De tribus ad beatitudinem perducentibus, quae sunt scientia, disciplina, bonitas.
The Way and the Homeland
Having turned from the vanity of the world, the novices are called to seek God through the way of discipline, which leads to virtue and eternal blessedness, as the Psalmist testified.
Because, brothers, by the Lord's granting, you have turned from the vain way of life of this world through holy desire, and you are preparing to return to him who made you with your whole mind's intention and vow, For he himself is true and eternal life; apart from him no one can truly live, and whoever lives in him and with him is blessed. So if you seek God — and you do seek him — then surely you desire true and lasting blessedness. But no one reaches blessedness except through virtue, and virtue is truly grasped in no other way than by carefully guarding the discipline of virtue. The practice of discipline directs the mind toward virtue, and virtue leads to blessedness. Through this exercise of discipline, your beginning should be virtue, its perfection virtue itself, and the reward of virtue is eternal blessedness. This, brothers, is the way — and that is the homeland — the path we run and the place we long to reach. The Psalmist had seen this way and this homeland when he said: 'Blessed are the unblemished in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.'
The Psalmist's Threefold Prayer
The Psalmist's petitions for discipline, goodness, and knowledge are unfolded as the three divinely ordered means by which a person is led through virtue to blessedness.
He had seen this way and this homeland when he said, 'Your discipline has set me right to the end.'✦ For the discipline of God sets right to the end, because reforming a person fully and perfectly, it leads through virtue to blessedness. He had seen this way and this homeland then also when he said, 'Teach me goodness and discipline and knowledge.' For he considered that through goodness one comes to blessedness, and so he asks to be taught goodness, because through it he longed to reach that blessedness. But because he saw again that discipline was necessary for obtaining goodness, he added and said, 'Teach me discipline.' For he was prepared to keep discipline, and not only offered himself willingly to keep it, but also begged to deserve to receive it. Finally, because he saw that no one could keep the discipline of good work who does not have the knowledge of true discernment, he also asked for this to be given to him, as it were as a foundation and beginning of holy living. 'Teach me goodness,' he says, 'and discipline, and knowledge.'
Faith, Renunciation, and the Spiritual Race
Having believed God's commandments and renounced all worldly ties and pleasures, the novices are urged to run the way of Christ, from whom alone rest is found.
And last of all, to show himself ready to learn these things, he added as he followed: "I have believed your commandments," as if to say: I have believed God. So you ought to teach me how I ought to serve you, because I no longer resist your precepts through stubbornness. I believe that what you command is good, I believe that what you promise is true. I have already resolved to leave behind my own things for your sake, and so I ask — through you may I deserve to obtain your good things — because I have believed your commandments. So also you, brothers, by the grace of God have now believed his commandments and have left your own things for his sake. Now seek his good things from him, so that through them you may deserve to come to him. You have believed his commandments, which say: "If you wish to be perfect, go and sell everything you have, and come, follow me, and you will have treasure in heaven."✦ You have done what he commanded, you hope for what he promised. Now ask from him what it is expedient to obtain for that purpose. No carnal affection now hinders you from receiving his grace. You have left father and mother, brothers and sisters, relatives and in-laws, and you have girded yourselves to run his way. You now prefer nothing to the love of him. You seek him alone, and in gaining him you count all the allurements of this world as bitter as wormwood, and all its glory and beauty as dung.✦ Enter his way and run to him — the sooner you arrive at him, the sooner you will have rest.
Knowledge, Discipline, Goodness: The Path to Blessedness
The chapter concludes by summarizing the threefold way—knowledge, discipline, goodness—as the ordered path to blessedness, which is the purpose of the instruction being given.
The way to him is through knowledge, discipline, and goodness: through knowledge one is led to discipline, through discipline to goodness, and through goodness to blessedness. This is why we have begun to speak with you: so that, as far as the Lord gives, we may instruct you about this way by which one is led to him.
