Walter Hilton
excerpts
from
THE SCALE OF PERFECTION
Book I
Part
III Chapter VIII
Book II
Part
III
CHAPTER IX: How Love slayeth
Covetousness, Lechery and Gluttony, ...through a gracious beholding of Jesus
Book I Part
III
SECTION I Of Gluttony and how a Man
shall know when he sinneth not in Eating and Drinking, and when he sinneth
venially, and when deadly
STILL mayest thou see more in this
image, though it be dark, namely, sensual love to thyself, in gluttony,
sloth and lechery. These fleshly likings make a man full beastly, and far
from the inward savour of the love of God and from the clear sight of
spiritual things. But thou wilt say that thou must needs eat and drink and
sleep, which thou canst not do without liking, therefore thou thinkest this
liking is no sin.
As unto this I say: That if in
eating, drinking and other takings of necessaries for thy body, thou observe
and keep measure; which is that thou do but what is needful for nature, and
thou receivest or admittest no further pleasure or delight in the taking,
than the nature of the thing doth needs bring with it; and all this thou
dost not of purpose to please thy sensuality, but for ghostly delight which
thou feelest in thy soul, and the upholding of thy body in the service of
God, I grant that for a truth thou then sinnest right nought therein, but
mayest well eat and sleep in that manner as thou hast mentioned.
Soothly and without doubt I am
full far from knowing how to do better in this point, and further from doing
of it, for to eat I have by kind or nature, but to skill how to eat, I
cannot but by the grace of God. St Paul had this cunning by the grace of
God, as he saith himself thus: I am cunning in all things, through Him
that strengtheneth me; for I can hunger, and I can eat, I can with plenty,
and I can with poverty, I can do all things.
St. Austin saith thus to our Lord: Lord,
thou hast taught me that I should take meat as a medicine: hunger is a
sickness of my nature, and meat is a medicine thereof.
Therefore the liking and delight that cometh therewith, and accompanieth
eating, inasmuch as it is natural, and followeth of necessity, it is no sin;
but when it passeth into lust, and into a voluntary and sought or intended
pleasure, then it is sin.
Therefore here lieth all the
mastery and skill to be able to distinguish wisely need from lust and
voluntary liking, being so knit together that the one cometh with the other.
So that it is hard to take the one (which is the meat or drink) as need
requireth, and to reject or not to admit the other, namely, the voluntary
and willingly admitted lust and liking, which often cometh under the colour
of need.
Nevertheless, sith it is so, that
need is the ground of this, and that need is no sin; for be a man never so
holy, it behoveth him to eat, and drink and sleep; therefore the lust and
liking that cometh under the colour of this need, and often exceedeth this
need, is the less sin. For it is true that he who chooseth lust and the
liking of his flesh, and delight in welfare of meat or drink, as the full
rest of his heart that he would never have any other life nor other bliss,
but live ever in such lust of his flesh, if he might, it is no doubt but he
sinneth deadly; for he loveth his flesh more than God. But he that lieth in
deadly sin of pride or envy, or such other, he is so blinded by the devil,
that for the time he hath no power of his free will, and therefore he cannot
well withstand fleshly likings when they come, but falleth down willingly to
them, as a beast doth to carrion; and inasmuch as he hath no general will
before to God principally, because that he is in deadly sin, therefore the
lust of gluttony into which he falleth easily, is to him deadly sin, for he
maketh no resistance either general or special. But another man or woman,
who being in grace or charity, hath alway a good general will to God in his
soul, whether he sleep or wake, eat or drink, or whatsoever good deed he
doth, so that it be not evil in itself; by the which will and desire he
chooseth God above all things, and had rather forbear all things in the
world, than anger his God for love of Him. This will, though it be but
general, is of so great virtue through the grace of our Lord Jesus, that if
he fall by frailty in lust and in liking of meat and of drink, or of such
other infirmity, either by exercise, in eating too much, or too often, or
too greedily, or too lusty and delicately, or too often before the set times
of eating, it saveth and keepeth him from deadly sin. And this is truth, as
long as he is in charity in his other works, and keepeth his general will in
all that he doth; and especially if anon after such his miscarriage he
acknowledge his own wretchedness and cry for mercy, and be in purpose
specially to withstand such fleshly lusts for the time to come. For our Lord
is good and merciful, and forgiveth right soon these venial sins and
miscarriages, or excesses about meat and drink (by reason that the occasions
of them are hardest to eschew, because of the necessity there is of seeking
and taking of them for the upholding of our corporal lives and healths) unto
an humble soul.
