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Chapter 68ScalePerfB1.1.68

That no good deede mai make a man sikir withoute charité; and that charité is oonli had

The Necessity of Charity

Charity is a free gift of God that cannot be earned by human effort, and it is the essential foundation for any true security in the spiritual life.

as a gift of God to those who are meek—and who is perfectly meek.1 How then should any wretched person living on earth, whoever he may be, take delight or put trust or find security in himself for anything he can do or may do with all his bodily powers and all his natural reason, since none of it is worth anything without love and charity toward his fellow Christian? And this charity cannot be gotten by any working of his own, for it is a free gift of God sent to a humble soul, as Saint Paul says.✦2 Who dares to say boldly, "I have charity," or "I am in charity"? Truly, no one can say it with certainty except the one who is perfectly and truly humble. Other people may believe and hope of themselves that they are in charity by the signs of charity, but the one who is perfectly humble feels it, and therefore he may say it. Saint Paul was so humble, and therefore he said this of himself: Who shall separate me from the charity of God?✦ Tribulation, or anguish?✦ (Romans 8:35).✦ Who will separate me from the love of God?✦ Tribulation or anguish?✦ And he answers himself and says that no creature will put me away from the love of God which I have in Christ Jesus.✦

Discernment Through Humility

True humility allows a person to distinguish between hating sin and loving the sinner, a discernment that is impossible through human learning alone.

As I've said, many people perform deeds of charity without actually having charity. Correcting a sinner for their sin, in order to help them improve and at an appropriate time, is a deed of charity; but hating the sinner instead of the sin is against charity. The one who is truly humble can separate the one from the other, and no one can but he; for if a man had all the moral virtues of all philosophy, and also if he had knowledge of learning and of all divinity, and is not truly humble, he will err and stumble and take the one for the other; but humility is worthy to receive a gift of God that cannot be learned by human teaching.3 Therefore, the humble person is able to hate the sin while truly loving the person.

The Ease of Receiving Grace

While charity is difficult to obtain by one's own power, it is easily received through the humble spirit to which God freely gives grace.

But now perhaps you begin to fear, because I said that charity cannot be gotten by any work a person can do. What should you do, then? As for this I say that nothing is so hard to obtain as charity; that is true, if you try with your own effort alone.4 On the other hand, there is no gift of God that can be had as easily as charity, for our Lord gives no gift so freely, so gladly, or so commonly as He does charity. "How can I get it?" you say then. Be humble and lowly in spirit, and you'll have it; and what is easier to do than to be humble?✦ Truly, nothing. Then it seems that nothing can be had so easily as charity, and therefore don't be too afraid; be humble, and have it. As Saint James the Apostle said: Deus superbis resistit, humilibus dat graciam.✦ He says that our Lord resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.✦ This grace is essentially charity, for you will have charity in proportion to your humility.5

Degrees of Humility and Charity

The measure of one's charity corresponds to the depth of one's humility, which is defined by the honest self-knowledge of one's own state before God.

If your humility is only imperfect—existing in your will but not in your affection—then your charity will also be imperfect.6 This is good, for it is enough for salvation, as David says: Imperfectum meum viderunt oculi tui (Psalms 138:16). Lord, with your eyes of mercy, you see my imperfection. But if your humility is perfect, then your charity will be perfect—and that is the best. We must have the former if we want to be saved, and we should desire the latter.7 So if you ask me who is perfectly humble, for now you'll get no more from me on humility than this: the humble person is the one who truly knows and feels himself exactly as he is.

Read the original Latin

of the gifte of God to hem that are meke, and who is parfightli meke.

How schulde thanne ony caytif lyvynge in erthe, what that he be, have delite or trust or sikirnesse in himsilf for aughte that he can doo or mai doo with alle his bodili myghtes and al his kyndeli reson, sethen al is not worth withouten love and charité to his even Cristene? And this charité mai not be geten bi no worchinge of hymsilf, for it is a free gift of God sent to a meke soule, as Seynt Poul seith. Who daar seie hardili, "I have charité," or "I am in charité"? Sothli no man mai seie it sikirli, but he that is perfightli and sothfastli meke. Othir men mai trowe and hope of hemsilf that thei ben in charité bi tokenes of charité, but he that is perfightli meke feleth it, and therfore mai he seie it. Thus meke was Seynte Poul, and therfore he seide thus of himsilf: Quis me separabit a caritate dei? Tribulacio, an anguscia? (Romans 8:35).

