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availe. But for als moche as the goode werkes that men don whil thay ben in good lif ben amortised by synne folwyng, and eek sith that alle the goode werkes that men doon whil thay ben in dedly synne, been outrely deede as for to have the lif perdurable, wel may that man, that no goode werkes werkith, synge thilke newe freisch song, J'ay tout perdu moun temps et moun labour. For certis synne byreveth a man bothe goodnes of nature, and eek the goodnes of grace. For sothly the grace of the holy gost fareth lik fyre that may not ben ydel; for fuyr as it forletith his werkyng, and faileth anoon, and right so when the grace faileth anoon as it forleteth his werkyng, than lesith the synful man the goodnes of glorie, that oonly is byhight to goode men that labouren and werken. Wel may he be sory thanne, that oweth al his lif to God, as longe as he hath lyved, and eek as longe as he schal lyve, that no goodnes ne hath to paye with his dette to God, to whom he oweth al his lyf; for trusteth wel he schal give accompt, as saith seint Bernard, of alle the goodes that han be geven him in his present lif, and how he hath hem dispendid, nat so moche that ther schal not perische an heer of his heed, ne a moment of an hour ne schal not perische of his tyme, that he ne schal give of it a rekenyng.

The fifte maner of contricioun, that moeveth a man therto, is the remembraunce of the passioun that oure Lord Jhesu Crist suffred for us and for oure synnes. For as seith seint Bernard, whil that I lyve, I schal have remembraunce of the passioun that oure Lord Jhesu Crist suffred for us in preching, his werynesse in travayling, his temptacioun whan he fastid, his longe

wakinges whan he prayde, his teeres whan he wepte for pité of good peple; the wo and the schame and the filthe that men saide to him; of the foul spittyng that men spitten on his face; of the buffettis that men gaf him; of the foule mowes and of the reproves that men to him saiden; of the nayles with whiche he was nayled to the cros; and of al the remenaunt of his passioun, that he suffred for my synnes and no thing for his gilt. And ye schal understonde that in mannes synne is every maner ordre of ordinaunce turned up-so-doun. For it is soth, that God, and resoun, and sensualité, and the body of man, be so ordeyned, that everich of thise foure schulde have lordschipe over that other, as thus; God schulde have lordschipe over resoun, and resoun over sensualité, and sensualité over the body of man. But sothly whan man synneth, al this ordre, or ordinaunce, is torned up-so-doun; and thanne, for as moche as the resoun of a man ne wol not be subject ne obeissant to God, that is his lord by right, therfore lesith it the lordschipe that it schulde have over sensualité, and eek over the body of man; and why? for sensualité rebellith thans agayns resoun; and by that way lesith resoun the lordschipe over sensualité, and over the body. For right as resoun is rebel to God, right so is bothe sensualité rebel to resoun and the body also. And certis this disordynaunce, and this rebellioun, oure Lord Jhesu Crist bought upon his precious body ful deere; and herkeneth in which wise. For as moche as resoun is rebel to God, therfore is man worthy to have sorwe, and to be deed. This

suffred oure Lord Jhesu Crist for man, after that he was bytraysed of his disciple, and distreyned and bounde, so that the blood brast out at every nayl of his hondes, as saith seint Austyn. And fortherover, for as mochil as resoun of man wol nought daunte sensualité whan it may, therfore is man worthy to have schame; and this suffered oure Lord Jhesu Crist for man, whan thay spitten in his face. And fortherover thanne, for as moche as the caytif body of man is rebelle bothe to resoun and to sensualité, therfore it is worthy the deth; and this suffred oure Lord Jhesu Crist for us upon the croys, wher as ther was no part of his body fre, withoute gret peyne and bitter passioun. And al this suffred oure Lord Jhesu Crist that never forfeted; and thus sayd he, to mochil am I streyned, for the thinges that I never deservyd; and to moche defouled for schendschip that man is worthy to have. And therfore may the synful man wel seye, as saith seint Bernard, acursed be the bitternesse of my synne, for which ther moste be suffered so moche bitternesse. For certis, after the dyvers discordaunces of oure wickednes was the passioun of oure Lord Jhesu Crist ordeyned in divers thinges; as thus. Certis sinful mannes soule is bytraysid of the devel, by coveitise of temporal prosperite; and scorned by disceyt, whan he cheseth fleischly delytes; and yit is it tormentid by impacience of adversité, and byspit by servage and subjeccioun of synne; and atte last it is slayn finally. For this discordaunce of synful man, was Jhesu Crist first bytraised; and after was he bounde, that com for to unbynden us fro synne and of

peyne. Than was he scorned, that oonly schulde be honoured in alle thing of alle thinges. Than was his visage, that oughte be desired to be say of al mankynde (in which visage aungels desiren to loke) vileynsly byspit. Thanne was he scorned" that nothing had agilt; and fynally, thanne was he crucified and slayn. Thanne was accomplised the word of Ysaye, He was woundid for oure mysdede, and defouled by oure felonyes. Now sith Jhesu Crist tok upon him thilke peyne of alle oure wikkednes, mochil oughte synful men wepe and bywayle, that for his synnes schulde Goddes sone of hevene al this endure.

The sixte thing that oughte to moeve a man to contricioun, is the hope of thre thinges, that is to sayn, forgevenes of synne, and the gifte of grace wel for to do, and the glorie of heven, with which God schal guerdoun man for his goode deedis. And for als moche as Jhesu Crist geveth us these giftes of his largesse and of his soverayn bounté, therfore is he cleped, Jhesus Nazarenus rex Judæorum. Jhesus is for to say, saveour or savacioun, of whom me schal hope to have forgevenes of synnes, which that is proprely savacioun of synnes. And therfore seyde the aungel to Joseph, thow schalt clepe his name Jhesus, that schal save his poeple of here synnes. And herof saith seint Petir, ther is noon other name under heven, that is geve to any man, by which a man may be savyd, but oonly Jhesus. Nazarenus is as moche to say, as florisching, in which a man schal hope, that he that geveth him remissioun of synnes, schal give him grace

12 scorned. Tyrwhitt reads scourged with the Lansd. MS.

wel to doo. For in the flour is hope of fruyt in tyme comynge, and in forgivenes hope of grace wel to do. I was at the dore of thin herte, saith Jhesus, and cleped for to entre; he that openith to me, schal have forgevenes of synne; I wol entre into him by my grace, and soupe with him by the goode workes that he schal doon, whiche werkes ben the foode of God, and he schal soupe with me by the grete joye that I schal give him. Thus schal man hope, that for his werkis of penaunce God schal give him his regne, as he bihetith him in the Gospel.

Now schal man understonde, in what maner schal be his contricioun. I say, it schal be universal and total, this is to say, a man schal be verray repentaunt for alle his synnes, that he hath doon in delyt of his For ther ben tuo thought, for delit is ful perilous. maners of consentyng, that oon of hem is cleped consentyng of affeccioun, whan a man is moeved to synne, and delitith him longe for to thinke on that synne, and his resoun aparceyveth wel that it is synne agayns the lawe of God, and yit his resoun refreyneth not his foule delit or talent, though he seth wel apertly, that it is agenst the reverence of God; although his resoun consente not to do the synne in dede, yit sayn some doctours, delyt that duellith longe it is ful perilous, al be it never so lite. And also a man schulde sorwe, namely for al that he hath desired agayn the lawe of God, with parfyt consentynge of his hert and of his resoun, for therof is no doute, that it is dedly synne in consentyng; for certis ther is no dedly synne, but that

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