The foure and thritty chapitre. That God geveth this grace freely withouten any mene, and that it may not be comen to with menes.
Grace Freely Given
The author confesses he cannot teach the means to this contemplative work, for it is God's gift alone, given freely without merit, often to habitual sinners, and not withheld for sin.
And if you ask me by what means you'll come to this work, I beg Almighty God, by His great grace and courtesy, to teach you Himself. For truly, I want you to know that I cannot tell you. And that's no wonder. For that is the work of God alone, specially worked in whatever soul it pleases Him, without any merit from that same soul. For without it, no saint nor any angel can even think of desiring it. And I believe that our Lord as specially and as often—yes! and more specially and more often—will graciously choose to do this work in those who have been habitual sinners than in some others who never grieved Him greatly compared to them. And this He will do, because He wants to be seen as all-merciful and almighty; and because He wants to be seen working as He pleases, where He pleases, and when He pleases. And yet He does not give this grace, nor work this work, in any soul that is unable for it. And yet, no soul is capable of having this grace without it—whether it's the soul of a sinner or an innocent person. For it isn't given because of innocence, nor is it withheld because of sin. Take careful note that I say withheld, not withdrawn.1 I beg you to be careful of error here; for the closer people come to the truth, the more cautious they need to be against error. I mean only well. If you can't grasp it, set it aside until God comes and teaches you. Do that, then, and don't hurt yourself.
The Work Within
The condition of this work is that its presence enables the soul to have it; the soul must be humble, let the work act, be passive like wood to a carpenter, and maintain a naked intent toward God.
Watch out for pride, for it blasphemes God in his gifts and emboldens sinners. If you were truly humble, you would feel about this work as I say: that God gives it freely, without any merit.2 The condition of this work is that its presence enables a soul to have it and feel it. And no soul can have that ability without it. The ability for this work is united to the work itself, inseparable; so that whoever feels this work is capable of it, and no one else is; so much so that without this work a soul is as if dead, and cannot covet it or desire it.3 For as much as you will it and desire it, that much of it you have—no more and no less; and yet it is neither will nor desire, but a thing you don't know what, that stirs you to will and desire something you don't know what.4 Never mind that you don't know any more, I ask you; just keep going on more and more, so that you're always doing.5 To put it more briefly: let that thing work in you and lead you wherever it wills. Let it be the worker, and you only the one who undergoes it; do nothing but watch it, and leave it alone. Don't meddle with it as if you meant to help it, for fear you'll spoil everything. Be only the wood, and let it be the carpenter; be only the house, and let it be the householder living in it. Be blind in this time, and cut away the craving to know, for it will hinder you more than help you. It's enough for you that you feel yourself stirred with delight by something you can't name—provided that in your stirring you have no special thought of anything under God, and that your intent is nakedly directed to God.
No Means, Only God
Trust that it is God alone who stirs your will without any means, for no angel or devil can do so; therefore, no means should be used, and all good means depend on this work but cannot lead to it.
And if that's how it is, then trust steadfastly that it's only God who stirs your will and your desire, plainly by Himself, without any means either on His part or on yours. And don't be afraid of the devil, for he can't come that near. He can never come to stir a person's will except occasionally, and by a remote means, however subtle a devil he may be. For no good angel can stir your will sufficiently and without means; nor, to put it briefly, can anything but God alone. So you can grasp something here from these words—though much more clearly from the proof—that in this work people should use no means, and yet people cannot arrive at it by means.6 All good means hang upon it, and it hangs on no means; nor can any means lead to it.
Read the original Middle English
And yif thou askest me by what menes thou schalt com to this werk, I beseche Almighty God of His grete grace and His grete curtesye to teche thee Hymself. For trewly I do thee wel to wyten that I can not telle thee. And that is no wonder. For whi that is the werk of only God, specyaly wrought in what soule that Hym likith, withoutyn any deseert of the same soule. For withoutyn it no seynte ne none aungel can thenk to desire it. And I trowe that oure Lorde as specyaly and as ofte -- ye! and more specyaly and more ofte -- wil vouchesaaf to worche this werk in hem that have ben customable synners, then in somme other that never grevyd Hym greetly in comparison of hem. And this wil He do, for He wil be seen almercyful and almyghty; and for He wil be seen to worche as Hym lyst, where Him lyst, and when Hym lyst.
