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THen̄e ye soule of a louer felith Ihū in prayer in ye maner before sayd. & thynkith yt it wold neuer fele otherwyse /
Neuertheles it falleth that somtyme grace putteth scilence to vocall prayenge: and styreth the sowle to see & to fele Ihū in a nother maner / And yt maner is fyrste to see Ihū in holy writt For Ihū that is al sothfastnes is hidde & heled therin woūden in a softe sendyle vnd fayr wordes that he may not be know¦ne felte but of a clene herte? For why: sothfastnes woll not shewe itself to enmyes but to frēdes that loue & desyre it with a meke herte. for sothfastnes & mekenes arne full true systers fastned togyder in loue & charyte / and therfore is there noo ley¦nynge of coūseylle betwyxe hem two / Mekenes presumyth of sothfastnes and noo thynge of itselfe: and sothfastnes tro wyth well on mekenes: & soo they accorden wond well / Thē¦ne for asmoche as a soule of a louer is made meke thrugh in¦spiracōn of grace by openynge of the ghostly eye: and seeth yt it is nought of itself: but on̄ly hangeth in the mercy & the gode¦nes of Ihū lastyngly is born̄ vp by fauour & helpe of him on̄¦ly: and truly desyrynge the presence of him therfore seeth it Ie¦su: For it seeth sothfastnes of holy writt wonderly shewed & opened aboue studye & traueyle & reason of mannes kyndly wytte / And that maye well be called the felynge & the percey∣uynge of Ihū / For Ihū is well of wysdome. & by a lityll heel dynge of his wysdom in to a clene soule he maketh the soule wyse ynough for to vndstonde all holy wrytt. not all at ones in special beholding: but thrugh that grace the soule receiueth a newe ablynes & a gracyous habyte for to vndstonde it specy¦ally whan it comith to mynde This openyng & this clernesse of wytte is made by the ghostly presence of Ihū / For right as the gospell sayth of ii. discyples goynge to the castell of Ema¦us bren̄ynge in desyre & spekyng of our lorde Ihū: our lorde ap¦pered to hem presently as a pylgryme and taught hem yt pro¦phecyes of hymselfe / And as the gospell sayth / Apperuit illis sensum vt intelligerent scripturas / * 1.1 He opened to hem clernes of wytte that they myghte vnderstonde holy writynge / Right
so the ghostly presence of Ihesu openyth the wytte of his lo∣uer that it bren̄eth in desyre to hym: and bryngeth to his min¦de by mynystracōn of angels the wordes & the sentences of ho¦ly wrytte vnsoughte and vnauysed one after a nother. and ex¦powneth hem redily be they neuer soo harde ne soo preuy / The harder that they ben and ferder fro mannes resonable vnderstondynge the more delectable is the true shewynge of hem / Whan Ihesu is mayster it is expowned and declared lit¦terally: morally: mystily: & heuenly. yf the mater suffre it / By letter that is lyghteste and moost playne is bodily kynde com¦forted / By moralte of holy wrytte the soule is infourmed of vyces & vertues wysely to cūne departe that one fro that other By mystyhed it is illumyned for to see ye werkes of Ihesu in holy chirche. redily for to applye the wordes of holy wrytte to cryst our hede: and to holy chirche that is his mysty body / And the fourth that is heuenly longeth on̄ly to the worchynge of loue / And that is whan alle sothfastnes in holy writte is ap∣plyed to loue / And for that is mooste lyke to heuenly felynge therfor̄ I calle it heuenly / The louer of Ihū is his frende. not for he hath deserued it: but for Ihū of his mercyfull goodnes makyth hym his frende by true accorde / And therfore as to •• true frende that pleyseth hym wyth loue. not serueth hym 〈◊〉〈◊〉 drede as a thralle: he shewith his preuyte / Thus he saith hym••selfe to his apostles / Iam vos dixi amicos qr quecun{que} aud••∣ui a patre meo nota feci vobis / Now I saye that ye are fren••des / For I make knowen to you all thynges that I haue her¦de of my fader / To a clene sowle that hathe the palett pury∣fyed from fylthe of flesshly loue holy wrytte is lyfely foode and sustenaunce delectable /
It sauoureth wonder swetely whan it is wel chewed by go¦ostly vnderstondynge? For why: the spiryte of lyffe is hydde therin that quyckenyth all the myghtes of the sowle / and fyl¦leth theym full of swetnesse of heuenly sauoure and ghostly
delyte / But sothly hym nedeth to haue whyte teeth & sharpe & well pycked that sholde byte of this ghostly brede / For flessh∣ly louers & heritykes maye not to wche the Inwarde floure of it / Her teeth are blody & ful of fylthe. therfore they ben fasting fro felynge of this brede / By teeth are vnderstonde the Inly wyttes of ye soule. the whiche in flesshly louers & in heretykes ben blody full of synne & of worldly vanytees / They wolde & they can not come by curyosite of her kyndly wytte to y• soth fastnes in knowynge of holy wrytte. for her wytte is corrup¦te by origynall synne and actuell also. And is not yet helyd thrugh grace / And therfore they doo but gnawe vpon the bar¦ke wythoute speke they neuer soo moche therof / The Inner sauour wythin they fele not of / They ben not meke they bē not clene for to see it / They ben not frendes to Ihesu. and therfore he sheweth hem not his coūseyle / The preuyte of ho¦ly wrytte is closed vnd a keye seeled wyth a sygnett of Ihūs fynger: that is the holy ghost / And therfore wythouten his lo¦ue & his leue