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SHewe me then a soule that thorugh inspyracyon of grace hath openynge of the ghostly syght in to beholdyng of Ihū y• is departed & drawē out fro ye lo••••
of the worlde so ferforth that it hath puryte & pouerte of spyrite: ghostly rest: In warde scylence. & pees in conscy¦ence: hyghnes of thought on̄lynes & pryuyte of hert: wa¦ker slepe of the spouse. that hath loste lykyng & Ioyes of ye worlde taken with delyte of heuēly sauour. euer thres¦tynge: & softly shyghynge y• blessed presence of Ihū. & I dare hardly pronounce that this soule bren̄eth al in loue & shyneth in ghostly lyght worthy for to come to the na∣me & to the worshyp of the spowse: for it is refourmed in felynge made able & redy to contemplacyon / Thyse are the tokens of Inspyracōn in openynge of ye ghostly eye For why whan the eye is opened the soule is in ful felyn¦ge of al thyse vertues before sayd for that tyme / Neuer∣theles it falleth often tymes that grace withdrawyth in partye for corrupcōn of mannes freelte. & suffreth then the soule for to fal in to itself in flesshlyhede as it was be¦forne / And then is the soule in payne & in sorowe: for it is blynde & vnsauery & can no good / It is weyke & vn∣myghty encōbred with the body & with al ye bodyly wyt¦tes / It se••heth & desyreth after ye grace of Ihū ayen & it maye not fynde it / For holy wry•• sayth of our lorde th{us} Postqm̄ vultū suū absconderit non ē qui contēplat eū That is: After whan our lorde Ihū hath hydde his face there is none that maye beholde hym. whan he sheweth hym the soule may not vnsee hym. for he is lyght. & whā he hydeth hym it may not see hym for the soule is derke / His hydynge is but a subtyl assayenge of the soule / His shewynge is a wonder mercyfull goodnes in cōforte of the soule / Haue ye no wonder though the felynge of gra¦ce be withdrawe somtyme fro a louer of Ihū / For holy wrytte sayth ye same of the spouse that she fareth thus / Quesiui et non inueni illū. vocaui et nō respondit mi∣chi / I seched & I foūde hym not / I called & he answered
not / That is: whan I fall downe to my frelte then gra¦ce withdraweth for my fallyng is cause therof. & not his fleeng / But then fele I peyne of my wretchydnes in his absence / And therfore I soughte hym by grete desyre of herte: & he yaue to me no feble answerynge / And then I cryed with al my soule / Reuertere dilecte mi / Torne a∣yen thou my loued / And yet it semyd as he herde me not The paynful felynge of myself & the assaylynge of flessh¦ly loues & dredes in this tyme & ye wantyng of my ghost¦ly strength is a contynuel cryenge of my soule to Ihesu. And neuertheles our lorde makyth straunge & comyth not crye I neuer so fast / For he is syker ynough of his lo¦uer yt he wol not torne ayen to worldly loue fully he may no sauour haue therin. & therfore abydeth he the lenger
But at the last whan he wol he comyth ayen ful of gra¦ce & of sothfastnes. & vysyteth the soule ye languyssheth in desyre by syghynges of loue to his presence. & to wchy¦th it & anoynteth it ful softly with the oyle of gladnes. & makyth it sodeynly hole fro al pyne: and then cryeth the soule to Ihesu in ghostly voys with a glad herte thus / Oleum effusum nomen tuum / Oyle yshedde is thy na¦me / Thy name is Ihesu. that is hele / Then aslonge as I fele my soule sore & syke for synne pyned with ye heuy burden of my body sory and dredynge for perylles and wretchydnes of this lyfe. so longe lorde Ihū thy name is oyle speryd not oyleshed to me / But whā I fele my sou¦••e sodeynly towched with the lyght of thy grace heled & softed fro all the fylthe of synne. & comforted in loue & in lyght with ghostly strength & gladnes vnspekable. then maye I saye with lusty louynge & ghostly myghte to the Oyle yshed is thy name Ihū to me / For by the affecte of thy grayous vysytynge I fele wel of thy name the true expownynge y• thou art Ihū heele. For oonly thy gracy¦ous
