SR
← Scala Perfectionis (The Scale of Perfection)/Book 1 · The Scale of Perfection, Book I
Chapter 54ScalePerfB1.1.54

Whoso wole fynde Jhesu, hym bihoveth abide and traveile in this goostli merkenesse of

Laboring Through the Nothing

The seeker must labor through the spiritual darkness and the 'nothingness' of the fallen image to find the hidden presence of Jesus.

this image of sin. Nevertheless, you must labor and sweat in this nothing; that is, you must withdraw your thoughts from all physical things as much as you can. And then, when you find nothing at all but sorrow and pain and blindness, if you want to find Jesus, you must suffer the pain of this nothing, and remain in this darkness and rise up in your thought against this same darkness by fervent desire for God—not setting the point of your thought on that same nothing, but on Jesus whom you desire, as if you would beat it down and go through it.1 You will shudder at and loathe this nothing just as if it were the devil of hell, and you will despise it and break it completely to pieces; for deep within this nothing Jesus is hidden in His joy, whom you cannot find by your seeking unless you pass through this darkness of this nothing.2 This is the spiritual labor I spoke of; the purpose of this writing is to stir you toward it if you feel grace. This nothing I speak of is the image of the first Adam.

The Two Adams

By reflecting on the words of Saint Paul, the seeker learns to transition from the image of the earthly Adam to the image of the heavenly Christ.

Saint Paul knew it well, for he said: "As we have borne the image of the earthly man, so let us now also bear the image of the heavenly man" (1 Corinthians 15:49).✦3 As we have before this borne the image of an earthly man (that is, the first Adam), just so that we might now bear the image of the heavenly man, who is Jesus, the second Adam.✦ He often bore this image as a very heavy burden, for it was so cumbersome to him that he cried out, "O who will deliver me from the body of this death?"✦ (Romans 7:24).✦ Ah, who will deliver me from this body and image of death?✦4 Then he comforts himself and others this way: Gratia Dei per Jesum Christum (Romans 7:25)—the grace of God through Jesus Christ.✦5

Clarifying the Image

The author acknowledges the difficulty of understanding the 'nothingness' of the image and promises further, clearer instruction.

I've told you a little about this image—how it's nothing. Still, if it's far from your understanding how what I said could be true — that nothing could be an image, for nothing is nothing but nothing — then so that you can grasp it easily, I'll tell you more plainly about this image, as it seems to me.6

Read the original Latin

this ymage of synne.

Neverthelees, in this nought bihoveth thee to swynke and swete; that is to sai, thee bihoveth drawe in thi thought from alle bodili thynges as moche as thou may. And thanne, whanne thou fyndest right nout but sorwe and peyne and blyndenesse, yif thou wolt fynde Jhesu, the peyne of this nought bihoveth thee to suffre, and abide in this merkenesse and arise in thi thought agens this ilke merkenesse, bi fervent desire to God; not settynge the poynt of thi thought in that ilke nought, but in Jhesu whiche thou desirest, as thou woldest bere it doun, and goo thorugh it. Thou schalt grise and lothe this nought right as it were the devyl of helle, and thou schalt despice it and al tobreke it; for al withinne this nought is Jhesu hid in His joie, whom thou mai not fynde bi thi sekynge, but yif thou passe thorugh this merkenesse of this nought. This is that goosteli traveile that I spak of; and this travaile is a cause of al this writynge, for to stire thee therto yif thou feele grace. This nought that y speke of is the ymage of the firste Adam. Seynte Poul knewe it wel, for he seid thus of it: Sicut portavimus ymaginem terreni hominis, ita portemus ymaginem iam et celestis hominis (1 Corinthians 15:49). As we han here biforn born the ymage of an ertheli man (that is, the first Adam), right so that we myght now bere the ymage of the heveneli man, whiche is Jhesu, the secunde Adam. He baar this ymage wel often ful hevye, for it was so comberous to hym that he criede oute of it seiynge thus: O quis me liberabit de corpore huius mortis?

(Romans 7:24). A, whoo schal delyvere me fro this bodi and ymage of deeth? And thanne he comforteth hymsilf and othere thus: Gracia dei per Jesum Christum (Romans 7:25), the grace of God bi Jhesu Crist.

Now have y tolde thee a litil of this ymage, how it is nought. Neverthelees, yif it be feer fro thi knowynge hou it myght be sooth that y sai, that nought myght be an ymage, for nought is but nought; and so that thou mai lightli undirstande it, I schal telle thee more opynli of this ymage as me thenketh.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩1Cor.15.49 — And just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we will also bear the image of the heavenly one.
  2. ↩1Cor.15.49;1Cor.15.45-1Cor.15.47 — And just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we will also bear the image of the heavenly one. 1Cor.15.45 — So also it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living soul'; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 1Cor.15.46 — But the spiritual is not first; rather, the natural comes first, and then the spiritual. 1Cor.15.47 — The first human was from the earth, made of dust; the second human is from heaven." This harmonizes with v.21 while preserving Adam-Christ representation.
  3. ↩Rom.7.24 — Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
  4. ↩Rom.7.24 — Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
  5. ↩Rom.7.24 — Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
  6. ↩Rom.7.25 — Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself with my mind serve the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩merkenesse rendered as 'darkness' (Hilton's spiritual darkness of the nought); nought kept as 'nothing' for the interior void of the image of sin.
  2. 2 ↩al tobreke rendered as 'break it completely to pieces' (intensive to- + break).
  3. 3 ↩Latin citation in source includes iam et; English rendering follows the supplied Latin wording rather than a standard English Bible version.
  4. 4 ↩Hilton expands the Pauline 'body of this death' into 'body and image of death,' tying Paul's cry to the 'image of the first Adam' developed in the surrounding chapter.
  5. 5 ↩Source spelling 'Gracia' is a medieval Latin form of standard Vulgate 'gratia'; normalized in the Latin quotation while keeping Hilton's sense and citation.
  6. 6 ↩ENM nought carries both 'nothing' and the moral/spiritual sense of vanity or non-being; the paradox 'nought myght be an ymage, for nought is but nought' is kept as Hilton's logical knot that the next chapter unpacks (false self-love as the 'image').

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
Chosen Portion — Daily Prayer (free iOS app) →