[6-text p 598] ȝe ben fouler for ȝoure longe continuyng in synne and ȝoure synful vsage. for whiche ȝe ben roten in ȝoure synne as a beest in his donge [140] ¶ Suche maner of þoughtes make a man haue schame of his synne and no delit. and god saiþ by þe prophete Iȝechiel [141] ¶ Ȝe schul remembre ȝow of ȝoure weyes. & þay schal displese ȝow soþly ¶ Synnes ben þe way þat leden folk to helle
[142] ¶ The secounde cause þat oughte make a man to haue desdeyn of his synne is þis. þat as seiþ seint petre / ¶ who so doth synne is þral of synne. and synne put a man in gret þraldom. [143] and þer|fore saith þe prophete. Eȝechiel. I wente sorwful in desdeyn of myself ¶ Certes wel oughte a man haue desdeyn of synne and wiþdrawe him fro þat þraldom and vilonye. [144] and lo what saiþ Seneca. in þis matiere. he saiþ þus ¶ Though I wiste þat god nere god. man schulde neuer knowe it: ȝit wold I haue disdeyn for to do synne [145] and þe same Seneca also saith ¶ I am born to gretter þinges þan to be þral to my body or þan for to make of my body a þral [146] ¶ Ne a fouler þral may no man ne womman make of his body þan ȝiue his body to synne [147] ¶ And were it þe foulest cherl or þe foulest womman þat lyueþ and lest of value; ȝet is þanne synne more foul and more in seruitute [148] Euer fro þe heigher dege þat man falliþ þe more he is þral and more to god vile and abhomin|able [149] ¶ O goode god wel oughte a man haue gret disdayn o such a þing þat þorugh synne þer he was free now is he maked bonde. [150] an þerfore saiþ seint austyn ¶ If þou hast disdayn . . . [no gap] þat þou þiself schuldest doon synne; haue þou þanne desdeyn þat þou þiself schuldist do synne. [151] tak reward of þy value þat þou be nouȝt to foul in þiself [152] Allas wel oughte men haue disdeyn to be
