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WHat is heuen to a resonable soule / Sothly noughteel∣les but Ihesu god / For yf that be heuen oonly that is aboue al thyng / then̄e is god on̄ly heuē toman̄es soule for he is on̄ly aboue ye kynde of a soule / then̄e yf a soule may
thorugh grace haue knowynge of that blessed kynde of Ihū▪ sothly he seeth heuen for he seeth god / Therfore there are ma¦ny men that erren in vndstondynge of some wordes that are sayd of god / for they vnderstonde hem not ghostly / Holy wry∣tynge sayth that a soule that wol fynde god shall lyft vpwar¦de the Inner eye & seke god aboue itselfe / Thenne some men that wolde doo after this sayenge vnderstonde this worde abo¦ue hemself as for hygher settynge in stede & worthynes of pla¦ce as one elemente or planete is aboue a nother in settynge & worthines of a bodily place / But it is not soo ghostly. For a soule is aboue all bodily thynge: not by settynge of stede: but by subtyltee & worthynes of kynde / Right soo on the selfe wi¦se god is aboue all bodily & ghostly creatures not by settynge of stede but thrugh subtyltee & worthynes of his vnchangable blessyd kynde And therfore he yt wol wisely seche god & fynde hym he shall not ren̄e out wyth his thoughte as he wolde cly¦me aboue the son̄e & parte the fyrmament and ymagin ye ma¦geste as it were of an hundred sonnes / he shall rather drawe downe the sonne & all the fyrmament & forgete it. and caste it beneth hym there he is. & sett al this & all bodily thinge also at noughte / and thynke then̄e yf he can ghostly both of hymself & of god also / And yf he doo thus: then̄e seeth the soule aboue itself / then̄e seeth it in to heuen. Vpō this self maner shal this worde wythin be vnderstonde / It is comynly sayd that a sow¦le shall see our lorde wythin all thynge & wythin itselfe / Soth it is that our lorde is wythin al creatures. but not on that ma¦ner that a kernell is hyd wythin the shell of a nutte. or as a li¦tyll bodily thynge is holden within a nother moche / but he is wythin all creatures as holdynge & kepynge hem in her beyn¦ge thrugh subtylte & myghte of his owne blessed kynde & clen¦nes vnseable / For right as a thynge that is moost precyous & most clene is layed inerest / right soo by that lyknes it is sayd that the kynde of god that is moost precyous most clene and
mooste goodly ferrest fro bodilyhede is hydde wythin all thin¦ges / And therfore he that woll seke god wythin he shal gorge¦te fyrste all bodily thynges for al that is without. & his owne body / and he shall forgete thynkyng of his owne soule. & thin¦ke on the vnmade kynde. that is Ihū that made him: quiknith hym. holdith hym. & yeueth hym reson & mynde & loue the whi¦che is wythin hym thrugh his myghte & souereyne subtylte / Upon this maner shall the soule doo whan grace to wchyth it. or elles it woll but lityl auayle to seche Ihesu. and to fynde him wythin itselfe & wythin all creatures as me thynkyth / Also it is sayd in holy wrytte that god is lyghte / Soo sayth saynt Ioh̄n. De{us} lux est / That is. God is lyghte / This lyght shall not be vnderstonde as for bodily lighte but it is vnderstō¦de thus / God is lyghte. That is. God is trouth and sothfast∣nesse / for sothfastnes is ghostly lyghte / Then̄e he that moost gracyously knowyth sothfastnes best seeth god / And neuerthe¦les it is lykened to the bodily lyghte for this skylle / Right as the sonne sheweth to the bodily eye itself and all bodily thyn¦ge by it / right soo sothfastnes that is god sheweth to the rea∣son of the soule itselfe fyrste. and by itselfe alle other ghostly thynge that nedeth to the knowynge of a soule / Thus sayth the prophete / Dn̄e in lumine tuo videbim{us} lumen / Lorde we shall see thy lyght by thy lighte / That is: we shall see the tha•• art sothfastnes by thyselfe / On the selfe wyse it is sayd that god is fyre / Deus noster ignis consumens est: That is 〈◊〉〈◊〉 lorde is fyre wastynge / That is for to saye: God is not fyre elementare that heteth a body and bren̄eth it / but god is loue & charyte / For as fyre wasteth all bodily thynge that maye be wasted / Ryght soo the loue of god brenneth and wasteth all synne oute of the soule. And makyth it clene as fyre makyth clene alle manere metalle / Thyse wordes and alle other that arne spoken of oure lorde in holy wrytte by bodyly lyckenesse muste nedes be vnderstonde ghostly: Elles there is noo ••a••our
in hem / Neuertheles the cause why suche manere wordes are sayd of our lorde in holy writte is this / For we are soo flessh¦ly that we can not speke of god ne vnderstonde of hym but yf we by suche wordes fyrst be entred in / Neuertheles whan the Inner eye is opened thrugh grace for to haue a lityll syght of Ihū / then̄e shall the soule torne lyghtly ynough all suche wor¦des of bodily thynges in to ghostly vnderstondinge / This go¦ostly openynge of the Inner eye in to knowyng of the godhe¦de I calle refourmynge in fayth & felynge / for then̄e the soule somwhat feleth in vnderstondinge of that thynge that it had before in naked trowynge. and that is the begyn̄ynge of con¦templacōn / of the whiche saynt poul sayth thus / Non contē∣planti{bus} nobis que vident sed que nō videntur Quia que vi∣dentur tēporalia sūt.* 1.1 que autē non videntur etna sunt / That is: Our contemplacōn is not in thynges that are seen. but it is in thynges vnseable / For thynges that are seē are passyng. but vnseable thynges are euerlastyng / to the whiche syghte e∣uery soule sholde desyre for to come to both here in party and in the blysse of heuen fully / For in that syght & in that know¦yng of Ihū is fully the blysse of a resonable soule & endles ly¦fe Thus saith our lord / Hec est autē vita eterna vt cognoscāt¦te verum deū et quem misisti ih̄m xp̄m / * 1.2 That is: Fader thys is endles lyfe that thy chosen soules knowe the and thy sone whom thou haste sente one sothfaste god /
S. cor iiii▪
〈◊〉〈◊〉. vii.