That a man schulde knowe the mesure of his gifte, and evere desire more, and take a
That a man schulde knowe the mesure of his gifte, and evere desire more, and take a
it's better when God is willing to give it.1 Our holy fathers before us taught us that we should know the measure of our gift, and work according to that—not taking on ourselves by pretension more than we have in feeling.2 We may always desire the best, but we can't always do the best, because we haven't yet received the grace. A hound that runs after a hare only because he sees other hounds running will rest and turn back as soon as he grows weary. But if he runs because he sees the hare, he won't spare himself from weariness until he has caught it. It's the same way spiritually.3 Anyone who has a grace, however small, who willfully stops working in it to labor in another they don't yet have—simply because they see or hear others doing so—may run for a while until they grow weary, and then they'll turn back. Unless they're careful, they may hurt their feet with fantasies before they get home.4 But the one who works in the grace they have, humbly and steadily desires more, and later feels their heart stirred to follow the grace they've desired, may safely run, provided they keep their humility. Therefore, desire from God as much as you can, without measure or restraint, everything that belongs to His love and the bliss of heaven; for whoever can best desire of God will feel the most of Him.5 But work as you can, and cry to God for mercy for what you can't. As Saint Paul said: Each one has his own gift from God; one has it this way, and another that way (1 Corinthians 7:7). And again: To each of us grace has been given according to the measure of Christ's gift (Ephesians 4:7). And again: There are different kinds of gifts; to one is given the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge (1 Corinthians 12:4, 8).✦ And again: so that we may know the things God has given us (1 Corinthians 2:12). Saint Paul says that every person has his gift from God—one this way, and another that.✦ For to every person who will be saved, grace is given according to the measure of Christ's gift. It's good that we know the gifts God has given us so that we may work in them, for by them we will be saved. Some will be saved and reach bliss through bodily works and deeds of mercy, some through great penance, some through sorrow and weeping for their sins all their life, some through preaching and teaching, and some through various graces and gifts of devotion.✦✦6
Read the original Latin
betere, whanne God wole gyve it.
Oure holi fadres heere bifore kenned us that we schulde knowe the mesure of oure gifte, and up that werk, not takynge upon us bi feynynge more thanne we han in felynge. We moun ai desire the beste, but we moun not ay werke the beste, for we han not yit receyved the grace. An hound that renneth aftir the hare oonli for he seeth othir houndes renne, whanne he is weri he resteth him and turneth hym agen. But yif he renne for he seeth the hare, he wole not spare for werynesse til he have geten it. Right so it is gosteli. Whoso hath a grace, be it never so litil, yif he leve wilfulli the werkynge of it, and make himsilf for to traveile in anothir whiche he hath not yit, oonli for he seeth or heereth that othere men doo soo, sothli he may renne a while til he be weri, and thanne schal he turne him agen, and but yif he be waar, he mai hurte his feet bi sum fantasies, or thanne he come hoom. But he that worcheth in siche grace as he hath, and desireth mekeli and lastandli aftir more, and aftir felith his herte stired for to folwe the grace whiche he hath desired, he mai sikirli renne, yif he kepe mekenesse. And therfore desire of God as mykil as thou mai, withoutyn mesure or discrecioun, of alle that longith to His love, and to the blisse of hevene; for woso can best desire of God, most schal fele of Hym.
But worche as thu mai, and crie God merci for that that thou mai not. Thus it semeth Seynt Poule seide: Unusquisque habet donum suum a deo, alius autem sic, alius vero sic (1 Corinthians 7:7). Item: unicuique nostrum data est gracia secundum mensuram donacionis Christi (Ephesians 4:7). Item: divisiones graciarum sunt, alii datur sermo sapiencie; alii sermo sciencie (1 Corinthians 12:4, 8). Item: ut sciamus que a deo donata sunt nobis (1 Corinthians 2:12). Seynt Poul seith that everi man hath his gift of God, oon thus, and anothir thus. For to everi man that schal be saaf is geven grace aftir the mesure of Cristis gifte, and therfore it is spedful that we knowe the giftis whiche are gyven us of God, that we myght worche in hem, for bi hem we schullen ben saaf; as summe bi bodili werkes and bi dedes of merci, summe bi grete penaunce, summe bi sorwes and wepyngis for here synnes al here liyftyme, sum bi prechynge and techynge, sum bi divers graces and giftes of devocioun schullen ben saaf and comen to blisse.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1Cor.12.4 — Now there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
- ↩1Cor.7.7 — Now I wish that all people were as I am. But each one has a particular gift from God, one of one kind and another of another.
- ↩Eph.4.7 — But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
- ↩1Cor.2.12 — Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that comes from God, so that we may understand the things freely given to us by God.
Notes
- 1 ↩Section text is a bare fragment beginning mid-phrase (lowercase betere). Sense is clear from the preceding gift/discernment discourse: a better gift only when God wills to give it. Left as a fragment rather than completed from neighboring sections.
- 2 ↩enm 'up that werk' = work according to that (measure); 'bi feynynge' = by feigning/pretending; 'in felynge' = in felt/experiential grace, Hilton's technical sense of interior experience of a gift.
- 3 ↩enm 'gosteli' = spiritually / in the spiritual life.
- 4 ↩enm 'or thanne he come hoom' = ere/before he comes home; 'fantasies' = delusive imaginations or mental fabrications, not modern 'daydreams' only.
- 5 ↩enm 'withoutyn mesure or discrecioun' intentionally contrasts desire (unmeasured) with the earlier counsel to know the measure of one's gift/work. 'discrecioun' = moderating spiritual discretion applied to practice, not a license for recklessness in works.
- 6 ↩ME 'spedful' rendered as 'good' (helpful/profitable/expedient); sense is practical spiritual usefulness, not mere convenience.
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