And these stirrings and likings of
gluttony, among all other sins, are most excusable and least perilous. And
therefore thou shalt not rise against the ground of this sin as thou shalt
against the ground of all other sin, for the ground of this sin is only
natural need and necessity, the which thou canst not eschew, unless thou
shouldst do worse, namely, slay this need (as many unwise persons do, by
destroying their bodies or healths), whereas they should only slay the
thief and spare the true man. That is to say, slay unreasonable lust and
sensual voluntary liking, and spare and keep natural liking and corporal
ability, and they do not so. But against all other sins thou shalt arise to
destroy, not only deadly sins and the greater venials, but also against the
ground of them by suppressing the stirrings and motions of them, and also
avoiding the occasions and motives and incentives to them as much as thou
canst; but this thou canst not do here with all thy skill, for thou canst
not live without meat and drink, but thou mayest live without lechery or
carnal pleasure if thou wilt, and never better than when without it. And
therefore thou shalt not fly only the deeds of it (namely, the doing of any
external thing against chastity) but also thou shalt suppress and destroy
within thee all mere inward and mental desires against the virtue of
chastity (the which mental desires or thoughts are sometimes only venial
sins, and sometimes mortal); but also thou shalt labour against the ground
of the said sin, and seek to destroy the feeling and the rising of fleshly
stirrings.
But this travail and labour
against the ground of lechery must be spiritual, by prayers and spiritual
virtues, and not by bodily penance only; for wot thou well, that if thou
fast and watch and scourge thyself, and do all that thou canst, thou shalt
never have cleanness and chastity without the gift of God, and without the
grace or virtue of humility. Thou shalt sooner kill thyself, than kill
fleshly stirrings and feelings of lust and lechery, either in thy heart or
in thy flesh, by any bodily penances; but by the grace of Jesus, in an
humble soul, the ground may be much stopped and destroyed, and the spring
may be much dried, the which will cause true chastity in body and in soul.
The same may be said of pride and
of covetousness, and of such other, for thou mayest live though thou wert
not proud at all, nor covetous, nor luxurious, and therefore thou shalt
labour to destroy the very feelings of them as much as thou canst, and so
seek to cleanse and take away the very ground of those sins. But in gluttony
it is otherwise, because the ground thereof, which is natural appetite and
need, must remain as long as thou livest, therefore must thou only arise and
fight against the unreasonable desires of thy natural appetite therein, the
which do creep in under pretense, and by occasion of the said just and
reasonable need; smite these unreasonable stirrings, and keep the ground
whole.
SECTION
II: That a Man should be busy to put away and hinder all Motions of sin,
but more busy about those of Spiritual sins than those of Bodily
AND therefore he that riseth
against the feeling of fleshly liking in meat and drink, more fully and more
sharply than against those of pride, or covetousness, or lechery, or envy
(the which because they be more spiritual and less perceivable, seem perhaps
less evil, and are less reprehended). I say that he is half-blind, for he
seeth not his spiritual uncleannesses (as of pride and envy), how foul they
are in God’s sight, for, I believe that if a man could see with his
spiritual eye how foul pride and covetousness are in God’s sight, and how
contrary they are to Him, he would more loathe a stirring of pride, and the
vain liking of it; and also he would more abhor and rise against that evil
will of envy, or anger to his neighbour than many a stirring or liking
either of gluttony or of lechery. Nevertheless, all men do not think so, for
commonly men are more shy or troubled to feel a stirring of fleshly sin, and
have for it more sorrow and heaviness than for great likings in vain-glory
or in other ghostly sins. But they are not wise; for if they would
understand the holy Scriptures and sayings of doctors they should find it as
I say, which I neither may nor will rehearse now.
