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Chapter 61ScalePerfB1.1.61

Hou sere states in Holi Chirche schulle have sere medes in the blisse of hevene, and of

The Twofold Reward of Heaven

The author distinguishes between the sovereign reward of charity, common to all the saved, and the accidental rewards granted for specific states of life.

two rewards, the sovereign and the secondary. And I’ll say more to comfort you and all others who live as enclosed anchorites, and also, by the grace of God, to comfort everyone who enters any religious life approved by the Holy Church: all those who are saved by the mercy of our Lord will receive a special reward and a unique honor in the bliss of heaven for their way of life, above other souls who did not hold that state in the Holy Church, no matter how holy they may be.1 That honor is beyond any comparison to the honor of this world. If you could see what it is, you wouldn't trade your state—whether as an anchorite or a religious—for all the honor in this world, even if you could have it without sin, nor would you give up that unique reward in the bliss of heaven, which is called an accidental reward.2 Still, so that others don't misunderstand me, I'll put it more plainly. You should understand that there are two rewards in the bliss of heaven that our Lord gives to chosen souls.3 The first is sovereign and principal: the love and knowledge of Him according to the measure of charity God gives a soul living in mortal flesh.4 This reward is the best and sovereign, for it is God Himself; and it is common to every soul who will be saved, in whatever state or degree they live in Holy Church—more or less according to the amount and greatness of their charity.5 For whoever loves God most in charity here in this life—whatever degree he holds, whether unlearned or learned, secular or religious—will have the greatest reward in the bliss of heaven, because he will love God most and know Him most, and that is the sovereign reward.6 As for this reward, it will happen that some worldly man or woman—a lord or a lady, knight or squire, merchant or plowman, whatever degree he or she holds—will have a greater reward than some priest or friar, monk or canon, or enclosed anchorite. And why? Truly, because he loved God more in the charity of His gift.7

Special Deeds and the Lot of the Saints

Specific vocations and deeds, such as the anchoritic life or priesthood, carry their own unique honors in heaven, as illustrated by the prophet Daniel.

There is also a secondary reward that our Lord gives for specific good deeds a person does willingly, beyond what they are strictly required to do. Doctors of the Church primarily highlight three deeds: martyrdom, preaching, and virginity. These three works, as a mark of excellence—insofar as they surpass all others—will have a special reward, which they call an aureole; and that is nothing other than a singular honor and a special token ordained by God as reward for that special deed, ahead of other people who did not do so, beyond the sovereign reward of the love of God, which is common to them and to everyone else.8 It is the same with other special good deeds that, if done sincerely, are especially pleasing to God and considered excellent by the Church: for example, the enclosure of anchorites authorized by the Church, or entering an approved religious order—and the stricter the life, the greater the reward in the Church's judgment. And also, after these and beneath these, comes taking the order of priesthood for the care of people's souls and to minister the sacraments of Holy Church—or else for singular devotion, to please God and benefit their fellow Christians through the sacrifice of the precious Body of our Lord Jesus Christ.9 These are truly special and excellent deeds, openly recognized by the Church and in the sight of our Lord when done sincerely for God; each person will receive a special reward in the bliss of heaven, according to their degree. The state of bishop and of prelates stands above all these deeds as regards this accidental reward.10 That this is true seems clear from Holy Scripture in the prophet Daniel, where he says: "But you, go until the appointed time; you will rest, and you will stand in your lot at the end of the days" (Daniel 12:13).✦ This is as much as to say: When the angel had shown Daniel the secrets of God, he said to him: Go to the rest of your bodily death, and you will stand in your lot as a prophet.11 And truly, just as Daniel will stand as a prophet at the Day of Judgment and have the honor and excellence of a prophet over and above the sovereign blessed reward of the love and the sight of God, so too will you stand in your lot as an anchorite, and a religious in the lot of the religious life, and so those who have other excellent deeds—and so have a singular honor surpassing other people at the Day of Judgment.1213

Read the original Latin

two medes, sovereyn and secundarie.

And overe this I seie more, in comforte of thee and of alle othere havynge the staat of anker incloos, and also bi the grace of God in comfort of hem alle that entren ony religioun approved bi Holi Chirche, that alle thoo that bi the merci of oure Lord schal be savyd, thei schal have special mede and a singuler worschipe in the blisse of hevene for here staat of lyvynge, bifore othere soulis that hadden not that staat in Holi Chirche, though thei be nevere so hooli. Whiche worschipe is betere thanne al the worschipe of this world withouten ony comparison, for yif thou myghte see what it were, thou woldest not for al the worschipe of this world, though thou myghtest have it withoutin synne, chaunge thi staat either of ankir or of religious, ne leese that syngulere mede in the blisse of hevene, whiche is called accidental meede.

