Servility and humility.
"And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren." These words may be taken as a representation of one bad thing and one good thing.
I. SERVILITY THE BAD THING. John fell down before some one whom he regarded as greater than himself; not to one true God. This state of mind:
1. Bad in itself. The crawling, sycophantic, cringing spirit is one of the most detestable things in human life. It is opposed to true manhood; it spanielizes the human soul.
2. Bad in its influence. It is just that element in human life that makes heroes of the base, saints of hypocrites, lords of money grubs, and divinities of rulers. It builds up and sustains in society all manner of impostures in Church and state. It is that which has stolen nearly all true manhood from England.
II. HUMILITY THE GOOD THING. He to whom this homage was rendered refused it. "See thou do it not." Worship belongs only to God. "I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren." How unlike is this man to the millions who are hungering for the cheers, the plaudits, the flatteries, the "praise of men"! Authors, artists, preachers, premiers, prelates—most of them also love the "praise of men." A truly great man, however, despises it; he shrinks with disgust from the courtiers, and kicks with indignation the canting spaniels.—D.T.