And yit He gevith not this grace, ne worcheth not this werk, in ani soule that is unable therto. And yit ther is no soule withoutyn this grace, abil to have this grace, noo, whether it be a synner soule or an inocent soule. For neither it is goven for inocense, ne withholden for synne. Take good kepe that I sey withholden, and not withdrawen. Bewar with errour here, I preye thee; for ever the nere men touchen the trewth, more war men behoveth to be of errour. I meen bot wel. Yif thou canst not conseyve it, legge it bi thi syde tyl God come and teche thee. Do then so, and hurt thee not.
Bewar with pride, for it blasfemith God in his giftes, and booldenith synners. Were thou verrely meek thou schuldest fele of this werk as I sey: that God gevith it frely withouten any desert. The condicion of this werk is soche, that the presence therof ablith a soule for to have it and for to fele it. And that abilnes may no soule have withoutyn it. The abilnes to this werk is onyd to the selve werk, withoutyn departyng; so that whoso felith this werk is abil therto, and elles none; insomochel, that withoutyn this werk a soule is as it were deed, and can not coveite it ne desire it. For as moche as thou wylnest it and desirest it, so mochel hast thou of it, and no more ne no lesse; and yit is it no wil, ne no desyre, bot a thing thou wost never what, that sterith thee to wilne and desire thou wost never what. Reche thee never thof thou wite no more, I preye thee; bot do forth ever more and more, so that thou be ever doyng.
And, yif I schal schortlyer sey, lat that thing do with thee and lede thee wherso it list. Lat it be the worcher, and thou bot the suffrer; do bot loke apon it, and lat it alone. Medel thee not therwith as thou woldest help it, for drede lest thou spille al. Be thou bot the tre, and lat it be the wright; be thou bot the hous, and lat it be the hosbonde wonyng therin. Be blynde in this tyme, and schere awey covetyse of knowyng, for it wil more let thee than help thee. It suffisith inowgh unto thee that thou fele thee steryd likyngly with a thing thou wost never what, ellys that in thi steryng thou have no specyal thought of any thing under God, and that thin entent be nakidly directe unto God.
And yif it be thus, trist than stedfastly that it is only God that sterith thi wyl and thi desyre, pleynly by Hymself, withouten mene outher on His party or on thin. And be not feerd for the devel, for he may not com so neer. He may never come to styrre a mans wil, bot occasyoneely, and by a fer mene, be he never so sotyl a devil. For sufficiently and withouten mene may no good aungel stire thi wil; ne, schortly to sey, no thing bot only God.
So that thou mayst conceyve here by theese wordes sumwhat -- bot moche more cleerly by the profe -- that in this werk men schul use no menes, ne yit men mowe not com therto with menes. Alle good menes hangen upon it, and it on no mene; ne no mene may lede therto.
Notes
- 1 ↩Middle English withholden vs withdrawen: God may leave the grace ungiven to a soul not able for it, but does not take back a grace already given.
- 2 ↩ME desert = desert/merit (what is deserved), not barren land; rendered as merit.
- 3 ↩onyd = made one/united; the Cloud's claim is that capacity for the work is inseparable from the work itself.
- 4 ↩Paradox retained: measure of possession tracks willing/desiring, yet the stirring itself is neither will nor desire but an unknown impulse.
- 5 ↩Reche thee never = do not care / never mind (ME recchen); not 'reach'.
- 6 ↩ME menes means instruments or intermediaries of approach to God, not mere methods in a loose modern sense; the chapter argument is that this contemplative work is given without means and cannot be reached by them.
The Cloud of Unknowing 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