may noo man come in / He hath on̄ly the keye of cūnynge in his kepynge as holy wrytte sayth. and he is keye hymselfe / And he letteth in whom he woll by Inspyracōn of his grace. and breketh not the selle. and yt dooth Ihū to his lo∣uers / Not to all ylike. but to hem that are specyally Inspyred for to seke sothfastnes in holy wrytte wyth grete deuocōn in prayeng: and wyth moche besynes in studyenge goynge befo¦re / Thise maye come to the fyndyng whā our lorde Ihū wol shewe it / See now then̄e how grace openeth the ghostly eye & clereth ye wytte of the soule wondly aboue the freelte of cor∣rupte kynde / It yeuyth the soule a newe ablenesse whether it woll rede holy wrytte or here or thynke it for to vndstonde it truely & sauourly the sothfastnes of it in the maner before sa¦yd / And for to torne redily all reasons & wordes that are bodi¦ly sayd in to ghostly vndstonding. & that is noo grete meruey¦le / For the same spiryte expownyth it and declareth it in a cle¦ne
soule in comfort of it that fyrst made it. and that is the ho¦ly ghost / And this grace maye be & is aswel in lewde as in let¦tred men as anenstes the substaūce & the true felynge of soth∣fastnes and the ghostly sauoure of it in generall though they see not so many reasons in specyall: for that nedeth not / And whan the soule is thus abled & lightned thrugh grace. then̄e it lyste for to be alone some tyme oute of lettynge or comonyn¦ge of all creatures that he myght freely assaye his Instrumēt that I calle his reason in beholdyng of sothfastnes that is cō¦teyned in holy wrytte / And then̄e there falle to mynde wordes & reasons and sentences ynough to occupye hym in full ordy¦nate & full sadly / And what comforte & ghostly delyte: sauour & swetnesse a soule may fele then̄e in his ghostly werke thruh̄ dyuers Illumynacōns: Inly perceyuynges: preuy knowynges and sodeyn towchynges of the holy ghost by assaye the sowle maye wyte and elles not / And I hope that he shal not erre be soo that his teeth that ben his Inwarde wyttes be kepte why¦te & clene fro ghostly pryde & fro curyosite of kyndly wytte / •• hope that Dauyd felte full grete delyte in this maner werk•• whan he sayd thus / Q•••• dulcia fauci{bus} meis eloquia tua s••¦per mel ori meo / How swete are thy spekynges lorde Ihū 〈◊〉〈◊〉 my chekes ouer hony to my mouth / That is: Lorde Ihū thy•• holy wordes endyted in holy wrytte broughte to my 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thrugh grace are swetter to my chekes: that are ye affecōns o•• my soule than hony is to my mouthe / Sothly this is a fayre werke wythoute paynfull traueylle for to see Ihesus thus / This is one manere of syghte of Ihesu as I sayde before / Not as he is: but clothed vnder lyckenesse of werkes and of wordes / Per speculum in enigmate / By a myrroure and by a ••yckenesse / As the appostle saythe / Ihesu is endeles myghte wysdome and goodnes: Ryghtwysnesse: soothfastnesse: holy∣nesse. and mercy / And what this Ihesu is in hym selfe maye noo sowle see ne here. But by effecte of his worchynge he
maye be seen thrugh the lyght of grace. as thus / His myght is seen by makynge of all creatures of nought. his wysdome in ordynate disposynge of hem: his goodnes in sauyng of hem his mercy in foryeuenesse of syn̄es. his holynesse in yeftes of grace: his rightwysnes in harde punysshynge of syn̄e. his soft¦nes in true rewardyng of good werkes / And al this is expres¦sed in holy wrytte. and this seeth a soule in holy wrytte with all other accidentes that fallen herto / And wite thou wel that suche gracyous knowynges in holy wrytt or in other writin¦ge that is made thorugh grace are noughte elles but swete let¦ters senden & made betwyxe a louynge soule & Ihū loued / Or elles yf I shall saye sothlyer betwyxe Ihū the true louer & the soules loued of hym / He hath full grete tendnes of loue to al his chosen childern that are here closed in claye of this bodily lyfe / And therfore though he be absent fro hem highe hid abo¦ue in the bosom of the fader fulfylled in delyces of the blessed godhede. yet notwythstondyng he thynketh vpon hem & vysy∣teth hem full ofte thrugh his gracyous ghostly presence & cō∣forteth hem by his letters of holy wrytte. and dryueth oute of her hertes heuynes & werynes: dowtes & dredes. and maketh hē gladde & mery in hym truely. trowynge to all his byhetynges and mekely abydinge fulfyllyng of his wyll / Saynt poul sa¦yth thus / Quecū{que} scripta sūt ad nostrā doctrinā scripta sunt vt per consolacionē scriptura{rum} spē habeam{us} / * 1.2 All that is wry∣ten to our techynge it is wryten that by comforte of wrytyn¦ge we myghte haue hope of saluacyon / And this is a nother werke of cōtemplacōn for to see Ihū in scryptures after ope¦nynge of the ghostly eye / The clenner the syghte is in behol∣dynge. the more comforted is the affeccion in the tastynge •• A full lytyll sauour felte in a clene soule of holy wrytte in thys maner before sayd sholde make the soule sette lytyll pryce by knowynge of all the vii. artes. or of all the worlde of all wo∣ldly cūnynges / For the ende of this knowinge is saluacōn of
a mannes soule in euerlastynge lyf. and the ende of that other as for hemselfe is but vanytee and a passynge delyte: but yf they be torned thrugh grace to this ende.
••uc· xiiii
Ro. xv.