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IT nedeth a soule that wolde haue knowynge of ghost∣ly thynges for to haue firste knowynge of itself / For it
maye not haue knowing of a kynde aboue itself but yf it ha¦ue knowynge of itself / And that is whan the soule is soo ga¦dred in to itself / & departed fro beholdyng of al erthly thynges & fro the vse of bodily wyttes that it felyth itself as it is in y• owne kynde wythoute a body / Then̄e yf thou coueyte for to knowe & see thy soule what it is· thou shalt not torne thy tho¦ughte with ymagynacōn in to thy body for to seke it & fele it as it were hydde wythin thyn herte. as thy herte is hydde & hol¦den within thy body / If thou seke soo thou shalt neuer fynde it in itself / The more thou secheste for to fynde & fele it as y• woldest fele a bodily thyng. the ferd thou art therfro / For thy soule is noo body but a lyfe vnseable. not hydde & holdē with in thy body as a lesse thynge is hydde & holden wythin a more but it is holdynge & quknyng thy body moche more than thy body is in myghte & in vertue / Thenne yf thou wolt fynde it wythdraw thi thoughte fro all bodily thynge outwarde & fro mynde of thyn owne body. also fro all thy fyue wyttes asmo¦che as thou maye. and thinke on the kynde of a resonable sou¦le ghostly as thou woldest thynke for to know ony vertue as sothfastnes or mekenes or ony other wertue / Right soo thin¦ke that a soule is a lyfe vndedely & vnseably / and hath mighte in itselfe for to see & knowe the souereyn sothfastnes· & for to loue the souereyne goodnes that is god / whan thou seest this thenne felest thou somwhat of thyself / Seke thyself in none other place / but the more fully & the more clerly that yu maye thinke of ye kynde & the worthynes of a resonable soule what it is. & what is the kyndly werking of it the better seest yu thisel¦fe / It is ful harde for a soule that is rude & moche in the flessh̄ for to haue syght & knowyng of it or of an angell or of god It falleth anone in to ymagynacōn of bodily shappe· & it we¦neth therby for to haue the sighte of it selfe. and soo of god and soo of ghostly thynges / And that maye not be / For alle ghostly thynges are seen and knowen by vnderstondynge
of the soule not by ymagynacyon / Ryght as a soule seeth by vndstondyng that the vertu of rightwysnes is for to yeue to euery thynge that it oweth to haue / right soo & on suche a ma¦ner maye the soule see itself by vnderstondyng / Neuertheles I saye not that thy soule shall reste stylle in this knowinge / but it shall by this seke hyer knowynge aboue itselfe & that is the kynde of god / For the soule is but a myrrour in the whiche yu shalt see god ghostly / And therfore thou shalt fyrste fynde thi myrrour and kepe it bryghte & clene fro flesshly fylthe & worl¦dly vanytee / and holde it wel vp fro the erthe that thou myʒt see it & our lorde therin also / For to this ende traueylen all cho¦sen soules in this lyfe in her meaning & in her entent. though they haue not specyally the felynge of this. And therfore it is said before that many soules begin̄yng & profityng haue ma¦ny grete feruours & moche swete deuociō and as it semith brē¦nynge all in loue. & yet haue they not perfytly loue ne ghostly knowynge of god / For wyte thou well fele a soule neuer so moche feruour / somoche that hym thikith that the body may not bere it. or though he melte all in to wepynge. aslonge as his thynkyng & his beholdyng of god is moost. or all in yma¦gynacōn & not in vndstondyng. he come not yet to perfyte lo∣ue ne to contēplacion / For thou shalt vnderstōde that the lou•• of god is on thre maner wyse / Al are good. but echone is be••ter than other / The fyrste comyth on̄ly thruh̄ fayth wythout gracyous ymagynacōn or ghostly knowynge of god / Thi•• loue is in the leest soule that is refourmed in faith in the lo••••est degree of charyte / And it is good: for it sufficeth to saluaci¦on / The secōde loue is that a soule felyth thrugh fayth & yma¦gynacōn of Ihū in his manhede. This loue is better than the fyrste whan the ymaginacyon is styred by grace? for why the ghostly eye is opened in beholdinge of our lordes manhede / The thyrde loue that the soule feleth thrugh ghostly syght of the godhede in the manhede as it maye be seen here / that is
