A boke newly translated out of Latyn in to Englisshe, called The folowing of Christe with the Golden epistel of saynt Barnard.

❧That our truste is nat to be put in wordely people. The .xlvii. Chapitre.

MI sonne yf thou set thy peace with any persone for thyne owne plea∣sure or worldly frendshype / thou shalte al∣way be vnstable / and neuer shalt thou be contented / but yf thou haue alwaye re∣course to the trouth euerlastynge that is god hym selfe: than the death or goynge away of thy derest frende what so euer he be shall lytell greue the. The loue of thy frende ought alway to be referred to me / and for me he is to be beloued howe good and howe profytable so euer he seme vn∣to the in this lyfe / without me frendshype is nought worth / ne may nat longe en∣dure / ne that loue is nat true and cleane that is nat knytte by me. Thou oughtest therfore to be so mortified to all suche af∣feciōs of worldely men / that in as muche

as in the is: thou woldeste coueyte to be without all mannes cōforte. So muche a man nygheth the more to God as he can withdrawe hym selfe fro the worlde and from all worldly conforte / & so muche the more he asscendeth the hygher to god as he can descende lower in hym selfe / and as he can were vyle and abiecte in hys owne syght / he that ascribeth any good∣nes to hym selfe ayenstandeth the gra••e of God and letteth it to lyue in hym / for the grace of the holy ghost seketh alwaye a meke & an hūble herte / if thou couldeste perfitly noughty thy selfe & hooly auoyde thy herte fro all create loue / than shulde I (sayth our lorde) come to y^e with great habundaunce of my grace. ★ But whan thou lokest to creatures / than is ryght∣wysely withdrawen fro the: the syght of thy creatoure. Learne therfore to ouer∣come thy selfe / for the loue of hym that made the lyke to him selfe / and thou shalt anone come to great ghostely knowlege: howe lytell so euer the thynge be that a man loueth yf he loue it inordynately / it hyndreth hym: and letteth hym greatly fro the true and {per}fyte loue that he shulde haue vnto God.