I will not excuse them that fall
in the likings and delights of gluttony and lechery, as if they sinned not;
for I wot well that all the kinds of them are sins more or less, according
to the measure of the lust and misbehaviour in the sin, and other likings,
with consideration of how far voluntary it was with other circumstances. But
my desire is, that thou mightest know and esteem all sins according as they
are, indeed, the greater to be the greater, as are spiritual sins; and the
less to be the less, as are fleshly or sensual sins; and yet nevertheless
would I have thee to hate and fly all, both bodily and spiritual, with all
thy might. For know thou well, that fleshly desires and unreasonable likings
in meat and drink, or any likings that belong to the body, exceeding
reasonable needs, though they be not always great sins to him that is in
charity. Nevertheless, to a soul that desireth cleanness and purity of
heart, and a spiritual feeling of God, they are full heavy, painful and
bitter, and greatly to be eschewed; for the spirit cannot feel his kindly
savour within, till the flesh hath lost his beastly savour without.
And, therefore, if thou wilt come
to cleanness of heart, thou must strive against the unreasonable stirrings
of fleshly desires, but against the ground of them thou shalt not rise; for
the ground of it is Need, as natural hunger, which thou must
necessarily feel, and must attend thereto, and satisfy it in fitting time
and manner, and help thyself against it by medicine of meat, as thou wouldst
help thyself in a reasonable manner against a bodily sickness, that thou
mayest more freely serve God both bodily and spiritually. For know thou
well, that what man or woman that shall be occupied spiritually in thoughts,
great pain or hunger wilfully undertaken or bodily sickness or pain in the
stomach, or in the head, or in other parts of the body for want of good
ruling of themselves in too much fasting, or in any other way, will much let
the spirit, and much hinder him from the knowing and beholding of spiritual
things, unless he have much grace, and be arrived to great abilities in the
Contemplative life. For though it be true, that bodily pain either of
penance, or of sickness, or of bodily occupation, sometime letteth not the
fervour of love to God in devotion, but oft increaseth it, yet I
believe that they let the fervour of love in Contemplation, the which
may not be had nor felt fully, but in rest and freedom of body and soul from
all the aforesaid corporal pains, wants, employments and solicitudes
SECTION
III: What Remedy a Man should use against the Faults in Eating and
Drinking
THEREFORE, thou shalt behave
thyself discreetly about thy body, yielding it necessaries reasonably, and
then let God send thee what He pleaseth, either health or sickness; take it
gladly, and grudge not willingly against Him.
Do as I say, take thy meat as it
cometh, or provide it according to reason, and take it gladly, as a thing
that thou needest; but be well aware of lusts that cometh with need, eschew
too much as well as too little. And having done, if after it there arise in
thee a remorse or biting of conscience, that thou hast eaten too much, and
thereupon thou becomest sad and heavy with overmuch bitterness against
thyself, lift up the desire of thy heart to thy good Lord Jesus, and
acknowledge thyself a wretch, and a beast, and ask Him forgiveness, and say
that thou wilt amend it, and pray that he will forgive thee. Leave off then,
and think no further of it, nor strive so much with the vice, as if thou
wouldst destroy it utterly, for it is not worth the doing so, neither shalt
thou be ever able to bring it about that way; but set thyself about some
other business bodily or ghostly, according as thou findest thyself best
disposed, that thereby thou mayest profit more in other virtues, as in
humility and charity. For wot thou well, that he that hath in his desire and
in his endeavours no other respect to no other thing but Humility and
Charity, always crying after them, how he may have them, he shall through
such desire and manner of working profit and increase, not only in those two
virtues, but also in all other virtues together with them, as in chastity,
abstinence and such other (though he have but a little regard to them in
comparison of the other, namely, Humility and Charity) more in one year than
he should, without the said desire and manner of working, profit in seven
years, though he strive against gluttony, lechery and such other
continually, and beat himself with scourges each day from morning to
even-song time.