Who schal departe me fro the charité of God? Tribulacion or anguisch? And he answerith hymsilf and seith, that there schal no creature putte me from the charité of God whiche I have in Crist Jhesu.

Many man dooth deedis of charité and hath no charité, as I have seide. For to reprove a synner for his synne into his amendynge and in covenable tyme, it is a deede of charité, but for to hate the synnere instide of synne, it is agens charité. He that is verili meke can departe the toon from the tothir, and no man but he; for yif a man hadde alle morale vertues of al philosophie, also yif man hadde knowynge of cleergie and of al dyvynyté and is not sothfastli meke, he schal erre and stumble and take the toon for the tothir; but mekenesse is worthi to receyve a gifte of God, the whiche mai not be leered bi techynge of man. And therfor he that is meke can hate the synne and truli love the man.

But now peraventure thou bigynnest for to dreede, for I seide that charité mai not be geten bi no werk of man that man mai doo. Hou thanne schal thou do? As unto this I seie that there is nothinge so harde for to gete as is charité; this is sooth, as with thyn owen traveile. Also, on the contrarie wise, there is no gift of God mai be hadde so lightli as charité, for oure Lord gyeveth noo gifte so freeli, ne so glaadli, ne so comonli as He dooth charité. "Hou schal y have it?" seist thou thanne. Be meke and lowe in spirite and thou schalt have it; and what is lightere for to doo thanne for to be meke? Sotheli noo thynge.

Thanne semeth it that there is nothynge that mai so lightli be had as charité, and therfore be not thou to moche adrad; be meke, and have it. Thus seide Seynt Jame the Apostil: Deus superbis resistit, humilibus dat graciam (James 4:6). Oure Lord, he seith, agenstondeth proude men, but to meke men He geveth grace. Whiche grace is propirli charité, for aftir the mesure of thi mekenesse so schal thu have charité.

Yif thou have mekenesse unperfightli, oonli in thi wille not in thyn affeccion, than schalt thou have unperfight charité. This is good, for it sufficeth to savacioun, as David seith: Imperfectum meum viderunt oculi tui (Psalms 138:16). Lord with thyn iyen of merci thou seest my unperfeccioun. But yif thou have mekenesse perfightli, than thou schalt have perfight charité, and that is the beste. The tothir bihoveth us to have yif we wolen be saaf, and this we schullen desire. Than yif thou aske me who is perfightli meke, thou schalt no more have at this tyme of me of mekenesse but this: he is meke that soothfastli knoweth and felith himsilf as he is.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Rom.8.35 — Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
  2. ↩Rom.8.35 — Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
  3. ↩Rom.8.35 — Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
  4. ↩Rom.8.35 — Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
  5. ↩Rom.8.35 — Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
  6. ↩Rom.8.35 — Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
  7. ↩Rom.8.35;Rom.8.38-Rom.8.39 — Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Rom.8.38 — For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither the present nor the future, nor powers Rom.8.39 — nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord
  8. ↩Matt.5.3;Matt.11.29 — Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt.11.29 — Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
  9. ↩Jas.4.6 — But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'
  10. ↩Jas.4.6 — But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'

Notes

  1. 1 ↩This section continues the chapter heading (‘and that charity is only had…’): ‘of the gifte…’ completes that clause. Rendered as a dependent continuation rather than a free-standing sentence.
  2. 2 ↩ME double negative 'mai not be geten bi no worchinge' rendered as a single modern negative: cannot be gotten by any working of his own.
  3. 3 ↩ME 'cleergie' here means book-learning / scholarly knowledge, not the clerical estate; rendered as 'learning'.
  4. 4 ↩as with thyn owen traveile: the hardness of obtaining charity is affirmed specifically when it is sought by unaided human labor, preparing the contrast with free divine gift in s4.
  5. 5 ↩propirli charité: Hilton equates the grace given to the humble with charity as the theological virtue itself, not a lesser kindness or mere almsgiving.
  6. 6 ↩Hilton's pair is wille (deliberate choice) vs. affeccion (felt disposition of the heart); imperfect humility is real in the will but not yet felt through the affections.
  7. 7 ↩The tothir points to imperfect charity (needed for salvation); this points to perfect charity (to be desired as the better gift).

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