Scala perfectionis

¶That we sholde beleue stedfastly refourmynge of this ymage. yf our cōscience wytnes to vs a ful forsakyng of synne. & a

true tornyng of our wyl to good lyuyng. Ca. ix

OF this refourmynge in fayth spekyth saynt poul thus. Iustus ex fide viuit / The ryghtwysman ly¦ueth in fayth. That is. He that is made ryghtful by bap¦tym or by penaunce he lyueth in fayth / whiche suffyse¦th vnto saluacyō & to heuenly pees as saynt poul sayth / Iustificati ex fide pacē habemus ad deū / That is: we y^t arn ryghted & refourmed thorugh faythe in cryst hathe pees & accorde made betwyx god & vs. nought ayenston¦dyng y^t vycyous felynges of our body of syn / For thou¦gh this refourmyng be pryue & maye not wel be felte he∣re in this lyf / neuertheles who so trowyth it stedfastly. & shapyth his werkes bysely for to accorde to his trouth & y^t he tourne not ayen to dedely syn̄e. Soothly whan y^• houre of deth comyth. & the soule is departed fro this bo¦dyly lyf then shal he fynde it sooth y^t I saye now / Thus sayd saynt Iohn̄ in cōforte of chosen soules y^t lyuen here ī fayth vnder y^e felyng of this paynful ymage / Karissi∣mi. & nunc sumus filii dei: sed non dū aparuit quod eri∣mus / Scimus autē qm̄ cū cristus apparuit tunt appa¦rebimus cum eo similes et in gloria / That is: My dere frendes we arn now whyle we lyue here y^e sōnes of god for we arn refourmed by faythe in cryst to his lyckenes But it shewyth not yet what we arn / but it is al pryue / Neuertheles we knowe wel y^t whā our lorde shal shewe hym at the laste daye / then shal we appere with hym ly∣ke vnto hym in endles Ioye / If thou wolte wyte then̄e yf thy soule be refourmed to the ymage of god or no / by y^t I haue sayd thou maye haue entree / Ransake thy con¦scyence. & loke what thy wyl is / For there in stondeth al If it be tourned fro al maner of dedely synne. that thou woldest for no thynge wyttyngly and wylfully breke y^•

to / And therfore hym nedeth euer be striuyng & fightyn¦ge ayenst wycked styrynges of this ymage of synne / & y^t he make none accorde therwith / ne take noo frendshyp to it for to be buxum to his vnskylful biddynges / For if he do he begyleth hymselfe / But soothly yf he stryueth with hem hym nedeth not moche drede of assentynge / For stryfe brekyth pees & fals accorde. It is good that a man haue pees with al thynge sauf with y^e fende & with this ymage of synne / for ayenste hem hym nedeth euer fyght in his thoughte & in his dede tyl he haue geten on hem the maystry. & y^t shall neuer be fully in this lyfe / as longe as he hereth & felyth this ymage / I saye not but y^• a soule maye thornghe grace haue the hyer honde ouer this ymage so ferforthe y^t he shall not folowe ne sente to the vnskylful styrynges of it / But for to be so clene dely¦uerde fro this ymage that he sholde fele no suggestyon ne Ianglyng of flesshly affeccyon ne of vayne thought no tyme maye no man haue in this lyfe / I hope y^t a sou¦le that is refourmed in felynge by rauysshynge of loue in contemplacyon of god may be so ferre fro the sensua¦lyte and fro vayne ymagynacyon and so ferre drawen out and departe fro the flesshly felynge for a tyme that it shall not fele but god / but that lasteth not euer / And therfore saye I that euery man behouyth stryffe ayenst this ymage of synne / and namely he that is refourmed in fayth oonly that soo lyghtly maye be dysceyued ther∣with / In y^e person of whiche mē sayth saynt poul / Caro concupiscit aduers{us} spiritū & spūs aduers{us} carnē. That is: A soule refourmed to y^e lyknes of god fyghtyth ayēst y^t flesshly styrynges of this ymage of synne / & also this ymage of synne stryueth ayenst the wyll of the spyryte. This manere of fyghtyng of this dowble ymage saynt

