Scala perfecc[i]onis

¶How it neded to mankynde that oonly thorugh the pas∣syon of cryste it sholde be restored and refourmed that was forshape by the fyrste synne / Caplm ii. (Book 2)

THe ryghtwysnes of god asketh that a trespace done be not foryeuen but yf amendes be made for it yf it maye be done / Now it is sooth. mankynde that was hole in adam the fyrste man trespassed ayenste god soo wonder greuously whan it forfeyted the speciall byddyng of hym / and assented to the false counseylle of the fende. that it deserued ryghtfully for to haue be departed fro hym and dampned to helle wyth outen ende. soo ferforth that stondynge the ryghtwysnesse of god it myghte not be foryeuen. but yf amendes were first ma¦de and full satysfaccyon therfore / But this amendes myghte noo man make that was man oonly. and comen oute of a∣dam by kyndely generacyon for this skylle / For the trespasse and vnworshyppe was endles grete / and therfore it passyd mannys myghte for to make amendes for it / And also for this skylle / He that hath trespassed and shall make amendes hym behouyth for to yeue to hym that he hath trespassed vn¦to all that he owyth though he had not trespassed / And also ouer that hym behouyth yeue sōwhat that he owyth not but oonly for that he trespassed / But mankynde had not where∣wyth that he myghte paye god for his trespaas ouer that he oughte hym / For what good dede that man myght doo in bo¦dy

or in soule it was but his dette / For euery man oughte as the gospel sayth for to loue god wyth all his herte and al his soule and all his myghtes / and better myght he not doo than this / And neuertheles this dede suffyced not to the refourmyn¦ge of mankynde / Ne this myghte he not doo but yf he had be fyrst refourmed / Thenne neded it that yf mannes soule shol¦de be refourmed / and the trespaas made good / that our lorde god hymselfe sholde refourme this ymage / and make amen∣des for this trespaas sythen that noo man myghte / But that myghte he not doo in his godhede / for he myghte not ne ough¦te not to make amendes by sufferynge of payne in his owne kynde / therfore it neded that he sholde take the same mankyn∣de that had trespassed and become man. And that myghte he not doo by the comyn lawe of generacion. For it was impos∣syble goddis sone to be borne of towchyd woman / Therfor̄ hym muste become man thorugh a gracyous generacyon by the werkynge of the holy ghoste of a clene gracyous mayden our lady saynt Mary / and soo was it done / For our lorde Ihe∣su goddis sone became man / and thorugh his precyous deth that he suffred made amendes to the fader of heuen for man¦nys gylte / And that myghte he well doo for he was god. and he oughte not for hymselfe / but in as moche as he was man borne of the same kynde that adam was that firste trespaced And soo though he oughte it not for his owne persone / for hymself myghte not synne / Neuerthelesse he oughte it of his free wyll for the trespaas of mankynde / the whiche mankyn¦de he toke for the saluacyon of man of his endeles mercy / For soth it is. there was neuer man that myghte yelde to god ony thynge of his owne that he oughte not. but oonly thys blessyd Ihesu. For he myghte paye god one thyng that he ou∣ghte not as for hymselfe / and that was nought but one thyn¦ge. that was to yeue his precyous lyfe by wylfull takynge of dethe for loue of sothfastnes / This oughte he not / As moche

good as he myghte doo to the worshyp of god in this lyfe: all were but dette / But for to take dethe for loue of ryghtwys∣nesse he was not bounde therto / He was bounde to ryghtwys¦nesse / but he was not bounde to deye / for dethe is oonly a pay¦ne ordeyned to man for his owne synne / But our lorde Ihesu synned neuer ne he myghte not synne / and therfore he oughte not for to deye / Thenne sythen he oughte not for to deye. and yet wilfully he deyed / thenne payd he to god more than he ou¦ghte / And sythen that was the beste mannes dede and moost worthy that euer was done / therfor̄ was it resonable that the synne of mankynde sholde be foryeuen / In as moche as man kynde had founde a man of the same kynde wythoute wem̄e of synne / that is Ihesu that myght make amendes for the tre¦spaas done and myghte paye our lorde god all that he oughte and ouer more that he oughte not / Thenne syth that our lor¦de Ihesu god and man deyed thus for saluacyon of mannes soule. it was ryghtfull that synne sholde be foryeuen / and mā¦nes soule that was his ymage sholde mow be reformed and restored to the fyrste lyckenesse and to the blysse of heuen / This passion of our lorde and this precyous dethe is the gro¦unde of all the refourmynge of of mannes soule / wythoute whiche myght neuer mannes soule haue be refourmed to the lyckenesse of hym. ne come to the blysse of heuen / But bles∣syd maye he be in all his werkynge / Now is it soo that tho∣rugh the vertue of his precyous passion the brennyng swerde of Cherubyn that droue adam oute of paradyce is now put awaye. and the endles gates of heuen arn open to euery man that wylle entre in therto / For the persone of Ihesu is bothe god & kynge of heuen in the blysse to the fader / & as man he is porter at the yate redy to receyue euery soule that wyll be refo¦urmed here in this lyf to his lyckenesse / For now maye euery soule yf that he wyll be refourmed to the lyckenesse of god / syth that the trespaas is foryeuen / and the amendes thorugh

Ihesu is made for the fyrste gilte / Neuertheles though this be sothe all soules haue not the profyte ne the frute of this pre∣cyous passyon / ne ame not refourmed to the lickenes of him