§ 8. The causes that oghte moeve a man to Contricion been six. First, a man
shal remembre him of hise sinnes; / but loke [574] he that thilke
remembrance ne be to him no delyt by no wey, but greet shame and sorwe for
his gilt. For Iob seith: ‘sinful men doon werkes worthy of Confession.’ /
And therfore seith Ezechie: ‘I wol remembre me alle the yeres of my lyf, in
bitternesse of myn herte.’ /135 And god seith in the Apocalips: remembreth
yow fro whennes that ye been falle’; for biforn that tyme that ye sinned,
ye were the children of god, and limes of the regne of god; / but for your
sinne ye been woxen thral and foul, and membres of the feend, hate of
aungels, sclaundre of holy chirche, and fode of the false serpent;
perpetuel matere of the fyr of helle. / And yet more foul and abhominable,
for ye trespassen so ofte tyme, as doth the hound that retourneth to eten
his spewing. / And yet be ye fouler for your longe continuing in sinne and
your sinful usage, for which ye be roten in your sinne, as a beest in his
dong. / Swiche manere of thoghtes maken a man to have shame of his sinne,
and no delyt, as god seith by the prophete Ezechiel: /140 ‘ye shal remembre
yow of youre weyes, and they shuln displese yow.’ Sothly, sinnes been the
weyes that leden folk to helle. /
134. E. looke he; _rest om._ he. 135. Hl. Ln. Ezechiel. 137. E.
p_er_petueel.
§ 9. The seconde cause that oghte make a man to have desdeyn of sinne is
this: that, as seith seint Peter, ‘who-so that doth sinne is thral of
sinne’; and sinne put a man in greet thraldom. / And therfore seith the
prophete Ezechiel: ‘I wente sorweful in desdayn of my-self.’ And certes,
wel oghte a man have desdayn of sinne, and withdrawe him from that thraldom
and vileinye. / And lo, what seith Seneca in this matere. He seith thus:
‘though I wiste that neither god ne man ne sholde nevere knowe it, yet
wolde I have desdayn for to do sinne.’ / And the same Seneca also seith: ‘I
am born to gretter thinges than to be thral to my body, or than for to
maken of my body a thral.’ /145 Ne a fouler thral may no man ne womman
maken of his body, than for to yeven his body to sinne. / Al were it the
fouleste cherl, or the fouleste womman that liveth, and leest of value, yet
is he thanne more foule and more in servitute. / Evere fro the hyer degree
that man falleth, the more is he thral, and more to god and to the world
vile and abhominable. / O gode god, wel oghte [575] man have desdayn of
sinne; sith that, thurgh sinne, ther he was free, now is he maked bonde. /
And therfore seyth Seint Augustin: ‘if thou hast desdayn of thy servant, if
he agilte or sinne, have thou thanne desdayn that thou thy-self sholdest do
sinne.’ /150 Take reward of thy value, that thou ne be to foul to thy-self.
/ Allas! wel oghten they thanne have desdayn to been servauntz and thralles
to sinne, and sore been ashamed of hem-self, / that god of his endelees
goodnesse hath set hem in heigh estaat, or yeven hem wit, strengthe of
body, hele, beautee, prosperitee, / and boghte hem fro the deeth with his
herte blood, that they so unkindely, agayns his gentilesse, quyten him so
vileinsly, to slaughtre of hir owene soules. / O gode god, ye wommen that
been of so greet beautee, remembreth yow of the proverbe of Salomon, that
seith: /155 ‘he lykneth a fair womman, that is a fool of hir body, lyk to a
ring of gold that were in the groyn of a sowe.’ / For right as a sowe
wroteth in everich ordure, so wroteth she hir beautee in the stinkinge
ordure of sinne. /
143. E. And certes; _rest om._ And. 144. E. Hn. _wrongly ins_, god
_after_ that. 147. _All_ seruitute. 148. E. _om._ vile and. 150.
Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. Austyn. 152. Hl. men (_for_ they). 154. Cm.
vileynly. 155, 6. _So_ Hl.; E. Hn. he seith likneth; Cp. he seith he
likeneth; Cm. he seith & likkenyth; Pt. He likneth. E. soughe;
_rest_ sowe. 157. E. soughe; _om._ she.
