Scala perfecc[i]onis

¶Of dyuers remedyes ayenst temptacōns of the fende Caplm xxxviii. (Book 38)

Emedie to suche men & wymmen that arn thus trauey¦led. or ony otherwyse. may be this / Fyrst that they wyll put all her trust in our lorde Ihū cryst / and bryng to mynde of¦ten his passiō: and the peynes that he suffred for vs / and that they thenne trowe stedfastly that all sorowes & traueyle that they suffre in suche temptacyons / whiche to an vncunnyng man semyth a forsakyng of god / That it is noo repreuyng ne noo forsakynge / but assayenge for her better / Eyther for

clensyng of her synnes before doon / or for grete encreasynge of her mede & disposyng to moche grace / yf they wyll suffre a whyle / and stonde fast that they torne not ayen wylfully to synne / A nother remedye is. that they drede not ne charge not as for a synne. ne sette not at herte suche malicyous stirynges of dispeyre or of blasphemye or of the sacrament. or ony su∣che other that were vgly for to here / For the felynge of thyse temptaciōs fyleth the soule no more than yf they herde an ho¦ūde berke. or a flee byte / They tariē the soule / but they apeyre not the soule yf a man wyll dispyse hem. and set hem at nou¦ghte / For it is not good for to stryue wyth hem for to put hē out by maystry / For the more that they stryue wyth suche tho¦ughtes. the more they cleue to hem / And therfore they shallen as moche as they maye drawe out the thought fro hem / and sett it to some other ocupacōn / And yet yf they wyll euer han¦ge vpon hem / thenne it is gode to hem that they be not angri ne heuy to fele hem / but wyth a good truste in god bere hem as it were a bodily payne & a scourge of our lorde for clensyn¦ge of her synnes. as longe as he wyll for his loue / as he was scourged & bare the crosse for her loue / And ouer this it is go∣od to hem for to shew her hertes to some wyse man in the be¦gynnyng before they ben roted in the hert / and that they leue her owne wytte and folowe the counseyle of hym / And that they shewe hem not lyghtly to none vncunnyng or worldly man whiche neuer felt suche temptacōns / For they myghte lyghtly brynge a symple sole in to dispeyre by vncūnynge of hemself / Of thyse maner of temptacōns by the whiche a mā semyth forsaken of god and is not / In comfort of hem that arne tempted our lord sayth thus by his prophete / In modi∣co dereliqui te.* 1.1 & in momento indignacōnis mee percussite / et in miseracōni{bus} meis multis congegabo te / In a lityll I for lefte the / That is to saye. I suffred the for to be taryed a lityl And in a poynt of my wrathe I smote the. that is to say / All

the penaūce & the payne that thou suffrest here is but a poynt of mi wrathe in regarde of the payne of helle or of purgatori And yet in my manyfolde mercies I shall gader togyder the / whan the thynketh that thou art forsaken. then̄e shal I of mi grete mercy gader y^e ayen to me / For whan thou wenyst that thou arte as it were loste: thenne shall our lorde helpe the as Iob sayth / Cū te consumptū putaueris:* 1.2 orieris vt lucifer et habebis fiduciā / That is to saye. whan thou art brought soo lowe by traueyle in temptacōn that the thynketh none helpe ne noo comforte. but as thou were a forloor man / yet stonde styfly in hope & pray god. and sothly thou shalt sodenly spryn¦ge vp as the day sterre in gladnes of hert: and haue a very tru¦ste in god as Iob sayth /

Notes

• * 1.1

  Isa. liiii
• * 1.2

  Iob xi.