Chapter XII.—Ye are superior to me.

Chapter XII.—Ye are superior to me.

May I enjoy you in all respects, if indeed I be worthy! For though I am bound, I am not worthy to be compared to any of you that are at liberty. I know that ye are not puffed up, for ye have Jesus Christ in yourselves. And all the more when I commend you, I know that ye cherish modesty⁷¹¹ of spirit; as it is written, “The righteous man is his own accuser.”⁷¹²

May I enjoy you in all respects, if indeed I be worthy! For though I am bound, I am not worthy to be compared to one of you that are at liberty. I know that ye are not puffed up, for ye have Jesus in yourselves. And all the more when I commend you, I know that ye cherish modesty⁷¹³ of spirit; as it is written, “The righteous man is his own accuser;”⁷¹⁴ and again, “Declare thou first thine iniquities, that thou mayest be justified;”⁷¹⁵ and again, “When ye shall have done all things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants;”⁷¹⁶ “for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”⁷¹⁷ For says [the Scripture], “God be merciful to me a sinner.”⁷¹⁸ Therefore those great ones, Abraham and Job,⁷¹⁹ styled themselves “dust and ashes” ⁷²⁰ before God. And David says, “Who am I before Thee, O Lord, that Thou hast glorified me hitherto?”⁷²¹ And Moses, who was “the meekest of all men,”⁷²² saith to God, “I am of a feeble voice, and of a slow tongue.”⁷²³ Be ye therefore also of a humble spirit, that ye may be exalted; for “he that abaseth himself shall be exalted, and he that exalteth himself shall be abased.”⁷²⁴