§ 10. The thridde cause that oghte moeve a man to Contricion, is drede of
the day of dome, and of the horrible peynes of helle. / For as seint Ierome
seith: ‘at every tyme that me remembreth of the day of dome, I quake; / for
whan I ete or drinke, or what-so that I do, evere semeth me that the trompe
sowneth in myn ere: /160 riseth up, ye that been dede, and cometh to the
Iugement.’ / O gode god, muchel oghte a man to drede swich a Iugement,
‘ther-as we shullen been alle,’ as seint Poul seith, ‘biforn the sete of
oure lord Iesu Crist’; / wher-as he shal make a general congregacion,
wher-as no man may been absent. / For certes, there availleth noon essoyne
ne excusacion. / And nat only that oure defautes shullen be iuged, but eek
that alle oure werkes shullen openly be knowe. /165 And as seith Seint
Bernard: ‘ther ne shal no pledinge availle, ne no sleighte; we shullen
yeven rekeninge of everich ydel word.’ / Ther shul we han a Iuge that may
nat been deceived ne corrupt. And why? For, certes, alle our thoghtes been
discovered as to him; ne for preyere ne for mede he shal nat been corrupt.
/ And therfore [576] seith Salomon: ‘the wratthe of god ne wol nat spare no
wight, for preyere ne for yifte’; and therfore, at the day of doom, ther
nis noon hope to escape. / Wherfore, as seith Seint Anselm: ‘ful greet
angwissh shul the sinful folk have at that tyme; / ther shal the sterne and
wrothe Iuge sitte above, and under him the horrible put of helle open to
destroyen him that moot biknowen hise sinnes, whiche sinnes openly been
shewed biforn god and biforn every creature. /170 And on the left syde, mo
develes than herte may bithinke, for to harie and drawe the sinful soules
to the pyne of helle. / And with-inne the hertes of folk shal be the
bytinge conscience, and with-oute-forth shal be the world al brenninge. /
Whider shal thanne the wrecched sinful man flee to hyden him? Certes, he
may nat hyden him; he moste come forth and shewen him.’ / For certes, as
seith seint Ierome: ‘the erthe shal casten him out of him, and the see
also; and the eyr also, that shal be ful of thonder-clappes and
lightninges.’ / Now sothly, who-so wel remembreth him of thise thinges, I
gesse that his sinne shal nat turne him in-to delyt, but to greet sorwe,
for drede of the peyne of helle. /175 And therfore seith Iob to god:
‘suffre, lord, that I may a whyle biwaille and wepe, er I go with-oute
returning to the derke lond, covered with the derknesse of deeth; / to the
lond of misese and of derknesse, where-as is the shadwe of deeth; where-as
ther is noon ordre or ordinance, but grisly drede that evere shal laste.’ /
Lo, here may ye seen that Iob preyde respyt a whyle, to biwepe and waille
his trespas; for soothly oon day of respyt is bettre than al the tresor of
the world. / And for-as-muche as a man may acquiten him-self biforn god by
penitence in this world, and nat by tresor, therfore sholde he preye to god
to yeve him respyt a whyle, to biwepe and biwaillen his trespas. / For
certes, al the sorwe that a man mighte make fro the beginning of the world,
nis but a litel thing at regard of the sorwe of helle. /180 The cause why
that Iob clepeth helle ‘the lond of derknesse’; / under-stondeth that he
clepeth it ‘londe’ or erthe, for it is stable, and nevere shal faille;
‘derk,’ for he that is in helle hath defaute of light material. / For
certes, [577] the derke light, that shal come out of the fyr that evere
shal brenne, shal turne him al to peyne that is in helle; for it sheweth
him to the horrible develes that him tormenten. / ‘Covered with the
derknesse of deeth’: that is to seyn, that he that is in helle shal have
defaute of the sighte of god; for certes, the sighte of god is the lyf
perdurable. / ‘The derknesse of deeth’ been the sinnes that the wrecched
man hath doon, whiche that destourben him to see the face of god; right as
