Blessed are the meek
Who are not easily provoked to anger; who patiently bear, and put
up with injuries and affronts; carry themselves courteously, and
affably to all; have the meanest thoughts of themselves, and the
best of others; do not envy the gifts and graces of other men;
are willing to be instructed and admonished, by the meanest of
the saints; quietly submit to the will of God, in adverse
dispensations of providence; and ascribe all they have, and are,
to the grace of God. Meekness, or humility, is very valuable and
commendable. The Jews, though a proud, haughty, and wrathful
people, cannot but speak in its praise:
``Wisdom, fear, and meekness, say F2 they, are of high esteem; but (hwne) , "meekness", is greater than them all.''They had two very considerable doctors in the time of Christ, Hillell and Shammai; the one was of a meek, the other of an angry disposition: hence, say they F3,
``Let a man be always meek as Hillell, and let him not be angry as Shammai.''Here meekness is to be considered, not as a moral virtue, but as a Christian grace, a fruit of the Spirit of God; which was eminently in Christ, and is very ornamental to believers; and of great advantage and use to them, in hearing and receiving the word; in giving an account of the reason of the hope that is in them; in instructing and restoring such, who have backslidden, either in principle or practice; and in the whole of their lives and conversations; and serves greatly to recommend religion to others: such who are possessed of it, and exercise it, are well pleasing to God; when disconsolate, he comforts them; when hungry, he satisfies them; when they want direction, he gives it to them; when wronged, he will do them right; he gives them more grace here, and glory hereafter. The blessing instanced, in which they shall partake of, is,
they shall inherit the earth;
not the land of Canaan, though that may be alluded to; nor this
world, at least in its present situation; for this is not the
saints' rest and inheritance: but rather, the "new earth", which
will be after this is burnt up; in which only such persons as are
here described shall dwell; and who shall inherit it, by virtue
of their being heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; whose
is the earth, and the fulness thereof. Though some think heaven
is here designed, and is so called, partly for the sake of
variety of expression, from ( Matthew 5:3 ) and
partly in allusion to the land of Canaan, a type of it; and may
be called an earth, or country, that is an heavenly one, in
opposition to this earthly one; as the heavenly Jerusalem is
opposed to the earthly one, and which will be a glorious
inheritance. The passage, referred to is ( Psalms 37:11
) .
F2 Piske Tosaphot Yebamot, art. 196.
F3 T. Bab. Sabbat. fol. 30. 2.