Neverethelees, that othere men mystake not this that y seie, therfore I schal seie it more opynli. Thou schalt undirstonde that there are two meedis in the blisse of hevene, whiche oure Lord geveth to chosen soulis. The toon is sovereyn and principal, as is love and knowynge of Hym aftir the mesure of charité geven of God to a soule lyvynge in deedli fleisch. This meede is best and sovereyne, for it is God Himsilf; and it is comone to alle soulis that schul be saaf in what staat or gree that thei ben lyvynge in Hooli Chirche, more or lasse aftir the quantité and the mychilheed of here charité. For he that most loveth God in charité here in this liyf, what degree he be in, be he lewid or lerid, seculer or religious, he schal have most mede in the blisse of hevene, for he schal most love God and knowe Hym, and that is the sovereyne meede. And as for this meede, it schal falle that sum wordli man or woman, as a lord or a ladi, knyght or squyer, marchaunt or plowman, what degree he be in, man or woman, schal have more meede than sum prest or frere, monke or chanoun or ankir incloos. And whi? Soothli for he lovede more God in charité of His gifte.

An nothir meede there is, that is secundarie, whiche oure Lord geveth for special good deedes that a man dooth wilfulli over that he is bounden to doo. Of three deedis principali doctours of Holi Chirche maken mynde of, as of martirdom, prechynge, and maydenhed. Thise three werkes as for an excellence, in as moche as thei passe alle othere, thei schullen have a special meede, whiche thei calle auriole, and that is not ellis but a synguler worschipe and a special tokene ordeyned of God in reward of that special deede, bifore othere men that diden not so, over the sovereyne meede of the love of God whiche is comoun to hem and to alle othere. Right so is it of othere special gode dedis, the whiche yif thei be doo soothfastli aren speciali acceptable in the sight of God, and in the doom of Hooli Chirche thei are excellente; as are enclosynges of ankeris doon bi auctorité of Holi Chirche, also entrynges into ony religioun approved, and the streightere that the religioun is, the more excellent is the meede in the doom of Hooli Chirche. And also aftir thise and binethe thise, the takynge of the ordre of prest for cure of mennys soulis, and for to ministre the sacraments of Holi Chirche, or ellis for singuler devocioun for to pleese God and profiten here even Cristene bi the sacrifice of the precious bodi of oure Lord Jhesu Crist. Sothli thise aren special deedis and excellent, opynli schewid in the doom of Hooli Chirche and in the sight of oure Lord, whanne thei aren doon soothfasteli for God; and thei schal have a special meede, ech man in his degree, in the blisse of hevene. The staat of bischop and of prelates is aboven alle thise deedes as for this accidental meede. That this is sooth it semeth bi Holi Writte in the prophete Daniel, where he seith thus: Tu autem, vade prefinitum tempus, et requiesces, et stabis in sorte tua in fine dierum (Daniel 12:13).

This is thus moche to seie: The angel whanne he hadde schewed to Daniel the pryvitees of God, he seide to hym thus: Go thou to the reste of thi bodili deeth, and thou schalt stonde in thi soort as a prophete. And sothli as Daniel schal stonde as a prophete at the day of doom, and have the worschipe and the excellence as a prophete over the sovereyne blissid mede of the love and the sight of God, right soo schalt thou stonde in thy sorte as an anker, and a religious in the sort of religioun, and so have othere excellent dedes, and so have a synguler worschip passynge othere men at the dai of doom.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Dan.12.13 — But as for you, go your way to the end; you shall rest, and you shall stand in your allotted portion at the end of the days.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩"Special mede and a singular worschipe" names a secondary heavenly reward (later called accidental) given for one's approved state of life in the Church, distinct from the sovereign reward of charity.
  2. 2 ↩"Accidental meede" (praemium accidentale) is Hilton's scholastic term for the secondary heavenly reward attached to state of life, as opposed to the sovereign/essential reward of knowing and loving God.
  3. 3 ↩ME meedis rendered as rewards (not archaic meed); scholastic meed/reward language continues in the next section as accidental reward.
  4. 4 ↩toon = the one (of two). as is taken as identifying the reward with love-and-knowledge, not a mere simile. charité kept as charity for the theological virtue that measures heavenly fruition.
  5. 5 ↩mychilheed = greatness / magnitude; paired with quantité as measure of charity. gree = degree/rank of life in the Church.
  6. 6 ↩lewid or lerid = unlearned or learned (not modern 'lewd'). religious = in religious life / under a rule, contrasted with seculer.
  7. 7 ↩of His gifte: charity as God's gift; the worldly person may outrank the religious in essential reward because God gave him greater charity.
  8. 8 ↩Middle English auriole names the scholastic aureole: a special accidental glory or mark of honor (often imagined as a crown) awarded for outstanding deeds such as martyrdom, preaching/doctorate, and virginity, distinct from the essential reward of the beatific love of God.
  9. 9 ↩even Cristene is the Middle English phrase for 'fellow Christians' (one's equals in Christ), not 'even' in the modern sense.
  10. 10 ↩accidental meede preserves the scholastic distinction between the essential/principal reward (love and knowledge of God) and secondary or accidental rewards given for particular states and works.
  11. 11 ↩ME soort/sorte (from Latin sors) is the allotted lot or rank; rendered lot to keep the Daniel 12:13 sense of standing in one's assigned place.
  12. 12 ↩over the sovereyne blissid mede is taken as over and above the primary common reward (love and vision of God), matching the accidental-vs-sovereign reward distinction in the previous section, not as superiority that replaces that reward.
  13. 13 ↩and so have othere excellent dedes is read as extending the parallel to others who have done excellent deeds (not only the addressee), consistent with the chapter's ranking of special states and works.

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