What do you think?
Rate this book
A Discourse on Meekness and Quietness of Spirit: The Nature and Excellency of a Meek and Quiet Spirit [Updated and Annotated]
We must be of a meek spirit. Meekness is an easiness of spirit – not a sinful easiness by which we might be defiled, but a gracious easiness to be worked upon by that which is good, as in those whose heart of stone is taken away and to whom a heart of flesh is given.
Meekness accommodates the soul to every happening and so makes a person calm within himself and toward all around him. When the grace of meekness gains dominion in the soul, it alters its temperament and submits it to authority. Then the wolf dwells with the lamb, and the leopard lies down with the kid, and a little child may lead them; for enmities are laid aside, and there is nothing to hurt or destroy.
Quietness is the evenness, the composure, and the rest of the soul, and it sets forth both the nature and the excellency of the grace of meekness. Indeed, the greatest comfort and happiness of man is sometimes expressed by this very word – quietness.
Quietness is recommended to us in Scripture as both a grace to be clothed with and a duty to be practiced. In the midst of all the insults and injustices that are, or may be, offered to us, we must keep our spirits composed and undisturbed, demonstrating by a calm, even, and steady conduct that they are so. This is quietness.
Meekness accommodates the soul to every happening and so makes a person calm within himself and toward all around him. When the grace of meekness gains dominion in the soul, it alters its temperament and submits it to authority. Then the wolf dwells with the lamb, and the leopard lies down with the kid, and a little child may lead them; for enmities are laid aside, and there is nothing to hurt or destroy.
Quietness is the evenness, the composure, and the rest of the soul, and it sets forth both the nature and the excellency of the grace of meekness. Indeed, the greatest comfort and happiness of man is sometimes expressed by this very word – quietness.
Quietness is recommended to us in Scripture as both a grace to be clothed with and a duty to be practiced. In the midst of all the insults and injustices that are, or may be, offered to us, we must keep our spirits composed and undisturbed, demonstrating by a calm, even, and steady conduct that they are so. This is quietness.
142 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 18, 2026
About the author
Matthew Henry
1,654 books138 followersMatthew Henry was an English non-conformist clergyman. Henry's well-known Exposition of the Old and New Testaments (1708–1710) is a commentary of a practical and devotional rather than of a critical kind, covering the whole of the Old Testament, and the Gospels and Acts in the New Testament.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
March 28, 2026
I never would have guessed that there was enough material in the Bible to write about meekness and quietness of spirit. There is. And it was Matthew Henry, the respected Bible commentator who did it! Henry explains that “meekness accommodates the soul to every happening, and so makes a person calm to himself and to everyone around him.” He goes on to say that meekness towards God is an “easy and quiet submission of the soul to His whole will, according as He is pleased to make it known, whether by His Word or by His providence.”
In regards to the excellence of meekness, Henry believes that “the more quiet and calm we are, the more we are like God.” In contrast, he says that “It is for lack of meekness that we are so irritated when someone contradicts or objects to our opinions, desires, and plans, that we think we must have our own saying, right or wrong, and everything our own way, that we are so impatient of competitors, not tolerating anyone who stands in our light or shares in that work of honor that we want to gather to ourselves, that we are so intolerant of criticism, so quick in our uneasiness and resentment of the slightest insult or provocation, and so overflowing in our feelings of injustices, where really there are none, or none intended.”
Wisdom is offered regarding how to live a life of meekness when he says, “Withdraw your affections from this world, and everything in it. The more the world is crucified to us, the more our corrupt passions will be crucified in us.” He adds, “If anyone lacks this meekness of wisdom, let him ask it of God, who gives liberally, and does not upbraid us with our folly (James 1:5).”