doth a derk cloude bitwixe us and the sonne. /185 ‘Lond of misese’:
by-cause that ther been three maneres of defautes, agayn three thinges that
folk of this world han in this present lyf, that is to seyn, honours,
delyces, and richesses. / Agayns honour, have they in helle shame and
confusion. / For wel ye woot that men clepen ‘honour’ the reverence that
man doth to man; but in helle is noon honour ne reverence. For certes,
na-more reverence shal be doon there to a king than to a knave. / For which
god seith by the prophete Ieremye: ‘thilke folk that me despysen shul been
in despyt.’ / ‘Honour’ is eek cleped greet lordshipe; ther shal no man
serven other but of harm and torment. ‘Honour’ is eek cleped greet dignitee
and heighnesse; but in helle shul they been al fortroden of develes. /190
And god seith: ‘the horrible develes shulle goon and comen up-on the
hevedes of the dampned folk.’ And this is for-as-muche as, the hyer that
they were in this present lyf, the more shulle they been abated and
defouled in helle. / Agayns the richesses of this world, shul they han
misese of poverte; and this poverte shal been in foure thinges: / in
defaute of tresor, of which that David seith; ‘the riche folk, that
embraceden and oneden al hir herte to tresor of this world, shul slepe in
the slepinge of deeth; and no-thing ne shul they finden in hir handes of al
hir tresor.’ / And more-over, the miseise of helle shal been in defaute of
mete and drinke. / For god seith thus by Moyses; ‘they shul been wasted
with hunger, and the briddes of helle shul devouren hem with bitter deeth,
and the galle of the dragon shal been hir drinke, and the venim of the
dragon hir morsels.’ /195 And forther-over, hir miseise shal been in
defaute of clothing: for they shulle be naked in body as of clothing, save
the fyr in which they brenne and othere filthes; / and naked shul they been
of [578] soule, of alle manere vertues, which that is the clothing of the
soule. Where been thanne the gaye robes and the softe shetes and the smale
shertes? / Lo, what seith god of hem by the prophete Isaye: ‘that under hem
shul been strawed motthes, and hir covertures shulle been of wormes of
helle.’ / And forther-over, hir miseise shal been in defaute of freendes;
for he nis nat povre that hath goode freendes, but there is no freend; /
for neither god ne no creature shal been freend to hem, and everich of hem
shal haten other with deedly hate. /200 ‘The sones and the doghtren shullen
rebellen agayns fader and mooder, and kinrede agayns kinrede, and chyden
and despysen everich of hem other,’ bothe day and night, as god seith by
the prophete Michias. / And the lovinge children, that whylom loveden so
fleshly everich other, wolden everich of hem eten other if they mighte. /
For how sholden they love hem togidre in the peyne of helle, whan they
hated ech of hem other in the prosperitee of this lyf? / For truste wel,
hir fleshly love was deedly hate; as seith the prophete David: ‘who-so that
loveth wikkednesse he hateth his soule.’ / And who-so hateth his owene
soule, certes, he may love noon other wight in no manere. /205 And
therefore, in helle is no solas ne no frendshipe, but evere the more
fleshly kinredes that been in helle, the more cursinges, the more
chydinges, and the more deedly hate ther is among hem. / And forther-over,
they shul have defaute of alle manere delyces; for certes, delyces been
after the appetytes of the fyve wittes, as sighte, heringe, smellinge,
savoringe, and touchinge. / But in helle hir sighte shal be ful of
derknesse and of smoke, and therfore ful of teres; and hir heringe, ful of
waymentinge and of grintinge of teeth, as seith Iesu Crist; / hir
nosethirles shullen be ful of stinkinge stink. And as seith Isaye the
prophete: ‘hir savoring shal be ful of bitter galle.’ / And touchinge of al
hir body, y-covered with ‘fyr that nevere shal quenche, and with wormes