poule knewe whā he sayd thus / Inueni legem in mem¦bris meis repugnantē legi mētis mee & capitiuum me¦ducentē in legem peccati / That is / I haue founde two lawes in myself / One lawe in my soule within / and a¦nother in my flesshly lym̄es without fyghtyng with it y^t ofte ledeth me as a wretchyd prysoner to y^e lawe of syn By thyse two lawes in a soule I vnderstonde this dou¦ble ymage / By the lawe of the spyryte I vnderstonde y^• reason of the soule whan it is refourmed to y^e ymage of god / By the lawe of the flesshe I vnderstonde y^e sensua¦lytees whiche I calle y^• ymage of synne / In thyse two lawes a soule refourmed ledeth his lyfe as saynt poul sayth / Mēte enim seruio legi dei. carne enim legi pec∣cati / In my soule that is in my wyl and in my reason I serue to the lawe of god / but in my flessh y^t is ī my flessh¦ly appetyte I serue to the lawe of synne / Neuertheles y^t a soule refourmed shal not dispeyre thoughe he serue to the lawe of synne by felynge of the vycyous sensualyte ayenste the wyl of the spyryte by cause of corrupcyon of the bodely kynde. Saynt poul excusyth it sayeng thus of his owne persone / Non enī quod volo bonū hoc ago sed malum quod odi hoc facio. Si autē malū quod odi hoc facio. nō ego operor illud sed quod habitat ī me pec¦catū / I do not that good y^t I wolde do. That is I wolde fele no flesshly styryng / & that do I not / But I doo that euyl y^t I hate. That is. The synful styryng of my flesshe I hate / and yet I fele hem / Neuertheles syth it is so y^t I haue y^e wycked styrynges of my flesshe / & yet I fele hem and ofte delyte in hem ayenst my wyl they shal not be re¦herced ayenste me fro dampnacyon as yf I hadde done hem / And why / For the corrupcyon of this ymage of synne doth hem. & not I. Loo saynt poul in his persone

god / And yf he deye in y^t plyght he shall not be saaf / His trouth shal not saue hym / for his trouth is dede & lacky∣th loue. & therfore it seruyth hym not / But they that ha∣ue trouth quyckened with loue and charyte arn refour¦med to the lyckenesse of god. though it be but the leest de¦gre of charyte. as arn symple soules y^e whiche felen not y^e yeft of specyal deuocyon ne ghostly knowyng of god as some ghostly men done. but trowen generally as ho¦ly chyrche trowyth. and knowyth not fully what y^t is. for it nedeth not to hem. And in that trowyth they ke∣pe hem in loue and charytee to her euen crysten as they maye / and fleen al dedely synne after her cūnynge / and dooen y^e dedes of mercy to her euen crysten / Al thyse lon¦gen to the blysse of heuen / For it is wrytten in the apoc. thus. Qui timetis deum pusilli et magni lau••ate eum. This is / ye that dreden god bothe smale & grete thanke hym. By grete arn vnderstode soules y^t arne profytyng in grace or elles perfyte in y^e loue of god. the whiche arn refourmyd in ghostly felynge: By ••male arn vnderstō∣de soules vnperfyte of worldly men & wymmen. & other that haue but a chyldys knowynge of god & ful lytyl fe¦lynge of hym. but arn brought forth in the bosom of ho¦ly chyrche & nourysshed with the sacrament as chylder¦ne arn fedde with mylke / Al thyse sholde loue god & than¦ke hym for saluacyon of her soules by his endles mercy & goodnesse / For holy chyrche that is moder of al thyse & hath tender loue to al her chylderne ghostly prayeth & asketh for hem al tenderly of her spowse that is Ihesu & geteth hem hele of soule thorough vertue of his passyon And namly for hem that can not speke for hemselfe by ghostly prayer for her nede / Thus I fynde in the gospel That y^• woman of Chanee asked of our lorde hele to her

doughter that was traueyled with a fende / & our lorde made fyrst daungeour by cause she was an alyene / Ne¦uertheles she ceased not for to cry tyl our lorde had graūted her askyng. and sayd to her thus. Aa woman moche is thy trouth be it to y^e ryght as thou wolt / In the same hour was her doughter hole / This woman betokenith holy chyrche y^• asketh helpe of our lorde for symple vn∣cūnynge soules that are traueyled with tēptacyon of y^e worlde / and can not speke perfytly to god by feruour of deuocōn ne brennyng loue in contēplacyon / And thou¦gh it seme that our lorde make daūgeour fyrste by cause that they arn as it were alyened fro hym / neuerthelesse for the grete trouthe & dyserte of holy chyrche he graun∣teth to her al y^t she wyll / And so arn thyse symple soules y^t trowen stedfastly as holy chyrche trowyth / & putten hem fully in y^e mercy of god / & maken hem vnder the sa¦crament and lawes of holy chyrche made saaf thorugh prayer & trouth of her moder holy chyrche /

Notes

• Hebr̄. x
• Ro. v.
• Gal. v
• Ro. vii
• Ro. vii
• Apoc. i{con}.