Friend, meekness and quietness are desirable character qualities, but are only found in us if the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ lives within us. You, too, can be someone who displays meekness and His character. It begins by understanding God’s character: He is love, He is holy and righteous. Contrast this with our character: morally corrupt. Our nature is that we are deceitful, liars, think evil thoughts and have rebelled against the God who created us by choosing to sin. Because of His holy nature, God cannot tolerate sin. Therefore, each of us is guilty and condemned before God. Yet, though our character is defiantly opposed to God’s character, God has offered a solution, a way to be able to stand before Him, justified, because our sin has been atoned for and canceled out. The good news is that this is exactly what happened at the Cross of Calvary. Jesus, God’s Son, out of love for mankind became that perfect substitution. He took upon Himself, the only perfect man who ever lived, every sin ever committed, being committed and to be committed and paid the penalty of death for those sins in our place. We were guaranteed eternal death and damnation, He took that sin and its consequences upon Himself and gave us eternal life in its place. Who receives this gift of an eternal inheritance/salvation through God’s Son? Only those who acknowledge that they have a sin problem, that they aren’t worthy to stand before God and His judgment and do so with grief. They desire to turn from sin. This is what repentance is and it comes from the heart. None of us has the power to live a righteous life in our own strength. This only comes from placing our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, believing that He has made atonement for us and that when God looks at us, He sees Jesus’ purity and righteousness. What Jesus has done for us brings about a great joy within us and a desire to be loyal, serving Him with our lives. It changes the way we think, our emotions and our actions. Meekness and quietness will be character qualities that will begin to be developed within you. God bless!
In regards to the excellence of meekness, Henry believes that “the more quiet and calm we are, the more we are like God.” In contrast, he says that “It is for lack of meekness that we are so irritated when someone contradicts or objects to our opinions, desires, and plans, that we think we must have our own saying, right or wrong, and everything our own way, that we are so impatient of competitors, not tolerating anyone who stands in our light or shares in that work of honor that we want to gather to ourselves, that we are so intolerant of criticism, so quick in our uneasiness and resentment of the slightest insult or provocation, and so overflowing in our feelings of injustices, where really there are none, or none intended.”
Wisdom is offered regarding how to live a life of meekness when he says, “Withdraw your affections from this world, and everything in it. The more the world is crucified to us, the more our corrupt passions will be crucified in us.” He adds, “If anyone lacks this meekness of wisdom, let him ask it of God, who gives liberally, and does not upbraid us with our folly (James 1:5).”
Friend, meekness and quietness are desirable character qualities, but are only found in us if the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ lives within us. You, too, can be someone who displays meekness and His character. It begins by understanding God’s character: He is love, He is holy and righteous. Contrast this with our character: morally corrupt. Our nature is that we are deceitful, liars, think evil thoughts and have rebelled against the God who created us by choosing to sin. Because of His holy nature, God cannot tolerate sin. Therefore, each of us is guilty and condemned before God. Yet, though our character is defiantly opposed to God’s character, God has offered a solution, a way to be able to stand before Him, justified, because our sin has been atoned for and canceled out. The good news is that this is exactly what happened at the Cross of Calvary. Jesus, God’s Son, out of love for mankind became that perfect substitution. He took upon Himself, the only perfect man who ever lived, every sin ever committed, being committed and to be committed and paid the penalty of death for those sins in our place. We were guaranteed eternal death and damnation, He took that sin and its consequences upon Himself and gave us eternal life in its place. Who receives this gift of an eternal inheritance/salvation through God’s Son? Only those who acknowledge that they have a sin problem, that they aren’t worthy to stand before God and His judgment and do so with grief. They desire to turn from sin. This is what repentance is and it comes from the heart. None of us has the power to live a righteous life in our own strength. This only comes from placing our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, believing that He has made atonement for us and that when God looks at us, He sees Jesus’ purity and righteousness. What Jesus has done for us brings about a great joy within us and a desire to be loyal, serving Him with our lives. It changes the way we think, our emotions and our actions. Meekness and quietness will be character qualities that will begin to be developed within you. God bless!
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review