beste and mooste worthy / and that is perfyte loue· this loue a soule felyth not vnto it be refourmed in felynge / Soules be∣gyn̄ynge & profityng hath not this loue. for they can not thin¦ke on Ihū ne loue hym goodly but as it were al manly & fles¦shly after the condicions & lyknes of man / and vpon that re∣warde they shape all her worchynge in her thoughtes & in her affeccōns / They drede hym as a man & worshyp hym and lo¦ue hym pryncypally in manly ymagynacōn and goo noo fer¦der / As thus: If they haue done amysse & trespased ayenst god they thynke then̄e that god is wrothe with hem as a mā sho¦lde yf they had trespassed ayēst hym / and therfore they falle do¦wn as it were to the fete of our lorde wyth sorowe of herte & cryen mercy / And whan they done th{us} they haue a good truste that our lorde of his mercy woll foryeue hem her trespasse / This maner of doynge is right gode / but it is not ghostly as it myghte be / Also whan they woll worshyp god they presēt hem in her thoughte as they were before our lordes face in a bodily lyckenes. & ymagyn a wondfull lyh̄yte there our lorde Ihū is / and thenne they reuerence him & worshyp hym & drede hym / & fully put hem in his mercy for to doo with hem what he woll / Also whā they woll loue god they beholde him wor¦shyp hym and drede hym as a man. not yet as god in man ey¦ther in his passyon or in some other thynge of his manhede and in that beholdynge they fele her hertes moche stired to ye loue of god / This manere of worchynge is good and gracy¦ous / but it is moche lesse and lower than is the worching of vnderstondynge / That is whan the soule gracyously behol∣deth god in man / For in oure lorde Ihesu are two kyndes. the manhede. and the godhede / Thenne ryght as the godhede is more souereyne and more worthy thanne is the manhede / Rygh soo the ghostly beholdynge of the godhede in Ihesu man is more worthyer. and more ghostlyer. and more me∣defull thanne beholdynge of the manhede alone / whether
he beholde the manhede as dedly or as glorifyed / And right so by the same skyll the loue that a soule felyth in thinkyng & be¦holdynge of the godhede in man whan it is gracyously shew¦ed is worthyer ghostlyer & more medefull than the feruour o•• deuocōn that the soule feleth by ymagynacōn on̄ly of the mā¦hede shewe it neuer somoche outwarde / For in rewarde o•• y• this is but māly / for our lorde sheweth hym not in ymagyna¦cōn as he is. ne that he is / for the soule myghte not that tyme for freelte of the flesshede suffre it soo / Neuertheles vnto su∣che soules that can not thīke of the godhede ghostly that they sholde not erre in her deuocōn· but that they sholde be comfor∣ted & strengthed thrugh some maner Inwarde beholdynge of Ihū for to forsake syn̄e & the loue of the worlde. therfore oure lorde Ihū tempreth his vnseable lighte of his godhede and cl••theth it vnder bodile liknes of his manhede. & shewith it vnto the Inner eye of a soule. and fedeth it with the loue of his pre¦cious flesshe ghostly / The whiche loue is of soo grete migh¦te that it sleeth al wycked loue in the soule & strength it for to suffre bodily penaunce & other bodily disease in tyme of ne•••• for loue of Ihesu / And this is the shadowyng of our lorde Ie¦su ouer a chosen soule. in the whiche shadowyng the soule i•• kepte fro bren̄ynge of worldly loue / For right as a shadowe is made of a lyghte & of a body: right soo this ghostly shadow is made of the blessyd vnseable lyghte of the godhede & of the manhede ooned therto shewed to a deuowte soule / of the whi¦che shadowe the prophete sayth thus / Sp̄sante faciē nostra•• xp̄s dn̄s sub vmbra eius viuemus int gentes / Our lorde cryst before our face as a spirite vnder his shadowe we shall lyue a mōge folke / That is our lorde Ihū in his godhede is a spyry∣te that may not be seen of vs lyuyng in flesshe as he is in his blessed lyghte / therfore we shal lyue vnder the shadowe of his manhede as longe as we are here / But though this be sooth that this loue in ymaginacyon be good / Neuertheles a sowle
