Scala perfectionis

¶Of an euyl daye & a gode nyghte what it meaneth / & how y^e loue of the worlde is lykened to an euyl day: & the loue of god to a good nyght / Caplm̄ xxiiii

yF thou wolt wyte then what this desyre is sothly it is Ihū / for he makyth this desyre in y^e & yeueth it y^e / And he it is y^e desyreth ī y^e / & he it is y^t is desy∣red / He is al & he doth al yf thou myght see hym / Thou doost nought but suffrest hym worche in thy soule / and assentyst to hym with grete gladnesse of herte y^t he wou∣che sauf for to do so in the / Thou arte nought elles but a resonable Instrument wherin y^t he worcheth / And ther¦fore whan thou felyst thy thought by to wehynge of his grace take vp with desyre to Ihū with a myghty deuout

wyl for to plese hȳ & loue hȳ. thē thynke y^t thou hast Ihū for he it is y^t thou desyrest / Beholde hȳ wel for he goth be¦fore y^t not ī bodely lyknes but vnsēseably by priue presē¦ce of his myght / Therfore see hym ghostly yf thou may and festen althy thought and thyn affeccyon to hym. & folowe hym where soo he gooth. for he shal lede the y^e ry∣ght waye to Ihr̄lm. that is the syght of pees & contem∣placyon / Thus prayed the prophete to the fader of heuē sayenge thus / Emitte lucē tuā & veritatē tuam ipa me deduxetunt et adduxetunt in montemscm̄ tuū et in ta∣bernacula tua. That is / Fader of heuen sende out thy lyght and thy sothfastnesse. y^t is thy sonne Ihū / anb he shal lede me by desyre in me to y^e holy hylle and in to thy tabernacles. that is to the felynge of perfyte loue & hey∣ght in contēplacyon / Of this desyre speketh the prophe¦te thus / Memoriale tuū in desiderio aīe mee. Aīa mea desyderauit te in nocte: sed & sp̄us meus ī p̄cordiis meis That is. Lorde Ihesu the mynde of the is prynted in de¦syre of my soule / For my soule hath desyred the in the ny¦ght. and my spyryte hath coueyted the in al thynkynges And why the prophete sayth he hath desyred god al in y^e nyght as a tymful space bytwyx dayes two / For whan one daye is ended a nother comyth not anone / but fyrst comyth nyght & departeth the dayes somtyme longe & somtyme shorte / and thenne after comyth a nother day The prophete meaned not on̄ly of this maner of nyght but he meaned a ghostly nyght / Thou shalt vnderston¦de that there ben two dayes or two lyghtes / The fyrste is a fals lyght. the ••ecōde is a true lyght / The fals lyght is the loue of this worlde that a man hathe in hymselfe of corrupcyon of hys flesshe. The true lyght is the per¦fyte loue of Ihesu felyd thorugh grace in a mannes sou¦le. The loue of this worlde is a false lyght / For it passeth

awaye and lasteth not / and so it perfourmeth not that that it behoteth / This lyght behyght the fende to Adam whan he styre hym to synne and sayd thus / Aperientur oculi vestri et eritis sicut dii / That is / your eyen shal be opened and ye shal be as goddys / And he sayd sothe the¦re For whan Adā had synned anone his Inner eye was sperred & ghostly lyght withdrawe. & his vtter eye were opened / & he felt and sawe a new lyght of flesshlh lykyn¦ge and worldely loue that he sawe not before / And soo sawe he a new day but this was an euyl daye / For thys was it that Iob waryed whan he sayd thus / Pereat di∣es in qua natus sum / That is: Perysshe the daye in the whiche I was borne / He waryed not the daye rennyn∣ge in the yere that god made / but he waryed this daye that man made. that is the concupyscens and the loue of this worlde in the whiche he was borne thorough he felyd it not.

