Scala perfecc[i]onis

¶That in refourmynge of a soule the worchynge of on•••• lorde Ihesu is departed in to foure tymes / that is. callynge rig¦htynge: magnyfyenge & gloryfyenge / Caplm xxviii. (Book 28)

LOo I haue sayd to the a lytyl yf thou coueyte for to be reformed in felyng how thou shalt dyspose the towar¦de in thy forth gooing / Neuertheles I saye not that thou may doo thus of thyselfe / For I wote well that oure lorde Ihesu bryngith all this to the ende where soo he woll / For he oonly thorugh his grace styreth a sowle. and bryngyth it in to this derkenesse fyrste: And sythen in to lighte as the prophete sayth / Sicut tenebre eius. ita & lumen eius / That is:* 1.1 Ryght

as the lyghte of knowyng and the felynge of ghostly loue is of Ihū / Right soo the derkenes. that is the forsakinge of wor¦ldly loue is of hym for he doth all / He fourmyth & refourmith He fourmyth on̄ly by hymself· but he refourmith vs wyth vs For grace yeuen & aplienge of our wyll to grace worcheth all this / And on what maner wyse he doth that. saynt poul reher¦ceth thus / Quos deus p̄scinit fieri conformes ymaginis filii eius hos vocauit. Et quos vocauit hos iustificauit. Et quos instificauit hos magnificauit. Et quos magnificauit hos et glificauit / Thyse that god knewe before sholde be made sha¦pely to the ymage of his sone. thise he called. thise he righted. thise he magnyfyed: & thise he gloryfyed / Though thise wor∣des maye be sayd of all chosen soules in the lowest degree of charyte that are reformed on̄ly in faith: neuertheles they may be vndstonde more specially of thise soules that are reformed in felynge to the whiche our lorde god shewith moche plente of grace and doth moche more besynes aboute hem / For they are his owne sones specyally that bere the ful shappe & the lic¦kenes of his sone Ihū / In the whiche wordes saynt poule de∣parteth the worchyng of our lorde in foure tymes / Fyrste is y^e tyme of caliynge of a soule fro worldly vanyte / and that ty∣me is often easy & comfortable / For in begyn̄ynge of tornyn∣ge suche a man that is disposed to moche grace is soo quycke¦ly & soo felyngly inspired. & felith ofte soo grete swetnes of de¦uocōn. & hath so many teres in cōpunccōn y^t he thynkyth hym somtyme as he were halfe in heuen / but this softnes passyth after for a tyme / And then̄e comyth the secōde tyme that is y^e tyme of rightynge that is trauelous / For whan he begyn̄yth for to goo forth myʒtly in the waye of rightwisnes. & settith his wyll full ayenst all syn̄e without & within· & stretchith ou¦te his desire to vertues & to the loue of Ihū then̄e felyth he mo¦che lettynge bothe wyth hymself of frowardenes & hardnesse of his owne wyll / and fro wythout forth thrugh temptacōn

of his enmye that he is ofte in full grete tourment / And that is noo wond / For he hath soo longe be croked to the fals lo∣ue of the worlde that he maye not be made right / as a crokyd staffe may not be made euen but yf he be caste & weyked in y^e fyre / Therfore our lorde Ihū seenge sēdeth what thynge is •••• houefull to a frowarde soule suffreth it to be traueyled & ta••••ed by sūdry tēptacyons. and for to be well examyned thorugh ghostly trybulacyons that all the ruste of vnclen̄es mighte •••• brente oute of it / And that shall be bothe wythin of 〈…〉〈…〉 dowtes & perplexitees that it shall nerehande falle in disper•••• and it shall seme as it were forsaken of god & lefte all in the hondes of the fende out taken a lityll preuy truste that 〈…〉〈…〉 haue in the godenes of god & in his mercy. For that preuy 〈◊〉〈◊〉 our lorde leueth in suche a soule goo he neuer soo fe••re 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it. by the whiche the soule is borne vp fro dispeyre & saued 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ghostly myscheyf. And also wythout itselfe it shall be 〈◊〉〈◊〉 fyed & pyned in the sēsualyte / eyther by dyuers syknes or 〈…〉〈…〉 able tourment of the fende. or elles thrugh a preuy myghte 〈◊〉〈◊〉 god the sely soule by felynge & berynge of the wrerched bo••y shall be soo pyned. & it shall not wyte how that it shall 〈◊〉〈◊〉 suffre for to be in the body ne were that our lorde Ihū kep•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 therin / And yet neuertheles had y^e soule leuer for to be in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 this pyne than for to be blinded with the fals loue of y^e wo••••de. for that were helle to suche a soule / But the sufferynge 〈◊〉〈◊〉 this manere pyne is noughte but purgatory / and therfore he suffryth it gladly / And he wolde not putte it awaye though he myghte / for it is soo prouffytable / All this dooth oure 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in grete prouffyte of the soule / for to dryue it oure of the sensualytee / that it myghte receyue ghostly lyghte / For after this whan the soule is thus mortyfyed and brought fro wor¦ldely loue in to this derkenesse / that it hathe noo more sauo∣ur ne delyte of worldly lykynge thanne of the strawe / But he thynkyth it bytter as wormode / Thenne commyth the

thirde tyme of magnyfieng / And that is whan the soule is re¦fourmed in felynge in partie. and receyueth the yeft of perfec¦cōn & the grace of contemplacōn / and that is a tyme of grete reste / for then̄e is Ihū more homely wyth a soule / And after this comyth the fourth tyme of glorifyenge / That is whan the soule shall be fully refourmed in the blysse of heuen / For thyse soules that are thus called fro syn̄e and thus righted or elles on other maner lyke by dyuers assayenge bothe thorugh fyre & water. and afterwarde are thus magnyfied they shulde be gloryfied / For our lorde shall then̄e yeue hē fully that they here coueyted / and more than they cowde co••eyte / for he shal areyse hem aboue al other chosen soules to the euēhede of che¦rubyn & seraphyn / sythen they passed all other in knowynge & louyng of god here in this lyfe / Therfore he that woll come to this magnifyēg drede not this rightyng / for that is y^e way For our lorde sayth by his prophete a worde of grete cōfort to all suche soules that are examyned wyth fyre of trybulacy on thus / Puer meus noli timere. Si transieris per ignē flam¦ma non nocebit te / That is: My chylde yf thou passe thorugh fyre drede not for the flāme shall not deere the / It shall clense the fro all flesshly fylthe / and make the able to receyue ghost∣ly fyre of the loue of god / and that nedeth for to be done fyrst For as I haue before sayd. it maye not elles be refourmed in felynge /

Notes

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