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Subject terms
Spiritual life -- Middle Ages, 600-1500.
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 May 6, 2024.
Pages
¶What peryll is to men yt in the begyn̄yng of her tornyng to god leueth the comyn prayer of thordynaūce of holy chyr∣che / and yeuen hem to medytacōn▪ Caplm xxviii.
THen̄e may yu see by this that thise men yf ony be suche yt in the begyn̄yng of her cōuersion or soone after whan they haue felt a lityl ghostly cōfort other in deuociō or in kno¦wing & are not yet stabled therin: they leue suche prayer vocal tosone & other bodily exercise. & yeue hem hooly to meditacion they bē not wise / For oft sithes in her rest for her meditacyōs they ymagyn & thīke on ghostly thynges after her owne wytt & folow her bodily felyng / & haue not yet receyued grace ther¦to: & therfore they by vndescrecōn oft sithes ouertraueyle her witt{is}· & brekē her bodily myght. & soo they fall in to fantasies & syngler cōceytes or in opyn errours: & lettē ye grace that god yeuith hē by suche vanitees. ye cause of al this is a priue pride of hemself. as whā they haue felt a lityl grace thei wene it so moche passyng other yt they fall in vaynglory. & so they lese it / ••f they wyst
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how lityl it were that thei fele in regard of that y• god yeuith or may yeue. they shold be ashamyd to speke ouʒt therof. but it were in grete nede / Of this maner of prayer by speche. spe∣kith dauid in ye sawter th{us} / Voce mea ad dn̄m clamaui. voce mea ad dn̄m dep̄catus sum / ••oo dauid the prophete for to styre other men to pray both with herte & with mouth sayde / with my voys I cryed to god. & wyth my speche I besought our lord /