[6-text p 615] no mete / but herbes / & water to his drynke / ne no bed / but the naked erthe / for which his flessh was blak as an Ethiopen for hete & ney destroyed for cold /. [346] yet seyde he / þat the brennynge of lecherye / boylede in al his body [347] ¶ Wherfore I woot wel sikerly / þat they ben deceyued / þat seyn / they þat ne be nat tempted in hire body / [348] Witnesse on Seint Iame the Apostel / that seith / that euery wight is tempted in his owene con|cupiscence / that is to seyn / that euerich of vs / hath matere & occasion / to be tempted / of the norissynge of synne. þat is in his body ‖ [349] And therfore / seith Seint Iohn the Euaungelist ‖ If þat we seyn / þat we be with oute synne / we deceyuen vs selue and trouthe is nat in vs /
[350] ¶ Now shul ye vnderstonde in what manere / þat synne wexeth & encresceth in man ¶ the firste thyng is thilke norissynge of synne / of which I spak biforn / thilke flesshly concupiscence / [351] and after that comth the subieccion of the deuel / this is to seyn the deueles bely / with which he bloweth in man / the fyr of flesshly concupiscence / [352] and after that a man by|thynketh hym / wheither he wol doon or no / thilke thyng to which he is tempted / [353] and thanne / if þat a man with stonde [folio 244b] and wayue the firste entisynges of his flessh / & of the feend / thanne is it no synne / and if so be / þat he do nat so / thanne feeleth he anon a flawmbe of delit / [354] and thanne is it good / to be war and kepe hym wel / or ellis he wol falle anon in to consentynge of synne / & thanne wol he do it/ if he may haue tyme & place ‖ [355] And of this matere seith Moyses / by the deuel / in this manere ¶ The feend seith ‖ I wol chace & pursue the man / by wikked suggestion / and I wol hente hym / by moeuyng or stiryng of synne / & .I. wol departe my prise / or my preye by de|liberacion / & my lust shal ben acompliced in delit ‖ I wol drawe my swerd in consentynge / [356] for certes / right as a swerd departeth a thyng in two peces / right
