his life we cannot be saved by his death.

2. Meekness is a great ornament to a Christian. ‘The ornament of a meek spirit’, 1 Pet. 3:4 How amiable is a saint in God’s eye when adorned with this jewel! What the Psalmist says of praise, Ps. 33:1 the same may I say of meekness, it is ‘comely for the righteous. No garment more becoming a Christian than meekness; therefore we are bid to put on this garment, Col. 3:12. ‘Put on therefore as the elect of God meekness.’ A meek spirit credits religion, silences malice; it is the varnish that puts a lustre upon holiness, and sets off the gospel with a better gloss.

3. This is the way to be like God. God is meek towards them that provoke him: how many black mouths are opened daily against the Majesty of heaven? how do men tear his name? vex his Spirit? crucify his Son afresh? they walk up and down the earth as so many devils covered with flesh, yet the Lord is meek, ‘not willing that any should perish,’ 2 Pet. 3:9. How easily could God crush sinners, and kick them into hell! but he moderates his anger; though he be full of majesty, yet full of meekness. In him is mixed princely greatness, and fatherly mildness; as he has his scepter of royalty, so also his throne of grace. O how should this make us fall in love with meekness! here we bear a kind of likeness to God; it is not profession makes us like God, but imitation. Where meekness is wanting, we are not like men; where it is we are like God.

4. Meekness argues a noble and excellent spirit. A meek man is a valorous man, he gets a victory over himself. Passion arises from imbecility and weakness; therefore we may observe old men and children are more choleric than others; strength of passion argues weakness of judgment, but the meek man who is able to conquer his fury, is the most powerful and victorious. Prov. 16:32. ‘He that is slow to anger, is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit, than he that taketh a city.’ To yield to one’s passion is easy; it is swimming along with the tide of corrupt nature; but to turn head against nature, to resist passion, to ‘overcome evil with good,’ this is like a Christian; this is that spiritual chivalry and fortitude of mind as deserves the trophies of victory, and the garland of praise.

5. Meekness is the best way to conquer and melt the heart of an enemy. When Saul lay at David’s mercy, and he only cut off the skirt of his robe, how was Saul’s heart affected with David’s meekness! 1 Sam. 24:16, 17. ‘Is this thy voice, my son David? and Saul lift up his voice and wept; and he said to David, thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thy hand, thou killed me not; wherefore the Lord reward thee good...’ This heaping of coals melts and thaws the heart of others; it is the greatest victory to overcome an enemy without striking a blow. The fire will go where the wedge cannot. Mildness prevails more than fierceness. Passion makes an enemy of a friend: meekness makes a friend of an enemy…

6. Consider the great promise in the text. ‘The meek shall inherit the earth;’ this argument perhaps will prevail with those who desire to have earthly possessions. Some may object, If I forbear and forgive, I shall lose my right at last, and be turned out of all? No, God hath here entered into bond, ‘the meek shall inherit the earth:’ The unmeek man is in a sad condition, there is no place remains for him but hell; for he hath no promise made to him either of earth or heaven; it is the meek shall inherit the earth.

Question. How do the meek inherit the earth, when they are strangers in the earth? Heb. 11:13.

Answer. The meek are said to inherit the earth, not that the earth is their chief inheritance, or that they have always the greatest share here; but,

(i) They are the inheritors of the earth, because though they have not always the greatest part of the earth, yet they have the best right to it… The saints’ title is best, being members of Christ, who is Lord of all. Adam did not only lose his title to heaven when he fell, but to the earth too; and till we are incorporated into Christ, we do not fully recover our title. I do not deny that the wicked have a civil right to the earth, which the laws of the land give them, but not a sacred right. Only the meek Christian has a scripture-title to his land… The saints hold their right to the earth in their head, Christ, who is ‘the Prince of the kings of the earth,’ Rev. 1:5. In this sense, he who hath but a foot of land, inherits more than he who hath a thousand acres, because he hath a better and more juridical right to it.

(ii) The meek Christian is said to inherit the earth, because he inherits the blessing of the earth. The wicked man has the earth, but not as a fruit of God’s favor: he has it as a dog has poisoned bread, it doth him more hurt than good. A wicked man lives in the earth as one that lives in an infectious air, he is infected by his mercies. The fat of the earth will but make him fry and blaze the more in hell; so that a wicked man may be said not to have what he has, because he has not the blessing. But the meek saint enjoys the earth as a pledge of God’s love; the curse and poison is taken out of the earth. Ps. 37:11. ‘The meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace;’ on which words Augustin gives this gloss; wicked men, says he, may delight themselves in the abundance of cattle and riches, but the meek man delights himself in the abundance of peace; what he has, he does possess with inward serenity and quietness.