that nevere shul dyen,’ as god seith by the mouth of Isaye. /210 And
for-as-muche as they shul nat wene that they may dyen for peyne, and by hir
deeth flee fro peyne, that may they understonden by the word of Iob, that
seith: ‘ther-as is the [579] shadwe of deeth.’ / Certes, a shadwe hath the
lyknesse of the thing of which it is shadwe, but shadwe is nat the same
thing of which it is shadwe. / Right so fareth the peyne of helle; it is
lyk deeth for the horrible anguissh, and why? For it peyneth hem evere, as
though they sholde dye anon; but certes they shal nat dye. / For as seith
Seint Gregorie: ‘to wrecche caytives shal be deeth with-oute deeth, and
ende with-outen ende, and defaute with-oute failinge. / For hir deeth shal
alwey liven, and hir ende shal everemo biginne, and hir defaute shal nat
faille.’ /215 And therfore seith Seint Iohn the Evangelist: ‘they shullen
folwe deeth, and they shul nat finde him; and they shul desyren to dye, and
deeth shal flee fro hem.’ / And eek Iob seith: that ‘in helle is noon ordre
of rule.’ / And al-be-it so that god hath creat alle thinges in right
ordre, and no-thing with-outen ordre, but alle thinges been ordeyned and
nombred; yet nathelees they that been dampned been no-thing in ordre, ne
holden noon ordre. / For the erthe ne shal bere hem no fruit. / For, as the
prophete David seith: ‘god shal destroie the fruit of the erthe as fro
hem;’ ne water ne shal yeve hem no moisture; ne the eyr no refresshing, ne
fyr no light. /220 For as seith seint Basilie: ‘the brenninge of the fyr of
this world shal god yeven in helle to hem that been dampned; / but the
light and the cleernesse shal be yeven in hevene to hise children’; right
as the gode man yeveth flesh to hise children, and bones to his houndes. /
And for they shullen have noon hope to escape, seith seint Iob atte laste:
that ‘ther shal horrour and grisly drede dwellen with-outen ende.’ /
Horrour is alwey drede of harm that is to come, and this drede shal evere
dwelle in the hertes of hem that been dampned. And therefore han they lorn
al hir hope, for sevene causes. / First, for god that is hir Iuge shal be
with-outen mercy to hem; ne they may nat plese him, ne noon of hise halwes;
ne they ne may yeve no-thing for hir raunson; /225 ne they have no vois to
speke to him; ne they may nat flee fro peyne; ne they have no goodnesse in
hem, that they mowe shewe to delivere hem fro peyne. / And therfore seith
Salomon: ‘the wikked man dyeth; and whan he is deed, he shal have noon hope
to escape fro peyne.’ / Who-so thanne wolde wel understande these peynes,
[580] and bithinke him weel that he hath deserved thilke peynes for his
sinnes, certes, he sholde have more talent to syken and to wepe than for to
singen and to pleye. / For as that seith Salomon: ‘who-so that hadde the
science to knowe the peynes that been establissed and ordeyned for sinne,
he wolde make sorwe.’ / ‘Thilke science,’ as seith seint Augustin, ‘maketh
a man to waymenten in his herte.’ /230
166. E. _om. 2nd_ no. 168. Cp. Pt. Ln. repeat (after god) wol nought
ben corrupte and therefore saith Salamon. 170. E. Hn. stierne.
moot] E. noot. 171. on] E. in. E. Ln. peyne; Cm. pit; _rest_
pyne. 175. E. Hn. in; Hl. to; _rest_ in-to. 178. Hl. oon; Cm. on;
E. a; _rest_ oo (o). 182. or] E. Cp. Ln. of. E. Hn. dirk. 188. E.
Hn. woot; Cm. wote; Hl. witen; Cp. wite; Ln. weten. 189. Hl.
displesen (_for_ despysen). 190. E. _om. from_ ther shal _to 2nd_
greet. 195. E. with the bitter; _rest om._ the. Hl. teeth (_for_
deeth). 197. E. as of alle; _rest om._ as. E. (_only_) smale shetes
and the softe shertes. 203. E. _om._ hem _after_ love. 206. E. _om.
1st_ in helle. 207. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. _om._ after. 208. Cp. Hl. Ln.
gruntynge; Cm. grochynge; Pt. gnaistynge. 214. Hl. shal be yiue
deth. 218. E. in the ordre. 221. E. Cm. Basilie; _rest_ Basile.