presence helyth me fro sorowe & fro syn̄e / Blessed is y• soule that is euer fedde in felyng of loue in his presēce. or is borne vp by desyre to hym in his absence / A wyse lo¦••er is he & wel taught y• sadly & reuereutly hath hym in his presence & louely beholdeth hym wythout dyssolute lyghtnes. and pacyently & easely beryth hym in his ab∣sence without venemous dispeyre & ouer pynful bytter¦nesse / This chaungabilyte of absence & presence of Ihū that a soule felyth is not perfeccyon of the soule. ne it is not ayenst the grace of perfeccyon or of contemplacyon but in so moche perfeccyon is the lesse / ¶For the more lettynge y• a soule hath of itself fro contynuel felynge of grace the lesse is the grace: and yet neuertheles is ye gra∣ce in itself grace of contēplacyon / This chaungabylyte of absence & presence falleth as wel in the state of perfec¦cyon as in state of begynnynge: but in a nother maner: for ryght as there is dyuersyte of felynge in the presence of grace bytwex thyse two states. ryght so is there in the absence of grace / And therfore he that knoweth not the absence of grace is redy to be dysceyued / And he that ke¦pith not the presence of grace is vnkynde to ye vysytyng whether he be in state of begynners or perfyte / Neuer∣theles the more stablenes that there is in grace vnhur••e & vnbroken the louelyer is the soule and more lyke vnto hym in whom is no chaungabylyte as ye apostles sayth And it is ful ••emely that the spouse be lyke to Ihū spouse in maners & in vertues ful acordynge to hym in stably∣nes of pe••fyre loue / But y• falleth seeldom now here but in the specyal spouse / For he that perceyueth no chaūga¦bylyte in felyng of his grace but ylyke hole & stable vn∣broken & vnhurt as hym thynketh. he is eytherful per∣fyte or ful blynde / He is perfyte that is sequestyrde fro al flesshly affeccyons & comonynge of al creatures: and
al meanes are broken awaye of corrupcyon & of syn̄e be¦twyx Ihū & his soule fully ooned to hym with softnes of loue / But this is on̄ly grace aboue mannys kynde /
He is ful blynde yt feyneth hym in grace without ghost¦ly felynge of goddys Inspyracyon. & setteth hymself in a maner of stablynes as he were euer in felyng & in wor¦chynge of specyal grace: demyng that al is grace that he dooth & felyth without & within. thynkynge that what so euer he do or speke is grace: holdyng hymself vnchaū¦gable in specyallyte of grace. If there be ony suche as I hope there be none: he is ful blynde in felynge of grace / Bu•• then myght thou saye thus that we sholde loue on̄¦ly in trouthe. & not coueyte ghostly felynges ne rewarde hem yf they come / For the apostle sayth / Iust{us} ex fide vi¦uit / That is: The ryghtwysman lyueth in trouthe. Un¦to this I say y• bodyly felynges ben they neuer so comfor¦table we shal not coueyte ne rewarde moche yf they co∣me / But ghostly felynges suche as I spake of yf they co¦me in the maner as I haue sayd before we sholde euer de¦syre: yt are sleenge of al worldly loue openyng of y• ghost¦ly eye: puryte of spi••ite: pees of cōscience: & al other befo¦re sayd / We sholde coueyte to fele euer the lyfly Inspyra¦cyon of grace made by ye ghostly presence of Ihū in our soule yf yt we myght. & for to haue hym in our syght with reuerēce. and euer fele ye swetnes of his loue by a wōder¦ful homlynes of his presence / This sholde be our lyfe & our feling in grace after ye mesure of his yefte in whom al grace is. to some more & to some lesse / For his presen∣ce is feled in dyuers manere wyse as he wouchith saaf / And in this we sholde lyue & worche that longeth to vs to worche. for wythout this we shold not cunne lyue / For ryghte as the soule is the lyfe of the body. ryghte soo is Ihesu the lyfe of the soule by his gracyous presence /