Read the original Latin
Quia, fratres, largiente Domino de vana conversatione hujus saeculi per desiderium sanctum conversi estis, et ad ipsum qui fecit vos tota mentis intentione ac voto redire disponitis, oportet vos nunc ipsam viam discere per quam possitis ad illum quem quaeritis pervenire. Ipse est enim vera et sempiterna vita, extra quem sicut nemo vivere potest, ita quicunque in ipso et cum ipso vivit, beatus est. Si igitur Deum quaeritis (imo quia quaeritis) veram profecto ac perpetuam beatitudinem habere desideratis. Ad beatitudinem autem nemo venire potest nisi per virtutem, et virtus non alio modo veraciter apprehenditur, nisi disciplina virtutis non negligenter custodiatur. Usus enim disciplinae ad virtutem animum dirigit, virtus autem ad beatitudinem perducit. Ac per hoc exercitium disciplinae esse debet vestra inchoatio, virtus perfectio, praemium virtutis aeterna beatitudo. Haec est, fratres, via, et ista est patria, per quam currimus et ad quam pervenire desideramus. Hanc viam et hanc patriam Psalmista viderat cum dicebat: « Beati immaculati in via, qui ambulant in lege Domini .
» Hanc viam et hanc patriam viderat cum dicebat: « Disciplina tua correxit me in finem . » Disciplina namque Dei in finem corrigit, quia plene et perfecte hominem reformans, per virtutem ad beatitudinem perducit. Hanc viam et hanc patriam tunc etiam viderat cum dicebat: « Bonitatem et disciplinam et scientiam doce me . » Consideravit namque quod per bonitatem venitur ad beatitudinem, atque ideo bonitatem doceri se petit, quia per hanc ad illam pertingere concupivit. Sed quia rursum vidit quod ad bonitatem obtinendam disciplina necessaria esset; adjunxit et dixit: « Disciplinam doce me. » Paratus enim erat disciplinam servare, et non solum ad illam servandam spontaneum se obtulit, sed ut illam quoque accipere mereretur, supplicavit. Postremo quia vidit neminem servare posse disciplinam boni operis, qui non habeat scientiam vere discretionis, hanc quoque sibi dari quasi quoddam fundamentum et principium sanctae conversationis postulavit. « Bonitatem, inquit, et disciplinam, et scientiam doce me.
» Et ut se idoneum ad haec discenda ostenderet, novissime secutus adjunxit: « Quia mandatis tuis credidi , » ac si diceret: Deo. Ideo docere me debes qualiter tibi servire debeo, quia praeceptis tuis jam per contumaciam non resisto; credo bonum esse quod praecipis, credo verum esse quod promittis; acquievi jam propter te mea relinquere, et idcirco quaeso per te merear tua bona obtinere, « quia mandatis tuis credidi. » Sic et vos fratres gratia Dei jam credidistis mandatis ejus, reliquistis vestra propter ipsum, quaerite nunc sua ab ipso ut mereamini per sua venire ad ipsum. Credidistis mandatis ejus dicentis: « Si vis perfectus esse, vade et vende omnia quae habes, et veni, sequere me, et habebis thesaurum in coelo . » Fecistis quod praecepit, speratis quod promisit, petite nunc ab ipso quod ad id obtinendum expedit. Nullus jam carnalis affectus a percipienda gratia ejus vos impedit, reliquistis patrem et matrem, fratres et sorores, cognatos et affines, et praecinxistis vos ad currendam viam ejus. Nihil jam amori illius praeponitis, illum solum quaeritis pro quo lucrificando omnia hujus mundi blandimenta quasi absinthium amara, et omnem gloriam atque decorem quasi stercora reputatis. Intrate viam ejus, et currite ad ipsum, tanto citius requiem habebitis, quanto citius ad eum pervenietis.
Via ad ipsum sunt scientia, disciplina, bonitas; per scientiam itur ad disciplinam, per disciplinam itur ad bonitatem, per bonitatem itur ad beatitudinem. Hoc est propter quod vobiscum loqui coepimus, ut quantum Dominus dederit, de hac via qua ad ipsum itur vos instruamus.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.18.36 — You gave me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand upheld me, and your humility made me great.
- ↩Matt.19.21 — Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
- ↩Phil.3.8 — But more than that—indeed, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost everything and consider it all rubbish, so that I may gain Christ.
De Institutione Novitiorum (On the Instruction of Novices) companion
Keep the novice's rule going, one morning at a time
The Chosen Portion app serves a short historic devotional reading and prayer each day, so your new rule has content waiting for you every morning.
Hugh trained novices with fixed daily portions of instruction; Chosen Portion continues that method by delivering one fixed devotional portion each day.
- A 2-minute historic reading and prayer delivered every morning
- Texts drawn from 78 works of royal and monastic devotion, 1000-2020
- Free on iOS — start day 8 of your rule the moment you finish the checklist