Hou heretikes and ypocrites, for wantynge of mekenesse, highen hemself in herte bifore
The Deception of Spiritual Pride
The author warns against the hypocrisy of those who display outward signs of virtue while lacking the interior reality of true humility.
everyone else. Hypocrites and heretics do not feel this humility, neither in good will nor in affection; their hearts and loins are thoroughly dry and cold, far from the gentle feeling of this virtue—and they are so much the farther from it that they think they have it. They gnaw on the dry outer bark, but they can't reach the sweet kernel or its inward savor. They display outward humility—in their dress, their holy speech, their lowly bearing, and, it seems, in many great bodily and spiritual virtues. But even so, in the will and the affection of their hearts—where humility should primarily reside—it is only feigned. For they despise and count as nothing everyone else who won't do as they do and teach. They consider others fools due to ignorance, or people blinded by fleshly pleasure; and so they lift themselves high in their own eyes, above everyone else, thinking that they live better than others and that they alone possess the truth of good living and a singular grace of God—both in knowledge and in spiritual feeling—surpassing everyone else. And from this view of themselves, a great delight rises in their hearts, in which they worship and praise themselves, as if there were no one else but them. They praise and thank God with their lips, but in their hearts they steal like thieves the worship and the thanks from God and set it on themselves.✦ And so they have neither humility in their will nor in their feelings.
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Using the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, the author illustrates how self-righteousness prevents true prayer and grace.
A worldly wretch or a sinner who falls every day and is sorry for it, even if they lack humility in their feelings, still possesses it in their good will. But a heretic or a hypocrite has neither, for they share the condition of the Pharisee who, as our Lord says in the Gospel, came to the temple to pray alongside the tax collector. When he arrived, he didn't pray, nor did he ask anything of God, because he thought he had no need; instead, he began to thank God, saying, "Lord, I thank You that You give me more grace than others, and that I am not like other men—robbers, lechers, and such sinners." He looked beside him and saw the tax collector, whom he knew to be a wretch, simply beating his breast and crying out for mercy. Then he thanked God that he was not like that man. "For, Lord," he said, "I fast twice a week, and I pay my tithes faithfully." And when he had finished, our Lord said that he went home again without grace, just as he had come, and received nothing at all. But now you ask, "Where did this Pharisee go wrong, since he thanked God and what he said was true?" As to this I answer and say that this Pharisee went wrong insofar as he judged and condemned in his heart the tax collector, who was justified by our Lord. And he also went wrong, for he thanked God only with his mouth, but by a secret pride in himself he willingly delighted in God's gifts, stealing the honor and the praise from God and claiming it for himself.1 Heretics and hypocrites truly have this same condition as this Pharisee. They won't gladly pray, and if they do pray they don't humble themselves by truly acknowledging their wretchedness; instead, by pretense, they put on the appearance of thanking and loving God, and speak of Him with their mouth. But their delight is vain and false and not in God, and yet they don't think so. They cannot love God, for the wise man says: Non est speciosa laus in ore peccatoris (Ecclesiasticus 15:9). Praise of God is neither fair nor fitting in a sinner's mouth.
The Path of True Humility
The reader is encouraged to abandon the Pharisee's pride and embrace the tax collector's humility to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
So it's profitable for you and for me, and for other wretched people like us, to leave the condition of this Pharisee and his feigned love of God, and to follow the tax collector first in lowliness—asking for mercy and forgiveness of sins and for the grace of spiritual virtues—so that afterward, with a clean heart, we might truly thank Him and love Him and give Him wholly the worship without pretense. For our Lord asks through His prophet: 'Super quem requiescet spiritus meus nisi super humilem contritum spiritu et trementem sermones meos?'2 (Isaiah 66:2).✦ Upon whom shall My spirit rest?✦ And He answers Himself, saying: 'Upon none but the meek, the poor and contrite in heart, and those who fear My words.'3 So if you want the Spirit of God to rule your heart, cultivate humility and the fear of Him.
Read the original Latin
alle othere.
Ypocrites ne heretikes feele not this mekenesse, neither in good wille, ne in affeccioun; but wel drie and wel cold aren here hertis and here reynes fro the softe feelynge of this vertu; and so mykil thei aren the ferther fro it, that they wenen for to have it. Thei gnawen upoun the drie bark withoutyn, but the swete kirnel of it and the inli savoure may he not come to. Thei schewen outward mekenesse, in habite, in hooli speche, in loweli berynge, and, as it semeth, in many grete bodili and goostli vertues. But neverthelees in the wille and the affeccioun of here herte, where mekenesse schulde principali be, it is but feyned. For thei dispisen and setten at nought alle othere men that wolen not doo as thei doon and techen. Thei holden hem fooles bi unkunnynge, or blyndid bi fleischli likynge; and therfore thei liften hemsilf upoun high in there owen sight, above alle othere, wenynge that thei lyven betere than othere and that they haave oonli the soothfastnesse of good lyvynge and singuler grace of God, bothe in knowynge and goostli feelynge, passynge othere men. And of this sight in hemsilf riseth a grete delite in here hertes in the which thei worschipen and preisen hemself, as ther were noon but thei. Thei preisen and thanken God with here lippes, but in her hertis thei stelen as theves the worschip and the thankyng from God and setten it in hemself.
