Hou God suffreth hem that He cheseth for to be tarid and temptid; and aftirwarde He
The Divine Pattern of Trial and Comfort
Drawing on the wisdom of Sirach, the author explains how God uses periods of temptation and spiritual dryness to test and ultimately prepare the soul for deeper grace.
He comforts them and establishes them in grace. And to comfort such people so they don't despair, the wise man says this of our Lord: In temptation, He walks with him. First, He chooses him. He brings fear, dread, and testing upon him; He will torment him with the tribulation of His teaching until He tests him in his thoughts and trusts his soul; He will lead him on the straight path, strengthen him, and gladden him; and He will uncover His hidden things to him, and store up within him knowledge and understanding of justice (Ecclesiasticus 4:18–21).1 This is to say: the wise man, because he didn't want people to despair in temptation, says this for their comfort: In tribulation and temptation, our Lord doesn't forsake a person, but walks with him from beginning to end. For He says, first He chooses him—which is when He draws a person to Himself through the comfort of devotion—and afterward He brings sorrow, fear, and testing upon him, which is when He withdraws devotion and allows him to be tempted. He also says He torments him in tribulation until He has tested him thoroughly in his thoughts, and until a person puts all his trust fully in Him. And then, after this, our Lord brings him out onto the right path, binds him firmly to Himself, gladdens him, and afterward shows him His secrets, giving him His treasure of knowledge, understanding, and righteousness.2
Endurance and the Promise of Victory
The author encourages the reader to persevere through temptation with prayer and patience, trusting that God will eventually grant the soul spiritual strength and final union.
These words of Holy Scripture show that these temptations—or any others, no matter how ugly they seem to someone who, by grace, is fully committed to leaving sin behind—are helpful and profitable. This is true if the person endures them as best they can, waits on God's will, and refuses to turn back to the sins they have forsaken, regardless of any sorrow, pain, or fear caused by the temptation, but instead stands firm in labor and in prayer. Our Lord, out of His endless goodness, having pity and mercy on all His creatures, when He sees the time puts His hand to the work and strikes down the devil and all his power; and He eases them of their labor, puts away fears and sorrows and darkness from their hearts, brings into their souls the light of grace, and opens the sight of their soul, giving them a new spiritual strength to withstand all the temptations of the fiend and all deadly sins without great struggle, and leads them into the firmness of a life of good virtues.3 In that life, if they are humble, He keeps them to their last end, and then He takes them wholly to Himself. I tell you this: if you are harassed or worn down by these kinds of temptations, don't be too afraid. Do as I have said—or better, if you can—and I hope that by the grace of Jesus Christ, you will never be overcome by your enemy.
Read the original Latin
comfortith hem and stableth hem yn grace.
And also in confort of sich men that thei schulde not despeire, the wise man seith thus of oure Lord: In temptacione ambulat cum eo. In primis eligit eum. Timorem et metum et approbacionem inducit super illum; et cruciabit illum in tribulacione doctrine sue, donec temptet illum in cogitacionibus suis, et credat anime illius, ad iter directum adducet illum et firmabit illum et letificabit illum; et denudabit abscondita sua illi, et thesaurizabit super illum scienciam et intellectum iusticie (Ecclesiasticus 4:18-21). This is thus mykil for to sai: The wise man, for he wolde not that men schulde dispeire in temptacion, in comfort of hem he seith thus: In tribulacion, ne in temptacioun oure Lord forsaketh not a man, but He goth with him fro the bigynnynge to the laste ende, for He seith, first He cheseth him, and that is whanne He draweth a man to him bi confort of devocion; and aftirward sorwe and drede and assaiynge He bringeth upon him, and that is whanne He withdraweth devocion and suffreth him to be temptid. Also He seith He tormenteth him in tribulacion, until He hath assaied hym wel in his thoughtis, and til a man wole putte al his trust fulli in Him. And thanne aftir this oure Lord bringeth hym oute to the right wai and festeneth him to Hym, and gladith hym, and sithen scheweth him His pryvetees, and geveth him His tresour of knowynge and undirstondinge and rightwisenesse.
Bi thise wordes of Holi Writ mai thou see that thise temptacions, or ony othere, be thei nevere so uggli to a man that bi grace is in ful wille to forsake synne, aren spedful and profitable, yif he wole suffre as he mai and abide Goddis wille, and not turne agen to synnes which he hath forsake for no sorwe ne peyne ne drede of siche temptacioun, but ai stondeth stille in travaile, and in praiere. Oure Lord of His endelees godenesse, havynge pité and merci of alle His creatures, whanne He seeth tyme He leith to His hond, and smyteth doun the devel and al his power; and eseth hem of here travaile, and putteth awei dredis and sorwes and merkenesse oute of here hertes and bringeth into hire soules light of grace, and openeth the sight of here soule, gyvynge hem a newe goostli myght to agenstonde al the fondynges of the fende and alle deedli synnes withoutin gret travaile, and ledeth hem into saddenesse of good vertues lyvynge. In the which, yif thei be meke, He kepeth hem to here laste ende, and thanne taketh He hem al hooli to Hym. This thyng y seie to thee, yif thou be taried or traveiled with ony siche manere of temptacions, be not to mykil adred, but doo as I have seide, and betere yif thou may; and y hope bi the grace of Jhesu Crist thou schal never be overcome with thyn enemy.
Notes
- 1 ↩approbacionem rendered as 'proving' (trial/testing), not mere approval; matches the chapter's sense of assaiynge and the common Vulgate reading probationem in this Sirach passage.
- 2 ↩pryvetees rendered as 'secrets' (God's hidden/interior mysteries), matching denudabit abscondita sua in the Latin citation.
- 3 ↩Middle English 'sad'/'saddenesse' here means firmness, solidity, or steadfastness—not modern 'sadness'.
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.
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