[6-text p 598] be ye fouler / for youre longe continuyng in synne & youre synful vsage / for which / ye be roten in youre synne / as a beest in his dong [140] ¶ Swiche manere of [¶ dominus per Ezechielem pro|phetam] thoghtes / maken a man / to haue shame of his synne / and no delit. as god seith / by the prophete Ezechiel ‖. [141] ye shal remembre yow of youre weyes / and they shuln displese yow /. soothly synnes been the weyes / that leden folk to helle
¶ [142] The seconde cause that oghte make a man / [¶ The .ij.de cause of contricioun] to haue desdeyn of synne is this /. That as seith seint Peter /. who so that dooth synne / is thral of synne /. And [¶ sanctus Petrus] synne / put a man in greet thraldom ‖. [143] And ther|fore seith the prophete Ezechiel /. I. wente sorweful / in [¶ Ezechiel propheta] desdayn of my self/. And certes / wel oghte a man / haue desdayn of synne / and withdrawe hym / from that thraldom and vileynye /. [144] and lo / what seith Seneca [¶ Seneca] in this matere ‖. He seith thus /. though I wiste / that god / neither god ne man / ne sholde neuere knowe it/. yet wolde I haue desdayn / for to do synne [145] ¶ And the same Seneca also seith / .I. am born to gretter thynges / [¶ Idem Seneca] than to be thral to my body / or than for to maken / of my body a thral / [146] ne a fouler thral / may no man ne womman maken of his body / than for to yeuen his body to synne /. [147] al were it the fouleste cherl / or the fouleste womman that lyueth / and leest of value / yet is he thanne moore foule / & moore in seruitute /. [148] euere / fro the hyer degree that man falleth /. the moore is he thral / and moore / to god and to the world abhomyn|able / [149] ¶ O goode god / wel oghte man haue desdayn of synne / sith that thurgh synne / ther he was free / now is he maked bonde [150] ¶ And therfore / seyth Seint [¶ Sanctus Augustinus] Augustyn /. If thou hast desdayn of thy seruant. if he agilte / or synne /. haue thou thanne desdayn / that thou thy self / sholdest do synne /. [151] take reward of thy value / that thou ne be / to foul to thy self [152] ¶ Allas wel oghten they thanne haue desdayn to been