And so thei have neither mekenesse in wille ne in felynge. A fleischli caytif or a synnere which falleth al day, and is sori for that he doth so, though he have not mekenesse in affeccioun, he hath in a gode wille. But an heretik or an ipocrite hath neither, for thei han the condicion of the pharisee, the which com as oure Lord seith in the Gospel with the publican to the temple for to prey. And whanne he com he prayde not ne he askide not of God, for hym thoughte he hadde no nede, but he bigan for to thanke God, and seide thus: "Lord, y thanke Thee that Thu gyvest me more grace thanne another, that y am not as othere men aren, robbours, lecchours, and sich synneres." And he lokide bisides hym, and sigh the publican, whiche he knew for a wrecch, knokkand upon his brest onli, criande after merci. Thanne he thanked God that he was not sich oon as he was. "For Lord," he seide, "I faste twies in the woke, and I paye truli my tithes." And whanne he hadde doon, oure Lord seide he yede hoom agen withouten grace as he com, and gaat right nought.
But now seist thou, "Whereinne thanne trespacide this pharisee, sithen he thankid God, and was soth as he seide?" As to this I answere and seie, that this pharisee trespacide in as mykil as he demede and reprovede in his herte the publican, which was justifyed bi oure Lord. And also he trespacide, for he thanked God oonly with his mouth, but he delitede willfulli by a pryvé pride in hymsilf of the giftes of God, stelande the worschipe and the loovynge from God and sette it in hymsilf. This same condicioun of this pharisee soothli han heretikes and ypocrites. Thei wolen not gladli praie, and yif thei praien they meke not hemself knowelechynge truli here wrecchidnesse, but thei maken hem by a feynynge for to thanke and loove God, and speken of Hym with here mouth. But her delite is veyn and fals and not in God, and yit thei wenen not so. They conne not love God, for the wise man seith: Non est speciosa laus in ore peccatoris (Ecclesiasticus 15:9). It is neither fair ne semeli praisynge of God in the mouth of a synnere.
Wherfor it is profitable to thee and to me, and sich othere wrecchis, for to leve the condicion of this pharisee and feyned lovyng of God, and folwe the publican first in lowenesse, askynge merci and forgifnesse of synnes and grace of goosteli vertues, that we myght afterward with a clene herte sothfastli thanke Hym and love Hym and gyve Him hooli the worschipe withouten feynynge. For oure Lord asketh bi His prophete thus: Super quem requiescet spiritus meus nisi super humilem contritum spiritu et trementem sermones meos? (Isaiah 66:2). Upon whom schal My spirit reste? And He answereth Himsilf and seith: upon noon but upon the meke, poverli and contrite in herte and dredynge My wordes. Thanne yif thou wolt have the spirit of God rulynge thyn herte, have mekenesse and dreede of Hym.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Isa.29.13;Matt.15.8;Luke.18.9-Luke.18.14 — And the Lord said: "Because this people draws near with its mouth and honors me with its lips, but its heart is far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by humans." Matt.15.8 — But "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." Luke.18.9 — He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: Luke.18.10 — Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. Luke.18.11 — The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed these things toward himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.' Luke.18.12 — I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all that I get. Luke.18.13 — But the tax collector, standing far off, was not even willing to lift his eyes to heaven, but kept beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner.' Luke.18.14 — I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than that one; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
- ↩Isa.66.2 — And all these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one I will look to: the poor and contrite in spirit, and the one who trembles at my word.
- ↩Isa.66.2 — And all these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one I will look to: the poor and contrite in spirit, and the one who trembles at my word.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME 'loovynge' here is praise/laud (paired with 'worschipe'), not romantic love; rendered as 'praise'.
- 2 ↩Vulgate Latin citation retained as in the source; Hilton's English expansion follows in s4–s5, with explicit Isaiah 66:2 label in s3.
- 3 ↩ME 'poverli' can be adverbial ('poorly') or mark the state of spiritual poverty; rendered as 'poor' to keep Hilton's triad with meekness and contrition, aligning with Isaiah 66:2's humble/contrite profile.
Scala Perfectionis (The Scale of Perfection) companion
A daily portion of stillness
Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.
Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.
- Daily bite-sized excerpts from the contemplative classics, never a wall of text
- A built-in timed stillness practice that grows from 2 minutes to 10
- Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent