Scala perfecc[i]onis

¶That all the soules that lyuen mekely in the faythe of holy chyrche / and haue her faythe quyckened in loue and cha••¦ryte ben refourmed by this sacramente / though it be soo that they maye not fele the specyall yefte of deuocyon or of ghost¦ly felynge / Caplm x· (Book 10)

IN this refourmynge that is oonly in faythe the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 parte of chosen soules leden her lyfe that settē her wyll stedfastly for to flee all manere of dedely synne / and for to k••¦pe hem in loue & charyte to her euen crysten / and for to kep•• the cōmaundementes of god after her cunnynge / And whan it soo is that wycked stirynges and euyll wylles rysen in her hertes of pryde or of enuye of yre or lecherye / or of ony other hede synne they ayenstonde hem and stryuen ayenst hem by dy¦splesynge of wyll / soo that they folowe not in dede thyse wyc¦ked wylles / And neuerthelesse yf they falle lyghtly as it were ayenste her wyll thorugh freelte or vncūnynge / as soone her

conscyence greuyth hem and pynyth hem soo greuously that they mow haue noo reste tyll they be shryuen and maye haue foryeuenes / Sothly all thise soules that thus lyuen in this re¦fourmynge and ben founde therin. in the houre of dethe they shall be saaf / and come to the full refourmynge in the blysse of heuen / though it be soo that they myghte neuer haue ghost¦ly felynge ne Inwarde sauour. ne specyall grace of deuocōn in all her lyfe tyme / For elles yf thou say that noo soule shall be saaf but it were refourmed in ghostly felynge that it myght fele deuocōn and ghostly sauour in god as some soules doon thorugh specyall grace. then̄e sholde fewe soules be saaf in re¦warde of multytude of other / Nay it is not for to trowe that that for the soules that oonly arn deuoute. and bi grace come to ghostly felyng. and for noo moo our lorde Ihesu sholde ha¦ue take mankynde / and suffred that harde passyon of dethe. It had be a lityll purchaas to hym for to haue come fro so ferre to soo nere / and fro soo hye to soo lowe for soo fewe soules Nay his mercy is spradde larger than soo / Neuertheles on the contrary wyse yf thou trowe that the passyon of our lorde is soo precyous. and his mercy somoche that there shal noo sou¦le be dampned. and namely of noo crysten man doo he neuer soo euyll as some fooles wene / soothly thou erreste gretely / Therfore goo in the meane and holde the in the middes. and trow as holy chirche trowyth / And that is that the moost sin¦full man that lyueth in erthe yf he torne his will thorugh gra¦ce fro dedely synne wyth sothfaste repentaunce to the seruyse of god / he is refourmed in his soule / And yf he deyed in that state he shall be saaf / Thus behighte our lorde by his prophe∣te sayenge thus / In quacū{que} hora conuersus fuerit peccator & ingemuerit.* 1.1 vita viuet et non morietur / That is / In what ty¦me that it be that the synful. man is tourned to god fro syn̄e and he haue sorow therfore he shall lyue. and he shal not deye endelesly / And on the other syde who soo liuyth in dedely syn̄e

and wylle not leue it ne amende hym therof: ne receyue the sa¦crament of penaunce / or elles yf he receyue it he takyth it not soothfastly for the loue of god / that is for the loue of vertue & clennesse but oonly for drede or shame of the worlde / or for drede oonly of paynes of helle / he is not refourmed to the lyk¦nesse of god / And yf he deye in that plyghte he shall not be sa¦af / His trouth shall not saue hym / for his trouthe is dede and lackyth loue. and therfore it seruyth hym not / But they that haue trouth quyckened wyth loue & charyte arn refourmed to the lyckenesse of god. though it be but the leest degree of chari¦te. as arn symple soules the whiche felen not the yeft of speci¦all deuocyon ne ghostly knowynge of god / as some ghostly men done. but trowen generally as holy chirche trowith. and knowyth not fully what that is. for it nedeth not to hem· And in that trowyth they kepe hem in loue and charytee to her euen crysten as they maye / and fleen all dedely synne after her cūnynge / and dooen the dedes of mercy to her euen crysten All thise longen to the blysse of heuen / For it is wryttē in the apoc· thus. Qui timetis deum pusilli et magni laudate 〈◊〉〈◊〉 This is / ye that dreden god bothe smale & grete thanke hym By grete arn vnderstonde soules that arn profytyng in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or elles perfyte in the loue of god. the whiche arn refourm•••• in ghostly felynge: By smale arn vnderstonde soules vnperfy¦te of worldly men & wymmen. and other that haue but a ch••••dis knowynge of god and full lityll felynge of hym. but 〈◊〉〈◊〉 broughte forth in the bosom of holy chyrche and nourysshed wyth the sacramente as chylderne arn fedde wyth mylke / All thise shold loue god and thanke hym for saluacōn of her sou¦les by his endeles mercy & goodnesse / For holy chirche that is moder of all thyse and hath tender loue to all her chyldern go¦ostly prayeth and asketh for hem all tenderly of her spowse that is Ihesu and geteth hem hele of soule thorugh vertue of his passyon / And namly for hem that can not speke for hem

selfe by ghostly prayer for her nede / Thus I fynde in the gos∣pell. That the woman of Chanee asked of our lorde hele to her doughter that was traueyled wyth a fende / and our lorde made fyrste daūgeour by cause she was an alyene / Neuerthe∣lesse she ceased not for to crye till our lorde had graūted her as¦kynge. and sayd to her thus. Aa woman moche is thy trouth be it to y^e right as y^u wolt / In the same hour was her douʒter hole. This woman betokenith holy chirche that asketh helpe of our lorde for symple vncūnynge soules that are traueyled wyth temptacōn of the worlde / and can not speke perfitly to god by feruour of deuocyon ne brennyng loue in contempla¦cyon / And though it seme that our lorde make daūgeour fyr¦ste by cause that they arn as it were alyened fro hym / neuer∣thelesse for the grete trouthe & deserte of holy chyrche he graū¦teth to her all that she wyll / And soo arn thyse symple soules that trowen stedfastly as holy chirche trowyth / & putten hem fully in the mercy of god / and mekē hem vnder the sacramēt and lawes of holy chyrche made saaf thorugh prayer and tro¦uth of her moder holy chirche /

Notes

• * 1.1

  E· xxviii