The seven and sixty chapitre. That whoso knoweth not the mightes of a soule and the maner of here worching may lightly be disseived in understonding of goostly wordes and of goostly worching; and how a soule is maad a god in grace.
The Danger of Spiritual Deception
We have fallen into sin, and so it is no wonder that those who do not know the powers of their soul are easily deceived in understanding spiritual words and works.
Look, spiritual friend — because of sin, we've fallen into the kind of wretchedness you can see here! And so, what wonder is it if we're blindly and easily deceived in understanding spiritual words and spiritual working — especially those who don't yet know the powers of their souls and the manner of their working?1
Three Levels of Soul: Bodily, Within, Above
The author describes three ways the mind can be occupied—with bodily things, with the soul's own powers, or with the substance of God—and explains how union with God in grace does not erase the distinction of nature.
For whenever the mind is occupied with any bodily thing — no matter how good an end it's directed toward — you're still beneath yourself in this working, and outside your soul.2 And whenever you feel your mind occupied with the subtle conditions of the powers of your soul and their workings in spiritual things — such as the vices or virtues of yourself or of any creature that is spiritual and equal to you in nature — toward the end that by this work you might learn to know yourself in the furthering of perfection: then you're within yourself and level with yourself. But whenever you feel your mind occupied with nothing physical or spiritual, but only with the very substance of God, as it is and may be known through the experience of the work in this book, then you are above yourself and under your God.3 You're above yourself: because you reach that place by grace where you cannot come by nature — that is, to be united to God in spirit and in love and in agreement of will. You're beneath your God: because even though it may in a sense be said that in this time God and you are not two but one in spirit — so much so that you, or another who for such oneness feels the perfection of this work, may truly, by the witness of Scripture, be called a god — nevertheless you're still beneath Him.4 For He is God by nature without beginning; and you who once were nothing in substance — and after that, when by His power and His love you were made something, willfully made yourself worse than nothing by sin — only by His mercy, with no desert of your own, are made a god in grace, united with Him in spirit without parting, both here and in the bliss of heaven without end.5 So though you're wholly one with Him in grace, you're still far beneath Him in nature.
Why the Author Speaks Indirectly
The author concludes by repeating the warning and explaining why he instructed the reader to hide their desire from God—to prevent a bodily interpretation of spiritual matters.
Look, spiritual friend. From this you can see, at least in part, that anyone who doesn't understand the powers of their own soul and how they work can very easily be deceived when interpreting words written with a spiritual intent. For this reason, you can see why I didn't dare tell you plainly to show your desire to God; instead, I told you, in a childlike way, to do everything you can to hide and conceal it.6 I do this for fear that you might take in a physical sense what is meant spiritually.
Read the original Middle English
Loo, goostly freende to soche wrechidnes as thou here mayst see ben we fallen for synne! And therfore what wonder is it though we be blyndely and lightly disseyvid in understondyng of goostly wordes and of goostly worchyng, and namely thoo the whiche knowyn not yit the myghtes of theire soules and the maners of theire worchyng?
For ever whan the mynde is ocupied with any bodely thing, be it taken to never so good an eende, yit thou arte binethe thiself in this worching, and withouten thi soule. And ever whan thou felist thi mynde ocupied with the sotil condicions of the myghtes of thi soule and theire worchynges in goostly thinges as ben vices or vertewes of thiself or of any creature that is goostly and even with thee in kynde, to that eende that thou mightest by this werke lerne to knowe thiself in forthring of perfeccion: then thou arte withinne thiself and even with thiself. Bot ever when thou felist thi mynde ocupyed with no maner of thyng that is bodely or goostly, bot only with the self substaunce of God, as it is and may be in the preof of the werk of this book, then thou arte aboven thiself and under thi God.
Aboven thiself thou arte: for whi thou atteynest to come thedir by grace, whether thou mayst not come by kynde; that is to sey, to be onyd to God in spirit and in love and in acordaunce of wille. Bynethe thi God thou arte: for whi thof al it may be seide in maner that in this tyme God and thou ben not two bot one in spirit -- insomoche that thou or another for soche onheed that feleth the perfeccion of this werk may sothfastly, bi witnes of Scripture, be clepid a god -- nevertheles yit thou arte binethe Hym. For whi He is God by kynde withouten biginnyng; and thou that sumtyme were nought in substaunce and therto after when thou were by His might and His love maad ought, wilfuly with synne madest thiself wors then nought: only bi His mercy withouten thi desert arte maad a God in grace, onyd with Him in spirit withouten departyng, bothe here and in blis of heven withouten any eende. So that, though thou be al one with Hym in grace, yit thou arte ful fer binethe Hym in kynde.
Loo, goostly freende! herby maist thou see sumwhat in partye that whoso knowith not the myghtes of theire owne soule, and the maner of theire worchyng, may ful lightly be disseyved in understondyng of wordes that ben wretyn to goostly entent. And herfore maist thou see sumwhat the cause whi that I durst not pleynly bid thee schewe thi desire unto God; bot I bad thee childly do that in thee is to hyde it and hele it. And this I do for feerde lest thou schuldest conseyve bodily that that is mente goostly.
Notes
- 1 ↩Middle English myghtes names the soul's faculties or powers; lightly here means easily or readily, not lightly in the casual modern sense.
- 2 ↩ME withouten thi soule means exterior to the soul's proper spiritual activity (not "lacking a soul"): when the mind is stuck on bodily things, the working stays beneath and outside the soul's interior sphere.
- 3 ↩ME preof can mean proof, trial, or experiential demonstration; rendered as "experience" for the contemplative testing of this work, not forensic proof.
- 4 ↩"a god" here is participatory language of union by grace (deification), not identity of nature with God; the sentence immediately checks the claim by keeping the soul beneath Him.
- 5 ↩"made a god in grace" continues Cloud deification language: god by participation/grace, contrasted with God by nature.
- 6 ↩ME 'hele' here means conceal/cover rather than heal; rendered 'conceal' to keep the pair with 'hyde'.
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