When it is said the meek shall inherit the earth, it is not meant that they shall inherit no more than the earth; they shall inherit heaven too… The meek have the earth only for their sojourning house; they have heaven for their mansion-house, Ps. 149:4. ‘He will beautify the meek with salvation.’ The meek beautify religion, and God will beautify them with salvation. Salvation is the port we all desire to sail to; it is the harvest and vintage of souls; the meek are they which shall reap this harvest; the meek shall wear the embroidered robe of salvation. The meek are ‘lords of the earth, and heirs of salvation,’ Heb. 1:14.

7. Consider the mischief of an unmeek spirit. There is nothing makes such room for the devil to come into the heart and take possession, as wrath and anger, Eph. 4:26, 27. ‘Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil.’ When men let forth passion, they let in Satan; the wrathful man hath the devil for his bedfellow. Passion hinders peace. The meek Christian has sweet quiet and harmony in his soul; but passion puts the soul into a disorder. It not only clouds reason, but disturbs conscience; he does not possess himself whom passion possesses. It is no wonder if they have no peace of conscience, who make so little conscience of peace; wrathfulness grieves the Spirit of God, Eph. 4:30. 31 and if the Spirit be grieved, he will be gone; we care not to stay in smoky houses; the Spirit of God loves not to be in that heart which is full of the vapors and fumes of distempered passion.

8. Another argument to cool the intemperate heat of our cursed hearts, is to consider that all the injuries and unkind usages, we meet with from the world, do not fall out by chance, but are disposed of by the all-wise God for our good. Many are like the foolish cur that snarls at the stone, never looking to the hand that threw it; or like the horse, who being spurred by the rider, bites the snaffle. If we looked higher than instruments, our hearts would grow meek and calm. David looked beyond Shimei’s rage, 2 Sam. 16:11. ‘Let him curse, for the Lord hath bidden him;’ what wisdom were it for Christians to see the hand of God in all the barbarism and incivilities of men! Job eyed God in his affliction, and that meekened his spirit, ‘The Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord,’ Job 1:21. He does not say the Chaldeans have taken away, but the ‘Lord hath taken away; what made Christ so meek in his sufferings? He did not look at Judas or Pilate, but at his Father, John 18:11. ‘The cup which my Father hath given me;’ when wicked men do revile and injure us, they are but God’s executioners. Who is angry with the executioner?

And as God hath an hand in all the affronts and discourtesies we receive from men (for they do but hand them over to us) so God will do us good by all if we belong to him; 1 Sam. 16:12. It may be, says David, ‘that the Lord will look on me in mine affliction, and will requite me good for his cursing.’ Usually, when the Lord intends us some signal mercy, he fits us for it by some eminent trial, as Moses’ hand was first leprous before it wrought salvation, Exod. 4:6, so God may let his people be lepered with the cursings and revilings of men before he shower down some blessing upon them; ‘it may be the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day.’

9. Want of meekness evidences want of grace. True grace inflames love, and moderates anger. Grace is like the file which smooths the rough iron, it files off the ruggedness of a man’s spirit; grace saith to the heart as Christ did to the angry sea, Mark 4:39. ‘Peace, be still.’ So where there is grace in the heart, it stills the raging of passion, and makes a calm. He who is in a perpetual frenzy, letting loose the reins to wrath and malice, never yet felt the sweet efficacy of grace. It is one of the sins of the heathen to be ‘implacable’, Rom. 1:31. A revengeful, cankered heart, is not only heathenish, but devilish, James 3:14, 15. ‘If ye have bitter, envying and strife in your hearts, this wisdom descends not from above, but is devilish. The old serpent spits forth the poison of malice and revenge.

10. If all that hath been said will not serve to master this bedlam humour of wrath and anger, let me tell you, you are the persons whom God speaks of, who hate to be reformed. You are rebels against the word: read and tremble, Isa. 30:8. 9. ‘Now go write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come, for ever and ever, that this is a rebellious people, children that will not hear the law of the Lord.’ If nothing yet will charm down the wrathful devil, let me tell you, God has charged every man not to, meddle, nor have any league of friendship with you, Prov. 22:24. ‘Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man thou shalt not go:’ What a monster is he among men, that everyone is warned to beware of, and not come near, as one who is unfit for human society; make no league saith God with THAT MAN; if you take him into you society, you take a snake into thy bosom. ‘With a furious man thou shalt not go.’ Wilt thou walk with the devil? The furious man is possessed with a wrathful devil.

Oh that all this might help to meeken and sweeten Christian spirits!

How to attain this Grace of Meekness

What shall I do to be possessed of this excellent grace of meekness?

1. Often look upon the meekness of Christ. The scholar that would write well, has his eye often upon the copy!

2. Pray earnestly that God will meeken your spirit. God is called ‘the God of all grace,’ 1 Pet. 5:10. He has all the graces in his gift, sue to him for this grace of meekness. If one were patron of all the livings in the land, men would sue to him for a living: God is patron of all the graces, let us sue to him; mercy comes in at the door of prayer, Ezek. 36:37… Meekness is the commodity we want, let us send prayer as our factor over to heaven to procure it for us, and pray in faith; when faith sets prayer on work, prayer sets God on work; all divine blessings come streaming to us through this golden channel of prayer.