Then this daye and this lyghte he asked of god that it sholde perysshe and noo lenger laste / But the euerlastin¦ge loue of Ihesu is a true daye and a blessyd lyght / For god is bothe loue and lyghte. and he is euerlastyngr as saynt Iohn̄ sayth / Qui diligit deum manet in lumine / That is: He that loueth god dwellyth in the lyght Than what man perceyueth and seeth the lone of this worlde fals and faylynge. and for that he woll forsake it and seke the loue of Ihesu / He maye not assone fele the loue of hym / But he muste abyde a whyle in the nyghte / For he maye not sodeynly come fro that one lyghte to that other / that is from the loue of the worlde to perfy∣te loue of god / This nyghte is noughte elles but a forberynge and a withdrawynge of the thoughte and of the soule fro erthly thynges by grete desyre and yernynge for to loue and

see and fele Ihesu & gholy thynges / This is the nyght / For ryght as the nyght is derke and euer hydyng from al bodely creature: and a restynges of all bodely dedes / Ryght soo a man that settyth hym fully for to thynke on Ihesu / & for to desyre only y^e loue of hym is besye for to hyde his thought fro vayne beholdynge and percey∣uynge. and his affeccyon fro flesshly lykyng and louyn¦ge of al bodely creatures / So that his thonght maye be made free & not subget. ne his affeccyon bounde ne py¦ned ne troubled in no thynge lower ne woors than him selfe / And yf he maye do so then it is nyghte with hym / for then he is in derknesse. But this is a good nyght & a lyght derknesse & for it is a stoppyng out of the fals lo¦ue of this worlde. and it is a nyghynge of the true daye And sothly y^e derker y^t this nyʒt is y^e nerer is y^e true daye of the loue of Ihū / For the more that y^e soule maye tho∣rugh longyng to god be hydde fro noyse & dyn̄e of flessh¦ly affeccyons & vnclene thoughtes the nerer it is for to fele the lyght of y^e loue of hym for it is euen at it. Thus semyth it the prophete meaned whan he sayd thus. Cū in tenebris sedeo dn̄s lux mea est. That is: whan I sitte in derknes our lorde is my lyght / That is: whā my sou¦le is hydde fro all styrynges of syn̄e as it were in slepe / then is our lorde my lyght: for then̄e nygheth he of his grace for to shewe me of his lyght / Neuertheles this ny¦ght is somtyme paynfull / fyrste whan a man is moche foule and is not thorugh grace vsed to be often in this derknes but wolde fayne haue it / and therfore he sette∣th his thought & his desyre to god warde asmoche as he maye / he wolde not fele ne thynke but on̄ly of hym: and by cause y^t he may not lyghtly haue it therfore it is payn¦full / For the custome & the homelynes that he hath had with synnes before of the worlde and of flesshly affeccy¦ons

and erthly thynges / and his flesshly dedes prees so vpon hym and euer smite in by maystry and draw do∣wne all the soule to hē that he may not wel be hidde fro hē assone as he wolde. Therfore this derkenes is payn¦ful to hym / and namly whan grace to wchyth not ha∣bundantly / Neuertheles yf it be so with the. be not to he¦uy ne stryue not moche as though thou woldest thrugh maystry put hē oute of thy thoughte. for thou maye not doo soo but abyde grace: suffre easely. and breke not thy self tomoche / And slyely yf thou maye drawe thy desyre and thy glostly beholdyng to Ihū: as yf tho woldest not charge hem. For wyte thou well whan thou woldest de¦sire Ihesu and oonly thynke on him. and thou may not frely for prechyng in of suche worldly thoughtes: sothly thon art outwarde of the fals day. and thou art entrīg in to this derkenes / But thy derkenes is not restfull by cause of disease & vncūnyng and vnclennes of thyself / And therfore vse it ofte & it shal by processe thrugh felin¦ge of grace be more easy & more restful to the / And that is whan thy soule thrugh grace is made soo free and soo myghty & soo good and so gadred in to itself that it lyste not to thynke on right noughte / Then̄e is it in a good derknesse / This nought I meane th{us} that a soule may thorugh gracebe gadred into itself freely & hooly: & not be driuen ayenst the wyll ne drawē downe by maystry for to thynke or lyke or loue wyth cleuīge of affeccōn to ony synne ol vaynly ony erthly thynge thēne thynketh the soule nouʒt / for thē thynkith it of none erthly thyng cleuyngly This is a ryche nought / & this nought & this nyght is a grete ease for y^e soule y^t desyreth y^e loue of Ihe¦su / It is in ease as for thoughte of ony erthly thynge ne¦uertheles it is full besy for to thīke on hym / What thyn∣ge then makyth this derkenes: Sothly noughte elles

