Chapter IV
What are the instruments of good works.
First of all, to love the Lord God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength.[1]
2. Then our neighbour as ourself.[2]
3. Then not to kill.[3]
4. Not to commit adultery.[4]
5. Not to steal.[5]
6. Not to covet.[6]
7. Not to bear false witness.[7]
8. To honour all men.[8]
9. Not to do to another what we would not have done to ourselves.[9]
10. To deny ourselves, in order to follow Christ.[10]
11. To chastise the body.[11]
12. Not seek after delights.[12]
13. To love fasting.[13]
14. To relieve the poor.[14]
15. To clothe the naked.[15]
16. To visit the sick.[16]
17. To bury the dead.[17]
18. To help those that are in tribulation.[18]
19. To comfort the sad.[19]
20. To withdraw ourselves from worldly ways.[20]
21. To prefer nothing to the love of Christ.[21]
22. Not to give way to anger.[22]
23. Not to harbour revenge in our mind.[23]
24. Not to foster guile or deceit in our heart.[24]
25. Not to make a feigned peace.[25]
26. Not to forsake charity.[26]
27. Not to swear at all, lest we forswear ourselves.[27]
28. To speak the truth with heart and mouth.[24]
29. Not to render evil for evil.[28]
30. Not to do any injury; yea, and patiently to bear an injury done to us.[29]
31. To love our enemies.[30]
32. Not to speak ill of such as speak ill of us, but rather to speak well of them.[31]
33. To suffer persecution for justice sake.[32]
34. Not to be proud.[33]
35. Not given to wine.[34]
36. Not a great eater.[35]
37. Not drowsy.[36]
38. Not slothful.[37]
39. Not a murmurer.[38]
40. Not a detractor.[39]
41. To put our trust in God.[40]
42. When we see any good in ourselves let us attribute it to God and not to ourselves.[41]
43. But let us always know that evil is done by ourselves, therefore let us attribute it to ourselves.[42]
44. To fear the day of judgment.[43]
45. To be afraid of hell.[44]
46. To desire life everlasting with spiritual thirst.[45]
47. To have death always before our eyes.[46]
48. To observe at every hour the actions of our life.[47]
49. To know for certain that God beholdeth us in every place.[48]
50. To dash at once against Christ the evil thoughts that rise in the mind.[49]
51. To reveal all such to our spiritual Father.[50]
52. To keep our mouth from evil and wicked words.[51]
53. Not to love much talking.[52]
54. Not to speak vain words, nor such as move to laughter.[53]
55. Not to love much and boisterous laughter.[54]
56. Willingly to hear holy readings.[55]
57. To pray often devoutly.[56]
58. With tears and sighs, daily to confess our past evils to God in prayer and to amend them for the time to come.[57]
59. Not to fulfil the desires of the flesh, and to hate self-will.[58]
60. To obey in all things the commands of the Abbot, though he himself (which God forbid) should do otherwise, being mindful of that precept of our Lord: “What they say, do ye; but what they do, do ye not.”[59]
61. Not to desire to be called holy, before we be so, and first to be holy, that we may truly be called so.[60]
62. Daily to fulfil in deeds the commandments of God.[61]
63. To love chastity.[62]
64. To hate no man.[63]
65. To flee envy and emulation.[64]
66. Not to love contention.[65]
67. To flee Haughtiness.[66]
68. To reverence the Elders.[67]
69. To love inferiors.[68]
70. For Christ’s sake to pray for our enemies.[69]
71. To make peace with adversaries before the setting of the sun.[70]
72. Never to despair of God’s mercy.[23]
Behold these are the tools or instruments of our spiritual profession: if we constantly employ them day and night, and have them signed with approval in the day of judgment, that reward shall be given us by our Lord as a recompense “Which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive what God hath prepared for those that love Him.”[71] The workshop where all these things are to be done is the cloister of the monastery, and steadfast abiding in the Congregation.