How a stable entent is nedefulle to thise that schal plese God and discrecioun in bodili
The Necessity of a Stable Intention
A whole and stable intention to please God is the essential foundation for all spiritual and bodily labor.
Works.1 The third thing you need at the start is a whole and stable intention—that is, a complete will and a desire only to please God. For that is charity, without which everything you do would amount to nothing.✦ You should always set your intention to seek and labor to please our Lord Jesus Christ, never willingly stopping good work, whether bodily or spiritual. For you should not set a time in your heart—as if you would serve God this long, and then willingly let your heart sink into vain thoughts and idle occupations—thinking it was necessary for preserving your bodily nature, leaving the keeping of your heart and good work, and seeking rest and comfort outward through the bodily senses or in worldly vanities, as if it were recreation for the spirit so that it would be sharper afterward for spiritual labor. I don't believe that's true. I'm not saying you'll always be able to carry out your intention fully in practice; often your bodily needs—eating, sleeping, and speaking—and the frailty of your flesh will hinder and hold you back, no matter how diligent you are. But I would have your intention and your will always whole for laboring bodily or spiritually, and never idle, but always lifting up your heart by desire to your Lord Jesus Christ and to the bliss of heaven—whether you eat or drink, or do any other bodily work you practice—as much as you can, never willingly leaving it off.✦ For if you have this intention, it will keep you always lively and sharp in your labor; and if you fall by frailty or negligence into any idle occupation, or into vain speech, it will strike your heart sharply like a prick and make you weary of all vanities, and turn back quickly to the inward beholding of Jesus Christ by prayers or by some good deed or occupation.
Discretion in Practice and Zeal in Spirit
While bodily practices require moderation and discretion, the pursuit of virtue and the love of God should be pursued without limit.
Regarding your physical nature, it's wise to use discretion in eating, drinking, sleeping, and every form of bodily penance, as well as in long vocal prayers, the physical sensations that come from great fervor of devotion—like weeping or similar experiences—and even in the imaginings of your spirit.2 When you don't feel grace in these activities, it's best to exercise discretion and stop for a time, for moderation is best.3 However, when it comes to destroying sin by keeping your heart free from every kind of uncleanness, or in your lasting desire for virtues, the bliss of heaven, and the spiritual experience and love of God, don't hold to any middle measure—the more of this, the better.4 You must hate sin and all fleshly loves and fears in your heart without ceasing; you must love virtues and purity, and desire them constantly, if you are able.5 I'm not saying this is necessary for salvation, but I hope it's helpful; if you keep to this, you'll advance more in virtues in one year than you would in seven without this intention.6
Read the original Latin
werkes.
The thridde thynge whiche is nedeful thee to have in the bigynynge is an hool and a stable entencion, that is for to seie, an hool wille and a desyre oonli to plese God. For that is charité, withoute whiche al were not that thou doost. Thu schalt sette thyn entente alwey for to seke and traveile how thou myghttest plese oure Lord Jhesu Crist, no tyme for to cese wilfulli of good occupacion either bodili or gostli. For thu schalt not sette in thyn herte a tyme, as thus longe thou woldest serve God, and sithen to suffre thyn herte wilfulli to falle doun into veyn thoughtes and ydel occupacions, wenande that it were nedeful to thee for savynge of thi bodili kynde, levynge the kepynge of thy herte and gode occupacion, sekynge reste and confort oughtward bi the bodili wittes or in worldeli vanytees, as it were for recreacion of the spirit, that it schulde be more scharp afterward to goostli travaile. For y trowe it is not sooth. I seie not that thou schal mowen in deede ay performe thyn entent; for ofte sithes thi bodili nede in etynge, slepynge, and spekynge, and the freelté of thi fleisch schal lette thee and hyndre thee, be thu nevere so bisy. But I wolde that thyn entente and thi wille were alwey hool for to traveil bodili or goostli, and no tyme to be ydel, but alwey liftynge up thyn herte bi desire to thy Lord Jhesu Crist and to the blisse of hevene, whethir thu ete or drynke, or ony othir bodili travaile that thu usist, as mykil as thou mai wilfulli leve it not. For yif thou have this entent, it schal make thee ay quyk and scharp in thi traveile; and yif thou falle bi freelté or necgligence to ony idel occupacion, or in veyn speche, it schal smyte upon thyn herte scharpeli as a prikke and make thee for to yrke with alle vanitees, and for to turne agen hastili into inwarde biholdynge of Jhesu Crist bi praieres or bi summe gode dede or occupacion.
For as anemptis thi bodili kynde, it is good to use discrecion in etynge, and drynkynge, and in slepynge, and in alle maner bodily penaunce, or in longe praier bi speche, or in bodili feelynge bi greet fervour of devocioun, eyther in weepynge or in swiche othere, and also in ymagynynge of the spirit. Whan a man feeleth no grace in alle thise werkes, it is good to kepe discrecion and for to breke of summe tyme, for the mene is the beste. But in destroyynge of synne bi kepynge of thyn herte fro alle maner of unclennesse, and in ay lastynge desire of vertues, and of the blisse of hevene, and for to have the goostli felynge and lovynge of God, halde thou noo meene, for the more it is of this, the betere is it. For thu schalt hate synne, and alle fleischli loves and dredis, in thyn herte withouten cesynge, and thou schalt love vertues and clennesse, and desire hem withouten stintynge, yif thou myghtest. I sey not that this is nedeful to savacion, but y hope that it ys spedeful; and yif thou kepe it thou schalt profite more in a yeer in vertues thanne thu schalt withoutin this entent profite in sevene.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1Cor.13.1-1Cor.13.3 — If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 1Cor.13.2 — And if I have prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 1Cor.13.3 — And if I give away all I possess, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
- ↩1Cor.10.31 — So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source is a single ME word (werkes = works). Given the chapter title’s truncated close (‘discrecioun in bodili…’) and the next section’s full topic, this is almost certainly a stranded fragment of ‘bodily works,’ not a complete sentence.
- 2 ↩anemptis = as regards/with respect to; discrecion = spiritual discretion (moderation/discernment); ymagynynge of the spirit = mental/imaginative activity of the spirit (not free fantasy).
- 3 ↩breke of summe tyme = interrupt/leave off for a time; the mene = the mean/moderation (not mediocrity).
- 4 ↩halde thou noo meene contrasts with s2: moderation is required in bodily practices, but not in hatred of sin, desire of virtue, or love of God; goostli felynge = interior spiritual experience/awareness of God.
- 5 ↩fleischli loves and dredis = carnal/disordered affections and worldly fears; clennesse = purity of heart; yif thou myghtest = as far as you are able.
- 6 ↩spedeful = helpful/expedient for spiritual progress (not merely 'speedy'); entent carries forward the stable intention of this chapter.
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