sholde desire for to haue ghostly loue in vnderstondyng of the godhede. for that is the ende & the full blysse of the soule / and all bodily beholdynges are but meanes ledynge a soule to it / I say not that we sholde refuse the manhede of Ihū and depar¦te god fro man. but thou shalt in Ihū man beholde drede. wō¦der. & loue ghostly the godhede / And soo shall yu wythoute de partynge loue god in man· and bothe god & man ghostly and not flesshly / Thus taughte our lorde mary mawdeleyne that sholde be contemplatyfe.* 1.1 whan he sayd thus / Noli me tange∣re non dū enim ascendi ad patrem meū / Towche me not I am not yet styed vp to my fader / That is to saye: Mary mag¦dalene loued well our lorde Ihū before the tyme of his passy¦on / but her loue was moche bodily & lityl ghostly / She trow¦ed well that he was god but she loued hym lityll as god / for she kouth not then̄e / & therfore she suffred al her affeccōn & al her thought falle in hym as he was in fourme of man / And our lorde blamed her not then̄e but praysed it moche / But af¦ter whan he was rysen fro dethe and appered to her she wol¦de haue worshypped hym wyth suche maner loue as she dyde before / and then̄e our lorde forbode her & sayd thus / Towche me not: That is. Sette not thy reste ne the loue of thyn herte in that fourme of mā that thou seest wyth thy flesshly eye on̄¦ly for to reste therin: For in that fourme I am not stied vp to my fader. That is I am not euen to the fader: for in that four¦me of man I am lesse than he: Towche me not soo. but sette thy thoughte & thy loue in that fourme in whiche I am euen to the fader / that is the fourme of the godhede / and loue me: knowe me. & worship me as god & man godly / not as a man māly / Soo shalt thou touche me / For sythen I am both god & man. and all the cause why I shal be loued & worshipped is for I am god / and for I toke the kynde of man / And therfo∣re make me a god in thyne herte and in thyne loue / And wor¦shyppe me in thyne vnderstondynge as Ihesu god and man:
souereyne sothfastnes and souereyne godenes and blessed lyf for that I am / And thus taughte our lorde her as I vnderston¦de and also all other soules that are disposed to contēplacion and able therto that they sholde doo so / Neuertheles other sou¦les that are not subtyll in kynde. ne are not yet made ghostly thrugh grace it is good to hem that they kepe forth her owne worchynge in ymagynacōn wyth manly affeccōn vnto mor̄ grace come freely to hem / It is not syker to a man to leue o∣ne good thynge vtterly tyll he see & fele a better / Vpon the sel¦fe wyse it may be sayd of other maner felynges that are like to bodily / as herynge of delectable songe / or felynge of cōfor∣table hete in the body: seenge of lyghte. or swetnes of bodily sauour / Thise are not ghostly felynges. for ghostly felynges are felte in the myghtes of the soule / pryncipally in vnderstō∣dynge & loue. and lityll in ymagynacōn / But thise felynges a¦re felte in the myghtes of the body in ymaginacōn / & therfore they are not ghostly felynges / But whā they are best & moos¦te true. yet are they but outwarde tokēs of the Iuly grace that is felte in the myghtes of the soule / This may be openly pre¦ued by holy wrytt sayeng thus / Apparuerūt aplis dis{per}tite 〈◊〉〈◊〉 taqm̄ ignis. sedit{que} supra singlos eo{rum} sp̄s scūs / The ho••ly ghost appered to thapostles in the daye of pentecost in y• li••kenes of bren̄ynge tonges & enflāmed her hertes. & sette vpon eche of hem / Now soth it is ye holy ghost that is god in hym¦selfe vnseable was not that fyre ne the tonges that were se∣en. ne that bren̄ing that was felt bodily. but he was vnseable felt in the myghtes of her soules / for he lyghtned her reason / & kyndeled her affeccōn thrugh his blessed precense soo clere••i & soo bren̄yngly that they had sodeynly the ghostly knowyng of sothfastnes & the perfeccōn of loue as our lorde behyght hē sayenge thus / Sp̄s scūs docebit vos oēm veritatē / That is.* 1.2 ye holy ghost shal teche you al sothfastnes / then̄e was ye fyre & yt bren̄yg nought elles but a bodily token outwarde shewed in
wytnessynge of that grace that was Inwardly felte / And as it was in hem / soo is it in other soules that are vysited and lyghtned wythin of the holy ghost. and hath wyth that suche outwarde felynge in cōforte & wytnessyng of the grace in war¦de / But that grace is not as I hope in all soules that are per∣fyte but there our lorde woll / Other Inperfyte soules that ha¦ue suche felynges outwarde & haue not yet receyued Inwarde grace it is not good to hem to reste in suche felinges outwar¦de / but in as moche as they helpe the soule to more loue· & to more stablynesse of thoughte in god / For some maye be true & some maye be feyned as I haue sayd before /
Joh̄. x.
Io••.