225. E. Cm. and they (_1st time_). 228. E. the (_for_ these).
§ 11. The fourthe point, that oghte maken a man to have contricion, is the
sorweful remembrance of the good that he hath left to doon here in erthe;
and eek the good that he hath lorn. / Soothly, the gode werkes that he hath
left, outher they been the gode werkes that he wroghte er he fel in-to
deedly sinne, or elles the gode werkes that he wroghte while he lay in
sinne. / Soothly, the gode werkes, that he dide biforn that he fil in
sinne, been al mortified and astoned and dulled by the ofte sinning. / The
othere gode werkes, that he wroghte whyl he lay in deedly sinne, they been
outrely dede as to the lyf perdurable in hevene. / Thanne thilke gode
werkes that been mortified by ofte sinning, whiche gode werkes he dide whyl
he was in charitee, ne mowe nevere quiken agayn with-outen verray
penitence. /235 And ther-of seith god, by the mouth of Ezechiel: that, ‘if
the rightful man returne agayn from his rightwisnesse and werke
wikkednesse, shal he live?’ / Nay; for alle the gode werkes that he hath
wroght ne shul nevere been in remembrance; for he shal dyen in his sinne. /
And up-on thilke chapitre seith seint Gregorie thus: ‘that we shulle
understonde this principally; / that whan we doon deedly sinne, it is for
noght thanne to rehercen or drawen in-to memorie the gode werkes that we
han wroght biforn.’ / For certes, in the werkinge of the deedly sinne, ther
is no trust to no good werk that we han doon biforn; that is to seyn, as
for to have therby the lyf perdurable in hevene. /240 But nathelees, the
gode werkes quiken agayn, and comen agayn, and helpen, and availlen to have
the lyf perdurable in hevene, whan we han contricion. / But soothly, the
gode werkes that men doon whyl they been in deedly sinne, for-as-muche as
they were doon in deedly sinne, they may nevere quiken agayn. / For certes,
thing that nevere hadde lyf may nevere quikene; and nathelees, al-be-it
that [581] they ne availle noght to han the lyf perdurable, yet availlen
they to abregge of the peyne of helle, or elles to geten temporal richesse,
/ or elles that god wole the rather enlumine and lightne the herte of the
sinful man to have repentance; / and eek they availlen for to usen a man to
doon gode werkes, that the feend have the lasse power of his soule. /245
And thus the curteis lord Iesu Crist wole that no good werk be lost; for in
somwhat it shal availle. / But for-as-muche as the gode werkes that men
doon whyl they been in good lyf, been al mortified by sinne folwinge; and
eek, sith that alle the gode werkes that men doon whyl they been in deedly
synne, been outrely dede as for to have the lyf perdurable; / wel may that
man, that no good werke ne dooth, singe thilke newe Frenshe song: “_Iay
tout perdu mon temps et mon labour_.” / For certes, sinne bireveth a man
bothe goodnesse of nature and eek the goodnesse of grace. / For soothly,
the grace of the holy goost fareth lyk fyr, that may nat been ydel; for fyr
faileth anoon as it forleteth his wirkinge, and right so grace fayleth
anoon as it forleteth his werkinge. /250 Than leseth the sinful man the
goodnesse of glorie, that only is bihight to gode men that labouren and
werken. / Wel may he be sory thanne, that oweth al his lif to god as longe
as he hath lived, and eek as longe as he shal live, that no goodnesse ne
hath to paye with his dette to god, to whom he oweth al his lyf. / For
trust wel, ‘he shal yeven acountes,’ as seith seint Bernard, ‘of alle the
godes that han be yeven him in this present lyf, and how he hath hem
despended; / in so muche that ther shal nat perisse an heer of his heed, ne
a moment of an houre ne shal nat perisse of his tyme, that he ne shal yeve
of it a rekening.’ /
232. E. Pt. Ln. that he hath wroght (_1st time_). 233. Ln. mortified;
Hl. amortised; _rest_ mortefied. Cp. Pt. astonyed; Hl. astoneyed.
235. Ln. Hl. mortified; _rest_ mortefied. 240. E. is for to seyn.
242. E. quyke. 247. Ln. mortified; Hn. Hl. amortised; _rest_
mortefied. 254. _All_ noght (nat) _so_; ed. 1550, in so (_better_).
