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Chapter 67ScalePerfB1.1.67

That alle menys good deedis schal be appreved that hath likenes of good, save of the

Discernment and the Necessity of Charity

We are called to love our neighbor, yet must discern and reject the works of those who openly rebel against God and Holy Church.

the open heretic and the person who is openly cursed.1 Therefore, we should love and honor everyone in our hearts and accept any of their actions that appear good, even if the people themselves are bad in God's sight—with the exception of open heretics and those who are openly cursed. We should especially avoid the presence and company of these two types of people, and we should reject and condemn their actions, no matter how good they may seem, as long as they remain rebels against God and Holy Church. For example, if a worldly, cursed person builds a church or feeds the poor, you can safely count it as nothing and judge it for what it truly is.2 Likewise, if an open heretic who rebels against Holy Church preaches and teaches, even if he converts a hundred thousand souls, count the deed as nothing regarding him personally.3 For these men are openly outside charity, without which everything a person does is nothing; and therefore I say it is a great mastery for a person to know how to love his fellow Christian in charity.4

The Supremacy of Charity

Using Saint Paul's teaching, the author demonstrates that all outward good deeds are worthless without the interior life of charity.

All this teaching can be clearly proven by Saint Paul's words: If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am nothing; and if I have all faith so as to move mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.✦ And if I know all mysteries, I am nothing; and if I give away all my goods to feed the poor, and give my body to the fire to be burned, and have not charity, it does me no good (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).✦ In praise of charity, Saint Paul says: If I speak the language of men and of angels too, and I have no charity, I am nothing at all.✦ Even if I have enough faith to move mountains and cast them away, if I don't have charity, I am nothing.✦ And also if I had knowledge of all mysteries, without charity I am nothing.✦5 And if I give all that I have to poor people, and my body to the fire to be burned, and I have no charity, it does me no good.✦ Here it seems clear from Saint Paul's words that a person can do every bodily good deed without charity, and that charity is nothing other than loving God and one's fellow Christian as oneself.6

Read the original Latin

opyn heretik and the opyn cursid man.

And therfor we schulden love and worschipe alle men in oure hertis, and receyve alle heere dedes that have the likenes of godenesse, though the dooeres in Goddis sight be badde, save of the opyn heretike and the opyn cursid man. Of thise two speciali we schullen flee and eschewe the presence and the comonynge with hem, and we schulde reprove and refuse here deedes, seme thei nevere so goode, as longe as thei are rebel to God and to Holi Chirche. As yif a wordli cursid man make a chirche, or feede a pore man, thou mai sikirli holde it nought and deme it as it is. Also yif an opin heretike, whiche is rebel to Hooli Chirche, preche and teche, though he converte an hundrid thousand soulis, halde the dede as to himsilf right nought. For thise men aren opinli oute of charité, withouten whiche al is nought that a man doth; and therfore seie I it is a grete maistrie a man for to kunne love his even Cristene in charité. Al this seiynge mai opynli be proved bi Seynt Poulis wordis thus: Si linguis hominum loquar, et angelorum, caritatem non habuero, nichil sum; et si habuero omnem fidem, ita ut montes transferam, caritatem non habeam, nichil sum. Et si noverim misteria omnia, nichil sum; et si distribuero omnes facultates meas in cibos pauperum, et tradidero corpus meum igni ut ardeam, caritatem non habuero, nichil michi prodest (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Seynt Poul in preisynge of charité seith thus: Yif I speke the langage of men and angelis also, and I have no charité, I am right nought.

And yif I have so moche feith that y mai turne hillis and bere hem awey, and I have no charité, yit am I nought. And also yif I hadde knowynge of alle pryvitees, withouten charité I am nought. And yif I gyve al that y have to pore men, and my bodi to the fier to be brent, and y have no charité, it profiteth me nought. Heere it semeth wel bi Seynt Poulis wordis that a man mai doo alle bodily gode deedis withoute charité, and that charité is not ellis but for to love God and his even Cristen as himsilf.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩1Cor.13.1-1Cor.13.2 — If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 1Cor.13.2 — And if I have prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
  2. ↩1Cor.13.1-1Cor.13.3 — If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 1Cor.13.2 — And if I have prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 1Cor.13.3 — And if I give away all I possess, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
  3. ↩1Cor.13.1 — If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
  4. ↩1Cor.13.2 — And if I have prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
  5. ↩1Cor.13.2 — And if I have prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
  6. ↩1Cor.13.3 — And if I give away all I possess, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Middle English 'opyn cursid man' means a person publicly under the Church's curse (excommunicate), not merely someone who curses others. Rendered 'openly cursed' to keep that force without modernizing into 'excommunicated,' which the source does not say in so many words.
  2. 2 ↩ME 'wordli cursid man' likely means a secular person under open ecclesiastical curse/excommunication, not merely a wicked worldly person.
  3. 3 ↩'as to himsilf' marks that the deed is worthless for the heretic's own standing, not that converted souls gain nothing.
  4. 4 ↩Retained 'charity' for ME 'charité' as the theological virtue (not mere almsgiving), in line with the following Pauline material.
  5. 5 ↩ME pryvitees can mean secrets or mysteries; rendered mysteries to match the 1 Cor 13 misteria sense in the preceding Latin citation.
  6. 6 ↩even Cristen is the ME term for fellow Christian; kept as fellow Christian rather than the broader neighbor, since Hilton's wording is confessional rather than generic.

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