Hou a man schal see the groound of synne in hymsilf.
The Call to Interior Recollection
The author instructs the reader to withdraw from outward busyness and bodily senses to focus the heart solely on seeking Jesus.
Now you've heard a little of what your soul is, what dignity it once had, and how it lost that dignity; and I've also told you that this dignity might, by grace and diligent effort, be somewhat recovered again—in part as something felt.1 Now I'll tell you, as weakly as I can, how you may enter into yourself to see the ground of sin and destroy it as much as you can—and so you'll be able to recover a part of your dignity. For a time, you should step back from all physical labor and outward busyness, as much as you are able. Then, withdraw your thoughts into yourself, away from your physical senses, so that you don't pay attention to what you hear, see, or feel, and keep your heart from being fixed on those things.2 After that, draw your thoughts even further inward—if you can—away from any mental images of physical things, and from all thoughts of your own past actions or the actions of others. This is a simple skill when you have devotion, but you should practice it as I’ve described even when you lack devotion, for it is much harder then.3 Set your intention and purpose to seek, feel, and find nothing but your Lord Jesus alone: the grace, the presence, the teaching, and the comfort of your Lord Jesus Christ. This is hard work, because vain thoughts will always crowd into your heart, trying to drag your focus down to them.
Confronting the Image of Sin
By persisting in prayer despite distractions, the seeker discovers the dark, sinful state of their own soul, which must be acknowledged to be healed.
But with a steady mind fixed on Jesus Christ and with diligence in prayer, you must resist them; and if you do this, you will find something—though not Jesus, whom you seek. What then? Truly, nothing at all but a dark and painful image of your own soul, which has neither the light of knowing, nor the feeling of love, nor any delight.4 If you look carefully at this image, it is all wrapped in the black, stinking clothes of sin—pride, envy, anger, sloth, gluttony, and lust.5
Read the original Latin
Now hast thow herd a litil what thi soule is, and what worschipe it hadde, and how he loste it; and also y have told thee that this worschipe myght bi grace and bisi travaile sumwhat be recovered agen in partie of felynge. Now schal I telle thee febli as y can hou thou schalt mow entre into thisilf, for to se the ground of synne and for to distroie it as mykil as thou may, and so schalt thou mowe recovere a partie of thi dignité. Thou schalt cese for a tyme from alle bodili werkes, from al outeward besinesse as thou mai wel. Thanne schalt thou drawe into thisilf thi thought from thi bodili wittes, that thou take noo kepe what thou heerest or seest or felist, so that the poynt of thyn herte be not ficchid in hem. Aftir this drawe inner thi thought from al ymaginynge, yif thou mai, of ony bodili thyng, and from alle thoughtis of thi bodili dedis bifore doon, or of othere mennys dedis. This is a litil maistrie for to doo whanne thou hast devocioun; but thou schalt doo thus as I seie whanne thou hast no devocioun, for thanne is it mykil the hardere. And sette thyn entent and thi purpoos as thou woldest not seke, ne fele, ne finde, but upon thi lord Jhesu oonly, the grace and the presence, the techynge and the comfort of thi Lord Jhesu Crist. This is traveilous, for veyn thoughtis wolen alwei presen to thyn herte thikke, for to drawe thi thought doun to hem.
But thou schalt with stable mynde of Jhesu Crist with besinesse in praieres agenstonde hem, and yif thou doo thus, thou schalt fynde sumwhat - not Jhesu whom thou sekest. What thanne? Sotheli, right nought but a merk ymage and a peynful of thyn owen soule, whiche hath neither light of knowynge ne felynge of love ne likynge. This ymage yif thou biholde it wittirly, is al bilappid with blake stynkande clothis of synne, as pride, envie, ire, accidie, glotonye, and leccherie.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME worschipe here means the soul's original honor/dignity (image-of-God worth), not liturgical worship; it aligns with dignité in the next sentence. 'in partie of felynge' means a partial recovery in the mode of felt experience, not full restoration.
- 2 ↩'the poynt of thyn herte' is Hilton's image for the sharp tip or focused attention of the heart; 'ficchid' = fixed/fastened.
- 3 ↩maistrie = skill/craft requiring mastery, not 'mastery over others'.
- 4 ↩merk ymage: 'merk' = dark/murky; Hilton's standard figure for the soul's unillumined self-image under sin, not a physical mark.
- 5 ↩accidie rendered as 'sloth' (acedia); the capital-sin list here omits covetousness, as in the source.
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