§ 12. The fifthe thing that oghte moeve a man to contricion, is remembrance
of the passion that oure lord Iesu Crist suffred for our sinnes. /255 For,
as seith seint Bernard: ‘whyl that I live, I shal have remembrance of the
travailles that oure lord Crist suffred in preching; / his werinesse in
travailling, hise temptacions whan he fasted, hise longe wakinges whan he
preyde, hise teres whan that he weep for pitee of good peple; / the wo and
the shame and the filthe that men seyden to him; of the foule spitting that
men spitte in his face, of the buffettes that men yaven [582] him, of the
foule mowes, and of the repreves that men to him seyden; / of the nayles
with whiche he was nailed to the croys, and of al the remenant of his
passion that he suffred for my sinnes, and no-thing for his gilt.’ / And ye
shul understonde, that in mannes sinne is every manere of ordre or
ordinance turned up-so-doun. /260 For it is sooth, that god, and reson, and
sensualitee, and the body of man been so ordeyned, that everich of thise
foure thinges sholde have lordshipe over that other; / as thus: god sholde
have lordshipe over reson, and reson over sensualitee, and sensualitee over
the body of man. / But sothly, whan man sinneth, al this ordre or ordinance
is turned up-so-doun. / And therfore thanne, for-as-muche as the reson of
man ne wol nat be subget ne obeisant to god, that is his lord by right,
therfore leseth it the lordshipe that it sholde have over sensualitee, and
eek over the body of man. / And why? For sensualitee rebelleth thanne
agayns reson; and by that wey leseth reson the lordshipe over sensualitee
and over the body. /265 For right as reson is rebel to god, right so is
bothe sensualitee rebel to reson and the body also. / And certes, this
disordinance and this rebellion oure lord Iesu Crist aboghte up-on his
precious body ful dere, and herkneth in which wyse. / For-as-muche thanne
as reson is rebel to god, therfore is man worthy to have sorwe and to be
deed. / This suffred oure lord Iesu Crist for man, after that he hadde be
bitraysed of his disciple, and distreyned and bounde, ‘so that his blood
brast out at every nail of hise handes,’ as seith seint Augustin. / And
forther-over, for-as-muchel as reson of man ne wol nat daunte sensualitee
whan it may, therfore is man worthy to have shame; and this suffred oure
lord Iesu Crist for man, whan they spetten in his visage. /270 And
forther-over, for-as-muchel thanne as the caitif body of man is rebel bothe
to reson and to sensualitee, therfore is it worthy the deeth. / And this
suffred oure lord Iesu Crist for man up-on the croys, where-as ther was no
part of his body free, withouten greet peyne and bitter passion. / And al
this suffred Iesu Crist, that nevere forfeted. And therfore resonably may
be seyd of Iesu in this manere: ‘to muchel am I peyned for the thinges that
I nevere deserved, and to muche defouled for shend-shipe that man is worthy
to have.’ / And therfore may the sinful [583] man wel seye, as seith seint
Bernard: ‘acursed be the bitternesse of my sinne, for which ther moste be
suffred so muchel bitternesse.’ / For certes, after the diverse
discordances of oure wikkednesses, was the passion of Iesu Crist ordeyned
in diverse thinges, /275 as thus. Certes, sinful mannes soule is bitraysed
of the devel by coveitise of temporel prosperitee, and scorned by deceite
whan he cheseth fleshly delyces; and yet is it tormented by inpacience of
adversitee, and bispet by servage and subieccion of sinne; and atte laste
it is slayn fynally. / For this disordinaunce of sinful man was Iesu Crist
first bitraysed, and after that was he bounde, that cam for to unbynden us
of sinne and peyne. / Thanne was he biscorned, that only sholde han been
honoured in alle thinges and of alle thinges. / Thanne was his visage, that
oghte be desired to be seyn of al man-kinde, in which visage aungels
desyren to looke, vileynsly bispet. / Thanne was he scourged that no-thing
hadde agilt; and fynally, thanne was he crucified and slayn. /280 Thanne
was acompliced the word of Isaye: ‘he was wounded for oure misdedes, and
defouled for oure felonies.’ / Now sith that Iesu Crist took up-on him-self
the peyne of alle oure wikkednesses, muchel oghte sinful man wepen and
biwayle, that for hise sinnes goddes sone of hevene sholde al this peyne
endure. /
255. Hl. for vs and for our synnes. 261. E. Cm. _om._ so. 269. E.
Cm. his blood; _rest_ the blood. 270. Hl. face (_for_ visage). 273.
Cm. (_and_ ed. 1550) And therfore ... manere; _rest om._ 275. E.
disconcordances. 276. E. temporeel. bispet] E. dispeir (!). 277.
E. _om._ first. 281. E. Ysaye that seith that he; _rest om._ that
seith that.
