Scala perfecc[i]onis

About this Item

Title
Scala perfecc[i]onis
Author
Hilton, Walter, d. 1396.
Publication
[Westminster :: Printed by Wynkyn de Worde,
1494]
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Subject terms
Spiritual life -- Middle Ages, 600-1500.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A03935.0001.001
Cite this Item
"Scala perfecc[i]onis." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A03935.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 17, 2024.

Pages

¶Of the twyn̄ing of the iii. part of contēplacōn. fro the ii. part of the praysing therof / Caplm ix (Book 9)

THe other part may be callid bren̄yng loue in deuocōn / & this brēnyng loue in contēplacion. yt is lower. this is ye hier. that is swetter to the bodily feling / this inwardly felyng better to the ghostly felyng. For it is more inwarde. more wo¦thy: more ghostly: more wondful / For this is verely a tasting so lityl as is & a ernest of the sight of heuēly ioy: not clerli. but half in derkenes. the whiche shal be fulfylled & opēly clered in the blisse of heuen: as saynt poul saith / Videm{us} nūc {per} spclm ī enigmate.* 1.1 tūc autē videbim{us} facie ad faciē / we see now god by a myrrour as it were in a derknes / but in heuē shal we see opēly face to face. This is the illumynacōn of vndstondyng in delites of louyng as dauid saith in the sawter.* 1.2 Et nox illūi narō mea in deliciis meis / 〈◊〉〈◊〉 nyght is my light in my delyt Thother part is milke for children / this is hole mete for {per}fy¦te men: the whiche haue wittes assayd to knowe good fro e∣uyll: as saynt poul saith / Pfecto{rum} ē solid{us} ribus.* 1.3 q hēnt sēsus exercitatos ad discreōem boni & mali / The werkynge of the ful vse of this yefte may no man haue but he be fyrst refour¦med to ye lyknes of Ihū bi fulhede of vertues / Ne there maye no man liuyng in dedely flesshe haue it cōtynuelly in his ful∣hede & in the ouerpassyng: but by tymes whan he 〈…〉〈…〉 iiii

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is visited / And as I cōceyue bi the writyng of holy men it is a ful short tyme. for soone after he falleth in a sobirte of bode¦ly felynge / & al this werke makith charite / Th{us} as I vndston¦de saith saynt poul of hymself Siue excedim{us} deo. siue sobrii sum{us} vobis. caritas xp̄i vrget nos / wherther we ouerpasse ou¦re bodely wyttes to god in contēplacōn. or we are more sobir to you in bodely felyng. ye charite of crist streyneth vs. Of this part of cōtēplacōn & of reforming to god spekith saynt poul opēly th{us} / Nos autē reuelata facie gliam dn̄i speclam̄ trāsfor¦mati in eandē ymaginē a claritate ī claritatē· tā{quam}m a dn̄i sp̄u And this is th{us} moche for to say Saynt poul in the {per}sone of hymself & of {per}fyte men saith th{us} / we fyrst reformed by vertu¦es. the face of our soule vnhelid bi openyng of the ghostli eye beholden as in a myrrour heuēly ioye. fulshapid & ouyd to thy¦mage of our lord fro clerete of faith into clerete of vndston∣dyng / or els fro clerete of desire in to clerete of blessed loue / & al this is wrouʒt of the spirite of our lord in a mannis soule as saynt poul saith: This part of cōtēplacōn god yeuyth whe¦re yt he wyll / to leryd & to lewde: to men & to wym̄en ocupied in prelacye: & to solitary also / But it is speciall not comyn / & also though a man whiche al his lyf is actyf haue the yeft of it by a special grace / neuertheles the fulnes of it may no man haue but he be solitary & in lyf contēplatyf /

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