Set thyself, therefore, about
Humility and Charity, and using all thy diligence and industry to
come by them, yet shalt thou have enough to do in getting of them. And if
thou canst get them, they will direct thee, and measure thee privily and
secretly, how thou shalt eat, and how thou shalt drink, and succour all thy
bodily needs, that there shall no man know of it, unless thou thyself do
tell it him, and that thou shalt not be in perplexity, scruples, vexation,
anguishment, or heaviness, nor with any lust or adhering to the delights and
likings of sensuality, but shalt do all in peace of a glad conscience with
all quietness and satisfaction. I have spoken more than I thought to have
done in this matter, but nevertheless do (as far as thou canst) as I say,
and I hope God shall make all well.
By this that I have said, thou mayest in some measure see
into this image of sin, and perceive how much it hinders thee. The Gospel
saith, how that Abraham spake to the rich man that was buried in hell, on
this wise: There is betwixt us and you a great chaos [Luke 16];
that is to say, a thick darkness betwixt thee and us, that we cannot
come to thee, nor thou to us. This dark image in thy soul and mine may be in
like manner called a chaos, that is, a great darkness, for it letteth us
that we cannot come to Abraham, which is Jesus, and it letteth Him, that He
will not come to us.
Book II Part
III
CHAPTER IX:
How Love slayeth Covetousness, Lechery and Gluttony, ...through a gracious
beholding of Jesus
...And not only doth love this, but also it slayeth the
liking of Lechery and all other bodily uncleanness, and bringeth into the
soul true chastity, and turneth it into liking. For the soul feeleth so
great delight in the sight of Jesus that it liketh for to be chaste, and it
is no great difficulty to it to keep chastity, for therein is most ease and
most rest.
And in the same manner the gift of
love slayeth the lusts of Gluttony, and maketh the soul sober and temperate,
and beareth it up so mightily that it cannot rest in the liking of meat and
drink. But it taketh such meat and drink, whatever it be, as least hindereth
or chargeth the bodily complexion, if it can easily come by it; nor for the
love of itself, but for the love of God. On this wise the lover of God seeth
well that he needeth to sustain his bodily life with meat and drink, as long
as God will suffer them to continue together. Here, then, will be the
discretion of the lover of Jesus, as far as I understand that hath feeling
and working in love, that in what manner he may best keep his grace whole,
and be least letted from working in it through taking of bodily sustenance,
so shall he do. That kind of meat, which least letteth and least troubleth
the heart, and may keep the body in strength, be it flesh, be it fish, be it
bread and ale, that I suppose the soul chooseth for to have, if it can come
thereby. For the whole business of the soul is to think on Jesus with
reverent love, constantly, without letting of anything, if that it might.
And therefore since it must needs be letted somewhat and hindered the less
it is letted and hindered by meat or drink or any other thing the better it
is. It had rather use the best meat and most costly if it less hinder the
keeping of his heart, than to take only bread and water, if that hinder him
more; for he hath no regard for to get great merit by the pain of fasting,
and be put thereby from softness and quietness of heart, but all his
business is for to keep his heart as stably as he can in the sight of Jesus
and in the feeling of His love. And surely I am of the opinion that he may
with less lust and liking use the best meat, that is good in its kind, than
another man that worketh all by reason without the special gift of love can
use the worst. Ever excepting such meat as is dressed with art and curiosity
only for lust, for such manner of meat cannot at all accord with him. And
also on the other side, if little meat, as only bread and beer, most helpeth
and quieteth his heart, and keepeth it most in peace, that is most
acceptable to him for to use; and, namely, if he feel his bodily strength
sustained thereby, and have the gift of love withal...