§ 13. The sixte thing that oghte moeve a man to contricion, is the hope of
three thynges; that is to seyn, foryifnesse of sinne, and the yifte of
grace wel for to do, and the glorie of hevene, with which god shal guerdone
a man for hise gode dedes. / And for-as-muche as Iesu Crist yeveth us thise
yiftes of his largesse and of his sovereyn bountee, therfore is he cleped
_Iesus Nazarenus rex Iudeorum._ / Iesus is to seyn ‘saveour’ or
‘salvacion,’ on whom men shul hope to have foryifnesse of sinnes, which
that is proprely salvacion of sinnes. /285 And therfore seyde the aungel to
Ioseph: ‘thou shall clepen his name Iesus, that shal saven his peple of hir
sinnes.’ / And heer-of seith seint Peter: ‘ther is noon other name under
hevene that is yeve to any man, by which a man may be saved, but only
Iesus.’ / _Nazarenus_ is as muche for to seye as ‘florisshinge,’ in which a
man shal hope, that he that yeveth him remission of sinnes shal yeve him
eek grace wel [584] for to do. For in the flour is hope of fruit in tyme
cominge; and in foryifnesse of sinnes hope of grace wel for to do. / ‘I was
atte dore of thyn herte,’ seith Iesus, ‘and cleped for to entre; he that
openeth to me shal have foryifnesse of sinne. / I wol entre in-to him by my
grace, and soupe with him,’ by the goode werkes that he shal doon; whiche
werkes been the foode of god; ‘and he shal soupe with me,’ by the grete
Ioye that I shal yeven him. /290 Thus shal man hope, for hise werkes of
penaunce, that god shall yeven him his regne; as he bihoteth him in the
gospel. /
283. E. Hn. gerdone; Cm. gerdounnyn. 285. E. _om._ is _after_ that.
291. Hn. Cm. Hl. byheteth.
§ 14. Now shal a man understonde, in which manere shal been his contricion.
I seye, that it shal been universal and total; this is to seyn, a man shal
be verray repentant for alle hise sinnes that he hath doon in delyt of his
thoght; for delyt is ful perilous. / For ther been two manere of
consentinges; that oon of hem is cleped consentinge of affeccion, when a
man is moeved to do sinne, and delyteth him longe for to thinke on that
sinne; / and his reson aperceyveth it wel, that it is sinne agayns the lawe
of god, and yet his reson refreyneth nat his foul delyt or talent, though
he se wel apertly that it is agayns the reverence of god; al-though his
reson ne consente noght to doon that sinne in dede, / yet seyn somme
doctours that swich delyt that dwelleth longe, it is ful perilous, al be it
nevere so lite. /295 And also a man sholde sorwe, namely, for al that evere
he hath desired agayn the lawe of god with perfit consentinge of his reson;
for ther-of is no doute, that it is deedly sinne in consentinge. / For
certes, ther is no deedly sinne, that it nas first in mannes thought, and
after that in his delyt; and so forth in-to consentinge and in-to dede. /
Wherfore I seye, that many men ne repenten hem nevere of swiche thoghtes
and delytes, ne nevere shryven hem of it, but only of the dede of grete
sinnes outward. / Wherfore I seye, that swiche wikked delytes and wikked
thoghtes been subtile bigyleres of hem that shullen be dampned. /
More-over, man oghte to sorwe for hise wikkede wordes as wel as for hise
wikkede dedes; for certes, the repentance of a singuler sinne, and nat
repente of alle hise othere sinnes, or elles repenten him of alle hise
othere sinnes, and nat of a singuler sinne, may nat availle. /300 For
certes, god almighty is al good; and ther-fore he foryeveth al, [585] or
elles right noght. / And heer-of seith seint Augustin: ‘I woot certainly /
that god is enemy to everich sinnere’; and how thanne? He that observeth o
sinne, shal he have foryifnesse of the remenaunt of hise othere sinnes?
Nay. / And forther-over, contricion sholde be wonder sorweful and
anguissous, and therfore yeveth him god pleynly his mercy; and therfore,
whan my soule was anguissous with-inne me, I hadde remembrance of god that
my preyere mighte come to him. / Forther-over, contricion moste be
continuel, and that man have stedefast purpos to shryven him, and for to
amenden him of his lyf. /305 For soothly, whyl contricion lasteth, man may
evere have hope of foryifnesse; and of this comth hate of sinne, that
destroyeth sinne bothe in himself, and eek in other folk, at his power. /
For which seith David: ‘ye that loven god hateth wikkednesse.’ For trusteth
wel, to love god is for to love that he loveth, and hate that he hateth. /