but a gracyous desyre for to haue the loue of Ihū / For y^e desyre & y^e longyng that it hath that tyme to y^e loue of god for to see hym & haue hym dryueth oute of the herte al worldly vanytees & flesshly affeccyons. & gadreth the soule in to itself. & occupyeth it oonly for to thynke how it myght come to y^e loue of hym / & y^e tyme maye it freely & deuoutly beholde Ihū whed it wol pray or thinke. & so it bryngyth it to this ryght nouʒt. & sothly it is not al der¦ke ne nouʒt whā it thynkyth th{us}. For though it be derke fro fals lyʒt it is not al derke fro y^e true lyʒt. for Ihū y^t is both loue & lyʒt is in this derknes wheder it be paynful or restful / If it be paynful then̄e he is in y^e soule as tra∣ueylyng in desyre & lōgyng to lyght but he is not yet a•• restynge in loue ne as shewynge his lyght: And therfore it is called nyghte & derknesse in asmoche as the soule is hyd fro the fals lyghte of the worlde. & hathe not yet ful¦ly felynge of true lighte: but is in abidyng of that blessid loue of god whiche it desyreth / Thene yf thou wolte wy¦te whan thou atte in this syker derkenesse & whan not / thou may assay th{us} and seke no ferder but thus / Whan thou felyst thyn entente & thy wyll fully sette for to desy¦re god. & thynke on̄ly on hym / thou maye as it were fyr∣ste aske thyself in thyn owne thought whether thou co∣ueyte for to haue ony thyng of this lyfe for loue of itselfe or for to haue the vse of ony of thy bodily wyttes in ony creature / & thēne yf thyn eye āswere the th{us} / I wolde se right nought / & thy mouche. I wolde sauour right non¦ght / & after thyn eere. I wolde here ryght nought / & thy body. I wolde fele right nouʒt / & after yf thine herte say I wold thynke right nought of erthly thynge ne of bodi¦ly dede / ne I wolde haue affeccōn fastyned flesshly to no creature but oonly ī god / & to god warde yf y^t I cowde / & whā they answere al th{us} to the & that is done ful redily

yf grace towche the. then̄e art thou entred sō what in to this derknes. for though thou fele & perceyue glētynges & proferynges of vayne thouʒtes & presing in of flesshly affeccyons. neuertheles thou art in this profitable derk¦nes if it be so y^t thy thought be not fyxed in hē / For suche vayne ymagynacōns y^t fal in y^e herte vnauysedly trow¦blē this derknes / & pyneth y^e soule sō what by cause y^t it wolde be hyd fro hem & may not / but they do not awaye y^e profyte of this derknes / for the soule shal by y^e way co¦me to restful myrknes / And then is this derknes restful whan y^e soule is hyd for a tyme fro y^e paynful felynge of al suche vayn thouʒte••. & only is rested in desyre & lōgin¦ge to Ihū with a ghostly beholdyng of hym as it shal be sayd afterwarde But y^e lasteth but a whyle hole. Neuer¦theles though it be but a shorte tyme it is ful profytable

Notes

• P. xlii.
• Isay. ••{con}.
• Gen̄. 3
• Iob 3.
• p̄ Ioh. ••