And neuertheles this maner felynge be it neuer soo mo∣che it is yet but trouth as in rewarde of that y• shal be of these Il••hesu in the blysse of heuen / Lo this felynge shol¦de we desyre for eueryche a soule resonable o wyth for to coueyte with al the myghtes of it nyghyng to Ihū & oon¦ynge to hym thorugh felynge of his gracyous vnseable presence / How y• presence is feled it may better be know¦en by experyence than by ony wrytynge. for it is the lyfe & the loue: the myght & the lyght / the Ioye & the reste of a chosen soule / And therfore he that hath ones sothfastly feled it maye not forbere it without payne he maye not vndesyre it it is so good in itselfe / and soo comfortable / what is more comfortable to a soule here than for to be drawe out thrugh grace fro the vyle noye of worldly be∣lynesse & fylthe of desyres and fro vayne affeccyon of al creatures in to rest & softnes of ghostly loue pryuely per¦ceyuynge ye gracyous presence of Ihesu felably fed wy∣th sauour of his vnseable blessed face / Sothly ne thyn∣ge me thynketh / No thynge maye make the soule of a lo¦uer ful of myrthe but the gracyous presence of Ihesu as he can shewe hym to a clene soule /
He is neuer heuy ne sory but whan he is with hymself in flesshlynes / He is neuer ful gladde ne mery but whan he is out of hymselfe as he was with Ihesu in his ghost¦lynes / And yet is that no ful myrthe. for euer there han∣geth an heuy lūpe of bodyly corrupcyon on his soule: & bereth it downe & moche letteth y• ghostly gladnes. and y• must euer be whyles it is here in this lyfe but neuerthe¦se for I speke of chaungabylyte of grace howe it comy¦••th & goth that thou mystake it not. therfore I meane not of the comyn grace that is had & felte in trouth & in good wyl to god without the whiche hauynge & lastynge ther¦in no man maye be saaf. for it is in the leest chosen so u••e
y• lyueth but I meane of specyal grace felt by Inspyracy¦on of ye holy ghost in the maner as it is before sayd / The comen grace that is charyte lasteth hole what so euer a man do aslonge as his wyll & his entente is true to god withoute the whiche hauynge & lastynge that he wolde not synne dedely. ne the dede y• he wylfully dooth is not forbede as for dedely synne / For this grace is not losts but for dedely syn̄e / And then it is dedely sȳne whan his concyence wytnesseth with a vysement that it is dedely synne / & yet neuertheles he dooth it or elles his conscyen¦ce is so blynded that he holdeth it no dedely syn̄e al thou¦gh he doo the dede wylfully the whiche is forbode of god & holy chyrche as dedely synne / Specyal grace felt thru∣gh the vnseable presence of Ihesu that makyth a soule a perfyte louer lastyth not euerylyke hole in the hyghnes of felyng. but chaūgably comyth & gooth as I haue sayd before / Thus our lorde sayth / Spūs vbi vult spirat & vocem eius audis & nescis vnde veniat aut quo vadat The holy ghost spyreth where he woll and thou herest his voys but thou wost not whā he comith ne whether he gooth / He comyth pryuely some tyme whan thou ar¦te leest waar of hym: but thou shalt well knowe hym or thou go / For wōderfully he styryth & myghtyly torneth thin herte in to beholding of his godenes. and doth thin hert melte delectably as waxe ayenst y• fyre in to softnes of his loue. and this is the voys that he sowneth / But then he gooth or thou wote it for he withdrawyth hym sōwhat / nought in al: but fro excesse in to sobirte / The hyghnes passeth: but ye substaunce & theffectte of grace dwelleth stylle / And that is aslōge as ye soule of a louer kepyth hym clene / & falleth not wylfully to recheleshede or dissolucion in flesshlynes ne to outwarde vanyte. as somtym̄ it dooth though it haue no delyte therin for frel¦te
of itself Of this chaūgabylyte ī grace speke I of now /
Cant. 3
Cant. {con}
Cant. i
Heb. x.
Ioh. 3