¶ The .xii. chaptre is of the royall & victorio{us} way of the holy crosse.

THere be many that repute y^• wordes of our sauyour harde and peynefull whan he say∣the we may nat be his disciples without we denie & reuounce our owne wyll and take the crosse and fo∣lowe hym. But it shalbe more peynefull and sorow∣full withoute comparison for to here the wordes of mouthe in the extreme and last iugement / whan he shall pronownce the wordee of perpetuall dampna¦cyon sayinge to the reprobate creatures: Go ye fro Page  [unnumbered] me for euer to be perpetuall fire that is ordeined for the deuyll & his angels: Tho that now here the wor¦de of god and be gladde to folowe it / than they shall nat be astonyed of theyre owne partye herynge the wordes of dampnacion of the reproued peple whā our Lorde shall come to deme all the worlde y^e syg∣ne of the crosse shalbe heuē and so those that be true seruauntes of the lorde that was crucified / & at that day hauynge his conisaunce or signe that is to say the crosse of penaūce. than maye they haue full sure accesse to hym theyr maister & Iuge. Why fereste y^u to take the crosse of short penaunce whereby y^u maist comesuerly to the perpetuall ioyfull kyngdome. in y^t v{er}tue of the crosse is spūall helthe & lyfe proteccion from our enemye. & infusion of heuenly swetnes. the strength of mynde y^e ioy of the spirite. there is {pro}fita¦ble & excellent v{er}tue with {per}fecciō of holynes of liuīge There is no helthe of the soule ne hope of heuenly li¦fe / but by te vertue of the crosse and therfore take y^• crosse of penaunce & folowe Iesu thy leder into euer lastynge blysse. He hath gone before the beringe the crosse / & therupon for thy loue suffred deth. than ta∣ke the crosse of tribulacion sikenes or other disases & desire to suffre deth for his loue / if thou wylt be as∣sembled to hym in paciently sufferynge peyne try∣bulacion & dethe. than thou shalt be {per}tener of his ple¦sure cōsolacion & {per}petuall lyfe & ioy. Than beholde what v{er}tue cometh by the holy crosse. & what habun∣daūce of grace by y^e ardēt desire to suffre deth for y^t loue of our lorde. There ys none other way to come Page  [unnumbered] to life and inly peas. but by the way of the crosse of penaunce & cōtynuall mortificacōn of our rebellio{us} sensuall partis. Go whether soeuer thou wylt & en∣quyre whatsoeuer thou desirest: but thou shalt ne∣ner abowe the vnder the fende a more excellent & su∣re way than by the way of imitaciō of the holy cros Dispose thy selfe & order euery thynge after thy pro¦pre wyll & desire / & thou shalt fynde thou must euer suffre other frely & by thy wyl or violently & ageinst thy wyll & so thou shalt nat auoide the crosse outher sikenes & peynein thy body / orellis by tribulacyon in thy soule. Somtyme our lorde deleth with y^t as he wolde forsake the / and somtyme by his wisdome he suffre the to be iniured & vexed of thy neyghbour & somtyme of thyn owne selfe and there is no reme∣dye ne alienation but thou must paciently suffre tyll it plese the great phisicion to sende alegians & reme∣dye to the. For he wyll that thou lerne to suffre try∣bulacion that therby thou mayst be made more hū∣ble & holy conuerte thy selfe to hym. There be none that perceyueth or inly or hertly foloweth y^• glory{us} passion of crist as tho that for his loue or the {pro}fit of theyr soules hath had cōformable peyne. This cros of tribulaciō is euer redy & abideth the in euery pla∣ce & therfore thou maist nat auoyde it ī any place. for if thou were secluded fro all the world. yet thou shul dest haue experience of this crosse of tribulacion in thyselfe Cōuerte thyselfe to those aboue y^e / orellis to those y^t ben vnder y^• / and aboute y^e and loke wythin the. And in all those / thou shalte fynde the crosse of Page  [unnumbered] temptacyon ad tribulacion / and therfore it is expe∣dyent to the euer to arme thy selfe with pacience: yf thou wylthaue inly peas and the crowne of perpe∣tuall tryumphe and ioye. Endeuoure thyselfe to be∣re this crosse of tribulacion pacyently / and it shall susteyne the myghtyly and lede the to a ioyfull en∣de where thou shalt neuer bere the burdē of any kī∣de of tribulaciō or tēptacion. If thou bere this cros ageinst thy wyll / than thou berest a burden y^t more chargeth thy selfe / & therfore in asmoche as y^u must of necessite bere it / applie thy selfe that thou paciēt∣ly susteyne it. and doute the nat if thou abiecte it / & put it away: but thou shalt haue another & perauē∣ture a more heuy and greuous to susteyne thynkest thou to auoyde that neuer mortall creature yet mi∣ghte escape. What saynt fro the begynnynge of the worlde to thys daye hath come to heuen wythoute this crosse of trybulacion. No nat the sonne of god our sauyour: the whiche from his fyrste comynge ī¦to this worlde: vnto his departynge was nat y^e spa∣ce of one houre alyenate from the peyne of the cros and trybulacion. It was behouable that crist shuld suffre dethe and arise agayne / and so to entre īto, his glorye. Howe shuldest thou synfull creature thynke that thou shuldeste go to heuen by any other waye than by the playne / ryght and hygh kynges waye that is to saye the way of the crosse. Desyreste thou to come to heuen by pleasure and ioye. Nowe sithe the ledar of lyfe with all hys martyrs haue paste by the way of trybulacion and the crosse. Who so euer Page  [unnumbered] intende to come to heuen withoute the way of try∣bulacion & the crosse they erre from the ryght waye for all the way of this mortall lyfe is full of meseres & crosses of tribulacion. And euer the more a soule {pro}fiteth in v{er}tue the more peinfull crosses & greuous tribyulacions it shall fynde {per}tly for the fende assay∣leth more fersly those {per}sons whome he seeth encrese more in vertue. The seconde cause is / for the more strongly a soule encreaseth in vertue the more desy∣re it hath to be eleuate frome the incommoditees of thys temporall exyle: & to be at lyberte in the perpe∣tuall ioy & {pro}pre countrey. But the soule thus vexed with many folde affeccions may syngulerlye be re∣cōforted whan it perceyueth that for euery trybula∣cyon pacyētly & by grace ouercome it shalbe rewar∣ded with the frute of euerlastynge lyfe. And euer y^e body is punysshed with peyne and tribulaciou: the more shall the soule receyue of spiritual strengthe & consolacion. And somtyme the soule is so reconfor∣ted in aduersite and tribulacion that it wolde nat be without them consyderynge that therby it ys made coformable to oure sauyoure cryste. And also it con∣syderethe well that the more peyne and tribulacyon it may suffre for his loue / the more acceptable it shal be in hys sight. Howe may this be that man by paci∣ence suffereth and desireth that nature fleethe / and hateth nat by no vertue in man but by the synguler grace of Iesu criste. It is nat the naturall appetite of man to loue / and suffre a peynefull crosse to cha∣slyse the bodye / and subdue it to the seruyce of the Page  [unnumbered] spirite to flee honours / & gladly accepte repreues & iniuries: to dispise hymselfe: & desire to be dispised / paciently to suffre all aduersitees with shames & re∣preues / & to desire no {pro}sperite in this worlde. Be∣holde thy selfe well / & thou shalt wel perceyue that if thou haue those thīges aforsaid thou hast nat them of thy selfe: but if thou wylt applie thy selfe & haue cō¦fidence in god: he shall sende the fro heuen that thou shalt haue these v{er}tues & also thy sensuall part▪ with the worlde shalbe made subiectes to the / & yf thou wylt arme thy selfe with y^• quycke feith & the crosse of iesu cryst: thou shalt nat nede to fere the enuious subtylte of the fyende. than prepare thy selfe as a fei∣thfull seruaunt of iesu criste to bere his crosse cōstāt¦ly / cōsideringe howe he thy lorde dyd bere it for the peinfully & mercifully: order thy selfe to suffre mani aduersitees / īiuries & wrōges ī this miserable life: & so thou shalt haue hym with the where so euer thou be also thou shalt fynbe hym where so euer thou hi∣de y^•. Than if thou desire to be dere & a frende to thy redemer & haue {per}te of his cōsolacion / desire affectu∣ally to drīke w^t hym of his chalys of trybulacion de∣sire no cōsolacion ne {pro}sperite but at the wyll of god & order thy self to suffre tribulacions / & repute them as the moste speciall consolacyons / for they be y^• re∣dy meanes to come tho the heuenly & {per}petuall cōso∣lacions. whan thou comest to that degre of pacyēce that tribulacion is swete & pleasaunt to the for y^• lo∣ue of god / than exteme thy selfe in goode state / and that thou hast founde paradise in erthe And as lōge Page  [unnumbered] as it is greuous to the to suffre & enforceth thy selse to fle tribulacion: so longe thou arte nat in the {per}fite state of pacience: & whersoeuer thou fleest thou shalt fynde trybulacion nere & folowethe. If thou order thy selfe euer to suffre paciently & to haue remēbrāce of thy dethe / than thou shalt {per}ceyue thy selfe ī good state & also in q̄etnes & reste. If thou were so {per}fite y^t thou were rauysshed spiritually with Paule into y^• thyrde heuen: thou shuldeste nat be sure therbye to be without aduersyte. For owre sauy our spekyng of Paule saythe: I shall shewe hym howe manye thynges he shall suffre for my name. Than if thou wilt serue and loue thy lorde perpetually thou must nowe suffre & saye manye tymes to thy selfe: wolde to god I were able for to suffre for the name of my sw•te lorde Iesu. For therby thou shuldest gyue oc∣casion of specyall edificacion of thy neyghbour gre¦at glory to thy selfe & exaltacion of gladnes to y^e ho∣ly aungels. All people in maner recōmende pacien∣ce: but there be fewe y^t wyll vse it. Thou that takest great labours & suffereste moche for the loue of the worlde / and wordly thinges by greate reason thou shuldeste be glad to suffre a lytell for the loue of the moste true louer criste. And euer the more thou mor¦tifie discretly thy selfe the more thou begīnest to ly∣ue in the sighte of god. There is no {per}sone apt to cō∣prehende heuenly thīges withuot they submit their selfe to suffre aduersite for the loue of criste. There is no thinge more {pro}fitable for thy selfe & acceptable to god thā to be pacient & glad to suffre for the loue Page  [unnumbered] of hym. And if {pro}sperite & aduersite were put in thy eleccion thou shuldest rather chese aduersite / than desire to be recreate with many cōsolacions: For bi aduersite thou arte made conformable vnto cryste & all his seyntes. Our meryte & {per}feccion of state stā¦deth nat in great plesaunt & delectable cōsolacions but rather ī greuous tēptacions & tribulacions and penalyte of life. If there had be any more expedient meane to the helthe of man / than to suffre peyne / & tribulacion our lorde criste wolde haue shewed it bi wordes & examples. But he exorted hys disciples & all other that wolde folowe hym to heuen to take y^• crosse as the moste mediate meane to folowe hym sayinge who that will folow me to heuen thei must denye theyr owne selfe forsakīge theyr {pro}pre wyll & take the crosse of peuaunce & folow me. Af• all these thīges redde & perfitly serched it foloweth as a fy∣nall cōclusion that it is behouable to vs ta entre into the kyngdome of heuen by wany tribulacions.